What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letter Patent of the United States is:
1. A charge roller comprising:
a metal core;
an elastic member wrapped around the metal core and having two ends; and
film members respectively wrapped around each of the two ends of the elastic member in a circumferential direction of the metal core such that the film members wrap entirely around the respective ends of the elastic member relative to an axial direction of the metal core,
wherein no portion of the film members overlap with another portion of the film members relative to a radial direction of the metal core.
2. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein the film members each have short side edges and longitudinal side edges, each short side edge defining an acute angle relative to a corresponding one of the longitudinal side edges, and
wherein the short side edges of each film forming member are separated and form a space in the film forming member relative to the surface of the elastic member.
3. A charge roller as defined in claim 2, wherein the acute angle is approximately 45 degrees.
4. A charge roller as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the acute angles has a rounded vertex.
5. A charge roller as defined in claim 2, wherein the space formed between the short side edges of the film members is perpendicular to the axial direction of the metal core and has a width smaller than one half of a width of the film members.
6. A charge roller as defined in claim 2, wherein the spaces do not overlap in the axial direction of the metal core.
7. A charge roller as defined in claim 6, wherein the spaces formed with the film members are located on opposite sides of the elastic member relative to an axis of the metal core.
8. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein the film members each have short side edges separated from one another and forming a non-linear space in the film forming member relative to the surface of the elastic member.
9. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein the film members are identical in shape.
10. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein the film members are symmetrically wrapped around corresponding ends of the elastic member.
11. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the film members has a longitudinal length longer than a circumference of the elastic member and has short side edges displaced from each other such that no portion of the film members overlaps another portion of the film members relative to the radial direction of the metal core.
12. A charge roller as defined in claim 11, wherein the longitudinal length of each of the film members is greater than twice the circumference of the elastic member.
13. A charge roller as defined in claim 11, wherein the side edges of each film member are displaced from the corresponding side edges of another of the film members relative to the circumferential direction of the metal core.
14. A charge roller as defined in claim 11, wherein the film members have equal longitudinal lengths.
15. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein the charge roller includes a surface having a charge.
16. A charge roller as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the film members includes an adhesive surface facing an outer surface of the elastic member.
17. A charging apparatus comprising:
a charge roller comprising
a metal core,
an elastic member wrapped around the metal core and having two ends, and
film members respectively wrapped around each of the two ends of the elastic member in a circumferential direction of the metal core such that the film members wrap entirely around the respective ends of the elastic member relative to an axial direction of the metal core, wherein no portion of the film members overlap with another portion of the film members relative to a radial direction of the metal core;
wherein the film members of the charge roller contact an image carrying member configured to have a voltage potential different from a voltage potential of the charge roller.
18. An image carrying apparatus comprising:
(a) an image carrying member; and
(b) a charging apparatus comprising
a charge roller, including
a metal core,
an elastic member wrapped around the metal core and having two ends, and
film members respectively wrapped around each of the two ends of the elastic member in a circumferential direction of the metal core such that the film members wrap entirely around the respective ends of the elastic member relative to an axial direction of the metal core, wherein no portion of the film members overlap with another portion of the film members relative to a radial direction of the metal core;
wherein the film members of the charge roller contact the image carrying member, and the image carrying member is configured to hold a charge and to carry an electrostatic image.
19. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
a charge roller, comprising
a metal core,
an elastic member wrapped around the metal core and having two ends, and
film members respectively wrapped around each of the two ends of the elastic member in a circumferential direction of the metal core such that the film members wrap entirely around the respective ends of the elastic member relative to an axial direction of the metal core, wherein no portion of the film members overlap with another portion of the film members relative to a radial direction of the metal core;
wherein the film members of the charge roller contact an image carrying member having a voltage potential different from a voltage potential of the charge roller.
20. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus as defined in claim 19, further comprising an image carrying member and a charging apparatus comprising the charge roller,
wherein the film members of the charge roller contact the image carrying member, and the image carrying member is configured to hold a charge and to carry an electrostatic image.
21. A method of preparing a charge roller, comprising steps of:
arranging two parallel rails on a plate such that when an unfinished charge roller is placed on the rails the ends of an elastic member wrapped around a metal core of the unfinished charge roller are outside the rails, each of the rails having a thickness approximately equal to a thickness of two film members having adhesive surfaces;
setting the two film members in parallel to each other with the adhesive surfaces facing away from the plate such that the two film members are outside and parallel to respective of the rails and are separated by a distance greater than a longitudinal length of at least one of the two film members;
placing an unfinished charge roller on the pair of rails so that the ends of the elastic member wrapped around the metal core of the unfinished charge roller are outside the pair of rails; and
rotating the unfinished charge roller along the pair of rails to adhere the film members to the ends of the elastic member.
22. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image carrying member;
a charging apparatus facing the image carrying member, the charging apparatus comprising a charge roller including a metal core, an elastic member wrapped around the metal core, and film members respectively wrapped around each of the two ends of the elastic member in a circumferential direction of the metal core such that the film members wrap entirely around the respective ends of the elastic member relative to an axial direction of the metal core, wherein no portion of the film members overlap with another portion of the film members relative to a radial direction of the metal core, and the charging apparatus is configured to apply a voltage between the charge roller and the image carrying member to provide a charge to a surface of the image carrying member; and
a cleaning member configured to contact the surface of the image carrying member to clean the surface of the image carrying member, the cleaning member having ends extended in a longitudinal direction of the image carrying member to a position outside of a corresponding inside edge of each of the film members.
23. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the ends of the cleaning member are extended in the longitudinal direction of the image carrying member to a position outside of a corresponding outside edge of each of the film members.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of determining bio-electric activity of normally bio-electric tissue comprising:
causing a sensing electrode to touch a normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue;
measuring, using a monitor with a predetermined input impedance R1, a response voltage VM\u2032 with a second predetermined impedance RN coupled between the sensing electrode and a reference electrode, and measuring a response voltage VM with the second predetermined impedance RN not coupled between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode, the response voltages VM\u2032 a and VM being the voltages generated in response to the normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue being touched by the sensing electrode; and
determining, by a processor, whether the normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue is bio-electrically active or inactive, wherein determining is based on the measured values of VM and VM\u2032.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue is bio-electrically active or inactive comprises comparing the measured value of VM\u2032 with a predetermined expected value of VM\u2032.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the bio-electric activity of the normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue comprises comparing a difference in the measured values of VM and VM\u2032 with a predetermined value of the difference.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
calculating a parameter responsive to an impedance RD of the cardiovascular tissue between the sensing electrode and a target bio-electric tissue based on the measured values of VM and VM\u2032.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined input impedance R1 is much larger than the second predetermined input impedance RN, and the parameter responsive to the impedance RD of the cardiovascular tissue between the sensing electrode and the target bio-electric tissue is determined based on an equation:
R
D
\u2248
R
N
\u2061
(
V
M
–
V
M
\u2032
)
V
M
\u2032
.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the response voltages VM and VM\u2032 are repeatedly measured, and the calculation of the parameter responsive to the impedance RD is repeatedly updated based on updated measurements of VM and VM\u2032.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the calculated values of the parameter responsive to the impedance RD are displayed on a display.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is carried out under processor control.
9. An apparatus, for use with an ECG monitor, the apparatus comprising:
a sensing electrode configured to touch a normally electric cardiovascular tissue;
an interface unit connectable to the sensing electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the interface unit is also connectable to at least a pair of ECG monitor inputs, the interface unit being configured to couple the sensing electrode and the reference electrode to an ECG monitor inputs having a predetermined input impedance RI and to also impose a second predetermined input impedance RN between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode, and being configured to measure a response voltage VM\u2032 with the second predetermined input impedance RN coupled between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode and being configured to measure a response voltage VM with the second predetermined input impedance RN not coupled between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode, the response voltages VM\u2032 and VM being the voltages generated in response to the normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue being touched by the sensing electrode; and
a processor being configured to determine whether the normally bio-electric cardiovascular tissue is bio-electrically active or inactive, wherein determining is based on the measured values of VM and VM\u2032.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the interface unit includes at least one switch to controllably connect and disconnect the second predetermined input impedance RN between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one switch comprises a pushbutton switch.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one switch comprises a plurality of switches to controllably independently connect and disconnect any of more than one predetermined impedances between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode.
13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the interface unit is permanently connected to the sensing electrode.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the interface unit is configured to alternately impose the second predetermined input impedance RN between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode and not impose the second predetermined input impedance RN between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the interface unit is further configured to repeatedly calculate a parameter responsive to an impedance RD of the cardiovascular tissue between the sensing electrode and a target bio-electric tissue as determined based on an equation:
R
D
\u2248
R
N
\u2061
(
V
M
–
V
M
\u2032
)
V
M
\u2032
.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the interface unit comprises the processor.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprised of a display coupled to the processor to display the parameter responsive to the impedance RD of the cardiovascular tissue between the sensing electrode and the target bio-electric tissue.