US 2006/0153582 A1Published application

Method and system for using toner concentration as an active control actuator for TRC control

AssigneeXerox Corporation

InventorsSong-Feng Mo, Jennifer Wagner, Wendy Apton, Stephen Randall, Patricio Medina, Patrick Walker

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Abstract

A method of using toner concentration (TC) as an active actuator in the tonal reproduction curve (TRC) controller, so that not only will the TRC controller maintain the TRC of the output, but also all the electrostatic actuators will not diverge, and the toner concentration will be within the latitude range of the xerographic system. The process ensures that the target of the toner concentration (TC) sensor will be changed properly in direction (up/down) and amplitude to compensate the TRC output of the print engine based on either reflective reactance readings and/or the level of the electrostatic actuators.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of controlling the tonal reproduction curve (TRC) and maintaining toner concentration (TC) within the latitude range of an electrophotographic print engine with a TC target, the method comprising:

setting the level of a trigger point, wherein the trigger point comprises an actuator boundary at which a TC move will be triggered at some pre-determined level away from the actuator's limit;
receiving data from a sensor;
determining whether any one of a first set of conditions exists;
setting the TC target to tone TC up by delta TC, where any one of the first set of conditions exists, wherein the first set of conditions includes Vdev>(VdevMax−VdevMargin), |Vc|>(|Vc Max|−|Vc Margin|), |Vm|>(|VmMax|−|VmMargin|), a dark patch with Cin between 70% and 100% is too light and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times, and the dark patch is light and a mid-tone patch with Cin between 40% and 60% is too dark and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times;
determining whether any of any of a second set of conditions exists;
and
setting the TC target to tone TC down by delta TC, where any one of the second set of conditions exists, wherein the second set of conditions includes |Vc<(|Vc Min|+|VcMargin|), |Vm|>|VmMin|+|VmMargin|), a dark patch with Cin between 70% and 100% is too light and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times, and the dark patch is light and a mid-tone patch with Cin between 40% and 60% is too dark and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times.

4 more elements

A tonal reproduction curve (TRC) and toner concentration (TC) control system for a print engine with a TC target, the system comprising:

an electrostatic voltmeter;
an infrared densitometer;
a TC sensor;
and
software means operative on the print engine to:
set the level of a trigger point comprising an actuator boundary at which a TC move will be triggered at some pre-determined level away from the actuator's limit;
receive data from the infrared densitometer;
determine whether any one of a first set of conditions exists;
set the TC target to tone TC up by delta TC, where any one of the first set of conditions exists, wherein the first set of conditions includes Vdev>(VdevMax−VdevMargin), |Vc|>(|Vc Max|−|Vc Margin|), |Vm|>(|VnMax|−|VmMargin|), a dark patch with Cin between 70% and 100% is too light and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times, and the dark patch is light and a mid-tone patch with Cin between 40% and 60% is too dark and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times;
determine whether any of any of a second set of conditions exists;
and
set the TC target to tone TC down by delta TC, where any one of the second set of conditions exists, wherein the second set of conditions includes |Vc|<(|Vc Min|+|VcMargin|), |Vm|<(|VmMin|+|VmMargin|), a dark patch with Cin between 70% and 100% is too light and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times, and the dark patch is light and a mid-tone patch with Cin between 40% and 60% is too dark and out of the tolerance range continuously for a predetermined number of times.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.