Abstract: A fixing device includes a motor, a heater, a power supply stopping portion, and a threshold setting portion. The motor rotates a fixing member that fixes a toner image transferred to a sheet onto the sheet. The heater heats the fixing member upon being supplied with power. In a case where temperature of the fixing device exceeds a threshold, the power supply stopping portion stops supply of power to the heater. The threshold setting portion changes the threshold from a first temperature to a second temperature higher than the first temperature in an acceleration period in which rotation speed of the motor increases, and changes the threshold from the second temperature to the first temperature when a deceleration period in which the rotation speed of the motor decreases starts.

Abstract: A main body includes a first opening and a second opening. A first cover member is capable of opening and closing the first opening. A second cover member is capable of opening and closing the second opening. At least a part of a fixing device can be drawn out from the main body via the second opening. A latch mechanism latches the second cover member at a closing position. A release mechanism is arranged at a position that can be accessed from the first opening in the main body and releases the latch of the second cover member by the latch mechanism upon receiving an external force.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a heating portion including a heating source; a pressing portion that presses the heating portion while in contact with it; a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the heating portion and/or the pressing portion; and a conveyer that guides a print sheet with a toner image through a nip portion where the heating portion and the pressing portion are in contact with each other; and a controller that controls the heat source and the conveyer. The controller controls the heating source to set the heating portion to target temperature during execution of a print job, determines a nip width magnitude, on the basis of the temperature variation of the heating portion and/or the pressing portion and heat generation of the heating source by rotating them when the print job is not being executed, and changes the target temperature on the basis of the determination.

Abstract: A fixing rubbing member including a metallic base material having a plurality of first protruded portions on at least one surface, and a resin layer covering a surface of the first protruded portions of the metallic base material, in which the resin layer is provided with a plurality of second protruded portions corresponding to the plurality of respective first protruded portions, on a surface of the resin layer on an opposite side of a side that faces the metallic base material; an apex of at least one of the plurality of second protruded portions is provided with at least one depressed portion; and, when a glass sheet is pressed against the surface of the fixing rubbing member provided with the second protruded portions, at 0.4 MPa, at a temperature of 25° C., a rim surrounding the depressed portion comes into contact with the glass sheet.

Abstract: An image forming device includes: an image bearing member to rotate; a charging member to charge a surface of the image bearing member; a developing member located in a rotation direction of the image bearing member and in downstream of the charging member along the rotation direction, and configured to supply developer to the image bearing member; a driving unit to drive the image bearing member, the charging member and the developing member to rotate; and a control unit, configured to adjust a control timing for applying a voltage to the charging member and the developing member, and control an operating state of the driving unit according to a current state of the image forming device, to eliminate charges in an area on the image bearing member between a position of the charging member and a position of the developing member.

Abstract: An image inspection device includes: an illumination part extending in a width direction of a medium, which intersects a medium transport direction, so as to face a medium transport path, and configured to radiate light on an image formed on a surface of the medium; a reading part configured to read reflected light from the image as image inspection information; and a cooling part configured to cool an entire area of the illumination part in the width direction of the medium.

Abstract: An electrophotographic belt having a base layer and a surface layer on the base layer, wherein the surface layer comprises an organosilicon polymer as a binder and a silica particle as a roughening particle, a content of the silica particle in the surface layer is 2.5 to 20.0% by mass, and when a reflectance of a surface layer side of the electrophotographic belt to light with a wavelength of from 800 to 1000 nm and an incident angle of 0° is measured, a minimum value of the reflectance at the wavelength of from 800 to 1000 nm is 1.5% or more, and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the reflectance at the wavelength of from 800 to 1000 nm is 0.5% or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body including a fan and a duct portion including (i) a first opening from which an airflow blows and (ii) a projecting portion configured to guide the airflow to the first opening, and a process cartridge including a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and a casing including a first side surface in which a second opening is formed. The second opening communicates with a space inside the process cartridge, to which a surface of the photosensitive drum and a surface of the developing roller are exposed. When viewed in a rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum, the first opening and the second opening overlap. In the rotational axis direction, the projecting portion projects in a direction away from an attachment space in which the process cartridge is attached.

Abstract: A molded body contains a resin and a filler dispersed in the resin, in which, in a case where a Martens hardness is measured at 10 locations within a region of 50 mm square on a maximum surface of the molded body, a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the Martens hardness is 200 N/mm2 or more.

Abstract: A heating device including a heater; a flange including a beam, wherein the flange rotatably supports an endless belt; a temperature detector to detect a temperature, the temperature detector disposed inside the endless belt; a lead wire connected to the temperature detector, the lead wire extending from an inside of the endless belt to an outside of the endless belt through an inside of the flange, wherein the inside of the flange is a side surrounded by the beam and the other surface of the flange; a heater holder to hold the heater; and a gap separates the flange from one of the heater, the heater holder, and a stay, when all of the heater, the heater holder, and the stay were pressed toward one side of the flange, and the gap is smaller than a diameter of the lead wire.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an attachable/detachable member, a fixing device, a shutter, an opening/closing interlocking part, and a pressing interlocking part. The fixing device is provided on an upstream side of the attachable/detachable member in a draw-out direction of the attachable/detachable member, and fixes a toner image on a medium passing through a pressurized area formed between a heating member and a pressing member. The opening/closing interlocking part moves the shutter to an opening position when the attachable/detachable member is attached, and moves the shutter to a closing position when the attachable/detachable member is drawn out. The pressing interlocking part moves the heating member in a direction of pressing it against the other when the shifter is moved to the closing position, and moves the heating member in a direction of separating it away from the other when the shutter is moved to the closing position.

Abstract: An electrophotographic roller comprising a substrate having a conductive surface and a conductive layer on the surface of the substrate, wherein the conductive layer is a surface layer of the electrophotographic roller, and has a skeleton comprising polyurethane and an electron conductive filler in the polyurethane, the conductive layer comprises at least one void, and at least a part of an inner wall of the void is configured of the skeleton, and when an electrode is brought into contact with an outer surface of the conductive layer and an AC voltage with an inter-peak voltage of 50 V is applied between the electrode and the surface of the substrate in a frequency range of 0.1 to 10 Hz, an absolute value of a phase delay ? of an AC impedance with respect to the AC voltage is 10 degrees or less.

Abstract: A carrier collecting device includes a rotatable sleeve and a magnet non-rotatably disposed inside the sleeve, and collects the carrier on the image bearing member. A first bias is applied to the sleeve during the image forming operation. A second bias is applied to the sleeve in a predetermined mode during non-image forming. When, a duration of a voltage of a reverse polarity to a charging polarity of the toner is t1, a duration of a voltage of a same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner is t2, and a ratio of t1 with respect to one period (t1+t2) of the AC voltage of the bias applied to the sleeve is a duty ratio, a duty ratio of the AC voltage of the second bias is lower than a duty ratio of the AC voltage of the first bias.

Abstract: A belt driving mechanism rotates a rotating body provided in a rotating device around a transmission shaft, and includes a driving device provided adjacent to the rotating device and a bearing structure supporting the transmission shaft extending from the rotating device to the driving device through the support frame. The driving device includes a housing, a fixed frame, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a belt and a circumference correction part. The housing is fixed to the support frame. The fixed frame is fixed in the housing. The driven pulley is fixed to the transmission shaft. The belt is wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley. The bearing structure includes a first bearing part provided in the fixed frame and the second bearing part provided in the housing on an opposite side to the first bearing part with respect to the driven pulley.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating device, a motor, and circuitry. The heating device includes a belt, a heater, belt holders, a slide aid, lubricant, and a temperature sensor. The heater heats the belt. The belt holders hold both ends of the belt in a longitudinal direction of the belt. The inner circumferential surface of the belt slides on the slide aid. The lubricant is adhered to the belt. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of the belt. The motor rotates the belt in a forward direction to convey a recording medium and a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction. The circuitry is configured to control the motor to rotate the belt in the reverse direction in response to a detection of the temperature equal to or higher than 50° C. by the temperature sensor.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a pressure changing portion which makes a switch between a pressurized state where a pressure region is pressurized and a depressurized state where the pressure region is depressurized. The pressure changing portion includes a support portion, an eccentric cam, and a restriction portion. The support portion moves within a range corresponding to the pressurized state and the depressurized state. The eccentric cam performs a reciprocating rotation while being in contact with or opposing a cam follower. The restriction portion restricts a rotation exceeding a reciprocating rotation range of the eccentric cam. The eccentric cam includes a pressure surface portion and a depressurization surface portion. The restriction portion interferes with a part of the support portion in a state where the pressure surface portion or the depressurization surface portion is in contact with or opposes the cam follower to restrict a rotation of the eccentric cam.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposing unit to expose a surface of the photosensitive member, and a developing member to supply toner with normal polarity at a developing portion. A controller, during a non-image formation when a toner image is not formed on a surface of the photosensitive member, controls such that a developing voltage is changed in a predetermined voltage width by applying a first developing voltage while the area of the photosensitive member on which a first surface potential is formed passes through the developing portion and by applying a second developing potential of an opposite polarity side rather than the first developing voltage while the area of the photosensitive member on which a second surface potential is formed passes through the developing portion, and the controller controls such that the surface potential becomes a side of the normal polarity rather than the first developing voltage.

Abstract: An image forming device, including: a drawer movable from an inside position where the drawer is located inside a housing to an outside position where the drawer is located outside the housing via an intermediate position; a stopper movable between a first position where the stopper stops the drawer from moving from the intermediate position to the outside position and a second position where the stopper allows the drawer to move from the intermediate position to the outside position; a drum cartridge mountable on the drawer; and a toner cartridge mountable on the drawer; wherein the toner cartridge mounted on the drawer is detachable from the drawer in a state in which the drawer is located at the intermediate position, and wherein the drum cartridge mounted on the drawer is detachable from the drawer in a state in which the drawer is located at the outside position.

Abstract: An electrophotographic roller includes: a conductive substrate; and a foamed layer on an outer circumferential surface of the substrate, in which the foamed layer is a surface layer of the electrophotographic roller, the foamed layer has a skeleton including a binder resin, and at least one conductive particle in the binder resin, the foamed layer has a communication structure having at least one gap opening, and extending in a thickness direction of the foamed layer, at least a portion of an inner wall of the gap includes the skeleton, at least a portion of the at least one conductive particle is exposed at the inner wall, a thickness of the foamed layer is 2.0 mm or more, and in the observation of the cross section of the foamed layer by a scanning electron microscope, the ratio of number of pixels of a specific brightness falls within a specific range.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus comprising: a fixing film having an endless shape, a pressurizing member disposed to face the fixing film and configured to form a nip with the fixing film, and a heating member disposed inside of the fixing film, having a facing surface facing an inner circumferential surface of the fixing film, and configured to bias the fixing film against the pressurizing member, and a fluorine grease interposed between the inner circumferential surface and the facing surface, wherein the fixing film has at least a base layer, an elastic layer, and a surface layer in this order, the surface layer comprises a PFA, the surface layer comprises a plurality of spherulites of the PFA, and in an endothermic curve measured with a specific condition by a DSC, using a sample sampled from the surface layer, an endothermic quantity in a temperature rising process is 21 J/g or more.