Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Tomohiro Maeda

Toshiaki Kagawa

Toyoaki Nanba

Kento Ogawa

Toyoka Aimoto

Nobuhiro Maezawa

Shogo Yokota

Masashi Hitotsuya

An information processing method includes a presenting step, an obtaining step, and a connecting step. The presenting step is a step of presenting candidate information regarding candidates for an access point to a user via a terminal device communicable with an electronic device. Each of the candidate has a communication standard to which the electronic device conforms. The obtaining step is a step of obtaining, from the terminal device, connection information to be used in wireless communication connection with an access point corresponding to one connection destination candidate selected by the user using the terminal device from connection destination candidates based on the candidate information. The connecting step is a step of establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point corresponding to the one connection destination candidate with reference to the connection information obtained at the obtaining step.

Information processing method, recording medium, electronic device, information processing system, and terminal device

A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt capable of rotational movement, a pressure roller that presses from the outside of the fixing belt, a nip forming member that is arranged on an inner circumference surface side of the fixing belt and forms a fixing nip region between the fixing belt and the pressure roller, a support member that supports the nip forming member from an opposite side to the fixing nip region, and a slide sheet provided between the fixing belt and the nip forming member. The support member includes two support portions. The slide sheet is fixed between the two support portions.

Fixing device provided with slide sheet fixed between support portions and image forming device including fixing device

A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt capable of rotational movement, a pressure member that presses from the outside of the fixing belt, a nip forming member arranged on the inner circumference surface side of the fixing belt and forms a fixing nip region between the fixing belt and the pressure member, and a support member supporting the nip forming member from the side opposite to the fixing belt. The support member includes a first support portion and a second support portion. The first support portion supports the nip forming member. The second support portion stands from the surface of the first support portion opposite to the nip forming member so that the center portion in the conveying direction of the recording medium is located at the downstream side of the center portion of the fixing nip region in the conveying direction and within the fixing nip region.

Fixing device including supporting member supporting nip forming member from side opposite to fixing belt and image forming device including the fixing device

A fixing device includes an endless fixing film that can revolve, a contact member that comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixing film, a pressure roller that press-contacts the fixing film from an outside of the fixing film toward the contact member to form a fixing nip area between the fixing film and the pressure roller, a heater that heats the fixing film, and a reflective member that reflects light emitted from the heater toward the fixing film. A protective member that allows irradiation of the light to the fixing film is provided between the heater and the fixing film.

Fixing device capable of preventing foreign matter from contacting a heater

A recording sheet has an unfixed toner image that is formed thereon, and is conveyed to a fixing device. A surface reforming device of the fixing device performs surface reformation for the surface of the toner on the recording sheet by, for example, plasma irradiation or the like, thereby generating a polar group of a hydrophilic property on the surface of the toner. Next, the recording sheet is conveyed to a laser irradiation portion by a recording sheet conveyance device to be irradiated with a laser, in which the toner is fused to be fixed to the recording sheet. The toner on the recording sheet is subjected to surface reforming treatment, thus having increased affinity (adhesion force) with the recording sheet, so that it is possible to secure favorable fixability without pressing.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus including the same

To provide an image forming apparatus in which multiple number of laser beams are controlled to perform fixing based on the toner concentration in the developing device, or based on the density and weight of the toner image adhering on the recording medium before fixing. The controller in the image forming apparatus compares the toner concentration detected by the toner concentration detector with the reference toner concentration, calculates the output level of the laser irradiator, controls the laser irradiator based on the calculation, controls to increase the output level of the laser irradiator in accordance with the detected toner concentration when the toner concentration is lower than the reference toner concentration, and controls to lower the output level of the laser irradiator in accordance with the detected toner concentration when the toner concentration is higher than the reference toner concentration.

Image forming apparatus with toner based control

A laser fusing apparatus including: a laser light source for emitting a laser beam; a conveyance belt for conveying a sheet with a toner image being transferred thereon and guiding the sheet to an irradiation region in which the toner image is to be irradiated with the laser light source; a heat pipe including a heat receiving portion to receive heat generated by the laser light source and a heat releasing portion to supply the received heat to the conveyance belt; and a fuser control section for controlling the laser light source so that the laser light source irradiates the laser beam to the toner image when the toner image passes the irradiation region, thereby fixing the toner image onto the sheet, wherein the conveyance belt heats the sheet and the toner image with the heat supplied from the heat radiation section.

Laser fusing apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with the same

An optical fixing device is provided that is capable of improving fixability as well as improving smoothness of an image on a recording medium that is formed after fixing, and forming a high-quality image of high gloss level. An optical fixing device includes a recording sheet fixing conveyance section that conveys a recording sheet on which a toner image is formed; a laser irradiation section that irradiates with light the toner image formed on the recording sheet that is conveyed by the recording sheet fixing conveyance section; and a pressurizing section that is disposed on a downstream side in a conveyance direction of the recording sheet from the light irradiation section and pressurizes the toner image on the recording sheet after irradiation of light by the light irradiation section.

Optical fixing device and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a laser light source for irradiating an unfixed toner image formed on a recording sheet, and melts a toner by light from the laser light source to fix the toner image on the recording sheet. Here, where a conveyance speed of the recording sheet is p, a length of a light irradiation area in a conveyance direction of the recording sheet is q, time during which the toner of the unfixed image is subjected to light during conveyance is r, and energy per unit area given to the toner of the unfixed image is J, light output of the laser light source is controlled so that the energy during a constant time rfrom the start of a time r is differentiated from the energy during a time runtil the end of the time r after the elapse of the r

Fixing device and image forming appartus

In a fixing device, the surface of the recording paper carrying belt passes through a position satisfying a relation:

Laser fixing device and image forming apparatus including the same

A fixing device irradiates an unfixed toner image formed on the recording paper that is conveyed by an endless belt for conveying recording paper, with laser light so as to fuse the toner and fix the toner image. The fixing device includes a controller which makes such control as to convey the recording paper so as to pass through the position of the focal point of the laser light and bring the surface of the endless belt away from the position of the focal point of the laser light when conveyance of the recording paper is stopped.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, fixing device control method, control program and recording medium

The development device of this invention includes a developer bearing member, a magnet, and a developer regulation member. The magnet is fixedly disposed within the interior of the developer bearing member. The developer regulation member includes at least a magnetic member. And the thickness of this magnetic member along the rotational direction of the developer bearing member is between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm inclusive. Moreover, if the distance over the developer bearing member, from the position thereupon which the center of the magnetic member along the rotational direction opposes, to the position thereupon at which the magnetism of that magnetic pole which is disposed closest to that position is a maximum, is termed L (mm), and the diameter of the developer bearing member is termed D (mm), then the magnetic member is disposed within the range in which the relationship 0&#x2266;L/D&#x2266;0.044 holds.

Development device and image forming apparatus

In an external heating type induction heating device in which a magnetic field producing means is arranged in the outer circumferential portion of a heating roller, two heat generating layers, namely a conductive shaftand a surface heat generating layer, are provided in the heating roller, and the surface heat generating layeris formed having a thickness through which passes a portion of an alternating magnetic field, and the conductive shaftat a center of the heating rolleris heated by a portion of the alternating magnetic field produced by the magnetic field producing means passing through the surface heat generating layerto link to the conductive shaftpresent at the center of the roller, thereby preventing a drop in a surface temperature of the heating roller

Induction heating device and image forming apparatus equipped with such induction heating device

A fixing apparatus includes an external heating device which has a halogen lamp and is disposed on the outer surface of a fixing member so that a nip area is provided between the external heating device and the fixing member. A temperature difference between a surface temperature of the external heating device and a surface temperature of the fixing member is controlled in accordance with a length of the nip area in a direction of transport of the recording paper, so that the surface temperature of the fixing roller is maintained to fall within a temperature range in which offset does not occur, the offset being a phenomenon in which part of a toner formed on the recording paper sticks onto the surface of the fixing roller.

Fixing apparatus having a fixing member and an external heating device, and image forming apparatus including the same

For start of rotation of a fixing roller that is not currently being rotated, a control device causes a halogen lamp to heat an endless belt until a thermistor detects that a surface temperature of the endless belt has reached a first target temperature set at a temperature at which the endless belt is softened and is restored to its normal shape, from a deformed shape that the endless belt had while it was not rotated, to such an extent that the endless belt will never cause any rotation trouble during the rotation. This prevents the rotation trouble of the belt in a fixing apparatus in which a fixing member is heated by bringing the thus heated belt into contact with the fixing member.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Tomohiro Maeda