Abstract: The image heating apparatus includes an endless belt, a connector and a heater including an insulated substrate, a heat generating resistor, an electrode brought into contact with a contact of the connector; and a conductor provided on a surface of the insulated substrate opposite to a surface on which the electrode wherein the insulated substrate includes multiple through holes electrically connecting the electrode and the conductor to each other, in an area in which the electrode is provided, wherein the distances between a position on the electrode brought into contact with the contact and the multiple through holes are substantially equal to each other, so that burning of the through hole and conduction failure caused by the burning can be prevented.

Abstract: To provide a heater that can reduce fixing failure in a paper passing area while suppressing a temperature rise in a sheet non-passing area, and a fixing apparatus including the heater. Resistors are connected in parallel between two conductive patterns that are provided on a heater substrate along the longitudinal direction of the substrate, and resistors are arranged so that the shortest current path of each of the resistors can overlap the shortest current path of an adjacent resistor in the longitudinal direction of the substrate.

Abstract: In an electrical power converter, an input circuit performs switching for converting a supply voltage of a power source to alternating-polarity voltage pulses which are applied to the primary winding of a transformer. Each voltage pulse is controlled (e.g., pulse width or amplitude is adjusted) based on a detected value of current flow in the primary winding, where the value has been detected an even-numbered plurality of voltage pulses previously. Any DC component of current flow in the primary winding, caused by manufacturing deviations between switching elements in the input circuit, can thereby be suppressed, and DC flux bias in the transformer thereby suppressed.

Abstract: A roller for a fixing device includes a foam layer; an elastic layer containing a thermo-conductive filler and provided outside of the foam layer; a middle layer provided between the foam layer and elastic layer; wherein a content of all filler in the middle layer is smaller than a content of all filler in the elastic layer.

Abstract: A voltage detector for detecting a voltage generated in a second resonant coil that is disposed to face a first resonant coil and that performs at least one of electric power transmission and electric power reception to and from the first resonant coil in a contactless manner by means of electromagnetic resonance includes: a first high-impedance element having one end connected to one end of the second resonant coil; a second high-impedance element having one end connected to the other end of the second resonant coil; a low-impedance element connected between the other end of the first high-impedance element and the other end of the second high-impedance element and having an impedance smaller than each of those of the first and second high-impedance elements; and an output terminal for outputting a signal associated with a voltage applied across the low-impedance element.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing an electrophotographic member including a conductive elastic layer having high thermal insulation properties and excellent dimensional stability. The electrophotographic member having an elastic layer which includes a plurality of voids derived from resin microballoons connected to and made open to each other and contains an ion conducting agent.

Abstract: A pressure roller for use in a fixing device includes a core metal, an elastic layer, a releasing layer, and an adhesive layer configured to cause the elastic layer and the releasing layer to adhere to each other, wherein the adhesive layer contains monomer electrolyte.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: an endless belt; a heater, contacted to a surface of the endless belt, provided so that a longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to a generating line direction of the endless belt; and a pressing member for forming a nip together with the endless belt. The heater includes: an elongated substrate; a first heat generating line, provided on the substrate along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, including first heat-generating resistors having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance and being electrically connected in series; and a second heat generating line, provided on the substrate along the longitudinal direction of the substrate, electrically connected to the first heat generating line in parallel. The second heat generating line includes a plurality of second heat-generating resistors having the negative temperature coefficient of resistance and being electrically connected in series.

Abstract: A fixing rotating member configured to, together with a pressure member, pinch and transport a recording material carrying an image includes a base material and a releasing layer, wherein the releasing layer is made of at least one fluorine resin selected from among tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, and tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer, the fluorine resin containing at least one type of polymer selected from among polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, and polymethyl methacrylate, and monomer electrolyte.

Abstract: An electric power supply apparatus includes a choke coil, a switching element, a resonance circuit and a compensation circuit. The parasitic capacitance of the switching element is larger than a predetermined capacitance needed for realizing class E zero-voltage switching. The compensation circuit is connected in parallel with the switching element. The compensation circuit includes a coil and a capacitor, and has inductive impedance.

Abstract: A heater used for a fixing device includes a substrate, first and second conductor patterns formed at either end of the substrate in the short direction of the substrate, a third conductor pattern formed between the first and second conductor patterns and separated from the two conductor patterns, a first heating member disposed between the first and third conductor patterns and electrically connected to the two conductor patterns, and a second heating member disposed between the second and third conductor patterns and electrically connected to the conductor patterns. The heater has both end regions in which the widths of the third conductor pattern in the short direction is smaller than that of a middle portion of the third conductor pattern. The widths of the first and second heating members in the end regions are smaller than the widths of the first and second heating members in the other region, respectively.

Abstract: A pressure roller for use in a fixing device includes a core metal, an elastic layer, and a releasing layer. The releasing layer is made of at least one fluorine resin selected from among tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, and tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer. The fluorine resin contains at least one polymer selected from among polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylonitrile, and polymethyl methacrylate, and monomer electrolyte.

Abstract: A resonance coil of a vehicle resonates with a resonance coil of a power transmitting device via an electromagnetic field to thereby receive alternating-current power output from the resonance coil in a noncontact manner. An inverter receives the alternating-current power, received by the resonance coil, from an electromagnetic induction coil, converts the alternating-current power to direct-current power and outputs the direct-current power to a power line. In addition, the inverter converts direct-current power, received from the power line, to alternating-current power and outputs the alternating-current power to the electromagnetic induction coil in order to output electric power from the resonance coil to the resonance coil of the power transmitting device, and electric power is supplied to the resonance coil by the electromagnetic induction coil.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, and a power control unit. The image forming unit forms an unfixed image on a recording material. The fixing unit includes an endless belt, a heater held in contact with the endless belt, a pressurization roller to form a fixing nip portion for pinching and conveying the recording material together with the heater via the endless belt, and a pressure changing mechanism to effect switching between a pressurization state and a pressure release state. The power control unit controls power to the heater. In response to transitioning from the pressure release state to the pressurization state, the power control unit starts power to the heater during a transition period before the pressurization state is attained and controls power to the heater such that a heater temperature does not exceed a predetermined upper limit temperature during the transition period.

Abstract: A pressing roller includes a metal core and an elastic layer containing a needle-like filler which has an average length of 0.05 mm or more and 1 mm or less and a thermal conductivity of 500 W/(mK) or more. In the elastic layer, pore portions are dispersed.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: an endless belt; a heater, contacted to a surface of the endless belt, provided so that a longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to a generating line direction of the endless belt; and a pressing member for forming a nip together with the endless belt. The heater includes: an elongated substrate; a first heat generating line, provided on the substrate along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, including first heat-generating resistors having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance and being electrically connected in series; and a second heat generating line, provided on the substrate along the longitudinal direction of the substrate, electrically connected to the first heat generating line in parallel. The second heat generating line includes a plurality of second heat-generating resistors having the negative temperature coefficient of resistance and being electrically connected in series.

Abstract: The image heating apparatus includes a rubber layer and a resin tube layer on a metal core. The rubber layer includes a solid rubber layer having a thermal conductivity in a thickness direction of 0.16 W/(m·K) or more and 0.40 W/(m·K) or less, and a self-bonded silicone rubber layer that contains a filler of 5 vol % or more and 40 vol % or less, and has a thermal conductivity in an axial direction of 2.5 W/(m·K) or more and a thickness of 0.5 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, the filler having a length of 0.05 mm or more and 1 mm or less and a thermal conductivity in a length direction of 500 W/(m·K) or more, so that a pressure roller to moderate temperature rise in a non-sheet feeding area when a small sized recording material has undergone sheet feeding can be easily manufactured.

Abstract: To provide a heater that can reduce fixing failure in a paper passing area while suppressing a temperature rise in a sheet non-passing area, and a fixing apparatus including the heater. Resistors are connected in parallel between two conductive patterns that are provided on a heater substrate along the longitudinal direction of the substrate, and resistors are arranged so that the shortest current path of each of the resistors can overlap the shortest current path of an adjacent resistor in the longitudinal direction of the substrate.

Abstract: Provided is an objective lens including a diffraction portion provided on a laser beam incident plane or output plane. The diffraction portion includes first second, and third diffraction regions, wherein first laser beams corresponding to a first optical disc having a first transmissive layer are condensed on a data recording portion of the first optical disc, second laser beams corresponding to a second optical disc having a second transmissive layer thicker than the first transmissive layer are condensed on a data recording portion of the second optical disc, and third laser beams corresponding to a third optical disc having a third transmissive layer thicker than the second transmissive layer are condensed on a data recording portion of the third optical disc. An evaluation parameter calculated on the basis of an in-plane efficiency distribution function has a value corresponding to a symbol error rate that is less than a predetermined value.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: an endless belt; a heater, contacted to a surface of the endless belt, provided so that a longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to a generating line direction of the endless belt; and a pressing member for forming a nip together with the endless belt. The heater includes: an elongated substrate; a first heat generating line, provided on the substrate along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, including first heat generating resistors having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance and being electrically connected in series; and a second heat generating line, provided on the substrate along the longitudinal direction of the substrate, electrically connected to the first heat generating line in parallel. The second heat generating line includes a plurality of second heat generating resistors having the negative temperature coefficient of resistance and being electrically connected in series.