Abstract: Provided is a fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material while conveying the recording material on which the toner image has been formed at a nip portion that includes a roller, a heating unit configured to heat the roller from outside the roller, the heating unit receiving power supplied from a power supply, a backup unit forming the nip portion with the roller, and a power shutdown member configured to operate in response to an abnormal temperature of the backup unit and shut down power supply to the heating unit.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a roller, a heating rotation member configured to form a pressure portion by coming into contact with the roller, the heating rotation member being rotated by rotation of the roller, and a pressing rotation member configured to form a nip portion by coming into contact with the roller, the pressing rotation member being rotated by the rotation of the roller, wherein micro-hardness of a surface of the heating rotation member at the pressure portion and micro-hardness of a surface of the pressing rotation member at the nip portion are both higher than micro-hardness of a surface of the roller, and wherein frictional force acting on the roller at the pressure portion is larger than frictional force acting on the roller at the nip portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording material, the apparatus includes a cylindrical film; a plate-like nip forming member contacted with an inner surface of the film, the nip forming member including a base member and a coating layer on the base member, the coating layer having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of the base member; and a roller cooperative with the nip forming member to form a nip, wherein the coating layer is provided on a first surface of the nip forming member which is opposed to the film and on a second surface opposite from the first surface except for an outer edge portion of the nip forming member.

Abstract: A cylindrical film used in an image heating device heating a recording material, on which an image has been formed, has a resin layer, this resin layer being made from a resin in which a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin having a higher glass transition temperature than the crystalline resin are blended, wherein a volume ratio of the crystalline resin with respect to the amorphous resin in the resin layer is 70/30 to 99/1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a roller, a heating rotary member heating the roller, and a backup member forming a nip portion, a temperature detection unit detecting a temperature of the heating rotary member, and a control unit for controlling power so that the detected temperature is maintained at a target temperature, wherein a print job includes a first step in which the unfixed toner image is formed on the recording material, a second step in which fixing processing is executed, and a third step in which the fixing unit is cleaned, and wherein the third step is executed following the second step, and in the third step, while the target temperature is set higher than the target temperature in the second step, the roller and the heating rotary member are rotated in a state where no recording material is present at the nip portion.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a fixing apparatus that heats a recording material having a toner image while conveying the recording material at a nip portion to make the toner image fix onto the recording material includes a cylindrical belt having a heat generating layer that generates heat by being energized and a contact for supplying electricity to the heat generating layer. The contact is in contact with one of an outer surface and an inner surface of an end of the belt in the generatrix direction of the belt. An electrically conductive layer is provided, along the direction of rotation of the belt, on a surface of the heat generating layer opposite to a surface of the heat generating layer at which the contact is present.

Abstract: A cylindrical film used in an image heating device heating a recording material, on which an image has been formed, has a resin layer, this resin layer being made from a resin in which a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin having a higher glass transition temperature than the crystalline resin are blended, wherein a volume ratio of the crystalline resin with respect to the amorphous resin in the resin layer is 70/30 to 99/1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; and a fixing portion. The fixing portion includes a cylindrical film, a nip-forming member and a roller including a shaft portion and an elastic layer. The elastic layer contacts an outer surface of the film except an end region of the film with respect to a generatrix direction. In the end region, the shaft portion and the outer surface of the film oppose each other with a spatial region with respect to a radial direction of the shaft portion. The image forming apparatus includes a spacer occupying at least a part of the spatial region.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; and a fixing portion. The fixing portion includes a cylindrical film, a nip-forming member and a roller including a shaft portion and an elastic layer. The elastic layer contacts an outer surface of the film except an end region of the film with respect to a generatrix direction. In the end region, the shaft portion and the outer surface of the film oppose each other with a spatial region with respect to a radial direction of the shaft portion. The image forming apparatus includes a spacer occupying at least a part of the spatial region.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a fixing apparatus that heats a recording material having a toner image while conveying the recording material at a nip portion to make the toner image fix onto the recording material includes a cylindrical belt having a heat generating layer that generates heat by being energized and a contact for supplying electricity to the heat generating layer. The contact is in contact with one of an outer surface and an inner surface of an end of the belt in the generatrix direction of the belt. An electrically conductive layer is provided, along the direction of rotation of the belt, on a surface of the heat generating layer opposite to a surface of the heat generating layer at which the contact is present.

Abstract: A cylindrical film used in an image heating device heating a recording material, on which an image has been formed, has a resin layer, this resin layer being made from a resin in which a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin having a higher glass transition temperature than the crystalline resin are blended, wherein a volume ratio of the crystalline resin with respect to the amorphous resin in the resin layer is 70/30 to 99/1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; and a fixing portion. The fixing portion includes a cylindrical film, a nip-forming member and a roller including a shaft portion and an elastic layer. The elastic layer contacts an outer surface of the film except an end region of the film with respect to a generatrix direction. In the end region, the shaft portion and the outer surface of the film oppose each other with a spatial region with respect to a radial direction of the shaft portion. The image forming apparatus includes a spacer occupying at least a part of the spatial region.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming portion; a fixing portion; a first air blowing portion; and a second air blowing portion. The apparatus is operable in a first air blowing mode in which both the first and second air blowing portions are driven and in which the direction of the air near the exit is the recording material feeding direction, and is operable in a second air blowing mode in which both the first and second air blowing portions are driven and in which a direction of the air near the exit is a recording material feeding direction and a speed of the air is lower than a speed of the air in the first air blowing mode or in which the direction of the air near the exit is the opposite direction to the recording material feeding direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus configured to form a toner image on a recording material, includes: an image forming unit configured to form a unfixed toner image on the recording material; a fixing unit configured to heat the recording material where the unfixed toner image is formed while conveying the recording material using a nip portion, and to fix the unfixed toner image on the recording material; and a control unit configured to perform control so that temperature of the fixing unit is maintained in target temperature, with the target temperature (Tn) of a n'th page in consecutive printing being set to the highest temperature of the target temperatures (Tn to Tn+k) according to each of image densities (Dn to Dn+k) at (n to (n+k))'th pages, where integer k?1.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a fixing apparatus that heats a recording material having a toner image while conveying the recording material at a nip portion to make the toner image fix onto the recording material includes a cylindrical belt having a heat generating layer that generates heat by being energized and a contact for supplying electricity to the heat generating layer. The contact is in contact with one of an outer surface and an inner surface of an end of the belt in the generatrix direction of the belt. An electrically conductive layer is provided, along the direction of rotation of the belt, on a surface of the heat generating layer opposite to a surface of the heat generating layer at which the contact is present.

Abstract: A cylindrical film used in an image heating device heating a recording material, on which an image has been formed, has a resin layer, this resin layer being made from a resin in which a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin having a higher glass transition temperature than the crystalline resin are blended, wherein a volume ratio of the crystalline resin with respect to the amorphous resin in the resin layer is 70/30 to 99/1.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a roller, a first unit configured to heat the roller, the first unit including a first tubular film, a heating portion forming member to form a heating portion with the roller, and a first guide member dotted with first protruding portions contacting the inner surface of the first tubular film, and a second unit configured to form a nip portion with the roller, the second unit including a second tubular film, a nip portion forming member to form the nip portion with the roller, and a second guide member dotted with second protruding portions contacting the inner surface of the second tubular film, wherein there is a non-overlapping area between the first protruding portions and the second protruding portions in a generatrix direction of the roller.

Abstract: A fixing device configured to fix a toner image on a recording material by heating while conveying the recording material that bears the toner image by a nip portion, the fixing device includes a fixing roller having a rubber layer, a rotating member configured to form a contact portion between the rotating member and the fixing roller, and a pressure member configured to form the nip portion cooperatively with the fixing roller. In the fixing device, heat of the rotating member transfers to the fixing roller from the rotating member via the contact portion, and the contact portion includes a region where the pressure is increased after being decreased on a downstream side further than a center of the contact portion in the rotational direction of the rotating member.

Abstract: A cylindrical film used in an image heating device heating a recording material, on which an image has been formed, has a resin layer, this resin layer being made from a resin in which a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin having a higher glass transition temperature than the crystalline resin are blended, wherein a volume ratio of the crystalline resin with respect to the amorphous resin in the resin layer is 70/30 to 99/1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; and a fixing portion. The fixing portion includes a cylindrical film, a nip-forming member and a roller including a shaft portion and an elastic layer. The elastic layer contacts an outer surface of the film except an end region of the film with respect to a generatrix direction. In the end region, the shaft portion and the outer surface of the film oppose each other with a spatial region with respect to a radial direction of the shaft portion. The image forming apparatus includes a spacer occupying at least a part of the spatial region.