Patent ID: 7711306

Claim:
A fixing apparatus, comprising: a fixing member; an endless belt; two suspending rollers for suspending the endless belt; heating means for heating the endless belt; and a pressure member pressed against the fixing member, the endless belt being pressed against the fixing member so as to heat the fixing member, an unfixed toner image on a recording material passing through a pressing part of the fixing member and the pressure member so as to be fixed on the recording material, wherein the suspending rollers are provided in parallel so that a center distance therebetween is fixed, and are pressed against the fixing member via the endless belt, and the endless belt is pressed against the fixing member so as to be rotated by the fixing member, and π× Dh +2 ×Lp≦Lb is satisfied where Lb represents an internal peripheral length of the endless belt obtained in a state in which the endless belt is not suspended by the two suspending rollers, Dh represents an external diameter of each of the two suspending rollers, and Lp represents a center distance between the two suspending rollers, and the internal peripheral length Lb of the endless belt is set so that, in a case where the endless belt is pressed against the fixing member, the endless belt is in contact with the fixing member in an entire area of a pressing part in which the two suspending rollers are pressed against the fixing member via the endless belt, and the endless belt is therefore rotated by the fixing member without providing a tension exerting member for exerting a tension to the endless belt and without causing a slip between the two suspending rollers and the endless belt.