Method for generating a signal to initiate the cleaning of functional units in a non-mechanical printer or copier

摘要

In non-mechanical printers or copiers, in which charge images are developed with the aid of toner, there is the risk that functional units required for generating the powder images become polluted by the toner. Such functional units are, e.g., the transfer corotron, the charging corotron and the developer station. Faultless printing therefore requires these functional units to be cleaned from time to time. A method is specified according to which a signal is produced when the cleaning of these functional units has to be carried out. This signal for cleaning the functional units is generated when a fixed number of sheets of the recording carrier to be printed have been printed, or when the distance from the recording carriers to the edges of transporting feed means is altered to match the width of the recording carrier. The signal is extinguished when cleaning of the functional units has been carried out.