JP2023138284A - Heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent the generation of fine particles.SOLUTION: A heating device comprises: a rotating body 21 that is held rotatably; a heat source 23 that heats the rotating body 21; rotating body holding members 27 that hold both ends in a longitudinal direction of the rotating body 21; and a liquid or semi-solid material that is adhered to the rotating body holding members 27 and has lubricity. The rotating body holding member 27 has a reflecting part 36 that reflects radiation heat emitted from the heat source 23 at a portion irradiated at least with the radiation heat, and the reflecting part 36 has a reflectance of 60% or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a heating device, a fixing device, and an image forming device.

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of a heating device installed in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a fixing device is known that heats a recording medium such as paper to fix an unfixed image on the recording medium to the recording medium.

In such a fixing device, sliding that occurs between members such as a nip forming member and a belt holding member (for example, see Patent Document 1 below) that slide relative to a rotating body such as a belt, and the rotating body. In order to reduce dynamic resistance, a lubricating substance such as oil or grease (hereinafter referred to as a "lubricant") is generally used. A substance having lubricating properties refers to a substance that is present between parts and reduces the frictional resistance between the parts.

Overseas, especially in Europe, concern about the environment is very high, and image forming devices such as copiers, multifunction devices, and printers that use electrophotographic processes also emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ozone during image formation. There are various certification standards for , dust, fine particles, etc., and especially in German government research institutes, there is an eco-label system called "Blue Angel Mark", which allows only certified products and services to use the label. .

Even if a product is not certified with the Blue Angel Mark, it does not mean that it cannot be sold, but the fact that it is not certified is often perceived as a product that is not environmentally friendly. This tendency is particularly strong in public offices. Therefore, the presence or absence of Blue Angel Mark certification has a significant impact on product sales.

To receive the "Blue Angel Mark" certification, a product must pass a variety of tests, but the particulate test is particularly demanding. Specifically, when fine particles of 5.6 nm to 560 nm generated from an image forming apparatus are measured using a particle counter FMPS (Fast Mobility Particle Sizer), the number of fine particles obtained is 3.5 × 10 ¹¹ pieces/10 It is expected that the standards will become even stricter in the future. In this case, the number of fine particles does not depend on the type and state of the substance forming the fine particles, for example, there is no distinction between inorganic/organic matter, and there is no distinction between solid/liquid (mist). Only the size and number of fine particles are relevant.

It is said that fine particles are generated from various components that make up an image forming apparatus, but since the amount of fine particles generated increases significantly when only the fixing device is activated, it is assumed that the fixing device is the main cause of fine particle generation. It is known that In fact, when the aforementioned lubricants are heated to high temperatures, particulates are detected, so the lubricants are one of the sources of particulates. It is believed that by heating a lubricant to a high temperature, a small portion of the lubricant's components evaporate as a high-temperature gas, which is then cooled and condensed to form fine particles. There is a need to prevent lubricants from being exposed to high-temperature environments and to suppress the generation of fine particles from image forming apparatuses.

The present invention aims to suppress the generation of fine particles.

In order to solve the above problems, a heating device according to the present invention includes a rotating body that is rotatably held, a heat source that heats the rotating body, and a rotating body holding member that holds both longitudinal ends of the rotating body. and a liquid or semi-solid lubricating substance that adheres to the rotating body holding member, and the rotating body holding member has a portion that is irradiated with at least the radiant heat emitted from the heating source. The device is characterized in that it has a reflective part that reflects , and the reflectance of the reflective part is 60% or more.

According to the present invention, generation of fine particles can be suppressed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the center of the fixing device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fixing device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the end portion of the fixing device according to the present embodiment taken along the longitudinal direction of the fixing belt. It is a sectional view showing a modification of a belt holding member. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the reflectance of the reflective section and the temperature rise of the belt holding member. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between printing speed and the number of fine particles generated. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of another fixing device to which the present invention is applicable. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the fixing device shown in FIG. 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the configuration of yet another fixing device to which the present invention is applicable. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing device shown in FIG. 10 taken along the longitudinal direction of the fixing belt. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of a lubricant and the concentration of fine particles generated. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sample container. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an end portion of a conventional fixing device taken along the longitudinal direction of a fixing belt. 1 is a diagram showing one form of an inkjet image forming apparatus including a drying device. It is a figure showing an example of a drying device. 1 is a diagram showing one form of an image forming apparatus including a lamination processing device.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each drawing for explaining the present invention, components such as members and components having the same function or shape are given the same reference numerals as much as possible so that they can be distinguished. Omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the "image forming apparatus" in this specification includes a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printing machine, or a multifunction machine that combines two or more of these. Furthermore, "image formation" used in the following description means not only forming images with meaning such as characters and figures, but also forming images without meaning such as patterns. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration and operation of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming section 200 that forms an image on a sheet-like recording medium such as paper, a fixing section 300 that fixes the image on the recording medium, The apparatus includes a recording medium supply section 400 that supplies a recording medium to the image forming section 200, and a recording medium discharge section 500 that discharges the recording medium to the outside of the apparatus.

The image forming section 200 includes four process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk as image forming units, and an exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 2 provided in each process unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk. 6, and a transfer device 8 for transferring an image onto a recording medium.

Each process unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk has basically the same configuration except that it contains toner (developer) of different colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black corresponding to the color separation components of a color image. be. Specifically, each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk includes a photoreceptor 2 as an image carrier that carries an image on its surface, a charging member 3 that charges the surface of the photoreceptor 2, and a charging member 3 that charges the surface of the photoreceptor 2. The photoreceptor 2 includes a developing device 4 that supplies toner as a developer to form a toner image, and a cleaning member 5 that cleans the surface of the photoreceptor 2.

The transfer device 8 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11, a primary transfer roller 12, and a secondary transfer roller 13. The intermediate transfer belt 11 is an endless belt member, and is stretched by a plurality of support rollers. Four primary transfer rollers 12 are provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 11. Each primary transfer roller 12 contacts each photoreceptor 2 via the intermediate transfer belt 11, thereby forming a primary transfer nip between the intermediate transfer belt 11 and each photoreceptor 2. The secondary transfer roller 13 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 to form a secondary transfer nip.

The fixing unit 300 is provided with a fixing device 20 as a heating device that heats the recording medium onto which the image has been transferred. The fixing device 20 includes a fixing belt 21 that heats an image on a recording medium, a pressure roller 22 that contacts the fixing belt 21, and forms a nip (fixing nip), and the like.

The recording medium supply section 400 is provided with a paper feed cassette 14 that accommodates paper P as a recording medium, and a paper feed roller 15 that feeds the paper P from the paper feed cassette 14. Hereinafter, the "recording medium" will be explained as "paper," but the "recording medium" is not limited to paper. The "recording medium" includes not only paper but also an OHP sheet or cloth, a metal sheet, a plastic film, a prepreg sheet in which carbon fiber is pre-impregnated with a resin, and the like. In addition to plain paper, "paper" also includes cardboard, postcards, envelopes, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), tracing paper, and the like.

The recording medium ejecting section 500 is provided with a pair of paper ejection rollers 17 for ejecting the paper P out of the image forming apparatus, and a paper ejection tray 18 on which the paper P ejected by the paper ejection rollers 17 is placed.

Next, the printing operation of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

When a printing operation is started in the image forming apparatus 100, the photoreceptors 2 of each process unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk and the intermediate transfer belt 11 of the transfer device 8 start rotating. Further, the paper feed roller 15 starts rotating, and the paper P is sent out from the paper feed cassette 14. The fed paper P comes into contact with the pair of timing rollers 16 and comes to rest, and the conveyance of the paper P is temporarily stopped until an image to be transferred to the paper P is formed.

In each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, first, the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is charged to a uniform high potential by the charging member 3. Next, the exposure device 6 exposes the surface (charged surface) of each photoreceptor 2 based on the image information of the document read by the document reading device or the print image information instructed to print from the terminal. As a result, the potential of the exposed portion decreases, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of each photoreceptor 2. The developing device 4 supplies toner to this electrostatic latent image, and a toner image is formed on each photoreceptor 2. When the toner images formed on each photoreceptor 2 reach the primary transfer nip (the position of the primary transfer roller 12) as each photoreceptor 2 rotates, they are transferred onto the rotating intermediate transfer belt 11 so as to overlap one another. be done. In this way, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11. In addition, it is possible to form a monochrome image using any one of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, or to form a two-color or three-color image using any two or three process units. You can also Further, after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11, residual toner and the like on each photoreceptor 2 is removed by the cleaning member 5.

The toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11 is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip (the position of the secondary transfer roller 13) as the intermediate transfer belt 11 rotates, and onto the paper P conveyed by the timing roller 16. transcribed into. After that, the paper P is conveyed to the fixing device 20, and the toner image on the paper P is heated and pressed by the fixing belt 21 and the pressure roller 22, and the toner image is fixed on the paper P. Then, the paper P is conveyed to the recording medium discharge section 500 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 18 by the paper discharge roller 17. This completes the series of printing operations.

Next, the basic configuration of the fixing device according to this embodiment will be explained based on FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the center portion of the fixing device according to the present embodiment, taken at a longitudinal center portion M (see FIG. 3) of the fixing belt 21. As shown in FIG. Note that the "longitudinal direction" of the fixing belt here refers to the direction indicated by the arrow X in FIG. It means the same direction as the width direction of the paper (the direction that intersects with the paper conveyance direction) passing through the nip section. Furthermore, "longitudinal direction" in the following description has the same meaning.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixing device 20 according to the present embodiment includes, in addition to the fixing belt 21 and the pressure roller 22, a heater 23, a nip forming member 24, a stay 25, and a reflecting member 26 ( (see FIG. 2), a belt holding member 27 (see FIG. 3), and a temperature sensor 28 (see FIG. 2).

The fixing belt 21 is a rotating body (first rotating body or fixing member) that contacts the unfixed toner carrying surface of the paper P and fixes the unfixed toner (unfixed image) to the paper P.

Specifically, the fixing belt 21 is constituted by an endless belt in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a release layer are laminated in order from the inner peripheral surface side to the outer peripheral surface side. The base material has a layer thickness of 30 to 50 μm and is made of a metal material such as nickel or stainless steel, or a resin material such as polyimide. The elastic layer has a layer thickness of 100 to 300 μm and is made of a rubber material such as silicone rubber, foamable silicone rubber, or fluororubber. Since the fixing belt 21 has the elastic layer, minute irregularities are not formed on the surface of the fixing belt 21 in the nip portion, so that heat is easily transferred to the toner image on the paper P evenly. The release layer has a layer thickness of 10 to 50 μm and is made of PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), polyimide, polyetherimide, PES (polyether sulfide). It is made of materials such as Since the fixing belt 21 has a release layer, release properties (peelability) for the toner (toner image) are ensured. Further, in order to reduce the size and heat capacity of the fixing belt 21, it is preferable that the entire thickness is 1 mm or less and the diameter is 30 mm or less.

The pressure roller 22 is a rotating body (second rotating body or opposing member) that is arranged to face the outer circumferential surface of the fixing belt 21 .

Specifically, the pressure roller 22 includes a solid iron core material, an elastic layer provided on the outer peripheral surface of the core material, and a release layer provided on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer. The core material may be a hollow member. The elastic layer is made of silicone rubber, foamable silicone rubber, fluororubber, or the like. The release layer is made of fluororesin such as PFA or PTFE.

The heater 23 is a heat source that heats the fixing belt 21. In this embodiment, a halogen heater is used as the heater 23. In addition to the halogen heater, the heater 23 may be a radiant heater such as a carbon heater or a ceramic heater. Further, in this embodiment, two heaters 23 are arranged inside the fixing belt 21, but the number of heaters 23 may be one, three or more.

The nip forming member 24 is a member that is disposed inside the fixing belt 21 and forms a nip portion N between the fixing belt 21 and the pressure roller 22 by receiving the pressing force of the pressure roller 22. The nip forming member 24 has a base pad 29 and a sliding sheet 30.

The base pad 29 is arranged continuously in the longitudinal direction X of the fixing belt 21 and is fixed to the stay 25. The shape of the nip portion N is determined by the base pad 29 receiving the pressing force of the pressure roller 22. As the material for the base pad 29, it is preferable to use a heat-resistant member having a heat-resistant temperature of 200° C. or higher. For example, common heat-resistant materials such as polyether sulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polyether nitrile (PEN), polyamideimide (PAI), or polyether ether ketone (PEEK) Examples include polyester resins. By using such a heat-resistant material as the material for the base pad 29, thermal deformation of the base pad 29 in the fixing temperature range can be prevented, and the shape of the nip portion N can be stabilized. The shape of the nip portion N may be a concave shape as shown in FIG. 2, a flat shape, or another shape.

The sliding sheet 30 is a low-friction member interposed between the base pad 29 and the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 21 . Since the sliding sheet 30 is interposed between the base pad 29 and the fixing belt 21, the sliding resistance of the fixing belt 21 with respect to the base pad 29 is reduced. Note that if the base pad 29 itself is formed of a low-friction member, the sliding sheet 30 may not be provided.

The stay 25 is a support member that supports the nip forming member 24 from the side opposite to the pressure roller 22 side. Since the stay 25 supports the nip forming member 24, the deflection of the nip forming member 24 due to the pressure applied by the pressure roller 22 (particularly the deflection in the longitudinal direction of the fixing belt 21) is suppressed. As a result, a nip portion N having a uniform width can be obtained. The material of the stay 25 is preferably a ferrous metal material such as SUS or SECC in order to ensure rigidity.

The reflecting member 26 is a member that reflects radiant heat (infrared rays) emitted from the heater 23. The radiant heat emitted from the heater 23 is reflected to the fixing belt 21 by the reflecting member 26, so that the fixing belt 21 is efficiently heated. Further, the reflecting member 26 is interposed between the stay 25 and the heater 23 and also has the function of suppressing heat transfer to the stay 25. This makes it possible to suppress the flow of heat to members that do not directly contribute to fixing, thereby increasing the efficiency of energy consumption. As the material of the reflective member 26, a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel can be used. In particular, when the reflective member 26 is configured by depositing silver with high reflectance on the surface of an aluminum base material, the heating efficiency is further improved.

The belt holding members 27 are a pair of rotating body holding members that rotatably hold the fixing belt 21 . As shown in FIG. 3, the belt holding member 27 is inserted inside the fixing belt 21 at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and rotatably holds the fixing belt 21 from the inside. Note that "both ends in the longitudinal direction" of the fixing belt 21 here and "ends in the longitudinal direction" of the fixing belt 21 in the following description mean only the ends of the fixing belt 21 in the longitudinal direction. Not limited to cases. “Both ends in the longitudinal direction” and “ends in the longitudinal direction” include the end edge of the fixing belt 21 at the end in the longitudinal direction, as well as the end edge of the fixing belt 21 divided into three equal parts in the longitudinal direction. Any position within one length is also included. Therefore, the belt holding member 27 is used not only to hold an area including the most longitudinal edge of the fixing belt 21 (longitudinal end) but also to hold an area that does not include the edge of the fixing belt 21 (longitudinal end). It may also be the case that a part) is retained.

Specifically, the belt holding member 27 includes an insertion part 27a having a C-shaped cross section that is inserted into the longitudinal end of the fixing belt 21, a regulating part 27b formed to have a larger outer diameter than the insertion part 27a, and a restriction part 27b that will be described later. It has a fixing part 27c fixed to the side plate of. The regulating portion 27b is formed to be larger than at least the outer diameter of the fixing belt 21, and regulates the shifting of the fixing belt 21 when it shifts in the longitudinal direction X (movement in the longitudinal direction). The insertion portion 27a rotatably holds the fixing belt 21 from inside by being inserted into the longitudinal end portion of the fixing belt 21.

Temperature sensor 28 is a temperature detection member that detects the temperature of fixing belt 21 . In this embodiment, a non-contact type temperature sensor is used as the temperature sensor 28, which is disposed in a non-contact manner with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt 21. In this case, the temperature sensor 28 detects the ambient temperature near the outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt 21 as the surface temperature of the fixing belt 21. The temperature sensor 28 is not limited to a non-contact type sensor, but may be a contact type sensor that comes into contact with the fixing belt 21 to detect the surface temperature. As the temperature sensor 28, for example, a known temperature sensor such as a thermopile, thermostat, thermistor, or NC sensor can be used.

The fixing device 20 according to this embodiment operates as follows.

When the pressure roller 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 by driving a drive source provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the fixing belt 21 rotates as the pressure roller 22 rotates. Further, the heater 23 generates heat, and the fixing belt 21 is heated by the heater 23 . At this time, the amount of heat generated by the heater 23 is controlled based on the temperature of the fixing belt 21 detected by the temperature sensor 28, so that the temperature of the fixing belt 21 becomes a predetermined fixing temperature (temperature at which image fixation is possible). controlled by. Then, in a state where the temperature of the fixing belt 21 has reached the fixing temperature, when the paper P carrying an unfixed image is conveyed between the fixing belt 21 and the pressure roller 22 (nip portion N), the fixing belt The paper P is heated and pressurized by the pressure roller 21 and the pressure roller 22, and the image on the paper P is fixed to the paper P.

Here, in the fixing device including the nip forming member 24 as described above, when the fixing belt 21 rotates, the fixing belt 21 slides with respect to the nip forming member 24, so that the fixing belt 21 and the nip forming member 24 Sliding resistance occurs between the two. In order to reduce sliding resistance at this time, a lubricant such as silicone oil, silicone grease, fluorine grease, or fluorine oil is generally applied between the fixing belt 21 and the nip forming member 24. has been done. For example, the lubricant is contained in a sliding sheet 30 (see FIG. 2) disposed between the base pad 29 of the nip forming member 24 and the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 21, and the lubricant is contained in the sliding sheet 30 (see FIG. 2). As the lubricant oozes out, the lubricant is present between the nip forming member 24 and the fixing belt 21.

Further, as described above, in the configuration in which the fixing belt 21 is held by a pair of belt holding members 27, when the fixing belt 21 rotates, the fixing belt 21 slides with respect to each belt holding member 27. At this time, since sliding resistance also occurs between each belt holding member 27 and the fixing belt 21, in order to reduce the sliding resistance, the above-mentioned sliding resistance is also generated between each belt holding member 27 and the fixing belt 21. A lubricant such as is used.

As described above, in a configuration including sliding members such as the nip forming member 24 and the belt holding member 27, in order to improve the sliding properties of the fixing belt 21, silicone oil, silicone grease, fluorine grease, fluorine Lubricants such as oil are used. However, as the temperature of the fixing device increases, some of the low-molecular components of the lubricant volatilize and coagulate when cooled in the atmosphere, generating fine particles, which may be released from the fixing device. Here, "fine particles" refer to fine particles and ultrafine particles (hereinafter referred to as "FP/UFP") measured under the measurement conditions for investigating the relationship shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, and have a particle size of 5. The particles are 6 nm to 560 nm.

In recent years, as awareness of environmental issues has increased, measures to suppress the generation of FP/UFP emitted from products are desired, and there is also a need for the development of products that generate less FP/UFP in image forming devices. .

Therefore, in considering measures to suppress the generation of FP/UFP from the fixing device, the inventors first investigated the temperature rise of silicone oil and fluorine grease used as lubricants, and the FP generated from these lubricants. A test was conducted to investigate the relationship between the concentration of FP/UFP generated (number of FP/UFP generated per 1 cm ³ ). The results are shown in FIG. 12.

In this test, a liquid or semi-solid lubricant substance in a sample container was heated in a 1 cubic meter chamber (ventilation number: 5 times) in accordance with JIS A 1901. As shown in FIG. 13, the sample container 1000 is a 50 mm x 50 mm x 5 mm aluminum plate with a recess 1000a having a diameter of 22 mm and a depth of 2 mm, and the sample is placed in the recess 1000a. The sample container 1000 containing the sample was placed on a hot plate of a heating device (Clean Hot Plate MH-180CS manufactured by As One, Controller MH-3CS manufactured by As One), and the sample was heated at a set temperature of 250°C. While monitoring the temperature of the hot plate, the number concentration of FP/UFP in the chamber was measured using a measuring device (Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS: Fast Mobility Particle Sizer, TSI; Model 3091). :30 seconds). Fluorine grease and silicone oil were used as lubricants, and the sample amount was 36 μl. The solid line in FIG. 12 indicates the number concentration of FP/UFP generated from fluorine grease, and the dashed line in the figure indicates the number concentration of FP/UFP generated from silicone oil. In addition, in FIG. 12, the temperature of the hot plate is shown on the horizontal axis, but since the temperature rise of the hot plate and the temperature rise of the lubricant change almost synchronously, here, the temperature of the hot plate is shown as the temperature of the lubricant. It is considered as the temperature of the agent.

As shown in Figure 12, in the fluorine grease shown by the solid line, FP/UFP begins to occur when the temperature reaches 185°C, and FP/UFP begins to occur when the temperature exceeds 194°C. The number concentration increased rapidly. On the other hand, in the silicone oil shown by the dashed-dotted line, FPs/UFPs begin to be generated when the temperature reaches 200℃, and the number concentration of FPs/UFPs that are generated suddenly increases when the temperature exceeds 210℃. Rose. The temperature at which the concentration rapidly increased was defined as the particle generation temperature, and was defined as the temperature at which the number concentration of FP/UFP in the chamber was 4000 particles/cm ³ or more.

In this way, FP/UFP occurs in fluorine grease when the temperature reaches 185°C, and FP/UFP occurs in silicone oil when the temperature reaches 200°C. In the device, there is a possibility that FP/UFP may be generated from the lubricant. Therefore, in order to effectively reduce such FP/UFP, it is important to suppress the temperature rise in the portion where FP/UFP is likely to occur.

However, until now, it has not been possible to identify from which part of the fixing device the FP/UFP occurs in large numbers. Therefore, the present inventors conducted a thorough study on the main sources of FP/UFP, and as a result, it was found that a large amount of FP/UFP is generated mainly from the lubricant adhering to the belt holding member. The reason and mechanism of occurrence will be explained below.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a longitudinal end portion of a fixing belt in a conventional fixing device.

As shown in FIG. 14, the conventional fixing device includes a belt holding member 270 that holds the longitudinal ends of the fixing belt 210, similarly to the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. A lubricant is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the belt holding member 270 in order to reduce the sliding resistance of the fixing belt 210. Note that even if the lubricant is not actively applied to the outer peripheral surface of the belt holding member 270, the lubricant interposed between the fixing belt and the nip forming member flows as the fixing belt rotates. As a result, it may adhere to the outer circumferential surface of the belt holding member 270.

Here, in the conventional fixing device, when radiant heat (infrared rays) is emitted from the heater 230, the emitted radiant heat is irradiated onto the belt holding member 270, so that the belt holding member 270 is heated. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, in a configuration in which the heat generating portion H of the heater 230 is extended to the outside of the maximum paper passing area W in order to ensure fixing performance at the edge of the image immediately after the start of the image forming operation, Since the belt holding member 270 is more likely to be irradiated with radiant heat, the temperature of the belt holding member 270 is more likely to rise. As a result, when the temperature of the belt holding member 270 exceeds the temperature at which FP/UFP occurs as described above, some of the low molecular weight components of the lubricant adhering to the belt holding member 270 will volatilize and be cooled in the atmosphere. As a result, the FP/UFP is scattered and discharged from the fixing device. As described above, in the conventional fixing device, the temperature of the belt holding member 270 increases due to the irradiation of radiant heat from the heater 230, so that FP/UFP may be generated from the lubricant adhering to the belt holding member 270. . Moreover, from the test results shown in FIG. 12, it can be said that as the temperature of the belt holding member 270 becomes higher, the number of FP/UFP generated from the lubricant increases. Therefore, in order to effectively reduce the number of FP/UFPs generated, it is important to suppress the temperature rise of the belt holding member.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the following measures are taken to suppress the temperature rise of the belt holding member.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the end portion of the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, taken along the longitudinal direction of the fixing belt.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, radiant heat from the heater 23 is applied to the inner circumferential surface 271 of the belt holding member 27 and one end surface 272 (the distal end surface of the insertion portion 27a) disposed within the fixing belt 21. A reflecting section 36 that reflects (infrared rays) is provided. When radiant heat is emitted from the heater 23 , the radiant heat irradiated toward the inner circumferential surface 271 and one end surface 272 of the belt holding member 27 is reflected by the reflecting portion 36 . That is, the reflecting portion 36 is provided on a portion of the surface of the belt holding member 27 that is irradiated with at least the radiant heat emitted from the heater 23 .

Of the surface of the belt holding member 27, the above-mentioned "portion irradiated with radiant heat" includes a portion directly irradiated with radiant heat emitted from the heater 23 (solid line arrow in FIG. It also includes a portion that is irradiated with reflected radiant heat (dotted line arrow in FIG. 4). Further, in a configuration in which the belt holding member 27 is inserted inside the fixing belt 21 as in the present embodiment, the radiant heat emitted from the heater 23 is normally irradiated onto the inner peripheral surface of the belt holding member 27. In this case, the "portion irradiated with radiant heat" includes at least the inner circumferential surface of the belt holding member 27. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, the inner circumferential surface of the belt holding member 27 is located at both the portion to which the radiant heat emitted from the heater 23 is directly irradiated and the portion to which the radiant heat reflected by the reflecting member 26 is applied. included. Note that the reflective portion 36 is not limited to being provided on the entire inner circumferential surface of the belt holding member 27, but may be provided only on a part of the inner circumferential surface. Moreover, since the reflecting part 36 only needs to be provided in a part that is irradiated with radiant heat, the reflecting part 36 does not need to be provided in a part that is not irradiated with radiant heat. In this embodiment, in addition to the outer circumferential surface 273 of the belt holding member 27, the reflecting portion 36 is not provided on the other end surface 274 (the surface fixed to the side plate 33) opposite to the one end surface 272.

The belt holding member 27 may be entirely made of a material having high reflectance, or may be made of a base material 37 and a surface layer 38 provided on the surface of the base material 37, as in the example shown in FIG. It may also be configured as follows. The surface layer 38 is a layer that is made of a material with high reflectance and has a reflective section 36 . It is preferable that the belt holding member 27 or the surface layer 38 having the reflective portion 36 is made of a material having a heat resistance temperature of 280° C. or higher. Specifically, the material constituting the belt holding member 27 or the surface layer 38 includes metal materials such as aluminum or silver.

The surface layer 38 can be composed of, for example, an aluminum vapor deposition layer or a silver vapor deposition layer formed on the surface of the base material 37 made of resin. The vapor deposition method may be physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Physical vapor deposition is a method of heating a vapor deposition material such as aluminum or silver to evaporate it and then depositing it on an object to form a film. Physical vapor deposition also includes vacuum vapor deposition in which the vapor deposition material is evaporated in a vacuum state. On the other hand, chemical vapor deposition heats and vaporizes the vaporized material, then mixes the vaporized material with a reaction gas, fills the reaction chamber, and brings the gas into contact with the heated object in the reaction chamber. This is a method of forming a film on the surface of an object. Another method of chemical vapor deposition is to apply voltage to turn gas into plasma.

Moreover, the surface layer 38 may be an aluminum film adhered to the surface of the resin base material 37. Although the film constituting the surface layer 38 may be made of a material other than aluminum, it is preferable that the surface of the film and the adhesive layer have heat resistance of 200° C. or higher.

Further, the surface layer 38 may be a paint layer formed by applying a paint with high whiteness to the surface of the base material 37. In this case as well, it is preferable that the paint forming the surface layer 38 is made of a material having a heat resistance temperature of 200° C. or higher.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the reflecting part 36 is provided in the radiant heat irradiation part of the belt holding member 27, the radiant heat irradiated from the heater 23 can be reflected by the reflecting part 36, and the temperature of the belt holding member 27 can be reduced. increase can be suppressed. If the temperature rise of the belt holding member 27 can be suppressed, the generation of FP/UFP from the lubricant adhering to the belt holding member 27 can also be suppressed.

Here, the higher the reflectance of the reflecting section 36, the less the belt holding member 27 is affected by radiant heat, and therefore the temperature rise of the belt holding member 27 can be effectively suppressed. Note that the reflectance in this specification is the reflectance for the wavelength range of radiant heat emitted from the heater, and the wavelength range of the radiant heat is 900 nm to 1600 nm or 1000 nm to 1300 nm.

Therefore, the present inventors conducted a test to examine the relationship between the reflectance of the reflective section 36 and the temperature rise of the belt holding member 27. The test results are shown in FIG.

In this test, a plurality of belt holding members with different reflectances of the reflective parts were prepared, and the reflectance of the reflective part of each belt holding member was measured using a spectrophotometer (UV-Visible-Infrared Spectrophotometer UH4150 manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Co., Ltd.). ) with an incident angle of 5°. Note that the reflectance in the following description is also the reflectance measured by this measurement method. An image forming apparatus equipped with a fixing device equipped with a different belt holding member is installed in a measurement room in a 23°C environment, and after the image forming apparatus is turned on and started up, the image forming apparatus enters an energy saving state. After the transition, the door of the measurement room was closed. Thereafter, after a period of time (for example, 60 minutes) had elapsed for the measurement room to be sufficiently ventilated, a printing instruction was issued, and paper feeding was started at a printing speed of 60 ppm (Page Par Minutes). Then, the temperature of the belt holding member was measured for 10 minutes, with printing starting at the time when the first sheet of paper was discharged.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the reflectance was 15%, the temperature of the belt holding member reached 230° C. after 10 minutes of continuous printing (600 seconds). Therefore, in this case, the temperature of the belt holding member exceeds 210°C, which is the temperature at which FP/UFP derived from silicone oil rapidly increases, and 194°C, which is the temperature at which FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease rapidly increases. FP/UFP generated from lubricants cannot be effectively reduced. Furthermore, when the reflectance was increased to 45%, although the temperature rise of the belt holding member was somewhat suppressed, the temperature of the belt holding member exceeded 210° C. after 10 minutes of continuous printing. Therefore, even when the reflectance is 45%, it is insufficient to effectively suppress the occurrence of FP/UFP.

On the other hand, when the reflectance was 60%, the temperature of the belt holding member could be reduced to 194° C. after 10 minutes of continuous printing. In other words, if the reflectance is 60%, the temperature of the belt holding member should not only be 210°C, which is the temperature at which FP/UFP derived from silicone oil rapidly increases, but also be lower than 200°C, where FP/UFP derived from silicone oil begins to occur. Furthermore, the temperature can be kept from exceeding 194° C., which is the temperature at which FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease increases rapidly. In addition, if the reflectance is 75%, after 10 minutes of continuous printing, the temperature of the belt holding member is reduced to 175°C, which is lower than the temperature (185°C) at which FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease begins to occur. did it.

Here, from the viewpoint of more reliably reducing FP/UFP generated from the lubricant on the belt holding member, the temperature of the belt holding member during printing should be lower than the FP/UFP of the lubricant on the belt holding member. Preferably, the temperature is lower than the generation temperature. In general, image forming apparatuses in the market are mostly used for continuous printing within a few minutes, and it is rare to perform continuous printing for more than 5 minutes. Therefore, in order to suppress the generation of FP/UFP, it is sufficient if the temperature of the belt holding member during 10 minutes of continuous printing can be lower than the FP/UFP generation temperature of the lubricant on the belt holding member.

Therefore, from the above test results, if the reflectance of the reflective part is 60% or more, the generation of FP/UFP derived from silicone oil can be effectively suppressed, and the generation of FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease can also be suppressed. It can be said. Therefore, in the present invention, the reflectance of the reflective portion is set to be 60% or more.

Furthermore, when the reflectance of the reflective portion is set to 75% or more, it becomes possible to effectively suppress the generation of FP/UFP derived from silicone oil as well as FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease. Therefore, in order to suppress the occurrence of FP/UFP to a higher degree, it is preferable that the reflectance of the reflective portion be 75% or more.

The color temperature of the halogen heater used as a heat source varies depending on the application, but a halogen heater with a color temperature of about 2500 K is generally used for heating a fixing device. For this reason, the reflectance of the reflective portion is 60% or more or 75% or more for the wavelength range of the halogen heater with high emission intensity, specifically the wavelength of 900 to 1600 nm, more preferably the wavelength of 1000 to 1300 nm. It is preferable.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the belt holding member has a reflective part with a reflectance of 60% or more, it reflects the radiant heat emitted from the heater and holds the belt during 10 minutes of continuous printing. The temperature of the member can be suppressed to 210°C or less. As a result, especially when silicone oil is used as a lubricant, the number of FP/UFPs generated can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional example.

Further, by increasing the reflectance of the reflecting portion, for example, by setting the reflectance to 75% or more, it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of FP/UFP to a higher degree. In the above test results, examples are given of 75% as well as 60% as the reflectance of the reflective part that can effectively suppress the generation of FP/UFP, but if the reflectance is 60% or more, It may be set appropriately depending on the FP/UFP generation temperature of the lubricant used.

By setting the reflective part to the desired reflectance and keeping the temperature of the belt holding member below 200°C during continuous printing for 10 minutes, it is possible to effectively suppress the generation of FP/UFP derived from silicone oil. Become. Further, by suppressing the temperature of the belt holding member to 194° C. or lower during continuous printing for 10 minutes, it becomes possible to suppress the generation of FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease. Further, by suppressing the temperature of the belt holding member to 185° C. or lower during continuous printing for 10 minutes, it becomes possible to more effectively suppress the generation of FP/UFP derived from fluorine grease. Further, when using silicone grease instead of silicone oil, the same effect can be obtained by controlling the temperature of the belt holding member in the same way as in the case of silicone oil. Further, even when fluorine oil is used instead of fluorine grease, the same effect can be obtained by controlling the temperature of the belt holding member as in the case of fluorine grease.

Note that the above-mentioned "temperature of the belt holding member during 10 minutes of continuous printing" is the temperature measured according to the procedure in the above test. That is, an image forming apparatus equipped with a fixing device (heating device) is installed in a measurement room in a 23°C environment, and after the image forming apparatus is turned on and started up, a waiting period (for example, 60 minutes) has elapsed. Then issue a print instruction. As for the printing conditions, the printing speed is set as the default setting, and the printing speed is set to the fastest mode. In addition, the paper to be used has a basis weight of 70 g/m ² and is A4 size or letter size. If the paper can be passed horizontally, the paper is passed horizontally, and if the paper cannot be passed horizontally, the paper is passed vertically. "Horizontal paper feeding" here means that the long side of the paper is transported in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and "vertical paper feeding" means that the paper is transported in a direction in which the short side of the paper is perpendicular to the transport direction. means that it is transported by Then, the temperature of the belt holding member is measured using a thermocouple for 10 minutes, with printing starting at the time when the first sheet of paper is discharged. However, if the time during which continuous printing is possible is less than 10 minutes due to the capacity of the paper ejection tray and the capacity of the paper feeding tray, the temperature of the belt holding member during the continuous printing time is measured. In addition to the measurement method specified above, measurement may be performed using an apparatus and conditions that comply with Blue Angel's particulate standards.

Furthermore, the temperature rise of the belt holding member, which causes FP/UFP, becomes more pronounced in image forming apparatuses that pass a large number of sheets per unit time. If applied, great effects can be expected. According to FIG. 7, which shows the relationship between print speed and the number of FP/UFPs generated, the number of FPs/UFPs generated from the fixing device during 10 minutes of continuous printing is greater than 50 ppm (Page Par Minutes) when the print speed exceeds 50 ppm (Page Par Minutes). Especially from around the area. Therefore, the present invention can be expected to have greater effects when applied to a fixing device or an image forming apparatus with a printing speed of 50 ppm or more. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, even in the case where the heater 23 is disposed inside the belt holding member 27, the temperature of the belt holding member 27 tends to rise. Great effects can be expected by applying the invention.

In the above description of the present embodiment, fluorinated grease, fluorinated oil, silicone oil, and silicone grease are cited as examples of substances that generate FP/UFP, but the present invention is applicable to liquid or semi-solid substances other than these. It is also applicable when a lubricating substance (substance with lubricating property) is used. In the present invention, a lubricating substance (a substance having lubricating properties) refers to a substance that is present between parts and reduces the frictional resistance between the parts. Even if a lubricating substance other than fluorine grease and silicone oil is contained in the fixing device, according to the present invention, the temperature rise of the belt holding member can be suppressed, and the lubricating substance adhering to the belt holding member can be suppressed. It is also possible to suppress the temperature rise of FP/UFP, so it is possible to effectively suppress the generation of FP/UFP. In addition, if two or more types of lubricants are attached to the belt holding member, the temperature of the belt holding member during continuous printing for 10 minutes should be lower than the lower of the FP/UFP generation temperatures of these lubricants. It is preferable to control the temperature to be low.

Further, the present invention is applicable not only to the fixing device having the above-described configuration but also to fixing devices having various configurations. Below, some configurations of fixing devices to which the present invention can be applied will be illustrated.

The fixing device 60 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is a fixing device that includes a halogen heater (heater 63) as a heat source, like the fixing device 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 above. Specifically, the fixing device 60 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 includes a fixing belt 61 as a first rotating body, a pressure roller 62 as a second rotating body, a heater 63 as a heat source, and a nip forming device. A member 64, a support part 65 as a support member, a reflection plate 66 as a reflection member, a holding frame 67 as a rotating body holding member (see FIG. 9), and a ring 68 as a sliding member (see FIG. 9). It is equipped with

The functions and configurations of the fixing belt 61, pressure roller 62, heater 63, nip forming member 64, support section 65, reflection plate 66, and holding frame 67 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The fixing belt 21, pressure roller 22, heater 23, nip forming member 24, stay 25, reflecting member 26, and belt holding member 27 shown are basically the same. Note that the nip forming member 64 includes a metal base pad 640 and a fluororesin sliding sheet 641 interposed between the base pad 640 and the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 61.

The ring 68 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 67a as an insertion portion of the holding frame 67 inserted into the fixing belt 61, and is attached to the longitudinal edge of the fixing belt 61 and the fixing plate as a regulating portion of the holding frame 67. 67b. When the fixing belt 61 rotates, the ring 68 rotates together with the fixing belt 61, or the fixing belt 61 slides against the low-friction ring 68, so that the fixing belt 61 and the holding frame 67 are separated. The sliding resistance that occurs between the two is reduced.

In this way, the fixing device to which the present invention is applied may include the ring 68.

Next, a fixing device 70 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is a fixing device that includes a halogen heater 73 as a heat source, like the fixing device 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 above. Specifically, the fixing device 70 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 includes a fixing belt 71 as a first rotating body, a pressure roller 72 as a second rotating body, a halogen heater 73 as a heat source, and a nip. It includes a forming member 74, a reflecting member 76, a belt supporting member 77 (see FIG. 11) as a rotating body holding member, a temperature sensor 78 as a temperature detecting member, and a guide member 79.

The fixing belt 71, pressure roller 72, halogen heater 73, nip forming member 74, reflective member 76, belt support member 77, and temperature sensor 78 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are the fixing belt 71 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 21, the pressure roller 22, the heater 23, the nip forming member 24, the reflecting member 26, the belt holding member 27, and the temperature sensor 28 have basically the same functions.

However, the reflecting member 76 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 mainly reflects the radiant heat (infrared rays) emitted from the halogen heater 73 not to the fixing belt 71 but to the nip forming member 74. The reflective member 76 is formed to have a U-shaped cross section so as to cover the outside of the halogen heater 73, and an inner surface 76a of the reflective member 76 facing the halogen heater 73 is a reflective surface with high reflectance. Therefore, when radiant heat is emitted from the halogen heater 73, the radiant heat is reflected by the reflective surface 76a of the reflective member 76 toward the nip forming member 74.

As a result, the nip forming member 74 is heated by the radiant heat emitted toward the nip forming member 74 from the halogen heater 73 and the radiant heat reflected toward the nip forming member 74 by the reflecting member 76. Then, the heat of the nip forming member 74 is transferred to the fixing belt 21 at the nip portion N. That is, in this case, the nip forming member 74 not only forms the nip portion N, but also functions as a heat transfer member that transmits heat to the fixing belt 71 in the nip portion N. For this reason, the nip forming member 74 is made of a metal material such as copper or aluminum that has good thermal conductivity.

Further, the reflecting member 76 also functions as a supporting member (stay) that supports the nip forming member 74. By supporting the nip forming member 74 in the longitudinal direction of the fixing belt 71 by the reflecting member 76, deflection of the nip forming member 74 is suppressed, and a uniform width is formed between the fixing belt 71 and the pressure roller 72. A nip portion N is formed. The reflecting member 76 is preferably made of a highly rigid metal material such as SUS or SECC in order to ensure its function as a supporting member.

The guide member 79 is a member that is disposed inside the fixing belt 71 and guides the rotating fixing belt 71 from the inside. The guide member 79 has a guide surface 79a that curves along the inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt 71, and as the fixing belt 71 is guided along the guide surface 79a, the fixing belt 71 is largely deformed. Rotates smoothly without any movement.

In this manner, the fixing device to which the present invention is applied may be configured to heat the fixing belt 71 by transmitting the heat of the halogen heater 73 via the nip forming member 74 having good thermal conductivity.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where it is applied to a fixing device installed in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described above. For example, the present invention is applicable to heating devices other than fixing devices, such as a drying device that is installed in an inkjet image forming apparatus and dries liquid such as ink applied to paper.

FIG. 15 shows one embodiment of an inkjet image forming apparatus including a drying device.

An inkjet image forming apparatus 2000 shown in FIG. 15 includes an image reading device 202, an image forming section 203, a sheet feeding device 204, a drying device 206, and a sheet discharging section 207. Further, a sheet aligning device 3000 is arranged next to the inkjet image forming apparatus 2000.

In this inkjet image forming apparatus 2000, when there is an instruction to start a printing operation, a sheet such as paper as a recording medium is fed from the sheet feeding device 204. When the sheet is conveyed to the image forming unit 203, ink is applied to the sheet from the liquid ejection head 214 of the image forming unit 203 based on the image information of the document read by the image reading device 202 or the print information instructed to print from the terminal. It is ejected and an image is formed on the sheet.

The sheet with the image formed thereon is selectively guided to either a conveyance path 222 that passes through the drying device 206 or a conveyance path 223 that does not pass through the drying device 206. When the sheet is guided to the drying device 206, the drying device 206 accelerates the drying of the ink on the sheet, and the sheet is guided to the sheet discharge section 207 or the sheet alignment device 3000. On the other hand, when the sheet is guided to the conveyance path 223 that does not pass through the drying device 206, the sheet is directly guided to the sheet discharge section 207 or the sheet alignment device 3000. Further, when the sheets are guided to the sheet alignment device 3000, the sheets are aligned and placed.

As shown in FIG. 16, the drying device 206 includes a heating belt 291 as a first rotating body, a heating roller 292 as a second rotating body, and a first heater 293 as a heat source for heating the heating belt 291. , a second heater 294 as a heat source that heats the heating roller 292, a nip forming member 295, a stay 296 as a supporting member, a reflecting member 297, and a rotating body holding member that rotatably holds the heating belt 291. A belt holding member 298 is provided.

The nip forming member 295 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller 292 via the heating belt 291 and forms a nip portion N between the heating belt 291 and the heating roller 292. As shown in FIG. 16, when a sheet 250 carrying an image (ink I) is conveyed to the nip portion N of the drying device 206, the sheet 250 is moved by a heating belt 291 and a heating roller 292 rotating in the direction of the arrow in the figure. is heated while being transported. This accelerates the drying of the ink I on the sheet 250.

In the drying device 206 shown in FIG. 16, the heating belt 291 is rotatably held by a pair of belt holding members 298 disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, so that the heating belt 291 is heated and the belt holding members If the temperature of the belt holding member 298 increases, there is a possibility that FP/UFP will occur from the lubricant adhering to the belt holding member 298. Therefore, by applying the present invention to such a drying device 206, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the belt holding member 298, and it becomes possible to effectively suppress the generation of FP/UFP.

Further, the present invention is also applicable to an image forming apparatus including a lamination processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 17.

The image forming apparatus 4000 shown in FIG. 17 includes, in addition to a lamination processing apparatus 401, an image forming section 402 having a plurality of image forming units 411C, 411M, 411Y, and 411Bk, an exposure device 412, and a transfer device 413, and a fixing device 403. , a paper feed section 404 as a recording medium supply section.

The lamination processing apparatus 401 is a heating apparatus that heats and presses two sheets with a paper inserted between them to bond the sheet to the paper by thermocompression. Specifically, the lamination processing apparatus 401 includes a sheet supply unit 420 that supplies the sheet 450, a sheet peeling unit 430 that peels the sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit 420 into two sheets, and a sheet peeling unit 430 that peels the sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit 420 into two sheets. A heating and pressing roller 440 is provided as a rotating body that conveys the sheets while heating and pressurizing the sheets while the sheets are inserted between the sheets. Thermal pressure roller 440 is heated by a heat source such as a heater. Further, both ends of the thermal pressure roller 440 in the longitudinal direction are rotatably held by a rotating body holding member such as a pair of bearings.

In the image forming apparatus 4000 shown in FIG. 17, when paper P as a recording medium is supplied from the paper feed unit 404 to the image forming unit 402, an image is formed in the image forming unit 402, and an image is formed on the supplied paper P. The image is transferred. Then, the paper P on which the image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing device 403, where image fixing processing is performed. Note that the image forming operation and transfer operation in the image forming unit 402 (each operation of the image forming units 411C, 411M, 411Y, 411Bk, the exposure device 412, and the transfer device 413) and the fixing operation in the fixing device 403 are the same as those in the above embodiment. Since it is basically the same as that of , the explanation will be omitted.

The paper P that has been subjected to the fixing process is then conveyed to the lamination processing apparatus 401 and inserted between the two separated sheets. Then, the paper P is heated and pressurized by the thermal pressure roller 440 while being sandwiched between the two sheets, and the sheet and the paper P are bonded by thermocompression and are discharged from the apparatus.

At this time, if the thermal pressure roller 440 is heated by a heat source such as a heater and the temperature of the bearing that supports the thermal pressure roller 440 increases, there is a possibility that FP/UFP may be generated from the lubricant adhering to the bearing. Therefore, by applying the present invention to the lamination processing apparatus 401 equipped with such a hot press roller 440, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the bearing that holds the hot press roller 440, and to effectively prevent the occurrence of FP/UFP. It becomes possible to suppress the

To summarize the aspects of the present invention described above, the present invention includes a heating device, a fixing device, and an image forming apparatus having at least the following configurations.

[First configuration]
The first configuration includes a rotating body that is rotatably held, a heating source that heats the rotating body, a rotating body holding member that holds both ends of the rotating body in the longitudinal direction, and a rotating body that is attached to the rotating body holding member. and a liquid or semi-solid lubricating substance, and the rotating body holding member has a reflective portion that reflects the radiant heat at least in a portion irradiated with the radiant heat emitted from the heating source, The heating device has a reflectance of the reflecting section of 60% or more.

[Second configuration]
A second configuration is a heating device in which the reflectance of the reflective section is 75% or more in the first configuration.

[Third configuration]
In a third configuration, in the first or second configuration, the rotating body holding member is a heating device including a base material and a surface layer provided on the surface of the base material and having the reflective portion.

[Fourth configuration]
A fourth configuration is a heating device in which the surface layer is made of a heat-resistant material in the third configuration.

[Fifth configuration]
A fifth configuration is a heating device in which, in the third or fourth configuration, the surface layer is formed of a silver vapor deposited layer.

[Sixth configuration]
A sixth configuration is a heating device in which, in the third or fourth configuration, the surface layer is formed of a film adhered to the base material.

[Seventh configuration]
In a seventh configuration, in the third or fourth configuration, the surface layer is a heating device formed of a paint layer.

[Eighth configuration]
An eighth configuration is a heating device in which the temperature of the rotating body holding member during 10 minutes of continuous printing is 210° C. or less in any one of the first to seventh configurations.

[Ninth configuration]
A ninth configuration is a heating device according to any one of the first to seventh configurations, in which the temperature of the rotating body holding member during 10 minutes of continuous printing is 200° C. or less.

[Tenth configuration]
A tenth configuration is a heating device in which, in any one of the first to seventh configurations, the temperature of the rotating body holding member during 10 minutes of continuous printing is 194° C. or lower.

[Eleventh configuration]
An eleventh configuration is a heating device in which, in any one of the first to seventh configurations, the temperature of the rotating body holding member during 10 minutes of continuous printing is 185° C. or less.

[Twelfth configuration]
A twelfth configuration is a fixing device that heats a recording medium carrying an unfixed image using the heating device of any one of the first to eleventh configurations, and fixes the unfixed image on the recording medium. be.

[13th configuration]
A thirteenth configuration is an image forming apparatus including the heating device of any one of the first to eleventh configurations or the fixing device of the twelfth configuration.

20 Fixing device (heating device)
21 Fixing belt (first rotating body)
22 Pressure roller (second rotating body)
23 Heater (heating source)
27 Belt holding member (rotating body holding member)
36 Reflection section 100 Image forming device N Nip section X Longitudinal direction

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-164453

Claims (13)

a rotating body rotatably held;
a heating source that heats the rotating body;
a rotating body holding member that holds both longitudinal ends of the rotating body;
and a liquid or semi-solid lubricating substance that adheres to the rotating body holding member,
The rotating body holding member has a reflecting portion that reflects the radiant heat, at least in a portion that is irradiated with the radiant heat emitted from the heating source,
A heating device characterized in that the reflectance of the reflective portion is 60% or more. The heating device according to claim 1, wherein the reflectance of the reflective portion is 75% or more. 3. The heating device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body holding member includes a base material and a surface layer provided on the surface of the base material and having the reflective part. The heating device according to claim 3, wherein the surface layer is made of a heat-resistant material. The heating device according to claim 3, wherein the surface layer is a silver vapor deposited layer. The heating device according to claim 3, wherein the surface layer is a film adhered to the base material. The heating device according to claim 3, wherein the surface layer is a paint layer. The heating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the rotating body holding member during continuous printing for 10 minutes is 210° C. or less. The heating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the rotating body holding member during continuous printing for 10 minutes is 200° C. or less. The heating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the rotating body holding member during continuous printing for 10 minutes is 194° C. or less. The heating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the rotating body holding member during continuous printing for 10 minutes is 185° C. or less. A fixing device, characterized in that the heating device according to claim 1 or 2 is used to heat a recording medium carrying an unfixed image to fix the unfixed image on the recording medium. An image forming apparatus comprising the heating device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images