JP2004112718A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the power consumption in a power saving mode and to recover an ordinary operation mode from the power saving mode in a short time. <P>SOLUTION: The image processor which can transit to the power saving mode is provided with: a CPU 201 for totally controlling the entire apparatus; a power saving control part 103 of which the power consumption is smaller than the CPU 201; and a detection means for detecting a recovery trigger from the power saving mode. When the processor has transited to the power saving mode, power is supplied only to the power saving control means 103 and the detection means. Further, at least a portion of data required for recovery from the power saving mode is stored in a standard RAM 210 and power is supplied thereto even in the power saving mode. Recovery processing from the power saving mode is performed by utilizing the data stored in the standard RAM 210. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

【００３６】
他にもモードはあるが省略し、ここでは単純コピーのＮ＝１の場合を代表として説明する。
ユーザが上記のモードを設定すると共に図示しない自動原稿搬送装置（ＡＤＦ）に原稿５０１をセットし、操作部２３０にあるスタートキーを押下すると、外部イベントを監視している図４に示したＳＣＳ２２がスタートキーの押下を検知し、現在操作部２３０でアクティブになっているアプリケーションであるコピーアプリ１２に、スタートキーが押されたことを通知する。
【００３７】
すると、コピーアプリ１２は、現在の操作部２３０で選択されているモードから、単純に原稿をスキャンして、１枚原稿を読み取り、１枚出力することが要求されていること検知する。そこでコピーアプリ１２は、原稿を１枚読み取って１枚出力するために必要なシステムリソースを確保するようにＳＣＳ２２に要求し、システムリソースを確保できる場合には、ＭＣＳ１８に、原稿を１枚読んでその原稿と等しいサイズで１枚原稿を出力するように要求を出す。ＭＣＳ１８は、必要なメモリをＳＲＭ２３に要求し、確保してから、ＥＣＳ１７に原稿を１枚読んでその原稿と等しいサイズで１枚原稿を出力するように要求を出す。
【００３８】
するとＥＣＳ１７は、ＯＳ２４へコマンドを発行するように要求する。ＯＳ２４はデバイスドライバを呼び出して、エンジンコマンドＩ／Ｆ２５を経由して、エンジン２６にコマンドを発行する。エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１の通信バッファ経由でエンジンＣＰＵ３０２がコマンドを受け取ると、ＡＤＦ上の原稿５０１を読み取るために、スキャナ３０７の制御を行う。
すると、原稿５０１はＡＤＦによりプラテンガラス上に搬送され、スキャナ３０７のキャリッジがこれを走査することで原稿５０１の画像データがＣＣＤ（電荷結合素子）経由で読み取られる。
【００３９】
読み取られた画像データは、矢印Ａで示すように画像処理部３０８により量子化され、画像補正されて、エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１へ転送される。それに先立ってコントローラ２００では、ビデオ入力部１７１の設定を完了しており、エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１から画像データを転送してメモリ２２５上に入力画像データ５０２として格納する。
【００４０】
エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１とＡＳＩＣ１００との接続は、ＰＣＩバス２１７を介して行われ、エンジンＡＳＩＣ１００がマスタとなってライト動作をし、ＡＳＩＣ１００のビデオ入力部１７１の入力がターゲットとして動作する。画像データの転送は、読み取り時に作る擬似ラインシンク信号ＬＳＹＮＣに同期して、ライン単位で転送のタイミングが取られ、ライン内ではあらかじめ決められたバースト長に従って、バースト転送が繰り返される。画像データの入力タイミングを図９に、画像データの転送タイミングと動作を図１０に示す。
同様に、画像出力時は、ポリゴンの回転周期などから作成されるラインシンク信号ＬＳＹＮＣに同期して、ライン単位で転送のタイミングが取られ、ライン内ではあらかじめ決められたバースト長に従って、バースト転送が繰り返される。
【００４１】
メモリ２２５上に格納された入力画像データ５０２は、ジャム時のリカバリのため、あるいはあとで電子文書としてネットワークなどから利用するために、ＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積する。ＨＤＤ２３１への蓄積は、圧縮データで行ったり非圧縮データで行ったりする。圧縮した結果が圧縮前よりもデータ量が多い場合などは、非圧縮データで蓄積する。画像データの圧縮は、矢印Ｂで示すように、圧縮伸長器１２２を用いて行い、入力画像データ５０２を圧縮して符号データ５０３をメモリ２２５上に格納する。
【００４２】
そして、メモリ２２５上に格納された１ページ分の符号データ５０３を複数のブロックに分割し、複数回のディスクアクセスに分解してＨＤＤ２３１へ蓄積する。１ページ分のＨＤＤアクセスを連続で行うと、ネットワークからの電子文書アクセス要求が来た場合に１ページ分の符号データ蓄積完了まで応答が遅れてしまうので、ディスクアクセスは分割して行っている。
また、ＨＤＤ２３１への符号データ５０３の蓄積と並行して、入力画像データ５０２を矢印Ｄで示すようにプロッタ３０６に向けて出力する。このため、ＭＣＳ１８は、画像の入力が始まると画像出力の要求をＥＣＳ１７に出す。すると、ＥＣＳ１７はＯＳ２４へ画像出力コマンドを発行するように要求する。これに対しＯＳ２４は、デバイスドライバを呼び出し、エンジンコマンドＩ／Ｆ２５を経由してエンジン２６にコマンドを発行する。
【００４３】
エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１の通信バッファ経由でエンジンＣＰＵ３０２がこのコマンドを受け取ると、用紙トレイから指定されたサイズの用紙を搬送するようにプロッタ３０６の制御をする。そして、エンジン部３００側のタイミングで、ビデオ出力部１７２のＦＩＦＯメモリ１２７，１３１から入力画像データ５０２を読み出して、その画像データに基づいて用紙に画像５０４をプロットする。それに先立って、ＭＣＳ１８はビデオ出力部１７２のＤＭＡＣ１３０，１３２の設定をして、起動しておく。
このデジタル複合機は、このように動作することで単純コピー（１ｔｏＮ：Ｎ＝１）を行うことができる。
【００４４】
次に、図１１も用いて、このデジタル複合機におけるプリント動作について説明する。図１１は、そのプリント動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。この図面において、一部の矢印を破線で示しているが、これは図面を見易くするためのものであり、実線の矢印で示した流れと対比するためのものではない。以下の対応する図面においても同様である。
このデジタル複合機において、ＩＥＥＥ１２８４Ｉ／Ｆ２０４に接続されたホストから印刷命令を含むデータが転送されてくると、図４に示すＳＣＳ２２は、印刷命令データ５０５を受信して、プリンタアプリ１１に通知する。
【００４５】
すると、プリンタアプリ１１は印刷命令データ５０５を解釈し、矢印Ｆで示すようにＣＰＵ２０１が画像の描画を開始する。また、プリンタアプリ１１は、それと並行してＭＣＳ１８に画像出力を要求する。すると、ＭＣＳ１８はＳＣＳ２２に画像出力のためのリソースを要求する。ＳＣＳ２２は、要求されたリソースが使用可能になると使用可能であることをＭＣＳ１８に通知し、出力の準備が整う。
この後、プリンタアプリ１１は描画の完了した画像データ５０６をＭＣＳ１８に渡す。そして、ＭＣＳ１８は、矢印Ｇで示すように画像データ５０６を圧縮伸長器１１９を使って圧縮する。圧縮された符号データ５０７は、ジャム時のリカバリで使うため、あるいはネットワークなどから電子文書として利用するために、矢印Ｉで示すようにＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積される。なお、描画と圧縮は、画像出力よりも高速に行われるため、画像データ５０６を圧縮した符号データ５０７は複数ページ分メモリ２２５上とＨＤＤ２３１にたまっていく。
【００４６】
ＭＣＳ１８は、エンジン部３００側の出力の準備が整うと、印刷順に符号データ５０７を圧縮伸長器１２２を使って伸長し、メモリ２２５上に出力用画像データ５０８として格納する。また、ＭＣＳ１８は、ビデオ出力部１７２のＤＭＡＣ１３０，１３２を出力用に設定して起動をかけ、ＥＣＳ１７に画像出力を指示する。
するとＥＣＳ１７は、ＯＳ２４へ画像出力コマンドを発行するように要求する。ＯＳ２４はこれに応じ、デバイスドライバを呼び出し、エンジンコマンドＩ／Ｆ２５を経由して、エンジン２６にコマンドを発行する。
【００４７】
エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１の通信バッファ経由で、エンジンＣＰＵ３０２がこのコマンドを受け取ると、用紙トレイから指定されたサイズの用紙を搬送するようにプロッタ３０６の制御をする。そして、矢印Ｄで示すようにエンジン部３００側のタイミングでビデオ出力部１７２のＦＩＦＯ１２７，１３１から出力用画像データ５０８を読み出して、その画像データに基づいて用紙に画像５０９をプロットする。
このデジタル複合機は、このように動作することでプリント動作を行うことができる。
【００４８】
次に、図１２も用いて、このデジタル複合機におけるスキャナ動作について説明する。図１２は、そのスキャナ動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。
このデジタル複合機において、ユーザが操作部２３０のデフォルトのコピーメニュー画面でスキャナ機能選択ボタンを押下すると、スキャナメニュー画面に移動することができる。
図４に示すＳＣＳ２２は、操作部２３０でスキャナ機能が選択されたことを検知すると、それをスキャナアプリ１４に通知する。この通知を受けると、スキャナアプリ１４は操作部２３０にメニュー画面を表示するようにＯＣＳ１９に指示を出す。
【００４９】
その後、ユーザが原稿５０１を図示しないＡＤＦに置いて、読み取りのモードを設定し、スタートキーを押下すると、スキャナ動作が開始される。
ＳＣＳ２２は、スタートキーが押下されたことを検知すると、スキャナアプリ１４にスタートキーが押されたことを通知する。すると、スキャナアプリ１４は、現在選択されているモードを使って原稿５０１をスキャンするようにＭＣＳ１８に指示を出す。
この指示を受けると、ＭＣＳ１８は、原稿をスキャンするのに必要なリソースをＳＣＳ２２に要求する。そして、ＳＣＳ２２は、要求されたリソースが使える状態になるとそのことをＭＣＳ１８に通知する。
【００５０】
この通知を受けると、ＭＣＳ１８は、ＥＣＳ１７に原稿を１枚読むように要求を出す。すると、ＥＣＳ１７はＯＳ２４へコマンドを発行するように要求する。ＯＳ２４はこの要求に応じ、デバイスドライバを呼び出し、エンジンコマンドＩ／Ｆ２５を経由して、エンジン２６にコマンドを発行する。
エンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１の通信バッファ経由でエンジンＣＰＵ３０２がこのコマンドを受け取ると、ＡＤＦ上の原稿５０１を読み取るために、スキャナ３０７の制御をする。
【００５１】
一方ＭＣＳ１８は、読み取りに先立ってビデオ入力部１７１のＤＭＡＣ１３４に設定をし、起動をかけておく。そして、エンジンＣＰＵ３０２はスキャナ３０７を制御して原稿５０１の画像データを読み取り、画像入力に必要な画像処理を行う画像処理部３０８を経由してエンジンＡＳＩＣ３０２にその画像データを送る。
基本的な動作はコピー動作時の画像入力と同じであり、読み取られた画像データは、矢印Ａで示すスキャナ３０７からメモリ２２５までの入力画像の流れを通って、入力画像データ５０２としてメモリ２２５上に格納される。なお、スキャナ動作で扱われる画像データのデータフォーマットは、白黒では８ｂｉｔ多値あるいは１ｂｉｔ２値、カラーではＲＧＢ各８ｂｉｔ多値のデータである。
【００５２】
その後、入力画像データ５０２は、矢印Ｊで示すようにＣＰＵ２０１でのソフト処理によって出力先に応じて外部のホストＰＣやＨＤＤ２３１に適した画像フォーマットの符号データ２１０に変換する。変換後の符号データ２１０は、メモリ２２５に格納される。場合によっては、変換しない場合もある。
そして、その符号データ２１０は、スキャナアプリ１４のモードに応じて、矢印Ｉで示すようにＨＤＤ２３１に格納したり、矢印Ｋで示すようにＭＩＣ１４３とＩＥＥＥ１２８４Ｉ／Ｆ２０４を経由して、ホストに転送する。
このデジタル複合機は、このように動作することでスキャナ動作を行うことができる。
【００５３】
次に、図１３も用いて、このデジタル複合機におけるネットワークアプリケーション動作について説明する。図１３は、そのネットワークアプリケーション動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。
このデジタル複合機において、ネットワークアプリ１５とは、ネットワークからＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積された文書を扱うアプリケーションで、ホストからの要求に応じてサムネールを作成したり、データをホストに転送したり、印刷したり、別の複合機に転送したり、サーバに転送したりするアプリケーションである。
ネットワーク２１５に接続されたホストから、ＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積された文書の一覧要求が来ると、ＳＣＳ２２はネットワークアプリ１５に一覧要求が来たことを通知する。すると、ネットワークアプリ１５は必要なリソースをＳＣＳ２２に要求する。
【００５４】
ＳＣＳ２２は、要求されたリソースが利用可能になるとその旨をネットワークアプリ１５に通知し、ネットワークアプリ１５は、ＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積されている文書のサムネールをＭＣＳ１８に要求する。
するとＭＣＳ１８は、ＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積されている文書に対してデータフォーマットに従った処理をしてサムネールデータ５１１を作成し、ネットワークアプリ１５に渡す。このサムネールデータ５１１は、矢印Ｌで示すようにＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積された文書をメモリ２２５に読み出し、圧縮や変換のされていない画像データ５１３は矢印Ｎで示すようにＣＰＵ２０１により処理し、圧縮や変換されている符号データ５１２は矢印Ｍで示すようにＣＰＵ２０１によりいったん元の画像に戻してから処理することにより作成することができる。
【００５５】
そして、作成したサムネールデータ５１１は矢印Ｐで示すようにホストに転送する。なお、この転送は、ネットワークアプリ１５によってサムネールデータ５１１をホストの解釈できるファイルフォーマット、例えばホストがブラウザで閲覧しているのであればｈｔｍｌ形式、専用アプリケーションで閲覧しているのであればそのアプリケーションに適した専用の形式に変換してから行う。
ホストはサムネールデータ５１１を受け取るとユーザの処理待ちになり、たとえば、ユーザがある文書を選択してホスト側に転送するように要求を出すと、ホスト側のブラウザあるいは専用アプリケーションによる閲覧アプリは指定された文書をホストに転送するようにデジタル複合機に指示を出す。
【００５６】
ホストからの転送要求を受け取ると、ＳＣＳ２２はネットワークアプリ１５に文書転送の要求がきたことを通知する。すると、ネットワークアプリ１５は必要なリソースをＳＣＳ２２に要求する。
ＳＣＳ２２は、要求されたリソースが利用可能になるとそのことをネットワークアプリ１５に通知し、ネットワークアプリ１５はＨＤＤ２３１に蓄積されている文書データをＭＣＳ１８に要求する。するとＭＣＳ１８は、要求された文書データをネットワークアプリ１５に渡す。なお、この文書データは矢印Ｌで示すようにＨＤＤ２３１から読み出された画像データ５１３や符号データ５１２であったり、その他の形式のデータであったりする。そして、ネットワークアプリ１５は、受け取った文書データを必要であれば形式を変換してから矢印Ｏ，Ｑで示すようにホストに転送する。
【００５７】
その後、ホストの閲覧アプリで閲覧しているユーザが文書を選択して印刷を指示すると、その閲覧アプリは指定された文書を印刷するようにデジタル複合機に指示を出す。
ホストからの印刷要求を受け取るとＳＣＳ２２は、ネットワークアプリ１５に文書印刷の要求がきたことを通知する。すると、ネットワークアプリ１５は必要なリソースをＳＣＳ２２に要求する。
ＳＣＳ２２は、要求されたリソースが利用可能になるとそのことをネットワークアプリ１５に通知し、ネットワークアプリ１５は、指定された文書を印刷するようにＭＣＳ１８に要求する。
すると、ＭＣＳ１８は、印刷に必要なリソースをＳＣＳ２２に要求し、出力用画像データ５１３を用意して、以後コピーの場合の動作と同様に文書を印刷する。
このデジタル複合機は、このように動作することでネットワークアプリケーション動作を行うことができる。
【００５８】
次に、図１，図２及び図１４も用いて、このデジタル複合機における省エネルギに関する状態遷移及び、この発明の特徴である省エネルギモードでの動作及び省エネルギモードから通常動作モードへの復帰時の動作について説明する。図１は、このデジタル複合機のコントローラ中で省エネルギモード及び復帰時の動作に関連する部分の構成を示すブロック図、図２は図１で示した部分の省エネルギモードにおける給電状態を示す図、図１４はこのデジタル複合機における状態の遷移に伴う消費電力の遷移を示す図である。
【００５９】
このデジタル複合機は、主電源をオンすると、上述したように、コントローラ２００においてＣＰＵ２０１の初期化やＡＳＩＣ１００の初期化を含む初期化プロセスを行い、エンジン部３００のレディ待ちとなる。一方エンジン部３００では、エンジンＣＰＵ３０２の初期化やエンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１の初期化を含む初期化プロセスを経て、プロッタ３０６の定着部のウォームアップを行い、コントローラ２００と通信して定着部のウォームアップ中であることを知らせる。このときエンジン部３００では、定着部が一定温度になるまでは、図１４に示すように通常よりも電力を多めに使ってできるだけ高速に立ち上げようとする。
【００６０】
定着部が目標温度になると制御を変更し、通常の電力を使って定着部の温度を一定に保つ。そして、エンジン部３００がレディになり、ユーザの指示があると、コピー動作（画像形成動作）を開始し、このコピー動作中は一定の電力を消費する。
コピーが終了すると、コピー可能な状態で待機し、ある一定時間操作もジョブの実行もなければ、省エネルギモード移行の監視タイマのタイムアウトが発生し、ＣＰＵ２０１の制御によって省エネルギーモードに遷移する。ここではＣＰＵ２０１が省エネルギモード移行手段として機能する。
【００６１】
この省エネルギモードでは、省エネルギモードからの復帰トリガを検出する検出手段と省エネルギモードからの復帰に必要な部分を除いては給電を止め、消費電力を低く抑える。どの部分に給電するかについては後で述べる。
その後、省エネルギモードにおいて、ユーザがコピーをとるために省エネルギモードからの復帰キーを押下したり、ＡＤＦに原稿を載置したり、ＡＤＦを持ち上げたり、あるいはネットワーク２１５から復帰が指示されたりすると、これらが復帰トリガとなり、復帰動作を開始する。復帰動作中も、定着部の温度を上げるために通常よりも電力を多めに使って、できるだけ高速に立ち上げようとする。
【００６２】
なお、復帰動作においては、コントローラ２００においてＣＰＵ２０１の初期化やＡＳＩＣ１００の初期化を含む初期化プロセスを行い、エンジン部３００のレディ待ちとなる。一方エンジン部３００では、エンジンＣＰＵ３０２の初期化やエンジンＡＳＩＣ３０１の初期化を含む初期化プロセスを経て、プロッタ３０６の定着部のウォームアップを行い。コントローラ２００と通信して定着部のウォームアップ中であることを知らせる。エンジンがレディとなると、以後の動作は上述の場合と同じ通常モードとなる。
【００６３】
ところで、このデジタル複合機は、図１に示すように、コントローラ２００のＡＳＩＣ１００に、省エネルギモード用の制御部として、ＣＰＵ２０１よりも消費電力の小さい第２の制御手段である省エネ制御部１０３を設けている。そして、この省エネ制御部１０３は、省エネルギモードに遷移した後、外部からの復帰トリガを受けて、電源制御線（かつクロック出力制御線）であるＰＷＲＣＴＬ１を制御して、画像処理装置のシステムを立ち上げ、通常動作モードへ復帰させる機能をもつ。このＰＷＲＣＴＬ１は、イネーブル状態にするとクロックジェネレータ２２０に各部へのクロックの供給を停止させ、クロックジェネレータ２２０への電源供給も停止させる制御線である。
【００６４】
このような省エネ制御部１０３を設けたので、このデジタル複合機においては、省エネルギモードでＣＰＵ２０１の電源を落としてしまっても通常動作モードへの復帰が可能となり、省エネルギモードにおいては、最低限省エネルギモードからの復帰トリガを検出する検出手段と省エネ制御部１０３に給電しておけばよいので、省エネルギモードにおける消費電力を低減することができる。また、省エネルギモードにおいては、不要な部分に対するクロックの供給も停止したり、不要な部分はリセットをかけた状態にしたりして、消費電力を低下させるようにしている。
【００６５】
さらに、ＡＳＩＣ１００に接続されるデバイスの電源を切るためには、ＡＳＩＣ１００の電源がまわりこまないようにする必要があるため、その必要がある信号はＨｉ−Ｚ（ハイインピーダンス）状態に設定する。このため、ＡＳＩＣ１００にはリセット入力信号をＲＥＳＥＴ信号とＲＥＳＥＴＥ信号の２系統もち、パワーオン時は２系統ともリセットするが、省エネルギモード時は、ＲＥＳＥＴ信号のみリセット状態とし、関連するＩＯバッファや端子をＨｉ−Ｚ状態とする。
また、省エネルギモードから復帰する条件としては、ネットワーク２１５からの復帰要求、ネットワークケーブルの抜き差し、ＡＤＦへの原稿セット、プラテンカバーの開け閉め、トナーボトルの交換、用紙トレイの出し入れなどが挙げられ、上述の検出手段としてはこれらの動作を検知するセンサを用いることができる。そして、このセンサの電源には、省エネルギモード時にも供給される系統を使用する。
【００６６】
なお、検出手段はセンサのみではなく、例えばネットワーク２１５からの復帰指示を検出しこれに応答するためには、ネットワークＩ／Ｆ２０５が必要であり、ここに対しても電源とクロックを供給しなくてはならない。また、操作部２３０による操作を復帰トリガとするためには、その操作を検出するための操作部Ｉ／Ｆ２０３も検出手段となる。そして、このような検出手段は、検出の必要な復帰トリガに応じて設けたり定めたりすればよい。
また、検出手段としてＡＳＩＣ１００上の多くのユニットの動作が必要になるのであれば、ＡＳＩＣ１００全体に給電するようにしても構わない。ＡＳＩＣ１００の消費電力はＣＰＵ２０１に比較して小さいし、この場合でもＣＰＵ２０１への給電を停止することによる消費電力低減効果は得られる。
【００６７】
省エネルギモードからの復帰時には、省エネ制御部１０３がＣＰＵ２０１を始めとする各部にリセット信号を送信し、以後は上述した電源投入時の初期化の場合と同様な初期化処理を行って通常動作モードへ移行する。ＣＰＵ２０１はリセット状態から開始し、前の状態が省エネルギモードであるかどうかはＡＳＩＣ１００のレジスタを参照することで判断する。
【００６８】
ところで、上記のように省電力モードで最低限の部分にしか給電しないようにした場合、ＣＰＵ２０１は、電源投入時と同じようにＲＯＭ２０６からコードを読み出し、それを実行して初期化処理を行うことになる。
初期化処理の説明で述べたように、ＲＯＭ２０６に対するアクセス速度は遅いので、このようにした場合、プログラムＲＯＭへのアクセスタイムに依存する、コントローラ２００のＯＳ２４を含むアプリケーションの立ち上がり時間は、電源投入時と比べてさほど高速化することができない。
【００６９】
ここで、一応電源の入っている状態から立ち上げる省エネルギモードからの復帰時間は、電源の入っていない状態からの主電源オン時の立ち上げ時間よりも当然短くなくてはならい。そして、実際このようになっているが、どちらの時間も短いほうが良い。特に、省エネルギモードからの復帰時間は装置の操作性と直結するため、短縮の要求がより強い。
立ち上げ中にＲＯＭ２０６から読み出した必要なプログラムやデータを標準ＲＡＭ２１０にコピーし、コピー後はここから実行するようにすれば多少の高速化は図れるが、このコピーを行う時間が必要となる。
【００７０】
そこで、通常モードでの動作中に予めＲＯＭ２０６から省エネルギモードからの復帰に必要なデータの少なくとも一部（もちろん全部でもよい）を読み出し、標準ＲＡＭ２１０にコピーして記憶させておくとよく、このデジタル複写機ではそのようにしている。この動作は、ＣＰＵ２０１によって行うことができる。
このようにした上で、省エネルギモード時に標準ＲＡＭ２１０にも給電し、標準ＲＡＭ２１０をＣＫＥ信号によってセルフリフレッシュモードにしておくことで、省エネルギモードにおいても必要なデータの記憶を維持することができる。
この場合においては、標準ＲＡＭ２１０の動作を制御するＲＡＭコントローラ１０６も第２の制御手段に含めるものとする。この状態を示したのが図２であり、斜線部は省エネルギモードにおいて給電を行わない部分である。
そして、省電力モードからの復帰処理時において、ＣＰＵ２０１から標準ＲＡＭ２１０をアクセス可能になった時点からは標準ＲＡＭ２１０にコピーしておいたコードやデータを読み出して実行するようにすれば、ＲＯＭ２０６に記憶しているコードを実行するよりもはるかに高速にシステムを立ち上げ、装置を短時間で通常動作モードに復帰させることができる。
【００７１】
なお、このデジタル複写機には、標準でコントローラに実装される標準ＲＡＭ２１０とオプションで追加実装されるオプションＲＡＭ２１１の２種類のＲＡＭを搭載している。
オプションＲＡＭ２１１は、通常の使用では不要であるが、プリンタ機能の性能アップのためやコピー機能の電子ソート機能の枚数を増やすためなどに追加されるものである。そのため、システムの管理領域や命令コードなどは、基本的に標準ＲＡＭ２１０上に格納される。そこで、省エネルギモードからの復帰に必要なデータについてもこの標準ＲＡＭ２１０に記憶させるようにしている。
一方、オプションＲＡＭ２１１に格納されている内容は、復帰時にシステムアプリケーションが立ち上がるためには不要なので、省エネルギモード時はオプションＲＡＭ２１１には通電せず、ＳＤＲＡＭのＣＫＥ信号も制御せず、リフレッシュ無しで内容が自然に破壊されるにまかせる。そして、復帰時に内容を初期化してその後の動作に用いるようにしている。
【００７２】
なお、標準ＲＡＭ２１０について、セルフリフレッシュモードで内容がバックアップされている場合でも、ノイズ等の何らかの原因で内容が破壊される可能性がある。そのため、復帰処理時に標準ＲＡＭ２１０に記憶させたデータを利用し、そのコードを実行する前に、標準ＲＡＭ２１０上のコードのチェックサムの検査あるいは巡回冗長検査（ＣＲＣ：Ｃｙｃｌｉｃ　Ｒｅｄｕｎｄａｎｃｙ　Ｃｈｅｃｋ）などを行うようにするとよい。そして、検査の結果標準ＲＡＭ２１０に記憶させたデータに問題がなければ、標準ＲＡＭ２１０に記憶させたコードを実行し、問題があるときはＲＯＭ２０６に記憶しているコードを実行するようにするとよい。このようにすれば、ノイズ等により標準ＲＡＭ２１０の記憶内容が破壊された場合でも正常にアプリケーションを起動し、復帰動作を行うことができる。
上記の検査は、ＣＰＵ２０１がＲＯＭ２０６に記憶しているプログラム（コード）を実行することによって行うようにするとよく、また標準ＲＡＭ２１０に記憶させた全てのデータに対して行ってもよいが、一部を検査して判定してもよい。
【００７３】
ところで、以上説明した実施形態においては、第１の記憶手段をＲＯＭ，第２の記憶手段をＲＡＭによって構成する例について説明したが、これらの記憶手段を他のメモリによって構成してもよいことはもちろんである。上述した実施形態は一例に過ぎず、他の点についても適宜変更してよいことは言うまでもない。
また、この発明をデジタル複合機に適用した例について説明したが、この発明はこれに限られるものではなく、複写機，プリンタ，スキャナ，ＦＡＸ装置のような画像処理装置や、その他省エネルギモードへの移行が可能な一般の電子装置にも適用することができる。あるいは、省エネルギモードへの移行とそこからの復帰を制御するような組み込み型の制御装置にも適用することができる。
【００７４】
【発明の効果】
以上説明してきたように、この発明の画像処理装置によれば、省電力モードでの消費電力を低減することができる。また、省エネルギモードからの復帰に必要なデータの少なくとも一部第２の記憶手段に記憶させておき、そのデータを利用して省エネルギモードからの復帰処理を行うようにすれば、省電力モードから通常動作モードへの復帰も短時間で行うことができるようにすることができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】この発明の画像処理装置の実施形態であるデジタル複合機のコントローラ中で省エネルギモード及び復帰時の動作に関連する部分の構成を示すブロック図である。
【図２】図１で示した部分の省エネルギモードにおける給電状態を示す図である。
【図３】この発明の画像処理装置の実施形態であるデジタル複合機の構成をコントローラを中心に示すブロック図である。
【図４】そのデジタル複合機に備えるソフトウェアの構成を示すソフトウェア構成図である。
【図５】図３に示したＡＳＩＣの内部構成を示すブロック図である。
【図６】そのＡＳＩＣのメモリマップを示す図である。
【図７】図３に示したデジタル複合機の構成をエンジン側についても示したブロック図である。
【図８】そのデジタル複合機におけるコピー動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。
【図９】そのコピー動作における画像データの入力タイミングを示す図である。
【図１０】同じく画像データの転送タイミングと動作を示す図である。
【図１１】図７に示したデジタル複合機におけるプリント動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。
【図１２】同じくスキャナ動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。
【図１３】同じくネットワークアプリケーション動作時のデータの流れを図７のブロック図に重ねて示す図である。
【図１４】同じく状態の遷移に伴う消費電力の遷移を示す図である。
【符号の説明】
１００：ＡＳＩＣ　　　　　１０３：省エネ制御部
１０６：ＲＡＭコントローラ　２００：コントローラ
２０１：ＣＰＵ　　　　　２０５：ネットワークＩ／Ｆ
２０６〜２０８：ＲＯＭ　　２１０：標準ＲＡＭ
２１１：オプションＲＡＭ　２１５：ネットワーク
２２０：クロックジェネレータ　３００：エンジン部[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a scanner, a facsimile apparatus, and a digital multifunction peripheral that processes image data, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus that is characterized by a control related to a power saving mode.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art For a long time, image processing apparatuses such as printers, scanners, facsimile machines, and digital multifunction peripherals have been required to reduce power consumption, and particularly to reduce power consumption during standby without any operation or job execution. Therefore, conventionally, a power saving mode has been provided in which power supply to a power-consuming portion such as an engine is stopped, and the power consumption is reduced by shifting to the power saving mode during standby.
In recent years, the demand for reduction in power consumption in the power saving mode has become increasingly strong. As described in Patent Document 1, a power supply line is also divided into a plurality of systems in a controller unit, and these are independently turned on / off. As a result, in the power saving mode, power supply to parts unnecessary for the operation of the controller unit is also stopped, thereby further reducing power consumption.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-328313 A
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, power is constantly supplied to the CPU that performs overall control of the device on the controller, and the target value of power consumption, which has become increasingly strict in recent years, has been achieved with such a configuration. It has become difficult to do.
On the other hand, simply stopping the power supply to the CPU requires a long time equivalent to that at the time of power-on to return to the normal operation mode, and there is a problem that operability is reduced.
An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, to reduce power consumption in a power saving mode, and to make it possible to return from a power saving mode to a normal operation mode in a short time. .
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in an image processing apparatus for processing image data, first control means for performing overall control of the entire apparatus, energy saving mode shifting means for shifting to an energy saving mode, and the energy saving mode A second control means having a function of returning from the first control means to a normal operation mode and consuming less power than the first control means; and a detecting means for detecting a trigger for returning from the energy saving mode. When the mode is shifted to the energy mode, power is supplied only to the second control means and the detection means.
[0006]
Alternatively, in an image processing apparatus that processes image data, a first control unit that performs overall control of the entire apparatus, an energy saving mode shift unit that shifts to an energy saving mode, and a return from the energy saving mode to a normal operation mode A second control unit that has a function of causing the first control unit to consume less power than the first control unit, a detection unit that detects a return trigger from the energy saving mode, and an operation unit that is necessary for the operation of the first control unit. A first storage unit for storing important data, a second storage unit that can be accessed at a higher speed than the first storage unit, and at least a part of data necessary for returning from the energy saving mode. Means for storing data in the second storage means, and when shifting to the energy saving mode, power is supplied only to the second control means, the detection means, and the second storage means. , Return processing from the energy saving mode, it is preferable to be performed by utilizing the data stored in the second storage means.
In such an image processing apparatus, when performing the return processing from the energy saving mode, it is preferable to provide a means for confirming whether the data stored in the second storage means is correct or not.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral that is an embodiment of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a block diagram mainly showing the configuration of the digital MFP, FIG. 4 is a software configuration diagram showing the configuration of software provided in the digital MFP, and FIG. 5 is an internal configuration of the ASIC shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the memory map of the ASIC, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital multifunction peripheral also on the engine side.
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 3, the digital multi-function peripheral includes a controller 200 and its attached unit, and an engine unit 300 connected to the controller 200 via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 217.
The controller 200 includes a CPU 201, an operation unit I / F 203, an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 1284 interface (I / F) 204, a network I / F 205, ROMs 206 to 208, an NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) 209, and a standard. A RAM 210, an option RAM 211, a hard disk drive (HDD) I / F 212, an option I / F 213, a FAX unit I / F 214, and a memory card I / F 218 are connected via the ASIC 100 and can exchange data with each other. It has become.
[0009]
The CPU 201 is a first control unit that performs overall control of the digital multi-function peripheral, and performs a control operation by reading out a program or data from a storage unit such as a ROM or a RAM and executing necessary processing.
An operation unit I / F 203 is an interface for connecting an operation unit 230 for a user to operate the digital MFP to the controller 200. The operation unit 230 includes a liquid crystal display in which various keys and a touch panel are stacked.
The IEEE 1284 I / F 204 is an interface for connecting a personal computer (PC) or the like serving as a host when using the digital MFP as a printer.
A network I / F 205 is an interface for connecting the digital multifunction peripheral to a network 215 such as a local area network (LAN).
[0010]
The ROMs 206 to 208 are first storage means for storing various programs and data to be executed by the CPU 201. The programs and data are used for control operations, and are used at the time of startup and when returning from the energy saving mode. And the like. The ROM 206 stores an operating system (OS) and a basic application program (app), and the ROMs 207 and 208 store optional applications. The NVRAM 209 is a RAM that can be backed up, and is a storage unit that stores system settings and the like.
The standard RAM 210 is a resident RAM mounted as a standard, and is a second storage unit that can be accessed at a higher speed than the ROMs 206 to 208. By performing self-refresh, the stored contents can be held. The option RAM 211 is a memory mounted as an option in response to a user's request, and here uses a DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module). These RAMs are shown as a memory 225 without distinction in FIG.
[0011]
An HDD I / F 212 is an interface for connecting the controller 231 to the HDD 231 which is storage means for storing image data read by the scanner of the engine unit 300 and data received from external devices and units connected by various interfaces. It is.
The option I / F 213 is an interface for connecting a unit that provides an optional function such as a printer application. The FAX unit I / F 214 is an interface for connecting a FAX unit that is also provided as an option. These interfaces are connected to the PCI bus 217.
The memory card I / F 218 is an interface for connecting a memory card such as an SD card (Secure Digital memory card).
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 7, the engine unit 300 includes an engine ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 301, an engine CPU 302, a ROM 303, a RAM 304, image processing units 305, 308, a plotter 306, and a scanner 307. .
The engine ASIC 301 is a unit that mediates the transmission and reception of data of each unit of the engine unit 300, including the unit via the PCI bus 217, and the engine CPU 302 executes a control program stored in the ROM 303 to control the engine unit 300. Means. The ROM 303 is a memory for storing the control program, and the RAM 304 is a memory used as a work memory of the engine CPU 302.
[0013]
The image processing unit 305 is an output image processing unit that performs gamma correction and the like, and the plotter 306 is an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on the processed image data. The scanner 307 is an image reading unit that reads an image of a document, and the image processing unit 308 is an input image processing unit that performs shading correction, gamma correction, and the like on image data obtained by reading an image with the scanner 307.
The option unit 410 and the FAX unit 420 shown in FIG. 7 are units connected to the option I / F 213 and the FAX unit I / F 214 shown in FIG. 3, respectively.
By allocating the plotter 306, scanner 307, and optional units of the engine unit 300 to applications such as a copier, a printer, and a scanner by the controller 200, the digital multifunction peripheral can function as these devices.
[0014]
The configuration of a program for operating the controller 200 is as shown in FIG.
First, a printer application 11, a copy application 12, a FAX application 13, a scanner application 14, and a network application 15 are provided at the top level as applications for providing various functions such as a printer and a copying machine.
When these applications operate each part of the digital multifunction peripheral, a request is sent to the next service layer via the service layer application programming interface (API) 16. The service layer includes an engine control service (ECS) 17, a memory control service (MCS) 18, an operation control service (OCS) 19, a facsimile control service (FCS) 20, and a network control service (NCS) 21.
[0015]
The operation requests by these service layers are adjusted by a system resource manager (SRM) 23 having a system control service (SCS) 22 and transmitted to a hardware resource 27 of the controller 200 via a general-purpose OS 24. The engine 26 is also transmitted via an engine command I / F 25.
By controlling the hardware with various programs having such a configuration, the digital multifunction peripheral can be made to function as a printer, a copier, or the like in response to an instruction from a user. In addition, the program is configured so that portions that depend on the CPU 201 and the ASIC 100 are absorbed by the service layer, so that porting can be easily performed on different CPUs 201 and different ASICs 100.
[0016]
Next, the configuration of the ASIC 100 provided in the controller 200 is as shown in FIG. In addition, in this figure, illustration of an energy saving control unit described later is omitted.
First, the ASIC 100 is provided with a CPU I / F 107 for connecting the CPU 201, and the CPU I / F 107 interprets a CPU bus protocol for accessing the internal register 108 and the memory in accordance with the CPU 201. Further, the internal register 108 is connected to the PCI master 152, and the CPU 201 can access each unit as a master of the PCI bus 154 by the PCI master 152. The arbitration at this time is performed by the PCI arbiter 151, and the configuration register is the PCI-CONFIG 153.
[0017]
The CPU I / F 107 is also connected to a local bus controller 109 that controls a local bus connected to the ROM 206 and the like, and can read data from the ROM 206 and the like to the CPU 201. The local bus is a 16-bit data bus 110 which is multiplexed with a part of the address, a lower address which is not multiplexed and a chip select signal formed by decoding the address, a read signal, a write signal, etc. And the control line 111 including the signal line of (1).
[0018]
The CPU I / F 107 is also connected to the memory card controller 114 via the selector 113. The memory card controller 114 is a unit connected to an externally connected memory card via a memory card I / F 218 and a memory card signal line 115, and accessing the memory card according to a predetermined protocol. The selector 113 is a selector for switching between CPU boot from a memory card and memory card access using a direct memory access controller (DMAC) 112. When the CPU boot from the memory card is selected, the first instruction fetch after the reset of the CPU 201 described later is performed from the memory card.
The DMAC 112 is a DMAC for reading and writing data from a memory card, and is a one-dimensional DMAC capable of performing a read or write operation.
[0019]
Further, the ASIC 100 includes the RAM controller 106, and can access the RAMs 210 and 211. The RAM controller 106 is connected to the arbiter 105 that arbitrates each DMAC, and enables direct memory access (DMA) from each unit to the RAMs 210 and 211.
As a unit connected to the DMAC, first, a hard disk controller 116 for controlling an HDD 231 compliant with the ATA (AT Attachment) 100 standard is provided. The hard disk controller 116 is connected to a data DMAC 117 capable of one-dimensional transfer and two-dimensional transfer for transferring data of the HDD 231, and a command DMAC 118 for transferring a command of the HDD 231.
[0020]
DMACs 120 and 123 operating for input and output when performing compression and decompression for image input / output, respectively, are used as compression / decompression units 119 and 122 for compressing and expanding image data. The DMACs 121 and 124 are operated for output and output when the compression / expansion is performed by the compression / decompression device for inputting / outputting the code and input when the decompression is performed. The compression / decompression units 119 and 122 select one of these outputs to output to the hard disk controller 116, and select which decompression output is to be connected to the input of the DMAC 130 for video image output. And a video selector 126.
[0021]
Reference numerals 130 and 132 denote DMACs for video image output and stamp output, respectively, which are connected to a synthesizer 129 for synthesizing the image and the stamp at the time of output. Note that it is also possible not to perform the composition, in which case the image and the stamp are output separately.
The synthesizer 129 is connected to a FIFO (first-in first-out) memory 127 for outputting a video image via a shifter 128 for shifting an image, and is connected to a FIFO memory 131 for outputting a stamp image without using a shifter. ing. These FIFO memories 127 and 131 are connected to a PCI target 159 which responds when accessed as a PCI target. Further, these elements including the DMACs 130 and 132 constitute the video output unit 172 shown in FIG.
[0022]
An image input FIFO memory 133 is also connected to the PCI target 159, and an image input DMAC 134 is connected to the FIFO memory 133. These components constitute the video input unit 171 shown in FIG. Further, the PCI target 159 is also connected to a direct path 135 serving as a data path when accessing the memory from the PCI bus 154 side.
Further, an IEEE 1284 controller 137 connected to the IEEE 1284 I / F signal line 155 is provided, which is connected to the DMAC 136 for inputting IEEE 1284 data. Further, an operation unit controller 138 connected to the operation unit I / F transmission signal line 156 and the operation unit I / F reception signal line 157 is provided, which is a DMAC 139 for outputting data to the operation unit 230. And a DMAC 140 for data input from the operation unit. There is also provided a media access controller (MAC) 143 connected to a network I / F (PHY) 205 by a media independent interface (MII) 158, which includes a DMAC 141 for network transmission, a DMAC 142 for network reception, It is connected to the.
[0023]
Further, the ASIC 100 is also provided with an editor 147 for synthesizing or rotating images, which is connected to the DMACs 144 and 145 for input and the DMAC 146 for output. A clear controller 148 for filling the area with the set data is also provided, and is connected to the DMAC 149 capable of two-dimensional or one-dimensional memory filling.
In the ASIC 100 as described above, the physical address of each unit is mapped to a memory map as shown in FIG.
[0024]
Next, an operation when the power is turned on in the digital multifunction peripheral having the above-described configuration will be described.
In the engine unit 300, when the power is turned on, each function is initialized by the engine CPU 302, and the controller 200 is in a standby state until the initialization is completed and a command is transmitted.
On the other hand, on the controller 200 side, when the power is turned on, a reset signal is input to the ASIC 100, and the ASIC 100 distributes the reset signal to devices that need to be reset. When the reset signal is asserted and negated, the CPU 201 attempts to fetch the reset vector instruction of the CPU 201. When the ASIC 100 receives the fetch signal of the CPU 201, it decodes the address, asserts the CS signal of the ROM 206 in which the initialization program is stored, reads out the content (instruction code or data) of the address requested by the CPU 201, and sends it to the CPU 201. hand over.
[0025]
The CPU 201 repeatedly requests the ASIC 100 to read the instruction, and the ASIC 100 transfers the instruction code or data stored in the ROM 206 to the CPU 201 according to the address. Thus, the CPU 201 can execute the initialization program to perform the initialization processing.
In this initialization program, the CPU 201 is initialized, the standard RAM 210 and the option RAM 211 connected to the ASIC 100 are initialized, the PCI bus 217 is initialized, the engine unit 300 is initialized, the operation unit 230 is initialized, and the HDD 231 is initialized. , Initializes the IEEE 1284 I / F 204 connected to the host, initializes the network I / F 205, and initializes the option unit 410 and the FAX unit 420 as necessary.
[0026]
In the initialization of the CPU 201, the CPU (MIPS system) reads the boot configuration data from the ASIC 100, starts fetching the instruction after reset release, determines whether the reset exception is caused by the cold reset or the other, and the local bus of the ASIC 100. , The initialization of the cache in the CPU 201, the initialization of the TLB (Translation Look-aside Buffer), the setting of the exception vector, and the initialization of the coprocessor.
[0027]
In the initialization of the standard RAM 210 and the option RAM 211, before determining parameters relating to the timing of the standard RAM 210, it is checked whether or not the option RAM 211 exists, and if so, the NVRAM 209 storing the information of the option RAM 211 is stored. To read the capacity, speed, and configuration of the option RAM 211, compare the timing with the standard RAM 210, set the ASIC 100 using the later timing, and initialize each RAM.
Thereafter, setting of an interrupt vector, setting of an initial value in a data area of each RAM, and the like are performed.
[0028]
In the initialization of the PCI bus 217, a search for all devices existing in the PCI bus 217 is performed using the configuration register of the internal register 108 of the ASIC 100. Then, the type of the device is determined, and if there is a bus bridge, the device of the bus ahead is searched. When the enumeration of all devices is completed, mapping is performed in the address space of the PCI bus 217. Mapping is performed with the start address of the memory under the control of the ASIC 100 being 0x0000.0000, and the other devices are mapped in a PCI memory space access window or a PCI I / O space access window prepared in the register space of the ASIC 100. When the mapping is completed, 1 is set to the bus master enable, memory enable, and IO enable bits of the command register of each device to bring the device into an operation state.
[0029]
In the initialization of the engine unit 300, communication between the engine unit 300 and the controller 200 is performed via a transmission buffer / reception buffer of the engine-side PCI device.
In the initialization of the operation unit 230, transmission and reception of data between the operation unit 230 and the controller 200 are performed in full duplex. The packet communication is performed with a predetermined packet size, and the operation unit 230 displays that the system is being initialized.
[0030]
In the initialization of the HDD 231, it is confirmed whether or not the HDD 231 is connected to the HDD I / F 212. If the HDD 231 is connected, the information of the HDD 231 is read, and the management information is used for later use. Store in memory.
When the initialization of the various devices is completed, the OS 24 starts the application based on the system configuration information. However, when the FAX unit 420 does not exist, the FAX application 13 does not start. When the application is started, the operation screen of the copy application is displayed on the operation unit 230 by default, and the user waits for an instruction. However, the default screen can be changed.
[0031]
Note that the CPU 201 can fetch and execute an instruction directly from the memory card connected to the memory card I / F 218 ahead of the memory card controller 114 via the ASIC 100. Further, the RAM controller 106 has a register for setting a self-refresh in the energy saving mode, and automatically sets the standard RAM 210 to the self-refresh mode if there is no access for a predetermined time. Thereafter, when an access to the standard RAM 210 occurs, the standard RAM 210 is automatically released from the self-refresh mode, and access from the CPU 201 or the like is continued.
[0032]
In such initialization processing, the access time of the ASIC 100 to the ROM 206 depends on the data bus width. However, in order to reduce the number of external terminals of the ASIC 100, the access time is shorter than the data bus width of the CPU 201, such as 16 bits or 8 bits. In many cases, the number of bits is small. Therefore, the access speed is lower than that of the standard RAM 210 or the option RAM 211. In addition, when a serial device having a 4-bit or 1-bit number of bits, such as a serial electronically erasable programmable ROM (SEEPROM), an SD card, or a memory stick, is used, the operation becomes particularly slow.
Since the execution speed of the program including the initialization program depends on the reading speed of the program and data, the initialization at the time of turning on the power, which must read from the memory having such a low access speed, is performed at a very high speed. It is not possible.
[0033]
The program code stored in the low-speed memory as described above is appropriately copied to the RAM during execution of the processing, and after the copy, the code is read from the RAM and executed. Execution is possible. If the capacity of the RAM is sufficient, all the memories stored in the low-speed memory may be copied to the RAM, but if not, only the part that must be executed at a high speed is copied.
[0034]
Next, a copy operation in the digital multifunction peripheral having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the data flow during the copy operation superimposed on the block diagram of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the input timing of image data in this copy operation, and FIG. It is a figure showing operation. In FIG. 8, most of the reference numerals shown in FIG. 7 are not shown, and the same applies to the following corresponding drawings.
The digital multifunction peripheral can perform a copy operation in various modes according to a user's specification. An example is shown in Table 1.
[0035]
[Table 1]

[0036]
Although there are other modes, they are omitted, and the case where N = 1 for simple copy will be described as a representative.
When the user sets the above mode, sets the original 501 on an automatic document feeder (ADF) (not shown), and presses a start key on the operation unit 230, the SCS 22 shown in FIG. The press of the start key is detected, and the copy application 12, which is the application currently active on the operation unit 230, is notified that the start key has been pressed.
[0037]
Then, the copy application 12 detects that a request is made to simply scan the original, read one original, and output one original from the mode currently selected by the operation unit 230. Accordingly, the copy application 12 requests the SCS 22 to secure system resources necessary for reading one document and outputting one document, and when the system resources can be secured, reads one document to the MCS 18. A request is made to output one original with the same size as the original. The MCS 18 requests the SRM 23 for a necessary memory, secures it, and then issues a request to the ECS 17 to read one original and output one original with the same size as the original.
[0038]
Then, the ECS 17 requests the OS 24 to issue a command. The OS 24 calls the device driver and issues a command to the engine 26 via the engine command I / F 25. When the engine CPU 302 receives a command via the communication buffer of the engine ASIC 301, the engine CPU 302 controls the scanner 307 to read the document 501 on the ADF.
Then, the document 501 is conveyed onto the platen glass by the ADF, and the carriage of the scanner 307 scans the document 501 so that the image data of the document 501 is read via a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).
[0039]
The read image data is quantized by the image processing unit 308 as shown by an arrow A, image-corrected, and transferred to the engine ASIC 301. Prior to that, the controller 200 has completed the setting of the video input unit 171, transfers the image data from the engine ASIC 301, and stores it as the input image data 502 in the memory 225.
[0040]
The connection between the engine ASIC 301 and the ASIC 100 is performed via the PCI bus 217. The engine ASIC 100 performs a write operation as a master, and the input of the video input unit 171 of the ASIC 100 operates as a target. In the transfer of the image data, the transfer timing is set for each line in synchronization with the pseudo line sync signal LSYNC generated at the time of reading, and the burst transfer is repeated within the line according to a predetermined burst length. FIG. 9 shows the input timing of the image data, and FIG. 10 shows the transfer timing and operation of the image data.
Similarly, at the time of image output, transfer timing is set for each line in synchronization with a line sync signal LSYNC generated from the rotation cycle of polygons, and burst transfer is performed within a line according to a predetermined burst length. Repeated.
[0041]
The input image data 502 stored in the memory 225 is stored in the HDD 231 for recovery from a jam or for later use as an electronic document from a network or the like. The storage in the HDD 231 is performed using compressed data or uncompressed data. When the compression result has a larger data amount than before compression, the data is stored as uncompressed data. The compression of the image data is performed using the compression / expansion unit 122 as shown by the arrow B, and the input image data 502 is compressed and the code data 503 is stored in the memory 225.
[0042]
Then, the code data 503 for one page stored in the memory 225 is divided into a plurality of blocks, decomposed into a plurality of disk accesses, and stored in the HDD 231. If the HDD access for one page is performed continuously, the response will be delayed until the completion of the accumulation of the code data for one page when an electronic document access request is received from the network, so the disk access is divided.
In parallel with the accumulation of the code data 503 in the HDD 231, the input image data 502 is output to the plotter 306 as shown by an arrow D. For this reason, the MCS 18 issues a request for image output to the ECS 17 when image input starts. Then, the ECS 17 requests the OS 24 to issue an image output command. On the other hand, the OS 24 calls the device driver and issues a command to the engine 26 via the engine command I / F 25.
[0043]
When the engine CPU 302 receives this command via the communication buffer of the engine ASIC 301, the engine CPU 302 controls the plotter 306 to convey sheets of a specified size from the sheet tray. Then, at the timing of the engine unit 300, the input image data 502 is read from the FIFO memories 127 and 131 of the video output unit 172, and the image 504 is plotted on paper based on the image data. Prior to this, the MCS 18 sets and activates the DMACs 130 and 132 of the video output unit 172.
This digital multifunction peripheral can perform a simple copy (1 to N: N = 1) by operating in this manner.
[0044]
Next, a printing operation in the digital multifunction peripheral will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the flow of data during the printing operation overlaid on the block diagram of FIG. In this drawing, some arrows are shown by broken lines, but this is for the purpose of making the drawings easier to see, and not for comparing with the flow shown by solid arrows. The same applies to the following corresponding drawings.
In this digital multi-function peripheral, when data including a print command is transferred from a host connected to the IEEE1284 I / F 204, the SCS 22 shown in FIG. 4 receives the print command data 505 and notifies the printer application 11 of the data.
[0045]
Then, the printer application 11 interprets the print command data 505, and the CPU 201 starts drawing an image as indicated by an arrow F. Further, the printer application 11 requests the MCS 18 to output an image in parallel. Then, the MCS 18 requests the SCS 22 for resources for image output. When the requested resource becomes available, the SCS 22 notifies the MCS 18 that it is available and is ready for output.
Thereafter, the printer application 11 transfers the image data 506 for which the drawing has been completed to the MCS 18. Then, the MCS 18 compresses the image data 506 using the compression / decompression device 119 as shown by the arrow G. The compressed code data 507 is stored in the HDD 231 as shown by an arrow I for use in recovery from a jam or for use as an electronic document from a network or the like. Since drawing and compression are performed faster than image output, code data 507 obtained by compressing image data 506 accumulates in memory 225 and HDD 231 for a plurality of pages.
[0046]
When the MCS 18 is ready for output on the engine unit 300 side, the MCS 18 decompresses the code data 507 using the compression / decompression unit 122 in the printing order, and stores it as output image data 508 on the memory 225. Further, the MCS 18 sets the DMACs 130 and 132 of the video output unit 172 for output, activates them, and instructs the ECS 17 to output an image.
Then, the ECS 17 requests the OS 24 to issue an image output command. In response, the OS 24 calls the device driver and issues a command to the engine 26 via the engine command I / F 25.
[0047]
When the engine CPU 302 receives this command via the communication buffer of the engine ASIC 301, the engine CPU 302 controls the plotter 306 to convey a sheet of a designated size from a sheet tray. Then, as shown by the arrow D, the output image data 508 is read from the FIFOs 127 and 131 of the video output unit 172 at the timing of the engine unit 300 side, and the image 509 is plotted on a sheet based on the image data.
The digital MFP can perform a printing operation by operating in this manner.
[0048]
Next, a scanner operation in the digital multifunction peripheral will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the flow of data during the scanner operation overlaid on the block diagram of FIG.
In this digital multi-function peripheral, when the user presses the scanner function selection button on the default copy menu screen of the operation unit 230, the user can move to the scanner menu screen.
When the SCS 22 shown in FIG. 4 detects that the scanner function is selected on the operation unit 230, it notifies the scanner application 14 of the selection. Upon receiving this notification, the scanner application 14 instructs the OCS 19 to display a menu screen on the operation unit 230.
[0049]
Thereafter, when the user places the document 501 on the ADF (not shown), sets the reading mode, and presses the start key, the scanner operation starts.
When detecting that the start key has been pressed, the SCS 22 notifies the scanner application 14 that the start key has been pressed. Then, the scanner application 14 instructs the MCS 18 to scan the document 501 using the currently selected mode.
Upon receiving this instruction, the MCS 18 requests the SCS 22 for resources necessary for scanning the document. Then, the SCS 22 notifies the MCS 18 when the requested resource becomes available.
[0050]
Upon receiving this notification, the MCS 18 issues a request to the ECS 17 to read one document. Then, the ECS 17 requests the OS 24 to issue a command. In response to this request, the OS 24 calls the device driver and issues a command to the engine 26 via the engine command I / F 25.
When the engine CPU 302 receives this command via the communication buffer of the engine ASIC 301, it controls the scanner 307 to read the document 501 on the ADF.
[0051]
On the other hand, the MCS 18 sets the DMAC 134 of the video input unit 171 prior to reading, and activates it. Then, the engine CPU 302 controls the scanner 307 to read the image data of the document 501 and sends the image data to the engine ASIC 302 via the image processing unit 308 that performs image processing required for image input.
The basic operation is the same as the image input at the time of the copy operation, and the read image data passes through the flow of the input image from the scanner 307 indicated by the arrow A to the memory 225, and is input to the memory 225 as the input image data 502. Is stored in The data format of the image data handled in the scanner operation is 8-bit multi-value or 1-bit binary for monochrome, and 8-bit multi-value data for each of RGB for color.
[0052]
Thereafter, the input image data 502 is converted into code data 210 in an image format suitable for an external host PC or HDD 231 according to an output destination by software processing in the CPU 201 as indicated by an arrow J. The converted code data 210 is stored in the memory 225. In some cases, it may not be converted.
Then, the code data 210 is stored in the HDD 231 as shown by the arrow I or transferred to the host via the MIC 143 and the IEEE1284 I / F 204 as shown by the arrow K, depending on the mode of the scanner application 14.
This digital multifunction peripheral can perform a scanner operation by operating as described above.
[0053]
Next, a network application operation in the digital multi-function peripheral will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the data flow during the operation of the network application superimposed on the block diagram of FIG.
In this digital multi-function peripheral, the network application 15 is an application that handles documents stored in the HDD 231 from the network, creates thumbnails in response to requests from the host, transfers data to the host, prints, etc. An application that transfers data to another multifunction device or transfers data to a server.
When a list request for documents stored in the HDD 231 is received from a host connected to the network 215, the SCS 22 notifies the network application 15 that the list request has been received. Then, the network application 15 requests the SCS 22 for necessary resources.
[0054]
The SCS 22 notifies the network application 15 when the requested resource becomes available, and the network application 15 requests the MCS 18 for the thumbnail of the document stored in the HDD 231.
Then, the MCS 18 performs processing according to the data format on the document stored in the HDD 231 to create thumbnail data 511 and passes the thumbnail data 511 to the network application 15. The thumbnail data 511 reads the document stored in the HDD 231 into the memory 225 as indicated by the arrow L, and the image data 513 that has not been compressed or converted is processed by the CPU 201 as indicated by the arrow N to be compressed and converted. The code data 512 can be created by the CPU 201 once returning to the original image and then processing it, as shown by the arrow M.
[0055]
Then, the created thumbnail data 511 is transferred to the host as shown by the arrow P. This transfer is suitable for the file format in which the host can interpret the thumbnail data 511 by the network application 15, for example, the html format if the host is browsing with a browser, and the application if the host is browsing with a dedicated application. After converting to a special format.
When the host receives the thumbnail data 511, it waits for the user to process. For example, when the user issues a request to select a certain document and transfer it to the host, the browsing application by the host browser or dedicated application is designated. To the digital MFP to transfer the document to the host.
[0056]
Upon receiving the transfer request from the host, the SCS 22 notifies the network application 15 that a document transfer request has been received. Then, the network application 15 requests the SCS 22 for necessary resources.
The SCS 22 notifies the network application 15 when the requested resource becomes available, and the network application 15 requests the MCS 18 for the document data stored in the HDD 231. Then, the MCS 18 transfers the requested document data to the network application 15. Note that the document data is image data 513 or code data 512 read from the HDD 231 as shown by an arrow L, or data in another format. Then, the network application 15 converts the format of the received document data if necessary, and then transfers the format to the host as indicated by arrows O and Q.
[0057]
Thereafter, when the user browsing with the browsing application of the host selects a document and instructs printing, the browsing application instructs the digital multifunction peripheral to print the specified document.
Upon receiving a print request from the host, the SCS 22 notifies the network application 15 that a document print request has been received. Then, the network application 15 requests the SCS 22 for necessary resources.
The SCS 22 notifies the network application 15 when the requested resource becomes available, and the network application 15 requests the MCS 18 to print the specified document.
Then, the MCS 18 requests the SCS 22 for resources necessary for printing, prepares the output image data 513, and thereafter prints the document in the same manner as the operation for copying.
This digital multifunction peripheral can perform a network application operation by operating in this manner.
[0058]
Next, referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 14, a state transition relating to energy saving in the digital multifunction peripheral, an operation in the energy saving mode which is a feature of the present invention, and a return from the energy saving mode to the normal operation mode will be described. The operation at the time will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portion related to an energy saving mode and a return operation in the controller of the digital multifunction peripheral. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a power supply state of the portion shown in FIG. 1 in the energy saving mode. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a transition of power consumption accompanying a transition of a state in the digital multi-function peripheral.
[0059]
When the main power is turned on, the digital multifunction peripheral performs the initialization process including the initialization of the CPU 201 and the ASIC 100 in the controller 200 as described above, and the engine unit 300 waits for ready. On the other hand, the engine unit 300 warms up the fixing unit of the plotter 306 through an initialization process including the initialization of the engine CPU 302 and the initialization of the engine ASIC 301, and communicates with the controller 200 to warm up the fixing unit. Let them know. At this time, the engine unit 300 attempts to start up as fast as possible by using more power than usual as shown in FIG. 14 until the fixing unit reaches a certain temperature.
[0060]
When the temperature of the fixing unit reaches the target temperature, the control is changed, and the temperature of the fixing unit is kept constant using normal power. Then, when the engine unit 300 becomes ready and there is a user's instruction, a copy operation (image forming operation) is started, and a certain amount of power is consumed during the copy operation.
When the copying is completed, the copying machine stands by in a copyable state, and if there is no operation or job execution for a certain period of time, a timeout of the monitoring timer for transition to the energy saving mode occurs. Here, the CPU 201 functions as an energy saving mode shift unit.
[0061]
In the energy saving mode, power supply is stopped except for a detection unit for detecting a return trigger from the energy saving mode and a part necessary for returning from the energy saving mode, thereby suppressing power consumption. Which part is supplied with power will be described later.
Thereafter, in the energy saving mode, when the user presses the return key from the energy saving mode to make a copy, places a document on the ADF, lifts the ADF, or instructs the network 215 to return. , These become return triggers and start a return operation. Even during the return operation, an attempt is made to increase the temperature of the fixing unit as quickly as possible by using more power than usual in order to raise the temperature of the fixing unit.
[0062]
In the return operation, the controller 200 performs an initialization process including the initialization of the CPU 201 and the ASIC 100, and waits for the engine unit 300 to be ready. On the other hand, the engine unit 300 warms up the fixing unit of the plotter 306 through an initialization process including the initialization of the engine CPU 302 and the initialization of the engine ASIC 301. It communicates with the controller 200 to notify that the fixing unit is warming up. When the engine becomes ready, the subsequent operations are in the same normal mode as described above.
[0063]
By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, in the digital multifunction peripheral, an ASIC 100 of a controller 200 is provided with an energy saving control unit 103 as a second control unit having lower power consumption than the CPU 201 as a control unit for an energy saving mode. ing. Then, after transiting to the energy saving mode, the energy saving control unit 103 controls the power supply control line (and the clock output control line) PWRCTL1 in response to a return trigger from the outside, and controls the system of the image processing apparatus. It has the function of starting up and returning to the normal operation mode. The PWRCTL1 is a control line that, when enabled, stops the clock generator 220 from supplying a clock to each unit, and also stops supplying power to the clock generator 220.
[0064]
Since such an energy-saving control unit 103 is provided, the digital multifunction peripheral can return to the normal operation mode even if the power of the CPU 201 is turned off in the energy-saving mode. It is sufficient to supply power to the detecting means for detecting the return trigger from the energy saving mode and the energy saving control unit 103, so that the power consumption in the energy saving mode can be reduced. In the energy saving mode, supply of a clock to an unnecessary portion is stopped, or an unnecessary portion is reset to reduce power consumption.
[0065]
Further, in order to turn off the power supply of the device connected to the ASIC 100, it is necessary to prevent the power supply of the ASIC 100 from going around. Therefore, the necessary signal is set to a Hi-Z (high impedance) state. For this reason, the ASIC 100 has two reset input signals, a RESET signal and a RESET signal. When the power is turned on, the ASIC 100 resets both signals. However, in the energy saving mode, only the RESET signal is reset, and the related IO buffers and terminals are reset. In the Hi-Z state.
Conditions for returning from the energy saving mode include a return request from the network 215, connection / disconnection of a network cable, setting of an original in the ADF, opening / closing of a platen cover, replacement of a toner bottle, insertion / removal of a paper tray, and the like. Sensors for detecting these operations can be used as the above-mentioned detecting means. The power supply for this sensor uses a system that is also supplied during the energy saving mode.
[0066]
The detecting means is not limited to the sensor. For example, in order to detect and respond to a return instruction from the network 215, a network I / F 205 is required. Not be. In order to use the operation by the operation unit 230 as a return trigger, the operation unit I / F 203 for detecting the operation is also a detection unit. Such a detecting means may be provided or determined according to a return trigger that needs to be detected.
Further, if the operation of many units on the ASIC 100 is required as the detection means, power may be supplied to the entire ASIC 100. The power consumption of the ASIC 100 is smaller than that of the CPU 201, and even in this case, the effect of reducing power consumption by stopping power supply to the CPU 201 can be obtained.
[0067]
When returning from the energy-saving mode, the energy-saving control unit 103 transmits a reset signal to each unit including the CPU 201, and thereafter performs the same initialization processing as the above-described initialization at the time of power-on, and performs the normal operation mode. Move to. The CPU 201 starts from the reset state, and determines whether the previous state is the energy saving mode by referring to the register of the ASIC 100.
[0068]
By the way, when power is supplied to only the minimum part in the power saving mode as described above, the CPU 201 reads the code from the ROM 206 in the same manner as when the power is turned on, executes the code, and performs the initialization processing. become.
As described in the description of the initialization processing, the access speed to the ROM 206 is slow. In this case, the rise time of the application including the OS 24 of the controller 200, which depends on the access time to the program ROM, is increased when the power is turned on. It can not be much faster than.
[0069]
Here, the recovery time from the energy saving mode, which is started up from the state where the power is turned on, must be shorter than the startup time when the main power supply is turned on from the state where the power is not turned on. And it is actually like this, but it is better that both times are shorter. In particular, since the return time from the energy saving mode is directly connected to the operability of the apparatus, the demand for shortening the time is stronger.
If the necessary programs and data read from the ROM 206 are copied to the standard RAM 210 during the start-up, and the copy is executed from here, the speed can be improved somewhat, but it takes time to perform the copy.
[0070]
Therefore, during operation in the normal mode, at least a part (or all) of the data necessary for returning from the energy saving mode is preferably read from the ROM 206 and copied and stored in the standard RAM 210 in advance. Copiers do so. This operation can be performed by the CPU 201.
In this manner, the power is also supplied to the standard RAM 210 in the energy saving mode, and the standard RAM 210 is set in the self-refresh mode by the CKE signal, so that necessary data can be stored in the energy saving mode.
In this case, the RAM controller 106 for controlling the operation of the standard RAM 210 is also included in the second control means. FIG. 2 shows this state, and the hatched portion is a portion where power is not supplied in the energy saving mode.
Then, at the time of the return process from the power saving mode, if the code or data copied to the standard RAM 210 is read out and executed from the time when the standard RAM 210 becomes accessible from the CPU 201, the code and data are stored in the ROM 206. Booting the system much faster than running the code you are running, and returning the device to normal operating mode in a short time.
[0071]
This digital copier is equipped with two types of RAMs, a standard RAM 210 which is mounted on the controller as a standard and an optional RAM 211 which is additionally mounted as an option.
The option RAM 211 is unnecessary for normal use, but is added to improve the performance of the printer function or increase the number of electronic sort functions of the copy function. Therefore, the management area of the system, instruction codes, and the like are basically stored in the standard RAM 210. Therefore, data necessary for returning from the energy saving mode is also stored in the standard RAM 210.
On the other hand, the contents stored in the option RAM 211 are unnecessary for starting up the system application at the time of return. Therefore, the power is not supplied to the option RAM 211 in the energy saving mode, the CKE signal of the SDRAM is not controlled, and the contents are not refreshed. Let it be destroyed naturally. Then, upon return, the contents are initialized and used for subsequent operations.
[0072]
Even if the contents of the standard RAM 210 are backed up in the self-refresh mode, there is a possibility that the contents are destroyed for some reason such as noise. Therefore, using the data stored in the standard RAM 210 at the time of the return processing, before executing the code, a check of the code on the standard RAM 210 or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is performed. Good to do. Then, if there is no problem in the data stored in the standard RAM 210 as a result of the inspection, the code stored in the standard RAM 210 may be executed, and if there is a problem, the code stored in the ROM 206 may be executed. In this way, even when the storage contents of the standard RAM 210 are destroyed due to noise or the like, the application can be normally started and the return operation can be performed.
The above inspection may be performed by the CPU 201 executing a program (code) stored in the ROM 206, or may be performed on all data stored in the standard RAM 210. It may be determined by inspection.
[0073]
By the way, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the first storage means is constituted by a ROM and the second storage means is constituted by a RAM. However, these storage means may be constituted by another memory. Of course. The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and it goes without saying that other points may be appropriately changed.
Also, an example in which the present invention is applied to a digital multifunction peripheral has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to general electronic devices that can perform the transition. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a built-in control device that controls the shift to the energy saving mode and the return from the mode.
[0074]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, power consumption in the power saving mode can be reduced. In addition, at least a part of data necessary for returning from the energy saving mode is stored in the second storage means, and the return process from the energy saving mode is performed by using the data. To the normal operation mode in a short time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a portion related to an operation at a time of an energy saving mode and a return in a controller of a digital multifunction peripheral which is an embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a power supply state of the portion illustrated in FIG. 1 in an energy saving mode.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram mainly showing a configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral as an embodiment of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a software configuration diagram showing a configuration of software provided in the digital multifunction peripheral.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the ASIC shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a memory map of the ASIC.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital multi-function peripheral shown in FIG. 3 also on the engine side.
8 is a diagram showing the flow of data during a copy operation in the digital multifunction peripheral, superimposed on the block diagram of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the input timing of image data in the copy operation.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing transfer timing and operation of image data.
11 is a diagram showing a flow of data during a printing operation in the digital multi-function peripheral shown in FIG. 7 overlaid on the block diagram of FIG. 7;
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a data flow at the time of a scanner operation in a manner superimposed on the block diagram of FIG. 7;
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a data flow when the network application is operating, superimposed on the block diagram of FIG. 7;
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a transition of power consumption accompanying a transition of a state.
[Explanation of symbols]
100: ASIC 103: Energy saving control unit
106: RAM controller 200: Controller
201: CPU 205: Network I / F
206 to 208: ROM 210: Standard RAM
211: Option RAM 215: Network
220: Clock generator 300: Engine section

Claims (3)

An image processing device for processing image data,
First control means for performing overall control of the entire apparatus;
Energy saving mode shifting means for shifting to the energy saving mode;
A second control unit having a function of returning to the normal operation mode from the energy saving mode, and having lower power consumption than the first control unit;
Detecting means for detecting a return trigger from the energy saving mode,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the mode is shifted to the energy saving mode, power is supplied only to the second control unit and the detection unit. An image processing device for processing image data,
First control means for performing overall control of the entire apparatus;
Energy saving mode shifting means for shifting to the energy saving mode;
A second control unit having a function of returning to the normal operation mode from the energy saving mode, and having lower power consumption than the first control unit;
Detecting means for detecting a return trigger from the energy saving mode;
First storage means for storing data necessary for the operation of the first control means;
A second storage unit that can be accessed faster than the first storage unit;
Means for storing at least a part of data necessary for returning from the energy saving mode in the second storage means,
In the case of shifting to the energy saving mode, power is supplied only to the second control means, the detection means, and the second storage means, and the return processing from the energy saving mode is performed in the second storage means. An image processing apparatus characterized in that the processing is performed using stored data. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2,
An image processing apparatus, comprising: means for confirming whether the data stored in the second storage means is correct or not when performing the return processing from the energy saving mode.

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