公开(公告)号：US20240288810A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-29

申请号：US18586955

申请日：2024-02-26

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Hiroki KAWASAKI ,  Ryohei TOKUNAGA ,  Akihiro KONDO ,  Yuta KITABAYASHI ,  Rina KIKUGAWA ,  Shunsaku FUJII ,  Yuto MASAOKA

IPC: G03G15/20

CPC classification number: G03G15/2053 ,  G03G15/2064

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt formed in a cylindrical shape, with a lubricant applied to an inner circumferential surface, and set such that a circumferential surface rotates in a circumferential direction, a heater retention member that retains the heater, inside of the fixing belt, and a pressure member that defines a nip region, through which a recording medium is transported in a nipped state, between the pressure member and a portion of the fixing belt heated from inside by the heater, and drives the fixing belt to rotate. The heater retention member includes a first opposing face extending in a rotation axis direction of the fixing belt, and opposed to the inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt. The first opposing face includes slits aligned in the rotation axis direction of the fixing belt, and a lubricant is applied in advance inside the slits.

公开(公告)号：US20240427268A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-26

申请号：US18754132

申请日：2024-06-25

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Hiroki KAWASAKI ,  Ryohei TOKUNAGA ,  Akihiro KONDO ,  Yuta KITABAYASHI ,  Rina KIKUGAWA ,  Shunsaku FUJII ,  Yuto MASAOKA

IPC: G03G15/20

Abstract: A heater heats a fixing belt in contact with an inner surface of the fixing belt. The fixing belt is formed into a cylindrical shape and rotates around an axis. The heater includes a substrate and a plurality of resistance heat generating elements. The substrate is made of insulator, and elongated in the axial direction. The resistance heat generating elements are arranged on one surface of the substrate facing the inner surface of the fixing belt with gaps in the axial direction, and generate heat by being supplied with power. A relationship between the gap G (mm) and a heat conductivity λ [W/m·K] of the inner surface of the fixing belt satisfies λ≥138G-36.

公开(公告)号：US20240361714A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-31

申请号：US18640337

申请日：2024-04-19

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Akihiro KONDO ,  Ryohei TOKUNAGA ,  Yuta KITABAYASHI ,  Rina KIKUGAWA ,  Hiroki KAWASAKI ,  Shunsaku FUJII ,  Yuto MASAOKA

IPC: G03G15/20 ,  G03G15/00

CPC classification number: G03G15/205 ,  G03G15/2064 ,  G03G15/5004 ,  G03G2215/00772

Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a fixing device and a controller. The fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressure member, a heating member, and a temperature sensor. The controller cuts off power supply to the heating member when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor has risen to a cutoff temperature higher than the target temperature and thereafter resumes power supply to the heating member when the detected temperature has fallen below the cutoff temperature, and performs the PID control while limiting a maximum power supplied to the heating member to an upper limit power, which is a power supplied to the heating member at the time when the detected temperature has risen to the cutoff temperature, during a period from when power supply is resumed until a predetermined specific period of time elapses.

公开(公告)号：US20240288811A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-29

申请号：US18589060

申请日：2024-02-27

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Shunsaku FUJII ,  Ryohei TOKUNAGA ,  Akihiro KONDO ,  Yuta KITABAYASHI ,  Rina KIKUGAWA ,  Hiroki KAWASAKI ,  Yuto MASAOKA

IPC: G03G15/20

CPC classification number: G03G15/2064 ,  G03G15/205 ,  G03G15/2053 ,  G03G2215/2038

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a fixing device, and a controller. The fixing device includes a fixing belt, a heater, a pressure roller, a drive device, and a pressure adjustment mechanism that adjusts pressure to the nip region from the pressure roller, by switching between a normal level and a low level. When executing a print job, the controller causes the drive device to rotate the pressure roller, thereby causing the fixing belt to start to rotate, after causing the pressure adjustment mechanism to switch the pressure to the nip region to the low level, causes the pressure adjustment mechanism to switch the pressure to the nip region from the low level to the normal level, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the fixing belt started to rotate, and causes the image forming device to form an image according to the print job.

公开(公告)号：US20240288806A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-29

申请号：US18587012

申请日：2024-02-26

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Yuto MASAOKA ,  Yuta KITABAYASHI ,  Ryohei TOKUNAGA ,  Akihiro KONDO ,  Rina KIKUGAWA ,  Hiroki KAWASAKI ,  Shunsaku FUJII

IPC: G03G15/20 ,  G03G15/00

CPC classification number: G03G15/2039 ,  G03G15/2053 ,  G03G15/2064 ,  G03G15/5004

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a fixing belt, a heater including a main heater and two sub heaters, a pressure member, a drive device, a main temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the main heater, a sub temperature sensor that detects a temperature of only one of the two sub heaters, a controller, and an abnormality decision device that decides whether a duty ratio adopted by the controller, to control the power amount to be supplied to the two sub heaters, is an appropriate value corresponding to a transport status of the recording medium in a regular transport mode. The controller executes, when the abnormality decision device decides that the duty ratio adopted to control the power amount to be supplied to the two sub heaters is not the appropriate value, a predetermined preventive operation for suppressing an excessive temperature increase of the heater.