1. A method of determining a current synthetic ultraviolet (UV) index value for a given location, comprising:
receiving a request for said current synthetic UV index value for said given location, wherein said given location may not be equipped with UV instrumentation;
determining a closest cloud cover condition and a closest total column ozone available to said given location;
determining a clear sky UV radiation using a most recent closest total column ozone;
using said closest cloud cover condition to interpolate a cloud cover condition for said given location;
determining a cloud adjusted UV radiation using said interpolated cloud cover condition for said given location; and
converting said cloud adjusted UV radiation to UV index units.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining said clear sky radiation using a location, elevation, and total column ozone at a given time.
3. The method of claim 2, said location comprising a geographical latitude and longitude.
4. The method of claim 1, said adjusting said determining said cloud adjusted UV radiation further comprising using a percentage cloud cover to determine a cloud attenuation factor.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising multiplying said clear sky UV radiation by a cloud attenuation factor to obtain said cloud adjusted UV radiation.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising dividing said cloud adjusted UV radiation in milli-Watts m\u22122 by 25 to convert to said UV index units.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing said UV index to a user device located at said given location.
8. The method of claim 1, interpolating said closest cloud cover condition further comprising:
determining nearest neighbors to said given location;
establishing a cloud cover information at each of said nearest neighbors in accordance with climatological data;
determining corrections to said closest cloud cover condition in accordance with said cloud cover information associated with said nearest neighbors; and
interpolating said corrections to said given location.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
interpolating said clear sky UV radiation to determine a clear sky UV radiation for said given location; and
adjusting said clear sky UV radiation for said given location using cloud cover condition for said given location.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising augmenting said closest current cloud cover condition using a satellite cloud cover data.
11. A method of determining a current synthetic ultraviolet (UV) index value for a given location, comprising:
determining a closest cloud cover condition and a closest total column ozone available to said given location;
interpolating a cloud cover condition for said given location from said closest cloud cover condition;
interpolating a total column ozone for said given location from said closest total column ozone;
determining a clear sky UV radiation for said given location using said interpolated total column ozone for said given location;
determining a cloud adjusted UV radiation using said interpolated cloud cover condition for said given location; and
converting said cloud adjusted UV radiation to UV index units.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising forwarding said UV index units to a remote device.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising verifying said current synthetic UV index value using actual cloud cover reports from specific UV measuring sites.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein said current synthetic UV index value for said given location correlates within an accuracy of about +\u22120 UV index units of a direct surface measured UV index value.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein said current synthetic UV index value for said given location correlates within an accuracy of about +\u22121 UV index units of a direct surface measured UV index value.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein said current synthetic UV index value for said given location correlates within an accuracy of about +\u22122 UV index units of a direct surface measured UV index value.
17. A system for providing a current synthetic UV index value for a specified location, said system comprising:
a first interface for receiving a request for said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location;
wherein said request comprises a geographical location of said specified location, and a date and a time of day of said request and wherein said specified location may not be equipped with UV instrumentation;
a database storing data comprising a closest cloud cover condition to said specified location, and a closest total column ozone available to said specified location;
a server having an algorithm for determining said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location using said geographical location of said specified location, said date and time of day of said request, said closest cloud cover condition to said specified location, said closest total column ozone available to said specified location, wherein said closest cloud cover condition to said specified location is interpolated to said specified location; and
a second interface for transmitting said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein said first and second interfaces further comprises one or more of: a wireless network interface, a land-based network interface, an Internet network interface, andor a satellite network interface.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein said data further comprises a latitude, a longitude, and an altitude for said geographical location.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein said data relating to said closest cloud cover condition to said specified location is periodically updated using measurements to account for diurnal and weather system variations of said closest cloud cover condition to said specified location.
21. The system of claim 17, wherein said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location is transmitted to a user device that generated said request for said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location.
22. The system of claim 17, further comprising a notice regarding current synthetic UV index value for said specified location.
23. The system of claim 17, further comprising a warning regarding potentially harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays based on said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location.
24. The system of claim 17, further comprising a recommendation regarding steps to be taken to protect against any harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays based on said current synthetic UV index value for said specified location.
25. The system of claim 17, where said first interface and said second interface comprise a single interface.
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 detecting the presence or absence of a removable cartridge in an image forming device comprising:
directing a power supply pulse from a power supply to a terminal location serially through a toner transfer member and a photoconductive member in the removable cartridge; and
determining whether the removable cartridge is present or absent by detecting, at the terminal location, whether the power supply pulse propagates through the removable cartridge.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting whether the power supply pulse propagates through the removable cartridge comprises configuring the image forming device to include a detection circuit having a detection input that is capacitively coupled to the power supply if the removable cartridge is installed and monitoring a detection signal provided by an output of the detection circuit for a signal level change in coordination with detecting the power supply pulse.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a command to operate in a designated one of a plurality of imaging modes; and
creating images in the designated imaging mode if the removable component is associated with the designated imaging mode and is properly installed in said image forming device.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising interrupting the process of creating images in the designated imaging mode if the removable component not associated with the designated imaging mode is properly installed in said image forming device.
5. The method of claim 3 further comprising interrupting the process of creating images in the designated imaging mode if the removable component associated with the designated imaging mode is not properly installed in said image forming device.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the designated imaging mode is a black-only printing mode.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the designated imaging mode is a color printing mode.
8. In an image forming device, a method of detecting the presence or absence of components of an image forming unit comprising:
transmitting a test signal serially through a toner transfer member and a photoconductive member in a removable component of said image forming unit;
conditionally sensing a propagation of the test signal through the removable component when the removable component is properly installed in said image forming device; and
generating a detection signal indicating the presence of the removable component if the propagation of the test signal through the removable component is sensed.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a detection signal indicating the absence of the removable component if the propagation of the test signal through a second removable component is sensed.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein transmitting a test signal through a removable component of said image forming unit comprises turning on a power supply.
11. The method of claim 8 further comprising transmitting the test signal through a second removable component of said image forming unit and generating a detection signal indicating the presence of the removable components if the propagation of the test signal through the removable components is sensed.
12. An image forming device comprising:
one or more image forming units, each of the one or more image forming units having a removable cartridge, the removable cartridge comprising a photoconductive member;
a power supply adapted to transmit a test pulse to the removable cartridge along a serial path commencing at the power supply, through the photoconductive member, and terminating at an electrical return; and
sense circuitry coupled along the serial path, the sense circuitry adapted to sense the transmission of the test pulse to the removable cartridge when the removable cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the sense circuitry further adapted to generate a detection signal indicating the presence of the removable cartridge when the test pulse is sensed.
13. The image forming device of claim 12 wherein the sense circuitry is disposed between the removable cartridge and the electrical return.
14. The image forming device of claim 12 wherein the power supply is adapted to transmit the test pulse to the photoconductive member serially via a toner transfer member.
15. The image forming device of claim 14 wherein the toner transfer member is disposed in a separately removable second cartridge, the sense circuitry adapted to sense the transmission of the test pulse when each of removable cartridges are installed in the image forming device.
16. The image forming device of claim 14 wherein the toner transfer member is a transfer roller.
17. The image forming device of claim 14 wherein the toner transfer member is a developer member.
18. The image forming device of claim 12 wherein the power supply comprises a multi-terminal power supply adapted to apply a bias to multiple components in each of the one or more image forming units, the power supply adapted to transmit the test pulse to the removable cartridge along one terminal while the remaining terminals are off.
19. An image forming device comprising:
an image forming unit comprising a removable cartridge having a photoconductive member and an associated toner transfer member, the toner transfer member and the photoconductive member establishing an electrical coupling when the removable cartridge is installed in the image forming device;
a power supply adapted to apply a predetermined input signal to the toner transfer member; and
a detection circuit coupled to the photoconductive member, the detection circuit adapted to generate an output signal indicative of the presence or absence of the electrical coupling based in part on whether the predetermined input signal is sensed at the photoconductive member.
20. The image forming device of claim 19 further comprising a controller adapted to halt operation of the image forming device if the detection circuit generates an output signal indicative of the absence of the electrical coupling between the toner transfer member and the photoconductive member.
21. The image forming device of claim 20 wherein the image forming device is configured to operate in a designated one of a plurality of color modes, the designated color mode requiring the absence of the removable cartridge, the controller further adapted to halt operation of the image forming device if the detection circuit generates an output signal indicative of the presence of the electrical coupling if the image forming device is configured to operate in the designated color mode.
22. The image forming device of claim 19 wherein the associated toner transfer member is a transfer roller.
23. The image forming device of claim 19 wherein the associated toner transfer member is a developer member.