Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideyuki Matsubara

Daisuke Abe

Shigeo Murayama

Yasuhiro Shimura

Toru Oguma

Hiroyuki Tanaka

Akira Kato

Hisashi Nakahara

Hideaki Yonekubo

Yuji Fujiwara

Noriaki Tanaka

Kazunari Nishimoto

Masato Suzuki

Masayoshi Takahashi

Naoki Matsumaru

Fumiki Inui

Takeshi Sugita

Tadashi Okanishi

Takao Kawazu

Kazuhide Kudo

Eijiro Ohashi

Keisuke Endoh

Takeshi Tsukahara

Masahiro Uehara

An image forming apparatus includes a member for use in forming an image, an acquiring unit, a scanning unit, and a control unit. The acquiring unit is configured to acquire first image information on the image formed on a recording material. The scanning unit is configured to scan the image formed on the recording material to acquire second image information. The control unit is configured to compare the first image information acquired by the acquiring unit with the second image information acquired by the scanning unit to determine a state of the member based on a comparison result.

Apparatus and system for forming image

A drive transmission mechanism includes a rotatable member provided with a drive transmitting portion; and a shaft supporting the rotatable member; wherein the shaft has a large diameter portion, a small diameter portion having a diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion, at least one middle diameter portion having a diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion and larger than that of the small diameter portion, and a stepped portion at a boundary between the small diameter portion and the middle diameter portion.

Driving force transmission mechanism and image forming apparatus

An image heating apparatus including a supporting member having (a) a hole in which a temperature detecting element is disposed so as to contact a second surface of a heat-conductive member, and (b) an opposing surface that (i) opposes the second surface of the heat-conductive member, and (ii) includes a contact region contacting the second surface of the heat-conductive member, the opposing surface of the supporting member being provided adjacent to the hole of the supporting member in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The contact region of the supporting member presses, toward the heater, a part of the heat-conductive member corresponding to the contact region of the supporting member, and the temperature detecting element presses, toward the heater, a part of the heat-conductive member corresponding to the hole of the supporting member.

Image heating apparatus having a temperature detecting element mounted in a supporting member to contact a heat-conductive member

An image forming apparatus includes a feeding unit, a regulation member, a detection unit, and a control unit. The feeding unit feeds a recording material from a storage unit to a conveying path. In the storage unit, the regulation member controls a trailing edge of the recording material in a feeding direction. The detection unit detects time until the recording material reaches a predetermined position along the conveying path after the feeding unit begins to feed the recording material. The control unit determines a state of the regulation member based on the detected time. Where the time detected by the detection unit is a value between a first threshold and a second threshold, which is larger than the first threshold, the control unit determines that the regulation member is shifting from a position corresponding to a size of the recording material in the feeding direction.

Image forming apparatus and image forming system

An image heating device includes, a moving member configured to move while contacting a recording material at one surface of the moving member, a backup member configured to contact the other surface of the moving member, a holding member configured to hold the backup member, a nip portion forming member contacting the one surface of the moving member, and configured to form a nip portion in corporation with the backup member via the moving member, and a high thermal conductive member held between the holding member and the backup member, wherein the recording material on which an image has been formed is heated by heat received from the moving member while being nipped and conveyed at the nip portion, and wherein the holding member includes a recessed portion configured not to apply pressure to the high thermal conductive member.

Image heating device for positioning a high thermal conductive member

An image heating apparatus includes: a heater including a substrate and a heat generating element; a supporting member; a high heat-conductive member. The recording material on which an image is formed is heated by heat from the heater. The supporting member has a bottom region, where the supporting member supports the heater, including a first region where the supporting member contacts the high heat-conductive member so as to apply pressure between the heater and the high heat-conductive member and including a second region where the supporting member is recessed from the high heat-conductive member relative to the first region. At least a part of the first region overlaps, with respect to a movement direction of the recording material, with a region where the heat generating element is provided.

Image heating apparatus

An image heating apparatus includes: a heater; a supporting member for supporting the heater; and a high heat-conductive sheet sandwiched between a part of the heater and the supporting member. A recording material on which an image is formed is heated by heat from the heater. The supporting member includes a bearing surface contacting the sheet so as to apply pressure between the heater and the sheet and includes an opposing portion opposing a part of the heater not sandwiching the sheet. In a state in which the pressure is applied between the heater and the sheet, the thickness of the sheet is not less than the height of the stepped portion between the bearing portion and the opposing portion.

An image heating apparatus includes: a heater including a substrate and a heat generating element; a supporting member; and a high heat-conductive member. The recording material on which an image is formed is heated by heat from the heater. The supporting member has a bottom region, where the supporting member supports the heater, including a first region where the supporting member contacts the high heat-conductive member so as to apply pressure between the heater and the high heat-conductive member and including a second region where the supporting member is recessed from the high heat-conductive member relative to the first region. At least a part of the first region overlaps, with respect to a movement direction of the recording material, with a region where the heat generating element is provided.

A fixing apparatus includes a fixing unit configured to heat and fix an unfixed image, which is formed on a recording material, on the recording material, a rotating member provided with a metal shaft and configured to convey the recording material that has passed through the fixing unit, a cover member made of injection-molded resin and configured to cover the shaft of the rotating member from a recording material conveyance path side so that a portion of the rotating member in contact with the recording material is exposed, the cover member including a portion that has a U-shaped cross-section when viewed from one end side of the shaft, and a sheet member configured to cover an opening of the U-shaped portion of the cover member.

Fixing apparatus having cover member and image forming apparatus

A sheet conveying apparatus according to the invention includes a first conveying path; a sheet reverse conveying portion; a second conveying path; a third conveying path; and a movable guide portion configured to guide the conveyed sheet. The guide portion is moved to a position where the sheet can pass when the sheet is guided from the first conveying path to the second conveying path, and the guide portion is moved to a position where the guide portion guides the sheet to the third conveying path while blocking between the first and second conveying paths such that the sheet can not intrude from the second conveying path into the first conveying path when the sheet conveyed by the sheet reverse conveying portion is conveyed in the second direction.

Image forming apparatus and sheet conveying apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member and a transfer roller that are brought into pressure contact with each other by a force of a transfer spring to define a nip section therebetween. The transfer roller is movable between a first position at which the transfer roller is in pressure contact with the photosensitive member and a second position at which the pressure is eliminated or reduced. When the transfer roller is pushed to the second position, the transfer roller is latched at the second position and the apparatus can be carried in this state. When the apparatus is activated and the photosensitive member is driven, the transfer roller is unlatched and is returned to the first position by the force of the transfer spring, so that the nip section is formed again between the transfer roller and the image bearing member and an image forming process is enabled.

Image forming apparatus having mechanism for reducing pressing force between image bearing member and transferring member

An image heating device includes a pressure-changing mechanism configured to change pressure applied to a heating nip. A cam of the pressure-changing mechanism acting on a pressure-applying mechanism is attached to a rotating shaft of a conveying roller that conveys recording materials. With this, an increase in the cost of the device can be regulated.

Image heating device capable of changing pressure applied to heating nip

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the main assembly including an output contact movable between an electrical connecting position and a retracted position retracted from the electrical connecting position. The process cartridge includes a movable operation member movable relative to a cartridge frame, wherein when the process cartridge is inserted into the main assembly of the apparatus, the movable operation member is engageable with a fixed engageable member fixed in the main assembly of the apparatus to move relative to the cartridge frame, and is engageable with a displaceable engaging portion of the displaceable member to move the output contact from the retracted position to the electrical connecting position; and an input electrical contact for receiving a voltage for enabling the process device by engagement with the output contact moved to the electrical connecting position.

Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, wherein the main assembly includes a main assembly electrical contact, a movable member movable between a protecting position for covering the main assembly electrical contact and an exposing position for exposing the main assembly electrical contact, and a locking member movable between a locking position for limiting an operation of the movable member and a releasing position for permitting the operation of the movable member, the cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process means actable on the drum; a first engaging portion for moving the locking member from the locking position to the releasing position in midstream of mounting the cartridge to the main assembly of the apparatus; a second engaging portion for moving the movable member from the protecting position to the exposing position in midstream of mounting the cartridge to the main assembly of the apparatus; and a cartridge contact for electrically connecting with the main assembly electrical contact when the cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus.

Process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The main assembly includes an output contact movable between electrical connecting and retracted positions, a displaceable member for moving the output contact, and an elastic function member for elastically urging the displaceable member to urge the output contact toward the retracted position. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a process device actable on the drum, and a movable operation member engageable with a main-assembly fixed engageable member and with the displaceable member to move the output contact from the retracted to the electrical connecting position against the bias of the elastic function member, in interrelation with the movement of the displaceable member, after the engagement with the fixed engageable member when the cartridge is inserted into the main assembly. The cartridge also includes an input electrical contact.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Hideyuki Matsubara