Virtual clean belt to enable direct sensing of toner quantity

A method for measuring the mass of toner on a photoreceptor during a xerographic process, comprising:

• placing a patch of toner on a photoreceptor;
• emitting a light onto the patch via an intensity of a light emitting diode (LED)
• reading the amount of light reflected off the patch as a specular voltage via an optical reflective sensor;
• determining if the specular voltage exceeds a predetermined saturation point;
• and
• calculating the specular voltage value based upon a known relationship between the specular voltage and the LED intensity if the specular voltage exceeds the predetermined saturation point.

A method that measures the mass of toner in a xerographic process, comprising:

• placing a patch of toner on a photoreceptor belt in between two sheets of paper;
• emitting light onto the patch via a predetermined intensity of a light emitting diode (LED);
• determining a relationship between a specular reflectance of the patch and the intensity of the LED;
• and
• calculating the specular reflectance value of the patch based upon the intensity of the LED.