Xerox Corporation

Robert Roy Hampel

Alan Besel

Martin William Reagan

Joseph M Smith

A method uses temperature measurements for a print head and an imaging member to identify a distance between a print head and an imaging member. The method determines whether the print head at the print position is too close to the imaging member to identify the gap distance without damage to the print head. Then, if the print head is not too close, the print head is heated to quantify the heat sink effect of the imaging member on the print head. This effect is related to a heat transfer function that identifies the gap distance between the imaging member and the print head.

Method for measuring a gap between an intermediate imaging member and a print head using thermal characteristics

A method uses temperature measurements for a print head and an imaging member to identify a distance between a print head and an imaging member and a heat transfer function. The method includes heating an imaging member to a predetermined imaging member temperature, activating a heat source to heat a print head to a predetermined print head temperature while the print head is at a non-imaging position with reference to the imaging member, moving the heated print head to a print position with reference to the imaging member, the print position being closer to the imaging member than the non-imaging position, deactivating the heat source, measuring a first temperature for the print head in response to a first time period expiring, and identifying a distance between the print head in the print position and the imaging member from the temperature measured for the print head, the predetermined imaging member temperature, and a difference between the predetermined print head temperature and the temperature measured for the print head.

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Tualatin, OR, United States of America

Robert Roy Hampel