JP2001142588A - Power saving control system and printer using the system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of efficient power saving and production by balancing power saving and productivity. SOLUTION: At the time of shifting to a power saving mode by power saving mode shifting judgment (YES at S1), a printer controller issues a power saving shifting command to each unit and continually executes the inquiry of a power saving state to each unit (S2). Each unit responds to the inquiry by a recovering time (S3). The printer controller decides the power saving mode for shifting by the recovering time responded by each of the units (S4). Further, responses from a printer engine part and an operation panel part are made to the print controller and in this case, a longer recovering time which makes a bottleneck until ready becomes a reference.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power saving control system and a printing apparatus using the system, and more particularly, to a device capable of performing power saving control for each unit in the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A laser printer is one type of printer using an electrophotographic process. In this type of printer, a thermal fixing system is generally used. In the power saving mode, it is generally known that the fixing heater is turned off, and it is effective. Also, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-72678, the invention does not aim at the power saving mode by controlling the fixing temperature of the fixing heater, and power saving is not the purpose. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-212029, it is necessary to acquire a state of a fixing heater from a printer engine unit, transmit the acquired state to a host via a host interface, and inform a user of a time until the printer is ready. Some inventions have made it possible.

[0003]

As described above, in order to save power as described above, various products are provided with various means to make efforts to save power.
In the case of the device A, it is inevitable that the productivity is deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object to provide a device that balances power saving and productivity, and that can efficiently perform power saving and production. It was done.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power saving control method for an apparatus having a plurality of control units and capable of performing power saving control for each control unit in a power saving mode. Each of the control units monitors a power saving state of another control unit and determines a power saving mode according to the power saving state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the monitoring of the power saving state of the other control unit is a time required for the control unit to return from the power saving mode. It is a characteristic.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus using the invention according to the first or second aspect, wherein the printer controller executes a plurality of power saving modes. Is turned off, and the printer controller performs transition control of a power saving mode in accordance with the temperature of the fixing heater.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part for explaining an embodiment of a power saving control system according to the present invention and a printing apparatus using the system. Is a printer controller, 3 is a CPU, 4 is an ASIC, 5
Is a ROM, 6 is a DRAM, 7 is an EEPROM, 8 is an operation panel, 9 is an LCD panel, 10 is a panel control board,
Reference numeral 11 denotes a printer engine unit, and reference numeral 12 denotes an engine control board.

The printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of three units, a printer controller unit 2, a printer engine unit 11, and an operation panel unit 8. Each unit has a CPU mounted thereon for control. Have been done. Also,
Each unit has a communication unit, is connected to the printer controller unit 2, and can share information of each unit via the printer controller unit 2.
At the time of the power saving mode, the mode is shifted to the power saving mode for each unit.
FF, and the printer engine unit 11 sets the fixing heater to O
In the FF, the printer controller 2 performs partial power supply cutoff and the like.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the power saving control system according to the present invention and the operation of the printing apparatus using the system, and is a flow of the printer controller. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the printer controller 2 performs the main control and controls each unit.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic table of the time required for the fixing temperature portion to return from the power saving mode in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. This curve characteristic is unique to the device, and is made into a temperature versus time table. Alternatively, it is stored in the printer engine unit as a temperature versus time function, and when an inquiry about a power saving state is received, a return time obtained from those tables or functions is returned.

A description will be given of the flowchart shown in FIG. Upon transition to the power saving mode by the power saving mode transition determination (YES in S1), the printer controller
A power saving shift command is issued to each unit, and subsequently, the printer controller inquires each unit about a power saving state (S2). Each unit responds, for example, with the return time obtained from the characteristic table of FIG. 3 (S3). The printer controller determines the power saving mode to be shifted according to the return time to which each unit responds (S4). The printer controller responds from the printer engine unit and the operation panel unit. In this case, the longer return time, which is a bottleneck until ready, is the basis.

In the present invention, an object of the present invention is to save power and increase productivity. Therefore, the power saving mode in the printer controller section is as follows: power saving mode 1: the return time is 3 seconds or less. The power effect is small. Power saving mode 2: Recovery time is 10 seconds or less, and a power saving effect of about 50%. Power saving mode 3: Recovery time is 10 seconds or more, and a power saving effect of 80% or more. Is an appropriate mode, and shifts to an appropriate power saving mode at any time as shown in the flowchart. When the power saving mode release event occurs (YES in S5), a return process is performed (S6).

In the present invention, the details of the procedure for shifting to the power saving mode, the procedure for canceling the power saving, and the means for saving power are not related to the present invention, so that the detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, a power saving mode transition procedure: no data in from the host I / F for 5 minutes or more; a release procedure: data in from the host I / F; power saving means: operating frequency is reduced to 1/4.

[0015]

(1) Effects of the invention of claim 1 In the power saving mode, the state of each unit in the power saving mode can be detected, so that each unit has the optimal power saving mode so that productivity is not reduced as much as possible. Can be set.

(2) Effects of the Second Embodiment Since the power saving mode is detected by using the time required for recovery as a parameter, the power saving mode is set in each unit according to the unit having the longest recovery time. And efficient power saving can be achieved.

(3) Effect of the invention of claim 3 Since the recovery time varies depending on the temperature of the fixing heater, especially immediately after switching to the power saving mode, the recovery time changes every moment. By setting the power saving mode on the printer controller side according to the temperature of the fixing heater, it is possible to efficiently save power and prevent the productivity from deteriorating.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of a power saving control system according to the present invention and a printing apparatus using the system.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a power saving control method according to the present invention and an operation of a printing apparatus using the method.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic table of a time required for the fixing temperature unit to return from a power saving mode in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing device, 2 ... Printer controller part, 3 ... CP
U, 4 ASIC, 5 ROM, 6 DRAM, 7 E
EPROM, 8 ... operation panel, 9 ... LCD panel, 10
... Panel control board, 11 ... Printer engine unit, 12
... engine control board.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) 9A001

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A power saving control method for a device comprising a plurality of control units and capable of performing power saving control on a control unit basis in a power saving mode, wherein each of the control units is controlled by another control unit. A power saving control method characterized by monitoring a power saving state and determining a power saving mode according to the power saving state. 2. The power saving control method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the power saving state of the other control unit is a time required for the control unit to return from the power saving mode. Power saving control method. 3. A printing apparatus using the power saving control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the printer controller executes a plurality of power saving modes, wherein the fixing heater is turned off in the power saving mode. A printer controller for controlling a transition to a power saving mode in accordance with a temperature of the fixing heater.