Fixing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9766578-B2
Application number	US-201514932615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2015
Priority date	Nov 6, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A fixing device includes a tubular film; a heater including a first surface being in contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat-generating resistor; a heat-conductive member being in contact with a second surface of the heater opposite to the first surface, the heat-conductive member having a higher thermal conductivity than the substrate; and a supporting member supporting the heater with the heat-conductive member interposed therebetween. The heat-conductive member includes first and second parts at upstream and downstream ends, respectively, in a conveyance direction, and a third part between the first and second parts. The first to third parts are each held between the supporting member and the heater. A non-contact area between the heat-conductive member and the supporting member is provided between the first part and the second part in the conveyance direction. The heat-conductive member is shorter than the heater in the conveyance direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixing device that fixes a toner image on a recording material while conveying the recording material carrying the toner image at a nip, the fixing device comprising:
a tubular film;
a heater including a first surface that is in contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat-generating resistor provided on the substrate;
a heat-conductive member having a higher thermal conductivity than the substrate, configured to contact a second surface of the heater opposite to the first surface of the heater; and
a supporting member configured to support the heater via the heat-conductive member interposed between the supporting member and the heater,
wherein the heat-conductive member includes bent portions which are bent toward the supporting member at both longitudinal end portions of the heat-conductive member, and
wherein the supporting member includes:
openings where the respective bent portions of the heat-conductive member are inserted;
first and second parts formed on an opposed surface of the supporting member opposed to the heat-conductive member, the first and second parts being arranged in a short direction of the heater and sandwiching the heat-conductive member with the heater; and
a recess part formed on the opposed surface of the supporting member and recessed from the heat-conductive member, the recess part being arranged between the openings in a longitudinal direction of heater and between the first and second parts in the short direction of the heater.

2. The fixing device according to claim 1 , wherein the heat-conductive member is a metal plate.

3. The fixing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a backup member that forms a nip in combination with the heater via the film interposed between the backup member and the heater, the recording material being conveyed through the nip.

4. The fixing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second parts of the supporting member sandwiches, with the heater, both end of the heat-conductive member in the short direction of the heater.

5. The fixing device according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the recess part is narrower than a width of the openings in the short direction of the heater.

6. The fixing device according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting member includes a contact part on the opposed surface of the supporting member between the recess part and the openings in the longitudinal direction of the heater, the contact part contacting the heat-conductive member.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Narahara Takashi
• Imaizumi Toru
• Minamishima Yasuhito
• Ogawa Kenichi

Classifications

• G03G15/2053 Primary

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