Image heating apparatus

摘要

Provided is a fixing apparatus that can satisfy a quick start property while preventing degradation of paper non-passing sections of a fixing belt due to heat. In continuous image formation on a plurality of small-sized papers, if a temperature of the fixing belt at the reception of an execution command of a job is lower than a predetermined temperature, a heat equalizing roller is abutted to a pressure roller when an increase in the temperature of the paper non-passing sections of the fixing belt is feared along with progress of the job to thereby guarantee the quick start property. On the other hand, if the temperature of the fixing belt is higher than the predetermined temperature, the heat equalizing roller is abutted to the pressure roller from the beginning to suppress an increase in the temperature of the paper non-passing sections of the fixing belt.

主权项

1. An image heating apparatus comprising:
an endless belt that heats a toner image on a recording material at a nip section; a heater that heats the endless belt; a drive rotary member that forms the nip section with the endless belt and that rotationally drives the endless belt; a heat absorption rotary member that absorbs heat from the drive rotary member by abutment with the drive rotary member; a contact and separation mechanism that contacts the heat absorption rotary member with the drive rotary member and separates the heat absorption rotary member from the drive rotary member; and a controller that controls operation of the contact and separation mechanism, wherein when the image heating apparatus continuously applies an image heating process to a plurality of recording materials narrower than a recording material with a maximum width that is usable with the image heating apparatus, the controller is configured to execute a first mode for abutting the heat absorption rotary member to the drive rotary member after a predetermined number of the recording materials have passed through the nip section, and to execute a second mode for abutting the heat absorption rotary member to the drive rotary member before a first recording material, to which the image heating process is first applied, among the plurality of recording materials, reaches the nip section.