US 12,422,767 B2
Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus using same
Noriaki Sato, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Nov. 10, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/506,653.
Application 18/506,653 is a division of application No. 17/854,843, filed on Jun. 30, 2022, granted, now 11,874,618.
Application 17/854,843 is a continuation of application No. 17/169,214, filed on Feb. 5, 2021, granted, now 11,402,779, issued on Aug. 2, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-021763 (JP), filed on Feb. 12, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0077818 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
Int. Cl. G03G 15/20 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/205 (2013.01) [G03G 15/2053 (2013.01); G03G 15/2064 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a photosensitive member;
a developing roller configured to supply toner to the photosensitive member and to form the toner image;
a fixing portion configured to heat the toner image formed on the recording material, wherein the fixing portion includes a nip portion forming member configured to form a nip portion to nip the recording material on which the toner image is formed, and a heater having a plurality of heat-generating elements arranged in a longitudinal direction of the heater orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording material, and
a control portion configured to independently control power supplied to the plurality of heat-generating elements,
wherein the control portion is configured to change a heat distribution by the plurality of heat-generating elements in the longitudinal direction of the heater orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording material in accordance with an image to be formed on the recording material,
wherein in a case where the image is formed on a central area of the recording material in the longitudinal direction, and the image is not formed on an end area of the recording material in the longitudinal direction, the control portion sets a first heat distribution in which a heating amount of one of the plurality of heat-generating elements corresponding to the central area is larger than that of another one of the plurality of heat-generating elements corresponding to the end area,
wherein, when a remaining recording material formed with the image on the central area but not formed on the end area and remaining in a conveyance path is automatically discharged after interruption of a printing operation for a plurality of recording materials, the control portion changes the heat distribution from the first heat distribution to a second heat distribution different from the first heat distribution during the automatically discharging, and
wherein a temperature of the end area of the recording material during the automatically discharging is higher than a temperature of the end area of the recording material during the printing operation.