US 12,321,115 B2Granted

Heating apparatus and image forming apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsMasashi Tanaka, Shingo Ito

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Abstract

A heating apparatus includes a heater, a holding member, and a heat equalization member. In a case where a direction of a long side of a first surface of the heater is defined as a longitudinal direction, a direction of the first surface perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as a transverse direction, and a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction is defined as a thickness direction, the heat equalization member is between the heater and the holding member in the thickness direction and includes, in the longitudinal direction, first and second abutment regions that abut against the heater and a first non-abutment region that does not abut against the heater. The first abutment region, the first non-abutment region, and the second abutment region are arranged in this order as viewed from one end toward another end of the heater in the longitudinal direction.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A heating apparatus comprising:

a heater including an elongated substrate and a heating element arranged on a first surface of the elongated substrate;
a first rotary member configured to be heated by the heater;
a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion with the heater via the first rotary member;
a holding member configured to hold the heater;
and
a heat equalization member arranged in contact with a second surface of the elongated substrate that is opposite to the first surface and configured to equalize heat across the elongated substrate,
wherein, in a case where a direction of a long side of the first surface of the heater is defined as a longitudinal direction, a direction of the first surface that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as a transverse direction, and a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction is defined as a thickness direction, the heat equalization member is arranged between the heater and the holding member in the thickness direction,
wherein the heat equalization member includes, in the longitudinal direction, first and second abutment regions that abut against the heater, and a first non-abutment region that does not abut against the heater,
wherein the first abutment region, the first non-abutment region, and the second abutment region are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the first non-abutment region is formed by being bent from the first abutment region and the second abutment region toward the holding member in the thickness direction, and
wherein the first non-abutment region deforms in a case where the heat equalization member thermally expands.

8 more elements

A heating apparatus comprising:

a heater including an elongated substrate and a heating element arranged on a first surface of the elongated substrate;
a first rotary member configured to be heated by the heater;
a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion with the heater via the first rotary member;
a holding member configured to hold the heater;
and
a heat equalization member arranged in contact with a second surface of the elongated substrate that is opposite to the first surface and configured to equalize heat across the elongated substrate,
wherein, in a case where a direction of a long side of the first surface of the heater is defined as a longitudinal direction, a direction of the first surface that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as a transverse direction, and a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction is defined as a thickness direction, the heat equalization member is arranged between the heater and the holding member in the thickness direction,
wherein the heat equalization member includes, in the longitudinal direction, first, second, and third abutment regions that abut against the heater, and first and second non-abutment regions that do not abut against the heater,
wherein the first abutment region, the first non-abutment region, the second abutment region, the second non-abutment region, and the third abutment region are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the first non-abutment region is formed by being bent from the first abutment region and the second abutment region toward the holding member in the thickness direction,
wherein the second non-abutment region is formed by being bent from the second abutment region and the third abutment region toward the holding member in the thickness direction, and
wherein the first non-abutment region and the second non-abutment region deform in a case where the heat equalization member thermally expands.

9 more elements

A heating apparatus comprising:

a heater including an elongated substrate and a heating element arranged on the elongated substrate;
a first rotary member configured to be heated by the heater;
a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion with the heater via the first rotary member;
a holding member configured to hold the heater;
and
a heat equalization member arranged in contact with the elongated substrate and configured to equalize heat across the elongated substrate,
wherein, in a case where a direction of a long side of the heater is defined as a longitudinal direction, a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as a transverse direction, and a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction is defined as a thickness direction, the heat equalization member is arranged between the heater and the holding member in the thickness direction,
wherein the heat equalization member includes, in the longitudinal direction, first and second abutment portions that abut against the heater, and a non-abutment portion that does not abut against the heater,
wherein the first abutment portion, the non-abutment portion, and the second abutment portion are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction,
wherein a position of the heat equalization member relative to the holding member is restricted in the longitudinal direction at one end side of the heat equalization member in the longitudinal direction, and at the other end side of the heat equalization member in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the non-abutment portion is formed by being bent from an end side close to where the second abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the first abutment portion and an end side close to where the first abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the second abutment portion toward a direction opposite to a side where the heater is located in the thickness direction,
wherein the non-abutment portion is connected to the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion, and
wherein in a case where the heat equalization member thermally expands, the distance between the end side close to where the second abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the first abutment portion and the end side close to where the first abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the second abutment portion becomes shorter, so that a part of the non-abutment portion is deformed.

10 more elements

A heating apparatus comprising:

a heater including an elongated substrate and a heating element arranged on the elongated substrate;
a first rotary member configured to be heated by the heater;
a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion with the heater via the first rotary member;
a holding member configured to hold the heater;
and
a heat equalization member arranged in contact with the elongated substrate and configured to equalize heat across the elongated substrate,
wherein, in a case where a direction of a long side of the heater is defined as a longitudinal direction, a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as a transverse direction, and a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction is defined as a thickness direction, the heat equalization member is arranged between the heater and the holding member in the thickness direction,
wherein the heat equalization member includes, in the longitudinal direction, first, second, and third abutment portions that abut against the heater, and first and second non- abutment portions that do not abut against the heater,
wherein the first abutment portion, the first non-abutment portion, the second abutment portion, the second non-abutment portion, and the third abutment portion are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction,
wherein a position of the heat equalization member relative to the holding member is restricted in the longitudinal direction at one end side of the heat equalization member in the longitudinal direction, and at the other end side of the heat equalization member in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the first non-abutment portion is formed by being bent from an end side close to where the second abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the first abutment portion and an end side close to where the first abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the second abutment portion toward a direction opposite to a side where the heater is located in the thickness direction,
wherein the second non-abutment portion is formed by being bent from an end side close to where the third abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the second abutment portion and an end side close to where the second abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the third abutment portion toward a direction opposite to a side where the heater is located in the thickness direction,
wherein the first non-abutment portion is connected to the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion,
wherein the second non-abutment portion is connected to the second abutment portion and the third abutment portion,
wherein in a case where the heat equalization member thermally expands, the distance between the end side close to where the second abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the first abutment portion and the end side close to where the first abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the second abutment portion becomes shorter, so that a part of the first non-abutment portion is deformed, and
wherein in a case where the heat equalization member thermally expands, the distance between the end side close to where the third abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the second abutment portion and the end side close to where the second abutment portion is located in the longitudinal direction of the third abutment portion becomes shorter, so that a part of the second non-abutment portion is deformed.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/353,771Filed 17 Jul 2023
Priority: JP 2022-12118229 Jul 2022
Published: US 2024/0036501 A11 Feb 2024
Granted: 3 Jun 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G03G 15/2053
Using contact heat: structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating
G03G 15/2017
Using contact heat: structural details of the fixing unit in general, e.g. cooling means, heat shielding means
G03G 15/2042
With means for controlling the fixing temperature: specially for the axial heat partition
G03G 15/2064
Using contact heat: combined with pressure