Heater and image heating apparatus mounted with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658581-B2
Application number	US-201615258844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2016
Priority date	Sep 14, 2015
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A heater including a substrate, a first heat generating line provided on the substrate and in a longitudinal direction of the substrate, the first heat generating line being divided into a plurality of heat generating blocks in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of heat generating blocks being controllable independently, and a second heat generating line provided on the substrate and in the longitudinal direction of the substrate, the second heat generating line being divided into a plurality of heat generating blocks in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of heat generating blocks being controllable independently. In the heater, divided positions of the first heat generating line and divided positions of the second heat generating line are different.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heater comprising:
a substrate;
a first heat generating line provided on the substrate and in a longitudinal direction of the substrate, the first heat generating line being divided into a plurality of heat generating blocks in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of heat generating blocks being controllable independently; and
a second heat generating line provided on the substrate and in the longitudinal direction of the substrate, the second heat generating line being divided into a plurality of heat generating blocks in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of heat generating blocks being controllable independently,
wherein divided positions of the first heat generating line and divided positions of the second heat generating line are different in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the first heat generating line and the second heat generating line are each configured such that an electric current flows in a heating element of the heat generating blocks of the first heat generating line and a heating element of the heat generating blocks in the second heat generating line in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction.

2. The heater according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat generating blocks of the first heat generating line and the heat generating blocks of the second heat generating line include a pair of conductors provided in the longitudinal direction, and the heating element that is connected between the conductors.

3. The heater according to claim 1 ,
wherein a heat generating area of an entire first heat generating line in the longitudinal direction and a heat generating area of an entire second heat generating line in the longitudinal direction are different.

4. The heater according to claim 1 ,
wherein a heat distribution of one of the heat generating blocks of the first heat generating line in the longitudinal direction is a heat distribution that cannot be formed by combining one, or two or more heat generating blocks in the second heat generating line.

5. An image heating apparatus that heats an image formed on a recording material, the image heating apparatus comprising:
a cylindrical film; and
a heater that is in contact with an inner surface of the film,
wherein the apparatus heats an image formed on a recording material with heat of the heater while having a film in between, and
wherein the heater is a heater according to claim 1 .

6. The image heating apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a control unit that controls the heater,
wherein the control unit sets a power application ratio between a plurality of heat generating blocks of at least one of the first heat generating line and the second heat generating line according to a size of the recording material.

7. The image heating apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a control unit that sets a power application ratio between one or more heat generating blocks of the first heat generating line and one or more heat generating blocks of the second heat generating line according to a size of the recording material.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Mochizuki Keisuke
• Iwasaki Atsushi
• Sako Masato

Classifications

• H05B2203/011

  Heaters using laterally extending conductive material as connecting means · CPC title

• G03G15/2042

  specially for the axial heat partition · CPC title

• H05B3/0095

  Heating devices in the form of rollers (heated by induction H05B6/145) · CPC title

• H05B1/0241 Primary

  For photocopiers · CPC title

• G03G15/2053

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