Temperature Control Patents (Class 399/69)
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Patent number: 10444678Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing unit having heat sources each extending in a longitudinal direction thereinside, and sensors that measure a surface temperature of the fixing unit. The heat sources are provided at different positions in a projection diagram of the fixing device seen in a rotational-axis direction of the fixing unit. A first measurement position for a first sensor is different in the peripheral direction from a second measurement position for a second sensor. A sum of a first distance between the first measurement position and a first heat source nearest to the first measurement position and a second distance between the second measurement position and a second heat source nearest to the second measurement position is smaller than a sum of the first and second distances in a case where the second measurement position coincides with the first measurement position in the peripheral direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2018Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventor: Akio Miyazaki
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Patent number: 10437185Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a controller configured to control a temperature at which energization to a heater is turned off, depending on a detection temperature of a detecting portion, wherein, when a temperature rise rate per unit time of the detection temperature of the detecting portion is a first rise rate, the controller turns off the energization to the heater in response to the detection temperature reaching a first temperature, and, when the temperature rise rate per unit time is a second rise rate that is less than the first rise rate, the controller turns off the energization to the heater in response to the detection temperature reaching a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2018Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yusuke Yamaguchi, Masayuki Tamaki, Hiroki Kawai, Ikuo Nakamoto
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Patent number: 10416596Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressuring member, a temperature sensing part and an air blow controlling part. The fixing member heated by a heat source heats a toner image on the recording medium. The temperature sensing part includes an infrared sensing element sensing infrared rays from the fixing member and a condensing member condensing the infrared rays to the infrared sensing element. The air blow controlling part executes and stops the air blow to the temperature sensing part. Detection temperature of the fixing member is calculated with a sensing value by the infrared sensing element. The detection temperature or control temperature of the heat source is corrected with air blow condition by the air blow controlling part and temperature deference between the infrared sensing element and the condensing member. Heating of the fixing member is controlled with the corrected detection temperature or the corrected control temperature.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2018Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Ryohei Tokunaga, Taro Kurahashi
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Patent number: 10401765Abstract: A heater includes a plurality of heating blocks in a substrate having a plurality of temperature detection elements disposed therein. In a case where one of the heating blocks is caused to generate heat alone, temperature distribution of the heating block in a longitudinal direction is inclined from a center part to an edge. One of the plurality of temperature detection elements is arranged in a region in which the temperature distribution is inclined.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2018Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahiro Uchiyama, Atsushi Iwasaki, Takashi Nomura
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Patent number: 10377129Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ejecting head that ejects ink droplets onto a surface of a printing medium (paper roll), a carriage on which the ejecting head is mounted, a platen that faces the ejecting head and supports the printing medium, a detector plate provided in the carriage and is displaced in accordance with an external force applied in response to contact with the printing medium, and an encoder that measures a displacement amount of the detector plate and outputs an output value corresponding to the displacement amount.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2018Date of Patent: August 13, 2019Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Yugo Ishikawa
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Patent number: 10365594Abstract: An apparatus includes a fuser assembly including a heater member. The heater member includes at least one heating element and at least one temperature sensor to sense a temperature of the heating element. A first power control unit is coupled to the at least one temperature sensor and operative to calculate at least one power level for the at least one heating element based upon at least one set-point temperature therefor and the temperature sensed by the at least one temperature sensor. A second power control unit is coupled to the first power control unit, receives the calculated at least one power level and selects, based upon the calculated power level, at least one actual power level from a stored plurality of predetermined power levels. The second power control unit controls a power for the at least one heating element based upon the selected at least one actual power level.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2018Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC.Inventor: Jichang Cao
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Patent number: 10365572Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printer and a controller. The printer transfers an image formed by attaching toner to an electrostatic latent image onto a sheet, heats and presses the sheet onto which the visible image is transferred to fix the image onto the sheet, and thereby forms an image on the sheet. The controller controls the printer to form an image for a second surface, and then to form an image for a first surface which differs from a surface on which the image for the second surface is formed, when the controller determines that duplex printing, in which decolorable toner is used on the first surface on which an image is first formed, and toner having a fixing temperature higher than a decolorizing temperature is used on the second surface, is set in printing job data.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2018Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Natsuko Okuzono
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Patent number: 10353341Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a fuser to fuse a print sheet having a surface on which toner is developed, the fuser including a heating element, and a controller to control a number of waveforms of an alternating current (AC) power to be supplied to the heating element, within a control cycle to control the fuser to fuse the print sheet at a target temperature and to vary the control cycle, according to a temperature of the fuser.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2018Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD.Inventors: Hwa-chul Choi, Yun-su Kim
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Patent number: 10345745Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a first fixing member, and a second fixing member that forms a nip with the first fixing member. An air blowing device blows air for cooling an end portion region of at least one of the first and second fixing members with respect to a longitudinal direction, perpendicular to a recording material feeding direction, in the nip. In addition, a controller capable of selecting one of an operation in a first mode, in which cooling of the end portion region by the air blowing device is carried out depending on a recording material size, with respect to a widthwise direction of the recording material, and an operation in a second mode, in which the cooling is carried out depending on a size of a print region of the image, with respect to a direction perpendicular to the recording material feeding direction.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2018Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hirokazu Okugawa, Tohru Saito
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Patent number: 10338495Abstract: There is demand to reduce the amount of developing agent fed to a cleaning member. The amount of developing agent that is fed to the cleaning member is decided based on the amount of developing agent recovered by the cleaning member or the amount of use of a process cartridge.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2018Date of Patent: July 2, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Satoru Motohashi
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Patent number: 10338506Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing rotator; a pressure rotator configured to be pressed into contact with the fixing rotator to form a nip portion; a heating section configured to be provided over an outer circumference of the fixing rotator in a non-contact manner with the fixing rotator and heat the fixing rotator; and a power shutdown section configured to shut down power supply to the heating section when temperature becomes higher than a predetermined setting temperature, wherein the heating section includes an infrared heater and a reflection member which covers the infrared heater and whose portion facing the fixing rotator is an opening portion, a longitudinal length of the reflection member is longer than a length in an axis direction of a light emitting unit of the infrared heater, and a temperature detection unit of the power shutdown section is arranged outside the reflection member.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2016Date of Patent: July 2, 2019Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Koji Yamamoto, Mamoru Fukaya, Toru Hayase
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Patent number: 10317825Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes a fixing device, a heater driver, and a controller. The fixing device includes: a heater; a heating member; and a temperature sensor which outputs a signal depending on a temperature of the heater or the heating member. When a target temperature of the heater or the heating member changes from a first target temperature to a second target temperature lower than the first target temperature and before a detection temperature becomes equal to or lower than a first switching temperature which is equal to or lower than the second target temperature, the controller sets control value of the heater by on/off control or proportional control. After the detection temperature becomes equal to or lower than the first switching temperature, the controller sets control value of the heater by proportional-integral control.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2017Date of Patent: June 11, 2019Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Kenichi Iesaki
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Patent number: 10310422Abstract: A fixing apparatus feeds a sheet that is unfixed through a nip formed between a heating member and a pressurizing member to thermally fix the sheet, and includes a cooler that cools the pressurizing member, wherein when a fixing job is performed on a sheet whose sheet width is a second width larger than a first width, after a fixing job is completed on a sheet whose sheet width in an orthogonal direction to a sheet feeding direction is the first width, the cooler cools a difference region in which a first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member through which the sheet having the first width is fed and a second sheet feeding region through which the sheet having the second width is fed are not overlapped with each other, with a cooling power stronger than that of a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2018Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Tomomi Izawa, Mitsuru Satou, Kenji Sawada
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Patent number: 10300763Abstract: A system for controlling an air conditioner for vehicles may include a sensor configured to sense surface temperature of a passenger sitting part of a rear seat of a vehicle, a reference temperature estimation device configured to estimate surface temperature of the passenger non-sitting part of the rear seat as a reference temperature, a passenger boarding recognition device configured to compare the surface temperature of the passenger sitting part sensed by the sensor, with the reference temperature estimated by the reference temperature estimation device and to judge that a passenger is seated on the rear seat when a difference between the surface temperature of the passenger sitting part and the reference temperature exceeds a critical value, and an air conditioner operation controller configured to differently control volume and temperature of air discharged from the air conditioner according to whether or not a passenger is seated on the rear seat.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2015Date of Patent: May 28, 2019Assignee: Hyundai Motor CompanyInventors: Jae Hyun Park, Sang Hun Kim, Chang Won Lee, Joon Hyung Park
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Patent number: 10289043Abstract: According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes a heat roller, a first heat generating body, a second heat generating body, and a power adjuster. The heat roller heats a conveyed sheet. The first heat generating body is provided in the heat roller and generates heat in the vicinity of the center in the length direction of the heat roller. The second heat generating body is provided in the heat roller and generates heat in the vicinities of both the ends in the length direction of the heat roller. The power adjuster applies thinning control to electric energy supplied to one or both of the first heat generating body and the second heat generating body.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2018Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Satoshi Iwamoto
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Patent number: 10281857Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressing member and a heater. The heater includes a center heating part, end heating parts, a common electrode, a first individual electrode and a second individual electrode. The center heating part is divided into 2n (n?2) center heating elements at intervals in the width direction. The center heating elements each has electrodes on both end faces in a conveyance direction and are connected between the common electrode and the first individual electrode in series. Each of the end heating parts is divided into n end heating elements at intervals in the width direction. The end heating elements each has electrodes on both end faces in the conveyance direction and are connected between the common electrode and the second individual electrode in series.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2018Date of Patent: May 7, 2019Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventor: Yukihiro Aikawa
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Patent number: 10277004Abstract: To provide a laser device capable of detecting overheating (abnormality) of a heat-generating part by detecting a temperature of a cooling member for cooling the heat-generating part. A laser device includes one or a plurality of heat-generating part(s), one or a plurality of cooling member(s) respectively disposed in contact with the one or plurality of heat-generating part(s), the one or plurality of cooling member(s) containing a refrigerant flowing inside, one or a plurality of first temperature detection part(s) respectively disposed on the one or plurality of cooling member(s) to respectively detect temperatures of the one or plurality of cooling member(s), and a monitoring part capable of detecting an abnormality respectively in the one or plurality of cooling member(s) based on temperature information including information on the temperatures detected by the one or plurality of first temperature detection part(s).Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2017Date of Patent: April 30, 2019Assignee: FANUC CORPORATIONInventor: Tooru Nukui
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Patent number: 10268144Abstract: An image heating apparatus has a heater to heat an image formed on a recording material. The heater has a plurality of heat generating elements. A control portion controls electrical power supplied to the plurality of heat generating elements. The control portion respectively sets a heating amount with respect to a region in which an image is formed and a heating amount with respect to a region in which an image is not formed in a single sheet of the recording material. The control portion is further configured to at least set the heating amount with respect to the region in which the image is not formed when the recording material is heavy paper to become less than the heating amount with respect to the region in which the image is not formed when the recording material is plain paper.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2017Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Atsushi Iwasaki
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Patent number: 10254686Abstract: The fixing apparatus includes a cylindrical heating film, a nip portion forming member, a roller; a motor, a control unit, and an acquisition unit. The apparatus executes a fixing process of conveying and heating the recording material carrying the toner image to fix the toner image to the recording material at the nip portion. The apparatus is further configured to execute a first mode of stopping the supply of power to the motor just after the end of the fixing process and a second mode of stopping the supply of power to the motor after a low-speed rotation period for rotating the motor at a rotational speed set lower than the target rotational speed during the fixing process after the end of the fixing process, and to select one of the first and second modes.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2016Date of Patent: April 9, 2019Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taisuke Minagawa, Mahito Yoshioka, Satoru Taniguchi, Takashi Honke, Hirohiko Aiba, Masaki Hirose
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Patent number: 10241157Abstract: A differential transformer-based permeability sensor includes a substrate including an insulation layer and a wiring layer stacked on each other, a first drive coil, a first induction coil, a second drive coil, a second induction coil, and a adjuster coil, all flatly formed on the wiring layer, a closed circuit including the adjuster coil and a current regulation element connected in parallel to ends of the adjuster coil, and an oscillation circuit. A circuit constituent is formed in which an oscillation signal of the oscillation circuit is provided to each of the drive coils, so that an induction current flows through the first induction coil, the second induction coil, and the adjuster coil, and a difference between the induction current of the first induction coil and that of the second induction coil is outputted. The induction current of the adjuster coil is adjusted according to resistance of a variable resistor.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2017Date of Patent: March 26, 2019Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventor: Yukihiro Aikawa
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Patent number: 10241447Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image former that includes an imaging part that forms a toner image; a fixing apparatus that fixes the toner image transferred to a sheet by a heating roller and a pressure roller extending in an axial direction; and a heat insulation duct that is disposed between the image former and the fixing apparatus and introduces a cooling medium therein along the axial direction, wherein the heat insulation duct has an opening portion that discharges the cooling medium introduced into the heat insulation duct to a region between the image former and the fixing apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2018Date of Patent: March 26, 2019Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventor: Hidehito Kishi
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Patent number: 10216126Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, an exposing unit configured to expose the photoconductor for forming a latent image on the photoconductor based on image data, a developing unit configured to develop, by using toner, the latent image, a transferring unit configured to transfer the image to a sheet, a fixing unit configured to fix toner image transferred onto the sheet, and a control unit configured to divide the image data into a plurality of regions in a sub-scanning direction, determine a target temperature for each region from a result of analyzing the region, and control a temperature of the fixing unit based on the determined target temperature.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2017Date of Patent: February 26, 2019Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yosuke Obayashi
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Patent number: 10170230Abstract: A power supply apparatus capable of appropriately supplying electrical power to a power transmission coil even if a foreign object is heated during power supply. The power supply apparatus (100) is provided with a power supply coil (103a) opposing a power-receiving unit (153) provided to a vehicle and supplying power to the power-receiving unit (153), and a casing (103b) accommodating the power supply coil (103a). In the casing (103b), a first cover (202) is formed on a surface of the casing (103b) opposing the power-receiving unit (153), and a second cover (203) opposing the first cover (202) is arranged between the first cover (202) and the power supply coil (103a).Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2018Date of Patent: January 1, 2019Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.Inventors: Toshiki Tatsuta, Osamu Ohashi, Tsuyoshi Nishio, Noriaki Asaoka, Masayoshi Koizumi
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Patent number: 10146160Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating body, a heating source, a pressuring body, a driving source, a moving part and a cooling part. The driving source rotates one body of the heating and pressuring bodies. The moving part moves the pressuring body relatively to the heating body at timing after the medium passes the nip between the heating and pressuring bodies to separate the pressuring body from the heating body. The cooling part cools the pressuring body separated from the heating body. If fixing operation is carried out when a specific value obtained in the last fixing operation by dividing a passing period of the medium through the nip by a rotating period of the one body, is smaller than a reference value, the timing is made early in comparison with a case where the specific value is equal to or more than the reference value.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2017Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventor: Akihiro Kondo
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Patent number: 10114318Abstract: An image heating apparatus heats an image formed on a recording material and includes a heater having a first heat generating block and a second heat generating block adjacent to the first. A power control portion controls electrical power supplied to the first and second blocks, independently. When an entire range in which the second block is provided is a range in which the recording material passes and only a portion of a range in which the first block is provided, electrical power supplied to the first is less than that supplied to the second. The power control portion controls the power so that a ratio of the power supplied to the first block to the power supplied to the second block decreases as a recording material passing range, in the range in which the first block is provided, decreases.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2017Date of Patent: October 30, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masato Sako, Atsushi Iwasaki, Keisuke Mochizuki
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Patent number: 10108123Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developer bearing member, a fixing unit including a heating member, a rotary member which is heated by the heating member, and a nip area where the rotary member comes into contact with a sheet, and configured to perform fixing by heating a developer image transferred to the sheet and fixing the developer image to the sheet in the nip area, and a control unit configured to execute, while the fixing is not performed, a mode in which the image bearing member is rotated with the developer bearing member being in a separated position and the heating member is controlled such that a temperature of a portion of a surface of the rotary member, after the rotary member passes through the nip area, is maintained higher than the temperature of the portion during the fixing.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2017Date of Patent: October 23, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Motonari Ito, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Makoto Tokudome
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Patent number: 10095163Abstract: An image forming apparatus that includes a plurality of heaters and in which a combination of each of the heaters to be turned on can be changed includes a current detection unit including a through-type current transformer in which current supply lines are inserted into or wound around a through hole; a turn-on information acquisition unit that acquires information on a turn-on mode indicating the combination of each of the heaters to be turned on as turn-on information; a connection information acquisition unit that acquires connection information on additive polarity connection and subtractive polarity connection of the heaters, wherein the current supply lines include an additive polarity connection line, and a subtractive polarity connection line; and an energization information acquisition unit that acquires information on an energized state of the plurality of heaters as energization information, based on the turn-on information, the connection information, and a current value.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2017Date of Patent: October 9, 2018Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventors: Shigetaka Kato, Natsuyo Higashi, Takahiro Tsujimoto, Hirotada Seki, Yoshihiko Hikari
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Patent number: 10078300Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator including a primary portion and a secondary portion disposed outboard from the primary portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. A pressure rotator contacts the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed. A primary heater heats the primary portion of the fixing rotator. A secondary heater heats the secondary portion of the fixing rotator. A primary temperature detector is isolated from the fixing rotator and detects a temperature of the primary portion of the fixing rotator. A secondary temperature detector contacts the fixing rotator and detects a temperature of the secondary portion of the fixing rotator. The primary temperature detector has a thermal time constant that is smaller than a thermal time constant of the secondary temperature detector.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2017Date of Patent: September 18, 2018Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Masahiro Samei, Toshio Ogiso, Tamotsu Ikeda, Shigeo Nanno
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Patent number: 10067450Abstract: A fixing device includes a roller, an endless belt, and a heat generating member disposed in a space inside the endless belt, extending in a width direction of the endless belt, and pressing the endless belt against the roller. A sheet is passed through a nip formed between the roller and a portion of the endless belt pressed by the heat generating member, such that an image on the sheet is fixed thereto. The heat generating member includes first and second heat generating portions that are adjacent to each other along the width direction and independently operable from each other. A boundary of the first and second heat generating portions extends in a direction inclined with respect to a sheet conveying direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2017Date of Patent: September 4, 2018Assignee: Toshiba TEC Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Osamu Takagi
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Patent number: 10067448Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion to form a toner image on a recording material on the basis of image information, a fixing portion to fix the toner image on the recording material, fixing portion including a heating member and an opposing member to form a nip, a temperature detecting member to detect a temperature of the heating member, a controller to control electrical power supplied to the heating member so that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting member is a target temperature, and an acquiring portion to acquire density information of the toner image from the image information. The controller sets the target temperature depending on the density information.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2017Date of Patent: September 4, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoshi Nishida, Isamu Takeda, Atsushi Nakamoto, Akimichi Suzuki
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Patent number: 10054882Abstract: Provided is an image heating apparatus including: a heater having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording material; and a control portion that controls electric power to be supplied to the plurality of heating elements and is capable of individually controlling the plurality of heating elements, the image heating apparatus heating an image formed on the recording material with heat by the heater, wherein the control portion sets a heating condition when controlling each of the plurality of heating elements, according to the thermal history of a heating region heated by one heating element and the thermal history of a heating region heated by a heating element adjacent to the one heating element.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2017Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takashi Nomura, Atsushi Iwasaki, Takahiro Uchiyama, Keisuke Mochizuki
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Patent number: 10042323Abstract: A developing device includes a developing unit; an airflow generator that generates an airflow in a space accommodating the developing unit; a partitioning member that has at least two openings located upstream of the developing unit in a direction of the airflow and that divides a region in which the developing unit is present from a region in which the developing unit is not present, the two openings being located at an upstream position and a downstream position in the direction of the airflow, at least the opening at the upstream position being provided with an opening-closing mechanism; and an element that performs at least an exothermic process in the space accommodating the developing unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2017Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Kazuya Tamura, Masafumi Kudo, Koji Udagawa
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Patent number: 10036970Abstract: Provided is a magenta toner having a toner particle containing a binder resin, a wax and a colorant, wherein the colorant contains a specific amount of a compound (1), the colorant also contains one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of a naphthol compound, a quinacridone compound and a lake compound thereof in addition to the compound (1), and the binder resin contains a specific amount of a polyester resin.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2017Date of Patent: July 31, 2018Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ichiro Kanno, Takeshi Hashimoto, Nozomu Komatsu, Masayuki Hama, Hitoshi Sano, Yuto Onozaki, Akifumi Matsubara, Takakuni Kobori, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Tsubasa Fujisaki
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Patent number: 10031473Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming station, a mounting portion, and a fixing portion that includes a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member, a rubbing rotatable member configured to rub a surface of the first rotatable member during a rubbing treatment, and a storing portion capable of storing number information. A number of recording materials fed to the fixing portion is counted, written into the storing portion, and used to determine whether to execute the rubbing treatment. In a case in which, in sequence, the recording material is fed to the mounted fixing portion, the mounted fixing portion is removed and replaced with another fixing portion, and the removed fixing portion is remounted, both number information acquired from the storing portion and the number of recording materials fed to the remounted fixing portion are used to determine whether to execute the rubbing treatment.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2016Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Katsuya Nakama, Satoru Yamamoto, Masahiro Tsujibayashi, Yasuharu Chiyoda, Nobuhiro Kikuchi, Akinobu Nishikata, Akihiro Kawakita, Toshiyuki Miyake, Koji Yumoto, Riki Fukuhara
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Patent number: 10027837Abstract: An apparatus includes a calculation unit configured to calculate information about power using a first signal and a second signal, a first communication unit configured to transmit a calculation result of the calculation unit, and a second communication unit configured to receive a plurality of pieces of setting information stored in a storage unit, wherein the calculation apparatus is capable of switching calculation processing of the calculation unit based on the plurality of pieces of setting information received via the second communication unit.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2016Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yasuhiro Shimura, Tatsuya Hotogi, Yuki Nakajima
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Patent number: 10025244Abstract: A method and system for fusing toner to media sheets in an imaging device are disclosed. The system includes a fuser heater having a first heating element and a second heating element, the fuser heater providing heat to a fuser nip; and heat control circuitry coupled to the fuser heater for passing current through the first and second heating elements of the fuser heater to generate heat therefrom. The system further includes a controller coupled to the heat control circuitry, the controller controlling the heat control circuitry for passing current through the first heating element during a warm up operation and passing current through the second heating element during a fusing operation following the warm up operation, the fusing operation fusing toner to a sheet of media.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2013Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.Inventors: Michael Clark Campbell, Paul Wesley Etter, James Adrian Riley, Jerry Wayne Smith
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Patent number: 10018946Abstract: A fixing device includes a roller, a pressing member pressed against the roller, such that when a sheet having an unfixed image is passed thorough a nip formed between the roller and the pressing member, the unfixed image is fixed on the sheet, a first heater configured to heat the roller, a second heater configured to heat the pressing member, and a controller configured to control the second heater, such that a time-averaged heat generation by the second heater when an image of a decolorable material is fixed is greater than a time-averaged heat generation by the second heater when an image of a non-decolorable material is fixed.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2017Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroshi Katakura
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Patent number: 10018947Abstract: An image forming apparatus as provided includes: a heating roller heated using a first heater unit disposed in the center thereof and second heater units disposed on both sides of the first heater unit; a pressure roller in pressing contact with the heating roller to form a nip; first and second sensors for detecting the temperature of a central area of the heating roller the temperature of a side area of the heating roller, respectively; and a controller for individually controlling the first and second heater units according to the respective temperatures measured by the first and second sensors when the temperature measured by the second sensor is lower than a predetermined first temperature, and commonly controlling the first and second heater units according to the temperature measured by the first sensor when the temperature measured by the second sensor is equal to or higher than the predetermined first temperature.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2014Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: S-PRINTING SOLUTION CO., LTD.Inventors: Jeong-chul Song, Sang-cheol Moon, Hwan-hee Kim, Kwang-sun Song
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Patent number: 10012934Abstract: According to an embodiment, a fixation device has a fixation belt, a coil, and a heat-generation auxiliary plate. The coil is opposed to the fixation belt and the heat-generation auxiliary plate and generates magnetic flux. The heat-generation auxiliary plate assists heating of a recording medium by the fixation belt. The heat-generation auxiliary plate has a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer formed on the magnetic layer and contacting a base layer of the fixation belt. The non-magnetic layer is harder than the base layer of the fixation belt.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2017Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shuji Yokoyama
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Patent number: 10007216Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second heaters and a controller. The first and second heaters have a same light distribution and heat a roller of an image fixing unit. The second heater generates a less heat amount than the first heater. The controller applies a drive voltage to a heater of the heaters. When a heat amount generated by the second heater has increased to a first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the second heater to the first heater. When a heat amount generated by the first heater has decreased to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the first heater to the second heater.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2017Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Kenji Tamaki, Teruhiko Toyoizumi, Tadashi Matsudaira, Hirofumi Nakajima, Tatsuo Ishizuka
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Patent number: 9989900Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an acquisition unit, a fixing unit including a heating member and a pressure member forming a nip, a temperature detecting unit, and a control unit. In a case where a toner density of a toner image on a k-th recording material of a plurality of recording materials is less than the toner density of the toner image on a (k-1)-th recording material of the plurality of recording materials, k being an integer greater than or equal to two, the control unit sets a fixing temperature of the k-th recording material to a temperature which is greater than a predetermined temperature predetermined based on image information of the toner image to be formed on the k-th recording material.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2016Date of Patent: June 5, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Mahito Yoshioka, Satoru Izawa, Masahide Hirai, Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 9989908Abstract: Provided is an image formation system of series tandem type in which first and second image formation apparatuses connected in series execute an image formation process on a recording material, wherein the first image formation apparatus includes: a first image carrier; a first toner image formation unit; a first density detection unit; a first density control value setting unit; and a first temperature detection unit, the second image formation apparatus includes: a second image carrier; a second toner image formation unit; a second density detection unit; a second density control value setting unit; and a second temperature detection unit, and the image formation system includes: a recording material density detection unit; and a control unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2016Date of Patent: June 5, 2018Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Takenobu Kimura
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Patent number: 9989903Abstract: Provided is a fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material while conveying the recording material on which the toner image has been formed at a nip portion that includes a roller, a heating unit configured to heat the roller from outside the roller, the heating unit receiving power supplied from a power supply, a backup unit forming the nip portion with the roller, and a power shutdown member configured to operate in response to an abnormal temperature of the backup unit and shut down power supply to the heating unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2017Date of Patent: June 5, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takanori Mitani, Akimichi Suzuki, Satoshi Nishida, Isamu Takeda, Kazuhiro Doda, Keisuke Samejima, Hiroshi Yadoiwa
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Patent number: 9983526Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2017Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Takeshi Uchitani, Masahiko Satoh, Kenji Ishii, Tadashi Ogawa, Teppei Kawata, Arinobu Yoshiura, Toshihiko Shimokawa, Kensuke Yamaji, Takamasa Hase, Shuutaroh Yuasa, Masaaki Yoshikawa, Hiromasa Takagi, Takahiro Imada, Hajime Gotoh, Akira Suzuki, Takuya Seshita, Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Kazuya Saito, Shinichi Namekata, Takayuki Seki, Yuji Arai, Ryuuichi Mimbu, Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Shuntaroh Tamaki, Yutaka Ikebuchi
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Patent number: 9971286Abstract: A control method of an image forming apparatus including a fixing rotator includes transiting the image forming apparatus to a standby mode; detecting a temperature of the fixing rotator when the image forming apparatus is in the standby mode; determining that the fixing rotator is in a low temperature state that does not satisfy a predetermined heating condition based on the detected temperature of the fixing rotator; detecting at least one of an electric voltage, an electric current, and an electric power input to the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is in the standby mode; determining that the image forming apparatus is in a low input state that does not satisfy a predetermined input condition based on the detected one of the electric voltage, the electric current, and the electric power; and issuing a notification that urges a recovery operation of the image forming apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2017Date of Patent: May 15, 2018Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Ryuichi Kikegawa, Tsukasa Satoh
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Patent number: 9939763Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a fixing apparatus comprises a belt which is equipped with a conductive layer; an induction current generator which faces the belt and heats the conductive layer through an electromagnetic induction system; a magnetic material which faces the induction current generator across the belt; a measurement section which measures a state of the magnetic material; and a controller which controls a frequency applied to the induction current generator based on a measurement result of the measurement section in a case in which at least a print request is not received.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2016Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shuji Yokoyama
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Patent number: 9910390Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a processor and heaters which heat a fixing member of an image fixing device. The processor calculates an application pattern for the heaters based on a temperature of the fixing member and generates a drive voltage by suitably selecting half waves from an AC waveform of an AC power supply according to the application pattern. When a duration of time the drive voltage is applied to a first heater in the application pattern having a duty cycle of a predetermined level or less exceeds a predetermined period of time, (i) the processor turns off the first heater and turns on a second heater with a different distribution, or (ii) the processor increases the duty cycle of the first heater and decreases a duty cycle of the second heater.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2016Date of Patent: March 6, 2018Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventors: Akira Okamoto, Keigo Ogura
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Patent number: 9905351Abstract: A power supply apparatus capable of appropriately supplying electrical power to a power transmission coil even if a foreign object is heated during power supply. The power supply apparatus (100) is provided with a power supply coil (103a) opposing a power-receiving unit (153) provided to a vehicle and supplying power to the power-receiving unit (153), and a casing (103b) accommodating the power supply coil (103a). In the casing (103b), a first cover (202) is formed on a surface of the casing (103b) opposing the power-receiving unit (153), and a second cover (203) opposing the first cover (202) is arranged between the first cover (202) and the power supply coil (103a).Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.Inventors: Toshiki Tatsuta, Osamu Ohashi, Tsuyoshi Nishio, Noriaki Asaoka, Masayoshi Koizumi
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Patent number: 9851665Abstract: According to an embodiment, a fixation device has a fixation belt, a coil, and a heat-generation auxiliary plate. The coil is opposed to the fixation belt and the heat-generation auxiliary plate and generates magnetic flux. The heat-generation auxiliary plate assists heating of a recording medium by the fixation belt. The heat-generation auxiliary plate has a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer formed on the magnetic layer and contacting a base layer of the fixation belt. The non-magnetic layer is harder than the base layer of the fixation belt.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2016Date of Patent: December 26, 2017Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shuji Yokoyama
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Patent number: 9835992Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, and a processor. The fixing device fixes an image formed on a recording medium at a fixing temperature. The fixing device includes a heater to heat the fixing device with power from a power supply. The processor detects a voltage value of the power supply, sets a standby temperature of the fixing device based on the detected voltage value of the power supply, and controls operation of the heater to heat the fixing device from the standby temperature to the fixing temperature in response to receiving an instruction for forming an image.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2016Date of Patent: December 5, 2017Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Toshiaki Takane