Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressure member, a separation claw which is provided so as to be contactable on a surface of the fixing member and comes into contact with the surface of the fixing member to separate the recording medium from the fixing member at a fixing operation and a moving mechanism which moves the separation claw in a rotational axis direction of the fixing member. The moving mechanism includes a thrust gear having a protrusion on the lower surface of the thrust gear and a thrust cam disposed below the thrust gear having a hole on the upper surface into which the protrusion can be fitted when the fixing device is assembled.

Abstract: Before reading of a document, an image processing control portion makes an image reading portion perform pre-scanning operation, which is scanning operation performed with a document cover open without a document placed on a placement surface, and checks the incident condition of external disturbance light on the image sensor. If it is judged that the incident condition is a predetermined state, the image processing control portion makes a control device perform a countermeasure process to make the room dimmer than it currently is.

Abstract: A fixing device (9) includes a fixing member, a pressure member, a separation claw (47) which is provided so as to be contactable on a surface of the fixing member and comes into contact with the surface of the fixing member to separate the recording medium from the fixing member at a fixing operation and a moving mechanism (49) which moves the separation claw in a rotational axis direction of the fixing member, wherein when the fixing member is assembled, the moving mechanism (49) immovably positions the separation claw (47) at an initial position in the rotational axis direction, and moves the separation claw (47) in the rotational axis direction at the latest when the fixing operation is started.

Abstract: Before reading of a document, an image processing control portion makes an image reading portion perform pre-scanning operation, which is scanning operation performed with a document cover open without a document placed on a placement surface, and checks the incident condition of external disturbance light on the image sensor. If it is judged that the incident condition is a predetermined state, the image processing control portion makes a control device perform a countermeasure process to make the room dimmer than it currently is.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing device, a temperature detection device, a driving device, a printed sheet number counting unit, a fixing voltage power supply, and a control unit. The fixing device includes a fixing member constituted of a heated rotary member heated by a heating device and a pressure member contacting the heated rotary member to form a fixing nip. The temperature detection device detects surface temperature of the heated rotary member in a non-passing area. The control unit changes a productivity in two or more steps from a default setting, on the basis of an accumulated number of printed sheets from start of a productivity change mode counted by the printed sheet number counting unit, and the surface temperature of the non-passing area detected by the temperature detection device, and changes control temperature of the fixing member in accordance with the productivity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing device, a temperature detection device, a driving device, a printed sheet number counting unit, a fixing voltage power supply, and a control unit. The fixing device includes a fixing member constituted of a heated rotary member heated by the heating device and a pressure member contacting the heated rotary member to form a fixing nip. The temperature detection device detects surface temperature of the heated rotary member in a non-passing area. The control unit changes the productivity in two or more steps from the default setting, on the basis of the accumulated number of printed sheets from start of the productivity change mode counted by the printed sheet number counting unit, and the surface temperature of the non-passing area detected by the temperature detection device, and changes control temperature of the fixing member in accordance with the productivity.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressing member, a heat source, a detecting part and a control part. The pressing member forms a pressing area with the fixing member. A sheet is conveyed through the pressing area. The heat source includes a main heating part heating a center portion of the fixing member in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the sheet and a sub heating part heating both end portions of the fixing member in the sheet width direction. The detecting part detects a temperature of the end portion of the fixing member. The control part determines operation timings of the main heating part and the sub heating part based on the temperature detected by the detecting part such that the center portion and the both end portions of the fixing member are heated to a constant temperature.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressing member, a heat source, a detecting part and a control part. The pressing member forms a pressing area with the fixing member. A sheet is conveyed through the pressing area. The heat source includes a main heating part heating a center portion of the fixing member in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the sheet and a sub heating part heating both end portions of the fixing member in the sheet width direction. The detecting part detects a temperature of the end portion of the fixing member. The control part determines operation timings of the main heating part and the sub heating part based on the temperature detected by the detecting part such that the center portion and the both end portions of the fixing member are heated to a constant temperature.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressuring member, a heat source, a heat conducting member, a reflecting member and a contacting/separating mechanism. The fixing member is arranged rotatably. The pressuring member is arranged at an external diameter side of the fixing member to come into pressure contact with the fixing member so as to form a fixing nip, and arranged rotatably. The heat source is arranged at an internal diameter side of the fixing member to emit radiant heat. The heat conducting member comes into contact with an inner circumference face of the fixing member to absorb the radiant heat emitted from the heat source and to conduct it to the fixing member. The reflecting member reflects the radiant heat emitted from the heat source toward the heat conducting member. The contacting/separating mechanism makes the heat conducting member and reflecting member come into contact with/separate from each other.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressuring member, a heat source, a heat conducting member, a reflecting member and a contacting/separating mechanism. The fixing member is arranged rotatably. The pressuring member is arranged at an external diameter side of the fixing member to come into pressure contact with the fixing member so as to form a fixing nip, and arranged rotatably. The heat source is arranged at an internal diameter side of the fixing member to emit radiant heat. The heat conducting member comes into contact with an inner circumference face of the fixing member to absorb the radiant heat emitted from the heat source and to conduct it to the fixing member. The reflecting member reflects the radiant heat emitted from the heat source toward the heat conducting member. The contacting/separating mechanism makes the heat conducting member and reflecting member come into contact with/separate from each other.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a housing, and heating-side and pressing-side heat conservation plates. The fixing member includes a heating member and a pressing member that is in pressure contact with the heating member. The housing includes the fixing member and has openings on upstream and downstream sides in a recording medium transportation direction. The heating-side heat conservation plate opposes the heating member so as to be spaced apart from an outer peripheral surface of the heating member. The pressing-side heat conservation plate opposes the pressing member so as to be spaced apart from an outer peripheral surface of the pressing member. A distance between the pressing member and the pressing-side heat conservation plate is greater than a distance between the heating member and the heating-side heat conservation plate.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a housing, and heating-side and pressing-side heat conservation plates. The fixing member includes a heating member and a pressing member that is in pressure contact with the heating member. The housing includes the fixing member and has openings on upstream and downstream sides in a recording medium transportation direction. The heating-side heat conservation plate opposes the heating member so as to be spaced apart from an outer peripheral surface of the heating member. The pressing-side heat conservation plate opposes the pressing member so as to be spaced apart from an outer peripheral surface of the pressing member. A distance between the pressing member and the pressing-side heat conservation plate is greater than a distance between the heating member and the heating-side heat conservation plate.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a thermally fixing roller, a belt, and pushing means which pushes the belt toward the thermally fixing roller. A nipping region is formed between the belt and the thermally fixing roller. A maximum pressure is produced in an upstream end region of the thermally fixing roller in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, another maximum pressure is produced in a downstream end region thereof in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, and a pressure is produced in an intermediate region, which pressure being not higher than the maximum pressure in the upstream end region and not higher than the another maximum pressure in the downstream end region.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a thermally fixing roller, a belt, and pushing means which pushes the belt toward the thermally fixing roller. A nipping region is formed between the belt and the thermally fixing roller. A maximum pressure is produced in an upstream end region of the thermally fixing roller in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, another maximum pressure is produced in a downstream end region thereof in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, and a pressure is produced in an intermediate region, which pressure being not higher than the maximum pressure in the upstream end region and not higher than the another maximum pressure in the downstream end region.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a thermally fixing roller, a belt, and pushing means which pushes the belt toward the thermally fixing roller. A nipping region is formed between the belt and the thermally fixing roller. A maximum pressure is produced in an upstream end region of the thermally fixing roller in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, another maximum pressure is produced in a downstream end region thereof in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, and a pressure is produced in an intermediate region, which pressure being not higher than the maximum pressure in the upstream end region and not higher than the another maximum pressure in the downstream end region.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a thermally fixing roller, a belt, and pushing means which pushes the belt toward the thermally fixing roller. A nipping region is formed between the belt and the thermally fixing roller. A maximum pressure is produced in an upstream end region of the thermally fixing roller in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, another maximum pressure is produced in a downstream end region thereof in the direction of rotation in the nipping region, and a pressure is produced in an intermediate region, which pressure being not higher than the maximum pressure in the upstream end region and not higher than the another maximum pressure in the downstream end region.

Abstract: A housing accommodating a fur brush and a cleaning blade is pivoted to a position close to a photoconductive drum and at another position far from the photoconductive drum by positioning a positioning shaft. When the positioning shaft is slid for moving the positioning shaft away from a photoconductive drum, an operating member attached to the positioning shaft is put into contract with a pivoting lever to raise the pivoting lever away from the photoconductive drum. Since the pivoting lever is attached to a blade shaft, a cleaning blade attached to the blade shaft is pivoted away from the photoconductive drum.

Abstract: A movable frame member is so mounted on a stationary frame member as to be movable reciprocatingly. A plurality of developing mechanisms are provided on the movable frame member to perform developing in different colors. The same number of toner containers as the number of developing mechanisms are arranged in a fixed manner, and toner feeders for feeding toner into the corresponding developing mechanisms are provided.Each of the toner feders includes a toner conveying device for conveying toner to an upper end portion of a cylindrical member, and a toner dropping passage means for feeding toner conveyed to the upper end portion of the cylindrical member to the developing mechanism. The toner dropping, passage includes an expansion/contraction device so disposed as to extend along the moving direction of the developing mechanism.

Abstract: A vibrating member (3) having an elasticity is provided in which an end (A) is mounted to a rotating part (6) in a toner conveying section (4) and which has a size such that the other end (B) thereof extends far beyond the tip of a blade (5) of the rotating part (6), whereby the rotation of the rotating part (6) causes the other end (B) of the vibrating member (3) to collide with the opening or inner wall of a toner cartridge (1). This collision allows a toner to drop efficiently, prevent the toner from being blocked, and noise to be reduced.