Abstract: To ensure stable feed of transfer material when a paper back vacuuming feed mechanism is employed in the path from a transfer section to a fixing section in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is such that the transfer section is arranged on the upper surface of the intermediate transfer unit; a transfer material feed apparatus is provided for vacuum feeding transfer material from the transfer section to the fixing apparatus; a guide tilted by a predetermined angle downward of the transfer material feed surface is provided at the outlet of the fixing apparatus of the transfer material feed apparatus; the nip portion of a fixing roller pair of the fixing apparatus is positioned downward of the extension line of the guide; and the tangent with respect to the nip portion of the fixing roller is tilted by a predetermined angle downward of the transfer material feed surface.

Abstract: To ensure stable feed of transfer material when a paper back vacuuming feed mechanism is employed in the path from a transfer section to a fixing section, in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is such that the transfer section is arranged on the upper surface of the intermediate transfer unit; a transfer material feed apparatus is provided for vacuum feeding transfer material from the transfer section to the fixing apparatus; a guide tilted by a predetermined angle downward of the transfer material feed surface is provided at the outlet of the fixing apparatus of the transfer material feed apparatus; the nip portion of a fixing roller pair of the fixing apparatus is positioned downward of the extension line of the guide; and the tangent with respect to the nip portion of the fixing roller is tilted by a predetermined angle downward of the transfer material feed surface.

Abstract: An environmental abnormality detecting apparatus for detecting abnormality in atmosphere such as heat, smoke, and a gas. A sampling circuit is provided for periodically sampling analog signals from a detector for detecting these phenomena. A quantizer quantizes sampled signals with step levels. An accumulator having a plurality of counters provides different accumulation times corresponding to the step levels. Reliability in accumulation effect is not degraded, and an abnormality signal can be detected in a short period of time when a degree of abnormality is high.