US 11,953,850 B2
Heater and image heating apparatus
Takaomi Uezono, Shizuoka (JP); Takao Kawazu, Shizuoka (JP); Teruhiko Namiki, Shizuoka (JP); and Atsushi Iwasaki, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Mar. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/690,519.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-042865 (JP), filed on Mar. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0299917 A1, Sep. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. G03G 15/20 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/2053 (2013.01) 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A heater for use in an image heating apparatus, the heater comprising:
a substrate;
a first conductor and at least one second conductor provided on the substrate along a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and
a plurality of heating elements arranged between the first conductor and the at least one second conductor and electrically connected in parallel to the first conductor and the at least one second conductor,
wherein, when (A) n denotes a number of heating elements, connected to one second conductor, in one row of heating elements disposed on the heater, (B) a width L denotes (i) a sum (n×Wh) of widths, with respect to the longitudinal direction, of shortest current paths of all respective heating elements connected to the one second conductor plus (ii) a sum of widths, with respect to the longitudinal direction, of respective gaps between adjacent shortest current paths, and a (C) ratio R denotes a ratio of the sum (n×Wh) of widths to the width L, the plurality of heating elements are configured so as to satisfy 0.54≤the ratio R<1.