JP2013054551A - Image forming apparatus, power supply method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

An AC 0 W energy saving mode state is maintained regardless of the environment where the device is placed and the like, and it is possible to return from the energy saving mode state to a usable state by a return factor.
A power generation unit that generates power supplied different from power from a commercial power source, a power storage unit that stores power generated by the power generation unit, and a battery inside. External medium 150 that is connected to the main body and supplies power from battery 151, detection circuit 106 that detects the connection of external medium 150 to the main body, supply of power from power storage unit 103 and power from external medium 150 A switching circuit 104 that switches between, a return detection unit 112 that detects a return from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by detecting the connection of the external medium 150 by the detection circuit 106, and a device that requires power supply when the return is detected. On the other hand, a power supply control unit 111 that supplies power from the battery 151 of the external medium 150 is provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a power feeding method, and a program.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine, an energy generating unit such as a solar cell is used to reduce the power consumption of the AC power supply to 0 W in the energy saving mode, and the power consumption in the energy saving mode is covered. Techniques for reducing are known. In addition, a technology is known that can reduce the power in the energy saving mode by applying a PoE (Power over Ethernet (registered trademark)) technology to an image forming apparatus connected to a network. For example, in Patent Document 1, for the purpose of reducing AC power consumption in the energy saving mode to 0 W, power is supplied to devices connected on the network using the PoE (registered trademark) technology, and the energy saving mode is set. A technique for reducing the AC power consumption of the battery to 0 W is disclosed. Note that PoE (registered trademark) is a known technique defined in IEEE 802.3af.

  However, in the conventional technology as shown above, the energy-saving mode system by generating energy (hereinafter referred to as “energy creation”) is only when certain conditions such as light and heat are met. , Could not supply power. For example, in a system using solar cells, if the image forming apparatus is installed in an environment used in a dimly lit office, it is not possible to generate enough power to cover the power during the energy saving mode. In addition, even if the power stored in the power storage unit installed in the image forming apparatus with the energy generator is used, the amount of power stored gradually decreases as the energy saving mode period increases. There was a problem that it was not possible to recover from the energy saving mode because the power during the mode could not be covered.

  In addition, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the power supply method is switched depending on the use situation using an external power source, the power supply technology is different from the power supply technology that performs power supply by energy generation, There was a problem similar to the above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and maintains the AC0W energy saving mode state regardless of the environment in which the device is placed, etc., and can return from the energy saving mode state to a usable state by a return factor. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention includes a power generation unit that generates supply power different from the power from a commercial power supply, and a power storage unit that stores the power generated by the power generation unit. An external medium that has a battery inside and is connected to the apparatus main body to supply power from the battery, an external medium detection means for detecting connection of the external medium to the main body, and Switching means for switching supply of electric power and electric power from the external medium, return detection means for detecting a return from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by detecting the connection of the external medium by the external medium detection means, and the return And power supply control means for supplying power from a battery of the external medium to a device that needs to be fed when a return is detected by the detection means.

  The present invention has an effect that even if the image forming apparatus is in the energy saving mode state and cannot generate power from the secondary power source, it can be returned from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by a user operation.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a return operation of the energy saving mode of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the user information acquisition operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image forming apparatus, a power feeding method, and a program according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
This embodiment has the following features when returning to the normal mode during the energy saving mode. In other words, this embodiment has a configuration in which the power consumption of the AC power source is eliminated by supplying power from a power generation unit to a necessary portion during the energy saving mode of the image forming apparatus. Further, when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, the insertion of an external medium is accepted, and the image forming apparatus can return to the normal mode from the energy saving mode state by inserting a specific external medium. A battery is incorporated in the external medium, and when power cannot be supplied from the energy generation unit, power is supplied from the battery of the external medium, and it is possible to return from the energy saving mode. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. In addition, the thick line in a figure has shown the power supply system, and the thin line has shown about the signal system. In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a PSU (Power Supply Unit) 101, an energy generation unit 102, a power storage unit 103, a switching circuit 104, a power feeding circuit 105, a detection circuit 106, and a controller 107.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, a multifunction machine having a copy function, a printer function, a facsimile function, and the like. The image forming apparatus 100 is connected to the Internet via a LAN I / F (not shown). In the block diagram shown in FIG. 1, well-known configurations such as a scanner, an optical writing device, an image forming engine, a paper feeding / conveying system, and an electrical system that realize these functions are omitted.

  The controller 107 includes a microcomputer system having a CPU 108, a ROM 109, and a RAM 110, and executes various controls of the entire apparatus. The CPU 108 has functions of a power supply control unit 111, a return detection unit 112, and a user authentication unit 113 that are executed according to a program stored in the ROM 109 in advance.

  The power supply control unit 111 receives a return operation from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by a user operation, and supplies power from the battery 151 of the external medium 150 during the return operation. The return detection unit 112 detects the return transition from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode when the detection circuit 106 detects the connection of the external medium 150 to the main body. The user authentication unit 113 acquires user information 154 stored in the nonvolatile memory 153 when the external medium 150 is connected to the main body, and collates with user information registered in advance based on the acquired user information 154. User authentication. In addition, when the user authentication based on the user information 154 is successful, the power supply control unit 111 logs in after supplying power so as to return from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is electrically and mechanically connectable to the external medium 150 so that they can communicate with each other. The external medium 150 includes a power supply battery 151, a power supply circuit 152 that is supplied with power from the power supply circuit 105 of the image forming apparatus 100, and a nonvolatile memory 153 that stores user information 154. The user information 154 includes ID information necessary for user authentication, a login access key, user-specific setting screen information, and the like.

  The energy generation unit 102 is configured by a solar cell that generates power using sunlight or light energy from indoor illumination light. Power storage unit 103 stores power in, for example, a secondary battery or a capacitor. The secondary battery has different voltage and capacity depending on the material such as a lithium secondary battery or a nickel metal hydride battery, and is selected based on the supplied voltage, current consumption, and cost. The energy generation unit 102 and the power storage unit 103 supply power to a necessary part (device) during the energy saving mode. It is assumed that power is supplied from the power storage unit 103 to a place where power is supplied in the energy saving mode.

  The detection circuit 106 detects the connection of the external medium 150. The detection of external medium 150 is performed by comparing the power supply voltage from power storage unit 103 and the power supply voltage of battery 151 on external medium 150 with a predetermined value so that detection can be performed even when power is not supplied from power generation unit 102. When a sufficient voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined value is not applied to the power storage unit 103, power is supplied from the battery 151 on the external medium 150 to the detection circuit 106. The power supply to the external medium 150 is also supplied from the switching circuit 104 via the power supply circuit 105.

  The cause of the return of the image forming apparatus 100 from the energy saving mode to the normal mode is detected by the controller 107 (return detection unit 112), and a return signal is transmitted to the PSU 101. Further, when the power stored in the power storage unit 103 is not sufficient (when it is equal to or lower than a predetermined value), the controller 107 cannot be supplied with power and cannot be restored due to the energy saving mode return factor, and the external medium 150 is imaged. It is limited to returning only by inserting it into the device 100. The return factor corresponds to, for example, a trigger signal generated by an operation such as setting a document on an ADF (automatic document feeder), opening / closing of the ADF, operation of an operation unit, or a job printing instruction by an externally connected PC.

  The external medium 150 includes a nonvolatile memory 153 in addition to the battery 151. The nonvolatile memory 153 stores ID (Identification) data for performing user authentication and user information 154 necessary for performing personal settings.

  In this embodiment, when a sufficient voltage is not applied from power storage unit 103 (when the voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined value), image is detected by detection circuit 106 in FIG. 1 when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. Since the detection of the external medium 150 inserted into the forming apparatus 100 is a prerequisite, when the detection circuit 106 in FIG. 1 determines that the external medium 150 is not inserted, the energy saving mode is not shifted to the normal mode.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a return operation of the energy saving mode of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. Here, when the user returns to an operable state, the image forming apparatus 100 shifts from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by inserting the external medium 150, that is, the PSU 101 inside the image forming apparatus 100 supplies power. It shows the operation up to the start. This operation is executed by each functional unit (see FIG. 1) of the CPU 108 of the controller 107.

  First, the CPU 108 determines whether or not the user inserts the external medium 150 into the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 via the detection circuit 106 (step S11). If it is determined that the external medium 150 is inserted in the main body (determination Yes), it is further determined whether or not the storage voltage Vt of the storage unit 103 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (step S12). Here, when the power storage voltage Vt of the power storage unit 103 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (determination Yes), power is supplied from the power storage unit 103 to the detection circuit 106 (step S13). On the other hand, when the storage voltage Vt of the power storage unit 103 has not reached the predetermined value in Step S12 (determination No), power is supplied from the battery 151 of the external medium 150 to the detection circuit 106 (Step S14).

  When the external medium 150 is thus inserted, the switching circuit 104 is used when the voltage of the power storage unit 103 cannot maintain a sufficient voltage to supply power to the inside of the image forming apparatus 100 as described with reference to FIG. By using the power source of the battery 151 on the external medium 150, power is supplied to the detection circuit 106 that detects the external medium 150 and the external medium 150.

  Subsequently, the CPU 108 detects insertion of the external medium 150 into the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 by the detection circuit 106 (step S15), and inputs power as a return signal to the PSU 101, thereby starting power supply by the PSU 101 (step S15). S16).

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of acquiring the user information 154 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. That is, FIG. 3 shows acquisition of the user information 154 stored in the nonvolatile memory 153 (see FIG. 1) inside the external medium 150 used as a factor for returning from the energy saving mode. By inserting the external medium 150 into the image forming apparatus 100, the image forming apparatus 100 can be operated by the user.

  First, when the external medium 150 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 100, power is supplied from the power supply circuit 105 of the main body via the power supply circuit 152 of the external medium 150 (step S21). Subsequently, the detection circuit 106 outputs a signal indicating that the external medium 150 has been inserted (step S22). The CPU 108 performs a return operation from the energy saving mode to the normal mode by inserting the external medium 150 into the main body (step S23).

  Thereafter, the CPU 108 acquires the user information 154 stored in the nonvolatile memory 153 of the external medium 150 (Step S24). The acquisition of the user information 154 does not wait until the image forming apparatus 100 becomes operable by the user. For example, the CPU 108 performs the communication when the CPU 108 can communicate with the external medium 150. It is assumed that the user information 154 includes a login access key, user-specific setting screen information, and the like.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, even when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the energy saving mode state and cannot perform energy creation, it can be returned from the energy saving mode state by a user operation. In addition, user authentication can be performed to save individual user settings.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus capable of returning from the energy saving mode similar to that in FIG. 1 will be described, but a configuration that does not require the external medium 150 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. In this configuration, the external medium 150 is eliminated, and the battery 115 and the energy saving return button 116 are provided in the image forming apparatus 100 as compared with the configuration of FIG. In addition, the thick line in the figure indicates the power supply system, and the thin line indicates the signal system. Unlike FIG. 1, power is always supplied to the detection circuit 106. The energy saving return button 116 is provided so as to be operable on an operation unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 100, for example.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, this configuration has an energy saving return button 116 as an operation unit dedicated to returning to the energy saving mode, and a battery 115 is disposed inside the image forming apparatus 100. The return detection unit 112 receives a pressing operation of the energy saving return button 116 by the user, and detects a return from the energy saving mode by the operation.

  In this example, as in the configuration of FIG. 1, the power of the power storage unit 103 is generated by the energy generation unit 102, and the voltage supplied from the power storage unit 103 is compared with a predetermined value determined in advance by the switching circuit 104. When the unit 103 does not have sufficient power exceeding a predetermined value, power is supplied from the battery 115 only to the detection circuit 106. In this example, unlike FIG. 1, power is always supplied to the detection circuit 106. Thus, unlike the above-described embodiment (FIG. 1), user information cannot be stored, but it is possible to return from the energy-saving mode state without requiring the insertion of the external medium 150 described above.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. This configuration differs from FIG. 4 in that the thick line in the figure indicates the power supply system and the thin line indicates the signal system. That is, the power supply method for the device that supplies power in the energy saving mode in the controller 107 in the configuration of FIG. 4 is changed. By supplying power to the device from either the battery 115 or the power storage unit 103, it is possible to always supply power regardless of the power supply capability of the energy generation unit 102.

  Therefore, according to the configuration of FIG. 5, the configuration of FIGS. 1 and 4 described above can be restored only from a specific energy saving mode return factor, but in the configuration of FIG. It becomes possible to return from the energy saving mode state.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply system of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 100 having this configuration is configured to be able to supply power from the PoE 130 with the image forming apparatus 100 connected to a network (LAN cable 132). The power in the energy saving mode is supplied from either the PoE 130 or the power storage unit 103. In the PoE (registered trademark) 130, the hub 131 has a PSE (Power Sourceing Unit) function and supplies power through the LAN cable 132. That is, power is supplied from the hub 131 connected to the LAN cable 132 through the LAN cable 132. In the figure, the thick line indicates the power supply system and the thin line indicates the signal system.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 100 has a power supply / demand unit (Powered Device; PD) 133 of PoE (registered trademark) 130, and further supplies power from the PoE 130 and the power storage unit 103. This is a configuration having a switch 120 for switching.

  When the voltage of the power storage unit 103 is not sufficient for the required specifications of the supply unit in the energy saving mode state, the power supply source is switched to the PD 133 side by SW120.

  As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 can reduce the AC power consumption during the energy saving mode to 0 W, and when the power supply from the energy generation unit 102 is sufficient, the PoE 130 does not need an external power supply. As a system, it is possible to keep power consumption as low as possible.

  That is, with the configuration of FIG. 6, it is possible to return from the energy saving mode without using the external medium 150 described above. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 100 is further configured to supply power to a device that is connected to a network and that is related to the energy saving mode recovery factor of the image forming apparatus 100 by power supply by the PoE 130. As a result, AC power consumption of 0 W during the energy saving mode is realized, and a return operation from the energy saving mode state can be performed by operation of the network and devices (energy saving mode return factor).

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a control device such as a CPU 108, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 109 and a RAM 110, an external storage device such as an HDD and a CD drive device, and a display device such as a display device. And an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and has a hardware configuration using a normal computer.

  The program executed in this embodiment is an installable or executable file and can be read by a computer such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Recorded on a recording medium and provided.

  Further, the program executed in the present embodiment may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. Further, the program of the present embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the program of the present embodiment may be configured to be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The program executed in the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (the power supply control unit 111, the return detection unit 112, and the user authentication unit 113), and the CPU 108 (processor) is the actual hardware. The program is read from the storage medium and executed, so that the above-described units are loaded onto the main storage device, and the power supply control unit 111, the return detection unit 112, and the user authentication unit 113 are generated on the main storage device. It has become.

100 Image forming apparatus 101 PSU
102 Energy Creation Unit 103 Power Storage Unit 104 Switching Circuit 105 Power Supply Circuit 106 Detection Circuit 107 Controller 108 CPU
109 ROM
110 RAM
111 Power supply control unit 112 Return detection unit 113 User authentication unit 115 Battery 116 Energy saving return button 120 SW
130 PoE
150 External medium 151 Battery 152 Power feeding circuit 153 Non-volatile memory 154 User information

JP 2010-218189 A

Claims (8)

Power generation means for generating supply power different from the power from the commercial power source;
Power storage means for storing the power generated by the power generation means;
An external medium having a battery inside and connected to the main body of the apparatus to supply power from the battery;
An external medium detecting means for detecting connection of the external medium to the main body;
Switching means for switching supply of power from the power storage means and power from the external medium;
Return detection means for detecting return from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by detecting the connection of the external medium of the external medium detection means;
A power supply control means for supplying power from a battery of the external medium to a device that needs to be fed when a return detection is detected by the return detection means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The external medium has a nonvolatile memory for storing user identification information,
Furthermore, a user authentication means for performing user authentication from the user identification information is provided,
The power supply control means needs to supply power so as to return from the energy saving mode to the normal mode when the user authentication by the user authentication means is successful when the connection of the external medium is detected by the external medium detection means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus logs in after power is supplied to the active device. Power generation means for generating supply power different from the power from the commercial power source;
Power storage means for storing the power generated by the power generation means;
A battery provided inside the main body;
Detecting means for detecting the power of the power storage means and the battery;
User operation accepting means for accepting a return operation from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by the user;
Switching means for switching supply of power from the power storage means and power from the battery;
When a return operation is accepted by the user operation accepting means, and when the detecting means detects that the power of the power storage means is equal to or less than a predetermined value during the return operation, the power from the battery is supplied to a device that needs to be fed. Power supply control means for supplying
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The power supply control unit supplies power to a device that needs to be powered in the energy saving mode from either a battery provided in the main body or the power storage unit during operation in the energy saving mode. The image forming apparatus according to 3. The image forming apparatus includes an external power supply unit connected to a network and supplying power via the network,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power supply control unit supplies power to a device that requires power supply from the external power supply unit during a return operation from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. The image forming apparatus includes an external power supply unit connected to a network and supplying power via the network,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power supply control unit supplies power to a device that needs power supply from the external power supply unit during a return operation from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. A power generation means for generating supply power different from the power from the commercial power supply; a power storage means for storing the power generated by the power generation means; and a battery inside, connected to the main body of the apparatus and connected to the battery An external medium for supplying power from the external medium, external medium detection means for detecting connection to the main body of the external medium, and switching means for switching between supply of power from the power storage means and power from the external medium, A power supply method for an image forming apparatus having
A return detection step of detecting a return from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by detecting the connection of the external medium of the external medium detection means;
A power supply control step of supplying power from a battery of the external medium to a device that needs to be fed when a return is detected in the return detection step;
A power supply method comprising: A power generation means for generating supply power different from the power from the commercial power supply; a power storage means for storing the power generated by the power generation means; and a battery inside, connected to the main body of the apparatus and connected to the battery An external medium for supplying power from the external medium, external medium detection means for detecting connection to the main body of the external medium, and switching means for switching between supply of power from the power storage means and power from the external medium, A program executed on a computer having
A return detection step of detecting a return from the energy saving mode state to the normal mode by detecting the connection of the external medium of the external medium detection means;
A power supply control step of supplying power from a battery of the external medium to a device that needs to be fed when a return is detected in the return detection step;
For causing the computer to execute.

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