JP5067392B2 - Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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

  As a conventional image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum is developed (visualized) with toner, and the image is formed by transferring and fixing the visualized toner image on a sheet. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Such an image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit that fixes a toner image on a sheet, a sheet guide that is provided in the sheet discharge port of the fixing unit so as to be openable, and guides the sheet on which the toner image is fixed to a sheet discharging unit. An arm provided in the fixing device and swinging when pressed by the paper, a shaft that supports the arm to the fixing device so as to be swingable, a plate piece that swings as the arm swings, and an image forming apparatus main body A photo sensor that detects the presence or absence of a sheet by swinging a plate piece, and a guide unit that rotates the arm while opening the sheet guide.

  According to this configuration, when a paper jam occurs in the fixing device, when the paper guide is opened, the arm rotates together with the opening of the paper guide, so that the arm does not hinder paper removal.

JP 2000-221818 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fixing device and an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the accumulated tolerance due to component assembly and improving the accuracy of paper detection timing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following fixing device and image forming apparatus.

[1] A housing having a paper outlet for taking out a paper and a paper passage path through which the paper passes, and containing therein a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the passage of the paper in the paper passage path; A fixing unit disposed in the housing and configured to fix the toner image on the sheet; and disposed to be openable and closable downstream of the fixing unit in a sheet guiding direction. A paper guide for guiding, a paper contact portion that is swingably held by the paper guide via a swing shaft and receives paper pressure, and a light shielding portion that is provided on the swing shaft and corresponds to the detection sensor. comprising: a swinging member, the having the paper guide is provided with a transport roll for transporting the paper in the paper guiding direction downstream side of the fixing portion, the pivot axis, the sheet contact portion receives the pressing from the paper Is arranged from a position at a position apart than the conveyor roll, the light shielding portion of the swinging member is in the open state of the paper outlet by the paper guide is disposed between a pair of ribs facing each other Fixing device.

[ 2 ] The housing includes a first housing, a second housing, and a third housing. The fixing unit is accommodated by the first housing and the second housing, and the detection is performed by the second housing and the third housing. The fixing device according to [ 1 ], which houses a sensor.

[ 3 ] The fixing device according to [ 2 ], wherein the housing is disposed at a position where the second housing and the third housing accommodate the detection sensor outside a sheet conveyance area.

[ 4 ] An image forming apparatus including the fixing device according to any one of [1] to [ 3 ] and including an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet.

According to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the accumulated tolerance due to component assembly and improve the accuracy of paper detection timing.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the swing shaft of the swing member from being difficult to swing due to toner scattering.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the light shielding portion of the swing member is protected by the pair of ribs.

According to the invention described in claims 2 and 3 , the detection sensor can be isolated from the fixing portion, and the influence of the air flow in the housing on the detection sensor can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the entire fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a closed state of a paper outlet in the fixing device, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an open state of a paper take-out port. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a fixing unit in the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the paper guide in the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the swing shaft of the paper guide in the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a swing member in the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views for explaining a swing member in the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 7A shows the OFF state of the detection sensor, and FIG. 7B shows the ON state of the detection sensor. 8A and 8B are perspective views for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus to which the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 8A shows the OFF state of the detection sensor, and FIG. 8B shows the ON state of the detection sensor. FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining a paper take-out operation when a paper jam occurs in the fixing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
First, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, a tandem type image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an apparatus housing 101 and includes an image forming unit 102, a paper supply unit 103, a paper discharge unit 104, and a paper discharge reversing unit 105. It is built in the housing 101 and applied to, for example, a copying machine.

(Configuration of device casing 101)
The apparatus housing 101 has a discharge tray 106 at an upper portion thereof, and an accommodation space 107 for accommodating the image forming unit 102, the paper supply unit 103, the paper discharge unit 104, the paper discharge reversing unit 105, and the like is provided therein. . In the apparatus housing 101, the conveyance path 108 from the paper supply unit 103 to the image forming unit 102, the paper discharge path 109 from the image forming unit 102 to the paper discharge unit 104, and the image from the branching unit 109 a of the paper discharge path 109 A reversing path 110 that reaches the forming unit 102 is provided, and a switching lever 111 that switches the path of the paper P between the paper discharge path 109 and the reversing path 110 is disposed.

(Configuration of image forming unit 102)
The image forming unit 102 includes a first image forming unit 2Y that forms a yellow (Y) toner image, a second image forming unit 2M that forms a magenta (M) toner image, and a cyan (C) toner. A third image forming unit 2C that forms an image; a fourth image forming unit 2K that forms a black (K) toner image; and image forming units 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K that are arranged at the primary transfer position. Transfer devices 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K that transfer the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images respectively formed by the above-described steps to the intermediate transfer belt 30, and a drive roll 4 that rotationally drives the intermediate transfer belt 30 in the arrow R direction. , Support rolls 5A to 5C that rotatably support the intermediate transfer belt 30 with a predetermined tension, a cleaning unit 6 that cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 30, and an intermediate transfer A secondary transfer roll 7 for secondary transfer of the toner image transferred to the belt 30 to the paper P; a fixing device 22 having a fixing unit 8 for fixing the toner image transferred to the paper P by heating and melting; An exposure device 31 that exposes the drum 20, is disposed above the paper supply unit 103, and is accommodated in the accommodation space 107.

  The exposure device 31 exposes the photosensitive drum 20 through a mirror 311 with a laser beam 310 modulated based on the image data of each color (Y, M, C, K) to form an electrostatic latent image. Details of the fixing device 22 will be described later.

  The image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C are configured to be attachable to the apparatus housing 101. Each of the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C charges the photosensitive drum 20 having the photosensitive layer on the surface and the photosensitive drum 20 before exposure. A charging device 21, a developing device 23 for developing with toner of each color corresponding to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 20, a neutralizing device 25 for neutralizing the photosensitive drum 20, and a photosensitive after the primary transfer. And a drum cleaning unit 26 for removing residual toner remaining on the body drum 20.

  The developing device 23 is configured to receive supply of toner from the toner cartridge 52 via the toner supply pipe 50.

(Configuration of paper supply unit 103)
The paper supply unit 103 is configured to feed the paper feed tray 127, the pick-up roll 129 for sending the topmost paper among the papers P stacked in the paper feed tray 127, and the paper P sent by the pick-up roll 129 one by one. It includes a pair of separating rolls 130 and is disposed below the image forming unit 102.

  The paper feed tray 127 is housed in the housing space 107 of the apparatus housing 101 so that it can be inserted and removed.

  A pair of registration rolls 132 and a pair of registration rolls 132 that are driven in synchronism with the timing of image formation in the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C are provided on the downstream side of the separating roll 130 toward the image forming unit 102. A transport roll 135 for transporting the paper P is disposed.

(Configuration of paper discharge unit 104)
The paper discharge unit 104 is disposed on the discharge tray 106 side above the image forming unit 102 and includes a unit main body (not shown) and a pair of discharge rolls (discharge / reversing rolls) 133 and 134.

  The discharge rolls 133 and 134 are rotatably supported by a unit main body (not shown). The discharge rolls 133 and 134 are configured to discharge the paper P that has undergone image formation by the image forming unit 102 to the outside by rotation to one side. Further, the discharge rollers 133 and 134 rotate the sheet P, which has been subjected to image formation by the image forming unit 102, from the sheet discharge unit 104 to the sheet discharge reversing unit 105 by rotation to the other side, and the sheet P with the front and back surfaces reversed. Is conveyed to the image forming unit 102 together with a plurality of conveying rolls 32.

  One discharge roll 133 is constituted by a drive roll for forward and reverse rotation, and the other discharge roll 134 is constituted by a driven roll. The rotation direction of the discharge roll 133 is switched by a switching mechanism (not shown).

(Configuration of the paper discharge reversing unit 105)
The paper discharge reversing unit 105 includes the discharge rolls 133 and 134 and a plurality of transport rolls 32 arranged along the reverse path 110.

(Configuration of Fixing Device 22)
Next, the fixing device 22 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing the entire fixing device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a fixing unit of the fixing device. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views showing the open state of the paper guide. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an open state of the paper guide. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a swinging state of the swinging member. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing the swing shaft of the swing member.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the fixing device 22 fixes the housing 9 as a guide / part housing member, a pair of transport rolls 10 and 11 for transporting the paper P, and the paper P. The fixing unit 8, the paper guide 12 that guides the paper P from the paper discharge unit 104 to the reversing path 110, and the swinging member 13 that swings when pressed by the movement of the paper P are provided. And the secondary transfer roll 7 and is detachably accommodated in the apparatus housing 101 (shown in FIG. 1).

  The housing 9 includes a first housing 14, a second housing 15, and a third housing 16, and is configured to accommodate each component of the fixing device 22 therein.

  The housing 9 is provided with a paper outlet 9 a for taking out the paper P when a jam occurs in the fixing unit 8. Further, the housing 9 is provided with a sheet passage path 9 b for allowing the sheet P to pass from the fixing section 8 toward the sheet discharge section 104 in the middle of the sheet discharge path 109 (shown in FIG. 1).

  The first housing 14 has a pair of side portions 14a and 14b facing each other and a connecting portion 14c for connecting the pair of side portions 14a and 14b, and a pair of locking portions in the apparatus housing 101. 14d (only one is shown) is detachably arranged.

  The connecting portion 14c of the first housing 14 has a guide portion 14e for guiding the paper P along the paper discharge path 109 (shown in FIG. 1), and the swing member 13 in a closed state of the paper outlet 9a by the paper guide 12. A holding portion 14f for holding the sheet contact portion 13a on the opposite side to the end portion on the swing shaft side is integrally provided.

  The second housing 15 has a pair of side portions 15 a and 15 b facing each other and a connecting portion 15 c that connects the pair of side portions 15 a and 15 b, and is attached to the front portion of the first housing 14. . The second housing 15 is configured to accommodate the fixing unit 8 together with the first housing 14.

  The second housing 15 is provided with a guide portion 15d for guiding the paper P along the reversing path 110 (shown in FIG. 1). The second housing 15 is provided with a conductor insertion hole (not shown) through which a conductor of a detection sensor 53 (described later) is inserted.

  The third housing 16 is disposed in front of the first housing 14 and is attached to the side portion 15 b of the second housing 15. The third housing 16 is configured to house a detection sensor 53 for detecting the presence or absence of the passage of the paper P in the paper passage path 9b of the housing 9 together with the second housing 15 outside the paper transport area.

  Thereby, the accumulated tolerance due to the assembly of the parts such as the detection sensor 53 and the swinging member 13 is reduced, and the detection sensor 53 can be disposed in the vicinity of the swinging shaft 13 c of the swinging member 13. Further, the detection sensor 53 is isolated from the fixing unit 8, and the influence of the air flow in the fixing unit 8 on the detection sensor 53 is reduced.

  The third housing 16 is provided with a lever insertion / removal hole (not shown) through which the light shielding portion 13d can be inserted / removed. Further, the third housing 16 is integrally provided with a pair of ribs 16a and 16b that are positioned at the opening peripheral edge of the lever insertion / extraction hole and that face each other through the light shielding portion 13d when the paper outlet 9a is opened by the paper guide 12. Is provided. As a result, the light shielding portion 13d is protected by the pair of ribs 16a and 16b in the open state of the paper outlet 9a by the paper guide 12.

  One transport roll 10 is composed of a pinch roll that is driven to rotate by driving rotation of the transport roll 11, and is disposed on a guide portion 14 e of the first housing 14 via a roll shaft 10 a.

  The other transport roll 11 is composed of a rubber roller that is driven and rotated by the drive of a motor 55, and is disposed on the first guide portion 12a of the first guide portion 12a and the second guide portion 12b of the paper guide 12 via the roll shaft 11a. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing unit 8 includes a heating roll 17 and a pressure unit 18, and the toner image transferred onto the paper P by the secondary transfer roll 7 (shown in FIG. 1) is heated and melted to be fixed. It is configured as follows.

  The heating roll 17 includes a heater 19 and is formed by a driving roll that rotates in the direction of the arrow. The pressurizing unit 18 includes an endless pressurizing belt 18a that is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the heating roll 17, and a pressurizing elastic member 18b provided inside the belt. And it is comprised so that the nip pressure with respect to the heating roll 17 can be adjusted with an adjustment lever (not shown).

  The paper guide 12 is disposed on the downstream side of the fixing unit 8 in the paper guiding direction, and is held in the second housing 15 so that the paper outlet 9a can be opened and closed via support shafts 12c to 12e (described later). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when a jam occurs in the fixing unit 8, the paper take-out port 9a is opened from the closed state (opening angle of about 165 °) by opening the paper guide 12, and the paper P in the housing 9 is removed. It can be taken out of the housing 9 through the outlet 9a.

  On the inner surface of the paper guide 12, a first guide portion 12a for guiding the paper P along a paper discharge path 109 (shown in FIG. 1) is provided. On the outer surface of the paper guide 12, a second guide portion 12b for guiding the paper P along the reversing path 110 (shown in FIG. 1) is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the paper guide 12 is provided with a plurality of (three in this embodiment) support shafts 12c to 12e arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. In the vicinity of the axes of the support shafts 12c to 12e, a detection sensor 53 including a photosensor having a light emitting portion 53a and a light receiving portion 53b is disposed, for example. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the detection sensor 53 detects the above-described light shielding portion 13d provided at one end of the swing shaft 13c.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the swing member 13 includes a sheet contact portion 13 a corresponding to the holding portion 14 f of the first housing 14 and an intermediate portion that is curved so as to avoid the roll shaft 11 a (outer peripheral surface) of the transport roll 11. 13b, and is held by the paper guide 12 so as to be swingable via a swing shaft 13c.

  The swing member 13 is configured to swing in the direction of the arrow from the holding position (position where the paper contact portion 13a is held by the holding portion 14f) by the pressing by the movement of the paper P, thereby opening the paper passage path 9b. Has been. The swing member 13 is configured to swing back from the swing position to the holding position by the elastic force of a torsion spring (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rocking member 13 includes a heat shielding resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), aluminum, and the light shielding portion 13d corresponding to the detection sensor 53 together with the paper contact portion 13a, the intermediate portion 13b, and the rocking shaft 13c. Etc., which are integrally formed from a metal such as The sheet contact portion 13a, the intermediate portion 13b, and the light shielding portion 13d are configured separately from the swing shaft 13c, and may be joined by bonding, screwing, or the like.

  The light shielding part 13d is arranged in parallel with the paper contact part 13a. Then, the light shielding portion 13d is retracted from between the light emitting portion 53a and the light receiving portion 53b by swinging the paper contact portion 13a in a direction to open the paper passage passage 9b (shown in FIG. 6), and the paper passage passage 9b is The light shielding portion 13d is configured to advance between the light emitting portion 53a and the light receiving portion 53b by swinging and returning the paper contact portion 13a in the closing direction.

  As a result, when the light-shielding portion 13d advances between the light-emitting portion 53a and the light-receiving portion 53b, the detection sensor 53 is turned off, and “no passage” of the paper P in the paper passage 9b is detected. On the other hand, when the light shielding portion 13d is retracted from between the light emitting portion 53a and the light receiving portion 53b, the detection sensor 53 is turned on, and the “passing” of the paper P in the paper passage 9b is detected.

(Operation of image forming apparatus)
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 8A, and 8B. FIGS. 8A and 8B show the off state and the on state of the detection sensor, respectively.

  In FIG. 1, the sheets P stacked in the sheet feed tray 127 are separated one by one by a sheet delivery unit (not shown) and delivered to the stopped registration rolls 132 and 132.

  Next, the leading edge of the sheet P is abutted against the registration rolls 132, 132, the skew feeding of the sheet is corrected, the position of the leading edge of the sheet is adjusted, and the sheet P is put on standby.

  Then, the registration rolls 132 and 132 are rotated in synchronization with the image formation timing in the image forming unit 102 to feed the paper P to the secondary transfer roll 7, and the toner images are intermediately transferred by the transfer devices 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K. After the transfer to the transfer belt 30, the toner image is secondarily transferred onto the paper P fed to the position of the secondary transfer roll 7. Thereafter, the fixing unit 8 fixes the toner image onto the paper P, and then the paper P is conveyed from the fixing unit 8 toward the discharge rollers 133 and 134.

  In this case, when the paper P presses the paper contact portion 13a of the swing member 13 in the fixing unit 8, the paper contact portion 13a swings in a direction to open the paper passage 9b, so that the paper P passes through the paper passage 9b. Pass through. At this time, the light shielding portion 13d swings in the swinging direction in conjunction with the swinging operation of the paper contact portion 13a, and between the light emitting portion 53a and the light receiving portion 53b of the detection sensor 53 shown in FIG. The light shielding portion 13d is retracted from the position to the position shown in FIG. 8B, and the detection sensor 53 is turned on. Thereby, “passing” of the paper P in the paper passage 9b is detected.

  Thereafter, when an image is formed on the first paper surface or the second paper surface of the paper P, the paper P after the image formation passes through the vicinity of the switching lever 111 arranged at a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. Further, the paper passes through the branch portion 109 a of the paper discharge path 109 and is discharged from the paper discharge portion 104 to the paper discharge tray 106 by the forward rotation of the discharge rollers 133 and 134.

  On the other hand, when images are formed on the first paper surface and the second paper surface of the paper P, the paper P after the image formation on the first paper surface passes near the switching lever 111, and a part of the paper P is discharged from the paper discharge unit 104. When the sheet is discharged from the sheet discharge tray 106 to the sheet discharge tray 106, the switching lever 111 is disposed at a position where the sheet discharge path 109 is closed by swinging from the position where the sheet discharge path 109 is opened. Then, the paper P is conveyed from the paper discharge unit 104 to the paper discharge reversing unit 105 in a state where the front and back surfaces are reversed by the reverse rotation of the discharge rollers 133 and 134.

  Thereafter, the sheet P passes through the vicinity of the switching lever 111 arranged at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, is further conveyed to the registration rolls 132 and 132 through the reverse path 110, and is an image of the sheet P on the second sheet surface. The formation and paper discharge operations are executed in the same manner as the image formation and paper discharge operations on the first sheet.

  Here, an operation in which a paper jam occurs in the housing 9 of the fixing device 22 and the paper P in the housing 9 is taken out of the housing 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the opened state of the paper outlet.

  If a paper jam occurs with the paper P sandwiched between the heating roll 17 and the pressure unit 18 in the housing 9 of the fixing device 22, the paper take-out port 9a is opened by opening the paper guide 12, as shown in FIG. Is released from the closed state. In this case, when the paper take-out port 9a is opened, the light shielding portion 13d is exposed to the outside by the opening operation of the paper guide 12, but the light shielding portion 13d is disposed between the pair of ribs 16a and 16b. The portion 13d is protected by a pair of ribs 16a and 16b.

  Next, the nip pressure of the pressure unit 18 with respect to the heating roll 17 is relaxed by the adjusting lever, and the paper P between the heating roll 17 and the pressure unit 18 in the housing 9 is taken out of the housing 9 from the paper outlet 9a. .

  Although the image forming apparatus of the present invention has been described based on the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

(1) Although the case where the present invention is applied to a copying machine has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a printer or a facsimile. You may apply to the compound machine which combines two.

(2) Although the case where the image forming apparatus 100 is a color image forming apparatus using a plurality of photosensitive drums 20 has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and a single photosensitive drum is used. It may be a monochrome image forming apparatus using

2K: First image forming unit, 2Y: Second image forming unit, 2M: Third image forming unit, 2C: Fourth image forming unit, 3K, 3C, 3M, 3Y: Transfer device, 4: Drive Rolls, 5A to 5C ... support roll, 6 ... cleaning unit, 7 ... secondary transfer roll, 8 ... fixing unit, 9 ... housing, 9a ... paper outlet, 9b ... paper passage, 10,11 ... conveying roll, 10a , 11a ... roll shaft, 12 ... paper guide, 12a ... first guide portion, 12b ... second guide portion, 12c-12e ... support shaft, 13 ... oscillating member, 13a ... paper contact portion, 13b ... intermediate portion, 13c Oscillating shaft, 13d ... light-shielding part, 14 ... first housing, 14a, 14b ... side part, 14c ... connecting part, 14d ... locking part, 14e ... guide part, 14f ... holding part, 15 ... second housing, 15a, 15b ... side , 15c: holding portion, 15d: guide portion, 16: third housing, 16a, 16b ... rib, 17 ... heating roll, 18 ... pressure portion, 18a ... pressure belt, 18b ... pressure elastic member, 19 ... heater 20 ... photosensitive drum, 21 ... charging device, 22 ... fixing device, 23 ... developing device, 24 ... transfer device, 25 ... static device, 26 ... drum cleaning unit, 30 ... intermediate transfer belt, 31 ... exposure device, 32 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Conveyance roll, 50 ... Toner supply pipe, 52 ... Toner cartridge, 53 ... Detection sensor, 53a ... Light emitting part, 53b ... Light receiving part, 55 ... Motor, 100 ... Image forming apparatus, 101 ... Apparatus housing, 102 ... Image formation , 103 ... paper supply unit, 104 ... paper discharge unit, 105 ... paper discharge reversing unit, 106 ... discharge tray, 107 ... storage space, 108 ... paper transport path, 109 ... paper discharge path, 109a ... branching unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Reverse path, 111 ... Switching lever, 127 ... Paper feed tray, 128 ... Paper delivery unit, 129 ... Pick-up roll, 130 ... Paper winding mechanism, 132 ... Registration roll, 133, 134 ... Discharge roll, 135 ... Conveyance roll, 310 ... Laser beam, 311 ... Mirror, P ... Paper

Claims (4)

A housing having a paper outlet for taking out the paper and a paper passage path through which the paper passes, and containing therein a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of passage of the paper in the paper passage path;
A fixing unit disposed in the housing and fixing the toner image on the paper;
A paper guide that is arranged to be openable and closable downstream of the fixing unit in the paper guiding direction, and that guides the paper by holding the paper outlet in the housing so as to be openable and closable;
A paper contact portion that is swingably held by the paper guide via a swing shaft and receives paper pressure, and a swing member provided on the swing shaft and having a light shielding portion corresponding to the detection sensor;
Equipped with a,
The paper guide includes a transport roll that transports a paper downstream of the fixing unit in a paper guide direction,
The swing shaft is disposed at a position away from the transport roll from a position where the paper contact portion receives pressure from the paper,
The light-shielding portion of the swing member is disposed between a pair of ribs facing each other in a state where the paper outlet is opened by the paper guide . The housing includes a first housing, a second housing, and a third housing. The fixing unit is accommodated by the first housing and the second housing, and the detection sensor is accommodated by the second housing and the third housing. The fixing device according to claim 1 . The fixing device according to claim 2 , wherein the housing is disposed at a position where the second housing and the third housing accommodate the detection sensor outside a sheet conveyance area. Having a fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image on paper.

Images