Patent ID: 8160466

Claim:
A fixing apparatus that causes a recording material to pass through a nip portion formed by a rotating heat roller and a rotating pressure roller being in contact so as to perform a fixing operation to fix an unfixed image on the recording material, the apparatus comprising: a pressing mechanism that can switch between a pressure applied state in which a pressure roller presses against a heat roller using a bias and a pressure cancelled state in which the pressure is cancelled; a pressure state detection unit that detects the pressure applied state and the pressure cancelled state; and a control unit that performs pressure cancellation control, with respect to the pressing mechanism in the pressure applied state, for shifting from the pressure applied state to the pressure cancelled state within a certain time period and pressure application control, with respect to the pressing mechanism in the pressure cancelled state, for shifting from the pressure cancelled state to the pressure applied state within substantially the certain time period, wherein the control unit is configured to detect that a pressure cancellation failure has occurred when the pressure state detection unit does not detect the pressure cancelled state even when the control unit has performed the pressure cancellation control for the certain time period with respect to the pressing mechanism in the pressure applied state, and the control unit is further configured to perform the pressure application control for substantially the certain time period with respect to the pressing mechanism after the pressure cancellation failure is detected to permit the fixing operation in only the pressure applied state.