JP7247518B2 - Fixing device, image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to fixing devices and image forming apparatuses.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-005047 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-013467 ( It is disclosed in Patent Document 2) and the like.

The fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 is provided with lubricant transfer means for transferring the lubricant to the central portion side in the width direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the fixing belt.

The fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 executes a reverse rotation mode in which the fixing belt is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction at a predetermined timing.

JP 2018-005047 A JP 2018-013647 A

However, in the fixing device of Patent Document 1, since the lubricant transfer means is configured by the groove provided on the surface of the fixing member forming the nip portion, the lubricant in the groove increases and the fixing belt There is very little lubricant between the surface of the fixing member and the fixing belt on which the fixing member slides. Therefore, the frictional resistance between the fixing belt and the fixing member is still high, and the torque for rotating the fixing belt is also high. This may cause damage to the fixing belt.

In the fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000, the lubricant remaining at the outlet of the nip portion can adhere to the fixing belt again by rotating the fixing belt in the reverse direction at a predetermined timing. However, the accumulated lubricant is mixed with abrasion powder generated by friction between the fixing belt and the fixing member. As a result, the retained lubricant is reintroduced into the nip portion, which accelerates the wear of the inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt and destabilizes the slidability of the fixing belt. This may cause damage to the fixing belt.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the problems as described above, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fixing device and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing breakage of the fixing belt.

A fixing device according to the present disclosure includes a fixing member, a heating member having a heat source therein, an endless fixing belt rotatably stretched between the fixing member and the heating member, and a fixing belt through which a a pressing member that is in pressure contact with the fixing member and forms a nip portion through which a recording medium is conveyed; a lubricant application portion for applying lubricant to the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt; a sliding member provided so as to be slidable. The lubricant applying section has a first downstream end located downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium. The heating member is located on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the first downstream end portion.

In the fixing device according to the present disclosure, the pressure member may be a pressure roller.

In the fixing device according to the present disclosure, the heating member may be a heating roller.

In the fixing device based on the present disclosure, the width of the sliding member in the width direction of the fixing belt may be equal to or greater than the width of the fixing belt.

The fixing device according to the present disclosure includes a holding member that holds the lubricant application portion, a meandering regulating member that contacts an end surface of the fixing belt in the width direction and regulates movement of the fixing belt in the width direction, may further include In this case, the holding member preferably has an extending portion extending along the rotating direction downstream of the lubricant applying portion in the rotating direction of the fixing belt. The frictional resistance is preferably smaller than the frictional resistance of the extension. Further, it is preferable that the sliding member is provided on the extending portion so as to reach a position of the meandering restricting member in the width direction of the fixing belt.

In the fixing device according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the holding member has a second downstream end positioned downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium, and the heating member It is preferably positioned on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the downstream end.

In the fixing device according to the present disclosure, the sliding member may be a sheet member made of fluororesin.

An image forming apparatus based on the present disclosure includes an image forming unit that forms a toner image on an image carrier, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image from the image carrier to the recording medium, and a toner image that is transferred onto the recording medium. and the fixing device for fixing the toner image.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a fixing device and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing breakage of the fixing belt.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fixing device according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a peripheral structure of a lubricant application portion according to the embodiment; It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the meandering control member and sliding member which concern on embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the running distance and the torque of the fixing belt in a comparative example; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the running distance and torque of the fixing belt in the example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments shown below, the same or common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. An image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 100 as a color printer. Although the image forming apparatus 100 as a color printer will be described below, the image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to a color printer. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 may be a monochrome printer, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function peripheral (MFP: Multi-Functional Peripheral) of a monochrome printer, a color printer and a facsimile machine.

The image forming apparatus 100 includes image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, an intermediate transfer belt 30, a primary transfer roller 31, a secondary transfer roller 33, a cassette 37, a driven roller 38, and a drive roller 39. , a timing roller 40 , a fixing device 50 , a housing 80 , and a control device 101 .

Housing 80 defines the outer shell of image forming apparatus 100 . The housing 80 contains image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, an intermediate transfer belt 30, a primary transfer roller 31, a secondary transfer roller 33, a cassette 37, a driven roller 38, and a driving roller. 39 , timing roller 40 , fixing device 50 and control device 101 .

By image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, intermediate transfer belt 30, primary transfer roller 31, secondary transfer roller 33, cassette 37, driven roller 38, drive roller 39, and timing roller 40, An image forming section is configured. This image forming section forms a toner image on a sheet S as a recording medium conveyed along a conveying path 41, which will be described later.

The image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are arranged in order along the intermediate transfer belt 30. As shown in FIG. The image forming unit 1Y receives supply of toner from the toner bottle 15Y and forms a yellow (Y) toner image. The image forming unit 1M receives supply of toner from the toner bottle 15M and forms a magenta (M) toner image. The image forming unit 1C receives supply of toner from the toner bottle 15C and forms a cyan (C) toner image. The image forming unit 1K receives supply of toner from the toner bottle 15K and forms a black (BK) toner image.

The image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are arranged along the intermediate transfer belt 30 in order of the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 30, respectively. The image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K each include a photoreceptor 10, a charging device 11, an exposure device 12, a developing device 13, and a cleaning device 17. As shown in FIG.

The charging device 11 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 10 . The exposure device 12 irradiates the photoreceptor 10 with laser light according to a control signal from the control device 101, and exposes the surface of the photoreceptor 10 according to the input image pattern. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the input image is formed on the photoreceptor 10 .

The developing device 13 applies a developing bias to the developing roller 14 while rotating the developing roller 14 to cause toner to adhere to the surface of the developing roller 14 . As a result, the toner is transferred from the developing roller 14 to the photoreceptor 10 and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is developed on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 .

The photoreceptor 10 and the intermediate transfer belt 30 are in contact with each other at the portion where the primary transfer roller 31 is provided. The primary transfer roller 31 has a roller shape and is rotatable. A toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor 10 to the intermediate transfer belt 30 by applying a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image to the primary transfer roller 31 . A yellow (Y) toner image, a magenta (M) toner image, a cyan (C) toner image, and a black (BK) toner image are sequentially superimposed and transferred from the photoreceptor 10 to the intermediate transfer belt 30 . Thereby, a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 30 .

The intermediate transfer belt 30 is stretched around a driven roller 38 and a driving roller 39 . Drive roller 39 is rotationally driven by, for example, a motor (not shown). Intermediate transfer belt 30 and driven roller 38 rotate in conjunction with drive roller 39 . Thereby, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 30 is conveyed to the secondary transfer roller 33 .

The cleaning device 17 is pressed against the photoreceptor 10 . The cleaning device 17 collects toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 after the toner image is transferred.

Sheets S are set in the cassette 37 . Sheets S are conveyed sheet by sheet from cassette 37 to secondary transfer roller 33 along conveying path 41 by timing roller 40 . The secondary transfer roller 33 has a roller shape and is configured to be rotatable. The secondary transfer roller 33 applies a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image to the sheet S being conveyed. As a result, the toner image is attracted from the intermediate transfer belt 30 to the secondary transfer roller 33 , and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 30 is transferred to the sheet S. Thus, the primary transfer roller 31 , the intermediate transfer belt 30 , and the secondary transfer roller 33 correspond to a transfer section that transfers the toner image from the photoreceptor 10 to the paper S.

The transport timing of the paper S to the secondary transfer roller 33 is adjusted by the timing roller 40 according to the position of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 30 . The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 30 is transferred to a proper position on the paper S by the timing roller 40 .

The fixing device 50 presses and heats the paper S passing through itself. As a result, the toner image is fixed on the sheet S. As shown in FIG. In this manner, the fixing device 50 fixes the toner image on the paper S transported along the transport path 41 . The sheet S on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the tray 48 .

Although the image forming apparatus 100 that employs the tandem method as the printing method has been described above, the printing method of the image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to the tandem method. The arrangement of each component within the image forming apparatus 100 can be changed as appropriate according to the adopted printing method. As a printing method of the image forming apparatus 100, a rotary method or a direct transfer method may be adopted. In the case of the rotary system, the image forming apparatus 100 includes one photoreceptor 10 and a plurality of developing devices 13 coaxially rotatable. During printing, the image forming apparatus 100 sequentially guides the developing devices 13 to the photosensitive member 10 to develop toner images of respective colors. In the case of the direct transfer method, the image forming apparatus 100 directly transfers the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 10 onto the sheet S. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fixing device according to the embodiment. The fixing device 50 will be described with reference to FIG.

The fixing device 50 includes a pressure roller 51 as a pressure member, a pad member 52 as a fixing member, a heating roller 53 as a heating member, a fixing belt 54, a fixing member 55, and a lubricant applying portion 56. , and the holding member 57 .

The pressure roller 51 is arranged outside the fixing belt 54 . The pressure roller 51 faces the pad member 52 . The pressure roller 51 presses the pad member 52 with the fixing belt 54 interposed therebetween. As a result, the fixing belt 54 is brought into pressure contact with the pad member 52 . That is, the pressure roller 51 presses against the pad member 52 via the fixing belt 54 to form a nip portion N where the recording medium is conveyed. The pressure roller 51 is rotated by torque from a drive source. As the pressure roller 51 rotates, the fixing belt 54 rotates. As the pressure roller 51 rotates, the fixing belt 54 rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the pressure roller 51 .

Pressure roller 51 is composed of, for example, a metal core, a surface layer, and a release layer. The core bar is made of aluminum or iron and has a pipe shape. The surface layer is an elastic layer such as silicone rubber. The release layer is provided so as to cover the surface layer. The release layer is made of, for example, PFA.

The pad member 52 is arranged inside the fixing belt 54 . The pad member 52 is arranged to face the pressure roller 51 with the fixing belt 54 interposed therebetween. The pad member 52 has a curved surface that gradually protrudes toward the pressure roller 51 as it moves downstream in the transport direction of the sheet S, that is, as it approaches the exit of the nip portion N. As shown in FIG. The pad member 52 is made of heat-resistant resin such as polyphenylene sulfide, polyimide, or liquid crystal polymer.

The heating roller 53 is arranged inside the fixing belt 54 . The heating roller 53 has a heat source 53a inside. The heat source 53 a heats the fixing belt 54 . Heat source 53a is, for example, a halogen lamp. As the heating source 53a, in addition to the halogen lamp, one that performs induction heating (IH) on the fixing belt 54, or one that uses the fixing belt 54 as a resistance heating element to generate heat may be used.

The heating roller 53 has a cylindrical shape and is made of metal such as aluminum and stainless steel (SUS). When a halogen lamp is used as the heat source 53a, the inner peripheral surface of the heating roller 53 is preferably black. In order to prevent the outer surface from being damaged by foreign matter or the like, the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller 53 may be coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or the like.

The fixing belt 54 is provided endlessly. The fixing belt 54 is rotatably stretched around the pad member 52 and the heating roller 53 . The fixing belt 54 includes a base layer, an elastic layer, and a release layer.

Although the outer diameter of the fixing belt is arbitrary, it is preferably 10 mm or more and 100 mm or less, more preferably about 40 mm. The base layer is preferably made of polyimide, SUS, nickel electroforming, or the like. The thickness of the base layer is preferably 50 μm or more and 70 μm or less. The elastic layer is preferably made of a highly heat-resistant material such as silicone rubber or fluororubber. The thickness of the elastic layer is preferably 120 μm or more and 190 μm or less. The release layer preferably has a release property imparted with a fluororesin, a fluorine-based coating, or the like. The thickness of the release layer is preferably 17 μm or more and 19 μm or less.

The pad member 52 and the holding member 57 are fixed to the fixing member 55 . The fixing member 55 has an angular U shape when viewed along the width direction of the fixing belt 54 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). The fixing member 55 is arranged so that the U-shaped tip side faces the heating roller 53 . The pad member 52 is fixed to the U-shaped bottom portion 55a of the fixed member 55 (the portion of the fixed member 55 facing the pressure roller 51). A holding member 57 is fixed to a portion 55b of the fixing member 55 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet S (direction of arrow B in FIG. 2).

The lubricant applying portion 56 is arranged so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 54 . The lubricant applying section 56 is arranged downstream of the pad member 52 and upstream of the heating roller 53 in the rotation direction of the fixing belt (direction of arrow C in FIG. 2).

The lubricant applying portion 56 has a function of holding lubricant, and applies the lubricant to the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 54 . As the lubricant, a highly heat-resistant silicon-based or fluorine-based lubricant can be used. As the lubricant application portion 56, fibrous materials with high heat resistance such as aramid fibers and fluorine fibers, porous materials with high heat resistance such as silicon sponge, felt members, and the like can be used.

The lubricant-applied portion 56 is not limited to the member as described above, and may be a hard chromium plating layer or a plated layer formed by dispersing fluororesin in a nickel plating solution and simultaneously depositing the same.

The lubricant applying portion 56 is provided with a first downstream end portion 561 positioned downstream in the sheet conveying direction. The first downstream end portion 561 is a portion of the lubricant applying portion 56 located on the most downstream side in the transport direction. The heating roller 53 is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the first downstream end portion 561 .

The fixing belt 54 passing through the nip portion N and directed toward the heating roller 53 is wound around the holding member 57 . The holding member 57 holds the lubricant application portion 56 . The holding member 57 has an accommodation recess 57 a that accommodates the lubricant application portion 56 .

The holding member 57 is also provided with a second downstream end portion 571 positioned downstream in the paper transport direction. The second downstream end portion 571 is a portion of the holding member 57 located on the most downstream side in the transport direction. The heating roller 53 is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the second downstream end portion 571 . Such an arrangement can suppress an increase in the torque for rotating the fixing belt 54 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the peripheral structure of the lubricant application portion according to the embodiment. A peripheral structure of the lubricant applying portion 56 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the fixing device 50 has a sliding member 58 . The sliding member 58 is provided downstream of the lubricant applying portion 56 and upstream of the heating roller 53 in the rotation direction of the fixing belt 54 so that the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 54 can slide.

As the sliding member 58, a sheet-like member such as a fluororesin sheet can be used. The sliding member 58 is manufactured, for example, by plain weaving glass fibers as a core material, impregnating the surface layer with a fluorocarbon resin, and then baking the same. The thickness of the sliding member 58 is preferably 0.12 mm or more and 0.15 mm or less.

The holding member 57 has a facing surface (surface layer portion) facing the inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt 54 . The sliding member 58 described above is joined to the facing surface. The sliding member 58 is joined to the opposing surface by, for example, a heat-resistant double-sided tape.

The holding member 57 is provided with an extension portion 57b extending along the rotation direction of the fixing belt 54 downstream of the lubricant application portion 56 in the rotation direction. The sliding member 58 is joined from the housing recess 57a to the extending portion 57b. The frictional resistance of the sliding member 58 is smaller than the frictional resistance of the extension portion 57b. As a result, the frictional force acting when the fixing belt 54 slides on the sliding member 58 can be reduced.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the meandering restricting member and the sliding member according to the embodiment. The positional relationship between the meandering restricting member 71 and the sliding member 58 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing device 50 includes a facing roller 70 as a facing member. The opposing roller 70 faces the holding member 57 on the downstream side of the lubricant application portion 56 in the rotation direction of the fixing belt 54 . Specifically, the opposing roller 70 is arranged to face the extending portion 57 b of the holding member 57 . The opposing roller 70 is also arranged to face the sliding member 58 provided on the extending portion 57b.

A pair of meandering restricting members 71 are provided at both ends of the rotating shaft of the facing roller 70 . The pair of meandering restricting members 71 abut on both ends of the fixing belt 54 in the width direction to restrict movement of the fixing belt 54 in the width direction.

The width of the sliding member 58 in the width direction of the fixing belt 54 is equal to or greater than the width of the fixing belt 54 . With such a width relationship, the fixing belt 54 can be stably brought into contact with the sliding member 58 even when the fixing belt 54 moves in the width direction.

The sliding member 58 is provided on the extending portion 57b so as to reach the positions of the pair of meandering restricting members 71 in the width direction. As a result, the fixing belt 54 , whose movement in the width direction is restricted by the meandering restricting member 71 , can be reliably slid on the sliding member 58 .

As described above, in the fixing device 50 according to the embodiment, in the configuration in which the fixing belt 54 is stretched around the heating roller 53 and the pad member 52 , the lubricant is applied to the fixing belt 54 downstream of the pad member 52 . A lubricant applying portion 56 to be applied is arranged, and a sliding member 58 is provided between the lubricant applying portion 56 and the heating roller 53 so that the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 54 can slide. In such a configuration, the heating roller 53 is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the paper S from the first downstream end portion 561 of the lubricant applying portion 56 .

By setting the positional relationship between the heating roller 53 and the first downstream end portion 561 as described above, the lubricant application portion 56 can be stably brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt. As a result, the lubricant can be stably supplied to the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 54 . Further, by arranging the heating roller 53 around which the fixing belt 54 is wound on the upstream side in the paper transport direction, an increase in the torque required to rotate the fixing belt 54 can be suppressed. Further, by providing the sliding member 58 on the upstream side of the heating roller 53 and the downstream side of the lubricant application portion 56, the fixing belt is more likely to move than when the lubricant application portion 56 is brought into direct contact with the holding member 57 that holds the lubricant application portion 56. The frictional resistance of 54 can be reduced.

As described above, in the fixing device 50 according to the embodiment, it is possible to reduce the frictional force acting on the fixing belt 54 while suppressing the increase in the rotational torque to the fixing belt 54, thereby preventing damage to the fixing belt. can be suppressed.

(Verification experiment)
Verification experiments conducted to verify the effects of this embodiment will be described below. In the verification experiment, a fixing device in Comparative Example and a fixing device in Example were prepared, and the torque of the drive source required to rotate the fixing belt was measured. Specifically, the torque of the drive source that rotates the pressure roller 51 was measured. More specifically, a fixing device in a comparative example and a fixing device in an example were prepared, the fixing belt 54 was run, and the relationship between the running distance of the fixing belt 54 and the torque was examined.

As the fixing device in the comparative example, the fixing device 50 according to the embodiment from which the sliding member 58 was omitted was used. As the fixing device in the example, the fixing device 50 according to the embodiment was used.

For the above measurements, the following fixing temperature, conveying speed, number of prints, and pressing force were set as fixing conditions. The fixing temperature at the nip portion N was set to 180.degree. The transport speed for transporting the paper was 165 mm/sec or 300 mm/sec. When the conveying speed was 165 mm/sec, the number of printed sheets was 36 sheets/minute, and when the conveying speed was 300 mm/second, the number of printed sheets was 65 sheets/minute. The pressure contact force for pressing the pressure roller 51 against the pad member 52 was set to 450N.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the running distance and the torque of the fixing belt in a comparative example. As shown in FIG. 5, when the fixing device in the comparative example was used, the torque tended to increase as the running distance of the fixing belt 54 increased. After the running distance of the fixing belt 54 exceeded 500 Km, the torque abruptly increased, and when the running distance of the fixing belt 54 was about 700 Km, the torque exceeded 1.2 N/m. That is, in the comparative example, the running distance of the fixing belt 54 exceeded the reference value of 1.2 N/m, which is the index, before the running distance of the fixing belt 54 reached the target distance of 1200 Km.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the running distance and the torque of the fixing belt in the example. As shown in FIG. 6, in the fixing device of the example, even when the running distance of the fixing belt 54 increased, the torque did not change significantly. Even when the running distance of the fixing belt 54 reached the target distance of 1200 Km, the torque did not exceed the reference value of 1.2 N/m.

From the results of the above verification experiments, the use of the fixing device according to the embodiment makes it possible to reduce the frictional force acting on the fixing belt 54, thereby suppressing an increase in the torque of the drive source for rotating the fixing belt. confirmed to be possible. In other words, it was confirmed that by reducing the frictional force acting on the fixing belt 54, damage to the fixing belt can be suppressed.

As described above, the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of equivalence to the scope of claims.

1C, 1K, 1M, 1Y image forming unit 10 photoreceptor 11 charging device 12 exposure device 13 developing device 14 developing roller 15C, 15K, 15M, 15Y toner bottle 17 cleaning device 30 intermediate transfer belt 31 primary transfer roller, 33 secondary transfer roller, 37 cassette, 38 driven roller, 39 drive roller, 40 timing roller, 41 transport path, 48 tray, 50 fixing device, 51 pressure roller, 52 pad member, 53 heating roller, 53a heating source, 54 fixing belt, 55 fixing member, 55a bottom portion, 56 lubricant application portion, 57 holding member, 57a accommodating recessed portion, 57b extending portion, 58 sliding member, 70 opposing roller, 71 meandering regulating member, 80 housing body, 100 image forming apparatus, 101 control apparatus, 561 first downstream end, 571 second downstream end.

Claims (7)

a fixing member;
a heating member having a heat source;
an endless fixing belt rotatably stretched around the fixing member and the heating member;
a pressing member that presses against the fixing member via the fixing belt and forms a nip portion through which a recording medium is conveyed;
a lubricant applying section disposed downstream of the fixing member and upstream of the heating member in the rotation direction of the fixing belt and applying a lubricant to an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt;
a sliding member provided on the downstream side of the lubricant applying portion and the upstream side of the heating member in the rotation direction of the fixing belt so that the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt can slide. prepared,
The lubricant applying section has a first downstream end positioned downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium,
The heating member is positioned upstream in the transport direction from the first downstream end,
a holding member arranged downstream of the fixing member and upstream of the heating member in the rotation direction of the fixing belt and holding the lubricant application portion;
a meandering restricting member that abuts on an end surface of the fixing belt in the width direction and restricts movement of the fixing belt in the width direction ;
and a facing roller that faces the holding member ,
the holding member has an extension portion extending along the rotation direction downstream of the lubricant application portion in the rotation direction of the fixing belt;
The facing roller is arranged to face the extension,
The meandering restricting member is provided on the opposing roller,
The frictional resistance of the sliding member is smaller than the frictional resistance of the extension,
The fixing device, wherein the sliding member is provided on the extending portion so as to reach a position of the meandering restricting member in the width direction of the fixing belt. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure member is a pressure roller. 3. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the heating member is a heating roller having the heat source inside. The fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the sliding member in the width direction of the fixing belt is equal to or greater than the width of the fixing belt. the holding member has a second downstream end positioned downstream in the transport direction of the recording medium;
5. The fixing device according to claim 4, wherein the heating member is positioned upstream in the conveying direction from the second downstream end. The fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sliding member is a sheet member made of fluororesin. an image forming unit that forms a toner image on an image carrier;
a transfer unit that transfers the toner image from the image carrier to the recording medium;
7. An image forming apparatus, comprising: the fixing device according to claim 1, which fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording medium.

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