Patent ID: 7869729

Claim:
A fixing device for fixing an image on a recording medium by applying heat and pressure, comprising: a belt to form a loop; a heating roller provided inside the loop formed by the belt to apply heat to the belt; a first roller provided inside the loop formed by the belt to oppose the heating roller, the belt looped over the heating roller and the first roller; a belt tensioner provided outside the loop formed by the belt and positioned to press against and apply tension to the belt from outside the belt to adjust the tension of the belt; a second roller to press against the first roller via the belt to form a nip between the first roller and the second roller via the belt; a holder to hold the first roller and the second roller to maintain a distance between the first roller and the second roller; a detector to detect a position of the belt tensioner; and a controller to change a control parameter for fixing the image on the recording medium at the nip when the recording medium passes through the nip according to a detection result provided by the detector.