Sheet guiding unit separating mechanism, fixing device with sheet guiding unit separating mechanism, and image forming apparatus with fixing device with sheet guiding unit separating mechanism

A fixing device comprising:

• a housing:
• a pair of opposed rotating members to fix a unfixed toner image onto a recording medium by providing heat and pressure thereto in a fixing nip formed therebetween;
• and
• a sheet guiding unit separating mechanism disposed downstream of the fixing nip in a conveying direction in which the recording medium is conveyed,
• the sheet guiding unit separating mechanism including:
• a pair of first and second sheet guiding units disposed facing first and second sides of the recording medium, respectively, to cooperatively guide the recording medium discharged from the fixing nip downstream, one of the pair of sheet guiding units facing the first side of the recording medium and including a first sheet guiding element disposed immediately downstream of the fixing nip and a second sheet guiding element disposed downstream of the first sheet guiding element,
• wherein the second sheet guiding element is displaceable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium and separate from the sheet guiding unit facing the second side of the recording medium when the sheet guiding unit separating mechanism is moved to separate from the fixing nip,
• wherein the first and second sheet guiding elements together pivot around a first rotation fulcrum serving as a first rotation center to separate from the fixing nip after the second sheet guiding element is displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• an image forming unit to form a toner image;
• and a fixing device including:
• a housing;
• a pair of opposed rotating members to fix a unfixed toner image onto a recording medium by providing heat and pressure thereto in a fixing nip formed therebetween;
• and
• a sheet guiding unit separating mechanism disposed downstream of the fixing nip in a conveying direction in which the recording medium is conveyed,
• the sheet guiding unit separating mechanism including:
• a pair of first and second sheet guiding units disposed facing first and second sides of the recording medium, respectively, to cooperatively guide the recording medium discharged from the fixing nip downstream, one of the pair of sheet guiding units facing the first side of the recording medium and including a first sheet guiding element disposed immediately downstream of the fixing nip and a second sheet guiding element disposed downstream of the first sheet guiding element,
• wherein the second sheet guiding element is displaceable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium and separate from the sheet guiding unit facing the second side of the recording medium when the sheet guiding unit separating mechanism is moved to separate from the fixing nip,
• wherein the first and second sheet guiding elements together pivot around a first rotation fulcrum serving as a first rotation center to separate from the fixing nip after the second sheet guiding element is displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium.