阅读说明：本技术 用于定影器的具有加热元件的加热器 (Heater with heating element for fuser ) 是由 李先炯 于 2018-07-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于定影器的加热器,包括基板、提供在基板上的第一对加热元件和提供在基板上的第二对加热元件。第一对加热元件和第二对加热元件在基板的长度方向上延伸。第二对加热元件被提供在第一对加热元件中的一个加热元件与第一对加热元件中的另一个加热元件之间。第二对加热元件的加热元件之间的距离大于或等于通过将在第一对加热元件和第二对加热元件中的每个加热元件的长度方向上的中心处的第一对加热元件和第二对加热元件中的每个的宽度相加而获得的值。(A heater for a fuser includes a substrate, a first pair of heating elements provided on the substrate, and a second pair of heating elements provided on the substrate. The first pair of heating elements and the second pair of heating elements extend in a length direction of the substrate. The second pair of heating elements is provided between one heating element of the first pair of heating elements and the other heating element of the first pair of heating elements. The distance between the heating elements of the second pair of heating elements is greater than or equal to a value obtained by adding the width of each of the first pair of heating elements and the second pair of heating elements at the center in the length direction of each of the first pair of heating elements and the second pair of heating elements.)

1. A heater for a fuser, the heater comprising:

a substrate;

a first heating element and a second heating element each provided on the substrate and extending in a length direction of the substrate, and respectively provided on a first side and a second side of the substrate in a width direction of the substrate, the second side being opposite to the first side; and

a third heating element and a fourth heating element, each heating element provided on the substrate, extending in the length direction, and provided between the first heating element and the second heating element in the width direction, and a distance between the third heating element and the fourth heating element is greater than or equal to a sum of widths of each of the first heating element, the second heating element, the third heating element, and the fourth heating element at a center in the length direction of each of the first heating element, the second heating element, the third heating element, and the fourth heating element.

2. The heater for a fuser according to claim 1, wherein

A width of the first heating element at an end of the first heating element is smaller than a width of the first heating element at a center of the first heating element in the length direction,

a width of the third heating element at the center in the length direction of the third heating element is smaller than a width of the third heating element at an end of the third heating element, and

the first heating element and the third heating element are equal in length.

3. The heater for a fuser according to claim 1, wherein

The width of each of the first heating element and the second heating element is uniform,

each of the third heating element and the fourth heating element is uniform in width, and

a length of each of the first heating element and the second heating element is greater than a length of each of the third heating element and the fourth heating element.

4. The heater for a fuser according to claim 1, wherein

The width of each of the first heating element and the second heating element is uniform,

a width of the third heating element at the center in the length direction of the third heating element is smaller than a width of the third heating element at an end of the third heating element, and

a width of the fourth heating element at the center in the length direction of the fourth heating element is smaller than a width of the fourth heating element at an end of the fourth heating element.

5. The heater for a fuser according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth heating element and a sixth heating element provided on the substrate, each extending in the length direction and provided between the third heating element and the fourth heating element in the width direction, and

a distance between the fifth heating element and the sixth heating element is greater than or equal to a sum of widths of each of the third heating element, the fourth heating element, the fifth heating element, and the sixth heating element at a center in the length direction of each of the third heating element, the fourth heating element, the fifth heating element, and the sixth heating element.

6. The heater for a fuser according to claim 5, wherein

Each of the first heating element and the second heating element is uniform in width, and

each of the third heating element, the fourth heating element, the fifth heating element, and the sixth heating element has a length less than a length of each of the first heating element and the second heating element.

7. The heater for a fuser according to claim 6, wherein

A width of the third heating element at the center in the length direction of the third heating element is smaller than a width of the third heating element at an end of the third heating element, and a width of the fifth heating element at the center in the length direction of the fifth heating element is larger than a width of the fifth heating element at an end of the fifth heating element, or

A width of the third heating element at the center in the length direction of the third heating element is greater than a width of the third heating element at an end of the third heating element, and a width of the fifth heating element at the center in the length direction of the fifth heating element is less than a width of the fifth heating element at an end of the fifth heating element.

8. The heater for a fuser according to claim 5, wherein

The widths of the first heating element, the second heating element, the third heating element, the fourth heating element, the fifth heating element, and the sixth heating element are uniform,

a length of each of the third and fourth heating elements is less than a length of each of the first and second heating elements, and

a length of each of the fifth heating element and the sixth heating element is less than a length of each of the third heating element and the fourth heating element.

9. A heater for a fuser, the heater comprising:

a substrate; and

a first pair of heating elements including a first heating element and a second heating element provided on the substrate, each heating element extending in a length direction of the substrate and respectively provided on a first side and a second side of the substrate in a width direction of the substrate, the second side being opposite to the first side;

a second pair of heating elements including a third heating element and a fourth heating element provided on the substrate, each heating element extending in the length direction and provided between the first heating element and the second heating element in the width direction, and a distance between the third heating element and the fourth heating element being greater than or equal to twice a sum of widths of the first heating element and the third heating element at a center of each of the first heating element and the third heating element in the length direction.

10. The heater for a fuser according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first heating element or the third heating element has a heating value per unit length that is different in a center in the length direction of at least one of the first heating element or the third heating element than at ends in the length direction of at least one of the first heating element or the third heating element.

11. The heater for a fuser of claim 9, wherein a length of at least one of the first heating element or the second heating element is different from a length of at least one of the third heating element or the fourth heating element.

12. The heater for a fuser according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first heating element or the third heating element has a heating value per unit length that is uniform in the length direction.

13. The heater for a fuser according to claim 9, further comprising:

a common electrode connected to an end of each of the first, second, third, and fourth heating elements;

a first driving electrode connected to the other end portion of at least one of the first heating element or the second heating element; and

a second driving electrode connected to the other end portion of at least one of the third heating element or the fourth heating element.

14. A fuser, comprising:

a flexible endless belt;

a heater provided inside the flexible endless belt to heat the flexible endless belt, the heater comprising:

a substrate, a first electrode and a second electrode,

a first heating element and a second heating element each provided on the substrate and extending in a length direction of the substrate, and respectively provided on a first side and a second side of the substrate in a width direction of the substrate, the second side being opposite to the first side, and

a third heating element and a fourth heating element, each provided on the substrate, extending in the length direction, and provided between the first heating element and the second heating element in the width direction, and a distance between the third heating element and the fourth heating element is greater than or equal to a sum of widths of each of the first heating element, the second heating element, the third heating element, and the fourth heating element at a center in the length direction of each of the first heating element, the second heating element, the third heating element, and the fourth heating element;

a support member provided outside the flexible endless belt to face the heater; and

a pressing member for providing a pressing force to at least one of the heater or the supporting member.

15. The fuser of claim 14, further comprising a pressing force variable member to change the pressing force.

Background

In a printer using an electrophotographic method, toner is supplied to an electrostatic latent image formed in an image receptor to form a visible toner image on the image receptor, and after the toner image is transferred to a recording medium, the transferred toner image is fixed to the recording medium.

The fixing process is accompanied by a process of applying heat and pressure to the toner. The fuser includes a heating roller and a pressing roller that are engaged with each other and form a fixing nip. The heating roller is heated by a heater such as a halogen lamp. The recording medium to which the toner image is transferred is subjected to heat and pressure while passing through the fixing nip, and the toner image is fixed onto the recording medium.

In response to the demand for high-speed printing and low-energy fixing, a fixing belt having a heat capacity smaller than that of the heat roller may be used. As the heater, a plate heater for locally heating the fixing belt in the fixing nip may be employed.