Image forming apparatus having control unit that controls drive unit and conveyance portion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11669028-B2
Application number	US-202117406442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2020
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit comprising a fixing member configured to fix a toner image to a recording material, and a pressure member configured to form a first nip portion, a conveyance portion configured to form a second nip portion, and a control unit configured to execute, a conveyance mode of conveying the recording material so that the recording material is not looped between the first nip portion and the second nip portion prior to a predetermined timing during passing of the recording material of the first nip portion, and conveying the recording material so that the recording material is looped toward the pressure member from the predetermined timing until a trailing edge of the recording material has passed through the first nip portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on a recording material;
a fixing unit comprising a fixing member configured to fix the toner image to the recording material, and a pressure member configured to abut against the fixing member and form a first nip portion configured to nip and convey the recording material;
a first drive unit configured to rotate the fixing member;
a conveyance portion arranged downstream of the first nip portion in a conveyance direction of the recording material and configured to form a second nip portion configured to nip and convey the recording material, the second nip portion being arranged at a position where a distance from the first nip portion is shorter than a length of the recording material being conveyed;
a second drive unit configured to rotate the conveyance portion; and
a control unit configured to execute a conveyance mode in which the recording material is conveyed in a conveyance period while the recording material is nipped at the first nip portion and the second nip portion, the conveyance period including a first period and a second period following the first period,
wherein in a case where the control unit executes the conveyance mode, (i) in the first period, the control unit is configured to control at least one of the first drive unit and the second drive unit such that a peripheral speed of the conveyance portion is faster than a peripheral speed of the fixing member, and (ii) in the second period, the control unit is configured to control at least one of the first drive unit and the second drive unit such that the peripheral speed of the conveyance portion is slower than the peripheral speed of the fixing member.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a line connecting an upstream end of the second nip portion and a downstream end of the first nip portion is positioned more toward the fixing member than a line connecting an upstream end and a downstream end of the first nip portion in the conveyance direction.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the conveyance mode, a peripheral speed of the conveyance portion is greater than a peripheral speed of the fixing member from after a leading edge of the recording material has reached the second nip portion until before a predetermined timing is reached.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the conveyance mode, a peripheral speed of the conveyance portion is greater than a peripheral speed of the fixing member from a predetermined timing after a trailing edge of the recording material has passed through the first nip portion and before the trailing edge of the recording material passes through the second nip portion until the trailing edge of the recording material passes through the second nip portion.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming unit comprises:
a transfer member configured to form a transfer nip portion in which the toner image formed on the image forming unit is transferred to the recording material, and
a conveyance detection unit provided downstream of the transfer nip portion and upstream of the first nip portion in the conveyance direction, the conveyance detection unit configured to detect passing of a trailing edge of the recording material through the transfer nip portion.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first nip portion and the second nip portion in the conveyance direction is shorter than a length of a smallest size of the recording material that can be conveyed.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second nip portion is disposed adjacent to the first nip portion in the conveying direction.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary rotary portion provided between the first nip portion and the second nip portion in the conveyance direction and configured to nip and convey the recording material.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein a pressure of a nip portion formed by the auxiliary rotary portion is less than a pressure of the second nip portion.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the auxiliary rotary portion is driven by the first drive unit.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation unit configured to select whether to execute the conveyance mode,
wherein the control unit is configured to execute the conveyance mode in a case where execution of the conveyance mode is selected by the operation unit.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a humidity detection unit configured to detect humidity,
wherein, during an image forming job, the control unit is configured to automatically execute the conveyance mode based on a detection result of the humidity detection unit.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to acquire information related to the recording material during an image forming job and automatically execute the conveyance mode based on the information related to the recording material.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the information related to the recording material is a grammage of the recording material, and
wherein, during the image forming job, the control unit is configured to execute the conveyance mode in a state where the grammage of the recording material is greater than a predetermined value.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, during the image forming job, the control unit is configured to execute a different conveyance mode of conveying the recording material so that the recording material is not looped between the first nip portion and the second nip portion.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising an operation unit configured to enter an instruction of setting a mode to be executed by the control unit among a plurality of modes including the conveyance mode and the different conveyance mode.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing member is a film,
wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises a planar heater configured to heat the film, and
wherein the planar heater is configured to press the pressure member via the film to form the first nip portion.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tanaka Masanobu
• Kitagawa Oki
• Kakubari Koichi
• Ito Hiroto

Classifications

• G03G21/203

  Humidity · CPC title

• G03G15/2028 Primary

  with means for handling the copy material in the fixing nip, e.g. introduction guides, stripping means · CPC title