JP5488861B2 - Image forming apparatus and method for controlling warm-up time in image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof. In particular, there is provided a fixing device for fixing the toner on the recording material to the recording material by applying heat and pressure between the heated fixing member and a pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. The present invention also relates to a warm-up time control method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device in such an image forming apparatus.

  For example, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, along with the rotation of a drum-shaped or belt-shaped photoconductor, charging and writing are performed on the photoconductor to form an electrostatic latent image, and then toner is applied by a developing device. Thus, a visible toner image is formed, and the toner image is transferred directly or indirectly via an intermediate transfer member, and transferred to a recording material such as paper or a resin film to be transferred. An image is fixed by a fixing device and recorded on a recording material.

  In such an image forming apparatus, heat and pressure are applied through a recording material between a fixing nip between a heated fixing member and a pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member, and the toner melted by the heat is recorded with the pressure. 2. Description of the Related Art Fixing devices that perform fixing by adhering to a material are widely used. As the fixing member, a roller-like or belt-like member is used. If it is a roller, it is built in the roller, and if it is a belt, it is built in a roller that hangs it or is placed around it. Heating was performed by a heat source such as a heater or an IH coil.

  By the way, in this type of fixing device, all the heat sources are turned off from the standpoint of energy saving during standby when image formation is not being performed, and at the start of image formation, a warm-up time (start-up time) is provided, and the heat source is turned off. Image formation was started after the fixing member was sufficiently heated to the fixing temperature at which no fixing failure occurred after turning on.

  When the fixing temperature is raised, a temperature reference for determining that fixing is possible is adopted when the temperature of the fixing member reaches a set temperature, and the warm-up time is determined based on the temperature reference. For example, as indicated by a solid line a in FIG. 18, at the time of start-up, when the temperature of the fixing member reaches a set temperature T (for example, 180 ° C.), it is determined that fixing is possible and the heat source is turned off.

  However, in the temperature standard, the time-temperature curve becomes as shown by a one-dot chain line b or two-dot chain line c in FIG. 18, and the warm-up time varies in the range of L. The dissatisfaction of was big. Therefore, in order to keep this warm-up time constant, a time standard for determining that fixing is possible when a predetermined time t (for example, 30 seconds) has been reached from the start of startup is adopted. "The waiting time of this product XX seconds". In this way, by adopting the time reference, the warm-up time can be made constant and, in the normal case, variations in the fixing temperature can be made to have no problem.

JP 2005-345990 A Japanese Patent No. 3350315 JP-A-62-70886 JP 2004-240250 A

  However, even in an image forming apparatus that employs a time reference in this way, if the heat source becomes insufficient in power due to a decrease in input voltage or the like, the fixing member has a constant warm-up time t as shown by a long dotted line d in FIG. The temperature may be significantly lower than the set temperature T required for fixing. If it is determined that fixing is possible in this state, the fixing temperature becomes lower than the lower limit fixing temperature (for example, 135 ° C.) as indicated by a short dotted line e during paper passing. There was a problem that caused.

  Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a fixing control device that controls a heat source and heats a fixing member of the fixing device using the heat source. Basically, the fixing device has a constant warm-up time, and when there is a possibility that the temperature of the fixing member is lower than the set temperature, it is to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to power shortage.

  By the way, in such an image forming apparatus, when a peripheral device such as a finisher or an automatic document feeder (ADF) driven under a single power source is connected to the image forming apparatus main body, the fixing device At the same time as starting up, it is necessary to perform an initialization operation such as returning the working parts to the home position in those peripheral devices. For this reason, the amount of power used for the initialization operation reduces the input power required for fixing, and the heat source may run out of power when the fixing device is started up.

  Accordingly, a second object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing member being lower than the set temperature when there is a possibility that the heat source will run out of power based on the connection status of peripheral devices. .

  The third object of the present invention is to provide a simple configuration, usually based on a time reference, and to keep the fixing device warm-up time constant, and when the temperature of the fixing member may fall below the set temperature. It is to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure based on that.

  A fourth object of the present invention is to determine whether the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is less than a predetermined power with a simple configuration.

  A fifth object of the present invention is to accurately determine that the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than a predetermined power, and to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to insufficient power of the heat source during paper feeding. is there.

  A sixth object of the present invention is to control the waiting time at the time reference step by step according to the power consumption of the connected peripheral device, to widen the time reference range, and to basically vary the warm-up time of the fixing device. It is intended to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure caused by the temperature of the fixing member being lower than the set temperature.

  According to a seventh object of the present invention, when a peripheral device uses a large amount of power, it is operated after the temperature is set to a reference temperature and the target temperature is set to a higher temperature. Is to prevent the occurrence of

  By the way, when peripheral devices of the image forming apparatus are connected, an initialization operation is performed when the image forming apparatus is started up. Since the power at that time decreases the power used for fixing, depending on the input voltage input to the image forming apparatus main body, the required temperature may not be reached on the time base, and fixing failure may occur.

  Accordingly, an eighth object of the present invention is to generate a fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing member being lower than the set temperature when there is a possibility that the heat source will run out of power based on the connection status of the peripheral devices in consideration of the input voltage. Is to prevent.

  A ninth object of the present invention is to shorten the time required to start the warm-up of the fixing device without detecting the connection status of peripheral devices and the input voltage every time the image forming apparatus is started up.

  By the way, when the non-operation time of the image forming apparatus has exceeded a predetermined time or when the reading value of the environmental sensor fluctuates by a predetermined value or more, there is a possibility that the toner density may change or the timing for writing an image may change. Therefore, in order to maintain the image quality and obtain a high quality image, image adjustment operations such as image density adjustment and color misregistration correction for each image forming station are usually performed during the start-up operation.

A tenth object of the present invention is to enable finer control, and when the heat source may run out of power based on the connection status of peripheral devices or based on the image adjustment operation status, the temperature of the fixing member is set to the set temperature. It is to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to lowering.

An eleventh object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus equipped with a fixing control device that controls a heat source and heats a fixing member of the fixing device using the heat source. An object of the present invention is to provide a warm-up time control method that keeps the warm-up time of the apparatus constant and prevents the occurrence of fixing failure based on the possibility that the temperature of the fixing member is lower than a set temperature.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the first, second and sixth objects, the toner on the recording material is passed through the recording material between the heated fixing member and the pressure member pressed against the fixing member. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device that fixes heat to a recording material by applying heat and pressure, it is determined whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power. Judgment is based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the main body, and if the required power is less than the time reference from which it is determined that fixing with the fixing device is possible when a predetermined time is reached from the start of startup. When the temperature of the fixing member reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature is switched to a temperature reference that determines that fixing by the fixing device is possible, and if the time reference remains, the connection status of the peripheral device is changed. Based on the predetermined time Wherein the fixing control unit for a variable control of the variable is provided.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the first, second and seventh objects, the toner on the recording material is passed through the recording material between the heated fixing member and the pressure member pressed against the fixing member. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device that fixes heat to a recording material by applying heat and pressure, it is determined whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power. Judgment is based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the main body, and if the required power is less than the time reference from which it is determined that fixing with the fixing device is possible when a predetermined time is reached from the start of startup. When the temperature of the fixing member reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature is switched to a temperature reference that determines that fixing by the fixing device is possible. When the temperature is switched to the temperature reference, the connection status of the peripheral device Based on Wherein the fixing control unit for a variable control for varying the temperature is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the third object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect , a peripheral device that detects a connection state of the peripheral device in the fixing control device. A temperature / time reference switching means such as a detection means and a mode switching means for switching the fixing device to the temperature reference or the time reference based on the detection result is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the fourth object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the connection status of the peripheral devices is determined by the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is determined by the type or number of peripheral devices to be connected.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the fifth object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the connection status of the peripheral devices indicates that the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is determined by the total value of the power consumption of each peripheral device of one or a plurality of peripheral devices connected to.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the eighth object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the fixing control device supplies the fixing device at the time of start-up. Determining whether or not the power to be generated is lower than the required power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body, and determining based on information on the input voltage input to the image forming apparatus main body It is characterized by.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the ninth object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect , the connection of the peripheral device connected when the main power source of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on. According to the present invention, there is provided storage means for storing information on the input voltage.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the tenth object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the fixing control device is supplied to the fixing device at startup. It is determined whether or not the power to be output is lower than the required power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body and based on the image adjustment operation status at the time of start-up.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the third object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect , the fixing control device includes a controller that detects an image adjustment operation state at the time of start-up. Further, a temperature / time reference switching means such as a mode switching means for switching the fixing device to the temperature reference or the time reference based on the detection result is provided.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the fourth object described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth or ninth aspect , the image adjustment operation status at startup is the type of the image adjustment operation, It is determined by the number of times or time.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the eleventh object described above, the recording material is passed between the heated fixing member and the pressure member pressed against it, and the toner on the recording material is heated. In a warm-up time control method in an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing to a recording material by applying pressure, whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power Judgment based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the main body of the forming apparatus, and when it is less than the required power, the time to determine that fixing by the fixing device is possible when the predetermined time has elapsed from the start of startup When the temperature of the fixing member reaches a predetermined temperature from the reference, the temperature is switched to a temperature reference that determines that fixing by the fixing device is possible. Based on the situation, and performs variable control for varying said predetermined time.
According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the eleventh object described above, the recording material is passed between the heated fixing member and the pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member, and the toner on the recording material is heated. In a warm-up time control method in an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing to a recording material by applying pressure, whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power Judgment based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the main body of the forming apparatus, and when it is less than the required power, the time to determine that fixing by the fixing device is possible when the predetermined time has elapsed from the start of startup from the reference, when the temperature of the fixing member reaches a predetermined temperature, the switching of the temperature criterion for determining that it is possible to fix in the fixing device, when switched to the temperature reference, the peripheral device Based on the connection status, and performs variable control for varying said predetermined temperature.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, since the fixing control device that switches from the time reference to the temperature reference is provided when the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power, a normal control is provided. Eliminates user dissatisfaction due to variations in the warm-up time with a fixed warm-up time of the fixing device based on the time reference, and if the temperature of the fixing member may fall below the set temperature, By switching, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to power shortage.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the fixing control device determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power of the peripheral device connected to the image forming apparatus main body. Judgment is based on the connection status.When the peripheral device is connected and the power used for the initialization operation of the peripheral device reduces the input power required for fixing, the heat source may become insufficient. Abandoning a fixed uptime, that is, a user waiting time, adopting a temperature standard that determines that fixing is possible after the fixing member temperature reaches a set temperature necessary for fixing, and the fixing member temperature is It is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to falling below the set temperature.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fixing control device includes peripheral device detection means for detecting the connection status of peripheral devices, and a temperature / time reference for switching the fixing device to a temperature reference or a time reference based on the detection result. Since the switching means is provided, the warm-up time of the fixing device is made constant with a simple configuration, usually based on the time reference, and when the temperature of the fixing member may fall below the set temperature, Occurrence of fixing failure due to power shortage can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the connection status of peripheral devices is determined by the type or number of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus body, simple types of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus body Alternatively, roughly judging from the number, it is possible to determine the possibility that the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the predetermined power with a simple configuration.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the connection status of the peripheral devices is determined by the sum of the power consumption of the peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body, the power supplied to the fixing device at the start-up is If the power consumption of the peripheral device is large by accurately determining the possibility of falling below the predetermined power, operate it after setting the target temperature to a higher temperature on the basis of the temperature, due to the lack of power of the heat source during paper feeding The occurrence of fixing failure can be prevented.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the fixing control device controls the predetermined time based on the time in accordance with the connection status of the peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. For example, the total power used by the peripheral devices If X is less than X1, the time reference 1 is set. If X1 is less than X2 and less than X2, the time reference 2 is set longer than the time reference 1. If the power is X2 or more, the operation is performed on the temperature reference. Like that. In this way, the waiting time at the time reference time is controlled step by step according to the power consumption of the connected peripheral devices, the time reference range is widened, and basically the variation of the warm-up time of the fixing device is eliminated. However, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing member being lower than the set temperature.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the predetermined temperature reference temperature is controlled by the fixing control device in accordance with the connection status of the peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. If the power is less than X1, the time reference is used. If the power is less than X1 and less than X2, the first reference temperature is set as the temperature reference 1. If the power is more than X2, the first target temperature is used. The operation is performed at the temperature reference 2 where the second target temperature is set to a higher value, the temperature before passing the paper is set higher by the power used for the peripheral device, and the power is supplied by the operation of the peripheral device during the passing of the paper. To make up for the decrease in temperature. In this way, when the power consumption of the peripheral device is large, the operation is performed after the target temperature is set to a higher temperature based on the temperature, and fixing failure occurs due to insufficient power of the heat source during paper feeding. Can be prevented.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the fixing control device determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. Since the determination is based on the input voltage information input to the image forming apparatus main body, the amount of power used for the initialization operation of the peripheral device reduces the input power required for fixing. If the input voltage is also taken into account, when there is a possibility that the heat source will run out of power, the temperature of the fixing member is set to the required temperature for fixing by giving up the warm-up time, that is, the user waiting time. Then, a temperature reference that determines that fixing is possible is adopted, and the occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing member being lower than the set temperature can be prevented.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the storage means for storing the information of the input voltage is provided together with the connection status of the peripheral devices connected when the main power source of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, the image forming apparatus It is not necessary to detect the connection status of peripheral devices and the input voltage to the image forming apparatus main body every time the image forming apparatus is started up, and the time until the warm-up of the fixing device can be shortened by eliminating the detection time.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the fixing control device determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. As well as making judgments based on the image adjustment operation status at start-up, finer control is possible, and the power used for the initialization operation of peripheral devices and the power used for the image adjustment operation are necessary for fixing. When the input power is reduced and the heat source may run out of power, the temperature of the fixing member becomes the set temperature required for fixing, giving up the warm-up time, that is, the user waiting time. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the fact that the temperature reference for determining that the fixing is possible is employed and the temperature of the fixing member is lower than the set temperature.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the fixing control device includes a controller that detects an image adjustment operation state at the time of start-up, and a temperature / time reference that switches the fixing device to a temperature reference or a time reference based on the detection result. Since switching means is provided, the warm-up time of the fixing device is usually made constant based on the time reference, and when there is a possibility that the temperature of the fixing member may be lower than the set temperature, It is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the shortage.

According to the invention described in claim 10 , since the image adjustment operation status at the time of start-up is determined by the type, the number of times, or the time of the image adjustment operation, the simple type, the number of times, or the time of the image adjustment operation is used. By judging, it is possible to determine the possibility that the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of startup is lower than the predetermined power with a simple configuration.

According to the invention described in claims 11 and 12 , in the image forming apparatus, when the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power, the fixing is performed when a predetermined time is reached from the start of the start-up. Since the time reference for determining that the fixing in the apparatus is possible is switched to the temperature reference for determining that the fixing in the fixing apparatus is possible when the temperature of the fixing member reaches a predetermined temperature, the time is usually To provide a warm-up time control method for keeping the fixing device warm-up time constant based on the reference and preventing the occurrence of fixing failure based on the possibility that the temperature of the fixing member may be lower than the set temperature. Can do.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic configuration of an internal mechanism in a tandem color copier as an example of an image forming apparatus.

  In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a copying machine main body which is the main body of the image forming apparatus, 200 denotes an image reading apparatus mounted on the copying machine main body 100, 300 denotes an automatic document feeder (ADF) further mounted thereon, and 400 denotes the copying machine main body 100. A double-sided unit 500 is attached to one side of the finisher, and a finisher 500 is attached to the other side of the copying machine main body 100.

  In the copying machine main body 100, four image forming stations 10c, 10m, 10y, and 10b of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are provided side by side in a tandem manner. Each image forming station is provided with photoreceptors 11c, 11m, 11y, and 11b as drum-shaped image carriers.

  Then, as the photoconductors 11c, 11m, 11y, and 11b rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing, first, a bias voltage is applied to each of the charging devices 12c, 12m, 12y, and 12b composed of charging rollers and the surface is applied. Uniformly charged. Next, writing is performed by irradiating laser beams Lc, Lm, Ly, and Lb from the common writing device 13 based on a reading signal from the image reading device 200, respectively, and static images are formed on the photoreceptors 11c, 11m, 11y, and 11b. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  Instead of a writing device that performs writing using laser light, writing may be performed using a writing device that includes an LED array or the like. After that, each developing device 14c, 14m, 14y, 14b attaches powder toner and visualizes the electrostatic latent image, and each color monochromatic image on each of the photoreceptors 11c, 11m, 11y, 11b. Is formed.

  Further, the endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer body 15 is brought into contact with the photoconductors 11c, 11m, 11y, and 11b in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, and the photoconductors 11c, 11m are respectively driven by the primary transfer devices 16c, 16m, 16y, and 16b. , 11y, and 11b are transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 15 in order from cyan, and a full color image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 15 by superimposing the transfer images.

  On the other hand, one of the feed rollers 20 is selectively rotated at an appropriate timing, and the recording material P is fed out from the corresponding paper feed cassette 21 in the copying machine main body 100 and conveyed through the recording material conveyance path 23 to be paired. Abutting between the registration rollers 24 is stopped. Then, the pair of registration rollers 24 are rotated in time with the full color image on the intermediate transfer body 15, and the full color image is secondarily transferred onto the recording material P by the secondary transfer device 25 at the secondary transfer position.

  After that, the recording material P after the transfer of the full color image is further conveyed upward as it is through the recording material conveyance path 23, and the unfixed transfer toner is fixed to the recording material P when passing through a fixing nip N described later of the fixing device 600. The paper is discharged by the discharge roller 26 and stacked on the paper discharge stack device 27 on the copying machine main body 100.

  The photoreceptors 11c, 11m, 11y, and 11b after the completion of the primary transfer are cleaned by the primary cleaning devices 17c, 17m, 17y, and 17b to remove residual toner and are initialized. The intermediate transfer member 15 after the secondary transfer is completed is cleaned by the secondary cleaning device 18 to remove the residual toner, and is initialized.

  Reference numerals 28c, 28m, 28y, and 28b in the drawing denote color toner bottles that replenish toner to the color developing devices 14c, 14m, 14y, and 14b, respectively, using a powder conveyance device (not shown).

  When images are recorded on both the front and back sides of the recording material P by the illustrated copying machine, the one-side recorded recording material P that has passed through the fixing device 600 is switched by a switching claw (not shown) from the copying machine main body 100 to the duplex unit. 400, switch back at the switchback path 93 and turn upside down, and then enter the copying machine main body 100 again through the refeed path 94, refeed to the secondary transfer position, and separately onto the intermediate transfer body 15. After the formed image is transferred and an image is recorded on the back side, the image is discharged to the paper discharge stack device 27 by the discharge roller 26.

  In the above description, the case where a color image is recorded on the recording material P has been described. However, in the copying machine described above, the image forming stations 10c, 10m, 10y, and the like are appropriately selected according to the selected single color mode or multiple color mode. By selecting and using some of 10b, a monochrome image or a color image can be arbitrarily formed.

  Further, as a peripheral device of the copying machine main body 100, a finisher 500 or an ADF 300 that is connected to the copying machine main body 100 and operates by being supplied with electric power and a control signal may be provided. The finisher 500 is a device that performs post-processing after printing, such as sorting and stacking printed sheets, or binding a predetermined number of sheets using a stapler or the like. The ADF 300 is a device that automatically conveys a copy document to the image reading device 200. As described above, there are various types of peripheral devices depending on the user's usage, and there are cases where they are connected or not connected.

  By the way, in such an image forming apparatus, as shown in the figure, when a peripheral device such as a finisher 500 or an ADF 300 that is driven by a single power source is connected to the copying machine main body 100, a fixing device is used. At the time of starting 600, it is necessary to perform an initialization operation such as returning the operating parts to the home position in these peripheral devices. For this reason, the power used for the initialization operation reduces the input power necessary for fixing, and the heat source may become insufficient when the fixing device 600 is started up.

  FIG. 2 shows a fixing device 600 provided in the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG.

  In the fixing device 600, an endless fixing belt 30 as a fixing member is wound around a first roller 31 and a second roller 32, and the other roller is driven to rotate by rotation of one roller so that the belt can run. . A heat source 33 for heating the fixing belt 30 is disposed around the first roller 31, while the pressure roller 40 is pressed against the second roller 32 via the fixing belt 30 to form a fixing nip N. Yes. In this example, an IH coil that heats the fixing belt 30 by electromagnetic induction is used as the heat source 33.

  When the recording material P after image transfer passes through the fixing nip N, pressure is applied by pressing the pressure roller 40 against the second roller 32 via the fixing belt 30, and the IH coil as the heat source 33 is applied. And the fixing belt 30 generates heat by electromagnetic induction heating, and heat is applied by the generated fixing belt 30 to fix the secondary transfer image.

  The heat source 33 of the fixing device 600 is controlled by the fixing control device 700. The fixing control device 700 is provided with an IH control unit 50 connected to the heat source 33. The IH control unit 50 is provided with an inverter circuit 51, and a fixing control unit 53 is connected thereto. The fixing control unit 53 is provided with a mode switching unit 54 that is a temperature / time reference switching unit, and is connected to a peripheral device detection unit 55. The peripheral device detection means 55 detects the presence / absence of connection of peripheral devices such as the finisher 500 and the ADF 300 by electrical means.

  When the fixing temperature is raised, the mode switching unit 54 is based on the detection result of the peripheral device detection unit 55, and when the temperature of the fixing belt 30 as a fixing member reaches a set temperature, the mode switching unit 54 determines that the fixing is possible. It is possible to switch between the temperature priority mode and the time-based time priority mode that determines that fixing is possible when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of startup.

  Connected to the fixing controller 53 are a thermistor 56 that detects the temperature of the fixing belt 30 as a fixing member, an automatic manual switching means 58 that switches whether the heat source 33 of the fixing device 600 is controlled automatically or manually. ing. The fixing control unit 53 and the IH control unit 50 are connected to a commercial power source 52.

  In the fixing control device 700 that controls the heat source 33 and heats the fixing belt 30 of the fixing device 600 using the heat source 33, the time priority mode is basically used, and the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up is In the time priority mode, when there is a risk of fixing failure, the mode switching unit 54 switches the mode to the temperature priority mode.

  Thus, basically, the time priority mode is adopted to make the warm-up time of the fixing device 600 constant. On the other hand, based on the connection status of the peripheral device, the power used for the initialization operation of the peripheral device reduces the input power required for fixing, and at a certain warm-up time t as shown by the long dotted line d in FIG. When the temperature of the fixing member is significantly lower than the set temperature T required for fixing, if it is determined that fixing is possible in this state, the temperature becomes lower than the lower limit fixing temperature (for example, 135 ° C.) as indicated by the short dotted line e during paper passing. Fixing failure occurs.

  Therefore, when the peripheral device is connected to the copying machine main body 100 in this way and the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up falls below a predetermined power and the heat source 33 may obviously become insufficient in power, for example, the fixing device. When the power supplied to 600 is normally 1200 W, if there is a possibility that the power will be reduced to 1080 W or lower by 10%, the user wait time is abandoned and the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is set to be necessary for fixing. A temperature priority mode in which it is determined that fixing is possible after the temperature is reached is employed to prevent occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing belt 30 being lower than the set temperature T.

FIG. 3 shows a time-temperature curve of the fixing device 600.
In the time priority mode, as indicated by a solid line f in the figure, it is determined that fixing is possible when a predetermined time t1 (for example, 30 seconds) has been reached from the start of startup. When a peripheral device is connected and switched to the temperature priority mode by the fixing control device 700, the fixing is performed when the temperature of the fixing belt 30 reaches a set temperature T (for example, 180 ° C.) as indicated by a long dotted line g in the figure. Judged to be possible.

  Further, when the time priority mode is adopted, for example, when the time has not elapsed since the previous fixing and the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is high, the temperature of the fixing belt 30 reaches the set temperature before a certain user waiting time. However, even though it is actually possible to fix, the user will have to wait unnecessarily, so in this case, give up the user waiting time and set the temperature priority mode. Adopt it and don't spend too much time on launching.

FIG. 4 shows a flow of an example of a warm-up time control method for the fixing device 600.
In the control method shown in FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the belt temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.). When the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the peripheral device detection means 55 detects whether the finisher 500 or the ADF 300 is connected, and based on the detection result, the mode is switched by the mode switching means 54, and the peripheral device is not connected. Is a time priority mode and, if connected, a temperature priority mode.

  In this example, in the fixing control device 700, the connection status of peripheral devices is determined based on the presence or absence of peripheral devices connected to the copying machine main body 100, and the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up is lower than a predetermined power. Whether the peripheral device is connected to the copying machine main body 100, what kind of peripheral device is connected, how many peripheral devices are connected to the copying machine main body 100, etc. It may be determined whether the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up falls below a predetermined power.

  In addition, since the power required for the operation may be small for the connected peripheral device, the power required for the connected peripheral device is calculated using a peripheral device ID table (not shown) prepared in advance. The connection status may be determined based on the total power consumption value of peripheral devices connected to the copying machine main body 100.

FIG. 5 shows a flow of another warm-up time control method of the fixing device 600 having such a configuration.
In the control method shown in FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not the belt temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.). If the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, it is determined whether or not the electric power is equal to or more than the predetermined power X Watts. If the electric power is lower than the predetermined temperature, the temperature priority mode is switched. Avoid waiting time. Further, when the power consumption of the peripheral device is large, the operation is performed in the temperature priority mode to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to insufficient power of the heat source.

FIG. 6 shows a flow of another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device 600.
The power of the connected peripheral device varies depending on the type, and the power required for the connected peripheral device is calculated from a peripheral device ID table (not shown) prepared in advance. As shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not (for example, 50 ° C.) or higher. If the temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, the temperature priority mode is switched. If the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, it is determined whether or not the total power used by the peripheral device is less than X1, and if it is less than X1, the time priority mode 1 is set. Further, when it is greater than or equal to X1 and less than X2, it is operated in the time priority mode 2. The time priority mode 2 is set longer than the time priority mode 1. In the case of electric power of X2 or more, the operation is performed in the temperature priority mode. As described above, the fixing control device 700 controls the predetermined time in the time priority mode according to the connection status of the peripheral devices connected to the copying machine main body 100, so that the number of types and the types of peripheral devices to be connected can be changed. The waiting time of the stage can be specified, and unnecessary waiting time can be avoided.

  For example, referring to FIG. 3, the predetermined time in the time priority mode 1 is t1, and the predetermined time in the time priority mode 2 is t2 longer than t1. In this way, the waiting time at the time reference time is controlled step by step according to the power consumption of the connected peripheral device, the time reference range is widened, and the variation of the warm-up time of the fixing device 600 is basically changed. However, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing unit belt 30 being lower than the set temperature T as indicated by the short dotted line h in FIG.

FIG. 7 also shows a flow of still another example of the warm-up time control method for the fixing device 600.
When the connection status of the peripheral device is determined and the time priority mode and the temperature priority mode are switched, the power required for the connected peripheral device is calculated from a peripheral device ID table (not shown) prepared in advance. 7, it is first determined whether the belt temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.). If the belt temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, it is determined whether the total power used by the peripheral device is lower than X1. If it is less, the time priority mode is set. Further, when it is greater than or equal to X1 and less than X2, the operation is performed in the temperature priority mode 1 in which the first target temperature is set. In the case of electric power of X2 or more, the operation is performed in the temperature priority mode 2 in which the second target temperature is set.

  The second target temperature is higher than the first target temperature, and the power used for the peripheral device is set to a high temperature before passing the paper. Make up for the drop in temperature. As described above, the fixing control device 700 controls the predetermined temperature in the temperature priority mode according to the connection status of the peripheral device connected to the copying machine main body 100. Since the operation is performed after setting the target temperature to a higher temperature in the mode, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a fixing failure due to insufficient power of the heat source 33 during the sheet passing.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the fixing device 600 provided in the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG.
In this example, instead of the peripheral device detection means 55 shown in FIG. 2, a controller 70 is provided for detecting the image adjustment operation status at the time of startup. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 2, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2, and redundant description is omitted.

  The copying machine main body 100 has a timer (not shown) that counts the non-operation time and an environment sensor (not shown) that detects temperature and humidity. When the controller 70 has been inactive for a predetermined period of time or when the reading value of the environmental sensor fluctuates by a predetermined value or more, the image density adjustment or the image forming stations 10c, 10m, 10y, and 10b for each start-up operation is performed. Image adjustment operations such as color misregistration correction are performed. By performing the image adjustment operation, the image quality can be maintained and a high quality image can be obtained.

  Thus, basically, the time priority mode is adopted to make the warm-up time of the fixing device 600 constant. On the other hand, based on the image adjustment operation status at the time of start-up, the amount of power used for the image adjustment operation decreases the input power necessary for fixing, and the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up is lower than the predetermined power, When there is a possibility that the heat source 33 is clearly insufficient in power, it is determined that fixing is possible after the temperature of the fixing belt 30 reaches a set temperature necessary for fixing, giving up the user waiting time. The temperature priority mode is adopted to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing belt 30 being lower than the set temperature.

  Similarly to the previous example, when the time priority mode is adopted, for example, when the time has not elapsed since the previous fixing and the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is high, the temperature of the fixing belt 30 before a certain user waiting time. Although the user has reached the set temperature and can actually be fixed, the user will need to wait unnecessarily. Adopt a temperature priority mode so that unnecessary time is not taken for startup.

FIG. 9 shows a flow of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device 600.
In the control method shown in FIG. 9, first, similarly, it is determined whether or not the belt temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.). If the belt temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the controller 70 detects the presence or absence of the image adjustment operation. Based on the detection result, the mode is switched by the mode switching means 54. When the image adjustment operation is not performed, the time priority mode is set. When the image adjustment operation is performed, the mode is switched to the fixing device at the start-up. Considering that there is a possibility that the electric power may be lower than the predetermined electric power, the temperature priority mode is set.

  By switching to the temperature priority mode, the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is lower than the lower limit fixing temperature necessary for fixing even when the power adjustment of the heat source 33 caused by the decrease in the power supplied to the fixing is caused by the image adjustment operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure.

  There are various types of image adjustment operations such as image density adjustment and color misregistration correction, and the timing, frequency, and operation of the image adjustment operation depending on the non-operation time of the copying machine body 100 and the environmental conditions read by the environmental sensor. Time is different. Therefore, the image adjustment operation status of the peripheral device connected to the image forming apparatus main body is determined by the type, the number of times, or the time of the image adjustment operation, and there is a possibility that the power supplied to the fixing device at the start-up is lower than the predetermined power It is good to be judged.

FIG. 10 shows a flow of still another example of the warm-up time control method of the fixing device 600.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, it is first determined whether the belt temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.). If the belt temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the time priority mode and the temperature priority mode are determined depending on the number of image adjustment operations. Can be switched.

  That is, the controller 70 detects the number of image adjustment operations, and based on the detection result, mode switching is performed by the mode switching means 54. If the number of image adjustment operations is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the time priority mode is set. When the number of image adjustments is greater than a predetermined number, the temperature priority mode is set.

  In this way, by switching to the temperature priority mode, the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is necessary for fixing even when the power adjustment of the heat source 33 caused by the decrease in the power supplied to the fixing occurs due to the image adjustment operation. The occurrence of fixing failure can be prevented without falling below the lower limit fixing temperature.

FIG. 11 shows still another example of the fixing device 600 provided in the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG.
In this example, in addition to the peripheral device detection means 55 shown in FIG. 2, a controller 70 connected to the fixing control unit 53 and detecting the image adjustment operation status at the start-up is provided. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 2, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2, and redundant description is omitted.

  Then, the fixing control device 700 determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up is lower than a predetermined power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the copying machine main body 100 and at the time of start-up. Judgment is made based on the image adjustment operation status. In this way, finer control is possible, and even when the power source 33 is insufficiently powered due to a decrease in power supplied to the fixing, the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is below the lower limit fixing temperature necessary for fixing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure.

FIG. 12 shows a flow of still another example of the warm-up time control method of the fixing device 600.
In the control method shown in FIG. 12, it is determined whether or not the belt temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 ° C.). When the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the peripheral device detection means 55 detects whether the finisher 500 or the ADF 300 is connected, and the mode switching means 54 performs mode switching based on the detection result. When the peripheral device is not connected, Next, the presence / absence of the image adjustment operation is detected, and the mode is switched by the mode switching means 54 based on the detection result. When the image adjustment operation is not performed, the time priority mode is selected. When the image adjustment operation is performed, the temperature priority mode is selected. Is.

  In the above-described example, the fixing control device 700 determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device 600 when starting up is below a predetermined power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the copying machine main body 100. In addition, the determination may be made based on the voltage adjustment value of the commercial power supply 52, for example.

  Then, the fixing control device 700 determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up is lower than the predetermined power based on the voltage value of the commercial power source 52, and the voltage value of the commercial power source 52 is low. When there is a risk of power shortage, it is determined that fixing is possible after the temperature of the fixing belt 30 reaches the set temperature T necessary for fixing by giving up the warm-up time, that is, the user waiting time. By adopting the temperature reference, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of fixing failure due to the temperature of the fixing belt 30 being lower than the set temperature T.

  FIG. 13 shows another example of the fixing device 600 provided in the copying machine main body 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the fixing control device 700 thereof.

  In the fixing device 600, an endless fixing belt 30 as a fixing member is wound around a first roller 31 and a second roller 32, and the other roller is driven to rotate by rotation of one roller so that the belt can run. . A heat source 33 for heating the fixing belt 30 is disposed around the first roller 31, while the pressure roller 40 is pressed against the second roller 32 via the fixing belt 30 to form a fixing nip N. Yes. In this example, an IH coil that heats the fixing belt 30 by electromagnetic induction is used as the heat source 33.

  When the recording material P after image transfer passes through the fixing nip N, pressure is applied by pressing the pressure roller 40 against the second roller 32 via the fixing belt 30, and the IH coil as the heat source 33 is applied. And the fixing belt 30 generates heat by electromagnetic induction heating, and heat is applied by the generated fixing belt 30 to fix the secondary transfer image.

  The heat source 33 of the fixing device 600 is controlled by the fixing control device 700. The fixing control device 700 is provided with an IH control unit 50 connected to the heat source 33. The IH control unit 50 includes an inverter circuit 51 and an input voltage detection unit 60, and a fixing control unit 53 is connected to the IH control unit 50. The fixing control unit 53 is provided with a mode switching unit 54 that is a temperature / time reference switching unit, a storage unit 61 is provided, and is connected to the peripheral device detection unit 55. The peripheral device detection means 55 detects the presence / absence of connection of peripheral devices such as the finisher 500 and the ADF 300 by electrical means.

  When the fixing temperature is raised, the mode switching means 54 determines a temperature-based temperature priority mode for determining that fixing is possible when the temperature of the fixing belt 30 as a fixing member reaches a set temperature, and a predetermined time from the start of the raising. When the time reaches, the time-based time priority mode for determining that fixing is possible is switched.

  The fixing controller 53 is connected to a thermistor 56 that detects the temperature of the fixing belt 30 as a fixing member. The fixing control unit 53 and the IH control unit 50 are connected to a commercial power source 52.

  In the fixing control device 700 that heats the fixing belt 30 of the fixing device 600 using the heat source 33, the time priority mode is basically used, and the power supplied to the fixing device 600 at the time of start-up is considered to be lower than the predetermined power. In the time priority mode, when there is a possibility of fixing failure, the mode switching means 54 switches the temperature priority mode.

FIG. 14 shows a flow of still another example of the warm-up time control method of the fixing device 600.
In the control method shown in FIG. 14, the power used for the initialization of the peripheral device is calculated based on the peripheral device information detected by the peripheral device detection means 55, and is further detected by the input voltage detection means 60. When the voltage value is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the temperature priority mode is switched.

  Thus, basically, the time priority mode is adopted to make the warm-up time of the fixing device 600 constant. On the other hand, depending on the connection status of the peripheral device, the heat source used when initializing the peripheral device reduces the power required for fixing, or when the input voltage value is lower than the predetermined value. If it is determined that the power is clearly insufficient, the time priority mode is switched from the time priority mode that keeps the user waiting time constant, and the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is increased to the required temperature, thereby lowering the temperature when the paper is passed. To prevent the occurrence of fixing failure.

FIG. 15 shows a flow of still another example of the warm-up time control method of the fixing device 600.
In this example, the peripheral device connection information and the input voltage information are reset once by the sleep mode of the image forming apparatus, etc., and the peripheral device connected and the input voltage are detected every time it is started up. When the main power is turned on, the connection information of the peripheral devices and the information of the input voltage are stored in the storage means 61. In this way, detection is not performed when returning from the sleep mode, and the time-priority mode or the temperature-priority mode is switched based on the information in the storage unit 61, thereby shortening the time required for detection and shortening the warm-up time. can do.

FIG. 16 shows a flow of still another example of the warm-up time control method of the fixing device 600.
In this example, for example, when time has not elapsed since the previous fixing operation and the temperature of the fixing belt 30 is not lower than a predetermined temperature, for example, 60 ° C., from the connection information of the peripheral device and the input voltage information, When it is determined that the necessary fixing belt temperature is reached in a shorter time than the time set in the time priority mode, the temperature priority mode is switched. Thereby, fixing start-up time can be shortened.

  In the above example, the belt fixing device using the IH coil as the heat source 33 has been described as an example. However, the fixing member is not limited to the fixing belt 30 and is near the surface layer of the fixing roller 63 as shown in FIG. The present invention can be similarly applied to a roller fixing device using a roller type IH coil in which the metal layer 64 is provided and the metal layer 64 generates heat by an inverter, and is not particularly limited to the IH and belt fixing device.

  Further, the pressure member pressed against the fixing member is not limited to the pressure roller 40, and may be a pressure belt wound around a plurality of rollers, a belt without tension, or pressure that does not rotate or run. It may be like a pad.

  The heat source may be disposed outside or inside the stretched portion of the fixing belt 30, or may be provided in the first roller 31 around which the fixing belt 30 is wound, It may be provided. When the fixing member is a fixing roller, it may be provided in the fixing roller. In addition, the pressure member may have a separate heat source.

1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of an internal mechanism in a tandem color copier as an example of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fixing device provided in the copying machine main body shown in FIG. 1 and a fixing control device thereof. FIG. 3 is a time-temperature curve diagram of the fixing device. It is a flowchart of an example of the warm-up time control method of the fixing device. It is a flowchart of another warm-up time control method of the fixing device. It is a flowchart of the other example of the warm-up time control method of a fixing device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of another example of a fixing device provided in the copying machine main body shown in FIG. 1 and its fixing control device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of still another example of a fixing device provided in the copying machine main body shown in FIG. 1 and its fixing control device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. FIG. 3 is another schematic configuration diagram of the fixing device provided in the copying machine main body shown in FIG. 1 and the fixing control device thereof. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another example of the method for controlling the warm-up time of the fixing device. It is a schematic block diagram of the roller fixing device using an IH coil. FIG. 6 is a time-temperature curve diagram of a conventional fixing device.

Explanation of symbols

30 Fixing belt (fixing member)
33 Heat source 40 Pressure roller (Pressure member)
50 IH control section 51 Inverter circuit 52 Commercial power supply 53 Fixing control section 54 Mode switching means (temperature / time reference switching means)
55 Peripheral device detection means 56 Thermistor 60 Input voltage detection means 61 Storage means 63 Fixing roller 64 Metal layer 70 Controller 100 Copying machine main body (image forming apparatus main body)
300 ADF (peripheral equipment)
500 Finisher (peripheral equipment)
600 fixing device 700 fixing control device P recording material t1 predetermined time t2 predetermined time T predetermined temperature

Claims (12)

An image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner on the recording material to the recording material by applying heat and pressure between the heated fixing member and a pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member In
Whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power is determined based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. When the predetermined time is reached, the fixing device is capable of fixing when the temperature of the fixing member reaches the predetermined temperature from the time reference for determining that the fixing with the fixing device is possible. A fixing control device is provided that performs variable control that varies the predetermined time based on the connection status of the peripheral device when switching to the temperature reference to be determined and maintaining the time reference. Image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner on the recording material to the recording material by applying heat and pressure between the heated fixing member and a pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member In
Whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power is determined based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. When the predetermined time is reached, the fixing device is capable of fixing when the temperature of the fixing member reaches the predetermined temperature from the time reference for determining that the fixing with the fixing device is possible. A fixing control device is provided that performs variable control for changing the predetermined temperature based on a connection status of the peripheral device when switching to the temperature reference to be determined and switching to the temperature reference. Image forming apparatus. The fixing control device is provided with peripheral device detection means for detecting the connection status of the peripheral devices, and temperature / time reference switching means for switching the fixing device to the temperature reference or the time reference based on the detection result. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The peripheral connection status of device, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in Rukoto is determined by the type or number of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. The peripheral connection status of device, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is determined by the power consumption sum of peripherals connected to the image forming apparatus main body. The fixing control device determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at startup is less than the required power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming device body, and the image forming device body the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized that you determined based on the information of the input voltage input to. The image forming according to claim 6 together with the connection status of the peripheral device connected at the main power ON of the image forming apparatus main body, a storage means for storing information of the input voltage, wherein that you have provided apparatus. The fixing control device determines whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body, and the image at the time of start-up the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1, wherein to the Rukoto determined based on the adjusted operating conditions 5. Wherein the fixing control unit, not a controller for detecting an image adjustment operation status during start-up, the temperature / time reference switching means for switching the reference temperature or the time reference the fixing device based on the detection result provided Rukoto The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 . Image adjustment operation status at the time of start-up is, the image adjustment type of operation, the number image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in Rukoto determined by or time. An image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner on the recording material to the recording material by applying heat and pressure between the heated fixing member and a pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member In the warm-up time control method in
Whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power is determined based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. When the predetermined time is reached, the fixing device is capable of fixing when the temperature of the fixing member reaches the predetermined temperature from the time reference for determining that the fixing with the fixing device is possible. Switching to a temperature reference to be determined, and in the case where the time reference is maintained, a warm-up time control in the image forming apparatus is performed, wherein a variable control for changing the predetermined time is performed based on a connection status of the peripheral device Method. An image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner on the recording material to the recording material by applying heat and pressure between the heated fixing member and a pressure member pressed against the heated fixing member In the warm-up time control method in
Whether or not the power supplied to the fixing device at the time of start-up is lower than the required power is determined based on the connection status of peripheral devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body. When the predetermined time is reached, the fixing device is capable of fixing when the temperature of the fixing member reaches the predetermined temperature from the time reference for determining that the fixing with the fixing device is possible. switched to determine temperature reference, when said switched to the temperature reference, the peripheral based on the connection status of the device, the predetermined temperature warm-up time of the image forming apparatus and performing a variable control for varying the Control method.

Images