An innovative quality mapping technology for photoreceptors

摘要

Two factors critical to print quality in electrophotography are coating uniformity and coating defects on the photoreceptor. In photoreceptor design, coating materials must therefore be optimized, and methods must be employed to ensure that thephotoconductive coating is both free of defects and highly uniform in thickness and electrophotographic properties. A family of computerized photoconductor test systems now commercially available provides an innovative electrostatic mapping method forevaluating uniformity and defects. The systems combine conventional measurements such as charge acceptance and photosensitivity with the ability to detect and locate coating defects as small as 100μm or less. Key to the success of the mapping method used is a measurement principle closely resembling the basic electrophotographic process. Strong correlations have been demonstrated between test results from these systems and the quality of prints from the photoreceptors tested. In this paper, the designmethodology, operational characteristics, system performance, and practical applications of these systems are discussed.