Patent ID: 7130554
Filing Date: 2006-10-31
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a recording material; an image heating member for heating the image on the recording material; heat applying means, provided within said image heating member, for applying heat to said image heating member, said heat applying means includes a first heating element having a heating ability at a central region larger than at an end region in width direction of said image heating member and a second heating element having a heating ability at the end region larger than at the central region in the direction; detection means for detecting a temperature of said image heating member; control means for controlling electric power supplied to said first and second heating elements to heat said image heating member up to a target temperature during a starting operation; wherein when the detected temperature at a start of the starting operation is low, said control means stops supply of electric power to said first heating element when the detected temperature reaches a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature and maintains supply of electric power to said second heating element; and wherein when the detected temperature at a start of the starting operation is high, said control means maintains supply of electric power to said first and second heating elements during the starting operation up to the target temperature.