1. An impulse solenoid valve, comprising:
at least one solenoid coil;
a magnetically soft magnetic circuit which includes a stationary yoke and a movable solenoid core; and
a permanent magnet which is accommodated in the magnetic circuit such that it sectionally interrupts the magnetic circuit, wherein a first portion and a second portion of the magnetic circuit on opposite sides of the permanent magnet each directly contact the permanent magnet.
2. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second portion of the magnetic circuit are directly connected with each other via at least one fastening element.
3. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet and the fastening element are arranged in the stationary yoke.
4. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the fastening element is magnetic or non-magnetic.
5. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the fastening element is formed as a solid body or a hollow body, which connects the first and the second portion of the magnetic circuit with each other.
6. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the fastening element is one of a separate component and a protrusion integrally molded to a portion of the stationary yoke, the protrusion protruding to another portion of the stationary yoke and directly contacts the portion.
7. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet includes a through hole through which the fastening element extends.
8. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the fastening element with one end engages into a recess in at least one of the first and second portion of the stationary yoke.
9. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet is arranged in a recess in at least one of the first and second portions of the stationary yoke.
10. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second portions of the magnetic circuit are formed by a first and a second portion of the stationary yoke.
11. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second portions of the magnetic circuit are formed by a first and a second portion of a yoke bolt or yoke plug, wherein the first and the second portion are parts manufactured separately from each other and are spaced by the permanent magnet.
12. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 11, wherein the separately manufactured parts are attached to each other only by the fastening element and the permanent magnet is clamped between the parts.
13. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 11, wherein the first and the second portions of the yoke bolt have the same cross-section and the permanent magnet protrudes radially beyond the outer circumference of the portions of the yoke bolt.
14. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet is formed as plate-shaped or ring-shaped.
15. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid coil extends around a coil body, which at one end has a flare which accommodates one of a pole sleeve and the permanent magnet.
16. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the impulse solenoid valve comprises two solenoid coils associated to the magnetic circuit, which are spatially arranged next to each other and are actuatable separately from each other.
17. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 16, wherein the two solenoid coils are wound around coil bodies which are identical in construction.
18. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 1, wherein the stationary yoke comprises two parallel spaced yoke bridges, a yoke bolt connecting the yoke bridges, and a yoke plug spaced from the yoke bolt, wherein the yoke bolt and the yoke plug each are surrounded by a solenoid coil.
19. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 18, wherein the solenoid coil which surrounds the yoke plug accommodates a core guiding tube coaxial to the yoke plug, and in the core guiding tube the movable solenoid core is opposed to the yoke plug and is movably arranged therein.
20. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 15, wherein one or both solenoid coils each are switchable as pick-up andor release coil with respect to the magnet armature.
21. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet, the magnetic fastening element, and the magnetic circuit are adjusted to each other such that when applying an electric switching impulse to the at least one solenoid coil in a starting condition, a magnetic circuit corresponding to the magnetic circuit and a smaller magnetic circuit formed by the magnetic fastening element within the magnetic circuit are generated.
22. The impulse solenoid valve according to claim 21, wherein, in a condition following the starting condition with still existing switching impulse, a short circuit via the magnetic fastening element is eliminated and the magnetic circuit corresponding to the magnetic circuit extends through the magnetic fastening element.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a fuser assembly, comprising:
a heating element;
a flexible belt rotatable about the heating element, an inner surface of the flexible belt contacting the heating element; and
a lubricant dispenser disposed in proximity with the heating element for dispensing at least one lubricant component to the flexible belt, the lubricant dispenser including a reservoir containing the at least one lubricant component, and an exit port for delivering the at least one lubricant component from the reservoir to the inner surface of the flexible belt; and
a controller coupled to the heating element for activating the heating element to generate heat at a fusing temperature during a fusing operation and at at least one second temperature greater than the fusing temperature during at least one lubricant dispensing operation so as to cause the at least one lubricant component to dispense from the lubricant dispenser.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is mounted to or within the fuser assembly.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller monitors at least one operating characteristic of at least one of the apparatus and the fuser assembly, compares the at least one operating characteristic monitored with a predetermined value, and determines one of the at least one lubricant dispensing operations is to be performed based upon the comparison.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one operating characteristic comprises pages of media sheets printed by the apparatus.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller selectively activates the heater element to generate heat at the at least one second temperature to perform a plurality of discrete lubricant dispensing operations during a lifetime of the flexible belt.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein during each lubricant dispensing operation, the controller activates the heater element to generate heat at a second temperature value that is less than a second temperature value at which the heater element generated heat in an immediately preceding lubricant dispensing operation.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein during each lubricant dispensing operation, the controller activates the heater element to generate heat at a second temperature value that is determined by the controller based upon a second temperature at which the heater element generated heat in an immediately preceding lubricant dispensing operation.
8. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising memory communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein for each lubricant dispensing operation, the controller determines the second temperature at which the heater is to generate heat based at least upon accessing a table in the memory.
9. A method of operating fuser assembly, comprising:
providing a belt fuser assembly having a belt, a heater element in contact with an inner surface of the belt, and a lubricant dispenser positioned in proximity to the heater element, the lubricant dispenser containing at least one lubricant component therein for selectively dispensing the at least one lubricant component to the inner surface of the flexible belt;
selectively activating the heater element to generate heat at a first temperature during fusing operations; and
selectively activating the heater element to generate heat at at least one second temperature greater than the first temperature to cause the lubricant dispenser to dispense the at least one lubricant component onto the inner surface of the belt.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising monitoring an operating characteristic of at least one of the fuser assembly and an apparatus in which the fuser assembly is located, and comparing the operating characteristic monitored with a predetermined value, wherein the heater element is selectively activated based upon the comparison.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the operating characteristic comprises monitoring the operating characteristic since a last instance in which the at least one lubricant component was dispensed from the lubricant dispenser.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating characteristic comprises pages of media sheets printed.
13. The method of claim 9, further comprising repeating the selectively activating the heater element to generate heat at the at least one second temperature a plurality of discrete instances during a lifetime of the flexible belt.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein during each instance in which the heater element is activated to generate heat at the at least one second temperature, the at least one second temperature is less than the at least one second temperature at which the heater element generated heat in an immediately preceding instance.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the heater element is activated to generate heat at the same second temperature during the instances in which the heater element is activated to generate heat at the at least one second temperature.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein substantially the same amount of the at least one lubricant component is dispensed from the lubricant dispenser during each instance in which the heater element is activated to generate heat at the at least one second temperature.
17. The method of claim 9, further comprising prior to selectively activating the heater element to generate heat at the at least one second temperature, identifying the at least one second temperature.
The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the at least one second temperature comprises accessing a temperature value from a table stored in memory.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the at least one second temperature comprises calculating the at least one second temperature from a second temperature used in an immediately preceding instance in which the at least one lubricant component is dispensed from the lubricant dispenser.