FIXING DEVICE AND FIXING TEMPERATURE CONTROL METHOD OF FIXING DEVICE

• US 20190317436A1
• Filed: 06/27/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Osamu
• Application Number:
  US16/454,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20190317436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2039 with means for controlling the fixing temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2042 specially for the axial heat partition
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2046 specially for the influence of heat loss, e.g. due to the contact with the copy material or other roller
• 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 2215/2022 the fixing nip having both a stationary and a rotating belt support member opposing a pressure member

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes an endless rotating body; a plurality of heat-generating members that heats a medium, each heat-generating member being inclined from the transporting direction to a direction of a predetermined angle, and divided by a predetermined length, the plurality of heat-generating members being disposed on an inner side of the endless rotating body; a plurality of driving circuits, each of the plurality of driving circuits being connected to a corresponding heat-generating member of the plurality of heat-generating members, each of the plurality of driving circuits configured to control individual conduction thereof, each of the plurality of heat-generating members configured to selectively generate a discrete amount of heat corresponding to a position through which the medium passes; and a pressing roller that forms a nip with the plurality of heat-generating members, and configured to nip the medium therebetween and carry the medium in the transporting direction.

Claims

1. A fixing device comprising:

an endless rotating body;

a plurality of heat-generating members that heats a medium, each heat-generating member being inclined from the transporting direction to a direction of a predetermined angle, and divided by a predetermined length, the plurality of heat-generating members being disposed on an inner side of the endless rotating body;

a plurality of driving circuits, each of the plurality of driving circuits being connected to a corresponding heat-generating member of the plurality of heat-generating members, each of the plurality of driving circuits configured to control individual conduction thereof, each of the plurality of heat-generating members configured to selectively generate a discrete amount of heat corresponding to a position through which the medium passes; and

a pressing roller that forms a nip with the plurality of heat-generating members, and configured to nip the medium therebetween and carry the medium in the transporting direction.

2. The device according to claim 1 further comprising

a protective layer is formed on a top portion in order to cover all of the plurality of heat-generating members, the protective layer is disposed on the inner side of the endless rotating body and the plurality of heat-generating members have a same size.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have resistance values which are changed at a certain ratio.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have resistance values which are changed at a certain ratio.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have a same width and are evenly spaced width-wise.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members form a fixing nip having a predetermined width between the plurality of heat-generating members and the pressing roller.

7. A printing device comprising:

an endless belt;

a plurality of heat-generating members that heat a medium, each heat-generating member being inclined from the transporting direction to a direction of a predetermined angle, and divided by a predetermined length, the plurality of heat-generating members being disposed on an inner side of the endless belt;

a plurality of driving circuits, each of the plurality of driving circuits being connected to a corresponding heat-generating member of the plurality of heat-generating members, each of the plurality of driving circuits configured to control individual conduction thereof, each of the plurality of heat-generating members configured to selectively generate a discrete amount of heat corresponding to a position through which the medium passes;

a pressing roller that forms a nip with the plurality of heat-generating members, and configured to nip the medium therebetween and carry the medium in the transporting direction; and

a controller that determines the size of a medium on which a toner image is formed, the controller selects one or more of the plurality of driving circuits connected to the corresponding plurality of heat-generating members to generate heat.

8. The printing device according to claim 7, wherein the controller determines the size of the medium and a thickness or basis weight of the medium, and

the controller controls the plurality of driving circuits to select heat-generating members to be conducted, among the heat-generating members corresponding to the position through which the medium passes based on a result of the determination.

9. The printing device according to claim 7, further comprising

a protective layer is formed on a top portion in order to cover all of the plurality of heat-generating members,

the protective layer is disposed on the inner side of the endless belt and the plurality of heat-generation members have a same size.

10. The printing device according to claim 9, wherein

the plurality of heat-generation members have resistance values which are changed at a certain ratio.

11. The printing device according to claim 7, wherein

the controller determines the size of the medium and a surface temperature of the heat-generating member, and

the controller controls the plurality of driving circuits to select heat-generating members to be conducted, among the heat-generating members corresponding to the position through which the medium passes based on a result of the determination.

12. The printing device according to claim 11, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have a same size.

13. The printing device according to claim 12, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have resistance values which are changed at a certain ratio.

14. The printing device according to claim 7, wherein

the controller determines the size of the medium and

the controller controls the plurality of driving circuits to select heat-generating members to be conducted, among the heat-generating members corresponding to the position through which the medium passes based on a result of the determination.

15. The printing device according to claim 14, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have a same size.

16. The printing device according to claim 15, wherein

the plurality of heat-generating members have resistance values which are changed at a certain ratio.

17. A method of increasing thermal efficiency in a fixing method in a first fixing device compared to a second fixing device containing one heating element, the first fixing device comprising a plurality of heat-generating members, a plurality of driving circuits, and a pressing roller and fixes a toner image on the medium by heating a plurality of heat-generating members that heat a medium, each heat-generating member being inclined from the transporting direction to a direction of a predetermined by a predetermined angle and being divided by a predetermined length, each of the plurality of driving circuits being connected to a corresponding heat-generating member of the plurality of heat-generating members, each of the plurality of driving circuits configured to control individual conduction thereof, the method comprising:

determining the size of the medium; and

controlling the plurality of driving circuits to selectively conduct one or more of the plurality of driving circuits connected to their corresponding heat-generating members corresponding to a position through which the medium passes, among the plurality of heat-generating members and thereby controlling heating of the plurality of heat-generating members.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

determining the size of the medium and a thickness or basis weight of the medium, and

controlling the plurality of driving circuits to select heat-generating members to be conducted, among the heat-generating members corresponding to the position through which the medium passes based on a result of the determination.

19. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

determining the size of the medium and a surface temperature of the heat-generating member, and

controlling the plurality of driving circuits to select heat-generating members to be conducted, among the heat-generating members corresponding to the position through which the medium passes based on a result of the determination.

20. The method according to claim 17 further comprising:

the controller determines the size of the medium and a value of the outdoor air temperature, and

the controller controls the plurality of driving circuits to select heat-generating members to be conducted, among the heat-generating members corresponding to the position through which medium passes based on a result of the determination.