Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Takayuki Seki

Hiroshi Yoshinaga

Kenji Ishii

Ippei Fujimoto

Yuji Arai

Yutaka Ikebuchi

Kazuya Saito

Toshihiko Shimokawa

Takashi Seto

Kazunari Sawada

Shuutaroh Yuasa

Ryuuichi Mimbu

Yoshiki Yamaguchi

Hiromasa Takagi

Masaaki Yoshikawa

Shuntaro Tamaki

Akira Suzuki

Takahiro Imada

Kensuke Yamaji

Hajime Gotoh

Kazuhito Kishi

Takuya Seshita

Shuntaroh Tamaki

Takeshi Yamamoto

Arinobu Yoshiura

Ryohei Matsuda

Naoki Iwaya

Tadashi Ogawa

Teppei Kawata

Hiroyuki Shimada

Takamasa Hase

Yuusuke Furuichi

Yasuhiko Ogino

Shohta Kobashigawa

Tomoya Adachi

Masahiko Satoh

Keitaro Shoji

Yukimichi Someya

Takeshi Uchitani

Susumu Matsusaka

Shinichi Namekata

Misaki Shimizu

Masahiko Sato

Hiroshi Yokoyama

Shigeo Yoshida

Eiichi Matsuzaki

Masanao Ehara

Toshiaki Higaya

Hiroshi Nonoshita

Hiraku Sonobe

Toshiharu Hachisuka

Shinichi Matsumoto

Satoshi Ono

Keiji Ohara

Keizou Yasuda

Jyunji Nakai

Yuzou Kouno

Takashi Fujita

Daisuke Inoue

Kenichi Hasegawa

Masahiro Samei

Yoshio Hattori

Hiroshi Seo

Kenji Nozawa

Kazuaki Kamihara

Yoshiyuki Fukuda

Kohichi Utsunomiya

Kohki Asada

Motoyoshi Yamano

Hideo Nagafuji

Shohei Saito

Ryusaku Hida

Genichiroh Kawamichi

Akira Miyashita

Yoshitsugu Yamanashi

Qifeng Cui

Shuhei Tada

A conveyance device includes a conveyance member, a guide, and a rotator. The conveyance member has a conveyance surface with a joint, the conveyance member to convey an object to be conveyed, with the object on the conveyance surface. The guide approaches the conveyance surface and guides the object from or to the conveyance member. The rotator contacts the conveyance surface. The guide displaces in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface, in conjunction with displacement of the rotator when the rotator contacts the joint.

Conveyance device, drying device, image forming apparatus, and liquid discharge apparatus

A heating device includes a heater, a holder, a device frame, a primary positioner, a secondary positioner, and a tertiary positioner. The heater includes a heat generator. The holder holds the heater. The device frame is configured to support the holder. The primary positioner is configured to position the heater and the holder in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The secondary positioner is configured to position the holder and the device frame in the longitudinal direction of the heater. The tertiary positioner is configured to position the device frame and a body of an image forming apparatus in the longitudinal direction of the heater. The primary positioner and one of the secondary positioner and the tertiary positioner are disposed on an identical side defined by a center of the heat generator in the longitudinal direction of the heater.

Heating device, belt heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, an opposing rotator, a temperature detector, and a support. The fixing rotator has a hollow and heats an image to fix the image onto a recording medium. The opposing rotator forms a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the opposing rotator. The temperature detector includes an exposed conductive portion. The support has conductivity and is disposed in the hollow of the fixing rotator to support the fixing rotator at the fixing nip. The support has at least one of a recessed portion or an opening at a position facing the exposed conductive portion of the temperature detector.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A heating device () includes a heater (), a holder (), a device frame (), a primary positioner (A), a secondary positioner (B), and a tertiary positioner (C). The heater includes a heat generator (). The holder holds the heater. The device frame is configured to support the holder. The primary positioner is configured to position the heater and the holder in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The secondary positioner is configured to position the holder and the device frame in the longitudinal direction of the heater. The tertiary positioner is configured to position the device frame and a body of an image forming apparatus in the longitudinal direction of the heater. The primary positioner and one of the secondary positioner and the tertiary positioner are disposed on an identical side defined by a center of the heat generator in the longitudinal direction of the heater.

An image forming apparatus includes a heating device including a rotator member, a heating member configured to heat the rotator member. The heating member is switchable between a first heat generation state in which an amount of heat generated on a first side is larger than an amount of heat generated on a second side in the intersection direction and a second heat generation state in which the amount of heat generated on the second side is larger than the amount of heat generated on the first side, The image forming apparatus is configured to switch between the first heat generation state and the second heat generation state while executing a job of continuously forming an image on a plurality of recording media having a same length in the intersecting direction.

Image forming apparatus having variabale heat generation states

A heating device includes a rotator, an opposed rotator configured to contact the rotator to form a nip, a heater configured to heat the rotator, and a plurality of pressing devices. The heater includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion of the heater generates a smaller amount of heat than the first portion of the heater. The pressing devices are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the heater and each configured to press at least one of the rotator and the opposed rotator and cause the rotator and the opposed rotator to press each other. The pressing devices include a first pressing device corresponding to the first portion of the heater and a second pressing device corresponding to the second portion of the heater, and the first pressing device generates a smaller pressing force than the second pressing device.

Image forming apparatus and heating device comprising plural pressing devices configured to generate different pressing forces

A heating device includes an endless belt that rotates and a pressure rotator that rotates in a rotation direction. The pressure rotator contacts an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt to form a nip therebetween, through which a heating target having a particular width in an axial direction of the pressure rotator is conveyed. A heater includes a heat generator that defines a conveyance span in the axial direction of the pressure rotator, where the heating target is conveyed, and a non-conveyance span in the axial direction of the pressure rotator, where the heating target is not conveyed. A non-conveyance span temperature detector is disposed opposite the pressure rotator in the non-conveyance span of the heat generator. The non-conveyance span temperature detector detects a temperature of the pressure rotator.

Heating device with a non-conveyance span temperature detector

A heating device includes an endless belt, an opposed rotator, a heater, and a heat transfer portion. The opposed rotator is configured to contact the endless belt to form a nip between the endless belt and the opposed rotator. The heater includes a plurality of resistive heat generators configured to heat the endless belt. The heater is configured to generate a larger amount of heat on a first side of the heater than a second side of the heater in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The first side is opposite to the second side with respect to a center position of a heating span of all the plurality of energized resistive heat generators in the longitudinal direction of the heater. The heat transfer portion is disposed on the first side to release heat from the heating span.

Heating device, fixing device and image forming apparatus

A heater includes a base layer, a heat generator mounted on the base layer, and a slide layer mounted on the base layer. A sliding face of a counterpart slides over the slide layer. The slide layer is made of a material containing fluorine and includes a slide face that contacts the sliding face of the counterpart. The slide face of the slide layer has a surface roughness that is greater than a surface roughness of the sliding face of the counterpart.

Heater, heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A heating device includes an endless rotator that rotates in a rotation direction and a heater that contacts an inner circumferential surface of the endless rotator and extends in an axial direction of the endless rotator. An elastic body contacts the inner circumferential surface of the endless rotator and is disposed downstream from the heater in the rotation direction of the endless rotator. A holder holds the heater and the elastic body. A pressure rotator is disposed opposite the heater and the elastic body via the endless rotator to form a nip between the endless rotator and the pressure rotator. A motion restrictor is mounted on the holder. The motion restrictor restricts motion of the heater downstream in the rotation direction of the endless rotator.

Heating device having a motion restrictor and fixing device and image forming apparatus including the same

A heater is installable in a fixing device having a fixing nip through which a recording medium is conveyed. The heater includes a base including a downstream portion in a recording medium conveyance direction. A heat generator is mounted on the base. A projection is disposed separately from the base and shifted from the heat generator. The projection is disposed opposite the downstream portion of the base. The projection projects toward the fixing nip in a state in which the heater is installed in the fixing device.

Heater, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a fixing belt that is endless and rotates in a rotation direction. A pressure rotator presses against the fixing belt to form a nip between the fixing belt and the pressure rotator. A heater is disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt and heats the fixing belt. A contact member contacts the fixing belt partially in a longitudinal direction of the fixing belt. A holder holds the heater. The heater contacts the holder with a first contact amount in a first span in a longitudinal direction of the heater, where the contact member contacts the fixing belt. The heater contacts the holder with a second contact amount, that is greater than the first contact amount, in a second span in the longitudinal direction of the heater, where the contact member does not contact the fixing belt.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator and a pressure rotator that is disposed opposite the fixing rotator. A nip former is disposed inside a loop formed by the fixing rotator and disposed opposite the pressure rotator via the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The fixing rotator slides over the nip former. A flange supports the fixing rotator at both lateral ends of the fixing rotator in a longitudinal direction of the fixing rotator. The nip former includes a base and a thermal conductor that has a thermal conductivity greater than a thermal conductivity of the base. The base is greater than the thermal conductor in the longitudinal direction of the fixing rotator. The base includes a groove that is disposed outboard at least from the thermal conductor in the longitudinal direction of the fixing rotator.

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator that is flexible, endless, and rotatable. A heater heats the fixing rotator. A pressure rotator is disposed opposite the fixing rotator. A nip former defines a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. A support supports the nip former. The nip former includes a back face that contacts the support and has a nonlinear shape in a longitudinal direction of the nip former.

A fixing device includes an endless fixing rotator, a heater, a nip formation assembly, and an opposed rotator. The endless fixing rotator is rotatable in a direction of rotation. The heater heats the fixing rotator. The nip formation assembly is disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The opposed rotator is pressed against the nip formation assembly via the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the opposed rotator. The nip formation assembly includes a nip former to contact the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator, maintain a constant thickness against pressure from the opposed rotator, and transfer heat. The opposed rotator is shorter than the nip former in a longitudinal direction of the opposed rotator. The opposed rotator is disposed within an area opposite the nip former.

Fixing device with nip former longer than opposed rotator

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Takayuki Seki