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US 7,003,239 B2Granted
Image forming apparatus and fixing temperature control method for the apparatus
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorHiroshi Tanaka
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AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorHiroshi Tanaka
Estimating the term…
A temperature control operation for a fixing device is performed based on a vertical synchronous signal Vsync periodically outputted in association with a cycling motion of an intermediate transfer belt. Furthermore, the temperature control operation provides a constant time difference Δt1 between a leading edge of the vertical synchronous signal Vsync and a start of energization of a heater. Therefore, a period of the vertical synchronous signal Vsync coincides with a period of the temperature control operation corresponding to each vertical synchronous signal Vsync. In addition, a constant time period is provided between the start of energization and an actual arrival of a recording medium at a nip and hence, the temperature of a heating roller can be maintained at an optimum level during the passage of the recording medium through the nip.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
A fixing-temperature control method for an image forming apparatus which fixes a toner image onto a recording medium by heating toners by way of heating means, the toners carried on said recording medium as forming said toner image, comprising the steps of:
An image forming apparatus comprising:
A fixing-temperature control method for an image forming apparatus which fixes a toner image onto a recording medium by heating toners by way of heating means, the toners carried on said recording medium as forming said toner image, comprising the steps of:
An image forming apparatus comprising:
A fixing-temperature control method for an image forming apparatus which transfers a color toner image to a recording medium, the color toner image formed by superimposing toner images of multiple different colors on top of each other on an intermediate transfer medium rotatingly movable in a predetermined direction and which fixes said color toner image onto said recording medium by heating toners by way of heating means, the toners carried on the recording medium as forming the color toner image, comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Using contact heat: with means for controlling the fixing temperature
Electrography
Term ended 15 Feb 2024 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus adapted to fix a toner image to a recording medium by heating a toner borne on a recording medium as the toner image, as well as to a temperature control method for a fixing device of the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical arrangement of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3A is an enlarged sectional view showing a structure of the fixing unit 9 of the image forming apparatus;
The following description is made on five embodiments of an image forming apparatus to which the invention is applied. These embodiments all have the same apparatus arrangement but differ from one another in temperature control method for fixing unit which will be described hereinlater. Hence, the apparatus arrangement common to the embodiments is first explained and thereafter, the fixing temperature control method will be described in each of the embodiments.
<Arrangement of Apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to the invention, whereas FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical arrangement of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. The apparatus is adapted to form a full-color image by superimposing images of four colors including yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M) and black (K) on top of each other, or to form a monochromatic image using a black (K) toner alone. The image forming apparatus operates as follows. According to the image forming apparatus, when an external apparatus such as a host computer in response to a user demand for forming an image supplies an image signal to a main controller 11, an engine controller 10 responds to a command from the main controller 11 so as to control individual portions of an engine EG whereby an image corresponding to the image signal is formed on a sheet S.