Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Kei Ishida

Noboru Suzuki

Yoshihiro Miyauchi

Takuji Matsuno

Tomohiro Kondo

Yasushi Fujiwara

Kaoru Suzuki

Kenji Takeuchi

Yuki Fukusada

Atsushi Ozawa

Seiji Hiramatsu

Hiroki Mori

Masahito Kajita

Hisashi Tsukawaki

Keita Shimizu

Yasuhiro Maruyama

Akihiro Kobayashi

Kotaro Haruta

Yuichi Ikeno

Mingguang Zhang

Masahiko Kamo

Kotaro Fujishiro

Etsuko Fujiwara

A fixing device includes a heating rotary body, a pressure rotary body, a heater, and a thermal conductive member. The pressure rotary body is configured to form a nipping portion and to convey a sheet in a conveying direction while nipping the sheet between the pressure rotary body and the heating rotary body. The heater includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface, and a first and second resistance heating elements provided on the first surface. The first and second resistance heating elements extend in a crossing direction crossing the conveying direction and are positioned apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the conveying direction. The thermal conductive member is in contact with the second surface. In the conveying direction, the thermal conductive member has a dimension greater than the predetermined distance and smaller than or equal to a dimension of the nipping portion.

Fixing device including heater in which first and second resistance heating elements are positioned apart from each other on first surface of substrate by predetermined distance in conveying direction

A heater includes: a substrate including a first surface and a second surface located opposite to the first surface relative to the substrate; a first heating pattern disposed on a first-surface side of the substrate; a second heating pattern disposed on the first-surface side of the substrate and located at a position different from a position of the first heating pattern; a first terminal to which electricity is to be supplied; a first power-supply pattern electrically connecting the first terminal and the first heating pattern to each other and disposed on a second-surface side of the substrate; and a first electrically-continuous portion extending through the substrate and electrically connecting the first power-supply pattern and the first heating pattern to each other.

Heater

A fixing device includes a heater including a substrate and a resistance heating element disposed on the substrate, an endless belt, a first temperature sensor disposed at a position opposed to the heater and configured to detect a temperature at a center part of the heater in a longitudinal direction of the heater; and a second temperature sensor disposed at a position opposed to the heater and configured to detect a temperature at an end part of the heater in the longitudinal direction of the heater. The second temperature sensor is disposed at a position located on an outer side of the resistance heating element in the longitudinal direction of the heater.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a heater including a substrate and a resistance heating element, an endless belt, a holder, a first heat conductive member and a second heat conductive member arranged in a longitudinal direction of the heater such that a first end of the first heat conductive member and a second of the second heat conductive member in the longitudinal direction of the heater are adjacent to each other, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature at an end part of the heater. The temperature sensor is in contact with the first heat conductive member. A position located between first end of the first heat conductive member and the second end of the second heat conductive member is closer to the temperature sensor than a central position of the resistance heating element in the longitudinal direction of the heater.

A heating unit includes a heater including a substrate and a resistance heating element provided on the substrate, an endless belt configured to rotate around the heater, a thermostat configured to interrupt energization to the resistance heating element when the heater is abnormally increased in temperature, the thermostat having a heat sensitive surface and a heat-insulating member disposed between the thermostat and the heater. The heat-insulating member has a heat conductivity less than that of a material constituting the heat sensitive surface. The heat sensitive surface of the thermostat is in contact with the heat-insulating member.

Heating unit

A fixing device includes: a heater including (i) a substrate having conductivity, (ii) a first insulating layer provided on a first surface of the substrate, and (iii) a heating pattern constituted by a heating resistor and provided on an opposite side of the first insulating layer from the substrate; and an endless belt configured to rotate around the heater in a state in which an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt is in contact with the heater. The substrate is grounded.

Fixing device including a heater having a planar shape and an endless belt

An image forming apparatus includes a conveying device; a fixing device; and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: in response to determining that a first condition is met, starting sheet conveyance by the sheet conveying device upon expiration of a first predetermined period of time starting from receipt of a print instruction; and in response to determining that a second condition different from the first condition is met, starting sheet conveyance by the sheet conveying device at selective one of a first timing and a second timing. The second timing is selected upon determination that an accumulated amount of usage of the fixing device is not greater than a predetermined amount. The first timing is a timing at which a sensed temperature has reached a first threshold value. The second timing is a timing at which a second predetermine period of time has expired after the first timing.

Image forming apparatus having fixing device and capable of inhibiting sheet from getting wrinkled

A fixing device includes a belt, and a belt guide configured to guide movement of the belt. The belt guide includes a base part and a first protrusion protruding from a surface of the base part toward a surface of the belt. The first protrusion has a distal end surface and a side surface, the surface of the belt being configured to contact the distal end surface, the distal end surface having a distal surface roughness, the side surface connecting the distal end surface and the surface of the base part. At least one of the side surface and the surface of the base part includes a rough region having a surface roughness higher than the distal surface roughness.

Fixing device provided with belt guide, and method of manufacturing the same

A fixing device includes an endless belt, a heater disposed inside the endless belt and being elongated in a longitudinal direction, the heater having a first end portion in the longitudinal direction and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion in the longitudinal direction, a resin frame having a recess portion opening toward an inner side of the endless belt, and a metal frame inserted into the recess portion of the resin frame. The metal frame has a first wall having a through-hole, and a second wall extending in a direction from the first end portion of the heater toward a second end portion of the heater, the second wall being disposed between the resin frame and the heater.

Fixing device including heater, resin frame and metal frame having wall disposed between resin frame and heater

A fixing device includes: an endless fusing belt; a heater; a nip member; and a backup member. The endless fusing belt has a width in a widthwise direction. The nip member is disposed spaced apart from the heater. The nip member has a contact surface. The contact surface has widthwise end portions in the widthwise direction. The backup member is configured to nip the fusing belt in cooperation with the nip member. The fusing belt is configured to move in a moving direction at a position where the fusing belt is nipped between the nip member and the backup member. The contact surface has at least two grooves one formed in corresponding one of the widthwise end portions and another formed in the other of the widthwise end portions and extending at an angle equal to or smaller than 10 degrees with respect to the moving direction.

Fixing device provided with nip member capable of preventing outflow of lubricant

A fixing device includes a frame, a first fixing member, a second fixing member, a first conducting member, and a second conducting member. The second fixing member includes a belt configured to form a nip region. The first fixing member is positioned at a first side and the second fixing member is positioned at a second side opposite to the first side. The first conducting member includes a first contacting portion exposed to an outside from the frame, and a first connecting portion electrically connecting the first fixing member and the first contacting portion. The second conducting member includes a second contacting portion exposed to an outside from the frame, and a second connecting portion electrically connecting the second fixing member and the second contacting portion. Both of the first contacting portion and the second contacting portion are positioned at one of the first side and the second side.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus provided with the same

A fuser unit includes: an endless belt, which has an end portion having an end surface in a first direction; a nip member, which extends in the first direction and is arranged inside the endless belt; a belt guide, which is arranged to be in contact with the end surface of the endless belt and includes: a restraining part, which is configured to restrain the endless belt from moving in the first direction; and an inner surface guide, which extends from the restraining part into an inside of the endless belt and guides the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt; and an urging member, which is configured to urge the belt guide in a urging direction so that the inner surface guide is urged toward the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt.

Belt guide for fuser unit

A fixing device for thermally fixing a developer image transferred onto a recording sheet, includes: a flexible fusing member which is flexibly deformable; a heating element; a nip member disposed in such a manner as to contact with a surface of the flexible fusing member and to allow the flexible fusing member to slide along the nip member; a reflecting plate configured to reflect radiant heat from the heating element in a direction toward the nip member; a backup member configured to nip the flexible fusing member with the nip member to thereby form a nip portion for the recording sheet between the flexible fusing member and the backup member; and a stay configured to support both end portions of the nip member. The reflecting plate has at least one flange portion, and the flange portion is held and supported between the nip member and the stay.

Fixing device

A fuser unit of this disclosure includes: an endless belt, a nip member; a belt guide; a first member, which has a contact surface configured to be in contact with the belt guide; and a second member, which includes a guide portion to guide the belt guide in a guide direction, wherein the belt guide comprises: a restraining part, which is arranged to be in contact with an end surface of the endless belt and which is spaced apart from the first member, an inner surface guide, which guides the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, and a protrusion, which protrudes from the restraining part towards the contact surface of the first member and is arranged to be in contact with the contact surface of the first member.

Fuser unit including belt guide

A fixing device includes an endless belt, a heating plate, a pressure roller, a first belt guide and a second belt guide. The endless belt has a tubular shape and extends in a first direction. The heating plate is disposed inside the endless belt and extends in the first direction. The first belt guide guides an end of the endless belt in the first direction and includes an inner guide and a restriction portion to restrict movement of the endless belt in the first direction. The second belt guide faces the first belt guide in a second direction and extends from a vicinity of the heating plate to a vicinity of the inner guide along the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. An end of the restriction portion in the second direction closer to the heating plate is located closer to the second belt guide than the inner guide.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Kei Ishida