System for determining the autonomy in consumable fluids of a continuous ink jet printer

摘要

A system for determining the autonomy in consumable fluids (ink and solvent) of a continuous inkjet printer, including
a system for measuring the total volume of available ink,a system for determining the average ink consumption,the ink autonomy (AE) by division of the volume of ink with the average ink consumption.

主权项

1. A system for determining autonomy in consumable fluids of a continuous inkjet printer provided with a printing head, the system comprising:
a system for measuring a quantity of ink comprising
a first tank having a first section extending over a height of the first tank and adapted to be filled with ink and to supply the printing head with pressurized ink therefrom and to respectively recover fluids coming from the head and not used for printing;a second tank having a second section extending over a height of the second tank and a bottom of which being hydraulically connected with a bottom of the first tank by a first hydraulic line comprising a first valve, the second tank comprising a level sensor adapted to detect a height of a liquid in the second tank, a gas pressure of inside portions of the first and second tanks being at a same gas pressure;means for establishing a forced hydraulic communication in ink from a removable ink cartridge, which the system is adapted to receive, and the second tank, respectively, toward the first tank to completely empty the second tank and the ink cartridge when a removable ink cartridge is installed in the system and provided in liquid communication with said first and second tanks;control means adapted to perform opening of the first valve when the complete emptying of the second tank is done, to establish a filling of identical height by a communicating vessel between the first and second tanks; andcalculating means adapted to determine a total volume of ink contained in the first tank and in the second tank from detection of the identical height by the level sensor and first and second sections; a system for determining an average ink consumption comprising
means for determining a volume of a drop coming from a jet emitted by the head;an electronic counter connected to a charge electrode of the head to count, by comparison with a charge voltage applied to the charge electrode, a number of drops deflected by deflection electrodes of the head;digital means for accumulating values counted by the counter over a period of time; andsaid calculating means determining an average ink consumption by multiplication of the number of drops counted over the period of time and the volume of a drop; and said calculating means determining an ink autonomy by division of a volume of ink with the average ink consumption.