JP2005134748A - Fixing device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device having a heat generating means arranged on fixing film, which is excellent in the temperature control of the fixing film and secures safety required when abnormality occurs, and to provide an image forming apparatus capable of forming a high-quality image by applying the fixing device. <P>SOLUTION: The fixing device is equipped with at least one temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film, at least one temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the heat generating means and a control means for performing the temperature control of the fixing film by controlling the heat generating means according to the detected temperature by the detection means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing device having a fixing film having an elastic layer and a heating means provided to act on a non-fixing surface of the fixing film, a copying machine to which the fixing device is applied, a laser beam printer (hereinafter referred to as LBP). And an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a microfilm reader printer, and a recording machine.

  More specifically, a transfer material (paper, printing paper, transfer material sheet, electrofax sheet) using toner made of heat-meltable resin by timely image forming process means such as electrophotography, electrostatic recording, magnetic recording, etc. , An electrostatic recording sheet, an OHT sheet, glossy paper, a glossy film, and the like) are formed and supported on an unfixed toner image corresponding to target image information by a direct transfer method or an indirect transfer method. The present invention relates to a fixing device in which heat fixing processing is performed as a permanently fixed image on the surface of a transfer material carrying the image.

  The present invention relates to a color-on-demand fixing device that is used in a color image forming apparatus and has a low cost and a short rise time (so-called warm-up time).

  In recent years, colorization has progressed in image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers. As a fixing device used in such a color image forming apparatus, heat roller fixing having an elastic layer on a fixing member is well known. An example of a fixing device using a fixing roller having such an elastic layer is shown in FIG.

  The fixing device 101 is configured such that a transfer material P on which an unfixed toner image 105 is placed can pass through a contact nip portion 104 of two rollers including a temperature-adjusted fixing roller 102 and a pressure roller 103. .

  When the unfixed toner image 105 passes through the nip portion 104, it is heated and pressed by a fixing roller (hereinafter simply referred to as a roller) 102 and a pressure roller (hereinafter simply referred to as a roller) 103 to be transferred onto the transfer material P. Fixed as a completed image.

  The thermistors 106a and 106b are in contact with the surfaces of the rollers 102 and 103, and the temperatures of the rollers 102 and 103 are adjusted based on the temperatures detected by the thermistors 106a and 106b.

  Each of the rollers 102 and 103 is provided with a halogen heater (hereinafter simply referred to as a heater) 107a and 107b in the center, and the radiant energy generated from the heaters 107a and 107b is converted into an aluminum core inside each of the rollers 102 and 103. It is absorbed by the gold 108a and 108b and heated.

  Elastic layers 109a and 109b made of silicon rubber having a thickness of 2 mm are provided around the aluminum core bars 108a and 108b, and toner, paper dust, and the like are fixed to the surfaces of the rollers 102 and 103 on the outer sides thereof. To prevent this, PFA (tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl ether copolymer / tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer resin), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene / tetrafluoroethylene resin), FEP (tetrafluoroethylene) Coating layers 110a and 110b made of a resin having good releasability and heat resistance such as ethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer / tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer resin) are provided.

  The reason why the elastic layer is provided on the side of the fixing roller that is a fixing member in contact with unfixed toner in the nip portion 104 is to fix the toner image surface as uniformly as possible. However, in the heat roller type fixing device having such an elastic layer, the heat capacity of the heat roller itself increases, and the time required to raise the temperature of the fixing roller 102 to a temperature suitable for toner image fixing. There was a problem that (warm-up time) was long. Further, the cost of the fixing member is also expensive.

  As a fixing device having a short warm-up time, a film fixing type fixing device often used for a monochrome printer or the like is well known. An example of such a film fixing device is shown in FIG.

  The fixing device 201 employs, as a heating device, a fixing film unit 202 configured to heat a heater 204 against a transfer material P through a thin fixing film 203.

  The fixing film 203 is an endless film made of a heat resistant resin having a thickness of about 50 μm, for example, and a release layer (such as a fluororesin coating layer) having a thickness of 10 μm is formed on the surface thereof. A resistance heating element is formed thereon. The temperature detection means 209 is brought into contact with the heater 204, the temperature of the heater 204 is detected, and the temperature of the heater 204 is controlled to be a desired temperature by a control means (not shown). Further, in order to reduce the heat capacity of the fixing film 203, the fixing film 203 is not provided with an elastic layer.

  A pressure roller 205 is disposed so as to face the fixing film unit 202 with the transfer material P interposed therebetween. When the unfixed toner image 105 on the transfer material P passes through the nip portion 206, it receives heat and pressure and is fixed on the transfer material as a completed fixed image.

  In the fixing device 201 having such a configuration, since the heat capacity of the fixing film 203 is extremely small, the nip portion 206 is heated to a temperature capable of fixing the toner image in a short time after power is supplied to the heater 204. It is possible.

  However, when the film fixing device 201 using the fixing film 203 not provided with such an elastic layer is used as a fixing device of a color image forming apparatus, the fixing film 203 as a fixing member has no elastic layer. The surface of the fixing film 203 cannot follow the surface of the material P, the unevenness due to the presence or absence of the toner layer, the unevenness of the toner layer itself, and the like.

  In the convex portion that is in good contact with the fixing member, heat is transmitted from the fixing member well, and in the concave portion, heat from the fixing member is less transmitted than in the convex portion. In color images, the toner layers of multiple colors are mixed and used, so that the unevenness of the toner layer is larger than that of a black and white image, and if there is no elastic layer on the fixing member, the uneven glossiness of the image after fixing increases and the image quality When the transfer material is an OHP sheet, when the image after fixing is projected, the transparency is poor and the image quality is deteriorated.

  In addition, if silicone oil or the like is applied to a fixing member that does not have an elastic layer so that heat can be transferred to the uneven portions of the transfer material and the unfixed toner image evenly, the cost increases or the post-fixing image and the transfer material are made of oil. There was a sticky problem.

Therefore, a fixing device that constitutes a low-cost color-on-demand fixing device by using a fixing film having an elastic layer such as a fixing film in a film fixing device as shown in FIG. 5 is known (for example, And Japanese Patent No. 3051085).
Japanese Patent No. 3051085

  However, the conventional fixing device has the following problems.

  1). The thermal conductivity of silicon rubber or the like used for the elastic layer of the fixing film is not so high, and since many members enter between the surface of the fixing film and the temperature detecting means of the heater, the response is poor and the heater It is difficult to control the temperature of the fixing film surface by the temperature detection means. In particular, it is difficult to detect that the temperature of the fixing film surface has dropped due to the transfer material P passing through the fixing device and taking the heat of the fixing film surface, and it takes too much time to respond. There was a problem.

  2). The temperature of the heater itself is controlled by controlling the heater drive by moving the arrangement of the temperature detection means from the heater section to the arrangement on the surface or inner surface of the fixing film and detecting the temperature of the fixing film. There was a problem that could not be detected.

  For this reason, when the heater is energized and heated while the rotation of the fixing film is stopped due to some abnormality or the like, the temperature rising gradient of the heater is much larger than the temperature rising gradient at the temperature detecting means position of the fixing film. For this reason, there is a problem in that the heater temperature becomes excessively high, and the heater itself is cracked or a member holding the heater is melted.

  3). When it is necessary to control the temperature of the heater only by detecting the temperature of the fixing film, especially when the temperature of the fixing film needs to be raised rapidly, such as when raising the temperature from the room temperature to the fixing temperature. When the fixing film is brought to a desired temperature, the temperature of the heater becomes high, and it can be used for a long time due to deterioration of the grease for securing the heater holding member and the sliding property between the heater and the fixing film. There was a problem that the torque of the fuser would increase. When the torque of the fixing device is increased, there is a problem that the fixing device cannot convey the media when the paper is passed, and the fixing film stops and jams.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and in a fixing device having a fixing film having an elastic layer and heat generating means disposed in the fixing film, temperature control of the fixing film is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a fixing device that secures safety in the event of an abnormality, and to obtain an image forming apparatus that performs high-quality image formation by applying the fixing device of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, a fixing device according to the present invention comprises:
A fixing film having an elastic layer;
Heating means provided to act on the non-fixing surface of the fixing film;
At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film;
At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat generating means;
And a control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected by the fixing film temperature detecting means.

  Preferably, the heat generating means includes a ceramic substrate and a resistance heating element provided on the ceramic substrate.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention also has
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an unfixed image on a member to be transferred; and a fixing device that fixes the unfixed image to the member to be transferred.
The fixing device includes:
A fixing film having an elastic layer;
Heating means provided to act on the non-fixing surface of the fixing film;
At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film;
At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat generating means;
And a control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected by the fixing film temperature detecting means.

Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
The control of the heat generating means is controlled by the temperature detected by the heat generating means only at the start of printing, or a combination of the control by the temperature detected by the heat generating means and the control by the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means of the fixing film. It is performed by.

  According to the present invention, in the fixing device in which the heat generating means is provided in the fixing film having the elastic layer, at least one temperature detecting means for the fixing film is provided, and at least one temperature detecting means for the heat generating means is provided. In addition, since the temperature of the fixing film is controlled by controlling the heat generating means according to the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means of the fixing film, the temperature of the fixing film can be controlled with good responsiveness, There is an effect that safety can be secured.

  Further, only at the start of printing, by combining the control of the heat generation means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means of the heat generation means and the control of the heat generation means based on the detection temperature of the temperature detection means of the fixing film, This prevents overheating of the heater when the temperature is suddenly increased, prevents deterioration of parts during normal use and increase of the fixing device torque, and enables more stable use.

  An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an unfixed image on a member to be transferred; and a fixing device that fixes the unfixed image on the member to be transferred. The fixing device of the present invention is used as the fixing device. Therefore, there is an effect that an image forming apparatus that performs high-quality image formation can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a color image forming apparatus to which the fixing device of the present invention is applied.

  In this embodiment, an inline color image forming apparatus of an intermediate transfer body type is used. In addition, an automatic double-side mechanism (not shown), which is a known automatic double-side conveyance unit, is provided after the fixing device, and the transfer material once fixed can be automatically reversed and fed again and conveyed.

  In FIG. 1, the portion indicated by the solid line is a transfer material conveyance path for performing the fixing operation of the first surface during automatic duplexing, and the portion indicated by the dotted line is the transfer material during the second surface fixing by the automatic duplex mechanism described above. This is a reverse conveyance path.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the color image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

  In this embodiment, a photosensitive drum (an OPC drum is used in this embodiment), a charging unit (not shown), a toner developing device (not shown), and a photosensitive drum cleaning unit (a cleaning blade is used in this embodiment: A so-called all-in-one CRG2 is used, in which all of the components are collected in one container. Yellow CRG 2Y using yellow (Y) toner, Magenta CRG 2M using magenta (M) toner, Cyan CRG 2C using cyan (C) toner, Black (CK) toner used Black CRG 2CK, 4 CRGs are used.

  Four optical systems 1 corresponding to the above four-color toners CRG are provided, and scanning light based on image data from an optical system (a laser scanning exposure optical system is used in this embodiment) is charged by charging means ( An electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum by exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum uniformly charged by using a charging roller in this embodiment). A toner as a developer (nonmagnetic single component toner is used in this embodiment) is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. By setting the developing bias applied to the developing roller to an appropriate value between the charging potential and the latent image (exposed portion) potential, the toner charged to the negative polarity is charged with the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. Development is performed that selectively adheres to the image.

  The single-color toner image developed on the photosensitive drum is suspended between the driving roller 5, the tension roller 6, and the secondary transfer counter roller, and the intermediate transfer member 3 (rotating at a substantially constant speed in synchronization with the photosensitive drum. The intermediate transfer belt is used in this embodiment) and is primarily transferred by a positive polarity bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner applied to the primary transfer roller 9.

  After the primary transfer, the toner remaining as a transfer residue on the photosensitive member is removed by a cleaning unit (not shown: a cleaning blade is used in this embodiment) 4.

  The above steps are sequentially performed on the CRG2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2CK of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (CK) in synchronization with the rotation of the intermediate transfer body 3, A primary transfer toner image of each color is formed on the transfer body 3 in order. When a single color image is formed (single color mode), the above process is performed only for the developing device of the target color (for example, black).

  Further, the transfer material P set on the transfer material cassette 13 or the transfer material tray (MP tray) 14 serving as a transfer material supply unit is selectively fed by feeding rollers 12 and 12 ′, respectively, and the registration roller pair 8. Thus, the sheet is conveyed at a predetermined timing to a nip portion that is a secondary transfer portion between the intermediate transfer body 3 and the secondary transfer means 10.

  The primary transfer toner image formed on the intermediate transfer body 3 is transferred to the transfer material P by a positive polarity bias opposite to the toner applied to the secondary transfer means 10 (secondary transfer roller is used in this embodiment). It is transcribed onto the top. The secondary transfer residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member after the secondary transfer is removed by a cleaning means (a cleaning blade is used in this embodiment) 4 of the intermediate transfer member.

  As the intermediate transfer belt used as the intermediate transfer body 3, a resin such as PVdF (polyvinylidene fluoride), polyamide, polyimide, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polycarbonate having a thickness of 50 μm to 200 μm and a volume resistivity of about 108 Ωcm to 1016 Ωcm. A film belt or a rubber belt in which a high resistance resin layer having a good releasability of several tens of μm is provided on a low resistance rubber base layer having a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 2 mm can be used. In this embodiment, a polyimide belt having a thickness of 50 to 75 μm is used because it is highly durable and can be cleaned with a cleaning blade.

  The toner image secondarily transferred onto the transfer material P is melted and fixed onto the transfer material P by passing through the fixing device 11 serving as a fixing unit, and becomes an output image of the image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a first embodiment of the fixing device of the present invention applied to the color image forming apparatus of FIG. The fixing film unit 25 serving as a fixing member has a cylindrical endless film of a heat-resistant resin (polyimide resin is used in this embodiment) having a length of about 230 mm, a thickness of 50 μm, and an outer diameter of 24 mm in this embodiment as a base layer 27. An elastic layer having a thickness of about 200 μm is provided thereon (in this embodiment, silicon rubber having a thermal conductivity of about 1.0 × 10 −3 cal / sec cm ° C. is used as an elastic body), and the release surface layer 21 has a thickness of about 30 μm. The fluororesin tube is covered.

  As the base layer of the fixing film, another heat resistant resin or metal may be used. The fixing film includes a ceramic heater (a heating element provided with a resistance heating element 34 on a ceramic substrate 28 made of alumina, aluminum nitride, etc., and a glass coat 35 thereon). ing.

  The thermistor 29 is in contact with the non-contact surface side of the ceramic heater with the fixing film as temperature detecting means for the heat generating means, and the temperature of the heat generating means is detected by the thermistor.

  Further, a thermistor 291 is provided as a fixing film temperature detecting means so as to contact the inner surface of the fixing film near the fixing nip outlet. The temperature of the fixing film is detected by the thermistor 291, energization to the heat generating means is controlled so as to reach a desired temperature, and the temperature adjustment operation of the fixing film is performed. Further, the temperature of the heat generating means itself is detected by the thermistor 29, and when the temperature becomes excessively high, necessary operations are performed according to the detected temperature result, such as emergency stop of energization to the heat generating means.

  For example, the detection value of the thermistor 291 is compared with the reference value by the comparison circuit 301, the energization amount control means 302 is controlled by the output value of the comparison circuit 301, and supplied from the AC power supply 303 to the resistance heating element 34 as the heating means. The phase of the AC power is controlled to maintain the fixing film at an appropriate temperature. On the other hand, when the detection value of the thermistor 29 is compared with the reference value by the comparison circuit 304 and the temperature becomes excessively high for some reason, the switching circuit 305 is turned off by the output of the comparison circuit 304 and the resistance heating element 34 is energized. Emergency stop.

  The fixing film is rotatably supported by the film guide 30. Further, the ceramic heater 29 provided integrally with the film guide 30 is moved toward the pressure member (using the pressure roller 26) by a pressure mechanism (not shown) with a total pressure of about 196 N (about 20 kgf) in this embodiment. Thus, the fixing film that is rotatably supported by the film guide 30 is pressed against the pressure roller 26.

  In addition, grease is applied to the surface on which the ceramic heater slides with the fixing film to ensure sliding.

  The pressure roller 26 is formed on an iron core 31 having an outer diameter of 13 mm, a silicon rubber elastic layer 32 having a thickness of 3.5 mm, and a PFA (tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl ether) having a thickness of 40 μm as a release surface layer 33. A fluororesin tube layer such as a copolymer) or FEP (tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer / tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer resin) is sequentially formed.

  The outer diameter of the pressure roller 26 is approximately φ20 mm. The product hardness of the pressure roller 26 was about 60 degrees (hardness value at a total load of about 9.8 N (about 1 kgf) using a hardness meter ASCKER-C manufactured by Kobunshi Keiki Co., Ltd.). The fixing nip width was about 5.5 to 6.5 mm.

  In this embodiment, the pressure roller 26 is rotated by driving means (not shown), and the fixing film 25 is driven to rotate.

  The toner used in this example is a substantially spherical toner (hereinafter simply referred to as a polymerized toner) that is manufactured by a polymerization method, contains 5 to 30% by weight of a low softening point substance, and has a shape factor SF-1 of 100 to 110. ) Is used.

  As a low softening point substance, it is a compound whose main body maximum peak value measured based on ASTMD3418-8 shows 40-90 degreeC. For example, DSC-7 manufactured by Perkin Elmer is used to measure the maximum peak temperature of the polymerized toner. For the temperature correction of the device detection unit, the melting points of indium and zinc are used, and for the correction of the amount of heat, the heat of fusion of indium is used.

  For the sample, an aluminum pan was used, an empty pan was set for control, and the measurement was performed at a heating rate of 10 ° C./min. Specifically, paraffin wax, polyolefin, Fischer tropish wax, amide wax, higher fatty acid, ester wax and derivatives thereof or graft / block compounds thereof can be used. Preferably, it is an ester wax having one or more long-chain ester moieties having 10 or more carbon atoms represented by the following general structural formula. Specific structural formulas of typical compounds of the ester wax are shown as general structural formulas 1, 2, and 3 below.

  The ester wax preferably used in the present invention has a hardness of 0.5 to 5.0. The hardness of the ester wax is a value obtained by measuring a Vickers hardness using a dynamic microhardness meter (DUH-200) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation after preparing a cylindrical sample having a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 5 mm. The measurement conditions are as follows: a load of 0.5 g and a load speed of 9.67 mm / sec are displaced by 10 μm, then held for 15 seconds, and the resulting dent shape is measured to determine the Vickers hardness. The hardness of the ester wax preferably used in the present invention has a value of 0.5 to 5.0. Examples of specific compounds are shown in the following chemical formulas (1), (2), (3), and (4).

  Here, the shape factor SF-1 is a numerical value indicating the ratio of the spherical roundness of the spherical material, and is 2 of the maximum length MAXLNG of the elliptical figure formed by projecting the spherical material on a two-dimensional plane. The power is expressed by a value obtained by dividing the power by the graphic area AREA and multiplying by 100π / 4. That is, the shape factor SF-1 is

Is defined by Using Hitachi FE-SEM (S-800), 100 toner images were randomly sampled, and the image information was introduced into the image analysis device (Luxex 3) manufactured by Nicole via the interface and analyzed. It is calculated.

The cyan toner was adjusted as follows. 710 parts by weight of ion-exchanged water and 450 parts by weight of a 0.1 mol / liter Na3PO4 aqueous solution were added to a 21-liter four-necked flask equipped with a high-speed stirrer, and the rotational speed was adjusted to 12,000 revolutions to 65 ° C. Warmed up. To this, 68 parts by weight of a 1.0 mol / liter CaCL2 aqueous solution was gradually added to prepare a dispersion medium system containing a slightly difficult aqueous solution dispersing agent Ca3 (PO4) 2. On the other hand, the dispersoid system is
Styrene monomer 165 parts by weight n-butyl acrylate monomer 35 parts by weight Pigment Blue 15:30 14 parts by weight Saturated polyester 10 parts by weight [terephthalic acid-propylene oxide modified bisphenol A acid value 15, peak molecular weight: 6000]
Salicylic acid metal compound 2 parts by weight The following compound (maximum peak value 59.4 ° C.) 60 parts by weight

  After the mixture was dispersed for 3 hours using an attritor, a dispersion added with 10 parts by weight of 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as a polymerization initiator was put into a dispersion medium and rotated. Granulation was carried out for 15 minutes while maintaining the number. Thereafter, the stirrer was changed from a high-speed stirrer to a propeller stirring blade, the internal temperature was raised to 80 ° C., and polymerization was continued at 50 rotations for 10 hours. After completion of the polymerization, the chiller was cooled and diluted hydrochloric acid was added to remove the dispersion medium. Further, the weight average particle size of the cyan toner measured by a Coulter counter by washing and drying was 6.2 μm, the number variation coefficient was 27%, and SF-1 was 104. Similarly, yellow toner, magenta toner, and black toner having SF-1 of 104 were manufactured.

  As the colorant, yellow toner, C.I. I. For Pigment Yellow 17 and Magenta Toner, C.I. I. For the pigment red 122 and the black toner, carbon black was used.

  In the fixing device 11, the pressure roller 26 is rotationally driven at a peripheral speed of about 100 mm / sec, and the fixing nip portion is at a temperature suitable for fixing the toner image (in this embodiment, the temperature of the fixing film surface is 180 ° C.). The current to the ceramic heater is adjusted so that

  The transfer material P on which the unfixed toner image 35 is placed after finishing the secondary transfer process is guided to the fixing nip portion, and the pressure applied at the fixing nip portion and the heat transferred from the ceramic heater through the fixing film. As a result, the unfixed toner image 35 is melted by heat and fixed on the transfer material P as a fixed image.

  In the fixing device 11 of this embodiment, the elastic layer of the fixing film is thinned to about 200 μm and the outer diameter is reduced to φ24 to reduce the heat capacity of the fixing film. The warm-up time could be shortened to about 10-12 seconds, and so-called on-demand fixing could be performed.

  Next, the temperature change of the fixing film and the like when the transfer material P is passed through the fixing device 11 in this embodiment will be described.

  Graph 1 shown in FIG. 6 is a graph in the case where a fixing film without an elastic layer is used as the fixing film 203 in the film fixing apparatus as shown in FIG. In the graph, the solid line indicates the temperature of the fixing film 203, and the dotted line indicates the temperature of the heating element. A portion of temperature change when a recording medium P of premium multipurpose 4024 paper (basis weight 105 g / m 2, Letter size) from Xerox is shown is shown. In this case, since there is no elastic layer in the fixing film 203, the temperature difference between the fixing film and the heating element is small.

  Graph 2 shown in FIG. 7 shows the transfer material P when the temperature detection is controlled by the temperature detection means in contact with the heating element using a film having an elastic layer as the fixing film 203 as in the conventional example. It is a graph when paper is passed. In this case, since the fixing film 203 has an elastic layer, the heat of the fixing film 203 is taken away by the transfer material P, the temperature of the fixing film is lowered, and it takes time to reach the temperature of the heating element.

  Since the heat of the fixing film 203 is deprived by the transfer material P until it is detected by the temperature detecting means of the heating element, the temperature drop of the fixing film cannot be prevented. Therefore, the temperature drop of the fixing film 203 is increased to about 40 ° C. at the maximum. For this reason, there is a problem that a fixing margin is reduced or a difference in gloss occurs.

  A graph 3 shown in FIG. 8 is a graph in the case of the first embodiment. A fixing film having an elastic layer is used as the fixing film, and the temperature of the heating element is controlled by the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 291 in contact with the inner surface of the fixing film. In this case, since the temperature drop of the fixing film at the time of passing the transfer material P can be detected earlier than in the case of the graph 2, the heating element can be controlled with good responsiveness without much delay with respect to the temperature drop of the fixing film. Therefore, the temperature drop of the fixing film can be suppressed. In this example, the pressure could be kept within about 10 ° C.

  As described above, in the fixing device of this embodiment, the amount of temperature decrease can be improved by about 30 ° C. as compared with the conventional fixing device in which the temperature detecting means is provided only on the heating element.

  In this embodiment, the abnormally high temperature is detected based on the temperature detected by the heating element temperature detecting means 291 instead of the fixing film temperature detecting means. At this time, about 250 ° C. is set as the abnormally high temperature detection temperature.

  If power is applied to the heating element while the fixing film unit 25 is stopped in the event of an abnormality, the rotation of the fixing film stops even if an abnormally high temperature is detected by the temperature detected by the fixing film temperature detecting means. Therefore, the temperature in the vicinity of the fixing film temperature detecting means does not easily reflect the temperature of the heating element, and the temperature rising gradient of the fixing film temperature detecting means is not large. Problems such as cracking of the heater due to stress and melting of the heater holder due to high temperature may occur.

  In this embodiment, there are provided two temperature detection means, a temperature detection means for the fixing film and a temperature detection means for the heating element, and the temperature adjustment is performed based on the detection temperature of the temperature detection means for the fixing film. By detecting the abnormally high temperature of the heating element using the detected temperature of the means, even if the heating element is energized while the rotation of the fixing film is stopped, the heating element becomes overheated by the temperature detection means of the heating element. Since abnormally high temperature can be detected in advance and measures such as stopping energization of the heating element can be performed quickly, safety can be ensured.

  In addition, although the in-run color (tandem) system has been described as the color image forming apparatus, similar effects can be obtained with other color image forming systems.

  A second embodiment related to the present invention will be described below. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the fixing device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted. In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the fixing film temperature detecting means 291 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the fixing film.

  A graph 4 shown in FIG. 9 shows a temperature drop of the fixing film or the like in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, since the fixing film temperature detecting means is in contact with the fixing film surface, the transfer material P can detect the temperature drop of the fixing film with higher responsiveness than in the first embodiment. For this reason, the temperature drop of the fixing film could be suppressed within about 5 ° C.

  A third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below. Since the fixing device according to the present invention is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, only at the start of printing, in addition to the normal temperature control, a combination of control that prevents the ceramic heater from exceeding a certain temperature based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means in contact with the ceramic heater is combined. However, the ceramic heater is configured to prevent overheating of the ceramic heater.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a fixing device control method according to the present exemplary embodiment. In this control, the ceramic heater is driven by feedback control based on the detection result of the fixing film temperature detection means.

  In this embodiment, control is performed so that the fixing film temperature becomes 180 ° C.

  In the control of this embodiment, when the fixing film detection temperature is 170 ° C. or lower at the start of printing and the ceramic heater temperature exceeds 225 ° C., the energization to the ceramic heater is turned off, and the ceramic heater detection temperature is When the temperature falls below 220 ° C., control to resume energization control to the ceramic heater is performed again.

  Graph 5 shown in FIG. 11 is a monitor of temperature rise curves on the back surface of the ceramic heater and the back surface of the fixing film at the start of printing in the conventional fixing device. The solid line indicates the ceramic heater temperature, and the broken line indicates the fixing film temperature.

  According to this, at the start of printing, both the detection temperature on the back surface of the fixing film and the detection temperature of the ceramic heater rise rapidly, and the ceramic heater temperature rises to a maximum of 250 ° C.

  A graph 6 shown in FIG. 12 is a monitor of temperature rise curves on the back surface of the ceramic heater and the back surface of the fixing film at the start of printing in the fixing device of this embodiment. Also in this graph, the solid line indicates the ceramic heater temperature, and the broken line indicates the fixing film temperature.

  According to this, although the detection temperature on the back surface of the fixing film and the detection temperature of the ceramic heater rapidly increase at the start of printing, the current to the heater is turned off when the ceramic heater temperature exceeds 225 °. The temperature remains at 230 ° C. at maximum.

  The fixing film temperature does not drop sharply even when the energization to the ceramic heater is turned off, and reaches the target temperature of 180 ° C. within 12 seconds.

  A graph 7 shown in FIG. 13 shows an increasing speed of the fixing device torque when an image is output by the conventional fixing device and the fixing device of this embodiment and the durability test is performed.

  According to this, in the conventional fixing device, the torque increases to about twice the initial value when passing about 10,000 to 20,000 sheets, whereas in the fixing device of this embodiment, the torque hardly increases. This is because the ceramic heater temperature is suppressed to 230 ° C. or less, and therefore the degree of grease deterioration on the surface of the ceramic heater is smaller than that of the conventional fixing device, and the rate of torque increase is small.

  A fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described below. Since the fixing device according to the present invention is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a fixing device control method according to the present exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, the ceramic heater is controlled based on the detected temperature of the ceramic heater temperature detecting means until the detected temperature of the fixing film temperature detecting means exceeds 160 ° C. after the start of printing. At this time, the ceramic heater is controlled at 225 ° C.

  When the detection temperature of the fixing film temperature detecting means exceeds 160 ° C., the control shifts to normal control based on the fixing film temperature.

  Also in this example, like the fixing device of Example 3, the temperature of the ceramic heater never exceeded 230 ° C., and almost no increase in torque was observed in the durability test.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an example of a color image forming apparatus in which a fixing device of the present invention is used. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device in Embodiment 1 according to the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the fixing device in Example 2 concerning this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of a conventional heat roller fixing device which is an example of a fixing device using a fixing member having an elastic layer. It is a schematic block diagram of an example of a fixing device using a fixing film having no elastic layer. It is a graph of explanation of a temperature drop etc. of a fixing film. It is a graph of explanation of a temperature drop etc. of a fixing film. It is a graph of explanation of a temperature drop etc. of a fixing film. It is a graph of explanation of a temperature drop etc. of a fixing film. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a fixing device control method according to a third embodiment of the present invention; It is a graph explaining the heat generating body temperature profile at the time of the printing start of the conventional fixing device, and the temperature profile of the fixing film surface. It is a graph explaining the heat generating body temperature profile at the time of the printing start in Example 3 concerning this invention, and the temperature profile of the fixing film surface. It is a graph explaining the fixing device torque change in Example 3 according to the present invention. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a fixing device control method in Embodiment 4 according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Optical system (scanner)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Cartridge 3 Intermediate transfer body 4 Cleaner 5 Drive roller 6 Tension roller 7 2 roll opposing roller 8 Registration roller 9 Primary transfer roller 10 Secondary transfer roller 11 Fixing device 12, 12 'Paper feed roller 13 Paper feed cassette 14 Paper feed tray P Transfer material 25 Fixing film 21 Surface release layer 27 Endless belt 28 Ceramic substrate 29, 291 Thermistor as temperature detecting means 34 Resistance heating element 26 Pressure roller 31 Core metal 32 Elastic layer (silicon rubber layer)
33 Surface release layer 35 Unfixed toner image

Claims (7)

  In a fixing device comprising a fixing film having an elastic layer and a heat generating means provided to act on a non-fixing surface of the fixing film, at least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film, and the heat generating means At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film, and a control means for controlling the temperature of the fixing film by controlling the heat generating means according to the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means of the fixing film. Fixing device.   2. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the control of the heat generating unit is controlled by the temperature detected by the heat generating unit only at the start of printing.   2. The control of the heating means is performed by a combination of a control based on a detection temperature of the heating means and a control based on a detection temperature of the fixing film temperature detection means only at the start of printing. Fixing device.   4. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the heat generating unit includes a ceramic substrate and a resistance heating element provided on the ceramic substrate. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an unfixed image on a member to be transferred; and a fixing device that fixes the unfixed image to the member to be transferred.
The fixing device includes:
A fixing film having an elastic layer;
Heating means provided to act on the non-fixing surface of the fixing film;
At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the fixing film;
At least one temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat generating means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the heat generating unit based on a temperature detected by a temperature detection unit of the fixing film.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control of the heating means is controlled by the temperature detected by the heating means only at the start of printing.   6. The control of the heating means is performed by a combination of the control based on the temperature detected by the heat generating means and the control based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means of the fixing film only at the start of printing. Image forming apparatus.

Images