JP5374877B2 - Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device which does not cause partial excessive temperature rise even when small-size paper is made to pass continuously, which has stable fixing performance and which is excellent in durability, and to provide an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The fixing device 1 includes a heating roller 11, a pressure roller 12 and a magnetic flux generation part 13 applying magnetic flux to the heating roller 11. The heating roller 11 includes a first conductive layer (main heating element layer 24), a second conductive layer (heat generation control layer 23) and a third conductive layer (core bar 21) in order from a side nearer to the magnetic flux generation part 13. The second conductive layer is composed of permalloy to which niobium or tantalum is added. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer, and a fixing device used therefor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus using electromagnetic induction heating.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, fixing devices for image forming apparatuses include an electromagnetic induction heating method. An electromagnetic induction heating type fixing device generally includes an induction heating element and an excitation unit that applies a magnetic flux to the induction heating element. The induction heating element is, for example, an endless belt-like conductor, and more preferably a magnetic conductor. The excitation unit has, for example, an excitation coil and a core, and generates magnetic flux when a high-frequency alternating voltage is applied. An eddy current is generated in the induction heating element by the magnetic flux. As a result, the induction heating element generates Joule heat due to electrical resistance.

  Various sizes of paper are passed through the image forming apparatus. In the fixing device, in the width direction (perpendicular to the paper passing direction), heat is taken away by the paper in the part where the paper is actually passed, but the heat is taken in the part where the paper is not passed. Because it is not broken, the temperature does not drop much. That is, in the width of the heating roller, the temperature outside the paper width does not decrease due to the paper. When the paper is heated again from that state for the next fixing of the paper, the temperature of the portion where the temperature has not decreased further increases. For this reason, when relatively small sized papers are continuously passed, there is a risk that the portion of the induction heating element outside the paper passing region will overheat.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a fixing device using a pipe or film made of a magnetic material having a Curie temperature slightly higher than the fixing temperature. Further, an exciting part is arranged outside the pipe and the like, and a nonmagnetic material having a lower electrical resistivity than the pipe is arranged inside the pipe. According to the apparatus described in this document, the pipe or the like becomes a non-magnetic material in a portion where the temperature is raised above the Curie temperature. And since the induced current flows through a nonmagnetic material having a low electrical resistivity, the amount of heat generated in that portion is said to be small.

Alternatively, Patent Document 2 discloses a fixing device in which a fixing belt, which is a heating element, is rotatably held, and an excitation unit is disposed outside the fixing belt. Further, in the fixing device of this document, the opposed core is fixed with a gap in the fixing belt. The opposed core is formed of ferrite having a Curie point of 190 ° C. According to this document, at the portion where the temperature of the fixing belt rises and becomes higher than the Curie point, the magnetic permeability of the opposed core is reduced, so that the amount of heat generation is reduced. Therefore, it is said that overheating is prevented.
Japanese Patent No. 3900692 Republished patent WO2004 / 063819

  However, the fixing devices described in both documents have the following problems. Permalloy, ferrite, etc. are often used as magnetic materials for adjusting the Curie temperature, but the fixing belt may crack if repeated fixing operations are performed using a fixing device using these materials. there were. In particular, when this magnetic material is arranged near the object to be fixed as in Patent Document 1, a pressed state and a non-pressurized state are repeated with respect to the magnetic material. For this reason, cracks occur in the fixing belt due to metal fatigue of the magnetic material. That is, these materials have a problem that they cannot be said to have sufficient strength for durable use as a fixing belt used in a heating and pressing type fixing device.

  On the other hand, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the opposed core is disposed at a position where it does not receive pressure. However, since there is a gap between the opposed core and the fixing belt, it takes some time for heat conduction between them. For this reason, only the outer fixing belt may overheat before the opposing core exceeds the Curie temperature.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. That is, the problem is that a fixing device and an image forming apparatus that have stable fixing performance and excellent durability even when small-size paper is continuously fed do not cause partial overheating. It is to provide.

In order to solve this problem, the fixing device of the present invention is a fixing device having a heating roller, a pressure roller, and an excitation coil for applying a magnetic flux to the heating roller. The heating roller includes a sliding contact member disposed at a position facing the excitation coil, an excitation coil in the sliding contact member, and a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer. and a fixing belt contacting a portion of the inner peripheral surface to the side surface of the side, the first conductive layer is provided on the fixing belt, the second conductive layer is provided on the sliding contact member, the third conductive The layer is provided on the sliding contact member, the second conductive layer is made of permalloy to which at least one of niobium and tantalum is added, and the third conductive layer is made of a nonmagnetic material.

  According to the fixing device of the present invention, since the second conductive layer is made of permalloy, the Curie temperature of this layer can be adjusted. When this heating roller partially reaches a high temperature exceeding its Curie temperature, the magnetic permeability partially changes. That is, the magnetic flux density in the part that reaches the Curie temperature decreases. On the other hand, the magnetic flux density hardly changes in the part that is not so hot. Therefore, the temperature is further increased in the low temperature portion, and the heat generation amount is reduced in the high temperature portion. The Curie temperature can be adjusted by selecting the component ratio of Permalloy.

  Here, in the present invention, the material of the second conductive layer is a material in which at least one of niobium or tantalum is added to permalloy. With permalloy alone, the permeability change is significant, but the strength against repeated pressure changes is not sufficient. In the present invention, the second conductive layer can have sufficient strength by adding niobium and / or tantalum. Therefore, even when small-size paper is continuously fed, a partial overheating does not occur, and the fixing device has stable fixing performance and excellent durability.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the content ratio of at least one of niobium and tantalum in the second conductive layer is in the range of 0.5 to 5% by weight. When both niobium and tantalum are added, the content here is for the total amount.
If the addition is less than 0.5% by weight, sufficient strength cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the content exceeds 5% by weight, the original properties of permalloy are impaired. Furthermore, it is difficult to manufacture a product whose content exceeds 5% by weight.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms a toner image on a sheet and a fixing device that fixes the toner image on the sheet. The fixing device includes a heating roller, a pressure roller, and a heating roller. The heating roller has a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer in order from the side closer to the excitation coil. A sliding contact member disposed at a position facing the coil; and a fixing belt that makes a part of the inner peripheral surface contact a side surface of the sliding contact member on the exciting coil side. provided on the belt, the second conductive layer is provided on the sliding contact member, the third conductive layer is provided on the sliding member is composed of permalloy the second conductive layer by adding at least one of niobium and tantalum The third conductive layer is made of a non-magnetic material. And also extends to the image forming apparatus has.

  According to the fixing device and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even when a small size sheet is continuously fed, a partial excessive temperature rise does not occur, and it has a stable fixing performance and an excellent durability.

" First Reference Form "
Hereinafter, the first reference embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus having an electromagnetic induction heating type fixing device.

  The image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is a so-called tandem color printer having an intermediate transfer belt 101 as schematically shown in FIG. The intermediate transfer belt 101 is an endless belt member, and both ends in the figure are supported by rollers 102 and 103. Along the lower portion of the intermediate transfer belt 101 in the drawing, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K and an image density sensor 105 are provided. Has been placed. The image density sensor 105 also has a function as a registration sensor.

  The image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K for each color have the same configuration. Each includes a photosensitive drum 106 and a charging device 107, an exposure device 108, a developing device 109, and a cleaner device 110 arranged around the photosensitive drum 106. A primary transfer device 111 is disposed at a position facing the photosensitive drum 106 with the intermediate transfer belt 101 interposed therebetween. In FIG. 1, the image forming unit 104Y is representatively shown.

  1 shows a paper feeding device 112 that accommodates the paper P. A paper feed roller 113 that feeds the paper P is provided above the paper feed device 112. The paper P is sent upward from the paper feeding device 112 along the transport path 114. A secondary transfer device 115 is disposed at a position facing the roller 103 with the conveyance path 114 interposed therebetween. Further, a fixing device 1 is disposed on the downstream side (upper side in the drawing). The fixing device 1 includes a heating roller 11, a pressure roller 12, and a magnetic flux generator 13. The fixing device 1 will be described in detail later. A paper discharge roller 116 and a paper discharge tray 117 are arranged further downstream of the conveyance path 114 from the fixing device 1.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be briefly described. When the image forming apparatus 100 receives an image formation instruction, the image forming apparatus 100 generates image data of each color from the image signal. The generated image data of each color is sent to the corresponding image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K. The image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K for each color form electrostatic latent images by charging and exposing the respective photosensitive drums 106 based on the image data. Further, the formed electrostatic latent image is developed to form a toner image.

  The formed toner images are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 101 by the primary transfer device 111 and superimposed. The toner image superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 101 is transferred onto the paper P by the secondary transfer device 115. The sheet P carrying the toner image is further conveyed and reaches the fixing device 1 where it is heated and pressurized by the fixing device 1. As a result, the toner image is fixed on the paper P. The paper P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to a paper discharge tray 117 by a paper discharge roller 116.

  The fixing device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a heating roller 11, a pressure roller 12, and a magnetic flux generator 13, as schematically shown in FIG. The heating roller 11 and the pressure roller 12 are arranged in parallel to each other, and both are rotatably supported. The pressure roller 12 is urged toward the heating roller 11 in a direction perpendicular to the axis. As a result, a nip is formed between the heating roller 11 and the pressure roller 12. A separation claw 14 for separating the fixed sheet from the heating roller 11 is provided in the vicinity of the exit of the nip (right side in the figure). 2 shows the fixing device 1 of FIG. 1 rotated 90 degrees so that the right side is the bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heating roller 11 has six layers including a cored bar 21, a heat insulating layer 22, a heat generation control layer 23, a main heating element layer 24, an elastic layer 25, and a release layer 26 from the inside (lower side in the figure). It is configured. Among these, the metal core 21 and the heat insulating layer 22 are bonded to each other to form a roller shape. These are collectively referred to as a fixing roller 27. Further, the heat generation control layer 23, the main heating element layer 24, the elastic layer 25, and the release layer 26 are bonded together to form an endless belt. These are collectively referred to as a fixing belt 28. The fixing roller 27 and the fixing belt 28 are not bonded. A fixing roller 27 is inserted into the fixing belt 28.

  In this embodiment, there is almost no gap between the fixing belt 28 and the fixing roller 27. Therefore, the entire fixing belt 28 and the fixing roller 27 can be regarded as one roller (heating roller 11). Here, the main heating element layer 24 corresponds to the first conductive layer, and the heat generation control layer 23 corresponds to the second conductive layer.

  The cored bar 21 is a support that supports the entire heating roller 11 and needs to have sufficient heat resistance and strength. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cored bar 21 also functions as a third conductive layer. The cored bar 21 may be a nonmagnetic material or a magnetic material, but a nonmagnetic material is more preferable. The relative permeability of the cored bar 21 is in the range of 0.99 to 1000, preferably 0.99 to 1.1. In particular, in this embodiment, the core metal 21 is made of a material having a lower magnetic permeability than the heat generation control layer 23 and the main heating element layer 24 at room temperature. Here, “normal temperature” in the present invention is a temperature range that is not in an excessively high temperature state, and corresponds to a temperature range equal to or lower than the Curie temperature of the heat generation control layer 23 in this embodiment.

Further, as the core metal 21, a material having a low electrical resistivity is used. The volume resistivity of the cored bar 21 is 1.0 to 10.0 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm, preferably 1.0 to 2.0 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm. In particular, in this embodiment, the core metal 21 is made of a material having a lower resistance than the heat generation control layer 23 at a high temperature. For example, the core metal 21 may be a copper pipe having a wall thickness of about 4 mm and an outer diameter of 15 to 25 mmφ. Alternatively, materials such as iron, SUS, and aluminum can be used as long as they are within the ranges of the above-described relative permeability and volume resistivity. Here, “high temperature” in the present invention refers to a temperature range that is in an overheated state, and corresponds to a temperature range that exceeds the Curie temperature of the heat generation control layer 23 in this embodiment.

  The heat insulating layer 22 is for preventing heat generated in the fixing belt 28 from escaping to the cored bar 21. Therefore, a sponge material (heat insulation structure) made of a rubber material or a resin material having low thermal conductivity, heat resistance and elasticity is preferable. With such a configuration, it is possible to allow the fixing belt 28 to bend and keep the nip width large. Further, the hardness of the heating roller 11 as a whole can be reduced, and the fixing property and paper passing property can be improved. Further, as the heat insulating layer 22, a two-layer structure of a solid body and a sponge body may be used.

  Further, for example, when a silicon sponge material is used as the heat insulating layer 22, one having a thickness of 1 to 10 mm, more preferably 2 to 7 mm may be used. The heat insulation layer 22 has an Asker C hardness of 20 to 60 degrees, more preferably 30 to 50 degrees. The roller hardness of the heating roller 11 as a whole is preferably about 30 to 90 degrees in terms of Asker C hardness.

As the heat generation control layer 23, a magnetic material having a volume resistivity that is moderately larger than that of the cored bar 21 at room temperature is used. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a material having a Curie point at the same temperature as the fixing temperature is used. For example, the relative permeability is 50 to 2000, preferably 100 to 1000. The volume resistivity in the temperature range lower than the Curie temperature is in the range of 2 to 200 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm, preferably 5 to 100 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm. The thickness of the heat generation control layer 23 is preferably 20 to 200 μm, preferably 40 to 100 μm.

  When the target fixing temperature is about 180 ° C. (170 to 190 ° C.), the Curie temperature is 150 to 220 ° C., preferably 180 to 200 ° C. In this embodiment, a permalloy having a Curie temperature of 190 ° C. is used. In Permalloy, the higher the ratio of nickel, the higher the Curie temperature can be obtained. Therefore, the Curie temperature of the heat generation control layer 23 is adjusted by the component ratio of permalloy. The Curie temperature can also be adjusted by using an alloy containing chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, or the like. Further, in this embodiment, a permalloy to which 0.5 to 5% by weight of niobium or tantalum is added is used. Thereby, compared with the case of only permalloy, it can be made hard to produce a crack with respect to the repetition of pressure welding.

The main heating element layer 24 is a layer that receives the magnetic flux generated by the magnetic flux generator 13 and induces an induced current, thereby generating heat. Therefore, a magnetic material having a high relative permeability and a moderate volume resistivity than the cored bar 21 is used. For example, nickel, magnetic stainless steel, permalloy and the like are preferable. The relative permeability of the main heating element layer 24 is 1 to 500, preferably 1 to 200. The volume resistivity is in the range of 1 to 100 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm, preferably 1 to 10 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm. The thickness of the main heating element layer 24 is preferably 10 to 100 μm, and more preferably 20 to 50 μm. Further, even non-magnetic materials can be used by forming a thin film having a thickness of 40 μm or less as long as the material has good conductivity such as copper and silver.

  The elastic layer 25 is for uniformly and flexibly transferring heat to the toner image. Since the elastic layer 25 has an appropriate elasticity, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of image noise due to the toner image being crushed or non-uniformly melted. Therefore, a rubber material or a resin material having heat resistance and elasticity is used for the elastic layer 25. As the material, for example, heat-resistant elastomers such as silicon rubber and fluorine rubber that can withstand use at the fixing temperature are suitable. Further, the above materials may be mixed with various fillers for the purpose of thermal conductivity and reinforcement. Among them, examples of particles filled for improving thermal conductivity include diamond, silver, copper, aluminum, marble, and glass. Practically, silica, alumina, magnesium oxide, boron nitride, beryllium oxide and the like are preferable.

  The elastic layer 25 has a thickness in the range of 10 to 800 μm, more preferably in the range of 100 to 300 μm. If the thickness of the elastic layer 24 is less than 10 μm, it is difficult to obtain sufficient elasticity in the thickness direction. On the other hand, if the thickness exceeds 800 μm, it is difficult to cause the heat generated in the main heating element layer 24 to reach the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller 11, which is not preferable because the heat efficiency is poor.

  The elastic layer 25 has a JIS hardness of 1 to 80 degrees, more preferably 5 to 30 degrees. If the hardness is within this range, it is possible to ensure a stable fixing property while preventing a decrease in the strength and adhesion of the elastic layer 25. Examples of silicon rubber having a hardness within this range include, for example, one-component, two-component, or three-component or more silicone rubber, LTV (Low Temperature Vulcanizable) type, RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizable) Sulfur) type, HTV (High Temperature Vulcanizable) type silicon rubber, condensation type or addition type silicon rubber, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, silicon rubber having a JIS hardness of 10 degrees and a thickness of 200 μm is used.

  The release layer 26 is the outermost layer of the heating roller 11 and is for improving the release property between the heating roller 11 and the paper. As the release layer 26, a layer that can withstand use at a fixing temperature and has excellent release properties with respect to toner is used. For example, silicon rubber, fluorine rubber, PFA (tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkoxyethylene copolymer), PTFE (tetrafluoroethylene), FEP (tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoroethylene copolymer), PFEP Fluorine resins such as (tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer) are preferred. Alternatively, a mixture of these may be used.

  The thickness of the release layer 26 is 5 to 100 μm, more preferably 10 to 50 μm. Further, in order to improve the adhesive force between the release layer 26 and the elastic layer 25, an adhesion treatment with a primer or the like may be performed. In addition, a conductive material, an abrasion resistant material, a good heat conductive material, or the like may be added as a filler to the release layer 26 as necessary.

  In this embodiment, the heat generation control layer 23 and the main heating element layer 24 are respectively rolled and then clad, and an endless belt is formed by plastic processing such as drawing processing, spinning processing, DI processing (drawing / ironing processing). Layer. A fixing belt 28 is manufactured by coating the elastic layer 25 and the release layer 26 thereon. Alternatively, after only the heat generation control layer 23 is plastic processed, the main heating element layer 24 may be formed by plating or a coating film. Since the main heating element layer 24 is a relatively thin layer, such a manufacturing method can also be adopted.

  Next, the pressure roller 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure roller 12 includes a cored bar 31, a heat insulating layer 32, and a release layer 33. The cored bar 31 is an aluminum pipe having a wall thickness of 3 mm. If the strength can be ensured, a pipe of a mold made of a heat resistant material such as PPS may be used instead of the cored bar 31. Alternatively, it is not impossible to use an iron pipe, but a non-magnetic material that is not easily affected by electromagnetic induction is more preferable.

  A heat insulating layer 32 is provided on the outer periphery of the cored bar 31. The heat insulation layer 32 is a silicon sponge rubber layer having a thickness in the range of 3 to 10 mm. Instead of the one heat insulating layer 32, a two-layer structure of silicon rubber and silicon sponge may be used.

  The release layer 33 on the outermost periphery of the pressure roller 12 is for improving the release property of the roller surface with respect to the paper, like the release layer 26 of the heating roller 11. The release layer 33 is a layer having a thickness of 10 to 50 μm made of a fluorine-based resin such as PTFE or PFA. In this embodiment, the pressure roller 12 is pressed against the heating roller 11 with a load of 300 to 500 N, and the nip width of the fixing device 1 is about 5 to 15 mm. If it is desired to use a nip width different from that of this embodiment, the load of the pressure roller 12 may be changed and adjusted.

  Next, the magnetic flux generator 13 will be described. The magnetic flux generator 13 faces the outer periphery of the heating roller 11 and is disposed in parallel to the heating roller 11 along the longitudinal direction of the heating roller 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the magnetic flux generator 13 has an exciting coil 41, a magnetic core 42, and a coil bobbin 43. In this embodiment, a high-frequency inverter 44, a thermistor 45, and a control unit 46 are further provided.

  The exciting coil 41 is a coil wound along the longitudinal direction of the heating roller 11. The cross section (see FIG. 2) has a slightly curved shape following the outer periphery of the heating roller 11. A high frequency inverter 44 is connected to the excitation coil 41, and high frequency power of 10 to 100 kHz and 100 to 2000 W is supplied. Therefore, in this embodiment, the winding of the exciting coil 41 is a litz wire formed by bundling several tens to several hundreds of thin strands. The exciting coil 41 generates heat when energized. Even in such a case, the winding is coated with a heat-resistant resin so that insulation can be maintained. Furthermore, it is desirable to cool the exciting coil 41 with a fan or the like, for example. In addition, the exciting coil 41 of this form is connected in the longitudinal direction, and is not divided into a plurality. When a thin non-magnetic material is used for the main heating element layer 24, it is desirable that the alternating voltage range be 20 to 40 kHz.

  The magnetic core 42 is for increasing the efficiency of the magnetic circuit and for magnetic shielding. The magnetic core 42 has a main core 47, an end core 48, and a bottom core 49. The main core 47 has an arch shape as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, 13 core pieces having a length of about 10 mm are arranged in the axial direction of the heating roller 11. As the main core 47, a main core 47 having a substantially “E” cross section and having a central portion protruding toward the heating roller 11 may be used. In this way, the heat generation efficiency can be further increased. The end core 48 is formed by arranging core pieces having a square cross section and a length of 5 to 10 mm at both ends of the heating roller 11. Further, the skirt core 49 has a rectangular cross section continuously arranged in a range substantially corresponding to the longitudinal dimension of the heating roller 11.

  Each of the magnetic cores 42 is made of a material having high magnetic permeability and low eddy current loss. The Curie temperature of the magnetic core 42 of this embodiment is preferably 140 to 220 ° C., more preferably 160 to 200 ° C. Since this embodiment uses high frequency, the loss of eddy current in the core tends to increase. In addition, eddy current loss tends to increase even more in cores made of high-permeability alloys such as Permalloy. Therefore, when such a material is used, it is desirable to use a core having a structure in which thin plates are laminated. In addition, when the magnetic shielding of the magnetic circuit part by the exciting coil 41 and the magnetic core 42 can be sufficiently performed by other means, the core may not be provided (air core). Furthermore, as the magnetic core 42, a resin material in which magnetic powder is dispersed can be used. Although this material has a slightly low magnetic permeability, it has the advantage that the shape can be set freely.

  Further, in this embodiment, the thermistor 45 is provided in contact with the surface of the heating roller 11. The thermistor 45 is disposed in the roller axial direction of the heating roller 11 at a position where the paper passes regardless of the size of paper. For example, in the case of an image forming apparatus that allows paper to be left-justified, it is near the left end of the heating roller 11. Further, the rotation direction of the heating roller 11 is disposed slightly upstream from the entrance of the fixing nip. The thermistor 45 detects the surface temperature of the heating roller 11 at the place before fixing.

  During the fixing process, the high-frequency inverter 44 is controlled by the control unit 46 so that the surface temperature detected by the thermistor 45 is within an appropriate fixing temperature range. An appropriate fixing temperature is set in advance according to the type of toner, and is, for example, about 100 to 200 ° C. The detection of the surface temperature of the heating roller 11 is not limited to the thermistor 45 and may be performed by a non-contact temperature sensor.

  Next, a fixing process operation by the fixing device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In the fixing device 1 of the present embodiment, the pressure roller 12 is pressed against the heating roller 11, and a nip is formed between them. During the fixing process, the pressure roller 12 is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing as indicated by an arrow in FIG. As a result, the heating roller 11 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure by the frictional force with the pressure roller 12. Note that the relationship between the driving and the driven may be reversed.

  In the magnetic flux generator 13, high frequency power is supplied to the exciting coil 41 by the high frequency inverter 44. The magnetic flux generated thereby passes through the inside of the magnetic core 42. Then, the magnetic flux exits between the protrusions of the magnetic core 42 and reaches the heating roller 11. If the heat generation control layer 23 is in a normal temperature state lower than its Curie temperature, both the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 have a high magnetic permeability. In this state, due to the shielding effect of the heat generation control layer 23, the magnetic flux hardly leaks to the opposite side (the inner peripheral side of the heating roller 11).

  That is, at normal temperature, most of the magnetic flux travels in the circumferential direction of the heating roller 11 through the thickness of the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 and returns to the magnetic flux generation unit 13. For this reason, the magnetic flux density is very high in these layers. Therefore, these layers generate a large amount of heat. For example, since this state is during warm-up, both the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 generate a large amount of heat. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the heat capacity of the layers contributing to heat generation (the main heat generating layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23) is small and the fixing belt 28 is insulated and held by the heat insulating layer 22, the temperature can be raised in a short time. Can do.

  The heat generated in this way is transmitted to the surface of the heating roller 11 via the elastic layer 25 bonded to the main heating element layer 24. The high frequency inverter 44 is controlled by the control unit 46 so that the surface of the heating roller 11 has an appropriate fixing temperature. The paper P carrying the toner image is inserted into the nip between the heating roller 11 and the pressure roller 12 with the surface on which the toner image is placed facing the heating roller 11 side. Then, the toner is melted and fixed to the paper P while passing through the nip between the heating roller 11 and the pressure roller 12 from the left to the right in FIG.

  The paper P that has passed through the nip is separated from the heating roller 11 and conveyed to the subsequent stage. If the sheet P remains stuck to the heating roller 11 even after passing through the nip, it is forcibly separated from the heating roller 11 by the separation claw 14. This prevents the paper P from jamming in the fixing device 1. Note that the tip of the separation claw 14 may or may not be in contact with the surface of the heating roller 11.

  Due to the fixing process of the paper P, heat is removed from the surface of the heating roller 11 by the paper P and the toner. Therefore, the surface temperature of the heating roller 11 decreases in the range where the paper P is passed in the axial direction of the roller. The thermistor 45 detects the temperature where the paper P is passed. The control unit 46 receives the detection result of the thermistor 45 and controls the high frequency inverter 44. That is, the control unit 46 increases or decreases the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency inverter 44 to the exciting coil 41 so that the next sheet P is within the appropriate fixing temperature range before being conveyed to the fixing nip.

  When the fixing device 1 continuously fixes the paper P having a relatively small paper width, heat gradually accumulates outside the paper passing range. Therefore, in the axial direction of the heating roller 11, the temperature of the heat generation control layer 23 particularly rises outside the sheet passing range, and the temperature of that portion may exceed the Curie temperature. Where the temperature of the heat generation control layer 23 exceeds the Curie temperature, the magnetic permeability of the heat generation control layer 23 is greatly reduced. Thereby, the shielding effect by the heat generation control layer 23 is weakened. That is, in the portion where the temperature is higher than the sheet passing range, the magnetic permeability of the heat generation control layer 23 is greatly reduced, and most of the magnetic flux passes through the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 to further increase the inner circumference. Leak to the side. As a result, the magnetic flux density passing through the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 is greatly reduced, and the amount of heat generated by these is also greatly reduced.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cored bar 21 functions as the third conductive layer. The magnetic flux leaking through the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 at a high temperature is applied to the core metal 21 which is the third conductive layer. The cored bar 21 is, for example, a copper pipe and has a low resistance, so that an eddy current flows easily. Therefore, most of the eddy current due to the magnetic flux applied to the core metal 21 is generated in the core metal 21. Since the core metal 21 has a low resistance, it hardly generates heat even when an eddy current flows. Further, the counter electromotive force due to the eddy current generated in the cored bar 21 works in the direction to cancel the magnetic flux. Therefore, the magnetic flux density between the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 further decreases. Accordingly, the heat generation amount is further reduced. Thereby, in a high temperature location, it will be in the state which hardly generates heat in any location of the radius direction of heating roller 11.

  Accordingly, at the location where the temperature has risen excessively, the permeability of the heat generation control layer 23 changes and the amount of heat generation is greatly reduced. On the other hand, the calorific value hardly changes in the portion where the temperature is not high within the paper passing range. This is because in this range, the magnetic permeability of the heat generation control layer 23 does not decrease, and the magnetic flux density distribution hardly changes from the normal temperature state. As described above, when the core bar 21 functions as the third conductive layer, when the magnetic permeability distribution of the heat generation control layer 23 changes, the heat generation amount of the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 is further reduced. Can be made. Further, in this embodiment, the thickness of the core bar 21 which is the third conductive layer is larger than that of the other layers, so that the heat generation amount of the third conductive layer can be further suppressed, and the overall fixing device has high thermal efficiency. it can.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the main heating element layer 24 and the heat generation control layer 23 are laminated, the change in surface temperature is quickly transmitted to the heat generation control layer 23. Therefore, as soon as the surface temperature of a part of the heating roller 11 becomes higher than the temperature suitable for fixing, the amount of heat generated at that part is greatly reduced, so that the excessive temperature rise state does not continue. The Curie temperature of the heat generation control layer 23 is selected so as to obtain such an effect. Further, in this embodiment, since the core metal 21 is used as the third conductive layer, the heat capacity of the fixing belt 28 is not large compared to the case where the third conductive layer is also laminated on the fixing belt. Therefore, it is possible to warm up in a short time. Furthermore, since the heat generation control layer 23 is made of permalloy to which niobium or tantalum is added, there is no possibility of cracking or the like even when repeatedly pressed, and the durability of the fixing belt 28 is excellent.

  Next, the results of various experiments conducted to confirm the effect of the fixing device of this embodiment will be described. First, as a first experiment, an image forming apparatus having the same configuration as that of the present embodiment is used as a comparative example except that a rotating shaft made of a material that is not a conductor is used for the heating roller, and a comparative experiment with the embodiment of the present embodiment is performed. went. Specifically, a ceramic pipe was used as the rotating shaft of the comparative example.

  In this experiment, the degree of change in the amount of heat generation before and after the heat generation control layer 23 exceeded the Curie temperature was determined as the heat generation rate by the ratio of the subsequent heat generation amount to the previous heat generation amount. The result is shown in FIG. Here, the total heat generation by all conductive layers was compared. In the comparative example, the heat generation rate decreased only to about 65%, but in the example, it was 30% or less. From this, it was found that by having the third conductive layer, the rate of decrease in the amount of heat generated when the Curie temperature was exceeded can be increased.

  Next, as a second experiment, the heat generation efficiency was compared for the same example and comparative example as described above. Here, the heat generation efficiency is the ratio of the heat generation amount of the entire first to third conductive layers, which is effective heat generation, out of the heat generation amount of the entire fixing device. Calculated excluding inverter power loss. Other heat generation, that is, useless heat generation includes Joule heat generation of coils and induction heat generation of peripheral sheet metal. The result of the second experiment is shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, the heat generation efficiency is about 97% in both the example and the comparative example, which is not very different. In other words, it was confirmed that even when the core metal 21 that functions as the third conductive layer was used, the heat generation efficiency was not lowered.

  Furthermore, as a third experiment, the inventors confirmed the strength of the fixing belt 28 by changing the material of the heat generation control layer 23. In this experiment, copper having a thickness of 10 μm was used as the main heating element layer 24, and a heat generation control layer 23 made of Permalloy to which niobium or tantalum was added at different ratios was laminated to a thickness of about 30 μm. There was no clear difference between using niobium and tantalum. In this experiment, a copper cored bar 21 was used. Using this fixing belt 28, 300,000 sheets were fixed. Thereafter, the fixing belt 28 was taken out and the state thereof was observed.

  The results of the third experiment were as shown in Table 1. In the fixing belt 28 in which the heat generation control layer 23 was manufactured by permalloy containing 0.5 to 5% by weight of niobium or tantalum, no abnormality was visually observed. On the other hand, when no niobium or tantalum was added (0% by weight) or when the content was 0.1% by weight, the fixing belt 28 was cracked. Further, it is difficult to manufacture a fixing belt made of permalloy to which niobium or tantalum is added at 10% by weight or more. Therefore, it was found that the material of the heat generation control layer 23 is preferably permalloy containing 0.5 to 5% by weight of niobium or tantalum.

  In addition, in this experiment, when only niobium was added, when only tantalum was added, both niobium and tantalum were added, and the total amount was adjusted so as to be the above content. Similar results were obtained. For comparison, a fixing belt 28 having the same thickness as in this experiment was manufactured using only nickel, and the same fixing operation as in this experiment was repeated. As a result, no belt cracking occurred.

  As described above in detail, according to the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the heating roller 11 is provided with the first conductive layer (main heating element layer 24), the second conductive layer (heat generation control layer 23), and the third conductive layer. (Core metal 21). Therefore, when the temperature becomes partially high and the surface temperature of the fixing belt 28 exceeds the Curie temperature of the heat generation control layer 23, the magnetic permeability of the heat generation control layer 23 at that location is greatly reduced. Accordingly, the magnetic flux density in that portion is greatly reduced and the amount of heat generation is reduced, so that an excessive temperature rise is prevented. Furthermore, since the material of the heat generation control layer 23 is permalloy to which niobium or tantalum is added, the strength of the fixing belt 28 is sufficiently large. Since the main heating element layer 24 is made of a magnetic material, the heat generation efficiency as the heating roller 11 is good. Moreover, since the volume resistivity of the cored bar 21 is made smaller than the volume resistivity of the heat generation control layer 23, the decrease in the amount of heat generated when the Curie temperature is exceeded is significant. That is, even when a small size sheet is continuously fed, a partial overheating does not occur, and the fixing device and the image forming apparatus have stable fixing performance and excellent durability.

" Embodiment "
Next, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the configuration of the heating roller 11 is slightly different from that of the first reference embodiment , and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the heating roller 51 of the fixing device 2 of the present embodiment has an outer diameter of the fixing roller 27 that is considerably smaller than an inner diameter of the fixing belt 52. The fixing roller 27 has the same layer structure except that the diameter is different from that in the first reference embodiment . The fixing roller 27 is in pressure contact with the pressure roller 12 with the fixing belt 52 interposed therebetween.

  In this embodiment, since the fixing roller 27 has a small diameter, there is a space S between the fixing roller 27 and the fixing belt 52 in the upper part in FIG. In this space S, a sliding contact member 53 having a two-layer structure is fixed and arranged. The sliding member 53 is fixed at a position facing the magnetic flux generator 13 with the fixing belt 52 interposed therebetween. The slidable contact member 53 has a fan-shaped lateral surface shape and has a length substantially equal to that of the heating roller 51 in the depth direction in the figure. Further, the upper surface in the drawing is in contact with the inner surface of the fixing belt 52. That is, the fixing belt 52 is stretched between the fixing roller 27 and the sliding contact member 53.

The fixing belt 52 of this embodiment does not have the heat generation control layer 23 as compared with the fixing belt 28 of the first reference embodiment . That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the main heating element layer 55, the elastic layer 56, and the release layer 57 are arranged in order from the inner peripheral side. The sliding contact member 53 has a two-layer structure of an auxiliary heat generation layer 58 and a heat generation control layer 59 in order from the inner peripheral side, as shown in FIG. In the drawing, in order to distinguish between the fixing belt 52 and the sliding contact member 53, a slight gap is provided between them, but they are actually in contact with each other.

The material of the main heating element layer 55 may be the same as that of the main heating element layer 24 of the first reference embodiment . If it is a magnetic substance, nickel etc. are desirable. The material of the heat generation control layer 59 is the same as that of the heat generation control layer 23 of the first embodiment , but is obtained by adding niobium or tantalum to permalloy having a Curie temperature of about 190 ° C. The material of the auxiliary heat generating layer 58 may be a conductive metal material having a low volume resistivity, such as copper, like the core metal 21 of the first reference embodiment .

  In this embodiment, the upper surface in FIG. 8 of the sliding contact member 53 is a curved surface curved along the inner peripheral side of the fixing belt 52. That is, the heat generation control layer 59 has a shape of a part of a cylindrical surface having a uniform thickness. The upper surface of the heat generation control layer 59 in the drawing is always in contact with the main heating element layer 55 of the fixing belt 52 over almost the entire area. The lower surface of the heat generation control layer 59 in the drawing is in contact with the auxiliary heat generation layer 58 over the entire area. The auxiliary heat generating layer 58 also has a part of a cylindrical surface with a uniform thickness. Further, the lower surface of the sliding contact member 53 in the drawing is not in contact with the fixing roller 27. In this embodiment, the main heating element layer 55 corresponds to the first conductive layer, the heat generation control layer 59 corresponds to the second conductive layer, and the auxiliary heat generation layer 58 corresponds to the third conductive layer.

In this embodiment, since the outer diameter of the fixing roller 27 is small, the contact area between the fixing belt 52 and the fixing roller 27 is small. Therefore, the amount of heat that escapes from the fixing belt 52 to the fixing roller 27 is also small. Furthermore, since the slidable contact member 53 is provided only at one place rather than the entire circumference, the amount of heat escaping to the slidable contact member 53 is small. Further, since the heat generation control layer 59 is provided in a portion other than the fixing belt 52, the fixing belt 52 can be formed thinner than the fixing belt 28 of the first reference embodiment . Therefore, the heat capacity of the fixing belt 52 can be reduced as compared with the first reference embodiment . For these reasons, it is possible to further reduce the warm-up time as compared with the first reference embodiment .

As described in detail above, even with the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, as in the first reference embodiment , even when a small size of paper is continuously fed, a partial excessive temperature rise does not occur and the image forming apparatus is stable. The image forming apparatus has excellent fixing performance and excellent durability.

" Second reference form "
Next, a second reference embodiment embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment differs from the embodiment, the configuration of the fixing belt and the sliding member is at a slightly different only, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In the fixing device 3 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the heating roller 61 includes a fixing roller 27, a fixing belt 62, and a sliding contact member 63. In this embodiment, the fixing belt 62 also includes a heat generation control layer. The shape of the sliding contact member 63 is the same as that of the sliding contact member 53 of the embodiment , but does not have a two-layer configuration. The sliding contact member 63 simply functions as an auxiliary heat generating layer. Even in this case, since the contact area between the fixing belt 62 and the fixing roller 27 is small, the amount of heat that escapes from the fixing belt 62 to the fixing roller 27 is small.

  Alternatively, an auxiliary heat generating layer may be included in the fixing belt. That is, the auxiliary heating layer, the heating control layer, the main heating element layer, the elastic layer, and the release layer can all be included. In this case, there may be no sliding contact member.

As described in detail above, even with the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, as in the first reference embodiment , even when a small size of paper is continuously fed, a partial excessive temperature rise does not occur and the image forming apparatus is stable. The image forming apparatus has excellent fixing performance and excellent durability.

In addition, this form is only a mere illustration and does not limit this invention at all. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.
For example, although the present embodiment uses a color printer, the present invention can also be applied to a single-color printer having only one color image forming unit. In that case, the heating roller 11 may not have the elastic layer 25.

  Further, for example, the main heating element layer 24 may be made by dispersing particles of magnetic material such as nickel or permalloy or particles of copper or silver in the resin. Alternatively, a resin material may be coated with these materials. If a resin-based material is used as the main heating element layer 24, the flexibility of the fixing belt 28 as a whole is further increased, and the paper separation property can be improved. In such a case, external conductivity may not be obtained, but eddy current can pass. Such a layer is also included in the conductive layer of the present invention.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device according to a first reference embodiment . FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a layer configuration of a fixing roller. It is explanatory drawing which shows the layer structure of a pressure roller. It is a graph which shows the change of the heating rate before and after reaching Curie temperature. It is a graph which shows the change of the heat generation efficiency before and after reaching Curie temperature. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device according to an embodiment . Is an explanatory view showing the layer structure of a fixing belt according to the embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the fixing device which concerns on a 2nd reference form .

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixing device 11 Heating roller 12 Pressure roller 13 Magnetic flux generating part 21 Core metal 23, 59 Heat generation control layer 24, 55 Main heating element layer 58 Auxiliary heating layer 100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (3)

In a fixing device having a heating roller, a pressure roller, and an exciting coil for applying a magnetic flux to the heating roller,
The heating roller has a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer in order from the side closer to the excitation coil,
The heating roller has a sliding contact member disposed at a position facing the excitation coil, and a fixing belt that makes a part of the inner peripheral surface contact a side surface of the sliding contact member on the excitation coil side. ,
The first conductive layer is provided on the fixing belt;
It said second conductive layer is provided prior to Kisurise' member,
The third conductive layer is provided on the sliding contact member;
The second conductive layer is made of permalloy to which at least one of niobium and tantalum is added;
The fixing device, wherein the third conductive layer is made of a nonmagnetic material. The fixing device according to claim 1,
The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the content ratio of at least one of niobium and tantalum in the second conductive layer is in the range of 0.5 to 5% by weight. In an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming a toner image on a sheet and a fixing device for fixing the toner image on the sheet,
The fixing device includes a heating roller, a pressure roller, and an exciting coil that applies a magnetic flux to the heating roller;
The heating roller has a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer in order from the side closer to the excitation coil,
The heating roller has a sliding contact member disposed at a position facing the excitation coil, and a fixing belt that makes a part of the inner peripheral surface contact a side surface of the sliding contact member on the excitation coil side. ,
The first conductive layer is provided on the fixing belt;
It said second conductive layer is provided prior to Kisurise' member,
The third conductive layer is provided on the sliding contact member;
The second conductive layer is made of permalloy to which at least one of niobium and tantalum is added;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the third conductive layer is made of a nonmagnetic material.

Images