Abstract: A roller includes: a columnar metal core; and a layer that covers, to a predetermined thickness, an outer circumferential surface of the metal core, the layer including bubbles inside, and being provided with one or more cuts penetrating the bubbles through each of end surfaces of the layer.

Abstract: A fixing unit includes a belt module that has a belt member stretched around a rotary roll and a stretching roll, the belt module transporting a recording medium, and a pressing member that is disposed to press the belt module and forming a nip portion between the belt module and the pressing member. The belt module is provided with a peeling member disposed downstream and spaced from the nip portion in a transporting direction of the recording medium, the peeling member supporting the belt member from inside thereof and bending a traveling direction of the belt member.

Abstract: A heater includes: a hollow tube sealed hermetically and reduced in pressure, the interior of the hollow tube being divided by at least one partition wall into a plurality of regions arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction of the tube; an electron source provided in each of the divided regions, the electron source being supported inside the hollow tube in an electrically insulated state from the hollow tube; a power supply that applies a voltage between the hollow tube and the electron source with the electron source as a negative polarity side; and the electron source emitting electrons toward an inner periphery surface of the hollow tube to heat the hollow tube.

Abstract: A heater includes: a hollow tube sealed hermetically and reduced in pressure, the interior of the hollow tube being divided by at least one partition wall into a plurality of regions arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction of the tube; an electron source provided in each of the divided regions, the electron source being supported inside the hollow tube in an electrically insulated state from the hollow tube; a power supply that applies a voltage between the hollow tube and the electron source with the electron source as a negative polarity side; and the electron source emitting electrons toward an inner periphery surface of the hollow tube to heat the hollow tube.

Abstract: An elastic roll is used in a fixing device of an image forming apparatus. The elastic roll includes an elastic layer and a covering layer disposed on an outside of the elastic layer. The covering layer is made of a heat-resistant resin or a metal, which has higher rigidity than a material of the elastic layer.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image carried on a recording medium. The fixing device includes a rotatable fixing roll member, a fixing belt member and a walk adjustment mechanism. The fixing belt member is wound on the fixing roll member so as to be rotatable. The walk adjustment mechanism changes a walk width of the fixing belt member in accordance with a width of the recording medium.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a pressure roll having elasticity or flexibility which is a driving roller, a heat-resistant endless belt being in contact with the pressure roll to form a nip zone through which a recording medium passes, the heat-resistant endless belt rotating as driven by the pressure roll, a pressing supporting body disposed inside the heat-resistant endless belt and having a flat segment to press the heat-resistant endless belt for making the nip zone nearly flat, a heat source disposed inside the heat-resistant endless belt, the pressing supporting body being arranged between the heat source and the nip zone. Preferably, the heat-resistant endless belt is directly heated by radiant heat from the heat source and heated by thermal conduction through the pressing supporting body.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing belt member configured to be endless and rotatable; driving force transmission members that are disposed on respective ends of the fixing belt member, and transmits a rotational driving force to the fixing belt member; and a pressing member that is disposed to push an outer surface of the fixing belt member and forms a fixing nip part between the pressing member and the fixing belt member, wherein each of the driving force transmission members is fixed to the fixing belt member over an entire peripheral area of the corresponding end of the fixing belt member.

Abstract: An overheat protection device for a movable body surface includes a thermal fuse having a fuse element which melts at a predetermined temperature, bridges electrodes in a pair and melts at a temperature equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature to break an electrical connection between the pair of electrodes, and a pair of long elastic bodies, to each of which one of the electrodes is electrically connected at an end or its periphery of the elastic body through a lead. At least one of pairs of upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the elastic bodies are spatially on a same plane.

Abstract: A heating apparatus includes: an exciting coil provided in close vicinity of a heated body having a conductive layer; a capacitor connected serially or in parallel with the exciting coil; a switching element that generates a high frequency current by turning on/off a direct current and that supplies the high frequency current to the exciting coil and the capacitor; a specifying unit that specifies an electric value to be supplied to the exciting coil; an output unit that outputs, to the switching element, a driving signal to turn on the switching element for a period determined in correspondence with the specified electric value; a voltage detection unit that detects a flyback voltage value generated in a resonance circuit including the exciting coil and the capacitor; and an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in the heated body based on the detected flyback voltage value.

Abstract: A fixing unit for fixing a toner image on a recording material includes: a rotatable fixing roll; a fixing belt stretched on the fixing roll; at least one tension roll stretching the fixing belt with the fixing roll; a pressurization member disposed to give a pressure to the fixing roll; and a stripping member disposed to press the outer surface of the fixing belt onto the pressurization member in a vicinity of a downstream side of a first contact portion between the fixing roll and the pressurization member.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording material, includes a rotatable endless belt member, a pressure member provided to press into contact and form a nip portion with the belt member, through which the recording material passes, and a peeling member provided downstream of the nip portion, peeling the recording material passed through the nip portion from the belt member by bending the belt member to have different shapes at a widthwise middle portion and at both end portions while the belt member is passing through the peeling member.

Abstract: A fixing device including a fixing belt module is formed of a fixing roller having a heat source, one or more tension rollers at a fixing side and an endless fixing belt looped and stretched around the rollers to thereby rotate and a pressure belt module including an endless pressure belt that comes in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt only within a range of a section where the fixing belt is wrapped around a surface of the fixing roller, thereby forming a nip section for fixation between itself and the fixing belt. The fixing belt module includes a fixing belt heating unit that heats an inner peripheral surface and/or the outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt at any sections other than the section where the fixing belt is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roller.

Abstract: To provide a fixing device which can suppress the occurrence of a temperature droop phenomenon, and to stably peel off a recording sheet from a fixing roll side. There are provided a fixing belt module and a pressure belt module, and the fixing belt module and the pressure belt module are in contact with each other through a fixing belt and a pressure belt in a first nip portion formed on a fixing roll around which the fixing belt is wound and a second nip portion formed on a pressure roll around which the pressure belt is wound.

Abstract: A fixing device that fixes toner images carried on a recording material, including: a rotary member; a belt member that is brought into contact with the rotary member, wherein a nip part through which the recording material passes is formed between the belt member and the rotary member; and a roller member that stretches the belt member and presses the belt member against the rotary member, wherein the roller member includes an elastic layer, and a surface layer coated on a surface of the elastic layer, the surface layer being made of a material having a higher elastic modulus than that of the elastic layer.

Abstract: A fixing unit includes a belt module that has a belt member stretched around a rotary roll and a stretching roll, the belt module transporting a recording medium, and a pressing member that is disposed to press the belt module and forming a nip portion between the belt module and the pressing member. The belt module is provided with a peeling member disposed downstream and spaced from the nip portion in a transporting direction of the recording medium, the peeling member supporting the belt member from inside thereof and bending a traveling direction of the belt member.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing belt member configured to be endless and rotatable; driving force transmission members that are disposed on respective ends of the fixing belt member, and transmits a rotational driving force to the fixing belt member; and a pressing member that is disposed to push an outer surface of the fixing belt member and forms a fixing nip part between the pressing member and the fixing belt member, wherein each of the driving force transmission members is fixed to the fixing belt member over an entire peripheral area of the corresponding end of the fixing belt member.

Abstract: A fixing device for fixing a toner image carried on a recording material, including: a belt member that rotates in a state where its major axis is set in a transporting direction of the recording material and its minor axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the transporting direction of the recording material; and a pressing member disposed in pressure contact with a surface of the belt member intersecting a direction of the minor axis of the belt member to form a nip part through which the recording material passes.

Abstract: A peeling device for peeling off a sheet-like recording medium that is conveyed while adhering to a surface of a rotating member that rotates, from the rotating member, includes a peeling guide plate one side of which is close to a surface of the rotating member in a region where the surface of the rotating member advances while curving in the rotating direction, or on a downstream side of the region and which is disposed in a rotating direction of the rotating member, and an edge surface of the peeling guide plate including at least one convex portion. An air jetting unit jets a pulsed compressed air toward a gap between the surface of the rotating member and the one side of the peeling guide plate that is from a region interposed between the surface of the rotating member and the surface of the peeling guide plate that faces the surface of the rotating member.

Abstract: Provided is a fixing device and a fixing method, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device, in which at least heat is applied to an unfixed toner image formed on a recording material to soften or melt toner of the unfixed toner image into a state of being able to be deformed by an external force, and while maintained in the state of being able to be deformed by the external force, the toner is pressed in a nonheating manner to be flowed. Accordingly, device structure can be simplified to be free of wasteful energy consumption, an image of image quality excellent in transparency of a toner image and in OHP permeability as well as of high glossiness which is free from gloss nonuniformity can be obtained while preventing curling of a recording material.