Patent · US Expired

Induction heating fixing device having a central processing unit, and image forming apparatus using the fixing device

US6321046A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
3References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 28, 1999
Grant dateNov 20, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 28, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N1/295
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A fixing device in an image forming apparatus having various functions such as print data reception, FAX transmission/reception, and the like, has a member to be heated (1), an excitation coil (2) which is arranged in the vicinity of the member to be heated (1), and heats the member to be heated (1) by induction upon receiving a current, an induction heating control circuit (7) for controlling current supply to the excitation control (2), and a main body control circuit (14) for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus main body. The induction heating control circuit (7) has a central processing unit (9) independently of the main body control circuit (14). The main body control circuit 14 can control the excitation control 92) by supplying a heating ON/OFF signal to the central processing unit without directly controlling current supply to the excitation coil (2). For this reason, a lamp heating means can be used in place of an induction heating means without changing any hardware components of the image forming apparatus main body including the main body control circuit 14.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.