JP6624838B2 - Image heating device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image heating device and an image forming device. The image heating device is used as a fixing device in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording material such as a multifunction peripheral, a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile.

  2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, a fixing device for fixing a toner image formed on a sheet-shaped recording material (hereinafter, referred to as a sheet) includes a fixing member as a heating member and a pressing member against the fixing member. It has a pressure member arranged in a form. The toner image is fixed on the sheet by passing between the nip formed by the fixing member and the pressing member.

  In such a fixing device, when the toner image is fixed in the nip portion, a part of the toner may remain on the surface of the fixing member without being fixed on the sheet. Such a toner is called an offset toner. The offset toner may transfer to the pressing member via the nip.

  If the offset toner accumulates on the fixing member and the pressing member, it causes image defects. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a release layer of a fluororesin such as PFA or PTFE on the surface of the fixing member or the pressing member.

  As a measure against image defects caused by such offset toner, the fixing device of Patent Document 1 is provided with a cleaning roller for cleaning the pressure roller. Then, the offset toner adhered to the surface of the pressure roller is removed by the cleaning roller.

  The image defect due to the pressure roller is not limited to the above-described offset toner. If the surface of the pressure roller is damaged, an image defect occurs during double-sided fixing of the sheet due to the damage. As a countermeasure against image defects due to such scratches on the surface of the pressure roller, the fixing device of Patent Document 2 is provided with a rubbing member for reducing the surface roughness of the pressure member to a certain level.

JP 2001-212173 A JP 2013-195894 A

  By the way, the release layer of the pressing member is finely shaved by the sheet as the sheet is conveyed, and adheres to the surface of the pressing member together with the paper powder discharged from the sheet. The release material powder adhering to the pressing member mixes with the paper powder and the toner with the passage of time and becomes a fixed stain which is fixed to the pressing member. The occurrence of such sticking stains tends to offset the toner, which causes image defects. If a cleaning roller is provided as in Patent Literature 1, the release material powder that has just adhered to the pressing member can be removed. On the other hand, it is difficult for the cleaning roller to remove the adhered dirt adhered to the pressing member.

  The inventor of the present invention has examined this problem and found that the use of a rubbing roller as in Patent Document 2 can remove and remove the fixed dirt fixed to the pressing member. However, if the surface of the pressing member is contaminated with unfixed release material powder, the release material powder enters a gap on the surface of the rubbing roller and causes clogging. In particular, when the dirt including the release material powder once released by the rubbing roller is transported to the position of the rubbing roller again by the rotation of the pressing member, the rubbing roller is likely to be clogged. When the surface roughness of the rubbing roller is reduced in this way, it becomes difficult for the rubbing roller to release fixed dirt fixed to the pressing member.

  It is desirable that the image heating device can efficiently remove the release material powder adhering to the pressing member and suppress the occurrence of image defects.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image heating device in which occurrence of image defects is suppressed.

A typical configuration of an image heating apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object has a first rotating body for heating a toner image on a recording material at a nip portion, and a fluororesin layer on the surface. the second rotary member and the first rotating body in cooperation with the toner image carrying surface of the formed and recorded material the nip in contact with the opposite face, said second than said nip A collection member capable of executing a collection process of collecting the fluororesin powder from the second rotator by contacting the surface of the second rotator on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotator; and A first contacting / separating mechanism for contacting / separating from the surface of the second rotating body; and a second rotating body located upstream of the recovery member in the rotation direction of the second rotating body and at the nip portion. in the downstream side in the direction of rotation, rotation of the second by contact with a peripheral speed difference to the second rotary member A rubbing rotator capable of performing a rubbing process of rubbing the surface of the rotator; a second contacting / separating mechanism for bringing the rubbing rotator into and out of contact with the surface of the second rotator; An execution unit that controls the contact / separation mechanism and the second contact / separation mechanism to execute the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel, and to execute the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel. An operation unit having an input unit for giving an instruction, wherein the execution unit causes the rubbing process and the collection process to be executed in parallel based on an execution command accompanying the operation of the input unit. And

Another typical configuration of the image heating apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a first rotating body for heating a toner image on a recording material at a nip portion, and a fluororesin layer on the surface. a, a second rotary member in contact with the first opposing face and the rotating body in cooperation with the toner image carrying surface of the formed and recorded material the nip, the than the nip first A collection member capable of executing a collection process of collecting fluororesin powder from the second rotator by contacting the surface of the second rotator on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the second rotator; A first contacting / separating mechanism for bringing the second rotating member into and out of contact with the surface of the second rotating member, and the second rotating member located upstream of the recovery member in the rotating direction of the second rotating member and further than the nip portion. in the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the body, the second by with a peripheral speed difference to the second rotating body contact A rubbing rotator capable of performing a rubbing process of rubbing the surface of the rolling member, a second contact / separation mechanism for bringing the rubbing member into and out of contact with the surface of the second rotator, A first control sequence for controlling the first contact / separation mechanism and the second contact / separation mechanism to execute the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel, and the collection process without the rubbing process the comprises a second control sequence to be executed, an execution unit for selectively executing a, a, characterized in that.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which occurrence of an image defect is suppressed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a tandem fixing unit in the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment. Block diagram of control system Schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the refresh roller Schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the cleaning roller 5 is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning operation according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning operation according to the second embodiment.

<< Example 1 >>
(1) Image Forming Section FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 can form a toner image on a recording material (sheet: hereinafter, referred to as paper) P by operating based on a print job input from a host device A such as a personal computer or the like to a control unit B. This is an intermediate transfer type color electrophotographic printer. C is an operation unit (user interface) of the image forming apparatus 1.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the control system. The control unit (executing unit) B controls the image forming apparatus 1 as a whole, and FIG. 3 mainly illustrates a portion where the host device A, the operation unit C, and a fixing device 100 described later are related.

  The host device A is connected to the CPU 20 of the control unit B via an I / F (interface) 28. Image information input from the host device A to the CPU 20 is processed between the image processing unit 24, the RAM 22, and the ROM 23 to execute an image forming operation.

  The operation unit C is connected to the CPU 20 via the I / F 27. The operation unit C includes an input unit Ca having various operation keys and a display unit Cb of a touch panel type liquid crystal screen. The operation unit C allows the user to make basic settings for print job information (paper information such as basis weight and surface properties, image information such as density, the number of prints of a job, double-sided / single-sided information, and the like). . Alternatively, the print job information can be input to the control unit B from the host device A in addition to the operation unit C. The controller 21 receives the command from the CPU 20 and controls the fixing device 100 as described later.

  Since the configuration of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 2 belongs to the public domain, its description will be simply given. Reference numeral 2 denotes an image forming unit inside the apparatus main body 1A of the image forming apparatus 1, which includes four image forming units U (UY, UM, UC, UBk) and an intermediate transfer belt unit 9. Each image forming unit U includes a photosensitive drum 3, a charger 4, a laser scanner 5, a developing unit 6, a primary transfer unit 7, a drum cleaner 8, and the like. In order to avoid complication of the figure, reference numerals for these devices in the image forming units UM, UC, and UBk other than the image forming unit UY are omitted.

  Each image forming unit U forms a yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) toner image on the rotating photosensitive drum 3. Then, the toner images of the four colors are sequentially superimposed on the endless intermediate transfer belt 10 which is rotated from the photosensitive drum 3 of each image forming unit U in a predetermined manner, and primary-transferred. Is formed.

  Then, the sheet P is introduced at a predetermined control timing into a secondary transfer nip portion which is a pressure contact portion between the belt 10 and the secondary transfer roller 13, and the toner image on the belt 10 is Transcribed. The paper P is separated and fed one by one from the paper feed cassette 11A or 11B, and is introduced into the secondary transfer nip portion through the transport path a including the registration roller pair 12.

  The sheet P that has exited the secondary transfer nip is separated from the belt 10 and introduced into the fixing device 100 via the conveyance path b. The toner image on the paper (on the recording material) is fixed by heating and pressing in the fixing device 100. Here, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment heats the toner image formed on the sheet P by the image forming unit 2 on the upstream side of the fixing device 100 in the sheet conveying direction (recording material conveying direction) a. No fixing device (image heating device).

  When the paper P exiting the fixing device 100 is in the single-sided printing mode, the paper P is guided toward the paper discharge path c by the flapper 14 and is discharged to the discharge tray 16 as a single-sided printed full-color image formed by the discharge roller pair 15. It is transported and discharged.

  In the case of the double-sided printing mode, the first-side printed sheet P exiting the fixing device 100 is guided by the flapper 14 toward the reversing path d. Then, the sheet is reversely fed in the switchback conveyance path e, enters the conveyance path a via the double-sided conveyance path f, and is re-introduced into the secondary transfer nip portion in a reversed state. As a result, a toner image is formed on the second side of the sheet P. Thereafter, as in the case of the single-sided printing mode, the sheet P is conveyed through the path of the fixing device 100, the sheet discharging path c, and the pair of discharging rollers 15, and is conveyed and discharged to the tray 16 as a full-color image formed product for double-sided printing. .

  In the case of mono-color image formation, the image forming unit U necessary for forming the image performs the image forming operation, and the other image forming units do not perform the image forming operation only because the drum 3 rotates idle.

(2) Fixing device (image heating device)
FIG. 1 is an enlarged schematic diagram of a part of the fixing device 100. In the present embodiment, the fixing device 100 is a heat roller pair type device, and serves as a pair of rotating bodies that form a fixing nip (nip portion) N for heating the sheet P conveyed from the image forming unit 2 side. It has a fixing roller 40 and a pressure roller 41.

  That is, it has a fixing roller (heat fixing member) 40 as a rotatable heating rotator for heating the toner image on the paper (on the recording material). The fixing roller 40 is arranged below the fixing roller 40 in parallel with the fixing roller 40 to form a fixing nip N in cooperation with the fixing roller 40, and is rotatable in contact with a surface of the sheet P opposite to the toner image carrying surface. And a pressure roller (pressure fixing member) 41 as a pressure rotating body. The pressure roller 41 has a fluororesin layer on the surface. The fixing roller 40 is heated by a heating source 40a provided therein, and the sheet P carrying the toner image t is nipped and conveyed in the fixing nip N, so that the toner image t is fixed on the sheet P.

  The fixing roller 40 is formed by providing an elastic layer 40c made of a rubber layer on a metal core shaft (base layer) 40b, and further covering the release layer 40d as a surface layer thereon. In this embodiment, a roller having the following configuration and an outer diameter of 70 mm was used. A hollow core made of aluminum having an outer diameter of 68 mm is used as a core shaft 40 b, and a silicone rubber having a rubber hardness of 20 ° (JIS-A 1 kg load) is formed 1.0 mm on the core shaft as an elastic layer 40 c, and further formed on the surface thereof. The release layer 40d is coated with a 50 μm-thick fluororesin.

  As the release layer 40d, a fluororesin tube in which a fluororesin having excellent releasability was formed in a tubular shape was used. As the fluororesin, PFA resin (copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene resin and perfluoroalkoxyethylene resin), PTFE (tetrafluoroethylene resin) and the like are used. In this example, a PFA resin tube was used as the release layer 40d. The thickness of the release layer 40d as the surface layer of the fixing roller 40 is preferably 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

  The fixing roller 40 is rotatably supported by support members (not shown) provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction (rotation axis direction) of the cored bar 40b. Then, it receives a driving force of a motor M40 as a driving source controlled by the controller 21 of the control unit B and is driven to rotate at a predetermined surface moving speed (peripheral speed) clockwise as indicated by an arrow R40. In this embodiment, the surface moving speed of the fixing roller 40 is set to 220 mm / sec. The peripheral speed of the fixing roller 40 corresponds to the process speed (image output speed) of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The halogen heater 40 a as a heating source inside the fixing roller 40 receives power supply from the power supply unit 50 controlled by the controller 21 and generates heat. The fixing roller 40 is heated from the inside by the heat generated, and the surface temperature of the fixing roller 40 is detected by the temperature sensor 42a. The detected temperature information is input to the controller 21. The controller 21 controls the power supplied from the power supply unit 50 to the heater 40a to maintain the surface temperature of the fixing roller 40 at a predetermined temperature so that the input detected temperature information is maintained at the temperature information corresponding to the predetermined set temperature. I do. For example, the temperature is adjusted to about 150 to 180 ° C., which is the temperature at which the toner can be fixed on the paper P.

  The pressure roller 41 is formed by providing an elastic layer 41c made of a rubber layer on a metal core shaft (base layer) 41b, and further covering the release layer 41d as a surface layer thereon. In this embodiment, a roller having the following configuration and an outer diameter of 50 mm was used. A hollow core made of aluminum having an outer diameter of 48 mm is used as a core shaft 41b, and a silicone rubber having a rubber hardness of 20 ° (JIS-A 1 kg load) is formed 2.0 mm on the core shaft as an elastic layer 41c. The release layer 41d is covered with a 50 μm-thick fluororesin.

  The pressure roller 41 is rotatably supported by movable support members (not shown) provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction (rotation axis direction) of the cored bar 41b. The support members at both ends are urged to move in a direction in which the pressure roller 41 comes into contact with the fixing roller 40 by a pressure spring (not shown) as urging means. Thus, the pressure roller 41 is pressed against the fixing roller 40 with a predetermined pressure against the elasticity of the elastic layers 40c and 41c.

  Due to this pressing, a fixing nip N having a predetermined width is formed between the fixing roller 40 and the pressing roller 41 in the sheet conveying direction a. In this embodiment, the pressure roller 41 is pressed against the fixing roller 40 at a total pressure of 800N. The pressure roller 41 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow R <b> 41 following the rotation of the fixing roller 40.

  The pressure roller 41 has a halogen heater 41a as a heating source inside. The heater 41a generates heat by receiving power supply from the power supply unit 50 controlled by the controller 21. The pressure roller 41 is heated from the inside by the heat generation, and the surface temperature of the pressure roller 41 is detected by the temperature sensor 42b. The detected temperature information is input to the controller 21.

  The controller 21 controls the electric power supplied from the power supply unit 50 to the heater 41a so that the input detected temperature information is maintained at the temperature information corresponding to the predetermined set temperature, so that the surface temperature of the pressure roller 41 becomes a predetermined temperature. Adjust. The predetermined temperature is set so that the gloss difference between the first surface and the second surface during the fixing operation on both surfaces does not widen, and the temperature is not significantly reduced by pressing the fixing roller 40. In the case of the present embodiment, the temperature is adjusted to 90 to 110 ° C.

  The sheet P carrying the unfixed toner image t introduced into the fixing device 100 from the image forming unit 2 through the conveyance path b enters the fixing nip N and is nipped and conveyed. As a result, the paper P is heated and pressed, so that the toner image T is melted and thermally fixed to the paper P. The sheet P that has left the fixing nip N is separated from the fixing roller 40 and goes out of the fixing device 100.

  Here, in the fixing device 100, the heating rotator and the pressurizing rotator need not be rollers. For example, a fixing device in which both or one of the heating rotator and the pressure rotator is an endless belt may be used.

(3) Rubbing Member and Cleaning Member When the paper P passes through the fixing nip N of the fixing device 100, paper dust adheres to the surfaces of the fixing roller 40 and the pressure roller 41. Since the amount of paper dust per sheet is very small, the paper dust hardly adheres to the surface of the fixing roller 40 where the toner is fixed. On the other hand, in the case of the surface of the pressure roller 41, during printing, the surface on which the toner image is not formed on the sheet P hits the surface of the pressure roller 41, so that the paper dust easily adheres.

  If the paper dust is accumulated in the surface layer even in a very small amount, the releasability of the surface layer 41d of the pressure roller 41 is greatly reduced, so that the paper dust and the toner easily adhere. When a sheet material containing a large amount of calcium bicarbonate is used as the paper, the PFA of the surface layer 41 d of the pressure roller 41 is shaved, and the shaved PFA powder is easily electrostatically attracted to the surface of the pressure roller 41 together with the paper powder. .

  This is because paper powder mainly composed of calcium bicarbonate is strongly positively charged due to friction with the fluororesin compared to paper powder mainly composed of other fillers such as kaolin and talc, and has Mohs hardness. This is due to the characteristic that the particle shape is high and the angle is acute.

  When the PFA powder and the paper powder start to accumulate on the surface of the pressure roller 41, the releasability of the surface of the pressure roller 41 is significantly reduced as compared with the case where only the paper powder adheres. As a result, the PFA powder, the paper powder, and the toner adhere to each other, and stains are transferred to the paper P, thereby causing an image defect. The PFA powder and the paper powder are powdery in the early stage of the durability, and follow the surface of the pressure roller 41. However, in the latter half of the durability, they are mixed with the toner and adhere to the surface layer of the pressure roller 41, so that they can be easily removed. Gone.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a refresh roller (sliding rotator) 62 as a rubbing member and a cleaning member (collecting member) are provided with respect to the pressure roller 41 for the purpose of cleaning the dirt. The cleaning rollers 82 are arranged so as to be individually contactable and separable so as to abut.

  The fresh roller 62 is capable of rubbing the surface of the pressure roller 41 by contacting the pressure roller 41 with a peripheral speed difference. The cleaning roller 82 can execute a cleaning process (recovery process) for recovering the fluororesin powder from the pressure roller 41 by contacting the surface of the pressure roller 41.

  The refresh roller 62 is moved toward and away from the pressure roller 41 by a contact / separation mechanism (second contact / separation mechanism) 62A controlled by the controller 21. That is, the refresh roller 62 can be shifted (contacted and separated) between a contact position (shown by broken lines) in contact with the pressure roller 41 with a predetermined pressing force and a separated position (shown by a solid line) that is separated without contact. It is arranged.

  The cleaning roller 82 is located downstream of the refresh roller 62 in the rotation direction of the pressure roller 41 and upstream of the nip portion N. That is, the fixing nip N, the refresh roller 62, and the cleaning roller 82 are arranged in order along the rotation direction of the pressure roller 41.

  The cleaning roller 82 is moved toward and away from the pressure roller 41 by a contact / separation mechanism (second contact / separation mechanism) 82A controlled by the controller 21. In other words, the cleaning roller 82 can be shifted (contacted / separated) between a contact position (shown by broken lines) contacting the pressure roller 41 with a predetermined pressing force and a separated position (shown by solid lines) that is separated without contact. It is arranged.

  Further, the refreshing roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 are each driven to rotate in a predetermined direction and speed by transmitting a driving force of motors M62 and M82 as driving sources controlled by the controller 21.

  The refreshing roller 62 is a roughening roller having a surface roughness Ra equal to or higher than a certain value, which is excellent in cutting property, and moves from a separation position to a contact position with respect to the pressure roller 41 at a predetermined control timing, as described later. And is rotationally driven. Thus, the surface of the pressure roller 41 is rubbed (rubbed) to scrape (release) the adhered dirt (fixed matter).

  The cleaning roller 82 is a brush roller wound with a pile brush in which a fiber bundle is planted, as described later. The cleaning roller 82 is moved from a separation position to a contact position with respect to the pressure roller 41 at a predetermined control timing, and It is driven to rotate. As a result, the PFA powder and paper powder before the separation and fixation, which are rotated on the pressure roller 41, are collected. When the refreshing roller 62 comes into contact with the pressing roller 41, the powdery PFA powder or paper powder (free adhering matter) scraped by the refreshing roller 62 and circling around the surface of the pressing roller 41 is swept. It works to take and collect and hold.

(3-1) Refresh Roller FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross section of the refresh roller 62 in an enlarged manner. The refreshing roller 62 is provided with a rubbing layer 62c formed by densely bonding abrasive grains 62d as a rubbing material via an adhesive layer 62b on a SUS304 (stainless steel) core metal base 62a having an outer diameter of 12 mm. It is a thing.

  In the present embodiment, an alumina (aluminum oxide) type (also referred to as “alundum” or “morandum”) is used as the rubbing material 62d. Alumina is the most widely used abrasive grain, has sufficiently high hardness compared to the pressure roller 41, and has excellent sharpness due to its acute angle shape, and is suitable as the rubbing material 62d in this embodiment. In this embodiment, abrasive grains having a count (particle size) of # 2000 (average particle size is 7 μm) are used, the surface roughness Ra of the rubbing layer 62c is 2.0 to 4.0 μm, and the average interval of unevenness Sm Is about 10 to 20 μm.

  The refresh roller 62 is arranged parallel to the pressure roller 41. The contact / separation mechanism 62A of the refresh roller 62 with respect to the pressure roller 41 can have an appropriate configuration. The contact / separation mechanism 62 </ b> A of the present embodiment includes a swing support member 63 that rotatably supports both ends of the core metal 62 a of the refresh roller 62. There is a pressure spring (not shown) that urges the swing support member 63 to move in a direction in which the refresh roller 62 presses against the pressure roller 41 with a predetermined pressure.

  Thus, in the free state of the swing support member 63, the refresh roller 62 comes into contact with the pressing roller 41 with a predetermined pressing force, and a sliding nip having a predetermined width is formed in each surface moving direction. The contact / separation mechanism 62 </ b> A is controlled by the controller 21 and drives the swing support member 63 in a direction in which the refresh roller 62 moves away from the pressure roller 41 against the urging force of the pressure spring. Having. The drive unit 64 is, for example, a solenoid-plunger device or a cam mechanism.

  The refresh roller 62 is driven to rotate by receiving a driving force transmitted from a motor M62 (rotating mechanism) controlled by the controller 21. The rotation drive direction of the refresh roller 62 may be either forward or reverse with respect to the rotation direction of the pressure roller 41 at the contact portion (sliding portion) with the pressure roller 41. Good. By providing a peripheral speed difference between the pressure roller 41 and the refresh roller 62, the effect of cutting on fixed dirt described later is improved. Therefore, the peripheral speed difference may be provided in both the forward and reverse directions. preferable.

  When the refreshing roller 62 is rotated in contact with the pressing roller 41, the dirt fixed by the PFA powder, the paper powder, and the toner is scraped off, released from the surface of the pressing roller, and formed into a powder form. Take it to the surface. The powdered dirt stays between the nip between the refresh roller 62 and the pressure roller 41 and is partially collected in the gap between the abrasive grains of the refresh roller 62. At the same time, the cleaning roller 82 in contact with the pressure roller 41 collects the remaining powdery dirt.

  In this example, it was confirmed that the fixed dirt can be scraped off and released by rotating the refresh roller 62 having Ra = 3.5 μm and Sm = about 15 μm in contact with the pressure roller 41 for 30 seconds. did. In addition, it was confirmed that the scraped-off dirt became powdery of about 2 to 10 μm, and that the cleaning roller 82 could sufficiently collect and hold the dirt.

  Note that if the Ra of the refreshing roller 62 is too small, the cutting effect on the fixed dirt decreases, and if it is too large, the surface of the pressure roller may be damaged. However, as long as PFA powder and paper powder are compatible with the cutting effect on the fixed dirt mixed with the toner and the wear property of the pressure roller surface layer, the abrasive grain type, Ra, and Sm are not limited to the above-described configurations. Absent.

  Further, in this embodiment, the refresh roller 62 is described in which the abrasive grains 62d are densely bonded to the stainless steel core metal 62a via the adhesive layer 62b, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the refresh roller 62 may be one obtained by treating the surface of a stainless steel cored bar to a desired surface property by blasting or the like.

  If the refreshing roller 62 is always in contact with the pressure roller 41, the surface of the pressure roller 41 will be scratched more than necessary. Therefore, it is desirable that the refresh roller 62 be installed so as to be able to contact and separate as described above.

  In this embodiment, the refresh roller 62 including the contact / separation mechanism 62A and the rotation mechanism M62 is brought into contact with the pressure roller 41 at an appropriate control timing described later. The contact / separation operation of the refresh roller 62 with respect to the pressure roller 41 by the contact / separation mechanism 62A is controlled by the controller 21 of the control unit B.

  In the present embodiment, the refresh roller 62 is driven by the dedicated motor M62. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotational force of the pressure roller 41 may be transmitted by the drive gear so as to be rotationally driven with a peripheral speed difference with respect to the pressure roller 41. For example, by connecting the gears of the pressure roller 41 and the refresh roller 62 at a gear ratio of 1: 2, the refresh roller 62 can be driven at a surface speed twice as high as the surface speed of the pressure roller 41.

(3-2) Cleaning Roller As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning roller 82 is formed by winding a pile brush 82b in which a fiber bundle is planted on a surface of a metal (stainless steel or iron + plating) core metal 82a having a diameter of 6 mm. A brush roller (brush member) having a diameter of about φ10 mm.

  In the present embodiment, the pile yarn 82c of the brush 82b uses polyimide fiber having a wire diameter of 2d (about φ14 μm), and the fiber bundle is woven into the base fabric 82d of aramid fiber to create a pile brush material. Then, a pile brush material is cut into a predetermined width, and is wound around a cored bar 82a and adhered with a silicone adhesive to form a brush roller as the cleaning roller 82. In this embodiment, the fiber bundle is cut so as to be 2 mm.

  The cleaning roller 82 is arranged parallel to the pressure roller 41. The cleaning roller 82 has a contact position (shown by broken lines) contacting the pressing roller 41 with a predetermined pressing force by a contacting / separating mechanism 82A controlled by the controller 21 and a separated position (shown by solid lines) that is separated without contact. It is arranged so as to be able to shift (contact and separation).

  The contact / separation mechanism 82A can have an appropriate configuration. The contact / separation mechanism 82 </ b> A of this embodiment includes a swing support member 83 that rotatably supports both ends of the core of the cleaning roller 82. A pressure spring (not shown) is provided for urging the swing support member 83 to move in a direction in which the cleaning roller 82 presses against the pressure roller 41 with a predetermined pressure. Thus, in a free state of the swing support member 83, the cleaning roller 82 comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 with a predetermined pressing force.

  Further, the contact / separation mechanism 82A is controlled by the controller 21 and drives the swing support member 83 in a direction in which the cleaning roller 82 moves away from the pressure roller 41 against the urging force of the pressure spring. Having. The drive unit 84 is, for example, a solenoid-plunger device or a cam mechanism.

  The cleaning roller 82 is driven to rotate by receiving a driving force transmitted from a motor M82 (rotating mechanism) controlled by the controller 21. The rotation driving direction of the cleaning roller 82 may be rotated at a contact portion with the pressure roller 41 so as to be either forward or reverse with respect to the rotation direction of the pressure roller 41. By providing a peripheral speed difference between the pressure roller 41 and the cleaning roller 82, the sweeping performance by the pile brush (fiber bundle) is improved. Therefore, a peripheral speed difference is provided in both forward and reverse directions. Is preferred.

  When the cleaning roller 82 comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 and rotates, the cleaning roller 82 sweeps the PFA powder and paper powder (free adhering matter) at the tip and side surfaces of the brush 82b in contact with the pressure roller 41, and Hold the PFA powder and the paper powder between the root and the tip. The PFA powder and the paper powder that are entrained on the pressure roller 41 are in a powder form of about 2 to 10 μm, and can be sufficiently swept and held by a 2 mm brush 2 b having a wire diameter of 2 d (about φ14 μm). That was confirmed.

  If the wire diameter of the pile yarn 82c is too small and the brush 82 is too long, the tip having the greatest sweeping effect is less likely to contact the roller surface, and dirt is likely to remain on the roller surface. On the other hand, if the wire diameter is too large, rubbing scratches on the pressure roller become noticeable. On the other hand, if the brush 82 is too short, the dirt holding volume decreases, and the dirt may be transferred to the pressure roller again.

  However, as long as the sweeping performance and the holding performance for PFA powder and paper powder can be satisfied, the warp of the pile yarn 82c, the cut length of the brush 82b, and the fiber material are not limited to the above-described configurations.

  Similarly, the cleaning roller 82 does not necessarily need to be limited to a brush-like roller. For example, a felt roller, a foamed sponge roller (sponge member), a silicone rubber roller (rubber member), or the like may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning rollers 82 are arranged so as to be able to contact and separate from the pressure roller 41 individually. In the present embodiment, the cleaning roller 82 including the separation mechanism 82A and the rotation mechanism M82 is brought into contact with the pressure roller 41 at an appropriate timing. The separation / contact operation of the cleaning roller 82 with respect to the pressure roller 41 by the separation / contact mechanism 82A is controlled by the controller 21 of the control unit B.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning roller 82 is driven by the dedicated rotation mechanism M82, but is not limited to this. For example, the rotational force of the pressure roller 41 may be transmitted by the drive gear so as to be rotationally driven with a peripheral speed difference with respect to the pressure roller 41. For example, by connecting the gears of the pressure roller 41 and the cleaning roller 82 at a gear ratio of 1: 2, the cleaning roller 82 is driven at a surface speed twice as high as the surface speed of the second pressure roller 41. Can be.

(4) Cleaning mode (first control sequence)
In the present embodiment, the control unit (execution unit) B brings the refreshing roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 into contact with the surface of the rotating pressure roller 41, thereby rubbing and cleaning the surface of the pressure roller (collection process). ) Is performed in parallel at a predetermined interval for a predetermined time. This control is referred to as a simultaneous cleaning operation (first control sequence) M1.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit B has a number counter 26 that counts the number of sheets P that have passed through the fixing device 100 in terms of A4 transport length. In the present embodiment, the simultaneous cleaning operation M1 by the refresh roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 of the pressure roller 41 is performed for a predetermined time every time the number counter value of the number counter 26 reaches a predetermined value. .

  The above-described cleaning mode is desirably executed at a timing at which PFA powder or paper powder starts to adhere to the surface of the pressure roller 41. In this embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 1 is not performing a printing operation when the number of sheets of the number counter 26 is equal to or more than 10,000 sheets in A4 conveyance length, the simultaneous cleaning operation M1 is performed. Ran.

  The execution flow of the above-described simultaneous cleaning operation M1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In S101, the CPU 20 of the control unit B determines whether the image forming apparatus 1 is performing a printing operation. If it is determined that it is not operating, the process proceeds to S102.

  In step S102, the CPU 20 determines whether or not the number counter value C of the number counter 26 (A4 conveyance length converted number) is equal to or more than the threshold value C1 of the number of PFA + the number of paper dust adhered and soiled. In the present embodiment, the threshold value (first sheet counter value) is set to C1 = 10000 sheets. When C ≧ C1, the process proceeds to S203.

  In S103, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to drive the motor M40. The driving of the motor M40 causes the fixing roller 40 of the fixing device 40 to rotate. The rotation speed at this time is equal to that during the printing operation. The pressure roller 41 rotates following the rotation of the fixing roller 40.

  In S104, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to drive the motor M82. As a result, the cleaning roller 82 is driven to rotate at a position separated from the pressure roller 41 in a predetermined direction and speed. At the same time, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to drive the motor M62. As a result, the refresh roller 62 is rotationally driven at a position separated from the pressure roller 41 at a predetermined direction and speed.

  In S105, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 so that the cleaning roller 82 moves from the separation position to the contact position with respect to the pressure roller 41 by the contact and separation mechanism 82A (cleaning roller wearing). At the same time, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 by the contact / separation mechanism 62A so that the refresh roller 62 moves from the separation position to the contact position with respect to the pressure roller 41 (refresh roller wearing).

  As described above, the refresh roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 rotate while contacting the pressure roller 41, so that the refresh roller 62 rubs the surface of the pressure roller 41 to scrape off the adhered dirt. The process and the execution of the cleaning process by the cleaning roller 82 are started. Further, the CPU 20 starts the time counting operation of the timer 25 at the same time as the operation of putting the refresh roller 62 on the pressure roller 41 (start of counting t).

  In S <b> 106, the CPU 20 determines whether the elapsed time t from the start of the attaching operation of the refresh roller 62 to the pressure roller 41 is equal to or longer than a predetermined refresh cleaning execution time T <b> 1 a by the timer 25. In this embodiment, the predetermined refresh cleaning execution time T1a is set to T1a = 30 s. When t ≧ T1a, the process proceeds to S107.

  In S107, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to move the refresh roller 62 from the contact position to the pressure roller 41 to the separation position by the contact / separation mechanism 62A (refresh roller removal). Thus, the refresh cleaning of the pressure roller 41 by the contact of the refresh roller 62 is completed.

  In S108, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to stop driving the motor M62. As a result, the rotation drive of the refresh roller 62 is stopped.

  In S109, the CPU 20 determines whether or not the elapsed time t from the start of the attaching operation of the refreshing roller 62 to the pressing roller 41 is equal to or longer than a predetermined cleaning cleaning execution time T1b of the pressing roller 41 by the cleaning roller 82 from the timing of the timer 25. to decide. In this embodiment, the predetermined cleaning cleaning execution time T1b is set to T1b = 50 s. If t ≧ T1b, the process proceeds to S110.

  At S110, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 so that the cleaning roller 82 moves from the contact position to the pressure roller 41 to the separation position by the contact and separation mechanism 82A (cleaning roller detachment). Thus, the cleaning process of the pressure roller 41 by the contact of the re-cleaning roller 82 ends.

  In S111, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to stop driving the motor M40. By stopping the driving of the motor M40, the rotation of the fixing roller 40 and the pressure roller 41 of the fixing device 100 is stopped. Further, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 so as to stop driving the motor M82. Thus, the rotation drive of the cleaning roller 82 is stopped.

  In S112, the CPU 20 resets the sheet count value C of the sheet counter 26. Further, the elapsed time t measured by the timer 25 is reset.

  Thus, the cleaning mode of the pressure roller 41 by the refresh roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 is completed.

  This cleaning mode is performed for a predetermined time every time the number counter value of the number counter 26 reaches a predetermined first number counter value C. This makes it possible to effectively remove the dirt attached to the surface of the pressure roller.

  Table 1 shows a comparison of the cleaning effect between the case where the refreshing roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 are installed and the cleaning operation M1 is performed, and the case of the comparative example (without the refreshing roller 62 and without the cleaning roller 82). It is.

  As shown in Table 1, it was compared whether a medium containing a large amount of calcium bicarbonate (paper: in this embodiment, MondiColorCopy300 (Mondi Co., Ltd.)) was durable on an image after 500K sheets of A4 equivalent durability.

  As a result, it was found that by providing the refreshing roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82, no image defect (dirt) caused by dirt on the pressure roller occurred, and a sufficient collection holding effect and a cleaning effect were obtained.

  As described above, the cleaning roller 82 and the refresh roller 62 are detachably disposed on the pressing roller 41, and the cleaning operation M1 is performed, whereby the PFA powder and the paper powder before and after the adhesion on the pressure roller surface are fixed. It is possible to effectively remove dirt consisting of

  In this embodiment, the description has been given of the fixing device in which the heating rotator and the pressing rotator are rollers. However, the same effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to a fixing device having a configuration in which both or one of the rollers is a belt. It is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning operation M1 is executed in the automatic mode every time the count value of the sheet counter 26 reaches the predetermined first sheet counter value C. In addition to the automatic mode, a manual mode may be provided in which a user inputs a line command to the control unit B in a timely manner as needed, and the program is executed.

  For example, the input unit Ca of the operation unit C and the display unit Cb of the touch panel type liquid crystal screen are provided with keys for giving an instruction to execute the cleaning operation M1. The control unit executes the cleaning operation M1 based on an execution command accompanying a key operation of the operation unit. This execution command can also be input to the control unit B from the host device A.

  1) As described above, the fixing nip N, the refresh roller 62, and the cleaning roller 82 are arranged in order along the rotation direction of the pressure roller 41, that is, in the rotation direction of the pressure roller 41, the cleaning roller 82 is Being after 62 has the following effects. The release of the released fluororesin powder around the fixing roller 40 can be suppressed. It is possible to suppress the released fluororesin powder from returning to the position of the refresh roller 62 again.

  2) In the rubbing process and the cleaning process (recovery process) of the pressure roller 41 performed in parallel as described above, the contact of the refresh roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 with the surface of the pressure roller 41 may not be simultaneous. The cleaning roller 82 may contact the surface of the pressure roller 41 after the refresh roller 62 contacts the surface of the pressure roller 41. The refresh roller 62 may contact the surface of the pressure roller 41 after the cleaning roller 82 contacts the surface of the pressure roller 41.

  When the refreshing roller 62 comes into contact with the surface of the pressure roller 41 after the cleaning roller 82 comes into contact with the surface of the pressure roller 41, the refresh roller is hardly clogged because the dirt is removed and the surface of the pressure roller is clean. .

  3) Only when a sheet containing a large amount of calcium carbonate is set and an image is formed, the number of passed sheets may be counted and refresh may be executed. If a sheet containing a large amount of calcium carbonate is set, the refresh may be executed frequently.

  4) The peripheral speed (400 mm / sec) of the pressure roller 41 at the time of refresh is faster than the highest peripheral speed (220 mm / sec) at the time of image formation.

  5) The execution of the refresh is not limited to the counting of the number of sheets passed, but may be executed based on a timer for counting a sheet passing time.

  6) The length of the refresh roller 62 and the length of the brush roller 82 are longer than the width of the maximum image forming area and the maximum paper size (A3). In this embodiment, the entire length of the pressing roller 41 is rubbed and cleaned.

  7) The cleaning member is most preferably a brush roller.

  8) The hardness of the refresh roller 62 is higher than the hardness of the cleaning member (brush, rubber, sponge).

  9) The contact pressure of the pressure roller 41 of the refresh roller 62 is higher than the contact pressure of the cleaning member (brush, rubber, sponge).

<< Example 2 >>
The configurations and operations of the image forming apparatus and the fixing device in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  When the simultaneous cleaning operation (first control sequence) M <b> 1 in the first embodiment is performed, the refresh roller 62 may collect PFA powder and paper powder before being fixed to the surface of the pressure roller 41. However, if the PFA powder and paper powder before being fixed continue to be collected in the gaps between the abrasive grains of the refresh roller 62, the surface roughness Ra of the refresh roller 62 decreases. As a result, the cutting effect on PFA powder or paper dust that has adhered in the latter half of the durability is reduced, and there is a possibility that the stain cannot be sufficiently removed.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the first control sequence in which the rubbing process by the refresh roller 62 and the collection process by the cleaning roller 82 are performed in parallel, and the second control sequence in which the collection process is performed without the rubbing process. And the control sequence are selectively executed.

  More specifically, the simultaneous cleaning operation M1, which is the first control sequence in the first embodiment, is executed, and the simultaneous cleaning operation M2, which is the second control sequence, is executed more frequently than the simultaneous cleaning operation M1. Run frequently. That is, the cleaning operation M2 is a cleaning operation in which only the cleaning roller 82 comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 to remove PFA powder and paper powder before fixing.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the control unit B executes the simultaneous cleaning operation M1 every time the number of sheets of the sheet counter 26 reaches a predetermined first number of sheets counter value. At the same time, the control unit B performs the simultaneous cleaning operation M2 for a predetermined time every time the number of sheets of the sheet counter 26 reaches a second number of sheets counter value different from the first number of sheets counter value. The first number counter value is larger than the second number counter value. Therefore, the cleaning operation M2 is executed with a higher execution frequency than the cleaning operation M1.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning operation M2 by the cleaning roller 82 is executed each time the counter value of the sheet counter 26 reaches a predetermined sheet value in terms of the A4 conveyance length. In the cleaning operation M2, the cleaning roller 82 sweeps and collects and holds the powdered PFA powder and paper powder before being fixed. The cleaning operation M2 is desirably performed at regular intervals at a timing at which PFA powder or paper powder starts to rotate along the surface of the pressure roller.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to prevent the productivity of the printer from decreasing, the cleaning operation M2 is performed without stopping the print job once. In the second embodiment, the cleaning roller 82 is brought into contact during printing for each second sheet counter value with the second sheet counter value set to 1000 sheets of A4 transport length of the sheet P passing through the fixing device 100. The cleaning operation M2 was performed.

  The execution flow of the cleaning operation M2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the pressure roller 41 is rotating in contact with the fixing roller 40 during the printing operation in this flow.

  In S201, the CPU 20 of the control unit B detects the start of printing.

  In S202, the CPU 20 detects that the sheet P has passed through the fixing device 100.

  In step S <b> 203, the CPU 20 adds the number of sheets P converted into the A4 transport length of the sheet P passing through the fixing device 100 to the count of the sheet counter 26.

  In S204, the CPU 20 determines whether or not the number counter value C of the number counter 26 is equal to or more than the PFA + the number threshold value C1 of the number of occurrences of paper dust contamination. In the present embodiment, the threshold value (second number counter value) is set to C1 = 1000 sheets. When C ≧ C1, the process proceeds to S205.

  In S205, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to drive the motor M82. Thus, the cleaning roller 82 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction and at a predetermined speed while being separated from the pressure roller 41.

  In S206, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to move the cleaning roller 82 from the separation position to the contact position with respect to the pressure roller 41 by the contact and separation mechanism 82A (cleaning roller wearing). As described above, when the cleaning roller 82 comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 and rotates, the execution of the cleaning operation M2 of the pressure roller 41 is started. Further, the CPU 20 starts the time counting operation of the timer 25 at the same time when the cleaning roller 82 starts the attaching operation to the pressure roller 41 (t counting starts).

  In S <b> 207, the CPU 20 determines whether the elapsed time t from the start of the attaching operation of the cleaning roller 82 to the pressure roller 41 is equal to or longer than a predetermined cleaning execution time T <b> 2 from the timer 25. In this embodiment, the predetermined cleaning execution time T2 is set to T2 = 10 s. If t ≧ T2, the process proceeds to S208.

  In S208, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 so that the cleaning roller 82 moves from the contact position to the pressure roller 41 to the separation position by the contact and separation mechanism 82A (cleaning roller detachment). Thus, the cleaning of the pressure roller 41 by the contact of the cleaning roller 82 is completed.

  In S209, the CPU 20 controls the controller 21 to stop driving the motor M82. Thus, the rotation drive of the cleaning roller 82 is stopped.

  In S210, the CPU 20 resets the sheet count value C of the sheet counter 26. Further, the elapsed time t measured by the timer 25 is reset.

  Thus, the cleaning mode using the refresh roller 62 and the cleaning roller 82 of the second pressure roller 41 ends.

  This cleaning mode is executed for a predetermined time every time the value of the number counter of the number counter 26 exceeds a predetermined value. This makes it possible to effectively remove the dirt attached to the surface of the second pressure roller.

  In S211, it is determined that the printing operation has been completed.

  As described above, the cleaning operation M2 is executed at the timing when the PFA dust and the paper dust start to rotate on the pressure roller 41. As a result, the PFA powder and paper powder attached to the pressure roller 41 are continuously collected little by little by the cleaning roller 82 before being fixed to the surface layer of the pressure roller 41. Further, since the dirt before fixation is substantially collected by the cleaning roller 82, the life of the refresh roller 62 can be extended. In addition, since the cleaning roller 82 is not always in contact with the pressure roller 41, it is possible to prevent dirt due to unfixed toner after jam processing from adhering to the cleaning roller 82.

Table 2 shows a comparison of the cleaning effect between the case where only the cleaning operation M1 of the first embodiment is performed and the case where the cleaning operation M2 of the second embodiment is also performed in addition to the cleaning operation M1 of the first embodiment. It is. As shown in Table 2, a medium containing a large amount of calcium bicarbonate (paper: MondiColorCopy300 (Mondi Co., Ltd. in this embodiment) was used) was durable in A4 format, and the number of stains on the image was examined. Further, the surface roughness Ra of the refresh roller 62 was measured. For the Ra measurement, a laser microscope VK-8700 (manufactured by KEYENCE) was used.

  As a result, by performing the cleaning operation M2 in addition to the cleaning operation M1, the reduction in the surface roughness of the refresh roller was reduced. When the cleaning operation M2 is not performed, the roughness at 500K is Ra = 2.0 (first stage in Table 2), and the roughness at 800K is Ra = 1.7 (second stage in Table 2). The effect was lost and stains occurred.

  On the other hand, when the cleaning operation M2 is performed, the roughness Ra at 500K is 2.6 (the third row in Table 2). Further, the roughness Ra at 800K is 2.0 (the fourth row in Table 2). That is, Ra = 2.0 or more that can maintain the cutting effect could be maintained, and the life could be extended from 500K to 800K.

  As described above, the cleaning roller 82 and the refresh roller 62 are arranged on the pressure roller 41 so as to be detachable from each other, and the simultaneous cleaning operation M1 is executed, and the cleaning operation M2 is executed with a higher execution frequency than the simultaneous cleaning operation M1. I do. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively remove the dirt composed of the PFA powder and the paper powder before and after the adhesion on the surface of the pressure roller.

  In this embodiment, the description has been given of the fixing device in which the heating rotator and the pressing rotator are rollers. However, the same effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to a fixing device having a configuration in which both or one of the rollers is a belt. It is possible.

  In this embodiment, the cleaning operation M1 and the cleaning operation M1 are executed in the automatic mode each time the count value of the sheet counter 26 reaches a predetermined first sheet number counter value and a predetermined second sheet number counter value, respectively. I let it. In addition to this automatic mode, a cleaning mode M1 or a manual mode for executing the cleaning mode M1 can be provided by a user inputting a row command to the control unit B as needed.

  For example, the input unit Ca of the operation unit C or the display unit Cb of the touch panel type liquid crystal screen is provided with a key for giving an instruction to execute the cleaning operation M1 or the cleaning operation M2. The control unit executes the cleaning operation M1 or the cleaning operation M2 based on an execution command accompanying a key operation of the operation unit. This execution command can also be input to the control unit B from the host device A.

  100 fixing device (image heating device), 40 fixing roller (heating rotator), 41 pressure roller (pressing rotator), N. nip, P. recording material, 69 Refresh roller (rubbing member), 62A first contact / separation mechanism, 82 cleaning roller (cleaning member), 82A second contact / separation mechanism, control unit

Claims (15)

A first rotating body that heats the toner image on the recording material at the nip portion;
A layer of fluororesin on a surface, a second rotary member in contact with the surface opposite to the first rotating body in cooperation with the toner image carrying surface of the formed and recorded material the nip,
A recovery process for recovering the fluororesin powder from the second rotating body can be performed by abutting on the surface of the second rotating body at a position upstream of the nip portion in the rotation direction of the second rotating body. A collection member,
A first contact / separation mechanism for bringing the recovery member into contact with / separating from the surface of the second rotating body;
Abuts the second rotating body with a peripheral speed difference upstream of the recovery member in the rotating direction of the second rotating body and downstream of the nip portion in the rotating direction of the second rotating body. A rubbing rotator capable of executing a rubbing process of rubbing the surface of the second rotator,
A second contact / separation mechanism for bringing the rubbing rotator into and out of contact with the surface of the second rotator;
An execution unit that controls the first contact / separation mechanism and the second contact / separation mechanism to execute the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel;
An operation unit having an input unit for giving an instruction to execute the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel,
The execution unit causes the rubbing process and the collection process to be executed in parallel based on an execution command accompanying an operation of the input unit.
An image heating device, comprising:   The execution unit has a number counter for counting the number of recording materials passing through the nip portion, and executes the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel each time the number counter value of the number counter reaches a predetermined value. The image heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating is performed. The collection member contacts the surface of the second rotator after the rubbing rotator contacts the surface of the second rotator when the rubbing process and the collection process are performed in parallel. image heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in. When the rubbing process and the collection process are performed in parallel, the rubbing rotator contacts the surface of the second rotator after the collection member contacts the surface of the second rotator. image heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in. A first rotating body that heats the toner image on the recording material at the nip portion;
A layer of fluororesin on a surface, a second rotary member in contact with the surface opposite to the first rotating body in cooperation with the toner image carrying surface of the formed and recorded material the nip,
A recovery process for recovering the fluororesin powder from the second rotating body can be performed by abutting the surface of the second rotating body at a position upstream of the nip portion in the rotation direction of the second rotating body. A collection member,
A first contact / separation mechanism for bringing the recovery member into contact with / separating from the surface of the second rotating body;
Abutting on the second rotating body with a peripheral speed difference upstream of the recovery member in the rotating direction of the second rotating body and downstream of the nip portion in the rotating direction of the second rotating body. A rubbing rotator capable of executing a rubbing process of rubbing the surface of the second rotator,
A second contact / separation mechanism for bringing the rubbing rotator into and out of contact with the surface of the second rotator;
A first control sequence for controlling the first contact / separation mechanism and the second contact / separation mechanism to execute the rubbing process and the collection process in parallel; A second control sequence for executing the processing, and an execution unit for selectively executing the second control sequence ,
An image heating device, comprising: The execution unit has a number counter for counting the number of recording materials passing through the nip portion, and the execution unit executes the first control sequence every time the number counter value of the number counter reaches a predetermined first number counter value. 6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second control sequence is executed each time the number counter value of the number counter becomes a second number counter value different from the first number counter value. Image heating device. Before Symbol image heating apparatus according to claim 6, the first number counter value is greater than said second number counter value. An operation unit having a key for giving an instruction to execute the first control sequence or the second control sequence, wherein the execution unit is configured to execute the first control sequence or the second control sequence based on an execution instruction accompanying a key operation of the operation unit. The image heating apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein one of the control sequences or the second control sequence is executed. The said recovery member contacts the surface of the said 2nd rotating body after the said rubbing rotating body contacts the surface of the said 2nd rotating body at the time of performing the said 1st control sequence. Item 9. The image heating device according to any one of Items 5 to 8 . The rubbing rotator contacts the surface of the second rotator after the recovery member contacts the surface of the second rotator during the execution of the first control sequence. Item 9. The image heating device according to any one of Items 5 to 8 . Image heating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that abrasive grains are provided on a surface of the rotatable rubbing member. The collecting member is an image heating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that rotating with the second rotating body and the peripheral speed difference. The collecting member is a brush roller, the image heating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the rotating with the second rotating body and the peripheral speed difference. An image forming unit that forms a toner image on a recording material, and the image heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , which heats the toner image formed on the recording material by the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein another image heating device for heating a toner image formed on the recording material by the image forming unit is not provided upstream of the image heating device in a recording material conveyance direction. Image forming device.