Lexmark International, Inc.

William Alan Menk, Jr

Gregory Lawrence Ream

Jichang Cao

John William Kietzman

Calvin Dale Murphy

John Lemaster

Michelle Kathryn Morris

Mark Kevin DeMoor

Gregory Hardin McClure

Lawrence G Teply

An imaging device includes a fuser having a heater connected to a power source via a switch. A controller generates a heater control signal for driving the heater without synchronizing the generation of the heater control signal with zero crossings of an AC voltage of the power source. The heater control signal changes between a first state indicating for the heater to be turned on and a second state indicating for the heater to be turned off. A trigger circuit receives the heater control signal and detects whether the AC voltage is within a predefined voltage span around zero volts. The trigger circuit generates a trigger signal for the switch when the AC voltage is within the predefined voltage span while the heater control signal is in the first state such that the switch causes current to pass through from the power source to the heater.

Power control for a fuser of an imaging device

A method and apparatus to clear the accumulation of toner particles from a doctor element by periodically reversing a bias field between a doctor element and a developer member. The developer member may be biased to a first electrical potential while the doctor element may be biased to a second electrical potential. The second electrical potential may be higher than the first electrical potential. The doctor element and the developer member may be biased from a single voltage supply and a voltage dividing circuit. A bias reversing circuit may cause the second electrical potential to fall, at least temporarily, below that of the first electrical potential when power from the voltage supply is removed. The bias reversing circuit may also cause the first electrical potential to fall with a longer time constant than that of the second electrical potential when power from the voltage supply is removed.

Periodic doctor element field reversal in an electrophotographic device

A power supply control system for a fuser assembly in an electrophotographic apparatus includes a power supply and a fuser assembly. The power supply includes a first electrical path designated for a fuser assembly that operates at a first voltage and a second electrical path designated for a fuser assembly that operates at a second voltage. The fuser assembly is configured to operate at a select one of the first voltage or the second voltage and is connected to the first electrical path if the fuser assembly operates at the first voltage, and the fuser assembly is connected to the second electrical path if the fuser assembly operates at the second voltage. The first and second electrical paths allow different device features including power limiting devices such as fuses, switches, relays, etc., to be placed in each path.

Electrophotographic power supply configuration for supplying power to a fuser

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

William Alan Menk, Jr