Patent ID: 7327964

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit for forming a toner image; a transfer member for transferring the toner image formed in the image forming unit on a transfer sheet; a fixation device comprising a plurality of heaters for fixating the transfer member in which the toner image is transferred; and a control unit which performs energization control for the plurality of heaters, wherein the plurality of heaters are energized according to any one of at least three priorities, including a first, a second, and a third priority, so that power consumptions of the plurality of heaters do not exceed a predetermined total power consumption given to each of the plurality of heaters in response to an operation state of the image forming apparatus, the priorities of the plurality of heaters being changed to different priorities in response to the operation state, and wherein the control unit performs the energization control for the plurality of heaters by setting the first priority and the second priority when the image forming apparatus is in the operation state, by not energizing the heater to which the third priority is given while the heater to which the second priority is given is energized, and by performing the energization control for the heater to which the third priority is given while the heater to which the second priority is given is not energized.