Patent ID: 8315530

Claim:
A fixing device comprising: a heating roller that is internally provided with a heat source member and is rotated by a drive unit; an endless fixing belt that is entrained around the heating roller and heated thereby, and is provided with a surface layer that contacts a recording medium, and the yield stress of a material forming the surface layer is varied according to the temperature of the material; a pressure member that is provided facing the heating roller and presses the recording medium, on which a toner image has been formed, against the fixing belt; a travel direction alteration member that contacts the fixing belt and changes the direction of travel of the fixing belt by bending the fixing belt; a press-contact/release unit that press-contacts and separates the heating roller and the pressure member; a drive control section that operates the drive unit and the press-contact/release unit; and a temperature sensor; wherein the drive control section operates the drive unit to rotate the heating roller at a low speed after the heating roller has been heated, and operates the press-contact/release unit so as to press-contact the heating roller and the pressure member after determining, via the temperature sensor, that the endless fixing belt has been heated by the heating roller to a predetermined temperature where the yield stress of the material forming the surface layer of the fixing belt is larger than the stress acting on the surface layer when the travel direction of the fixing belt is altered by the travel direction alteration member, and the drive control section operates the drive unit to drive the heating roller at a high speed after the press-contact/release unit has press-contacted the heating roller and the pressure member.