# US 10,310,422 B2 · Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,310,422 B2 - Document ID: US10310422B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/032,142 - Filed: 2018-07-11 - Published: 2019-01-24 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-20 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Tomomi Izawa; Mitsuru Satou; Kenji Sawada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310422B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/2039: {with means for controlling the fixing temperature} - G03G 15/2017: {Structural details of the fixing unit in general, e.g. cooling means, heat shielding means (G03G15/2053 takes precedence)} - G03G 15/2042: {specially for the axial heat partition} - G03G 21/206: {Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract A fixing apparatus feeds a sheet that is unfixed through a nip formed between a heating member and a pressurizing member to thermally fix the sheet, and includes a cooler that cools the pressurizing member, wherein when a fixing job is performed on a sheet whose sheet width is a second width larger than a first width, after a fixing job is completed on a sheet whose sheet width in an orthogonal direction to a sheet feeding direction is the first width, the cooler cools a difference region in which a first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member through which the sheet having the first width is fed and a second sheet feeding region through which the sheet having the second width is fed are not overlapped with each other, with a cooling power stronger than that of a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fixing apparatus for feeding a sheet that is unfixed through a nip formed between a heating member and a pressurizing member to thermally fix the sheet, the fixing apparatus comprising a cooler that cools the pressurizing member, the pressurizing member includes a first sheet feeding region having a first width, and a second sheet feeding region having a second width that is wider than the first width, the first sheet feeding region being included in the second sheet feeding region; wherein when a fixing job is performed on a sheet whose sheet width is the second width, after a fixing job is completed on a sheet whose sheet width in an orthogonal direction to a sheet feeding direction is the first width, the cooler; cools the first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member through which the sheet having the first width is fed, and cools a difference region, which comprises the second sheet feeding region and does not include the first sheet feeding region, with a cooling power stronger than that of a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooler cools the difference region in the pressurizing member and a non-sheet feeding region of the sheet having the second width, with the same cooling power, the non-sheet feeding region comprising a portion of the pressurizing member that extends beyond the second width. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fixing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a density distribution acquisitor that acquires a density distribution of a toner image transferred onto a sheet to be fixed next in a longitudinal direction of the pressurizing member, wherein the cooler sets a cooling power for a region of a first density range to be larger than a cooling power for a region of a second density range with higher density than the first density range. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooler changes a cooling power by changing an air volume to be blown to each region of the pressurizing member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The fixing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooler has a plurality of air blowing ports arranged in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the pressurizing member, and changes the cooling power by adjusting the air volume blown from the plurality of air blowing ports. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The fixing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cooler includes a shutter member for shielding each of the air blowing ports, and the air volume is adjusted by moving the shutter member to change a shielding rate of each of the air blowing ports. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fixing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of air blowing ports are formed in a row in a position opposed to the pressurizing member on a peripheral surface of an air blowing sleeve arranged in parallel with the pressurizing member, the shutter member includes a cylindrical member arranged coaxially with a cylindrical sleeve, and the air volume from each of the air blowing ports is adjusted by rotating and moving the shutter member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing apparatus according to claim 1. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fixing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a difference region temperature detector that detects a temperature of the difference region of the pressurizing member, wherein the cooler performs cooling so that a cooling power for the difference region is greater than the cooling power for a non-sheet feeding region of the sheet having the second width until the temperature detected by the difference region temperature detector reaches a predetermined temperature, the non-sheet feeding region comprising a portion of the pressurizing member that extends beyond the second width. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The fixing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a center portion temperature detector that detects temperature of a center portion in a longitudinal direction of the pressurizing member, wherein the cooler controls a cooling power so that temperature in a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member is within a target temperature range based on the temperature detected by the center portion temperature detector. ### Claim 11 A fixing apparatus for feeding a sheet that is unfixed through a nip formed between a heating member and a pressurizing member to thermally fix the sheet, the fixing apparatus comprising a cooler that cools the pressurizing member, wherein when a fixing job is performed on a sheet whose sheet width is a second width larger than a first width, after a fixing job is completed on a sheet whose sheet width in an orthogonal direction to a sheet feeding direction is the first width, the cooler cools a difference region in which a first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member through which the sheet having the first width is fed and a second sheet feeding region through which the sheet having the second width is fed are not overlapped with each other, with a cooling power stronger than that of a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region, further comprising a difference region temperature detector that detects a temperature of the difference region of the pressurizing member, wherein the cooler performs cooling so that a cooling power for the difference region is greater than the cooling power for a non-sheet feeding region of the sheet having the second width until the temperature detected by the difference region temperature detector reaches a predetermined temperature, the non-sheet feeding region comprising a portion of the pressurizing member that extends beyond the second width. ### Claim 12 A fixing apparatus for feeding a sheet that is unfixed through a nip formed between a heating member and a pressurizing member to thermally fix the sheet, the fixing apparatus comprising a cooler that cools the pressurizing member, wherein when a fixing job is performed on a sheet whose sheet width is a second width lamer than a first width, after a fixing job is completed on a sheet whose sheet width in an orthogonal direction to a sheet feeding direction is the first width, the cooler cools a difference region in which a first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member through which the sheet having the first width is fed and a second sheet feeding region through which the sheet having the second width is fed are not overlapped with each other, with a cooling power stronger than that of a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region, further comprising a center portion temperature detector that detects temperature of a center portion in a longitudinal direction of the pressurizing member, wherein the cooler controls a cooling power so that temperature in a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member is within a target temperature range based on the temperature detected by the center portion temperature detector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The fixing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the temperature detected by the center portion temperature detector is lower than a lower limit of the target temperature range, the cooler sets a cooling power for a region corresponding to the first sheet feeding region of the pressurizing member to be smaller, and sets a cooling power for the difference region to be larger.