Abstract: A temperature detecting apparatus, includes an excitation coil magnetically couplable with metal layer of a heater, the excitation coil being supplied with an AC electric energy; and a detector for detecting a voltage drop, across the excitation coil, which changes with temperature of the heater. The metal layer has a metal ring and the excitation coil is magnetically connected with the metal ring.

Abstract: An image drying and fixing apparatus for affixing an image to a copy substrate, wherein a drying oven defining a copy substrate inlet and outlet is provided with a conveyor for advancing the copy substrate through the drying oven, and an image impacting system disposed along the path of travel of the copy substrate for pressing the image onto the copy substrate in image configuration. The image impacting system includes a pair of cooperating roll members forming a nip through which the copy substrate having the image thereon passes, with the image impacting system being selectively positionable along the path of travel of the copy substrate for optimizing the process of affixing the image to the copy substrate. The image drying and fixing apparatus may also include a radiant heating device situated within the drying oven, positioned for radiating thermal energy in the direction of the copy substrate immediately prior to passage of the copy substrate through the copy substrate output.

Abstract: A fixing device (20) for heating and then fixing an unfused toner image onto a sheet substrate includes a first roller (24) and a second roller (28) spaced apart from the first roller. A third roller (26) is arranged between the first and second rollers. A portion of the third roller is protruded across an imaginary line (38) which contacts with outer peripheries of the first and second rollers on the same side thereof into a region (40) in which the first and second rollers are located. A fourth roller (30) is spaced apart from the third roller beyond the first or second roller. A portion of the fourth roller is also protruded across the imaginary line into the region. A heater (36) is mounted for heating the rollers. The sheet (22) is transported with one surface thereof contacted with the first and second rollers while the other surface thereof is contacted with the third and fourth rollers along a sheet path (42) defined by peripheral portions of the four rollers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image illuminating section having an illuminating lamp for projecting an image and a heater-type fixing device. In the image forming apparatus, the image illuminating section and the heater-type fixing device are adjacent to each other, and the fixing device is heated by the heat of the illuminating section. This prevents a waste of energy, shortens the rise time of the fixing device and the operating time of a heater for heating a heating roller of the fixing device, and obtains good fixing properties even in a low-temperature environment.

Abstract: A method for regulating a temperature of a fixing unit in an electrophotographic system contemplates the steps of preheating the fixing unit in response to application of electrical power to the fixing unit; heating a surface of a heating roller of the fixing unit to a heightened temperature that is greater than a printing temperature during an initial printing stage of a printing operation when a number of sheets that have been printed in the printing operation is less than or equal to a predetermined number, and heating the surface of the heating roller to the printing temperature when the number of sheets that have been printed in the printing operation is greater than the predetermined number; printing one of the sheets after the heating step; determining whether a last one of the sheets has been printed; returning to the heating step when the last one of the sheets has not been printed, and terminating the printing operation and activating a standby mode when the last one of the sheets has been printed.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes an image fixing roller for performing thermal image fixing, which image fixing roller includes an exothermic phase transition layer capable of performing reversible phase transition from an amorphous state to a crystalline state and vice versa, with liberation of crystallization heat at the phase transition from the amorphous state to the crystalline state, and the crystallization heat is used for increasing the temperature elevation rate for the image fixing roller.

Abstract: A ceramic heater fixes a toner image which is formed on a surface of a paper. A ceramic substrate is arranged to face the surface of the paper provided with the toner image. A heat generator is formed on a surface of the ceramic substrate which is opposite to that facing the surface of the paper. Thus, a structure of a heater which can be entirely uniformly heated to be capable of increasing a heating rate is provided with excellent fixability for a toner image.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus which controls the temperature of the contained thermal fixing device on standby, based on the image formation history information on times of past image formations, etc., to efficiently reduce the power consumption during standby without lowering the availability factor of the image-forming apparatus, which is constructed so that the data on use frequency, including the current time, the number of copies made, etc., (image formation history information) is stored each time an image-forming process is executed, the control section sums the image formation history information on an hourly or other basis, and the temperature of the thermal fixing device on standby is controlled based on the current time-related image formation history information summed on an hourly basis.

Abstract: A carriage is constructed such that a processing part and a fixing part are fitted to a sliding part, wherein a frame on which an exposer and a process motor are mounted is rotatably fitted to the sliding part, and a housing which accommodates the fixing part and the processing part not including the exposer is rotatably and detachably fitted to the frame.

Abstract: A conveying unit conveys a recording sheet. A carriage comprises a process unit for forming a latent image and developing it so as to produce a developed image on an image carrier having a rotation axis parallel to a direction along which the conveying unit conveys the recording sheet, and a fixing unit using a fixing member for fixing the developed image to the recording sheet after the developed image has been transferred to the recording sheet. A transfer unit transfers the developed image produced on the image carrier to the recording sheet. A moving unit moves the carriage on the transfer unit along a direction perpendicular to the direction along which the conveying unit conveys the recording sheet, the carriage thus repeating a go-and-return operation in which the carriage fixes a line of the developed image onto the recording sheet while moving and then returns to a predetermined position. A heating unit heats the fixing member to a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: In a fixing device for heating and melting a toner image and fixing it onto a transfer material, the fixing device has a fixing member surface which comes in contact with a toner image. The fixing member surface has at least a resin and an ion-conductive electrical resistance value controlling material having a melting point higher than a maximum temperature in the fixing device.

Abstract: A fixing device comprises a heat roller constructed from a material which generates heat by eddy currents, an induction heating element which causes the heat roller to generate the eddy currents by electromagnetic induction, and pressing roller for pressing an ink material-applied recording medium against the heat roller. The induction heating element comprises an arc-section insulating support placed adjacent to the surface of the heat roller and a conductive line through which flows a drive current which causes electromagnetic induction resulting in the passage of the eddy currents. The heat roller is excited by the magnetic flux provided by the passage of the drive current through the conductive line of the induction heating element, thereby generating the eddy currents. The eddy currents cause Joule heat which heats the heat roller.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for transporting a migration imaging member over a heat source with minimum stress when developing the migration imaging member. The imaging member is conveyed by pinch transport rollers on either side of the heat source, at least one of the pinch rollers being tapered so that the migration imaging member is only constrained along its two edges. The migration imaging member has the degrees of freedom, in its center, to deform under heat and to settle to its stress free state under the pinch. Also, the heat source does not have to be insulated from the transport rollers since the temperature at the transport rollers is less critical due to the minimized tension in the migration imaging member between the rollers.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image forming apparatus having heating device having a heat generating resistor having a plurality of branches, conduction switching device for switching the conduction at the branch end of the heat generating resistor, and sensing device for sensing the paper size. The switching of conduction of the branch end is performed while not conducting to the heat generating resistor in accordance with the paper size sensed.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus having a partition module between an image sensor module and a heat source (e.g., a laser-beam printer) includes a partition module disposed between the image sensor module and the heat source. The partition module has two walls with a gap therebetween for thermally insulating the image reading module from the heat source. Preferably, the partition module has an air intake port, and an air exhaust port, and an fan for circulating cooling air.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, such as a copier or a printer, for forming an image on a recording sheet. The apparatus includes: a fixer for fixing the image on the recording sheet and having a heat roller. The fixer further includes: a pair of side ends in which a rotation axis of the heat roller passes through the pair of side ends; a heat pipe for regulating a temperature of the heat roller; and a conveyance path, having a reference position, for conveying the recording sheet in the fixing in which the recording sheet is conveyed along the reference position. In the fixer, the reference position is in a vicinity of one of side ends, and a center of the heat pipe in a direction of the rotation axis is positioned on the side end side with respect to a center of the heat roller.