1. A system for controlling the operation of performing emergency notification in a vehicle, wherein at least one primary key is configured to be assigned to a primary driver and at least one secondary key is configured to be assigned to a secondary driver, the system comprising:
a controller configured to:
receive at least one driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver from a key ignition device positioned on at least one of the primary key and the secondary key;
determine whether the driver of the vehicle is one of the primary and the secondary driver based on the at least one driver status signal; and
selectively control the operation of performing emergency notification based on whether the driver of the vehicle is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is capable of allowing the driver to enabledisable the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to prevent the driver from disabling the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to perform the operation of emergency notification by automatically contacting emergency personnel via at least one of an occupant communication device and an in-vehicle communication device in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver and receiving an emergency signal indicating that the vehicle is in an emergency state.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the in-vehicle communication device is positioned in the vehicle and is not accessible to the driver.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to allow the driver of the vehicle to enable the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to receive at least one occupant communication device and to determine whether the at least one occupant communication device comprises one of a phone and a text messaging device to perform the emergency notification in the event the controller determines that the vehicle is in an emergency state.
8. A method for controlling the operation of performing emergency notification in a vehicle, wherein at least one primary key is configured to be assigned to a primary driver and at least one secondary key is configured to be assigned to a secondary driver, the method comprising:
receiving at least one driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver from a key ignition device positioned on at least one of the primary key and the secondary key;
determining whether the driver of the vehicle is one of the primary and the secondary driver based on the at least one driver status signal; and
selectively controlling the operation of performing emergency notification based on whether the driver of the vehicle is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising allowing the driver to enabledisable the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.
10. The method of claim 8 further comprising preventing the driver from disabling the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.
11. The method of claim 8 further comprising performing the operation of emergency notification by automatically contacting emergency personnel via at least one of an occupant communication device and an in-vehicle communication device in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver and to receiving an emergency signal indicating that the vehicle is in an emergency state.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising positioning the in-vehicle communication device in the vehicle such that the in-vehicle communication device is not accessible to the driver.
13. The method of claim 9 further comprising allowing the driver of the vehicle to enable the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.
14. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving at least one occupant communication device and determining whether the at least one occupant communication device comprises one of a phone and a text messaging device to perform the emergency notification in the event the controller determines that the vehicle is in an emergency state.
15. A system for controlling the operation of performing emergency notification in a vehicle between a primary driver and a secondary driver, the system comprising:
a first controller configured to associate at least one primary key to the primary driver and at least one secondary key to the secondary driver and to generate at least one driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver;
a second controller configured to:
receive the at least one driver status signal;
determine whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver in response to the at least one driver status signal; and
selectively control the operation of performing emergency notification based on whether the driver of the vehicle is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the second controller is capable of allowing the driver to enabledisable the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.
17. The system of claim 15 wherein the second controller is further configured to prevent the driver from disabling the operation of performing emergency notification in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.
18. The system of claim 15 wherein the second controller is further configured to perform the operation of emergency notification by automatically contacting emergency personnel via at least one of an occupant communication device and an in-vehicle communication device in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver and to receiving an emergency signal indicating that the vehicle is in an emergency state.
19. The system of claim 18 wherein the in-vehicle communication device is positioned in the vehicle and is not accessible to the driver.
20. The system of claim 15 wherein the second controller is configured to receive at least one occupant communication device and to determine whether the at least one occupant communication device comprises one of a phone and a text messaging device to perform the emergency notification in the event the controller determines that the vehicle is in an emergency state.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing material container which is detachably mounted to the printing apparatus, the printing material container having
a memory, and
a piezoelectric element for detecting the amount of a printing material contained therein,
an acquiring section that acquires frequency information regarding the frequency of a driving signal for driving the piezoelectric element from the memory;
a supplying section that supplies the driving signal having a frequency that is determined based on the frequency information to the piezoelectric element;
a detecting section that detects a response signal that is outputted in response to vibration of the piezoelectric element after the stopping of supply of the driving signal;
a measuring section that measures vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element contained in the response signal; and
a determining section that determines whether the printing material is present in the printing material container or not based on the vibration frequency,
wherein the frequency of the driving signal is a value obtained by multiplying a second reference frequency by 1(2k+1) (where \u201ck\u201d denotes any arbitrary integer of 1 or greater), the second reference frequency being lower than a first reference frequency by a fixed percentage, the first reference frequency being the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element when the printing material is not present in the printing material container.
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency information includes driving signal frequency information that specifies a frequency of the driving signal, and the supplying section supplies the driving signal to the piezoelectric element at a frequency specified by the driving signal frequency information.
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency information includes a first reference frequency information that specifies the first reference frequency, and the printing apparatus further comprises a first determination section that calculates the second reference frequency based on the first reference frequency information and determines a value obtained by multiplying the calculated second reference frequency by 1(2k+1) as the frequency of the driving signal.
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency information includes a second reference frequency information that specifies the second reference frequency, and the printing apparatus further comprises a second determination section that determines a value obtained by multiplying the second reference frequency specified by the second reference frequency information by 1(2k+1) as the frequency of the driving signal.
5. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing material container which is detachably mounted to the printing apparatus, the printing material container having
a piezoelectric element for detecting the amount of a printing material contained therein, and
a memory in which frequency information on natural vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element in a state where the printing material is not present in the printing material container is stored,
an acquiring section that acquires the frequency information from the memory of an printing material container that is a detection target;
a storing section that pre-stores vibration frequency range information that associates each of a plurality of vibration frequency ranges with a corresponding driving signal frequency information that specifies the frequency of the driving signal, the plurality of vibration frequency ranges being divided out of the natural vibration frequency range within which the natural vibration frequency could fall;
a selecting section that selects, among the plurality of vibration frequency ranges, a vibration frequency range which the natural vibration frequency specified by the frequency information falls within;
a supplying section that supplies the driving signal to the piezoelectric element of the printing material container at the frequency of the driving signal that is specified by the driving signal frequency information associated with the vibration frequency range;
a detecting section that detects the response signal that is outputted from the piezoelectric element after the stopping of supply of the driving signal;
a measuring section that measures vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element contained in the response signal; and
a determining section that determines whether the printing material is present in the printing material container or not based on the vibration frequency,
wherein the frequency of the driving signal is a value obtained by multiplying a certain frequency by 1(2k+1) (where \u201ck\u201d denotes any arbitrary integer of 1 or greater) the certain frequency being lower than the maximum frequency in each of the vibration frequency range by a fixed percentage.
6. A method for detecting the amount of a printing material, which is implemented by a printing apparatus which a printing material container is detachably mounted to, the printing material container having a memory and a piezoelectric element for detecting the amount of a printing material contained therein, the printing material amount detection method comprising:
acquiring frequency information regarding the frequency of a driving signal for driving the piezoelectric element from the memory;
supplying the driving signal having a frequency that is determined based on the frequency information to the piezoelectric element;
detecting a response signal that is outputted in response to vibration of the piezoelectric element after the stopping of supply of the driving signal;
measuring vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element contained in the response signal; and
determining whether the printing material is present in the printing material container or not based on the vibration frequency,
wherein the frequency of the driving signal is a value obtained by multiplying a second reference frequency by 1(2k+1) (where \u201ck\u201d denotes any arbitrary integer of 1 or greater), the second reference frequency being lower than a first reference frequency by a fixed percentage, the first reference frequency being the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element when the printing material is not present in the printing material container.
7. A method for detecting the amount of a printing material, which is implemented by a printing apparatus which a printing material container is detachably mounted to, the printing material container having a piezoelectric element for detecting the amount of a printing material contained therein and a memory in which frequency information on natural vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element in a state where the printing material is not present in the printing material container is stored, the printing material amount detection method comprising:
acquiring the frequency information from the memory of an printing material container that is a detection target;
selecting a vibration frequency range within which the vibration frequency specified by the frequency information falls among a plurality of vibration frequency ranges in the frequency information that associates each of the plurality of vibration frequency ranges with a corresponding driving signal frequency information that specifies the frequency of the driving signal where the plurality of vibration frequency ranges are divided out of the natural vibration frequency range within which the natural vibration frequency could fall;
supplying the driving signal to the piezoelectric element of the printing material container at the frequency of the driving signal that is specified by the driving signal frequency information associated with the vibration frequency range;
detecting the response signal that is outputted from the piezoelectric element after the stopping of supply of the driving signal;
measuring vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element contained in the response signal; and
determining whether the printing material is present in the printing material container or not based on the vibration frequency,
wherein the frequency of the driving signal is a value obtained by multiplying a certain frequency by 1(2k+1) (where \u201ck\u201d denotes any arbitrary integer of 1 or greater) the certain frequency being lower than the maximum frequency in each of the vibration frequency range by a fixed percentage.