Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Tatsuya Yamanaka

Hirokazu Fujii

Ryohei Tokunaga

Masaru Torimoto

Hiroki Takahashi

Masanobu Maeshima

Koji Kuramashi

Daijiro Ueno

Takashi Kainuma

Eriko Hayashi

A fixing device includes a fixing member, a separating claw, and a moving mechanism. The fixing member heats a toner image on a recording medium while rotating around an axis. The separating claw separates the recording medium from a surface of the fixing member. The moving mechanism reciprocates the separating claw in an axial direction and temporarily stops the separating claw at both ends of a moving range of the separating claw.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressuring member and a temperature sensing part. The fixing member heated by a heat source contacts with a recording medium to heat a toner image on the recording medium. The pressuring member pressures the recording medium to the fixing member. The temperature sensing part in non-contact with the fixing member includes an infrared sensing element sensing infrared rays from the fixing member and a condensing member condensing the infrared rays to the infrared sensing element. Detection temperature of the fixing member is calculated with a sensing value by the infrared sensing element. The detection temperature or control temperature of the heat source is corrected with temperature deference between the infrared sensing element and the condensing member. Heating of the fixing member is controlled with the corrected detection temperature and the control temperature or the detection temperature and the corrected control temperature.

The fixing device includes a charge elimination member, a retaining member, a contact sheet metal, and a first contact member. The charge elimination member performs charge elimination from a recording medium by making contact with the recording medium that has passed through a fixing-and-nipping part. The retaining member has the charge elimination member fixed thereto. The contact sheet metal is held at a specified potential. The first contact member electrically connects the charge elimination member and the contact sheet metal to each other. The retaining member has a hollow cylindrical-shaped positioning boss, and the fixing housing has an insertion hole into which the positioning boss is to be inserted. The first contact member is placed inside the positioning boss and has one end protruded from the positioning boss. The contact sheet metal is placed so as to face the positioning boss.

Fixing device for fixing toner image and image forming apparatus including the same

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a developing device, a transfer portion, a feeding portion, a main body frame, a fixing device, a discharge portion, a recording-medium conveyance path, an opening/closing member, a cover sheet, a cover moving mechanism, and a cooling portion. The main body frame is arranged above the image carrier. The fixing device is attached to the main body frame. Along with opening/closing of the opening/closing member, the cover moving mechanism causes the cover sheet to reciprocate between a protection position for covering a part of the image carrier on a side of the recording-medium conveyance path and a retraction position between the image carrier and the main body frame. At the retraction position, a passage for an air flow between the cooling portion and the fixing device is blocked by the cover sheet contacting the main body frame.

Image forming apparatus

The fixing unit has a housing that has a heating roller and a pressing roller accommodated therein. A temperature detection sensor and a sensor board are provided outside the housing. An image forming apparatus includes a sensor protection tube. The sensor protection tube includes a hollow cylindrical body passing through a side wall portion of the housing. One end of the sensor protection tube abuts a mounting surface of the temperature detection sensor in the sensor board so as to surround a periphery of the temperature detection sensor. The other end of the sensor protection tube is positioned in the housing.

Fixing device temperature sensor

A fixing device includes a heat source, a heat transfer member, a pressure-contacting member, a housing, and a shutter. The heat transfer member is heated by the heat source. The pressure-contacting member abuts on the heat transfer member. The housing stores the heat transfer member and the pressure-contacting member and is formed with a detection hole for detecting inner property from outside. The fixing device heats recording paper passing through between the heat transfer member and the pressure-contacting member to fix a toner image on the recording paper. The shutter opens and closes the detection hole in accordance with supply of the recording paper to a nip part by the heat transfer member and the pressure-contacting member.

A developing device includes a case, an agitating member, a moving mechanism and a detecting device. The case contains a developer inside. The agitating member is rotated in the case to agitate the developer while conveying the developer in a rotation axis direction. The moving mechanism reciprocates the agitating member in the rotation axis direction in accordance with the rotation of the agitating member. The detecting device detects a developer amount contained in the case.

Developing device and image forming apparatus including this

A developing device includes an agitating member agitating and rotating a developer, a developer amount detecting part detecting the developer amount, and a cleaning member being attached to the agitating member to have has an attachment part, a first cleaning part and a second cleaning part and to clean a detecting surface of the developer amount detecting part. The attachment part is formed by an end part of a wire and attached to the agitating member. The first cleaning part is formed by an intermediate part of the wire, and extends from an end part of the attachment part to reach the detecting surface. The second cleaning part is formed by an another end part of the wire, and is constructed by closely winding the wire, protruded to a location in front of the detecting surface and has a greater width than the detecting surface.

Cleaning member, developing device, and image forming apparatus

A toner case includes a main body, a cover, a rotating member, an agitating member, a protrusion arrangement part and a depression arrangement part. The main body has a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, a fourth wall, a bottom board, an opening at an upper side and a toner discharge port discharging a toner stored inside to an outside. The protrusion arrangement part is formed on one of an upper face facing upward formed in the first or second wall and a lower face facing to the upper face formed in the cover. The protrusion arrangement part has a plurality of protrusions arranged in the direction from the third wall to the fourth wall. The depression arrangement part is formed on another of the upper and lower faces. The depression arrangement part has a plurality of depressions, into which the protrusions insert, arranged in the direction.

Toner case and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an attachment member and a toner case. The toner case has a discharge port openable and closable by a shutter mechanism. The shutter mechanism has a first shutter member and a second shutter member. The first shutter member closes the discharge port in a condition in which the toner case is detached from the attachment member, and opens the discharge port in a condition in which the toner case is attached to the attachment member. The second shutter member covers the back side edge portion of the communication port with which the discharge port is communicated in a condition in which the toner case is detached from the attachment member, and exposes the back side edge portion of the communication port in a condition in which the toner case is attached to the attachment member.

Image forming apparatus and toner case

A developing device includes a developing container, a first agitating/conveying member, a second agitating/conveying member, a developer supply member, a supply port, and a supply section. The developing container is separated into a developer supply passage, a first conveying chamber, and a second conveying chamber, which are arranged substantially parallel to one another. The supply section is disposed between the developer supply passage and the first conveying chamber, and through the supply section, the developer is supplied from the developer supply passage into the first conveying chamber. The supply section is disposed upstream from a downstream-side end portion of the developer supply passage but downstream from the supply port with respect to a developer-conveying direction of the developer supply passage, and via the supply section, the developer supply member supplies the developer into the first conveying chamber in a direction opposite to a developer-conveying direction of the first conveying chamber.

Developing device and image forming apparatus including same

Toner cartridge

An inkjet image forming apparatus includes an ink container and a container installed part. The ink container is configured to store an ink. To the container installed part, the ink container is attached/detached along an installing direction. The ink container includes a container case and a shutter. The container case has a lower face to which a supplying port discharging the ink is located. The shutter is located to leave a space from the supplying port and switchable between a closing state covering a bottom of the supplying port and an opening state exposing the supplying port.

Inkjet image forming apparatus and ink container

A toner replenishing device includes a toner conveying portion, a conveying member, a toner loosening member and a swinging member. The toner conveying portion has a vertical conveying portion for vertically conveying toner, and a horizontal conveying portion for horizontally conveying the toner. The conveying member is disposed in the horizontal conveying portion, and has a shaft member and a projecting portion formed around the shaft member. The toner loosening member is disposed in the vertical conveying portion to be swingable up and down. The swinging member is contactable with the conveying member and the toner loosening member. The swinging member swings up and down by a change in a contact portion with respect to the conveying member between the shaft member and the projecting portion, as the conveying member rotates. The toner loosening member swings up and down as the swinging member swings.

Toner replenishing device having a coil spring and spherical member at end of coil spring for loosening toner and image forming apparatus provided therewith

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Osaka, Japan

Tatsuya Yamanaka