Konica Minolta, Inc.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Naoki Yamamoto

Toru Hayase

Noboru Yonekawa

Mamoru Fukaya

Norikazu Okabe

Satoru Yoneda

Taizou Oonishi

Kazunori Nishinoue

Koji Takahashi

Yutaka Otsuka

Kanji Nakayama

Dai Suwama

Keita Saito

Etsuaki Urano

Masami Miyazaki

Takuya Ishigai

Yoshikazu Tsubotani

Takuto Shibuya

Yoshihisa Fujimoto

Provided is a fixing apparatus that fixes an unfixed image on a sheet by causing the sheet to pass through a fixing nip formed by pressing a belt by a pressurizing roller, a lubricant being applied on an inner peripheral surface of the belt, the pressurizing roller being disposed on an outer peripheral side of the belt, and the fixing apparatus includes: a non-rotary pad including a pressed part disposed on an inner peripheral side of the belt and pressed by the pressurizing roller via the belt, and a guide that is disposed upstream of the pressed part in a belt circulating direction and guides the belt to the fixing nip; and a pressure application part that applies a pressure between an end of the belt in a belt width direction and the guide at a position upstream of and immediately before the fixing nip in the belt circulating direction.

Fixing apparatus containing non-rotary pad and pressure application part, and image forming apparatus containing same

A fixing device includes: an endless fixing belt; a pad unit and a driven roller disposed opposite to an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt so as to entrain the fixing belt; a pair of first supports located so as to sandwich the fixing belt in a width direction of the fixing belt, the pair of first supports supporting the pad unit by fixing the pad unit; and a pair of second supports located so as to sandwich the pair of first supports in the width direction of the fixing belt, the pair of second supports rotatably journaling the driven roller.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

The fixing device includes an endless fixing belt, a pressing member, a pressing rotator, and a heating unit. The pressing member includes a counter face that faces the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt. The counter face includes a curved portion that is concavely curved and an extended portion. The shape of the curved portion in a cross section orthogonal to the width direction of the fixing belt is configured to approach the center of the pressing rotator as it extends toward the downstream in the conveying direction. The extended portion is continuous with the curved portion and is provided at the downstream of the curved portion in the conveying direction of the recording medium. The shape of the extended portion in the cross section is configured to leave away from the center of the pressing rotator as it extends toward the downstream in the conveying direction.

A fixing device includes: a fixing belt of an endless shape wound to pass over a heating-side member and a nip forming member; and a pressing roller driven to rotate in a state of being brought into tight contact with the nip forming member through the fixing belt, wherein a toner image is fixed to a recording medium at a nip portion at which the fixing belt and the pressing roller are brought into tight contact with each other by causing the pressing roller to be in tight contact with the fixing belt and driving the pressing roller to rotate, a guide member guiding the fixing belt to a space between the nip forming member and the heating-side member is disposed to be separate from the nip forming member, and a sliding member is disposed at least in a contact portion between the nip forming member and the fixing belt.

Fixing device having an endless belt and guide member and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a leading-end fixing value output part to output a leading-end fixing value indicating a leading-end fixing temperature and a leading-end separation value output part to output a leading-end separation value indicating a leading-end separation temperature. These output parts both output a higher value as a leading-end toner value representing a toner adhesion amount of a toner image in a leading area of a sheet is higher. A controller of the fixing device performs separation control to control a heating temperature by a heating source so that a leading-end set temperature at a fixing nip while the sheet leading area is passing through the fixing nip becomes equal to or higher than the leading-end fixing temperature. When the leading-end fixing value is lower than the leading-end separation value, the leading-end set temperature becomes equal to or higher than the leading-end separation temperature.

A fixation apparatus includes a first belt without end, a second belt without end which is in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the first belt, a pressurization member which is provided inside the first belt and pressurizes a portion of contact between the first belt and the second belt toward the second belt, a drive roller which is provided inside the second belt along the portion of contact and rotationally drives the second belt, and a heating unit which heats at least one of the first belt and the second belt and provides heat to a transfer target medium passing through the portion of contact. The drive roller is in contact with both of the first belt and the second belt.

Fixation apparatus and image formation apparatus

There is provided a method of manufacturing a pattern substrate in which a pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate. The manufacturing method includes a step of preparing the substrate and a step of arranging a liquid-repellent or lyophilic material on the surface of the substrate so as to form the pattern on the surface of the substrate in which the surface of the substrate has a liquid-repellent region and a lyophilic region, the pattern is formed by one of the liquid-repellent region and the lyophilic region and the pattern is used to locate a component by the surface tension of a liquid member.

Method of manufacturing pattern substrate and method of locating component

A fixing device thermally fixes an unfixed toner image onto a recording sheet and includes: a rotatable heating element that is endless and includes a resistive heating layer that generates heat upon application of voltage; a power source for placing voltage across the resistive heating layer; an ammeter for measuring the electric current flowing through the resistive heating layer, and a controller for determining whether the resistive heating layer has a scratch by monitoring an amount of change between a value of electric current that flows through the resistive heating in absence of a scratch and a value of electric current actually measured by the ammeter. The resistive heating layer exhibits resistivity anisotropy satisfying R1&#x3c;R2, where R1 and R2 denote a volume resistivity of the resistive heating layer in a direction of voltage application and that in a direction perpendicular to the direction of voltage application, respectively.

Image forming apparatus

A fixing device for thermally fixing an unfixed image on a recording sheet, comprising: a heating rotor including a cylindrical resistance heating layer, and fixing an unfixed image on a recording sheet by thermal fusion bonding using heat generated by the resistance heating layer supplied with power; a power supply unit supplying power to the resistance heating layer; an elongated heat sensitive resistor extending along an entire length of an axis of the resistance heating layer, located to face a portion of a circumferential surface of the resistance heating layer, and exhibiting a change in resistance according to a temperature of the portion of the resistance heating layer; and an abnormal heat determination unit determining whether the temperature of the portion has reached an abnormal temperature by detecting the change in resistance of the heat sensitive resistor, the abnormal temperature possibly causing damage to the resistance heating layer.

Fixing device and image formation apparatus

Image forming apparatus including: fixing device thermally fixing unfixed image on recording sheet by causing recording sheet to pass through nip formed by pressing member pressing against outer circumferential surface of heating rotating body having resistance heating layer; temperature measuring unit measuring temperatures of resistance heating layer in measurement regions set by sectioning outer circumferential surface of heating rotating body along rotational axis; information obtaining unit obtaining information indicating temperature changes in measurement regions in one rotational period of heating rotating body, by sampling measured temperatures; and abnormality judging unit judging whether abnormality has occurred in resistance heating layer based on result of comparison of information that is made between measurement regions in each combination, wherein one or more combinations of measurement regions have been set for each of paper-passing and non-paper-passing regions in nip by using all measurement regions in each of paper-passing and non-paper-passing regions.

Image forming apparatus for detecting abnormality of a fixing device

A fixing device for thermally fixing an unfixed image onto a recording sheet by causing the sheet to pass through a fixing nip. The fixing device includes: heat belt formed in an endless shape and provided with a resistance heat layer; first pressure member provided inside a running path of the heat belt; and second pressure member pressing the first pressure member from over the running path to form the fixing nip. At least one of the first and second pressure members is rotating body. The heat belt has a pressure-receiving area and two non-pressure areas. The pressure-receiving area receives pressures from both the first and second pressure members. The non-pressure areas have been arranged at outside of the pressure-receiving area in an axis direction of the rotating body. Two ring-like electrodes have been formed on circumferential surfaces of the non-pressure areas and are used to supply power to the resistance heat layer.

A fixing device for thermally fixing an unfixed image formed on a recording sheet by passing the recording sheet through a fixing nip. The fixing device has a heat-generating endless belt that includes: a resistive heat layer that generates heat upon receiving electric current; and a pair of electrode layers each disposed along a different one of widthwise edges of the heat-generating endless belt. The resistive heat layer has (i) reduced thickness portions each along a widthwise edge thereof and (ii) a middle portion between the reduced thickness portions. Each reduced thickness portion is thinner than the middle portion and connected to the middle portion with a wall surface upright in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the heat-generating endless belt to define a stair shape. Each electrode layer is disposed on the resistive heat layer to be in contact with a corresponding one of the wall surfaces.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus with a mechanism to extend a life of a fixing belt

A fixing device for thermally fixing an unfixed image formed on a recording sheet by passing the recording sheet through a fixing nip. The fixing device has: a heat-generating endless belt having, on a circumferential surface thereof, a sheet passing area through which the recording sheet passes; a first pressure member disposed inside a running path of the endless belt; and a second pressure member disposed to press the endless belt against the first pressure member from outside the running path to form the fixing nip. The endless belt includes: a resistive heat layer that generates heat upon receiving electric current; and a pair of electrode layers that receive electric current. The electrode layers flank the sheet passing area. The resistive heat layer is in contact with the electrode layers at a different one of end faces opposing each other in a width direction of the resistive heat layer.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus with a mechanism to extend life of a fixing belt

Disclosed is a fixing device for thermally fixing an unfixed image onto the recording sheet, the fixing device comprising: a fixing belt; and a meander regulation member provided adjacent to an edge of the fixing belt in a width direction thereof, and operable to prevent meandering of the fixing belt, wherein the fixing belt includes: a resistive heat layer that is tubular and generates heat when an electric current is applied thereto; and first and second electrodes that are provided circumferentially on an outer circumferential surface of the resistive heat layer, and that receive and apply the electric current to the resistive heat layer, and the first electrode is provided closer to the meander regulation member than to the second electrode, and is at a distance from the edge of the fixing belt in the width direction thereof.

A fixing device includes: a heating rotary member having a heating layer generating heat upon current application; a pressurizing rotary member brought into pressure-contact with an outer circumferential surface of the heating rotary member to form fixing nip, through which a sheet on which unfixed toner image is formed passes for heat fixing; circular electrodes that are circumferentially formed at two respective positions sandwiching a sheet passing region therebetween, on the outer circumferential surface, and feed electrical power to the heating layer, the electrodes are each metallic and formed of at least two electrode layers including a first electrode layer layered directly on the heating layer and a second electrode layer as an outermost layer, linear expansion coefficient difference between the first layer and the heating layer is smaller than that between the second layer and the heating layer, and the second layer is more oxidation-resistant than the first layer.

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Toyohashi, Japan

Naoki Yamamoto