Abstract: A fixing member heat bonds a toner on a recording material. The fixing member includes a releasing layer, a layer of elastic material, below the releasing layer, and a layer of adiabatic and hygroscopic material, below the layer of elastic material. The layer of elastic material includes a layer of electrically conducting material to pass electric currents, an adiabatic, elastic, and hydrophobic material, and a porous material to the release of the moisture absorbed by the layer of adiabatic and hygroscopic material.

Abstract: An unfixed toner image on a transferring and fixing belt is passed through a pair of toner integrating rollers. A surface side of the toner integrated that is in contact with a paper, is heated by a halogen heater to impart a tackiness required for fixing. As a result of this, a temperature of a surface side of the toner that is in contact with the transferring and fixing belt is not as high as a temperature of the surface side of the toner that is in contact with the paper. Therefore, even if the toner is pressurized, and transferred and fixed at a fixing nip, a difference in an area of the toner is small. This enables to achieve a good image quality.

Abstract: A fixing belt is heated by electromagnetic induction. The fixing belt has a heat generating layer that has a thickness not greater than 40 ?m and a releasing layer that has a thickness not less than 10 ?m. A toner that includes at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a mold releasing agent, and has a glass transition temperature in a range of 35° C. to 50° C. and an outflow-start temperature in a range of 80° C. to 110° C., is used.

Abstract: The fixing unit satisfies following three conditions. That is, (1) 2.4×103×d/(TC×t)<T0, where d is a thickness of the unfixed toner layer in meters, TC is a thermal conductivity of toner in W/mK, and t is the fixing time in seconds; (2) a temperature Ttop of a topmost layer of the toner layer is not greater than the minimum temperature TOFF at which the hot offset of the surface of the first fixing member occurs when the fixing time is set to 1 seconds; and (3) a temperature Tbot of a bottommost layer of the toner layer that is in contact with the recording medium is not less than the lower limit temperature TMIN for fixing of the surface of the first fixing member when the fixing time is set to 1 second.

Abstract: An optical control element is disclosed that can be made small and has a low loss, and is able to provide group speed control and wavelength dispersion of short light pulses. The optical control element is formed from a photonic crystal, and includes a first portion having a first refraction index in the photonic crystal, a second portion having a second refraction index lower than the first refraction index, and a refraction-index-distributed type defect wave guide. A difference effective refraction indexes between the first portion and the second portion near the refraction-index-distributed type defect wave guide, changing continuously or stepwise along a wave guiding direction of the refraction-index-distributed type defect wave guide.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes an image forming mechanism configured to form an image, and a fixing unit configured to fix a toner image formed on a recording medium. The fixing unit includes a fixing device having a first endless moving member configured to rotate, and a second endless moving member configured to rotate to form a nip area together with the first endless moving member to fix, at the nip area, a toner image disposed on the recording medium onto the recording medium with heat and pressure, the second endless moving member including a surface layer having a universal hardness HU and a maximum nip surface pressure P each within a predetermined range.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a fixing device for fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium. A heat source is applied with power for generating heat to thereby heating the heating device. A drive circuit includes a storage capable of being selectively charged or discharged and a charger for charging the storage by being supplied with power from a commercial power supply. A discharging device discharges the storage in a non-use mode in which the apparatus is not used.

Abstract: A surface-emitting semiconductor laser (VCSEL) having a structure in which the single horizontal mode of high power is stably maintained, and an optical device including a light-source device having this surface-emitting semiconductor laser are provided. A scattering-loss-structure portion composed of a low refractive-index region is disposed around a main current path in a surface-emitting semiconductor laser, namely around a cavity structure portion; the low refractive-index region is disposed at intervals; and the shape of the tip portion opposing to the center portion is set to be a tapered shape, for example, at an acute angle. Accordingly, in the cavity structure portion, the loss of light-emitting laser of a high-order mode localized in the outer circumferential portion becomes large, so that a surface-emitting semiconductor laser that oscillates the single-mode laser with favorable performance is constructed.

Abstract: In an optical element, a propagation direction of incident light beam is largely changed and the direction-changed light beam is derived in a desirable direction without increasing a dimension and manufacturing cost thereof. The optical element includes photonic crystal having a refractive index which changes periodically depending on a location of the photonic crystal, wherein an angle defined between a first end face and a second end face thereof is determined in such a manner that a light beam incident upon the first end face at a predetermined incidence angle and having a predetermined wavelength is emitted from the second end face in a desirable direction.

Abstract: An intermediary transfer apparatus for transferring an unfixed image from an intermediary transfer member to a recording medium is disclosed. The intermediary transfer apparatus includes a heating unit for selectively heating a prescribed portion of the intermediary transfer member on which the unfixed image is situated, in a width direction of the intermediary transfer member, the width direction of the intermediary transfer member perpendicularly intersecting the direction in which the unfixed image is conveyed.

Abstract: A fixing device including a fixing belt, a drive roller and a press roller. The drive roller is configured to drive the fixing belt, and press roller is arranged so as to face the drive roller across the fixing belt, and exert pressure toward the fixing belt. The drive roller and the press roller are able to rotate so that the peripheral velocity of the drive roller is greater than the peripheral velocity of the press roller. According to the fixing device image defects, including image difference, are less likely to occur when fixing an image on a recording sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a fixing device for fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium. A heat source is applied with power for generating heat to thereby heating the heating device. A drive circuit includes a storage capable of being selectively charged or discharged and a charger for charging the storage by being supplied with power from a commercial power supply. A discharging device discharges the storage in a non-use mode in which the apparatus is not used.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.

Abstract: A fixing member heat bonds a toner on a recording material. The fixing member includes a releasing layer, a layer of elastic material, below the releasing layer, and a layer of adiabatic and hygroscopic material, below the layer of elastic material. The layer of elastic material includes a layer of electrically conducting material to pass electric currents, an adiabatic, elastic, and hydrophobic material, and a porous material to the release of the moisture absorbed by the layer of adiabatic and hygroscopic material.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.

Abstract: A fixing device for an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an endless belt passed over a plurality of members for conveying a sheet in contact with a toner image carried thereon. A pressing member faces the above members with the intermediary of the belt. A first member, which is one of the plurality of members, constitutes a heating member for heating the belt. A second member, which is another one of the members, faces the pressing member with the intermediary of the belt. A third member, which is another one of the members, constitutes a stationary member facing the pressing member with the intermediary of the belt. The pressing member and first member and the pressing member and second member respectively form a first and a second nip therebetween. The toner image on the sheet is fixed by being sequentially conveyed via the first and second nips.

Abstract: An optical deflection element for splitting light rays in accordance with a wavelength of incident light, includes a photonic crystal having an entrance end face and an exit end face, and having a refractive index which periodically changes depending upon positions thereof. The optical deflection element includes a region in which a propagation angle &thgr;C of the incident light within the photonic crystal changes in accordance with the wavelength of the incident light having entered at an incident angle &thgr;IN into the entrance end face, and a relationship among a wavelength &lgr; of the incident light in vacuum, a lattice constant A of the photonic crystal, the incident angle &thgr;IN and the propagation angle &thgr;C satisfies (∂&thgr;C/∂(A/&lgr;))/(∂&thgr;C/∂&thgr;IN)>10.

Abstract: A fixing device included in an image forming apparatus for fixing a toner image formed on a sheet of the present invention includes a rotatable member and a pressing member forming a nip, which corresponds to a conveying zone, therebetween. The rotatable member and pressing member convey the sheet via the nip for thereby fixing the toner image on the sheet. A heating member heats the surface of the rotatable member in contact with therewith. Part of the rotatable member and part of the heating member contacting each other respectively have a convex shape and a concave shape complementary to the convex shape.

Abstract: In an optical element, a propagation direction of incident light beam is largely changed and the direction-changed light beam is derived in a desirable direction without increasing a dimension and manufacturing cost thereof. The optical element includes photonic crystal having a refractive index which changes periodically depending on a location of the photonic crystal, wherein an angle defined between a first end face and a second end face thereof is determined in such a manner that a light beam incident upon the first end face at a predetermined incidence angle and having a predetermined wavelength is emitted from the second end face in a desirable direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image carrier including a conductive support, at least a photoconductive layer formed on the conductive support, and a surface protection layer formed on the photoconductive layer and including a charge injection layer. Also included is a charge member for charging the image carrier in contact with the surface protection layer when applied with a voltage. Further, the surface protection layer has a diamond-like structure or an amorphous structure containing hydrogen with a volume resistance of 109 &OHgr;·cm to 1012 &OHgr;·cm and a Knoop hardness of 400 Kg/mm2 or greater, and the charging member includes magnetic particles for charging having a mean particle size ranging from 20 &mgr;m to 150 &mgr;m. Also, a light transmission of the surface protective layer is 50% or more of a wavelength of light used for exposing the image carrier.