Abstract: Two aperture members are disposed on each side of a lens array. In one aperture member, decreasingly tapered through holes having a cross sectional area that gradually decreases in a light incident direction and increasingly tapered through holes having a cross sectional area that gradually increases in the light incident direction are alternatively arranged. The other aperture member that is oppositely disposed with respect to the lens array has the same configuration. The center axes of the decreasingly tapered through holes and the center axes of the increasingly tapered through holes are coincident with each other. This enables to achieve an image forming optical element that has a large amount of light and less irregularity of the amount of light.

Abstract: A seal structure in which a sealing member 510 fitted in the seal holding part 120 is elastically deformed to hermetically seal a flow passage joining portion. The seal holding part 120 opening on a flow passage side and including a first retaining surface 121, a second retaining surface 122, and a circumferential surface 123. The sealing member 510 includes a first surface 511 in contact with the first retaining surface 121, a second surface 512 in contact with the retaining surface 122, and an inner surface 513 located inside the seal holding part 510 and tapered to have a diameter becoming smaller from the first surface 511 side to the second surface 512 side. An engagement portion 515 engaged in the seal holding part 120 is formed protruding from an outer surface 514 located on the circumferential surface 123 side and on the first surface 511 side.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that enables the occurrence of print defects due to a first print start time delay to be eliminated without using a temperature sensor that has a small thermal time constant. When the temperature of a fixing belt serving as an image heating body is greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature following the elapse of a fixed time after an image forming operation is started, recording paper is transported to a nip area (fixing area) of a fixing apparatus before the temperature detected by a temperature sensor reaches a predetermined image fixing temperature, and an image forming operation is started immediately.

Abstract: A seal structure in which a sealing member 510 fitted in the seal holding part 120 is elastically deformed to hermetically seal a flow passage joining portion. The seal holding part 120 opening on a flow passage side and including a first retaining surface 121, a second retaining surface 122, and a circumferential surface 123. The sealing member 510 includes a first surface 511 in contact with the first retaining surface 121, a second surface 512 in contact with the retaining surface 122, and an inner surface 513 located inside the seal holding part 510 and tapered to have a diameter becoming smaller from the first surface 511 side to the second surface 512 side. An engagement portion 515 engaged in the seal holding part 120 is formed protruding from an outer surface 514 located on the circumferential surface 123 side and on the first surface 511 side.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus is provided that enables a recording medium that has undergone heat-fixing to be separated smoothly from a heating medium without causing a sheet jam or image disturbance. In this apparatus, there are provided on the guide surface of a separator two step parts raised along the guide surface guide width direction. Recording paper is transported gripped by a fixing nip, is guided so as to come into contact with only the apex parts of step parts, and is separated from the surface of a fixing belt. Thus, a gap is formed between the guide surface and the heat-fixing surface of recording paper guided along the guide surface, the contact area between the heat-fixing surface of recording paper and the guide surface decreases, the heat-fixing surface of recording paper becomes less prone to adhere to the guide surface of the separator, and recording paper is smoothly separated from the fixing belt without causing a sheet jam or image disturbance.

Abstract: A decorative material D having an intermediate resin layer and a surface protective layer comprising a crosslinked resin, the layers being laminated in this order on a substrate 1, wherein the temperature dependency characteristics of loss elastic modulus E? (a measuring frequency of 10 Hz) determined by a dynamic viscoelasticity method of the intermediate resin layer has a peak at least at a temperature under room temperature Tr. Further, it is preferable that the value of storage elastic modulus E? is in a range of 1×107 to 2×109 Pa in the region of the room temperature. Also, it is preferable that loss elastic modulus E? has the peak Pb in the temperature range over the room temperature.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that enables the occurrence of print defects due to a first print start time delay to be eliminated without using a temperature sensor that has a small thermal time constant. When the temperature of a fixing belt serving as an image heating body is greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature following the elapse of a fixed time after an image forming operation is started, recording paper is transported to a nip area (fixing area) of a fixing apparatus before the temperature detected by a temperature sensor reaches a predetermined image fixing temperature, and an image forming operation is started immediately.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus is provided that enables a recording medium that has undergone heat-fixing to be separated smoothly from a heating medium without causing a sheet jam or image disturbance. In this apparatus, there are provided on the guide surface of a separator two step parts raised along the guide surface guide width direction. Recording paper is transported gripped by a fixing nip, is guided so as to come into contact with only the apex parts of step parts, and is separated from the surface of a fixing belt. Thus, a gap is formed between the guide surface and the heat-fixing surface of recording paper guided along the guide surface, the contact area between the heat-fixing surface of recording paper and the guide surface decreases, the heat-fixing surface of recording paper becomes less prone to adhere to the guide surface of the separator, and recording paper is smoothly separated from the fixing belt without causing a sheet jam or image disturbance.

Abstract: An image heating device is operational to estimate a temperature of a pressure roller so as to determine a set temperature for a roller belt in a subsequent image heating period.

Abstract: An image heating device is provided with reduced cost, by which a difference in glossiness among printed images on recording media is eliminated, and the wrapping of a belt and the like at a high temperature is prevented. In the image heating device, controlling means estimates a temperature of a pressure roller according to at least one of a temperature of a belt detected by a temperature sensor and a variation with time in the detected temperature from completion of the heating after application of an electric power to the magnetization coil by an exciting circuit is stopped and the heating of the belt by the heating roller is stopped, so as to determine a set temperature for the belt in a subsequent image heating period.

Abstract: An image heating device is provided with reduced cost, by which a difference in glossiness among printed images on recording media is eliminated, and the wrapping of a belt and the like at a high temperature is prevented. In the image heating device, a controller estimates a temperature of a pressure roller according to at least one of a temperature of a belt detected by a temperature sensor and a variation with time in the detected temperature from completion of the heating after application of an electric power to the magnetization coil by an exciting circuit is stopped and the heating of the belt by the heating roller is stopped, so as to determine a set temperature for the belt in a subsequent image heating period.

Abstract: A fixing device as an image heating device is provided, by which a difference in glossiness is not caused in a recording medium in the axial direction of a pressure roller. When a print request is issued during the end-processing sequence, an electric power applied to a magnetization coil via an exciting circuit is dropped to 0 by controlling means during the start-processing sequence, and after an appropriate interval, the heating with full power is restarted by the controlling means. By so doing, the decrease in temperature at both ends of a fixing belt and a heat-generating roller in the axial direction can be compensated.

Abstract: A laminated filter is fit in a passage space formed in a body. The laminated filter is made of a mesh plate including a mesh part, a first blocking plate including a blocking part, a second blocking plate including a blocking part, and a third blocking plate including a blocking part which are arbitrarily combined and layered. Accordingly, a three-layered mesh part is placed between a main passage and a sensor passage and a blocking wall is constructed of the three blocking parts.

Abstract: A decorative material D having an intermediate resin layer and a surface protective layer comprising a crosslinked resin, the layers being laminated in this order on a substrate 1, wherein the temperature dependency characteristics of loss elastic modulus E? (a measuring frequency of 10 Hz) determined by a dynamic viscoelasticity method of the intermediate resin layer has a peak at least at a temperature under room temperature Tr. Further, it is preferable that the value of storage elastic modulus E? is in a range of 1×107 to 2×109 Pa in the region of the room temperature. Also, it is preferable that loss elastic modulus E? has the peak Pb in the temperature range over the room temperature.

Abstract: A decorative material D having an intermediate resin layer and a surface protective layer comprising a crosslinked resin, the layers being laminated in this order on a substrate 1, wherein the temperature dependency characteristics of loss elastic modulus E″ (a measuring frequency of 10 Hz) determined by a dynamic viscoelasticity method of the intermediate resin layer has a peak at least at a temperature under room temperature Tr. Further, it is preferable that the value of storage elastic modulus E″ is in a range of 1×107 to 2×109 Pa in the region of the room temperature. Also, it is preferable that loss elastic modulus E″ has the peak Pb in the temperature range over the room temperature.

Abstract: A laminated filter is fit in a passage space formed in a body. The laminated filter is made of a mesh plate including a mesh part, a first blocking plate including a blocking part, a second blocking plate including a blocking part, and a third blocking plate including a blocking part which are arbitrarily combined and layered. Accordingly, a three-layered mesh part is placed between a main passage and a sensor passage and a blocking wall is constructed of the three blocking parts.

Abstract: A fixing device as an image heating device is provided, by which a difference in glossiness is not caused in a recording medium in the axial direction of a pressure roller. When a print request is issued during the end-processing sequence, an electric power applied to a magnetization coil via an exciting circuit is dropped to 0 by controlling means during the start-processing sequence, and after an appropriate interval, the heating with full power is restarted by the controlling means. By so doing, the decrease in temperature at both ends of a fixing belt and a heat-generating roller in the axial direction can be compensated.

Abstract: An image heating device is provided with reduced cost, by which a difference in glossiness among printed images on recording media is eliminated, and the wrapping of a belt and the like at a high temperature is prevented. In the image heating device, controlling means estimates a temperature of a pressure roller according to at least one of a temperature of a belt detected by a temperature sensor and a variation with time in the detected temperature from completion of the heating after application of an electric power to the magnetization coil by an exciting circuit is stopped and the heating of the belt by the heating roller is stopped, so as to determine a set temperature for the belt in a subsequent image heating period.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for reading a original line by line, by moving the line image sensor in a direction orthogonal to the line, in which the line sensor is displaced in the line direction in each line to read the image of the original in a checkered pattern of pixels, and for interpolating a pixel in spaces of the said checkered pattern, plural interpolation candidate values for the pixel are determined and one of them is selected according to surrounding pixel values of the said pixel position to be interpolated, thereby reproducing edge portion of the original accurately.

Abstract: A decorative material D having an intermediate resin layer and a surface protective layer comprising a crosslinked resin, the layers being laminated in this order on a substrate 1, wherein the temperature dependency characteristics of loss elastic modulus E″ (a measuring frequency of 10 Hz) determined by a dynamic viscoelasticity method of the intermediate resin layer has a peak at least at a temperature under room temperature Tr. Further, it is preferable that the value of storage elastic modulus E″ is in a range of 1×107 to 2×109 Pa in the region of the room temperature. Also, it is preferable that loss elastic modulus E″ has the peak Pb in the temperature range over the room temperature.