Abstract: The fixing apparatus includes a cylindrical film, a nip member in contact with a film inner surface, wherein the nip member extends in a film longitudinal direction; a heater provided in a film hollow portion, a roller forming a nip portion where the recording material is conveyed and heated to fix the image on the recording material; a support member supporting the nip member, wherein a cross section of the support member perpendicular to the film longitudinal direction has a U-shape, and two end portions forming an opening portion in the U-shape support the nip member, an insulation member provided between the two end portions and the nip plate, and a reflection member surrounding the heater between the nip member and the support member, wherein the reflection member reflects the radiation heat of the heater toward the nip member.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a heater, comprising an insulator substrate, a first member, a plurality of electrodes, and a second member. The first member is configured to generate heat on an upper surface of the insulator substrate across a first direction. The first member has a first end opposite a second end. The plurality of electrodes are formed on both the first end and the second end of the first member, respectively, and each electrode is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second member is configured to store heat. The second member comprises a latent heat material having latent heat in a target temperature zone. Furthermore, the latent heat material is fixed to a side surface or a bottom surface of the insulator substrate.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image holding member, at least one image forming unit, a recording medium container, a plate-shaped separator, and an air blowing device. The at least one image forming unit forms an image on the image holding member. The recording medium container contains a recording medium to be fed to the at least one image forming unit. The separator has an opening, is adjacent to the at least one image forming unit in the apparatus body, and separates the at least one image forming unit and the recording medium container from each other. The air blowing device is disposed at the opening provided in the separator. An adjacent space in which the recording medium container is disposed is provided. The air blowing device blows air from the adjacent space toward the at least one image forming unit.

Abstract: A cooling device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes first and second conveying belts facing each other to hold and convey a recording medium therebetween, a first cooling body in contact with the first conveying belt to cool the recording medium, a second cooling body in contact with the second conveying belt to cool the recording medium, a heat dissipating body to dissipate heat of each cooling medium absorbed from the first and second cooling bodies, a cooling medium entering passage to flow each cooling medium from the heat dissipating body toward respective inlets of the first and second cooling bodies, and a cooling medium exiting passage to merge each cooling medium discharged from respective outlets of the first and second cooling bodies and flow the merged cooling medium to the heat dissipating body.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes: a fixing belt wound on a plurality of support rollers including a first pressure applying roller; a second pressure applying roller applying a pressure to the first pressure applying roller and thus forming a nip portion N; a tension modifying mechanism adjusting a tension; a contact area adjustment mechanism adjusting a downstream contact area, which is a contact area of the fixing belt in contact with the first pressure applying roller that is located downstream of the nip portion N; a sheet information obtainer; and a controller controlling an operation of the tension modifying mechanism and an operation of the contact area adjustment mechanism. When sheet information indicates embossed paper, the controller adjusts the operation of the tension modifying mechanism and the operation of the contact area adjustment mechanism to reduce a tension exerted to the fixing belt and also reduce the downstream contact area.

Abstract: A sampling device and a gas curtain guide are disclosed. In one aspect, the sampling device includes a chamber body. The chamber body includes a sample inlet, located at a first end of the chamber body, configured for suction of a sample. The chamber body further includes a sample outlet, located adjacent to a second end opposite to the first end of the chamber body, configured to discharge the sample. The chamber body further includes a gas inflation inlet, in a wall of the chamber body, configured to introduce a swirl gas flow into the chamber body. The chamber body further includes a gas exhaust opening configured to discharge gas so as to, together with the gas inflation inlet, generate a tornado type gas flow in the chamber body, which moves spirally from the first end to the second end of the chamber body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cleaning unit for a transfer roller. A cleaning unit includes a brush roller, a rotatable member, a first blade and a second blade. The brush roller is electroconductive and contactable with the transfer roller while rotating to electrostatically attract the toner from the transfer roller. The rotatable member is supplied with a voltage of the regular charge polarity of the toner and is contacted with the brush roller in a contact position to electrostatically attract the toner from the brush roller. The first blade contacts the rotatable member in a cleaning portion to scrape a deposited matter from the rotatable member. The second blade is disposed downstream of the cleaning portion and upstream of the contact portion and scrape the deposited matter from the rotatable member with the rotation of the rotatable member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, an external-sheet inlet, a waste toner container, a connector, and a conveying roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet inserted through the external-sheet inlet in the feeding path. The conveying roller is mounted on the waste toner container and removable from the chassis along with the waste toner container.

Abstract: To reduce a deviation in a scanning start position in the case where image formation is performed by an electrophotographic scheme in which a scanning speed of laser beam is not uniform on a photoconductor surface. An information processing apparatus includes a generation unit configured to generate a scanning speed profile, which is information about a scanning speed for each main scanning position in an image forming apparatus in which the scanning speed of laser beam is not uniform on a photoconductor surface; and a derivation unit configured to derive a scanning position adjustment amount specifying a distance from a reference position in a main scanning direction of the laser beam to a write start position of laser beam to the photoconductor surface based on the generated scanning speed profile in the main scanning direction.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes a casing, a developing roller, a shaft, a tubular member, an elastic member, and a gear. The tubular member is rotatable about the shaft and is movable from a first position and a second position. The tubular member at the second position is farther from an outer surface of the casing in an axial direction than at the first position. The gear is rotatable about the shaft from a first rotational position to a second rotational position. In case where the gear is at the first rotational position, the gear engages with the tubular member and the tubular member is rotatable together with the gear at the first position. In a case where the gear is at the second rotational position, the engagement of the gear with the tubular member is released and the tubular member stops rotating at the second position.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately setting a range of a charging voltage for electrically charging an image bearing member. A charging roller (2) and a charging power source (S1) are configured to apply a voltage between the charging roller (2) and a photosensitive drum (1) to electrically charge the photosensitive drum (1). A control circuit (13) is configured to set a voltage for obtaining a predetermined discharge current by the charging roller (2) with the photosensitive drum (1). The control circuit (13) is configured to determine, depending on a state of a resistance acting on an electric current flowing between the charging roller (2) and the photosensitive drum (1), at least one of an upper limit or a lower limit of the voltage set by the control circuit (13).

Abstract: A sensor device includes a first physical quantity sensor, a drive section adapted to generate a drive signal for driving the first physical quantity sensor with a drive frequency, a second physical quantity sensor, and an output section adapted to generate an output signal based on a signal from the second physical quantity sensor and a signal having a frequency n times (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1) as high as the drive frequency.

Abstract: A detachable device includes: a detachable member that is provided to be attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body in which a first rotating member is provided and that includes a second rotating member which is brought into press-contact with the first rotating member; a moving member that is provided in the apparatus main body, that holds the detachable member at an attachment position to the apparatus main body so as to maintain a press-contact load between the first rotating member and the second rotating member, and that is movable to a position at which the detachable member is not held by the moving member; and a release member as defined herein.

Abstract: A flange portion of this semiconductor laser element is press-fitted, with a front face of the semiconductor laser element serving as the leading head, into an externally-contacting hole portion of a through-hole in a vertical wall portion. The externally-contacting hole portion contacts an outer peripheral surface of the flange portion. A collimator lens is mounted to a support body before or after the flange portion is press-fitted into the externally-contacting hole portion. The press-fitting of the flange portion into the externally-contacting hole portion is stopped at a position where an edge portion, of the flange portion, on the front face side of the semiconductor laser element rests within the externally-contacting hole portion. The collimator lens is mounted to the support body in a path of emitted light in front of the semiconductor laser element.

Abstract: A belt feeding device includes a belt, a first roller, an opposing roller, a second roller, and a brush roller. (|D2s?D2m|/2)×10???(|D2s?D2m|/2)×(b/(a+b)) is satisfied, where D2m is a minimum diameter of the first roller, D2s is a maximum diameter of the first roller, ? is an entering amount of the opposing roller into the brush roller with respect to a reference line A between a portion of the first roller having the minimum diameter D2m and the second roller, a is a distance between a line passing through a rotation center of the first roller and a line passing through a rotation center of the opposing roller, and b is a distance between a line passing through a rotation center of the second roller and a line passing through the rotation center of the opposing roller.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A rotatable shaft is positioned within the reservoir and has an axis of rotation. A first magnet and a second magnet are connected to the shaft and rotatable around the axis of rotation in response to rotation of the shaft. The first magnet and the second magnet are detectable by a magnetic sensor when the replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. A polarity of the first magnet is oriented opposite a polarity of the second magnet relative to the shaft. An amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet varies depending on an amount of toner in the reservoir.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a roller arranged in a position between a drive roller and an idle roller and downstream from the drive roller in a rotation direction of an intermediate transfer belt while pressing an outer surface of the belt; and a density measuring portion arranged between the drive roller and the roller applying pressure. The density measuring portion optically detects the density of a test patch formed on the outer surface and in a given position of a width direction of the belt. The density measuring portion includes: an optical sensor provided above the outer surface of the belt; and a support member abutting on an inner surface of the belt in a position in which the support member faces the optical sensor across the belt in the rotation direction.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a power supply control unit, a direct-current (DC) power supply, an alternating-current (AC) power supply, and a transfer unit. The power supply control unit controls a first control signal for controlling a DC voltage and a second control signal for controlling an AC voltage based on a condition relating to image formation. The DC power supply outputs the DC voltage based on the first control signal. The AC power supply selectively outputs, with a particular waveform, either of the DC voltage output from the DC power supply or a superimposed voltage obtained by superimposing the AC voltage determined based on the second control signal on the DC voltage output from the DC power supply. The transfer unit transfers a developer onto a sheet using a voltage output from the AC power supply.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing an azimuth angle, i.e., an apparatus for calculating an azimuth angle using an angular rate sensed by a gyro sensor, which has rotated by an arbitrary angle, and an angle of rotation. The apparatus for providing an azimuth angle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention may comprise a rotating member, an angular rate sensor mounted on the rotating member, and a driving unit configured to rotate the rotating member by a first angle. The angular rate sensor may be configured to sense an angular rate of the rotating member. The apparatus may further comprise an azimuth angle estimation unit configured to estimate an azimuth angle of the apparatus based on the sensed angular rate and the first angle.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a storage container, a detection portion, a determination portion, a first calculation portion, and a first notification processing portion. The storage container stores waste toner collected. The detection portion detects that an amount of waste toner stored in the storage container has reached a predetermined reference amount. The determination portion determines, after the detection portion detects that the amount of waste toner has reached the predetermined reference amount, whether the storage container is in a full state. The first calculation portion calculates a set time based on a waste toner increase speed at which the waste toner increases up to a point of time of the detection by the detection portion. The first notification processing portion, when the set time has elapsed since the point of time of the detection by the detection portion, makes a notification regarding a pre-full state.