US 12,117,751 B2
Fixing apparatus
Keisuke Yoshida, Chiba (JP); Youichi Chikugo, Chiba (JP); Kenichi Tanaka, Ibaraki (JP); Hidekazu Tatezawa, Saitama (JP); Rikiya Takemasa, Chiba (JP); Takeshi Kozuma, Tokyo (JP); Mikihiko Watanabe, Ibaraki (JP); Taku Ashida, Chiba (JP); Shutaro Saito, Tokyo (JP); and Yuya Yamada, Chiba (JP)
Assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 17, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/170,787.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-028927 (JP), filed on Feb. 28, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0273558 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. G03G 15/20 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/2053 (2013.01) [G03G 15/2064 (2013.01); G03G 2215/2038 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fixing apparatus comprising:
a belt having an endless shape and configured to apply heat to a recording material;
a rotary member configured to abut against an outer circumference surface of the belt in a pressing direction;
a pad member configured to form a nip portion by nipping the belt with the rotary member at an inner side of the belt, the rotary member being configured to nip and convey a recording material in a conveyance direction with the belt at the nip portion while applying heat and pressure to a toner image on the recording material to fix the toner image; and
a slide member retained by the pad member and configured to slide against an inner circumference surface of the belt at the nip portion,
wherein the slide member includes a plurality of projections that protrude toward the rotary member on a side that slides against the belt and slide against the inner circumference surface of the belt,
wherein the pad member includes a guide portion that guides the belt after passing through the nip portion,
wherein, in a state where the nip portion is formed, a distance in the conveyance direction between a first position and a second position is 3.0 mm or less, the first position being a downstream edge of a tip of a projection positioned most downstream in a direction of rotation of the belt among the plurality of projections, the second position being an upstream edge, in the direction of rotation of the belt, of the guide portion that comes into contact with the inner circumference surface of the belt, and
wherein a distance in the pressing direction between a third position and a fourth position is 0.4 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, the third position being the tip of the projection positioned most downstream in the direction of rotation of the belt among the plurality of projections, the fourth position being the upstream edge, in the direction of rotation of the belt, of the guide portion that comes into contact with the inner circumference surface of the belt.