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US 7,031,630 B2Granted
Image forming device that performs warm-up operation
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYoshinori Endo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When the surface temperature of a heat roller is less than a toner melting temperature, the heat roller is not driven to rotate in a warm-up operation until the surface temperature of the heat roller reaches a rotatable temperature after a heater is turned ON. However, when the surface temperature drops below the rotatable temperature after the surface temperature once reached the rotatable temperature, the heat roller is immediately driven to rotate after the heater is turned ON, provided the temperature remains above a check temperature.
Claims15
An image forming device comprising:
- a fixing member that performs a fixing operation to fix a developer onto a fixing medium, the fixing member having a surface, the developer having a melting temperature that is a first temperature;
- a heater that generates heat to heat the fixing member;
- a first detecting member that detects a surface temperature of the fixing member;
- a driving member that rotates the fixing member;
- a contact member that constantly contacts the surface of the fixing member;
- a controller that controls the heater and the driving member, the controller determines whether or not the surface temperature of the fixing member has dropped below a third temperature after the surface temperature has previously reached a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the third temperature being equal to or higher than the first temperature and lower than the second temperature, wherein
- the controller controls the heater to start generating heat at a predetermined timing;
- when the surface temperature of the fixing member detected at the predetermined timing by the first detecting member is lower than the third temperature, the controller controls the driving member to start rotating the fixing member after the surface temperature of the fixing member exceeds the second temperature;
- and
- when the surface temperature of the fixing member detected at the predetermined timing by the first detecting member has not dropped below the third temperature after the surface temperature has previously reached the second temperature, the controller controls the driving member to start rotating the fixing member.
7 more elements
An image forming device comprising:
- a fixing member that performs a fixing operation to fix a developer onto a fixing medium, the fixing member having a surface, the developer having a melting temperature that is a first temperature;
- a heater that generates heat to heat the fixing member;
- a first detecting member that detects a surface temperature of the fixing member;
- a driving member that rotates the fixing member;
- a contact member that constantly contacts the surface of the fixing member;
- a controller that controls the heater and the driving member, the controller determines whether or not the surface temperature of the fixing member has dropped below a third temperature after the surface temperature has previously reached a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the third temperature being equal to or higher than the first temperature and lower than the second temperature, wherein
- the controller controls the heater to start generating heat at a predetermined timing;
- when the surface temperature of the fixing member detected, at the predetermined timing, by the first detecting member is lower than the third temperature, the controller controls the driving member to start rotating the fixing member after a first predetermined time has elapsed after the surface temperature of the fixing unit reached the third temperature by controlling the heater;
- and
- when the surface temperature of the fixing member detected, at the predetermined timing, by the first detecting member has not dropped below the third temperature after the surface temperature has previously reached the second temperature, the controller controls the driving member to start rotating the fixing member after a second predetermined time has elapsed after the controller controlled the heater to start generating heat, the second predetermined time being shorter than the first predetermined time.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.