Fixing device and image forming apparatus

• US 10,571,839 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2019
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions America Incorporated (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Shibahara, Masami
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hoan H
• Application Number:
  US16/391,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20190332046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 399107, 399110, 399122, 399320, 399328, 399329
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2053 Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2064 combined with pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/80 Details relating to power supplies, circuits boards, electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/2035 the fixing nip having a stationary belt support member opposing a pressure member

Abstract

In a fixing device, a pressure roller is in contact with a fixing belt to form a fixing nip part with the fixing belt, a heating member heats the fixing belt when electrodes are energized, and a holding member holds the heating member. A connector in the fixing device includes a contact terminal that is in contact with the electrode, and by being mounted at a predetermined position of the holding member, the electrode and the contact terminal are in contact with each other. The holding member includes: a guide part having an inclined surface which is inclined with respect to a predetermined direction; and a positioning part that sets the position of the connector, inserted while being in contact with the inclined surface, in a rotatable state toward the predetermined position. The contact terminal is in contact with the electrode over a period before and after rotation of the connector.

Claims

1. A fixing device comprising:

a fixing belt that is endless;

a pressure roller that is in contact with the fixing belt to form a fixing nip part with the fixing belt;

a heating member that includes an electrode and heats the fixing belt when the electrode is energized;

a holding member that holds the heating member; and

a connector that includes a contact terminal in contact with the electrode and is mounted at a predetermined position of the holding member so that the electrode and the contact terminal are in contact with each other, wherein

the holding member includes;

a guide part having an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to a predetermined direction; and

a positioning part that sets a position of the connector, inserted while being in contact with the inclined surface, in a rotatable state toward the predetermined position, and

the electrode is configured such that the contact terminal is in contact with the electrode over a period before and after rotation of the connector.

2. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein

the holding member further includes a hook part having a claw, and

on the connector, an opening, with which the claw of the hook part is engaged when the connector is mounted at the predetermined position, is further formed.

3. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein

the connector further includes a groove part configured to have the positioning part fitted thereto, and

the positioning part is configured to be fitted into the groove part in a state where the connector is rotatable around the positioning part.

4. The fixing device according to claim 3, wherein

the holding member further includes a hook part having a claw,

on the connector, an opening, with which the claw of the hook part is engaged when the connector is mounted at the predetermined position, is further formed,

the positioning part of the holding member is a cylindrical member,

the groove part of the connector includes:

a receiving part that linearly extends in a receiving direction to receive the positioning part fitted into the groove; and

a restricting part that is formed at an end of the receiving part in a shape that conforms to an arc formed by an outer shape of the cylindrical positioning part and that restricts a movement of the positioning part within the receiving part, and

in a state where the positioning part of the holding member is fitted into the receiving part of the groove part and the positioning part abuts the restricting part, the connector is rotated along the arc formed by the outer shape of the positioning part and the hook part engages with the opening, thereby the rotation of the connector is stopped, and the connector is fixed to the holding member.

5. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein

the heating member includes a substrate on which the electrode is formed, and

the predetermined direction is a direction inclined with respect to a shorter direction of the substrate when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the fixing device according to claim 1; and

an image forming unit that forms a toner image on a recording sheet, wherein

the fixing device fixes the toner image formed by the image forming unit to the recording sheet at the fixing nip part.