Optical transceiver and method for image density measurement

• US 7,061,616 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kellie, Truman F., Edwards, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stafira, Michael P.
• Application Number:
  US10/386,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20030184756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 356/445
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/474 Details of optical heads therefor, e.g. using optical fibres

Abstract

An optical transceiver measures optical density of a toned image. The optical transceiver comprises:

• • a) a bifurcated optical bundle having first and second branches and a common end, each branch having a first plurality of fibers and a second plurality of fibers, respectively, wherein the branches are intermixed in the common end;
  • b) a radiation source for producing radiation, wherein the radiation source is aligned with the first branch;
  • c) a detector for detecting the radiation, wherein the detector is aligned with the second branch; and
  • d) a toner receptor having a surface, wherein the toned image is on the surface and the toner receptor is aligned with the common end.

Claims

1. An optical transceiver for measuring optical density of a toned image, said optical transceiver comprising:

a) an at least bifurcated optical bundle having at least a first branch and a second branch and a common end, each of said first and second branches having a first plurality of fibers and a second plurality of fibers, respectively, wherein fibers from said first branch and fibers from said second branch are intermixed in said common end;

b) a source of radiation, wherein said radiation source is optically aligned with said first branch;

c) a detector for detecting said radiation and providing data to a processor, wherein said detector is optically aligned with said second branch; and

d) a toner receptor having a surface,

wherein said toned image is on said surface and said toner receptor is optically aligned with said common end and the processor using a color specific look up table to evaluating density in plated toner on said toner receptor.

2. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, further comprising a system that moves said surface with respect to said common end.

3. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said radiation source comprises a light emitting diode.

4. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said radiation source comprises a solid state laser diode.

5. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said radiation source comprises a white light source.

6. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said detector comprises a photodiode.

7. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said detector comprises a phototransistor.

8. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said detector comprises a photomultiplier tube.

9. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said toner receptor comprises a photoreceptor.

10. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said toner receptor comprises an intermediate transfer member.

11. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said toner receptor according to claim 1, wherein said toner receptor comprises a paper.

12. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said toner receptor comprises a roll.

13. An optical transceiver according to claim 12, wherein said roll is a developer roll.

14. An optical transceiver according to claim 12, wherein said roll further comprises a photoreceptor.

15. An optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein said toned image is a color image.

16. The optical transceiver of claim 1 wherein optical fibers from the first branch and the second branch are arranged in a circular pattern in said common end.

17. The optical transceiver of claim 13 wherein optical fibers from the first branch and the second branch are arranged in a circular pattern in said common end.

18. A method for measuring optical density of a toned image, said method comprising the steps of:

a) providing radiation from a radiation source, wherein said radiation has stable intensity;

b) providing an at least bifurcated optical bundle having at least a first branch and a second branch of fibers and a common end, each branch of fibers having a first plurality of fibers and a second plurality of fibers, respectively, wherein said branches are intermixed in said common end;

c) optically aligning said common end with a toner receptor having a surface, wherein said toned image is on said surface;

d) emitting said radiation from said radiation source through said first branch and out of said common end to said surface;

e) receiving radiation reflected from said surface into fibers in the second branch by a detector, wherein said detector generates an electrical signal depending upon the intensity of radiation detected

f) moving the toned surface with respect to said common end;

g) generating and storing a color specific look up table by evaluating density in a test patch of plated toner on said toner receptor;

h) adjusting imaging process parameters in a process used to generate a toned image in accordance to values at look up table.

19. A method for measuring optical density of a toned image, said method comprising the steps of:

a) providing radiation from a radiation source, wherein said radiation has stable intensity;

b) providing an at least bifurcated optical bundle having at least a first branch and a second branch of fibers and a common end, each branch of fibers having a first plurality of fibers and a second plurality of fibers, respectively, wherein said branches are intermixed in said common end;

c) optically aligning said common end with a toner receptor having a surface, wherein said toned image is on said surface;

d) emitting said radiation from said radiation source through said first branch and out of said common end to said surface;

e) receiving radiation reflected from said surface into fibers in the second branch by a detector, wherein said detector generates an electrical signal depending upon the intensity of radiation detected

f) moving the toned surface with respect to said common end;

g) generating and storing a color specific look up table by evaluating density in a test patch of plated toner on said toner receptor;

h) adjusting imaging process parameters in a process used to generate a toned image in accordance to values at look up table,

wherein steps d) through h) are repeated for each color of multi-color printing process.

20. An optical transceiver for measuring optical density of a toned image, said optical transceiver comprising:

a) an optical bundle having at least a first branch and a second branch of optical fibers and a common end, each of the first branch and the second branch having a first plurality of optical fibers and a second plurality of optical fibers, respectively, wherein optical fibers from the first branch and the second branch are distributed across a cross-section of the common end;

b) a radiation source, wherein said radiation source is optically aligned with the first branch and transmitted through said first branch;

c) a detector for detecting said radiation, wherein said detector is optically aligned with the second branch and receives radiation from said second branch;

d) a toner receptor having a surface, wherein said toned image is on said toner receptor surface and said toner receptor is optically aligned with said common end; and

e) a microprocessor for receiving and storing radiation data from said detector and for determining the position of said common end with respect to said toner receptor.