Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Norihiko Aze

Minoru Matsuo

Motokazu Hasegawa

Kohji Kamiya

Kyoichi Ashikawa

Nozomu Takahata

Takayuki Yoshii

Satoshi Tohkai

Takeshi Endoh

Tomoyasu Hirasawa

Susumu Matsusaka

Tsuneaki Kondoh

Kiyotada Katoh

Eiji Sawamura

Hidenori Machida

Atsushi Takai

Katsunori Suto

Kohta Shiodera

Toru Kobayashi

Machida Hidenori

Masayuki Kami

A loop heat pipe wick includes porous rubber.

Loop heat pipe wick, loop heat pipe, cooling device, and electronic device, and method for manufacturing porous rubber and method for manufacturing loop heat pipe wick

A fixing belt for a fixing device of an image forming apparatus includes a base layer including a heat-resistant resin and a mesh member embedded in the heat-resistant resin and including a metal member, in which the mesh member includes an opening. The heat-resistant resin fills in the opening. A thickness of the thinnest portion of the mesh member is 40% or more of the thickness of the base layer. A fixing device includes a heating member; a pressure member; and the fixing belt as described above. Further, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming section and the fixing device including the above described fixing belt.

Fixing belt, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing-unit roller includes: a core bar; and an elastic layer formed on an outer peripheral surface of the core bar. The elastic layer is formed from a porous material that contains a plurality of cells. Cells in a cross section obtained by cutting across the porous material are 0.1 &#x3bc;m or greater and 50 &#x3bc;m or less in size. A ratio of an area occupied by composite cells, which are made of partially-overlapping spherical cells, in a 200-&#x3bc;m square in the cross section to an area of the square is 60% or greater and 70% or less.

Fixing-unit roller, fixing unit, and image forming apparatus including an elastic layer

An image fixing apparatus stably maintains high efficiency in heat generation and reduces excessive heat and loss of electric power consumption for fixing image. In at least one embodiment, the image fixing apparatus includes a magnetic flux generating member to generate a magnetic flux, and a heat member to generate heat with the magnetic flux. The heat member includes a first heat layer and a second heat layer having a relatively higher volume resistivity than the first heat layer, and having different thickness and/or different volume resistivity depending on a position in the width direction of the second heat layer. Portions of the magnetic flux generating member face different sides of the heat member.

Image fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image fixing apparatus stably maintains high efficiency in heat generation and reduces loss of electric power consumption for fixing an image, which includes a coil member to generate a magnetic flux, a heat member to generate heat with the magnetic flux, and a support member to support the coil member so that the coil member faces a front and a back side of the heat member, wherein the support member includes a heat dissipation part that releases heat generated in the coil member.

Image fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus that maintains high efficiency in heat generation and reduces loss in power consumption

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit for fixing a toner image on a recording sheet. The fixing unit includes a fixing belt, a support roller, and a coil. The fixing belt rotates and applies heat on the recording sheet to fix the toner image on the recording sheet. The support roller rotates and supports the fixing belt. The coil has a loop-like or U-like shape and generates a magnetic flux to induce heat in the fixing belt and the support roller. The coil sandwiches the support roller and the fixing belt in a manner that the coil faces an outer circumferential surface of the support roller via the fixing belt and an inner circumferential surface of the support roller. The above configuration of the coil controls a surface temperature of the fixing belt.

Method and apparatus for image forming capable of effectively fixing a toner image on a recording sheet by using induction heating

In a method for evaluating a fixing member to fix a toner having a surface layer, a hardness test is carried out by applying a pressure deformation from the surface side of the fixing member, and when a deformation of the surface layer by the pressure deformation is within an elastic range, the fixing member is regarded as a standard product.

Method for evaluating fixing member and fixing belt and thermal fixing roller

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit for fixing a toner image on a recording sheet. In the fixing unit, a magnetic flux generator generates a magnetic flux to induce heat in a support roller. The heat is transferred to a fixing belt contacting the support roller. The recording sheet having the toner image is inserted between the fixing belt and a pressure roller facing the fixing belt. A holder holds the magnetic flux generator and positions the magnetic flux generator to face outer and inner circumferential surfaces of the support roller.

Image forming method and apparatus, image fixing unit, and induction heater used therein

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device which fixes a toner image on a recording medium. The fixing device includes a heating device. The heating device includes a heat-generating member, an exciting member, and a changing device. The heat-generating member is subjected to electromagnetic induction heating. The exciting member is placed to sandwich a front surface and a rear surface of the heat-generating member, without contacting the heat-generating member. The changing device changes an opposing distance of the exciting member to at least one of the front surface and the rear surface of the heat-generating member.

Image forming apparatus, fixing device and image heater having an adjustable exciting member

A method for evaluating a fixing belt includes forming a fixing belt which includes a substrate, an elastic layer laminated on the substrate, and a mold releasing layer laminated on the elastic layer. A universal hardness test for the fixing belt is performed. The fixing belt is judged as an acceptable product if a creep value Cis included within a range of 0.40&#x2266;C&#x2266;3.50 (%) when the universal hardness test is performed for the fixing belt and when the creep value C, which is measured from the side of the mold releasing layer, is defined by the following formula:-)/&#xd7;100 (%)where his a pushed depth when a test load reaches a predetermined value which is kept for a predetermined period of time, and his a pushed depth when a predetermined period of time is elapsed after the test load is removed.

Fixing belt and method for evaluating it

Disclosed are a fixing belt and a method for evaluating it in which an occurrence of crumple can be prevented by means of accurate evaluation whether a surface of the fixing belt has a appropriate flexibility or not. In this method for evaluating, a universal hardness test is achieved for the fixing belt in which an elastic layer and a mold releasing layer are laminated on a substrate, the fixing belt is judged as an acceptable product if a creep value Cis included within a range of 0.40&#x2266;C&#x2266;3.50(%) when a creep value Cwhich is measured from the mold releasing layer side is defined by a formula below.=()/&#xd7;100(%)where his a pushed depth (mm) when a test load reaches a predetermined value which is kept for a predetermined period of time, and

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Kanagawa, Japan

Norihiko Aze