Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Tatsuo Ogasawara

Tomonori Watanabe

Kenji Takeuchi

Hiroshi Handa

Shuhei Fukue

Hiroki Mori

Kazuna Taguchi

Yasuo Fukamachi

Tokifumi Tanaka

Takuji Matsuno

Yasumasa Fujii

Fumio Morita

Hirotaka Imaeda

Satoru Ishikawa

Satoru Hattori

Mingguang Zhang

Hirofumi Sato

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt, a holder holding the nip forming member, a first stay supporting the holder, an urging member urging the first stay toward the rotator, a second stay, and a connector. The nip forming member is configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip. The first stay extends in a width direction parallel to the rotation axis. The second stay is positioned upstream of the first stay in a moving direction of the belt at the nip. The moving direction is perpendicular to the width direction. The connector extends through at least one of the first stay and the second stay to connect the first stay to the second stay.

Device including rotator and belt, such as a fixing device for an image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a first fixing member, a second fixing member, and a controller. The second fixing member includes a first nip forming member and a second nip forming member each configured to nip an endless belt in combination with the first fixing member to form a nip region. A first end face on a first-fixing-member side of the first nip forming member is located closer, than a second end face on a first-fixing-member side of the second nip forming member, to the first fixing member. The controller is capable of executing a first printing process performed in a nip region formed between each of the first nip forming member and the second nip forming member and the first fixing member, and a second printing process performed in a nip region formed between only the first fixing member and the first fixing member.

Image forming apparatus including a fixing device comprising a first nip pad and second nip pad and method for controlling image forming apparatus

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt, a first stay surrounded by the belt and extending in a width direction parallel to the rotation axis, a holder holding the nip forming member, and an urging member urging the first stay toward the rotator. The nip forming member is configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip. The first stay includes a first end and a second end. The holder includes a first engaging portion positioned at a first end of the holder, and a second engaging portion positioned at a second end of the holder. The first engaging portion engages the first end of the first stay. The second engaging portion engages the second end of the first stay.

Device including rotator and belt, such as a fixing unit for an image forming apparatus

In a fixing device, an endless belt is nipped between a roller and a nip-forming member, and a sheet is conveyed through a first nip region formed between the endless belt and the roller by the nip-forming member. A pair of conveyor rollers located downstream of the first nip region in a sheet conveyance direction are configured to convey the sheet through a second nip region formed therebetween. A sheet guide located between the roller and the pair of conveyor rollers includes a first guide which in a plane perpendicular to a rotation axis of the roller, intersects with a line tangent to an outer cylindrical surface of the roller at a downstream end of the first nip region, while an extension line of the first guide intersects with a line segment connecting the downstream end of the first nip region to an upstream end of the second nip region.

Fixing device

A fixing device includes a roller having a rotation axis, and a belt unit that conveys a sheet in combination with the roller. The belt unit includes an endless belt, a nip forming member that forms a nip in combination with the roller, and an upstream belt guide. The fixing device further includes a chute having a guide surface configured to guide the sheet toward the nip. In a section orthogonal to the rotation axis, a line segment connecting a downstream end of the guide surface and an upstream end of the nip does not intersect the upstream belt guide, and an extended line extended from the downstream end of the guide surface along the guide surface toward the roller intersects a surface of the roller at a position upstream of an upstream end of the nip.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

In a fixing device, a pressure unit is pressed toward a roller by an arm, to form a nip region. The pressure unit includes a belt configured to contact the roller in a nip region, a pressure pad configured to press the belt in combination with the roller, and a side guide including an end guide surface configured to guide a side end of the belt, and a stay configured to support the pressure pad. A supporting member is located on an outer side of the side guide that is opposite to an inner side on which the end guide surface faces. The supporting member is held between the stay and the arm, the supporting member comprising a contact surface which contacts the side guide and on which the side guide is swayably supported.

Fixing device with supported side guide

An image forming apparatus includes: a heating unit; a pressure roller; a first frame supporting the heating unit; a second frame engaging the first frame; a first gear; a second gear; and a fixing member. The second frame supports a shaft portion of the pressure roller. The first gear is provided at one end of the shaft portion and rotatable with the pressure roller. The second gear engages the first gear and transmits a drive force to the first gear. The fixing member has a first portion engaging the shaft portion and a second portion engaging the second frame. At least a part of the first portion engages the shaft portion at a position on a downstream side of the shaft portion in a second direction in which the shaft portion receives a force upon transmission of the drive force.

Image forming apparatus provided with fixing member engaged to roller and frame

A fixing device includes a frame including a joint, a first rotary body and supported at the frame, a second rotary body, a spring with one end connected to the frame, a support arm connected to the joint, the second rotary body, and another end of the spring, a cam pivotably connected to one of the frame and the support arm, and a receiving member. The cam includes a first cam portion, and a second cam portion located at a different point from the first cam portion in the axial direction and having a radial distance from the pivot axis smaller than a radial distance of the first cam portion from the pivot axis. The receiving member includes a first receiving surface and a second receiving surface, the second receiving surface having a different surface height than the first receiving surface in a radial direction from the pivot axis.

Cam having multiple contact states for an apparatus

A fuser includes: a rotating body; a roller configured to convey a sheet in a conveyance direction; a pair of bearings supporting the roller; one side frame made of a resin, supporting one of the pair of bearings; another side frame supporting the other of the pair of bearings, and arranged at a distance from the one side frame in the axial direction; and a center frame made of a metal, including a main-body portion arranged on an opposite side of the rotating body with respect to the roller. One end portion in the axial direction of the main-body portion includes a first fixing portion which is fixed to the one side frame, and a second fixing portion which is arranged on an upstream side of the first fixing portion in the conveyance direction, and is fixed to the one side frame.

Fuser having resin frame and metal frame

Image forming apparatus provided with heating unit and pressure roller

A cartridge for accommodating developer includes a detected member configured to be detected by an external first sensor, and a drive-force transmission member configured to transmit a drive force to the detected member upon receipt of the drive force from outside. The detected member is configured to rotate in a first direction about a first rotational axis extending in an axial direction. The detected member includes: a receiving part configured to contact the drive-force transmission member to receive the drive force therefrom; and a first detected part. A portion of the first detected part and a portion of the receiving part are arranged at the same position as each other in the axial direction.

Cartridge and image forming device

An image forming apparatus includes: a body of the image forming apparatus; and a cartridge installable with respect to the body, wherein the cartridge includes a developer accommodating portion accommodating a developer; a developing portion supporting a developer holding member holding the developer thereon; and a shutter configured to be movable between an open position at which the shutter opens a communication port and a closed position at which the shutter closes the communication port. The body includes a detecting section detecting a state of the cartridge which changes as the cartridge is used, and a judging section judging whether or not a cartridge exchange timing for exchanging the cartridge has arrived, based on the state of the cartridge detected by the detecting section; and the shutter moves to the closed position under a condition that the judging section judges that the cartridge exchange timing has arrived.

Growing community of inventors

Kasugai, Japan

Tatsuo Ogasawara