JP2011164245A - Fixing device, control method for the same, image forming apparatus including them, and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device capable of simultaneously detecting the meandering of a fixing belt by a temperature detecting means detecting the surface temperature of the fixing belt. <P>SOLUTION: The fixing device includes the endless fixing belt supported by a plurality of support members. The fixing device includes: the temperature detecting means arranged on both sides of the fixing belt; a determination means determining that temperature detected by the temperature detecting means exceeds a predetermined temperature difference; and a correction means correcting the meandering of the fixing belt by the determination result of the determination means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing device that corrects meandering of an endless belt, a control method for the fixing device, an image forming apparatus that uses the endless belt as a fixing belt, and an image forming method.

  In a fixing device provided in an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an elastic roller in which an elastic layer made of silicone rubber or the like is provided on the surface of the fixing roller is generally used. By using an elastic roller as the fixing roller, the surface of the fixing roller is elastically deformed corresponding to the unevenness of the unfixed toner image, and comes into contact with the unfixed toner image so as to cover the unfixed toner image. A color unfixed toner image can be appropriately fixed. In addition, due to the effect of releasing the distortion of the elastic layer at the fixing nip, it is possible to improve the releasability of the color toner from the fixing roller, which is more easily offset than monochrome. Further, since the elastic layer of the fixing roller is recessed, the shape of the fixing nip portion (pressure contact portion of the members pressed against each other) becomes a convex shape upward (on the fixing roller side). The recording paper can be peeled off without using a peeling means such as a peeling claw (self-stripping), and image defects caused by the peeling means can be eliminated.

  However, when the process speed (recording paper moving speed) is increased, sufficient heat may not be applied to the unfixed toner image, and the image may not be fixed appropriately. For this reason, when the process speed is increased, in order to perform fixing processing by applying sufficient heat to the unfixed toner image, it is necessary to widen the nip width of the fixing nip portion. As means for widening the nip width, (1) a method of increasing the elastic layer of the fixing roller or (2) a method of increasing the diameter of the fixing roller can be considered.

  However, since the thermal conductivity of the elastic layer is very low, the surface temperature does not follow when the process speed is increased in the configuration of the fixing roller having the elastic layer and the heating means inside as in the conventional case. There is a problem. For this reason, when the elastic layer is made thick as in (1) above, the problem of temperature followability on the surface of the fixing roller becomes significant. In the method (1), since the thermal conductivity of the elastic layer is low, there is a problem that the warm-up time for heating becomes long and power consumption increases.

  Further, when the diameter of the fixing roller is increased as in (2) above, since the size of the fixing roller is increased, the heat capacity is increased and the warm-up time for heating is increased, and the power consumption is increased. There is a problem of doing.

  Therefore, as a technique for solving such a problem, a belt fixing system in which an endless belt is suspended between a fixing roller and a heating roller has been proposed.

  A fixing device employing this belt fixing method can be heated from the inside of the fixing roller because only the surface layer of the belt needs to be heated by suspending the fixing belt on the heating roller without a heating member inside the fixing roller. As a result, the fixing belt can be efficiently heated. Therefore, problems such as a decrease in temperature followability of the fixing roller and an increase in warm-up time can be suppressed.

  However, in a fixing device adopting a belt fixing method, an endless belt meanders in the width direction during traveling. This is because a difference in thermal expansion occurs in the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller.

  Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707, a parameter in which the pulse number parameter of the pulse motor for correcting the meandering of the fixing belt is changed according to the temperature of the fixing belt is disclosed.

JP 2006-154215 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, conventionally, a sensor for detecting the meandering of the belt is separately required in addition to the temperature detecting means for detecting the surface temperature of the fixing belt provided in the fixing device.

  The present invention is a fixing device including an endless fixing belt supported by a plurality of support members, and the fixing device includes temperature detecting means disposed on both sides of the fixing belt, and the temperature detecting means. The apparatus includes a determination unit that determines that the detected temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature difference, and a correction unit that corrects meandering of the fixing belt based on a determination result of the determination unit.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the plurality of support members is a member used for the correction unit.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the temperature detecting means is means for detecting a surface temperature of the fixing belt.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a fixing device including an endless fixing belt supported by a plurality of support members, and when the temperature difference between temperature detecting means disposed on both sides of the fixing belt exceeds a predetermined temperature, the fixing belt. The fixing device control method is characterized by performing an operation for correcting the meandering of the fixing device.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to perform an operation of correcting the meandering of the fixing belt when the predetermined temperature exceeds 10 degrees.

  Furthermore, the present invention is preferably an image forming apparatus including the fixing device.

  Furthermore, the present invention is preferably an image forming method provided with the control method of the fixing device.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a fixing device including an endless fixing belt supported by a plurality of support members, the fixing device including temperature detection means disposed on both sides of the fixing belt, and the temperature detection Since the fixing device includes a determination unit that determines that the temperature detected by the unit exceeds a predetermined temperature difference, and a correction unit that corrects the meandering of the fixing belt based on the determination result of the determination unit. A sensor for detecting meandering becomes unnecessary.

  Further, according to the present invention, since at least one of the plurality of support members is a member used for the correction unit, by displacing the other end in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction with one end of the member as a fulcrum, Belt meandering can be easily corrected.

  In addition, according to the present invention, when the temperature difference between both sides of the fixing belt exceeds 10 degrees, the operation of correcting the meandering of the fixing belt is performed. It does not occur.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the temperature detecting means detects the surface temperature of the fixing belt for controlling the temperature of the fixing device, so that temperature detection can be accurately performed.

  According to the invention, the image forming apparatus includes the fixing device, thereby preventing the positional deviation of the recording paper in the lateral direction and obtaining a good image free from the linearity of the line drawing and the lateral deviation of the image. Can do.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a fixing device according to the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a meandering of a fixing belt and a temperature detection unit and a temperature distribution in a width direction of the fixing belt according to an embodiment of the present invention.

    FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the fixing belt and the temperature detection unit and a temperature distribution in the width direction of the fixing belt when no meandering occurs on the fixing belt.

    FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the fixing belt and the temperature detecting unit and the temperature distribution in the width direction of the fixing belt when meandering occurs on one side of the fixing belt.

FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the fixing belt and the temperature detecting unit and the temperature distribution in the width direction of the fixing belt when meandering occurs on one side of the fixing belt.
It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the temperature detection means which is embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of a fixing device of the present invention is applied. The image forming apparatus includes a document reading device B that reads an image of a document, and a device main body A that records and forms an image of the document read by the document reading device B or an image received from the outside in color or single color on a recording sheet. ing.

  In the document reader B, when the document is set on the document set tray 41, the pickup roller 44 is pressed against the surface of the document and rotated, and the document is pulled out from the document set tray 41 and transported to the transport path 47.

  Thereafter, the document is conveyed by the registration roller 49 and passes between the reading guide 51 and the reading glass 52. At this time, the light of the light source of the first scanning unit 53 is irradiated on the surface of the document through the reading glass 52, and the reflected light is incident on the first scanning unit 53 through the reading glass 52. The image is reflected by the mirrors of the second scanning units 53 and 54 and guided to the imaging lens 55, and the image of the original is imaged on a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 56 by the imaging lens 55. The CCD 56 reads a document image and outputs image data indicating the document image. The image data is transmitted and received to the apparatus main body A of the image forming apparatus, and the image is recorded on the recording paper in the apparatus main body A.

  On the other hand, the apparatus main body A of the image forming apparatus includes a laser exposure apparatus 1, a developing apparatus 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), a photosensitive drum 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d), and a cleaner apparatus 4 (4a, 4b). 4c, 4d), charger 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d), intermediate transfer belt device 8, fixing device 12, paper transport device 18, paper feed tray 10, paper discharge tray 15 and the like. .

  The image data handled in the image forming apparatus is based on a color image using each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), or a single color (for example, black). This corresponds to a monochrome image. Accordingly, four developing devices 2, photosensitive drums 3, cleaner devices 4, and chargers 5 are provided so as to form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors, with a being black and b being cyan. , C are associated with magenta, and d is associated with yellow, thereby forming four image stations.

  The photoconductor drum 3 is disposed in the approximate center of the apparatus main body A. The charger 5 is a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 to a predetermined potential. In addition to a contact type roller type or brush type charger, a charger type charger is used. .

  The laser exposure apparatus 1 is a laser scanning unit (LSU) provided with a laser diode and a reflection mirror, which exposes the surface of a charged photosensitive drum 3 according to image data and statically responds to the surface according to the image data. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  The developing device 2 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 3 with (K, C, M, Y) toner. The cleaner device 4 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after development and image transfer.

  The intermediate transfer belt device 8 disposed above the photosensitive drum 3 includes an intermediate transfer belt 7, an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 21, a driven roller 22, an intermediate transfer roller 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d), and an intermediate A transfer belt cleaning device 9 is provided.

  The intermediate transfer belt drive roller 21, the intermediate transfer roller 6, the driven roller 22, etc. stretch and support the intermediate transfer belt 7, and move the intermediate transfer belt 7 in the direction of arrow C.

  The intermediate transfer roller 6 is rotatably supported in the vicinity of the intermediate transfer belt 7, is pressed against the photosensitive drum 3 via the intermediate transfer belt 7, and transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 7. A transfer bias is applied.

  The intermediate transfer belt 7 is provided so as to come into contact with the photosensitive drums 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d, and the toner images on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 7. Are transferred to form a color toner image (a toner image of each color). This transfer belt is formed in an endless belt shape using a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm.

  The transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 7 is performed by the intermediate transfer roller 6 that is in pressure contact with the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7. A high voltage transfer bias (a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 6 in order to transfer the toner image. The intermediate transfer roller 6 is based on a metal (for example, stainless steel) shaft having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm, and the surface thereof is a conductive elastic material (for example, conductive EPDM (ethylene propylene diene copolymer rubber), conductive foamed urethane, etc. ). With this conductive elastic material, a high voltage can be uniformly applied to the recording paper.

  The toner images on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 7 to form a color toner image indicated by the image data. The laminated toner images of the respective colors are transported together with the intermediate transfer belt 7 and transferred onto the recording paper by the secondary transfer device 11 in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 7.

  The intermediate transfer belt 7 and the transfer roller 11a of the secondary transfer device 11 are pressed against each other to form a nip portion. Further, the transfer roller 11a of the secondary transfer device 11 has a voltage for transferring the toner image of each color on the intermediate transfer belt 7 onto a recording sheet (high polarity (+) opposite to the toner charge polarity (-)). Voltage) is applied. Further, in order to constantly obtain the nip portion, either the transfer roller 11a or the intermediate transfer belt driving roller 21 of the secondary transfer device 11 is made of a hard material (metal or the like), and the other is a soft material such as an elastic roller. (Elastic rubber roller, foaming resin roller, etc.).

  In addition, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 7 may not be completely transferred onto the recording paper by the secondary transfer device 11, and the toner may remain on the intermediate transfer belt 7. Causes color mixing. Therefore, the residual toner is removed and collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 9. The intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 9 includes, for example, a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 7 as a cleaning member, and the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 7 is supported by a driven roller 22 at a portion where the cleaning blade comes into contact. .

  Further, the apparatus main body A is provided with a paper transport device 18 for sending the recording paper in the paper feed tray 10 to the paper discharge tray 15 via the secondary transfer device 11 and the fixing device 12. The sheet conveying device 18 has an S-shaped sheet conveying path S, and along the sheet conveying path S, a pickup roller 16, a registration roller 14, a fixing device 12, each conveying roller 13, and a sheet discharging roller 17. Etc. are arranged.

  The registration roller 14 temporarily stops the recording paper that has been conveyed, aligns the leading edge of the recording paper, and forms a color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 7 at the nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 7 and the secondary transfer device 11. The recording paper is conveyed with good timing in accordance with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 3 and the intermediate transfer belt 7 so that the toner is transferred onto the recording paper.

  In the fixing device 12, the fixing roller 32 and the pressure roller 31 are in pressure contact with each other via the fixing belt 34, and a nip portion is formed between the fixing belt 34 and the pressure roller 31. The recording sheet on which the toner image is transferred is sandwiched and conveyed by the nip portion, and the recording sheet is heated and pressurized to fix the toner image on the recording sheet. The recording paper after the fixing of the toner images of the respective colors is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 15 by the paper discharge roller 17.

  It is also possible to form a monochrome image using only one image forming station and transfer the monochrome image to the intermediate transfer belt 7 of the intermediate transfer belt device 8. Similarly to the color image, this monochrome image is also transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 7 to the recording paper and fixed on the recording paper.

  FIG. 2 shows the main structure of the fixing device 12. The fixing device 12 includes a fixing roller 32, a pressure roller 31, a heating roller 33, a belt position correction roller 100, an endless fixing belt 34 spanned between the fixing roller 32, the heating roller 33, and the belt position correction roller 100, fixing. Temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 for detecting the surface temperature of the belt 34 end portion are provided. The belt position correction roller 100 is also a roller that applies tension to the fixing belt 34. Inside the pressure roller 31 and the heating roller 33, a heater lamp (halogen lamp) of a heat source (not shown) for heating each roller is provided.

  The fixing roller 32 and the pressure roller 31 are pressed against each other via the fixing belt 34, and a nip portion N is formed between the fixing belt 34 and the pressure roller 31.

  In a state in which the fixing device 12 is mounted on the apparatus main body A of the image forming apparatus, the gear (not shown) of the driving mechanism on the apparatus main body A side meshes with the gear (not shown) of the shaft of the fixing roller 32, A rotational driving force from a driving mechanism (not shown) on the A side is transmitted to the shaft of the fixing roller 32, and the fixing roller 32 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow. As the fixing roller 32 rotates, the fixing belt 34 rotates in the same direction as the fixing roller 32, and the heating roller 33 and the belt position correction roller 100 rotate to follow the fixing belt 34. Further, the pressure roller 31 is driven to rotate by the fixing belt 34. The recording paper is sandwiched and conveyed by a nip portion N between the fixing belt 34 and the pressure roller 31, and is heated and pressurized. As a result, the toner image on the recording paper is melted, mixed, and pressed to be thermally fixed.

  The recording paper is heated by energizing a heater (not shown) provided on the heating roller 33 and the pressure roller 31 to heat the fixing belt 34 and the pressure roller 31. The heating temperature is controlled by turning the heater ON / OFF according to the surface temperature of the fixing belt 34 detected by the temperature detection means Tm1, Tm2.

  The pressure roller 31 is a roller having a three-layer structure in which an elastic layer is provided on the outer surface of the metal core, and a release layer is formed on the outer surface of the elastic layer. For the core metal, for example, a metal such as iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof is used. Silicone rubber is used for the elastic layer, and fluororesin such as PFA (copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether) or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is used for the release layer.

  As the heating roller 33, for example, a metal roller having a thickness of about 0.7 to 1.0 mm made of iron or aluminum can be used.

  As with the pressure roller 31, the fixing roller 32 is a metal core made of a metal such as iron, stainless steel, aluminum, or copper, or an alloy thereof, an elastic layer such as silicone rubber on the surface of the metal core, and further thereon. This is a three-layered roller composed of a release layer such as PFA or PTFE.

  The fixing belt 34 has a three-layer structure. From the first layer, polyimide, silicone rubber, and the surface layer are coated with PFA. The material of the fixing belt is not limited to the above, and the surface layer may be a PFA tube or the like. Moreover, it is not limited to these materials.

  In order to keep the fixing temperature constant, the surface temperature of the fixing belt 34 is detected by temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 disposed on both sides of the fixing belt 34. The temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 are meandered to the fixing belt 34. Also used for detection. The meandering of the fixing belt 34 is judged by the judging means for judging the detected temperature difference between the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2. When the fixing belt 34 meanders in one direction, a temperature difference occurs between the detection temperatures of the temperature detection means Tm1 and Tm2 arranged on both sides.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the meandering of the fixing belt 34 and the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2, and the temperature distribution in the width direction of the fixing belt 34. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 3A, since the meandering is not generated in the fixing belt 34, the detected temperatures of the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 are the same. In FIG. 3B, the fixing belt 34 meanders to the temperature detection means Tm1 side, and the temperature detection means Tm1 side has a lower detection temperature than the temperature detection means Tm2 side. This is because the width of the fixing belt 34 to be heated increases on the temperature detecting means Tm1 side. On the contrary, on the temperature detection means Tm2 side, since the width of the fixing belt 34 to be heated is reduced, the detected temperature is higher than that on the temperature detection means Tm1 side. In FIG. 3C, the fixing belt 34 meanders toward the temperature detecting means Tm2, and the width of the fixing belt 34 to be heated increases, so that the temperature detecting means Tm2 side has a lower detection temperature than the temperature detecting means Tm1 side. Become.

  If the temperature difference between both sides of the fixing belt 34 exceeds 10 degrees, the balance of the fixing properties (fixing strength and offset resistance) at both ends of the recording paper is lost, so if the detected temperature difference between the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 exceeds 10 degrees. The belt position correction operation is performed by the belt position correction roller 100.

  Next, the influence of the detected temperature difference in the width direction of the fixing belt 34 on the fixing property (fixing strength and offset resistance) and the recording paper (paper discharge stacking property and paper damage) will be described.

  Regarding the fixing strength, lightly fold the solid image portion of the fixed recording paper so that it is bent, roll a cylindrical roller having a weight of 100 g, a diameter of 10 cm, and a height (width) of 2 cm to create a crease, and then the recording paper. The folds of the folds were spread out and the shed toner was removed with a clean waste. The case where toner separation was not confirmed was good, and the case where toner separation was confirmed was regarded as poor.

  With respect to hot offset resistance, it is visually confirmed whether or not the toner adhering to the fixing belt 34 is retransferred to the recording paper, and the case where it is not retransferred is regarded as good, and the case where it is retransferred is regarded as defective. did.

As shown in Table 1, when the detected temperature difference in the width direction of the fixing belt 34 exceeds 10 degrees, the melting method of the toner is different on both sides, and the fixing strength is poor on the lower detected temperature side. Regarding the hot offset resistance, the toner did not melt sufficiently on the low detection temperature side, and low temperature offset occurred.

As for the recording paper, if the detected temperature difference in the width direction of the fixing belt 34 exceeds 10 degrees, curling of one end of the discharged recording paper occurs, and the recording paper is stacked on the paper discharge tray 59 in an orderly manner. As a result, the paper stacking performance was poor. Regarding the paper damage, the recording paper was skewed in the horizontal direction, laterally shifted, and wrinkled, resulting in paper damage and failure. The belt position correcting operation of the fixing belt 34 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the detected temperature difference between the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 is determined as judging means: Tm1> Tm2 + 10 ° C., it is judged that the fixing belt 34 meanders to the temperature detecting means Tm2 side, and the belt position correcting operation (correction X) is performed. Do.

  In the belt position correction roller 100 of FIG. 2, the correction X is performed by displacing the temperature detection means Tm2 side in the X direction by using a drive means (not shown) with the temperature detection means Tm1 side as a fulcrum. By doing so, the fixing belt 34 is returned to the temperature detecting means Tm1 side. The correction X is continued until the detected temperature difference between the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 becomes 10 degrees or less. When the temperature difference becomes 10 degrees or less, the belt position correcting roller 100 is moved as shown in FIG. Return the belt to the position where no meandering occurs.

  Conversely, when the determination means: Tm2> Tm1 + 10 ° C., it is determined that the fixing belt 34 meanders to the temperature detection means Tm1 side, and the belt position correction roller 100 performs a belt position correction operation (correction Z). .

In the belt position correction roller 100 of FIG. 2, the correction Z is displaced in the Z direction by the drive means (not shown) with the temperature detection means Tm1 side as a fulcrum. By doing so, the fixing belt 34 is returned to the temperature detecting means Tm2 side. The correction Z is continued until the detected temperature difference between the temperature detection means Tm1 and Tm2 becomes 10 degrees or less. When the temperature difference becomes 10 degrees or less, the belt position correction roller 100 is moved as shown in FIG. Return the belt to the position where no meandering occurs.
When the detected temperature difference between the temperature detecting means Tm1 and Tm2 is 10 degrees or less, the belt position correcting operation is not performed.

  The method of correcting the meandering of the belt is not limited to the above method, and various methods such as displacing one of a plurality of support members supporting the fixing belt 34 in the axial direction can be applied. is there.

  Since the image forming apparatus includes the fixing device, the surface temperature of the fixing belt 34 can be accurately detected, and the fixing belt 34 can be stably conveyed without meandering in the width direction. The reliability of the fixing belt 34 can be improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of horizontal skew, lateral shift and wrinkle of the recording paper, and it is possible to obtain an image with good linearity of the line drawing without causing horizontal shift of the image. There can be provided an image forming apparatus.

A apparatus main body B document reading apparatus 1 laser exposure apparatus 2 developing apparatus 3 photosensitive drum 4 cleaner apparatus 5 charger 6 transfer roller 7 intermediate transfer belt 8 intermediate transfer belt apparatus 9 intermediate transfer belt cleaning apparatus 10 paper feed tray 11 secondary transfer Device 11a Transfer roller 12 Fixing device 14 Registration roller 15 Paper discharge tray 17 Paper discharge roller 18 Paper transport device 21 Intermediate transfer belt drive roller 22 Driven roller 31 Pressure roller 32 Fixing roller 33 Heating roller 34 Fixing belt Tm1 Temperature detecting means Tm2 Temperature Detection means 41 Document set tray 44 Pickup roller 49 Registration roller 51 Reading guide 52 Reading glass 53 First scanning unit 54 Second scanning unit 55 Imaging lens 56 CCD
59 Output tray 100 Belt position correction roller

Claims (7)

A fixing device including an endless fixing belt supported by a plurality of support members,
The fixing device includes a temperature detection unit disposed on both sides of the fixing belt, a determination unit that determines that the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit exceeds a predetermined temperature difference, and a determination result of the determination unit A fixing device comprising correction means for correcting meandering of the fixing belt.   The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of support members is a member used for the correction unit.   The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature detection unit is a unit that detects a surface temperature of the fixing belt.   In a fixing device including an endless fixing belt supported by a plurality of supporting members, an operation for correcting meandering of the fixing belt when a temperature difference between temperature detecting means disposed on both sides of the fixing belt exceeds a predetermined temperature And a fixing device control method. The fixing device control method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined temperature is 10 degrees.   An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 1.   An image forming method comprising the fixing device control method according to claim 4.