Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Other

Noriyuki Tajima

Keisuke Fujimoto

Akihiro Yasuda

Noboru Katakabe

Masaru Imai

Yoshitaka Kitaoka

Hideaki Yamada

Koichi Baba

Shigemitsu Tani

Kenji Asakura

Hideki Tatematsu

Atsushi Sogami

Hiroshi Terada

Yuzo Kawano

Akinori Toyoda

Shigeto Ueno

Junichi Tanizaki

Masayuki Isayama

Yasutaka Tamai

Yukio Arai

Tetsuhiro Sano

Takumi Kitano

Hajime Makishima

Yoshihiro Nakayama

Michihiro Sima

A fixing apparatus has a heater that includes a magnetic shunt alloy whose Curie temperature is set higher than a fixing temperature; an induction heater that generates an alternating magnetic field applied to the magnetic shunt alloy and performs electromagnetic-induction heating on the heater; and a body controller that controls the induction heater so as to adjust the fixing temperature in each fixing job. The body controller controls the induction heater so as to perform electromagnetic-induction heating on the heater, during a period between fixing jobs. The body controller thereby reduces a temperature difference generated on the heater between portions corresponding to paper feeding and non-paper feeding areas in a previously executed fixing job.

Fixing apparatus having a curie point heater and image forming apparatus

A fixing unit is provided with a fixing belt that heats recording paper that bears and moves a toner image, an exciting coil that generates magnetic flux in the fixing belt and causes the fixing belt to produce heat by electromagnetic induction, and a heat production adjustment section that adjusts the calorific value distribution of the fixing belt by adjusting the magnetic flux acting upon the fixing belt.

Image heating apparatus and image forming apparatus including synchronization of magnetic flux generation

A heating apparatus that enables an abnormally high temperature detection section that detects, when a heating element heated by means of electromagnetic induction reaches an abnormally high temperature, this abnormally high temperature, to operate speedily and reliably irrespective of the material and temperature characteristic of the heating element in a low-cost and compact configuration. In this apparatus, thermostatis disposed on the same side as exciting coilwith respect to heat generating beltand between winding bundles of a conductor wire of exciting coil. This allows coil guideto hold both thermostatand exciting coiland allows these wires and terminals to be concentrated on one location, thus making it possible to reduce the number of parts and assembling man-hours and configure the body of the apparatus in a low-cost and compact configuration. Furthermore, thermostatoperates reliably when heat generating beltreaches an abnormally high temperature irrespective of whether the material of heat generating beltis a magnetic member or not and whether the temperature of heat generating belthas exceeded a Curie temperature or not.

Heating apparatus, fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus

In a fixing apparatus using an induction heating type of heating apparatus, there are provided an excitation apparatus that generates magnetic flux, an opposed core located opposite the excitation apparatus, a fixing belt that is induction-heated by the aforementioned magnetic flux, and magnetism masking elements that block magnetic paths corresponding to paper non-passage areas of fixing belt between the excitation apparatus and the opposed core. By blocking magnetic paths between the excitation apparatus and the opposed core by the magnetism masking elements, magnetic flux that induction-heats the fixing belt is effectively masked, and an excessive rise in temperature of paper non-passage areas of fixing belt is prevented.

Fixing device

The present invention holds the source document feeding direction downstream edge of a printed sheet ejected above a source document feed tray by means of a top ejection platform functioning as a printed sheet holding section in an area apart from source document feed rollers functioning as a source document feeding section. As a result, a printed sheet ejected onto top ejection platform is not fed automatically by source document feed rollers. Therefore, a printed sheet that has undergone image formation can be ejected without obstruction above source document feed tray of an automatic document feeder, checking and removal of a printed sheet are facilitated, and convenience is improved.

Image forming apparatus

As a cooling mechanism that cools the entire paper passage area of a heat-producing belt, a rotational drive method of the heat-producing belt is employed and the heat-producing belt is cooled by rotational cooling by being made to idle when paper is not being passed through. An excitation apparatus and the above-described cooling mechanism are controlled so that recording paper is not passed through and the heat-producing belt is cooled while being heated over the heating width when the small-size recording paper is passed through until the temperature detected by a paper non-passage area temperature detecting sensor is at or below a predetermined fixing temperature. This fixing apparatus enables an excessive rise in temperature of a paper non-passage area of the heat-producing belt to be efficiently eliminated, and the temperature distribution of heat-producing belt to be made uniform in a short time.

Fixing device and temperature control method

A fixing apparatus can prevent an excessive rise in temperature of a paper non-passage area due to diverted flow of magnetic flux from a paper passage area of a heat-producing element to a paper non-passage area thereof has a small configuration. A center core is rotated by a rotation section, bringing cutaway parts to a magnetic path masking position, and the degree of magnetic coupling between the center core and a heat-producing roller is weakened, suppressing an excessive rise in temperature of paper non-passage areas of the heat-producing roller. With this fixing apparatus, switching of the intensity of magnetic coupling between the center core and heat-producing roller can be performed simply by rotating the center core. Also, with this fixing apparatus, it is not necessary for magnetism suppressing elements to be provided as separate members, enabling the configuration to be made simpler and less expensive.

A color image forming apparatus having a plurality of developing units for containing different color toners to form a color image, a plurality of photo-receptor units including photo-receptors on which electrostatic latent images to be developed by said developing units are to be formed, and an intermediate transfer body unit including a tensionally provided belt with upper and lower surfaces to which toner images are transferred from said photo-receptors, an intermediate transfer body unit cartridge integrally holding said intermediate transfer body unit, the cartridge being detachably attached to the color image forming apparatus through the jamming-removal opening.

Color image forming apparatus with a removable and inclined intermediate transfer body unit

An oil application roller capable of preventing an oil leak when the roller is left in the state where the rotation axis thereof runs vertically and also capable of preventing an oil escape from the roller in a fixing device. The oil application roller ( ) includes a seal ring ( ) at respective end portions of the roller ( ). The seal ring ( ) includes a vent hole ( ) extending from an end face of the roller ( ) to the outside of the seal ring ( ), and the cross-sectional area of the vent hole is not less than 0.01 mm and not more than 1 mm .

Oil coating roller, seal ring used for the roller, and fixing device using the seal ring

On each of inner surfaces of left and right side plates of an apparatus main body, guide rails for restricting a moving track of development units during the rotation of a carriage are provided. The guide rails are formed to have a downwardly-bent arc shape whose center corresponds to the rotation center of the carriage, and both ends of the development units are supported by these guide rails. The development units can be prevented from dropping out of the carriage without any lock mechanism, thus achieving a color image forming apparatus in which the development units can be attached/removed easily. The position of the developing units may be restricted using a unit positioning pin. The unit positioning pins may be moved in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the carriage, thereby restricting the position of the developing unit in a particular direction.

Color image forming apparatus with multiple development units supported by a rotatable carriage

A color image forming apparatus capable of reducing the total printing time and having an excellent cost performance. In the four developments and primary transfer by the toner of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black for forming one sheet of color image, the development and primary transfer of the toner of the last color, black, is performed at a different speed from that of the toner of the other colors. Furthermore, the secondary transfer and fixation are performed at the same speed as of the development and primary transfer of the toner of the last color, black.

Color printing device

Disclosed is an information processing device such as a compact personal computer, word-processor, and the like containing a printer therein. The information processing device is provided, in a side surface of its outer casing, with an opening portion so as to permit projection of an end portion of an ink cartridge or carriage. Therefore, although the device is compact-sized, it is possible to enlarge the printable width of the device. This makes it possible to effect printing on a larger-sized sheet of paper.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Noriyuki Tajima