JP2001347728A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus in which useless power consumption can be suppressed depending on the use conditions of a user. SOLUTION: An average job waiting time ta is read out and based on the average job waiting time ta thus read out, a power saving mode time T, i.e., a waiting time until a transition is made to power saving mode from normal operation mode after finishing each job, and a power saving mode release time Tr, i.e., a waiting time until resetting to normal mode from power saving mode, are calculated (step 200-202). Calculated power saving mode time T and power saving mode release time Tr are then set (step 204). According to the method, a power saving mode time T and a power saving mode release time Tr can be set depending on the use conditions of a user every time when the user uses the imaging apparatus.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having an operation mode with reduced power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a conventional image forming apparatus has an operation mode for suppressing power consumption of equipment in addition to a normal operation mode.
A so-called power saving mode is provided. In such an image forming apparatus, the operation mode of the apparatus shifts from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode after the unused state continues and a predetermined time set in advance or set by the user has elapsed.

Further, in a conventional image forming apparatus, various setting information relating to image formation and information such as an operation state of each section of the apparatus are stored in a non-volatile memory, and the information is read at the time of next use. It is common practice to reproduce the previous usage situation. The non-volatile memory in this case is
A battery provided with a backup battery and storing and retaining information by the power of the battery is often used. For this reason,
In order to prevent the loss of the stored information, the voltage of the backup battery is monitored, and when the voltage value falls below a predetermined threshold, a warning display or a battery voltage value display is performed for the user. I have.

As a technique for detecting the life of a battery, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-189714 is known. In this technique, the battery life is determined by comparing the discharge voltage of the battery with a reference voltage. Further, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-26989 discloses a technique in which a voltage fluctuation within a unit time based on a discharge current of a battery is detected, and when the detected value of the fluctuation exceeds a reference value, a decrease in life is detected. A technology for displaying a warning is disclosed.

[0005]

However, as described above, in the method of setting the power saving mode transition time in advance by the user or the like, the transition time differs depending on the use situation and the interval. If there is a difference from the transition time, power is wasted.

[0006] Further, since the life of a backup battery of a nonvolatile memory for storing setting information and the like is not clear, the battery reaches the end of its life and the information stored in the nonvolatile memory is lost. For this reason, it is necessary to further provide a detection circuit for detecting a decrease in the life of the battery. However, the detection value is easily affected by the temperature of the use environment and the like, and the life of the battery may not be accurately determined.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing wasteful power consumption in accordance with a user's use situation. .

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, after the processing operation of the designated image data is completed,
Measuring means for measuring a time until the processing operation of the next instructed image data is started; calculating means for calculating an estimated elapsed time based on the measuring time measured by the measuring means; and Based on the calculated estimated elapsed time,
Setting means for setting a power saving transition time from the end of the processing operation to a transition to a power saving state in which power consumption is suppressed.

The measuring means measures the time from the end of the designated image data processing operation to the start of the next designated image data processing operation. The image forming apparatus performs image data processing operations such as copying, printing, and scanning. This processing operation is instructed by the user or by another device, for example, an image data output device such as a personal computer. Therefore, the measuring means measures the time during which the processing operation is not performed, that is, between the end of the processing operation and the next instruction. The calculating means calculates an estimated elapsed time based on the measured time measured by the measuring means. The predicted elapsed time is a time when it is predicted that the processing operation will not be performed. it can. This allows
An estimated elapsed time during which the processing operation has not been performed is obtained. The setting means sets a power saving transition time from the end of the processing operation to the transition to the power saving state in which the power consumption is suppressed, based on the predicted elapsed time calculated by the calculating means. The calculated estimated elapsed time is a time at which it is predicted that the processing operation will not be performed. However, in consideration of the start-up processing, when the estimated elapsed time is a predetermined time, for example, a predicted elapsed time within 5 minutes or 10 minutes, It is preferable not to shift to power saving mode,
If the power consumption is exceeded, it is preferable to shift to the power saving mode in consideration of power consumption. Thus, by setting the power saving transition time from the estimated elapsed time, power consumption that matches the usage situation can be realized.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the measurement time, wherein the calculation means uses the stored measurement time to calculate the estimated elapsed time. Is calculated.

Since the measured time can be stored in the storage means, for example, a plurality of measured times can be stored. Therefore, the accuracy of the estimated elapsed time to be obtained is improved according to the stored number.
Further, by storing the measurement time in a time series, the stored measurement time can be extracted in a temporal range. Therefore, the estimated elapsed time based on the measured time value stored in the storage means by the calculating means can take into account a time-series change of the measured time value and the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, the data stored in the storage means is maintained, a backup power supply having a predetermined power supply amount, and a usage time of the backup power supply. And a calculating means for calculating the life of the backup power supply based on the predetermined power supply amount and the measurement result of the using time measuring means. And

[0013] The backup power supply stores and maintains the data (here, time data) stored in the storage means with its power. The usage time measuring means measures the usage time of the backup power supply. The backup power supply has a power supply amount in advance, and the power supply amount decreases with its use, that is, with the use time, so the accumulated value of the use time corresponds to the power supply amount. Therefore, the life of the backup power supply can be calculated by the calculation means based on the power supply amount of the backup power supply and the measurement result of the usage time measurement means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a display means for displaying the life of the backup power supply.

It is preferable that the life of the backup power supply be notified to the user or the like so as to enable prompt measures. Therefore, the display means displays the life of the backup power supply calculated by the calculation means. For example, the usage time of the backup power supply and the remaining usable time are displayed. Thereby, the life of the backup power supply can be clearly indicated to the user.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the calculating means calculates the estimated elapsed time at predetermined time intervals. Features.

The estimated elapsed time varies depending on the use situation, but may not always need to be changed. For example, it is calculated at regular use intervals (one day, one week, one month, etc.).
As a result, it is possible to more precisely set the estimated elapsed time according to the situation used by the user.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a canceling means for canceling the transition to the power saving state based on the estimated elapsed time. Is further provided.

In the case of transition to the power saving state, it is possible to predict that a processing operation will be instructed after the elapse of the predicted elapsed time. Therefore, the canceling unit cancels the shift to the power saving state at, for example, a predetermined immediately before the predicted elapsed time based on the estimated elapsed time calculated by the calculating unit. The processing operation can be predicted to be instructed at a timing reflecting the estimated elapsed time, and by canceling the transition to the power saving state,
After the power saving state, it is possible to quickly return to a state where the processing operation can be restarted.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has an AC
A main power supply 11 having a plug 11A is included. The main power supply 11 supplies power to the following components. The image forming apparatus 10 inputs various setting information (for example, the number of output sheets, paper size, and the like) related to an image forming operation such as copying a document, and also inputs the various setting information and the operation state of each unit of the apparatus main body. , An operation / display unit 12 for displaying information, a calendar / clock circuit 14 for acquiring date and time, a control unit 20 for controlling each unit of the image forming apparatus 10, and inputting image information from a document or the like, An image forming processing unit 16 that records an image on a recording medium based on the input image information, and a non-volatile memory 18 that stores information data such as date and time, various setting values, etc. They are connected to each other so that data can be transmitted and received through them.

The control unit 20 further includes a CPU 22 and an R
It comprises an OM and a RAM (not shown), and has an internal memory 24 in which various control programs and data are stored.

A backup power supply 19 is connected to the non-volatile memory 18 so that the contents stored in the non-volatile memory 18 can be backed up when the main power supply 11 is shut off. For example, backup power supply 1
The battery 9 can adopt a battery such as a lithium battery, and backs up stored information by the power of the battery. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the nonvolatile memory 18 and the internal memory 24 have separate memories. However, as the nonvolatile memory 18, a part of the storage area of the internal memory 24 can be backed up by a battery. You may comprise. Note that the nonvolatile memory 18 is supplied with power from a battery when the main power supply 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 is off.

The operation mode of the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment can be set. The operation modes include a normal operation mode (normal operation mode) and an operation mode for saving power consumption (power saving mode). The normal operation mode is a mode in which the power supplied from the main power supply 11 is provided to each unit of the apparatus, and the operation can immediately shift to the image forming operation. On the other hand, the power saving mode is a mode in which power supply to at least a part of the device is limited or cut off. In this power saving mode, it is not possible to immediately shift to the image forming operation. After canceling, the mode returns to the normal operation mode and shifts to the image forming operation.

These operation modes are controlled by the operation / display unit 12.
, Or automatically as described later. The transition time from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode is set in advance and will be described later in detail, but the transition time is learned according to the use state of the apparatus, and is average waiting time between image forming operations. Set based on time. The data of the average waiting time (learning data) is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 18. The average waiting time corresponds to the estimated elapsed time of the present invention. The average waiting time may be the shortest time, the longest time, or another time according to a predetermined condition.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

In the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when the user turns on the main power supply 11 of the apparatus main body, the control unit 20 executes a processing routine shown in FIG.

First, in step 100, an initial process is performed. In this initial processing, a warm-up operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 is performed.

Although the details will be described later, in the initial processing,
A standby time T (hereinafter, power saving) until a transition from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode after completion of a series of processing operations (hereinafter, referred to as a job) from reading information from the nonvolatile memory 18 to outputting image data. A mode time T) and a standby time Tr (hereinafter, referred to as a power saving mode release time Tr) until returning from the power saving mode to the normal operation mode are set. Further, in the initial processing, the remaining usable time of the battery in the nonvolatile memory 18 (hereinafter referred to as usable remaining time) is calculated and displayed on the operation / display unit 12.

In the next step 102, it is determined whether or not the main power supply 11 of the apparatus main body is on. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 124, where a termination process is performed, and the present processing routine is terminated. I do. In this termination processing, in addition to the stop operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10, various information used by the control unit 20 at the time of next use, that is, when the main power supply 11 of the apparatus main body is turned on again, is stored in the nonvolatile memory 18. To save.

On the other hand, if the determination in step 102 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 104, where the user
To determine whether a job start instruction has been issued. This determination is not limited to a user operation, but may be a processing operation instruction from another device.

If the determination in step 104 is affirmative, it means that a new job start instruction has been issued, so the flow advances to step 106 to determine whether or not the current operation mode is the power saving mode.

[0033] In the case of a negative determination in step 106, since it is the normal operating mode, the process proceeds to step 108, it is determined whether or not been acquired end time t _e of the last job from a calendar / clock circuit 12 . If a negative determination is made in step 108, this means that the apparatus has been used for the first time, so the flow proceeds to step 118, and after executing the designated job, proceeds to step 120.

On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative in step 108, since the case the job is already performed before, the process proceeds to step 110, to acquire the start time t _s of the current job from the calendar / clock circuit 14. In the next step 112, by subtracting the start time t _s of the current job from the end time t _e of the previous job, it calculates the job wait time t _x. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the waiting time t ₁ until the start of job B after the end of job A is
Can be calculated from the end time t _e as the start time t _s until the elapsed time of the job B (t _s -t _e).

[0035] In the next step 114, the average value of the calculated job waiting t _x (hereinafter, referred to as the average job waiting time t _a.) Is calculated. Here, the average job waiting time t _a previously calculated up to the previous time job, a new average job waiting time t _a by a job waiting t _x calculated this time
= (T _x + t _a ) / 2. The initial value of the average job waiting time t _a is zero or a predetermined experimental values are preferred. The example of calculating the average job waiting time t _a for each job instruction has been described. However, the average job waiting time t _a is calculated for _a predetermined specified period, for example, one day, one week, one month, or the like. May be. In this case, the job waiting time sequentially calculated for a designated period such as one day, one week, or one month may be accumulated, and an average value may be obtained.

[0036] In the next step 116, stores and holds the calculated average job waiting time t _a in the nonvolatile memory 18. Further, when the average job waiting time t _a previously calculated up to the previous time jobs are stored and held, update the average job waiting time t _a calculated this time, step 11
Proceed to 8.

In step 118, for example, a job such as outputting image data in accordance with the setting information of the user is executed, and it is determined whether the job is completed (Yes in step 120).
Until the job is executed, the execution of the job is continued. On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative in step 120, the process proceeds to step 122, to obtain the end time t _e of the current job, the process returns to step 102, thereafter, repeats the above processing. By the processing up above, calculates the average job waiting time t _a between each job main power supply 11 is executed while is on, can be stored in the nonvolatile memory 18.

If a job start instruction is given in the power saving mode, an affirmative decision is made in step 106 and step 12
6, the power saving mode is canceled, the operation mode is returned to the normal operation mode, and the process proceeds to step 108, where the above-described processing is performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when an instruction to start a job (here, job E) is issued during the power saving mode for an elapsed time Te shorter than the above-described power saving mode release time Tr, the power saving is performed. Release the mode and return to the normal operation mode. Therefore, when an instruction to start a job is issued in the power saving mode, it is possible to quickly return to the processing operation.

If a job start instruction has not been issued, a negative determination is made in step 104, and in step 128, it is determined whether the power saving mode time T has elapsed. If a negative determination is made in step 128, the process returns to step 102, and the above processing is repeated. If an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 130, where the operation mode is set to the power saving mode.

In the next step 132, the above step 1
Obtained in 22 clears the end time t _e of the power saving mode shift previous job, the flow advances to step 134, it is determined whether elapsed power saving mode release time Tr described above. If a negative determination is made in step 134, since the power saving mode release time Tr has not elapsed, the power saving mode is continued, the process returns to step 102, and the above process is repeated thereafter. On the other hand, if the determination in step 134 is affirmative, it means that the power saving mode release time Tr has elapsed.
Then, the process goes to 6 to release the power saving mode and return the operation mode to the normal operation mode (see FIG. 3). Then, the process returns to step 102, and the above processing is repeated. Therefore, since it is possible to return to the normal operation mode before the timing at which the user is expected to give a job instruction, the user can be automatically returned without having to return from the power saving mode. Therefore, the user can easily execute the processing operation.

Next, the above-described initial processing (step 100)
The process of setting the power-saving mode time T and the power-saving mode release time Tr, which is performed in step (1), will be described with reference to the processing routine shown in FIG.

[0042] First, in step 200, is already stored in the nonvolatile memory 18 by the main process (see FIG. 2) reads the average job waiting time t _a.

[0043] In the next step 202, based on the average job waiting time t _a read, calculates the power saving mode time T and the power saving mode release time Tr. For example, if it is within the scope the average job waiting time t _a is a predetermined read, the power saving mode time T and the predetermined time (for example, if the average elapsed time t _a is within 60 minutes 30 minutes or more, the power-saving mode The time T is set to 5 minutes, etc.) to determine the power saving mode time T. Further, in the same for the power saving mode release time, for example, the average job waiting time t _a is 40 minutes, when the power saving mode time T is 5 minutes, the power saving mode release time is such that the 30 minutes, a predetermined The power saving mode release time Tr is obtained by the condition judgment of (1). In addition,
The time value used as the predetermined condition is a numerical value appropriately determined in advance in consideration of the time required for the warm-up operation of each unit.

In the next step 204, step 202
Power saving mode time T and power saving mode release time T
r is set, and this processing routine ends.

Through the above processing, every time the user uses the present apparatus, it is possible to set the power saving mode time T and the power saving mode release time Tr suitable for the user's use situation.

Next, the above-described initial processing (step 100)
The process of calculating and displaying the remaining available battery time of the non-volatile memory 18 performed in step (1) will be described with reference to the processing routine shown in FIG.

First, at step 300, the calendar / clock circuit 14 obtains the current date and time. In addition, CPU
Reference numeral 22 stores and updates the current date and time in the nonvolatile memory 18 every second in another process. As a result, the date and time when the main power supply 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 is turned off (hereinafter referred to as the power-off date and time) is stored and held in the storage area of the nonvolatile memory 18 (see M1 in FIG. 6). .

In the next step 302, the power off date and time of the previous use is read from the non-volatile memory 18, and in the next step 304, the time difference between the current date and time and the last power off date and time is obtained to obtain the time difference from the last use. The current supply time of the battery of the non-volatile memory 18 while the main power supply 11 is turned on this time is calculated.

In the next step 306, the calculated energizing time is added to the cumulative energizing time calculated up to the previous time and stored in the nonvolatile memory 18. Therefore, the data of the cumulative energization time of the battery of the nonvolatile memory 18 is stored and held in the storage area of the nonvolatile memory 18 (see M2 in FIG. 6).

In the next step 308, the remaining usable time of the battery in the nonvolatile memory 18 is calculated. The life of the battery is determined by the deterioration characteristics unique to the battery, the magnitude of the load voltage (determined by the memory capacity, etc.) applied to the battery, and so on, each device having the same configuration has a different life. Therefore, the life of the battery can be predicted and calculated at the time of design, and this data is stored in advance. In the present embodiment, the difference between the life energizing time T ₀ (see FIG. 7), which is the data obtained by prediction, and the cumulative energizing time obtained in step 306 is calculated as the remaining usable time of the battery.

Next, at step 308, the calculated usable remaining time is displayed on the operation / display unit 12, and the present processing routine ends. Therefore, the user can be notified of the remaining usable time of the battery of the nonvolatile memory 18 as information indicating the life of the battery of the nonvolatile memory 18. As the information indicating the life of the battery in the nonvolatile memory 18, the number of accumulated power-on hours, the ratio of the remaining power of the battery, and the like may be displayed.

Through the above processing, the user can easily and accurately check the life of the battery in the nonvolatile memory 18.

The power saving mode time T and the power saving mode release time Tr may be set by selecting values at predetermined time intervals. In addition, an offset may be performed for a certain time, or a multiplication value of a certain coefficient may be used.

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, since the power saving mode time is set so as to match the usage condition of the user, useless power consumption can be suppressed.

The battery life of the non-volatile memory 18 can be detected without using a separate circuit for detecting the life of the battery by voltage measurement or the like. The battery life can be detected well. In addition, by clearly indicating the remaining usable time of the nonvolatile memory 18, it is possible to clarify the time to replace the battery, and to prevent the backup data from being lost due to a decrease in the battery voltage.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the power saving transition time is set based on the predicted elapsed time from the end of the processing operation of the instructed image data to the start of the processing operation of the next instructed image data, The present invention has an excellent effect of being able to provide an image forming apparatus that can suppress wasteful power consumption in conformity with the usage conditions of the image forming apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a main process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a time chart illustrating an example of an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a power saving mode setting process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a remaining battery available time calculation process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining data in a storage area of the nonvolatile memory according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing voltage-time characteristics of a battery of the nonvolatile memory according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Operation / display part 14 Calendar / clock circuit 16 Image formation processing part 18 Non-volatile memory 20 Control part 22 CPU 24 Internal memory 30 Bus

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A measuring means for measuring a time from the end of a designated image data processing operation to a start of a next designated image data processing operation, and a measurement measured by the measuring means. Calculating means for calculating an estimated elapsed time based on time; and, based on the estimated elapsed time calculated by the calculating means, after the processing operation is completed and before a transition to a power saving state in which power consumption is suppressed. An image forming apparatus comprising: a setting unit configured to set a power saving transition time. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store the measurement time, wherein the calculation unit uses the stored measurement time to calculate
2. The estimated elapsed time is calculated.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 3. A backup power supply of a predetermined power supply amount while maintaining data stored in the storage unit, a use time measuring unit for measuring a use time of the backup power supply, and the predetermined power supply amount 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a calculating unit configured to calculate a life of the backup power supply based on a measurement result of the use time measuring unit. 4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a display unit for displaying a life of the backup power supply. 5. The calculating means according to claim 1, wherein at every predetermined time,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimated elapsed time is calculated. 6. The image according to claim 1, further comprising a release unit configured to release the transition to the power saving state based on the estimated elapsed time. Forming equipment.