Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Ryohhei Sugiyama

Hiroshi Yoshinaga

Tetsuo Tokuda

Hironori Yamaoka

Hiroshi Ono

Yoshiki Yamaguchi

Yoshikuni Sasaki

Takamasa Hase

Yuusuke Furuichi

Takashi Seto

Ryohei Matsuda

Arinobu Yoshiura

Masahiro Samei

Takayuki Andoh

Motoyoshi Yamano

Kota Shiodera

Toshiyuki Kabata

Daisuke Inoue

Teppei Kawata

Akiyasu Amita

Shinichi Namekata

Fumihiro Hirose

Kohichi Utsunomiya

Takashi Sakamaki

Yohhei Watanabe

Masateru Ujiie

Hideo Nagafuji

Kentaro Yamashita

Mototaka Iwama

Yamano Motoyoshi

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a heater, a pressure rotator, a nip formation pad, and a slide aid sheet. The fixing rotator is rotatable in a rotation direction. The heater heats the fixing rotator. The pressure rotator contacts an outer circumferential face of the fixing rotator. The nip formation pad is inside a loop of the fixing rotator to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The slide aid sheet is on the nip formation pad and faces the fixing rotator. The slide aid sheet includes a carbon fiber extending in a width direction orthogonal to a rotation direction of the fixing rotator.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A fixing device includes a first rotator and a second rotator that form a nip therebetween and fix an image on a recording medium that enters the nip. A heater heats at least one of the first rotator or the second rotator. A controller controls the heater to switch between a first heating and a second heating, to switch from the first heating to the second heating before the recording medium enters the nip, to start the second heating at a time prior to a nip entry time at which the recording medium enters the nip by a delay time period taken for the heater to conduct heat to the nip, and to continue the first heating before the second heating for at least one control cycle at a duty cycle of power supplied to the heater. The duty cycle is not greater than 40%.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus with a controller to switch between a first heating and a second heating

A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressing member, a heat source, and a reflecting member. The pressing member presses and contacts an outer circumferential surface of the fixing member. The heat source is disposed inside a loop of the fixing member. The reflecting member includes a reflecting portion, a pressure receiving portion, and an extending portion. The reflecting portion reflects heat toward an inner circumferential surface of the fixing member. The pressure receiving portion receives a pressing force of the pressing member via the fixing member. The extending portion extends from an area upstream to an area downstream from the nip portion in a direction of rotation of the fixing member and facing the inner circumferential surface of the fixing member. The reflecting member is in non-contact with one or more of members disposed inside the loop of the fixing member, at least when the fixing member rotates.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator, a fixing nip support, a heat source, and a reflector. The pressure rotator contacts an outer face of the fixing rotator to form a nip through which a recording medium conveyed in a conveyance direction passes. The fixing nip support has a receiving portion to receive a pressing force of the pressure rotator. The heat source inside a loop of the fixing rotator has a heat generation area having a first length in a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The reflector includes a contacting portion contacting the receiving portion of the fixing nip support and a reflecting portion facing the heat source to reflect radiant heat radiated by the heat source toward an inner face of the fixing rotator. The reflecting portion has a second length in the width direction longer than the first length.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating the same

A heating device includes a rotator that rotates and a heater that is disposed opposite an inner circumferential face of the rotator. The heater heats the rotator. A rotator holder is disposed opposite the inner circumferential face of the rotator. The rotator holder holds a lateral end of the rotator in a longitudinal direction of the rotator. The rotator holder is adhered with a lubricating substance. A heat shield is disposed between the heater and the rotator and between the heater and the rotator holder. The heat shield blocks radiant heat radiated from the heater and is separated from the rotator holder. The heat shield includes a first portion and a second portion that is disposed outboard from the first portion in the longitudinal direction of the rotator. The second portion is separated from the inner circumferential face of the rotator farther than the first portion is.

Heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus with heat shield including first portion and second portion

A heating device includes a rotator, a heating source, a reflector, a rotator holder, and a liquid or semi-solid substance. The rotator is rotatably held. The heating source heats the rotator. The reflector includes a reflection face that reflects radiant heat emitted from the heating source. The reflection face has a reflectance lower at each end portion of the reflection face in a longitudinal direction of the rotator than at a center portion of the reflection face in the longitudinal direction of the rotator. The rotator holder holds a longitudinal end portion of the rotator. The liquid or semi-solid substance has lubricity and adheres to the rotator holder.

Heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a fixing belt that is endless and rotatable. A nip formation pad is disposed opposite an inner circumferential face of the fixing belt via a lubricant. A pressure roller sandwiches the fixing belt together with the nip formation pad to form a pressing region through which a recording medium is conveyed. A cap is disposed opposite a lateral end of the fixing belt in an axial direction of the fixing belt. A seal is tubular and contacts an outer circumferential face of the fixing belt in at least a part of an inner circumferential face of the seal. The seal seals a gap between the cap and the fixing belt. The seal includes a non-perpendicular portion that is not perpendicular to a circumferential direction of the fixing belt and defines a slit.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing rotator rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation, over which a recording medium is conveyed, and a heater to heat the fixing rotator. A temperature detector detects a temperature of the fixing rotator. A controller performs a primary productivity control to define a primary productivity rate of printing per unit time based on the temperature of the fixing rotator that is detected by the temperature detector. The controller calculates an amount of power suppliable to the heater and performs a secondary productivity control simultaneously with and separately from the primary productivity control. The secondary productivity control defines a secondary productivity rate of printing per unit time based on the amount of power suppliable to the heater. The controller selects one of the primary productivity rate and the secondary productivity rate whichever is lower as a productivity rate of the image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method with temperature and power-based productivity rate selection

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing belt stretched across a first roller and a second roller including an elastic layer. A pressure rotator presses against the second roller via the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the pressure rotator and the fixing belt. A recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed through the fixing nip. A clearance detector detects a clearance between the first roller and the second roller. A mover moves the pressure rotator with respect to the second roller in a pressing direction in which the pressure rotator presses against the second roller via the fixing belt and a separation direction in which the pressure rotator separates from the second roller. A controller controls an amount of movement of the pressure rotator moved by the mover toward the second roller based on the clearance detected by the clearance detector.

Image forming apparatus including a fixing device

A fixing device includes a heater, a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator to press against the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed, a moving device to move the pressure rotator in directions in which the pressure rotator comes into contact with and separates from the fixing rotator, a thermal expansion amount predictor to predict an amount of thermal expansion of the fixing rotator while the recording medium is conveyed, and a nip width adjuster to control a moving distance of the pressure rotator moved by the moving device toward the fixing rotator, depending on the amount of thermal expansion of the fixing rotator predicted by the thermal expansion amount predictor, so as to adjust a width of the fixing nip to maintain a substantially constant width of the fixing nip.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and method of controlling fixing device

A drive transmission unit transmits driving force to a driven unit including a driven rotator coupled to the drive transmission unit via a unit coupler. The drive transmission unit includes a driving source, a drive transmission member to transmit driving force from the driving source to the driven rotator by engaging the driven rotator, and a basal plate with a turning shaft portion at one end thereof. The basal plate supports the driving source and the drive transmission member thereon. The drive transmission unit is turned around the turning shaft portion together with the driven unit in a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction of a driving reaction force applied to the drive transmission member when the driven rotator receives the driving force from the drive transmission member.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Ryohhei Sugiyama