Patent ID: 8554098
Filing Date: 2013-10-08
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording medium, on which the toner image is formed, by a heating action of a heat source, which is provided in a fixing member and energized to heat an entirety of a fixation sheet passing area, while conveying the recording medium in the fixation sheet passing area defined by the fixing member, the fixing apparatus comprising: a fixation cooling unit configured to cool a non-sheet passing area for a small size of the fixation sheet passing area to suppress a temperature rise in the non-sheet passing area for the small size which occurs in the fixing member, in a case in which recording mediums of a small size smaller than a maximum sheet-passing size among recording mediums that pass through the fixing member are continuously fixed; a temperature detecting unit configured to detect a temperature of a central portion of the fixation sheet passing area and a temperature of the non-sheet passing area for the small size of the fixation sheet passing area; and a fixing temperature controller configured to control a cooling-down operation state of the fixation cooling unit and an energization state of the heat source in order to control the temperature of the central portion and the temperature of the non-sheet passing area for the small size to get a controlled fixing temperature at which the toner image is fixed to the recording medium, wherein the fixing temperature controller performs an early heating restart control operation in which the fixing temperature controller decreases the temperature of the non-sheet passing area for the small size by continuing a cooling operation performed by the fixation cooling unit in a case where the recording medium having a larger size than the recording medium of the small size is fixed after the energization of the heat source is interrupted after a fixing operation with respect to the recording medium of the small size, and the fixing temperature, controller starts energization of the heat source in a state in which cooling-down operation performed by the fixation cooling unit is continued in a case in which the temperature of the non-sheet passing area for the small size is lowered to a set target value lower than the controlled fixing temperature.