Patent ID: 8699896
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A failure predictor for predicting failure of a fixing device comprising: a fourth characteristics value extractor to extract a fourth characteristics value representing an accumulated driving time of a rotation motor or substitutable data; a fifth characteristics value extractor to extract a fifth characteristics value representing an effective current value of a fixing nip formation motor upon formation of a fixing nip between a pair of rotary bodies; a determination device to predict failure of the fixing device caused by a deterioration in an elastic layer of the pair of rotary bodies using the fourth and fifth characteristics values; and a seventh characteristics value extractor to extract a seventh characteristics value representing a photocurrent generated by light reflected from the pair of rotary bodies, wherein the determination device uses the seventh characteristics value to predict failure of the fixing device in addition to using the fourth characteristics value and the fifth characteristics value.