Patents by Inventor Tsuguhiro Yoshida

Tsuguhiro Yoshida has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240069476
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a cylindrical fixing member, a heater arranged in an inner space of the fixing member, a pressing member to contact the fixing member and a conductive member disposed so as to contact an inner surface of the fixing member and to conduct the fixing member to a circuit for controlling a potential of the fixing member The fixing member heats an image on a recording material to fix the image onto the recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material between the fixing member and the pressing member. The conductive member is formed of metal wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: AKINORI YOKOTA, OSAMU SASAOKA, TSUGUHIRO YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20230400803
    Abstract: The heater including a substrate, a first heat generation member, a second heat generation member having a length substantially a same in a longitudinal direction as a length of the first heat generation member, a third heat generation member having a length shorter than lengths of the first heat generation member and the second heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, and a fourth heat generation member having a length shorter than length of the third heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first heat generation member, the second heat generation member, the third heat generation member and the fourth heat generation member are arranged on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2023
    Publication date: December 14, 2023
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Ken Nakagawa, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Yutaka Sato, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Patent number: 11835896
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a substrate, a first heat generator, a second heat generator with a length in a longitudinal direction of the substrate equal to a length of the first heat generator; and a third heat generator with a length shorter than the lengths of the first and second heat generators, a soaking member with a positioning portion in the longitudinal direction. In a short side direction of the substrate, the first heat generator is arranged at one end side, the second heat generator is arranged at the other end side, and the third heat generator is arranged between the first and second heat generators. The soaking member is arranged between the heater and a holder in a thickness direction. As seen in the short side direction, the positioning portion is positioned outside of an area corresponding to the third heat generator and inside of an area corresponding to the first heat generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Patent number: 11774889
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus including a heat generating element having a first area, a second area, and a third area, the first area being located on an end portion side in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a recording material and having a first heat generation amount per unit length in the orthogonal direction, the second area being located on an inner side than the first area in the orthogonal direction and having a second heat generation amount per unit length in the orthogonal direction, the third area being located on the inner side than the second area in the orthogonal direction and having a third heat generation amount per unit length in the orthogonal direction. The second heat generation amount is larger than the third heat generation amount, and the third heat generation amount is larger than the first heat generation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Atsushi Nakamoto, Shoichiro Ikegami
  • Patent number: 11774891
    Abstract: The heater including a substrate, a first heat generation member, a second heat generation member having a length substantially a same in a longitudinal direction as a length of the first heat generation member, a third heat generation member having a length shorter than lengths of the first heat generation member and the second heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, and a fourth heat generation member having a length shorter than length of the third heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first heat generation member, the second heat generation member, the third heat generation member and the fourth heat generation member are arranged on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Ken Nakagawa, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Yutaka Sato, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Publication number: 20230259057
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus including: a first rotary member; a second rotary member; a nip forming member; and a heater. The nip forming member includes: a first projection portion inside a nip area; and a second projection portion located outside the nip area. The first and second projection portion abut against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. In a direction orthogonal to a nip tangent, a distance between a tip of the second projection portion and the nip tangent is larger than a distance between a tip of the first projection portion and the nip tangent. The second projection portion extends toward the second rotary member without exceeding the nip tangent. A radius of curvature at a tip portion of the second projection portion is smaller than a radius of an inner circumferential circle of the first rotary member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Publication number: 20230236530
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a rotatable developer-bearing member to bear a developer composed of a toner particle and a transfer promoting particle attached to the toner particle. When F denotes pressing force for pressing the developer-bearing member against an image-bearing member, and N denotes a total number of the transfer promoting particles interposed between the toner particle and the image-bearing member, adhesion strength Ft between the transfer promoting particle and the toner particle measured by pressing the transfer promoting particle against the toner particle at a pressing force per unit transfer promoting particle F/N and adhesion strength Fdr between the transfer promoting particle and the image-bearing member measured by pressing the transfer promoting particle against the image-bearing member at the pressing force per unit transfer promoting particle F/N, satisfy Ft<Fdr.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: TSUGUHIRO YOSHIDA, SHUICHI TETSUNO, KOJI AN
  • Patent number: 11669032
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus including: a first rotary member; a second rotary member; a nip forming member; and a heater. The nip forming member includes: a first projection portion inside a nip area; and a second projection portion located outside the nip area. The first and second projection portion abut against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. In a direction orthogonal to a nip tangent, a distance between a tip of the second projection portion and the nip tangent is larger than a distance between a tip of the first projection portion and the nip tangent. The second projection portion extends toward the second rotary member without exceeding the nip tangent. A radius of curvature at a tip portion of the second projection portion is smaller than a radius of an inner circumferential circle of the first rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Publication number: 20230065569
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater provided with a first heat generator on a substrate and a second heat generator of which a length in a longitudinal direction is shorter than that of the first heat generator, a temperature detector of the heater, a switch for switching a power supply path from an AC power source to the first heat generator or the second heat generator. A controller for controlling the switch to supply power to the first heat generator or the second heat generator. The controller executes a first control in which the switch supplies the power to the first heat generator, and switches a second control in which the switch supplies the power alternately to the first heat generator or the second heat generator when the detected temperature reaches a threshold temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Kohei Wakatsu, Tsuguhiro Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20230067803
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a substrate, a first heat generator, a second heat generator with a length in a longitudinal direction of the substrate equal to a length of the first heat generator; and a third heat generator with a length shorter than the lengths of the first and second heat generators, a soaking member with a positioning portion in the longitudinal direction. In a short side direction of the substrate, the first heat generator is arranged at one end side, the second heat generator is arranged at the other end side, and the third heat generator is arranged between the first and second heat generators. The soaking member is arranged between the heater and a holder in a thickness direction. As seen in the short side direction, the positioning portion is positioned outside of an area corresponding to the third heat generator and inside of an area corresponding to the first heat generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Patent number: 11579550
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater, a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member, and a heat equalizing member. In a case that a region including a center of the heat equalizing member with respect to a longitudinal direction is a first region, a region closer to an end of the heat equalizing member than the first region is with respect to the longitudinal direction is a second region, and a region closer to the end of the heat equalizing member than the second region is with respect to the longitudinal direction is a third region. When the heat equalizing member has thermal capacities per unit length in the first region, the second region, and the third region are C?, C? and C?, respectively, C?, C? and C? satisfy the following relationship: C?>C?, and C?>C?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakamoto, Tsuguhiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11537066
    Abstract: An intermediate transfer belt has a first region and a second region in an outer circumferential surface thereof that is in contact with a blade. The first region has a first dynamic friction coefficient in a belt conveyance direction, and the second region has a second dynamic friction coefficient. The distance of the second region in the belt conveyance direction is less than the distance of the first region and is greater than the distance of a contact portion in which the blade is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keisuke Ishizumi, Shohei Ishio, Shinji Katagiri, Takayuki Tanaka, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Shuichi Tetsuno
  • Patent number: 11531294
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device having a heater, a first temperature detection unit, a pair of second temperature detection units, a pair of first sheet-width detection units, a pair of second sheet-width detection units, and a control unit. The heater includes a first heat generating element, a second heat generating element having a length smaller than a length of the first heat generating element in a longitudinal direction, and a third heat generating element having a length smaller than the length of the second heat generating element in the longitudinal direction. The control unit controls a temperature of the heater based on a detection result of the pair of first sheet-width detection units, a detection result of the pair of second sheet-width detection units, and a detection result of the pair of second temperature detection units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Kohei Wakatsu, Kazuhiro Doda, Yutaka Sato, Ken Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20220390882
    Abstract: The heater including a substrate, a first heat generation member, a second heat generation member having a length substantially a same in a longitudinal direction as a length of the first heat generation member, a third heat generation member having a length shorter than lengths of the first heat generation member and the second heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, and a fourth heat generation member having a length shorter than length of the third heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first heat generation member, the second heat generation member, the third heat generation member and the fourth heat generation member are arranged on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Ken Nakagawa, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Yutaka Sato, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Patent number: 11507001
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is operable in a first small-sheet printing in which power is supplied to the first heat generating element and the second heat generating element and in a second small-sheet printing in which power is supplied to the first heat generating element and the third heat generating element. A first power ratio, which is a proportion of power supplied to the first heat generating element to power supplied to the second heat generating element in the first small-sheet printing, is higher than a second power ratio, which is a proportion of power supplied to the first heat generating element to power supplied to the third heat generating element in the second small-sheet printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Kazuhiro Doda, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Publication number: 20220299912
    Abstract: A heating apparatus includes a tubular film, a heater, a first support member including a first regulation surface, and configured to rotatably support a first end of the film, a second support member including a second regulation surface, and configured to rotatably support a second end of the film, and a holding unit configured to hold the heater and determine a position of the heater in the longitudinal direction. Either one of the first support member and the second support member includes a positioning portion configured to determine a position of the holding unit in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Atsushi Nakamoto, Toshiyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11442385
    Abstract: The heater including a substrate, a first heat generation member, a second heat generation member having a length substantially a same in a longitudinal direction as a length of the first heat generation member, a third heat generation member having a length shorter than lengths of the first heat generation member and the second heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, and a fourth heat generation member having a length shorter than length of the third heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first heat generation member, the second heat generation member, the third heat generation member and the fourth heat generation member are arranged on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Ken Nakagawa, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Yutaka Sato, Kohei Wakatsu
  • Publication number: 20220253006
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus including a heat generating element having a first area, a second area, and a third area, the first area being located on an end portion side in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a recording material and having a first heat generation amount per unit length in the orthogonal direction, the second area being located on an inner side than the first area in the orthogonal direction and having a second heat generation amount per unit length in the orthogonal direction, the third area being located on the inner side than the second area in the orthogonal direction and having a third heat generation amount per unit length in the orthogonal direction. The second heat generation amount is larger than the third heat generation amount, and the third heat generation amount is larger than the first heat generation amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Doda, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Atsushi Nakamoto, Shoichiro Ikegami
  • Publication number: 20220100126
    Abstract: An intermediate transfer belt has a first region and a second region in an outer circumferential surface thereof that is in contact with a blade. The first region has a first dynamic friction coefficient in a belt conveyance direction, and the second region has a second dynamic friction coefficient. The distance of the second region in the belt conveyance direction is less than the distance of the first region and is greater than the distance of a contact portion in which the blade is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Keisuke Ishizumi, Shohei Ishio, Shinji Katagiri, Takayuki Tanaka, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Shuichi Tetsuno
  • Publication number: 20220100128
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater, a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member, and a heat equalizing member. In a case that a region including a center of the heat equalizing member with respect to a longitudinal direction is a first region, a region closer to an end of the heat equalizing member than the first region is with respect to the longitudinal direction is a second region, and a region closer to the end of the heat equalizing member than the second region is with respect to the longitudinal direction is a third region. When the heat equalizing member has thermal capacities per unit length in the first region, the second region, and the third region are C?, C? and C?, respectively, C?, C? and C? satisfy the following relationship: C?>C?, and C?>C?.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakamoto, Tsuguhiro Yoshida