Belt fixing system and method therefor
AssigneeMinolta Co., Ltd.
InventorsNoboru Yonekawa, Satoru Yoneda, Kazuo Mohri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A belt fixing system includes a rotatably supported belt, a heating member for heating the belt, a pressure member which contacts with a circumference of the belt to form a nipping region therewith where a toner image supported on a sheet member is fixed onto the sheet member. The system further includes a first detector for detecting a portion of the belt where it has touched with the sheet member at the nipping region, and a controller for controlling the heating member so that an amount of heat supply to the belt is changed in response to an detecting result of the first detector.
Claims16
A belt fixing system, comprising:
- a rotatably supported belt;
- a heating member for heating the belt;
- a pressure member which contacts with a circumference of the belt to form a nipping region therewith where a toner image supported on a sheet member is fixed onto the sheet member;
- a sensor for sensing the sheet before it enters the nipping region;
- means for cooperating with the sensor for determining a portion of the belt that has touched the sheet member at the nipping region;
- and
- a controller for controlling the heating member so that an amount of heat supplied to the belt is changed in response to a result of the cooperating means.
A method for compensating a temperature drop of a belt in a belt fixing system which includes a rotatably supported belt, a pressure member disposed in circumferential contact with the belt to form a nipping region therewith, and a heater for heating the belt, wherein a sheet member is moved past the nipping region and thereby an unfixed toner image is fixed on the sheet member, comprising:
- sensing the sheet member with a sensor before it enters the nipping region;
- determining a portion of the belt that has contacted with the sheet member at the nipping region based on a result of the sensor;
- and
- changing an amount of heat supplied to the belt in response to the determination of the portion of the belt that has contacted with the sheet member at the nipping region.
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a fixing device which includes
- a rotatably supported belt;
- a heating member for heating the belt;
- and
- a pressure member which contacts with a circumference of the belt to form a nipping region therewith where a toner image supported on a sheet member is fixed onto the sheet member;
- a sensor that senses the sheet before it enters the nipping region;
- means for cooperating with the sensor for determining a portion of the belt that has touched the sheet member at the nipping region;
- and
- a controller for controlling the heating member so that an amount of heat supplied to the belt is changed in response to a determining result of the cooperating means.
A belt fixing system comprising:
- a belt rotatably supported by a first roller and a second roller;
- a third pressure roller defining a nipping region between the second roller and the third pressure roller, the nipping region for fixing a toner image to a sheet transported to the nipping region;
- a heating member for heating the belt at a location remote from the nipping region;
- a sensor for sensing the sheet before it enters the nipping region;
- a device that cooperates with the sensor for determining where a portion of the belt is that has already contacted the sheet at the nipping region;
- and
- a controller for controlling the heating member so that an amount of heat supplied to the belt is changed in response to a result of the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.