JP5218178B2 - Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing device and a fixing device which are mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a multifunction machine having these functions, and fix an unfixed toner image formed on a transfer material. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided.

  2. Description of the Related Art In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine having these functions, a latent image corresponding to an original is formed on a photosensitive member, and toner is applied to the latent image. Thus, the visualized toner image is transferred onto the recording paper, and then the toner image transferred onto the recording paper is fixed and discharged.

  When a color image is formed, Y, M, C, and K latent images corresponding to the original color are formed on four photosensitive drums, and the visualized four color toner images are endless. After primary transfer to an intermediate transfer belt composed of a belt, secondary transfer is performed on the recording paper, and the toner image transferred onto the recording paper is fixed and discharged.

  As a fixing device for fixing a toner image as described above, a belt fixing device for fixing a toner image by sandwiching and conveying a recording material at a nip portion formed between a heating roller having a heating source and an endless belt. Are known.

  In such a belt fixing device, since the nip width can be increased, the glossiness is increased, which is suitable for fixing a color image, and it is possible to cope with an increase in paper feed speed. Further, there is an advantage that the heat capacity for heating the belt is small, energy is saved, and the warm-up time is shortened.

  However, since the belt is configured to be pressed against the heating roller by the pressing member, if the friction between the inner surface of the belt and the pressing member is large, the belt travel is hindered, and the belt, the recording paper, and the heating roller A difference in speed occurs, causing an image shift (image shift) and paper wrinkles.

  For this reason, in the fixing device used in the conventional image forming apparatus, a lubricant is supplied to the inner surface of the belt in order to reduce friction generated between the belt and the pressing member and to enable smooth running of the belt. There is a configuration to do.

  However, if the lubricant is continuously applied over a long period of time, the lubricant may be excessively supplied to the inner surface of the belt, and the driving of the belt and the shift in the width direction (also referred to as meandering) become unstable, There was a problem that the lubricant leaked out of the belt and contaminated the image.

  With respect to such a problem, in Patent Document 1, a member for collecting the lubricant on the inner surface of the belt is disposed on the upstream side of the steering roller, thereby preventing the meandering control of the belt from becoming unstable. Has proposed.

JP 2006-309060 A

  However, even if the inventors fixed the structure of Patent Document 1, it was not possible to sufficiently prevent belt drive failure and meandering control failure. As a result of intensive studies by the present inventors on the cause of this, if lubricant accumulates on the surface of the support roller over which the belt is stretched, the frictional force between the support roller and the belt decreases, causing slippage, driving failure and meandering control. Was found to be unstable.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, in the fixing device using a pressure belt that presses against a fixing member, the driving failure of the belt and the meandering control failure do not occur, and the lubricant leaks outside the belt and stains the image. An object of the present invention is to provide a fixing device that prevents this and suppresses image misalignment and paper wrinkles, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device.

  The above object can be achieved by the following solutions.

1 . In a fixing device having an endless pressure belt that rotates in pressure contact with a fixing member,
A plurality of support rollers for stretching the pressure belt;
A pressing member that presses the pressure belt toward the fixing member;
A lubricant application member for applying a lubricant to the inner surface of the pressure belt;
A recovery member for recovering the lubricant adhering to the surface of at least one of the plurality of support rollers;
Have
Among the supporting rollers lubricant adhering to the roller surface by the collecting member is recovered, at least one support roller, the constant Chakusochi you wherein a driving roller for driving the pressure belt.

2 . In a fixing device having an endless pressure belt that rotates in pressure contact with a fixing member,
A plurality of support rollers for stretching the pressure belt;
A pressing member that presses the pressure belt toward the fixing member;
A lubricant application member for applying a lubricant to the inner surface of the pressure belt;
A recovery member for recovering the lubricant adhering to the surface of at least one of the plurality of support rollers;
Have
The collecting member by of support rollers lubricant adhering to the roller surface is recovered, at least one support roller, the constant you being a separation roller for separating the recording material from the fixing member Chakusochi.

3 . Among the support rollers from which the lubricant adhered to the roller surface is recovered by the recovery member, at least one support roller is a roller for controlling the shift in the width direction of the pressure belt. The fixing device according to 1 or 2 above.

4 . The surface roughness Ra of at least one support roller among the support rollers from which the lubricant adhered to the roller surface is recovered by the recovery member is any one of 1 to 3 above, wherein the surface roughness Ra is 1 to 5 μm. The fixing device according to Item.

5 . Image forming means for forming a toner image on the image carrier, paper feeding means for supplying a recording medium to the image forming means, transfer means for transferring the toner image to the recording medium, and the transferred toner image An image forming apparatus comprising: the fixing device according to any one of 1 to 4 that fixes the recording medium.

  According to the present invention, in the fixing device using the pressure belt that presses against the fixing member, the lubricant that adheres to the surface of the support roller that stretches the pressure belt can be effectively recovered. Provided is a fixing device that can prevent slippage between the belt and the pressure belt and the lubricant from leaking out of the belt to stain the image and suppress image misalignment and paper wrinkles, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device can do.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a belt nip type fixing device according to the present invention. (A) And (b) is an expanded sectional view of a fixing roller and a pressure belt. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a second embodiment of a fixing device according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a third embodiment of a fixing device according to the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The description in this column does not limit the technical scope of the claims or the meaning of terms.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus main body A and an image reading apparatus B.

  The image forming apparatus main body A is called a tandem color image forming apparatus, and includes a plurality of sets of image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, a belt-like intermediate transfer member 6, a sheet feeding and conveying unit, a fixing device 30, and the like. Become.

  An image reading device B including an automatic document feeder DF and a document image scanning exposure device SC is installed on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body A. The document d placed on the document table of the automatic document feeder DF is transported by a transport means, and an image on one or both sides of the document is scanned and exposed by the optical system of the document image scanning exposure device SC, and is applied to the line image sensor CCD. Is read.

  A signal formed by photoelectric conversion by the line image sensor CCD is subjected to analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing, and the like in an image processing unit, and then exposure means 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K. Sent to.

  The image forming unit 10Y that forms a yellow (Y) toner image has a charging unit 2Y, an exposure unit 3Y, a developing unit 4Y, and a cleaning unit 8Y arranged around the photoreceptor 1Y. In the image forming unit 10M that forms a magenta (M) toner image, a charging unit 2M, an exposure unit 3M, a developing unit 4M, and a cleaning unit 8M are arranged around the photoreceptor 1M. In the image forming unit 10C for forming a cyan (C) toner image, a charging unit 2C, an exposure unit 3C, a developing unit 4C, and a cleaning unit 8C are arranged around the photoreceptor 1C. In the image forming unit 10K that forms a black (K) toner image, a charging unit 2K, an exposure unit 3K, a developing unit 4K, and a cleaning unit 8K are disposed around the photoreceptor 1K. The charging unit 2Y and the exposure unit 3Y, the charging unit 2M and the exposure unit 3M, the charging unit 2C and the exposure device 3C, and the charging unit 2K and the exposure device 3K constitute a latent image forming unit.

  The developing units 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K include a two-component developer composed of a toner having a small particle size of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) and a carrier.

  The intermediate transfer member 6 is wound around a plurality of rollers and is rotatably supported by a driving unit (not shown).

  The fixing device 30 heats and presses the toner image on the recording material P at a fixing nip portion formed between a heated fixing member (also referred to as a fixing roller) 31 and a pressure belt 32 to fix the toner image.

  The respective color images formed by the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are sequentially transferred (primary transfer) by the primary transfer units 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K onto the rotating intermediate transfer body 6 to form a color. A combined toner image is formed. The recording material P accommodated in the paper feeding cassette 20 is fed by the paper feeding means 21 and is conveyed to the secondary transfer means 7A through the paper feeding rollers 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, the registration rollers 23, and the like. A color image is transferred onto the recording material P (secondary transfer). The recording material P to which the color image has been transferred is heated and pressurized in the fixing device 30 to fix the color toner image on the recording material P. Thereafter, the sheet is sandwiched between the sheet discharge rollers 24 and placed on the sheet discharge tray 25 outside the apparatus.

  On the other hand, after the color image is transferred to the recording material P by the secondary transfer means 7A, the residual toner is removed by the cleaning means 8A from the intermediate transfer body 6 from which the recording material P is separated by curvature.

  The image forming apparatus for forming a color image has been described above. However, an image forming apparatus for forming a monochrome image may be used, or an intermediate transfer member may or may not be used.

  Next, the main configuration of the belt nip type fixing device 30 according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the belt nip type fixing device 30 according to the present invention. 3A and 3B are enlarged sectional views of the fixing roller 31 and the pressure belt 32. FIG. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  The fixing device 30 according to the present invention includes a fixing roller 31 above the sheet passing path and a pressure belt 32 below the sheet passing path.

  Through a fixing nip formed between the fixing roller 31 and the pressure belt 32, the single color toner image or the multicolor toner image on the recording material P is fixed by heating and pressing.

  The fixing roller 31 includes a halogen lamp H therein, a cylindrical metal core 31A formed of aluminum, iron, or the like, and an elastic layer 31B that covers the cylindrical metal core 31A and is made of silicone rubber having high heat resistance, Furthermore, the elastic layer 31B is covered, and the release layer 31C is made of a fluororesin such as PFA (perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether) or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene).

  On the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roller 31, an external heating unit 42, a cleaning unit 43, a separation claw 44, a temperature sensor (not shown), and the like are arranged.

  The pressure belt 32 is composed of a base formed of polyimide having a thickness of about 100 μm and a release layer formed of PFA or PTFE having a thickness of about 25 μm covering the outer surface of the base. Is formed.

  The pressure belt 32 is wound around the outer periphery of each of the support rollers of the entrance roller 33 near the recording material P introduction portion, the separation roller 34 near the exit portion of the recording material P, and the steering roller 35, and the fixing roller 31. It abuts on the outer peripheral surface.

  The separation claw 45 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the pressure belt 32 around which the separation roller 34 is wound, and peels the recording material P from the pressure belt 32.

  The separation roller 34 is a driving roller for driving the pressure belt 32 to rotate. Further, the steering roller 35 is a roller for controlling the shift (meandering) of the pressure belt 32 in the width direction so as to stably travel.

  The elevating means 46 holds a pressure unit having a pressure belt 32, an entrance roller 33, a separation roller 34, a steering roller 35 and the like so as to be movable up and down, and presses the pressure belt 32 and the pressing means 36 against the fixing roller 31. .

  The pressing means 36 that presses the pressure belt 32 from the inside includes a pressing pad 361 as a pressing member and a holding member 362 attached to the pressing unit so as to press the pressing pad 361 toward the fixing roller 31 side. ing. The pressing pad 361 presses the inner surface side of the pressure belt 32 stretched between the inlet roller 33 and the separation roller 34, and presses the pressure belt 32 against the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roller 31. The pressing pad 361 is formed of a heat-resistant resin, for example, a silicone rubber having a hardness of about 10 ° JISA, with a sheet passing direction width of 20 mm. Silicone rubber may swell with a silicone lubricant applied to the inner surface of the pressure belt, and may be coated with a heat-resistant resin such as PFA or PTFE. The pressing load of the pressure belt to the fixing roller 31 is 400 to 800N.

  The distance between the pressing pad 361 and the separation roller 34 is preferably as short as possible. If this distance is long, the pressure applied by the pressure belt 32 decreases, causing image defects.

  A lubricant application unit 37 is disposed on the inner surface of the pressure belt 32 on the upstream side of the pressing unit 36 in the conveyance direction of the pressure belt. The lubricant application unit 37 includes a lubricant application member 371 and a support member 372.

  For the lubricant application member 371, a heat-resistant felt made of a nonwoven fabric such as polyamide, polyimide, or polyamideimide is used. Lubricant supply to the lubricant application member 371 is performed by sucking up from the lubricant reservoir 38.

The separation roller 34 has a rough surface so that the belt can be driven even if a lubricant is applied to the inner surface of the belt. The surface roughness Ra needs to have a roughness that allows the lubricant that has passed through the pressing pad 361 to be held on the surface. The amount of lubricant passing through the pressure pad 361 investigated by the experiment was 0.5 to 0.8 g / m ² (the belt inner surface roughness Ra was 0.5 μm, the width of the pressure pad 361 in the sheet passing direction was 20 mm, and the silicone rubber The surface is coated with heat-resistant PTFE, the pressing force to the fixing roller is 600 N, and the lubricant application amount on the lubricant application member is 1 g / m ² or more). The surface roughness Ra of the separation roller 34 for maintaining a lubricant amount of 0.5 to 0.8 g / m ² was experimentally required to be 1 μm or more. When the thickness is less than 1 μm, the lubricant that has passed through the pressing pad 361 cannot be sufficiently retained. As the surface roughness Ra increases, the amount of lubricant that can be retained increases. However, if the surface roughness Ra exceeds 5 μm, the inner surface of the pressure belt 32 is scraped by the separation roller 34, and the durability of the pressure belt 32 deteriorates.

  As a method for roughening the surface of the separation roller 34, cutting, pressing, blasting, etching, or the like can be used. A method of randomly roughing the entire surface of the separation roller 34, such as blasting, allows the convex portions on the surface of the separation roller 34 to contact the inner surface of the pressure belt 32, thereby obtaining a stable driving force and applying a lubricant. Since it is held in the recess, it is preferable that no slip occurs. Also, a number of grooves having a depth of 1 to 5 μm may be formed in the circumferential direction of the separation roller 34 by cutting or pressing, or a spiral groove having a predetermined angle with the circumferential direction may be formed. preferable. By forming such a groove, the lubricant that enters the nip portion between the separation roller 34 and the pressure belt 32 is easily pushed out to the upstream side of the nip portion, and the penetration of the lubricant into the nip portion is effective. Can be suppressed. When the groove is in the axial direction of the roller, the lubricant entering the groove is pushed out to the fixing member 31 at the nip portion, and the pushed-out lubricant overflows to the downstream side of the groove portion and pressurizes with the separation roller 34. The frictional force of the belt is lowered, and there is a possibility that slip may occur without transmitting a stable driving force, which is not preferable.

  The separation roller 34 has a surface roughness Ra of 1 to 5 μm so that the belt can be driven even if a lubricant is applied to the inner surface of the belt. Reach the amount of lubricant. In this state, since the lubricant cannot be further retained, the frictional force with the belt coated with the lubricant is reduced, slipping is likely to occur, and stable driving cannot be performed. Therefore, in order not to reach the limit amount of lubricant that can be held on the surface of the separation roller 34, a collection member 39 that collects the lubricant on the surface of the separation roller 34 is brought into contact with the separation roller 34.

  The recovery member 39 includes a recovery roller 391 that recovers excess lubricant adhering to the surface of the separation roller 34 and a scraper 392 for stripping off the recovered lubricant on the recovery roller 391. Further, the lubricant removed by the scraper 392 is stored in the lubricant reservoir 38. By bringing the collection roller 391 into contact with the separation roller 34, about half of the lubricant on the surface of the separation roller 34 can be collected by the surface tension of the lubricant.

  The collection roller 391 can be made of aluminum or stainless steel, but the surface of the collection roller is preferably covered with an elastic member. Covering the elastic member is preferable because the contact area with the separation roller 34 can be increased, and the amount of lubricant recovered can be increased. As the elastic member, heat-resistant rubber such as silicone rubber can be used, and it was experimentally preferable to coat silicone rubber having a JISA hardness of 10 ° with a thickness of about 1 mm. The pressing force of the collection roller 391 to the separation roller 34 is not particularly limited, but if it is pressed at about 100 N and driven to rotate by the rotational force of the separation roller 34, a driving device is not required and a compact configuration is achieved. be able to. The surface roughness of the collection roller 391 is not particularly limited as long as the scraper 392 can collect the lubricant on the surface of the collection roller 391.

  The scraper 392 may be any as long as it removes the lubricant on the surface of the collection roller 391, and a blade made of metal, resin, rubber, or the like can be used. In the case of a resin blade or a rubber blade, a heat resistant material is preferable, and the direction of contact may be either the counter direction or the trail direction. The counter direction is shown in FIG. 3 (a), and the trail direction is shown in FIG. 3 (b). The counter direction is good when emphasizing the recovery capability, and the trail direction is good when emphasizing durability. Experimentally, it was preferable that a heat-resistant fluororubber, a blade with a JISA hardness of 75 °, a wall thickness of 2 mm, and a free length of 10 mm were brought into contact in the trail direction with a load of 0.005 to 0.02 N / mm. If the load is less than 0.005 N / mm, stable contact cannot be obtained, and it is easy for the lubricant to be peeled off. If the load exceeds 0.02 N / mm, the frictional resistance with the collecting roller 391 increases. This is not preferable because it may cause a rotation failure, or the blade is heavily worn, and foreign matter is likely to be generated.

  The scraper 392 may be a member that absorbs a lubricant such as felt instead of a blade. In this case, it is only necessary that a felt having an absorbing ability is always brought into contact with the surface of the collection roller 391.

  The lubricant removed by the scraper 392 is stored in the lubricant reservoir 38 and then supplied again to the lubricant application member 371 as a lubricant.

  The lubricant applied to the inner surface of the pressure belt 32 by the lubricant applying means 37 is preferably a heat-resistant silicone lubricant, and the viscosity is preferably 50 to 1000 cst. An amino-modified lubricant may also be used.

The amount of lubricant applied to the inner surface of the pressure belt 32 was preferably 1 to 4 g / m ² experimentally. When the application amount of the lubricant is less than 1 g / m ² , the frictional resistance with the pressing pad 361 increases, and the driving failure of the pressing belt 32 is likely to occur, and the inner surface of the pressing belt 32 and the pressing pad 361 are increased. The wear of the sliding part becomes severe and the durability is lowered, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if it exceeds 4 g / m ² , the lubricant may leak out of the pressure belt and stain the image, which is not preferable. In order to set the lubricant application amount to 1 to 4 g / m ² , the lubricant is adjusted by the viscosity of the lubricant, the basis weight of the heat-resistant felt of the lubricant application member 371 and the wall thickness. Experimentally, it was preferable that the heat-resistant silicon lubricant had a viscosity of 300 cSt, a heat-resistant felt basis weight of 600 g / m ² , and a wall thickness of 3 mm.

  Further, the surface roughness Ra of the inner surface of the pressure belt 32 is preferably 0.1 to 1.0 μm. If it is less than 0.1 μm, the amount of lubricant retained on the pressure belt 32 decreases, the frictional resistance at the sliding portion of the pressure pad 361 increases, and the driving failure of the pressure belt 32 tends to occur. The inner surface of the pressure belt 32 and the sliding portion of the pressing pad 361 are abraded so that the durability is lowered, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the thickness exceeds 1 μm, the frictional resistance at the sliding portion of the pressing pad 361 is increased, and the driving failure of the pressure belt 32 is likely to occur. It is not preferable because the properties are lowered.

  As described above, the lubricant applied to the inner surface of the pressure belt 32 by the fixing device 30 according to the present invention and having passed through the pressing pad 361 can be recovered in the lubricant reservoir 38 by the separation roller 34 and the recovery member 39. Further, the lubricant more than necessary does not accumulate on the inner surface of the pressure belt 32. Therefore, there is no instability of belt driving or meandering control, the lubricant is prevented from leaking out of the belt and soiling the image, and image misalignment and paper wrinkle are not generated.

  In particular, since the lubricant adhering to the separation roller 34, which is a drive roller, can be efficiently collected, the drive force can be stably transmitted to the pressure belt 32, and no belt drive failure occurs. .

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the fixing device according to the present invention. In addition, about the code | symbol used in this drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which has the same function as FIG. Further, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  In the second embodiment, a recovery roller 391 and a squeezing roller 393 are provided as a lubricant recovery member 39 from the separation roller 34. In the first embodiment, the lubricant on the collection roller 391 is collected by the blade-shaped scraper 392. However, in the second embodiment, the squeezing roller 393 is collected by being pressed against the collection roller 391. I have to.

  The collection roller 391 is preferably a heat-resistant sponge or heat-resistant felt (nonwoven fabric such as polyamide, polyimide, polyamideimide, etc.) that absorbs the lubricant in a metal core such as aluminum or SUS. The sponge is preferably an open-cell type sponge as a structure that easily absorbs the lubricant and that is easily ejected by pressing the squeezing roller 393.

  The squeezing roller 393 is preferably a metal or resin roller such as aluminum or SUS.

  The lubricant adhering to the surface of the separation roller 34 is collected by the collection roller 391, and the squeezing roller 393 is pressed against the collection roller 391 to squeeze out the lubricant in the collection roller 391 and store it in the lubricant reservoir 38.

  Specifically, a heat-resistant sponge of a continuous foam type (bubble diameter 0.2 to 0.7 mm, JISA hardness 30 °) having a thickness of 2.5 mm is used as the recovery roller 391 with a 15-mm aluminum core, and a squeezing roller By using a φ15 aluminum cylinder for 393 and pressing the collection roller 391 with a pressing force of 70 N, the lubricant adhering to the separation roller can be effectively stored in the lubricant reservoir 38. Therefore, it is possible to provide a fixing device that can stably drive without accumulating lubricant on the surface of the separation roller 34 and that does not cause fixing displacement and paper wrinkles, and an image forming apparatus using the fixing device. it can.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the fixing device according to the present invention. In addition, about the code | symbol used in this drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which has the same function as FIG. Further, differences from the first and second embodiments will be described.

  In the third embodiment, a fixing device is shown in which a recovery member 39 is disposed to recover the lubricant adhering to the surface of the steering roller 35 that controls the meandering of the pressure belt 32. As the lubricant accumulates on the surface of the steering roller 35, the frictional resistance between the steering roller 35 and the pressure belt 32 decreases, and the meandering control of the pressure belt 32 may not function normally. By taking this embodiment in such a case, the lubricant on the surface of the steering roller 35 can be efficiently recovered, and stable meandering control can be performed.

  In the first to third embodiments, a fixing device configured to collect the lubricant adhering to the surface of one of the plurality of support rollers that stretch the pressure belt 32 is described. However, it may be a fixing device that recovers the lubricant on the surfaces of the plurality of support rollers. In particular, it is preferable to use a fixing device having a recovery member 39 that recovers the lubricant adhering to the surface of the drive roller, because the driving of the pressure belt is stable over a long period of time.

  In the above embodiment of the fixing device, the fixing roller 31 is disposed as a fixing member. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a fixing belt that is rotated by a heating source instead of the fixing roller 31 is rotated. The present invention can also be applied to a fixing device having a configuration in which is arranged.

30 Fixing Device 31 Fixing Member (Fixing Roller)
32 Pressure belt 33 Entrance roller 34 Separating roller 35 Steering roller 36 Pressing means 361 Pressing pad 362 Holding member 37 Lubricant applying means 371 Lubricant applying member 372 Support member 38 Lubricant reservoir 39 Recovery member 391 Recovery roller 392 Scraper 393 Squeezing roller 46 Lifting means

Claims (5)

In a fixing device having an endless pressure belt that rotates in pressure contact with a fixing member,
A plurality of support rollers for stretching the pressure belt;
A pressing member that presses the pressure belt toward the fixing member;
A lubricant application member for applying a lubricant to the inner surface of the pressure belt;
A recovery member for recovering the lubricant adhering to the surface of at least one of the plurality of support rollers;
Have
Among the supporting rollers lubricant adhering to the roller surface by the collecting member is recovered, at least one support roller, the constant Chakusochi you wherein a driving roller for driving the pressure belt. In a fixing device having an endless pressure belt that rotates in pressure contact with a fixing member,
A plurality of support rollers for stretching the pressure belt;
A pressing member that presses the pressure belt toward the fixing member;
A lubricant application member for applying a lubricant to the inner surface of the pressure belt;
A recovery member for recovering the lubricant adhering to the surface of at least one of the plurality of support rollers;
Have
The collecting member by of support rollers lubricant adhering to the roller surface is recovered, at least one support roller, the constant you being a separation roller for separating the recording material from the fixing member Chakusochi. Among the support rollers from which the lubricant adhered to the roller surface is recovered by the recovery member, at least one support roller is a roller for controlling the shift in the width direction of the pressure belt. the fixing device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The surface roughness Ra of at least one of the support rollers from which the lubricant adhering to the roller surface is recovered by the recovery member is 1 to 5 μm. 5. The fixing device according to Item 1. Image forming means for forming a toner image on the image carrier, paper feeding means for supplying a recording medium to the image forming means, transfer means for transferring the toner image to the recording medium, and the transferred toner image image forming apparatus characterized by having a fixing device according to claim 1 in any one of the 4 fixed on the recording medium.

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