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US 7,009,153 B2Granted
Thermal fixing device and image forming apparatus
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYoshiya Tomatsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat roller with which a pressure roller is brought into press contact is rotatably supported by a bearing member made of a material which is softened when heated above a thermal fixation temperature, a thermostat in which a bimetal is exposed toward the heat roller is disposed at the opposite side of the heat roller with respect to the pressure roller, and a heat conduction member is made to intervene between the heat roller and the bimetal. According to the above configuration, the power supply to a fixation heater can be cut off by the thermal deformation of the bimetal. The heat roller is moved by softening of the bearing member, and the bimetal is mechanically deformed by pressing of the heat conduction member. Therefore, the power supply to the fixation heater can be cut off.
Claims69
A thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with a fixation medium;
- a heating unit configured to heat the fixing member with power supplied thereto;
- a supporting unit configured to movably support the fixing member and to move the fixing member when the fixing member is overheated by the heating unit;
- a switch disposed to be in contact with the fixing member when the fixing member is moved by the supporting unit, and configured to mechanically cut off the power supplied to the heating unit when the switch contacts with the fixing member;
- and
- a thermal cutoff unit having a bimetal in which deforms by heat, disposed to face the fixing member, and configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by deformation of the bimetal.
3 more elements
A thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with a fixation medium;
- a heating unit configured to heat the fixing member with power supplied thereto;
- a thermal cutoff unit having a bimetal that is deformed by heat and exposed toward the fixing member to be in contact therewith without intermediary of air, and configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by deformation of the bimetal;
- and
- a supporting unit configured to movably support the fixing member,
- wherein the fixing member is configured to be in contact with the bimetal through the movement thereof due to the overheat, and is configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by contacting with the bimetal.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a sheet feeding section configured to feed a sheet;
- and
- an image forming section configured to form an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding section,
- wherein the image forming section includes a thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with the sheet;
- a heating unit configured to heat the fixing member with power supplied thereto;
- a supporting unit configured to movably support the fixing member and to move the fixing member when the fixing member is overheated by the heating unit;
- a switch disposed to be in contact with the fixing member when the fixing member is moved by the supporting unit, and configured to mechanically cut off the power supplied to the heating unit when being contacted with the fixing member;
- and
- a thermal cutoff unit having a bimetal in which deforms by heat, disposed to face the fixing member, and configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by deformation of the bimetal.
7 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a sheet feeding section configured to feed a sheet;
- and
- an image forming section configured to form an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding section, the image forming section including a thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with the sheet;
- a heating unit configured to heat the fixing member with power supplied thereto;
- a thermal cutoff unit having a bimetal that is deformed by heat and exposed toward the fixing member to be in contact therewith without intermediary of air, and configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by deformation of the bimetal;
- and
- a supporting unit configured to movably support the fixing member,
- wherein the fixing member is configured to be in contact with the bimetal through the movement thereof due to the overheat, and is configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by contacting with the bimetal.
6 more elements
A thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with a fixation medium;
- a heating unit which generates heat by electrical power supplied thereto, the fixing member being heated by the heat generated by the heating member;
- a supporting member that supports the fixing member, the supporting member being softened when the fixing member is overheated by the heating unit;
- a switch capable of being actuated such that the electrical power supplied to the heating unit is cut off;
- and
- a bimetal disposed to face the fixing member,
- wherein the fixing member moves toward the bimetal when the supporting member is softened, the bimetal is deformed by movement of the fixing member, and the switch is actuated by the deformation of the bimetal, and
- wherein the bimetal is deformed by heat when the fixing member is overheated, and the switch is actuated by deformation of the bimetal.
5 more elements
A thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with a fixation medium;
- a heating unit configured to heat the fixing member with power supplied thereto;
- a thermal cutoff unit having a bimetal that is deformed by heat and exposed toward the fixing member to be in contact therewith without intermediary of air, and configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by deformation of the bimetal, the bimetal being configured to be in contact with the fixing member through a heat conductive member having a high thermal conductivity;
- and
- a supporting unit configured to movably support the fixing member,
- wherein the fixing member is configured to be in contact with the heat conductive member through the movement thereof due to the overheat, and is configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by contacting with the heat conductive member.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a sheet feeding section configured to feed a sheet;
- and
- an image forming section configured to form an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding section, the image forming section including a thermal fixing device comprising:
- a fixing member disposed to be in contact with the sheet;
- a heating unit configured to heat the fixing member with power supplied thereto;
- a thermal cutoff unit having a bimetal that is deformed by heat and exposed toward the fixing member to be in contact therewith without intermediary of air, and configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by deformation of the bimetal, the bimetal being configured to be in contact with the fixing member through a heat conductive member having a high thermal conductivity;
- and
- a supporting unit configured to movably support the fixing member,
- wherein the fixing member is configured to be in contact with the heat conductive member through the movement thereof due to the overheat, and is configured to cut off the power supplied to the heating unit by contacting with the heat conductive member.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.