Patent ID: 8995893
Filing Date: 2015-03-31
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A fixing device comprising: first and second rollers configured to form a fixing nip portion; a separating member for a sheet, arranged further toward a rotating direction downstream side of the first roller than the fixing nip portion and including a tabular member extending in an axial direction of the first roller; a supporting mechanism configured to pivotably support the separating member to change a posture between a first posture in which a distal end of the tabular member comes close to a circumferential surface of the first roller and a second posture in which the distal end separates from the circumferential surface of the first roller; contact members attached to the separating member at both end positions of the tabular member respectively and configured to, in the first posture, come into contact with the circumferential surface near both ends of the first roller and form a gap having a predetermined distance between the distal end of the tabular member and the circumferential surface of the first roller; and an urging member configured to urge the contact members toward the circumferential surface near of the first roller, wherein the supporting mechanism includes: first and second fulcrum members configured as columnar members, and respectively arranged to be opposed to the both end positions of the tabular member and functioning as a fulcrum for pivoting of the separating member; and first and second holes provided in the separating member, the first fulcrum member being inserted into the first hole and the second fulcrum member being inserted into the second hole, the first hole is a hole that allows the separating member to shift only in a predetermined direction, the first hole being a long hole including a short-diameter portion having a diameter equal to a diameter of the first fulcrum member and a long-diameter portion having a diameter longer than the diameter of the first fulcrum member, the long-diameter portion extending in the predetermined direction, the second hole is a large-diameter hole having a diameter 1.3 to 2 times larger than a diameter of the second fulcrum member so that play is present between the second fulcrum member and the second hole that permits the second fulcrum member to be displaced in all directions within a range defined by the play, and the urging member has an urging force in the first posture so that the contact members are in contact with the circumferential surface of the first roller, the first fulcrum member is in contact with a part of an edge of the long hole and the second fulcrum member is in contact with a part of an edge of the large-diameter hole.