Oki Data Corporation

Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Sumco Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Olympus Medical Systems Corporation

Masato Sakai

Katsuyuki Ito

Yoshitatsu Okiyama

Noboru Otaki

Toshiro Murano

Yoshiharu Momiyama

Shinichi Murakami

Toru Ishihara

Takayuki Dohi

Shinji Nakahara

Norio Ebata

Hiroyuki Inoue

Mikio Yamamoto

Tatsuya Murakami

Hisao Ono

Shigeki Nakajima

Atsushi Kurabayashi

Makoto Yabuki

Masato Nagata

Masaya Sakurai

Fumiaki Yoshida

Naoki Sunaga

Makoto Otake

Masahiro Fukuda

Hiroshi Kikuchi

Takeshi Kojima

Tsutomu Yamamoto

Shinichi Katakura

Kazuyoshi Yoshida

Shigeru Tsunoda

Teruaki Kuroda

Masatoshi Tonomura

Koji Ida

Noboru Oishi

Tetsuya Uehashi

Tatsuho Yoshida

Yoshitomo Koga

Syuichiro Ogata

Keita Ishimori

Shuichiro Ogata

Syuiti Fujikura

Sumio Aramata

Yoshitaka Yanai

A fixation device according to one of embodiments includes a first and second fixation units. The first fixation unit includes: a first belt; a first pad with a first elastic layer; and a first roller provided downstream of the first pad in a conveyance direction of a medium. The second fixation unit includes: a second belt; a second pad including a second elastic layer and pressed against the first pad with the first and second belts interposed in between; and a second roller provided downstream of the second pad in the conveyance direction and pressed against the first roller with the first second belts interposed in between. A thickness of at least one of the first and second elastic layers is smaller on a downstream side in the conveyance direction than on an upstream side in the conveyance direction.

Fixation device and image formation apparatus

A fuser device is provided with a first endless belt, a heat application member that is enclosed by the first endless belt and heats the first endless belt, a fuser member enclosed by the first endless belt, a second endless belt of which rigidity is higher than that of the first endless belt, a pressure application member that is enclosed by the second endless belt and applies a pressure to developers on a carried recording medium in the contact part with the fuser member, and a support part forming part that forms a support part of the first endless belt and the second endless belt.

Fuser device and image forming apparatus

A method of producing an epitaxial wafer, comprising: performing epitaxial growth of silicon on a main surface of a wafer made of a silicon single crystal; performing surface flattening pretreatment of a main surface of the wafer using a treatment liquid of a predetermined composition at a temperature of 100&#xb0; C. or less, thereby forming an oxide film of a predetermined thickness while removing particles adhered on the main surface of the wafer; and performing a surface polishing step where the main surface of the wafer is mirror polished.

Epitaxial wafer and method of producing same

A medium transporting apparatus includes a first transporting section and first guide. The first transporting section transports a medium. The first guide guides the medium transported by the transporting section, and is disposed downstream of the first transporting section with respect to a first direction in which the medium is transported. The first guide includes a first guide portion and a second guide portion. The first guide portion extends in the first direction. The second guide portion extends in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Medium transporting apparatus and image forming apparatus

A fixation device includes a pressing member, a drive roller, an auxiliary roller, and an endless fixation belt rotatably mounted, in a loop shape, on the drive roller and the auxiliary roller. The endless fixation belt is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pressing member, thereby forming a nip between the fixation belt and the pressing member. The drive roller is configured to drive the fixation belt to rotate in the looped shape and thereby cause the auxiliary roller to rotate due to the frictional force from an inner peripheral surface of the rotating fixation belt. A friction coefficient of a contact surface of the auxiliary roller with the fixation belt is smaller than a friction coefficient of a contact surface of the drive roller with the fixation belt.

A fixation device includes a first roller, a second roller facing the first roller, a stretch member configured to travel to pass between the first roller and the second roller, a press member configured to press the stretch member against the first roller, a heater member configured to heat the stretch member, a movement mechanism configured to move at least one of the first roller and the second roller in such directions that the first roller and the second roller come close to each other and are spaced away from each other, and a controller configured, depending on a type of a medium, to change a contact state between the first roller and the second roller by driving the movement mechanism.

A belt device includes a belt member and a pressurizing member. The belt member is rotated with rotation of a rotation member, and the pressurizing member includes a pressing portion pressing an inner circumferential surface of the belt member. The pressing portion includes a surface layer having a solid lubricating agent and a fine particle.

Belt device and image forming apparatus

A fixing apparatus including a fixing member for fixing developer image on a recording medium, and a separation member separating the recording medium from the fixing member to guide the recording medium in a delivery direction of the recording medium. The separation member includes a resin member, a metal member formed on a front side of the resin member, and an opening. In accordance with a preferred aspect of the fixing apparatus, when the developer image is fixed to the recording medium, the opening arranged at the separation member is formed to flow the gas around the fixing apparatus, thereby improving the printing quality of the printed images.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

An epitaxial silicon wafer is provided in which an epitaxial layer is grown on a silicon wafer having a plane inclined from a {110} plane of a silicon single crystal as a main surface. In the silicon wafer for growing the epitaxial layer thereon, an inclination angle azimuth of the {110} plane is in the range of 0 to 45 degrees as measured from a &#x3c;100&#x3e; orientation parallel to the {110} plane toward a &#x3c;100&#x3e; direction. With such an arrangement, LPDs of 100 nm or less can be measured from a {110} wafer that has a carrier mobility (including the hole and electron mobilities) higher than that of a {100} wafer. Also, surface roughness degradation in the {110} wafer can be suppressed. Also, the surface state of the {110} wafer can be measured. Further, a quality evaluation can be performed on the {110} wafer.

Epitaxial silicon wafer and fabrication method thereof

An epitaxial silicon wafer is provided in which an epitaxial layer is grown on a silicon wafer having a plane inclined from a {110} plane of a silicon single crystal as a main surface. In the silicon wafer for growing the epitaxial layer thereon, an inclination angle azimuth of the {110} plane is in the range of 0 to 45 degrees as measured from a &#x3c;100&#x3e; orientation parallel to the {110} plane toward a &#x3c;110 &#x3e; direction. With such an arrangement, LPDs of 100 nm or less can be measured from a {110} wafer that has a carrier mobility (including the hole and electron mobilities) higher than that of a {100 } wafer. Also, surface roughness degradation in the {110} wafer can be suppressed. Also, the surface state of the {110} wafer can be measured. Further, a quality evaluation can be performed on the {110} wafer.

The internal diameter measurement device is inserted into a cavity to measure its internal diameter. The internal diameter measurement device includes: a tubular sheath inserted into the cavity; a balloon which is provided on a distal end portion of the sheath, and is capable of expanding by supplying a fluid to an inner portion thereof; a linear reference member having a first end portion fixed to the distending portion or the distal end portion of the insertion portion, and a second end portion moving towards the distal end of the insertion portion in conjunction with the expansion of the distending portion; and a measuring portion which is provided in a proximal end portion of the insertion portion and is capable of confirming the position of the second end portion of the reference member. This internal diameter measurement device enables accurate measurement irrespectively of dimensions of a pipeline to be measured.

Internal diameter measurement device

To improve image quality upon preventing abrasion traces from strongly forming on a surface of a fusing member, an invented fusing device has a pressure member, a fusing member movably arranged as faced with the pressure member, and a contact element arranged in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the fusing member, with the surface roughness of the fusing member of 1.0 to 4.0 [&#x3bc;m]. When the fusing member is moved in contact with the contact element, the contact element rubs a surface of the fusing member, but in the fusing member, the portion in contact with the contact element and the portion not in contact with the contact element become about equal in the surface roughness with the above surface roughness.

Fusing device with rough surface and method for manufacturing the fusing member

A fixing apparatus transports a recording medium carrying a developer image on it and heats the developer image to fix into the recording medium. A heat roller extends in a direction of its rotational axis and generates heat. An endless belt is loosely entrained on a belt guide. A pressurizing mechanism engages the endless belt from inside and urges the endless belt against the first rotating body. When the rotating body rotates, the endless belt and the second rotating body are driven in rotation in such a way that the recording medium is pulled in between the first rotating body and the endless belt.

Fixing apparatus having a pressurizing mechanism

A fixing apparatus includes a fixing roller, a separator, and spacers. The fixing roller is heated while rotating. The fixing roller is in pressure contact with a recording medium that is advancing so that the developer deposited on the recording medium is fused. The separator extends across a path of the recording medium so that a predetermined amount of gap is defined between the separator and the fixing roller. The separator guides the recording medium to separate from the fixing roller. The spacers are disposed at longitudinal end portions of the separator outside of the path between the fixing roller and the separator to define the predetermined amount of gap. The spacers are movable in a direction at an angle with a surface of the recording medium. The urging member urges the spacers against the fixing roller.

Image forming apparatus with paper separator-fixing roller gap mechanism

An image forming apparatus includes an image-forming unit having a charging section and a developing section that are rotated together with a photoconductor in an idling manner. The charging section and developing section receive voltages while rotating. The apparatus includes a toner sensor and a controller. The toner sensor outputs a detection signal indicating that the toner has been replenished in the image-forming unit. In accordance with the detection signal, the controller changes the voltages, a time length during which the photoconductor, charging section, and developing section are rotated, or speeds at which the photoconductor, charging section, and developing section are rotated. The time length is extended or speeds are increased when the image-forming unit has been replaced.

Image forming apparatus with toner replacement sensor

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masato Sakai