Patent ID: 8521074

Claim:
A fixing device for causing a sheet, on which an unfixed image has been formed, to pass through a fixing nip, and thus thermally fixing the unfixed image onto the sheet, the fixing device comprising: a belt that is heated by electromagnetic induction while being driven to rotate; a first member positioned inside a closed rotation path of the belt; a second member operable to form the fixing nip between an outer surface of the belt and the second member by pressing the first member from outside the closed rotation path of the belt with the belt in between the first member and the second member; an excitation coil positioned outside the closed rotation path of the belt; and a fixed plate that (i) is positioned inside the closed rotation path of the belt, substantially facing the excitation coil with the belt in between the excitation coil and the fixed plate, (ii) comes into contact with an inner surface of the belt, and (iii) keeps the belt on the closed rotation path, wherein the belt includes, as a base member, a conductive heat generation layer that (i) generates heat due to an eddy current induced by magnetic flux generated by the excitation coil, and (ii) does not contain a magnetic shunt alloy, and the fixed plate has a layer structure including (i) a conductive layer and (ii) a magnetic shunt alloy layer that is closer to the belt than the conductive layer.