| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable detecting of the amount of ink contained in an ink absorber stored in a second storage chamber which supplies ink to a recording head. SOLUTION: An ink tank has a first storage chamber storing the ink and a second storage chamber with the ink absorber which absorbs the ink supplied from the first storage chamber. The ink contained in the second storage chamber is supplied to a recording head. It is judged whether or not the amount of the ink discharged from the recording head within a specified time has exceeded the amount of the ink which can be supplied to the second storage chamber from the first storage chamber within a specified time (step 2). In case the amount of the discharged ink has exceeded the amount of the supplied ink, the difference value obtained by subtracting the amount of the supplied ink from the amount of the discharged ink, is subtracted from the amount of the ink (α) of the second ink storage chamber right before the ink discharge. Consequently, the residual ink amount of the second storage chamber after the ink discharge, is determined (step 3). COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI |
