Patent ID: 8774665

Claim:
An image forming apparatus which fixes a developer to form an image on a recording medium, the apparatus comprising: an image forming section which places the developer on the recording medium to form the image thereon; a fixation section configured to fix the developer placed on the recording medium to the recording medium, having a heating mechanism configured to generate heat for fixing the developer placed on the recording medium, a roller which is arranged to face the heating mechanism to form a nip portion at which the recording medium is nipped between the roller and the heating mechanism, and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the roller; a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the fixation section; and a controller configured to control the fixation section in: a first mode in which the heating mechanism generates heat and the rotation mechanism does not rotate the roller, a second mode in which the heating mechanism does not generate heat and the rotation mechanism rotates the roller, and a third mode in which the heating mechanism generates heat and the rotation mechanism rotates the roller, wherein the controller is configured to change a control mode of the fixation section in the first mode and the second mode periodically at a predetermined interval, during a period in which the temperature of the fixation section detected by the temperature detector is lower than a predetermined value, and wherein the controller is configured to control the fixation section in the third mode, during a period in which the temperature of the fixation section detected by the temperature detector is equal to or higher than the predetermined value.