1. A low temperature fusing dry electrographic toner composition comprising:
a plurality of dry toner particles, wherein the toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions;
wherein the dry electrographic toner composition comprises a non-volatile plasticizer in an amount effective to reduce the First Heat Exposure Tg by at least about 10\xb0 C. as compared to a like electrographic toner composition that does not comprise non-volatile plasticizer, and wherein the plasticizer is sufficiently non-volatile that the Second Heat Exposure Tg will not increase by an amount greater than about 5\xb0 C. above the First Heat Exposure Tg.
2. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount of from about 0.01 to about 6% (ww) of the dry electrographic toner composition.
3. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount of from about 0.02 to about 2% (ww) of the dry electrographic toner composition.
4. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount of from about 0.04 to about 1.2% (ww) of the dry electrographic toner composition.
5. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount sufficient to reduce the First Heat Exposure Tg to no less than 38\xb0 C.
6. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount sufficient to reduce the First Heat Exposure Tg to no less than 50\xb0 C.
7. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is present in an amount sufficient to reduce the First Heat Exposure Tg to no less than 60\xb0 C.
8. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of straight, branched or cyclo-C10-C30 alkyl compounds; straight, branched or cyclo-C10-C30 alkyl phthalate compounds; straight, branched or cyclo-C4-C30 alkyl phosphate compounds; straight, branched or cyclo-C10-C30 alkyl esters; C12-C30 isoparaffinic solvents; and mixtures thereof.
9. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is a non-volatile machining oil.
10. The dry toner composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of methyl oleate, dibutyl phthalate, tributyl phosphate, and hydrocarbon fluids with a normal paraffin content greater than about 95%.
11. A method of preparing a low temperature fusing dry electrographic toner composition comprising:
a) providing a plurality of dry toner particles, wherein the toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions; and
b) providing non-volatile plasticizer in the dry electrographic toner composition in an amount effective to reduce the First Heat Exposure Tg by at least about 10\xb0 C. as compared to a like electrographic toner composition that does not comprise non-volatile plasticizer, and wherein the plasticizer is sufficiently non-volatile that the Second Heat Exposure Tg will not increase by an amount greater than about 5\xb0 C. above the First Heat Exposure Tg.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-volatile plasticizer is provided after preparation of the toner particles.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-volatile plasticizer is provided in a reaction solvent during preparation of the toner particles, and wherein in a drying step to remove the reaction solvent, plasticizer remains with the toner particles in an amount effective to reduce the First Heat Exposure Tg by at least about 10\xb0 C. as compared to a like electrographic toner composition that does not comprise non-volatile plasticizer, and wherein the plasticizer is sufficiently non-volatile that the Second Heat Exposure Tg will not increase by an amount greater than about 5\xb0 C. above the First Heat Exposure Tg.
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 mapping sensor system for detecting positions of flat objects arranged randomly in recesses of a storage device, each of said flat objects having an edge, and a thickness, said mapping sensor system comprising:
a moveable carrier which is moveable with respect to said storage device across said flat objects and that rigidly supports a mapping sensor unit; and
memory means for recording data about said positions and thicknesses of said flat objects in said storage device and for controlling operation of said moveable carrier in accordance with said recorded data;
said mapping sensor unit comprising:
a light source that generates a light beam;
a beam shaper having means for transforming said light beam into a substantially flat light beam directed toward said flat objects substantially parallel to said flat objects and having a thickness in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of said flat light beam comparable with said thickness of said flat objects; and
at least one light-receiving means for sensing a light beam reflected from said edge.
2. The mapping sensor system of claim 1, wherein said at least one light receiving means has a sensitivity threshold lower than intensity of said light beam reflected from said edge but higher than a reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge.
3. The mapping sensor system of claim 2, wherein said threshold is controlled and adjusted with the use of an electronic synchronous detection circuit.
4. The mapping sensor system of claim 1, wherein said each said flat objects has a structural feature which can be a source of false signal or absence of a signal generated by said mapping sensor system and wherein said reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge is a light beam selected from a beam reflected from said structural feature and a beam reflected from said storage device.
5. The mapping sensor system of claim 4, wherein said threshold is controlled and adjusted with the use of an electronic synchronous detection circuit.
6. The mapping sensor system of claim 4, wherein said moveable carrier is an end effector of an industrial robot, said flat objects are semiconductor wafers, and said structural feature is a notch on said edge.
7. The mapping sensor system of claim 6, wherein a projection of said substantially flat beam onto said edge is equal to or wider than said notch and wherein means for transforming said light beam into a substantially flat light beam comprises at least one cylindrical lens.
8. The mapping sensor system of claim 7, wherein said light source is a laser diode and said at least one light-receiving means is a photodiode.
9. The mapping sensor system of claim 1, wherein said beam shaper has beam splitting means for splitting said light beam of said light source into a plurality of spaced individual beams directed towards said edge substantially parallel to said flat objects and having a thickness in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of said flat light beam comparable with said thickness of said flat objects, said system being further provided with a plurality of light-sensitive members in a number corresponding to the number of said individual beams and arranged on said moveable carrier so as to sense individual beams reflected from said edge in response to incidence of said individual beams emitted from said beam shaper.
10. The mapping sensor system of claim 9, wherein said threshold is controlled and adjusted with the use of an electronic synchronous detection circuit.
11. The mapping sensor system of claim 10, wherein said beam splitting means comprises an array of at least two cylindrical microlenses, said mapping sensor unit being connected to memory means and generates an output signal sent to said actuating means only when at least one of said light-sensitive members senses at least one of said individual beams reflected from said edge.
12. The mapping sensor system of claim 11, wherein each said light-sensitive members of said plurality has a sensitivity threshold lower than intensity of light beams reflected from said edge but higher than reflected light beams other than said light beams reflected from said edge.
13. The mapping sensor system of claim 12, wherein said each said flat objects has a structural feature which can be a source of false signal or absence of a signal generated by said mapping sensor system and wherein said reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge is a light beam selected from a beam reflected from said structural feature and a beam reflected from said storage device.
14. The mapping sensor system of claim 10, wherein said moveable carrier is an effector of an industrial robot, said flat objects are semiconductor wafers, and said structural feature is a notch on said edge.
15. The mapping sensor system of claim 14, wherein a projection of said substantially flat beam onto said edge is equal to or wider than said notch.
16. The mapping sensor system of claim 15, wherein said light source is a laser diode and said at least one light-receiving means is a photodiode.
17. The mapping sensor system of claim 1, wherein said beam shaper unit comprises an anamorphotic objective consisting of a cylindrical lens and an array of cylindrical microlenses arranged on the optical path from said light source to said edge for splitting said light beam of said light source into a plurality of spaced individual beams directed towards said edge substantially parallel to said flat objects and having a thickness in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of said flat light beam comparable with said thickness of said flat objects, said system being further provided with a plurality of light-sensitive members in a number corresponding to the number of said individual beams and arranged on said moveable carrier so as to sense individual beams reflected from said edge in response to incidence of said individual beams emitted from said beam shaper.
18. The mapping sensor system of claim 17, wherein said threshold is controlled and adjusted with the use of an electronic synchronous detection circuit.
19. The mapping sensor system of claim 18, wherein each said light-sensitive member of said plurality has a sensitivity threshold lower than intensity of light beams reflected from said edge but higher than reflected light beams other than said light beams reflected from said edge.
20. A method of mapping a pattern of flat objects arranged randomly in recesses of a storage device, each of said flat objects having an edge, and a thickness, said method comprising:
providing a mapping sensor system having a moveable carrier that rigidly supports a mapping sensor unit and memory means for recording data about said positions of said flat objects in said storage device and for controlling operation of said moveable carrier in accordance with said recorded data, said mapping sensor unit comprising: a light source that generates a light beam; a beam shaper and at least one light-receiving means for sensing a light beam reflected from said edge;
moving said moveable carrier across said flat objects in said storage device;
sending a light beam from said light source to said beam shaper and transforming said light beam into at least one substantially flat beam having a thickness comparable with said thickness of said flat objects;
directing said substantially flat beam onto said edge of each of said flat objects;
detecting the presence of said flat objects in said positions in said storage device by sensing with said at least one light-receiving means a light beam reflected from said edge;
recording the position of each of said flat objects in said memory means when said light beam reflected from said edge is sensed by said at least one light-receiving means for obtaining mapping data; and
controlling operation of said moveable carrier in accordance with said mapping data.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein said at least one light receiving means has a sensitivity threshold lower than intensity of said light beam reflected from said edge but higher than intensity of a reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein said threshold is controlled and adjusted with the use of an electronic synchronous detection circuit.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said flat objects has a structural feature which can be a source of false signal or absence of a signal generated by said mapping sensor system and wherein said reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge is a light beam selected from a beam reflected from said structural feature and a beam reflected from said storage device.
24. A method of mapping a pattern of flat objects arranged randomly in recesses of a storage device, each of said flat objects having an edge, and a thickness, said method comprising:
providing a mapping sensor system having a moveable carrier that rigidly supports a mapping sensor unit and memory means for recording data about said positions of said flat objects in said storage device and for controlling operation of said moveable carrier in accordance with said recorded data, said mapping sensor unit comprising: a light source that generates a light beam; a beam shaper and a number of light-receiving means for sensing light beams reflected from said edge;
moving said moveable carrier across said flat objects in said storage device;
sending a light beam from said light source to said beam shaper and splitting said light beam into a plurality of substantially flat individual beams the number of which is equal to said number of said light-receiving means, said flat individual beams having a thickness comparable with said thickness of said flat objects;
directing said substantially flat beams onto said edge of each of said flat objects;
detecting the presence of said flat objects in said positions in said storage device by sensing with said light-receiving means at least one light beam reflected from said edge;
recording the position of each of said flat objects in said memory means when said at least one light beams reflected from said edge is sensed by said at least one light-receiving means for obtaining mapping data; and
controlling operation of said moveable carrier in accordance with said mapping data.
25. The mapping sensor system of claim 24, wherein said at least one light receiving means has a sensitivity threshold lower than intensity of said light beam reflected from said edge but higher than intensity of a reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge.
26. The mapping sensor system of claim 25, wherein said each said flat objects has a structural feature which can be a source of false signal or absence of a signal generated by said mapping sensor system and wherein said reflected light beam other than said light beam reflected from said edge is a light beam selected from a beam reflected from said structural feature and a beam reflected from said storage device.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein said threshold is controlled and adjusted with the use of an electronic synchronous detection circuit.