Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Miwa Shuto

Susumu Matsusaka

Motokazu Hasegawa

Yukari Isoe

Masanobu Yamagata

Shota Kobashigawa

A fixing device that includes a rotary fixing member; a pressure roller configured to press against the fixing member to form a nip with the fixing member; and an induction heating unit as a heat source to heat the fixing member. The induction heating unit includes an excitation coil; a coil retainer to hold the excitation coil; and a cover member disposed opposite the coil retainer in an opposite side of the rotary fixing member, in which the cover member protrudes toward a central predetermined range of the excitation coil in an axial direction of the rotary fixing member to effectively cool the fixing device. The induction heating unit further includes a rectifying member to effectively cool the fixing device.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus including same

An image forming apparatus capable of effectively cooling down a recording medium heated by a toner fixing unit includes a cooling mechanism having a duct, a radiating fin, and a heat pipe. The duct includes two air flow structures, each including an air inlet, an air supply path, an air exhaust path, and an air outlet. The radiating fin is arranged between the air supply path and the air exhaust path of each air flow structure. The radiating fin has a plurality of fins each radially extending in parallel to a flow of air in the duct. The heat pipe has one side connected to the radiating fin and another side arranged in a vicinity to an exit of a toner fixing mechanism. The heat pile rotates to draw heat from the heated recording sheet having a fixed toner image.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Miwa Shuto