A liquid ejection apparatus includes a housing provided at least with an upper surface and side surfaces, and a liquid tank that is arranged in the housing and is refillable with a liquid from outside. A display unit that indicates a remaining liquid amount in the liquid tank is arranged at least at one of joining portions each joining the upper surface to one of the side surfaces.

A fluid level sensing system includes: a sensor electrode to extend into a fluid reservoir, the sensor electrode including (i) a first segment of a first material having a first conductivity, and (ii) a second segment of a second material having a second conductivity; and a controller connected to the sensor electrode, to: detect a response from the sensor electrode to an input applied to the fluid reservoir; and determine, based on the response, which of the first and second segments are in contact with fluid in the fluid reservoir.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an inkjet printing apparatus includes a print head having an ejection opening surface on which ejection openings for ejecting ink are formed, a tank storing ink to be supplied to the print head, a supply flow path for supplying the ink from the tank to the print head, a collection flow path for collecting the ink from the print head to the tank, a supply pump provided in the supply flow path to supply the ink from the tank to the print head, a tank decompression pump which decompresses the inside of the tank, and a control unit which controls to drive the supply pump and the tank decompression pump to fill the collection flow path with ink.

A liquid discharge device includes a first liquid container, a liquid discharger, a second liquid container, a first liquid flow passage, and a second liquid flow passage. The first liquid container is configured to contain liquid. The liquid discharger is configured to discharge the liquid supplied from the first liquid container in a liquid supply direction. The second liquid container is configured to contain the liquid supplied from the first liquid container. The first liquid flow passage is a passage through which the liquid is supplied from the first liquid container to the liquid discharger via the second liquid container. The second liquid flow passage is a passage through which the liquid is supplied from the first liquid container to the liquid discharger without passing through the second liquid container.

A pipette-fillable fluid reservoir body. The fluid reservoir body includes two or more discrete fluid chambers therein. At least one of the fluid chambers contains a pressure compensation device and at least another one of the fluid chambers is devoid of a pressure compensation device. Each of the fluid chambers is in fluid flow communication with a fluid supply via, and each of the fluid chambers have sidewalls and a bottom wall attached to the side walls, wherein the bottom wall slopes toward the fluid supply via. The fluid reservoir body also includes an ejection head support face in fluid flow communication with the fluid chambers for attachment of a fluid ejection device to the ejection head support face for ejecting fluid from the fluid chambers.

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for quickly and accurately inspecting a droplet on a substrate. An apparatus for inspecting a droplet on a substrate according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an ultrasonic sensor configured to apply an ultrasonic wave to a droplet on the substrate and detect an ultrasonic wave reflected from the substrate; and a processor configured to acquire a height of the droplet at each position on the substrate on the basis of a signal of the ultrasonic wave reflected from the droplet on the substrate, calculate a volume of the droplet on the basis of the heights of the droplet at the positions, and store or output data in relation to the volume of the droplet. The embodiment of the present disclosure may calculate the volume of the droplet using the ultrasonic wave, thereby quickly and accurately inspecting the droplet on the substrate.

A liquid cartridge includes a case, a liquid supply portion, a circuit board, a residual-amount detecting portion, a base surface, and a plate member. The residual-amount detecting portion includes an optical access portion accessible by light traveling in a left-right direction. The optical access portion has a portion positioned above and away from electrodes of the circuit board by a first distance in an attached posture. The plate member extends frontward from the base surface, and provides a light-shielding region and a light-transmissive region. The light-shielding region is positioned rearward of the electrodes and frontward of the residual-amount detecting portion. The light-transmissive region is positioned rearward of the light-shielding region and frontward of the residual-amount detecting portion. Each of the light-transmissive region and the light-transmissive region has a portion positioned above and away from the electrodes by the first distance in the attached posture.

A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge case defining a liquid storage chamber; a liquid supply portion provided at the cartridge case; a residual-amount detecting portion configured to change a state of incident light according to an amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber; and a plate member. The residual-amount detecting portion includes an optical access portion accessible by light traveling in a left-right direction in an attached posture of the liquid cartridge. The plate member is positioned above the liquid storage chamber and frontward of the optical access portion in the attached posture. The plate member is pivotable between a first position and a second position about an axis extending in an up-down direction. In the attached posture of the liquid cartridge, the plate member extends in a front-rear direction at the first position, and extends in a direction crossing the front-rear direction at the second position.

A liquid cartridge includes a case, a liquid supplying portion, a circuit board, a plate member, and a residual-amount detecting portion. The plate member is positioned rearward and above electrodes of the circuit board in an attached posture. The residual-amount detecting portion includes an optical access portion configured to receive light traveling in a left-right direction. The plate member is movable between a first position and a second position. At the first position, a portion of the plate member is positioned frontward of the optical access portion and upward of the electrode group. At the second position, a front end of the plate member is positioned closer to the residual-amount detecting portion than at the first position. The plate member at the first position and the residual-amount detecting portion define therebetween in the front-rear direction a light transmissive region whose light transmittance is higher than the plate member.

A liquid cartridge includes: a cartridge case defining therein a liquid storage chamber; a liquid supply portion; a circuit board; a plate member; and a residual-amount detecting portion. The residual-amount detecting portion is configured to change a state of incident light according to an amount of the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber, and includes an optical access portion on which light traveling in a left-right direction is incident. The plate member is pivotally movable between: a first posture where a portion of the plate member is positioned upward relative to the optical access portion; and a second posture where the plate member is positioned downward relative to the optical access portion. The plate member in the first posture and the residual-amount detecting portion define a light transmissive region therebetween in the front-rear direction. The light transmissive region has a light transmittance greater than that of the plate member.