Printing apparatus

Claim 1

A printing apparatus, comprising: (a) means for forming a toner image; (b) means for feeding a medium; (c) means for transferring the toner image to the medium fed by said feeding means at an intermediate position along a medium path; (d) a heat roller fixing unit, in which a pressure roller and a heat roller are arranged in opposition to each other, and said medium is passed between said rollers to fix said image formed thereon, said heat roller including a heater; (e) a thermistor for detecting a temperature of said heat roller and providing a connecting terminal with an electric power source and a connecting terminal with a ground and detecting temperature variations by variations in a resistance of the thermistor; (f) a temperature control circuit which, in accordance with the output of said thermistor, generates a command for driving said heater so that the temperature of said heat roller is brought to a predetermined temperature; (g) means for connecting said thermistor to said temperature control circuit having at least a first terminal for supplying a current to said thermistor, and a second terminal connected to one of said electric source terminal and said ground connecting terminal; and (h) a detector circuit which detects an electric potential at said second terminal, wherein, when said connector means is disconnected, said driving command for said heater in said temperature control circuit is prevented by the output of said detector circuit.