Patent ID: 7471919

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member; a first motor for driving said image bearing member; a fixing unit which fixes an image transferred from said image bearing member to a recording material onto the recording material, said fixing unit having a roller to form a fixing nip portion that pinches and conveys the recording material; a second motor for driving the roller, a duplex unit for reversing sides of the recording material after the recording material passes through said fixing unit and conveying it again to said image bearing member, said duplex unit driven by said first motor; and a train of reduction gears for transmitting drive force from said first motor to said fixing unit, wherein a drive force transmission route is branched midway from said first motor to said duplex unit, and said train of reduction gears is provided on the drive force transmission route between the branched point and said fixing unit, wherein said first motor starts driving the roller from a condition in which the roller is stopped and then said second motor drives the roller, and wherein said second motor drives said roller while said fixing unit fixes the image.