Determining oxidation of photoconductor members based on obtained spectrum from optical spectroscopy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215711-B2
Application number	US-201515521813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A method is described in which a spectrum of a surface of a photoconductor member is obtained using optical spectroscopy; and an extent of oxidation of the surface is determined based on the obtained spectrum.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
obtaining, using optical spectroscopy, a spectrum of a surface of a photoconductor member; and
determining an extent of oxidation of the surface based on the obtained spectrum.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the obtaining step comprises using Fourier Transform Infrared, FTIR, spectroscopy to obtain the spectrum.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the obtaining step comprises using Raman spectroscopy to obtain the spectrum.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises detecting a peak corresponding to an oxidation product of a material comprised in the photoconductor member in the obtained spectrum and determining an attribute of the detected peak,
wherein the determined attribute of the detected peak comprises one of: peak height, peak area, ratio of detected peak height with the height of a further peak in the obtained spectrum, ratio of detected peak area with an area of a further peak in the obtained spectrum.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the determining step comprises comparing the determined attribute to a look-up table relating oxidation product attribute value to extent of oxidation of the surface.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising assessing whether remedial action is required based on the determined extent of oxidation,
wherein the remedial action comprises cleaning the surface of the photoconductor member and/or replacing the photoconductor member.

7. A method as claimed in 6 wherein the assessing step comprises comparing the determined extent of oxidation to a threshold, and wherein assessing whether to clean the surface of the photoconductor member is based on the comparison.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the obtaining step is performed on a photoconductor member which is separate from a printing apparatus.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the photoconductor member is in a printing apparatus during the obtaining step.

10. An apparatus comprising:
an optical spectrometer to obtain a spectrum of a surface of a photoconductor member; and
a processing unit to:
receive a spectrum obtained by the optical spectrometer; and
determine an extent of oxidation of the surface based on the received spectrum.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the optical spectrometer comprises an articulated arm mounted to a sample compartment of the optical spectrometer and a measuring unit mounted on the articulated arm, such that the articulated arm provides an optical path between the measuring unit and the sample compartment.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the optical spectrometer is to obtain a spectrum using attenuated total reflection, ATR.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 comprising a cleaning apparatus to remove an oxidation product from the surface of the photoconductor member.

14. A printing apparatus comprising the apparatus as claimed in claim 10 .

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:
instructions to detect receipt by the processor of a spectrum of a surface of a photoconductor member obtained using optical spectroscopy; and
instructions to determine an extent of oxidation of the surface of the photoconductor member based on the received spectrum.

Assignees

• Hp Indigo Bv

Inventors

• Golan Eviatar
• Orlik Fernanda
• Shitrit Mirit
• Moalem Sasi
• Diamant Reut

Classifications

• G03G15/5033

  by measuring the photoconductor characteristics, e.g. temperature, or the characteristics of an image on the photoconductor · CPC title

• G03G15/75

  Details relating to xerographic drum, band or plate, e.g. replacing, testing (electrographic recording members per se G03G5/00) · CPC title

• G01N21/95 Primary

  characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined (G01N21/89 - G01N21/91, G01N21/94 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N21/3563 Primary

  for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor · CPC title

• G01N21/552

  Attenuated total reflection · CPC title