Patent EP0905582A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0905582A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Fixing unit for use in image forming device
Assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
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Filing: 1998-09-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-09-24
Abstract
Abstract A fixing unit is used for fixing an toner image on a recording medium onto the recording medium. The fixing unit includes a heater which generates heat when supplied with an electric current. A control circuit selectively output a signal so as to turning ON and OFF a transistor. When the transistor is ON, the electric current is supplied to the heater. The signal output from the control circuit includes a pulse portion having pulses and a continues portion having no pulse. When the pulse portion is output, the electric current to the heater is intermittently disrupted. Because, a rush current generated in the electric current is also intermittently disrupted accordingly, flicker in lightning which is sharing a power source with the fixing unit can be prevented.
Inventors
- 👤 Katsumi Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha of Inukai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 06:05
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02M; H02M5/00; H02M5/02; H02M5/04; H02M5/22; H02M5/25; H02M5/257; H02M5/2573; H02M5/2576; G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/20; G03G15/2003
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
An electrical equipment comprising: a power source; a switching unit that is selectively turned ON and
OFF; a driven unit connected to the power source via the
switching unit; a detecting unit that is coupled to the driven unit
and detects a status of the driven unit and outputs a status
signal indicative of the status of the driven unit; and a control unit that outputs a first signal based on
the status signal, the first signal having a first portion
and a second portion following the first portion, wherein the power source supplies an electric current
to the driven unit when the switching unit is ON, wherein
the switching unit is intermittently turned ON and OFF in
accordance with the first portion of the first signal,
resulting in intermittently disrupting the electric current
supplied to the driven unit, and the switching unit is
continuously maintained ON in accordance with the second
portion of the first signal, resulting in continuously
supplying the electric current to the driven unit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
156 words
An electrical equipment comprising: a heating unit that generates heat; a temperature detecting unit that detects a
temperature of the heating unit; a control unit that outputs a first signal based on
the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit,
the first signal having a first portion and a second portion
following the first portion; a switching unit that is selectively turned ON and OFF
based on the first signal, the switching unit supplying an
electric current to the heating unit when the switching unit
is ON, thereby causing the heating unit to generate heat,
wherein the switching unit is intermittently turned ON and
OFF in accordance with the first portion of the first signal,
resulting in intermittently disrupting the electric current
supplied to the heating unit, and the switching unit is
continuously maintained ON in accordance with the second
portion of the first signal, resulting in continuously
supplying the electric current to the heating unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
89 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 2,
further comprising a mode detecting unit that detects a
first mode and a second mode, wherein the control unit
further outputs a second signal based on the temperature
detected by the temperature detecting unit, the first signal
and the second signal being selectively output from the
control unit, wherein the control unit outputs the first
signal when the mode detecting unit detects the first mode
whereas the control unit outputs the second signal when the
mode detecting unit detects the second mode.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
115 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 3,
wherein the second signal has a first portion and a second
portion following the first portion, and wherein the first
portion of the first pulse has a number of pulses each
having a high level duration and a low level duration, the
first portion of the second signal has a number of pulses
each having a high level duration and a low level duration,
and at least one of three factors of the first portion of
the first signal including (1) the number of pulses, (2) the
high level duration, and (3) the low level duration differs
from corresponding factors of the first portion of the
second signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
163 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 2, 3 or 4
further comprising an operational mode setting unit that
selectively set an operational mode to a first mode and a
second mode, a mode detecting unit that detects the first
mode and the second mode, wherein when the mode detecting
unit detects the first mode, the control unit outputs the
first signal after outputting a third signal having a first
portion and a second portion, the first portion of the first
signal having a number of pulses each having a high level
duration and a low level duration, the first portion of the
third signal having a number of pulses each having a high
level duration and a low level duration, and wherein a total
duration of the high level durations of the pulses of the
first portion of the third signal is greater than a total
duration of the high level durations of the pulses of the
first portion of the first signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The electrical equipment according to claime 5.
wherein when the mode detecting unit detects the second mode,
the control unit outputs the first signal after outputting
the third signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 5 or 6
wherein the heating unit is maintained at a first
predetermined temperature when the mode detecting unit
detects the first mode, and the heating unit is maintained
at a second predetermined temperature lower than the first
predetermined temperature when the mode detecting unit
detects the second mode.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
99 words
The electrical equipment according to any one of claims 2 to 7
wherein when the operational mode setting unit sets the
first mode, the control unit starts outputting a fourth
signal to turn ON the switching unit and stops outputting
the forth signal to turn OFF the switching unit when the
temperature of the heating unit reaches a first
predetermined temperature, the control unit starts
outputting the first signal to turns ON the switching unit
when the temperature of the heating unit drops to a second
predetermined temperature lower than the first predetermined
temperature from the first predetermined temperature.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
137 words
An electrical equipment comprising; a heating unit that generates heat; a temperature detecting unit that detects temperature
of the heating unit; an operational mode detecting unit that detects a
first mode and a second mode; and a control unit that controls the temperature of the
heating unit to fall within a range from a first temperature
to a second temperature lower than the first temperature
when the operational mode detecting unit detects the first
mode, the control unit controlling the temperature of the
heating unit to fall within a range from a third temperature
to a fourth temperature lower than the third temperature
when the operational mode detecting unit detects the second
mode, wherein a difference between the third temperature and
the forth temperature is greater than a difference between
the first temperature and the second temperature.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 9,
wherein the third temperature is lower than the first
temperature.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
95 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 9 or 10,
further comprising a switching unit that is selectively
turned ON and OFF, the switching unit supplying an electric
current to the heating unit when the switching unit is ON,
the heating unit generating heat when supplied with the
electric current, wherein the control unit renders the
switching unit ON and OFF by selectively outputting a first
signal having a first portion and a second portion following
the first portion, the switching unit is intermittently
turned ON in accordance with the first portion of the first
signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
157 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 9, 10 or 11,
further comprising an operational mode setting unit that
selectively set an operational mode to a first mode and a
second mode, wherein when the mode detecting unit detects
either the first mode or the second mode, the control unit
outputs the first signal after outputting a second signal,
the first signal having the first portion having a number of
pulses each having a high level duration and a low level
duration, the second signal having a first portion and a
second portion, the first portion of the second signal
having a number of pulses each having a high level duration
and a low level duration, wherein a total duration of the
high level durations of the pulses of the first portion of
the second signal is greater than a total duration of the
high level durations of the pulses of the first portion of
the first signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The electrical equipment according to claim 11,
wherein the switching unit is continuously ON when receiving
the second
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electrical equipment according to any preceding claim,
wherein the heating unit is a lamp.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electrical equipment according to any preceding claim,
further comprising a memory that stores data on the first
signal and the second signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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