Fixing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12085876-B2
Application number	US-202318183478-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2023
Priority date	Apr 1, 2022
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes heating and pressurizing rotary members, and a speed control unit. In a first mixed job to be executed in a first mode and where a first recording material is to be initially conveyed and a second recording material is to be conveyed subsequent to the first recording material, the speed control unit sets a conveyance speed of the first recording material to a second speed based on acquired grammage information and sets a conveyance speed of the second recording material to a first speed based on the acquired grammage information. In a second mix job to be executed in the second mode and where the second recording material is to be conveyed subsequent to the initially conveyed first recording material, the speed control unit sets the conveyance speed of the first and second recording materials to the first speed based on the acquired grammage information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a heating rotary member configured to apply heat to a recording material;
a pressurizing rotary member configured to form a nip portion by pressurizing the heating rotary member,
wherein the heating rotary member and the pressurizing rotary member apply heat and pressure to the recording material to perform fixing of a toner image on the recording material;
an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a grammage of the recording material on which the toner image fixing is to be executed; and
a speed control unit configured to control a conveyance speed of the recording material at the nip portion,
wherein a job in which a first recording material of a first grammage and a second recording material of a second grammage greater than the first grammage are mixed is specified as a mixed job,
wherein the speed control unit is capable of setting the conveyance speed of the recording material to a first speed or a second speed faster than the first speed,
wherein the mixed job can be executed in any one of a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode,
wherein, in a case where the mixed job is a first mixed job to be executed in the first mode and the first recording material is to be initially conveyed and the second recording material is to be conveyed subsequent to the first recording material, the speed control unit sets a conveyance speed of the first recording material to the second speed based on the acquired grammage information and sets a conveyance speed of the second recording material to the first speed based on the acquired grammage information, and
wherein, in a case where the mixed job is a second mix job to be executed in the second mode and the first recording material is to be initially conveyed and the second recording material is to be conveyed subsequent to the first recording material, the speed control unit sets the conveyance speed of the first recording material and of the second recording material to the first speed based on the acquired grammage information.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the first mixed job, the speed control unit sets the conveyance speed of the first recording material to the second speed based on acquired grammage information about the first recording material and sets the conveyance speed of the second recording material to the first speed based on acquired grammage information about the second recording material, and
wherein, in the second mixed job, the speed control unit sets a conveyance speed of the first recording material and of the second recording material to the first speed based on the acquired grammage information about the first recording material and the acquired grammage information about the second recording material.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in acquiring the information in a case where the second mode is to be executed, the acquisition unit further acquires information about a predetermined number of recording materials before an initial recording material of a print job is conveyed to the nip portion.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a number of recording materials contained in the information acquired by the acquisition unit before the initial recording material of the print job is conveyed to the nip portion is greater in the second mode than in the first mode.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, in a case where the first mode is executed, the number of recording materials contained in the information is one.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, in the case where the second mode is executed, the number of recording materials contained in the information is more than one.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein, in the case where the second mode is executed, the number of recording materials contained in the information is ten or more.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, in a case where a print job of a number of recording materials greater than the predetermined number of recording materials is executed in the second mode, the acquisition unit updates the information during execution of the print job.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined number of recording materials is optionally changeable.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, in a case where the print job is suspended and returned from the suspension during execution of the print job in the second mode, the acquisition unit acquires the information about the predetermined number of recording materials and the speed control unit sets the conveyance speed of the recording material based on the acquired grammage information acquired by the acquisition unit.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the mixed job is a third mixed job to be executed in the second mode and both the first recording material to be initially conveyed and the second recording material to be conveyed subsequent to the first recording material are recording materials of the first grammage, the speed control unit sets the conveyance speeds of the first and the second recording materials to the second speed based on the acquired grammage information.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein, a temperature of the heating rotary member for fixing on the recording material of the first grammage at the first speed in the second mode is lower than a temperature of the heating rotary member for fixing on the recording material of the first grammage at the second speed in the second mode.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the second mode is executed and the acquisition unit further acquires information about a predetermined number of recording materials and this further acquired information indicates that all of the predetermined number of the recording materials are recording materials of the first grammage or less, fixing of the toner image on the predetermined number of recording materials is executed at the second speed.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation unit configured to be used by a user to operate the acquisition unit to acquire the grammage information.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising an external interface configured to input information about the grammage of the recording material on which the toner image fixing is to be executed.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Seki Satoshi
• Yamazaki Ryosuke
• Someya Osamu

Classifications

• G03G15/5029 Primary

  by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness · CPC title

• G03G2215/00599

  Timing, synchronisation · CPC title

• G03G15/2046

  specially for the influence of heat loss, e.g. due to the contact with the copy material or other roller · CPC title

• G03G2215/00949

  Copy material feeding speed switched according to current mode of the apparatus, e.g. colour mode · CPC title

• G03G2215/00945

  Copy material feeding speed varied over the feed path · CPC title