MXPA97010288A - Multiple function coding wheel for cartridges used in an electrofotograf output device - Google Patents

Abstract

A cartridge for an electrophotographic machine, having a manifold for transporting a stirrer rotatably mounted in the manifold for the clutch with a toner, a coded device coupled to a first end of the agitator, and a torque-sensitive coupling connected to a second end of the agitator, which is connectable to a drive mechanism of the machine. The encoded device includes coding means that represents the characteristic information of the cartuc

Description

MULTI-FUNCTION CODING WHEEL FOR CARTRIDGES USED IN A DEVICE OF ELECTROPOTOGRAPHIC OUTPUT This application is a continuation in part of the application S.N. 08 / 602,648 filed on February 16, 1996. A portion of the exposition of this patent document contains material, which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of any of the patent documents or the patent exposition, as it appears in the archives or patent registrations in the Patent and Trademark Office, but reserves all copyright of any kind. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to Electrophotographic (EP) machines and more particularly relates to methods and apparatus associated with replaceable supply cartridges for such machines wherein the information concerning the cartridge is provided to the machine not only to increase the efficient and correct operation of it.

Description of Related Art Many manufacturers of Electrographic output devices (eg, laser printers, copiers, fax machines, etc.) such as Lexmark International, Inc., have traditionally required information about the EP cartridge available for the device. output, in such a way that the control of the machine can be altered to produce the best print quality and the longest life of the cartridge. The technique is replete with input devices or methods to inform the EP machine about the specific characteristics of the EP cartridge. For example, U.S. Patent 5,208,631 issued May 4, 1993, discloses a technique to identify colorimetric properties of toner contained within a cartridge in a reproductive machine by placing it in a PROM within the specific cartridge coordinates of a coordinated system. colors to project color data. In another prior art, for example the Patent US 5,289,242 issued February 22, 1994, discloses a method and system for indicating the type of toner print cartridge that has been loaded into an EP printer. Essentially, this comprises a conductive strip mounted on the cartridge to engage with the contacts in the machine when the lid or cover is closed. The sensor is a dual position switch that tells the user the type of print cartridge that has been loaded in the printer. Although this method is effective, the amount of information that can be provided to the machine is limited. In yet another prior art, such as in U.S. Patent 5,365,312 issued November 15, 1994, a memory microcircuit is retained that contains information about the current state of filling or other status data. The exhausted state of the printing medium is provided by empirically quantifying the consumption. The average amount of toner required to tone a load image is multiplied by the number of revolutions of the load image vehicle or by the degree of inking of the characters through an optical sensor. In any method, the count is less than accurate and depends on the average ink coverage on the page, or alternatively, on the density of characters which can change dramatically due to the selection of the font. Therefore, in the best of cases, the consumption count lacks accuracy. The theory suggests several methods to detect the level of toner in a laser printer. Most of these methods detect a lower toner condition or if the toner is above or below a fixed level. Few methods or devices effectively measure the amount of unused toner remaining. For example, Lexmark® printers currently use an optical technique to detect a lower toner condition. This method attempts to pass a beam of light through a section of the toner container over a photosensor. The toner blocks the beam until its level falls below a preset height. Another common method measures the effect of toner on a rotary shaker or toner palette, which shakes and moves the toner on a base to present it to a toner adding roller, then to a distributor roller and finally to the PC Drum. The axis of rotation of the pallet is horizontal. As it proceeds through its full 360 degree rotation, the pallet enters and exits the toner supply. Between the point where the pallet contacts the surface of the toner and the point where it leaves the toner, the toner resists the movement of the pallet and produces a load of power on the axis of the pallet. A low toner is detected by either 1) detecting whether the power load caused by the presence of the toner is below a given threshold at a fixed pallet location or 2) detecting whether the toner surface is below the toner. a fixed height. In any method there is a control member that supplies a drive power to a receiver organ (the paddle) which experiences a load power when it contacts the toner. There is some degree of freedom for these two members to rotate independently of one another in a carefully defined manner. For the first method 1) above, without any load applied to the pallet, both members rotate together. However, when loaded, the pallet delays the control member by an angular distance that increases with the increase in load. In the second method 2), the paddle without load leads to the rotation of the control member, under the force of a spring or of gravity. When it is loaded (ie, the pallet contacts the toner surface), the control and receiver bodies are realigned and rotated together. By measuring the relative rotational displacement of the control and receiver organs (also known as phase difference) at an appropriate place in the rotation of the pallet, the presence of the toner can be detected. In the prior art, this relative displacement is detected by measuring the phase difference of two disks. The first disc is rigidly fastened to an axle that provides the driving power for the pallet.

The second disk is held rigidly to the axis of the vane and in proximity to the first disk. Normally, both discs have notches or mating slots in them. The alignment of the notches or grooves, which is how they overlap, indicates the phase relationship of the disks and therefore the phase of the command and receiver organs. Below are several techniques that show the methods and previous variations. In the United States Patent 4,003,258, issued on January 18, 1997 to Ricoh Co., the use of two discs to measure the location of the toner pallet in relation to the driver axis of the pallet is disclosed. When the vane reaches the top of its rotation, the coupling between the vane and the drive shaft allows the vane to fall freely under the force of gravity until it rests on the toner surface or at the bottom of its rotation. The low toner is detected if the angle through which the palette falls is greater than a fixed amount (close to 180 degrees). A spring connects the two discs, but the spring is not used for toner detection. It is used to throw the toner from the toner container towards the distributor. In U.S. Patent 5,216,462, issued to Oki Electric Co., on June 1, 1993, a system is described where a spring connects two discs so that the phase separation of the discs indicates the power load on the pallet. Instability is observed in this type of system. It also describes a system similar to the previous patent in which the pallet falls freely from its upper dead position to the surface of the toner. The position of the pallet is detected through a magnetic coupling to a lever outside the toner container. This lever activates an optical switch when the paddle is near the bottom of its rotation. A low toner indication results when the time taken for the pallet to fall from its upper dead center to the bottom of the container, as detected by the optical switch, is less than a given value. In U.S. Patent 4,592,642, issued June 3, 1986 to Minolta Camera Co., a system is described that does not use the pallet directly to measure the toner, but instead uses the movement of the pallet to displace a "float". "above the surface of the toner and let it fall down on top of the surface of the toner. A switch is activated by the "float" when it is in the low toner position. If the "float" spends a substantial amount of time in the low toner position, the device indicates low toner. Although the patent implies that the amount of toner in the container can be measured, the description indicates that it behaves in a non-linear, almost binary manner to merely detect a low toner state. U.S. Patent 4,989,754, issued on February 5, 1991 to Xerox Corp., differs from the others in that there is no internal palette to shake or distribute the toner. Instead, the entire toner container rotates around a horizontal axis. Since the interior of the toner rotates with the container, it drags a rotating lever together with it. When the toner level becomes low, the lever, no longer displaced from its base position by the movement of the toner, returns to its base position under the force of gravity. From this position the lever activates a switch to indicate a low toner. In still another US Patent 4,711,561, issued December 8, 1987 to Rank Xerox Limited, this patent describes a means for detecting when a waste toner tank is complete. It uses a float that is pushed upwards by means of the residual toner feed in the tank from the bottom. The float activates a switch when it reaches the top of the tank. The United States Patent 5No. 036,363, issued July 30, 1991 to Fujitsu Limited, describes the use of a commercially available vibration sensor to detect the presence of a toner at a fixed level. The patent describes a simple synchronization method to ignore the effect of the sensor cleaning mechanism of the sensor output. U.S. Patent 5,349,377, issued September 20, 1994 to Xerox Corp., discloses an algorithm to calculate the use of the toner and therefore the amount of toner remaining in the container by quantifying the black pixels and weighting them for the use of the toner. based on pixels per unit area in the vicinity of the pixel. This is unlike the inventive method and apparatus, set forth hereinafter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the apparatus and method for representing the characteristic information of the cartridge by means of an encoding device, and for reading such information from the encoding device. One aspect of the invention is directed to a cartridge for an electro-photographic machine, which includes a manifold that carries a stirrer mounted rotatably in the collector for the gear with a toner; a coded device coupled with a first end of the agitator; and a torque sensitive coupling coupled to a second end of the agitator, which is connectable to an actuator mechanism in the machine. The encoded device includes encoding means that represent the characteristic information of the cartridge. Such encoding means may include legible encoding to indicate a component of a resistance to the agitator movement through a portion of said commutator having the toner therein to give an indication of a quantity of remaining toner in said collector. The resistance component representative of the quantity of toner remaining in the collector is determined by the delay between a path of the actuator mechanism in relation to a path of the encoded device. Also such encoding means may include, alternatively or in addition to the legible coding to indicate an amount of toner, an encoding representing the preselected cartridge characteristic information. Another aspect of the invention is directed to a cartridge having a single encoded plate rotating in relation to a stirrer, wherein the encoded plate includes coding to determine an amount of toner in the cartridge, and another aspect of the invention is directed to a cartridge having an encoded plate, wherein the encoded plate includes the coding representing the preselected cartridge information. Such coding includes plurality of coding indicators, such as, for example, openings, windows, notches, or reflective areas formed in and / or on the encoded plate. Still another aspect of the invention is directed to a reader for reading the coding indicators of the encoded plate. A method for determining the amount of toner in the cartridge of the invention includes the steps of determining a rotational position of the driving mechanism; determine a position relative to the encoded plate; and measuring the delay between the rotational position of said actuator mechanism and the relative rotational position of said encoded plate. Other advantages and features of the invention can be determined from the drawings and the detailed description of the invention that follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic side elevational view illustrating the paper path in a typical electrophotographic machine, in the printer of the illustrated example, and showing a replacement supply EP cartridge, constructed in accordance with the present invention, and the manner of insertion thereof into the machine; Figure 2 is a simplified, enlarged, fragmentary lateral elevational view of the cartridge illustrated in Figure 1, and removed from the machine of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the inner driving parts of the cartridge EP illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, including the coding wheel and its relative position with respect to the drive mechanism for the inner driving parts of the cartridge; Figure 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of the agitator / paddle actuator for the toner collector, and illustrating a portion of the torque-sensitive coupling between the motor gear and the drive shaft for the agitator / paddle; Figure 5A is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 4, except that it illustrates another portion of the torque sensitive coupling for coupling the drive shaft for the agitator / vane through the coupling with the power gear, and Figure 5B illustrates the reverse side of one half of the torque-sensitive coupling, and that portion that is connected to the agitator / paddle shaft; Figure 6 is a simplified electrical diagram for the machine of Figure 1 and illustrating the main parts of the electrical circuit; Figure 7 is an enlarged, lateral, enlarged view of the coding wheel employed in accordance with the present invention, and viewed from the same side as shown in Figure 2, and from the opposite side as shown in Figure 3; Figure 8A is a first portion of a flow chart illustrating the code necessary to turn on the machine, and the reading of coded information on the coder wheel; Fig. 8B is a second portion of the flow diagram of Fig. 8A illustrating the measurement of the toner level in the toner collector; Figure 9 is a graphical display of the power curves for three different levels of toner within the collector, and in various positions of the toner pallet relative to the upper dead center or the base position of the coding wheel; Figure 10 is a perspective view of a coder wheel with novel apparatus for locking the selected slots in a coder wheel for encoding the wheel with EP cartridge information. Figures 11A-11E represent in a flowchart form an alternative method for turning on the machine, reading the coded information on the coder wheel and measuring the toner level in the toner collector; Figure 12 is a sectional view of a coder wheel and a schematic representation of an alternative Hall effect reader / sensor of the invention; Figure 13 is a sectional view of a coder wheel and a schematic representation of an alternative reflective reader / sensor of the invention; Figure 14 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the coding wheel of Figure 12 and taken along line 13-13 of Figure 12; Figure 15 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a coder wheel with a cam surface implementation and a reader / sensor mechanism follower of the cam; and Figure 16 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a coder wheel with a cam surface implementation and an alternative cam reader / sensor mechanism. DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE MODALITIES Turning now to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1 thereof, a laser printer 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated herein. Figure 1 shows a schematic side elevational view of the printer 10, illustrating the path of the print receiving medium 11 and includes an electrophotographic replacement supply (EP) cartridge 30, constructed in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated, the machine 10 includes a cover or housing 10a which contains at least one medium supply store 12, which by means of a collecting arm 13, feeds cut sheets of the print receiving means 12a (e.g., paper ) in the path of the medium 11, beyond the printing machine that forms part of the cartridge 30 in the instant instance, and through the machine 10. A transport motor drive assembly 15 (figure 3) supports the motor action to feed the medium through and between the constrictions of the pressure roller pairs 16-23 towards an exit receiving store of the medium 26. According to the invention, and referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cartridge 30 includes a coding wheel 31 adapted for coercion, when the cartridge 30 is snapped into its base position within the machine 10, with a coding wheel sensor or reader 31a for driving or transmitting to the machine 10 in. training concerning cartridge characteristics, including continuous data (while the machine is running) concerning the amount of remaining toner within the cartridge and / or preselected cartridge characteristics, such as, for example, cartridge type or size, toner capacity , type of toner, type of photoconductive drum, etc. For this purpose, the coding wheel 31 is mounted, in the illustrated case, on one end 32a of an axis 32, the axis of which is mounted coaxially for rotation within a cylindrical toner supply manifold 33. Mounted on the shaft 32 for its synchronous rotation with the coding wheel 31, extending radially from axis 32 and axially along manifold 33, there is a toner agitator or palette 34. The level of toner 35 for a cartridge (depending on capacity) is generally shown to be approximately from the 9:00 position and then counterclockwise to the 3:00 position. As the vane 34 rotates counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow 34a, the toner tends to move on the base 33a of the manifold 33. (The vane 34 is conventionally provided with large openings 34b, Figure 3 , to provide a lower resistance to it as it passes through the toner 35). As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, the toner moving on the base 33a is presented to a toner adding roller 36, which interacts in a known manner with a distributor roller 37 and then a photoconductive drum (PC) 38 that is in the path of the medium 11 to apply text and graphic information to the printing receiving means 12a presented thereto in the path of the medium 11. Referring now to Figure 3, the motor transport assembly 15 it includes a drive motor 15a, which is coupled through suitable clutches and separations 15b to provide multiple and different drive rotations for, for example, the PC drum 38 and a drive train 40 for the distributor roller 37, the toner addition roller 36 and through a variable power installation, towards an end 32b of the shaft 32. The drive motor 15a can be of any convenient type, for example, a stepped motor or in the preferred embodiment a DC motor without brushes. Although any of several types of drive motors, including stepped motors, can be used, a brushless DC motor is ideal because of the availability of the contrast effect or frequency-generated feedback pulses which have measurable and finite increments of motion of the motor. driver axis. The feedback explains a predetermined distance measurement, which will be referred to as an increment instead of a "step" so as not to limit the drive for a stepped motor. The drive train 40, which in the present case forms part of the cartridge 30, includes a receiver gear 40a, which is directly coupled to the distributor roller 37, and through an intermediate wheel gear 40b is coupled to the toner adding roller 36 by the gear 40c. The gear 40c, in turn, through suitable reduction gears 40d and 40e, drives the final drive gear 41. In a manner explained more fully below in relation to FIGS. 5 and 6, the drive gear 41 it engages the end 32b of the shaft 32 through a variable torque responsive coupling. In Figure 3, the gear 41 is shown including a flange or reinforcement 42 connected to a collar 43 which acts as a support allowing the free movement, absent of limits, of the gear 41 and its reinforcement 42 around the end 32b of the shaft 32. Referring now to Figure 4, the actuation half of the variable torque responsive coupling is mounted on the reinforcement 42 of the gear 41. For this purpose, the coupling drive half includes a wound torsion spring 44, a leg 44a to which the reinforcement 42 of the gear 41 is secured, the other leg 44b of which remains free. Turning now to FIG. 5A, the other half (receiving half) of the coupling is illustrated therein. To this end, there is illustrated an axle 45 having a central apertured aperture 46 dimensioned to receive the splined shaft (flat) end 32b of the axle 32. For easy understanding an insertion drawing is provided showing the reverse side of the shaft 45. The shaft 45 includes radially extending handle portions 47a, 47b, the extended end ends of which overlap the flange 48 associated with the reinforcement 42 of the gear 41. The rear face or rear surface 45a of the axis 45 (see Figure 5B) facing the reinforcement 42, includes dependent, reinforcing leg portions, 49a, 49b. A collar 46a borders the reinforcement 42 of the gear 41 and keeps the remaining portion of the shaft 45 separate from the reinforcement 42 of the gear 41. A fastener 50 is also attached to the rear part of the rear surface 45a of the shaft 45, which grasps the free-standing leg 44b of the spring 44. In this manner, one end 44a (Figure 4) of the spring 44 is connected to the reinforcement 42 of the gear 41, while the other end 44b of the spring 44 is connected to the shaft 45, which in turn, keyed to shaft 32 mounted for rotation in and through manifold 33 of cartridge 30. Accordingly, the gear 41 is connected to the shaft 32 through the spring 44 and the shaft 45. As the gear 41 rotates, the end 44b of the spring presses against the retainer 50 on the shaft 45, which tends to rotate causing the paddle 34 on shaft 32 turn. When the pallet first engages the toner 35 in the manifold 33, the added resistance causes an increase in the twist and the spring 44 tends to wind up completely causing thereby that the coding wheel 31 retards the rotational position of the gear 41. The stops 51 and 52 mounted on the flange 48 prevent over-tensioning or excessive tensioning of the spring 44. In cases where the collector 33 is at the full design level of the toner 35, the handles 47a, 47b engage the stops 52 and 51, respectively. Accordingly, the spring 44 allows the vane shaft 32 to be delayed relative to the gear 41 and the drive train 40 due to the resistance encountered against the toner 35 as the vane 34 attempts to move through the manifold 33. the greater the resistance found due to the toner against the paddle 34, the greater the delay. As will be described in more detail hereafter, the difference in the distance traveled by the gear 41 (actually the motor 15a) and the coder wheel 31, as the vane 34 traverses the manifold 33 in a counter-clockwise direction. clock from the 9:00 position (see figure 2) to approximately the 5:00 position, is a measurement of how much toner 35 remains in the collector 33, and consequently how many pages can still be printed by the machine or EP 10 printer before the cartridge 30 is under toner. This measurement technique will be explained more fully with respect to the finding of the base position of the coding wheel 31 and the reading of the wheel. Turning now to Figure 6, which is a simplified electrical diagram for the machine 10, which illustrates the main parts of the electrical circuit thereof, the machine employs two processor conductor boards (microprocessors) 80 and 90, respectively labeled " Electronic Card of the Machine "and" Electronic Card of the Processor of Images in Network "(hereinafter called EEC and RIP, respectively). As is conventional with processors, they include memory, 1/0 and other equipment associated with small system computers on a board. The EEC 80, as shown in Figure 6, controls the functions of the machine, generally through programs contained in ROM 80a on the card and in conjunction with its on-board processor. For example, in the machine, the laser print head 82; the motor transport assembly 15; the high voltage power supply 83 and a cover switch 83a indicating a change of state to the EEC 80 when the cover is opened; the Coding Wheel Sensor 31a which reads the code on the coding wheel 31 which reports the necessary cartridge information to the EEC 80 and which provides continuous data concerning the supply of toner in the collector 33 of the EP 30 cartridge; a display screen 81 indicating various conditions of the machine to the operator, under the control of the RIP when the machine is operating but capable of being controlled by the EEC during manufacture, the display being useful for the test conditions of Development of deployment even when the RIP is not installed. Other functions are illustrated such as the interrupt lamp or Elimination 84 assembly and the out-of-paper functions of MPT as they are controlled by the EEC 80. Other shared functions are provided, for example the Merger Assembly 86 and the Supply Low Voltage Power 87 through an interconnection card 88 (which includes power and transfer lines) which allows communication between RIP 90 and EEC 80, and other peripheries. The Interconnection card 88 can be connected to other peripheries through a communication interface 89 which is available for connection to a network 91, non-volatile memory 92 (for example, Hard disk drive), and of course its connection to a guest 93, for example, a computer such as a personal computer and the like. The RIP basically works to receive the information by printing from the network or guest and converts it into a bitmap and the like for printing. Although the serial port 94 and the parallel port 95 are illustrated as separable from the RIP card 90, they can conventionally be placed on or as part of the card. Before dealing with, through the programming flow diagram, the operation of the machine according to the invention, the structure of the novel coding wheel 31 must be described. For this purpose, and referring now to figure 7, the coding wheel 31 preferably has a disc shape and comprises a keyed central opening 31b to be received by an equally configured end 32a of the axle 32. The wheel includes several slots or windows therein which are preferably placed with respect to an OD labeled as a line start data, for identification purposes. From a "clock face" view, the DO resides at 6:00, along with the pull-out flange of a start / base window 54 of the wheel 31. (Note the direction of the rotation arrow 34a ). The pallet 34 is shown schematically placed in the center-dead-top (TDC) with respect to the wheel 31 (and therefore, the manifold 33). The position of the coding wheel sensor 31a, although static and subject to the machine, is assumed, for purposes of the exposition, to be aligned with the OD in the drawing and placed substantially as shown schematically in Figure 1. Because blade 34 is generally out of contact with the toner in the manifold, from position 3:00 to position 9:00 (rotation counterclockwise as shown by arrow 34a), and it can be assumed that the speed of the shaft is absolutely uniform when the vane moves from at least the position 12:00 (TDC) to the position 9:00, the information concerning the cartridge 30 is preferably coded on the wheel between 6: 00 and approximately the 9:00 position. To this end, the wheel 31 is provided with slots or windows 0-6, radially extending, equally spaced apart, the trailing ridges of which are located with respect to the DO and labeled D1-D7, respectively. Each of the slots 0-6 represents an information or position of data bits that can be selectively covered as one or more adhesive labels 96, in a manner that is explained more fully hereinafter with reference to the figure 10. It is sufficient at this point that a plurality of openings 56-59 are located along an arc with the same radius but adjacent to the data slots or windows 0-6. Note that the space between the openings 56 and 57 is smaller than the space between the openings 58 and 59. The coded data represented by combinations of uncovered slots, covered 0-6 indicate to the EEC 80 the necessary information regarding the initial capacity of the EP cartridge, the type of toner, whether or not it is qualified as an OEM type cartridge, or such other information that is either desirable or necessary to correct the operation of the machine. The adjacent slot 6 is a stopping window 55 having an amplitude equal to the distance between the driving ridges of the adjacent slots or windows, for example, Dl = (D2-D1, = D3-D2, etc.) = to the window width 55. Note that the stopping window 55 is also separated from the drive flange of the slot 6 by a distance equal to the amplitude of the stopping window 55. That is to say,, the distance D8-D7 = twice the amplitude of the window 55, although the window width of the window 55 is greater than the amplitude of the slots 0-6. Adjacent to slot 0, from about the position 5:00 to 6:00, there is a start / base window 54. The start / base window 54 is deliberately made larger than any other window width. Due to this difference in amplitude, it is easier to determine the position of the wheel and the start of the presentation of data bits to the encoder wheel sensor 31a. The reason for this will be a better understanding when discussing the programming flow diagrams of Figures 8A and 8B. In order to provide information to the EEC 80 regarding the delay of the coding wheel 31 in relation to the position of the transport motor 15a (quantized increments), three additional slots or windows "a", "b" and "c" are provided in D9, DIO and Dll, respectively. The drive flange of slot "a", (angular distance D9) is 200 ° from OD; the drive flange of groove "b" (angular distance DIO) is 215 ° from OD and the drive flange of groove "c" (angular distance Dll) is 230 ° from OD. From figure 7 it can be seen that when the slot "a" passes the sensor 31a in DO, the paddle 34 will have already passed the lower dead center (position 6:00) by 20 °, (200 ° -180 °); the window or slot "b" by 35 ° (215 ° -180 °), and the slot "c" by 50 ° (230 ° -180 °). The meaning of the placement of the slots "a", "b" and "c" will be explained more fully, hereinafter, with respect to Figure 9. Referring now to Figures 8A and 8B, which show respectively a programming and functional flow diagram illustrating the code necessary for the start of the machine, and the reading of encoded information on the encoder wheel, including the measurement of the level of toner 35 in the toner collector 33. In principle, it is good to understand that there is no confidence in or measurement of the speed of the machine, since it differs depending on the operation (ie, resolution, type of toner, color, etc.) even though a different table may be required for the search under large or extreme speed change conditions. According to the above, instead of storing in ROM 80a a standard for each of the different speeds in order to obtain different resolutions with which the real one could be compared to determine the amount of toner left, which is read in its place is the angular distance crossed by the coding wheel 31 with reference to the angular distance traveled by the motor, and then the comparison of the difference between the two angular measurements with a standard or baseline to determine the amount of toner left in the collector 33. By observation, it can be seen that the distance that the coder wheel travels between the start or base (DO) and "a", "b", "c" is always the same. So what is being measured is the distance that the motor has to travel before the slot "a" is detected, the slot "b" is detected and the slot "c" is detected, and then take the difference according to the measured delay. In essence, and perhaps an easier way for the reader to understand what is being measured, is that the angular displacement of the vane 34 is being measured with respect to the angular displacement of the gear 41 (gear train 40 as part of the assembly). transport motor 15). As discussed below, the largest number (delay number) indicates the position of the palette that gives the most power (the highest resistance). This number indicates which search table in the ROM should be used and gives a measure of how much toner 35 is left in the manifold 33 of the cartridge 30. Referring first to Figure 8a, after the machine 10 is started or the cover has been opened and subsequently closed, the rolling average is restored, as shown in the logical block 60. The sample measurements xn '(for example 5 or 6), simply established, are examined and the average of them is It stores and the code in the coding wheel 31 of the cartridge 30 is read, compared to what existed before, and then stored. The reason for doing this is that if a user replaces an EP cartridge from the last start-up or start-up of the machine 10, there may be a type of toner, toner level, etc. different in the new collector. According to the above, in order not to depend on the old data, new data including new cartridge data and / or quantity of toner 35 remaining in the cartridge 30 is ensured. Therefore, a new rolling average is created. 'in EEC 80. With respect to guest notification, however, old data would be reported because the vast majority of the time, when the machine is started or the cover is closed once opened, it will not have been installed a new cartridge, and trust could normally be deposited in the previous information. The next logical step in 61 is' Find the Base Position of the encoder wheel 31. In order that either the toner level or the cartridge characteristic algorithms operate properly, the "base position" of the wheel 31 must be found first. Necessarily, the EEC 80, through the sensor 31a must see the start of a window before it begins to determine the base or start position of the wheel, since the machine could stop at, for example, the position of the stopping window 55 and due to a mismatch in the system, the motor can move a sufficient distance before the encoder wheel actually moves in such a way that the "full width of the window" could appear to be the start / base window 54. Down the pseudocode is set to the portion of the program to find the start / base window 54. As previously discussed, the start / base window 54 is wider than the stop window 55 or for that problem, than any other slot or view. ntana on the encoder wheel 31. 'Find the home window first' This loop runs on the engine "increments" HomeFound ^ False while (! HomeFound) if (found the start of a Window) Then WindowWidth = 0 While (not at the end of Window). { Increment WindowWidth} If (WindowWidth> MINIMUM_HOME_WIDTH AND WindowWidth <MAXIMUM_HOME_WIDTH) Thßn End if End While in the previous algorithm, 'HomeFound' is set to false and a cycle is executed until the window or slot width meets the conditions of greater than minimum but lower than maximum, then 'HomeFound' will be set true and the cycle is terminated. Thus, the algorithm is essentially articulated: see the window; compare the window with minimum and maximum predetermined amplitudes, for its identification; and then indicate that the 'base window' 54 has been found when those conditions are met. To ensure that the algorithm finds base appropriately, after it identifies the stopping window 55, it checks to make sure that the position of the stopping window 55 is within the ratio with respect to the start / base window 54 and Of course, the width of the window is acceptable. This occurs in blocks or logic stages 62, 63 and 64 in Figure 8A. If this condition is not met, then the configuration information must be taken again. If this verification is passed, then there is no need to continue looking for the configuration information until a cover is closed or an ignition cycle occurs. This takes precautions for potential conditions where the machine does not identify the start / base window 54 and therefore does not characterize the cartridge 30. Before treating the pseudocode for 'Wheel Reading', it may be useful to remember that a portion of the revolution of the coding wheel 31 is close enough to a constant speed to allow the section to be used and read almost as a "bar code with windows". Referring to Fig. 7, that is the section of the wheel 31 from the drive flange of the start / base window 54 to the drive flange of the stop window 55 which includes the slots or windows 0-6. This is preferably found in the section of the coding wheel 31 in which the vane 34 does not hit or is in the toner 35 in the collector 33. The passage of this section on the optical sensor 31a creates a stream of bits in series which is decoded to give read-only information about the cartridge. The information contained in this section may include information that is essential for the operation of the machine with the particular EP cartridge, or "good to know" information. The information can be divided, for example, into two or more different classifications. One can be cartridge-specific, that is, information that indicates cartridge size, toner capacity, type of toner, type of photoconductor drum (PC), and it is customized when the cartridge is built, the other can allow a number of unique "cartridge classes" that can be customized before the cartridge is shipped, depending, for example, on the OEM destination. The latter classification may, for example, inhibit the use of cartridges from sellers where it is felt that the cartridge will give a lower impression, may have some fear of safety, or damage to the machine in some way. Alternatively, if the machine is supplied as an OEM unit to a seller of its own logo, the cartridges can be coded so that their logo cartridge is the one that is acceptable to the machine. The selective coding by blocking the windows can be carried out through an adhesion-of-adhesive label operation which will be explained more fully in relation to figure 10. The code 'Find Base' determines the window of start / base 54 inhibits the distance corresponding to the drive flange of each window 0-6 from the drive flange of the window 54. This acquisition continues until the machine detects the stop window 55 (which is designed to have a greater circumferential amplitude to the data windows 0-6 but smaller than the start / base window 54). Using a few multiplications of integers, the state of each bit in the byte reading is established by using the recorded distance of each window 0-6 from the drag flange of the base window 54. The portion of the program for reading the encoding wheel, in pseudo-code, is as follows: 'Find Home' (see above) 'Gather distances for all of the data window' This loop runs on engine "increments" Finished = False WindowNumber = 0 CumulativeCount = 0 while (! Finished) CumulativeCount = CumulativeCount + l If (the start of a window is found) Then WindowWidth = 0 While (not at the end of Window) increment WindowWidth increment CumulativeCount End While If (WindowWidth >; Minimum Stop window Width AND WindowWidth < Maximum Stop Window Width AND CumulativeCount > Minimum Stop Position AND CumulativeCount < Maximum Stop Position) Then 'we must ensure that the stop window is really what we found Finished = True StopDistanceFromHome = CumulativeCount Else DistanceFromHome (WindowNumb) = CumulativeCount WindowNumber = WindowNumber + 1 End if 'chec for stop window End if' check for start of window End While 'Now transíate measurements into physical bits DataValue = 0' First divide the number of amps taken by 9 Bi tD is tance = S topDi s tanceFromHome / 9 For 1 = 0 To WindowNumber-1 BitNumber = Dis tanceFromHome (I) / BitDistance 'What is being determined is the bit number corresponding to the measurement by rounding up Di ß tanceFromHome (I) / BitDistance. If ((DistanceFromHome (I) - (BitDistance * BitNumber)) * 2> BitDistance) Then BitNumber = BitNumber + 1 End If DataValue = DataValue + 1 (SHIFTLEFT) BitNumber-1 Next'Window number DataValue = -DataValue'invert result since Windows are logic 0's The program described above in pseudo code to read the wheel is fairly straight forward. In this way, in logic step 63, (FIG. 8A) where the motor increments are recorded for each data bit, and the drag edge of the bit is stopped, as discussed with respect to FIG. 7, which distances D1-D7 between the trailing edges of the windows or slots 0 to 6 are likewise separated (ie, D7-D6 = some constant "K", D5-D4 = constant "K", etc.). The pull flange of the stop window 55 is also a distance of two times "K" from the drive flange of the groove 6. Although the distance from the drive flange of the stop window 55 to its front flange (i.e., the window width 55) is equal to a 'bit' or 'K' distance of the anterior flange, this amplitude can be any convenient distance as long as its amplitude is > the amplitude of the slots 0-6 and < that the amplitude of the start / base window 54. In this way, the previous pseudocode line 'First divide the number of samples taken by 9', (from the window or start slot / base slot 54 ) means that there are 7 bits from DI to D7, plus two more up to D8, and therefore '/ 9' gives the space "K" between the windows (drag flange of the start / base window 54 to the drive flange) of the stopping window 55) which can be compared with what this distance assumes, and in this way ensure that the bit windows 0-6 and the detection window 55 have been found. If the stopping window 55 is not identified In a correct manner by the technique just described, then a branch from logic stage 64 to logic stage 61 will start the code again to find the base position, as in block 61 and as described above.

In the logical block or stage 65, the next logical step in the program is to go to the Data Coding Algorithm portion of the program. In the above-mentioned pseudo code, this starts with the establishment of REM "'Naw translates measure ßnts into physical bits". Now, it is assumed that when encoded, the encoding wheel 31 has covered several of the bits 0-6, as by means of an adhesive label so that the light does not pass through it. It is assumed that all the data bit slots except the 6 and the stop window 55 are covered. A reading of the distance D8 / 9 will give the space between the slots or data windows 0-6. Accordingly, the distance to slot D7, that is, the drive flange of slot 6, will be 7 times "K" (bit space) and will therefore indicate that it is bit 7, which is emitter and that the representation bit is 1000000, or if the logic is reversed, 0111111. Notice that the number found is rounded up or down, since the case may depend on factors such as paddle mass, rotational speed, etc. In certain cases, this may mean an upward rounding with a reading above .2 and a downward rounding with a reading below .2. For example, 6.3 would be rounded to 7, whereas 7.15 would be rounded to 7. In the logical step 66 the question is asked: "Does the machine stop during the rotation of the pallet?" If it does, logical step 67 starts. The reason for this is that if the pallet stops, especially when it is in the portion of the manifold 33 that contains a quantity of toner 35, in order to release the torsion of the spring 44, the motor 15a is supported by several increments. This will allow the removal and / or replacement, if desired, of the EP 30 cartridge. This logic step allows the number of "backed up" stages to be decreased from the increasing count of motor increments that started in the logic block 62. Returning Now to FIG. 8B, as the encoder wheel 31 rotates, the paddle 34 enters the toner 35 in the manifold 33. As described above in relation to the logic step 62, the motor increments are quantized. The motor increments are then recorded as S200, S215 and S230, in the logic stage 68a, 68b and 68c in the driving ridges of the slots "a", "b" and "c", respectively, of the wheel 31. These numbers, S200, S215 and S230 are subtracted from the baseline that the numbers would be the absent toner 35 in manifold 33, (or any other selected standard) which is then directly indicative of the delay due to toner resistance in the collector, with the paddle 34 in three different positions in the collector. This is shown in logic steps 69a-69c, respectively. As previously stated, there is a correlation between a loading power on the toner blade 34 and the amount of toner 35 remaining in the toner or collector supply vessel 33. FIG. 9 illustrates this relationship. In Figure 9, the power is set in inches-ounces on the ordinate and degrees of rotation of the vane 34 on the abscissa. Referring briefly to Figure 9, several characteristics of this data stand out as indicators of the amount of remaining toner. The first is the peak magnitude of the power. For example, with 30 grams of toner remaining in the collector 33, the power closes 2 inches-ounces, while at 150 grams the power approaches 4 inches-ounces and at 270 grams the power approaches 8 inches-ounces . The second characteristic is that the location of the peak of the power curve does not move too much as the amount of toner changes. This suggests that measuring the power near the location where the peak should occur would provide a remaining toner measurement. This is because, as shown in Figure 7, the drive flange of slot "a", (distance D9) is 200 ° from OD; the drive flange of groove "b", (distance DIO) is 215 ° from OD and the drive flange of groove "c" (distance Dll) is 230 ° from OD. Another obvious indicator is the location of the start of the power load. Still a third indicator is the area under the power curves. Another way of observing this process is that as long as the angular distance measurements of D9, DIO and Dll are known, the number of increments that the motor has to rotate in order to exceed the resistance stored in the torsion spring 44, is the difference in distance that the motor has to move (rotational increments) to obtain a reading in the window "a", then "b" and then "c". The delay is then compared as a logical step 70 and 71, and the larger delay is added as in logic steps 72, 73 or 74 to the average rolling sum. Therefore, a new average calculation is made from the average rolling sum. This is shown in the logic step 75. As illustrated in the logic block 76, the toner level 35 in the collector 33 can then be determined from a pre-calculated look-up table and stored in the ROM 80a associated with the EEC 80 of according to the new rolling average. In logic block 77, the oldest data point is subtracted from the rolling average sum and then the rolling average sum is reported to be used again in logic block 61 (Find Base position). If the toner level changed since the last measurement, compared to the logic block 78, this condition may be reported to the RIP processor 90 and / or the host machine, for example, a personal computer as indicated in logic block 79. The Coding of the coding wheel 31 is carried out, as briefly referred to above, by covering the selected slots 0-6 with an adhesive label. For manufacturing for an OEM purchaser, and in order to reduce inventories, and in accordance with another feature of the invention, the problem of rapidly and accurately applying such an adhesive label to the correct area of the wheel 31 is envisaged, even under the circumstances of limited space. Due to the closed space of the slots 0-6 in the coding wheel 31, an adhesive label, pre-cut, preferably back-adhesive 96 is used to selectively cover the preselected slots depending on how much of the adhesive label is cut or stamp. The very accurate positioning of the adhesive label 96 is achieved by the use of alignment pins in conjunction with an alignment tool 100. Because another adhesive label can be placed on another region of the wheel, the space of the alignment holes 56 -59 on the coding wheel 31 is different in each region. For this purpose, as previously discussed, there are two pairs of openings in the coding wheel or disc, adjacent to the slots, the openings of one of the pairs 58, 59 of the openings 56-57 of the other of the openings being separated by a great distance. couple Referring now to Figure 10, an adhesive label 96 is sized to fit in at least one of the slots 0-2. or 3-6 to cover it. As illustrated, the adhesive label 96 has separate openings therein, corresponding to one of the pairs of openings, i.e., 58, 59 or 56, 57. A tool 100 has a pair of pins 97, 98 projecting to starting from the same and corresponding to the space of one of the pairs of openings, according to which, when the openings in the adhesive label are coupled with the projection pins of the tool, the projection pins of the tool can be coupled with the pair of openings in the coding wheel or disc to thereby accurately place the adhesive label on the selected slot in the disc. The adhesive label 96 is installed on the tool with the adhesive side facing away from the tool. The tool 100 is then pushed until the adhesive label 96 makes firm contact with the surface of the wheel. If the pins 97 and 98 are separated equal to the space between the openings 56 and 57, the adhesive label, once on the tool 100, can not be placed covering the slots associated with the incorrect openings 58 and 59. The opposite condition is also true. Accordingly, two tools 100 with different spigot space 97, 98 can be provided to ensure proper placement of the correct adhesive label for the appropriate slot coverage. Alternatively, a single tool 100 with an extra hole for receiving a transferred spike can be provided to provide the correct space. This method of selective bit locking is preferred because the process is done at the end of the production line where little less than the wheel 31 can be exposed. The use of this tool 100 with pins of different spacing allows the operator to obtain easily the coding wheel 31 and avoids the displacement of the adhesive label. Figures 11-A-11-E are directed to refinements in the method of the invention described in Figures 8A and 8B. such refinements include, for example, improvements in the code to further reduce the incidence of errors in the location of the stop window (8th stop bit). As shown in FIG. 1A as compared to FIG. 8A, additional steps 160, 162 and 162 are presented, wherein the additional logic associated with step 161 is described in FIG. 11C and the additional logic associated with step 162 is described. in Figure 11D. In addition, it is shown in Figure 11B in compilation to Figure 8B, and in continuation to Figure HE, a more preferred way to determine with greater accuracy, the amount of remaining toner in the collector (toner level) without taking in how much the rotation speed of the pallet 34 and the associated encoded plate, or the coding wheel 31. In the following discussion, the functional steps described in Figures 11A-11E which are common, or substantially similar to those functional steps of the Figure 8A and 8B will keep the same numbers, and the detail of those common steps will not be repeated below. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the steps associated with reading the characteristics of the preselected cartridge and the steps associated with the determination of the toner level in the collector 33 are carried out in parallel. With respect to FIGS. and 11B, however, as shown in step 160, such parallel processing continues until the decoding of the characteristics of the pre-selected cartridge is successful, and therefore, only the steps associated with determining the level of the cartridge are carried out. toner in the collector 33 (steps 66 and 67 of FIG. HA, and the steps of FIGS. 11B and HE). Such characteristics of the pre-selected cartridge may include, for example, the capacity of the initial cartridge, the type of toner, the type of PC buffer, the OEM or unskilled OEM type cartridge, etc. One skilled in the art will recognize that such parallel processing can be carried out in a variety of ways, such as for example by interleaving the program stages of the parallel paths within a single processor or by using a processor separately for each path. Referring now to figure HA, after the machine 10 is turned on, or after the printer cover has been opened and then closed, the variable identified as a "rolling average" is reset in step 60. Replenishment of the Rolling Average occurs prior to the execution of the steps associated with reading the coding representing the preselected cartridge characteristic from the wheel 31, i.e., steps 61.62,160.63,161,64,65, and 162 , and before determining the amount of toner remaining in the manifold 33 of 1 cartridge 30 beginning in step 66, and continuing in figures 11B and HE. In order that either the steps of the preselected cartridge characteristics or the toner level determination steps operate properly, the "base position" of the wheel 31 must be first, as in step 61. The previous discussion concerning the coding wheel 31 and the reading thereof to determine the base position of the wheel 31 is applied in the same way to the refinements described in Figures 11A-11E. furthermore, the pseudocode for "Reading the Wheel", discussed above, is applied in the same way for the reading of the encoding wheel, except that the portion of the encoder related to the amplitude of the window can be simplified, as follows: If (WindowWidth) > Minimum Stop window Width AND CumulativeCount < Maximum Stop Position) Then 'we must ensure that the stopover is really what we found Finished = True In step 62, the continuity of the rotation of the drive motor shaft starts at the position associated with the drive flange of the start / base window 54. Hereinafter, in step 160, a check is made to see if the encoding representing the characteristics of the pre-selected cartridge was successfully decoded. If this coding of the "characteristics of the pre-selected cartridge was not decoded successfully, then the parallel processing of the preset cartridge characteristics and the determination of the toner level continue; if so, however, such parallel processing ends, and only those steps associated with the determination of the toner level in the cartridge 30 are carried out. During the decoding of the preselected cartridge characteristics of the wheel 31, in the step 63, the number of motor increments is recorded from the pull edge of the start window 54 for each of the data bit windows 0-6 and the stop window 55, respectively. From here on, the steps of Figure 11C are carried out. Returning now to figure HCm a check is made in step 165 to determine its more than 7 bits have been observed between the base window 54 and the stop window or bit 55. If yes, then step 61 is executed again and the base position is once again found. This test is preferred to detect and determine the presence or absence of an excess of a finite number of slots or bits in the encoder wheel 31 as the wheel rotates, a rebound may occur causing the sensor to detect either an open state transition to closed or vice versa. If the duration of the bounce is very small, it will be rejected as a window (slot), otherwise it could happen and be considered as a valid window. In such a scenario, certain cartridges may seem to have more bit windows than physically possible. After each bit window is detected, the number of bit windows detected from the base test detection is compared to the maximum value and if several windows have been detected, then the code returns to the stages to find the base state a through path 194. Another condition that may occur, which makes an additional verification desirable is when the sensor signal passes from one state to another and returns immediately to the original state, resulting in the indication of a detection of a redundant window, or additional. A test for such a condition is carried out in step 166. As shown in figure 7, and as already discussed, the slot or bit distances in the wheel are known and plotted. The identification of what appears to be two bits or slots of the same region on the wheel 31 is identified as an error in reading the characteristics of the preselected cartridge for that particular revolution of the wheel 31, and results in a return to return to execute step 61 of figure HA through path 194.

Referring again to Figure 11C, step 167 is carried out to ensure that the bits of the code 0-6 are not confused by the stop bits. In this way, in step 167 the number of engine increments counted is compared to a predefined maximum number of each increment associated with the distance between the drag flange of the base window 54 and the drive flange of the stopping window. If the number of motor increments is not less than the predefined maximum number, then it is reintroduced through return cycle 194, step 61 of figure HA and this cycle continues until a correct reading is achieved or until a code of error indicates a fatal error to the operator of the machine. If the number of motor increments is greater than or equal to the predetermined maximum number, then step 168 is executed, where it is determined whether the amplitude of the measured window or slot is greater than the minimum stopping amplitude. If not, then step 63 is reintroduced through path 184. In the event that the amplitude of the stopping window 55 is greater than the amplitude of the slot window, then a check is made in step 169 to determine if the duration (in the motor increments) of the reader / sensor lock is a sufficient number of increments to indicate a reading of a stopping window 55 against the last bit reading, eg, slot 6. If slot 6 is covered , the distance or the closing reading will be even bigger. In the event that the closure of the sensor does not occur for a sufficient period of time, then the cycle line 184 is re-entered and the logical stage 63 starts once more. In the event that the closure of the sensor has occurred for a sufficient period of time, then step 65 of FIG. 11 is executed. To further ensure accurate reading of the coding wheel 31, the spring 44 is preloaded with a value of known power. Preferably, this load value is as small as possible to allow accurate reading of the low levels of the toner in the manifold 33. The preload can be carried out, for example, providing an adjustable table stop at the location of either Tables 51 and 52 of Figure 4. Such an adjustable table stop can be, for example, an irregular rotating stop. Step 65 is directed to the current decoding of the feature coding of the preselected cartridge of the encoder wheel 31, the details of which are fully described with respect to the steps of Figure 11D, which constitutes step 162 of the figure HE HAS. In the pseudocode set out above, it begins with the statute of REM "'Now transíate measurements into physical bits", and the discussion concerning distances and applications of rounding. In table 1700 of figure HD, which can be referred to as a 'cycle table', logic is used in one cycle for each reading of D1-D7 of code wheel 31 (see figure 7) and takes into account rounding dealt with hereinafter. Note that the "registered code" is the code which could be read at each respective bit position corresponding to the windows or slots 0-6, where a "1" represents an open slot at the respective bit position. The final code is a result of an ANDing of each column of bits in the seven entries "registered code". For example, if none of the slots or windows are covered, then the reading of the final code will be 1111111; if slot 0 is covered (figure 7), then the reading will be 1111110; and, if slot 2 is also covered, then the reading will be 1111010. Of course, each binary rendition can be reversed in such a way that a "1" represents a covered slot instead of a "0". The reading of the code from the cycle table 170 is then interpreted by a look-up table in the logical step 171 and then the interpreted code is sent to the EEC 80 in the logical step 172. By a logical comparison, if the code is the same as that stored in the NVRAM in the EEC 80, as indicated in step 173, an additional reading is not necessary and the decoding of the coding of the preselected cartridge characteristic of the encoded plate, or wheel 31, is completed, until the new case of turning on the machine or the cover cycle of the machine. To reduce the decoded time, after the same code has been read consecutively twice, this code is stored in the NVRAM (logical step 175) for future comparisons and the stages for the decoding of the coding representing the characteristic information are completed. of the pre-selected cartridge. In the case that the code has not been read twice, a counter with a "1" is established, and as shown in logic step 174, the path is entered through line 194 (figure HA) for the new one reading of the code beginning as in step 61 of figure HA. Once the decoding of the preselected cartridge feature coding is completed then the logic in step 160 ignores additional code readings of the additional preselected cartridge of the wheel 31, and the method returns to reading individually the delay bits "a", "b" and "c", as hereinafter referred to in the figure HB, in the determination of the quantity, or level of the toner in the manifold 33 of the cartridge 30. In the present preferred configuration of the coding wheel 31, the driving flange of the groove "b" (angular distance DIO) is 197 ° from OD and the drive flange of slot "c" (angular distance Dll) is 212 ° from OD. Referring again to figure HA, the explanation for logical steps 66 and 67 is the same as established so far and will not be repeated again. However, in a further explanation, when an opposite movement is detected, a counter counts the number of increments or stages of delay and that same number is applied or subtracted as the movement is returned forward in such a way that the count is summarized when the wheel starts moving forward. For example, in a single page print job, the encoder wheel will stop before a full revolution is completed. The machine will run the transport motor in the opposite direction for a short distance after each stop in order to release the pressure in the clutch train. As stated above, this allows, if desired, the removal and / or replacement of the cartridge. Without any correction, this could induce a considerable error in the measurement of the toner level. To account for this, the amount of excessive motor pulses counted during the recoil and the start is filtered out of the delays by counting the measurement for the detected toner level. Returning to figure HB, as explained so far with reference to figure HB, when rotating encoder wheel 31, pallet 34 enters toner 35 in manifold 33. As heretofore established with reference to figure 8B, the angular distances of D9, DIO and Dll are known, and the number of load motor increments required to reach D9, DIO and Dll is known. The motor, via the tension spring 44 rotates the vane 34 and the coding wheel 31. As the vane 34 moves through the toner 35, however, there is a resistance of the vane to the toner, which results in a torsion of the torsion spring 44, since the motor is rotated essentially at a constant speed. In this way the actual number of engine increments required to reach each of the respective locations of D9, DIO and Dll is greater during a load condition when pallet 34 clutches an amount of toner when a smaller quantity or no toner is loaded. clutch This difference in distance must be covered by the motor (revolving increments) to obtain a reading in window "a", then "b" and kuego "c" corresponding to the toner level in collector 33.

As described above in relation to logic step 62 (figure HA), the motor increments are counted. The motor increments are then recorded as S200, S215 and S230 in steps 68a, 68b and 68c (Fig. HB) in the driving ridges of slots "a", "b" and "c" respectively of wheel 31, and subtracted from the base line of the numbers that will be absent in toner 35 in collector 33, in stages 69a, 69b and 69c respectively. These numbers are direct range indicators due to the resistance of the toner in the collector 33, with a paddle 34 in three different positions (a, b and c) in the collector. In this manner, this interval or delay is determined and shown in the steps 69a-69c respectively. As previously stated, there is a correlation between the loading power in the palette of the toner 34 and the amount of toner 35 remaining in the toner or collector supply vessel 33. (See Figure 9 and the explanation related thereto) . In steps 70 and 71 the normalized delays in the respective baseline are compared, and one of the three delays is selected for use in determining the toner level of the cartridge 30 at the current printer operating speed in pages per minute (ppm) in steps 72 ', 73' or 74 '. As shown in figure HB in step 70, the standardized delay © 200 will be used to calculate the toner level unless its value is not greater than that of the standardized delay © 215. If the delay Normalized @ 200 is less than or equal to normalized delay © 215, then it is determined in step 71 if the delay normalized © 215 is greater than the standardized delay © 230. Yes it is like this, then the standardized delay is used © 215, and if the normalized delay is not used © 230 in the toner level determination. Alternatively, a figure of the maximum standardized delay can be used in the calculation of the toner level. Preferably, the normalized delay selected in the determination of the toner level is sent to an equation to calculate the amount of toner level (in grams of toner) at a particular machine speed in pages per minute (ppm). The equation to determine a print speed of ppm different from the amount in grams of toner remaining in the cartridge is the linear equation: y = mx + b where: m slope measured in grams / pulse (or increments); b = y axis of intersection, or output, where x is equal to 0 grams; and x = the average number of pulses, or increments. These values for the variables m and b are essentially constant with respect to various printing speeds. These values can be determined empirically or calculated or determined based on assumptions. For example, the following table represents the values for variables m and b, assuming 10.80 motor pulses per degree of rotation of the encoder wheel.

When using the table above, for example, for an operating speed of 8 ppm, the equation above becomes: y = 0.18x + 55. According to the above, if x = 100, then it is determined that 73 grams of toner are subtracted from the collector 33. It has been found that a machine with a single speed, that is, one that runs at a single speed of rotation of the drum, a rolling average of the measured delays allows to calculate the toner level in grams, based on the result of that average. Under these limiting circumstances the toner level in the collector 33 can then be determined from the precalculated look-up table and stored in the ROM 80a associated with the EEC 80 according to the new rolling average. Several printers, however, are capable of multiple resolutions which could require different engine speeds for example, 300 dpi (dot per inch), 600 dpi, 1200 dpi, etc., which means that this way of determining the amount of The toner left in the cartridge will be accurate only for one speed. further, the delay is a function of both the speed of the pallet and the level of toner. In the case where a print job requires an alternate print at 600 and 1200 dpi, the machine runs at a different speed for each of these resolutions and the measurement of the toner level is difficult to determine using the average print method. rolling since the rolling average contains the delays measured at all those speeds. To explain this, the rolling average is taken from an independent speed parameter ie grams. The equation given above immediately converts the measurements of the maximum delays to grams, as in the logical etpa 76 '. The rolling average is then taken in grams, and therefore an independent parameter of speed and changes in speed will not affect the toner level measurement. This is shown in logic step 75 '.

Following step 75 ', the steps of figure HE are carried out in preparation for reporting an indication of the toner or low toner level, for example, to the EP machine and / or to a fixed computer. In step 176, the first rolling average value is stored from logic step 75 '. Subsequent values are stored as AVG2 for comparison with MINAVG. In decision stage 167, the value for the rolling average (AVG2) is compared before the MINAVG value. If AVG2 is not less than MINAVG, (which would be the normal situation), AVG2 is approved in logic stage 179, and AVG2 is repositioned with the next rolling average value. If the comparison is affirmative, then an additional test is carried out in step 178 to determine if the difference between the two readings is logical. If, on the other hand, the difference is greater than or equal to 30, then the reading is rejected as being noisy and once again logic block 179 is entered to approve the AVG2 and reposition it with the next value of the rolling average. If the comparison value is less than 30 in step 178, then the MINAVG is set equal to AVG2 in step 180 and is sent to steps 179 and 181 in parallel. Depending on the machine, it has been found that it may be desirable to add a scale factor to the MINAVG, such as, for example, a scale factor (SF) of 3 grams, as shown in step 181. The amount of remaining toner in the manifold 33 of the cartridge 30 may vary. The standard amount of toner, measured in grams for a complete cartridge, is approximately 400 grams. A user will prefer to know how much remains to be used in the machine, for example, if the collector 33 is half full, H full, or 1/8 full, and this is carried out in step 182. The result of step 181, ie MINAVG + 3 grams, the ROM 80a of the EEC 80 card is searched (see figure 6). Also, as shown in logic step 182, if you increase the toner level (as occasionally happens due to noise and at least the cartridge has been replaced since the last measurement), this reading and the previous toner level are ignored. It is positioned as the current toner level. In step 79 ', the ROM output returns a level of the collector to the processor of the local machine for a direct reading in a display of the printer, or it sends the reading to the main computer. From now on, the process returns to stage 77 'of figure HB, in which the oldest delay value is eliminated from the five retained in the generation of the rolling average. In step '78, the process then delays X stages, or inrements, after the first toner level slot before searching for the "base position", ie, before returning to step 61 of figure HA. The number of stages, X, is chosen to ensure that the third slot of the toner level has passed through the sensor. Hereinafter, steps 62, 160, 66 of figure HA are completed, and the steps of figures HB and HE are repeated to determine the level of toner in collector 33 of cartridge 30. One skilled in the art will recognize that a Encoded plate, such as coding wheel 31, can be manufactured for example, forming grooves or openings in a material. Such material is preferably in the form of a disc and can be made, for example, of plastic or metal. Although the disc-shaped design is preferred other shapes may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. Also, an expert in the art will recognize that the windows or slots can be free of any material or alternatively, filled with a transparent material. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the encoder 31 could be fabricated for example, from a transparent material having a coating deposited therein which defines the coding, such as, for example, by defining the ridges of each window, and in which the coating does not effectively transfer the light incident on its surface.

Figures 12-16 show additional illustrative embodiments of a coder wheel corresponding generally to a coder wheel 31 described in Figures 1-3, and 7. For example, and referring first to Figure 12, the coder wheel 31 can be replaced by an identically grooved wheel 131 composed of a ferromagnetic material. The reader / sensor 131A in this case may include an alternate energy source such as a magnet 132 and the receiver or receiver may comprise a magnetic production sensor such as a contrast effect device 133 in place of the reader / sensor 31A of the coding wheel. In operation, the ferromagnetic material of the coding wheel 131 blocks the magnetic flux emanating from the permanent magnet 132 except where there are slots 135 in the wheel 131. Either the contrast effect device 133 or the magnet 132 can be attached to one of or both of the printer 10 or cartridge 30. In another example, and referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, a coder wheel 231 may be used in conjunction with another reader / sensor 231a. In this embodiment, instead of the slots or windows in the wheel, such as in the coding wheels 31 and 131, such slots or windows are replaced with reflector material 235. In this scheme, the reader / sensor of the coding wheel 231a includes a light source 232 and a light sensor or receiver 233, which is activated when the rolling wheel is turned and the light coming from the light source is reflected from the reflector material 235. In the comparison of the windows or slots of the coding wheel 31 and the reflective material 35 of the wheel 31, it should be noted that the Start / Base window 54 in Figure 7 corresponds to the Start / Base window (reflective material) 154 in Figures 13 and 14 while the grooves of information 0 and 1 of the coding wheel 31 in the fi xure 7 correspond to the reflector material 235 at 0 'and 1' of Figure 14. Preferably, the wheel 231 should be made of a non-reflective material to avoid erroneous readings od e dispersion by the optical reader 233. An advantage of this type of structure is that the reader / sensor 231a need only be on one side of the encoder wheel, simplifying the design of the toner cartridge and the machine. The design of a coder wheel 331 in Figures 15 and 16 can be similar, by employing a cam roller acting as a reader / sensor 331a. In these embodiments, the encoder wheel 331 includes a cam surface 340 that extends circumferentially over the periphery of the encoder wheel, where the periphery acts as spaces of the cam 341 with the appropriate recesses or depressions of the cam 342, must Note that the Start / Base window 54 in Figure 7 corresponds to the Start / Base recess 354 in Figures 15 and 16 while the information slots 0 and 1 of the encoder wheel 31 in Figure 7 correspond to the recesses of the cam 342 at 0"and 1" of FIGS. 15 and 16. Cam rollers 360 and 370 of FIGS. 15 and 16 respectively can take multiple forms, each operating with a reader / sensor 331a. The reader / sensor can take many forms, such as a micro-switch whose signals in the actuation are a change of state; or it may be similar to the reader / sensor 31a or 131a except that the cam rollers act to interrupt the power source and the receiver or receiver associated with its own reader / sensor 331a. In the embodiment of FIG. 15, the cam roller 360 is formed as a bar or arm 361 pivoted on an axis 362, which in turn is attached, for example, to an appropriate portion of the cartridge 30. In this way, the arm 361 acts on pressing the clutch with the surface of the cam 341 due to the action of stretching the spring 365. As shown, when the spring 365 is stretched it is connected to one end 363 of the bar or arm 361 and secured to its another end preferably, to the cartridge 30.

The trailing end of the cam clutch of the arm or bar may include a roller 366 to reduce sliding friction. The opposite or energy switch end 364 of the bar or arm 361 is appropriately positioned for correspondence around the pivot 362. In the embodiment of FIG. 16, the cam roller 370 takes the form of an alternative bar 371 having a roller cam located centrally through the limiting slot 372 with guide or locating pins 373 and 377 therein to allow reciprocation (as per arrow 379) of the bar 371. As shown, a terminal end 375 of The bar 371 may include a roller 376 for pressing the clutch against the cam surface 341. To ensure proper tracking of the roller 370, an extension spring 377 influences the roller 376 of the bar 371 against rotation of the surface cam. As in the embodiment of FIG. 15, the roller bar 371 includes a portion of the power switch 371 for correspondence to and from the path between the power source and the reader / sensor receiver 331a. In this way, the present invention provides a method and apparatus, still simple and effective, for transmitting information concerning the characteristics of an EP cartridge to a host machine or computer of a type employing toner. Such information may include data continuity related to the amount of toner remaining in the cartridge during the operation of the machine and / or the characteristic information of the preselected cartridge. Still, the present invention provides simplified but effective methods and means to change the initial information concerning the cartridge, whose means and methods are sufficiently accurate and simple to allow for either in the alterations of the field or term of the manufacturing of the coding of the EP cartridge. Although the invention has been described with respect to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims (39)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and therefore the property described in the following claims is claimed as property. A cartridge for an electrophotographic machine, comprising: a manifold for transporting an agitator mounted for rotation in said manifold to be clutched with a toner; a coded device coupled to a first end of said agitator; and a torque sensitive coupler connected to a second end of said agitator, which is connectable to an actuating mechanism of said machine; said encoded device has encoding means that represent characteristic information of the cartridge. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that said coding means includes legible coding to indicate a stirrer movement resistance component through a portion of said collector having toner thereon to give an indication of the amount of toner remaining in said collector. The cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that said coding device is mounted on one side of said torque-sensitive coupling and said driving mechanism of said machine is connected to the other side of said torque-sensitive coupling and said component of said torque-sensitive coupling. Resistance is determined by the delay between the travel of said actuator mechanism in relation to a path of said encoded device. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that said coding means includes a coding representative of the characteristic information of the preselected cartridge 5. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that said coding means comprise a plurality of coding indicators. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said plurality of coding indicators represent a plurality of preselected cartridge characteristics. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said plurality of coding indicators comprises a plurality of slots. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said plurality of coding indicators comprises a plurality of windows. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said plurality of coding indicators comprises a plurality of notches. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said plurality of coding indicators comprises a plurality of reflective areas. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said encoding means is coded by means of covering at least one of said plurality of coding indicators. The cartridge according to claim 5, characterized in that said plurality of coding indicators are juxtaposed. 13. An electrophotographic machine comprising a cartridge having a manifold for containing a supply of toner material having a torque sensitive coupler connected to a drive mechanism of said machine, said torque sensitive coupler is also connected to a first end of an agitator for effecting the rotation of said agitator inside said manifold, in, through and out of said toner material and an encoder device coupled to a second end of said agitator, wherein said encoded device includes coding information. preselected representative of said cartridge. 14. A cartridge for an electrophotographic machine, characterized in that it comprises: a collector for transporting an amount of toner; a toner agitator mounted on said collector; and an encoded plate rotating in relation to said toner agitator, said encoded plate includes coding means for determining an amount of toner in said cartridge. 15. The cartridge according to claim 14, characterized in that said coding means comprise at least one coding indicator. The cartridge according to claim 14, characterized in that said coding means comprise a plurality of coding indicators. The cartridge according to claim 16, characterized in that said coding indicators comprise a plurality of openings in said coded board. The cartridge according to claim 16, characterized in that said coding indicators comprise a plurality of notches in said coded board. The cartridge according to claim 16, characterized in that said encoding indicators comprise a plurality of reflective areas on at least one surface of said encoded plate. The cartridge according to claim 16, characterized in that said coding indicators are juxtaposed around an axis of rotation of said coded board. 21. The cartridge according to claim 20, characterized in that said encoded plate comprises a coding wheel. 22. A cartridge for an image forming apparatus, the enhancement comprises an encoded plate having encoding means representing the characteristic information of a preselected cartridge. The cartridge according to claim 21, characterized in that said coding means comprises a plurality of coding indicators. The cartridge according to claim 23, characterized in that said coding indicators comprise a plurality of openings in said coded board. The cartridge according to claim 23, characterized in that said coding indicators comprise a plurality of notches in said coded board. 26. The cartridge according to claim 23, characterized in that said coding indicators comprise a plurality of reflective areas on at least one surface of said coded board. 27. The cartridge according to claim 23, characterized in that said coding indicators are placed serially about an axis of rotation in said coded board. 28. The cartridge according to claim 27, characterized in that said encoded plate comprises a coding wheel. The cartridge according to claim 23, characterized in that said encoded plate is coded by covering at least one of said plurality of coding indicators. 30. The cartridge according to claim 22, characterized in that said coding means represent a plurality of pre-selected cartridge characteristics. The cartridge according to claim 22, characterized in that said coding means represent binary data in a plurality of coding positions. 32. The cartridge according to claim 22, characterized in that said encoded plate further comprises the coding to determine an amount of toner carried by said cartridge. 33. A replaceable cartridge for an electrophotographic machine, characterized in that said cartridge comprises: a collector for transporting an amount of toner; an agitator for rotation inside, through and out of the clutch with the toner transported inside said manifold; an encoded plate coupled to said agitator, said encoded plate being positioned to maintain coercion with an encoded plate reader and said encoded plate includes encoding indicator means configured to represent the cartridge's characteristic information; and a torque-sensitive coupling connected to a first end of said agitator and having a second end for connecting to an actuator mechanism in said machine, which when said cartridge is installed in said machine, effects the rotation of said agitator and plate. encoded 34. The replaceable cartridge according to claim 33, characterized in that said coding indicator means comprises a plurality of openings in said coded board. 35. A coded plate reader for reading the encoded plate according to claim 34, characterized in that it comprises a light detector and a separate light source for receiving said coded plate therebetween, said coded plate reader detects the presence and absence of said plurality of openings. 36. A coded plate reader for reading the encoded plate according to claim 34, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic field detector and a separate magnet for receiving said coded plate therebetween, said coded plate reader detects the presence and absence of said plurality of openings. 37. The replaceable cartridge according to claim 33, characterized in that said encoding indicator means comprise a plurality of reflective surfaces, and said encoded plate reader comprises a light source and a light detector for detecting light reflected from said surfaces. reflective 38. The replaceable cartridge according to claim 33, characterized in that said means indicating the coding comprises a plurality of cam surfaces formed in said encoded plate and installed to impart a digital representation of the information relative to said cartridge, and wherein said reader comprises a cam roller when pressing the clutch with said cam surfaces, and means associated with said cam roller for transmitting said information to said machine. 39. A method for determining said quantity of toner in said cartridge according to claim 33, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: determining a rotary position of said actuator mechanism; determining a relative position of said encoded plate; and measuring the delay between said rotating position of said actuator mechanism and said rotary position relative to said encoded plate.