Abstract: A heating device, a fixing device and an image forming device are disclosed for making the life-span of a capacitor thereof longer. The heating device includes a heating part having at least one heat generation part generating heat, an electricity storage device supplying electric power at a variable output voltage to the heating part and having at least one chargeable-dischargeable capacitor, a control part controlling the output voltage of the electricity storage device, and a temperature detection part detecting a temperature of a portion heated by the heat generation part. The heat generation part generates heat by using electric power supplied from the electricity storage device. When the temperature detected by the temperature detection part is higher than or equal to a predefined temperature, the control part sets a voltage of the capacitor such that the voltage of the capacitor is lower than or equal to a maximum voltage of the capacitor.

Abstract: A biodegradable resin composition and an object molded or formed from the composition. The resin composition comprises: 100 parts by weight of a biodegradable polyester resin comprising not smaller than 50% by weight of polylactic acid having a melting point of not lower than 160° C., the biodegradable polyester resin having a melt flow rate of 0.1 to 50 g/10 min as measured under a load of 21.2 N at 190° C.; and 0.1 to 20 parts by weight of a phyllosilicate containing a primary, secondary or tertiary amine salt, a quaternary ammonium salt or a phosphonium salt ionically bonded between layers thereof.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a biodegradable polyester resin composition which is excellent in gas barrier properties, mechanical strength and heat resistance and has Theological characteristics advantageously usable in molding a foamed article, etc., a process for producing the same, and a foamed article and a molded article using the same. The biodegradable polyester resin composition contains 100 parts by mass of a biodegradable polyester resin containing 59% mole or more of a hydroxycarboxylic acid unit, 0.01 to 10 parts by mass of a (meth)acrylic acid ester compound and 0.05 to 20 parts by mass of a layered silicate.

Abstract: A fixing unit thermally fixes a toner on a recording medium by a fixing member having a plurality of internal heaters and an outer peripheral surface, and a temperature sensor detects a surface temperature of the fixing member at a temperature detecting position. At least one first heater, of the heaters, receives power from a first power supply, and remaining second heaters receive power from a second power supply. One of the second heaters closest to the temperature detecting position is the same distance from the temperature detecting position as or is closer to the temperature detecting position than a first heater which is closest to the temperature detecting position.

Abstract: An electric power supply part supplies electric power to a heat-generating member and a power requiring part. A control part controls electric power supplied to the heat-generating member and the power requiring part. A first mode is to supply electric power to the heat-generating member from only a main electric power supply device and to the power requiring part from both the main electric power supply device and an auxiliary electric power requiring part. A second mode is to supply electric power to the heat-generating member and the power requiring part from only the main electric power supply device and causing electric power supplied to the heat-generating member to be smaller than a rated electric power of the heat-generating member. The electric power supplied to the heat-generating member in the first mode is caused to be larger than the electric power supplied to the heat-generating member in the second mode.

Abstract: An apparatus for fusing toner with a sheet includes an electricity storage device, a heating unit configured to generate heat based on electric power supplied from the electricity storage device, a fusing member configured to fuse the toner with the sheet through heat applied by the heating unit, and a control unit which changes a rated power of the heating unit.

Abstract: A thermoplastic resin composition comprising: (A) 100 parts by weight of a noncrystalline thermoplastic resin component (component A); (B) 0.1 to 50 parts by weight of a layered silicate (component B) which satisfies the following (i) to (iii): (i) it has a cation exchange capacity of 50 to 200 milliequivalents/100 g, and at least 40% of the cation exchange capacity being exchanged with an organic onium ion, (ii) 60% or more of the layered silicate particles have a thickness of 100 nm or less in the resin composition, and (iii) the interlayer spacing of the layered silicate (component B) in the resin composition is smaller than the interlayer spacing of the layered silicate alone by 0.5 nm or more; and (C) 0 to 50 parts by weight of a compound (component C) having affinity for the noncrystalline thermoplastic resin component as the component A and a hydrophilic component; and molded articles thereof.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is disclosed. The image-forming apparatus includes a fixing unit. The fixing unit includes: a heating part including a heating element; a power storage unit including a chargeable and dischargeable capacitor and supplying power to the heating part so that the heating element of the heating part generates heat; and a controller controlling the operation of the power storage unit. When the image-forming operation of the image-forming apparatus is suspended by an abnormality, the controller performs control such that the capacitor is charged in accordance with its remaining amount of stored energy.

Abstract: A heating device includes a heating unit, a main power supply device configured to supply an electric power to the heating unit from an external power supply, an auxiliary power supply device configured to be chargeable by use of the external power supply, and a charger configured to charge the auxiliary power supply device during formation of an image while neither the main power supply device nor the auxiliary power supply device is supplying an electric power to the heating unit, such that a maximum limit of a charge amount of the auxiliary power supply device is set to a predetermined amount smaller than a full-charge amount of the auxiliary power supply device.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material in an image forming apparatus includes a fixing member configured to fix an image formed on the recording material, a heating part that heats the fixing member, a storage unit that is charged by an external power source to supply power to the heating part, and a control unit that controls the storage unit so as not to supply power to the heating part during a warming-up period from when a power switch of the image forming apparatus switches on to when the image forming apparatus becomes ready to start an image forming operation and that controls the external power source and the storage unit to supply power to the heating part during a returning period from when an off-mode is completed to when the image forming apparatus becomes ready to start the image forming operation.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is disclosed. The image-forming apparatus includes a fixing unit. The fixing unit includes: a heating part including a heating element; a power storage unit including a chargeable and dischargeable capacitor and supplying power to the heating part so that the heating element of the heating part generates heat; and a controller controlling the operation of the power storage unit. When the image-forming operation of the image-forming apparatus is suspended by an abnormality, the controller performs control such that the capacitor is charged in accordance with its remaining amount of stored energy.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material in an image forming apparatus includes a fixing member, a heating part that heats the fixing member to fix an image formed on the recording material by heat, a storage unit that is charged by an external power source to supply power to the heating part, and a control unit that controls the external power source to supply power to the heating part and determines whether to start to supply power to the heating part from the storage unit. The control unit controls the external power source to charge the storage unit during a period from when power supply from the storage unit to the heating part is completed at the time of warming-up the fixing member by the heating part until when the power supply from the storage unit to the heating part is started.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material includes first and second rotary members having a nip part therebetween, a heating part that heats the first rotary member, a center portion temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of a center portion of the first rotary member, and an end portion temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of an end portion of the first rotary member. When recording materials each having a relatively large width consecutively pass through the nip part, a control unit controls a heating amount of a full width heating member based on the temperature detected by the center portion temperature detecting unit, and when recording materials each having a relatively small width consecutively pass through the nip part, the control unit controls the heating amount of the full width heating member based on the temperature detected by the end portion temperature detecting unit.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes an electrical condenser charged by a commercial power source, a heat generating member that generates heat when the electrical condenser supplies power, and a fixing device that is heated by the heat generating member and fixes an image onto a recording medium. A temperature switch is activated when temperature of the fixing member reaches a prescribed abnormal level. A power supply circuit is provided to convey the power from the electrical condenser to the heat generating member. A cutting off device is provided to cut off the power supply circuit when the temperature switch is operated.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material includes a fixing member and a pressing member which are rotatable to pass the recording material having an image through their nip part, a heating part that heats the fixing member, a storage unit that is charged by an external power source to supply power to the heating part, and a control unit that controls the external power source and the storage unit to supply power to the heating part without rotating the fixing member and pressing member at a time of warming-up the fixing member by the heating part in a first case. The control unit further controls the external power source to supply power to the heating part and controls the storage unit so as not to supply power to the heating part while rotating the fixing member and the pressing member in a second case.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material includes a fixing member disposed on a recording material conveyance path, a heating part configured to heat the fixing member to fix the image formed on the recording material by heat, and a storage unit configured to be charged by an external power source to supply power to the heating part. The fixing device further includes a local ambient temperature detecting unit configured to detect a local ambient temperature in the vicinity of the fixing member, and a control unit configured to change a supply of power from the storage unit to the heating part based on the local ambient temperature.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a first heat generating member that generates heat upon receiving power from a commercial power source, an electrical condenser that stores charge when charged by the commercial power source, and a second heat generating member that generates heat upon receiving power from the electrical condenser. A fixing member is heated by the first and second heat generating members and fixes an image onto a recording medium. A control device is provided to restrict the power supplied from commercial power source to the first heat generating member when the temperature of the fixing member starts increasing. The electrical condenser starts supplying power to the second heat generating member before the control device terminates restriction of the power.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an image formed on a recording material includes a fixing member disposed on a recording material conveyance path, a heating part that heats the fixing member to fix the image formed on the recording material by heat, and a storage unit that is charged by an external power source to supply power to the heating part. The fixing device further includes a fixing temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the fixing member, and a control unit that controls the external power source to supply power to the heating part and to determine whether to start to supply power to the heating part from the storage unit based on the temperature of the fixing member, at the time of warming-up the fixing member by the heating part.

Abstract: A plant monitoring apparatus and a storage medium which allow engineering efficiency and data reliability to be improved are provided. There are disposed TAG databases 11a and 11b which store, according to an identifier, fixed parameters which are shared by a monitoring device 2 and a controlling device 3 composing the plant monitoring apparatus 1 and which are correlated with each input point. A distributing means 8 distributes fixed parameters edited by a database editing means 7 to both the monitoring device 2 and the controlling device 3 at a time.

Abstract: A power storage apparatus is disclosed, which includes a charge-able and discharge-able capacitor unit, discharged power being supplied to an electrical load. The power storage apparatus includes a detection unit configured to determine whether an amount of power stored by the capacitor unit falls less than a predetermined magnitude at a predetermined voltage. Degradation of the power storage apparatus is determined based on a detection result of the detection unit, and a setting value concerning charging and discharging is adjusted.