High efficiency heat exchange apparatus and system for use with a fuser belt
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsFangsheng Wu, Muhammed Aslam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved apparatus for cooling or heating, or both, a fuser belt in a process for producing electrophotographic toner images on a substrate. The images are produced by passing a substrate bearing an image through a fusing zone to fuse fusible toner particles comprising the image to produce a substrate bearing a fused toner image, passing the substrate bearing the fused toner image through a cooling zone to produce a cooled substrate, which is thereafter passed to a release zone where it is released to produce the substrate bearing the toner image.
Claims21
A high efficiency cooling device for a belt fuser, the device comprising:
- a) a coolant chamber wherein a coolant is passed in heat exchange with a fuser belt;
- b) a coolant inlet into a first end of the coolant chamber;
- and
- c) a coolant outlet from a second end of the coolant chamber, the second end of the coolant chamber being upstream from the first end of the coolant chamber relative to movement of the fuser belt.
A high efficiency cooling and heating system for use with a belt fuser, the belt fuser including a fusing section comprising a fuser roller and a pressure roller and a fuser belt around the fuser roller and a release roller, the system comprising:
- a) a coolant chamber between the fuser roller and the release roller and downstream from the fuser roller relative to movement of the fuser belt wherein a coolant is passed in heat exchange with the fuser belt;
- b) a coolant inlet into a first end of the coolant chamber;
- c) a coolant outlet from a second end of the coolant chamber, the second end of the coolant chamber being upstream from the first end of the coolant chamber relative to movement of the fuser belt;
- d) a heat exchange chamber between the release roller and the fuser roller and downstream from the release roller relative to movement of the fuser belt wherein a heat exchange fluid is passed in heat exchange with the fuser belt;
- e) a heated fluid inlet into a first end of the heat exchange chamber;
- f) a fluid outlet from a second end of the heat exchange chamber, the second end of the heat exchange chamber being up-stream from the first end of the heat exchanger relative to movement of the fuser belt;
- and
- g) a line in fluid communication with the coolant outlet and the heated fluid inlet.
A method for efficient operation of a belt fuser system, the system including a fusing section comprising a fuser roller and a pressure roller and a fuser belt around the fuser roller and a release roller, the method comprising:
- a) passing a coolant fluid in heat exchange with the fuser belt between the fuser roller and the release roller and downstream from the fuser roller relative to movement of the fuser belt to cool the fuser belt and produce a heated fluid;
- and
- b) passing the heated fluid in heat exchange with the fuser belt between the release roller and the fuser roller and downstream from the release roller relative to the movement of the fuser belt.
A high efficiency heating device for a belt fuser, the device comprising:
- a) a heat exchange chamber wherein a heat exchange fluid is passed in heat exchange with a fuser belt;
- b) a heat exchange fluid inlet into a first end of the heat exchange chamber;
- and
- c) a heat exchange fluid outlet from a second end of the heat exchange chamber, the second end of the heat exchange chamber being upstream from the first end of the coolant chamber relative to movement of the fuser belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.