Method and device for determining the quantity of product present in a reservoir, a product reservoir and a device for processing electrical signals intended for such a determination device
US6345532B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 8, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 12, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 8, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F23/266
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A device determines a quantity of product present in a reservoir, particularly a quantity of ink in the reservoir (112) of an image formation device, such as a printer (10). In a preferred embodiment, the devices includes means (120, 113, 123) of connecting the said product to a predetermined potential, means (121, 122) of establishing a first electrical field through the product, and adapted to establish a second electrical field different from the first electrical field, means (122), of measuring electrical fields in order to produce first and second electrical signals representing electrical fields, and means (100) of processing the first electrical signal in order to produce a signal representing the quantity of product, and adapted to process the second electrical signal in order to detect the interruption of the connection of the product to the predetermined potential, the said interruption corresponding to a predetermined quantity of product present in the reservoir (112).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.