Patent ID: 8532550
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A fusing unit for an image forming apparatus, the fusing unit comprising: a heat roller and a press roller, which fuse a toner image fused to a recording sheet; a first separating pawl that is disposed to come into contact with a circumferential surface of the heat roller and separates the recording sheet from the heat roller; a plurality of second separating pawls that are disposed with a spacing from the first separating pawl in an axial direction to come into contact with the circumferential surface of the heat roller and separate the recording sheet from the heat roller; a first rotatable guide that is provided in the first separating pawl and guides the recording sheet passing through a nip portion of the fusing unit to a sheet discharge guide of an exit feed path while an orientation of the recording sheet is changed; a second rotatable guide that is provided in each of the second separating pawls and guides the recording sheet passing through the nip portion of the fusing unit to the sheet discharge guide of the exit feed path while the orientation of the recording sheet is changed; and a fusing feed path that reaches the sheet discharge guide from the nip portion through the first rotatable guide and the second rotatable guide; wherein in the fusing feed path, a flexion angle of a central feed path that passes by the first rotatable guide of the first separating pawl disposed in a central portion in the axial direction of the heat roller is larger than a flexion angle of a lateral feed path that passes by the second rotatable guide of the second separating pawl disposed in the axial direction of the heat roller; and assuming that a triangle is defined by the lateral feed path and a straight line connecting the nip portion of the fusing unit and an introduction end of the sheet discharge guide, a position in which the recording sheet is in contact with the rotatable guide of the first separating pawl disposed in the axial direction of the heat roller is located inside a vertex of the triangle.