Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Image forming apparatus capable of accurately estimating power consumption level
- Patent Title (中): 能够精确地估计功耗水平的图像形成装置
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Application No.: US13927170Application Date: 2013-06-26
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Publication No.: US09207607B2Publication Date: 2015-12-08
- Inventor: Natsuyo Higashi , Shigetaka Kato , Hideki Nakamura , Katsufumi Suzuki , Hirotada Seki
- Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
- Applicant Address: JP Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo
- Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
- Current Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
- Current Assignee Address: JP Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo
- Agency: Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
- Priority: JP2012-148653 20120702
- Main IPC: G03G15/20
- IPC: G03G15/20 ; G03G15/00

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus that heat-fixes a toner image onto a recording sheet passing through a fixing nip formed by pressing a pressurizing member against a heating rotational body heated by a heater, comprising: a storage unit storing a basic power consumption level of the heater determined in advance in a situation where inflow of inrush current to the heater is not occurring; an estimation unit calculating an estimated power consumption level of the heater by estimating an increase in the power consumption level, with respect to the basic power consumption level, brought about by inflow of inrush current to the heater; and an output unit outputting the estimated power consumption level. The heater switches between a heating state of receiving power supply and a non-heating state of not receiving power supply. The increase is estimated according to a duration of a non-heating state immediately preceding the heating state.
Public/Granted literature
- US20140003830A1 IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF ACCURATELY ESTIMATING POWER CONSUMPTION LEVEL Public/Granted day:2014-01-02
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