Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Naoki Ohashi

Yasuhiro Ishihara

Isao Watanabe

Kosuke Sasaki

Toshiaki Tanaka

A fixing device includes a temperature measuring unit, configured to measure the temperature in regions that extend partially along the outer surface of a heating rotating body, which includes a resistance heating layer, in the circumferential direction and are aligned in the direction of the axis of rotation of the heat rotating body, and a control unit configured to sample temperatures, measured by the temperature measuring unit in each of the regions, over the entire outer surface of the heating rotating body in the circumferential direction by causing the heating rotating body to rotate while supplying a predetermined amount of power to the resistance heating layer, and to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the resistance heating layer based on the difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature among the sampled temperatures in each region.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

The present invention provides a fixing device that can interrupt power supply to the resistive heat layer more reliably than the conventional technology, for example, at occurrence of abnormality. Electrodesandare provided on a circumferential surface of a fixing roller that includes a resistive heat layer that generates heat by receiving power supply, and power is supplied to the resistive heat layer when power supplying electrodesandthat are electrically connected to an electric power sourceare slidingly in contact with the electrodesand. An insulating tapeis attached on the electrode, and the drive controllerrotates a motoruntil the electrodeand the insulating tapeare in contact with each other, so that power supply to the resistive heat layer is interrupted.

Growing community of inventors

Toyokawa, Japan

Naoki Ohashi