Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Tomohiro Kondo

Kei Ishida

Noboru Suzuki

Yasushi Fujiwara

Yoshihiro Miyauchi

Takuji Matsuno

Kohei Terada

Yasuhiro Torii

Shunsuke Mizutani

Hisashi Tsukawaki

Mariko Niizeki

Takashi Suzuki

Akira Minami

Yoshihiro Oyama

Seiji Hiramatsu

Tatsuaki Mori

Etsuko Fujiwara

A tape cassette includes a cassette case, a tape roll, a print tape wound around the tape roll, a ribbon roll, an ink ribbon wound around the ribbon roll, a recess, an arm portion, and a guide. The print tape and the ink ribbon are conveyed inside the cassette case and the arm portion. The arm portion includes a discharge port to discharge the print tape and the ink ribbon. The guide is provided at a position downstream of the discharge port, on a conveyance path of the print tape and the ink ribbon. A first end of the guide includes a roller members configured to rotate around a shaft extending in the up-down direction. The guide is configured to guide the ink ribbon, by the first end coming into contact with the ink ribbon, to a winding path branching from the conveyance path and toward the ribbon winding spool.

Tape cassette

A tape cassette includes a recess formed on a part of a side wall of a cassette case, an arm portion, a roller partly exposed from the tape cassette, a first protrusion including a first leading end, and a second protrusion including a second leading end. The first leading end and the second leading end protrudes toward first side. The first leading end is positioned on a first virtual line or further to the first side than the first virtual line. The first virtual line connects an exposed part of an outer peripheral surface of the roller with a connection portion between the recess and a wall comprising the arm portion. The second leading end is positioned further to the first side than a second virtual line. The second virtual line connects the exposed part of the outer peripheral surface of the roller with the first leading end.

In a printing device, a thermal head has heating elements and prints an image made up of line images. A memory stores sets of parameters, each set including one of first parameters and corresponding one of second parameters. The controller calculates an average consumed power with respect to a line image subject to calculation by dividing a total amount of consumed power by a period of time set in each first parameter, thereby providing average consumed powers for the sets of parameters. The total amount of consumed power is an accumulated consumed power consumed in the heating elements energized during printing in the period of time including a print timing of the line image subject to calculation. The controller sets a cycle time for printing the line image subject to calculation so that each average consumed power does not exceed an upper limit specified by corresponding one of second parameters.

Printing device provided with thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged therein

A printing apparatus includes: a main body having a space therein, a thermal head arranged on a substrate provided in the space, the thermal head having heating elements arranged along a predetermined arrangement direction; a first conveyor which conveys an ink ribbon along a first conveyance path orthogonal to the arrangement direction, a second conveyor which conveys a printing object along a second conveyance path orthogonal to the arrangement direction and on an opposite side of the thermal head with respect to the first conveyance path, a first temperature sensor provided in a first space on a side of the thermal head with respect to the first conveyance path, a second temperature sensor provided in a second space between the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, and a processor.

Printing apparatus

A printing apparatus includes: a main-body having a space therein; a thermal head arranged on a substrate provided in the space, the thermal head having heating elements arranged along a predetermined arrangement direction; a conveyor which conveys a thermal paper along a conveyance path provided in the space and intersecting with the arrangement direction; a first temperature sensor provided in a first space in the space on a side of the thermal head with respect to the conveyance path; a second temperature sensor provided in a second space in the space on a side opposite to the thermal head with respect to the conveyance path; and a processor configured to: correct an amount of applying energy to be applied to the heating elements, based on first and second temperatures detected by the first and second temperature sensors; and apply corrected amount of the applying energy selectively to the heating elements.

A printing apparatus includes: a main body; a cassette including a cassette case and a printing medium accommodated in the cassette case; an installing portion provided on the main body for installing the cassette detachably; a thermal head arranged on a substrate provided in the installing portion and having heating elements arranged along a predetermined arrangement direction; a conveyor which conveys the printing medium of the cassette installed in the installing portion along a conveyance path orthogonal to the arrangement direction; a first temperature sensor provided, in the installing portion, on a side of the thermal head with respect to the conveyance path; a second temperature sensor provided in the interior of the cassette case or the installing portion; and a processor which corrects an amount of applying energy to be applied to the heating elements, based on first and second temperatures detected by the first and second temperature sensors.

An image forming apparatus includes a process unit configured to form a toner image on a sheet, a fuser configured to heat the sheet passed through the process unit thereby fixing the toner image onto the sheet, a re-conveyor configured to convey the sheet passed through the fuser to the process unit, and a controller configured to perform particular duplex printing including controlling, when a temperature of the fuser is a first temperature, the re-conveyor to convey the sheet passed through the fuser to the process unit in a first period of time, and controlling, when the temperature of the fuser is a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the re-conveyor to convey the sheet passed through the fuser to the process unit in a second period of time longer than the first period of time.

Image forming apparatus, and method and computer-readable medium for the same

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device including a heater and a temperature sensor; a feeding roller configured to feed a recording sheet to the fixing device; and a controller. The controller is configured to: turn on the heater when the controller receives a printing command; cause the feeding roller to feed the recording sheet at a first timing, in a case where the controller determines that a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a first threshold temperature; cause the feeding roller to feed the recording sheet at a second timing later than the first timing, in a case where the controller determines that the detected temperature is smaller than the first threshold temperature; and selectively set the first threshold temperature to a first value or a second value smaller than the first value when the controller receives the printing command.

Image forming apparatus, storage medium and method for controlling image forming apparatus

A fixing device for thermally fixing a developer image transferred onto a recording sheet, includes: a flexible fusing member which is flexibly deformable; a heating element; a nip member disposed in such a manner as to contact with a surface of the flexible fusing member and to allow the flexible fusing member to slide along the nip member; a reflecting plate configured to reflect radiant heat from the heating element in a direction toward the nip member; a backup member configured to nip the flexible fusing member with the nip member to thereby form a nip portion for the recording sheet between the flexible fusing member and the backup member; and a stay configured to support both end portions of the nip member. The reflecting plate has at least one flange portion, and the flange portion is held and supported between the nip member and the stay.

Fixing device

A fixing device includes a tubular fusing film, a heater, a nip member, a backup member, a backup member, first supporting member, and a second supporting member. The heater may be disposed inside the tubular shape of the fusing film. The nip member may be disposed so as to be in sliding contact with the inner surface of the fusing film and heated by the heater. The backup member may form a nip portion between the backup member and the fusing film with the fusing film between the backup member and the nip member. The first supporting member may be configured to integrally support the heater and the nip member. The second supporting member may be configured to movably support the first supporting member so that the nip member moves relative to the backup member.

A fixing device includes a heating element disposed inside a flexible fusing member, a nip member disposed to contact with a surface of the flexible fusing member and to allow the flexible fusing member to slide along the nip member, a reflecting plate for reflecting radiant heat from the heating element toward the nip member, and a backup member for nipping the flexible fusing member with the nip member. The reflecting plate includes a central reflecting portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the heating element at least in a region corresponding to along a heat generating portion of the heating element, and end reflecting portions stationarily provided on both ends of the central reflecting portion. The end reflecting portions are disposed in positions longitudinally outward of the heat generating portion and each has a reflecting surface tilted with respect to the longitudinal direction of the heating element.

Fixing device including reflecting plate with tilted ends

A fixing device includes a heater, a first endless belt, a first back up member, and a second back up member. The first endless belt provides a nip region upon contacting with the heater, and is movable in a first direction. The first back up member provides a first position where the first back up member nips the first endless belt in cooperation with the heater. The first endless belt and the heater provide a first contact pressure at the first position. The second back up member is positioned downstream of the first back up member in the first direction, and provides a second position where the second back up member nips the first endless belt in cooperation with the heater. The first endless belt and the heater provide a second contact pressure at the second position; the first contact pressure is higher than the second contact pressure.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

There is provided a fixing device for thermally fixing a developing agent image to a sheet. The fixing device includes a tubular flexible member, a heater, a nip member, a reflection plate, a backup member, a stay and a temperature sensor. The flexible member has an inner peripheral surface defining an internal space. The heater is disposed in the internal space and is configured to generate a radiant heat. The nip member is disposed in the internal space, the inner peripheral surface being in sliding contact with the nip member. The reflection plate is configured to reflect the radiant heat from the heater toward the nip member, the reflection plate having an outer profile. The backup member is configured to provide a nip region in cooperation with the nip member for nipping the flexible member between the backup member and the nip member. The stay covers the reflection plate and supports the nip member, the stay having a profile in conformance with the outer profile of the reflection plate, and the stay being formed with one of a through-hole and a notch. The temperature sensor is disposed in the internal space and extends through the one of the through-hole and the notch.

Fixing device provided with temperature sensor

A fixing device includes an endless belt extending in a first direction and configured to rotate, a heater extending inside the endless belt in the first direction and configured to heat the endless belt, a first temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the endless belt heated by the heater, the first temperature sensor being disposed inside the endless belt, a second temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the endless belt heated by the heater, the second temperature sensor being disposed outside of the endless belt, and a thermal cutoff disposed outside of the endless belt and configured to interrupt electric current to the heater when the temperature of the endless belt exceeds a specified temperature.

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Nagoya, Japan

Tomohiro Kondo