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US 2022/0091545 A1Published application
Image forming apparatus and method of forming an image
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShigeru MORINO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a sheet supply unit, a printer, a fixing device, and a controller. The sheet supply unit supplies a sheet from a sheet container. The printer forms a toner image to the sheet conveyed from the sheet supply unit. The fixing device includes a heater, a fixing belt, and a pressure roller. The heater includes a heat generating member including a plurality of heating elements arranged in a first direction orthogonal to a sheet conveyance direction and in which a heating element group selected in response to a printing request from the heat generating member generates heat. The fixing belt fixes the toner image heated by the heater to the sheet. The pressure roller presses the fixing belt.
Claims20
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a sheet supply unit comprising a sheet container, the sheet supply unit configured to supply a sheet from the sheet container in a sheet conveyance direction;
- a printer configured to form a toner image to the sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit;
- a fixing device comprising:
- a heater configured to heat the toner image and including a heat generating member having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a first direction that is orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, the plurality of heating elements including a first end heating element positioned at a first end of the first direction and a second end heating element positioned at a second end of the first direction opposite to the first end, the first end heating element having a first inner side, and the second end heating element having a second inner side facing towards the first inner side,
- a fixing belt that is configured to fix the toner image to the sheet after the toner image is heated by the heater, and
- a pressure roller that is configured to apply a pressure to the fixing belt;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- receive a printing request,
- select, after receiving the printing request, a heating element group from the plurality of heating elements, the heating element group comprising the first end heating element and the second end heating element, and
- control the printer so that the toner image is formed in an area bounded on sides by the first inner side and the second inner side and for a predetermined period of time from a start of heat generation by the heating element group.
8 more elements
A method of forming an image, the method comprising:
- supplying, by a sheet container, a sheet in a sheet conveyance direction;
- forming, by a printer, a toner image on the sheet;
- receiving, by a controller, a printing request;
- selecting, by the controller and after receiving the printing request, a heating element group from a heat generating member including a plurality of heating elements arranged in a first direction that is orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and including a first end heating element positioned at a first end of the first direction and a second end heating element positioned at a second end of the first direction that is opposite to the first end, the heating element group comprising the first end heating element and the second end heating element, the first end heating element having a first inner side, and the second end heating element having a second inner side facing towards the first inner side;
- driving, by the controller, the heating element group to heat a fixing belt and fix the toner image to the sheet;
- controlling, by the controller, the printer so that the toner image is formed in an area bounded on sides by the first inner side and the second inner side and for a predetermined period of time from a start of heat generation by the heating element group;
- determining, by the controller, a type of the printing request;
- selecting, by the controller and prior to controlling the printer so that the toner image is formed, one of a plurality of methods of forming the toner image;
- and
- controlling, by the controller, the printer so that the toner image is formed using the one of the plurality of methods of forming the toner image.
7 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a sheet supply unit configured to provide a sheet in a sheet conveyance direction;
- a printer configured to form a toner image to the sheet;
- a fixing device comprising:
- a plurality of heating elements configured to heat the toner image and arranged in a first direction that is orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, the plurality of heating elements including a first end heating element positioned at a first end of the first direction and a second end heating element positioned at a second end of the first direction that is opposite to the first end, the first end heating element having a first inner side, and the second end heating element having a second inner side facing towards the first inner side,
- a fixing belt that is configured to fix the toner image to the sheet after the toner image is heated by the plurality of heating elements, and
- a pressure roller that is configured to apply a pressure to the fixing belt;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- determine a width of the sheet,
- receive a printing request,
- control the printer so that the toner image is formed in an area bounded on sides by the first inner side and the second inner side,
- determine whether a short direction of the sheet with respect to a sheet direction of the sheet is the first direction,
- determine image data associated with the printing request after determining that the short direction is the first direction, and
- determine, based on the image data, whether a condition is satisfied.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.