JP2017215430A - Fixing device and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device that can improve cleaning performance of cleaning mechanisms without reducing the working efficiency of an image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A fixing device 10 comprises: a pair of roller members 11; a pair of peeling pawls 12; and a pair of cleaning mechanisms 13. The peeling pawls 12 can be switched to be separated from or in contact with the roller members 11. In a cleaning mode of removing a residual toner T accumulated between the roller members 11 and peeling pawls 12, the peeling pawls 12 are separated from the roller members 11 after the start of rotation of the roller members 11, and cleaning mechanisms 13 perform cleaning of the roller members 11 while the peeling pawls 12 are separated from the roller members 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing device having a sheet peeling mechanism and a cleaning mechanism, and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device.

  In a fixing device that peels a sheet from a rotating member (such as a heating roller) using a peeling member, toner may remain between the peeling member and the rotating member, and this residual toner needs to be removed. A general residual toner removing method in a conventional fixing device is to provide a cleaning mechanism in contact with a rotating member. When the residual toner accumulated between the peeling member and the rotating member exceeds a certain amount, the toner is separated from the peeling member, conveyed to the cleaning mechanism by the rotating member, and collected by the cleaning mechanism.

  Further, Patent Document 1 discloses that residual toner between the peeling member and the pressure roller is attached to the peeling member side, and the separation member is moved away from the pressure roller and brought into contact so that the residual toner attached to the peeling member. A fixing device is disclosed in which the toner is dropped.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that a cleaning member provided so as to abut on a fixing rotation member (a heating roller or a pressure roller) is provided, and control is performed to repeat a plurality of cleaning mode cycles after completion of image formation. ing.

JP 2008-225223 A JP 2004-271710 A

  However, in the conventional method in which the residual toner on the rotating member is collected by the cleaning mechanism, some residual toner may pass through the cleaning mechanism, resulting in dirt (residual toner) that cannot be cleaned. The dirt that could not be cleaned reattaches to the peeling member or is stretched by the peeling member on the rotating member, making it more difficult to clean and moving to the paper, causing dirt. It was.

  In Patent Document 1, after control (for example, temperature control of the pressure roller) for attaching the residual toner between the peeling member and the pressure roller to the peeling member side is performed, The residual toner is removed. However, the above-described configuration in Patent Document 1 is a configuration that is applied to a pressure roller that is considered to have less residual toner adhering to the heating roller. Also in the fixing device of Patent Document 1, the heating roller needs to be collected by a cleaning mechanism as in the conventional case. For this reason, the subject similar to the said conventional method exists.

  Patent Document 2 is a technique for improving the cleaning performance, but it takes time to perform the cleaning mode as described above. For this reason, when the cleaning mode is performed for each image forming operation in the image forming apparatus, the work efficiency of the image forming apparatus is deteriorated and it is difficult to realize the cleaning mode.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a fixing device and an image forming apparatus capable of improving the cleaning performance of the cleaning mechanism without reducing the working efficiency of the image forming apparatus. And

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a fixing conveyance unit that has at least one rotating member and conveys a recording sheet sandwiched between fixing nips, and a recording sheet wound around the surface of the rotating member. A fixing device including a peeling member to be peeled off and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the rotating member, wherein the peeling member is switchable between separation and contact with the rotating member, A cleaning mode for cleaning residual toner accumulated between the rotating member and the cleaning member; in the cleaning mode, after the rotation of the rotating member starts, the separating member is separated from the rotating member; The cleaning mechanism cleans the rotating member in a separated state.

  According to the above configuration, by separating the peeling member from the rotating member while the rotating member is rotated, dirt (residual toner) can be efficiently removed from the peeling member, and the cleaning performance of the cleaning mechanism can be improved. it can. Further, when the cleaning mechanism cleans the rotating member in a state where the peeling member is separated, it is possible to prevent reattachment of dirt to the peeling member and extension of dirt by the peeling member.

  In the cleaning mode of the fixing device, the rotating member may be rotated one or more times with the peeling member being separated. Thereby, at least one cleaning can be performed on the entire circumference of the rotating member.

  In the fixing device, the fixing conveyance unit includes a heating roller and a pressure roller, and the peeling member and the cleaning mechanism are provided in at least one of the heating roller and the pressure roller. can do.

  In the fixing device, the fixing conveyance unit includes a fixing belt and a pressure roller, and the peeling member and the cleaning mechanism are provided on at least one of the fixing belt and the pressure roller. can do.

  Further, in the fixing device, the fixing conveying unit includes a heating roller and a pressure pad, and the peeling member and the cleaning mechanism may be provided on the heating roller.

  In the fixing device, the cleaning mechanism is configured to bring the cleaning unit into contact with the rotating member to wipe off the toner on the surface of the rotating member, and the contact surface of the cleaning unit with the rotating member. Can be changed to a new surface, and the cleaning mechanism can change the contact surface of the cleaning unit to a new surface after the end of the cleaning mode.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes any one of the fixing devices described above.

  The image forming apparatus may be configured to perform the cleaning mode every time the operation of the fixing device starts.

  The cleaning mode of the present invention has high cleaning efficiency, and can be completed by only rotating the rotating member several times. For this reason, the time required for the cleaning mode is short, and the work efficiency of the image forming apparatus is not reduced even if it is performed every time the operation of the fixing device is started.

  The fixing device and the image forming apparatus of the present invention can efficiently remove the dirt (residual toner) from the peeling member and improve the cleaning performance in the cleaning mechanism. In addition, it is possible to prevent reattachment of dirt to the peeling member and extension of dirt by the peeling member.

2A and 2B are schematic configuration diagrams of a fixing device according to a first embodiment, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a normal operation state, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state during a residual toner removing operation. 6 is a timing chart for explaining an operation in a cleaning mode in the fixing device according to the first embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the peeling nail | claw and its separation / contact mechanism from the direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft direction of a roller member. It is a figure which shows the contact location vicinity of a roller member and a peeling nail | claw, and is the figure seen from the rotating shaft direction of the roller member. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device according to a second embodiment, and shows a configuration in which a peeling claw and a cleaning mechanism are provided only on a heating roller. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device according to a second embodiment, and shows a configuration in which a peeling claw and a cleaning mechanism are provided only on a pressure roller. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a modification of the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a modification of the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device 10 according to the first embodiment, where (a) shows a normal operation state, and (b) shows a state during a residual toner removing operation.

  The fixing device 10 includes a heating roller 11A and a pressure roller 11B as a pair of rotating members. The heating roller 11A and the pressure roller 11B function as a fixing conveyance unit that conveys the recording paper P with the fixing nip portion interposed therebetween. By applying heat and pressure to the conveyed recording paper P, the recording paper P The toner image transferred above is fixed. The heating roller 11A has a heater lamp such as a halogen heater (not shown) inside. The heating roller 11A is a driving roller driven by a fixing motor, and the pressure roller 11B is a driven roller that rotates following the heating roller 11A. In the following description, the heating roller 11A and the pressure roller 11B may be collectively referred to as a roller member 11.

  Each of the heating roller 11 </ b> A and the pressure roller 11 </ b> B is provided with a peeling claw (peeling member) 12 and a cleaning mechanism 13 so as to contact the surface of the roller member 11. The peeling claw 12 is disposed downstream of the fixing nip portion in the paper conveyance direction, and has a function of peeling the recording paper P wound around the surface of the roller member 11. Further, in the fixing device 10 according to the first exemplary embodiment, the peeling claw 12 is configured to be able to be separated and contacted with the surface of the roller member 11.

  The cleaning mechanism 13 is provided on the downstream side of the peeling claw 12 in the rotation direction of the roller member 11 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1). The cleaning mechanism 13 includes a web sheet (cleaning unit) 131, a feed roller 132, a take-up roller 133, and a pressure roller 134. The web sheet 131 is made of a thin (around 40 μm thick) cloth impregnated with oil (silicone oil). The feed roller 132 is a roller around which the web sheet 131 is wound, and can feed the web sheet 131 toward the take-up roller 133. The take-up roller 133 can take up the web sheet 131 fed from the feed roller 132. The pressure roller 134 presses the web sheet 131 against the roller member 11 between the feed roller 132 and the take-up roller 133. As a result, the web sheet 131 wipes and removes residual toner adhering to the surface of the roller member 11.

  Further, the feed roller 132 and the take-up roller 133 are rotated by a predetermined amount at a predetermined timing, the web sheet 131 part (contact surface) that contacts the roller member 11 is renewed, and the residual toner due to the new web sheet 131 part. Allows removal. However, the cleaning mechanism 13 in the present invention is not limited to the above example, and the configuration thereof is not particularly limited as long as the residual toner on the roller member 11 can be removed.

  In the fixing device 10 configured as described above, the recording paper P wound around the heating roller 11 </ b> A is forcibly separated by the separation claw 12. At this time, the molten toner adhering to the heating roller 11A side adheres to the peeling claw 12. The toner adhering to the peeling claw 12 is accumulated as a residual toner T between the peeling claw 12 and the heating roller 11A as shown in FIG. In the case of the conventional fixing device, the residual toner T is separated from the peeling claw 12 when a certain amount is accumulated in the peeling claw 12, reversely transferred to the heating roller 11 </ b> A, reaches the cleaning mechanism 13, and is collected by the cleaning mechanism 13. .

  In the case of double-sided printing, since the toner image is also present on the pressure roller 11B side of the recording paper P, when the recording paper P passes through the fixing nip portion, the surface temperature of the pressure roller 11B and the fixing nip portion are reduced. The toner image is in a semi-molten state by the applied pressure. This semi-molten toner adheres also to the pressure roller 11B side, and is accumulated as residual toner T between the peeling claw 12 and the pressure roller 11B. The residual toner T on the pressure roller 11B side is also collected by the cleaning mechanism 13.

  When the speed of the image forming apparatus increases and the number of sheets to be printed increases, the amount of molten toner that comes off from the peeling claw 12 also increases, causing a problem that the web sheet 131 of the cleaning mechanism 13 slips through. Therefore, the cleaning of the roller member 11 may be incomplete. In the conventional fixing device, since the peeling claw 12 is always in contact with the roller member 11, the toner that has passed through the cleaning mechanism 13 reattaches to the peeling claw 12 or is pulled on the roller member 11 by the peeling claw 12. In other words, the cleaning becomes difficult.

  The fixing device 10 according to the first exemplary embodiment is characterized by executing a cleaning mode (hereinafter referred to as a main cleaning mode) by the following operation in order to improve the cleaning performance of the cleaning mechanism 13. The operation in this cleaning mode will be described with reference to FIG. 2, (a) is an ON / OFF timing of a heater lamp that is a heat source of the heating roller 11A, (b) is a rotation / stop timing of a fixing motor that drives the heating roller 11A, and (c) to (d) are rollers. This is the separation / contact timing of the peeling claw 12 with respect to the member 11.

  In this cleaning mode, as the most characteristic operation, the peeling claw 12 is separated from the roller member 11 after the rotation of the fixing motor (that is, the rotation of the roller member 11) is started (see FIG. 1B). That is, when the fixing motor is rotated at time t1, the peeling claw 12 is separated from the roller member 11 at time t2 after that. This operation is effective for detaching the residual toner T accumulated between the peeling claw 12 and the roller member 11 shown in FIG. The separation / contact operation of the peeling claw 12 may be controlled based on the operation (rotation) timing of the roller member 11.

  As described above, even in the conventional fixing device, the residual toner T accumulated between the peeling claw 12 and the roller member 11 can be accumulated without separating the peeling claw 12 from the roller member 11. When it becomes a certain amount, it will be released from the peeling claw 12 naturally. On the other hand, in this cleaning mode, the separation claw 12 is separated from the roller member 11 while the roller member 11 is rotated, whereby the separation of the residual toner T from the separation claw 12 is promoted. That is, the residual toner T is detached at an earlier stage (a stage where the accumulation of the residual toner T is smaller) as compared with the conventional method.

  Thereby, in this cleaning mode, the residual toner T is detached from the peeling claw 12 at a stage where the accumulation of the residual toner T is smaller than that in the conventional method, and the residual toner T which has been separated is collected by the cleaning mechanism 13. At this time, since the amount of the residual toner T that has been detached is small, slipping from the cleaning mechanism 13 hardly occurs. Further, after separating the peeling claw 12 from the roller member 11, the roller member 11 is rotated in a state where the peeling claw 12 is separated. As a result, even if there is residual toner T that has passed through the cleaning mechanism 13, the residual toner T is not reattached to the peeling claw 12 and is not stretched by the peeling claw 12 on the roller member 11. The cleaning is not difficult. Therefore, the fixing device 10 according to the first embodiment can improve the cleaning performance of the cleaning mechanism 13 by performing the cleaning mode.

  It is also effective to raise the temperature of the roller member 11 in order to further promote the separation of the residual toner T from the peeling claw 12. For this reason, in the timing chart shown in FIG. 2, the heater lamp inside the heating roller 11A is turned on at time t0 before time t1 when rotation of the fixing motor starts. In order to facilitate the recovery of the residual toner T by the cleaning mechanism 13, it is desirable to raise the temperature of the roller member 11 so that the residual toner T on the surface of the roller member 11 is in a molten or semi-molten state. For this reason, it is desirable to keep the heater lamp in the ON state during the execution of this cleaning mode.

  Further, in this cleaning mode, the roller member 11 is rotated a predetermined number of times (at least one rotation or more) with the separation claw 12 being separated, but the cleaning performance in the cleaning mechanism 13 (residual toner recovery per one rotation of the roller member 11). By improving the rate, sufficient cleaning can be performed even with roller rotation with a small number of times (about 2 to 5 rotations). For this reason, even when compared with the cleaning mode disclosed in Patent Document 2, the time for performing this cleaning mode per time is extremely short. Therefore, even if the execution frequency of the cleaning mode is increased, the working efficiency of the image forming apparatus is not reduced.

  When this cleaning mode ends, the heater lamp and the fixing motor are turned off, and the peeling claw 12 is brought into contact with the roller member 11 again. However, these timings do not need to be exactly the same. For example, the timing at which the peeling claw 12 contacts the roller member 11 may be earlier (see FIG. 2C) or later (see FIG. 2E) than the timing at which the fixing motor is turned off. Further, during the execution of this cleaning mode, the peeling claw 12 may be repeatedly separated / contacted with the roller member 11 (see FIG. 2D). However, the continuous separation period of the peeling claw 12 in this case is a period during which the roller member 11 rotates at least once. Alternatively, after the cleaning is completed, the heater claw and the fixing motor may be turned on, the peeling claw may be brought into contact, and the process may proceed to the fixing operation. Thereby, the time loss due to the cleaning can be further reduced.

  In the fixing device 10, after the end of the main cleaning mode, the feeding roller 132 and the take-up roller 133 may be rotated in the cleaning mechanism 13 to renew the web sheet 131 portion that contacts the roller member 11.

  The fixing device 10 described above performs the separation / contact operation of the peeling claw 12 during the execution of the main cleaning mode. For this reason, it is necessary for the peeling claw 12 to have a structure capable of separating and contacting. An example of the structure that enables the separation claw 12 to be separated and connected will be described with reference to FIGS. However, the structure that enables the separation claw 12 to be separated and connected is not limited to the following example.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the separation claw 12 and the separation / contact mechanism 14 that separates the separation claw 12 from the roller member 11, and is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the roller member 11 (not shown in FIG. 3). It is the figure seen from. In FIG. 3, (a) shows the contact state of the peeling claw 12 and (b) shows the separated state of the peeling claw 12. FIG. 4 is a view showing the vicinity of the contact portion between the roller member 11 and the peeling claw 12 and is a view seen from the rotation axis direction of the roller member 11. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of peeling claws 12 are provided along the rotation axis direction of the roller member 11. As shown in FIG. 4, each peeling claw 12 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 12 a. The peeling claw 12 is biased in a direction in contact with the roller member 11 by a biasing member (not shown) (for example, a torsion spring).

  The separation / contact mechanism 14 includes a solenoid 141, a movable shaft 142, and a contact member 143. The solenoid 141 is connected to the movable shaft 142, and the movable shaft 142 is translated in the axial direction (the left-right method in FIG. 3) by the ON / OFF control of the solenoid 141. A plurality of contact members 143 are fixedly attached to the movable shaft 142, and the contact members 143 also move in parallel with the movement of the movable shaft 142. A plurality of abutting members 143 are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of peeling claws 12 on a one-to-one basis, and are arranged to abut a part of the peeling claws 12. The contact surface of each contact member 143 with respect to the peeling claw 12 is an inclined surface 143 a that is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the contact member 143.

  In the contact state shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A, the solenoid 141 is OFF, and the peeling claw 12 contacts the roller member 11 by the biasing force of the biasing member. When the solenoid 141 is turned on from this state, the movable shaft 142 and the contact member 143 move, and accordingly, the peeling claw 12 enters the separated state shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B. That is, when the contact member 143 moves in parallel, a part of the peeling claw 12 is pushed by the inclined surface 143a of the contact member 143, and the peeling claw 12 rotates around the rotation shaft 12a against the urging force. In a separated state.

  Thus, in the configuration of the peeling claw 12 and the separation / contact mechanism 14 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the separation / contact state of the separation claw 12 can be switched by ON / OFF control of the solenoid 141.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, the peeling claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided on both the heating roller 11A and the pressure roller 11B, and the cleaning mode is performed on both the heating roller 11A and the pressure roller 11B. Illustrated.

  In contrast, in the second embodiment, the peeling claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided on one of the heating roller 11A and the pressure roller 11B, and the roller member 11 on the side where the peeling claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided. This cleaning mode is performed for the above.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which the peeling claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided only on the heating roller 11A. FIG. 6 shows a configuration in which the peeling claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided only on the pressure roller 11B.

[Embodiment 3]
The third embodiment relates to an image forming apparatus including the fixing device 10 described in the first or second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a main body 110, a document reading unit 120, and a document conveying device 130. The main body 110 has an image forming unit for printing an image on a recording sheet. The document reading unit 120 is arranged above the main body unit 110 and reads a document when copying the document. In the automatic reading mode, the document conveying device 130 sequentially conveys the document placed on the document setting tray toward the document placing table of the document reading unit 120.

  The image data handled in the image forming apparatus 100 uses data corresponding to a color image using each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), or a single color (for example, black). This is in accordance with the monochrome image. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 includes four image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd associated with black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Each image station Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd forms a toner image corresponding to the image data using a known electrophotographic technique.

  The toner images formed at the image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are sequentially transferred and superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 20. As a result, a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 20. The color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 20 is transferred onto the recording paper, and the recording paper is heated and pressurized by the fixing device 10 to fix the color toner image on the recording paper.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a color image forming apparatus having a plurality of image stations, but may be a monochrome image forming apparatus having a single image station.

  The fixing device 10 used in the image forming apparatus 100 has a lifetime, and the performance of the fixing device 10 gradually deteriorates. For this reason, for example, when the operation time of the fixing device 10 or the number of fixing processes reaches a certain value, it is considered that the life of the fixing device 10 has been reached, and the fixing device 10 is replaced. The fixing device 10 is unitized in order to facilitate the replacement work, and can be easily replaced for each unit with respect to the image forming apparatus 100.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, by performing the cleaning mode described in the first and second embodiments in the fixing device 10, the cleaning performance in the cleaning mechanism can be improved without reducing the work efficiency of the image forming apparatus. .

  In this cleaning mode, the controller that performs ON / OFF control of the heater lamp that is a heat source of the heating roller 11A, rotation / stop control of the fixing motor, and separation / contact control of the peeling claw 12 is unitized fixing. The apparatus 10 itself may be provided. In this case, upon receiving a cleaning execution command from the main control unit provided in the image forming apparatus 100, the control unit provided in the fixing device 10 controls the operation of the heater lamp, the fixing motor, and the peeling claw 12. Alternatively, the main control unit included in the image forming apparatus 100 may directly control the operation of the heater lamp, the fixing motor, and the peeling claw 12.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 100, the main cleaning mode can be performed every time the operation of the fixing device 10 starts (every time when a print job starts in the image forming apparatus 100). Since this cleaning mode can be performed in a shorter time compared to the conventional cleaning mode (for example, the cleaning mode disclosed in Patent Document 2), the image forming apparatus can be executed even when the fixing device 10 is started each time the operation is started. A decrease in work efficiency can be avoided. Further, by increasing the frequency of performing this cleaning mode, it is possible to cause the residual toner T to be detached from the peeling claw 12 at a stage where the accumulation of the residual toner T is less. Thereby, slipping out of the cleaning mechanism 13 is less likely to occur, and the cleaning performance in the cleaning mechanism 13 can be further improved.

  In the above description of the first to third embodiments, the pair of rotating members that function as the fixing and conveying means are both roller members, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, shown in FIG. Thus, a pair of one roller member and one belt member may be used. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 8, the fixing belt unit 15 is used instead of the heating roller 11A for the fixing device 10 shown in FIG. The fixing belt unit 15 includes a fixing roller 151, a heating roller 152, and a fixing belt 151 and a fixing belt 153 stretched over the heating roller 152. When the fixing conveyance means is the fixing belt 153 and the pressure roller 11B, the separation claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided on at least one of the fixing belt 153 and the pressure roller 11B, and the side on which the separation claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided. This cleaning mode can be performed on these members.

  Alternatively, the fixing conveyance unit may be a combination of one roller member and one pad member as shown in FIG. 9 instead of a pair of rotating members. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 9, the pressure pad 16 is used instead of the pressure roller 11B in the fixing device 10 shown in FIG. In this case, the peeling claw 12 and the cleaning mechanism 13 are provided for the heating roller 11A.

  The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and do not serve as a basis for limited interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted only by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the description of the scope of claims. Moreover, all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim are included.

10 Fixing Device 11 Roller Member (Fixing Conveying Means, Rotating Member)
11A Heating roller (fixing and conveying means, rotating member)
11B Pressure roller (fixing and conveying means, rotating member)
12 Peeling nail (peeling member)
13 Cleaning mechanism 131 Web sheet (cleaning part)
132 Feeding roller 133 Winding roller 134 Pressure roller 14 Separating / contacting mechanism 15 Fixing belt means 151 Fixing roller 152 Heating roller 153 Fixing belt (fixing conveying means, rotating member)
16 Pressure pad (fixing transport means)
100 Image forming apparatus T Residual toner

Claims (8)

A fixing conveyance unit that has at least one rotating member and conveys the recording paper with the fixing nip interposed therebetween, a peeling member that peels off the recording paper wound around the surface of the rotating member, and cleaning the rotating member A fixing device including a cleaning mechanism,
The separation member can be switched between separation and contact with the rotating member,
A cleaning mode for cleaning residual toner accumulated between the rotating member and the peeling member;
In the cleaning mode, after the rotation of the rotating member starts, the separation member is separated from the rotation member, and the cleaning mechanism cleans the rotation member in a state where the separation member is separated. The fixing device according to claim 1,
In the cleaning mode, the rotation member is rotated one or more times with the separation member being separated. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein:
The fixing conveyance means includes a heating roller and a pressure roller,
The fixing device, wherein the peeling member and the cleaning mechanism are provided on at least one of the heating roller and the pressure roller. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein:
The fixing conveyance means includes a fixing belt and a pressure roller,
The fixing device, wherein the peeling member and the cleaning mechanism are provided on at least one of the fixing belt and the pressure roller. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein:
The fixing conveyance means includes a heating roller and a pressure pad,
The fixing device, wherein the peeling member and the cleaning mechanism are provided on the heating roller. A fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The cleaning mechanism is configured to bring the cleaning unit into contact with the rotating member to wipe off the toner on the surface of the rotating member, and the contact surface with the rotating member in the cleaning unit can be changed to a new surface. And
The fixing device, wherein after the cleaning mode ends, the cleaning mechanism changes the contact surface of the cleaning unit to a new surface.   An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning mode is performed every time the operation of the fixing device is started.

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