Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Kazunari Sawada

Kenji Ishii

Hiroshi Yoshinaga

Ippei Fujimoto

Takashi Seto

Takayuki Seki

Kazuhito Kishi

Yasuhiko Ogino

Shohta Kobashigawa

Hiromasa Takagi

Takamasa Hase

Ryohei Matsuda

Susumu Matsusaka

Hiroyuki Shimada

Hiroshi Seo

Misaki Shimizu

Kazutaka Suzuki

Hirokazu Minamisako

Shinichi Uchino

Taro Hattori

Ryosuke Abe

Kentaro Nagaki

Natsumi Ishiki

An outdoor unit for a refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a casing, an air-sending device configured to generate an airflow, and an electric component box disposed above the air-sending device, and including a bottom plate on which control components are placed. The bottom plate of the electric component box includes an inclined portion on which a first component among the control components is placed and inclined such that an upstream end of the inclined portion in the airflow is positioned above a downstream end of the inclined portion in the airflow. The bottom plate further includes a horizontal portion on which a second component among the control components is placed horizontally extending downstream in the airflow, and having an upstream end in the airflow that is connected to the downstream end of the inclined portion in the airflow.

Outdoor unit for refrigeration cycle apparatus

A plate heat exchanger includes a plurality of first heat transfer plates, a plurality of first inner fins, a plurality of second heat transfer plates, and a plurality of second inner fins. A space is formed between each of the plurality of first heat transfer plates and a corresponding one of the plurality of second heat transfer plates. The plate heat exchanger includes, in the space, a plurality of heat transfer components connecting each of the plurality of first heat transfer plates and a corresponding one of the plurality of second heat transfer plates, the plurality of heat transfer components being interspersed between each of the plurality of first heat transfer plates and a corresponding one of the plurality of second heat transfer plates. A recess-and-projection pitch section in each of the plurality of first inner fins includes first pitch sections and one or more of second pitch sections, a width of each of the second pitch sections being wider than a width of each of the first pitch sections. The plurality of heat transfer components are disposed in regions of the first pitch sections when the plurality of heat transfer components are projected in a direction in which the plurality of first heat transfer plates and the plurality of second heat transfer plates are stacked.

Plate heat exchanger and heat transfer apparatus

When, out of adjacent two in a stacking direction of heat transfer plates, one heat transfer plate provided in front of the other heat transfer plate is referred to as a first heat transfer plate and the other heat transfer plate provided in rear of the one heat transfer plate is referred to as a second heat transfer plate, a header portion of each of the first heat transfer plates and a corresponding header portion of each of the second heat transfer plates partly form a non-flow path region where the header portions are in contact with each other not to allow fluid to pass through the non-flow path region. A peripheral edge part in the non-flow path region of each of the first heat transfer plates includes a convex portion projecting upward, and a peripheral edge part in the non-flow path region of each of the second heat transfer plates includes a concave portion recessed downward. A space of the convex portion and a space of the concave portion are stacked on each other in the stacking direction to define a cavity, and a communication port through which the cavity communicates with outside is provided at plate portions defining the cavity.

Plate heat exchanger and heat pump apparatus including the same

An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit, a heat medium relay unit, and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit is installed in an outdoor space, which is a space outside a building including an air-conditioned space. The heat medium relay unit is installed in the outdoor space, and includes a housing that accommodates an intermediate heat exchanger. The indoor unit includes a load heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air and a heat medium. The housing is installed to the outer wall of the building.

Air-conditioning apparatus

A fixing device includes an endless fixing rotator, a heater, a nip formation assembly, and an opposed rotator. The endless fixing rotator is rotatable in a direction of rotation. The heater heats the fixing rotator. The nip formation assembly is disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The opposed rotator is pressed against the nip formation assembly via the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the opposed rotator. The nip formation assembly includes a nip former to contact the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator, maintain a constant thickness against pressure from the opposed rotator, and transfer heat. The opposed rotator is shorter than the nip former in a longitudinal direction of the opposed rotator. The opposed rotator is disposed within an area opposite the nip former.

Fixing device with nip former longer than opposed rotator

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device that includes a heater to heat a fixing rotator, an opposed rotator to press against the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip therebetween, and at least one rotary body to convey a recording medium to the fixing nip. A controller rotates the fixing rotator in a forward direction to fix a toner image on the recording medium. The controller stops the heater and rotates the fixing rotator in a predetermined rotation direction when a failure occurs while the fixing device is activated. The controller determines that the predetermined rotation direction is the forward direction or a backward direction according to the at least one rotary body that sandwiches the recording medium, if the fixing nip and the at least one rotary body sandwich the recording medium simultaneously when the failure occurs while the fixing device is activated.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator and a lateral end heater to heat a lateral end span of the fixing rotator in an axial direction thereof. A thermal conduction aid contacts the fixing rotator. A nip formation pad contacts the thermal conduction aid. A lateral end temperature detector detects a temperature of the fixing rotator in a lateral end detection span in the axial direction of the fixing rotator. The thermal conduction aid contacts the nip formation pad in a first span including the lateral end detection span in the axial direction of the fixing rotator with a first contact area. The thermal conduction aid contacts the nip formation pad in a second span disposed outboard from the first span in the axial direction of the fixing rotator with a second contact area smaller than the first contact area.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus having a thermal conduction aid contacting a nip formation pad

A fixing device includes a heat generator being disposed inside a loop formed by a rotator and including a heat generating portion to radiate radiant heat. A reflector is disposed inside the loop formed by the rotator and includes a reflection face to reflect the radiant heat radiated from the heat generator toward the rotator. A support supports the reflector. A holder holds each lateral end of the support in a longitudinal direction of the support, which is perpendicular to the rotation direction of the rotator. A fastener attaches the reflector to the support at an attachment position disposed at each lateral end of the reflector in a longitudinal direction of the reflector. The attachment position is disposed outboard from a lateral edge of the heat generating portion of the heat generator and disposed inboard from the holder in the longitudinal direction of the reflector.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes an endless belt and a pressure rotator disposed opposite an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt. The pressure rotator has a first span in an axial direction of the endless belt. A nip formation pad, which is disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, forms a fixing nip between the endless belt and the pressure rotator. The nip formation pad includes a belt-side face disposed opposite the endless belt. A radiant heater, which is disposed opposite the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, heats the endless belt. A thermal conduction aid, which contacts the belt-side face of the nip formation pad, conducts heat in the axial direction of the endless belt. The thermal conduction aid has a second span within which the first span of the pressure rotator is provided at the fixing nip.

Fixing device including a pressure rotator and a thermal conduction aid, and image forming apparatus including the fixing device

A fixing device includes a lateral end heater, disposed opposite a lateral end of an inner circumferential surface of a fixing rotator in an axial direction thereof, to heat the fixing rotator and a thermal conduction aid contacting the fixing rotator and the lateral end heater to conduct heat. The lateral end heater includes a power supply portion disposed outboard from a lateral end of the thermal conduction aid in a longitudinal direction thereof and disposed opposite the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The power supply portion includes an electrode. A cover covers the power supply portion and includes a cover face disposed opposite the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. A height adjuster adjusts a height of the cover face of the cover and causes the cover face to define an identical plane with a fixing rotator side face of the thermal conduction aid.

A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt, a heat source, an opposed member, a nip formation pad, and a heat conductive member. The nip formation pad includes an abutment region, a first opening portion, and second opening portions. The abutment region includes a plurality of abutment surfaces abutting a first face of the heat conductive member. The first opening portion is disposed at a center of the abutment region to form a non-contact area at which the nip formation pad does not contact the heat conductive member. The abutment region includes an upstream abutment area and a downstream abutment area from the first opening portion in a direction of conveyance of a recording medium. The second opening portions divide at least one area of the upstream abutment area and the downstream abutment area into a plurality of portions in a longitudinal direction of the nip formation pad.

Fixing device with nip formation pad having an abutment region and opening portions

A fixing device includes a nip former including a first face to form a fixing nip, a second face being disposed upstream from the first face in a rotation direction of a rotator and defining a predetermined angle relative to the first face, and a bent portion coupling the first face to the second face. An inner circumferential surface of the rotator slides over the first face. A lateral end accumulation portion and a center accumulation portion are defined by the second face and the bent portion of the nip former and the inner circumferential surface of the rotator. The lateral end accumulation portion is accumulated with a lubricant in a first amount. The center accumulation portion is disposed inboard from the lateral end accumulation portion in an axial direction of the rotator and accumulated with the lubricant in a second amount greater than the first amount.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus having nip pad including a center bend line

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, an opposed rotator disposed opposite the fixing rotator, a pressure pad, a lateral end heater, and a thermal conduction aid. The pressure pad presses against the opposed rotator via the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the opposed rotator. The lateral end heater is disposed on the pressure pad to heat a lateral end of the fixing rotator in the axial direction of the fixing rotator. The thermal conduction aid is interposed between the pressure pad and the fixing rotator to decrease a temperature gradient of the fixing rotator in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. The pressure pad includes a nip-side face disposed opposite the thermal conduction aid. The lateral end heater includes a nip-side face being disposed opposite the thermal conduction aid and projecting beyond the nip-side face of the pressure pad.

Fixing device having a lateral end heater and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a plurality of heat sources having different heat distributions to heat the fixing rotator, a pressing member to press the fixing rotator and form a nip to fix the unfixed toner image on the recording material, a shield disposed between the plurality of heat sources, a plurality of temperature sensors each disposed opposite to the heat source, a processor to control the plurality of heat sources so that a temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes a predetermined target temperature. The processor controls the heaters so that a temperature difference &#x394;T=T2&#x2212;T1 becomes greater than zero, wherein T1 is the target temperature for the temperature sensor close to an entrance of the nip, and T2 is the target temperature for the temperature sensor far from the entrance of the nip.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and fixing device control method

A fixing device includes a belt, a pressure rotator disposed opposite the belt, and a nip formation unit that forms a fixing nip between the belt and the pressure rotator. The nip formation unit includes a guide face disposed upstream from the fixing nip in a rotation direction of the belt and contoured to separate from the pressure rotator in a direction opposite the rotation direction of the belt. The guide face is adhered with a lubricant moved from an inner circumferential surface of the belt. The belt rotates in the rotation direction when an outer circumferential surface of the belt has a temperature lower than a fixing temperature at which the belt fixes a toner image on a recording medium. The belt rotating in the rotation direction brings the lubricant adhered to the guide face into contact with the belt.

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Tokyo, Japan

Kazunari Sawada