Charge spectrograph
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsRichard B. Lewis, Richard F. Koehler, Jr., Edward W. Connors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus in which the distribution of tones particles is measured as a function of the size and charge thereof. The toner particles pass through a uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing. The resultant deflection from a reference is a function of the size and charge of the particle. A computer driven image analysis system displays a toner charge distribution.
Claims21
An apparatus for measuring the distribution of highly charged toner particles as a function of the size and charge thereof, including:
- a housing defining an interior chamber;
- a pump coupled to the interior chamber of said housing to produce a flow of air therethrough;
- a plurality of screens disposed in the interior chamber of said housing with each of said plurality of screens being spaced from one another and having substantially uniform apertures therein to produce a substantially uniform pressure drop thereacross so that the air velocity is substantially uniform across the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for forming a substantially uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for introducing the toner particles into the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for receiving the particles that have moved through at least a portion of the electrical field in the interior chamber of said housing;
- and
- means for scanning said receiving means to form a display of the particles as a function of the charge and size thereof.
A method of measuring the distribution of highly charged toner particles as a function of the size and charge thereof, including the steps of:
- producing a laminar air flow having substantially uniform velocity in an interior chamber of a housing by actuating a pump coupled to the interior chamber of the housing and directing the air flow in the chamber of the housing through a plurality of spaced screens having substantially uniform apertures therein to produce a substantially uniform drop thereacross;
- forming a substantially uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing;
- introducing the toner particles into the interior chamber of the housing;
- receiving the toner particles that have moved through at least a portion of the electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing on a support member;
- and
- scanning the support member to form a display of the toner particles deposited on the support member as a function of the charge and size thereof.
An apparatus for measuring the distribution of highly charged toner particles as a function of the size and charge thereof, including:
- a housing defining an interior chamber;
- means for producing a laminar air flow having substantially uniform velocity of approximately one hundred centimeters per second in the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for forming a substantially uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for introducing the particles into the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for receiving the particles that have moved through at least a portion of the electrical field in the interior chamber of said housing;
- and
- means for scanning said receiving means to form a display of the particles as a function of the charge and size thereof.
A method of measuring the distribution of highly charged toner particles as a function of the size and charge thereof, including the steps of:
- producing a laminar air flow having substantially uniform velocity of approximately one hundred centimeters per second in an interior chamber of a housing;
- forming a substantially uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing;
- introducing the toner particles into the interior chamber of the housing;
- receiving the toner particles that have moved through at least a portion of the electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing on a support member;
- and
- scanning the support member to form a display of the toner particles deposited on the support member as a function of the charge and size thereof.
An apparatus for measuring the distribution of highly charged toner particles as a function of the size and charge thereof, including:
- a housing defining an interior chamber;
- means for producing a laminar air flow having substantially uniform velocity in the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for forming a substantially uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for introducing the particles into the interior chamber of said housing;
- means for receiving the particles that have moved through at least a portion of the electrical field in the interior chamber of said housing, said means for receiving positioned at a portion of said housing to receive all particles including those having no or only slight charges;
- and
- means for scanning said receiving means to form a display of the particles as a function of the charge and size thereof.
A method of measuring the distribution of highly charged toner particles as a function of the size and charge thereof, including the steps of:
- producing a laminar air flow having substantially uniform velocity in an interior chamber of a housing;
- forming a substantially uniform electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing;
- introducing the toner particles into the interior chamber of the housing;
- receiving all toner particles that have moved through at least a portion of the electrical field in the interior chamber of the housing on a support member;
- and
- scanning the support member to form a display of the toner particles deposited on the support member as a function of the charge and size thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.