Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Hiroshi Handa

Hiroki Mori

Shuhei Fukue

Kenji Takeuchi

Tomonori Watanabe

Kazuna Taguchi

Masatoshi Shiraki

Tatsuo Ogasawara

Tokifumi Tanaka

Mingguang Zhang

Hirotaka Imaeda

Takuji Matsuno

Yukimasa Yoshida

Yasumasa Fujii

Masahito Saeki

Keigo Nakajima

Masahito Kajita

Hirofumi Kuriki

Soun Kanada

Kumiko Suzuki

Takeshi Bito

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt, a holder holding the nip forming member, a first stay supporting the holder, an urging member urging the first stay toward the rotator, a second stay, and a connector. The nip forming member is configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip. The first stay extends in a width direction parallel to the rotation axis. The second stay is positioned upstream of the first stay in a moving direction of the belt at the nip. The moving direction is perpendicular to the width direction. The connector extends through at least one of the first stay and the second stay to connect the first stay to the second stay.

Device including rotator and belt, such as a fixing device for an image forming apparatus

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt and configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip, an urging member configured to urge one of the rotator and the nip forming member towards the other in a particular direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, an upstream guide and a downstream guide. The upstream guide includes an upstream guide surface configured to guide an inner peripheral surface of the belt. The nip forming member includes a facing surface which faces the rotator. An upstream edge of the facing surface in the moving direction is located at a position farther from the rotation axis, in the particular direction, than a downstream edge of the upstream guide surface.

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt, a first stay surrounded by the belt and extending in a width direction parallel to the rotation axis, a holder holding the nip forming member, and an urging member urging the first stay toward the rotator. The nip forming member is configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip. The first stay includes a first end and a second end. The holder includes a first engaging portion positioned at a first end of the holder, and a second engaging portion positioned at a second end of the holder. The first engaging portion engages the first end of the first stay. The second engaging portion engages the second end of the first stay.

Device including rotator and belt, such as a fixing unit for an image forming apparatus

A device includes a rotator, a belt facing the rotator and having an outer peripheral surface which contacts the rotator to form a nip therebetween, a first pad configured to press the belt toward the rotator to form one part of the nip, a second pad configured to press the belt toward the rotator, to form another part of the nip, a holder holding the first pad and the second pad, a stay supporting the holder, and an urging member urging the stay toward the rotator in an urging direction. The second pad is located upstream of the first pad in a conveyance direction in the nip orthogonal to the urging direction. At least a portion of a contact area between the stay and the holder is located downstream of a center of the nip and upstream of a front edge of the first pad in the conveyance direction.

Fixing device including plural nip pads

A fixing device includes: a rotary body; a pressure body; a frame supporting the rotary body; and a pressure varying mechanism for providing a nip pressure to a nip region formed between the rotary body and the pressure body. The pressure varying mechanism includes a first spring and a second spring for urging one of the rotary body and the pressure body. The first spring applies a first urging force, and the second spring applies a second urging force acting in an opposite direction from the first urging force. The pressure varying mechanism can vary the nip pressure between a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. The nip pressure becomes the first nip pressure while only the first urging force is applied, and becomes the second nip pressure while both of the first urging force and the second urging force are applied.

Fixing device including mechanism for varying pressure at nip region between rotary body and pressure body

Fixing device

There is provided a fuser including: an endless belt; a contacting member contacting an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt; a pressure roller contacting an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt and sandwiching the endless belt together with the contacting member; and a sliding contact member making sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. The pressure roller includes a first porous layer impregnated with a lubricating agent, in a place contacting the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt.

Fuser including endless belt and pressure roller having porous layer impregnated with lubricating agent

An image forming apparatus includes: a heating unit; a pressure roller; a first frame supporting the heating unit; a second frame engaging the first frame; a first gear; a second gear; and a fixing member. The second frame supports a shaft portion of the pressure roller. The first gear is provided at one end of the shaft portion and rotatable with the pressure roller. The second gear engages the first gear and transmits a drive force to the first gear. The fixing member has a first portion engaging the shaft portion and a second portion engaging the second frame. At least a part of the first portion engages the shaft portion at a position on a downstream side of the shaft portion in a second direction in which the shaft portion receives a force upon transmission of the drive force.

Image forming apparatus provided with fixing member engaged to roller and frame

There is provided a fuser including: a cylindrical member; an endless belt; a pressing member; a pressing roller; and a lateral guide contacting a lateral end of the endless belt. A part of an outer circumferential surface of the pressing roller is located on a downstream of the second nip area in a first direction. A guide surface of the lateral guide has: a first guide surface located on an opposite side to the pressing roller with respect to a virtual plane including the center of a first nip area and the center of rotation of the cylindrical member, and a second guide surface located on a side of the pressing roller with respect to the virtual plane, located on the downstream side of the rotation axis of the pressing roller in the first direction, and arranged on a same plane as the first guide surface.

Fuser including endless belt and lateral guide contacting lateral end of endless belt

A fixing device includes a film, a first heat element, a second heat element, a nip member, a reflection member and a supporting member, which are disposed inside a loop of the film, and a pressing member. The nip member contacts the inner circumferential surface of the film. The reflection member surrounds the first heat element with the nip member and reflects radiant heat from the first heat element to the nip member. The pressing member presses the film toward the nip member. The supporting member covers the reflection member, supports the nip member, and includes a first plate portion, a second plate portion and a third plate portion. The second heat element is disposed in at least one of the second plate portion, the third plate portion, one end portion of the nip member, and another end portion of the nip member.

Growing community of inventors

Inazawa, Japan

Hiroshi Handa