Image heating apparatus having a heat generation member generating heat by magnetic flux and heating an image on a recording material

An image heating apparatus comprising:

• magnetic flux generating means for generating a magnetic flux by electric power supply thereto;
• electric power supply control means for controlling the electric power supply to said magnetic flux generating means;
• a heat generation member configured and positioned to generate heat by the magnetic flux generated by said magnetic flux generating means,
• wherein said image heating apparatus heats an image on a recording material using the heat generated by said heat generation member,
• wherein the amount of heat generated by said heat generation member is reduced in the neighborhood of a Curie temperature of said heat generation member due to a heat generation property of said heat generation member;
• detecting means for detecting information relating to a temperature at which the rate of temperature rise of said heat generation member per unit time upon the supply of a predetermined electric power to said magnetic flux generating means becomes lower than a predetermined value due to the heat generation property of said heat generation member;
• discriminating means for discriminating, on the basis of the information detected by said detecting means, whether or not the temperature at which the rate of temperature rise becomes lower than the predetermined value is not higher than a preset first temperature, or whether or not the temperature at which the rate of temperature rise becomes lower than the predetermined value is not lower than a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature;
• and
• control means for controlling prohibition of the electric power supply to said magnetic flux generating means on the basis of a result of the discrimination of said discrimination means.