Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator being rotatable and a heater to heat the fixing rotator. The heater includes a tube, a heat generator, disposed inside the tube, to generate heat, and a sealing portion, disposed at each lateral end of the tube in a longitudinal direction of the heater, to seal the tube. The sealing portion includes an inboard edge. A reflector reflects heat radiated from the heater toward the fixing rotator. The reflector includes an outboard edge being disposed inboard from the inboard edge of the sealing portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable endless belt formed into a loop and a heater disposed opposite the endless belt to heat the endless belt. A nip formation pad is disposed inside the loop formed by the endless belt. The nip formation pad includes a metallic thermal equalizer extending in an axial direction of the endless belt. A rotatable pressure rotator presses against the nip formation pad via the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. The pressure rotator includes an increased tackiness portion disposed at a lateral end of the pressure rotator in an axial direction of the pressure rotator to transmit a driving force to the endless belt. The increased tackiness portion is disposed opposite the thermal equalizer of the nip formation pad.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a primary heater and a secondary heater that heat a fixing rotator. The primary heater includes a primary major heat generation portion and a primary minor heat generation portion. The primary minor heat generation portion includes a major heat generator that generates an increased amount of heat and a minor heat generator that generates a decreased amount of heat smaller than the increased amount of heat generated by the major heat generator. The major heat generator has a width in an axial direction of the fixing rotator that is not smaller than 30 percent and not greater than 35 percent with respect to a width of the primary minor heat generation portion in the axial direction of the fixing rotator. A temperature detector is disposed opposite the minor heat generator of the primary heater to detect a temperature of the fixing rotator.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt that is multilayered, an opposing rotator disposed opposite the fixing belt and pressed to the fixing belt to form a nip, a heater disposed inside the fixing belt, and a safety device including a contactless temperature sensor disposed outside the fixing belt and apart from an outer face of the fixing. The fixing belt is to rotate and thermally expand. The contactless temperature sensor detects a temperature of the fixing belt. The safety device stops heating by the heater when the temperature detected by the contactless temperature sensor is at or higher than a predetermined temperature. As the outer face of the fixing belt shifts outward in the radial direction due to thermal, a proportion of the outer face of the fixing belt in a viewing angle of the contactless temperature sensor increases.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device to fix a toner image onto a recording medium, a voltmeter to measure an input voltage from an external source, and a controller operatively connected to the fixing device and the voltmeter. The fixing device includes an endless, fixing rotator formed into a loop, a heater to heat the fixing rotator, a pressure pad disposed inside the loop, and a pressure rotator disposed opposite the pressure pad via the fixing rotator to press the fixing rotator against the pressure pad to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which the recording medium bearing the toner image is conveyed. The controller controls a heating operation of the heater and a fixing operation of the fixing device to fix the toner image onto the recording medium, based on the input voltage measured by the voltmeter.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt and an opposed rotator to press against a nip formation pad via the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the fixing belt and the opposed rotator. A primary heater and a secondary heater heat the fixing belt. The secondary heater includes a lateral end heat generator. The nip formation pad includes a base and at least one thermal conductor being interposed between the base and the fixing nip and having a thermal conductivity greater than a thermal conductivity of the base. The at least one thermal conductor includes an outboard edge disposed between an inboard edge and an outboard edge of the lateral end heat generator and disposed outboard from a conveyance span of the fixing belt in an axial direction of the fixing belt, where a recording medium is conveyed over the fixing belt.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a primary heat generator and a secondary heat generator to heat an endless belt and a temperature detector, disposed opposite the secondary heat generator, to detect a temperature of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator includes an inboard edge and an outboard edge disposed outboard from the inboard edge in an axial direction of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator has an inboard length defined between a center of a detection span of the temperature detector and the inboard edge in the axial direction of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator further has an outboard length defined between the center of the detection span of the temperature detector and the outboard edge in the axial direction of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator defines a ratio of the outboard length to the inboard length that is greater than 7/3.

Abstract: A nip-forming member includes: a first nip-forming member configured to be a main body of the nip-forming member; and a second nip-forming member disposed on a surface of the first nip-forming member, the surface facing the inner circumferential surface, the second nip-forming member extending in a direction orthogonal to a rotating direction of the fixing belt. Both ends of the second nip-forming member on an upstream side and a downstream side of the rotating direction are bent in a direction away from the nipping part, in order to create a pair of side-wall portions, so that the second nip-forming member has a concave cross-section for accommodating the first nip-forming member. The second nip-forming member has a restraining portion at a position located on the side-wall portion created on the upstream side, the restraining portion being configured to restrain the first nip-forming member not to be detached from the concave cross-section.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt; a pressure roller to contact the fixing belt; a nip forming member to press the pressure roller from the fixing belt; a nip portion formed between the fixing belt and the pressure roller; a heater to heat the fixing belt to fuse and fix toner onto a recording sheet in the nip portion; an auxiliary driven roller; an auxiliary drive roller to drive the driven roller; an auxiliary nip portion, formed between an outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary driven roller and an outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary drive roller, to nip the recording sheet after toner fixation conveyed from the nip portion; and an outlet guide member, disposed downstream of the auxiliary nip portion, to guide the recording sheet after toner fixation conveyed from the auxiliary nip portion, with the toner-fixed recording sheet surface bent in a concave shape.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt and an opposed rotator to press against a nip formation pad via the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the fixing belt and the opposed rotator. A primary heater and a secondary heater heat the fixing belt. The secondary heater includes a lateral end heat generator. The nip formation pad includes a base and at least one thermal conductor being interposed between the base and the fixing nip and having a thermal conductivity greater than a thermal conductivity of the base. The at least one thermal conductor includes an outboard edge disposed between an inboard edge and an outboard edge of the lateral end heat generator and disposed outboard from a conveyance span of the fixing belt in an axial direction of the fixing belt, where a recording medium is conveyed over the fixing belt.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator being rotatable and a heater to heat the fixing rotator. The heater includes a tube, a heat generator, disposed inside the tube, to generate heat, and a sealing portion, disposed at each lateral end of the tube in a longitudinal direction of the heater, to seal the tube. The sealing portion includes an inboard edge. A reflector reflects heat radiated from the heater toward the fixing rotator. The reflector includes an outboard edge being disposed inboard from the inboard edge of the sealing portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device to fix a toner image onto a recording medium, a voltmeter to measure an input voltage from an external source, and a controller operatively connected to the fixing device and the voltmeter. The fixing device includes an endless, fixing rotator formed into a loop, a heater to heat the fixing rotator, a pressure pad disposed inside the loop, and a pressure rotator disposed opposite the pressure pad via the fixing rotator to press the fixing rotator against the pressure pad to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which the recording medium bearing the toner image is conveyed. The controller controls a heating operation of the heater and a fixing operation of the fixing device to fix the toner image onto the recording medium, based on the input voltage measured by the voltmeter.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt that is multilayered, an opposing rotator disposed opposite the fixing belt and pressed to the fixing belt to form a nip, a heater disposed inside the fixing belt, and a safety device including a contactless temperature sensor disposed outside the fixing belt and apart from an outer face of the fixing. The fixing belt is to rotate and thermally expand. The contactless temperature sensor detects a temperature of the fixing belt. The safety device stops heating by the heater when the temperature detected by the contactless temperature sensor is at or higher than a predetermined temperature. As the outer face of the fixing belt shifts outward in the radial direction due to thermal, a proportion of the outer face of the fixing belt in a viewing angle of the contactless temperature sensor increases.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation and including a heated face and a heater including a contact face contacting the heated face of the fixing rotator. The contact face has a Vickers hardness not greater than about 600 Hv.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a nip formation pad to form a fixing nip between a first fixing rotator and a second fixing rotator, through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. The nip formation pad includes a first planar face, a second planar face disposed downstream from the first planar face in a recording medium conveyance direction and being parallel to the first planar face, and a joint face bridging the first planar face and the second planar face. The joint face includes a first curved portion adjoining the first planar face and having a first curvature in a first direction in which a circumferential face of the second fixing rotator is curved and a second curved portion adjoining the second planar face and having a second curvature in a second direction opposite the first direction.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a primary heat generator and a secondary heat generator to heat an endless belt and a temperature detector, disposed opposite the secondary heat generator, to detect a temperature of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator includes an inboard edge and an outboard edge disposed outboard from the inboard edge in an axial direction of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator has an inboard length defined between a center of a detection span of the temperature detector and the inboard edge in the axial direction of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator further has an outboard length defined between the center of the detection span of the temperature detector and the outboard edge in the axial direction of the endless belt. The secondary heat generator defines a ratio of the outboard length to the inboard length that is greater than 7/3.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a primary heater and a secondary heater that heat a fixing rotator. The primary heater includes a primary major heat generation portion and a primary minor heat generation portion. The primary minor heat generation portion includes a major heat generator that generates an increased amount of heat and a minor heat generator that generates a decreased amount of heat smaller than the increased amount of heat generated by the major heat generator. The major heat generator has a width in an axial direction of the fixing rotator that is not smaller than 30 percent and not greater than 35 percent with respect to a width of the primary minor heat generation portion in the axial direction of the fixing rotator. A temperature detector is disposed opposite the minor heat generator of the primary heater to detect a temperature of the fixing rotator.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable endless belt formed into a loop and a heater disposed opposite the endless belt to heat the endless belt. A nip formation pad is disposed inside the loop formed by the endless belt. The nip formation pad includes a metallic thermal equalizer extending in an axial direction of the endless belt. A rotatable pressure rotator presses against the nip formation pad via the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the endless belt and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. The pressure rotator includes an increased tackiness portion disposed at a lateral end of the pressure rotator in an axial direction of the pressure rotator to transmit a driving force to the endless belt. The increased tackiness portion is disposed opposite the thermal equalizer of the nip formation pad.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing rotator and an opposed rotator pressed against the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip therebetween, through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. A heater heats the fixing rotator. A temperature sensor contacts the opposed rotator to detect a temperature of the opposed rotator. A conveyor conveys the recording medium to the fixing nip. A driver drives the conveyor. A controller, operatively connected to the temperature sensor and the driver, controls the driver to drive the conveyor to convey the recording medium to the fixing nip based on the temperature of the opposed rotator detected by the temperature sensor. The controller causes the driver to be ready to drive the conveyor when a change in the detected temperature of the opposed rotator per unit time reaches a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater that heats a fixing rotator and includes a first heating portion and a second heating portion substantially aligned with the first heating portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. A multi-view thermopile array detects a temperature of an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator at a plurality of spots thereon. A heater controller controls the first heating portion and the second heating portion individually based on the temperature of the fixing rotator detected at the plurality of spots thereon. A recording medium conveyance controller determines whether or not to convey the recording medium to the fixing nip based on an increased temperature detected at at least one of the plurality of spots on the fixing rotator.