Patent Grant
11493865
The present invention relates to an image heating device such as a fixing device mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer which uses an electrophotographic system or an electrostatic recording system or a gloss providing device that improves a gloss value of a toner image by re-heating the toner image fixed to a recording material. Further, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including the image heating device.
In image heating devices such as fixing devices used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses (hereinafter, image forming apparatuses) such as copying machines and printers, and gloss providing devices, film-heating image heating devices that are excellent in on-demand properties and power-saving are widely used (PTL 1).
The film-heating image heating device has a ceramic heater or a halogen lamp as a heating source inside a heat-resistant endless fixing film, and the fixing film and a pressure roller (a pressure member) form a pressure contact nip portion. Then, a non-fixed toner image on the recording material is heated and fixed while the recording material is being conveyed while being pinched at the nip portion.
When a small-sized recording material is continuously printed by an image forming apparatus equipped with the image heating device, a phenomenon (a non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise) in which the temperature of a region of a nip portion, through which a recording material does not pass gradually rises in a direction (hereinafter, a longitudinal direction) orthogonal to a conveying direction of a recording material which is a direction corresponding to a longitudinal direction of a heater occurs. If the temperature of the non-sheet-passing portion becomes too high, each part in the apparatus will be damaged, and if printing is performed on a large-sized recording material while a non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise occurs, the toner may be offset to the fixing film at a high temperature in a region of a small-sized recording material corresponding to a non-sheet-passing portion.
As one of the methods for suppressing the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise, a device that divides a heating range of a heater into a plurality of heat generation blocks in the longitudinal direction and switches a heat generation distribution of the heater according to the size of a recording material is proposed (PTL 2).
In such heating devices, a method of selectively heating an image portion formed on a recording material is also proposed (PTL 3). In this method, each heat generation block is selectively controlled according to the presence of an image on the recording material, and the energization of the heat generation block is reduced in a portion where there is no image on the recording material (hereinafter, a non-image portion) to achieve power-saving.
In an image heating device as in PTL 3, when an image is formed to be biased to one side in the longitudinal direction of the recording material, since only the image portion is selectively heated, the temperature of the pressure roller in an image portion is higher than that in a non-image portion, and a lateral difference occurs in the longitudinal temperature distribution of the pressure roller. This lateral temperature difference is the difference in thermal expansion of an elastic layer of the pressure roller, and the outer diameter of the pressure roller in the image portion is larger than that in the non-image portion. Therefore, a lateral difference occurs in the feed amount of the fixing film by the pressure roller (the amount of movement of the fixing film followed by the pressure roller), and the feed amount of the image portion is larger than the feed amount of the non-image portion. Due to this difference in the feed amount of the fixing film, the fixing film on the side with the larger feed amount is pushed to the downstream side, and an intersection angle is generated between the generatrix of the pressure roller and the generatrix of the film. As a result, a transversely moving force is generated such that the fixing film tends to move to the side where the feed amount of the fixing film is large. Due to this transversely moving force, leaning movement of the film occurs, the end of the fixing film on the image portion side is pressed against a regulating member (hereinafter, a fixing flange) on that side, and the end surface of the fixing film receives a load. If the end surface of the fixing film continuously receives such a load, the life of the image heating device may be shortened due to damage to the fixing film such as scraping of the end of the fixing film.
In addition to this, when an image is formed to be biased to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of a recording material, the temperature of the pressure roller in the central portion with the image is higher than that on both ends without the image. Therefore, on the basis of the same principle as described above, the feed amount of the fixing film by the pressure roller in the central portion is larger than that in both ends. Due to this difference in the feed amount of the fixing film, the central portion of the fixing film is pushed to the downstream side in the conveying direction than both ends, and the fixing film is deformed into a bow shape. As a result, a transversely moving force toward the center from both ends of the fixing film (hereinafter, a centering force) is generated, and a load is generated on the fixing film. When the fixing film continuously receives the load due to the centering force, damage to the fixing film may occur due to the wrinkles generated in the central portion of the fixing film, which may shorten the life of the image heating device.
On the other hand, in the image heating device as in PTL 1, since the heater is heated so that the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction is flat, it is possible to suppress the above-described shortening of the life of the image heating device. However, since the heater uniformly heats a recording material regardless of the presence of an image on the recording material, the portion without the image on the recording material is heated, which consumes extra power.
An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of achieving both power-saving and long life in an image heating device.
PTL 1 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H04-44075
PTL 2 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-59508
PTL 3 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H06-95540
In order to attain the object, an image heating device according to the present invention includes: a heater having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of a recording material; a control portion that controls temperatures of a plurality of heating regions heated by the plurality of heating elements individually by controlling electric power to be supplied to the plurality of heating elements individually; and an acquisition portion that acquires information on an image to be formed on the recording material, wherein the image formed on the recording material is heated by the heat of the heater, and the control portion controls the supply of electric power to the plurality of heating elements so that a first average temperature which is an average value of control target temperatures of heating regions included in a first region located closer to one end side than a central heating region in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction among the plurality of heating regions and a second average temperature which is an average value of control target temperatures of heating regions included in a second region located closer to the other end side than the central heating region are within a predetermined temperature range.
In order to attain the object, an image heating device according to the present invention includes: a heater having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of a recording material; a control portion that controls temperatures of a plurality of heating regions heated by the plurality of heating elements individually by controlling electric power to be supplied to the plurality of heating elements individually; and an acquisition portion that acquires information on an image to be formed on the recording material, wherein the image formed on the recording material is heated by the heat of the heater, and the control portion controls the supply of electric power to the plurality of heating elements so that: when an average value of control target temperatures of heating regions included in a first region located closer to one end side than a central heating region in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction among the plurality of heating regions is a first average temperature, an average value of control target temperatures of heating regions included in a second region located closer to the other end side than the central heating region is a second average temperature, and an average value of control target temperatures of heating regions included in a third region between the first region and the second region, including at least the central heating region is a third average temperature, relationships that the third average temperature is equal to or higher than the first average temperature and the third average temperature is equal to or higher than the second average temperature are satisfied, and a sum of a difference between the first average temperature and the third average temperature and a difference between the second average temperature and the third average temperature is smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
In order to attain the object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes: an image forming portion that forms an image on a recording material; and a fixing portion that fixes the image formed on the recording material to the recording material, wherein the fixing portion is the image heating device according to the present invention.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. Dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of components disclosed in the embodiment are to be changed appropriately depending various conditions and a configuration of an apparatus to which the present invention is applied. That is, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.
An image forming apparatus 100 includes a video controller 120 and a control portion 113. The video controller 120 receives and processes image information and print instructions transmitted from an external device such as a personal computer as an acquisition portion for acquiring information on an image formed on a recording material. The control portion 113 is connected to the video controller 120 and controls each unit constituting the image forming apparatus 100 in response to an instruction from the video controller 120. When the video controller 120 receives a print instruction from an external device, printing is executed by the following operations.
When a print signal is generated, a scanner unit 21 emits a laser beam modulated according to the image information, and a charging roller 16 scans the surface of a photosensitive drum 19 charged with a predetermined polarity. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 19. When toner is supplied from the developing roller 17 to the electrostatic latent image, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 19 is developed as a toner image. On the other hand, a recording material (recording sheet) P loaded on a sheet feed cassette 11 is fed one by one by a pickup roller 12, and is conveyed toward a registration roller pair 14 by a conveying roller pair 13. Further, the recording material P is conveyed from the registration roller pair 14 to a transfer position at the timing when the toner image on the photosensitive drum 19 reaches the transfer position formed by the photosensitive drum 19 and the transfer roller 20. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 19 is transferred to the recording material P in the process in which the recording material P passes through the transfer position. After that, the recording material P is heated by a fixing device (an image heating device) 200 as a fixing portion (an image heating portion), and the toner image is heated and fixed to the recording material P. The recording material P that bears the fixed toner image is discharged to a tray above-described the image forming apparatus 100 by conveying roller pairs 26 and 27.
The image forming apparatus 100 further includes a drum cleaner 18 for cleaning the photosensitive drum 19 and a motor 30 for driving the fixing device 200 and the like. A control circuit 400 as a heater driving unit connected to a commercial AC power supply 401 supplies electric power to the fixing device 200. The photosensitive drum 19, the charging roller 16, the scanner unit 21, the developing roller 17, and the transfer roller 20 form an image forming portion for forming a non-fixed image on the recording material P. Further, in the present embodiment, a developing unit including the charging roller 16 and the developing roller 17 and a cleaning unit including the photosensitive drum 19 and the drum cleaner 18 are configured to be detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 as a process cartridge 15.
In the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the maximum sheet passing width in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording material P is 216 mm, and a plain sheet of the LETTER size (216 mm×279 mm) can be printed at a printing speed of 35 sheets per minute at a conveying speed of 232.5 mm/sec.
The fixing film 202 is a multi-layer heat-resistant film formed in a tubular shape, and is made of a heat-resistant resin such as polyimide or a metal such as stainless steel as a base layer. Further, in order to prevent adhesion of toner and ensure separability from the recording material P, a release layer is formed on the surface of the fixing film 202 by coating with a heat-resistant resin having excellent releasability such as tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA). Further, in order to improve the image quality, a heat-resistant rubber such as silicone rubber may be formed between the base layer and the release layer as an elastic layer. The pressure roller 208 has a core metal 209 made of a material such as iron or aluminum and an elastic layer 210 made of a material such as silicone rubber. The heater 300 is held by a heater holding member 201 made of heat-resistant resin, and heats the fixing film 202 by heating the heating regions A1 to A7 (details will be described later) provided in a fixing nip portion N. The heater holding member 201 also has a guide function for guiding the rotation of the fixing film 202. The heater 300 is provided with an electrode E on the side (back surface side) opposite to the side in contact with the inner surface of the fixing film 202, and power is supplied to the electrode E by an electrical contact C. The metal stay 204 receives a pressing force (not shown) and urges the heater holding member 201 toward the pressure roller 208. Further, safety elements 212 such as a thermo switch and a temperature fuse that operate due to abnormal heating of the heater 300 to cut off the electric power supplied to the heater 300 are arranged to face the back surface side of the heater 300.
The pressure roller 208 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 in response to power from the motor 30. As the pressure roller 208 rotates, a rotational force acts on the fixing film 202 due to the frictional force between the pressure roller 208 and the outer surface of the fixing film 202, and the fixing film 202 rotates in the direction of arrow R2 following the rotation of the pressure roller 208. The heat of the fixing film 202 is applied to the recording material P which is conveyed in a state of being pinched at the fixing nip portion N, whereby a non-fixed toner image on the recording material P is fixed. Further, in order to secure the slidability of the fixing film 202 and obtain a stable driven rotation state, a fluorine-based lubricating grease (not shown) having high heat resistance is interposed between the heater 300 and the fixing film 202.
The configuration of the heater 300 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to
The heater 300 includes a ceramic substrate 305, a back surface layer 1 provided on the substrate 305, a back surface layer 2 covering the back surface layer 1, a sliding surface layer 1 provided on a surface of the substrate 305 opposite to the back surface layer 1, and a sliding surface layer 2 that covers the sliding surface layer 1.
The back surface layer 1 has conductors 301 (301a, 301b) provided along the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. The conductor 301 is separated into the conductors 301a and 301b, and the conductor 301b is arranged on the downstream side of the conductor 301a in the conveying direction of the recording material P. Further, the back surface layer 1 has conductors 303 (303-1 to 303-7) provided in parallel with the conductors 301a and 301b. The conductor 303 is provided between the conductor 301a and the conductor 301b along the longitudinal direction of the heater 300.
Further, the back surface layer 1 has heating elements 302a (302a-1 to 302a-7) and heating elements 302b (302b-1 to 302b-7), which are heating resistors that generate heat when energized. The heating element 302a is provided between the conductor 301a and the conductor 303, and generates heat by supplying electric power via the conductor 301a and the conductor 303. The heating element 302b is provided between the conductor 301b and the conductor 303, and generates electric power by supplying electric power via the conductor 301b and the conductor 303.
The heating portion composed of the conductor 301, the conductor 303, the heating element 302a, and the heating element 302b is divided into seven heat generation blocks (HB1 to HB7) in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. That is, the heating element 302a is divided into seven regions of heating elements 302a-1 to 302a-7 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. Further, the heating element 302b is divided into seven regions of heating elements 302b-1 to 302b-7 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. Further, the conductor 303 is divided into seven regions of the conductors 303-1 to 303-7 according to the division positions of the heating elements 302a and 302b. The amounts of heat generated by the seven heat generation blocks (HB1 to HB7) are individually controlled in such a way that the amounts of electric power supplied to the heating elements in each block are controlled individually.
The heating range of the present embodiment is the range from the left end of the heat generation block HB1 in the drawing to the right end of the heat generation block HB7 in the drawing, and the total length thereof is 220 mm. Further, although the lengths of each heat generation block in the longitudinal direction are the same as approximately 31 mm, the lengths may be different.
The back surface layer 1 has electrodes E (E1 to E7, and E8-1, E8-2). The electrodes E1 to E7 are provided in the regions of the conductors 303-1 to 303-7, respectively, and are electrodes for supplying electric power to the heat generation blocks HB1 to HB7 via the conductors 303-1 to 303-7, respectively. The electrodes E8-1 and E8-2 are provided at the longitudinal end of the heater 300 so as to be connected to the conductor 301, and are electrodes for supplying electric power to the heat generation blocks HB1 to HB7 via the conductor 301. In the present embodiment, the electrodes E8-1 and E8-2 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300, but for example, a configuration in which only the electrode E8-1 is provided on one side (that is, a configuration in which the electrode E8-2 is not provided) may be adopted. Further, although electric power is supplied to the conductors 301a and 301b with a common electrode, individual electrodes may be provided for each of the conductors 301a and 301b to supply electric power to each of them.
The back surface layer 2 is formed of a surface protective layer 307 having an insulating property (the back surface layer is formed of glass in the present embodiment), and covers the conductor 301, the conductor 303, and the heating elements 302a and 302b. Further, the surface protective layer 307 is formed in a region except the portion of the electrode E so that the electric contact C can be connected to the electrode E from the back surface layer 2 of the heater.
The sliding surface layer 1 is provided on the surface of the substrate 305 opposite to the surface on which the back surface layer 1 is provided. The sliding surface layer 1 has thermistors TH (TH1-1 to TH1-4, TH2-5 to TH2-7, TH3-1, TH3-2, TH4-1, TH4-2) as a detection unit for detecting the temperature of the heat generation blocks HB1 to HB7. The thermistors TH are formed of a material having PTC characteristics or NTC characteristics (the thermistors have NTC characteristics in the present embodiment), and the temperatures of all heat generation blocks can be detected by detecting the resistance values thereof.
Since the sliding surface layer 1 has conductors ET (ET1-1 to ET1-4, ET2-5 to ET2-7, ET3-1, ET3-2, ET4-1, ET4-2) and conductors EG (EG1, EG2) in order to energize the thermistor TH and detect the resistance values thereof. The conductors ET1-1 to ET1-4 are connected to the thermistors TH1-1 to TH1-4, respectively. The conductors ET2-5 to ET2-7 are connected to the thermistors TH2-5 to TH2-7, respectively. The conductors ET3-1 and ET3-2 are connected to the thermistors TH3-1 and TH3-2, respectively. The conductors ET4-1 and ET4-2 are connected to the thermistors TH4-1 and TH4-2, respectively. The conductor EG1 is connected to six thermistors TH1-1 to TH1-4 and TH3-1 to TH3-2 to form a common conductive path. The conductor EG2 is connected to five thermistors TH2-5 to TH2-7 and TH4-1 to TH4-2 to form a common conductive path. Each of the conductor ET and the conductor EG is formed up to the longitudinal end along the longitudinal direction of the heater 300, and is connected to a control circuit 400 at the heater longitudinal end via an electric contact (not shown).
The sliding surface layer 2 is formed of a surface protective layer 308 having slidability and insulating properties (the sliding surface layer is formed of glass in the present embodiment), covers the thermistor TH, the conductor ET, and the conductor EG, and ensures the slidability on the inner surface of the fixing film 202. Further, the surface protective layer 308 is formed in a region except both longitudinal ends of the heater 300 in order to provide electrical contacts to the conductor ET and the conductor EG.
Next, a method of connecting the electrical contact C to each electrode E will be described.
The temperature detection method of the heater 300 will be described. The temperature detection of the heater 300 is performed by the thermistors TH (TH1-1 to TH1-4, TH2-5 to TH2-7, TH3-1, TH3-2, TH4-1, TH4-2). The partial voltages between the thermistors TH1-1 to TH1-4, TH3-1 to TH3-2 and resistors 451 to 456 are detected by the CPU 420 as Th1-1 to Th1-4 signals and Th3-1 to Th3-2 signals. The CPU 420 converts the Th1-1 to Th1-4 signals and the Th3-1 to Th3-2 signals into temperatures. Similarly, the partial voltages between the thermistors TH2-5 to TH2-7, TH4-1 to TH4-2 and resistors 465 to 469 are detected by the CPU 420 as Th2-5 to Th2-7 signals and Th4-1 to Th4-2 signals. The CPU 420 converts the Th2-5 to Th2-7 signals and the Th4-1 to Th4-2 signals into temperatures.
In the internal processing of the CPU 420, the electric power to be supplied is calculated by, for example, PI control (proportional-integral control) on the basis of the control target temperature TGTi of each heat generation block and the detection temperature of the thermistor. Further, the electric power to be supplied is converted into a phase angle (phase control) corresponding to the electric power and a control level (duty ratio) of the wave number (wave number control), and the triacs 411 to 417 are controlled according to the control conditions.
In the heat generation blocks HB1 to HB4, the temperatures of the heat generation blocks are controlled on the basis of the detection temperatures of the thermistors TH1-1 to TH1-4, respectively. On the other hand, in the heat generation blocks HB5 to HB7, the temperatures of the heat generation blocks are controlled on the basis of the detection temperatures of the thermistors TH2-5 to TH2-7, respectively. The thermistors TH3-1 and TH4-1 are for detecting a non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise when a recording material narrower than the total heating region length of 220 mm is passed, and are provided outside the width (182 mm) of the B5 size sheet. Further, the thermistors TH3-2 and TH4-2 are for detecting the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise when a recording material narrower than the length 157 mm to the heat generation blocks HB2 to HB6 is passed, and are provided outside the width (105 mm) of the A6 size sheet.
A relay 430 and a relay 440 are used as means for shutting off the electric power to the heater 300 when the heater 300 is overheated due to a failure or the like. The circuit operation of the relay 430 and the relay 440 will be described. When a RLON signal enters into the High state, a transistor 433 enters into the ON state, current flows from a supply voltage node Vcc to a secondary-side coil of the relay 430, and a primary-side contact of the relay 430 enters into the ON state. When the RLON signal enters into the Low state, the transistor 433 enters into the OFF state, the current flowing from the supply voltage node Vcc to the secondary-side coil of the relay 430 is blocked, and the primary-side contact of the relay 430 enters into the OFF state. Similarly, when the RLON signal enters into the High state, the transistor 443 enters into the ON state, current flows from the supply voltage node Vcc to the secondary-side coil of the relay 440, and the primary-side contact of the relay 440 enters into the ON state. When the RLON signal enters into the Low state, the transistor 443 enters into the OFF state, the current flowing from the supply voltage node Vcc to the secondary-side coil of the relay 440 is blocked, and the primary-side contact of the relay 440 enters into the OFF state. The resistor 434 and the resistor 444 are current limiting resistors.
The operation of the safety circuit using the relay 430 and the relay 440 will be described. When any one of the temperatures detected by the thermistors TH1-1 to TH1-4 exceeds the predetermined value set respectively, a comparison portion 431 operates a latch portion 432, and the latch portion 432 latches a RLOFF1 signal to the Low state. When the RLOFF1 signal enters into the Low state, even if the CPU 420 sets the RLON signal to the High state, since the transistor 433 is maintained in the OFF state, the relay 430 can be maintained in the OFF state (safe state). The latch portion 432 outputs the RLOFF1 signal in the open state in the non-latch state. Similarly, when any one of the temperatures detected by the thermistors TH2-5 to TH2-7 exceeds a predetermined value set respectively, the comparison portion 441 operates a latch portion 442, and the latch portion 442 latches a RLOFF2 signal to the Low state. When the RLOFF2 signal enters into the Low state, even if the CPU 420 sets the RLON signal to the High state, since the transistor 443 is maintained in the OFF state, the relay 440 can be maintained in the OFF state (safe state). Similarly, the latch portion 442 outputs the RLOFF2 signal in the open state in the non-latch state.
In the present embodiment, the recording material P passing through the fixing nip portion N is divided into sections at a predetermined time, and the heating region Ai is classified into an image forming region or a non-image forming region for each section. In the present embodiment, the section is divided every 0.24 seconds using the front end of the recording material P as a reference, and the section is divided up to the section T5 such that the first section is referred to as section T1, the second section is referred to as section T2, and the third section is referred to as section T3. The classification of the heating region Ai will be described with reference to
In the specific example shown in
When the recording material overlaps an image forming range, the heating region Ai (i=1 to 7) is classified as an image forming region AI, and when the recording material does not overlap the image forming range, the heating region Ai is classified as a non-image forming region AP. The classification of the heating region Ai is used for controlling the heat generation amount of the heat generation block HBi, as will be described later.
From the information of the image forming range, in the section T1, the heating regions A1, A2, A3, and A4 are classified as the image forming region AI because the regions pass through the image forming range, and the heating regions A5, A6, and A7 are classified as the non-image forming region AP because the regions do not pass through the image forming range. In the sections T2 to T5, the heating regions A3, A4, A5, and A6 are classified as the image forming region AI because the regions pass through the image forming range, and the heating regions A1, A2, and A7 are classified as the non-image forming region AP because the regions do not pass through the image forming range.
The heater control method of the present embodiment, that is, the heat generation amount control method of the heat generation block HBi (i=1 to 7) will be described.
The amount of heat generated by the heat generation block HBi is determined by the power supplied to the heat generation block HBi. When the electric power supplied to the heat generation block HBi is increased, the heat generation amount of the heat generation block HBi increases, and when the electric power supplied to the heat generation block HBi is decreased, the heat generation amount of the heat generation block HBi decreases.
The power supplied to the heat generation block HBi is calculated on the basis of the control temperature (control target temperature) TGTi (i=1 to 7) set for each heat generation block and the detection temperature of the thermistor. In the present embodiment, the power to be supplied is calculated by PI control (proportional-integral control) so that the detection temperature of each thermistor becomes equal to the control temperature TGTi of each heat generation block.
In the above-described configuration, since the heat generation amount can be changed for each heat generation block, it is possible to create various heat generation distributions of the heater 300 in the longitudinal direction.
Due to the leaning movement of the fixing film 202, the end surface of the fixing film on the side where the heat generation amount is large abuts against the regulation surface of the fixing flange 213, and the fixing film 202 and the fixing flange 213 rub against each other. This transversely moving force may cause scraping of the fixing film ends, and if the transversely moving force is larger, the fixing film may be damaged such as bending, buckling, and cracking. Damages to the fixing film may shorten the life of the fixing device.
Here, the present inventor has experimentally found that the transversely moving force of the fixing film 202 is correlated with the lateral difference in the average temperature in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. That is, it was found that the larger the lateral difference in the average temperature of the heater, the greater the transversely moving force of the fixing film 202.
The results of an experiment carried out to examine the relationship between the transversely moving force of the fixing film 202 and the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 are described below.
The experiment was carried out according to the following procedure.
After confirming that the temperature of the fixing device is the same as the room temperature, continuous printing is performed for each set of 100 pages of LETTER size sheet. Since the fixing device can set various control temperatures TGTi (i=1 to 7) for each heat generation block, it is possible to set various temperature distributions in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. Table 1 is a table showing the conditions of the control temperature of each heating region of the heater 300 in this experiment. In this experiment, as shown in Table 1, nineteen temperature distributions in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 were set, and each set of sheets was continuously printed in each temperature distribution. During continuous printing, the control temperature is set to be constant regardless of whether the sheet is being passed or between sheets.
Further, in this experiment, in order to measure the transversely moving force of the fixing film 202, a load cell for detecting pressure was attached to the end of the fixing flange 213. When a transversely moving force acts on the fixing film 202 and the fixing film 202 abuts against the fixing flange 213, the load cell detects the pressure. This detected pressure is equal to the transversely moving force acting on the fixing film 202. With this load cell, continuous printing was performed while measuring the transversely moving force.
TL and TR are calculated by the following equations.
TL=Σ(TGTi·Li)/ΣLi (i=1, 2, 3) (Equation 1)
TR=Σ(TGTi·Li)/ΣLi (i=5, 6, 7) (Equation 2)
As shown in
In the present embodiment, by introducing the temperature control that reflects the relationship between the transversely moving force of the fixing film and ΔTLR, the film breakage is suppressed and the life of the fixing device is extended as much as possible.
A method of setting the control temperature TGTi of each heat generation block in the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, the control temperature TGTi is set so that the lateral temperature difference in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 is within a predetermined value range. That is, it is set so that −Ta≤ΔTLR≤Ta is set as a predetermined temperature range. Here, the threshold value Ta is determined from the allowable range of the transversely moving force of the fixing film generated due to the lateral temperature difference. The allowable range of the transversely moving force of the fixing film generated due to the lateral temperature difference in the present embodiment is −2N to 2N. Within this allowable range, the load on the fixing film caused by the fixing film abutting against the regulation surface of the fixing flange could be suppressed, and the film was not damaged within the life of the fixing device.
From
A method of setting the control temperature TGTi will be described with reference to the flowchart of
The classification of the heating region Ai is performed on the basis of the information of the image forming range transmitted from an external device (not shown) such as a host computer, and is determined depending on whether the heating region Ai passes through the image forming range (S1003). When the heating region passes through the image forming range, the heating region Ai is classified as the image forming region AI (S1004), and when the heating region does not pass through the image forming range, the heating region Ai is classified as the non-image forming region AP (S1005).
When the heating region passes through the image forming range, the heating region Ai is classified as the image forming region AI, and a temporary control temperature TGTi′ is set as TGTi′=TAI (S1006). Here, TAI is set as an appropriate temperature for fixing a non-fixed image on the recording material P. When a plain sheet passes in the fixing device 200 of the present embodiment, TAI=198° C. is set as a preset control target temperature. It is desirable that the TAI is variable according to the type of recording material P such as thick sheet and thin sheet. Further, TAI may be adjusted according to the information of the image such as an image density and a pixel density.
When the heating region Ai is classified as the non-image forming region AP, the temporary control temperature TGTi′ is set as TGTi′=TAP (S1007). Here, by setting the TAP to a temperature lower than the TAI, the amount of heat generated by the heat generation block HBi in the non-image forming region AP is lower than that of the image forming region AI, and the power-saving of the image forming apparatus 100 is achieved. In the present embodiment, the preset control target temperature is set as TAP=158° C.
Here,
Once the temporary control temperature TGTi′ is determined, the control temperature TGTi to be actually used is determined on the basis of this. In the present embodiment, since the heating region A4 is located in the central portion in the longitudinal direction of all heating regions, the control temperature TGT4 in the heating region A4 is set to TGT4=TGT4′.
First, TL′ and TR′ are calculated, where TL′ is the average value of TGTi′ in the heating regions A1, A2, and A3, and TR′ is the average value of TGTi′ in the heating regions A5, A6, and A7 (S1010). In addition, TL′ and TR′ are calculated in the same manner as TL and TR, respectively. Here, in a specific example, the average values are calculated as TL′=171° C. and TR′=185° C.
Next, it is determined whether the difference ΔTLR′=TL′−TR′ between TL′ and TR′ is within the range of −Ta to Ta (S1011).
When ΔTLR′ is in the range of −Ta to Ta, it can be predicted that the transversely moving force of the fixing film generated due to the lateral temperature difference is within the allowable value. Therefore, the temporary control temperature TGTi′ is set as the actual control temperature TGTi as it is (S1012). Then, the flow proceeds to S1021 and the control temperature setting flow ends.
On the other hand, when ΔTLR′ is outside the range of −Ta to Ta, it can be predicted that the transversely moving force of the fixing film generated due to the lateral temperature difference is out of the allowable range. Therefore, the flow proceeds to the flow for setting the control temperature TGTi so that the lateral temperature difference is eliminated, and first, in S1013, it is determined which of TL′ and TR′ is larger.
Here, in the specific example, since the difference between TL′ and TR′ is ΔTLR′=TL′−TR′=−14° C., it is determined that ΔTLR′ is out of the range of −Ta to Ta, and the flow proceeds to S1013.
In S1013, when it is determined that the average value TL′ in the first region on one end side is larger than that in the heating region at the center in the longitudinal direction of the heater, the temporary control temperature TGTi′ in the heating regions A1, A2, and A3 which are the first regions is set to the control temperature TGTi (S1014). On the other hand, the control temperature TGTi in the heating regions A5, A6, and A7, which are the second regions on the other end side of the heating region at the center in the longitudinal direction of the heater, is set so that the average value TR of the control temperatures in the second regions is equal to the average value TL of the first regions. That is, the control temperature TGTi is set so as to satisfy the relationship of TR=TL.
In S1015, among the heating regions A5, A6, and A7, those classified as the image forming region AI are determined. The control temperature TGTi in the heating region Ai classified as the image forming region AI in S1015 is set to the TAI (S1016). On the other hand, the control temperature TGTi′ of the heating region Ai classified as the non-image forming region AP in S1015 is determined by the following equation (S1017).
TGTi=(m·TL−n·TAI)/(m−n) (Equation 3)
Here, m is the number of heating regions in the second region, and m=3. Further, n is the number of heating regions classified as the image forming region AI in S1015.
By the above-described calculation, the control temperature TGTi in the heating regions A5, A6, and A7 can be set so as to satisfy the relationship of TR=TL by being changed from the preset temperature.
Separately from this, when it is determined in S1013 that TR′ is larger, the temporary control temperature TGTi′ in the heating regions A5, A6, and A7 in the second region is set to the control temperature TGTi (S1018). On the other hand, the flow proceeds to S1019 so that the control temperature TGTi in the heating regions A1, A2, and A3, which are the first region is set so as to satisfy the relationship of TL=TR.
In S1019, among the heating regions A1, A2, and A3 in the first region, those classified as the image forming region AI are determined, and the control temperature TGTi of the heating region Ai classified as the image forming region AI in S1020 is set to TAI. On the other hand, the control temperature TGTi′ of the heating region Ai classified as the non-image forming region AP in S1019 is determined in S1021 by the following equation.
TGTi=(m·TR−n·TAI)/(m−n) (Equation 4)
Here, m is the number of heating regions in the first region, and m=3. Further, n is the number of heating regions classified as the image forming region AI in S1019.
In a specific example, TL′ and TR′ are TL′=171° C. and TR′=185° C., respectively, and are indicated by thick solid lines in
In the subsequent steps, the average value TL of the control temperature in the first region is set to be equal to the average value TR in the second region. That is, the average value TL of the control temperature in the first region is set to be the temperature indicated by the block solid-line arrow in
Therefore, in S1019, among the heating regions A1, A2, and A3, which are the first regions, heating regions classified as the image forming region AI and the other heating regions are determined. Here, the control temperature TGT3 of the heating region A3 classified as the image forming region AI is set to TAI in S1020. On the other hand, the control temperatures of the heating regions A1 and A2 that are not classified as the image forming region AI are calculated using Equation 4. Substituting TR=185° C., TAI=198° C., m=3, n=1 into Equation 4, the control temperature TGT1 in the heating region A1 is calculated as follows.
TGT1=(3·185−1·198)/(3−1)=178
Similar to TGT1, TGT2 is calculated as TGT2=178° C.
In the present embodiment, the control temperature is set so that the average value TL of the control temperatures in the first region and the average value TR of the second regions are equal to each other, that is, TL=TR. However, it is not always necessary to set the control temperature so that TL=TR. Even if the average value TL of the control temperatures in the first region and the average value TR in the second region are not equal, if the lateral temperature difference ΔTLR=TL−TR is within the range of −Ta to Ta, the transversely moving force of the fixing film can be maintained to be within the allowable range. For example, the average value TL of the control temperatures in the first region may be set to be the temperature indicated by the block dot-line arrow in
The control temperature TGTi is set according to the above-described flow.
Next, in order to confirm the effect of the present embodiment, the results of comparison of the transversely moving force acting on the fixing film 202 and the power consumption of the fixing device when the temperature control of the comparative example is used and when the temperature control of the present embodiment is used will be described. As comparative examples, Comparative Example 1 in which each heat generation block is selectively heat-controlled according to the presence of an image on a recording material and Comparative Example 2 in which the heater is heated so that the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction becomes flat are used.
First, a method of setting the control temperature TGTi of Comparative Example 1 will be described.
In Comparative Example 1, the control temperature TGTi is set on the basis of the classification of the heating region Ai. The classification of the heating region Ai is performed on the basis of the information of the image forming range as in the present embodiment, and is determined depending on whether the heating region Ai passes through the image forming range. When the heating region passes through the image forming range, the heating region Ai is classified as the image forming region AI, and when the heating region does not pass through the image forming range, the heating region Ai is classified as the non-image forming region AP. Then, when the heating region Ai is classified as the image forming region AI, the control temperature TGTi is set to TGTi=TAI, and when the heating region Ai is classified as the image forming region AP, the control temperature TGTi is set to TGTi=TAP.
The control temperature TGTi of Comparative Example 2 is set so that the control temperature of all heating regions is TGTi=TAP, and the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of the heater is flat.
The effect of this example was confirmed by measuring the transversely moving force of the fixing film 202 during printing when the temperature control of each of the comparative example and the present embodiment was used. The transversely moving force of the fixing film 202 was measured by attaching a load cell for detecting pressure to the end of the fixing flange 213 as in the above-mentioned experiment. Further, as a condition for printing, in both the comparative example and the present embodiment, the life of the fixing device was set to 150,000 sheets, and LETTER size sheet was continuously printed. Then, as the image to be printed, the image shown in
Table 2 is a table showing the results of effect confirmation, and shows the control temperature when each image is continuously printed, the average value of the transversely moving force during printing, the life arrival rate, and the power-saving property. Here, the life arrival rate is an index indicating how many sheets can be passed with respect to the life of the fixing device without causing damage to the fixing film. Further, the power-saving property is indicated by adding a negative sign to indicate how much percent (%) the power consumption can be reduced when the power consumption of Comparative Example 2 is 100%.
From these results, it can be understood that Comparative Example 1 is the most excellent in power-saving property, but the life arrival rate of the fixing device is 90%, which shortens the life of the fixing device. Further, in Comparative Example 2, it can be understood that the life arrival rate of the fixing device is 100%, but the power-saving property is inferior.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve a life arrival rate of 100% for the fixing device while achieving power-saving.
As described above, by introducing the heater temperature control of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of film breakage due to the leaning movement of the film and extend the life of the fixing device while achieving power-saving.
In the present embodiment, the control temperature is determined so that the average value TL of the control temperature in the first region and the average value TR of the control temperature in the second region are equal to the larger value of TL′ and TR′, but there is no limitation thereto. The control temperature may be determined so that the average value is equal to the smaller value of TL′ and TR′.
The method for determining the control temperature in this case will also be described with reference to the above-mentioned specific example.
In this case, the control temperature is set so that the average value TL of the control temperatures in the first region and the average value TR of the second regions are equal to each other, that is, TL=TR. However, it is not always necessary to set the control temperature so that TL=TR. Even if the average value TL of the control temperatures in the first region and the average value TR in the second region are not equal, if the lateral temperature difference ΔTLR=TL−TR is within the range of −Ta to Ta, the transversely moving force of the fixing film can be maintained to be within the allowable range. The average value TR of the control temperatures in the second region may be set to be the temperature indicated by the block dot-line arrow in
When the control temperature is determined in this way, the control temperature may be determined according to the flow in which the steps after S1013 in the flowchart of
In addition to the method for determining the control temperature described above, the control temperature may be determined so that the average value TL of the control temperature in the first region and the average value TR of the control temperature in the second region are equal to the average value TALL of the temporary control temperature of all regions (a plurality of heating regions).
The method for determining the control temperature in this case will also be described with reference to the above-mentioned specific example.
When the control temperature is determined in this way, the control temperature may be determined according to a flow in which the steps after S1013 in the flowchart of
By using any of the above-described methods, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a lateral temperature difference in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300, suppress the occurrence of film breakage due to this lateral temperature difference, and achieve both the extended life of the fixing device and the power-saving property.
In the present embodiment, the control temperature TGTi is set to have a laterally asymmetric temperature distribution as shown in
For example, the flow after S1013 in the flowchart of
Here, as a specific example, a method of setting the control temperature TGTi when a recording material and an image are present at the positions as shown in
The temporary control temperatures of the heating regions A1 to A7 in the specific example are as indicated by the fine solid lines in
Even if the above-described method is used, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a lateral temperature difference in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300, suppress the occurrence of film breakage due to this lateral temperature difference, and achieve both the extended life of the fixing device and the power-saving property.
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus and the image heating device of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, elements having the same or equivalent functions and configurations as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Matters that are not particularly described in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.
In the first embodiment, in the image section, the heat generation distribution is controlled so that the heat generation amounts on the left and right in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 are equalized, and the damage of the fixing film is suppressed.
On the other hand, in the second embodiment, in the image section, the temperature is controlled by the control temperature TAI in the heating region classified as the image forming region AI, and the temperature is controlled by the control temperature TAP in the heating region classified as the non-image forming region AP. Therefore, if the image forming region in a certain image section is asymmetric in the longitudinal direction, the heat generation distribution in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 in the image section may be laterally asymmetric. Therefore, due to this laterally asymmetrical heat generation distribution, the fixing film moves toward the side where the heat generation amount is large. Therefore, in the non-image section, the heat generation distribution of the heater 300 is controlled so that the fixing film moves in the direction opposite to the direction of the leaning movement of the fixing film occurred in the image section. In the present embodiment, the leaning movements of the fixing film in the image section and the non-image section are canceled in this way, and the damage of the fixing film due to the leaning movement is suppressed.
The method of setting the control temperature of the heater 300 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the case where a recording material and an image are present at the positions shown in
In a specific example, the sections T1 to T3 correspond to the image section. In the image sections T1 to T3, the heating region Ai is classified as shown in
Next, in the image section, a section average value of the control temperature TGTi of each heating region Ai is calculated. Here, the section average value is a value obtained by averaging the control temperature TGTi in each section for each heating region Ai. FIG. 16C is a diagram showing the section average value of the control temperature for each heating region Ai in the image section, and the section average value of the control temperature is indicated by a fine solid line. Further, in
At this time, the control temperature of the non-image section is set as shown in
In the present embodiment, the control temperature is set so that the average value TL of the control temperatures in the first region and the average value TR of the second regions in the sections T1 to T5 are equal to each other, that is, TL=TR. However, it is not always necessary to set the control temperature so that TL=TR. For example, the control temperature in the non-image section may be set so that the average value TR of the control temperature in the first region is the temperature indicated by the thick dot line in
By setting the control temperature as described above, the lateral temperature difference in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 in the image section can be canceled in the non-image section. As a result, in the non-image section, the fixing film can be moved in the direction opposite to the leaning movement of the fixing film occurred in the image section. As a result, the leaning movements of the fixing film in the image section and the non-image section can be canceled, and the damage of the fixing film due to the leaning movement can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to obtain the same power-saving property as that in the first embodiment.
By the way, in the present embodiment, the control temperature in the non-image section is determined so that the average value TR of the control temperature of the second region in the sections T1 to T5 is equal to the average value TL of the control temperature of the first region in the image section. However, there is no limitation thereto. The control temperature may be determined so that the TL in the sections T1 to T5 is equal to the TR in the image section.
Further, the control temperature of the non-image section may be set so that the average values TL and TR of the control temperatures in the first and second regions in the sections T1 to T5 are the average value TALL of the control temperatures in all regions including the first region and the second region in the image section.
Further, in the present embodiment, the heat generation distribution is controlled so that the section average values of the heat generation amounts on the left and right sides in the longitudinal direction of the heater in the image section and the non-image section are equalized when one recording material is printed. However, there is no limitation thereto. For example, a plurality of sheets being continuously printed may be grouped as one set, and the heat generation distribution may be controlled so that the section average values of the heat generation amounts on the left and right sides of the heater are equalized for each set.
In the present embodiment, the lateral temperature difference in the longitudinal direction of the heater in the image section is canceled only in the non-image section. However, the lateral temperature difference in the image section may be canceled in a section including a non-image section and an inter-sheet section.
By using any of the above-described methods, the lateral temperature difference in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 in the image section can be canceled in the non-image section, and the power-saving property can be obtained while suppressing the damage of the fixing film due to the leaning movement.
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus and the image heating device of the first embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, elements having the same or equivalent functions and configurations as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Matters that are not particularly described in the third embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.
When the recording material and the image as shown in
In the present embodiment, in order to suppress the shortening of the life of the image heating device due to the lateral difference of the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise, the heater temperature of the heating region located outside the end position of the recording material is controlled so that the magnitude relationship of the temperature is opposite to the lateral temperature difference of the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise. The average values of the control temperatures in the first region and the second region are set to be equal to each other, and the leaning movement of the fixing film is suppressed.
Assuming that the lateral temperature difference due to the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise is ΔTS, the value of ΔTS at the time of printing 100 sheets is ΔTS=30° C. as shown in
Tb=ΔTS×SL/L1 (Equation 5)
In the present embodiment, since ΔTs=30° C., SL=4.25 mm, and L1=31.4 mm, Tb=4° C. is calculated. In the present embodiment, the length SL is calculated using the sheet width of the recording material P and the lengths of the heating regions A2 to A6.
As described above, by lowering the control temperature TGT1 of the heating region A1 located outside the end position of the recording material by Tb, the lateral temperature difference due to the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise can be eliminated, and the average values of the control temperatures in the first region and the second region can be made equal to each other. As a result, it is possible to suppress the leaning movement of the fixing film and extend the life of the image heating device.
In the present embodiment, the lateral temperature difference due to the non-sheet-passing-portion temperature rise is eliminated by lowering the control temperature TGT1 in the heating region A1 by Tb. However, instead of this, the control temperature TGT7 in the heating region A7 may be set to a value increased by Tb as indicated by the thick dot line in
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus and the image heating device of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, elements having the same or equivalent functions and configurations as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Matters that are not particularly described in the fourth embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.
In the configuration as in the present embodiment, since the heat generation amount can be changed for each heat generation block, it is possible to create various heat generation distributions of the heater 300 in the longitudinal direction.
The cause of the centering force will be described with reference to
If the fixing film is continuously subjected to a load due to such a centering force, wrinkles are generated in the central portion of the fixing film, causing damage to the fixing film, which may shorten the life of the image heating device.
Here, the present inventor has found that, when the temperature difference between the center and the end of the heater 300 in the longitudinal direction exceeds a certain temperature difference, the centering force of the fixing film 202 exceeds a breakage limit, wrinkles are generated in the central portion of the fixing film, and the fixing film is damaged. The results of an experiment carried out to examine the relationship between the centering force and the temperature difference between the center and the end of the heater 300 in the longitudinal direction and the threshold value of the centering force when the fixing film is damaged are described below.
The experiment was carried out according to the following procedure.
After confirming that the temperature of the fixing device is the same as the room temperature, continuous printing is performed for each set of 100 pages of LETTER size sheet. Since the fixing device can set various control temperatures TGTi (i=1 to 7) for each heat generation block, it is possible to set various temperature distributions in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300. Table 3 is a table showing the conditions of the control temperature of each heating region of the heater 300 in this experiment. In this experiment, as shown in Table 3, seven temperature distributions in the longitudinal direction of the heater 300 were set, and each set of sheets was continuously printed in each temperature distribution. During continuous printing, the control temperature is set to be constant regardless of whether the sheet is being passed or between sheets.
In this experiment, in order to calculate the centering force, the heating region is divided into four regions (region LL, region LR, region RL, region RR) as shown in
When the heater has a high-center heat generation distribution as shown in
Here, the total temperature difference between the temperature difference TLR−TLL and the temperature difference TRL−TRR as the difference of the average temperature is referred to as a center-to-end temperature difference TC, and the centering force FC is calculated using TC. That is, the centering force FC can be calculated by replacing ΔTLR with TC using a linear approximation equation obtained from the relationship between the transversely moving force of the fixing film and the lateral temperature difference ΔTLR of the heater shown in
As shown in
In the present embodiment, as described above, the control temperature is determined so that the center-to-end temperature difference TC is lower than the breakage limit temperature of 94° C. as a predetermined threshold value. In this way, the damage of the fixing film due to the centering force is suppressed while maintaining the power-saving property and the life of the fixing device is extended as much as possible.
A method of setting the control temperature TGTi of each heat generation block in the present embodiment will be described.
In this example, a method of setting the control temperature TGTi in the sections T1 to T5 when a recording material and an image are present at the positions as shown in
In the present embodiment, first, the control temperature TGTi of the heating region Ai corresponding to the image forming region is set.
On the other hand, the control temperature TGTi of the heating region Ai classified as the non-image forming region AP is set such that the center-to-end temperature difference is set to TC=84° C. as a value with a margin of 10° C. with respect to the above-mentioned damage limit temperature. The center-to-end temperature difference when determining the control temperature in the non-image forming region is not limited to TC=84° C. Since the breakage limit temperature differs depending on the strength of the fixing film, the center-to-end temperature difference should be appropriately set according to the breakage limit temperature.
When the control temperature in the non-image forming region is set as described above, the power-saving property can be achieved by lowering the temperature in the non-image forming region as much as possible while suppressing the shortening of the life of the image heating device due to the damage of the fixing film due to the center-to-end temperature difference of the fixing film.
Configurations of the respective embodiments and the modified example described above-described can be mutually combined to the greatest extent feasible.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be changed and modified in various manners without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are attached to disclose the scope of the present invention.
According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both power-saving and long life in the image heating device.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2018-171692 | Sep 2018 | JP | national |
This application is a Continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/035954, filed Sep. 12, 2019, which claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Applications No. 2018-171692, filed Sep. 13, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2019/035954 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 17201217 | US |
