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EP1220054B1 - Ensemble de fixage avec un fluide de travail dans le rouleau chauffant d'un appareil électrophotographique de formation d'images - Google Patents

Ensemble de fixage avec un fluide de travail dans le rouleau chauffant d'un appareil électrophotographique de formation d'images Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1220054B1
EP1220054B1 EP20010309414 EP01309414A EP1220054B1 EP 1220054 B1 EP1220054 B1 EP 1220054B1 EP 20010309414 EP20010309414 EP 20010309414 EP 01309414 A EP01309414 A EP 01309414A EP 1220054 B1 EP1220054 B1 EP 1220054B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fusing roller
heat
working fluid
roller assembly
fusing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP20010309414
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1220054A1 (fr
Inventor
Kyung-woo 402-1001 Cheongmyung Maeul Lee
Tae-Gyu Kim
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from KR10-2001-0013451A external-priority patent/KR100400003B1/ko
Application filed by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd filed Critical Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Publication of EP1220054A1 publication Critical patent/EP1220054A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1220054B1 publication Critical patent/EP1220054B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B3/00—Ohmic-resistance heating
    • H05B3/0095—Heating devices in the form of rollers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/20—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for fixing, e.g. by using heat
    • G03G15/2003—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for fixing, e.g. by using heat using heat
    • G03G15/2014—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for fixing, e.g. by using heat using heat using contact heat
    • G03G15/2053—Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a fusing roller apparatus for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a fusing roller apparatus for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which can be instantaneously heated with low power consumption.
  • a photosensitive material coated on the surface of the photoreceptor drum is uniformly charged.
  • the charged photosensitive material is exposed to a laser beam scanned from a laser scanning unit (LSU) so that a latent electrostatic image is formed in a predetermined pattern on the photosensitive material.
  • LSU laser scanning unit
  • a developer unit supplies toner to the photosensitive material to develop the latent electrostatic image formed on the photosensitive material into a visible toner image.
  • a predetermined transfer voltage is applied to a transfer roller which is put in contact with the photoreceptor drum at a predetermined force while the photoreceptor drum carries the toner image.
  • a fixing unit which includes a fusing roller, instantaneously heats the print paper to which the toner image is transferred to fuse and fix the toner image to the print paper.
  • a halogen lamp is used as a heat source for the fixing unit. The halogen lamp is installed inside the fusing roller and heats the surface of the fusing roller to a target temperature with radiant heat.
  • a conventional fusing roller apparatus of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which uses a halogen lamp as a heat source
  • the exterior surface of the fusing roller must generate heat; the fusing roller is therefore heated from the inside out by radiant heat from the halogen lamp.
  • a pressure roller is located below the fusing roller. As paper carrying a toner image in a powder form passes between the fusing roller and the pressure roller, the paper is hot pressed by the predetermined force and the toner image is fused and fixed to the print paper by the heat and force from the fusing roller and the pressure roller.
  • a thermistor may be used for detecting and converting the surface temperature of the fusing roller into an electric signal and a thermostat may be used to cut off the power supply to the halogen lamp.
  • a conventional fusing roller apparatus which employs a halogen lamp as a heat source unnecessarily consumes a large amount of power, and needs a considerably long warm-up period when the image forming apparatus is turned on for image formation. In other words, after the application of power, a standby period follows until the temperature of the fusing roller reaches a target temperature, for example, for a few tens of seconds to a few minutes.
  • a target temperature for example, for a few tens of seconds to a few minutes.
  • An alternative design for a conventional fusing roller apparatus employs a heating plate placed in a lower portion of a flexible cylindrical film tube, with a pressure roller mounted underneath the heating plate.
  • the film tube is rotated by a separate rotation unit and is locally heated and deformed at a part between the heating plate and the pressure roller. While this method of locally heating the film tube with a heating plate was thought to be advantageous in terms of low power consumption, it is unsuitable for high-speed printing.
  • Such fusing roller apparatus using heat-pipes can be instantaneously heated, thereby reducing power consumption.
  • Fusing roller apparatus also have a short period of delay when switching between stand-by and a printing operation.
  • the fusing roller apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. hei 5-135656; hei 10-84137; hei 6-29663; and hei 10-208635 employ different types of heat sources at one end of the fusing rollers, that are positioned beyond the fixing areas.
  • the arrangement of the heat source for each of these fusing roller apparatus increases the volume of the fusing roller apparatus and requires complex structures. Thus, there is a need to reduce the structural complexity of such fusing roller apparatus.
  • the fusing roller apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. sho 58-163836; hei 3-107438; hei 3-136478; hei 6-316435; hei 7-65878; hei 7-105780; and hei 7-244029 have their heat sources located within their fusing rollers, so that there remains a problem attributable to the increased volume of this apparatus described above.
  • a plurality of local heat pipes, however, are installed for each fusing roller, thereby complicating fabrication and manufacture of the fusing roller apparatus.
  • the local arrangement of the heat pipes moreover, causes temperature deviations between heat-pipe contact portions and heat-pipe non-contact portions.
  • a preferred aim is to provide a fusing roller apparatus for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in which local temperature deviation of a fusing roller is sharply reduced, thereby improving overall thermal distribution characteristics.
  • a fusing roller assembly comprising a cylindrical fusing roller having axially opposite ends forming an interior cavity that is sealed and evacuated down to a predetermined pressure; a heat generator installed within said interior cavity between said ends; and a working fluid contained in the fusing roller characterised in that: the working fluid is in direct physical contact with said heat generator; and the heat generator is in direct physical contact with said fusing roller over an axial length of an interior cylindrical surface of said fusing roller.
  • the heat-generator is constructed as a spiral-shaped helical coil of a resistance heating element and that both leads of the resistance heating coil extend out from the fusing roller through axially opposite ends of the fusing roller. It is preferable that the heat-generator be arranged helically along and be placed in direct contact with the inner surface of the fusing roller. To enhance the contact force of the heat-generator against the inner wall of the fusing roller, it is preferable that the heat-generator have an outer diameter that is greater than the inner diameter of the interior cavity of the fusing roller so that the heat-generator is elastically compressed in a force fit against the interior cylindrical surface of the fusing roller due to the force created by the differences in diameter.
  • the fusing roller be formed of either copper (Cu) or stainless steel. If the fusing roller is formed of copper, distilled water is preferred as the working fluid.
  • the amount of the liquid phase of the heating medium that is, the liquid phase of a working fluid contained in the fusing roller, may be in the range of 5-50% by volume, and preferably with a range of 10-15% by volume, based on the volume of the interior cylindrical cavity of the fusing roller.
  • a process of manufacturing a fusing roller assembly comprising forming a cylindrical fusing roller with an interior cavity extending axially between axially opposite bases of said roller; evacuating said interior cavity; partially filling said interior cavity with a working fluid; and characterised by inserting a heating coil wound in a helical spiral into said interior cavity; and sealing said interior cavity while preserving electrical connectivity across said heating coil.
  • Figure 1 shows a general electrophotographic image forming apparatus, with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that includes a paper ejector 1, a keypad 2, a control board cover 3, an upper-cover opening button 4, paper indication windows 5, a multi-purpose paper feed tray 6, a paper cassette 7, an optional cassette 8, and an auxiliary paper support 9.
  • FIG 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional fusing roller apparatus of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which uses a halogen lamp as a heat source.
  • Figure 3 is a sectional view of the fusing roller of Figure 2 with the halogen lamp as a heat source and a pressure roller, as used in the conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
  • the conventional fusing roller apparatus 10 includes a cylindrical fusing roller 11 and a heat-generator 12, such as a halogen lamp, inside the fusing roller 11. As the exterior surface of fusing roller 11 must generate heat, fusing roller 11 is heated from the inside out by radiant heat from heat-generator 12.
  • a pressure roller 13 is located below the fusing roller 11 having a coated layer 11a formed of polytetrofluoroethylene (PTFE),such as Teflon.
  • the pressure roller 13 is elastically supported by a spring assembly 13a to press the print paper 14 passing between the fusing roller 11 and the pressure roller 13 against the fusing roller 11 by a predetermined force.
  • the print paper 14 carries a toner image 14a in a powder form between the fusing roller 11 and the pressure roller 13, the print paper 14 is hot pressed by the predetermined force.
  • the toner image 14a is fused and fixed to the print paper 14 by the heat and force from the fusing roller 11 and the pressure roller 13.
  • a thermistor 15 is used for detecting and converting the surface temperature of the fusing roller 11 into an electric signal and a thermostat 16 for cutting off the power supply to the heat-generator 12, such as a halogen lamp, are installed adjacent to the fusing roller 11.
  • thermostat 16 interrupts electrical power to heat generator 12.
  • the thermistor 15 detects the surface temperature of the fusing roller 11 and transmits the result of the detection to a controller (not shown) for the printer.
  • the controller controls the power supply to the halogen lamp of heat-generator 12 according to the detected surface temperature of the fusing roller 11 to keep the surface temperature within a given range.
  • the thermostat 16 serves as a thermal protector for the fusing roller 11 and neighboring elements, which operates when the thermistor 15 and the controller fail to control the temperature of the fusing roller 11.
  • a conventional fusing roller apparatus which employs the halogen lamp as a heat source unnecessarily consumes a large amount of power, and needs a considerably long warm-up period when the image forming apparatus is turned on for image formation. In other words, after the application of power, a standby period is followed until the temperature of the fusing roller 11 reaches a target temperature, for example, for a few tens of seconds to a few minutes. For the conventional fusing roller apparatus, because the fusing roller is heated by radiant heat from the heat source, the heat transfer rate is low.
  • FIG 4 is a sectional view of a conventional fusing roller apparatus applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
  • Heating plate 22 is placed in a lower portion of a flexible cylindrical film tube 21, and a pressure roller 23 is mounted underneath the heating plate 22.
  • the film tube 21 is rotated by a separate rotation unit and is locally heated and deformed at a part between the heating plate 22 and the pressure roller 23.
  • This method of locally heating the film tube 21 by the heating plate 22 is advantageous in terms of low power consumption.
  • the local heating method is unsuitable, however, for high-speed printing.
  • FIG. 5 A fixing unit of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus incorporating a first embodiment of a fusing roller apparatus according to the present invention is shown in Figure 5, while Figure 6 is a perspective view of Figure 5 showing the structure of the fusing roller apparatus in greater detail, and Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fusing roller apparatus of Figures 5 and 6.
  • the fixing unit 200 includes a fusing roller apparatus 210 which rotates in a direction in which a print paper 231 bearing a toner image 231a is ejected, i.e., clockwise as viewed in Figure 5, and a pressure roller 220 which rotates counterclockwise in contact with the fusing roller apparatus 210.
  • the fusing roller apparatus 210 includes a cylindrical fusing roller 212 having a protective outer cylindrical layer 211, which is formed on the surface thereof by coating with Telfon, and a heat-generator 213 installed in the fusing roller 212.
  • a thermistor 230 for sensing the surface temperature of the fusing roller 212 is mounted on the top of the fusing roller 212.
  • Thermistor 230 is in direct physical contact with protective layer 211 and senses the temperature of the protective layer 211.
  • the inner space formed by the interior cylindrical cavity 242 of the fusing roller 212 is evacuated to a predetermined level of vacuum.
  • Heat-generator 213 may be a helical winding made with a spiral resistance heating coil installed along an inner cavity 242 in direct physical contact with the inner cylindrical wall of fusing roller 212.
  • the heat-generator 213 includes a heat-generating wire 213a formed of an electrically resistive material such as either iron chromium (Fe-Cr) or nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) coil, and an electrically insulating covering layer 213c formed of magnesium oxide (MgO) to protect the heat-generating wire 213a.
  • Insulating covering layer 213c of the heat-generator 213 prevents deformation or characteristic changes in heat-generating wire 213a, which are prone to occur over time or are caused by temperature variations in a working fluid 214 to be described later.
  • An outer layer 213b made of a relatively inert material such as stainless steel, forms a protective sheath around insulating layer 213c.
  • a plurality of axially spaced-apart electrical insulators 213d hold wire 213a approximately coaxially spaced within the center of layer 213c, spaced-apart from sheath 213b.
  • the distance between diametrically opposite interior walls of the inner cylindrical surface 246 of heat pipe 212 is d 1
  • the outer cylindrical surface of heat pipe 212 has a diameter of d 2
  • Coil 213 has an outer cylindrical diameter greater than d 1 and slightly less than d 2 .
  • a force F is applied to electrodes 215 at axially opposite ends of coil 213 to reduce the diameter of coil 213 to evaluate d 3 , that is less than d 1 , while coil 213 is inserted into the interior cavity 242 of heat pipe 212.
  • each loop of coil 213 upon removal of force F, the other surfaces of each loop of coil 213 are in direct physical and thermal contact with interior circumferential surface 246 of heat pipe 212; in essence, the removal of force F allows coil 213 to assume an outer cylindrical diameter d 1 , equal to the inner diameter of heat pipe 212.
  • the pitch x 1 , x 2 between neighboring loops of coil 213 are not necessary equal. What is important however, is that most, or all of the exterior surface of each loop of coil 213 lie in direct physical and thermal contact with interior cylindrical surface 246 of heat pipe 212.
  • the working fluid 214 is contained in the sealed inner space of fusing roller 212 in which heat-generator 213 is installed.
  • the working fluid 214 is contained in an amount of 5-50% by volume, and preferably, 5-15% by volume based on the inner volume 242 of the fusing roller 212.
  • the working fluid 214 prevents local surface temperature deviations of the rotating fusing roller 212, which occur due to the presence of the heat-generator 213, based on the principles of a heat pipe, and serves as a thermal medium capable of uniformly heating the entire cylindrical volume of fusing roller 212 within a shorter period of time than is currently available with conventional apparatus.
  • the amount of the working fluid 214 is less than about 5% by volume based on the volume of the fusing roller 212, a dry-out phenomenon is likely to occur in which the working fluid is not fully vaporized and liquified immediately after vaporization should have otherwise occurred.
  • Fusing roller 212 may be formed of a stainless steel (such as 304SS) or copper (Cu). If fusing roller 212 is formed of stainless steel, most of the well-known working fluids, except for water (distilled water) can be used. FC-40 (available from 3M Corporation) is the most preferred alternative to water as working fluid 214. Meanwhile, if the fusing roller 212 is formed of copper, almost all of the well-known working fluids can be used. Water (e.g., distilled water) is the most preferred working fluid for fusing rollers 212 made of copper.
  • caps 218 are coupled to both of the axially opposite ends of fusing roller 212 to seal the interior cylindrical cavity of fusing roller 212 and thereby form a vacuum tight sealed inner space 242.
  • the axially opposite terminal ends of coil 213 form electrodes 215 that extend axially through and beyond caps 218 to operationally engage electrical contacts such as slip rings (not shown) that in turn, provide an electrical current through coil 213.
  • a non-conductive bushing 216 and a gear-binding cap 217 may also be mounted on the exterior cylindrical surface of fusing roller 212.
  • the electrodes 215 are electrically connected to electrically conducting end leads of heat-generator 213.
  • fusing roller apparatus 210 having the structure described above is rotated by a separate rotation unit.
  • additional parts may be installed.
  • the gear-binding cap 217 is an additional part to be coupled to a rotating spur gear required for rotating fusing roller apparatus 210.
  • a fixing unit 200 of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention, as an electrical current flows into the heat-generator 213 through the electrodes 215, i.e. , from an electrical power supply, the heat-generator 213 generates heat due to resistance heating as the electrical current flows through the helical coil of heat generator 213, and the fusing roller 212 is heated from the inside out by the resulting heat. At the same time, working fluid 214 contained in the fusing roller 212 is vaporized by the heat. The heat generated by the heat-generator 213 is transferred to the cylindrical wall of the fusing roller 212, and at the same time the body of the fusing roller 212 is uniformly heated by the vaporized working fluid.
  • a wick 244 made of a perforated layer or screen of metal made from copper or stainless steel is formed in a cylindrical shape to serve as a capillary; wick 244 may be placed along interior circumferential surface 246, between neighboring windings of coil 213.
  • Suitable materials for the fusing roller 212 are listed in Table 2.
  • FC-40 or water (distilled water), previously described, or the materials listed in Table 3 may be used as working fluid 214. When water (distilled water) is selected as working fluid 214, the fusing roller apparatus can be implemented at low cost without environmental concern.
  • the toner image is transferred (i.e., permanently bonded) to the print paper.
  • the vaporized working fluid changes back into its liquid phase inside cavity 242 of fusing roller 212.
  • the liquefied working fluid may be subsequently heated again by heat-generator 212 to vaporize, so that the temperature of the fusing roller 212 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature.
  • a fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the present invention can reach the target temperature within approximately ten seconds. Then, the surface temperature of the fusing roller 212 is maintained by intermitted application of an electrical current to coil 213,within a predetermined range of temperature by the thermistor 230 in response to the surface temperature of the fusing roller 212 sensed by thermistor 230.
  • a thermostat 240 located in close operational proximity to the cylindrical surface of fusing roller 212 senses the surface temperature of the fusing roller 212 and cuts off the supply of electrical current to coil 213 to prevent overheating.
  • the power supply operation may be varied depending on the target temperature. It will be appreciated that the power supply operation can be controlled by such control techniques as periodic power on/off control or a duty cycle ratio.
  • a fusing roller apparatus having the configuration may be manufactured by the steps of:
  • argon gas is injected into interior cavity 242 of the metallic pipe via the working fluid inlet for the purpose of preventing oxidation of the heat pipe.
  • extraneous gases are purged from the inner volume 242 and the inner volume is evacuated and is repeatedly heated and cooled under a vacuum so as to exhaust all gases out of the inner volume of the metal pipe, thereby removing substantially all foreign substances adhering to the inner wall of the metallic pipe.
  • the metallic pipe in one process for purging interior cavity 242, the metallic pipe must be heated to a temperature of 250°C with an internal pressure of forty (40) atmospheres. At room temperature, interior cavity 242 should have a perfect pressure; that is, there should be no molecules within cavity 242.
  • Figure 8A is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention
  • Figure 8B is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the fusing roller apparatus of Figure 8A.
  • an outer tube 312 in formed with an outer surface that is coated with a protective layer 311 of a material such as Teflon is formed.
  • An inner tube 314 having an exterior diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of outer tube 312 is coaxially located in the middle of the outer tube 312.
  • An annular space 318 that accommodates a working fluid 214 and a heat-generator 313 are provided between the outer tube 312 and the inner tube 314.
  • the heat-generator 313 is formed along the inner cylindrical surface of the outer tube 312.
  • a lower portion of the annular space is filled with the working fluid 214.
  • the inner cylindrical volume 314a of inner tube 314 may be either solid, hollow or an evacuated cylindrical cavity.
  • Figure 9A is a cross-sectional view of a different design of a conventional fusing roller apparatus
  • Figure 9B is a partially cut-away longitudinal sectional view of the fusing roller apparatus of Figure 9A.
  • This construction of a fusing roller apparatus differs from other designs of fusing roller apparatus in the location of the heat-generator 313a.
  • an outer tube 21 is formed with an outer surface coated with a protective layer 21a.
  • An inner tube 31 having an exterior diameter that is smaller than the interior diameter of outer tube 21 is coaxially located in the middle of the hollow cylindrical cavity outer tube 21.
  • a hollow annular space 38 for a working fluid 33 is provided between the interior cylindrical surface of outer tube 21 and the exterior cylindrical surface of inner tube 31.
  • a heat-generator 12 for heating the inner surface of the inner tube 31 by radiation is provided in the middle of the inner tube 31.
  • the heat-generator 12 is a radiant heat generating device such as a halogen lamp.
  • the inner tube 31 is heated by radiant heat from the heat-generator 12 so that the working fluid 33 in contact with the outer cylindrical surface of the inner tube 31 is evaporated and vaporizes, that is,changes from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase.
  • Figure 10A is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention
  • Figure 10B is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the fusing roller apparatus of Figure 10A.
  • This third embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus could be considered to be a combination of the fusing roller assemblies of the first and second embodiments combined constructed according to the principles of the present invention.
  • an outer tube 312 is formed with an outer surface that is coated with a protective layer 311 of a material such as Teflon.
  • An inner tube 314 having exterior diameter that is smaller than the interior diameter of outer tube 312 is coaxially located in the hollow middle of the outer tube 312.
  • An annular space 318 contains a working fluid 214, and a first heat-generator 313 is provided between the outer tube 312 and the inner tube 314.
  • the second heat-generator 313a is a radiant heat generating device such as a halogen lamp.
  • Inner tube 313 is heated by radiant heat from heat-generator 313a so that the working fluid 214 in contact with the outer surface of the inner tube 314 vaporizes and assumes its vapor phase.
  • the first heat-generator 313 is formed along the inner cylindrical surface of outer tube 312 and directly heats the inner cylindrical surface of the outer tube 312 and also directly heats the working fluid 214 and causes working fluid 214 to evaporate once the fusing roller apparatus is removed from its stand-by status.
  • the working fluid 214 in the hollow annular space 318 between outer tube 312 and inner tube 314 is simultaneously heated by both the first and second heat-generators 313 and 313a to vaporization.
  • Figure 10C illustrates relative performance between two conventional designs and an embodiment of a fusing roller assemble constructed according to the principles of the present invention, by comparing the time .required for these rollers to reach an operational temperature.
  • Curve A illustrates a fusing roller constructed with a halogen heat lamp such as illustrated by Figure 2. This design requires a period of between two and three minutes for the exterior surface of the heating roller to reach an operational temperature of 185 °C.
  • Curve B represents the performance of an indirectly heated design such that illustrated by Figures 9A, 9B; this design requires a period of between twenty and thirty seconds for its exterior surface of the heating roller to reach 185 °C.
  • Curve C illustrates one embodiment constructed as illustrated in Figures 10A, 10B; this embodiment requires a period of approximately twelve seconds to reach an operational temperature of 185 °C.
  • the temperature differential over the axial length of the exterior circumferential surface of the fusing roller in embodiments constructed according to the principles of the present invention is less than two degrees Celsius, and in many cases, is less than one degree Celsius over the axial length.
  • halogen heat lamp and indirectly heated designs vary in temperature difference over the axial length by more than two degree Celsius with the terminal ends often being more than two degrees Celsius colder than the central portion of the fusing roller.
  • Figure 11A is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention
  • Figure 11B is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the fusing roller assembly of Figure 11A.
  • the hollow annular inner space 318of the this fourth embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus is divided by a plurality of arcuately spaced apart radial webs 315 that extend radially between the outer cylindrical surface of inner tube 314, and across inner space 318 to the inner cylindrical surface of outer tube 312.
  • Inner space of the fusing roller apparatus is thus divided into a plurality of discrete sections that may, or may not be connected to allow passage of gaseous phase of the working fluid 214 between sections, depending on the design of the embodiment.
  • outer tube 312 has an outer surface is coated with a protective layer 311.
  • Inner tube 314 has an exterior diameter that is substantially smaller than the interior diameter of outer tube 312 and is located coaxially in the middle of the outer tube 312, so that a hollow annular space 318 that holds working fluid 214 is provided between the outer tube 312 and the inner tube 314.
  • This annular space 318 is divided into unit spaces by a plurality of partitions 315 that are coaxially mounted within the hollow central bore of outer tube 312 with a plurality of radially extending fins 315 forming sector partitions of annular space 318 radially arranged at a predetermined angle.
  • Working fluid 214 is contained in each of the unit spaces.
  • a heat-generator 313a for heating the inner surface of the inner tube 314 by radiation is coaxially mounted inside the middle of the inner tube 314.
  • Heat-generator 313a is a radiant heat generating device such as a halogen lamp.
  • the inner tube 314 is heated by radiant heat from the heat-generator 313a so that the working fluid 214 in contact with the outer surface of the inner tube 314 is evaporated.
  • the working fluid 214 transfers heat to the outer tube 312 through evaporation and condensation cycles in each of the unit spaces.
  • the partitions 315 may be formed as separate parts or as a combined form with the outer surface of the inner tube 214.
  • the working fluid 214 is distributed in each of the unit spaces, so that the working fluid 214, which is in contact with the inner surface of the outer tube 312, rapidly evaporates and condenses in each of the unit spaces.
  • FIG 12 is a partial perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention.
  • Outer tube 312 has an outer cylindrical surface that is coated with a protective layer 311 of a material such as Teflon.
  • Inner tube 314 has a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of outer tube 312 and is coaxially located in the middle of the outer tube 312, so that annular space 318 for a working fluid 214 is provided between the outer tube 312 and the inner tube 314.
  • the annular space is divided into unit spaces by a plurality of radially extending partitions 315 radially arranged at a predetermined angle, and the working fluid 214 is contained in each of the unit spaces.
  • the second heat-generator 313a is a radiant heat generating device such as a halogen lamp.
  • the inner tube 314 is heated by radiant heat from the second heat-generator 313a so that the working fluid 214 in contact with the outer surface of the inner tube 314 is evaporated after the fusing roller apparatus is removed from its stand-by state in preparation for printing images on a printable medium.
  • First heat-generator 313 is also in contact with the inner surface of the outer tube 312; the outer tube 312 as well as the working fluid 213 are heated by the first heat-generator 313.
  • the working fluid 213 transfers heat to the outer tube 312 through evaporation and condensation cycles in each of the unit spaces.
  • the partitions 315 may be formed as separate parts or as a combined form together with the inner surface of sheath 317.
  • working fluid 214 can in particular embodiments flow through an orifice or a gap between the partitions 315 and the outer tube 312.
  • sheath 317 confines the working fluid to different unit spaces and prevents flow between unit spaces.
  • FIG 13 is a partial perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention, to which the first embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus described previously is applied.
  • the fusing roller apparatus of Figure 13 includes a cylindrical fusing roller 312 whose outer surface is coated with a protective layer 311 of Teflon is formed; a heat-generator 313 is located in inner space 318 of the fusing roller 312; and a partition 316 having a plurality of dividing webs 316a radially arranged to divide the inner space into sub spaces forms an outer cylindrical sheath.
  • Partition 316 has a maximum outer diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the fusing roller 212 and is surrounded by the helically wound heat-generator 313.
  • the sixth embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus has inner space 318 divided into a plurality of unit spaces by the dividers 316a of partition 316, the working fluid can flow through opening 319 between the partitions 316a and the inner surface of the inner tube 314.
  • an electrode through which power is supplied to the heat-generators or a structure for rotating and supporting the heat-generators is not illustrated, because such structures may be easily implemented by those skilled in the art.
  • FIG 14 is a schematic view of the structure of a fixing unit of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, to which a fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention is applied.
  • Axially opposite ends of coil 313 extend through end caps 218 to form electrodes 215; electrodes 215 are coupled to both end portions of the fusing roller apparatus 400 to provide electrical current through heat-generator 313 (and, if present, secondary heat generator 313a).
  • Electrodes 215 are electrically connected to the heat-generator 313 and may slidably contact brushes (not shown) formed of a conductive material such as carbon, for example, that are in turn connected across a source of electrical power.
  • the brushes may be elastically supported by springs, so that the brushes are pushed against electrodes 215.
  • a thermostat that operates in dependence upon the temperature of the fusing roller apparatus 400, is connected between the brushes and a power supply unit by an electric signal line.
  • the heat-generator 313 As current is supplied to the heat-generator 313 (and, if present, secondary heat generator 313a) by the power supply , resistance heat is generated by the internal resistance of coil 313 to heat the body of fusing roller. At the same time, the working fluid contained in the fusing roller is heated until the working fluid evaporates. The inner surface of the fusing roller is heated by the heat from the heat-generator and by vaporized (i.e. the gaseous phase) working fluid, so that the body of the fusing roller can be uniformly and quickly heated to a target fusing temperature (e.g., 185°C). The surface temperature of the cylindrical exterior surface of the fusing roller body is detected by a separate thermistor and the amount of current supplied to the heat-generator is adjusted in dependence upon the detected temperature.
  • a target fusing temperature e.g., 185°C
  • the term heat pipe refers to a heat transfer device that transfers heat from a high-heat density state to a low-heat density state using the latent heat required for the phase change of the working fluid from its liquid phase to its gaseous phase. Since the heat pipe utilizes the phase changing property of the working fluid, its coefficient of thermal conductivity is higher than any known metal.
  • the coefficient of thermal conductivity of a heat pipe operating at room temperature is a few hundreds times greater than either silver or copper having a coefficient of thermal conductivity, k, of 400 W/mk.
  • Figure 15 is a graph illustrating the phase change of a working fluid as a function of temperature rise and the heat pipe working period.
  • Table 1 shows the effective thermal conductivity of the heat pipe and other heat transfer materials.
  • Material Effective Thermal Conductivity (W/mK) Heat pipe 50,000-200,000 Aluminum 180 Copper 400 Diamond 2,000
  • Figure 16 shows the internal structure of a heat pipe incorporating a wick to provide a capillary structure within the interior of the heat pipe, and its heat transfer process according to the liquid-to-vapor and the vapor-to-liquid phase changes.
  • the resistance heating coil (not separately shown in Figure 16) and the wick are arranged in a cylindrical shape and mounted directly against the interior circumferential surface of the heat tube.
  • Table 2 shows the recommended and NOT-recommended heat pipe materials for a variety of working fluids.
  • Table 3 shows a variety of suitable working fluids for different working temperature ranges. Extreme low temperature (-273 ⁇ -120°C) Low temperature (-120 ⁇ -470°C) High temperature (-450 ⁇ -2700°C) Helium Water Cesium Argon Ethanol Sodium Nitrogen Methanol, Acetone, Ammonia, Freon Lithium
  • FC-40 has a one atmosphere or less saturation pressure at a working temperature of 165°C and is considered to be a relatively suitable material.
  • Figure 17 is a graph showing the saturation pressure variations with respect to saturation temperature for FC-40 and water as a working fluid.
  • Table 4 shows the saturation pressures of FC-40 at particular saturation temperatures taken from Figure 15.
  • Saturation Temperature (°C) Saturation Pressure (bar) 100 0.15 150 0.84 200 3.2 250 9.3 300 22.54 350 47.5 400 89.5 450 154.6
  • suitable materials for the heat pipe and the thickness of its end cap are determined according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (i.e., ASME) code which is a safety measuring standard for pressure containers.
  • ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • ⁇ max(1) ⁇ Pd 0 2 t 1
  • ⁇ max(2) ⁇ Pd 0 2 t 2
  • ⁇ P difference in pressure between inside and outside the heat pipe
  • do the outer diameter of the heat pipe
  • t 1 is the thickness of the heat pipe
  • t 2 is the thickness of the end cap.
  • the maximum allowable stress at an arbitrary temperature is equal to 0.25 times the maximum ultimate tensile strength at that temperature. If the vapor pressure of a working fluid in the range of the heat pipe is working temperature is equal to the saturation vapor pressure of the working fluid, the difference in pressure ( ⁇ P) is equal to the difference between the vapor pressure and atmospheric pressure.
  • Figure 18 is a graph of the ultimate tensile strength variations for a variety of heat pipe materials as a function of temperature variations for three different constructions of fusing rollers made with heat pipes of aluminum (Al), copper (Cr) and 304 stainless steel (SS304), taken over a temperature range extending between approximately 0°C and approximately 500°C.
  • Figure 19A is a graph showing the maximum allowable stress and variations of maximum stress acting upon the heat pipe wall with respect to temperature variations when FC-40 is used as a working fluid for heat pipes constructed of aluminum, copper and 304 stainless steel.
  • Figure 19B is a graph of variations of maximum stress acting upon copper heat pipe wall with respect to temperature variations when distilled water is used as a working fluid over a temperature range extending between approximately 0°C and approximately 500°C, for heat pipes constructed of aluminum, copper and 304 stainless steel.
  • the maximum allowable stress of the stainless steel (SS304) is much greater than that of either copper or aluminum. Safe operation without working leakage of the fluid is ensured for a heat pipe and end caps constructed of stainless steel (SS304) up to a working temperature of about 400°C.
  • Figures 20A and 20B are graphs that illustrate variations in the maximum stress acting upon a heat pipe copper with respect to pipe thickness variations when FC-10 and distilled water are used as a working fluid, respectively over a temperature range that extends from more than 150°C to less than 500°C .
  • the thickness of the heat pipe varies from 0.8 mm up to 1.5 mm for FC-10 used as a working fluid, and from 1.0 mm up to 1.8mm for distilled water used as a working fluid, respectively, the maximum stress acting upon the heat pipe does not change very much at an operating temperature greater than approximately 165°C, but less than 200°C.
  • Figures 21 and 22 are graphs of the temperature variations (over a range between 0°C and 400°C) measured in the middle of the fusing roller with respect to time (over a period between zero and sixty-five seconds) for the first embodiment of the fusing roller apparatus described above.
  • the fusing roller apparatus had a fusing roller made of copper and contains distilled water as a working fluid.
  • the fusing roller had a thickness of 1.0 mm, an outer diameter of 17.85 mm, and a length of 258 mm. This test was performed at a fusing roller rotation rate of 47 rpm with a spiral resistance heating coil resistance of 32 ⁇ , a voltage of 200V, and an instantaneous maximum power consumption of about 1.5 kW.
  • the spiral resistance heating coil was in direct contact with the inner cylindrical surface of the fusing roller.
  • Figure 21 shows measurements for a fusing roller apparatus containing distilled water as a working fluid that occupies 10% of the inner volume of the fusing roller.
  • Figure 22 shows measurements for a fusing roller apparatus containing distilled water occupying 30% of the volume of the fusing roller. Referring to Figure 21, this prototype takes about 8 to 12 seconds to raise the temperature of the fusing roller from room temperature of about 22°C to an operating temperature of about 175°C and less than 14 seconds to reach 200°C . Referring to Figure 22, it takes about 13 seconds to raise the temperature of the fusing roller from room temperature of about 22°C to 175°C and only about 22 seconds to 200°C.
  • a fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the present invention can form an image, i.e., can still fuse a toner image, at a high speed, faster than contemporary equipment.
  • the rate of temperature increase becomes impractically slow. Meanwhile, if the volume of the working fluid is less than 5% by volume, a dry-out phenomenon either occurs or becomes likely to occur due to the insufficient supply of the working fluid, so that the fusing roller either does not function as well or does not function at all as a heat pipe.
  • electrical power can be applied at a voltage of 90-240 volts and a frequency of 50-70 Hz, as well as at higher frequencies.
  • the fusing roller apparatus constructed according to the present invention includes a heating coil and a working fluid in the body of the metallic fusing roller having excellent conductivity, so that the surface of the fusing roller can be instantaneously heated up to a target fusing temperature to fix toner images that have been transferred to a print paper.
  • the fusing roller of the present invention can reach a target fusing temperature within a shorter period of time with reduced power consumption and the surface temperature of the fusing roller can be uniformly maintained.
  • the fusing roller apparatus of the present invention needs neither a warm-up and stand-by period, and thus any image forming apparatus, such as a printer, copy machine, or facsimile, equipped with the fusing roller apparatus of the present invention, does not need to supply power to the fusing roller to ready for printing. Thus, overall power consumption of the image forming apparatus is reduced.
  • the fusing roller apparatus of the present invention is based on the principle of a heat pipe, so that the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of the fusing roller can be uniformly controlled, thereby optimally improving toner fusing characteristics.
  • the fusing roller apparatus of the present invention can be easily manufactured on a mass scale, and ensure safe operation.
  • the parts of the fusing roller apparatus are compatible with other commercially available parts.
  • the quality of the fusing roller apparatus can be easily controlled.
  • a high-speed printer can be implemented with the fusing roller apparatus according to the present invention.
  • the fusing roller apparatus and the method for manufacturing the fusing roller apparatus according to the present invention provide the following advantages.
  • the fusing roller apparatus can be manufactured by simple automated processes.
  • the temperature variations in the axial, or longitudinal direction of the heat pipe are small (within the range of ⁇ 1°C).
  • a high-speed printer can be easily implemented with the fusing roller apparatus.
  • the heat source and the heat pipe which are the main elements of the fusing roller apparatus, are formed as separate units, so that the fusing roller apparatus can be easily manufactured on mass scale and ensures safe operation.
  • the parts of the fusing roller apparatus are compatible with other commercially available parts. The quality of the fusing roller apparatus can be easily controlled.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fixing For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Control Of Resistance Heating (AREA)
  • Rolls And Other Rotary Bodies (AREA)

Claims (26)

  1. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion comportant :
    un rouleau de fusion cylindrique (212) ayant des extrémités axialement opposées (218) formant une cavité intérieure (242) qui est rendue étanche et mise sous vide jusqu'à une pression prédéterminée,
    un générateur de chaleur (213) installé dans ladite cavité intérieure (242) entre lesdites extrémités (218), et
    un fluide de travail (214) contenu dans le rouleau de fusion (212),
       caractérisé en ce que :
    le fluide de travail (214) est en contact physique direct avec ledit générateur de chaleur (213), et
    le générateur de chaleur (213) est en contact physique direct avec ledit rouleau de fusion (212) sur une longueur axiale d'une surface cylindrique intérieure (246) dudit rouleau de fusion (212).
  2. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 1, dans lequel ledit générateur de chaleur (213) comporte une bobine de chauffage par résistance enroulée en spirale dans ladite cavité intérieure (242), des extrémités axialement opposées de la bobine de chauffage par résistance s'étendant vers l'extérieur à partir dudit rouleau de fusion (212) à travers différentes desdites extrémités dudit rouleau de fusion (212).
  3. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 1 ou 2, dans lequel le générateur de chaleur (213) a un diamètre extérieur supérieur au diamètre intérieur du rouleau de fusion (212) et le générateur de chaleur (213) est en contact avec une force avec une paroi cylindrique intérieure (246) du rouleau de fusion (212).
  4. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le rouleau de fusion (212) est formé de cuivre.
  5. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon les revendications 1, 2, dans lequel le rouleau de fusion (212) est formé d'acier inoxydable.
  6. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le fluide de travail (214) est de l'eau distillée.
  7. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel une quantité dudit fluide de travail (214) contenu dans ledit rouleau de fusion (212) se situe dans la plage allant de 5 à 50 % en volume de ladite cavité intérieure (242).
  8. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel une quantité dudit fluide de travail (214) contenu dans ledit rouleau de fusion (212) se situe dans la plage allant de 5 à 15 % en volume de ladite cavité intérieure (242).
  9. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comportant :
    une séparation (316) divisant ladite cavité intérieure (242) en une pluralité d'espaces unitaires.
  10. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 9, dans lequel ladite séparation comporte une pluralité de bandes s'étendant radialement (316a).
  11. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel :
    le rouleau de fusion cylindrique (212) comporte un tube extérieur (312) ayant un premier diamètre intérieur et un tube intérieur (314) ayant un second diamètre extérieur plus petit que le premier diamètre, formant un espace annulaire (318) entre ledit tube extérieur (312) et ledit tube intérieur (314), ledit espace annulaire (318) étant mis sous vide jusqu'à une pression prédéterminée,
    le générateur de chaleur (213) est installé à l'intérieur dudit espace annulaire (318), et
    le fluide de travail (214) est contenu dans ledit espace annulaire (318) dans une quantité inférieure au volume dudit espace annulaire (318).
  12. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 11, dans lequel le générateur de chaleur (213) inclut un premier dispositif de chauffage (313) installé dans ledit espace annulaire (318) en contact physique direct avec ledit tube extérieur (312).
  13. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 12, dans lequel le premier dispositif de chauffage (313) est une bobine de chauffage par résistance enroulée en spirale à l'intérieur dudit espace annulaire (318).
  14. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 12 ou 13, dans lequel le premier dispositif de chauffage (313) est agencé le long d'une surface cylindrique intérieure (246) du tube extérieur et en contact physique direct avec celle-ci.
  15. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications 11 à 14, dans lequel ledit générateur de chaleur (213) comporte un premier dispositif de chauffage (313) installé dans ledit espace annulaire et un second dispositif de chauffage (313a) installé à l'intérieur dudit tube intérieur (314).
  16. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 15, dans lequel ledit premier dispositif de chauffage (313) comporte une bobine de chauffage par résistance enroulée en spirale et ledit second dispositif de chauffage (313a) est constitué d'une lampe à halogène.
  17. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comportant :
    une couche de protection (211) recouvrant une surface cylindrique extérieure du rouleau de fusion, ladite couche de protection produisant facilement des images d'encre.
  18. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comportant :
    une électrode (215) reliée au générateur de chaleur (213) permettant l'application d'une tension sur ledit générateur de chaleur (213).
  19. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le générateur de chaleur (213) comporte une bobine de chauffage par résistance, et une surface de la bobine de chauffage par résistance est revêtue d'une couche de protection (213c) .
  20. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 19, dans lequel la couche de protection (213c) est formée d'oxyde de magnésium.
  21. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 18, dans lequel la tension appliquée au générateur de chaleur (213) se situe dans la plage allant de 90 à 240 volts.
  22. Dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon la revendication 18, dans lequel la tension appliquée au générateur de chaleur (213) a une fréquence allant de 50 à 70 Hz.
  23. Procédé de fabrication du dispositif de rouleau de fusion selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comportant les étapes consistant à :
    former un rouleau de fusion cylindrique (212) ayant une cavité intérieure (242) s'étendant axialement entre des bases axialement opposées dudit rouleau,
    faire le vide dans ladite cavité intérieure (242),
    partiellement remplir ladite cavité intérieure (242) à l'aide d'un fluide de travail (214),
    insérer une bobine de chauffage (213) enroulée en spirale hélicoïdale dans ladite cavité intérieure (242), et
    rendre étanche ladite cavité intérieure (242) tout en préservant l'aptitude à la connexion électrique à travers ladite bobine de chauffage (213).
  24. Procédé selon la revendication 23, comportant en outre les étapes consistant à :
    former ledit rouleau de fusion (212), ladite cavité intérieure (242) présentant un premier diamètre intérieur,
    enrouler ladite bobine de chauffage (213) pour présenter un second diamètre extérieur supérieur audit premier diamètre avant l'insertion de ladite bobine de chauffage (213) dans ladite cavité intérieure (242),
    réduire ledit second diamètre pendant ladite insertion, et
    libérer ladite bobine de chauffage (213) pour garantir ledit second diamètre après ladite insertion.
  25. Procédé selon la revendication 23 ou 24, comportant en outre l'étape consistant à placer un tube intérieur (314) à l'intérieur de ladite cavité intérieure (242), ladite bobine de chauffage (213) étant positionnée entre ledit rouleau de fusion (212) et ledit tube intérieur (314).
  26. Procédé selon la revendication 23, 24 ou 25, comportant en outre l'étape consistant à diviser ladite cavité intérieure (242) en une pluralité de secteurs contenant chacun une quantité dudit fluide de travail (214).
EP20010309414 2000-12-22 2001-11-06 Ensemble de fixage avec un fluide de travail dans le rouleau chauffant d'un appareil électrophotographique de formation d'images Expired - Lifetime EP1220054B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US25711800P 2000-12-22 2000-12-22
US257118P 2000-12-22
KR2001013451 2001-03-15
KR10-2001-0013451A KR100400003B1 (ko) 2000-12-22 2001-03-15 전자사진 화상형성 장치의 정착 롤러 장치

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EP1220054A1 EP1220054A1 (fr) 2002-07-03
EP1220054B1 true EP1220054B1 (fr) 2004-08-04

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JP (1) JP3680995B2 (fr)
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KR100485811B1 (ko) * 2002-07-25 2005-04-28 삼성전자주식회사 화상형성장치의 정착기
US20080296287A1 (en) * 2007-05-30 2008-12-04 Steven Yue Heating device
JP5508745B2 (ja) * 2008-04-08 2014-06-04 ハイデック株式会社 誘導加熱ロール
CN102650845B (zh) * 2011-02-28 2014-08-13 株式会社理光 定影装置
CN104614963A (zh) * 2013-11-01 2015-05-13 东友科技股份有限公司 滚轮及其适用的定影装置
TWI514096B (zh) * 2013-11-01 2015-12-21 Teco Image Sys Co Ltd 滾輪及其適用之定影裝置
US10274877B2 (en) * 2016-09-29 2019-04-30 Canon Finetech Nisca Inc. Fixing device having a control portion that controls a heating temperature of a heating unit in a halt state according to a heating temperature of the heating unit in a rotating state

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0432885A (ja) * 1990-05-29 1992-02-04 Ricoh Co Ltd 定着装置
KR0148507B1 (ko) * 1994-10-07 1998-12-01 김광호 전자사진장치에 있어서 정착용 히터롤러
US5752150A (en) * 1995-09-04 1998-05-12 Minolta Co., Ltd. Heating apparatus
BR9605225A (pt) * 1995-10-31 1998-07-21 Xerox Corp Aparelho para fixar imagens por fusao num substrato máquina impressora na qual imagens sao fixadas por fus o num substrato e processo de aquecer uma peça de fus o numa máquina impressora

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DE60104640D1 (de) 2004-09-09
EP1220054A1 (fr) 2002-07-03
DE60104640T2 (de) 2005-01-05
CN1209688C (zh) 2005-07-06
CN1360231A (zh) 2002-07-24
JP2002304076A (ja) 2002-10-18
JP3680995B2 (ja) 2005-08-10

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