JP6907676B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

In the present invention, a recording medium in which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed through a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressure member, and the unfixed toner image is heated on the recording medium in the fixing nip portion. -The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device that pressurizes and fixes a toner image on a recording medium. In particular, in addition to the fixing process of fixing the toner image to the recording medium by the fixing device as described above, the fixing process is performed in the image forming apparatus capable of performing the operation of laminating the laminate film on the recording medium. In addition to making it possible to easily switch between the case of laminating and laminating, it is possible to perform laminating with sufficient quality in a short time without requiring pretreatment time. It has characteristics.

Conventionally, in image forming devices such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and multifunction devices thereof, as a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium, a fixing nip portion in which a heating member and a pressing member are pressed against each other is used. A recording medium on which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed, and the unfixed toner image is heated and pressurized on the recording medium at the fixing nip portion so that the toner image is fixed on the recording medium. There is.

Further, in recent years, in order to reduce power consumption in the fixing device, the pressurizing member in the fixing device is often not provided with a heat source, and a roller member for the fixing device used for the heating member or the pressurizing member. The diameter is reduced, and the pressurizing member is composed of a low heat capacity member. Therefore, the pressure member has a lower temperature than the heating member, and the amount of heat retention is also reduced.

On the other hand, in recent years, laminating treatment has been performed to protect menus of restaurants and the like and recording media such as photographs and maps from stains and scratches, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In the image forming apparatus as described above, in addition to performing the fixing process of fixing the toner image on the recording medium by the fixing device, it has been proposed that the laminating film can be laminated on the recording medium.

Here, the laminated film is generally a two- or three-layer type (base film + thermoplastic resin), and is heated from the base film side to soften and melt the thermoplastic resin inside to form a paste-like adhesive. When the laminating film is laminated on the recording medium by the fixing device in the image forming apparatus as described above, the laminating film comes into contact with the surface in contact with the heating member and the pressure member. A temperature difference occurs between the surface and the surface, the temperature of the surface in contact with the pressure member is low, the adhesiveness between the laminate film and the recording medium on the pressure member side becomes insufficient, and the space between the laminate film and the recording medium becomes insufficient. There was a problem that air bubbles and the like were mixed.

Then, in Patent Document 1, when the laminated film is melt-bonded to the transfer paper through between the heating roller and the pressure roller, the pressure roller is moved according to the thickness of the laminate film to move the heating roller and the pressure roller. It has been proposed that the nip width between the heating roller and the pressure roller is changed, the surface temperature of the heating roller or the pressure roller is changed, or the rotation speed of the heating roller is changed.

However, as shown in Patent Document 1, the pressure roller is moved to change the width of the fixing nip portion between the heating roller and the pressure roller, and the pressure contact force between the heating roller and the pressure roller is changed. When adjusting, the temperature of the laminated film passing through the fixing nip part gradually rises, and the temperature becomes the highest at the outlet of the fixing nip part, while in the configuration where the nip pressure of the fixing nip part is increased, the temperature of the fixing nip part is increased. The nip pressure is not the highest at the outlet, but the pressure is high at the center of the nip, the temperature of the laminate film does not rise completely, and the high nip pressure is applied before the adhesive is completely melted, so adhesion There was a problem that the effect was reduced. In addition, when changing the surface temperature of the heating roller or pressure roller or changing the rotation speed of the heating roller, it is necessary to control the temperature of the heating roller or pressure roller or the rotation speed of the heating roller, which is costly. In addition to being expensive, there were problems such as complicated equipment and control.

Further, in Patent Document 2, in the laminating process, the pretreatment idle rotation time is determined based on the heat storage information of the pressurizing member, and the heating member and the pressurizing member are brought into contact with each other for a predetermined time to rotate and pressurize. Since the laminating process is performed after raising the pressurizing temperature of the member, the time until the laminating process is significantly increased, and a large amount of power consumption is required to preheat the pressurized member, resulting in a running cost. There were problems such as being expensive.

Further, in order to improve the adhesiveness between the laminated film and the recording medium on the side surface of the pressure member, if the temperature of the heating member is raised, there is a problem that the laminated film has problems such as thermal deformation and waviness.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-164593. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-25908.

In the present invention, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a multifunction device thereof, an unfixed toner image is formed on a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressing member by a fixing device. In addition to fixing the toner image to the recording medium by passing the unfixed toner image through the recording medium and heating and pressurizing the unfixed toner image on the recording medium at the fixing nip portion, an operation of laminating a laminate film on the recording medium is performed. The object is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the case of doing so.

Then, in the present invention, in the above-mentioned image forming apparatus, the fixing process can be easily switched between the case where the fixing process operation is performed and the case where the laminating process operation is performed, and the laminating process is performed. It is an object of the present invention that it is not necessary to provide a pretreatment time for preheating the pressure member, power consumption can be reduced, and sufficient quality laminating treatment can be performed in a short time. ..

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a recording medium in which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed through a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressing member. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing an unfixed toner image to a recording medium by heating and pressurizing the toner image on the recording medium in the fixing nip portion, the recording medium is more than the fixing nip portion. At least a pair of control transport rollers are provided at positions downstream in the transport direction so that the entire width direction of the recording medium can be pressurized at the nip portion of the control transport rollers, and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium. In the case where the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium, the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller is between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transport roller. When performing the laminating process by switching at least one of the distances, the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transport roller is set to be larger than that in the case of performing the fixing process. I shortened it.

Then, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, at least a pair of control transport rollers are recorded at the nip portion of the control transport roller at a position downstream of the fixing nip portion in the transport direction of the recording medium as described above. In the nip portion of the control transport roller, when switching between the case where the entire width direction of the medium is pressurized and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium and the case where the laminate film is laminated to the recording medium. At least one of the pressure contact force and the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transfer roller is switched. Therefore, the operation of switching between the case where the toner image is fixed on the recording medium and the case where the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium can be easily performed.

Here, in the image forming apparatus, when the laminating process is performed as described above, it is preferable that the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller is made higher than that in the case where the fixing process is performed.

In the image forming apparatus of the according to the present invention, when performing the laminating process as described above, the distance between the nip portion in the control conveyance roller and the fixing nip portion in the fixing device, It was made shorter than the case where the fixing treatment was performed .

Here, in the case where the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium as described above, the case where the laminated film is put on the recording medium and passed through the fixing nip portion in which the heating member and the pressure member are in pressure contact with each other. Immediately after passing through, the adhesive in the laminated film is in the most heat-melted state. Therefore, in the state where the laminated film is combined with the recording medium, immediately after passing through the fixing nip portion, the entire width direction of the recording medium is pressurized at the nip portion of the control transport roller, thereby forming the inside of the laminated film. The adhesive in the laminate film is pressurized in the nip of the control transport roller with the adhesive properly melted, especially on the surface that comes into contact with the pressure member at a lower temperature than the surface that the heating member contacts. Can be repressurized in a properly melted state, and the laminated film can be effectively adhered to both sides of the recording medium while suppressing the mixing of air bubbles, etc. By increasing the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the above, higher adhesiveness can be obtained.

Further, in another image forming apparatus of the present invention, when performing the laminating process as described above, the in correspondence with the thickness of the laminate film, to vary the pressing force in the nip portion of the control conveyance roller I made it. Here, when changing the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller according to the thickness of the laminated film, the thicker the laminated film, the less heat is transferred to the adhesive inside the laminated film. Increase the pressure contact force at the nip of the control transfer roller.

Further, in another image forming apparatus of the present invention, when performing the laminating process as described above, the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control conveyance roller of a laminated film for lamination is the control conveyance roller It was made higher as it passed through the nip. This is because when the laminate film is laminated on the recording medium through the fixing nip portion where the heating member and the pressure member are pressure-contacted, the pressure member is heated before the laminate film is guided to the fixing nip portion. The surface temperature of the pressure member is heated to some extent by contacting the member and being heated, but as the laminate film passes through the fixing nip portion, the heat on the surface of the pressure member is taken away by the laminate film. The surface temperature of the pressure member gradually decreases, and the adhesiveness of the laminated film to the recording medium gradually decreases toward the downstream side in the moving direction of the laminated film. On the other hand, when the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller is increased as described above as the laminating film to be laminated passes through the nip portion of the control transport roller, the laminated film with respect to the recording medium is increased as described above. The portion where the adhesiveness is lowered is strongly pressed against the nip portion of the control transport roller, and the laminated film is sufficiently adhered to the recording medium even at the portion downstream of the moving direction of the laminated film.

In the image forming apparatus as described above, it is preferable to constitute the surface layer of the control conveyance roller of a low thermal conductivity material. This prevents the temperature of the control transport roller from dropping when the laminating process is performed as described above, and the laminate film is appropriately laminated on the recording medium at the nip portion of the control transport roller. To do so.

Further, in the other image forming apparatus of the present invention, when switching from the state in which the laminating process is performed to the state in which the fixing process is performed, the control transport roller is cooled . This is because when the surface temperature of the control transport roller is high in the state of performing the fixing process, a part of the toner in the toner image fixed on the recording medium is transferred to the surface of the control transport roller and fixed on the recording medium. This is because the toner image is distorted and the surface of the control transport roller is contaminated.

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, as described above, at least a pair of control transport rollers are placed at a position downstream of the fixing nip portion in the transport direction of the recording medium, and the recording medium is placed in the nip portion of the control transport roller. When switching between the case where the entire width direction is provided in a pressurable state and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium and the case where the laminate film is laminated to the recording medium, the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller And at least one of the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transfer roller is switched.

As a result, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, an operation of switching between the case where the toner image is fixed on the recording medium and the case where the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium can be easily performed, as in the conventional case. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a pretreatment time for preheating the pressurizing member, power consumption can be reduced, and sufficient quality laminating treatment can be performed in a short time.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a toner image is fixed on a recording medium on a recording medium. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view showing a state of a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium in the image forming apparatus according to the above-described embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which showed the film set sheet which sandwiched the recording medium in the laminated film used in the image forming apparatus which concerns on the said Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view of an image forming apparatus according to the above embodiment, showing a state in which the film set sheet set in the bypass tray is fed and a laminated film is laminated on a recording medium. .. In the image forming apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, a state in which a pair of control transfer rollers are moved with respect to the fixing device is shown, and (A) is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which a toner image is fixed on a recording medium. , (B) are schematic explanatory views showing a state in which a laminated film is laminated on a recording medium. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which showed the example which changes the pressure contact force in the nip part between the pair of control transfer rollers in the image forming apparatus which concerns on the said Embodiment. In the image forming apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, the state when the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium is shown, and (A) is applied when the film set sheet is pressure-welded between the fixing nip portions to perform the laminating process. A schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the surface temperature of the pressure member gradually decreases, (B) gradually increases the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller when the surface temperature of the pressure member gradually decreases. It is the schematic explanatory drawing which showed the state.

Next, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the one shown in the following embodiment, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without changing the gist thereof.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has four imaging cartridges 10A to 10D mounted therein.

Here, in each of the imaging cartridges 10A to 10D described above, the photoconductor 11, the charging device 12 for charging the surface of the photoconductor 11, and the surface of the charged photoconductor 11 are exposed according to the image information. A latent image forming device 13 that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 11 and a developing device 14 that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11 to form a toner image. A first cleaning device 15 is provided to remove the toner remaining after the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 22 from the surface of the photoconductor 11.

Further, in the developing apparatus 14 of each of the imaging cartridges 10A to 10D, toners having different colors are accommodated, and black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toners are accommodated.

Then, in the image forming apparatus 1, in each of the imaging cartridges 10A to 10D, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is charged by the charging device 12, and the surface of each of the photoconductors 11 charged in this way is latent. The image forming apparatus 13 performs exposure according to the image information, forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information on the surface of each photoconductor 11, and thus electrostatically formed on the surface of each photoconductor 11. Toners of each color are supplied to the latent image from each of the developing devices 14, so that a toner image of each color is formed on the surface of each photoconductor 11.

Next, the intermediate transfer belt 22 in which the toner images of the respective colors formed on the surface of each photoconductor 11 in each of the imaging cartridges 10A to 10D are hung on the drive roller 21a and the rotary roller 21b and driven to rotate. A toner image synthesized on the intermediate transfer belt 22 is formed by sequentially transferring the toner image onto the intermediate transfer roller 23, and the toner image thus formed is transferred by the intermediate transfer belt 22 to the secondary transfer roller. While guiding the toner to a position facing the 24, the toner remaining on the surface of each photoconductor 11 after transfer is removed from the surface of each photoconductor 11 by the corresponding first cleaning device 15.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1, a plurality of recording media S housed in the paper feed cassette 2 provided in the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1 and open / closeable open / close provided on the side portion of the image forming apparatus 1. From the recording medium S loaded on the manual feed tray 3, the recording media S are fed one by one by the corresponding paper feeding devices 30a and 30b, and the fed one recording medium S is fed by the timing roller. I try to lead to 25.

Here, the paper feed device 30a that feeds the recording medium S from the paper feed cassette 2 has a first paper feed roller 33a and a first handling roller 34a, and is placed on the paper mounting plate 31a in the paper feed cassette 2. The loaded recording media S are sent to the timing roller 25 one by one.

On the other hand, the paper feed device 30b for feeding the recording medium S from the manual feed tray 3 has a second paper feed roller 33b and a second handling roller 34b, and one recording medium loaded on the manual feed tray 3 is provided. It is sent to the timing roller 25 one by one.

Then, the recording medium S sent to the timing roller 25 is guided between the intermediate transfer belt 22 and the secondary transfer roller 24 at an appropriate timing by the timing roller 25, and the intermediate transfer belt is connected to the recording medium S. While the toner image formed on the 22 is transferred by the secondary transfer roller 24, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 22 without being transferred to the recording medium S is intermediately transferred by the second cleaning device 26. It is removed from the belt 22.

Next, the recording medium S on which the toner image is transferred is guided to the fixing device 40, and the unfixed toner image transferred to the recording medium S is fixed to the recording medium S in the fixing device 40, and then the toner image. The recording medium S on which the toner image is fixed is guided to the paper ejection roller 28 through a pair of control transport rollers 50 (50a, 50b), and the recording medium S on which the toner image is fixed by the paper ejection roller 28 is transferred from the image forming apparatus 1. The paper ejection unit 4 is designed to eject the paper.

Then, when the recording medium S on which the toner image is fixed in the fixing device 40 is guided to the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) and sent to the paper ejection roller 28 as described above, the pair of control transfer rollers When 50 (50a, 50b) is close to the fixing device 40, the toner image heat-fixed on the recording medium S is guided to a pair of control transport rollers 50 (50a, 50b) in a hot state, and these control transports are carried. The surface temperature of the rollers 50 (50a, 50b) becomes high, and a part of the toner in the toner image heat-fixed on the recording medium S is transferred to the surface of the control transport roller 50 facing the toner image, and the recording medium S The toner image fixed on the paper is distorted, and the surface of the control transport roller 50 is contaminated with toner. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5A, the recording medium S on which the toner image t is heat-fixed by the fixing device 40 is transferred to the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b). The pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) are moved to a position away from the fixing device 40, and the temperature of the toner image t heat-fixed on the recording medium S is lowered. The pressure contact force at the nip portion of the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) is weakened while guiding the control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b).

Here, in the fixing device 40 in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording medium S on which the toner image t is transferred is formed by pressing the pressing member 42 against the heating member 41. The fixing nip portion is passed through, and the unfixed toner image t is heated and pressurized on the recording medium S to be fixed in the fixing nip portion.

Then, in this embodiment, in the heating member 41, the rotatably supported heating roller 412 provided with the heater lamp 411 as a heating device inside is opposed to the secondary transfer roller 24. The fixing belt 414 is bridged to the fixing roller 413 that is rotatably supported. Further, as the pressure member 42, a pressure roller 42 rotationally driven by a rotating device (not shown) is used, and the pressure roller 42 is pressed against the fixing roller 413 via the fixing belt 414. The fixing nip portion is formed, and the fixing roller 413, the fixing belt 414, and the like in the heating member 41 are rotated with the rotation of the pressure roller 42.

Further, in the heating member 41, the heating roller 412 is heated by the heater lamp 411, the fixing belt 414 is heated by the heat of the heating roller 412, and the heating roller 412 is heated. The temperature is detected by the thermister 415, the on / off of the heater lamp 411 is controlled based on the detected temperature, and the fixing belt 414 is heated to an appropriate temperature by the heating roller 412. I am trying to do it. The method for heating the heating roller 412, the fixing belt 414, or the like is not limited to such a method and is not shown, but the heating roller 412 or the fixing belt or the fixing belt is fixed by a conventionally used induction heating device, a ceramic heater, or the like. The belt 414 can also be heated.

Further, as the heating roller 412, one having a surface layer 412b provided on the outer periphery of the core metal 412a is used. The outer diameter of the heating roller 412 is about 20 to 40 mm, and the core metal 412a is made of aluminum or iron pipe-shaped parts and has a thickness of about 0.1 to 5 mm. As the surface layer 412b, one coated with PTF having excellent heat resistance and abrasion resistance is used.

Further, as the fixing roller 413, one having an elastic layer 413b provided on the outer circumference of the core metal 413a is used. The fixing roller 413 has an outer diameter of about 20 to 40 mm, the core metal 413a has a thickness of about 1 to 5 mm, and the elastic layer 413b has a thickness of about 1 to 5 mm. It is made of a heat-resistant material such as silicone rubber or silicone sponge and has a thickness of about 1 to 10 mm.

Further, as the fixing belt 414, for example, an elastic layer and, if necessary, a surface layer are provided on the outer periphery of the ring-shaped base layer. The base layer is made of a polyimide film, has an inner diameter of 60 mm, a width of 330 mm, and a thickness of about 70 μm, and the elastic layer is made of silicone rubber and has a thickness of 100 to 200 μm. The surface layer may be provided so as to cover a release layer made of a fluorine coat having a thickness of about 30 μm.

On the other hand, as the pressure roller 42, an intermediate layer 42b and a surface layer 42c are provided on the outer periphery of the core metal 42a, and the outer diameter thereof is about 20 to 40 mm. The core metal 42a is made of aluminum or iron pipe-shaped parts and has a thickness of about 0.1 to 5 mm, and the intermediate layer 42b is made of silicone rubber or silicone. A material having heat resistance such as a sponge and having a thickness of about 1 to 20 mm is used, and the surface layer 42c is formed from a material having releasability such as a fluorine tube and has a thickness thereof. The one with a diameter of about 5 to 100 μm is used.

Further, in the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) in which the recording medium S on which the toner image t is fixed is guided by the fixing device 40, the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b). ) Is in contact with the nip portion, in order to pressurize the recording medium S or the like in the entire width direction, a long through roller continuous in the width direction of the recording medium S or the like is used.

As the control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b), those having a surface layer provided on the outer peripheral side of the core metal are used, and a low heat conductive material such as silicone rubber or resin is used for the surface layer. There is. The pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) are provided so as to be movable so as to be close to and separated from the fixing device 40 as described later, and the pair of control transfer rollers 50 are provided. The pressure contact force at the nip portion between (50a and 50b) can be adjusted.

Next, a case where the laminate film F is laminated on the recording medium S by using the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment will be described.

Here, when laminating the laminated film F on the recording medium S, as shown in FIG. 3, a film set sheet SF in which the recording medium S is sandwiched between the laminated film F is used.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the film set sheet SF is set on the manual feed tray 3 in the image forming apparatus 1, and the film set sheet SF is supplied from the manual feed tray 3 by the paper feed device 30b. The film set sheet SF that has been paper-papered and fed in this way is guided to the timing roller 25, and the film set sheet SF is passed between the intermediate transfer belt 22 and the secondary transfer roller 24 by the timing roller 25. It is designed to lead to the fixing device 40 of. In guiding the film set sheet SF through the intermediate transfer belt 22 and the secondary transfer roller 24 to the fixing device 40 as described above, an image forming operation is performed on each of the imaging cartridges 10A to 10D. The toner image is not formed on the intermediate transfer belt 22.

Then, the film set sheet SF guided to the fixing device 40 as described above is heated and pressed at the fixing nip portion formed by pressing the pressing member 42 against the heating member 41 to heat and pressurize the recording medium S. The laminated film F is brought into close contact with both sides, and the film set sheet SF is pressed at the nip portion between the pair of control transport rollers 50 (50a, 50b), and the laminated film F is applied to the recording medium S through the nip portion. The film set sheet SF that has been laminated and thus laminated is guided to the paper ejection roller 28, and the film set sheet SF that has been laminated by the paper ejection roller 28 is transferred from the image forming apparatus 1 to the paper ejection unit 4 I am trying to discharge the paper.

Here, the film set sheet SF in which the laminated film F is brought into close contact with both sides of the recording medium S by heating and pressurizing in the fixing device 40 as described above is placed between the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b). In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (B), the unfixed toner image t is recorded on the recording medium S when the laminate film F is laminated on the recording medium S through the nip portion. The pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) located away from the fixing device 40 are brought closer to the fixing device 40 and the pair of control transfer rollers 50 are used to fix the film by heating and pressurizing the film. The pressure contact force at the nip portion of (50a, 50b) is increased.

In this way, the film set sheet SF heated and pressurized in the fixing nip portion of the fixing device 40 is quickly and strongly pressurized in the nip portion of the pair of control transport rollers 50 in a heated and hot state. Therefore, the laminated film F can be appropriately laminated on the recording medium S.

Further, as described above, when switching from the state in which the unfixed toner image t is fixed on the recording medium S to the state in which the laminate film F is laminated on the recording medium S, pressure is applied as in the conventional case. It is not necessary to provide a pretreatment time for preheating the member 42, power consumption can be reduced, a process of fixing the unfixed toner image t on the recording medium S, and a laminate film F on the recording medium S. The operation of switching between the laminating process for laminating can be performed easily and at low cost, and the laminating process of sufficient quality can be performed in a short time.

Here, in the case where the toner image t is fixed on the recording medium S as described above and the case where the laminate film F is laminated on the recording medium S, the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) described above. Is moved to a position away from the fixing device 40 or brought closer to the fixing device 40. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the fulcrum side of the rotating arm 51 Is provided with a gear member 53 that meshes with the rotary drive gear 52 and rotates, while the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) are provided on the other end side of the rotary arm 51.

Then, the rotation arm 51 is rotated along with the rotation of the gear member 53 accompanying the rotation of the rotation drive gear 52, and the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50a, provided on the other end side of the rotation arm 51. 50b) is moved away from the fixing device 40 or moved closer to the fixing device 40.

Further, in this embodiment, the control transfer roller 50a on the fulcrum side of the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) provided on the other end side of the rotating arm 51 is replaced with the other control transfer roller 50a. The bearing portion 50c of the control transport roller 50a on the fulcrum side is brought into contact with the rotary cam 54, and the rotary cam 54 is rotated to rotate the control transport roller 50a on the fulcrum side. It is moved with respect to the other control transport roller 50b to adjust the pressure contact force between the pair of control transport rollers 50 (50a, 50b).

Then, as described above, the rotary cam 54 is rotated to move the control transfer roller 50a on the fulcrum side with respect to the other control transfer roller 50b, and pressure welding between the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b) is performed. In adjusting the force, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the transmission gear 54b provided at the end of the rotation shaft 54a of the rotation cam 54 is attached to the rotation gear 55a rotated by the rotation device 55. The rotary gear 55a, which is meshed and rotated by the rotary device 55, rotates the rotary cam 54 by a required angle via the transmission gear 54b in the rotary cam 54, and between the pair of control transfer rollers 50 (50a, 50b). I try to adjust the pressure contact force in.

Here, in the case of performing the laminating treatment as described above, before laminating the film set sheet SF through the fixing nip portion of the heating member 41 and the pressurizing member 42, the heating member 41 and the pressurizing member The surface temperature of the pressurizing member 42 has been heated to some extent by being pressure-welded to the 42, but the film set sheet SF is pressure-welded between the fixing nip portion between the heating member 41 and the pressurizing member 42 to perform the laminating process. When started, as shown in FIG. 7A, the heat on the surface of the pressurizing member 42 is taken away by the film set sheet SF, the surface temperature of the pressurizing member 42 gradually decreases, and the film set sheet SF moves. The adhesiveness of the laminated film F to the recording medium S gradually decreases toward the downstream side in the direction.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the heat on the surface of the pressure member 42 is taken away by the film set sheet SF and the surface temperature of the pressure member 42 begins to gradually decrease, as shown in FIG. 7 (B). In addition, the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transfer roller 50 (50a, 50b) is increased so that the film set sheet SF passing through the nip portion of the control transfer roller 50 (50a, 50b) is strongly pressed against the film set sheet SF. I have to. In this way, the portion where the adhesiveness of the laminated film F to the recording medium S is reduced is strongly pressed against the nip portion of the control transport roller 50 (50a, 50b), and is downstream of the film set sheet SF in the moving direction. Also in this portion, the laminated film F is sufficiently adhered to the recording medium S.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when switching from the state in which the laminating process is performed to the state in which the fixing process is performed as described above, as shown in FIG. 5A, the pair of control transport rollers 50 (50a) described above , 50b) is moved to a position away from the fixing device 40, and the control transfer roller 50 (50a, 50b) is cooled by the cooling device 60. In this way, the surface temperature of the control transport rollers 50 (50a, 50b) becomes high in the state of performing the fixing process, and a part of the toner in the toner image t fixed on the recording medium S is a toner image. The toner image t fixed on the recording medium S is disturbed by transferring to the surface of the control transport roller 50 facing the toner image t, or the surface of the control transport roller 50 facing the toner image t is contaminated by the toner. Will be prevented.

1: Image forming device 2: Paper feed cassette 3: Bypass tray 4: Paper ejection section 10A to 10D: Imaging cartridge 11: Photoreceptor 12: Charging device 13: Latent image forming device 14: Developing device 15: First cleaning device 21a : Drive roller 21b: Rotating roller 22: Intermediate transfer belt 23: Primary transfer roller 24: Secondary transfer roller 25: Timing roller 26: Second cleaning device 28: Paper ejection roller 30a: Paper feeding device 30b: Paper feeding device 31a: Paper mounting plate 33a: 1st paper feeding roller 33b: 2nd paper feeding roller 34a: 1st handling roller 34b: 2nd handling roller 40: Fixing device 41: Heating member 42: Pressurizing member (pressurizing roller)
42a: Core metal 42b: Intermediate layer 42c: Surface layer 50 (50a, 50b): Control transport roller 50c: Bearing portion 51: Rotating arm 52: Rotating drive gear 53: Gear member 54: Rotating cam 54a: Rotating shaft 54b: Transmission gear 55: Rotating device 55a: Rotating gear 60: Cooling device 411: Heater lamp 412: Heating roller 412a: Core metal 412b: Surface layer 413: Fixing roller 413a: Core metal 413b: Elastic layer 414: Fixing belt 415: Thermister F : Laminated film S: Recording medium SF: Film set sheet t: Toner image

Claims (6)

A recording medium on which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed through a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressure member, and the unfixed toner image is heated and pressurized on the recording medium at the fixing nip portion. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium, at least a pair of control transport rollers are placed at a position downstream of the fixing nip portion in the transport direction of the recording medium for the control. The control transfer is performed in the case where the entire width direction of the recording medium is provided in a state where pressure can be applied at the nip portion of the transfer roller and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium and the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium. When the laminating process is performed by switching at least one of the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the roller and the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transport roller, the fixing is performed. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the distance between the fixing nip portion in the apparatus and the nip portion in the control transfer roller is shorter than in the case where the fixing process is performed. A recording medium in which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed through a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressure member, and the unfixed toner image is heated and pressurized on the recording medium in the fixing nip portion. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium, at least a pair of control transport rollers are placed at a position downstream of the fixing nip portion in the transport direction of the recording medium for the control. The control transfer is performed in the case where the entire width direction of the recording medium is provided in a state where pressure can be applied at the nip portion of the transfer roller and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium and the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium. When the laminating process is performed by switching at least one of the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the roller and the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transport roller, the laminating An image forming apparatus characterized in that the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller is changed according to the thickness of the film. A recording medium in which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed through a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressure member, and the unfixed toner image is heated and pressurized on the recording medium in the fixing nip portion. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium, at least a pair of control transport rollers are placed at a position downstream of the fixing nip portion in the transport direction of the recording medium for the control. The control transfer is performed in the case where the entire width direction of the recording medium is provided in a state where pressure can be applied at the nip portion of the transfer roller and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium and the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium. When the laminating process is performed by switching at least one of the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the roller and the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transport roller, the control is performed. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the transfer roller for image formation is increased as the laminate film to be laminated passes through the nip portion of the transfer roller for control. A recording medium on which an unfixed toner image is formed is passed through a fixing nip portion formed by pressure contacting a heating member and a pressure member, and the unfixed toner image is heated and pressurized on the recording medium at the fixing nip portion. In an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium, at least a pair of control transport rollers are placed at a position downstream of the fixing nip portion in the transport direction of the recording medium for the control. The control transfer is performed in the case where the entire width direction of the recording medium is provided in a state where pressure can be applied at the nip portion of the transfer roller and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium and the laminated film is laminated on the recording medium. The fixing process is performed from the state where the laminating process is performed by switching at least one of the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the roller and the distance between the fixing nip portion in the fixing device and the nip portion in the control transport roller. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the control transport roller is cooled when switching to the state in which the control is performed. In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, when the laminating process is performed, the pressure contact force at the nip portion of the control transport roller is higher than when the fixing process is performed. An image forming apparatus characterized by The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the surface layer of the control transport roller is made of a material having low thermal conductivity.

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