Fixing device and image forming system using the same

Abstract

To provide a heating and pressing type fixing device having belt type conveying fixing means, which allows a medium on the conveying fixing means to be manually discharged even if jamming of the medium has occurred on the conveying fixing means.SOLUTION: A fixing device for fixing an unfixed image G by heating and pressing a medium S on which the unfixed image G is carried comprises: heating fixing means 1 having a heating source 1a; belt type conveying fixing means 2 which is rotatably provided stretched around the heating fixing means 1 and conveys the medium S while being in contact with an image surface of the medium S; pressing fixing means 3 which is disposed opposite the heating fixing means 1 while sandwiching the conveying fixing means 2 therebetween and is pressed in such a manner as to form a fixing area FA between itself and the heating fixing means 1; driving means 4 which drives the conveying fixing means 2 into rotation by driving force from a driving source 4a; and operating means 5 to be operated so as to manually rotate the conveying fixing means 2 while in a state where the driving means 4 is not used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fixing device and an image forming system using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] As conventional fixing devices or image forming apparatuses, those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, for example, are already known. Patent document 1 discloses a fixing device including a heating member having a heat source, a pressure member disposed opposite the heating member and forming a fixing nip area between it and the heating member, a belt member that is stretched across the heating member and circulatable, and that is capable of transporting the recording material by contacting the toner image surface of the recording material, and a belt drive device that temporarily stops or decelerates the belt member after the trailing end of the recording material passes through the fixing nip area and returns the belt member to its original state before the leading end of the succeeding recording material reaches the fixing nip area. Patent document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a knob for removing jams is elastically supported so that it slides or swings in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front door, and which is equipped with a means for engaging and disengaging a drive device of the apparatus main body and an interlocking device of the fixing device by the sliding or swinging of the knob. Patent document 3 discloses an image forming apparatus having a paper transport means that transmits drive force via a drive transmission gear, and a drive connection / disconnection mechanism that releases the drive transmission gear from its own weight when an opening / closing member is opened, and returns the drive transmission gear to the drive connection position when the opening / closing member is closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-163787 A (Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, FIG. 4) [Patent Document 2] JP-A-8-95417 (Example, Figure 1) [Patent Document 3] JP 11-119583 A (Embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technical problem that this invention aims to solve is to make it possible to manually remove a medium from a heating and pressurizing fixing device having a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means even if the medium becomes jammed on the conveying and fixing means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The first technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device that heats and pressurizes a medium on which an unfixed image is held to fix the unfixed image, comprising: a heating and fixing means having a heat source; a belt-shaped transporting and fixing means that is rotatably stretched across the heating and fixing means and transports the medium in contact with the image surface of the medium; a pressure fixing means that is arranged opposite the heating and fixing means across the transporting and fixing means and is pressurized to form a fixing area between the heating and fixing means; a driving means that drives the transporting and fixing means to rotate by a driving force from a driving source; and an operating means that manually operates the transporting and fixing means to rotate it without using the driving means.

[0006] A second technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, characterized in that the operating means has a rotation operating member for manually rotating the heating and fixing means when the driving means is not used. A third technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the second technical feature, characterized in that the operating means includes a rotation operating member having a rotation axis offset from the rotation axis of the heat fixing means, and an operating force transmission means provided between the rotation operating member and the heat fixing means, which transmits a rotation operating force from the rotation operating member to the heat fixing means. A fourth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, characterized in that the fixing device has a first support member supporting the pressure fixing means and a second support member supporting the heat fixing means and the conveying fixing means, the first support member has support means arranged to be swingable relative to the second support member about a swing fulcrum, and the operating means is held on the second support member side so as to be manually rotatable. A fifth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the fourth technical feature, characterized in that the operating means includes a rotation operating member arranged on the opposite side of the rocking fulcrum across the heat fixing means, among the second support members, and an operating force transmission means provided between the rotation operating member and the heat fixing means, for transmitting the rotation operating force of the rotation operating member to the heat fixing means and rotating the heat fixing means in a direction pressing it against the pressure fixing means. A sixth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, characterized in that the operating means has a rotation operating member that rotates the conveying and fixing means in a predetermined direction or in both forward and reverse directions when the driving means is not used. A seventh technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the sixth technical feature, characterized in that the operating means includes an operating force transmission means that stops rotation of the rotation operating member when the transporting and fixing means is rotated by the driving means, and transmits the rotational operating force of the rotation operating member to the transporting and fixing means when the driving means is not used. An eighth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the seventh technical feature, characterized in that the operation force transmission means includes a movable transmission member that moves from a retracted position to a transmission position following the rotational movement of the rotation operation member, and a biasing member that biases the movable transmission member to hold it in the retracted position when the rotation operation member is stopped. A ninth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, wherein the operating means comprises a rotation operating member that rotates the conveying and fixing means when the driving means is not used, and an operating force transmission means that transmits a rotation operating force from the rotation operating member to the conveying and fixing means to rotate the conveying and fixing means, and the operating force transmission means includes a reduction element that reduces the rotational speed of the conveying and fixing means relative to the rotational speed of the rotation operating member. A tenth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the ninth technical feature, characterized in that the reduction element rotates the conveying and fixing means with a rotational force greater than the rotational operating force of the rotation operating member. An eleventh technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, characterized in that the operating means comprises a rotation operating member that rotates the conveying and fixing means when the driving means is not used, an operating force transmission means that transmits a rotation operating force from the rotation operating member to the conveying and fixing means to rotate the conveying and fixing means, and a support means that supports the rotation operating member and the operating force transmission means, and the support means has a covering member that covers the operating force transmission means. A twelfth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, further comprising a cleaning means arranged in contact with a peripheral surface of the heating and fixing means and cleaning the peripheral surface of the heating and fixing means, wherein the operating means has a rotating operating member that rotates the heating and fixing means when the driving means is not used, and a retracting means that retracts the cleaning means from the peripheral surface of the heating and fixing means in conjunction with rotating the rotating operating member. A thirteenth technical feature of the present invention is a fixing device having the first technical feature, further characterized in that the fixing device further comprises a cooling means for cooling the conveying and fixing means, the cooling means being provided downstream of the fixing area in the conveying direction of the media and in contact with the back surface of the media conveying area of ​​the conveying and fixing means.

[0007] A fourteenth technical feature of the present invention is an image forming system comprising an image creating means for creating an unfixed image on a medium, and a fixing device having any one of the first to thirteenth technical features for fixing the unfixed image held on the medium. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to a first technical feature of the present invention, in a heating and pressurizing fixing device having a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means, even if a medium jam occurs on the conveying and fixing means, the medium on the conveying and fixing means can be manually removed. According to the second technical feature of the present invention, it is easier to rotate the conveying and fixing means and easier to forcibly eject the medium clamped in the fixing area between the heating and fixing means and the pressure fixing means, compared to an embodiment in which the tensioning means other than the heating and fixing means is manually rotated. The third technical feature of the present invention is effective in transmitting the rotational operating force from the rotational operating member to the heat fixing means. According to the fourth technical feature of the present invention, compared to a configuration in which the operating means is supported on the first support member side, the operating means can be stably supported by the second support member, which has higher rigidity than the first support member. According to the fifth technical feature of the present invention, compared to an embodiment equipped with an operating force transmission means for rotating the heat fixing means in a direction away from the pressure fixing means, it is possible to suppress bending, deformation, and damage of the second support member caused by the rotation operation by the rotation operating member. According to a sixth technical feature of the present invention, the ejection direction of the medium on the conveying and fixing means can be set to a predetermined direction or to both directions in accordance with the rotation direction of the rotation operation member. According to a seventh technical feature of the present invention, when the conveying and fixing means is driven to rotate by the driving means, the rotation of the rotation operation member can be stopped to prevent the rotation operation member from rotating together with the conveying and fixing means. According to an eighth technical feature of the present invention, when a drive means is used, the co-rotation of the rotary operation member can be easily prevented by devising an operation force transmission means. According to the ninth technical feature of the present invention, when the driving means is not used, even if the rotation operation member is unintentionally rotated at high speed, the conveying and fixing means can be prevented from rotating at high speed. According to a tenth technical feature of the present invention, when no driving means is used, even if the rotation operating member is operated with a small rotation operating force, the conveying and fixing means can be rotated with a rotation force greater than the rotation operating force, making it possible to easily eject the jammed medium. According to the eleventh technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the operation force transmission means, which is a movable part, from being contacted from the outside and from being mixed with foreign matter. According to the twelfth technical feature of the present invention, when the conveying and fixing means is manually rotated without using the driving means, the rotation operating force of the rotating operating member can be reduced by eliminating friction between the heating and fixing means and the cleaning means. According to the thirteenth technical feature of the present invention, even in an embodiment in which a high-gloss image can be easily produced by heating and cooling the conveying and fixing means to fix an unfixed image, a media jam on the conveying and fixing means can be dealt with by a simple manual operation. According to a fourteenth technical feature of the present invention, in a heating and pressurizing fixing device having a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means, it is possible to construct an image forming system including a fixing device that allows the medium on the conveying and fixing means to be manually removed even if a medium jam occurs on the conveying and fixing means. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of an image forming system including a fixing device to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a second fixing unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a view taken along the arrow IV in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5](a) is an explanatory diagram showing special paper for photo images as an example of a medium, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state after a toner image has been fixed to the special paper, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the state after a toner image has been fixed to ordinary paper as an example of a medium. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a support frame of the second fixing unit. [Figure 7] 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a manual operation mechanism for the second fixing unit. [Figure 8] 8 is a perspective explanatory view showing details of the manual operation mechanism shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship of a rotary operating handle of a manual operating mechanism. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a manual operation mechanism of a second fixing unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the manual operation mechanism when the rotary operation handle is not used in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of operation of the manual operation mechanism when a rotary operation handle is used in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified form of the manual operation mechanism and its surroundings according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a manual operation mechanism of a second fixing unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the manual operation mechanism when the rotary operation handle is not used in the third embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the manual operation mechanism when the rotary operation handle is used in the forward rotation direction in the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the manual operation mechanism when the rotary operation handle is used in the reverse rotation direction in the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a manual operation mechanism of a second fixing unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 19] 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a plan view of a drive transmission system of the manual operation mechanism shown in FIG. 18. [Figure 20]13 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a manual operation mechanism of a second fixing unit according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of operation of the manual operation mechanism when a rotary operation handle is used in the fifth embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Overview of the embodiment FIG. 1(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of an image forming system including a fixing device to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, the image forming system includes an image forming means 10 for forming an unfixed image G on a medium S, and a fixing device 11 for fixing the unfixed image G held on the medium S. In this example, the fixing device 11 is a fixing device that heats and pressurizes the medium S on which an unfixed image G is held to fix the unfixed image G, and is equipped with a heating and fixing means 1 having a heat source 1a, a belt-like conveying and fixing means 2 that is rotatably mounted on the heating and fixing means 1 and conveys the medium S in contact with the image surface of the medium S, a pressure fixing means 3 that is arranged opposite the heating and fixing means 1 across the conveying and fixing means 2 and is pressurized to form a fixing area FA between it and the heating and fixing means 1, a driving means 4 that drives the conveying and fixing means 2 to rotate by a driving force from a driving source 4a, and an operating means 5 that operates the conveying and fixing means 2 manually to rotate it without using the driving means 4.

[0011] In such technical means, the fixing device 11 of the present embodiment may be incorporated into an image forming apparatus including an image creating means 10 in which an unfixed image G is created, or may be incorporated into a post-processing device separate from the image forming apparatus, and may be configured as an image forming system consisting of multiple units. Moreover, the heat fixing means 1 includes, for example, a heat fixing roll. The heat source 1a may be either built-in or external. Furthermore, the transport fixing means 2 includes a transport fixing belt. The transport fixing belt may be appropriately selected, but an example is a belt base material made of resin or metal on whose surface a coating layer with high releasability such as fluororubber is formed. The transport direction of the medium S by the transport fixing means 2 is not limited to a substantially horizontal direction, but may be either an oblique direction or a substantially vertical direction. Furthermore, the pressure fixing means 3 may be in the form of a roll or a belt, as long as it is pressurized to form a fixing area between the heat fixing means 1 and the press fixing means 3.

[0012] The driving means 4 may be appropriately selected as long as it transmits the driving force from the driving source 4a such as a motor to the conveying and fixing means 2. In this case, the conveying and fixing means 2 may be rotated by driving any of the other tensioning means 8 (8a and 8b in this example) instead of the heating and fixing means 1 that tensions the conveying and fixing means 2. Furthermore, the operating means 5 may have a function of rotating the belt-like conveying and fixing means 2 without using the driving means 4. In this case, a representative example is one that has a rotating operating member 6 (see FIG. 1(b)) that has a circular or angular cross section or a faucet handle shape that can be rotated.

[0013] Next, a typical or preferred embodiment of the fixing device according to the present embodiment will be described. 1(b), a representative embodiment of the operating means 5 is one having a rotation operating member 6 for manually rotating the heat fixing means 1 when the driving means 4 is not used. This embodiment is effective for directly forcibly ejecting the medium S held in the fixing area FA between the heat fixing means 1 and the pressure fixing means 3. In this example, a preferred embodiment of the operating means 5 includes a rotation operation member 6 having a rotation axis offset from the rotation axis of the heat fixing means 1, and an operation force transmission means 7 provided between the rotation operation member 6 and the heat fixing means 1 for transmitting the rotation operation force from the rotation operation member 6 to the heat fixing means 1. In an embodiment in which the heat fixing means 1 is directly rotated by the rotation operation member 6, a relatively large rotation operation force is required, but in an embodiment in which the operation force transmission means 7 is interposed as in this example, it is effective in arranging the rotation operation member 6 at a location where it is easy to rotate, or in reducing the rotation operation force of the rotation operation member 6.

[0014] Furthermore, the support structure for the operating means 5 may be appropriately selected. Here, a preferred support structure for the operating means 5 includes a first support member (not shown) that supports the pressure fixing means 3 and a second support member (not shown) that supports the heat fixing means 1 and the transport fixing means 2, the first support member includes a support means (not shown) that is provided so as to be swingable relative to the second support member around a swing fulcrum, and the operating means 5 is held on the second support member side so as to be manually rotatable. In this example, the second support member is intended to support objects that are heavier than the first support member, and is therefore configured to have a structure with higher rigidity than the first support member. Therefore, when providing the operating means 5, it is preferable to provide it on the second support member, which has higher rigidity.

[0015] Further, a preferred embodiment for supporting the operation means 5 on the second support member includes an embodiment in which the second support member includes a rotation operation member 6 arranged on the opposite side of the swing fulcrum across the heat fixing means 1, and an operation force transmission means 7 provided between the rotation operation member 6 and the heat fixing means 1, for transmitting the rotation operation force of the rotation operation member 6 to the heat fixing means 1 and rotating the heat fixing means 1 in a direction pressing the heat fixing means 1 toward the pressure fixing means 3. Here, when the rotation operation member 6 is arranged on the same side as the swing fulcrum and the rotation operation force of the rotation operation member 6 is transmitted to the heat fixing means 1 via the operation force transmission means 7, the heat fixing means 1 is rotated in a direction away from the pressure fixing means 3. In this case, the rotation operation force of the rotation operation member 6 is likely to affect the bending, deformation, and damage of the second support member, but this embodiment is preferred in that it is less likely to affect the bending, etc. of the second support member.

[0016] Also, a preferred embodiment of the operating means 5 is one having a rotation operating member 6 that rotates the transporting and fixing means 2 in a predetermined direction or in both forward and reverse directions when the driving means 4 is not used. In this example, the rotation operating direction of the rotation operating member 6 may be appropriately selected from among rotating the transporting and fixing means 2 in a forward rotation direction (corresponding to the direction in which the medium S is transported), rotating the transporting and fixing means 2 in a reverse rotation direction, or rotating the transporting and fixing means 2 in both forward and reverse directions. In this example, the operating means 5 is preferably provided with an operating force transmission means 7 that stops the rotation of the rotation operation member 6 when the transporting and fixing means 2 is rotated by the driving means 4, and transmits the rotation operation force of the rotation operation member 6 to the transporting and fixing means 2 when the driving means is not used. In this example, when the transporting and fixing means 2 is rotated by the driving means 4, the rotation operation member 6 is stopped without being rotated accordingly. Therefore, while the transporting and fixing means 2 is driven to rotate, the rotation operation member 6 remains stopped. In realizing this type of operating means 5, a preferred embodiment of the operating force transmission means 7 is one having a movable transmission member that moves from a retracted position to a transmission position in response to the rotational movement of the rotating operating member 6, and a biasing member that biases the movable transmission member to hold it in the retracted position when the rotating operating member 6 is stopped.

[0017] Another preferred embodiment of the operating means 5 includes a rotating operating member 6 that rotates the conveying and fixing means 2 when the driving means 4 is not used, and an operating force transmission means 7 that transmits the rotational operating force from the rotating operating member 6 to the conveying and fixing means 2 to rotate the conveying and fixing means 2, and the operating force transmission means 7 includes a reduction element (not shown) that reduces the rotational speed of the conveying and fixing means 2 relative to the rotational speed of the rotating operating member 6. The reducing factor here is one that rotates the conveying and fixing means 2 with a rotational force larger than the rotational operating force of the rotation operating member 6.

[0018] Furthermore, another preferred embodiment of the operating means 5 includes a rotating operating member 6 that rotates the conveying and fixing means 2 when the driving means 4 is not used, an operating force transmission means 7 that transmits the rotating operating force from the rotating operating member 6 to the conveying and fixing means 2 to rotate the conveying and fixing means 2, and a support means (not shown) that supports the rotating operating member 6 and the operating force transmission means 7, the support means having a cover member that covers the operating force transmission means 7. In this example, adding a cover member to the support means prevents the operating force transmission means 7 from being exposed to the outside, which is effective in preventing a user from accidentally touching the operating force transmission means 7.

[0019] Another preferred embodiment of the operating means 5 is provided with a cleaning means (not shown) that is arranged in contact with the circumferential surface of the heat fixing means 1 and cleans the circumferential surface of the heat fixing means 1, and the operating means 5 preferably has a rotation operation member 6 that rotates the heat fixing means 1 when the driving means 4 is not used, and a retraction means that retracts the cleaning means from the circumferential surface of the heat fixing means 1 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation operation member 6. In this example, when the rotation operation member 6 is manually rotated, the cleaning means retracts from the circumferential surface of the heat fixing means 1. For this reason, when the rotation operation member 6 is rotated, frictional resistance due to sliding contact between the heat fixing means 1 and the cleaning means does not act, and the rotation operation force of the rotation operation member 6 is accordingly kept low. In addition, in an embodiment in which the conveying and fixing means 2 is manually rotated in both forward and reverse directions, when the cleaning means is retracted from the heating and fixing means 1 in the case of reverse rotation, this is preferable in that it is possible to prevent the cleaning means from curling up relative to the heating and fixing means 1.

[0020] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the fixing device 11 includes a cooling means 12 that is provided in contact with the rear surface of the medium transport area of ​​the transporting and fixing means 2 downstream of the fixing area FA of the transporting and fixing means 2 in the transport direction relative to the medium S, and that cools the transporting and fixing means 2. Here, the cooling means 12 may be appropriately selected, but primarily a heat dissipation means that dissipates absorbed heat, such as a heat sink, is used. This example employs a fixing method in which the unfixed image G is heated, pressurized, and then cooled. This example uses dedicated conveying and fixing means 2 and medium S, which is effective in obtaining a glossy image like a photographic image.

[0021] Here, the conveying and fixing means 2 has a highly smooth structure, for example, a highly smooth coating layer of fluororubber, silicone rubber, or the like formed on the surface of an endless film made of a thermosetting polyimide resin. The medium S is a dedicated medium S having an image receiving layer in which the unfixed image G is embedded by heating and pressurization. When such a conveying and fixing means 2 and dedicated medium S are used and a fixing method equipped with a cooling means 12 is adopted, the following fixing process is performed. That is, after the unfixed image G is embedded in the image receiving layer on the surface of the medium S, when the cooling process is performed by the cooling means 12, the surface properties of the conveying and fixing means 2 are transferred, the image receiving layer surface and the image surface become approximately uniform, and a glossy image is obtained.

[0022] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. First embodiment FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the image forming system according to the first embodiment. -Overall configuration of image forming system- In the same figure, the image forming system 15 has an apparatus main body 16 equipped with an image forming unit capable of forming color images, and a post-processing device 50 is attached to the upper part of the apparatus main body 16 as an optional device, while a multi-tiered media supply container 81 (81a, 81b) for supplying media such as paper is housed in the lower part of the apparatus main body 16 and can be pulled out.

[0023] -Image forming unit- The image forming unit used in this embodiment is, for example, an electrophotographic type, and has a so-called tandem configuration in which image forming units 20 (20a to 20d) of four colors, yellow (Y color), magenta (M color), cyan (C color), and black (K color), are arranged in parallel with a belt-shaped intermediate transfer body 30. Therefore, the toner images of each color formed in each image forming unit 20 (20a to 20d) are, for example, sequentially transferred primarily onto the intermediate transfer body 30 to be multiplexed, and the multiplexed toner images are transferred collectively onto the medium transported from the medium supply container 81 and fixed. The color arrangement of the four color image forming units 20 is not limited to this order, and may be in another order.

[0024] The image forming section 20 (20a to 20d) in this embodiment is composed of a photoconductor 21 as an image carrier that forms and holds each color component toner image, a charger 22 such as a charging roll that charges the photoconductor 21, an exposure device 23 such as a laser scanner that forms a latent image on the charged photoconductor 21, a developer 24 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 21, a primary transfer device 25 consisting of, for example, a primary transfer roll that primarily transfers the toner image on the photoconductor 21 onto the intermediate transfer body 30, a photoconductor cleaner 26 that cleans residual toner remaining on the photoconductor 21, and a charge remover 27 that removes residual charge on the photoconductor 21. The exposure device 23 in this embodiment is configured to expose the entire four-color image forming section 20 (20a to 20d) by a single exposure device.

[0025] The intermediate transfer body 30 is stretched around a number of tension rolls. For example, tension roll 31 serves as a drive roll for circulating and transporting the intermediate transfer body 30, and tension roll 32 is disposed opposite to tension roll 31 as a backup roll for a secondary transfer device 33, which is, for example, a secondary transfer roll. Furthermore, at a position opposite to tension roll 31 of the intermediate transfer body 30, an intermediate transfer body cleaner 34 for removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer body 30 is disposed. Furthermore, within the device main body 16, four color toner boxes 35 are provided above the intermediate transfer body 30 to supply toner corresponding to each of the developing devices 24 in each image forming section 20, and toner corresponding to each color is supplied to the developing devices 24 via a transport path not shown.

[0026] Furthermore, the medium transport system 80 in this embodiment is configured as follows. The medium sent out by the pickup roll 82 from each medium supply container 81 is separated by the action of the feed roll 83 and the retard roll 84, and only one medium is transported to the downstream transport path. In addition, in the transport path, there are provided an alignment roll 85 that positions and aligns the medium transported from the medium supply container 81 before it enters the secondary transfer device 33, and a first fixer 40 that fixes the unfixed toner image transferred onto the medium by the secondary transfer device 33. In addition, a switching member 86 is provided downstream of the first fixer 40, and by switching this switching member 86, the medium that has left the first fixer 40 can be switched to a two-way path between the post-processing device 50 side and the first discharge receiver 87 side that accommodates the medium that is directly discharged from the device main body 16. Although two medium supply containers 81a and 81b for storing media of different sizes are shown as medium supply container 81, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more medium supply containers may be provided, or only one medium supply container may be provided. Also, a manual feeder (not shown) may be provided to guide the medium to the transport path.

[0027] The first fixing device 40 of this embodiment is, for example, as follows: The first fixing device 40 includes a heat fixing roll 41 having an internal heat source such as a halogen lamp (not shown), and a pressure fixing roll 42 that is disposed opposite the heat fixing roll 41 and sandwiches and transports the medium in a fixing area formed between the heat fixing roll 41 and the pressure fixing roll 42. Therefore, when the medium carrying the unfixed toner image passes through the fixing area of ​​the first fuser 40, the unfixed toner image on the medium is fixed onto the medium by heat and pressure. In this example, the first fixing device 40 is a pair of rolls using a heating and pressurizing method, but the present invention is not limited to this. A pressure pad is disposed opposite the heating and fixing roll, and a pressure belt that rolls with the heating and fixing roll is interposed between the heating and fixing roll and the pressure pad. The medium is sandwiched in the fixing area formed between the heating and fixing roll and the pressure belt, and heating and pressurizing the medium to be fixed can be selected as appropriate.

[0028] -Example of post-processing device configuration- 2, post-processing device 50 of the present embodiment is provided in the middle of medium transport path 51, and includes second fixer 60 that makes the toner image surface of the medium highly glossy, and cutter 70 that cuts the medium that has passed through second fixer 60. In the present embodiment, second discharge receiver 88 is provided downstream of post-processing device 50 to accommodate media that have passed through cutter 70.

[0029] -Basic configuration of the second fixing unit- The second fixing unit 60 has the same basic configuration as the fixing device 11 shown in FIG. That is, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second fixing device 60 comprises a heating fixing roll 61 as a heating fixing means, a transporting fixing belt 62 as a transporting fixing means that is circulated around the heating fixing roll 61 and transports the medium S in contact with the image surface of the medium S, a pressure fixing roll 63 as a pressure fixing means that is arranged opposite the heating fixing roll 61 across the transporting fixing belt 62 and is pressurized to form a fixing area FA between the heating fixing roll 61, and a cooler 64 as a cooling means that is arranged in contact with the back surface of the media transporting area SA of the transporting fixing belt 62 downstream of the fixing area FA of the transporting fixing belt 62 in the transporting direction of the medium S and cools the transporting fixing belt 62.

[0030] <Heat fixing roll> The heat fixing roll 61 has a configuration in which a release layer (not shown) made of a PFA tube or the like is formed around a highly thermally conductive metal core 61a, and a heat source 65 (two in this example) such as a halogen lamp is provided inside the core 61a, and heating is controlled so that the surface of the heat fixing roll 61 reaches a predetermined temperature by the heat source 65. In this embodiment, the heat fixing roll 61 is rotated by a drive mechanism 69 as a drive means, and the transport fixing belt 62 is rotated in a circular manner by the heat fixing roll 61. Here, as shown in Fig. 4, the heat fixing roll 61 has a rotating shaft 61c at both ends of the core 61a in the axial direction, and the rotating shaft 61c is rotatably supported by bearings 61d. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the drive mechanism 69 is provided on the axial rear side of the heat fixing roll 61 (corresponding to the rear side of the device body 16 in Fig. 2). This drive mechanism 69 includes a drive motor 69a and a drive transmission gear train 69b that transmits the rotational drive force of the drive motor 69a to the heat fixing roll 61. In this example, the drive transmission gear train 69b includes a drive gear 691 provided coaxially with the rotation shaft of the drive motor 69a, a final transmission gear 692 provided coaxially with the rotation shaft 61c on the rear side of the heat fixing roll 61, and one or more intermediate transmission gears 693 (one is used in this example) interposed between the drive gear 691 and the final transmission gear 692. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, electrode holders 651 that hold and energize a heat source 65 are provided on both axial ends of the heat fixing roll 61.

[0031] <Conveyor and fixing belt> The transport / fixing belt 62 is formed by forming a highly smooth coating layer of fluororubber, silicone rubber, or the like on the surface of an endless film made of, for example, thermosetting polyimide resin. The base material and the covering layer of the conveying / fixing belt 62 are selected to have an appropriate thickness to maintain mechanical strength and to effectively utilize thermal energy. For example, a covering layer of about 35 μm is formed on a base material of about 75 μm. The transport fixing belt 62 is stretched around the heat fixing roll 61 , the peeling roll 67 and the steering roll 68 , and can be circularly rotated by the rotation of the heat fixing roll 61 . Here, the peeling roll 67 rotates following the movement of the transport-fixing belt 62, and the transport-fixing belt 62 is wound around the peeling roll 67 while being tensioned, so that the direction of movement of the transport-fixing belt 62 is suddenly changed. Therefore, the medium S on the transport-fixing belt 62 is naturally peeled off from the transport-fixing belt 62 at the position of the peeling roll 67 due to the rigidity of the medium S itself. In addition, the steering roll 68 is designed to constantly tension the transport-fixing belt 62 itself. The steering roll 68 maintains the tension by pressing the transport-fixing belt 62 outward, and corrects the deviation that occurs when the transport-fixing belt 62 moves in a circular motion (the phenomenon in which the transport-fixing belt 62 moves toward one end of the steering roll 68).

[0032] <Pressure fixing roll> On the other hand, the pressure fixing roll 63 is made of a highly thermally conductive metal core 63a and is coated with an elastic layer 63b of silicone rubber or the like, and a release layer (not shown) similar to the release layer of the heat fixing roll 61 is formed on the surface of the elastic layer 63b. In the present embodiment, a heat source 66 such as a halogen lamp (one is used in this example) is also provided inside the core 63a of the pressure fixing roll 63, and the surface of the pressure fixing roll 63 is heated and controlled to a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the medium S conveyed to the second fixing device 60 is heated and pressed in the fixing area FA between the heat fixing roll 61 and the pressure fixing roll 63 with the toner image surface in contact with the conveying fixing belt 62. In this example, the pressure fixing roll 63 is provided with the heat source 66, but the pressure fixing roll 63 may not be provided with the heat source 66.

[0033] <Cooler> In this embodiment, the cooler 64 is provided in contact with the back surface of the transport-fixing belt 62 between the heat-fixing roll 61 and the peeling roll 67 (corresponding to the medium transport area SA). The cooler 64 contacts a part of the medium transport area SA of the transport-fixing belt 62, and this contact area is the cooling area CA. In other words, the cooler 64 cools the transport-fixing belt 62 by absorbing heat from the transport-fixing belt 62 in the cooling area CA. Therefore, the medium S transported in close contact with the transport-fixing belt 62 is cooled. The cooler 64 in this embodiment corresponds to a so-called heat sink. The cooler 64 is composed of a fin member 64a provided with a number of heat dissipation fins extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface along the conveying / fixing belt 62, and a cover 64b having a rectangular cross section and shaped like a cylinder that is provided to cover the fin member 64a. The cooler 64 is designed to forcibly dissipate heat from the fin member 64a by blowing air into the cooler 64 using an air blower (not shown). The cooler 64 is provided with a temperature sensor 641, for example, on a part of the fin member 64a, and based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 641, an air blower (not shown) is turned on and off or the strength of the air volume is adjusted.

[0034] <Ingenuity for media tight transport> In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of ensuring the cooling effect of the cooler 64, as shown in FIG. 3, the medium S transported by the transport-fixing belt 62 is arranged in close proximity to the cooling area CA of the cooler 64. In this example, an entrance-side opposing roll 131 serving as an opposing rotation means is provided at a location on the surface side of the transport-fixing belt 62 corresponding to the entrance (upstream starting point A) of the cooling area CA of the cooler 64. The entrance-side opposing roll 131 is disposed in contact with the transport-fixing belt 62 and rotates following the transport-fixing belt 62. Further, an outlet-side opposed roll 132 serving as an opposed rotating means is provided at a position on the surface side of the transport-fixing belt 62 corresponding to the outlet (downstream end point B) of the cooling area CA of the cooler 64. The outlet-side opposed roll 132 is disposed in contact with the transport-fixing belt 62 and rotates following the transport-fixing belt 62. In this example, it is necessary to provide the entrance-side opposed roll 131 at a location corresponding to the entrance of the cooling area CA. As a result, the medium S transported on the transport-fixing belt 62 is drawn in by the entrance-side opposed roll 131 so as to come into close contact with the transport-fixing belt 62 at the entrance of the cooling area CA. On the other hand, the exit side opposed roll 132, together with the entrance side opposed roll 131, is effective in bringing the medium S into close contact with the transport-fixing belt 62 at two locations, one before and one after the other, in the transport direction of the medium S. However, although the exit side opposed roll 132 is provided at a location corresponding to the exit of the cooling area CA, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the exit side opposed roll 132 may be provided upstream of the exit of the cooling area CA.

[0035] <Support structure of the second fixing unit> In this example, the second fixing unit 60 has each element supported by a support frame 140 as shown in FIGS. In this example, the support frame 140 has an upper frame 141 as a first support member that supports the pressure fixing roll 63, the entrance side opposing roll 131 and the exit side opposing roll 132, and a lower frame 142 as a second support member that supports the heat fixing roll 61, the conveying fixing belt 62 and the cooler 64, and the upper frame 141 is arranged to be able to swing relatively to the lower frame 142 around a swing axis 143 that serves as a swing fulcrum. In this example, the support frame 140 is made by appropriately bending or drilling a plate material such as SUS. In particular, in this example, the weight of the heat fixing roll 61, the transport fixing belt 62, and the cooler 64 is heavier than the weight of the pressure fixing roll 63, the entrance side opposing roll 131, and the exit side opposing roll 132, so the upper frame 141 has a structure with higher rigidity than the lower frame 142.

[0036] <Second fixing unit peripheral structure> Furthermore, in this example, an entrance guide member 52 that guides the medium S to the entrance of the second fixing device 60 is provided near the entrance of the second fixing device 60, and a position sensor 53 that detects the position of the leading or trailing end of the medium S passing through the transport path 51 is provided. In addition, an exit guide member 54 that guides the medium S discharged from the exit of the second fixing device 60 is provided near the exit of the second fixing device 60, and a transport roll 55 is provided downstream of this exit guide member 54.

[0037] <Selection of media> Usually, to obtain a high-gloss image like a photographic image, it is preferable to use a special paper as shown in Fig. 5(a) as the medium S. As shown in the figure, the special paper has a moisture-proof layer L2 on both sides of a base layer L1, and further has an image-receiving layer L3 on the recording surface (toner image forming surface) side. The moisture-proof layer L2 is made of a resin with no air permeability such as polyethylene, and a thickness of about several μm is sufficient to obtain the moisture-proof effect of the base layer L1. The image-receiving layer L3 is mainly composed of a thermoplastic resin such as polyester with a melting temperature of about 130° C., and has a layer thickness of 5 to 20 μm, preferably about 10 μm. On the other hand, the base layer L1 is composed mainly of cellulose, and has the same composition as plain paper, but it is also possible to use a dedicated base layer L1 with a different composition. Therefore, like photographic paper used in silver halide photography, by providing moisture-proof layers L2 on both sides of the base layer L1 and further providing an image-receiving layer L3 similar to the toner material, it is possible to eliminate air permeability and prevent problems such as the base layer L1 absorbing moisture in a high humidity environment, causing stretching and curling, or the toner image being stretched and cracking, etc. Also, the toner image is fused together with the image-receiving layer L3 by the image-receiving layer L3, and by applying pressure, the toner image is satisfactorily embedded in the image-receiving layer L3, making it possible to obtain a smooth print surface.

[0038] When the second fixer 60 uses such special paper in the photo print mode, the toner image becomes embedded in the image receiving layer L3 as shown in Fig. 5(b). At this time, the surface properties of the transport / fixing belt 62 of the second fixer 60 are transferred, and the surface of the image receiving layer L3 and the surface of the toner image become substantially uniform, resulting in a glossy image. Meanwhile, Fig. 5(c) shows a state in which the toner image is fixed only by the first fixer 40 onto plain paper as the medium S in the plain paper print mode. In this case, the toner image is placed on the base layer L1, and the toner image protrudes from the image surface, resulting in an image with poor gloss.

[0039] -Characteristic configuration of the second fixing unit- <Necessity for manual operation mechanism> In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second fixing device 60 is equipped with a manual operation mechanism 100 as an operating means for manually rotating the conveying and fixing belt 62 without using a drive mechanism 69. In the case where the medium S transported along the transport fixing belt 62 jams (blocks) in the second fixing device 60, for example, the manual operation mechanism 100 brings the drive mechanism 69 to an emergency stop, and the operation of the second fixing device 60 stops. At this time, if the jammed medium S remains inside the second fixing device 60, even though the operation of the second fixing device 60 has stopped, the temperature of the fixing area FA of the second fixing device 60 does not immediately drop, and heating of the medium S held in the fixing area FA continues, which is undesirable. Therefore, in this example, the conveying / fixing belt 62 is manually rotated, for example, in the conveying direction of the medium S by the manual operation mechanism 100, so that the jammed medium S can be forcibly ejected from the second fixing device 60.

[0040] <Example of manual operation mechanism configuration> In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 9, the manual operation mechanism 100 includes a rotation operation handle 101 as a rotation operation member for manually rotating the heating and fixing roll 61, and an operation force transmission mechanism 110 provided between the rotation operation handle 101 and the heating and fixing roll 61 and serving as an operation force transmission means for transmitting the rotation operation force from the rotation operation handle 101 to the heating and fixing roll 61. In this example, the rotating operation handle 101 has a rotating shaft 102 offset from the rotating shaft 61c of the heat fixing roll 61, and a handle body 103 is integrally formed on one end side of the rotating shaft 102. In this example, the handle body 103 is integrally molded into a disk shape using, for example, PC resin or ABS resin. In this case, the handle body 103 may have a solid structure, or may have a shape with a recess on the rotating shaft 102 side. In addition, the circular circumferential surface of the handle body 103 may be formed with uneven portions to prevent slipping during rotating operation.

[0041] The operating force transmission mechanism 110 is composed of a first transmission gear 111 arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft 102 of the rotating operating handle 101, and a second transmission gear 112 arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft 61c located on the front side of the heating and fixing roll 61 (corresponding to the front side of the device main body 16 in Figure 2) and meshing with the first transmission gear 111 to transmit the rotating operating force. Furthermore, the gear ratio between the first transmission gear 111 and the second transmission gear 112 of the operating force transmission mechanism 110 may be selected as appropriate. If the gear number of the first transmission gear 111 is GA1 and the gear number of the second transmission gear 112 is GA2, then when GA2>GA1, it is possible to rotate the heating and fixing roll 61 at a rotational speed slower than the rotational speed of the rotary operating handle 101.

[0042] <Support structure for manual operation mechanism> 7 and 8, the lower frame 142 has an insertion hole 145 in a part of the front rising portion 142a, through which the rotating shaft 102 of the rotating operation handle 101 can be inserted. The rotating operation handle 101 has the rotating shaft 102 inserted into the insertion hole 145 of the lower frame 142 via a bearing (not shown) in a state in which the handle main body 103 is disposed on the front side of the front rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142. The operation force transmission mechanism 110 is disposed in a space between the front rising portion 142 a of the lower frame 142 and the front edge of the conveying and fixing belt 62 in the width direction.

[0043] -Control system for the second fixing unit- In this example, the control system of the second fixing unit 60 has a control device 150 configured with a microcomputer including various processors, as shown in Fig. 3. The term "processor" here refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes a general-purpose processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and a dedicated processor (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). An operation panel 151 of the image forming system 15 is connected to this control device 150. This operation panel 151 is provided with a start switch for starting the image forming process on the medium S, a mode switch for specifying an image forming mode such as single-sided printing, double-sided printing, high-definition printing, etc., a medium type specifying section for specifying the medium type to be used, etc. Furthermore, programs related to a series of image forming processes are pre-installed in the ROM serving as a storage device of the control device 150. Various detectors such as a position sensor 53 and a temperature sensor 641 are also connected to the control device 150. Furthermore, various control targets (the drive motor 69a of the drive mechanism 69, the heat sources 65, 66, etc.) are also connected to the control device 150. The processor of the control device 150 receives instruction signals from an operation panel 151 and detection signals from various detectors, executes the above-mentioned programs, and sends appropriate control signals to each controlled object.

[0044] -Cutting device- In this embodiment, the cutting device 70 is capable of cutting the sides of the medium, for example, to produce a borderless print. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, the cutting device 70 includes a slitter 71 for cutting the medium in the width direction, a plurality of circular cutters 72 (72a, 72b) for cutting the medium in the feed direction length, and a plurality of transport rolls 73, 74 for transporting the medium. The slitter 71 has a number of blades corresponding to the number of cuts required in the axial direction, and cuts the medium in the feed direction while transporting it. In addition, the circular cutter 72 cuts the medium by temporarily stopping the transport of the medium and moving the rolling cutter of the upper blade along the lower blade. Note that the circular cutter 72 may be, for example, a roller cutter provided in the axial direction, and cut the medium while transporting it.

[0045] Furthermore, the cutting device 70 does not only have the function of cutting the medium into multiple sheets (for example, four sheets), but can also print one L-size image on a postcard-sized medium (100 x 150 mm) and finish the print without borders using the cutting device 70. Furthermore, by combining printing four images on an A4-sized medium with printing one image each on any number of postcard-sized media, any number of L-size digital camera photos can be obtained. Furthermore, by making the widthwise position of the blade of the slitter 71 variable, it is possible to cut into various sizes, such as four pieces, six pieces, or eight pieces.

[0046] -Basic operation of image forming system- Next, the basic operation of such an image forming system will be described. 2, the multiple toner images formed on intermediate transfer body 30 by multiplexing the toner images of each color by each image forming unit 20 (20a to 20d) are transferred collectively onto the medium sent out from medium supply container 81 by secondary transfer device 33. The transferred unfixed toner image is fixed by first fixer 40, and then guided by switching member 86 to second discharge receiver 88 via first discharge receiver 87 or post-processing device 50.

[0047] In this embodiment, the medium transport direction is switched by the switching member 86 as follows. That is, in the plain paper print mode (low gloss print) in which a normal image is formed, after fixing by the first fixing device 40, the medium is discharged to the first discharge receiver 87 by the switching member 86. On the other hand, in the photo print mode (high gloss print) in which a high gloss image such as a photographic image is formed, after fixing by the first fixing device 40, the medium is transported to the second fixing device 60 side by the switching member 86, and after further fixing by the second fixing device 60, the medium is discharged to the second discharge receiver 88 via the cutting device 70. In particular, the cutting device 70 may be used when borderless prints such as photographic images are preferred, and when cutting is not particularly required, the medium may be discharged to the second discharge receiver 88 without cutting.

[0048] - Fixing action by the second fixing device - The fixing action by the second fixing device 60 is performed as follows. 3, the medium S that has been guided to the post-processing device 50 via the first fixing device 40 is about to enter the second fixing device 60. In this state, in the second fixing device 60, the heat fixing roll 61 and the pressure fixing roll 63 are heated to a temperature at which fixing is possible by the heat sources 65 and 66, respectively, and the transport fixing belt 62 is in a state of circular rotation in association with the driving rotation of the heat fixing roll 61. Furthermore, on condition that the leading edge of the medium S has passed a predetermined reference position C, the cooler 64 is in a standby state in which it performs a cooling operation by driving the blower.

[0049] In this state, the medium S undergoes a heating and pressure fixing process in the fixing area FA of the second fixing device 60, is transported by the transport fixing belt 62, is cooled by the cooler 64, and is then discharged from the second fixing device 60. Here, in order to obtain a high gloss image like a photographic image, it is preferable to use a special paper as the medium S as shown in FIG. In photo print mode, when such special paper is used and fixing is performed by the second fixing device 60, the toner image becomes embedded in the image receiving layer L3 as shown in Fig. 5(b). At this time, the surface properties of the transport fixing belt 62 of the second fixing device 60 are transferred, and the surface of the image receiving layer L3 and the surface of the toner image become substantially uniform, resulting in a glossy image.

[0050] -Clearing jams in the second fixing unit- Now, it is assumed that the medium S jams (is clogged) in the middle of being transported along the transport / fixing belt 62 in the second fixing device 60 as shown in FIG. At this time, the second fixing device 60 stops operating due to the jam of the medium S, and the drive motor 69a of the drive mechanism 69, the heating sources 65 and 66, and the cooling operation of the cooler 64 all stop. In this state, the jammed medium S can be removed using the manual operation mechanism 100. Specifically, as shown in Figures 4, 7, and 8, the rotary operation handle 101 is manually rotated an appropriate number of times in a predetermined direction (counterclockwise in this example) until the medium S is forcibly discharged from the outlet of the second fixing device 60, and the heat fixing roll 61 is rotated in the clockwise direction (positive rotation direction) via the first transmission gear 111 to the second transmission gear 112 of the operation force transmission mechanism 110.

[0051] In this way, when the heat fixing roll 61 is rotated in the forward direction, the transport fixing belt 62 moves in the forward direction (the transport direction of the medium S) in accordance with the rotation of the heat fixing roll 61, and the pressure fixing roll 63 also rotates following the heat fixing roll 61. Therefore, the jammed medium S is sandwiched and transported in the fixing area FA between the heat fixing roll 61 and the pressure fixing roll 63, and is transported along the transport fixing belt 62. Then, the medium S is forcibly discharged from the exit of the second fixing device 60.

[0052] At this time, in this example, the gear ratio between the gear number GA1 of the first transmission gear 111 of the operation force transmission mechanism 110 and the gear number GA2 of the second transmission gear 112 satisfies the relationship GA2>GA1, so it is possible to set the rotation speed of the heat fixing roll 61 slower than the rotation speed of the rotation operation handle 101. Also, in this example, it is possible to make the rotation operation force of the rotation operation handle 101 smaller than the condition GA2≦GA1.

[0053] In this example, the rotation operation handle 101 is always connected to the heat fixing roll 61 via the operation force transmission mechanism 110, so that when the heat fixing roll 61 is driven to rotate by the drive mechanism 69, for example, the drive rotation of the heat fixing roll 61 is transmitted to the rotation operation handle 101 via the operation force transmission mechanism 110. For this reason, while the second fixing device 60 is in operation, the rotation operation handle 101 also rotates in accordance with the drive rotation of the heat fixing roll 61. From the viewpoint of safety, it is therefore preferable to adopt a configuration in which the rotary operation handle 101 is covered with an openable and closable cover or the like.

[0054] -Preferable layout of the rotating handle- In this embodiment, the rotation operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is disposed on the opposite side of the swing shaft 143, which serves as the swing fulcrum of the support frame 140, across the heat fixing roll 61, when viewed from the front of the front side rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142. In addition, the operation force transmission mechanism 110 transmits the rotation operation force of the rotation operation handle 101 to the heat fixing roll 61, and rotates the heat fixing roll 61 while pressing it against the pressure fixing roll 63. In this way, the rotation operation handle 101 can be arranged by utilizing the wide plate-like portion of the front side rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142 on the opposite side to the swing shaft 143. Even if part of the rotation operation force of the rotation operation handle 101 acts on the edge of the insertion hole 145 of the front side rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142, the heat fixing roll 61 pressed against the pressure fixing roll 63 is held at a fixed position of the lower frame 142. Therefore, there is little concern that the periphery of the rotation operation handle 101 of the front side rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142 will be bent, deformed, or damaged as the rotation operation of the rotation operation handle 101 occurs.

[0055] 9, when the rotating operation handle 101' is disposed on the same side as the swing shaft 143 serving as the swing fulcrum, it is difficult to secure a wide plate-like portion with high rigidity for supporting the rotating operation handle 101' around the swing shaft 143 of the front side rising part 142a of the lower frame 142. Also, when the rotating operation handle 101' is disposed on the same side as the swing shaft 143 and the rotating operation handle 101' is rotated, the heat fixing roll 61 is rotated in a state where it is pushed in a direction away from the pressure fixing roll 63. There is a concern that the rotating operation handle 101' may be easily bent, deformed, or damaged in the vicinity of the rotating operation handle 101' in the front side rising part 142a of the lower frame 142.

[0056] ◎Embodiment 2 FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a main part of a manual operation mechanism of the second fixing unit according to the second embodiment. In the figure, the second fixing device 60 is basically configured to include a heat fixing roll 61, a transport fixing belt (not shown), a pressure fixing roll (not shown), and a cooler 64, similar to the first embodiment. Also, the manual operation mechanism 100 is configured to include a rotary operation handle 101 and an operation force transmission mechanism 110, similar to the first embodiment, but the configuration of the operation force transmission mechanism 110 is different from that of the first embodiment. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. In this example, the operating force transmission mechanism 110 includes a first transmission gear 111 provided coaxially with the rotation axis 102 of the rotation operation handle 101, a second transmission gear 112 provided coaxially with the rotation axis 61c of the heating and fixing roll 61, and an intermediate transmission gear 113 provided between the first transmission gear 111 and the second transmission gear 112.

[0057] In this example, if the gear diameters of the first transmission gear 111, the second transmission gear 112, and the intermediate transmission gear 113 are D1, D2, and Dm, respectively, although they can be appropriately selected, in this example, they are selected so as to satisfy the relationship D1 < Dm < D2. And in this example, the first transmission gear 111 is disposed diagonally below the second transmission gear 112. Also, the intermediate transmission gear 113 is disposed to face the first transmission gear 111 and the second transmission gear 112 from the right direction in the drawing. In this example, the intermediate transmission gear 113 is always meshed with the first transmission gear 111. Also, the intermediate transmission gear 113 is movable between a meshing position where it meshes with the second transmission gear 112 and a retracted position where it retracts from the second transmission gear 112.

[0058] This intermediate transmission gear 113 is movably held in a predetermined direction (in this example, the direction along the outer peripheral locus of the first transmission gear 111) by a holding bracket 114 (in this example, partially using the front side rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142 of the first embodiment). Specifically, the holding bracket 114 has holding pieces 115 of a pair-configuration that sandwich the intermediate transmission gear 113 from both sides, and long hole-shaped holding holes 116 extending in a predetermined direction are formed in the holding pieces 115. And the holding structure of the intermediate transmission gear 113 is such that a support shaft 113a is slidably fitted into the holding hole 116 of the holding bracket 114, and the support shaft 113a is biased in a direction away from the second transmission gear 112 by using a biasing spring 117. In this example, the holding bracket 114 utilizes a part of the lower frame 142, but the present invention is not limited to this and may of course be provided separately from the lower frame 142. In addition, the holding hole 116 of the holding bracket 114 is preferably formed in a direction along the outer circumferential path of the first transmission gear 111, but by devising the positional relationship between the first transmission gear 111, the second transmission gear 112, and the intermediate transmission gear 113, it is also possible to use an elongated hole extending linearly or curvedly in the vertical or oblique direction as the holding hole 116.

[0059] -Operation of manual operation mechanism- In this embodiment, it is assumed that the second fixing device 60 is in operation. At this time, the drive mechanism 69 drives the heat fixing roll 61 to rotate in the forward direction, and rotates the transport fixing belt 62 and the pressure fixing roll 63 accordingly. In this state, the rotary operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is not rotated. In this case, the support shaft 113a of the intermediate transmission gear 113 of the operation force transmission mechanism 110 moves to the end of the holding hole 116 of the holding bracket 114 on the side away from the second transmission gear 112 by the biasing force of the biasing spring 117. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the intermediate transmission gear 113 retreats to a retreat position P2 away from the second transmission gear 112 while remaining engaged with the first transmission gear 111. Therefore, when the heat fixing roll 61 is driven to rotate, the second transmission gear 112 and the intermediate transmission gear 113 are arranged in a non-contact state. Therefore, the driving rotation of the heat fixing roll 61 is not transmitted to the rotary operation handle 101 via the operation force transmission mechanism 110, and the rotary operation handle 101 does not rotate following the rotation. Therefore, in this embodiment, from the viewpoint of safety, it is not necessary to employ a configuration in which the rotary operation handle 101 is covered with a cover or the like as in the first embodiment.

[0060] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the medium S jams (is clogged) in the second fixing device 60 while being transported along the transport / fixing belt 62. At this time, since the operation of the second fixing device 60 is stopped, the jammed medium S can be removed using the manual operation mechanism 100. In this example, as shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 12, the rotary operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is rotated an appropriate number of times in a predetermined direction (clockwise in this example). At this time, the first transmission gear 111 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the intermediate transmission gear 113 that is constantly meshed with it rotates in the counterclockwise direction. Then, at the meshing portion between the first transmission gear 111 and the intermediate transmission gear 113, the rotary operation force from the first transmission gear 111 is transmitted to the intermediate transmission gear 113. Therefore, the intermediate transmission gear 113 is pushed toward the second transmission gear 112 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 117 and meshes with the second transmission gear 112.

[0061] In this state, when the rotary operating handle 101 is rotated an appropriate number of times in a specified direction, the rotary operating force is transmitted in order to the first transmission gear 111, the intermediate transmission gear 113, and the second transmission gear 112 of the operating force transmission mechanism 110, and the heating and fixing roll 61 rotates in the forward direction. In this way, when the heat fixing roll 61 rotates in the forward direction, similarly to the first embodiment, the transport fixing belt 62 moves in the forward direction (the transport direction of the medium S) with the rotation of the heat fixing roll 61, and the pressure fixing roll 63 also rotates following the heat fixing roll 61. Therefore, the jammed medium S is sandwiched and transported in the fixing area FA between the heat fixing roll 61 and the pressure fixing roll 63, and is transported along the transport fixing belt 62. Then, the medium S is forcibly discharged from the exit of the second fixing device 60.

[0062] -Example of a preferable configuration for the manual operation mechanism- In this embodiment, the operating force transmission mechanism 110 of the manual operation mechanism 100 movably holds the intermediate transmission gear 113 on a holding bracket 114, and as shown in Figure 10, the intermediate transmission gear 113 is exposed in the space above the holding bracket 114. In this case, if the intermediate transmission gear 113 is exposed when rotating the manual operation mechanism 100, there is a concern that the user may come into contact with the intermediate transmission gear 113. Therefore, in this example, if the upper part of the holding bracket 114 is covered with a blind cover 118 as shown in FIG. 13, the concern that the user may directly touch the intermediate transmission gear 113 is eliminated.

[0063] Third embodiment FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a main part of a manual operation mechanism of the second fixing unit according to the third embodiment. In the figure, the second fixing device 60 is basically configured to include a heat fixing roll 61, a transport fixing belt (not shown), a pressure fixing roll (not shown) and a cooler 64, similar to the second embodiment. Also, a manual operation mechanism 100 is capable of rotating the heat fixing roll 61 in both forward and reverse directions, and an operation force transmission mechanism 110 is different from that in the second embodiment. Note that the same components as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the second embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0064] In this example, the operating force transmission mechanism 110 of the manual operating mechanism 100 includes a first transmission gear 111 arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft 102 of the rotating operating handle 101, a second transmission gear 112 arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft 61c of the heating and fixing roll 61, a first intermediate transmission gear 121 (corresponding to the intermediate transmission gear 113 in embodiment 2) arranged between the first transmission gear 111 and the second transmission gear 112 and used when rotating the heating and fixing roll 61 in the forward rotation direction, and a second intermediate transmission gear 122 arranged between the first transmission gear 111 and the second transmission gear 112 and used when rotating the heating and fixing roll 61 in the reverse rotation direction.

[0065] 14 to 17, in this example, the first intermediate transmission gear 121 is disposed opposite the first transmission gear 111 and the second transmission gear 112 from the right side in the figures. The second intermediate transmission gear 122 is disposed opposite the first transmission gear 111 from the left side in the figures, and opposite the second transmission gear 112 from below in the figures. The retaining structure of the first intermediate transmission gear 121 is similar to the retaining structure of the intermediate transmission gear 113 in embodiment 2, in that a retaining hole 116 of a predetermined shape is formed in a retaining piece 115 of a retaining bracket 114 (in this example, part of the front side rising portion 142a of the lower frame 142 in embodiment 1 is utilized), the support shaft 121a is slidably fitted into the retaining hole 116, and the support shaft 121a is biased in a direction away from the second transmission gear 112 using a biasing spring 117. On the other hand, the holding structure of the second intermediate transmission gear 122 is such that a long-hole-shaped holding hole 123 of a predetermined shape (in this example, a direction along the outer circumferential trajectory of the first transmission gear 111) is formed in the holding piece 115 of the holding bracket 114, the support shaft 122a is slidably fitted into this holding hole 123, and the support shaft 122a is biased in a direction away from the second transmission gear 112 (downward in this example) using a biasing spring 124.

[0066] -Operation of manual operation mechanism- [1] When the second fixing unit is in operation In this embodiment, it is assumed that the second fixing device 60 is in operation. At this time, the drive mechanism 69 drives the heat fixing roll 61 to rotate in the forward direction, and rotates the transport fixing belt 62 and the pressure fixing roll 63 accordingly. In this state, the rotary operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is not rotated. In this case, the support shaft 121a of the first intermediate transmission gear 121 of the operating force transmission mechanism 110 moves to the end of the holding hole 116 of the holding bracket 114 on the side away from the second transmission gear 112 by the biasing force of the biasing spring 117. Therefore, the first intermediate transmission gear 121 retracts to a retracted position P2 away from the second transmission gear 112 while remaining engaged with the first transmission gear 111, as shown in FIG. Meanwhile, the support shaft 122a of the second intermediate transmission gear 122 moves to the end of the holding hole 116 of the holding bracket 114 on the side away from the second transmission gear 112 by the biasing force of the biasing spring 117. Therefore, the second intermediate transmission gear 122 retracts to a retracted position P2 away from the second transmission gear 112 while remaining engaged with the first transmission gear 111, as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the heat fixing roll 61 is driven to rotate, the second transmission gear 112 is arranged in a non-contact manner with the first intermediate transmission gear 121 and the second intermediate transmission gear 122. Therefore, the drive rotation of the heat fixing roll 61 is not transmitted to the rotation operation handle 101 via the operation force transmission mechanism 110, and the rotation operation handle 101 does not rotate following the drive rotation.

[0067] [2] When a jam occurs In this embodiment, it is assumed that the medium S jams (is clogged) in the second fixing device 60 while being transported along the transport / fixing belt 62. At this time, since the operation of the second fixing device 60 is stopped, the jammed medium S can be removed using the manual operation mechanism 100. <Forced ejection from the outlet side of the second fixing unit> In this example, when the heat fixing roll 61 is rotated in the forward rotation direction (clockwise direction in this example), as shown in FIG. 16, the rotating operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 may be rotated an appropriate number of times in a predetermined direction (clockwise direction in this example). At this time, the first transmission gear 111 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the first intermediate transmission gear 121 that is constantly meshed with it rotates in the counterclockwise direction. Then, at the meshing portion between the first transmission gear 111 and the first intermediate transmission gear 121, the rotation operation force from the first transmission gear 111 is transmitted to the first intermediate transmission gear 121. Therefore, the first intermediate transmission gear 121 is pushed toward the second transmission gear 112 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 117 and meshes with the second transmission gear 112.

[0068] In this state, when the rotary operating handle 101 is rotated an appropriate number of times in a specified direction, the rotary operating force is transmitted in order to the first transmission gear 111, the first intermediate transmission gear 121, and the second transmission gear 112 of the operating force transmission mechanism 110, and the heating and fixing roll 61 rotates in the forward direction. In this way, when the heat fixing roll 61 rotates in the forward direction, similarly to the first embodiment, the transport fixing belt 62 moves in the forward direction (the transport direction of the medium S) with the rotation of the heat fixing roll 61, and the pressure fixing roll 63 also rotates following the heat fixing roll 61. Therefore, the jammed medium S is sandwiched and transported in the fixing area FA between the heat fixing roll 61 and the pressure fixing roll 63, and is transported along the transport fixing belt 62. Then, the medium S is forcibly discharged from the exit of the second fixing device 60.

[0069] <Forced ejection from the entrance side of the second fixing unit> Next, when rotating the heat fixing roll 61 in the reverse rotation direction (counterclockwise in this example), as shown in FIG. 17, the rotating operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 may be rotated an appropriate number of times in a predetermined direction (counterclockwise in this example). At this time, the first transmission gear 111 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, and the second intermediate transmission gear 122 that is constantly meshed with it rotates in the clockwise direction. Then, at the meshing portion between the first transmission gear 111 and the second intermediate transmission gear 122, the rotation operation force from the first transmission gear 111 is transmitted to the second intermediate transmission gear 122. Therefore, the second intermediate transmission gear 122 is pushed toward the second transmission gear 112 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 124 and meshes with the second transmission gear 112.

[0070] In this state, when the rotary operating handle 101 is rotated an appropriate number of times in a specified direction, the rotary operating force is transmitted in order to the first transmission gear 111, the second intermediate transmission gear 122, and the second transmission gear 112 of the operating force transmission mechanism 110, and the heating and fixing roll 61 rotates in the reverse rotation direction (counterclockwise in this example). In this way, when the heat fixing roll 61 rotates in the reverse direction, the transport fixing belt 62 moves in the reverse direction (opposite to the transport direction of the medium S) in conjunction with the rotation of the heat fixing roll 61, and the pressure fixing roll 63 also rotates following the heat fixing roll 61. As a result, the jammed medium S is transported in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the medium S while being sandwiched in the fixing area FA between the heat fixing roll 61 and the pressure fixing roll 63, and is transported along the transport fixing belt 62 in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the medium S. Then, the medium S is forcibly discharged from the entrance of the second fixing device 60.

[0071] Fourth embodiment FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a main part of a manual operation mechanism of the second fixing unit according to the fourth embodiment. In the figure, the basic configuration of the second fixing device 60 is substantially the same as that of the third embodiment, but a portion of the configuration of the operation force transmission mechanism 110 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is different from that of the third embodiment. Note that the same components as those of the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the third embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. In this example, the operating force transmission mechanism 110 includes a first transmission gear 111, a second transmission gear 112, a first intermediate transmission gear 121, and a second intermediate transmission gear 122. Here, unlike the third embodiment, the second intermediate transmission gear 122 is configured as a multi-stage gear including a large-diameter front stage gear 126 and a rear stage gear 127 that is provided coaxially with the front stage gear 126 and has a smaller diameter than the front stage gear 126. The large-diameter front stage gear 126 meshes with the first transmission gear 111, and the small-diameter rear stage gear 127 is disposed to be movable between a contact position P1 and a retracted position P2 with respect to the second transmission gear 112.

[0072] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the jam clearing operation in the second fixing device 60 is substantially the same as in the third embodiment, but is superior to the third embodiment in the following points. In other words, in this example, to forcibly eject the jammed medium S from the inlet side of the second fixing device 60, as shown in Figures 18 and 19, the rotating operation handle 101 is rotated counterclockwise an appropriate number of times, and the first transmission gear 111 rotates counterclockwise. At this time, the large-diameter front-stage gear 126 of the second intermediate transmission gear 122, which is constantly meshed with the first transmission gear 111, rotates clockwise. Then, at the meshing portion between the first transmission gear 111 and the large-diameter front-stage gear 126, the rotational operating force from the first transmission gear 111 is transmitted to the second intermediate transmission gear 122. Therefore, the second intermediate transmission gear 122 is pushed toward the second transmission gear 112 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 124, and the small-diameter rear-stage gear 127 meshes with the second transmission gear 112.

[0073] In this state, when the rotary operating handle 101 is rotated counterclockwise an appropriate number of times, the rotary operating force is transmitted in order to the first transmission gear 111, the second intermediate transmission gear 122, and the second transmission gear 112 of the operating force transmission mechanism 110, and the heating and fixing roll 61 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise in this example). In this case, if the gear diameter of the large-diameter front-stage gear 126 of the second intermediate transmission gear 122 is Df and the gear diameter of the small-diameter rear-stage gear 127 is Dr, the gear ratio (Dr / Df) is less than 1, so it is possible to slow down the rotation speed of the heating and fixing roll 61 compared to an embodiment in which the second intermediate transmission gear 122 is not of a multi-stage configuration. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the rotation operating handle 101 is unconsciously rotated counterclockwise at high speed, the rotation speed of the heating and fixing roll 61 can be slowed down, and the forced discharge speed of the medium S from the entrance of the second fixing device 60 can be set to a slower speed. Furthermore, in this example, the multi-stage second intermediate transmission gear 122 can amplify the rotational operation force of the rotational operation handle 101. This makes it possible to reduce the force required to rotate the rotational operation handle 101. This makes it possible to move the transport-fixing belt 62 with a small force and forcibly eject the jammed medium S.

[0074] In this embodiment, the second intermediate transmission gear 122 has a multi-stage gear configuration, but this is not limited to this. Instead of or in addition to the second intermediate transmission gear 122, the first intermediate transmission gear 121 may have a multi-stage gear configuration so as to slow down the transport speed of the jammed medium S even when it is forcibly discharged from the outlet of the second fixing device 60.

[0075] Embodiment 5 FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a manual operation mechanism of the second fixing unit according to the fifth embodiment. In the figure, the basic configuration of the second fixing device 60 is substantially the same as that of the second embodiment, but further includes a cleaning device 160 for cleaning the peripheral surface of the heat fixing roll 61. The basic configuration of the manual operation mechanism 100 is substantially the same as that of the second embodiment. However, the manual operation mechanism 100 employs a configuration in which the cleaner 160 is temporarily retracted from the heat fixing roll 61 when the rotary operation handle 101 is rotated. Note that the same components as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the second embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0076] In this embodiment, the cleaner 160 has a cleaning pad 162 fixed to the tip of a support arm 161 , and a base end of the support arm 161 fixed to a swing arm 163 . In this example, the swing arm 163 swings the cleaning pad 162 between a contact position and a retracted position around a swing fulcrum 164. A radially extending operating piece 165 is provided at the swing fulcrum 164 of the swing arm 163, and an operating rod 167 of an actuator 166 such as an electromagnetic solenoid is connected to the operating piece 165 at a location away from the swing fulcrum 164. A biasing spring 168 is provided on the operating piece 165 for biasing the operating piece 165 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the operating rod 167 of the actuator 166 advances.

[0077] The manual operation mechanism 100 is also provided with a rotation sensor 170 that detects that the rotary operation handle 101 has been rotated. In this example, the control device 150 determines whether the heating and fixing roll 61 is being driven and rotated by the drive motor 69a, and also determines whether the rotation operation handle 101 has rotated based on detection information from the rotation sensor 170. In this embodiment, when the heat fixing roll 61 is driven to rotate by the drive motor 69a, the control device 150 turns off the actuator 166, so that the oscillating arm 163 swings to a predetermined position due to the force of the spring 168, and the cleaning pad 162 of the cleaner 160 is brought into contact with the heat fixing roll 61 with a predetermined contact pressure.

[0078] Therefore, when the heat fixing roll 61 is driven to rotate, the cleaner 160 comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the heat fixing roll 61 and cleans the front surface of the heat fixing roll 61 . On the other hand, when the drive motor 69a of the heat fixing roll 61 is stopped and the rotating operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is rotated in this state, the rotation sensor 170 detects the rotation of the rotating operation handle 101, as shown in Figures 20 and 21. Then, the control device 150 turns on the actuator 166, and the operating rod 167 of the actuator 166 pushes out the operating piece 165 of the swing arm 163 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 168. As a result, the swing arm 163 swings clockwise, and the cleaning pad 162 of the cleaner 160 retreats from the circumferential surface of the heat fixing roll 61. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the rotating operation handle 101 of the manual operation mechanism 100 is rotated under the condition that the heating and fixing roll 61 is not driven to rotate, it is possible to manually rotate the heating and fixing roll 61 with the cleaning device 160 retracted from the heating and fixing roll 61.

[0079] In addition, in this embodiment, the cleaning device 160 is arranged in contact with the heat fixing roll 61 in a preset attitude, assuming that the heat fixing roll 61 rotates in a forward rotation direction (corresponding to the medium transport direction). For this reason, for example, when the heat fixing roll 61 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction, there is a risk that the cleaning pad 162 of the cleaner 160 may be turned over with the reverse rotation of the heat fixing roll 61. In such a situation, if the heat fixing roll 61 is driven to rotate in the reverse rotation direction, the cleaner 160 may be retracted from the circumferential surface of the heat fixing roll 61.

[0080] (Additional Note) (((1))) A fixing device that applies heat and pressure to a medium on which an unfixed image is held to fix the unfixed image, A heat fixing means having a heat source; a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means that is rotatably provided around the heat fixing means and that conveys the medium while contacting the image surface of the medium; a pressure fixing means arranged opposite to the heat fixing means with the conveying and fixing means interposed therebetween, and applying pressure to the heat fixing means so as to form a fixing area between the heat fixing means and the pressure fixing means; a driving means for driving the conveying and fixing means to rotate by a driving force from a driving source; an operating means for manually rotating the conveying and fixing means without using the driving means; A fixing device comprising: (((2))) In the fixing device according to (((1)), The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operating means has a rotation operating member for manually rotating the heat fixing means when the driving means is not used. (((3))) In the fixing device according to (((2)), The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes: a rotation operating member having a rotation axis offset from the rotation axis of the heat fixing means; and an operating force transmission means provided between the rotation operating member and the heat fixing means, for transmitting a rotation operating force from the rotation operating member to the heat fixing means. (((4))) In the fixing device according to any one of ((1)) to ((3)), a first support member supporting the pressure fixing means and a second support member supporting the heat fixing means and the conveying and fixing means, the first support member being provided with support means that is swingable about a swing fulcrum relative to the second support member; The fixing device, wherein the operating means is held on the second support member side so as to be manually rotatable. (((5))) In the fixing device according to (((4)), The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes a rotation operating member that is arranged on the opposite side of the rocking fulcrum across the heat fixing means, among the second support members, and an operating force transmission means that is provided between the rotation operating member and the heat fixing means and transmits the rotation operating force of the rotation operating member to the heat fixing means and rotates the heat fixing means in a direction pressing it toward the pressure fixing means. (((6))) In the fixing device according to any one of (((1))) to (((5))), The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation means has a rotation operation member for rotating the transporting and fixing means in a predetermined direction or in both forward and reverse directions when the driving means is not used. (((7))) In the fixing device according to (((6))), The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes an operating force transmission means that stops rotation of the rotation operating member when the conveying and fixing means is rotated by the driving means, and transmits the rotational operating force of the rotation operating member to the conveying and fixing means when the driving means is not used. (((8))) In the fixing device according to (((7))), a movable transmission member that moves from a retracted position to a transmission position in response to the rotation of the rotary operating member, and a biasing member that biases the movable transmission member to hold it in the retracted position when the rotary operating member is stopped. (((9))) In the fixing device according to any one of ((1)) to ((8)), the operation means includes a rotation operation member that rotates the conveying and fixing means when the driving means is not used, and an operation force transmission means that transmits a rotation operation force from the rotation operation member to the conveying and fixing means to rotate the conveying and fixing means, The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation force transmission means includes a reduction element that reduces the rotation speed of the transporting and fixing means relative to the rotation speed of the rotary operation member. (((10))) In the fixing device according to (((9))), The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the reducing element rotates the conveying and fixing means with a rotational force larger than the rotational force of the rotation operating member. (((11))) In the fixing device according to any one of (((1))) to (((10))), the operation means includes a rotation operation member that rotates the conveying and fixing means when the drive means is not in use, an operation force transmission means that transmits a rotation operation force from the rotation operation member to the conveying and fixing means to rotate the conveying and fixing means, and a support means that supports the rotation operation member and the operation force transmission means; The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means has a cover member for covering the operating force transmitting means. (((12))) In the fixing device according to any one of (((1))) to (((11))), a cleaning unit arranged in contact with a peripheral surface of the heat fixing unit and configured to clean the peripheral surface of the heat fixing unit; The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes a rotating operating member that rotates the heating and fixing means when the driving means is not used, and a retracting means that retracts the cleaning means from the peripheral surface of the heating and fixing means in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating operating member. (((13))) In the fixing device according to any one of (((1))) to (((12)), The fixing device further comprises a cooling means for cooling the conveying and fixing means, the cooling means being provided in contact with the back surface of the media conveying area of ​​the conveying and fixing means downstream of the fixing area in the media conveying direction. (((14))) an imaging means for producing an unfused image on the medium; a fixing device according to any one of ((1)) to ((13)) that fixes an unfixed image held on the medium; An image forming system comprising:

[0081] According to the fixing device of (((1))), in a fixing device of a heat and pressure type having a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means, even if a medium becomes clogged on the conveying and fixing means, the medium on the conveying and fixing means can be manually removed. According to the fixing device of (((2))), the conveying and fixing means can be rotated more easily than in a case where the tensioning means other than the heating and fixing means is manually rotated, and the medium clamped in the fixing area between the heating and fixing means and the pressure fixing means can be easily forcibly ejected. The fixing device according to (((3))) is effective in transmitting the rotational operating force from the rotational operating member to the heat fixing means. According to the fixing device of (((4))), the operating means can be stably supported by the second support member, which has higher rigidity than the first support member, compared to an embodiment in which the operating means is supported on the first support member side. According to the fixing device of (((5))), compared to an embodiment equipped with an operating force transmission means that rotates the heating and fixing means in a direction away from the pressure fixing means, it is possible to suppress bending, deformation, and damage of the second support member caused by the rotation operation of the rotating operating member. According to the fixing device of (((6))), the ejection direction of the medium on the conveying and fixing means can be set to a predetermined direction or to both directions in accordance with the rotation direction of the rotation operation member. According to the fixing device of (((7))), when the conveying and fixing means is driven to rotate by the driving means, the rotation of the rotating operating member can be stopped to prevent the rotating operating member from rotating together with the conveying and fixing means. According to the fixing device of (((8))), when the driving means is used, the co-rotation of the rotary operation member can be easily prevented by devising the operation force transmission means. According to the fixing device described above, when the driving means is not used, even if the rotation operation member is unintentionally rotated at high speed, the conveying and fixing means can be prevented from rotating at high speed. According to the fixing device of (((10))), when no driving means is used, even if the rotation operating member is operated with a small rotation operating force, the conveying and fixing means can be rotated with a rotation force greater than the rotation operating force, making it possible to easily eject the clogged medium. According to the fixing device of (((11))), it is possible to prevent the operation force transmission means, which is a movable part, from coming into contact with the outside and from being contaminated with foreign matter. According to the fixing device of (((12))), when the conveying and fixing means is manually rotated without using the driving means, the rotational operating force of the rotation operating member can be reduced by eliminating friction between the heating and fixing means and the cleaning means. According to the fixing device of (((13))), even in an embodiment in which a high-gloss image can be easily produced by heating and cooling the conveying and fixing means to fix an unfixed image, a media jam on the conveying and fixing means can be dealt with by a simple manual operation. According to the image forming system relating to (((14))), in a heating and pressurizing fixing device having a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means, even if a medium jam occurs on the conveying and fixing means, it is possible to construct an image forming system including a fixing device that makes it possible to manually eject the medium on the conveying and fixing means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1...heat fixing means, 1a...heat source, 2...transport fixing means, 3...pressure fixing means, 4...driving means, 4a...driving source, 5...operating means, 6...rotating operating member, 7...operating force transmission means, 8 (8a, 8b)...tensioning means, 10...imaging means, 11...fixing device, 12...cooling means, G...unfixed image, S...medium, FA...fixing area

Claims

1. A fixing device that applies heat and pressure to a medium on which an unfixed image is held to fix the unfixed image, A heat fixing means having a heat source; a belt-shaped conveying and fixing means that is rotatably provided around the heat fixing means and that conveys the medium while contacting the image surface of the medium; a pressure fixing means arranged opposite to the heat fixing means with the conveying and fixing means interposed therebetween, and applying pressure to the heat fixing means so as to form a fixing area between the heat fixing means and the pressure fixing means; a driving means for driving the conveying and fixing means to rotate by a driving force from a driving source; an operating means for manually rotating the conveying and fixing means without using the driving means; A fixing device comprising:

2. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operating means has a rotation operating member for manually rotating the heat fixing means when the driving means is not used.

3. 3. The fixing device according to claim 2, The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes: a rotation operating member having a rotation axis offset from the rotation axis of the heat fixing means; and an operating force transmission means provided between the rotation operating member and the heat fixing means, for transmitting a rotation operating force from the rotation operating member to the heat fixing means.

4. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, a first support member supporting the pressure fixing means, and a second support member supporting the heat fixing means and the conveying and fixing means, the first support member being provided with support means that is swingable about a swing fulcrum relative to the second support member; The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation means is held on the second support member side so as to be manually rotatable.

5. 5. The fixing device according to claim 4, The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes a rotation operating member of the second support member that is arranged on the opposite side of the swing fulcrum across the heat fixing means, and an operating force transmission means that is provided between the rotation operating member and the heat fixing means and transmits the rotation operating force of the rotation operating member to the heat fixing means and rotates the heat fixing means in a direction pressing it toward the pressure fixing means.

6. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation means has a rotation operation member for rotating the transporting and fixing means in a predetermined direction or in both forward and reverse directions when the driving means is not used.

7. 7. The fixing device according to claim 6, The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes an operating force transmission means that stops rotation of the rotation operating member when the conveying and fixing means is rotated by the driving means, and transmits the rotational operating force of the rotation operating member to the conveying and fixing means when the driving means is not used.

8. 8. The fixing device according to claim 7, a movable transmission member that moves from a retracted position to a transmission position in response to the rotation of the rotary operating member, and a biasing member that biases the movable transmission member to hold it in the retracted position when the rotary operating member is stopped.

9. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, the operation means includes a rotation operation member that rotates the conveying and fixing means when the driving means is not used, and an operation force transmission means that transmits a rotation operation force from the rotation operation member to the conveying and fixing means to rotate the conveying and fixing means, The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation force transmission means includes a reduction element that reduces the rotation speed of the transporting and fixing means relative to the rotation speed of the rotary operation member.

10. 10. The fixing device according to claim 9, The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the reducing element rotates the conveying and fixing means with a rotational force larger than the rotational force of the rotation operating member.

11. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, the operation means includes a rotation operation member that rotates the conveying and fixing means when the drive means is not in use, an operation force transmission means that transmits a rotation operation force from the rotation operation member to the conveying and fixing means to rotate the conveying and fixing means, and a support means that supports the rotation operation member and the operation force transmission means; The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means has a cover member for covering the operating force transmitting means.

12. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, a cleaning unit arranged in contact with a peripheral surface of the heat fixing unit and configured to clean the peripheral surface of the heat fixing unit; The fixing device is characterized in that the operating means includes a rotating operating member that rotates the heating and fixing means when the driving means is not used, and a retracting means that retracts the cleaning means from the peripheral surface of the heating and fixing means in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating operating member.

13. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, The fixing device further comprises a cooling means for cooling the conveying and fixing means, the cooling means being provided in contact with the back surface of the media conveying area of ​​the conveying and fixing means downstream of the fixing area in the media conveying direction.

14. an imaging means for producing an unfused image on the medium; The fixing device according to claim 1 , which fixes an unfixed image held on the medium; An image forming system comprising:

Images