Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Ken Omura

Satoshi Ueno

Naoki Iwaya

Akira Shinshi

Kenji Ishii

Masami Tomita

Kenichi Hasegawa

Masahiko Satoh

Hiroshi Yokoyama

Takahiro Yoshikawa

Setsuo Soga

Toshiharu Hachisuka

Yasuhiro Kohira

Masahiko Sato

Akiyasu Amita

Aldyasu Amita

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism and an image fixing unit. The image forming mechanism forms a toner image on a recording sheet. The image fixing unit fixes the toner image onto the recording sheet. The image fixing unit includes a magnetic flux generator, a heat member, a magnetic flux adjuster, and a controlling member. The magnetic flux generator generates a magnetic flux. The heat member is heated inductively by the magnetic flux generated by the magnetic flux generator. The magnetic flux adjuster reduces the magnetic flux active on the heat member to form a heat reduction area in an outer circumferential surface of the heat member in a width direction thereof. The controlling member moves the magnetic flux adjuster to change the heat reduction area.

Image fixing apparatus stably controlling a fixing temperature, and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming mechanism configured to form a toner image on a recording medium with a toner according to image data and a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image on the recording medium. The fixing unit includes first and second heating members and a first heater. The first and second heating members are configured to apply heat to the recording medium having the toner image. The first heater is configured to heat the second heating member. The image forming apparatus further includes an auxiliary power source configured to drive the first heater.

Image forming apparatus, fixing unit, and heating system capable of heating at increased speed with reduced power

A fixing apparatus and an image formation apparatus therewith are disclosed. According to the fixing apparatus, a heating range that is heated by electromagnetic induction caused by a current flowing through a coil unit is finely tunable by covering a part of a core unit with a shielding member. Further, the core unit has a projecting section at an end of the core unit, which projecting section projects toward the coil unit in comparison with the central part of the core unit.

Fixing apparatus and an image formation apparatus

A belt fixing unit, an image forming apparatus, and a toner material are disclosed capable of obviating undesirable fixing belt deformation and low image quality. The belt fixing unit includes a fixing roller, a heating roller, a fixing belt, and a pressing roller in contact with the fixing roller to form a fixing nip having the fixing belt intervening there between, the fixing belt including at least a base member formed of a heat-resisting resin having a thickness of 90 &#x3bc;m or smaller and acted upon by a tensile force of 0.49 N/mm or less. The toner is a low-melting point toner formed by subjecting a toner preparatory solution containing at least a prepolymer having a functional group containing a nitrogen atom, a polyester, a colorant and a releasing agent dispersed in an organic solvent to extension and/or crosslinking reactions in an aqueous medium.

Fixing unit with heat-resisting resin base member and image forming toner for use in the fixing unit

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixing apparatus with which the movement of heat to the fixing belt during warm-up is suppressed, and the time it takes for the heating roller temperature to rise can be shortened, by reducing the contact surface area between the fixing belt and the heating roller, and an image formation apparatus that makes use of this fixing apparatus, and a toner used therein. A separation member provided on the inside of the fixing belt forms a pair with a tension roller, and a switching device for switching the positions thereof switches the positions when a set temperature is detected by temperature sensing device installed on the heating roller, so that the contact surface area of the fixing belt on the heating roller is different during warm-up and during fixing.

Fixing apparatus and image formation apparatus using same

Belt fixing unit with heat-resisting resin base member and image forming toner for use in the fixing unit

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Machida, Japan

Ken Omura