Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090301828 | MOUNT DAMPER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE MOUNT DAMPER - A mount damper comprises electrode plates placed on a motor side and a support body side respectively, a control unit for adjusting voltage between the electrode plates, and an electrostrictive polymer member for changing a distance between the electrode plates by the voltage therebetween. The electrostrictive polymer member is also an elastic body sandwiched between the electrode plates and has a hardness changeable with a change in the interelectrode distance. A motor is mounted through this mount damper. The control unit adjusts voltage applied between the electrode plates to a value different from a value causing resonance of the motor and the electrostrictive polymer member, thereby absorbing vibration of the motor during rotation thereof, irrespective of a rotation speed. Thus, the mount damper and the image forming apparatus using it can reliably prevent resonance and absorb vibration constantly even if a device selectively uses plural levels of the rotation speed. | 12-10-2009 |
20110038652 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The present invention is capable of changing the system speed quickly and highly accurately while using a CVT device with an advantage in its quietness to transmit a driving force to rotative parts. | 02-17-2011 |
20120076521 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS - A fixing device for fixing an unfixed toner image on a recording sheet by passing the recording sheet through a fixing nip and applying heat and pressure to the recording sheet, the fixing device comprising: a heater including a resistance heater part and a supporting member, the resistance heater part having a positive resistance-temperature characteristic in a temperature range above a predetermined level, and the supporting member being insulative and supporting the resistance heater part such that the resistance heater part applies heat to the recording sheet; a current detector detecting a current supplied to the resistance heater part; and an abnormality determiner determining whether the resistance heater part has an abnormality, based on an initial current detected by the current detector at a predetermined time after a beginning of power supply to the resistance heater part and before the temperature of the resistance heater part reaches the predetermined level. | 03-29-2012 |
20120301162 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes a temperature measuring unit, configured to measure the temperature in regions that extend partially along the outer surface of a heating rotating body, which includes a resistance heating layer, in the circumferential direction and are aligned in the direction of the axis of rotation of the heat rotating body, and a control unit configured to sample temperatures, measured by the temperature measuring unit in each of the regions, over the entire outer surface of the heating rotating body in the circumferential direction by causing the heating rotating body to rotate while supplying a predetermined amount of power to the resistance heating layer, and to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the resistance heating layer based on the difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature among the sampled temperatures in each region. | 11-29-2012 |
20130148995 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A fixing device includes an excitation coil, a fixing member heated by electromagnetic induction by the excitation coil, a magnetic shunt alloy member, a Curie temperature of which is higher than a target fixing temperature, a determiner that determines whether the temperature of a non-sheet passing region of the fixing member is about to reach the Curie temperature, and a power controller that controls power supplied to the excitation coil. Until the determiner determines that the Curie temperature is about to be reached, the power controller performs feedback control to provide power to the excitation coil. When the determiner determines that the Curie temperature is about to be reached, the power controller switches to fixed power control so that a difference between power supplied when the Curie temperature is about to be reached and power supplied after reaching the Curie temperature falls within an allowable range. | 06-13-2013 |