Fixing Device Flat Heater Feeder Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fixing devices with flat heaters face conduction failure issues due to friction between connectors and contacting portions, leading to a complex and enlarged connector design to prevent this failure.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device with a cylindrical rotatable fixing belt, a flat heater, a heater holding part, and a connector where the feeder is protected by a covering portion, preventing friction and conduction failure without the need for a complex connector shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the feeder is arranged at a near side from the electrode parts in the attaching direction of the connector, then the length in the longitudinal direction of the flat heater is shortened, but the feeder is scraped off by friction with the contacting portion of the connector when the connector is attached and conduction failure occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A protecting portion is introduced as an intermediary element between the feeder and the contacting portion of the connector. This protecting portion covers the feeder surface, preventing direct contact and friction between the feeder and connector's contacting portion, thereby eliminating conduction failure while maintaining the shortened heater length configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The protecting portion functions as a thin protective film or shell that covers the feeder surface. This protective layer allows the connector to be attached without the feeder being scraped off by friction, preserving electrical conduction while enabling the compact arrangement
2Reliability
If a restricting member is used to push the contact terminal to retract the contacting portion from the opening, then conduction failure is restricted, but the shape of the connector becomes complicated and the size of the connector is enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The protecting portion is extracted as a separate protective element that is attached to the heater holding part rather than being integrated into the connector structure. This removes the need for complex internal mechanisms like restricting members within the connector, simplifying the connector's shape and reducing its size while still preventing conduction failure
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of modifying the connector to protect the feeder (as in conventional solutions with restricting members), the protection is inverted by adding a protecting portion to the heater holding part that covers the feeder. This reverses the approach, preventing conduction failure without complicating the connector design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents conduction failure and reduces the size of the connector, enhancing the reliability and simplicity of the fixing device while maintaining efficient heat transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of resistance heat generating elements 40 arranged along one line parallel to the longitudinal direction
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device includes a cylindrical rotatable fixing belt, a flat heater, a heater holding part, a pressuring member, and a connector. In the flat heater, an electrode part, a feeder and a heat generating part are formed in the same face state. The heater holding part holds the flat heater so that the heat generating part faces to an inner circumference face of the fixing belt. The pressuring member sandwiches the fixing belt with the flat heater. The connector has a contacting portion coming into contact with the electrode part. The feeder has a portion arranged at a near side from the electrode part in an attaching direction of the connector. The heater holding part includes a protecting portion covering the portion of the feeder arranged at the near side from the electrode part.