Apparatus for fixing a toner image, fixing method and electrophotographic recording equipment

摘要

An apparatus fixes a toner image formed on a recording medium and has a fixing roller which is rotated. The fixing roller is heated and the toner image is fixed on the recording medium being in pressed contact with said fixing roller. Offset toner particles formed on the fixing roller are decomposed into particles being too small to be perceived as a picture by an offset toner decomposing device before such large particles to be perceived as a picture are formed, and the small offset toner particles are stuck onto and removed by the recording medium. Preferably, the offset toner decomposing device is a brush roller which is rotated relative to the rotation of the fixing roller such that the brush roller and the fixing roller have equal peripheral speeds. The amount of offset toner being formed is decreased by reducing the creation of offset toner particles on the fixing roller by decreasing a torque fluctuation of a drive motor of the fixing roller.