Abstract: A fixing device includes a tubular belt holder, a rotatable flexible fuser belt, a contact member, a pressure member, and a heater. The tubular belt holder extends in an axial direction thereof. The fuser belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration around the belt holder. The tubular belt holder retains the fuser belt in shape as the belt rotates in a circumferential direction. The contact member and pressure member extend in the axial direction. The pressure member presses against the contact member through the fuser belt to form a fixing nip. The heater is disposed to heat a predetermined circumferential portion of the fuser belt. The belt holder includes a first circumferential section and a second circumferential section. The first circumferential section faces the heated portion. The second circumferential section faces upstream from the heated portion in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt-shaped fixing member; a pressing member; a contact member provided inside a loop formed by the fixing member and pressed against the pressing member via the fixing member to form a nip between the pressing member and the fixing member, a laminated heater facing an inner circumferential face of the fixing member to heat the fixing member, connected to an external power source, and including a heat generation sheet that includes a heat-resistant resin in which conductive particles to receive electricity from the external power source and generate heat are unevenly dispersed throughout the heat-resistant resin to have a dispersal gradient of increasing particle dispersion density from an inner face toward an outer face of the heat generation sheet; and a heater support to support the laminated heater along the inner circumferential face of the fixing member.

Abstract: A thermal fixing device includes a fixing member, a flexible endless belt, a flexible endless belt, a rotary pressure member, a heating unit, and a rotation detector. The flexible endless belt is disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the fixing member. The rotary pressure member is disposed parallel to and pressing against the fixing member via the endless belt. The heating unit heats the endless belt. The rotation detector detects a rotation speed of the endless belt. The heating unit is powered off when the rotation speed of the endless belt detected by the rotation detector is at or below a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a stationary at least partially tubular thermal member, a flexible fuser belt, a fuser pad, and a rotatable pressure member. The thermal member has a tubular portion thereof extending in an axial direction and defining a closed axial cross-section. A circumference of the thermal member is subjected to heating. The fuser belt is looped for rotation around the thermal member. An inner circumference of the fuser belt at least partially faces the thermal member. The fuser pad is held stationary inside the loop of the fuser belt. The pressure member extends opposite the thermal member in the axial direction with the fuser belt interposed between the fuser pad and the pressure member. The fuser pad is pressed against the pressure member through the fuser belt to form a fixing nip. The thermal member is spaced apart from the fuser pad.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless fuser belt, a contact member, a pressure member, a heater, a first thermometer, a second thermometer, and a controller. The fuser belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration. The contact member extends inside the loop of the fuser belt. The pressure member extends with the fuser interposed between the contact member and the pressure member. The pressure member is pressed against the contact member through the fuser belt to form a fixing nip. The heater includes a first heating element and a second heating element. The first heating element heats the fuser belt at a first position. The second heating element heats the fuser belt at a second position. The first thermometer detects a first temperature of the fuser belt. The second thermometer detects a second temperature of the fuser belt. The controller controls each of the first and second heating elements.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member formed into a loop inside which a nip formation member, a core holder, a heater support, and a laminated heater are provided, and a pressing member provided outside the loop formed by the fixing member. The pressing member is pressed against the nip formation member via the fixing member. The heater support is between the laminated heater and the nip formation member to support the laminated heater. The core holder is between the nip formation member and the heater support to support the nip formation member and the heater support.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable, endless flexible belt, an elongated stationary pad, a rotatable pressure member, a rotary driver, a releasable biasing mechanism, a first guide member, and a second guide member. The endless flexible belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration. The elongated stationary pad is stationarily disposed inside the loop of the belt. The rotatable pressure member is disposed parallel to the stationary pad with the belt interposed between the pressure member and the stationary pad. The rotary driver is operatively connected with the pressure member to impart torque to the pressure member. The releasable biasing mechanism is operatively connected with the pressure member to apply a releasable pressure to the pressure member against the belt in a load direction. The first guide member defines a first elongated opening. The second guide member defines a second elongated opening.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt-shaped fixing member to rotate in a predetermined direction, formed in a loop, an inner circumferential face of which is coated with a lubricant; a pressing member contacting an outer circumferential surface of the fixing member, to press against the fixing member; a driver to drive and rotate the pressing member; a contact member provided inside the loop formed by the fixing member and pressed against the pressing member via the fixing member to form a nip between the pressing member and the fixing member; and a heating member to heat the fixing member, provided inside the loop formed by the fixing member. When the fixing device starts up, the pressing member drives and rotates the fixing member less than 360 degrees to move a warmed range of the fixing member heated by the heating member to the nip.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt and a belt holder contacting and rotatably supporting each lateral end of the endless belt in an axial direction thereof. A first protection ring and a second protection ring are interposed between the endless belt and the belt holder in the axial direction of the endless belt and rotatable in accordance with rotation of the endless belt to protect each lateral end of the endless belt as the endless belt is skewed in the axial direction thereof and brought into contact with the first protection ring. A friction coefficient between the first protection ring and the second protection ring is smaller than a friction coefficient between the first protection ring and the endless belt.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing an unfixed image onto a recording medium includes a fixing belt, a nip forming member, an opposing rotary member, a heater, and a temperature detector. The fixing belt is formed into a loop to move endlessly and fix the unfixed image on the recording medium. The nip forming member is disposed inside the loop formed by the fixing belt. The opposing rotary member contacts the nip forming member via the fixing belt to form a nip portion therebetween while rotating. The heater heats the fixing belt at a place other than the nip portion. The temperature detector detects a temperature of the surface of the fixing belt. The temperature detector detects the temperature near a place of the fixing belt that easily deforms as the fixing belt is heated by the heater.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device. The fixing device includes a rotatable endless fixing member, a nip forming member arranged inside the fixing member, a pressing member in contact with the nip forming member via the fixing member, and a heating source configured to heat the fixing member. When an abnormality occurs in at least one of the fixing device and other devices included in the image forming apparatus, a rotation of the fixing member is stopped prior to stopping a rotation driving of a discharging unit and, after stopping, the fixing member is controlled to rotate.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating device to heat an endless rotary body with radiant heat, a power source to supply power to the heating device, a first heat source to heat a region on the endless rotary body corresponding to a width of the small size sheet, and a second heat source to heat regions on the endless rotary body corresponding to both widthwise ends of the large size sheet outside the width of the small size sheet. The power source supplies power only to the first heat source when the small size sheet is printed and to both the first and second heat sources when the large size sheet is printed. The power source supplies more power to the first heat source when the small size sheet is printed than when the large size sheet is printed within a maximum power available to the fixing device.

Abstract: A fixing device includes at least one heater disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of an endless rotary body to heat the endless rotary body and a shield interposed between the endless rotary body and the at least one heater to shield the endless rotary body from heat radiated from the at least one heater. A first size recording medium passes over a first passage region of the endless rotary body and a second size recording medium passes over a second passage region of the endless rotary body. The shield includes a notch disposed opposite a lateral end of the second passage region of the endless rotary body in an axial direction thereof. The lateral end of the second passage region overlaps a non-passage region of the endless rotary body in the axial direction thereof where the first size recording medium does not pass.

Abstract: When calculating an actual turn-on duty based on a required duty according to a feedback control, the actual turn-on duty is corrected using a correction table or a correction conversion formula such that a required turn-on duty and the actual turn-on duty coincide with each other. A fixing heater is controlled according to the corrected actual turn-on duty.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heat source; a fixing member looped into a generally cylindrical shape to rotate in a circumferential direction thereof and partially heated by the heat source and to heat a surface of a recording medium bearing an unfixed toner image to fix the unfixed toner image thereon in a fixing process; a rotary pressing member disposed facing the fixing member to form a nip therebetween, through which the recording medium is transported in a transport direction; and a rotation driver to rotate one of the fixing member and the pressing member. In a case in which the fixing member is halted for a reason other than the fixing process while power of the fixing device is on, electric power is not supplied to the heat source and the fixing member is rotated by a predetermined amount or more after the fixing member is halted.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a controller connected to a heater and at least one of a pressing rotary body and an endless rotary body. The controller performs a first fixing operation, a first transition operation, a second fixing operation, and a second transition operation. The first fixing operation fixes a toner image on a first recording medium after the fixing device is powered on. The first transition operation rotates the pressing rotary body and the endless rotary body while controlling the heater to maintain the endless rotary body at a predetermined temperature for a first duration time. The second fixing operation fixes a toner image on a second recording medium. The second transition operation rotates the pressing rotary body and the endless rotary body while controlling the heater to maintain the endless rotary body at the predetermined temperature for a second duration time smaller than the first duration time.

Abstract: A fixing device capable of shifting to a sleep state includes a heat source; a rotatable fixing member that is partly heated by the heat source to heat an unfixed image carrying surface of a recording medium; a rotatable pressing member that is in pressure contact with the fixing member to form a nip portion between the pressing member and the fixing member; a rotation drive unit that directly or indirectly rotates the fixing member; a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the fixing member; and a controller configured to prohibit the fixing device from shifting to the sleep state when the temperature of the fixing member in a region facing the heat source is equal to or more than a predetermined temperature T1 at a point when a predetermined time period t1 has elapsed from the stop of rotation drive of the rotation drive unit.

Abstract: Heat-equalizing rotation of a fixing member and a pressing member for equalizing the distribution of the temperature of a surface of the fixing member in a width direction is performed after a recording medium having a size less than or equal to a predetermined size in the width direction passes a nip portion and before a recording medium having a size greater than the predetermined size in the width direction passes the nip portion. Further, a termination condition of the heat-equalizing rotation is selected from among a plurality of different kinds of termination conditions, based on image formation related information related to next image formation performed after the heat-equalizing rotation.

Abstract: A fixing device including a fixing member, an opposing member, a plurality of heat sources, and a voltage detector. The opposing member is disposed opposite the fixing member to contact the fixing member to form a nip portion at which an unfixed image on a recording medium is fixed. The plurality of heat sources heats the fixing member. The voltage detector detects an applied voltage of at least one of the plurality of heat sources. Upon detection of the applied voltage of the heat sources by the voltage detector, a voltage is applied to at least one of the heat sources.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a rotatable fixing member to apply heat to a recording medium bearing an unfixed image thereon, a heat source to heat the fixing member, and a rotatable pressing member pressing against the fixing member forming a nip therebetween. A driving source rotates and drives the fixing member and the pressing member. An overheat safety device has a relay to open and close a power supply path connected to the heat source. A temperature detector is connected to both the relay and the control unit to detect temperature of the fixing member. The overheat safety device turns off the relay and cuts off power supply to the heat source when the fixing member is overheated. The fixing member is allowed to radiate heat and cool down when the temperature detected by the temperature detector is more than a prescribed level.