| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption in an image forming apparatus and in an image forming method which feed a sheet to an image forming part from a sheet feeding part, executes an image forming operation in connection with the sheet feeding operation, raises the temperature of a fixing nip to a fixing temperature, and passes an image formed recording sheet through the fixing nip to thermally fix an image. SOLUTION: A non-image area distance L<SB>p</SB>is detected (Step S12), and the distance L<SB>p</SB>is added with a sheet conveyance distance (Step S15), and estimated fixing nip arrival time Ta is computed from the total distance and a sheet conveyance speed (Step S17). Then, the time Ta is subtracted from estimated temperature raising time T0 to compute paper feeding waiting time Tb (Step S19). When the measured time is the same as the time Tb ("YES" in Step S22), the feeding of a paper sheet is started (Step S24). The front end of an unfixed image on the sheet reaches the entrance of the fixing nip in timing in which the temperature of the fixing nip reaches the fixing temperature. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT |
