Heating device and image processing apparatus including heat transfer member contacting a heater in amounts varying with position along the heater
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorRyota Saeki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heating device includes a cylindrical film a heater disposed inside the cylindrical film on an inner surface of the cylindrical film. The heater has a plurality of heating elements on a first surface that are spaced from each other at intervals along an axial direction. A heat transfer member contacts a second surface of the heater. The heat transfer member is arranged such that, in a first region of the heater that includes just a single one of the heating elements, contact between the heater and heat transfer member is greater than in a second region of the heater that includes an interval between a pair of adjacent heating elements.
Claims20
A heating device, comprising:
- a cylindrical film;
- a heater disposed inside a region surrounded by the cylindrical film and contacting an inner surface of the cylindrical film, the heater having a plurality of heating elements on a first surface, the heating elements spaced from each other at intervals along an axial direction of the cylindrical film;
- and
- a heat transfer member contacting a second surface of the heater opposite the first surface, wherein
- in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction through a first region of the heater including just a single one of the heating elements, the heat transfer member contacts the second surface for a first length in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction through a second region of the heater including an interval between a pair of adjacent heating elements, the heat transfer member contacts the second surface for a second length in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction,
- the second length is less than the first length, and
- the adjacent pair of heating elements overlap each other in part when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the axial direction.
A fixing device, comprising:
- a fixing belt configured to rotate about an axis;
- a heater disposed inside a region surrounded by the fixing belt and contacting an inner surface of the fixing belt, the heater having a plurality of heating elements on a first side, the heating elements spaced from each other at intervals along an axial direction of the fixing belt;
- and
- a heat transfer member contacting a second side of the heater opposite the first side, wherein
- a contact area ratio between the heater and the heat transfer member within a first region of the heater including a single heating element is greater than a contact area ratio between the heater and the heat transfer member within a second region of the heater including an interval between a pair of adjacent heating elements.
An image processing apparatus, comprising:
- a heating device configured to heat a sheet, the heating device including:
- a cylindrical film;
- a heater disposed inside a region surrounded by the cylindrical film and contacting an inner surface of the cylindrical film, the heater having a plurality of heating elements on a first surface, the heating elements spaced from each other at intervals along an axial direction of the cylindrical film;
- and
- a heat transfer member contacting a second surface of the heater opposite the first surface, wherein
- in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction through a first region of the heater including just a single one of the heating elements, the heat transfer member contacts the second surface for a first length in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction through a second region of the heater including an interval between a pair of adjacent heating elements, the heat transfer member contacts the second surface for a second length in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction,
- the second length is less than the first length, and
- the heat transfer member is metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.