Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Takashi Narahara

Toru Imaizumi

Yasuhito Minamishima

Kazuhiro Doda

Yutaka Sato

Kohei Wakatsu

Takeshi Shinji

Atsutoshi Ando

Kenichi Ogawa

Tomoya Tateishi

Masafumi Maeda

Takanori Watanabe

Masashi Tanaka

Tsuguhiro Yoshida

Kensuke Umeda

Masahiko Suzumi

Yasunari Kobaru

Ryo Morihara

Tomoyuki Makihira

Ken Nakagawa

Takanori Mitani

Takayasu Yuminamochi

Kazuaki Takahata

Hiroshi Kataoka

Koji Nihonyanagi

Jun Asami

Masaru Ohno

Koji An

Kuniaki Kasuga

Kenji Matsuzaka

An image forming apparatus includes a feed tray, first and second sensors, and a controller. The controller adjusts a sheet interval between the first and second recording materials based on sensor detected length and width of a recording material fed from the feed tray. When a first recording material has a first length and a second recording material has a second length longer than the first length, the controller performs control to increase a sheet interval in response to a first number of recording materials having the second length and conveyed successively. When the first recording material has the first length and the second recording material has a third length shorter than the first length, the controller performs control to reduce the sheet interval in response to a second number of recording materials having the third length and conveyed successively. The second number is greater than the first number.

Image forming apparatus

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: a fixation unit configured to heat a toner image formed corresponding to image data and fix the heated toner image onto a recording material; and a control unit configured to determine a fixation target temperature used by the fixation unit to heat the toner image on the basis of the image data, wherein the control unit performs a first determination to calculate a first target temperature on the basis of image density information in each of a plurality of regions in which the image data is divided in a main-scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction and a second determination to determine whether the image data is a text image, and determines the fixation target temperature on the basis of results of the first determination and the second determination.

Image forming apparatus and method for controlling same

There is used an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit configured to heat a recording material at a fixing nip portion to fix a toner image, and a control unit configured to switch a target temperature, wherein, in the case where the target temperature of preceding recording material is first temperature, the target temperature of subsequent recording material is second temperature which is higher than the first temperature, and a difference between the second temperature and the first temperature has a first value, the control unit performs switching from timing which is earlier than reaching of the second recording material to the fixing nip portion by a predetermined period, and, the higher the target temperature of the preceding recording material, the shorter the predetermined period.

A fixing member used for a fixing device includes a tubular base layer; an electrode portion formed on the base layer; a heat generating portion formed on the base layer in such a manner as to be positioned next to the electrode portion in a longitudinal direction of the fixing member, the heat generating portion being electrically connected to the electrode portion; and an overcoat layer formed on the heat generating portion. The heat generating portion is a layer formed by a plurality of thin linear layers extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing member and spaced from one another along a circumferential direction of the fixing member. The overcoat layer extends over a boundary between the heat generating portion and the electrode portion in the longitudinal direction of the fixing member.

Film used for fixing device and fixing device including the film

A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording material includes a cylindrical film, a heater configured to make contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat generation resistor formed on the substrate, and a heat conduction member configured to make contact with a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof being in contact with the film, the heat conduction member having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the substrate, and being divided into parts in a generatrix direction of the film. The toner image formed on the recording material is fixed on the recording material by using heat of the film, and one of the parts of the heat conduction member is configured to make contact with the heater continuously from a center to an end of a heat generation region of the heater in the generatrix direction.

Fixing apparatus

A fixing device includes a cylindrical film including a heat generating layer, a first temperature detecting member contacting the film, and a second temperature detecting member contacting the film and provided at such a position that a temperature change at the position, at which the second temperature detecting member is provided, is slower in responsiveness than at a position at which the first temperature detecting member is provided. A controller stops supply of electrical power to the film depending on a difference between a detection temperature value output by the first temperature detecting member, and a detection temperature value output by the second temperature detecting member. In addition, a toner image, formed on a recording material, is heated by heat from the film and is fixed on the recording material.

Fixing device that controls electrical power supplied to a film based on a difference between detection temperature values output by a first temperature detecting member and a second temperature detecting member

A tubular film used for a fixing apparatus includes a heat generating layer, and a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer respectively provided at one end and another end of the film in a longitudinal direction of the film so as to contact the heat generating layer. The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer each has a volume resistivity that is less than that of the heat generating layer. A low resistance layer is formed in an area of the heat generating layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in the longitudinal direction, so as not to contact the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The low resistance layer has a volume resistivity that is less than that of the heat generating layer, and extends in a circumferential direction of the heat generating layer.

Fixing apparatus having a tubular film that includes a low resistance layer formed in a heat generating layer

A film for use in a fixing device includes a base layer having a cylindrical shape. An electrode portion is formed at an end part of the base layer in a longitudinal direction of the film. A heat generation portion is formed at a central part of the base layer in the longitudinal direction of the film and electrically connected to the electrode portion. The heat generation portion is formed of a conductive layer made of a same material as a material of the electrode portion. A thickness of the conductive layer is larger in the electrode portion than in the heat generation portion. A surface area of the conductive layer per unit length in the longitudinal direction of the film is larger in the electrode portion than in the heat generation portion.

Film for use in fixing device and fixing device with film

A fixing device includes a cylindrical film including a heat generating layer and an electroconductive layer electrically connected with the heat generating layer. A volume resistivity of the electroconductive layer is less than a volume resistivity of the heat generating layer. The fixing device further includes an energizing member, a roller, a sliding member, and a supporting member. A thermal conductivity of the sliding member is greater than a thermal conductivity of the supporting member. A recording material on which a toner image is formed is heated while being fed through a nip. A longitudinal end of the sliding member is positioned between an inner end surface and an outer end surface of the electroconductive layer with respect to the longitudinal direction of the film.

Fixing device that alleviates a physical load on non-heat-generating regions of a heat generating layer of a fixing film

A fixing device includes a cylindrical film having an inner surface and a plate-like heater that extends in a longitudinal direction of the film, with the heater having (i) a first surface that contacts the inner surface of the film, and (ii) a second surface opposite to the first surface. The fixing device further includes a heat conduction plate that extends in the longitudinal direction of the film and contacts the second surface of the heater, and a supporting member that supports the heater through the heat conduction plate. An image that is formed on a recording material is heated by heat from the heater through the film.

Image heating apparatus having a plate-like heater and a heat conduction plate

A fixing apparatus includes a heating rotating member, a pressure rotating member, and a contact member. A contact holding member holds the contact member so that the contact member presses against the heating rotating member, and causes at least a portion of the contact member to elastically deform between the heating rotating member and the contact holding member. In addition, a displacement mechanism displaces a relative position of the heating rotating member with respect to the pressure rotating member. When the heating rotating member is separated from the pressure rotating member by the displacement mechanism, an interval between a fulcrum, at which the contact holding member holds the contact member, and a contact point, at which the contact member comes into contact with the heating rotating member, does not increase.

Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus that maintain a pressing force between a contact member and a heat rotating member

A tubular film used for a fixing apparatus includes a heat generating layer, and a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer provided respectively at one end and another end of the film in a longitudinal direction of the film so as to contact the heat generating layer. The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer both have a lower volume resistivity than that of the heat generating layer. A low-resistance layer is formed in an area of the heat generating layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in the longitudinal direction so as not to contact the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The low-resistance layer has a lower volume resistivity than that of the heat generating layer and extends in a circumferential direction of the heat generating layer.

Heating rotating member and heating apparatus

A fixing member for a fixing device includes a cylindrical base layer, and a plurality of heat generating resistors extending in a longitudinal direction of the fixing member on the base layer and arranged with intervals in a circumferential direction of the base layer. Each of the plurality of heat generating resistors has a volume resistivity less than that of the base layer. The plurality of heat generating resistors includes a first heat generating resistor and a second heat generating resistor adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, and the first heat generating resistor and the second heat generating resistor are at least partly overlapped in the circumferential direction.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Takashi Narahara