Patent · US Active

Fixing unit and image forming apparatus

US9164441B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
2References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 20, 2014
Grant dateOct 20, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 20, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03G15/205
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided with a fixing unit in which flickers can be effectively reduced while inhibiting electric current imbalance. The fixing unit comprises a fixing heater, a switching unit for switching the fixing heater on/off with an AC power source, and a control unit which controls the switching unit to switch in units of the half wave period of the AC power source AC, and a storing unit for storing a plurality of energization patterns which define the ways of performing the switch control. Each energization pattern corresponds to a control cycle which contains a three or more odd number of the half wave periods each of which is either an OFF period and an ON period, and all the half wave periods of the smaller in number of the ON periods and the OFF periods are not successively arranged.

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