9 May 1997DEVELOPMENT
If the toner end sensor informs the cpu that there is no toner, two things
happen.
- TD Sensor Check ("2" on the flow chart) -
The cpu checks the TD sensor to determine whether the amount of toner in
the developer is low or not. If the amount of toner is low, the near-end
determination procedure starts ("4" on the flow chart).
- Toner Supply Clutch Activation ("1" on the flow chart) -
The toner supply clutch on time is calculated (as explained in "DetailedProcess
Descriptions
Control" - section 2.2.5), and the toner supply clutch turns on for the amount
of time calculated (max 1.2 s).
The machine adds up the total amount of time that the toner supply clutch
has been on since the first time the toner end sensor gave a negative
response. When this reaches a multiple of 5 s, the toner supply bottle is
rotated for 1.5 s the next time a copy is made ("3" on the flow chart). If the
time reaches 30 s, the toner near end determination process begins ("4" on
the flow chart).
Note: If the toner near-end sensor detects toner, all timers are reset to zero
("5" on the flow chart).
- Toner Near-end Determination -
Every copy, the toner supply clutch turns on for 1.5 s. If toner is still not
detected after 15 copies, the machine detects a toner near-end condition ("6"
on the flow chart).
- Toner End Determination -
If toner is still not detected 50 copies after toner near-end was determined,
the machine detects a toner end condition ("7" on the flow chart).
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