Abstract: A drying device including multiple heating rollers to dry a recording medium wound around the heating rollers while conveying the recording medium is provided. The heating rollers include upstream heating rollers and downstream heating rollers, disposed on an upstream side and a downstream side, respectively, relative to a direction of conveyance of the recording medium. Each of the upstream heating rollers includes an upstream heat source. Each of the downstream heating rollers includes a downstream heat source. The upstream heat source and the downstream heat source have different configurations. The upstream heat source has a maximum amount of current greater than that of the downstream heat source.

Abstract: A conveying device includes a rotator, a drier, and a conveyance direction changer. The rotator winds a web-shaped recording medium around a predetermined region of an outer peripheral surface of the rotator with one side of the web-shaped recording medium facing outward and conveys the recording medium with rotation. The drier is disposed downstream from the rotator in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, to dry and convey the recording medium. The conveyance direction changer is disposed on a conveyance path of the recording medium between the rotator and the drier. The conveyance direction changer has an outer peripheral surface that includes an opposed region opposed to the one side of the recording medium. The opposed region has openings to blow gas toward the one side of the recording medium. The rotator and the drier are disposed at positions not overlapping with each other in a plan view.

Abstract: A conveying device includes a rotator, a drier, and a conveyance direction changer. The rotator winds a web-shaped recording medium around a predetermined region of an outer peripheral surface of the rotator with one side of the web-shaped recording medium facing outward and conveys the recording medium with rotation. The drier is disposed downstream from the rotator in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, to dry and convey the recording medium. The conveyance direction changer is disposed on a conveyance path of the recording medium between the rotator and the drier. The conveyance direction changer has an outer peripheral surface that includes an opposed region opposed to the one side of the recording medium. The opposed region has openings to blow gas toward the one side of the recording medium. The rotator and the drier are disposed at positions not overlapping with each other in a plan view.

Abstract: A recording medium heating device that can heat and dry a continuous recording medium, includes multiple heating rollers, including respective heaters, disposed on a conveying path of the recording medium; and a controller to control the heaters of the heating rollers. In a starting period during which the recording medium heating device is started, the controller sets temperatures of the heaters to starting temperatures where a temperature of a heating roller positioned closest to an exit side of the conveying path is lower than a temperature of a heating roller positioned away from the exit side of the conveying path.

Abstract: A drying device including multiple heating rollers to dry a recording medium wound around the heating rollers while conveying the recording medium is provided. The heating rollers include upstream heating rollers and downstream heating rollers, disposed on an upstream side and a downstream side, respectively, relative to a direction of conveyance of the recording medium. Each of the upstream heating rollers includes an upstream heat source. Each of the downstream heating rollers includes a downstream heat source. The upstream heat source and the downstream heat source have different configurations. The upstream heat source has a maximum amount of current greater than that of the downstream heat source.

Abstract: A device for detecting a state of a liquid droplet discharged from each of nozzles placed in one or more rows, includes a light emitting element to emit a light beam to the liquid droplet from a nozzle in question, and a pair of light receiving elements disposed on both sides of a beam diameter of the light beam via an optical axis to receive scattered light occurring from the liquid droplet for detecting a state of the discharged liquid droplet on the basis of the scattered light. Either of the pair of the light receiving elements is selected for receiving the scattered light from the liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle according to a positional relation between the nozzle and the pair of light receiving elements.

Abstract: A recording medium heating device that can heat and dry a continuous recording medium, includes multiple heating rollers, including respective heaters, disposed on a conveying path of the recording medium; and a controller to control the heaters of the heating rollers. In a starting period during which the recording medium heating device is started, the controller sets temperatures of the heaters to starting temperatures where a temperature of a heating roller positioned closest to an exit side of the conveying path is lower than a temperature of a heating roller positioned away from the exit side of the conveying path.

Abstract: A liquid droplet detecting device includes nozzles arranged in a paper width direction orthogonal to a paper conveying direction to discharge liquid droplets, a light emitting element provided on one side of the paper width direction to emit a light beam for liquid droplet detection, a light receiving element provided on the other side of the paper width direction to receive the light beam, a storage in which correspondence information on each of the nozzles and a scan position of the light beam when discharge of a liquid droplet from each of the nozzles is detected is stored, a controller to allow the light beam to scan according to the correspondence information, and a detector to determine presence or absence a liquid droplet discharged from each nozzle from an output of the light receiving element.

Abstract: A liquid droplet detecting device includes nozzles arranged in a paper width direction orthogonal to a paper conveying direction to discharge liquid droplets, a light emitting element provided on one side of the paper width direction to emit a light beam for liquid droplet detection, a light receiving element provided on the other side of the paper width direction to receive the light beam, a storage in which correspondence information on each of the nozzles and a scan position of the light beam when discharge of a liquid droplet from each of the nozzles is detected is stored, a controller to allow the light beam to scan according to the correspondence information, and a detector to determine presence or absence a liquid droplet discharged from each nozzle from an output of the light receiving element.

Abstract: A device for detecting a state of a liquid droplet discharged from each of nozzles placed in one or more rows, includes a light emitting element to emit a light beam to the liquid droplet from a nozzle in question, and a pair of light receiving elements disposed on both sides of a beam diameter of the light beam via an optical axis to receive scattered light occurring from the liquid droplet for detecting a state of the discharged liquid droplet on the basis of the scattered light. Either of the pair of the light receiving elements is selected for receiving the scattered light from the liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle according to a positional relation between the nozzle and the pair of light receiving elements.

Abstract: A liquid drop ejection state detection device includes a plurality of nozzle sequences configured to have a plurality of nozzles, a light-emitting element configured to emit a light beam incident on a liquid drop from each nozzle of each nozzle sequence, a light-receiving element provided at a position outside a beam diameter of the light beam and configured to receive scattered light from the liquid drop and detect an ejection state of the liquid drop based on an amount of the scattered light, a light-emitting element movement part configured to move the light-emitting element in a direction intersecting with a light axis of the light beam, and an adjustment part configured to adjust an amount of light of the light beam emitted from the light-emitting element.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a conveying unit configured to convey a recording medium; a conveyance stopping unit configured to stop conveyance of the recording medium; a heating unit having a heating plane and configured to heat a part of the recording medium, which part is laid over the heating plane; and a cooling unit configured to cool the part of the recording medium, whose conveyance has been stopped, by applying cooling air to the part of the recording medium from above.

Abstract: Disclosed is a roller replacement auxiliary tool of a fixing unit for extracting at least one of a heating roller and a pressure roller from a replacement opening part formed in a frame of the fixing unit in a shaft direction so as to be replaced. The heating roller has a heater lamp provided therein, and the pressure roller is capable of being brought into press-contact with the heating roller. The roller replacement auxiliary tool includes a protection unit that protects the roller when the roller is replaced.

Abstract: A fixing device that allows simple and safe replacement of heating rollers. The fixing device includes a first lamp holder provided in the inner periphery of a retaining member, and an interlock device for locking and unlocking the first lamp holder and the retaining member. When replacing the heat roller, the interlock between the first lamp cartridge and the retaining member is unlocked to take out the retaining member and the heating roller from the opening of the frame of the image forming apparatus, while leaving the lamp cartridge inside the apparatus.

Abstract: A component replacement support tool for a fusing unit with a roller that contains a lamp cartridge includes a roller insertion/removal guide shaft and a lamp protection member detachably housed in the roller insertion/removal guide shaft. The fusing unit includes a replacement opening via which the roller or the lamp cartridge can be removed from or inserted into the fusing unit along an axis of the roller for replacement. The roller insertion/removal guide shaft is inserted into the roller along the axis of the roller and fixed so as to guide the roller when the roller is removed from or inserted into the fusing unit via the replacement opening. The lamp protection member is inserted between the roller and the lamp cartridge when the lamp cartridge is pulled out of or inserted into the roller along the axis of the roller via the replacement opening.

Abstract: In a fixing unit in which at least one of a heating roller and a pressing roller is provided as a fixing roller and is replaceably supported along the axial direction of the fixing roller, a sliding member is formed integrally to the inside of the fixing roller, so that the sliding member slides on the outer circumference of a roller guiding shaft upon replacing the fixing roller.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fixing unit that includes a heating roller; a pressure roller capable of being brought into press-contact with the heating roller, one of the heating roller and the pressure roller being capable of being extracted along a shaft direction of the roller; and an assist-unit linkage part to which an assist unit for assisting an extraction of the roller is detachably linked and which is provided at a tip end part in an extracting direction of the roller.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a conveying unit configured to convey a recording medium; a conveyance stopping unit configured to stop conveyance of the recording medium; a heating unit having a heating plane and configured to heat a part of the recording medium, which part is laid over the heating plane; and a cooling unit configured to cool the part of the recording medium, whose conveyance has been stopped, by applying cooling air to the part of the recording medium from above.

Abstract: A disclosed fixing device includes a first roller, a second roller, a lubricant application unit applying lubricant to a surface of the first roller, a lubricant control blade being in contact with and separated from the surface of the first roller, so that the recording medium on which the image is formed is sandwiched and fed between the first roller and the second roller so as to fix the image onto the recording medium, a contact angle ? of the lubricant control blade relative to the first roller is in a range between 35 degrees and 43 degrees, and a linear pressure F applied from the lubricant control blade to the first roller is in a range from 0.35 N/cm to 0.5 N/cm.

Abstract: A component replacement support tool for a fusing unit with a roller that contains a lamp cartridge includes a roller insertion/removal guide shaft and a lamp protection member detachably housed in the roller insertion/removal guide shaft. The fusing unit includes a replacement opening via which the roller or the lamp cartridge can be removed from or inserted into the fusing unit along an axis of the roller for replacement. The roller insertion/removal guide shaft is inserted into the roller along the axis of the roller and fixed therein so as to guide the roller when the roller is removed from or inserted into the fusing unit via the replacement opening. The lamp protection member is inserted between the roller and the lamp cartridge when the lamp cartridge is pulled out of or inserted into the roller along the axis of the roller via the replacement opening.