Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Satoshi Ishii

Yoshihiro Yamagishi

Takashi Eiki

Takefumi Yotsutsuji

Yukihiro Aikawa

Shogo Usui

Ryota Okui

Ikuo Makie

Yoshihisa Tanaka

Junichi Hirobe

Tsutomu Sugaya

Toshiaki Kusuda

Hiroaki Watanabe

Keiichi Tanida

Motoki Suzuki

Yasuyuki Fukunaga

Masaki Murashima

Kanako Morimoto

Masahiko Kobayashi

Eiji Tatsumi

Yosuke Ohata

Masakatsu Akashi

Hiroyuki Sadamori

Kohei Okuma

Syogo Usui

An image forming apparatus includes a feeder, a conveyance section, an image forming section, a light emitter, a light receiver, a measuring section, and a permeation depth calculator. The feeder feeds a sheet. The conveyance section conveys the sheet. The image forming section forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance section using an ink. The light emitter emits near-infrared light to the sheet with the image thereon. The light receiver receives reflected light of the near-infrared light. The reflected light has been reflected by the sheet with the image thereon. The measuring section measures a received light quantity of the reflected light. The permeation depth calculator calculates a permeation depth of the ink permeating the sheet based on the received light quantity.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a controller, a first detector, and a second detector. The controller calculates a viscosity of ink in each of nozzles based on a temperature, a humidity, and an elapsed time. The controller determines, among the nozzles, a nozzle in which the viscosity is equal to or higher than a threshold to be a high-viscosity nozzle. The controller acquires non-ejection information indicating an ejection disabled nozzle that is disabled to eject the ink. The controller acquires a viscosity of the ink in the ejection disabled nozzle. The controller calculates an average value of viscosities of the ink in the plurality of nozzles. The controller compares the viscosity of the ink in the ejection disabled nozzle with the average value of the viscosities of the ink in the nozzles. The controller determines whether or not to change a contribution value based on a comparison result.

A first light emitter emits light toward a sheet. A first light receiver receives first reflected light from the sheet. A second light emitter is arranged downstream of the first light emitter in a conveyance direction of the sheet and emits light toward the sheet. A second light receiver receives second reflected light from the sheet. A measuring section measures first and second received light quantities of the first reflected light and the second reflected light. A moisture content calculator calculates a change in a moisture content of the ink in the sheet based on a difference between first and second moisture contents. The first moisture content is based on the first received light quantity and the second moisture content is based on the second received light quantity. A curling amount calculator calculates a curling amount of the sheet based on the change in the moisture content.

A cap member includes a cap portion and a support member. The cap portion has a bottom surface portion and a side surface portion. The support member supports the bottom surface portion of the cap member. The bottom surface portion is provided with a groove portion defined by a first rib projecting from an upper surface of the bottom surface portion. A lid member which covers the groove portion is provided on, and in close contact with. an upper end of the first rib. The groove portion and the lid member define an air passage through which air passes. One end portion of the air passage communicates with an inner space of the cap member, and the other end portion of the air passage communicates with an outside of the cap portion.

Cap member and ink-jet recording apparatus including same

A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring member, a heat source, a pressing member, a heating stop device and a deformation preventing member. The deformation preventing member is configured to face an inner circumferential face of the fixing belt. In a state where the fixing belt is not broken in a circumferential direction, the fixing belt and the deformation preventing member are arranged at an interval, and when the fixing belt is broken in the circumferential direction, the fixing belt is deformed and comes into contact with the deformation preventing member so that the fixing belt is prevented from being deformed to a side far from the heating stop device.

Fixing device comprising deformation preventing member for preventing deformation of fixing belt and image forming apparatus including same

A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring member, a heat source, a pressing member and a first heating stop device. The fixing belt is provided to be rotatable around a rotation axis. The pressuring member is configured to be rotatable and to come into pressure contact with the fixing belt so as to form a fixing nip. The heat source is arranged at an inner diameter side of the fixing belt, provided at a position displaced from the rotation axis and configured to heat the fixing belt. The pressing member is configured to press the fixing belt to a side of the pressuring member. The first heating stop device is configured to face an outer circumferential face of a closest part to the heat source of the fixing belt and to operate at a first operating temperature so as to stop the heat source from heating the fixing belt.

Fixing device comprising heating stop device to stop heat source from heating fixing belt and image forming apparatus including same

A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring member, a heat source, a pressing member, a heating stop device, shape restricting members and biasing members. The fixing belt is provided to be rotatable around a rotation axis. The pressing member is provided to be rotatable and to come into pressure contact with the fixing belt so as to form a fixing nip. The heat source heats the fixing belt. The pressing member presses the fixing belt to a side of the pressuring member. The heating stop device faces an outer circumferential face of the fixing belt and to operate at an operating temperature so as to stop the heat source from heating the fixing belt. The shape restricting members are attached to both end parts of the fixing belt and restricts a shape of the fixing belt.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a toner containing portion, an air blowing portion, and an air blowing control portion. The toner containing portion contains toner that is used in image formation. The air blowing portion generates an airflow that contacts an outer side surface of the toner containing portion. The air blowing control portion narrows a vertical range of the airflow, which is generated by the air blowing portion and contacts the outer side surface of the toner containing portion, downward in a vertical direction in correspondence with reduction of toner amount in the toner containing portion.

Image forming apparatus with air blowing portion

A fixing device includes: a heat source, a heating member, a pressure member, a heat absorption unit, a holding member, and an end part supporting member. The heat source generates infrared rays. The heat absorption unit is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the heating member, absorbs radiation heat of the heat source, and opposes an outer circumferential part of the holding member with a gap. The holding member has a hollow and cylindrical shape, and arranged between the heat source and the inner circumferential surface of the heat member, permits transmission of infrared rays and has heat resistance. The end part supporting member supports the holding member at both axial end parts of the heating member. The outer circumferential part of the holding member, the inner circumferential surface of the heating member, and the end part supporting member form a sealing space sealing the heat absorption unit.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus provided therewith

A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt, a heating unit, a supporting member, and a pressure roller. The pressure roller sandwiches the fixing belt to form a fixing nip portion between the pressure roller and the fixing belt. The fixing device is configured to insert a recording medium into the fixing nip portion to fix an unfixed toner image carried on the recording medium. The fixing belt includes a heating layer and a sliding layer. The heating layer is configured to generate heat using the heating unit. The sliding layer is laminated onto an inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt and sliding on the supporting member. The plurality of holes are formed in the sliding layer such that the sliding layer has a mesh pattern in plan view.

Fixing device including fixing belt with holes

A fixing device includes a heating member pressed by a pressing member to form a nip part, an excitation coil generating a magnetic flux induction-heating the heating member, a magnetic core and a magnetism shielding member. The magnetic core is located opposite to the heating member across the excitation coil and provides a magnetic path passing through the excitation coil and heating member. The magnetism shielding member partially shields the magnetic path and includes a rotatable belt member allowing the magnetic flux to pass through, and a magnetism shielding layer arranged on a surface of the belt member. In the magnetism shielding layer, gap parts extending in a width direction of the belt member are arranged along a circumference direction of the belt member. When the magnetism shielding member is located to shield the magnetic path, inner wall faces of the gap part are brought into contact with each other.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus including this fixing device

A fixing device includes a pressure member, a heating member, a coil, a first magnetic core, a second magnetic core, a shielding portion, and a switching belt. The second magnetic core is disposed to extend in a width direction in a hollow portion formed by the loop of the coil, and formed in an arc shape with a protruding portion at a side facing the heating member. The shielding portion is formed of a non-magnetic material to shield a path of a magnetic flux generated by the coil between the second magnetic core and the heating member. The switching belt includes a surface where the shielding portion is disposed to face a non-paper passing region in the heating member, suspended to be rotatable between a roller and the protruding portion, and selectively arranged in one of a shielding position and a non-shielding position by rotation of the roller.

Fixing device for efficiently heating of heating member

A magnetic core surrounds a coil and has a plurality of first core sections arrayed along the widthwise direction of a recording medium orthogonally to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and a second core section disposed at both ends in the widthwise direction within a hollow section of the coil. The second core section is formed so that the cross-sectional area thereof in the conveyance direction of the recording medium grows progressively larger from the center of the widthwise direction towards the end thereof.

Fuser device and image forming apparatus provided with same

A fixing temperature control device according to the present invention is applied to a copying machine. A control section has a warm-up control mode and a normal control mode. In the warm-up control mode, energization to a heater is started in response to the start of copying, while being stopped at the time point where a temperature detected by a heat roller temperature detecting sensor reaches a first off temperature. In the normal control mode, on-off control of the energization to the heater is carried out utilizing a predetermined control temperature as a target subsequently to the termination of the warm-up control mode. The predetermined control temperature is corrected by adding a prescribed correction amount to a reference control temperature. It is preferable that the required correction amount includes i) an initial correction amount added in the early stages of processing in the normal control mode, ii) a correction amount at the time of passing paper sheets added when paper sheets pass between a heat roller and a pressure roller in a fixing device, and iii) an environmental correction amount added depending on an environmental temperature.

Fixing temperature control device

An image forming apparatus having components which are secured and supported by a resin apparatus body. The body if formed of mutually separable upper and lower casings, which are coupled in shiplap style. At least the upper casing is formed of a monocoque construction, and the lower casing may be formed of a monocoque construction as well.

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Osaka, Japan

Satoshi Ishii