Patent ID: 11953849
Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 10:
11. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main body casing;
a fixing unit configured to fix developer to a sheet by heating and pressurization, the fixing unit including: a heating unit configured to heat the sheet and a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the heating unit;
a fan configured to discharge air inside the main body casing to outside of the main body casing; and
a controller,
wherein when the fixing unit is fixing the developer to the sheet, the controller is configured to:
determine a heating unit temperature based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor;
stop the fan in a case of determining that the heating unit temperature is not less than a threshold value; and
drive the fan in a case of determining that the heating unit temperature is less than the threshold value,

wherein during the fixing, in a case of determining that the heating unit temperature is not less than the threshold value and that the developer on the sheet passes through a predetermined range in a widthwise direction of the sheet based on printing data, the controller is configured to stop the fan, the predetermined range including a position which corresponds to a peak of a temperature distribution of the heating unit; and
during the fixing, in a case of determining that the heating unit temperature is not less than the threshold value and that the developer on the sheet does not pass through the predetermined range based on the printing data, the controller is configured to drive the fan.