Heating device and image forming apparatus including heat pipe having flat outer surface

Inventors: Toko Hara (Kanagawa, JP); Toru Inoue (Kanagawa, JP); Kazuyoshi Itoh (Kanagawa, JP); Toshiyuki Miyata (Kanagawa, JP); Kiyoshi Koyanagi (Kanagawa, JP)

Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.

G03G15/2053 G03G2215/2019

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 11,092,918
App. No.: 16/917,916
Granted: Aug 17, 2021
Kind: B1

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Abstract

A heating device includes a rotating unit, a transport belt, a heater, and a heat pipe. The rotating unit rotates. The transport belt rotates together with the rotating unit while nipping a heated member together with the rotating unit so as to transport the heated member. The heater has a contact surface in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the transport belt and a flat non-contact surface not in contact with the inner peripheral surface, and generates heat so as to heat the heated member via the transport belt. The heat pipe has a flat outer surface in contact with the non-contact surface of the heater and an interior having a cross-sectionally-circular space filled with a working fluid, and transfers heat in a belt width direction of the transport belt in accordance with a function of the working fluid.

Claims (44)

1. A heating device comprising:

a rotating unit that rotates;

a transport belt that rotates together with the rotating unit while nipping a heated member together with the rotating unit so as to transport the heated member;

a heater that has a contact surface in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the transport belt and a flat non-contact surface not in contact with the inner peripheral surface, and that generates heat so as to heat the heated member via the transport belt; and

a heat pipe that has a flat outer surface in contact with the non-contact surface of the heater and an interior having a cross-sectionally-circular space filled with a working fluid, and that transfers heat in a belt width direction of the transport belt in accordance with a function of the working fluid.

2. The heating device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the heat pipe has an outer peripheral surface including

a first outer surface as the outer surface, and

a second outer surface having a cross-sectionally circular-arc shape extending along a part of a cross-sectionally-circular inner peripheral surface of the space.

3. The heating device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the second outer surface of the heat pipe has a circular-arc shape that is concentric with the cross-sectionally-circular inner peripheral surface of the space.

4. The heating device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the first outer surface of the heat pipe is formed by cutting a part of a cylindrical body.

5. The heating device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the first outer surface of the heat pipe is formed by cutting a part of a cylindrical body.

6. The heating device according to claim 2 ,

wherein, in the heat pipe, a thickness at the first outer surface is smaller than a thickness at the second outer surface.

7. The heating device according to claim 3 ,

wherein, in the heat pipe, a thickness at the first outer surface is smaller than a thickness at the second outer surface.

8. The heating device according to claim 1 ,