Heater and image heating device mounted with heater
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYasuhiro Shimura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heater of the present invention includes jointed heat generating resistors having a positive temperature characteristic of resistance and provided between a first conductive element and a second conductive element on a substrate in a longitudinal direction of the substrate, and a plurality of heating blocks provided in the longitudinal direction, each of which is a set of the first conductive element, the second conductive element, and the heat generating resistor, and power supplied to at least one of the plurality of heating blocks can be controlled independent of other heating blocks.
Claims35
A heater to be used for a heating device, the heater comprising:
- an elongated substrate;
- a plurality of heat generating resistors arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- a first heating block including a heat generating resistor arranged in a central area of the substrate in the longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- a second heating block including a heat generating resistor arranged closer to an end portion than the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block in the longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- and
- a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode configured to cause the heat generating resistors to generate heat,
- wherein the plurality of heat generating resistors includes the heat generating resistor arranged in the central area of the substrate and the heat generating resistor arranged closer to the end portion than the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block,
- wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode are arranged on the substrate, and the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode receive power supply from a power source by coming into contact with power supply terminals different from each other,
- wherein the first electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block,
- wherein the second electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the second heating block,
- wherein the third electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block and the heat generating resistor included in the second heating block, and
- wherein a plurality of heat generating resistors included in the first heating block are electrically connected in parallel.
An image heating device comprising:
- a cylindrical film;
- a heater arranged in an inner space of the film;
- and
- a roller configured to come into contact with an outer periphery of the film and form a nip portion to nip and convey a recording material together with the heater via the film,
- wherein a recording material on which an image is formed is nipped and conveyed by the nip portion and heated,
- wherein the heater includes:
- an elongated substrate;
- a plurality of heat generating resistors arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- a first heating block including a heat generating resistor arranged in a central area of the substrate in the longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- a second heating block including a heat generating resistor arranged closer to an end portion than the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block in the longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- and
- a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode configured to cause the heat generating resistors to generate heat,
- wherein the plurality of heat generating resistors includes the heat generating resistor arranged in the central area of the substrate and the heat generating resistor arranged closer to the end portion than the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block,
- wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode are arranged on the substrate and the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode receive power supply from a power source by coming into contact with power supply terminals different from each other,
- wherein the first electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block,
- wherein the second electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the second heating block,
- wherein the third electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block and the heat generating resistor included in the second heating block, and
- wherein a plurality of heat generating resistors included in the first heating block are electrically connected in parallel.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording material;
- and
- a fixing unit configured to fix the image formed on the recording material to the recording material,
- wherein the fixing unit includes:
- (i) a cylindrical film;
- (ii) a heater arranged in an inner space of the film;
- and
- (iii) a roller configured to come into contact with an outer periphery of the film and form a nip portion to nip and convey a recording material together with the heater via the film,
- wherein a recording material on which an image is formed is nipped and conveyed by the nip portion and heated so that the image is fixed to the recording material,
- wherein the heater includes:
- an elongated substrate;
- a plurality of heat generating resistors arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- a first heating block including a heat generating resistor arranged in a central area of the substrate in the longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- a second heating block including a heat generating resistor arranged closer to an end portion than the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block in the longitudinal direction of the substrate;
- and
- a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode configured to cause the heat generating resistors to generate heat,
- wherein the plurality of heat generating resistors includes the heat generating resistor arranged in the central area of the substrate and the heat generating resistor arranged closer to the end portion than the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block,
- wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode are arranged on the substrate and the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode receive power supply from a power source by coming into contact with power supply terminals different from each other,
- wherein the first electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block,
- wherein the second electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the second heating block,
- wherein the third electrode is electrically connected to the heat generating resistor included in the first heating block and the heat generating resistor included in the second heating block, and
- wherein a plurality of heat generating resistors included in the first heating block are electrically connected in parallel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.