Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090123172 | HEATER, FIXING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A heater is operable with a main power supply unit and a chargeable auxiliary power supplying unit. The heater includes a heater part having one or a plurality of heater elements to receive power from the main and auxiliary power supplying units, a detecting part to detect information related to the heater part, and a controller to vary an amount of power supplied from the auxiliary power supply unit to the heater part per unit time based on the information detected by the detecting part. | 05-14-2009 |
20090317113 | HEATER, FIXING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A heater is operable with a main power supply unit and a chargeable auxiliary power supplying unit. The heater includes a heater part having one or a plurality of heater elements to receive power from the main and auxiliary power supplying units, a detecting part to detect information related to the heater part, and a controller to vary an amount of power supplied from the auxiliary power supply unit to the heater part per unit time based on the information detected by the detecting part. | 12-24-2009 |
20110085815 | HEATER, FIXING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A heater is operable with a main power supply unit and a chargeable auxiliary power supplying unit. The heater includes a heater part having one or a plurality of heater elements to receive power from the main and auxiliary power supplying units, a detecting part to detect information related to the heater part, and a controller to vary an amount of power supplied from the auxiliary power supply unit to the heater part per unit time based on the information detected by the detecting part. | 04-14-2011 |
20110222879 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device including a rotatable fixing member to fix a toner image on a recording medium, a pressing member to press against the fixing member to form a nip portion therebetween, through which the recording medium passes, and a nip pressure applying mechanism that movably supports the pressing member. The nip pressure applying mechanism presses the pressing member against the fixing member at a predetermined nip pressure during a fixing operation, and draws the pressing member away from the fixing member for a predetermined distance before the fixing operation. The predetermined distance is set depending on a condition for the fixing operation. | 09-15-2011 |
20120237229 | FIXING DEVICE, FIXING DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes a fuser member, a pressure member, a positioning mechanism, an operational thermometer, an environmental sensor, and a controller. The fuser member is subjected to heating. The pressure member is opposite the fuser member. Thee fuser member and the pressure member press against each other to form a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium is passed. The positioning mechanism is coupled with the pressure member to move the pressure member into and away from contact with the fuser member. The operational thermometer adjoins the pressure member to detect an operational temperature at a surface of the pressure member. The environmental sensor is disposed in the image forming apparatus to detect an environmental condition. The controller is connected to the operational thermometer and the environmental sensor to control the positioning mechanism to adjust spacing between the fuser member and the pressure member. | 09-20-2012 |
20150093128 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A fixing device includes a rotary fixing member, a sensor, a grinder, and a controller. The rotary fixing member fixes an image on a recording medium. The sensor detects a surface state of the rotary fixing member. The grinder is disposed opposite the rotary fixing member to slide against a surface of the rotary fixing member and grind the surface of the rotary fixing member. The controller controls the grinder to contact or separate from the rotary fixing member, in accordance with a detection result of the surface state detected with the sensor in a recording medium edge passage area of the rotary fixing member over which an edge of a recording medium passes in a direction perpendicular to a feed direction of the recording medium fed with rotation of the rotary fixing member. | 04-02-2015 |
20150253708 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes a fixing belt stretched taut across a fixing rotator and a support rotator. A pressure rotator is pressed against the fixing rotator via the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the fixing belt and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. The pressure rotator includes a recess defining an outer diameter of each lateral end of the pressure rotator in an axial direction thereof that is greater than an outer diameter of a center of the pressure rotator in the axial direction thereof A first separator is disposed downstream from the fixing nip in a recording medium conveyance direction and contacts an inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt. The first separator is isolated from the pressure rotator and includes a projection disposed opposite the recess of the pressure rotator. | 09-10-2015 |
20150261154 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes a first roller contacting a fixing belt to generate a rotation friction force therebetween to rotate the fixing belt and a second roller contacting the fixing belt to exert a first inhibition force to the fixing belt in a direction opposite a direction of rotation of the fixing belt. A separation aid is disposed downstream from a fixing nip formed between the fixing belt and a pressure rotator in the direction of rotation of the fixing belt to decrease a curvature of the fixing belt and exert a second inhibition force to the fixing belt in the direction opposite the direction of rotation of the fixing belt. The second inhibition force is added to the first inhibition force to obtain a combined inhibition force that is smaller than the rotation friction force between the fixing belt and the first roller. | 09-17-2015 |
20150261183 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes an elastic rotator and a cooler disposed opposite the rotator to cool the rotator with cooling air. A mover contacts and moves the rotator to a first position where the rotator is disposed opposite the cooler with an increased first interval therebetween and a second position where the rotator is disposed opposite the cooler with a decreased second interval therebetween. A rectification plate is movably mounted on the cooler to contact the rotator constantly to guide the cooling air to the cooler. | 09-17-2015 |