Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a heater including a heating element, a fixing belt having a surface to which a lubricant is applied and contacting the heater through the lubricant, and a pressing roller capable of pressing and rotating the fixing belt, a power supply configured to supply electric power to the heating element, a first thermometer configured to measure temperature of the heating element, and a controller configured to determine a first amount of electric power to be supplied to the heating element based on the temperature of the heating element, and control the power supply to supply the determined first amount of electric power to the heating element, before controlling the pressing roller to start rotation.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a fixing unit including a fixing belt, and a heater configured to heat the fixing belt and including a substrate and a heating layer that is formed on the substrate, and a controller configured to, upon detecting an absence of a current flowing through the fixing belt, control the heater to not generate heat.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit for transferring a toner image onto a sheet, a fixing device for fixing the image, the fixing device including a belt, a pressure element for pressing against the belt, a heating member on the belt including a heat generating element and electrodes on both sides of the heat element in a sheet conveyance direction and connected to the heat element, and an adjustment mechanism for moving one of the heating member and the pressure element in a manner to move the one closer to or away from the other, and a controller for controlling the adjustment mechanism so that a distance between the heating member and the pressure element becomes a first distance during a fixing process and a second distance larger than the first distance during temperature raising of the heating member, which is conducted before the fixing process.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a fixing belt having a surface to which a lubricant is applied, a heater contacting the surface and including heating elements arranged along a width direction of the belt and including first end second end heating elements and a central heating element, and a pressing roller capable of pressing and rotating the belt, a power supply configured to supply power to the heating elements, and a controller configured to determine a first amount of power to be supplied to the central heating element and a second amount of power to be supplied to each end heating element such that the first amount is greater than the second amount, and control the power supply to supply the first and second amounts to the central heating element and each end heating element before controlling the pressing roller to rotate.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a belt, a roller, a heater, a reflector board, a stay, and a thermally-conductive member. The belt is rotatable in a rotational direction. The roller is positioned to be in contact with an outer surface of the belt so as to form a nip between the roller and the belt. The heater is configured to heat an inner surface of the belt. The reflector board is configured to reflect heat generated by the heater toward the inner surface of the belt. The stay is in contact with the reflector board. The thermally-conducive member is thermally connected between the belt and at least one of the reflector board and the stay. The thermally-conducive member includes a first portion that is in contact with the belt at a first region downstream with respect to the nip in the rotational direction.

Abstract: A fixing device which heats an image formed on a sheet to fix the image thereon, includes a cylindrical film supported in a rotatable manner and having an outer circumferential surface that comes into contact with the sheet, and a heater unit provided in an inner space of the cylindrical film to heat an inner circumferential surface thereof. The heater unit includes a plurality of first heating elements disposed along a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical film, and a first temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of one of the plurality of first heating elements. The plurality of first heating elements and the first temperature sensor are connected in series by a first wiring.

Abstract: A heating device includes a rotatable film, a heater including a substrate that extends along a first direction, and a heater element on the substrate and facing the film, a heat conductor having first and second surfaces and including a first portion contacting the substrate, and a second portion that is adjacent to the first portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and does not contact the substrate, and a temperature sensing element on the second surface at a position corresponding to the second portion. A thickness of the first portion from the first surface to the second surface is greater than a thickness of the second portion from the first surface to the second surface.

Abstract: A heating apparatus includes a cylindrical film and a pressing element that rotates with the cylindrical film and forms a nip with the cylindrical film. A medium is conveyed through the nip from an upstream side to a downstream side. The heating apparatus further includes a guide member arranged inside the cylindrical film and including a first end portion that contacts the cylindrical film at a location that is downstream of an upstream end of the nip, and a substrate arranged inside the cylindrical film and on which a heating element is disposed. An upstream end of the substrate is located downstream of the first end portion of the guide member.

Abstract: A fixing unit or device that can be used in an image forming apparatus includes a first heater element that is formed of a material that increases in electrical resistance with increases in temperature. A controller of the fixing unit is configured to vary a duty ratio of electric power applied to the first heater element during a start-up operation in which the temperature of the first heater element is raised to a target operating temperature. By varying the duty ratio during the start-up operation, changes in the resistance of the first heater element with the heating can be compensated. For example, the duty ratio can be increased during the course of the start-up to achieve the target operating temperature faster.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a fixing unit including a heater and a fixing belt. The fixing belt is electrically connected between a first power source and a ground terminal. A controller is configured to control the heater to heat the fixing belt. The controller is further configured to determine whether a current is flowing through the fixing belt and, upon determining that a current is not flowing through the fixing belt, control the heater not to heat the fixing belt.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a heater unit includes a substrate. A first heating element is on a first side of the substrate. A second heating element is on a second side of the substrate. A first wiring is on the first side of the substrate and connected to the first heating element. A first electrode is on the first side of the substrate and connected to the first heating element. A second wiring is on the second side of the substrate and connected to the second heating element. A second electrode is on the second side of the substrate and connected to the second heating element via the second wiring. A portion of the second heating element overlaps a first portion of the first heating element.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a fixing device with a heating element to heat a sheet. A controller is configured to control electric power supplied to the heating element based on a prior use metric. The controller reduces the electric power supplied to the heating element during a startup period if an electric power level supplied from a power supply is equal to or greater than a threshold value and the prior use metric is equal to or greater than a reference value.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, the information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit, a derivation unit, and a determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires voltage information indicating a voltage applied to a heat generation unit that heats a sheet in an image forming apparatus. The derivation unit derives a fluctuation range in the voltage indicated by the voltage information acquired by the acquisition unit. The determination unit determines whether or not there is an indication of a malfunction in the heat generation unit using the fluctuation range derived by the derivation unit and a reference fluctuation range.

Abstract: A heating device includes a substrate having first and second surfaces, a plurality of heating elements each disposed in one of a central region and end regions of the first surface of the substrate, a heat conductor layer on the second surface of the substrate, a plurality of thermometers arranged on the heat conductor layer and each configured to measure a temperature of one of the central region and the end regions, and a plurality of thermostats arranged on the heat conductor layer and each configured to measure the temperature of one of the central region and the end regions and interrupt electrical power supplied to the heating element disposed in said one of the central region and the end regions when the measured temperature exceeds a predetermined value. The thermometers and the thermostats are alternately arranged on the heat conductor along a longitudinal direction of the heat conductor layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of an embodiment includes an image forming unit, a waste toner collection container, a paddle motor, and a controller. The controller acquires a replenishment amount for each toner cartridge, when the image forming component is replenished with the toner from the plurality of toner cartridges, sets a coefficient for each replenishment amount of the toner cartridges, at least one of each set coefficient is different from the others, each of the replenishment amount is corrected by each coefficient, and drives the paddle motor according to a cumulative amount of each corrected replenishment amount.

Abstract: A heater is to face a pressure element via a belt and is to heat the belt. The pressure element sandwiches and conveys a sheet together with the belt. The heater includes a substrate, a heat generating element, and a protective layer. The heat generating element is on the substrate. The protective layer covers the heat generating element and the substrate and whose surface is concave with respect to the pressure element. In the protective layer, a curvature of a top surface of an upstream end in a conveyance direction of the sheet is smaller than a curvature of a top surface of a downstream end in the conveyance direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit for transferring a toner image onto a sheet, a fixing device for fixing the image, the fixing device including a belt, a pressure element for pressing against the belt, a heating member on the belt including a heat generating element and electrodes on both sides of the heat element in a sheet conveyance direction and connected to the heat element, and an adjustment mechanism for moving one of the heating member and the pressure element in a manner to move the one closer to or away from the other, and a controller for controlling the adjustment mechanism so that a distance between the heating member and the pressure element becomes a first distance during a fixing process and a second distance larger than the first distance during temperature raising of the heating member, which is conducted before the fixing process.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of an embodiment includes an image forming unit, a waste toner collection container, a paddle motor, a memory unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms a toner image on a sheet using a toner replenished from a toner cartridge containing the toner. The waste toner collection container contains a waste toner generated in the image forming unit. The paddle motor rotates a stirring paddle provided in the waste toner collection container. The memory unit stores a coefficient for each type of toner. The control unit acquires a count value, which is a value related to a replenishment amount, corrects the count value with the coefficient corresponding to the type of toner, updates a cumulative count value with the corrected count value, and drives the paddle motor according to the updated cumulative count value.

Abstract: A heating device includes a substrate having first and second surfaces, a plurality of heating elements each disposed in one of a central region and end regions of the first surface of the substrate, a heat conductor layer on the second surface of the substrate, a plurality of thermometers arranged on the heat conductor layer and each configured to measure a temperature of one of the central region and the end regions, and a plurality of thermostats arranged on the heat conductor layer and each configured to measure the temperature of one of the central region and the end regions and interrupt electrical power supplied to the heating element disposed in said one of the central region and the end regions when the measured temperature exceeds a predetermined value. The thermometers and the thermostats are alternately arranged on the heat conductor along a longitudinal direction of the heat conductor layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of an embodiment includes an image forming unit, a waste toner collection container, a paddle motor, a memory unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms a toner image on a sheet using a toner replenished from a toner cartridge containing the toner. The waste toner collection container contains a waste toner generated in the image forming unit. The paddle motor rotates a stirring paddle provided in the waste toner collection container. The memory unit stores a coefficient for each type of toner. The control unit acquires a count value, which is a value related to a replenishment amount, corrects the count value with the coefficient corresponding to the type of toner, updates a cumulative count value with the corrected count value, and drives the paddle motor according to the updated cumulative count value.