Heater, heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054773-B2
Application number	US-202016784475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2020
Priority date	Mar 14, 2019
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A heater includes a base layer, a heat generator mounted on the base layer, and a slide layer mounted on the base layer. A sliding face of a counterpart slides over the slide layer. The slide layer is made of a material containing fluorine and includes a slide face that contacts the sliding face of the counterpart. The slide face of the slide layer has a surface roughness that is greater than a surface roughness of the sliding face of the counterpart.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heater over which a sliding face of a counterpart is configured to slide; the heater comprising:
a base layer;
a heat generator mounted on a first side of the base layer and configured to heat the counterpart; and
a slide layer mounted on a second side of the base layer opposite from the first side, the slide layer over which the counterpart slides, the slide layer being made of a material containing fluorine, the slide layer including a slide face configured to contact the sliding face of the counterpart, the slide face of the slide layer of the heater having a surface roughness that is greater than a surface roughness of the sliding face of the counterpart.

2. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness defines a ten-point average roughness.

3. The heater according to claim 2 , wherein the ten-point average roughness of the slide face of the slide layer is not smaller than 0.5 μm and not greater than 20 μm.

4. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the slide face of the slide layer has a skewness of a roughness curve in a slide direction in which the counterpart slides over the slide face of the slide layer, the skewness that is smaller than zero.

5. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the slide face of the slide layer has a skewness of a roughness curve in a slide direction in which the counterpart slides over the slide face of the slide layer, the skewness that is smaller than −1.

6. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the slide face of the slide layer has a kurtosis of a roughness curve in a slide direction in which the counterpart slides over the slide face of the slide layer, the kurtosis that is smaller than 3.

7. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the material containing fluorine has a cross-linked structure.

8. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the slide layer is made of a material containing carbon fiber, and
wherein the slide face of the slide layer has fine roughness made of the carbon fiber.

9. The heater according to claim 1 , wherein the heat generator has a positive temperature coefficient of resistance in a range of from 200 ppm/° C. to 4,000 ppm/° C.

10. A heating device comprising:
a counterpart including a sliding face; and
a heater configured to heat the counterpart,
the heater including:
a base layer;
a heat generator mounted on a first side of the base layer and configured to heat the counterpart; and
a slide layer mounted on a second side of the base layer opposite from the first side, the slide layer over which the sliding face of the counterpart slides, the slide layer being made of a material containing fluorine, the slide layer including a slide face configured to contact the sliding face of the counterpart, the slide face of the slide layer of the heater having a surface roughness that is greater than a surface roughness of the sliding face of the counterpart.

11. The heating device according to claim 10 , wherein a lubricant is interposed between the slide layer of the heater and the counterpart.

12. The heating device according to claim 11 , wherein the lubricant includes oil not containing thickener.

13. The heating device according to claim 12 , wherein the lubricant includes silicone oil having a kinetic viscosity not smaller than 100 mm2/sec and not greater than 600 mm2/sec at 25 degrees Celsius.

14. The heating device according to claim 10 , wherein the surface roughness defines a ten-point average roughness.

15. The heating device according to claim 14 , wherein the ten-point average roughness of the sliding face of the counterpart is not greater than 5.5 μm.

16. The heating device according to claim 10 , wherein the counterpart includes an endless belt and the slide layer is independent of a heater holder that holds the heater.

17. A fixing device comprising the heating device according to claim 10 .

18. The fixing device according to claim 17 , wherein the counterpart includes an endless belt configured to rotate, the endless belt configured to be contacted and heated by the heater.

19. The fixing device according to claim 18 , further comprising an opposed rotator configured to contact an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt to form a nip between the endless belt and the opposed rotator.

20. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming device configured to form an image;
a counterpart including a sliding face; and
a heater configured to heat the counterpart,
the heater including:
a base layer;
a heat generator mounted on a first side of the base layer and configured to heat the counterpart; and
a slide layer mounted on a second side of the base layer opposite from the first side, the slide layer over which the sliding face of the counterpart slides, the slide layer being made of a material containing fluorine, the slide layer including a slide face configured to contact the sliding face of the counterpart, the slide face having a surface roughness that is greater than a surface roughness of the sliding face of the counterpart.

Assignees

• Furuichi Yuusuke
• Ishii Kenji
• Hasegawa Kenichi
• Fujita Takashi
• Adachi Tomoya
• Someya Yukimichi
• Inoue Daisuke
• Samei Masahiro
• Seki Takayuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Furuichi Yuusuke
• Ishii Kenji
• Hasegawa Kenichi
• Fujita Takashi
• Adachi Tomoya
• Someya Yukimichi
• Inoue Daisuke
• Samei Masahiro
• Seki Takayuki

Classifications

• G03G15/2053 Primary

  Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating · CPC title

• G03G15/2057 Primary

  relating to the chemical composition of the heat element and layers thereof · CPC title

• G03G2215/2035

  the fixing nip having a stationary belt support member opposing a pressure member · CPC title