Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Yutaka Otsuka

Masashi Saito

Satoru Yoneda

Ryohei Matsuo

Toshihito Kobayashi

Hideaki Hayashi

Yuta Tachibana

Yoshiyuki Toso

Naoki Yamamoto

Noboru Yonekawa

Koji Takahashi

Kohei Hayashi

Shoichi Tsuge

Yusuke Mamiya

Masami Miyazaki

Motoki Nakano

Yoshihisa Fujimoto

Shigeo Nakamura

Tomoya Sato

An image forming apparatus may include a pressurization member rotated by a motor in a direction of transportation in the fixing apparatus, of the recording material downstream in a transportation path, a fixing belt that forms, as being opposed to the pressurization member, a nip region where an unfixed image is fixed, the fixing belt being rotated as following rotation of the pressurization member, a support member that is arranged on an inner side of the fixing belt and slidably supports the fixing belt at a position opposed to the pressurization member against a pressure applied by the pressurization member, and a control unit that obtains torque at the time when the motor is driven each time a predetermined condition is satisfied, and determines that the fixing apparatus has reached the end of its life based on variation over time in obtained torque turning from increase to decrease.

Image forming apparatus for determining an end of life of a fixing apparatus based upon obtained motor torque

A fixing device including: a heating rotating body; a pressure member pressed against the heating rotating body to form a nip; a first acquisition unit that acquires a first index value indicating a change in coefficient of friction between the heating rotating body and the pressure member; a second acquisition unit that acquires a second index value indicating a change in rigidity of an elastic layer in the heating rotating body and/or the pressure member; and a controller that executes at least one of two controls according to the index values: a first control during idling rotation after fixing job execution, for controlling temperature of the heating rotating body and time from a start of the idling rotation to an end of the idling rotation and a second control during idling rotation before and/or after fixing job execution, for controlling rotation speed of the heating rotating body.

Fixing device and image forming device

An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device having: a heating member having a heat source; a pressing member; and a fixing member heated by the heating member and forming a nip portion passing through a recording material together with the pressing member; and a hardware processor that: estimates a temperature of the fixing member based on a temperature of the heating member; and estimates a durability state of the fixing member according to the temperature of the fixing member estimated.

Image forming apparatus, method of controlling image forming apparatus, and program

An image forming apparatus has an operating state and a non-operating state with power consumption smaller than in the operating state. The image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device for thermally fixing a toner image on a print material; an execution unit for executing warm-up to heat the fixing device up to a printable temperature for fixing the toner image on the print material, upon power-on or in shifting from the non-operating state to the operating state; and a temperature control unit for maintaining a waiting state to keep the fixing device at the printable temperature or higher, after completion of warm-up or printing. The temperature control unit increases the temperature of the fixing device higher in a waiting state after printing a predetermined number of times since power-on or in a waiting state after the non-operating state for a predetermined time or longer, than in any other waiting state.

Image forming apparatus, control method, and non-transitory storage medium for efficiently reducing operational start time

An image forming apparatus has an operating state and a non-operating state with power consumption smaller than in the operating state. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a print material by heat, a fan for discharging heat from the image forming apparatus, and a control unit for controlling operation of the fan. When a non-operating time from shifting to the non-operating state to shifting to the operating state is shorter than a predetermined time, the control unit allows the fan to operate with predetermined power in the operating state. When the non-operating time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the control unit stops the fan or allows the fan to operate with power smaller than the predetermined power in the operating state.

Image forming apparatus, control method, and non-transitory storage medium

An image formation apparatus includes: a fixer that fixes a toner image onto a sheet by heat and pressure, and includes: a heat source; a first rotary member that is heated by the heat source; a temperature sensing unit that senses a temperature of the first rotary member; and a second rotary member that forms a nip with the first rotary member for applying heat and pressure to the sheet; and a controller that calculates a nip width of the nip in a passing direction of the sheet with use of a rotation period and a rest period of the first rotary member during which the heat source operates, and changes a target temperature of the first rotary member in accordance with the calculated nip width.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus has a fusing unit including a first rotor provided with a heat-generating unit and an elastic layer, as well as a second rotor provided in direct contact with the first rotor, the fusing unit fixing a toner image on a sheet, and a duct for allowing an inlet and an exhaust outlet to communicate with each other, the inlet being adapted to allow a current of air derived from the fusing unit to flow in, the exhaust outlet facing toward the outside of the apparatus. The duct includes an introduction channel for guiding and jetting out air taken in from the inlet, a main channel for guiding the air jetted out of the introduction channel to the exhaust outlet, and a cul-de-sac provided in communication with the main channel at one end and closed at the other end.

Image forming apparatus

A fixing unit includes a first heat source configured to heat a roller, and a second heat source configured to heat the roller. The maximum value of a total amount of heat generated in the second heat source is smaller than that of the first heat source. The second heat source has an amount of heat generated higher in ends of the second heat source than in a center thereof in a distribution of the amount of heat generated in the axial direction. The second heat source has a rate of the amount of heat generated in the ends of the second heat source to that in the center thereof higher than a rate of the amount of heat generated in the ends of the first heat source to that in the center thereof.

Fixing unit and image forming apparatus

In a fixing apparatus, a first detection portion detects a temperature of an atmosphere (a first detected temperature) attained by heat conduction from a heating rotating member for fixing a toner image on a sheet of paper by heating, at a position above the heating rotating member. A second detection portion detects a quantity of infrared rays radiated from the heating rotating member, to thereby detect a temperature at a position below the heating rotating member. A heating portion heats the heating rotating member. A control portion controls heating by the heating portion based on a second detected temperature corresponding to the quantity of infrared rays and the first detected temperature.

Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus in which temperature of heating rotating member is detected in non-contact manner

A temperature detector has: an infrared sensor located so as not to be in contact with a measured object; an infrared transmission filter which is located between the infrared sensor and the measured object so as to block the infrared sensor from the measured object, and through which infrared rays emitted from the measured object pass; and a distance changer for changing a distance between the measured object and the infrared transmission filter, wherein the infrared sensor is provided so as to detect the infrared rays, which have passed through the infrared transmission filter, to detect a temperature of the measured object even when the distance is changed by the distance changer.

Temperature detector, image forming device having temperature detector, and contamination detection method for temperature detector

In a fixing device, having a sheet portion and an inter-sheet portion, heats and fixes the toner image onto each of sheets by rotationally bringing the sheet portion into contact with each sheet. A heating unit heats the fixing unit. A sensing unit senses a temperature of the fixing unit. A control unit controls a duty ratio of on/off of the heating unit based on a sensing output of the sensing unit, determines whether the sensing unit is sensing the temperature of the sheet portion or the temperature of the inter-sheet portion in a rotation cycle, and controls the temperature of the heating unit by using the adjustment value corresponding to the sheet portion or the inter-sheet portion depending on a determination result.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus having improved accuracy of temperature control

A standby state is where a pair of rotating bodies stops rotating, and temperature control is performed so that a rotating body reaches a standby temperature. A fixing state is where the rotating bodies are rotating and temperature control is performed so that a rotating body reaches a fixing temperature that changes in accordance with a setting. An image formation apparatus includes a judgment part for judging whether to transition from the fixing state to the standby state, and a fixing controller for, upon a judgment by the judgment part to transition to the standby state, prior to performing temperature control to reach the standby temperature, causing the pair of rotating bodies to rotate, and performing temperature control so that the temperature of a rotating body reaches a predetermined transition temperature range including temperatures higher than a lowest fixing temperature setting, and lower than a highest fixing temperature setting.

Image formation apparatus and image formation method

To control a temperature of a rotating member for fixing an image during standby, an image forming device can suppress overshoot of the temperature of the rotating member occurred when a fixing state is switched to a standby state. Determining the standby temperature is higher than the fixing temperature (Step S: YES), a CPUcontrols a temperature of a heating rollerto be kept substantially at a first temperature (Step S). After a lapse of first given time (Step S: YES), the CPUstops rotation of the heating roller, a fixing rollerand the pressure roller(Step S). The CPUcontrols the temperature to be kept substantially at the second temperature (Step S). After a lapse of second given time (Step S: YES), the CPUcontrols the temperature to be kept substantially at the standby temperature, and switches to the standby state.

Image forming device and image forming method wherein a standby fixing temperature is higher than a low-temperature fixing temperature

A sheet detection unit of an image forming apparatus includes a light receiving unit including a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a sheet feeding direction. A computation processing unit shifts signals from the elements in synchronization with a sheet feeding speed and makes additions, increases a signal change level, and stores the signals in buffers in a result storage unit. A sheet position determination unit detects a position of an edge portion of a sheet being fed based on distribution of data stored in the buffers.

Image forming apparatus capable of detecting edge portion of sheet being fed

A fixing device has a heating roller and a pressurizing belt which convey the a recording material in mutual contact while fixing a toner on the recording material, a heater which heats the heating roller, a noncontact first thermister which detects a surface temperature of the heating roller in a position located apart from a surface of the heating roller, a pressurizing unit which is placed inside the pressurizing belt, a second thermister which detects a temperature of the pressurizing unit; and a control section which adjusts the surface temperature of the heating roller by controlling the heater on the basis of a detection temperature of the first thermister and a detection temperature of the second thermister. Thus, fixing device is capable of suppressing a temperature difference generated in noncontact temperature detecting sections and obtaining a stable fixed image performance.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Yutaka Otsuka