US 12,248,261 B2
Thermal fixer, sheet laminator incorporating the thermal fixer, and image forming system incorporating the sheet laminator
Yuichiro Kato, Kanagawa (JP); Kazuki Shimodate, Kanagawa (JP); Shota Yoshida, Kanagawa (JP); Takaya Ochiai, Kanagawa (JP); Naoki Takai, Tokyo (JP); Yosuke Saito, Kanagawa (JP); and Keisuke Sugiyama, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to RICOH COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Yuichiro Kato, Kanagawa (JP); Kazuki Shimodate, Kanagawa (JP); Shota Yoshida, Kanagawa (JP); Takaya Ochiai, Kanagawa (JP); Naoki Takai, Tokyo (JP); Yosuke Saito, Kanagawa (JP); and Keisuke Sugiyama, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Jun. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/211,612.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-098779 (JP), filed on Jun. 20, 2022; and application No. 2023-069594 (JP), filed on Apr. 20, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2023/0408956 A1, Dec. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. G03G 15/20 (2006.01); G03G 15/00 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/2039 (2013.01) [G03G 15/6585 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sheet laminator comprising:
a thermal fixer to:
convey a two-ply sheet having two sheets and a sheet medium inserted between the two sheets of the two-ply sheet in a sheet conveyance direction, and
thermally fix the two-ply sheet with the sheet medium inserted in the two-ply sheet, the thermal fixer including:
a first thermal fixing roller including a first heater; and
a second thermal fixing roller pressed to the first thermal fixing roller, the second thermal fixing roller including a second heater; and
a conveyance roller pair upstream of the thermal fixer in the sheet conveyance direction,
wherein the first thermal fixing roller and the second thermal fixing roller constitute a thermal fixing roller pair,
a conveyance force of the thermal fixing roller pair is greater than a conveyance force of the conveyance roller pair,
the sheet laminator further comprises:
a first temperature detector adjacent to the first thermal fixing roller to detect a first surface temperature of a first surface of the first thermal fixing roller;
a second temperature detector adjacent to the second thermal fixing roller to detect a second surface temperature of a second surface of the second thermal fixing roller; and
circuitry configured to drive the first thermal fixing roller and the second thermal fixing roller,
each of the first thermal fixing roller and the second thermal fixing roller includes:
a core metal portion at a center portion;
an elastic layer around the core metal portion; and
a fluororesin layer on a surface of the elastic layer; and
the sheet laminator further comprises a moving mechanism, the moving mechanism including:
a movable bracket;
a movable bracket drive cam to apply force to the movable bracket; and
a biasing spring to apply a biasing force in opposition to the force applied by the movable bracket drive cam,
the second thermal fixing roller is rotatably supported by a shaft at one end of the movable bracket, and
the circuitry is further configured to control the moving mechanism to change a distance between a first rotational center of the first thermal fixing roller and a second rotational center of the second thermal fixing roller to change a nip pressure between the first thermal fixing roller and the second thermal fixing roller.