Temperature Control Patents (Class 399/69)
  • Patent number: 9176440
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator and an abutment rotator contacting the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium is conveyed. A heater is disposed opposite the fixing rotator to heat the fixing rotator. A thermopile array is disposed opposite an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator to detect a temperature of the outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The thermopile array is tilted with respect to the outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator to cause a bisector dividing a view angle of the thermopile array in an axial direction of the fixing rotator into two equal parts and a rotation axis of the fixing rotator to define an outboard angle and an inboard angle disposed inboard from the outboard angle in the axial direction of the fixing rotator and different from the outboard angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruyuki Honda, Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Kazuhito Kishi, Yasunori Ishigaya, Ippei Fujimoto, Misaki Shimizu, Keisuke Kawabata
  • Patent number: 9170534
    Abstract: A fixing device may include: a nip member; an endless belt; a heater; a temperature detection unit; and a biasing member. The endless belt may circularly move such that an inner peripheral surface thereof may move in a sliding direction at a position in sliding contact with the nip member. The temperature detection unit may include: a temperature sensor and a holder. The temperature sensor may detect a temperature of the inner peripheral surface and may include: a base and a sensor element supported at the base. The holder may support the base and may have a guide surface for guiding the inner peripheral surface. The guide surface may be disposed on at least one of first and second sides of the temperature sensor in a first direction extending along an axis of the endless belt. The biasing member may bias the holder toward the inner peripheral surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kei Ishida
  • Patent number: 9170561
    Abstract: A cooling device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes multiple air blowers to cool a cooling target provided to the image forming apparatus and a duct to connect with the multiple air blowers and to flow airflow generated by the multiple air blowers therethrough and to have an opening formed thereon and disposed at a position shifted to a part of the multiple air blowers. Respective outputs of the multiple air blowers are different from each other according to respective positions of the multiple air blowers with respect to the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Miyagawa, Koji Kawahara
  • Patent number: 9164452
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material, the fixing portion including an endless belt, a heater contacted to an inner surface of the endless belt, a pressing member for forming a fixing nip with the heater with the endless belt in the nip, and a switching mechanism for switching a state of the fixing nip between a first state in which pressure at the time of a fixing operation is applied in the fixing nip and a second state in which the pressure at the time of the fixing operation is not applied in the fixing nip. When electric power is supplied to the heater in the second state, the switching mechanism operates to switch the state of the fixing nip from the second state to the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Odate
  • Patent number: 9164439
    Abstract: A fuser control device includes a fuser device that a holding member holds configured to fuse a developing image to a priming medium, a fuser heater that is installed at the holding member configured to generate heat for at least a central part and side parts of a heat application roller, a first temperature detection part configured to detect a temperature of the fuser device and configured to transmit the temperature of the fuser device as a first detecting temperature, a second temperature detection part configured to detect a temperature of the holding member and configured to transmit the temperature of the holding member as a second detecting temperature, and a heat application control unit configured to control the temperature of the fuser device with changing a targeting temperature for the fuser device based on a controlling condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiki Sato
  • Patent number: 9164438
    Abstract: A fixing device temperature control method includes selectively energizing at least one of a plurality of heaters that heats a fixing rotary body according to an image area on a recording medium where a toner image is formed on the recording medium, detecting a temperature of a pressing rotary body pressed against the fixing rotary body, and controlling the energized, at least one of the plurality of heaters based on the detected temperature of the pressing rotary body so as to heat the fixing rotary body to a target temperature. The image area on the recording medium corresponds to a plurality of axial heating spans on the fixing rotary body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Samei, Yasunori Ishigaya, Ryota Yamashina, Takumi Waida
  • Patent number: 9152103
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, a temperature sensor, a storage unit, a drive-frequency initial setting unit, a power measuring unit, and a drive-frequency adjusting unit. The fixing unit is configured to perform induction heating using a coil unit. The drive-frequency initial setting unit is configured to establish an initial-setting value for a drive frequency of the coil unit based on the temperature-frequency relationship information stored in the storage unit and on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor immediately before a power activation of the fixing unit. The power measuring unit is configured to measure power consumption of the fixing unit at the drive frequency established by the drive-frequency initial setting unit. The drive-frequency adjusting unit is configured to adjust the drive frequency of the coil unit based on the power consumption measured by the power measuring unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuichi Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 9146512
    Abstract: When calculating an actual turn-on duty based on a required duty according to a feedback control, the actual turn-on duty is corrected using a correction table or a correction conversion formula such that a required turn-on duty and the actual turn-on duty coincide with each other. A fixing heater is controlled according to the corrected actual turn-on duty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Kazuya Saito, Takeshi Uchitani, Takamasa Hase, Shuutaroh Yuasa, Ippei Fujimoto, Shinichi Namekata, Ryota Yamashina, Hiroshi Seo, Takumi Waida
  • Patent number: 9141048
    Abstract: A fixing device, corresponding to a plurality of sheet passing widths, includes a rotating member configured to convey a recording medium, rise in temperature, and fix toner; temperature sensors configured to detect the surface temperature of the rotating member; heating members including at least one heat generating unit, provided inside the rotating member; and a control unit configured to control a heating state obtained by the heating members. The heat generating units are provided not to overlap each other in the direction of the sheet passing width orthogonal to the recording medium conveying direction. The temperature sensors are only placed at positions corresponding to the heat generating units used when printing on the recording medium having a minimum width. The control unit controls the heating state in accordance with the surface temperature, a sheet passing width, and an operational state of the rotating member that changes with time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Satoh, Hironori Yamaoka, Shinichi Namekata
  • Patent number: 9141050
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a heater; a heater holding member for holding the heater; a temperature sensor, provided in contact with the heater through a hole provided in the heater holding member, for detecting a temperature of the heater; a holder for holding the sensor; and an urging member, provided between the sensor and the holder, for urging the sensor toward the heater, wherein the heater holding member includes a positioning portion for determining a position of the holder with respect to an urging direction of the urging member, and wherein the positioning portion is disposed at a position outside of a position of the sensor with respect to a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshisuke Kasuya, Hideki Ohta
  • Patent number: 9134660
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressurizing member, a heat source, and a temperature sensing device. The fixing belt is rotatably provided. The pressurizing member is rotatably provided and is in pressed contact with the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the pressurizing member and the fixing belt. The heat source heats the fixing belt. The temperature sensing device detects the temperature of the fixing belt. The temperature sensing device has a sensing element that is in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt in a neighboring region of an end portion of the fixing nip and a pressing member configured to press the sensing element against the inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Shoji Koda, Ryo Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 9134667
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus that fixes a toner image on a sheet includes each of fans configured to respectively cool areas adjacent to a longitudinal center and longitudinal both ends of a pressure roller, and in a case where fixing processing is performed on thin paper of a maximum width size, includes a first mode in which the fixing processing is started after the fan configured to cool the area adjacent to the longitudinal center of the pressure roller is actuated for a predetermined time and a second mode in which the fixing processing is started after the fan configured to cool the area adjacent to the longitudinal both ends of the pressure roller is actuated for a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuaki Ono
  • Patent number: 9134661
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating element group including a plurality of heating elements arranged in a main scanning direction; a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor that detect a temperature of a heating element of the plurality of heating elements; and a correction unit that corrects an output value from the first temperature sensor based on the output value from the first temperature sensor and a distance between the first temperature sensor and the heating element and corrects an output value from the second temperature sensor based on the output value from the second temperature sensor and a distance between the second temperature sensor and the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yoichi Kitahara
  • Patent number: 9128430
    Abstract: One disclosed aspect of the embodiments relates to power control of a heater in a fixing unit. A plurality of control tables having different ratios of phase control waveforms and wave number control waveforms in one control cycle have been set, and a control table is selected depending on a set target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rikuo Kawakami, Yasuhiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 9122212
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotary body, an opposed member opposing the fixing rotary body to form a nipping portion, and a heater to heat the fixing rotary body. The heater includes heat generators arranged in a width direction of a recording medium and separately supplied with power. When an unfixed image on the medium has an image area and a non-image area, power supplied to each of the heat generators is controlled so that, of the heat generators, a first heat generator corresponding to the image area becomes a higher temperature and second heat generators corresponding to the non-image area becomes a lower temperature. When the second heat generators are adjacent to each other, power supplied to one of the second heat generators closer to the image area is set to be greater than power supplied to another of the second heat generators farther from the image area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ippei Fujimoto, Kazuhito Kishi, Masahiro Samei, Hiroshi Ono, Hiroshi Seo, Yasunori Ishigaya, Ryota Yamashina, Takumi Waida, Takeshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9098030
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: an endless fixing belt; a heating member heating the fixing belt; a support member maintaining the fixing belt substantially circular; a pressing member in contact with the fixing belt to form a fixing nip portion; a temperature sensor; a position detector; a storage storing temperatures and positions of the fixing belt detected by the temperature sensor and the position detector; and a control unit. The control unit is operable in a characteristic storing mode and in a fixing mode. In the characteristic storing mode, temperatures of the fixing belt associated with positions are detected, and the detected temperatures and positions are stored in the storage. In the fixing mode, temperatures of the fixing nip portion are predicted with reference to the temperatures and positions stored in the storage, and the heating member is controlled such that the predicted temperatures become a target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kosuke Sasaki, Yasuhiro Ishihara, Toshiaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9098028
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming part to form a developer image on a recording medium, a fuser part that includes a fuser member and a heat application member to fix the developer image on the recording medium, a heat application control part to control the heat application member so that a temperature of the fuser member falls within a target temperature range that has been set, a temperature setting part to set a first target temperature range and a second target temperature range. The first target temperature range is a target temperature range for a first fusion that is performed on a first surface of the recording medium, and the second target temperature range is another target temperature range, which is lower than the first target temperature range, for a second fusion that is performed on the first surface of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Ryo Takatsuka
  • Patent number: 9091971
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes an image unit that forms an image using at least one of a white toner and a color toner having a lower storage modulus than the white toner and a fixing unit that fixes the image to a medium with heat. A time P calculated by subtracting a fixing time for which an image of the color toner alone is fixed to normal paper used as the medium from a fixing time for which an overlaid image of the white toner and the color toner is fixed to color paper used as the medium is more than 0 ms and less than 30 ms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sakon Takahashi, Yutaka Kiuchi, Masayo Higashimura, Atsumi Kurita
  • Patent number: 9091975
    Abstract: A fixing device includes first and second rollers forming a nip for fixing a toner image on a sheet; a heat absorption roller for absorbing heat from said first roller by contacting said first roller; a moving mechanism for moving said heat absorption roller to and away from said first roller; a counter for counting a number of continuously executed fixing process operations without said heat absorption roller contacting said first roller; a controller for determining, based on an output of said counter, whether to carry out an operation of a mode in which said heat absorption roller is contacted to said first roller by said moving mechanism and is rotated for a predetermined period, during non-fixing process period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuaki Hara
  • Patent number: 9086662
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of performing image formation quickly and reducing power consumption. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms images by transferring toners to sheets and fixing the toners onto the sheets using a fixing section. A page count is acquired which is indicative of the number of pages on which image formation can be formed within a time period required before the temperature of the fixing section rises from a first temperature to a second temperature. Then, when it is determined that rendering of PDL data for pages in the page count is completed, if all of the pages in the page count are for the text images, the image forming unit is controlled such that printing is started when the temperature of the fixing section has reached the first temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryotaro Okuzono
  • Patent number: 9081338
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device having a heating member, a heat source, a rotating member, and a temperature sensor; and a control device configured to control the heat source, wherein, in a case of a low temperature state where the temperature of the heating member is lower than a predetermined temperature, the control device to control the heat source such that the temperature of the heating member rises with a gradient equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and wherein, in a case of a high temperature state where the temperature of the heating member at the print-instruction receiving time is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the control device to control the heat source such that the temperature of the heating member rises with a gradient smaller than that in the normal mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Takeuchi, Kei Ishida, Kaoru Suzuki, Yuki Fukusada
  • Patent number: 9081339
    Abstract: Disclosed are a fixing device and an image formation device. The fixing device includes first and second sensors used to respectively detect first and second temperatures; first and second calculators used to respectively calculate, during a process of starting a heating source, first and second temperature gradients; a parameter storage used to store at least first and second temperature gradient thresholds; a determination part used to get a determination result; an information generation part used to generate, based on the determination result, restart prompt information indicating that the image formation device needs to be restarted because the voltage of an electrical source is too low; and an information transmission part used to transmit the restart prompt information to a display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Chaoqian Tang, Baolin Zhang, Jihua Zhang, Wei Li, Kazuya Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 9069311
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming section, a fixing section, and a control section. The toner image forming section forms a toner image based on image data for printing on printing paper. The fixing section fixes the toner image on the printing paper through thermocompression. The control section controls a toner image forming operation by the toner image forming section and a fixing operation by the fixing section. The control section calculates a size parameter associated with a size of a uniform density region included in the toner image based on the image data for the printing and controls a fixing temperature of the fixing section according to a calculation result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tadashi Ohba
  • Patent number: 9069309
    Abstract: A fixing device that includes a heater, a first endless belt, a first roller, and a second roller is provided. The first endless belt confronts the heater at a confronting part and providing a nip region upon contacting the heater. The first endless belt is movable in a first direction at the confronting part, and has an inner peripheral surface. The first roller supports the inner peripheral surface, and nips the first endless belt in cooperation with the heater. The nip region has a part facing the first roller. The second roller is disposed downstream of the nip region in the first direction and supports the inner peripheral surface. The second roller is positioned such that a part of the endless belt mounted over the second roller is out of contact from the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 9063488
    Abstract: According to embodiments, a heating member or a sliding member arranged in contact with the surface of a fusing roller is moved in an intersecting direction with the rotational direction of the fusing roller in a contact state with the heating member or the sliding member so as to prevent a scratch from being generated on the surface of the fusing roller or to repair the scratch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Tanaka, Atsuyoshi Abe, Daisuke Aoki, Kazuhisa Kemmochi, Tsutomu Miki
  • Patent number: 9057993
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a coil generating magnetic flux, a rotatable heater generating heat by the flux generated from the coil, for heating an image on a recording material, magnetic cores provided outside the heater and arranged in a rotational axis direction of the heater, a first mover moving at least a part of the cores from a first position to a second position spaced from the coils, an adjuster, movable between the cores and the heater, for reducing the flux directed from the cores toward the heater, and a second mover moving, when a first core in a non-sheet-passing area of the recording material is moved to the second position by the first mover and a second core adjacent to the first core in the non-sheet-passing area is disposed at the first position to heat the image, the adjuster to a position corresponding to the second core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Suguru Takeuchi, Kohei Koshida
  • Publication number: 20150147077
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device. The fixing device includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller. The fixing roller applies heat of a predetermined fixing temperature T1 to a print sheet S to which a toner image has been transferred. The pressure roller has a larger heat capacity than the fixing roller. A control portion of the image forming apparatus determines, in a power saving mode, whether or not a detection result of a temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a motor rotation start temperature T3 which is lower than the fixing temperature T1 (first step). Upon determining that the detection result is equal to or lower than the motor rotation start temperature T3, the control portion controls a driving motor to rotate the fixing roller at least once in the state where a halogen lamp has been lighted off (second step).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: Yuichiro Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 9042758
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including: a formation unit that forms an image using a color material, on a medium; a fusing unit that fixes the image formed on the medium; and a control unit that controls to perform both of a first fusing and a second fusing on the medium, wherein the first fusing is a fixation in which a first image is formed by using a color material with a metallic color and the first image formed is fixed, the second fusing is a fixation in which a second image is formed by using a color material with another color than the metallic color and the second image formed is fixed, and the first image and the second image are overlapped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiko Kubo, Jun Koyatsu, Hideki Kimura
  • Patent number: 9042760
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a heating device that includes a heating source, a non-contact thermistor, a contact thermistor and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the heating source on the basis of the detected temperature of the non-contact thermistor and the detected temperature of the contact thermistor and control the heating member to a predetermined temperature. The control unit performs the temperature control using the detected temperature of the contact thermistor for temperature control from startup time to a target temperature and using the detected temperature of the non-contact thermistor if the temperature exceeds the target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsutoshi Mita
  • Patent number: 9042761
    Abstract: A fixing device capable of shifting to a sleep state includes a heat source; a rotatable fixing member that is partly heated by the heat source to heat an unfixed image carrying surface of a recording medium; a rotatable pressing member that is in pressure contact with the fixing member to form a nip portion between the pressing member and the fixing member; a rotation drive unit that directly or indirectly rotates the fixing member; a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the fixing member; and a controller configured to prohibit the fixing device from shifting to the sleep state when the temperature of the fixing member in a region facing the heat source is equal to or more than a predetermined temperature T1 at a point when a predetermined time period t1 has elapsed from the stop of rotation drive of the rotation drive unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi Uchitani, Masahiko Satoh, Masaaki Yoshikawa, Kenji Ishii, Tadashi Ogawa, Takahiro Imada, Hiromasa Takagi, Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Arinobu Yoshiura, Teppei Kawata, Takamasa Hase, Hajime Gotoh, Takuya Seshita, Kazuya Saito, Toshihiko Shimokawa, Kensuke Yamaji, Shuutaroh Yuasa, Akira Suzuki, Shinichi Namekata, Ryota Yamashina, Yasunori Ishigaya
  • Patent number: 9040877
    Abstract: The heating apparatus of a surface-heating type, includes a rotary member, an opposing member that forms a nip with respect to the rotary member, and a heating member for heating a portion of a rotary member surface other than the nip, in which temperature used for heating the rotary member by the heating member is controlled, and a heating material inserted in the nip to be nipped and conveyed therein is heated using heat of the rotary member. Accordingly, after insertion of the heating material in the nip starts, control temperature of the heating member is increased before the rotary member rotates by one revolution, thereby preventing an uneven heating phenomenon of the heating material in the first revolution and the second revolution or later, and preventing uneven gloss due to the uneven heating phenomenon in the fixing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideo Nanataki, Taku Fukita, Yozo Hotta
  • Publication number: 20150139677
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit in which fixing temperature is calculated from a toner bearing amount and fixing processing is performed while reducing drop in the print speed. A method for controlling a temperature of a fixing unit for fixing a recording material onto a recording medium includes determining, for image data of a plurality of pages, whether a data size of the image data of a unit page is smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and based on the determination result, selecting whether to control the temperature of the fixing unit to be a temperature determined from the amount of the recording material of the image data of the unit page, or to control the temperature of the fixing unit to be a predetermined temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Mikio Yamano
  • Publication number: 20150139676
    Abstract: To appropriately adjust a fixing temperature corresponding to an amount of applied toner, an image forming apparatus controls a temperature of a fixing unit configured to fix a recording material on a sheet. The apparatus acquires an amount of the recording material of each page in image data of a plurality of pages generated by dividing image data of one page; determines one fixing temperature using the acquired plurality of amounts of the recording material if a setting of dividing the image data of one page and printing the image data on a plurality of sheets is done; and controls the temperature of the fixing unit using the determined fixing temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Naohiro Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150139678
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus can be used in areas having different power supply voltages, in which a failure of the apparatus can be detected so that reliability of the apparatus is improved. The apparatus includes a connection state switching part which switches connection of a first heat generating member and a second heat generating member, which generate heat by electric power supplied from a commercial power supply through a power supply path, between a serial connection state and a parallel connection state, and a current detection part which detects current flowing in the power supply path. The current detection part is disposed in the power supply path after branching toward the first heat generating member and the second heat generating member in the parallel connection state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Shimura
  • Patent number: 9037008
    Abstract: A fixing device including a fixing member, an opposing member, a plurality of heat sources, and a voltage detector. The opposing member is disposed opposite the fixing member to contact the fixing member to form a nip portion at which an unfixed image on a recording medium is fixed. The plurality of heat sources heats the fixing member. The voltage detector detects an applied voltage of at least one of the plurality of heat sources. Upon detection of the applied voltage of the heat sources by the voltage detector, a voltage is applied to at least one of the heat sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takamasa Hase, Masahiko Satoh, Masaaki Yoshikawa, Kenji Ishii, Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Tadashi Ogawa, Takeshi Uchitani, Hiromasa Takagi, Naoki Iwaya, Teppei Kawata, Takuya Seshita, Arinobu Yoshiura, Takahiro Imada, Hajime Gotoh, Kazuya Saito, Toshihiko Shimokawa, Shuutaroh Yuasa, Kensuke Yamaji, Akira Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9037013
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an input unit, a display unit, an image forming unit, a storage unit, a first-page print execution information setting unit, and a print control unit. The first-page print execution information setting unit stores information in the storage unit. The information relates to execution of printing the first page of a job on a sheet on a manual feed tray. If printing on a long nonstandard-size sheet is selected, the print control unit causes the display unit to display an indication prompting a user to identify the sheet size and requests the image forming unit to start printing the sheet on the manual feed tray after a print start instruction. If the information is stored in the storage unit, the print control unit skips the step of displaying the indication and requests the image forming unit to start the printing on the sheet on the manual feed tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Daijiro Kitamoto
  • Patent number: 9037027
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing member; a moving section that moves the fixing member in a sheet width direction; a temperature detection section disposed at a position corresponding to an end portion of the fixing member, the temperature detection section moving together with the fixing member to detect a temperature of the end portion; and a control section that performs a first movement control and a second movement control on the basis of a result of a detection by the temperature detection section, the first movement control being intended to move the fixing member in the sheet width direction in a reciprocating manner with a predetermined cycle, the second movement control being intended to move the fixing member in the sheet width direction so that the temperature of the fixing member falls within a predetermined temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Taizou Oonishi, Makoto Fujii, Miho Yamano, Kazunori Nishinoue, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9037060
    Abstract: With a fixing apparatus, a shape of a folded portion on the side of a pressure roller of a sliding contact sheet is folded along a shape of the pressure roller, thereby uniformizing a longitudinal pressure distribution and preventing an uneven-gloss image due to pressure reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shinagawa
  • Patent number: 9037010
    Abstract: A heating device including: a heat generating unit configured to receive an AC voltage from a power supply; a zero-crossing signal generating unit configured to generate a zero-crossing signal which is a square pulse signal synchronizing with a zero-crossing timing of the AC voltage, the zero-crossing signal being a first level at the zero-crossing timing and being a second level at other timings; and a control device configured to perform a detecting process in which an abnormality in a frequency or an output wave of the power supply or is detected, and an error processing, in a case where the abnormality in the frequency of the power supply or the abnormality in the output waveform of the power supply is detected and the level of a zero-crossing signal at a detection timing of detecting the abnormality is the second level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Naganawa
  • Patent number: 9031433
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a density-corrected image forming unit, a measurement unit, an image correction unit, and a fixing unit. The image forming unit forms an image represented by image data as a toner image. The density-corrected image forming unit forms a density corrected image. The measurement unit measures the density of the density corrected image. The image correction unit performs image correction such that a non-halftone image is formed as a halftone image whose halftone percentage is less than 100%. The fixing unit, in a case where the image correction unit performs image correction for image data, fixes a toner image on a recording medium with at least one of an increased fixing temperature, an increased fixing time period, and an increased fixing pressure, the toner image being based on the image data for which image correction has been performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takaharu Nakajima
  • Patent number: 9031440
    Abstract: The heating apparatus includes a heat generating member which generates heat when power is supplied from an AC power supply, a temperature detection device which detects temperature of the heat generating member, a current detection device which detects a value of current flowing in the heat generating member; and a control unit which controls the temperature of the heat generating member by controlling power supplied to the heat generating member, in which the control unit detects a drop of an input voltage of the AC power supply based on a maximum suppliable power ratio determined by using a value of current suppliable to the heat generating member, the current value detected by the current detection device, and a ratio of power supplied to the heat generating member obtained based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuji Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 9031438
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section that forms an image on a recording medium; a fixing section that includes a heat roller with a heater inside and fixes a toner image on the recording medium; a temperature detecting section for detecting the temperature of an end region of the heat roller in a direction of a rotary axis thereof; a control section that controls the operation of the heater based on the detected temperature; and a post-drive time calculating section that calculates a post-drive time for a post-drive of the fixing section after a successive image formation on recording media, depending upon the sizes of the recording media and through a subtraction using a correction factor set according to a condition of conveyance of the recording media. The control section causes the fixing section to perform the post-drive for the calculated post-drive time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Asaka
  • Patent number: 9031442
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes: a fixing device; a power supply unit; a non-contact temperature sensor; and a control device. The fixing device has a heating member. The power supply unit is configured to supply electric power to the heating member. The non-contact temperature sensor is disposed in a position separate from the heating member and configured to detect temperature of the heating member. A first function and a second function respectively produce a first corrected temperature value and a second corrected temperature value smaller than the first corrected temperature value with respect to a given detected temperature. The control device is configured to: select the first function to correct the detected temperature at a start of a print control process; switch from the first function to the second function at a prescribed timing during the print control process; and control the power supply unit based on the corrected temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuya Koyama, Yuki Fukusada
  • Patent number: 9031439
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, provided is a fixing device that includes: a rotatable fixing member that heats a recording medium on a side carrying an unfixed image; a rotatable pressing member that is pressed and is contacted with the fixing member to form a nip portion between the pressing member and the fixing member; a heat source heating the fixing member; a relay switch provided in an energizing path for the heat source; a temperature detection sensor detecting a temperature of the fixing member; and a control unit that controls energization of the heat source according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor. The control unit keeps the relay switch in an off state if the temperature of the fixing member is equal to or more than a predetermined temperature when the fixing member has stopped rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Takamasa Hase, Kenji Ishii, Tadashi Ogawa, Teppei Kawata, Arinobu Yoshiura, Toshihiko Shimokawa, Kensuke Yamaji, Takeshi Uchitani, Shuutaroh Yuasa, Masaaki Yoshikawa, Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Hiromasa Takagi, Naoki Iwaya, Takahiro Imada, Hajime Gotoh, Takuya Seshita, Ryota Yamashina, Yasunori Ishigaya
  • Patent number: 9031444
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of heaters 56 for heating the fixing roller 52, a plurality of temperature sensors 57 for detecting the temperatures of the areas to be heated by the plurality of heaters 56 respectively, and a control unit 11 for turning on and off the plurality of heaters 56 on the basis of the temperatures detected by the plurality of temperature sensors 57. If one of the heaters 56 is on when the area to be heated by the other heater cools down to the ON temperature, the control unit 11 turns on the other heater with the same timing as the one heater is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Akinori Kimata, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Tadayuki Ueda, Toru Kasamatsu, Eiji Nishikawa, Takanobu Shiki
  • Patent number: 9031441
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus orientatable in either a first position or a second position, the second position being different from the first position in inclination with respect to a horizontal plane, including a fixing unit including a fixing roller and a pressurizing roller, pressing the pressurizing roller against a surface of the fixing roller to form a fixing nip, and thermally fixing a toner image on a recording sheet passing through the fixing nip; at least one temperature sensor detecting surface temperature of the fixing roller without contact with the surface; a heater heating the fixing roller; and a controller controlling the heater according to the surface temperature, thereby controlling the surface temperature, wherein a heat sensitive portion of the temperature sensor is located above a horizontal plane passing through a rotational axis of the fixing roller regardless of the orientation of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Soda, Yasuo Nakamura, Masahide Wakayama, Yasuaki Tomoda
  • Patent number: 9031443
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming station for forming an unfixed image on a recording material; a fixing portion for heating and fixing an unfixed image formed on the recording material, the fixing portion including a fixing rotatable member, and a pressing roller cooperative with the fixing rotatable member to form a nip for nipping and feeding the recording material; an ambient condition sensor for detecting an ambient temperature and an ambient humidity; and a controller for controlling the fixing portion; wherein the controller sets such a warming-up time for warming up the fixing portion that a temperature of the pressing roller at the time when the recording material enters the nip is a temperature calculated on the basis of the ambient temperature and the ambient humidity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiteru Kaida, Yasuharu Hirado
  • Patent number: 9025984
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus orientatable in either a first position or a second position, the second position being different from the first position in inclination with respect to a horizontal plane, comprising: a fixing device including a heating roller and a pressurizing member, pressing the pressurizing member against a surface of the heating roller to form a fixing nip, and thermally fixing a toner image on a recording sheet passing through the fixing nip; at least one temperature detector detecting surface temperature of the heating roller without contact with the surface; a heater heating the heating roller; a controller controlling the heater according to the surface temperature, thereby controlling the surface temperature; and a switcher switching a detection point of the temperature detector between a first and a second detection point according to whether the image forming apparatus is in the first or the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Soda, Junichi Tanimoto, Masashi Kawai
  • Patent number: 9025982
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a control unit that executes a long grain feed mode of conveying a long grain recording sheet whose grain direction is in parallel with a conveying direction of the recording sheet and a short grain feed mode of conveying a short grain recording sheet whose grain direction is orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording sheet, the control unit changing, in accordance to the long grain feed mode and the short grain feed mode, temperature of a first rotating body set by the heating unit and setting of at least either one changeable setting among settings of a pressure-contact mechanism and a driving mechanism configured such that the setting of at least one of them is changeable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seiichiro Kameda
  • Patent number: 9025983
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet using a decolorable toner, a fixing unit configured to fix the image on the sheet by heating, a cooling unit for cooling the fixing unit, and a control section for controlling the cooling unit. The control section turns on the cooling unit if the control section determines that the temperature of the fixing unit is at or above a predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiko Otaki