Patent Grant
9250581
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2013-228009, filed on Nov. 1, 2013, and 2014-099282, filed on May 13, 2014, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a support mechanism for a heating mechanism of a fixing device employing electromagnetic induction heating.
2. Background Art
Various types of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses are known, including copiers, printers, facsimile machines, and multifunction machines having two or more of copying, printing, scanning, facsimile, plotter, and other capabilities.
Such image forming apparatuses usually form an image on a recording medium according to image data. Specifically, in such image forming apparatuses, for example, a charger uniformly charges a surface of a photoconductor serving as an image carrier. An optical writer irradiates the surface of the photoconductor thus charged with a light beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor according to the image data. A development device supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image thus formed to render the electrostatic latent image visible as a toner image. The toner image is then transferred onto a recording medium directly, or indirectly via an intermediate transfer belt. Finally, a fixing device applies heat and pressure to the recording medium carrying the toner image to fix the toner image onto the recording medium. Thus, the image is formed on the recording medium.
Such a fixing device typically includes a fixing member such as a roller, a belt, or a film, and an opposed member such as a roller or a belt pressed against the fixing member. The toner image is fixed onto the recording medium under heat and pressure while the recording medium is conveyed between the fixing member and the opposed member.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an improved fixing device is described that includes an excitation coil, a rotatable heater, and a support shaft. The excitation coil generates a magnetic flux and includes a turning end and an extended portion continuous with the turning end. The heater includes a heat generation layer to generate heat with the magnetic flux from the excitation coil and a thermosensitive magnetic body disposed facing the excitation coil via the heat generation layer, composed to switch between magnetized and demagnetized states at a temperature defined by a Curie temperature b to selectively create localized heating areas in the heat generation layer. The support shaft made of a nonmagnetic material having a lower electrical resistivity than the thermosensitive magnetic body to support opposed ends of the heater axially along the heater parallel to a direction in which the excitation coil extends. The support shaft includes a body portion and support portions outboard of and continuous with opposed lateral ends of the body portion. The body portion, positioned inside the heater, has a largest outer diameter of the support shaft and an end positioned outside the turning end of the excitation coil. The support portions have a smallest outer diameter of the support shaft different from the largest outer diameter, and support the heater.
Also described is an improved image forming apparatus including an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium, and the improved fixing device to fix the image on the recording medium.
A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be more readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of embodiments when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted.
In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have the same function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve similar results.
Although the embodiments are described with technical limitations with reference to the attached drawings, such description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention and all of the components or elements described in the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily indispensable to the present invention.
In a later-described comparative example, embodiment, and exemplary variation, for the sake of simplicity like reference numerals are given to identical or corresponding constituent elements such as parts and materials having the same functions, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted unless otherwise required.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, embodiments of the present invention are described below.
Initially with reference to
The image forming apparatus 100 further includes a discharge unit D located above the image forming unit A, and a scanner C located above the discharge unit D. The discharge unit D receives the recording medium P carrying a toner image. The scanner C reads a document. A recording medium conveyance passage E indicated by the broken line extends from the feed unit B to the discharge tray D.
A detailed description is now given of a construction of the image forming device A. The image forming unit A includes photoconductive drums A1 rotatable in a direction X, each of which is surrounded by components such as a charger A2, an exposure device A10, and a development device A3 for image formation. The charger A2 charges the surface of the photoconductive drum A1. The exposure device A10 irradiates the charged surface of the photoconductive drum A1 with a laser light beam according to image data to form a latent image thereon. The development device A3 develops the latent image into a visible toner image.
The image forming unit A further includes an intermediate transfer device A4 and a transfer device A5 near the photoconductive drums A1. Toner images formed on the photoconductive drums A1 are transferred and superimposed one atop another on the intermediate transfer device A4 as a color toner image. Then, transfer device A5 transfers the color toner image onto a recording medium P.
A cleaner A6 is disposed in such a position as to remove and collect residual toner that fails to be transferred onto the intermediate transfer device A4 and therefore remaining on the surface of the photoconductive drum A1 from the surface of the photoconductive drum A1. Similarly, a cleaner A16 is disposed in such a position as to remove and collect residual toner that fails to be transferred onto the recording medium P and therefore remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer device A4 from the surface of the intermediate transfer device A4. A cleaner A26 is disposed in such a position as to remove and collect residual toner from the transfer device A5. A lubricant supply unit A7 is disposed near the cleaner A6 to reduce a coefficient of friction on the surface of the photoconductive drum A1 serving as a first image carrier. Similarly, a lubricant supply unit A17 is disposed near the cleaner A16 to reduce a coefficient of friction on the surface of the intermediate transfer device A4 serving as a second image carrier. A lubricant supply unit A27 is disposed near the cleaner A26 to reduce a coefficient of friction on the surface of the transfer device A5. The recording medium P carrying the color toner image is conveyed from the transfer device A5 to the fixing device 1 that is located downstream from the transfer device A5 in a direction in which the recording medium P is conveyed along the recording medium conveyance passage E.
To facilitate maintenance, each of the photoconductive drums A1 and the surrounding components such as the charger A2, the development device A3, the cleaner A6 and the lubricant supply unit A7 are incorporated in a process cartridge (PC) that is removable from the image forming apparatus 100 as a unit. In a similar manner, the cleaner A16 and the lubricant supply unit A17 are provided as a unit and removable from the intermediate transfer device A4. The cleaner A26, the lubricant supply unit A27, and a transfer roller used as the transfer device A5 are provided as a unit and removable from the image forming apparatus 100.
The recording medium P passing through the fixing device 1 is discharged to the discharge unit D via a pair of discharge rollers A9. Thus, recording media P are stocked in the discharge unit D.
A detailed description is now given of conveyance of the recording medium P to the image forming device A.
The feed unit B accommodates a plurality of unused recording media P. As a feed roller B1 rotates, it picks up an uppermost recording medium P of the plurality of recording media P placed on a tray, and feeds the recording medium P toward a pair of registration rollers A11. The pair of registration rollers A11 temporarily stops conveyance of the recording medium P and starts rotation to convey the recording medium P such that the color toner image can be transferred from the intermediate transfer device A4 onto the recording medium P between the intermediate transfer device A4 and the transfer device A5.
In the scanner C, a moving body C1 including a light source and a mirror reciprocates to scan a document placed on a contact glass C2. Image data scanned by the moving body C1 is read by a charge coupled device (CCD) C4 disposed behind a lens C3 as image signals.
The image signals thus read are digitized for image processing. According to the processed signals, the exposure device A10 irradiates the surface of the respective photoconductive drums A1 with laser light beams (optical signals) emitted by a laser diode to form latent images thereon. The optical signals from the laser diode reach the respective photoconductive drums A1 via, e.g., a polygon mirror and a lens.
The charger A2 mainly includes a charging member and a biasing member that presses the charging member against the photoconductive drum A1 at a predetermined pressure. The charging member has a conductive shaft surrounded by a conductive elastic layer. A power source applies a predetermined voltage between the conductive elastic layer and the photoconductive drum A1 via the conductive shaft to charge the surface of the photoconductive drum A1.
The development device A3 agitates developer with an agitation screw sufficiently to attach the developer to a development roller magnetically. A development doctor blade forms the developer thus attached into a thin layer on the development roller. With the thin layer of developer, the latent image formed on the photoconductive drum A1 is developed as a visible toner image.
A transfer bias roller electrically transfers the toner image onto the intermediate transfer device A4, which is an intermediate transfer belt in the present embodiment. The cleaner A6 removes the residual toner that fails to be transferred onto the intermediate transfer device A4 from the surface of the photoconductive drum 1. The lubricant supply unit A7 includes a lubricant supply roller A71, a solid lubricant A72, and a biasing member A73. The lubricant supply roller A71 is a brush roller having a metal shaft which bristles are wound around.
The lubricant supply roller A71 presses against the solid lubricant A72 by its own weight. The biasing member A73 biases the solid lubricant A72 against the lubricant supply roller A71. As the lubricant supply roller A71 rotates, it scrapes off the solid lubricant A72 as fine powder to supply the fine powder of the solid lubricant A72 onto the surface of the photoconductive drum A1. The solid lubricant A72 is supplied onto substantially the entire surface of the photoconductive drum A1, which is wider than a cleaning area of the cleaner A6.
This is because the solid lubricant A72 is supplied onto an entire area of the surface of the photoconductive drum A1 where the cleaning blade of the cleaner A6 contacts, while an effective cleaning area is determined based on, e.g., cleaning performance of the cleaner A6.
As in the lubricant supply unit A7, a lubricant supply unit A17 includes a lubricant supply roller A171, a solid lubricant A172, and a biasing member A173. The cleaner A16 and the lubricant supply unit A17 are disposed in a housing as a unit herein called a transfer cartridge. The biasing member A173 biases the solid lubricant A172 against the lubricant supply roller A171 that is a brush roller at a predetermined pressure. As the lubricant supply roller A171 rotates, it scrapes off the solid lubricant A172 as fine powder to supply the fine powder of the solid lubricant A172 onto the surface of the intermediate transfer device A4. The cleaner A16 is disposed upstream from the lubricant supply unit A17 in a direction Y in which the intermediate transfer device A4 rotates. The cleaner A16 includes a brush roller and a cleaning blade that clean the intermediate transfer device A4.
The brush roller of the cleaner A16 rotates in the same direction as the direction Y to diffuse foreign substances on the surface of the intermediate transfer device A4. The cleaning blade of the cleaner A16 contacts the intermediate transfer device A4 at a predetermined angle at a predetermined pressure to remove the residual toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer device A4.
As in the lubricant supply units A7 and A17, a lubricant supply unit A27 includes a lubricant supply roller A271, a solid lubricant A272, and a bias member A273. The biasing member A273 biases the solid lubricant A272 against the lubricant supply roller A271. The lubricant supply roller A271 scrapes off the solid lubricant A272 as fine powder to supply the fine powder of the solid lubricant A272 onto the surface of the transfer device A5. The transfer device A5 and the cleaner A26 are provided as a unit herein called a transfer cartridge. The cleaner A26 is disposed as illustrated in
Referring now to
The heat generator 2 further includes an excitation coil 2B, an arch core 2C, and a coil supporter 2D outside the heating roller 2A.
Referring now to
The heat generation layer 2A1 is a conductive plated layer such as a copper (Cu) layer provided on an outer circumferential surface of the heat generation layer 2A1 to facilitate generation of eddy currents and enhance heat generation efficiency.
The thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2 is made of a magnetic shunt alloy containing, e.g., iron and nickel, the composition of which is adjusted so that the thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2 has a Curie temperature of, e.g., about 100° C. to about 300° C. The thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2 switches between magnetized and demagnetized states at a temperature defined by a Curie temperature, thereby controlling the magnetic permeability through the heat generation layer 2A1 to selectively create localized heating areas in the heat generation layer 2A1. In the present embodiment, the thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2 is a roller. Alternatively, the thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2 may be a film or an endless belt.
Accordingly, the fixing belt 5 is just a substance made of a polyimide resin, without a heat generation layer. Although the fixing belt 5 does not include a heat generation layer, the fixing belt 5 is heated by the heating roller 2A to a predetermined temperature.
Referring now to
A detailed description is now given of a configuration of the arch core 2C.
As illustrated in
The fixing device 1 is driven at high frequency by an inverter connected to the excitation coil 2B to generate a high-frequency field (magnetic flux) that generates the eddy currents flowing in the heat generation layer 2A1 of the heating roller 2A, thereby increasing the temperature of the heating roller 2A.
While a recording medium P carrying toner Tn passes between the pressing roller 3 and the fixing belt 5 that is stretched around the heating roller 2A and the fixing roller 4, the toner Tn facing the fixing belt 5 melts and penetrates the recording medium P under heat and pressure.
A detailed description is now given of a configuration of the pressing roller 3.
The pressing roller 3 also serves as a roller that drives the fixing belt 5. Specifically, the pressing roller 3 rotates the fixing belt 5 while conveying the recording medium P between the pressing roller 3 and the fixing roller 4 via the fixing belt 5. Thus, in the present embodiment, the pressing roller 3 is provided with a drive source. Alternatively, the fixing belt may be provided with a drive source.
Some image forming apparatus may employ electromagnetic induction heating. Unlike a typical fixing method using a heating roller, the electromagnetic induction heating method enables heat generation by eddy currents that are generated on a fixing member such as a roller or a belt, without a heating mechanism such as a heating roller. Accordingly, the fixing member can be a heating source, and there is an advantage of shortening the heating time.
In electromagnetic induction heating, a relatively thin heat generation layer used as a heat generator may cause uneven temperature distribution of the fixing member, specifically, in a longitudinal direction of the fixing roller or in a width direction of the fixing belt.
If a recording medium such as a recording sheet is conveyed centrally in the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller or in the width direction of the fixing belt, the recording medium may draw heat from a contact region of the fixing roller or the fixing belt that contacts the recording medium, while non-contact regions at both ends of the fixing roller or the fixing belt that do not contact the sheet maintain heat and may be excessively heated.
To prevent such excessive heating at the non-contact regions of the fixing member, there are provided fixing devices that use a degausser, e.g., between a thermosensitive magnetic metal and a heat generator such as an excitation coil. In an induction heating configuration using the thermosensitive magnetic metal, a shorter interval between the thermosensitive magnetic metal and the heat generator enhances the heat generation efficiency.
In the present embodiment, the support shaft 6, which supports opposed ends of the heating roller 2A axially, parallel to a direction in which the excitation coil 2B extends, doubles as a degausser, thereby obviating the need for a separate degausser.
The support shaft 6 is made of a nonmagnetic material such as aluminum or an alloy of aluminum having a lower electrical resistivity than the thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2, and is used as a degausser to cover an area wider than at least an area in which the excitation coil 2B is wound around (i.e., an area having an angle θ in
In the present embodiment, the body portion of the support shaft 6 is referred to as a largest outer diameter portion 6A. Each of the support portions of the support shaft 6 is referred to as a smallest outer diameter portion 6B.
The largest outer diameter portion 6A of the support shaft 6 faces the excitation coil 2B via the heating roller 2A across an interval ranging from about 3.2 mm to about 6.2 mm in a sectional direction, to enhance degaussing effectiveness and avoid contact with the heating roller 2A. Particularly, an interval of about 6.2 mm is the largest interval sufficient to enhance degaussing effectiveness and avoid contact with the heating roller 2A, when 230° is an upper limit of temperature for protecting components in the non-contact regions of the fixing roller 4 or the fixing belt 5.
The difference between the largest outer diameter portion 6A and the smallest outer diameter portions 6B is selected from about 1 mm to about 10 mm while the largest outer diameter portion 6A has an outer diameter of from about 31 mm to about 34 mm. Preferably, the difference between the largest outer diameter portion 6A and the smallest outer diameter portions 6B is about 5 mm, while the largest outer diameter 6A has an outer diameter of about 32 mm to downsize the fixing device 1.
Referring back to
In the present embodiment, each end 6Ae of the largest outer diameter portion 6A is positioned outside the corresponding turning end 2B1 of the excitation coil 2B across an interval ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 10 m, and preferably, across an interval of about 1 mm. Accordingly, the largest outer diameter portion 6A of the support shaft 6 is not unnecessarily lengthened, thereby contributing to downsizing of the fixing device 1.
In the present embodiment, the support shaft 6 has the largest outer diameter portion 6A and the smallest outer diameter portions 6B. Alternatively, the support shaft 6 may have three or more portions of differing diameters.
The junctions between portions of different diameters of the support shaft 6 may be continuous (i.e., inclined) or discontinuous (i.e., stepped). Preferably, as illustrated in
If the support shaft 6 has three portions of differing diameters (e.g., large, middle, and small portions), the middle portion of the support shaft 6 preferably has a length as small as possible axially, to downsize the fixing device 1.
In
The flange 7 provided at each end of the heating roller 2A axially along the heating roller 2A includes a receiving portion 7A as an integral part of the heating roller 2A, and a bearing portion 7B embedded in the smallest outer diameter portion 6B. The receiving portion 7A is supported by the bearing portion 7B rotatably about the support shaft 6.
In the present embodiment, the above-described configuration obviates the need for providing any special degausser between the excitation coil 2B and the thermosensitive magnetic body 2A2 of the heating roller 2A. In other words, an existing component (i.e., the support shaft 6 for the heating roller 2A) is used as a degausser.
Since no degausser is provided separately from a support member (i.e., support shaft 6) of the heating roller 2A in the present embodiment, the fixing device 1 can be downsized.
Additionally, in the present embodiment, the heat generator 2 includes the heat generation layer 2A1, thereby obviating the need for providing the fixing belt 5 with a heat generation layer. Accordingly, the fixing belt 5 has a simple configuration, reducing production costs.
Since the support shaft 6 serves as a degausser and the ends 6Ae of the largest outer diameter portion 6A are positioned outside the turning ends 2B1 of the excitation coil 2B, there is no need for space to allow the degausser to move. In addition, the entire axial area of the support shaft 6 can prevent excessive heating in the non-contact regions of the fixing roller 4 or the fixing belt 5.
Moreover, the support shaft 6 serving as a degausser reduces changes in interval between the support shaft 6 and the excitation coil 2B, and prevents decrease in the heat generation efficiency and degaussing efficiency.
The present invention has been described above with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments described above, but various modifications and enhancements are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative exemplary embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this invention. The number of constituent elements and their locations, shapes, and so forth are not limited to any of the structure for performing the methodology illustrated in the drawings.
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| 2014-099282 | May 2014 | JP | national |
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