(19)
(11) EP 1 496 407 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
19.01.2005 Bulletin 2005/03

(43) Date of publication A2:
12.01.2005 Bulletin 2005/02

(21) Application number: 04017021.9

(22) Date of filing: 19.12.2001
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: G03G 15/20, H05B 3/00
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE FR GB IT

(30) Priority: 22.12.2000 US 257118 P
15.03.2001 KR 2001013451
04.05.2001 KR 2001024378
07.09.2001 US 947657

(62) Application number of the earlier application in accordance with Art. 76 EPC:
01310591.1 / 1217466

(71) Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do (KR)

(72) Inventor:
  • Lee, Kyung-woo
    1048-2 Youngtong-dong Suwon-si Gyeonggi- (KR)

(74) Representative: Robinson, Ian Michael et al
Appleyard Lees, 15 Clare Road
Halifax HX1 2HY
Halifax HX1 2HY (GB)

   


(54) Fusing roller assembly including a resistance coil for heating wound around a heat pipe roller for electrophotographic image forming apparatus


(57) A structurally improved fusing roller assembly (200) based on the heat pipe principle is provided. The fusing roller assembly includes a fusing roller (212) and a heat pipe (262) coaxially mounted inside the fusing roller (212). A resistance coil (213) is helically wound around the exterior cylindrical surface of the heat pipe, and rests between the inner cylindrical surface of the fusing roller and the exterior cylindrical surface of the heat pipe. During manufacture, the heat pipe (262) is hermetically sealed to allow a production step of inflating the sealed heat pipe with a high pressure inert gas to radially expand the cylindrical shell of the heat pipe (262) until the coil windings make simultaneously tight contact with both the inner surface of the fusing roller and the outer surface of the heat pipe.
The surface of fusing roller (212) can be instantaneously heated up to a target fusing temperature. The fusing roller assembly (200) can be heated up to a target fusing temperature within a shorter period of time without need for warm-up and stand-by period, so that power consumption decreases.






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