Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Masami Takeda

Seiji Hashimoto

Tatsuya Nakamura

Isamu Ueno

Kimio Nakahata

Satoru Izawa

Toshio Miyamoto

Masahiko Suzumi

Hiroto Hasegawa

Masahide Hirai

Hiromichi Yamada

Katsuhiko Nishimura

Masuo Yamazaki

Takashi Shibuya

Yasuo Yoda

Yozo Hotta

Tohru Kosaka

Tohru Saitou

Masahiro Goto

Shinji Hashiguchi

Eiji Uekawa

Koji Nihonyanagi

Fumiki Inui

Kenji Kanari

Akihito Kanamori

Toshiya Kaino

Yuko Ohkama

The fixing apparatus includes a cylindrical film, a nip member in contact with a film inner surface, wherein the nip member extends in a film longitudinal direction; a heater provided in a film hollow portion, a roller forming a nip portion where the recording material is conveyed and heated to fix the image on the recording material; a support member supporting the nip member, wherein a cross section of the support member perpendicular to the film longitudinal direction has a U-shape, and two end portions forming an opening portion in the U-shape support the nip member, an insulation member provided between the two end portions and the nip plate, and a reflection member surrounding the heater between the nip member and the support member, wherein the reflection member reflects the radiation heat of the heater toward the nip member.

Image heating apparatus and image forming apparatus

The fixing apparatus includes a cylindrical film, a nip portion forming member in contact with the film, a pressure member that forms the nip portion with the nip portion forming member through the film, a heater configured to heat the film by emitting a radiant light, the heater being arranged in a hollow portion of the film, a first shielding member arranged between the nip portion forming member and the heater, and a second shielding member movable between a first position in which the second shielding member is positioned in a region between the first shielding member and the nip portion forming member, and a second position in which the second shielding member is positioned in a region, where the nip portion forming member does not exist, between the heater and the film. The second shielding member has a slit through which the radiant light passes.

Fixing apparatus having film, heater, and shielding member having a cutout and movable between a first position and a second position so that radiant light emitted through the cutout heats the film

The image forming apparatus includes a conductive member provided in a conveying path of a recording material, a voltage applying device for applying a voltage to the conductive member, a current detecting device for detecting a current flowing in the conductive member when the recording material passes through the conductive member to which a voltage is applied by the voltage applying device, and a judgment device for judging, based on an output from the current detecting device, whether a conductive foreign object is present on the recording material. Thus there is provided an image forming apparatus capable of detecting a foreign object attached to a recording material by a simple method.

Image forming apparatus that detects a presence of a conductive foreign object on a recording material

The sheet material identification apparatus, includes a sensor adapted to bring a probe having a built-in piezoelectric element into contact with a surface of sheet material being conveyed, and thereby to generate electric detection signals corresponding with irregularities of the sheet material surface; an identification part adapted to identify types of sheet material based on detection signals outputted from the above described sensor; and a correct part adapted to correct fluctuations in detection features of the above described sensor based on detection output of the above described sensor at the time when the above described sensor has detected correction sheet material having a predetermined surface roughness. The appratus prevents misdetection during use for a long period of sheet material identification apparatus that does not require any type-of-paper selection setting operation by a user and can implement good heat treating, fixing and image forming efficiently even if sheets of paper having various kinds of surface roughness.

Sheet material identification apparatus and image forming apparatus therewith

An image heating apparatus for heating an image formed on a recording material, the apparatus including a conveying roller for conveying a recording material, the conveying roller including a metal core and an elastic layer provided outside the metal core, wherein the metal core has, in a central portion in the longitudinal direction thereof, a straight shape area having a substantially uniform diameter along the longitudinal direction and tapered shape areas, on both sides of the straight shape area, in which a diameter gradually decreases toward ends in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the elastic layer has, in a central portion in the longitudinal direction thereof, a straight shape area having a substantially uniform diameter along the longitudinal direction and inverted crown shape areas, on both sides of the straight shape area, in which a diameter gradually increases toward ends in the longitudinal direction. This configuration allows to prevent defects in image heating while suppressing creases in the recording material.

Image heating apparatus and conveying roller for use therein

A surface discriminating device for a recording material includes a probe having a fixed first end portion and a second end portion capable of contacting with the recording material, the probe being adapted to contact with and move relative to the recording material to thereby scan the recording material, and a piezoelectric element provided between the first end portion and the second end portion of the probe. The surface of the recording material is discriminated by the output from the piezoelectric element during the scanning of the recording material by the probe, the probe having a bent portion on the second end portion side.

Surface discriminating device and image forming apparatus having the same

The present invention relates to an image heating apparatus in which an image on a recording material is heated by heat from a heater via a film, and the film contacts a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof on which heat generating members are provided.

Image heating apparatus and heater

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device for forming an image onto a recording material and a fixing device for fixing the image on the recording material. The fixing device has a rotating member for conveying the recording material, and a controller for controlling the factors related to the peripheral speeds of the rotating member in accordance with the information of the peripheral speeds thereof and the size of the recording material. With the structure thus arranged, it is possible to prevent image problems from taking place due to the difference in the sheet conveying speeds between the image transfer and fixation operations.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus including a rotatable developing member having a plurality of developing devices for developing an image bearing member at a first developing station, and a second single developing device arranged upstream of the rotatable developing member for developing the image bearing member exclusively at a second developing station different from the first developing station. The second developing device has a cover portion covering the rotatable developing member, and a portion of the cover portion is disposed at a position spaced apart from a rotation axis of the rotatable developing member by a predetermined length in a horizontal direction away from the image bearing member. The rotatable developing member rotates in an opposite direction with respect to the direction of rotation of the image bearing member to prevent toner from scattering toward the optical system.

Image forming apparatus having a rotatable first developing member, and

In an image heating apparatus, a film has one face in sliding contact with a heater having a heat generating portion on a substrate. The other face of the film contacts a recording material bearing an image. The film moves with the recording material and the image on the recording material is heated by heat generated by the heater which is transmitted through the film. A temperature detecting element detects the temperature of the heater. The heat generating portion of the heater has a first heat generating portion and a second heat generating portion on the downstream side of the first heat generating portion with respect to the moving direction of the film. The middle of the temperature detecting element is positioned at the upstream side of the middle between the first and second heat generating portions with respect to the moving direction of the film.

Heater having an offset temperature detecting element and image heating

This invention relates to a color image forming apparatus for forming a color image with dry developer, capable of preventing deterioration of image quality, resulting from contamination of optical components by the non-magnetic developer scattered from the developing unit. For this purpose there are provided, along the moving direction of an image bearing member effecting endless movement, charging means, optical means, first developing means utilizing developer containing a magnetic component, second developing means utilizing non-magnetic developer of a color different from that of the developer of the first developing means, and transfer means maintained in contact with or close to the image bearing member for transferring a developed image from the image bearing member to a recording material such as paper. A space containing the second developing means is enclosed by the shape of the first developing means, transfer means and image bearing member.

Image forming apparatus for forming color image with dry developer

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a plurality of buffer devices which each receive a sensor signal via a first switching device and receive a predetermined voltage via a second switching device. A plurality of output lines are respectively connected to corresponding buffer devices, and a plurality of charge storage devices are respectively connected to corresponding output lines. Resetting devices are connected to input and output sides of each charge storage device.

Photoelectric conversion apparatus eliminating noise in an output signal

An image forming apparatus includes means for supplying a developing agent between electrically independent recording electrodes and a recording medium which is movable relative to the recording electrodes while a signal voltage is applied to the recording electrodes so as to form images. In order to prevent electric charges from being induced in the recording medium due to the electric charges accumulated in the vicinity of the recording medium, and thereby prevent unnecessary toner from being attached to the recording medium, the surface of a resin member which opposes the recording medium fulfills a charging preventing function.

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a photoelectric conversion element, a first storage unit for storing a signal from the photoelectric conversion element, a second storage unit for storing noise from the photoelectric conversion element, a buffer unit for buffering output signals from the first and second storage units, a capacitor unit connected to the buffer unit, and a resetting unit connected to both sides of the capacitor unit.

This specification discloses a method of molding an article having undercut portions by the use of a plurality of divided cores or core sections combined together to form a unitary mold and having therein through-holes every other of which is different in shape, each of the through-holes having an angle of inclination with respect to a predetermined axis. The method includes the steps of disposing the divided cores on a reference plate to form a divided mold and inserting moving pins into the through-holes, pouring a material between a fixed mold and the divided mold and molding a molded article, and moving the pins inserted in the through-holes of the divided cores constituting the divided mold in the direction of the predetermined axis, whereby of the divided cores, one group of cores having the through-holes of the same shape is first separated from the molded article, and then the other group of cores is separated from the molded article. The specification also discloses an apparatus for carrying out such method.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Masami Takeda