| 摘要 |
Radiant energy heater for fusing a toner powder image onto the surface of an image bearing support member in electrophotographic copiers. The heater comprises a housing which supports both a conventional active radiant energy heating element and a passive radiant energy heating element such as a high heat capacity insulator material. When the copier is in a stand-by mode, the housing is closed and the active heating element is energized to maintain it and the insulator material in a fusing condition. To fuse an image, the housing is opened to direct heat to an image bearing medium transported thereacross from both the active heating element and the insulator. In this way, the insulator provides a passive source of radiant energy to initially supplement the active heating element until it is able to supply a sufficient amount of uniform heat energy to effectively fuse the image alone. The system thus allows the first developed electrophotographic powder image of a copying operation to be transported beneath the heater immediately while, at the same time, avoiding the need for excessive amounts of power that would otherwise be required to bring the active heating elements to a stable heating condition rapidly. |
