| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent partial wear of a flexible member disposed in contact with a recording material. <P>SOLUTION: An image heating device comprises: a heating body 12; a support member 14 supporting the heating body; a cylindrical flexible member 11 fitted on the outside of the support member and moved in contact with the heating body; and a pressure rotary member 13 forming a nip part N with the flexible member sandwiched between the heating body and itself. The image heating body heats an image on a recording material P while sandwiching and conveying the recording material with an image Ta held in the nip part. The image heating device has a first pressure member 18a and a second pressure member 18b that relatively switches the magnitude relation between the pressures applied to one end and the other end of the support member or the pressure rotary member in its longitudinal direction orthogonal to the direction of recording material conveyance. According to the switching of the magnitude relation between the pressures applied by the first and second pressure members, the image heating device switches the moving direction of the flexible member between the one and the other directions orthogonal to the direction of the recording material conveyance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT |
