Image forming apparatus capable of evaluating the consumption of a fixing belt, control method and control program thereof
AssigneeKonica Minolta, Inc.
InventorJunichi Arai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including: an endless fixing belt that rotates; and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser. The image forming apparatus includes a hardware processor that calculates an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip, and determines a degree of abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated by the hardware processor.
Claims26
An image forming apparatus including a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including:
- an endless fixing belt that rotates;
- and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser, the image forming apparatus comprising
- a hardware processor that calculates an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip, and determines a degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated by the hardware processor,
- wherein the hardware processor
- stores the degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, and
- adds an additional value based on the amount of the toner calculated by the hardware processor, to the degree of planar abrasion stored in the hardware processor, and
- wherein the hardware processor
- divides a region forming the fixing nip in the fixing belt, into a plurality of regions arranged in a direction orthogonal to a passing direction of the sheet, to calculate the respective amounts of the toner adhering to portions of the sheet that pass through the plurality of regions,
- stores the respective degrees of planar abrasion of the plurality of regions, and
- adds the respective additional values of the plurality of regions calculated by the hardware processor, to the respective degrees of planar abrasion of the plurality of regions.
An image forming apparatus including a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including:
- an endless fixing belt that rotates;
- and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser, the image forming apparatus comprising
- a hardware processor that calculates an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip, and determines a degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated by the hardware processor,
- wherein the hardware processor
- stores the degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt,
- adds an additional value based on the amount of the toner calculated by the hardware processor, to the degree of planar abrasion stored in the hardware processor,
- corrects the additional value, based on at least one of a material and a temperature of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip, and
- adds the additional value corrected by the hardware processor, to the degree of planar abrasion stored in the hardware processor.
A control method of an image forming apparatus including a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including:
- an endless fixing belt that rotates;
- and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser, the control method comprising:
- calculating an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip;
- and
- determining a degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated in the calculating,
- wherein the control method further comprises:
- storing the degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, and
- adding an additional value based on the calculated amount of the toner, to the stored degree of planar abrasion, and
- wherein the control method further comprises:
- dividing a region forming the fixing nip in the fixing belt, into a plurality of regions arranged in a direction orthogonal to a passing direction of the sheet, to calculate the respective amounts of the toner adhering to portions of the sheet that pass through the plurality of regions,
- storing the respective degrees of planar abrasion of the plurality of regions, and
- adding the calculated respective additional values of the plurality of regions, to the respective degrees of planar abrasion of the plurality of regions.
A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable control program of an image forming apparatus including a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including:
- an endless fixing belt that rotates;
- and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser, the computer readable control program causing a computer to perform:
- calculating an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip;
- and
- determining a degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated in the calculating,
- wherein the computer readable control program further causes the computer to perform:
- storing the degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, and
- adding an additional value based on the calculated amount of the toner, to the stored degree of planar abrasion, and
- wherein the computer readable control program further causes the computer to perform:
- dividing a region forming the fixing nip in the fixing belt, into a plurality of regions arranged in a direction orthogonal to a passing direction of the sheet, to calculate the respective amounts of the toner adhering to portions of the sheet that pass through the plurality of regions,
- storing the respective degrees of planar abrasion of the plurality of regions, and
- adding the calculated respective additional values of the plurality of regions, to the respective degrees of planar abrasion of the plurality of regions.
A control method of an image forming apparatus including a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including:
- an endless fixing belt that rotates;
- and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser, the control method comprising:
- calculating an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip;
- and
- determining a degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated in the calculating,
- wherein the control method further comprises:
- storing the degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt,
- adding an additional value based on the calculated amount of the toner, to the stored degree of planar abrasion,
- correcting the additional value, based on at least one of a material and a temperature of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip, and
- adding the corrected additional value to the stored degree of planar.
A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable control program of an image forming apparatus including a fixer that fixes toner adhering to a sheet that passes through a fixing nip, the fixer including:
- an endless fixing belt that rotates;
- and a presser that presses the fixing belt to form the fixing nip between the fixing belt and the presser, the computer readable control program causing a computer to perform:
- calculating an amount of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip;
- and
- determining a degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt, based on the amount of the toner calculated in the calculating,
- wherein the computer readable control program further causes the computer to perform:
- storing the degree of planar abrasion of the fixing belt,
- adding an additional value based on the calculated amount of the toner, to the stored degree of planar abrasion,
- correcting the additional value, based on at least one of a material and a temperature of the toner adhering to the sheet that passes through the fixing nip, and
- adding the corrected additional value to the stored degree of planar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.