| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device and a fixing method capable of reducing a drop in a surface temperature of a ceramic heater and obtaining satisfactory fixing performance even when a recording material absorbing much heat is fixed. <P>SOLUTION: The fixing device comprises: a heating roller 1; a controlling circuit 21; temperature detecting means 10; a slip ring 8 for electrically connecting a plurality of ceramic heaters and the controlling circuit 21; an outside air temperature sensor 30; and an outside air humidity sensor 31. The controlling circuit 21 determines a range of a fixing temperature suitable for the recording material based on an outside air temperature and an outside air humidity prior to a warm-up, and controls an ON/OFF duty ratio of the at least two ceramic heaters based on the surface temperature of an elastic layer of the heating roller detected by the temperature detecting means 10 so that the surface temperature of the heating roller 1 maintains the range of the fixing temperature when the fixing of the recording material is started after the warm-up. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT |
