Control of tone reproduction characteristics by time constant of development roller in mono-component development

The authors describe the relationship between the resistance of a development roller and the development characteristics of a monocomponent development system. To investigate this relationship, they developed an electric field neutralization model by considering a virtual electrode determined by the time constant of a resistive layer on a development roller. From a simulation model and experimental results, they found that the tone reproduction curve for development, gamma , is strongly dependent on the layer time constant. When the time constant is smaller than the development time, gamma is determined by the neutralization of the development electric field. When the time constant is larger than the development time, gamma is determined by a countercharge left on the development roller after toner is deposited on the photoreceptor. The ability to vary the tone reproduction curve over a wide range is made possible by noncontact monocomponent development.<>