Abstract: A cooling device includes: a container in which a refrigerant is sealed; an evaporating part that evaporates the refrigerant in a liquid phase by heat reception inside the container; a condensing part that condenses the refrigerant in a gas phase by heat dissipation inside the container; and a plate-shaped or block-shaped flow path member in which a plurality of flow paths configured to transport the refrigerant in a liquid phase from the condensing part to the evaporating part by surface tension inside the container is formed in parallel.

Abstract: A diagnostic system may comprise an image forming apparatus that forms a diagnostic image on a sheet and an image capturing apparatus that captures an image of the sheet on which the diagnostic image is formed and which has been discharged from the image forming apparatus, and outputs the image captured as a sheet image. The image capturing apparatus may make a diagnosis for a component of the image forming apparatus based on a position of an image deficiency in the sheet image, and output a diagnosis result for the component of the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: The invention is used in an image forming apparatus that has a replaceable roller member, an applying unit that applies voltage to the roller member, a current detecting unit that detects a current flowing in the roller member to which the voltage is applied, and a controlling unit. The controlling unit calculates a value of a slope of a current-voltage characteristic of a roller member on the basis of a first current detected when a first voltage is applied to the roller member and a second current that is detected when a second voltage is applied, and determines whether or not the roller member has been replaced on the basis of an amount of change from a value of a first slope calculated at a first timing and a value of a second slope calculated at a second timing later than the first timing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a detection unit configured to obtain information with regard to the life of a secondary transfer member based on the variation in an electric resistance value of a secondary transfer portion, wherein the detection unit performs a process of reducing the effect of variation in the electric resistance value of an intermediate transfer member contained in the variation in the electric resistance value of the secondary transfer portion, based on a detection result of information with regard to the electric resistance value of the secondary transfer portion by a second detection unit, and on a detection result of information with regard to an electric resistance value of a primary transfer portion by a first detection unit, and obtains the information with regard to the life of the secondary transfer member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form a toner image on a recording material based on image data, an acquisition unit to acquire image information of the toner image from the image data, a fixing unit including a heating member and a pressure member forming a nip with the heating member, to convey and to heat, at the nip, the recording material on which the toner image is formed so as to fix the toner image on the recording material, a temperature detecting unit to detect a temperature of the heating member, and a control unit to set a fixing temperature for each of a plurality of recording materials so that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit becomes the set fixing temperature.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a detection unit configured to obtain information with regard to the life of a secondary transfer member based on the variation in the electric resistance value of a secondary transfer portion, wherein the detection unit performs a process of reducing the effect of variation in the electric resistance value of the intermediate transfer member contained in the variation in the electric resistance value of the secondary transfer portion, based on the detection result of information with regard to the electric resistance value of the secondary transfer portion by the second detection unit, and on the detection result of information with regard to the electric resistance value of a primary transfer portion by the first detection unit, and obtains the information with regard to the life of the secondary transfer member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an acquisition unit, a fixing unit including a heating member and a pressure member forming a nip, a temperature detecting unit, and a control unit. In a case where a toner density of a toner image on a k-th recording material of a plurality of recording materials is less than the toner density of the toner image on a (k-1)-th recording material of the plurality of recording materials, k being an integer greater than or equal to two, the control unit sets a fixing temperature of the k-th recording material to a temperature which is greater than a predetermined temperature predetermined based on image information of the toner image to be formed on the k-th recording material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material by a plurality of color materials, the apparatus includes: a determination unit configured to determine, based on converted data that are converted from image data corresponding to each image formed by the plurality of color materials, values each relating to an area of a respective color material caused to adhere to a recording material; and a detection unit configured to detect, based on the values each relating to the area of the respective color material that the determination unit determines, an overlapping of color materials.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image processing section that converts image data into pixel data, an image forming section that forms a toner image based on the pixel data, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image to the recording material by heating the recording material with the toner image formed thereon while conveying the recording material through a nip portion, wherein the image processing section divides the pixel data corresponding to one recording material into a plurality of areas each formed of a predetermined number of pixels and acquires density information on some of the pixels within each of the areas as representative values, wherein the fixing section carries out a process of fixing the toner image for which the density information has been acquired, under a fixing condition according to a maximum value of the representative values.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit having a heating member, a temperature detector, an acquisition unit, and a controller. When image formation is consecutively performed, and the acquisition unit acquires a first density, which is the density information of the image formed on a k-th recording material, and a second, higher density, which is the density information of the image formed on an l-th recording material, while the image is being fixed on the k-th recording material, the controller controls the power so that the detection temperature becomes a temperature higher than a fixing temperature according to the first density, and lower than a fixing temperature according to the second density. While the image is being fixed on the l-th recording material, the controller controls the power so that the detection temperature becomes the fixing temperature according to the second density.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image processing section that converts image data into pixel data, an image forming section that forms a toner image based on the pixel data, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image to the recording material by heating the recording material with the toner image formed thereon while conveying the recording material through a nip portion, wherein the image processing section divides the pixel data corresponding to one recording material into a plurality of areas each formed of a predetermined number of pixels and acquires density information on some of the pixels within each of the areas as representative values, wherein the fixing section carries out a process of fixing the toner image for which the density information has been acquired, under a fixing condition according to a maximum value of the representative values.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes an image on a sheet, and includes a rotatable member having an electroconductive layer; a helical coil provided inside the rotatable member and having a helix axis extending in a generatrix direction of the rotatable member; a magnetic member provided inside a helical configuration portion formed by the coil, the magnetic member not forming a loop outside the rotatable member; and a controller for controlling electric power supplied to the coil. The electroconductive layer generates heat by electromagnetic induction caused by the magnetic flux produced by an alternating current through the coil to fix the image on the sheet by the heat from the rotatable member. The controller limits the maximum electric power supplied to the coil, in accordance with the temperature of the magnetic member.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a rotatable member including an electroconductive layer; a helical coil having a helical axis direction along a generatrix direction of the rotatable member; a magnetic member not forming a loop outside the electroconductive layer; a frequency setting portion for setting a frequency of an AC current caused to flow through the coil; and a temperature detecting portion for detecting a temperature of the rotatable member, including a first temperature detecting member and a second temperature detecting member. The electroconductive layer generates heat through electromagnetic induction heating by magnetic flux resulting from the AC current, and an image is fixed on a recording material by heat of the rotatable member. The frequency setting portion sets the frequency depending on a value of a difference between a detection temperature of the first temperature detecting member and a detection temperature of the second temperature detecting member.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image processing section that converts image data into pixel data, an image forming section that forms a toner image based on the pixel data, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image to the recording material by heating the recording material with the toner image formed thereon while conveying the recording material through a nip portion. The image processing section divides the pixel data corresponding to one recording material into a plurality of areas each formed of a predetermined number of pixels and acquires density information on some of the pixels within each of the areas as representative values. The fixing section carries out a process of fixing the toner image for which the density information has been acquired, under a fixing condition according to a maximum value of the representative values.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image on a sheet, the fixing device includes a rotatable member having an electroconductive layer; a helical coil provided inside rotatable member and having a helix axis extending in a generatrix direction of the rotatable member; a magnetic member provided in inside a helical configuration portion formed by the coil, the magnetic member does not form a loop outside the rotatable member; and a controller for controlling electric power supplied to the coil, wherein the electroconductive layer generates heat by electromagnetic induction caused by magnetic flux produced by an alternating current through the coil to fix the image on the sheet by the heat from the rotatable member, and wherein the controller limits maximum electric power supplied to the coil, in accordance with a temperature of the magnetic member.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a rotatable member including an electroconductive layer; a helical coil having a helical axis direction along a generatrix direction of said rotatable member; a magnetic member not forming a loop outside the electroconductive layer; a frequency setting portion for setting a frequency of an AC current caused to flow through said coil; and a temperature detecting portion for detecting a temperature of said rotatable member, including a first temperature detecting member and a second temperature detecting member. The electroconductive layer generates heat through electromagnetic induction heating by magnetic flux resulting from the AC current, and an image is fixed on a recording material by heat of said rotatable member. The frequency setting portion sets the frequency depending on a value of a difference between a detection temperature of said first temperature detecting member and a detection temperature of said second temperature detecting member.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image processing section that converts image data into pixel data, an image forming section that forms a toner image based on the pixel data, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image to the recording material by heating the recording material with the toner image formed thereon while conveying the recording material through a nip portion, wherein the image processing section divides the pixel data corresponding to one recording material into a plurality of areas each formed of a predetermined number of pixels and acquires density information on some of the pixels within each of the areas as representative values, wherein the fixing section carries out a process of fixing the toner image for which the density information has been acquired, under a fixing condition according to a maximum value of the representative values.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material by a plurality of color materials, the apparatus includes: a determination unit configured to determine, based on converted data that are converted from image data corresponding to each image formed by the plurality of color materials, values each relating to an area of a respective color material caused to adhere to a recording material; and a detection unit configured to detect, based on the values each relating to the area of the respective color material that the determination unit determines, an overlapping of color materials.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image processing section that converts image data into pixel data, an image forming section that forms a toner image based on the pixel data, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image to the recording material by heating the recording material with the toner image formed thereon while conveying the recording material through a nip portion. The image processing section divides the pixel data corresponding to one recording material into a plurality of areas each formed of a predetermined number of pixels and acquires density information on some of the pixels within each of the areas as representative values. The fixing section carries out a process of fixing the toner image for which the density information has been acquired, under a fixing condition according to a maximum value of the representative values.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a control unit is capable of carrying out a cleaning mode with a first step of allowing an image forming unit to form, on an image bearing member, a cleaning toner image with a length according to a length of a feeding member or conveying member in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording material, a second step of moving the cleaning toner image from the image bearing member to a transfer member, and a third step of moving the cleaning toner image from the transfer member to the image bearing member.