| Entries |
| Document | Title | Date |
|---|
| 20080226323 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A printing speed is adaptively set using Fuzzy inference, based on various printing environments including a printing medium width and the average amount of printing, so that the internal temperature of an apparatus can be stably maintained, and the use convenience can be enhanced. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080253785 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus capable of reducing damage in a fixing section and printing a high-quality image on a sheet at low cost without reducing productivity. A sheet shifting mechanism is arranged upstream of a transfer roller and moves the sheet in a sheet lateral direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. In order to change a position at which a sheet passes through a fixing roller, the sheet shifting mechanism is controlled for every conveyance of a predetermined number of sheets, whereby sheet movement in the sheet lateral direction is controlled. A correction amount for an error due to sheet shifting by the sheet shifting mechanism is stored for each of sheet shift positions. An image forming position in the sheet lateral direction of a photosensitive drum is shifted on the basis of the sheet shift position and the stored correction amount. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20080267650 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a heat roller having a heat source thereinside, at least two press rollers disposed opposite to the heat roller, at least one cam member to move at least one of the press rollers close to the heat roller or away from the heat roller, a driving unit to rotate the cam member, and a control unit to control the driving unit to determine a position of the cam member. A sensor is mounted in an upstream side of the press rollers with respect to a feeding direction of a printing medium to detect a position of the printing medium. When a front end of the printing medium is sensed by the sensor, the control unit controls the driving unit to rotate the cam member. If the cam member rotates, the press rollers interlock with the cam member to move close to the heat roller or away from the heat roller. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080310872 | Image forming apparatus and paper ejection method of image forming apparatus - A drive unit for changing the driving rate of paper ejection rollers for ejecting sheets of paper after fixing is installed, and an image forming apparatus has an option, and when ejecting the sheets of paper to an intra-body paper ejection unit, after the sheets of paper pass a fixing device, the paper ejection rate of paper ejection rollers | 12-18-2008 |
| 20090003866 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus including an endless belt for heating an image on a recording material; a supporting member for supporting the belt; a coil for induction heat generation in the belt; control means for controlling a position of the belt in a widthwise direction by inclining the supporting member so as to maintain the position of the belt in the widthwise direction within a predetermined target range; and suppressing means for suppressing a variation of a distance between the belt and the coil with a variation of inclination of the supporting member. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090052926 | Image forming apparatus - To obtain an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image without transfer deviation or rumples, a function to detect the loop amount of the sheet material with a plurality of thresholds at multiple stages is given to a loop amount detecting portion detecting the loop amount of a sheet passing between conveyance guide members. The loop amount finely detected at the multiple stages through the loop amount detecting portion is reflected in a control and drive system, and, as a result, the sheet material can be conveyed while keeping the loop of the sheet material passing between the conveyance guide members at an appropriate amount. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090060548 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus is configured to form a developer image on a recording sheet. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a pressure roller and a heat roller, an ejection roller configured to cause the recording sheet from the fixing unit to be ejected from the image forming apparatus, and a power transmission member configured to transmit power from the heat roller to cause the ejection roller to rotate. The pressure roller is configured to rotate in response to power and configured to cause the heat roller to be rotated. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090110426 | INTER-DOCUMENT ZONE GLOSS DEFECT ELIMINATOR - A method for reducing gloss variation in prints, in an electrostatic printing system having a fuser for fusing sheets having marking particles thereon, the method including transporting a first sheet to the fuser; transporting a second sheet to the fuser; and abutting a trailing edge of the first sheet to a leading edge of the second sheet prior to the trailing edge of the first sheet entering the fuser. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090123170 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE USING THIS - When the rotational speed of rotatable heating means for thermally fixing an image on a recording paper is changed from a first rotational speed of the highest level to a second rotational speed of the lowest level by changing the operation mode of a fixing device, the direct change from the first rotational speed to the second one may increase the overshoot of the temperature of the heating means. This shortens the life of the belt and causes an error of abnormally high temperature. To avoid an excessive overshoot of the temperature of the heating means, after the heating means is rotated for a predetermined time at a third rotational speed between the first and second rotational speeds, the rotational speed is changed to the second one. | 05-14-2009 |
| 20090162088 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND FUSER UNIT CLEANING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes a fuser unit that includes a first roller and a second roller opposite to each other, a first conveyance unit, a second conveyance unit, a drive unit, and a control unit to control the drive unit to rotate one or both of the first roller and the second roller in a state where a sheet contacts with the first roller and the second roller and the sheet is held by the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit, or in a state where after the sheet is held by the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit, one or both of the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit move in a direction of approaching at least one of the first roller and the second roller and the sheet contacts with the first roller or the second roller. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090180793 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus includes a heating rotatable member and a belt cooperative with the heating rotatable member to form a nip in which an image on a recording material is heated. The apparatus further comprises control means that rotates the heating rotatable member and the belt when changing means changes the relative position of the heating rotatable member and the belt from a spacing position to a contact position at a lower speed than in a period after the relative position changes from the spacing position to the contacting position and which is before the recording material enters the nip. | 07-16-2009 |
| 20090196642 | ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS HAVING WEB FUSER AND CORRESPONDING METHODS - Disclosed are an electrophotographic apparatus for forming images on sheets, and corresponding methods. The electrophotographic apparatus includes a fuser web for fusing toner particles to the sheets to form the images, a sensor for detecting a defect position of at least one defect in the fuser web, and a controller that receives the defect position of the at least one defect on the fuser web from the sensor, wherein the controller positions the fuser web relative to the sheets to avoid the at least one defect from coming into contact with the toner on the sheets during fusing of the toner particles to the sheets. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090208236 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In a fixing unit, a fixing roller is rotated under driving force transmitted from a paper discharge unit-side gear of a driving section via a fixing roller driving gear, and holds and conveys a recording medium in cooperation with a pressure roller in a nip region. When a control section determines that acceleration conditions are fulfilled, the driving section increases the rotating speed of the paper discharge unit-side gear so that it is rotated at higher speed than before-acceleration speed over predetermined high-speed rotating period. | 08-20-2009 |
| 20090245835 | PRINTER INCLUDING A FUSER ASSEMBLY WITH BACKUP MEMBER TEMPERATURE SENSOR - A printer is provided comprising substrate transport apparatus for moving substrates along a substrate path through the printer; a fuser assembly comprising a heat transfer member including a belt and a heater to heat the belt, a backup member adapted to engage the belt so as to define a fusing nip with the belt, and a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of a portion of the backup member; and a controller coupled to the temperature sensor. Based on signals generated by the temperature sensor, the controller determines whether a substrate moving along the substrate path has been contacted by the backup member portion. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090245836 | Belt Fixing Device and Image Forming Apparatus - A belt fixing device includes a fixing roller, a heating roller, a fixing belt stretched between the fixing roller and the heating roller, a pressing roller pressing the fixing roller through the fixing belt, and a temperature detection unit detecting the surface temperature of the fixing belt. In at least one end portion of the heating roller in an axial direction, a ring regulating skewed movement of the fixing belt toward an axial end, and a belt tension adjusting unit adjusting tension of the fixing belt are provided. The temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is stored in a storage unit. When the belt tension adjusting unit releases belt tension, a control unit controls a rotation stop position of the fixing belt on the basis of the belt temperature stored in the storage unit. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090252518 | VARIABLE SPEED FUSING - Systems and methods are described that facilitate reducing temperature droop during an initial portion of a print job by reducing fuser speed to increase fuser-to-paper interaction while fuser heat is absorbed by the paper during a temperature transient. For instance, during a first N pages of a print job, where N is an integer, the paper acts as a heat sink and exerts a thermal load on the fuser roll. To compensate, fuser speed is reduced initially to ensure that a given amount of heat is applied to toner on the pages. Fuser speed is increased until fuser temperature reaches steady state. Acceleration of the fuser is also adjustable. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090252519 | Image forming apparatus - An image forming apparatus for forming an image includes a first control table and a second control table. The first control table includes information on widths of a recording sheet, categorized into a plurality of groups of different widths thereof in a direction perpendicular to a sheet transport direction. The second control table includes information on timing of the recording sheet transported to the fixing device based on the group to which a preceding recording sheet, belongs and the group to which a subsequent recording sheet belongs. When a certain width of the recording sheet belongs to the plurality of the groups in the first control table, the group to which the preceding recording sheet belongs is the group to which the subsequent recording sheet belongs. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090257767 | IMAGE FIXING DEVICE USING A BELT-DRIVING METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME IMAGE FIXING DEVICE - An image fixing device, having a belt-driving method to drive an endless belt which is entrained about at least two supporting members, including: a first supporting member on which a light transmitting area is provided; a heater which is housed within the first supporting member; a sensor which is mounted at a position to detect light rays, emitted from the heater and passed through the light transmitting area; and a control section which is configured to detect a lateral displacement of the endless belt in a width direction, based on a detected result of the light rays, detected by the sensor. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090257768 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING HEAT-FIXING UNIT - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; a fixing portion having a fixing nip portion which heats and fixes the unfixed image and an discharge roller which discharges the recording material, wherein in the case where the recording material is the plain paper which is equal to or larger than the predetermined size, the discharge roller conveys the plain paper in a range from a front edge to a rear edge at a predetermined speed, in the case where the recording material is the plain paper smaller than the predetermined size, the discharge roller conveys the plain paper at a first speed until the rear edge passes through the fixing nip portion, and the discharge roller conveys the plain paper at a second speed higher than the first speed after the rear edge passed through the fixing nip portion. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090317114 | Recording-medium positioning device and image forming apparatus employing the device - A recording-medium positioning device includes a gate, a roller pair, a roller-pair shift unit, a recording-medium detector, and a drive control device. The gate is disposed at an upstream side of a fixing device in a conveyance direction of a recording medium. The roller pair includes two roller members disposed at an upstream side of the gate. The roller-pair shift unit moves the roller pair in accordance with a first position of the recording medium in the conveyance direction to shift the recording medium in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The recording-medium detector is disposed between the fixing device and the gate to detect a second position of the recording medium in the width direction. The drive control device moves the recording medium to a reference position by driving the roller-pair shift unit in accordance with the second position and cyclically shifts the reference position. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20090317115 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus heating an image on a recording material and the image heating apparatus includes a rotatable belt member; a pressing member contacting to the belt member to nip and feed the recording material; a stretching member stretching the belt member; belt position detecting means detecting a position of the belt member with respect to a perpendicular to a rotational direction of the belt member; an executing portion capable of executing a first control mode for controlling a position of the belt member with respect to the direction by inclination of the stretching member on the basis of an output of the belt position detecting means, and a second control mode for controlling the position of the belt member with respect to the direction by inclination of the stretching member on the basis of the output of the belt position detecting means and for stabilizing the position of the belt member; an input portion inputting information relating to the recording material; and a selector for selecting the first control mode or the second control mode in accordance with the information inputted to the input portion. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20090317116 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PAPER EJECTION METHOD OF IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A drive unit for changing the driving rate of paper ejection rollers for ejecting sheets of paper after fixing is installed, and an image forming apparatus has an option, and when ejecting the sheets of paper to an intra-body paper ejection unit, after the sheets of paper pass a fixing device, the paper ejection rate of paper ejection rollers | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100080599 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The image forming apparatus has a heat member for heating an unfixed image and is configured so that a longitudinal center of the heat member becomes a conveyance center of the recording material, the image forming apparatus including a central portion temperature detection part adjacent to the conveyance center, an end portion temperature detection part for detecting an end portion temperature of the heat member, and a width detection part for detecting a lateral width of the recording material, wherein the width detection part is disposed at a side opposite to a side at which the end portion temperature detection part is disposed with respect to the conveyance center position of the recording material. The image forming apparatus achieves the control for error setting of the recording material based on the width detection part and the end portion temperature detection part. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100092199 | HYBRID MULTI-ZONE FUSING - A fusing system and a method of operating the fusing system, including a first heating zone to heat marking material and a substrate using a non-condensing heat source to less than a target temperature; and a second heating zone to heat the marking material and the substrate to about the target temperature to fuse the marking material to the substrate. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100104307 | Image forming device and fuser - An image forming device includes a heater, a heat application rotation member heated by the heater, a pressure application rotation member heated by the heat application rotation member, a detector configured to detect a surface temperature of the pressure application rotation member, and a controller configured to control a rotation speed of the heat application rotation member and a rotation speed of the pressure application rotation member. The controller varies at least one of the rotation speeds depending on an amount of temperature change or temperature change ratio detected by the detector until the surface temperature of the pressure application rotation member detected by the detector reaches a predetermined temperature. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100172667 | FIXING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, FIXING DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, CONTROL PROGRAM AND RECORDING MEDIUM - A fixing device irradiates an unfixed toner image formed on the recording paper that is conveyed by an endless belt for conveying recording paper, with laser light so as to fuse the toner and fix the toner image. The fixing device includes a controller which makes such control as to convey the recording paper so as to pass through the position of the focal point of the laser light and bring the surface of the endless belt away from the position of the focal point of the laser light when conveyance of the recording paper is stopped. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100196036 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit configured to transfer a toner image to a sheet, a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image transferred to the sheet on the sheet, a conveyance unit disposed between the transfer unit and the fixing unit to convey the sheet, a moving unit configured to move the conveyance unit, and a control unit configured to controls the moving unit to move the conveyance unit so that a speed of a leading edge of the sheet conveyed from the transfer unit to the fixing unit is reduced, when the leading edge of the sheet reaches the fixing unit. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100239295 | CONVEYANCE SPEED DIFFERENCE MAINTAINING HEAT AND PRESSURE FIXING SYSTEM - A fixing apparatus includes a fixing mechanism having a first motor, and a conveyance mechanism arranged downstream of the fixing mechanism having a second motor. A motor control section is provided to control sheet conveyance speeds V | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100239296 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus connected to a conveying-speed-changeable sheet post processing device includes a discharging unit which discharges a sheet in a reverse discharge mode with front and back surfaces of the image-formed sheet reversed, and a non-reverse discharge mode without front and back surfaces of the image-formed sheet reversed, and discharges the sheet at a first speed or a second speed lower than the first speed; and a control unit which controls the discharging unit to discharge the sheet at the first speed in the reverse discharge mode and at the second speed in the non-reverse discharge mode. When the sheet is discharged at the second speed, the control unit controls the discharging unit to discharge a subsequent sheet at the second speed even if the subsequent sheet is to be discharged in the reverse discharge mode. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100266304 | FIXING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - In a fixing device, an opposing member contacts a heating member to form a fixing nip between the heating member and the opposing member. A driver rotatively drives at least one of the heating member and the opposing member. A sheet supplier supplies and conveys a sheet to the fixing nip. A recording medium bearing an unfixed toner image is conveyed through a gap between the sheet and the opposing member at the fixing nip with a side of the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image facing the sheet. At least one of the rotating heating member and the rotating opposing member applies a driving force to the sheet supplied to the fixing nip while the sheet contacts the sheet supplier to apply tension to the sheet at a position upstream from the fixing nip in a sheet conveyance direction. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100266305 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A loop of a transferring material is formed at a position between a secondary transfer nip portion and a fixing nip portion such that a loop amount of the loop of the transferring material, which is formed at the position between the secondary transfer nip portion and the fixing nip portion when a mono-color mode is executed, is larger than a loop amount of the loop of the transferring material, which is formed at the position between the secondary transfer nip portion and the fixing nip portion when a full-color mode is executed. In the mono-color mode, image formation is executed such that primary transfer rollers are separated from an intermediate transfer belt. In the full-color mode, image formation is executed by photosensitive drums. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100272458 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME - A fixing device includes a fuser member, a pressure member, a first motor, a second motor, a pressure adjuster, and a controller. The fuser member defines a first heatable surface. The pressure member defines a second heatable surface. The first motor is connected to the fuser member to rotate at a first rotation rate to drive the first surface at a first conveyance speed. The second motor is connected to the pressure member to rotate at a second rotation rate to drive the second surface at a second conveyance speed. The pressure adjuster presses the pressure member against the fuser member at a variable pressure to form a fixing nip with a variable width extending along the conveyance path. The controller is connected to the first and second motors to adjust at least one of the first and second rotation rates relative to the other. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100278551 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - Disclosed is an image forming device which can prevent occurrence of damage on the surface of a fixing roller or a fixing belt due to the contact of the end of a sheet with the fixing roller or fixing belt. The image forming device, for transferring a toner image to a sheet fed out from a sheet feed section and fixing the toner image to the sheet by pressing the sheet carrying the toner image at a fixing section, comprises a moving section for moving the sheet and or the fixing section in the direction at right angles to the traveling direction of the sheet within a preset moving range, the moving section being controlled based on a preset operation pattern. | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100303494 | APPARATUSES USEFUL IN PRINTING, PRINTING APPARATUSES AND METHODS OF FIXING MARKING MATERIAL ON MEDIA - Apparatuses useful in printing, printing apparatuses and methods of fixing marking material on media are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatuses useful in printing includes a marking device; a first transport device which transports a first medium and a successive second medium to the marking device in a process direction with the first medium and second medium separated from each other by a first inter-document zone in the process direction; a fixing device including a first member including a first outer surface and a second member including a second outer surface forming a nip with the first outer surface; a second transport device which transports the first medium and second medium from the marking device to the nip; and a controller configured to control a speed of the marking device, the first member and the second transport device to reduce the first inter-document zone between the first medium and second medium to a second inter-document zone in the process direction between the marking device and the nip. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100303495 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Provided is an image forming apparatus comprising a secondary transfer belt disposed at a position to face an intermediate transfer belt across the transfer passage of paper (P), a fixing belt disposed on the down-stream side of the secondary transfer belt in the transfer direction of the paper (P) and at a position to face a rotary fixing member across the transfer passage of the paper (P), a photo sensor for detecting the widthwise position of the fixing belt, a steering roller angle changing unit for making the rolling angle of a steering roller changeable, and a first control unit for controlling a stepping motor on the basis of the signal of the photo sensor. The control unit does not perform the angle change of the steering roller, if the paper is constricted by both a transfer nip and a fixing nip. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100329717 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM - An image forming apparatus includes: a gloss difference reducing unit that reduces a difference between gloss of an first image that is formed without using transparent toner in a first mode and gloss of a region, which does not use transparent toner, of a second image that is formed using transparent toner on part of an image in a second mode, the first mode being set for forming the first image onto a medium in one fixing operation, and a second mode being set for forming the second image by implementing a second fixing step that fixes transparent toner to part of an intermediate image, after a first fixing step that fixes the intermediate image that has been formed by toner other than transparent toner on the medium. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20100329718 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus comprises a fixing part for fixing a toner image on a transfer material to the transfer material, a conveying part provided on the downstream side of the fixing part, a correcting member provided in a conveyance path leading from the fixing part to the conveying part, for correcting a curl of the transfer material, and a control part for controlling an upstream-side conveyance speed which is a conveyance speed at which the fixing part provided on the upstream side of the correcting member conveys the transfer material and a downstream-side conveyance speed which is a conveyance speed at which the conveying part provided on the downstream side of the correcting member conveys the transfer material. In printing of a first surface in a double-sided printing mode, the control part sets the downstream-side conveyance speed to be larger than the upstream-side conveyance speed. In printing of a second surface in the double-sided printing mode, the control part sets the upstream-side conveyance speed and the downstream-side conveyance speed so that a difference between the upstream-side conveyance speed and the downstream-side conveyance speed is smaller than a difference between the upstream-side conveyance speed and the downstream-side conveyance speed in printing of the first surface. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20100329719 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a feeding controller for controlling feeding of the recording material, wherein when a size of the recording material is smaller than a reference size, the feeding controller expands a feeding interval between a precedent recording material and a subsequent recording material gradually, and wherein when image formation on a plurality of recording materials which are smaller than a reference size is started, at timing at which an elapsed time from an end of a last image formation exceeds predetermined time, the feeding control means sets an initial value of the feeding interval to a predetermined minimum value, and wherein when image formation on a plurality of recording materials smaller than the reference size is started, at the timing at which the elapsed time is shorter than the predetermined time, the feeding control means sets the initial value of the feeding interval in accordance with the elapsed time and a last feeding interval at the time of an image formation of the last time or a last temperature in a non-sheet-passing region of said fixing station at the time of an image formation of the last time. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20110052234 | ENHANCED FUSING OF RAISED TONER USING ELECTROGRAPHY - Printing of information with a distinct tactile feel can be accomplished by electrographic techniques. Such electrographic printing includes electrographic printing of raised images to selected areas of a receiver member using electrographic techniques so that they are fixed according to the properties of the raised print such as according to the mass per unit area or toner height. In one embodiment, by slowing down the process speed of the fuser to allow for a longer dwell so that the large toner particles and/or toner mass needed to make raised image will properly adhere to the print media without artifacts. To keep the energy requirements and the cost of the equipment down a speed switching technique is used that slows the process speed of the fuser so that the raised image is properly fused on a wide range of paper types. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110064438 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes: a fixing roll that is rotatable; a belt member that is stretched over the fixing roll; a pressurizing roll that pressurizes the fixing roll via the belt member; a belt pressing member that presses an outer surface of the belt member to the pressurizing roll from inside of the belt member on a downstream side at a pressure-contact position between the fixing roll and the pressurizing roll; and a controller that decrease a time difference between a passage time per unit area of a tip region of a recording medium and a passage time per unit area of a succeeding region of the recording medium to pass a pressure-contact portion between the fixing roll and belt pressing member and the pressurizing roll. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110123212 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus includes first image heater, having a nip through which a sheet passes, for heating toner image on the sheet; second image heater, having a nip through which the sheet passes, capable of heating the toner image on the sheet having passed through the first image heater; speed changing means for changing a feeding speed of the sheet of the second image heater; a first detector for detecting an amount of slack of the sheet at one end of the sheet when the sheet is nipped by both of the nip of the first image heater and the nip of the second image heater; a second detector for detecting an amount of slack of the sheet at the other end of the sheet when the sheet is nipped by both of the nip of the first image heater and the nip of the second image heater; adjusting means adjusting a distance between the first image heater and the second image heater at the one end and a distance therebetween at the other end; and an executing portion for executing a correction mode when the amount of slack at the one end detected by the first detector and the amount of slack at the other end detected by the second detector are different from each other, wherein the executing portion executes the correction mode in which after the adjusting means reduces the different, the speed changing means is controlled. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110222886 | Fixing device and image forming apparatus - A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressing member, and a driving unit. The fixing member and the pressing member define a nip portion where a toner image is fixed on a recording material. The driving unit is provided to the fixing member and the pressing member to individually control linear velocities of outer circumferential surfaces of the fixing member and the pressing member. In feed mode in which the outer circumferential surfaces sandwich the recording material to fix the image on the recording material, the driving unit drives the fixing member and the pressing member such that the outer circumferential surfaces move at individual linear velocities to reduce a feed speed difference between front and rear surfaces of the recording material. In non-feed mode, the driving unit drives either one of the fixing member and the pressing member such that another member is driven by the one member. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110222887 | FIXING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING FIXING DEVICE - According to one embodiment, transit time taken for a recording medium passing through a nip portion to transit a predetermined distance is measured. A nip width adjusting mechanism adjusts a nip width on the basis of the transit time of the recording medium over the predetermined distance. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110262166 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: a heating member which heats a toner image formed on a recording medium using a decolorizable toner containing a binder resin and a coloring agent containing a color developable compound and a color developing agent and having a capsule structure covered with an outer shell; a pressing member which is in press contact with the heating member to form a nip portion and nips and conveys the recording medium in cooperation with the heating member; a temperature control section which controls the temperature of the heating member to a temperature not higher than the density maintaining threshold temperature of the toner and not lower than the melting threshold temperature of the toner; and a conveyance control section which controls the conveying speed of the recording medium in the nip portion such that a time required for the recording medium to pass through the nip portion is 100 msec or more. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110318037 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is provided a fixing device including: a heating member that, while rotating, heats and fixes a developer image onto a recording medium; a pressing member that nips and presses the recording medium between itself and the heating member; an external heating member configured to make contact with an outer surface of the heating member and to move away from the outer surface of the heating member, the external heating member making contact with the outer surface of the heating member and heating the heating member; and a moving section that computes a contact position of a leading edge of the recording medium and the outer surface of the heating member, and moves the external heating member such that the external heating member contacts the outer surface of the heating member based on the computed position. | 12-29-2011 |
| 20120020689 | PRINTING SYSTEM INCLUDING PRINTING APPARATUSES - A printing system having a first printing apparatus to form an image on one side of continuous recording medium roll, a second printing apparatus arranged downstream from the first printing apparatus to form an image on the other side of the recording medium, and a controller to control conveyance of the recording medium. The second printing apparatus has a control device that identifies the number of pages of the recording medium placed on a path between the first printing apparatus and the second printing apparatus and a storage device to store a value representing a contraction amount of the recording medium thermally contracted by excessive heating in a heat fixing device of the first printing apparatus according to a condition defining the contraction amount to align positions of images formed on both sides of the recording medium. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120087686 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit; a fixing unit that heats a recording medium and fixes the image on the recording medium; a pressure member that is rotatable and has an outer peripheral surface, the pressure member moving from a position separated from the fixing unit to a position in contact with the fixing unit, the pressure member pressing the recording medium when the recording medium enters a contact section between the fixing unit and the outer peripheral surface; and a controller that controls transportation of the recording medium and a time at which a region of the outer peripheral surface reaches the contact section, the region contacting the fixing unit when the fixing unit contacts the outer peripheral surface and repeatedly reaching the contact section, so that the recording medium enters the contact section when the region reaches the contact section as the pressure member rotates. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120087687 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus may include a transfer nip, a first conveyance belt, a second conveyance belt, a fixing nip, a fixing drive unit, and a control unit. The first conveyance belt conveys the sheet to which a toner image is transferred and fixed. The fixing drive unit drives the fixing nip so that the fixing nip conveys the sheet at a speed that is higher than the transfer speed in a high speed fixing mode in which the fixing nip fixes the toner image to the sheet while conveying the sheet. The control unit sets a circumferential speed of the first conveyance belt and a circumferential speed of the second conveyance belt so that the sheet bridging the first and second conveyance belts is pulled by the second conveyance belt to slide on the first conveyance belt in the high speed fixing mode. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120107001 | CONTROLLING SPEED TO REDUCE IMAGE QUALITY ARTIFACTS - A method for reducing artifacts on a toned sheet caused by buckling during fusing includes providing two compliant rollers that form a fusing nip for fusing the toned sheet. A control drives at least one of the rollers at a nominal speed to cause the rollers to rotate and there after increasing the roller speed to high speed prior to the sheet arriving at the fusing nip and after the sheet is in the nip increasing the drive speed back to the nominal speed. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120114356 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a fixing device that fixes the image formed on the recording medium at the image forming unit while nipping and transporting the image formed on the recording medium at the image forming unit; a transporting section provided downstream from the fixing device in a direction of transportation of the recording medium, the transporting section nipping and transporting the recording medium; and a controller that performs control for changing a transporting velocity of the fixing device and a transporting velocity of the transporting section on the basis of information used for triggering a change in the transporting velocity of the fixing device when the recording medium is held by the fixing device and the transporting section. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120114357 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a fixing device that nips the recording medium and that rotates at a first peripheral velocity, to transport the recording medium, and to fix the image to the recording medium; a transport path; a first transporting section that rotates at a second peripheral velocity, and nips and transports the recording medium to which the image is fixed; a second transporting section that rotates at a third peripheral velocity, and nips and transports the recording medium to which the image is fixed; a detecting unit that detects a move-out timing; and a controller that controls a peripheral velocity of the second transporting section so as to be greater than the third peripheral velocity and less than the second peripheral velocity in accordance with the timing detected by the detecting unit. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120148280 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member; a pressing member; a first temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature of the fixing member; a second temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature of the pressing member; and a rotational speed control unit for controlling a rotational speed of the fixing member according to the temperature detected with the first temperature detection unit and the temperature detected with the second temperature detection unit. | 06-14-2012 |
| 20120155905 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a fixing portion for fixing an unfixed image formed on a sheet. The fixing portion includes an endless belt, a heater contacting the inner surface of the belt and including first and second heat generators, and a pressor forming a fixing nip with the heater for nipping and feeding the sheet. The apparatus also includes a controller for controlling electric power supplied to the first and second heat generators. The controller controls the first and second heat generators independently from each other. The apparatus sets a plurality of feeding speeds of the sheet, and the controller changes the difference between the times at which electric power is supplied to the first and second heat generators in accordance with the sheet feeding speed. | 06-21-2012 |
| 20120207501 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMAGE FORMING CAPABLE OF EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATING COLOR DISPLACEMENT BY RECOGNIZING A ROTATIONAL POSITION OF A ROTATING MEMBER WITH A MECHANISM USING DETECTION MARKS - An image forming apparatus includes a rotating member, a motor configured to rotate the rotating member, and a marking member having primary and secondary portions. The image forming apparatus also includes a mark sensor configured to detect the primary and secondary portions, and output a primary signal and a secondary signal, and a position sensor configured to determine a rotational position of the rotating member based on a primary reception time of one of the primary and secondary signals that comes immediately after the other of the primary and secondary signals when the position sensor receives the other of the primary and secondary signals at a start of a mark detecting operation. Further, the image forming apparatus includes a motor controller configured to control the motor based on the recognition result and make the rotational position consistent with a target position at a predetermined time during the mark detecting operation. | 08-16-2012 |
| 20120230717 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a fusing unit configured to fuse an image formed on a recording medium to a recording medium, at a fusing position where a heater and a rotator nip the recording medium therebetween, and a current-feed controller configured to execute a first current-feed mode of changing a current-feed ratio of current-feed time from an AC power source to the heater to unit time by controlling switching of a switching circuit so that a temperature detected by a temperature detector falls within a target range. The current-feed controller executes a second current-feed mode of fixing the current-feed ratio to almost 100% or almost 0% in place of the first current-feed mode based on a timing when a position detector detects that an end of the recording medium in a conveying direction is located at the fusing position. | 09-13-2012 |
| 20120243894 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming station for forming a toner image on a sheet; an image heating portion including a flexible heating roller and a pressing roller to form a nip, the image heating portion being effective to heat while feeding the sheet, by the nip; a pressing state switching portion for switching a state of the nip between a pressing state and a released state; and a sheet feeding position detector for detecting misalignment of the sheet relative to a feeding reference position with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the sheet; wherein when the sheet feeding position detector detects the misalignment, the pressing state switching portion permits the nip to feed at least one sheet in a state of the misalignment, and then switches the nip to the released state and then switches to the pressing state. | 09-27-2012 |
| 20120251153 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS - An image heating apparatus includes: a belt for heating in a nip an image formed on a recording material; a rotatable steering member for stretching the belt and for controlling the position of the belt with respect to a widthwise direction by inclination; a slidable member provided so as to be movable toward and away from a surface of the belt; a contact and separation portion for moving the slidable member toward and away from the belt; an execution portion capable of executing an operation in a sliding mode in which the slidable member contacts the belt and is slid on the surface of the belt; and a controller for controlling a maximum inclination angle of the rotatable steering member during execution of the operation in the sliding mode so that the maximum inclination angle is set at a value smaller than that during image formation. | 10-04-2012 |
| 20120263487 | FIXING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME AND CONTROLLING MEHOD OF THE SAME - The fixing device according to the embodiment includes a fixing member which is heated at predetermined temperature for a fixing, a press member which is configured to move relative to the fixing member and to contact with the fixing member so as to transport an image bearing medium by cooperating with the fixing member during a fixing, driving member which moves the fixing member and press member in a plurality of speeds including predetermined speed for during the fixing, pressure change member which is configured to change a pressure between the fixing member and the press member, and control member which controls the driving member and the pressure change member, when the fixing member and the press member are idle for fixing, to reduce the pressure and the speed of the fixing member and the press member compared with during the fixing. | 10-18-2012 |
| 20120263488 | FUSING APPARATUS FOR HIGH SPEED ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY SYSTEM - A fuser and receiver release system and method are provided for improving the release of receivers in high speed of printing systems. This system controls the release of a receiver in conjunction with a fuser in a printing system, and specifically the efficiency and accuracy of the release system. One embodiment of this method includes a belt fuser that allows the separating of the heat transfer and release functions of the fuser such that fuser roller could be made of hard metal core that can be heated to high temperatures without the fear of delaminating elastomeric coatings which are common in roller fusing. | 10-18-2012 |
| 20120294639 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - An image forming device includes: an image forming section, a fixing unit, an oscillation mechanism and a controller. The image forming section forms an image on paper. The fixing unit thermally fixes the image on the paper by using a fixing rotating member to pinch and convey the paper. The oscillation mechanism oscillates at least the entire fixing rotating member of the fixing unit in an axis direction thereof. The controller determines an oscillation quantity of the fixing rotating member based on rigidity of the paper in a state where the paper is pinched and conveyed by the fixing rotating member and another rotating member at the same time, and oscillates the fixing rotating member using the oscillation mechanism with the determined oscillation quantity. The controller determines the oscillation quantity of the fixing rotating member to be reduced as rigidity of the paper becomes lower. | 11-22-2012 |
| 20120301170 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an adjustment unit that adjusts an image transfer position of the sheet of paper along a main scanning direction that is orthogonal to a transporting direction of the sheet of paper, a fixing unit that fixes on the sheet of paper an toner image using fixing rollers and performs a fluctuation of the fixing roller to the main scanning direction, a detection unit that detects whether or not the fixing rollers of the fixing unit nip the sheet of paper, and a controller. The controller controls the fixing unit to perform the fluctuation of the fixing rollers when determining that the fixing rollers of the fixing unit do not nip the sheet of paper based on a detection result of the detection unit. | 11-29-2012 |
| 20120328316 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE PRINTING OF SUBSTRATES - The present invention relates to a method for the printing of substrates, wherein the substrates are printed at a printing speed and the thusly produced printed image is subsequently fused at a speed that is lower than the printing speed. After the entire substrate has moved through the fusing unit ( | 12-27-2012 |
| 20120328317 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, a heat source, a fixing rotating body, a pressurizing rotating body, a feeding section for feeding a medium, a temperature adjusting section for controlling an amount of heat generated by the heat source, and a control section. The control section switches between a first mode in which the fixing rotating body and the pressurizing rotating body rotate at a first circumferential speed and the medium is fed to the image forming section at a first distance interval, and a second mode in which the fixing rotating body and the pressurizing rotating body rotate at a second circumferential speed higher than the first circumferential speed and the medium is fed to the image forming section at a second distance interval longer than the first distance interval. | 12-27-2012 |
| 20130170849 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - When an unfixed toner image is formed on a recording material, a toner amount per unit area satisfying: A<(ρΠL)/30√3 when a specific gravity of a toner is ρ (g/cm | 07-04-2013 |
| 20130177330 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device for performing a thermal fixing for fixing an unfixed image onto a recording sheet by passing the recording sheet through a fixing nip formed by a fixing rotator and a pressing member pressing the fixing rotator. The fixing device obtains a value indicating an amount of paper dust attached to the fixing rotator, and when the amount of paper dust indicated by the obtained value is equal to or larger than a permissible amount, performs a control so that a larger amount of heat is supplied to the recording sheet in the thermal fixing than when the amount of paper dust indicated by the obtained value is smaller than the permissible amount. | 07-11-2013 |
| 20130209122 | FIXING DEVICE - A fixing device includes a rotatable fuser member, a rotatable pressure member, a heater, and a controller. The rotatable fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotatable pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member. The pressure member presses against the fuser member to form a fixing nip therebetween, through which multiple recording media, each spaced apart from each other by an interval distance in a conveyance direction, are sequentially conveyed at a conveyance speed. The heater is disposed adjacent to the fuser member to heat the fuser member. The controller is operatively connected to the heater to control power supply to the heater through a series of on-off switching control cycles, each including an on-time during which the heater power supply is on, and an off-time during which the heater power supply is off, in synchronization with conveyance of the recording medium. | 08-15-2013 |
| 20130209123 | FIXING DEVICE - A fixing device includes a rotatable fuser member, a rotatable pressure member, a heater, and a controller. The rotatable fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotatable pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member. The pressure member presses against the fuser member to form a fixing nip therebetween, through which multiple recording media, each spaced apart from each other by an interval distance in a conveyance direction, are sequentially conveyed at a conveyance speed. The heater is disposed adjacent to the fuser member to heat the fuser member. The controller is operatively connected to the heater to control power supply to the heater through a series of on-off switching control cycles, each including an on-time during which the heater power supply is on, and an off-time during which the heater power supply is off, in synchronization with conveyance of the recording medium. | 08-15-2013 |
| 20140086609 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus that sets a second conveyance speed, at which a recording material is conveyed at a heating nip portion, higher than a first conveyance speed, at which the recording material is conveyed at a transfer nip portion, conveys an envelope by the transfer and heating nip portions without transferring a toner image at the transfer nip portion. After that, the image forming apparatus which sets the second conveyance speed equal to or lower than the first conveyance speed transfers the toner image formed on a photosensitive drum acting as an image bearing member onto the envelope conveyed again to the transfer nip portion by a reversing conveyance mechanism acting as a re-conveyance unit to fix the toner image on the envelop at the heating nip portion. | 03-27-2014 |
| 20140140714 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes an endless belt, a heating unit that heats the belt, a rotating body that rotates while applying pressure to a recording medium interposed between the rotating body and the belt, a pressing member that forms a first area in which the recording medium is to be nipped between the belt and the rotating body by pressing the belt against the rotating body from an inside of the belt, and a driving member that drives the rotating body so that the rotating body rotates at a speed determined such that a time obtained by dividing a length of the first area in a direction in which the rotating body is rotating by the speed is approximately 20 milliseconds or less. | 05-22-2014 |
| 20140147149 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms a metallic toner image on a recording medium using a metallic toner containing flakes of metallic pigment; and a heating portion that heats and melts the metallic toner on the recording medium. A first shearing force is applied to the molten metallic toner in a transportation direction of the recording medium. | 05-29-2014 |
| 20140241746 | Image Forming Apparatus Adequately Controlling Motor - An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, a motor, and a control device. The fixing device includes a heating member, a drive roller in contact with the heating member at a nip portion therebetween, and a memory configured to store an outer diameter of the drive roller. The motor is configured to drive the drive roller. The control device is configured to read the outer diameter from the memory, adjust a rotation speed of the motor such that the rotation speed of the motor becomes smaller as the outer diameter read from the memory becomes larger, and drive the motor at an adjusted rotation speed. | 08-28-2014 |
| 20140241747 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a printing portion, an ordinary printing controller, and an energy-saving printing controller. The ordinary printing controller causes the printing portion to perform ordinary printing at a first fixing temperature. The energy-saving printing controller causes the printing portion to perform energy-saving printing at a second fixing temperature lower than the first fixing temperature. The energy-saving printing controller selectively performs first energy-saving printing of performing the energy-saving printing by setting the sheet conveying speed to a first speed and setting the sheet interval to a first interval, and second energy-saving printing of performing the energy-saving printing by setting the sheet conveying speed to a second speed faster than the first speed and setting the sheet interval to a second interval larger than the first interval. | 08-28-2014 |
| 20140270834 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME - A fixing device in an image forming apparatus includes a rotatable fixing member; a plurality of heat sources to heat each area of the fixing member in a longitudinal direction thereof; a pressure member configured to contact the fixing member and forming a nip in association with the fixing member; a nip forming member disposed inside the fixing member and opposite the pressure member to form a fixing nip; a temperature controller to detect temperature at each area of the fixing member and control the temperature via lighting control performed by the heat sources; and a plurality of temperature sensors to detect temperature of the fixing member or the pressure member in each heating area heated by the plurality of heat sources. When a sheet size set by the image forming apparatus and an actually conveyed sheet size are different, operating speed of the device is adjusted. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140286664 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a developer image forming portion configured to form a developer image on a recording medium; a fixing portion configured to fix the developer image to the recording medium; a transportation portion configured to transport the recording medium to form a second image on the recording medium; and a transportation speed setting portion configured to set a transportation speed of the recording medium when the fixing portion fixes the developer image to the recording medium. The transportation speed setting portion sets a first transportation speed when the first image is fixed to the recording medium and a second transportation speed when the second image is fixed to the recording medium according to first developer used for forming the first image and second developer used for forming the second image. The first transportation speed is different from the second transportation speed. | 09-25-2014 |
| 20140294417 | Image Forming Apparatus and Heat Fixing Device Provided in the Same - An image forming apparatus may include an endless belt, a heater, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller. The endless belt may have a center portion and end portions in an axial direction, and defines an internal space therein and an outer peripheral surface. The first temperature sensor may be positioned at the center portion and facing the outer peripheral surface. The second temperature sensor may be positioned at one of the end portions and in the internal space. The controller may be configured to: receive a first signal from the first temperature sensor; control the heater based on the first signal; receive a second signal from the second temperature sensor; and determine whether an edge overheat occurs at the one of the end portions based on the second signal. | 10-02-2014 |
| 20140314436 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND FIXING OPERATION CONTROL METHODIMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND FIXING OPERATION CONTROL METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes an operation control portion, and an operation mode setting portion. Operation control portion performs control in either operation mode of first operation mode where operation control portion controls heating portion so that heat transfer portion is first target temperature, and controls conveying portion so that conveying speed of sheet is first speed; and second operation mode where operation control portion controls heating portion so that heat transfer portion is second target temperature, and controls conveying portion so that conveying speed of sheet is second speed. Operation mode setting portion, under condition that first print job has been input, sets operation mode of operation control portion to first operation mode, and when second print job input after first print job has satisfied predetermined condition, sets operation mode of operation control portion to second operation mode. | 10-23-2014 |
| 20140321871 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, detection units, and a control unit. The control unit switches a sheet speed at the fixing unit to either a first or second sheet speed that is faster than the first sheet speed based on a first detection unit signal where the control unit detects that both a loop amount of a sheet loop at second and third detection unit positions are greater than or less than a predetermined amount. The control unit sets the fixing unit sheet speed as a predetermined sheet speed between the first and second sheet speed where the control unit detects that one of two loop amounts detected the second and third detection units is greater than the predetermined amount when the other one of the two loop amounts is less than the predetermined amount. | 10-30-2014 |
| 20140321872 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: a heating member which heats a toner image on a recording medium using a decolorizable toner containing a coloring agent containing a color developable compound and a color developing agent and having a capsule structure covered with an outer shell; a pressing member which is in press contact with the heating member to form a nip portion and nips and conveys the recording medium in cooperation with the heating member; a temperature control section which controls the temperature of the heating member to a temperature not higher than the density maintaining threshold temperature and not lower than the melting threshold temperature; and a conveyance control section which controls the conveying speed of the recording medium such that a time required for the recording medium to pass through the nip portion is 100 msec or more. | 10-30-2014 |
| 20140363184 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - An image forming apparatus, including: electrostatic latent image bearing member; electrostatic latent image forming unit; developing unit configured to develop with toner to form visible image; transferring unit; fixing unit; and discharging unit, the toner containing binder resin, colorant, and releasing agent, the binder resin containing crystalline resin containing urethane or urea bond, or both, the toner satisfying: C/(C+A)≧ | 12-11-2014 |
| 20140363185 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus comprises a drive motor configured to rotate the lower pressure roller, a torque generation unit for generating a breaking force in the direction to hinder rotation of a fixing belt in order to adjust the differential speed between the surface speed of the fixing belt and the surface speed of the lower pressure roller | 12-11-2014 |
| 20150037055 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; fixing means for fixing an image formed on a sheet; detecting means for detecting a temperature of the fixing means; and controlling means for controlling an image formation start timing in accordance with an output of the detecting means, wherein in an operation of continuously forming images on a plurality of predetermined sheets, when a number of image formations is not less than a predetermined number, start of the image formation is delayed until a temperature of the fixing means rises up to a first temperature, and when the number of image formations is less than the predetermined number, the image formation is started when the temperature of the fixing means rises up to a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature. | 02-05-2015 |
| 20150043933 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feed unit which feeds a sheet to an image forming unit forming an image on the sheet, a re-transport roller which reverses the sheet with a toner image fixed on the sheet and re-transports the sheet to the image forming unit, and a control unit which controls a sheet feed operation of the sheet feed unit for feeding the sheet. As the temperature of the re-transport roller sensed by the temperature sensing unit is decreased, the control unit retards the timing at which the sheet feed unit starts the sheet feed operation when a duplex image formation in which the image is formed on both sides of the sheet is performed after a one-side image formation is completed. | 02-12-2015 |
| 20150071667 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes a fixing section including a fixing belt laid over a plurality of supporting rollers and an endless rotating section that forms a nip between the rotating section and the fixing belt, the fixing section being configured to nip and carry a recording medium in the nip, and a control section configured to control the fixing section at first fixing speed while a leading end of the recording medium is passing at least a part of the nip and control the fixing section at second fixing speed higher than the first fixing speed after controlling the fixing section at the first fixing speed. | 03-12-2015 |
| 20150093136 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes a heat rotor with a heat source, a pressure rotor forming a fixing nip with the heat rotor and expandable by heat given from the heat rotor, a drive section configured to rotate the pressure rotor, a control section configured to control the drive section, thus controlling a rotational speed of the pressure rotor, and a heat quantity detecting section configured to determine a quantity of heat from the heat rotor to the pressure rotor since a reference time point when the fixing device transitions from outage to operating state. The control section performs a first rotation control for allowing the pressure rotor to rotate at a first rotational speed after the heat quantity detecting section detects the quantity of heat has reached a predetermined specified value and at a second rotational speed before the heat quantity detecting section detects the specified value has been reached. | 04-02-2015 |
| 20150139675 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - At least one embodiment of an image forming apparatus may include a transfer unit, a fixing unit, a motor configured to rotate a rotation member included in the fixing unit, a detection unit configured to detect the amount of bending of the sheet between the transfer unit and the fixing unit, an acquisition unit configured to acquire an average speed of the motor during conveyance of one sheet nipped by the rotation member, and a control unit configured to determine a speed of the motor for conveying a succeeding sheet by the rotation member based on the average speed acquired by the acquisition unit at a time when a preceding sheet is conveyed by the rotation member, and control the speed of the motor based on the amount of bending detected by the detection unit during driving of the motor based on the determined speed. | 05-21-2015 |
| 20150316878 | METHOD OF CONTROLLING IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM - A method of controlling an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus and image forming system are described, with which banner paper can be processed by appropriately detecting the banner paper in the fixing position when the conveyance of the banner paper is halted. The image forming apparatus comprises a paper conveying unit for conveying banner paper, an image forming unit for transferring an image to the banner paper, a fixing unit for fixing the image to the banner paper in a fixing nip by heating and pressing the banner paper conveyed along a conveying route, and a control unit. This control unit identifies information about the paper position which coincides with the fixing nip when the conveyance of the banner paper is halted and information about the amount of paper deformation of the banner paper in the paper position, and outputs the information which is identified. | 11-05-2015 |
| 20150323890 | IMAGE HEATING APPARATUS, HEATER AND BELT REPLACING METHOD - An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt; a heater for heating the belt, the heater forms a sliding portion between an inner surface of the belt and the heater; a rotatable member cooperative with the heater to sandwich the belt to form a nip between an outer peripheral surface of the belt and the rotatable member; a temperature detector provided on a surface of the heater relatively remoter from the sliding portion; a controller for controlling timing of feeding the sheet to the nip on the basis of an output of the detector; lubricant provided in at lease a part of the sliding portion except for a range which is in opposing relation with the detector, wherein the sliding portion is free of the lubricant in the range. | 11-12-2015 |
| 20150346660 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a fixing portion for fixing a toner image on a sheet by heating the sheet while feeding the sheet, the fixing portion including a cylindrical film, a heater contacting an inner surface of the film, a roller cooperative with the heater to form the nip between the film and the roller; a sensor for detecting a heater temperature; a feed controller for controlling sheet feeding. In image formation on a second sheet continuously after forming the image on a first sheet, the sensor detects a temperature change in a predetermined period in which the nip does not feed the sheet and which is after the first sheet passes through the nip and before the second sheet reaches the nip, and the feed controller changes a feeding interval between the first and second sheets in accordance with the temperature change. | 12-03-2015 |
| 20150362876 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An acquisition portion acquires a rate of a size of a toner image being formed in a predetermined area on a recording material to a size of the predetermined area, in a consecutive print job, a control portion sets a longer conveyance interval between a preceding recording material and a subsequent recording material when the rate of the subsequent recording material exceeds a threshold than when the rate of the subsequent recording material does not exceed the threshold, and the predetermined area on a trailing end side of the recording material with respect to a center of the recording material in a recording material conveying direction is larger than the predetermined area on a leading end side of the recording material with respect to the center of the recording material, or the predetermined area is only on the trailing end side of the recording material. | 12-17-2015 |
| 20160018768 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONVEYANCE SPEED CONTROL METHOD OF RECORDING MEDIUM IN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a transfer device configured to transfer an image onto a conveyed recording medium (sheet); a fixer configured to heat, press and convey the sheet to fix the transferred image on the sheet; a sensor configured to detect the bending amount of the sheet between the transfer device and the fixer; and a control section configured to control at least one of the transfer device and the fixer so that the recording medium between the transfer device and the fixer is conveyed in a bent state and the bending amount of the sheet is reduced if the bending amount of the sheet exceeds a preset one according to the detection result of the sensor. | 01-21-2016 |
| 20160033910 | FIXING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND FIXING METHOD - A fixing device includes a heater that heats a fixing rotator and includes a first heating portion and a second heating portion substantially aligned with the first heating portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. A multi-view thermopile array detects a temperature of an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator at a plurality of spots thereon. A heater controller controls the first heating portion and the second heating portion individually based on the temperature of the fixing rotator detected at the plurality of spots thereon. A recording medium conveyance controller determines whether or not to convey the recording medium to the fixing nip based on an increased temperature detected at at least one of the plurality of spots on the fixing rotator. | 02-04-2016 |
| 20160062283 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit including a heater, a necessary integral power calculation unit configured to calculate a necessary integral power required for the fixing unit to reach a predetermined fixable temperature, a suppliable integral power calculation unit configured to calculate a suppliable integral power capable of being supplied to the heater in a time elapsing until the recording material reaches the fixing unit, a power source condition detection unit configured to detect a power source condition of a power source for supplying power to the heater, and a controller configured to control a timing to start conveyance of the recording material according to the necessary integral power and the suppliable integral power, wherein the suppliable integral power calculation unit calculates the suppliable integral power according to a resistance value of the heater and the power source condition. | 03-03-2016 |
| 20160091842 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance section configured to convey a long sheet; a toner image forming section configured to form a toner image on the long sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section; a fixing section configured to fix the toner image formed by the toner image forming section on the long sheet; and an information presenting section configured to display information relating to sheet conveyance, the information relating to sheet conveyance including waste sheet information indicating a conveyance amount of the long sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section during a non-image formation period. | 03-31-2016 |
| 20160091844 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a sheet conveyance unit which conveys a long sheet having such a length as to extend at least from a sheet feed opening to a sheet output opening of an apparatus body, an image forming unit which transfers a toner image onto the sheet, a fixing unit including a heater to fix the transferred toner image, a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the fixing unit, and a control unit which controls the sheet conveyance unit in such a way that, when the front edge of the sheet is to be conveyed from the sheet feed opening to the sheet output opening with no toner image transferred onto the sheet, the front edge is prohibited from being conveyed into the fixing unit if the temperature of the fixing unit is higher than a first predetermined temperature. | 03-31-2016 |
| 20160103405 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a control unit. The transfer unit transfers a toner image onto a sheet. The fixing unit fixes the toner image onto the sheet and includes a roller. The control unit controls a roller rotational speed. Where both a first loop amount of the sheet at one side in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction and a second loop amount of the sheet at the other side in a width direction are within a predetermined range, the control unit switches a roller rotational speed for controlling a loop amount of the sheet between the transfer unit and the fixing unit. Where either the first or second loop amount is not within the predetermined range, the control unit sets the roller rotational speed into a predetermined speed without switching the roller rotational speed. | 04-14-2016 |
| 20160116867 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; fixing means for fixing an image formed on a sheet; detecting means for detecting a temperature of the fixing means; and controlling means for controlling an image formation start timing in accordance with an output of the detecting means, wherein in an operation of continuously forming images on a plurality of predetermined sheets, when a number of image formations is not less than a predetermined number, start of the image formation is delayed until a temperature of the fixing means rises up to a first temperature, and when the number of image formations is less than the predetermined number, the image formation is started when the temperature of the fixing means rises up to a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature. | 04-28-2016 |
| 20160124358 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - To provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method which can rapidly decrease (cool) the temperature of a fixing section. The image forming apparatus of the invention includes a fixing section fixing a toner image on a sheet, and a controller performing switching control of press-contact state/separated state of the fixing section, and conveyance control of the sheet. The controller, after completion of printing, rapidly cools the fixing section while keeping it in the press-contact state by conveying the sheet at a first conveying speed. The controller naturally cools the fixing section by bringing it into the separated state at a predetermined timing to convey the sheet at a second conveying speed slower than the first conveying speed, and stops conveying it when the temperature of the fixing section becomes not higher than a predetermined temperature. | 05-05-2016 |
| 20190146386 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS | 05-16-2019 |
