JPH1138841A - Copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the unnecessary power consumption when a power interruption is restored by monitoring the condition of a commercial power source, detecting and storing the fact that a power interruption has occurred in the line and turning off the switch which turns on/off the path that connects a main body power supply unit to the commercial power source when the power interruption information is stored. SOLUTION: A power supply monitoring device 41 monitors the condition of the path which supplies commercial electric power to a main body power supply unit 42. If the power supply is interrupted during the operation of a copying device and simultaneously room illumination is turned off, it is judged that a power interruption has occured in the line and the power interruption information is stored in the memory of a control circuit B driven by an incorporated storage battery 44. Then, a switch SW1 which turns on/off the path that connects the unit 42 to the commercial power source is turned off so long as the information is stored after the restoration of the power interruption so that the power supply is not automatically turned on. Moreover, if the brightness of the room illumination becomes lower than a prescribed level and the device is not used by a user within a prescribed duration, the power is turned off from the unit 42.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a copying apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement in power supply control when a power failure is restored.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Power cutoff due to a power failure or the like causes a serious problem in an office, as well as in an indispensable copying apparatus together with a word processor and a facsimile. In particular, in recent years, many of these devices which are controlled by incorporating an electronic circuit such as a microcomputer store volatile control information in a memory. Therefore, measures against unexpected power failure have long been desired.

In order to solve this problem, a technique has been proposed in which a storage battery is provided in the apparatus and a control circuit driven by the power is provided to back up memory information and perform various controls during a power failure. According to this technique, even if the power transmission is completely stopped, the device can be used again in the same state as before the power failure after the power is restored.

[0004]

However, the technique of automatically turning on the power after a power failure and putting it into a usable state is not always a good measure for a copying machine that consumes a large amount of power for the following reasons. I can not say. That is,
If the power of the copier is automatically turned on even after the power is restored, even if the user is not nearby, the heat of the thermal fixing device is automatically started, and there is no waste until the actual copying operation. There is a problem that power is consumed. Further, if a power failure or the like occurs while the recording paper remains in the copying apparatus without being jammed, the jam may be further deteriorated by the determination information of the paper jam sensor initialized when the power is restored. In some cases, the failure spreads to the part and expands until the user cannot take action.

In order to solve the problem of power consumption of the heat fixing unit, for example, a solar cell capable of detecting the brightness of a room in which a copying apparatus is installed is provided. There is a technique (JP-A-5-48838) for judging the presence / absence of a user to turn on / off the power supply or measuring the frequency of use within a certain period of time to perform the same control. However, all of these technologies are for normal use and are not effective measures in the event of a power outage.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a copying apparatus capable of eliminating the above-described power consumption and preventing a jam or the like from being deteriorated when a power failure is restored. It is in.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a power supply state monitoring means for monitoring a state of a commercial power supply and a switch for turning on / off a line connecting a main power supply unit and the commercial power supply. Switch means, storage means for storing the power failure when the power status monitoring means detects the power failure, erasing means for erasing the power failure information from the storage means by a user, and storage means after power failure recovery A switch control unit that maintains a switch OFF state via the switch unit when power failure information is stored in the storage unit, and switches the switch ON state when there is no power failure information in the storage unit. I do.

[0008] The power supply state monitoring means includes a brightness detection means for detecting the brightness of the room, a power supply monitoring means for monitoring that electric power of the commercial power supply is transmitted to the line, The power monitoring unit may include a determination unit configured to determine the occurrence of a power failure.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As can be seen from the overall perspective view of the copying machine shown in FIG.
A solar cell 1 for detecting the brightness of the room is installed at the center of the cell. The scale of the solar cell 1 is appropriately set so that a change in room brightness can be sufficiently detected as a change in the amount of electromotive force. The copier further includes a document cover 2, an operation panel 3, a main switch 4, and the like at predetermined positions in the drawing. The inside of the copying machine is roughly divided into a document reading unit including a CDD scanner, an optical system unit, and an image memory (not shown), and an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum, a developing device, and a transfer charger (not shown). You. A document image placed under the document cover 2 is placed on a recording sheet set in a paper feed cassette 5 according to a copy mode set by a user from an operation panel 3 by a known Carlson process by the document reading unit and the image forming unit. Thus, the image is formed, and the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 6.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the operation panel 3. The operation panel 3 includes a mode setting unit 30 and a message operation panel 31. Mode setting unit 30
Are the normal power mode key 33, the power saving mode key 34,
The copy number setting key 35 is provided. When these keys are selected by the user, the corresponding pilot lamps 37 to 39 are turned on, so that it is possible to see at a glance in which mode the apparatus is operating.

The message operation panel 31 is a display portion provided below the mode setting section 30 and includes a brightness judgment adjustment key 36 and a touch panel section 32. For example, information set by the copy number setting key 35 is displayed on the message operation panel 31, and the user is made to confirm the fact by the touch panel unit 32. FIG. 3 shows a main control circuit for controlling the copying machine. The control circuit is mainly composed of two blocks. One is a main body control circuit A for integrally controlling parts related to an image transfer mechanism such as a drive motor and a heat fixing device (not shown), and the other is a commercial power supply via a power supply monitoring device 41, a solar cell 1 and the like. And a control circuit B for controlling the energization and cutoff from the power supply.

The main body control circuit A is composed of a plurality of control boards for controlling various parts of the image forming mechanism of the apparatus according to information such as the copy mode and the number of copies selected by the user from the operation panel 3. The control circuit B is constantly driven and supplied with electric power from the storage battery 44, similarly to the memory 43, and is driven. A power failure information memory for storing a flag (1 bit) as power failure information is provided inside the memory 43 separately.

The power supply monitoring device 41 is provided in a line for transmitting commercial power to the main unit power supply unit 42, and is a known device for monitoring whether or not commercial power is transmitted on the line. The main body power supply unit 42 includes an AC / DC converter (not shown), a distributor, and a transformer, and supplies electricity to the main body control circuit A, the image forming unit, the image reading unit, and the like. Specifically, the exposure lamp of the document reading unit, AC100V to the heat fixing unit, the CCD scanner of the document reading unit, the photosensitive drum of the image forming unit, the feeding roller of the sheet feeding unit, the transport belt driving device and the like are driven. 24V DC is transmitted to motors. In order to further activate the main body control circuit A, the circuit A
Transmit V. On the other hand, the electric power from the commercial power supply is distributed to the storage battery 44 and is charged during normal use.

The memory 43 is connected to the main body control circuit A, is always driven by the power supplied from the storage battery 44, and stores volatile information such as a copy mode and the number of copies input by the user from the operation panel 3. doing. The relay circuit 45 is connected to the control circuit B, and its relay contact RY
1 is inserted in the line L2 between the power supply monitoring device and the main body power supply unit 42.

SW1 and SW2 are open / close switches provided on a line L1 connecting the commercial power supply and the power supply monitoring device 41 and a line L3 connecting the storage battery 44 and the control circuit B, respectively. SW1 is a contact of the main switch 4 and SW2. Is a switch that operates in conjunction with the main switch 4. FIG.
6 is a flowchart showing control related to power ON / OFF in the control of the copying machine. This processing is mainly executed by the control circuit B. However, in the subroutine of the main switch ON process (S401) described later, the control of the fixing device temperature in S504 and the control of setting the copying machine in the standby state in S505 are performed by the main body control circuit A. 4 includes a main switch ON process (S401), a power OFF process (S402), and a power ON process.
N processing (S403) and timer processing (S404). The timer processing (S404) is performed in steps S401 to S4.
It manages the time required to complete the process of step 03.

In the main switch ON process (S401), as shown in the subroutine of FIG.
The moment when the FF is switched to ON is detected (S50).
1) When the power failure is detected at that moment, the power failure information in the power failure information memory is cleared (S502), and the power is turned on.
(S503), start the temperature control of the fixing device (S504), and set the copying machine to the copy standby state (S505). Here, the power ON process (S503) is performed by the SW
1. Includes the operation of turning on SW2, energizing the relay circuit 45, and turning on its contacts. These switches and contacts are O
When N, commercial power is applied to the main body power supply unit 42, which generates a predetermined voltage and sends it to each part of the copying machine. On the other hand, if it is detected in S501 that the main switch 4 is in the OFF state or the ON state, the process proceeds to S50.
2 to S505 are not performed, and the process immediately returns to the flow of FIG.

Next, the power-off process (S402) is performed as shown in FIG.
Execute the subroutine. The room brightness is detected from the generated electromotive force of the solar cell 1 provided on the document cover 2 of the copying machine (S601), and it is determined whether the brightness is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (S602). When the indoor lamp is lit, it is determined that the brightness is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. If the brightness in the room is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, it is determined whether the brightness is rapidly changing (S603).
This determination is made by storing the electromotive force of the solar cell 1 each time the control circuit B reaches the step of S603 and comparing it with the previously stored value. If it is determined in step S603 that there is no change in the room brightness, the process directly returns to the flow in FIG. 4. If it is determined that the room brightness is rapidly changing, the monitoring of the power supply monitoring device 41 is performed. Referring to the information, it is determined whether the commercial power supply has reached the monitoring device 41 (S604). If it is determined that the commercial power is not coming, it is determined that a power failure has occurred from two determination results, that is, a sudden change in indoor brightness, and S608 → S609 → S610.
Then, the process proceeds to step S2, where a flag is set in the power failure information memory, the relay circuit is de-energized, and the memory 43 and the control circuit B are backed up by the storage battery 44.

In step S604, when it is determined that the commercial power supply voltage is coming, it is not determined that a power failure has occurred, but it is determined that no one is present in the room because the indoor lighting is dark, and steps S606 and S607 are performed. Power saving processing. That is, a power saving mode signal is issued from the main body control circuit A to the control circuit B, and the relay circuit 45 is transmitted through the control circuit B.
Is turned off, and the power supply to the main body power supply unit 42 is cut off. At this time, the memory 43 and the control circuit B are backed up by the storage battery 44. Even if this state continues for a long time and the discharge of the storage battery 44 proceeds, the storage battery 44 is charged by the electromotive force of the solar cell 1, so that backup can be performed for a longer time than in the case of the storage battery 44 alone.

If it is determined in step S602 that the room brightness is lower than a predetermined value, and if it is determined in step S605 that the copying apparatus has not been used for a certain period of time, power saving processing is performed in the same manner as described above (steps S606 and S607). Use of the copying apparatus is determined by whether or not the copy button has been pressed, and if the copy button has been pressed at least once within a certain period of time in the past,
Judge that the device has been used. If it is determined that the apparatus has been used, the process immediately returns from S605 to the flow in FIG.

The power ON process (S403) in FIG. 4 calls and executes a subroutine in FIG. Control circuit B
Since the relay circuit maintains the non-energized state at 701, it is determined that power is not supplied to the main power supply unit 42, and power is supplied to the main power supply unit 42 from the state of the flag in the power failure information memory. It is determined whether the power failure is due to a power outage or other reasons. If it is determined that the power is not supplied due to the power failure, the state is maintained and the process returns to the flow of FIG. 4 (S70).
2). Therefore, in this case, the power ON process is not performed unless the user turns on the main switch (see FIG. 5).

If it is determined that the non-power supply state is due to a cause other than the power failure, the control circuit B detects the room brightness from the electromotive force of the solar cell 1 (S703), and the room brightness becomes higher than the predetermined brightness. If it has changed (S704), power ON processing is performed only in that case (S705). This power supply O
The N process is a process of turning on the relay circuit 45 and turning on the relay contact RY1.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the power supply is cut off during the operation of the copying machine and the indoor lighting is turned off, it is determined that a power failure has occurred and the control circuit B driven by the built-in storage battery is used. The power outage information is stored in the memory of the power supply, and the power is not automatically turned on even after the power outage is restored as long as the power outage information is stored. Further, during the operation of the copier, the indoor lighting is set in advance. When the brightness is changed to the brightness or less and the user stops using it within a certain period of time, the power is cut off from the main body power supply unit to suppress unnecessary power consumption.

When the user confirms the information from the message display section after the recovery from the power failure and turns on the main switch again, the power failure information stored in the memory is erased, and normal startup is started. In the power saving state, when the indoor lighting changes from a dark state to a bright state, it is determined that the use by the user has been resumed, and the automatic power supply is turned on.

Although a solar cell is used in the present embodiment to detect a change in room brightness, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this. Any device that can convert external light into an electric signal, such as a photoelectric relay, may be used. Further, the installation location of the solar cell 1 is not limited to the document cover 2, and may be set, for example, independently of the main body, at a position where room lighting can be more easily detected.

The operation panel 3 includes a power supply unit 4 for the main body.
Driven by the power supply line wired from the line L1 on the upstream side closer to the commercial power supply than SW1 without receiving the power supply from the power supply 2 and after the power outage is restored, for example, "The power outage occurred. Press the OK button." A message may be displayed in the form of to notify the user that a power failure has occurred.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the power supply state monitoring means for monitoring the state of the commercial power supply, and the line connecting the main power supply unit and the commercial power supply are switched ON / OFF.
Switch means for performing a power failure, a storage means for storing the power failure when the power state monitoring means detects the power failure, an erasing means for allowing a user to erase the power failure information from the storage means, and a power failure in the storage means. When information is stored, a switch control unit that maintains a switch OFF state via the switch unit, and when there is no power failure information in the storage unit, sets a switch ON state.
When the power is restored from a power failure, the power is not automatically turned on, and management of devices that are safe and effective even under unmanned conditions, such as preventing aggravation of troubles such as recording paper jam processing and suppressing excess power consumption. It can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a copying machine as one application example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an operation panel 3 of the copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a main control circuit of the copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of a power control process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of a power ON process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a power-off process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of a power ON process after the power OFF process is performed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 RY1 Relay contact 1 Solar cell 2 Document cover 3 Operation panel 4 Main switch 41 Power supply monitor 42 Main unit power supply unit 43 Memory 44 Storage battery 45 Relay circuit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Sosuke Natsume 2-3-13, Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Masanobu Onohara 2-chome, Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 3-13 Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A power supply state monitoring means for monitoring a state of a commercial power supply, a switch means for turning on / off a line connecting a main body power supply unit and the commercial power supply, and when the power supply state monitoring means detects a power failure. Storage means for storing the information; erasing means for erasing the power failure information from the storage means by a user's operation; and when the power failure information is stored in the storage means, a switch of the switch means. A switch control unit that maintains an OFF state and turns on a switch when there is no power failure information in the storage unit. 2. The power supply state monitoring means includes: a brightness detection means for detecting the brightness of a room; a power supply monitoring means for monitoring that electric power of a commercial power supply is transmitted to the line; 2. The power supply monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit configured to determine occurrence of a power failure.
Copying device as described.