| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To ensure the detection of waste ink amount by providing an ink tank, which has an ink reservoir, an ink absorber contained in the reservoir, and an ink detection means disposed in a space formed by the ink absorber and the inner surface of the reservoir, and a sensor means connected to the detection means. CONSTITUTION:In a part inside a waste ink sump 1, a space 17 formed by cutting out an ink absorber 16 is provided. If a waste ink amount is increased to a predetermined amount and beyond the retention capacity of the ink absorber 16, a waste ink bleeds into the space. In this manner, two electrodes 18A disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the sump 1 are electrically conducted to each other and connected to a predetermined circuit of a printed circuit board 6 through respective contacts 19A and lead wires 21, whereby the conduction is detected. In this manner, the detection that the waste ink has reached the predetermined amount is performed, which inhibits the discharge recovery operation of a recording head accompanied with the discharge of the waste ink. Then, a predetermined display for informing the replacement of the sump 1 is indicated, and the leakage of the waste ink is prevented. |
