JP2004222452A - Power supply circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further reduce power consumption when an electric apparatus is in a non-operating state. <P>SOLUTION: This power supply circuit comprises: a power supply that can output at least two voltages of a first voltage 17 that is applied when the connected load apparatus 10 is in an operating state and a second voltage 18 that is applied when the load apparatus in the non-operating state; a detection part 11 that detects the power consumption of the load apparatus; a determination part 21 that determines whether the load apparatus in the operating state or in the non-operating state based on a power consumption value detected by the detection part; and a voltage control part 15 that outputs the first voltage to the power supply when the determination part determines that the load apparatus is in the operating state, and outputs the second voltage to the power supply when the determination part determines that the load apparatus is in the non-operating state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an output voltage control technique for a switching power supply circuit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In many recent electronic devices, a control circuit in the device controls the operation in a complicated manner, and it is necessary to perform a predetermined process when shifting from an operation state to a non-operation state. For this reason, when the electronic device is shifted to the non-operating state by disconnecting the power source from the primary side of the power supply circuit in the electronic device during the process of shifting to the operating state and the non-operating state, the electronic device shifts to the operating state again. Migration may not be possible. On the other hand, the control circuit in the electronic device keeps the non-operation state in order to wait for the operation of returning to the operation state and consumes power. This has been an obstacle to reducing the power consumption of the electronic device when it is not operating. As a conventional method for reducing power consumption of an electronic device in a non-operating state, there is a method in which when a power supply circuit detects a decrease in output current, an internal switching element is intermittently oscillated to suppress power consumption.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional method, the power consumption in the non-operating state of the electronic device has not been sufficiently reduced, which has been a problem.
[0004]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to further reduce power consumption of an electronic device in a non-operating state.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a power supply circuit according to the present invention includes a first voltage value corresponding to a case where a connected load device is in an operation state, and a state in which the load device is in a non-operation state. A power supply capable of outputting at least two voltage values of the second voltage value corresponding to the case, detection means for detecting power consumption of the load device, and a power consumption value detected by the detection means. A determination unit that determines whether the load device is in an operation state or a non-operation state; and when the determination unit determines that the load device is in an operation state, the first power supply is supplied to the power supply. A voltage control unit that outputs a voltage value, and when the determination unit determines that the load device is in a non-operating state, causes the power supply to output the second voltage value. I do.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0007]
Generally, when an electronic circuit in an electronic device shifts from an operating state to a non-operating state, power consumption decreases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a means for detecting a load state in a power supply circuit in an electronic device, and an operation state determination means for determining the state of the electronic circuit from the detected load state to an operation state or a non-operation state are provided. The power supply circuit supplies a voltage sufficient for the operation of the electronic circuit when the determined state is the operating state, but the electronic circuit holds the state when the determined state is the non-operating state. By supplying from the power supply circuit a voltage that is necessary and sufficient to perform the operation, the power consumption of the electronic circuit in the non-operation state can be reduced.
[0008]
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording apparatus will be described.
[0009]
<Description of inkjet recording apparatus (FIG. 1)>
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 1 which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a recording apparatus) transmits a driving force generated by a carriage motor M1 to a carriage 1002 mounted with a recording head 1003 that performs recording by discharging ink according to an ink jet method. 1004, the carriage 1002 is reciprocated in the direction of arrow A, and, for example, a recording medium P such as recording paper is fed through a paper feeding mechanism 1005, conveyed to a recording position, and the recording head 1003 is moved to the recording position. The recording is performed by ejecting ink to the recording medium P from the above.
[0011]
In addition, in order to maintain the state of the print head 1003 well, the carriage 1002 is moved to the position of the recovery device 1010, and the ejection recovery processing of the print head 1003 is performed intermittently.
[0012]
A carriage 1002 of the printing apparatus 1001 has a print head 1003 mounted thereon and an ink cartridge 1006 for storing ink to be supplied to the print head 1003 mounted thereon. The ink cartridge 1006 is detachable from the carriage 1002.
[0013]
The printing apparatus 1001 shown in FIG. 1 is capable of performing color printing, and therefore, the carriage 1002 has four ink cartridges containing magenta (M), cyan (C), yellow (Y), and black (K) inks, respectively. Equipped with an ink cartridge. These four ink cartridges are independently detachable.
[0014]
By the way, the carriage 1002 and the recording head 1003 are designed such that the joining surfaces of the two members are properly brought into contact with each other so that required electrical connection can be achieved and maintained. The print head 1003 selectively discharges ink from a plurality of discharge ports to perform printing by applying energy according to a print signal. In particular, the recording head 1003 of this embodiment employs an ink-jet method in which ink is ejected using thermal energy, includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy, and is applied to the electrothermal converter. Electric energy is converted to heat energy, and ink is ejected from an ejection port by utilizing pressure change caused by growth and shrinkage of bubbles caused by film boiling caused by applying the heat energy to the ink. The electrothermal converter is provided corresponding to each of the ejection ports, and discharges ink from the corresponding ejection port by applying a pulse voltage to the corresponding electrothermal converter in accordance with a recording signal.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 1002 is connected to a part of the drive belt 1007 of the transmission mechanism 1004 that transmits the driving force of the carriage motor M1, and slides along the guide shaft 1013 in the direction of arrow A. It is designed to be freely guided and supported. Accordingly, the carriage 1002 reciprocates along the guide shaft 1013 by the forward and reverse rotation of the carriage motor M1. Further, a scale 1008 is provided for indicating the absolute position of the carriage 1002 along the moving direction of the carriage 1002 (the direction of arrow A). In this embodiment, the scale 1008 uses a transparent PET film printed with black bars at the required pitch, one of which is fixed to the chassis 1009 and the other is supported by a leaf spring (not shown). I have.
[0016]
Further, the printing apparatus 1001 is provided with a platen (not shown) opposed to an ejection port surface on which ejection ports (not shown) of the recording head 1003 are formed, and the recording head 1003 is driven by the driving force of the carriage motor M1. Is carried out reciprocally, and at the same time, a recording signal is applied to the recording head 1003 to discharge ink, thereby performing recording over the entire width of the recording medium P conveyed on the platen.
[0017]
1, reference numeral 1014 denotes a conveyance roller driven by the conveyance motor M2 to convey the recording medium P; 1015, a pinch roller for bringing the recording medium P into contact with the conveyance roller 1014 by a spring (not shown); A pinch roller holder 1017 rotatably supporting the roller 1015 is a transport roller gear fixed to one end of the transport roller 1014. The transport roller 1014 is driven by the rotation of the transport motor M2 transmitted to the transport roller gear 1017 via an intermediate gear (not shown).
[0018]
Further, reference numeral 1020 denotes a discharge roller for discharging the recording medium P on which an image has been formed by the recording head 1003 to the outside of the recording apparatus, and is driven by transmitting the rotation of the transport motor M2. . The discharge roller 1020 contacts the recording medium P by a spur roller (not shown) that presses the recording medium P by a spring (not shown). A spur holder 1022 rotatably supports the spur roller.
[0019]
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1001 has a desired position (for example, home) outside the range of reciprocation (outside the printing area) for the printing operation of the carriage 1002 on which the printing head 1003 is mounted. (A position corresponding to the position), a recovery device 1010 for recovering the ejection failure of the recording head 3 is provided.
[0020]
The recovery device 1010 includes a capping mechanism 11 for capping the ejection port face of the recording head 1003 and a wiping mechanism 1012 for cleaning the ejection port face of the recording head 1003, and interlocks with the capping of the ejection port face by the capping mechanism 1011. The ink is forcibly ejected from the ejection port by a suction means (suction pump or the like) in the recovery device, and thereby, ejection recovery such as removal of ink or bubbles with increased viscosity in the ink flow path of the recording head 1003 is performed. Perform processing.
[0021]
Further, at the time of non-printing operation or the like, by capping the ejection opening surface of the print head 1003 by the capping mechanism 1011, it is possible to protect the print head 1003 and prevent evaporation and drying of the ink. On the other hand, the wiping mechanism 1012 is arranged near the capping mechanism 1011 so as to wipe off ink droplets attached to the ejection port surface of the recording head 1003.
[0022]
The capping mechanism 1011 and the wiping mechanism 1012 make it possible to keep the ink ejection state of the recording head 1003 normal.
[0023]
<Control configuration of inkjet recording apparatus (FIG. 2)>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the printing apparatus shown in FIG.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 600 includes an MPU 601, a ROM 602 storing a program corresponding to a control sequence to be described later, necessary tables, and other fixed data, control of a carriage motor M1, control of a transport motor M2, and recording. A special-purpose integrated circuit (ASIC) 603 for generating a control signal for controlling the head 1003, a RAM 604 provided with a development area for image data, a work area for executing a program, and the like, interconnected with an MPU 601, an ASIC 603, and a RAM 604 A system bus 605 for transmitting and receiving data, an A / D converter 606 for inputting and A / D converting an analog signal from a sensor group described below, and supplying a digital signal to the MPU 601.
[0025]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 610 denotes a computer (or a reader for reading an image, a digital camera, or the like) serving as a supply source of image data, and is generally called a host device. Image data, commands, status signals, and the like are transmitted and received between the host device 610 and the recording device 1001 via an interface (I / F) 611.
[0026]
Reference numeral 620 denotes a switch group which instructs activation of a power switch 621, a print switch 622 for instructing a print start, and a process (recovery process) for maintaining the ink ejection performance of the recording head 1003 in a good state. And a switch for receiving a command input by the operator, such as a recovery switch 623 for performing the operation. Reference numeral 630 denotes a position sensor 631 such as a photocoupler for detecting a home position h, and a temperature sensor 632 provided at an appropriate position of a recording device for detecting an environmental temperature. It is a sensor group.
[0027]
Further, reference numeral 640 denotes a carriage motor driver for driving a carriage motor M1 for reciprocally scanning the carriage 1002 in the direction of arrow A, and reference numeral 642 denotes a transport motor driver for driving a transport motor M2 for transporting the recording medium P.
[0028]
Next, an embodiment of a power supply circuit used in the above-described inkjet recording apparatus will be described.
[0029]
(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the power supply circuit according to the first embodiment.
[0030]
In FIG. 3, 1 is an AC outlet for receiving supply of AC power, 2 is a rectifier circuit for rectifying AC current into DC current, 3 is a smoothing capacitor for smoothing DC current rectified by the rectifier circuit 2, 4 is a transformer for converting a voltage, 5 is a switching element, 6 is a sawtooth wave generating circuit for generating a sawtooth wave which is a basic switching timing of the switching element 5, and 7 is a switching for generating a switching signal for controlling the switching element. A signal generator, 8 is a rectifying diode, 9 is an output filter capacitor, and 10 is a circuit connected to the power supply circuit (for example, a control circuit such as the above-described controller 600 or a motor driver), and is hereinafter referred to as a load.
[0031]
11 is a feedback control circuit for feeding back the state of the output voltage of the power supply, 12 is a photocoupler for transmitting a signal from the feedback control circuit 11 to the primary side of the power supply circuit, and 13 is a power supply circuit sent from the photocoupler 12 , An output voltage value signal indicating the state of the output voltage, a reference voltage 14 for determining the state of the load 10, a reference voltage 2 V, an ON time comparator 15 for determining the state of the load 10, and an output voltage 16 of the power supply An output voltage specifying signal for specifying whether to use +5 V for the operating state or +1 V for the non-operating state, 17 is a +5 V reference voltage for generating a +5 V reference voltage, and 18 is a +1 V reference voltage for generating a +1 V reference voltage , 19 are reference voltage selectors for selecting which of the +5 V reference voltage and the +1 V reference voltage is used as the reference of the output voltage value of the power supply circuit, 0 is the reference output voltage selected by the reference voltage selector 19, 21 is a differential amplifier for comparing the output voltage value of the power supply with the reference voltage, and in this embodiment, has an amplification factor of 1, and 22 is a voltage addition. This is the basis for setting the next ON time of the switching element 5 on the basis of the output of the differential amplifier 21 in the machine. Further, the voltage adder 22 operates every cycle of the operation of the switching element 5. 23 is a voltage limiter for limiting the output of the voltage adder 22 to a maximum of +4 V, and 24 is an ON time signal for setting the ON time of the switching element 5.
[0032]
FIG. 4 is a state transition diagram illustrating the operation of the power supply circuit according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0033]
First, the operation of each unit when the circuit starts operating will be described.
[0034]
In FIG. 4, when the AC outlet 1 is connected to a power source (not shown) in step S101, the power supply circuit starts operating. The sawtooth wave generation circuit 6 starts to output a sawtooth wave, the + 2V reference voltage 14, the + 5V reference voltage 17, and the + 1V reference voltage 18 start to output their respective output voltages, and other circuits also start operating.
[0035]
Next, the process proceeds to step S105. Immediately after the power supply circuit starts operating, the reference voltage selector 19 is connected to the + 5V reference voltage 17 side, and the reference output voltage 20 also has a value of + 5V. The output voltage of the power supply circuit is also 0 V at this point. Therefore, the output voltage signal 13 is 0V. Therefore, in step S105, the differential amplifier 21 compares the output voltage value signal 13 with the reference output voltage 20 and determines that the output voltage signal 13 is "low". As a result, the process moves to step S106.
[0036]
At this time, the output of the differential amplifier 21 becomes + 5V and is input to the voltage adder 22. Since the ON time signal 24 is also 0 V at the beginning of the operation of the power supply circuit, the input of the voltage adder 22 becomes 0 V and +5 V, and the output of the voltage adder 22 becomes +5 V. The output of the + 5V voltage adder 22 passes through the voltage limiter 23 and becomes a + 4V ON time signal. Therefore, in step S106, the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to the maximum + 4V.
[0037]
Next, the process proceeds to step S109, where the switching signal generator 7 performs the ON-OFF operation of the switching element 5 using the output of the sawtooth wave generation circuit 6 and the ON time signal. Next, the process proceeds to step S102. Since the ON time signal 24 is + 4V, the ON time comparator 15 compares the ON time signal 24 with the + 2V reference voltage 14, and outputs a plus value as the output voltage designation signal 16. When the output voltage designation signal 16 is positive, the reference voltage selector 19 selects the + 5V reference voltage 17, and the determination in S102 is "Yes", the process proceeds to step S103, and the reference voltage selector 19 sets the reference output voltage 20 to the + 5V reference voltage. Select 17.
[0038]
Next, the process proceeds to step S105, where the output voltage value signal 13 is compared with the reference output voltage 20 set to + 5V by the differential amplifier 21. At this time, since the output voltage of the power supply has not changed much from 0V, Similarly, the differential amplifier 21 outputs a positive value, and is determined to be “low” in step S105, and the process proceeds to step S106. Next, the ON time signal 24 of +4 V and the output of the differential amplifier 21 of about +5 V are input to the voltage adder 23 to take a value of about +9 V, but the ON time signal is limited to +4 V by the voltage limiter 23. Therefore, in step S106, the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to be long. However, since the ON time signal 24 is set to the maximum value of +4 V, the ON time of the switching element is set using the same value as the previous time.
[0039]
Next, in step S109, the comparator 7 outputs a drive pulse to the switching element 5 using the ON time signal 24 set to +4 V and the output signal of the sawtooth wave generation circuit 6, and the switching pulse turns the switching element 5 ON. Perform an OFF operation.
[0040]
Next, the process returns to step S102 to compare the ON time signal 24 with the + 2V reference voltage 14. However, since the output of the differential amplifier 21 takes a positive value at least until the output voltage value signal 13 reaches + 5V, the ON time signal 24 is kept at + 4V. Therefore, the determination here is “Yes”. As a result, the process proceeds to step S103, step S105, step S106, and step S109 similarly to the previous time.
[0041]
After the above series of processing is repeated several times, when the output voltage of the power supply circuit reaches +5 V, the output voltage signal 13 indicates +5 V, so that the output voltage and the reference voltage are determined to be “the same” in step S105. The determination is made, and the process proceeds to step S107. Further, since the differential amplifier 21 outputs 0 V, the ON time signal 24 has the same value as the previous time. Accordingly, in step S107, the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to the same value as the previous time, and thereafter, the process proceeds to step S109, and the switching signal generator 7 performs the ON-OFF operation of the switching element 5. Thereafter, when the electronic device keeps operating, the fluctuation of the power consumption of the load 10 is determined by comparing the output voltage and the + 5V reference voltage in step S105 as in the case of the standard power supply circuit. The output voltage is controlled to be stable by performing one of the processes of S107 and S108.
[0042]
Next, the operation of the power supply circuit when the electronic device shifts to the non-operation state will be described.
[0043]
When the load 10 shifts to the non-operation state, the power consumption of the load 10 decreases. Therefore, the power supply of the power supply circuit becomes excessive and the output voltage tends to increase. Therefore, the differential amplifier 21 compares the output voltage value signal 13 for informing the state of the output voltage via the feedback control circuit 11 and the photocoupler 12 with the reference output voltage 20 for which the + 5V reference voltage 17 is selected. Since the output voltage signal 13 becomes high, the differential amplifier 21 outputs a negative value. As a result, in step S105, the output voltage is determined to be "high", and the negative output of the differential amplifier 21 is added by the voltage adder 22, and the output of the voltage adder 22 decreases from the previous value. . Therefore, the ON time signal 24 takes a value lower than the previous time, that is, a value that shortens the ON time of the switching element 5. Therefore, in step S108, the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to be shorter than the previous ON time.
[0044]
Next, in step S109, the switching signal generator 7 performs the ON-OFF operation of the switching element 5 using the ON time signal 24 having a lower value than the previous time. After that, when the process proceeds to step S102, the load 10 shifts to the non-operating state and the current consumption is reduced. Therefore, the ON time comparator 15 determines that the ON time signal 24 is smaller than the + 2V reference voltage, and proceeds to step S104. The switching signal generator 7 informs the reference voltage selector 19 of the output voltage designation signal 16 so as to use the +1 V reference voltage 18 as the reference output voltage.
[0045]
Thereafter, in step S113, the output voltage value signal 13 is compared with the reference output voltage 20 from which the + 1V reference voltage 18 is selected. Then, for a while after the load 10 shifts to the non-operation state, the output voltage value signal 13 is determined to be “high” in step S113, and the ON time of the switching element 5 is set shorter than the previous ON time in step S116. After that, in step S117, the switching element 5 is turned on and off, and the process proceeds to step S110.
[0046]
In step S110, since the power consumption remains small when the load 10 is kept in the non-operation state, the ON time signal 24 indicates a small value, and the ON time comparator 15 compares the + 2V reference voltage 14 with the ON time signal 24 and turns ON. It is determined that the time signal 24 is smaller, and the determination in step S110 is “No”.
[0047]
Next, the process proceeds to step S112, and a signal is output as the output voltage designation signal 16 so as to select the + 1V reference voltage 18 according to the determination result of the ON time comparator 15. As a result, the reference output voltage 20 is set to +1 V in step S112.
[0048]
Next, in step S113, the reference output voltage 20 and the output voltage value signal 13 are compared to compare the output voltage of the power supply circuit with the + 1V reference voltage. If the load 10 shifts to the non-operating state and “No” in step S110, that is, if the load is determined to be in the non-operating state, the output voltage of the power supply circuit decreases from + 5V to + 1V. As a result of comparing the output voltage 20 and the output voltage signal 13 with the differential amplifier 21, the output voltage signal 13 is determined to be "high" because the output voltage signal 13 has a value between + 5V and + 1V. An output having a negative value from the differential amplifier 21 is input to the voltage adder 22, and as a result, the ON time signal 24 is set so that the ON time of the switching element 5 is shorter than the previous time. However, since the voltage adder 22 cannot take a negative value, the minimum value of the ON time signal 24 is 0V.
[0049]
Next, in step S117, the switching element is operated. When the ON time signal 24 is 0 V, the processing proceeds to step S110 without operating the switching element 5. When the above processing is repeated, the output voltage of the power supply circuit eventually reaches +1 V, and the result obtained by the differential amplifier 21 comparing the output voltage value signal 13 with the reference output voltage 20 of +1 V in step S113 becomes the same, so that step S115 Will move to Then, the output of the differential amplifier 21 becomes 0 V, and the output of the voltage adder 22 keeps a constant voltage. For this reason, the ON time signal 24 maintains the same value as the previous time, and as a result, the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to the same value as the previous time.
[0050]
Then, in step S117, the switching element 5 is operated for one cycle, and the process proceeds to step S110. If the state of the electronic device continues to be in the non-operation state, “No” is determined in step S110, and “same” is determined in step S113, so that the electronic device in FIG. 2 repeats the operation in the non-operation state.
[0051]
Next, an operation when the electronic device shifts from the non-operation state to the operation state will be described.
[0052]
First, when the load 10 shifts to the operation state, the output voltage of the power supply circuit decreases because the power consumption of the load 10 increases. Then, in step S113, the differential amplifier 21 compares the output voltage value signal 13 with the reference output voltage 20 of + 1V and determines that the output voltage of the power supply circuit is lower than + 1V. Therefore, the output of the differential amplifier 21 outputs a positive value, the output of the voltage adder 22 increases, and the value of the ON time signal 24 also increases.
[0053]
Therefore, the process proceeds to step S114, where the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to be longer than the previous ON time, and the switching element 5 is turned on and off in step S117. As a result, the output voltage of the power supply tends to increase. Next, the operation again proceeds to step S110, where the ON-time comparator 15 compares the ON-time signal 24 with the + 2V reference voltage 14, but since the circuit 10 is in the operating state, the power consumption is large. It is determined that the ON time signal 24 is larger than the + 2V reference voltage 14. Therefore, the determination result of step S110 becomes “Yes”, and the process proceeds to step S111.
[0054]
Further, the ON time comparator 15 instructs the reference voltage selector 19 to use the +5 V reference voltage 17 using the output voltage designation signal 16. Therefore, the reference voltage selector 19 selects the + 5V reference voltage 17 as the reference output voltage 20, sets the differential amplifier 21 to compare the + 5V reference output voltage 20 with the output voltage value signal 13, and proceeds to step S105.
[0055]
Immediately after shifting from step S111 to step S105, since the output voltage of the power supply circuit is in the process of rising from + 1V to + 5V, the output voltage signal 13 indicates a value lower than the + 5V reference voltage, and thus is determined to be "low" in step S105. Move to step S106. In step S106, the differential amplifier 21 compares the output voltage signal 13 with the reference output voltage 20, and as a result, outputs a positive value because the output voltage signal 13 is lower than the reference output voltage 20. Therefore, the output of the voltage adder 22 increases, and the ON time signal 24 also increases. For this reason, the switching signal generator 7 operates so that the ON time of the switching element 5 becomes longer than the previous ON time, and the switching element is turned on and off in step S109, and the process proceeds to step S101.
[0056]
Thereafter, “Yes” is determined in step S102, and “low” is determined in step S105, and the processing within the frame of the operating state of the electronic device is repeated, and the output voltage gradually approaches + 5V. When the output voltage of the power supply circuit reaches +5 V, the output voltage value signal 13 and the reference output voltage 20 have the same value, and the output of the differential amplifier 21 becomes zero. As a result, the output of the voltage adder 22 is maintained at the same value as the previous time, and the ON time signal 24 also has the same value as the previous time. Therefore, in step S105, the output voltage is compared with the + 5V reference voltage, and it is determined that they are the same. Then, the process proceeds to step S107, where the ON time of the switching element 5 is set to be the same as the previous ON time, and the switching element is turned on and off in step S109.
[0057]
Thereafter, while the circuit 16 is in the operating state, the power consumption of the load 10 is large, so that it is determined “Yes” in step S102, and the electronic device in FIG. 2 repeats the processing of the operating state, and the output voltage of the power supply circuit is + 5V To stabilize.
[0058]
By performing the processing described above, it is possible to detect a change in the power consumption of a circuit in the electronic device, that is, a load, and output a voltage according to the state of the power supply circuit. In this case, it is possible to reduce the power supply voltage when the electronic device is in a non-operating state.
[0059]
In the present embodiment, the +5 V reference voltage 17 in the operating state, the +1 V reference voltage 18 in the non-operating state, the +2 V reference voltage 14 to determine the state of the load 10, and the voltage fluctuation of the ON time signal 24 are limited. Although the +4 V voltage limiters 23 are used, any value can be selected according to the situation of the electronic device.
[0060]
(Second embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the configuration of the power supply circuit according to the second embodiment.
[0061]
25 is an AC outlet for receiving supply of AC power, 26 is a rectifier circuit for rectifying AC current into DC current, 27 is a smoothing capacitor for smoothing the DC current rectified by the rectifier circuit 26, and 28 is a voltage A transformer for conversion, 29 is a switching element, 30 is a sawtooth wave generation circuit, 31 is a switching signal generator for generating a signal for operating the switching element 29, and 32 is a rectifier for current converted by the transformer 28. Rectifier diode, 33 is an output filter capacitor for smoothing the current rectified by the rectifier diode 31, and 34 is an electronic circuit connected to the power supply circuit of the present embodiment, which constitutes an electronic device together with the power supply of the present embodiment. I have. In the present embodiment, this is called a load.
[0062]
35 is an output voltage feedback control circuit for transmitting the state of the output voltage of the power supply circuit, 36 is a voltage photocoupler for transmitting the state of the output voltage of the power supply circuit sent from the output voltage feedback control circuit 35, and 37 is An output voltage signal representing the state of the output voltage of the power supply circuit, 38 is an output current feedback control circuit for transmitting the state of the output current of the power supply circuit, and 39 is a current photocoupler for transmitting the state of the output current of the power supply circuit , 40 is an output current value signal indicating the state of the output current of the power supply circuit, 41 is a + 2V reference voltage for determining whether the electronic device is in an operation state or a non-operation state, 42 is an operation state of the load 34, The ON time comparator 43 for determining which of the non-operating states is in the state of the electronic device determined by the ON time comparator 42 An output voltage designation signal for designating a corresponding output voltage, 44 is a +5 V reference voltage generator which is a reference for the output voltage of the power supply circuit when the electronic device is in operation, and 45 is when the electronic device is in non-operation. The +1 V reference voltage, which is a reference for the output voltage of the power supply circuit, is used to select which of the +5 V reference voltage 43 and the +1 V reference voltage 44 is used as the reference voltage depending on whether the electronic device is in an operating state or a non-operating state. A reference voltage selector 47, a reference output voltage 47 serving as a reference of the output voltage of the power supply circuit selected by the reference voltage selector 46, and 48 comparing the output voltage value signal 37 with the reference output voltage 47, and A differential amplifier for detecting a difference between a voltage and a predetermined voltage; 49, a voltage adder for adding a change in output voltage of a power supply circuit; 50, a voltage adder 9 voltage limiter for limiting the output of 51 is the ON time signal for controlling the ON time of the switching element 29.
[0063]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the power supply circuit according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0064]
First, the operation when the electronic device starts up will be described.
[0065]
6, when the AC outlet 17 is connected to a power source (not shown) in step S201, current is supplied to the power supply circuit. The sawtooth wave generation circuit 30 starts outputting a sawtooth wave, the + 2V reference voltage 41, the + 5V reference voltage 44, and the + 1V reference voltage 45 start outputting respective voltages, and other circuits also start operating. Here, it is assumed that the reference voltage selector 46 is connected to the + 5V reference voltage 44 immediately after the power supply circuit starts operating.
[0066]
Next, the process proceeds to step S205. Since the output voltage of the power supply circuit immediately after the start of the operation is 0V, the output voltage signal 37 is also 0V. Therefore, the output of the differential amplifier 48 becomes +5 V, and the determination in step S205 is “low”. Next, the process proceeds to step S206, where the output of the differential amplifier 48 of + 5V is input to the voltage adder 49. Since the ON time signal 51 is also 0 V at the first time when the power supply circuit operates, the input of the voltage adder 49 becomes 0 V and +5 V, and the output of the voltage adder 22 becomes +5 V. The output of the + 5V voltage adder 49 passes through the voltage limiter 50 and becomes a + 4V ON time signal. Therefore, in step S206, the switching signal generator 31 sets + 4V specified by the ON time signal 51, that is, the maximum ON time. Next, the process proceeds to step S209, where the switching element 29 is turned on and off.
[0067]
Next, the process proceeds to step S202. A current flows through the transformer by the operation of the switching element 29 in the previous step S209, and is supplied to the load 34 via the rectifying diode 32, the output filter capacitor 33, and the output current feedback control circuit 38. Immediately after the power supply circuit starts operating, a relatively large current flows under the influence of a capacitor (not shown) in the load 34. This is detected by the output current feedback control circuit 38 and transmitted to the ON time comparator 42 as the output current value signal 40 via the current photocoupler 39. As a result, in step S202, the ON time comparator 42 compares the + 2V reference voltage 41 with the output current value signal 40, determines that the output current value signal 40 is large and the output current value of the power supply circuit is large, and The output voltage designation signal 43 is sent to the reference voltage selector 46 so that +5 V is used as the voltage. Therefore, “Yes” is determined in step S202, and the process proceeds to step S203.
[0068]
In step S203, an output voltage specifying signal 43 specifying to select +5 V output from the ON time comparator 42 is output to the reference voltage selector 46. The reference voltage selector 46 selects the +5 V reference voltage 44 as the reference output voltage 47 according to the received output voltage designation signal 43 and sends +5 V to the differential amplifier 48. As a result, in step S203, the output voltage reference value is set to the operating state of + 5V.
[0069]
Next, in step S205, the differential amplifier 48 compares the output voltage signal 37 with the reference output voltage 47. Immediately after the start of the power supply circuit, the output voltage of the power supply circuit does not reach the output voltage during operation of +5 V, so that it is determined to be “low” in step S205, and the process proceeds to step S206.
[0070]
Next, in step S206, the output of the differential amplifier 48 shows a positive value, and the output of the voltage adder 49 takes a larger value than the previous time. Therefore, the ON time of the switching element 29 is set so as to be longer than the previous time. However, the ON time signal 51 is limited to at most +4 V by the voltage limiter 50. For this reason, if the maximum value has already been set last time, the same maximum ON time as the previous setting is set.
[0071]
Next, in step S209, the switching signal generator 31 performs the ON / OFF operation of the switching element 29, and then proceeds to step S202, again determines that the output current value signal is larger than the + 2V reference voltage, and performs the same processing as the previous time. Proceed to step S202. When the above process is repeated several times, the output voltage of the power supply circuit reaches + 5V.
[0072]
At this time, since the load 34 is in the operating state, the output power of the power supply circuit is large. As a result of comparing the output current value signal 40 and the + 2V reference voltage 41, the ON time comparator 42 determines that the operating state is in use and uses the + 5V reference voltage 44. The reference voltage selector 46 sends an output voltage designation signal 43 to the differential amplifier 48, and a reference output voltage 47 of +5 V is transmitted to the differential amplifier 48. Therefore, in step S202, the output current value signal is determined to be “Yes” larger than the 2V reference voltage, and in step S203, the reference output voltage 47 is set to the operating state of + 5V.
[0073]
Next, when the process proceeds to step S205, the differential amplifier 48 compares the output current value signal 40 with the reference output voltage 47 from which the + 5V reference voltage 44 has been selected, determines that they are the same, and the output of the differential amplifier 48 becomes 0V. The output of the voltage adder 49 has the same value as the previous time. Therefore, the ON time signal has the same value as the previous time, the ON time of the switching element 29 is set to the same value as the previous time in step S207, and the switching element 29 is turned on / off by the switching signal generator 31 in step S209. If the electronic device continues its operation state, the output voltage of the power supply circuit can be maintained at the operation state of +5 V by repeating the above processing.
[0074]
Next, the operation when the electronic device shifts to the non-operation state will be described.
[0075]
When the electronic device shifts to the non-operating state, the current consumption of the load 34 decreases. This is detected by the output current feedback control circuit 38 and transmitted to the ON time comparator 42 via the current photocoupler 39 as a decrease in the output current value signal 40.
[0076]
Therefore, in step S202, the output current value signal 40 is compared with the + 2V reference voltage 41 by the ON time comparator 42, and it is determined that the output current value signal 40 is smaller, that is, the output current value signal is smaller than the + 2V reference voltage. The process moves to S204. In step S204, since the ON time comparator 42 determines that the output current value signal 40 is smaller, the output voltage designation signal 43 is set to the reference voltage selector 46 so that the + 1V reference voltage 45 is set to the reference output voltage 47. Sent. As a result, in step S204, the reference output voltage 47 is set to +1 V, which is a non-operating state.
[0077]
Next, in step S213, the differential amplifier 48 compares the state of the output voltage of the power supply transmitted as the output voltage value signal 37 from the output voltage feedback control circuit 35 via the voltage photocoupler 36 with the reference output voltage 47. Since the reference output voltage 47 is set to +1 V in step S204, it is determined that the output voltage value signal 37 is higher. Therefore, in step S216, the output of the differential amplifier 48 indicates a negative value, and the output of the voltage adder 49 takes a value lower than the previous value.
[0078]
As a result, the ON time signal 51 output from the voltage limiter 50 also takes a value smaller than the previous value. Therefore, the switching signal generator 31 sets the ON time of the switching element 29 to be shorter than the previous time. Next, in step S217, the switching element 29 is turned on and off.
[0079]
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S210. However, since the load 34 is in the non-operating state, the power consumption is small, and the output current value signal 40 indicates a value smaller than the + 2V reference voltage. The ON time comparator 42 uses the output voltage designation signal 43 to notify the reference voltage selector 46 to use the +1 V reference voltage 45 for the reference output voltage 47 in step S212, and the reference output voltage 47 is set to + 1V. Is set.
[0080]
Thereafter, the processing of steps S216 and S217 is performed in the same manner as the previous time, and the processing is repeated from step S210. Then, the output voltage of the power supply circuit eventually becomes +1 V. This is via the output voltage feedback control circuit 35 and the voltage photocoupler 36. Then, the output voltage signal 37 is transmitted to the differential amplifier 48. Then, in step S213, the differential amplifier 48 compares the output voltage value signal 37 with the reference output voltage 47 set to + 1V, outputs 0V, determines that they are the same, and shifts to step S215.
[0081]
In step S215, since the output of the differential amplifier 48 is 0 V, the output of the voltage adder 49 also outputs the same value as the previous time. As a result, the ON time signal 51 output from the voltage limiter 50 also has the same value as the previous time. Therefore, in step S215, the ON time of the switching element 29 is set to the same as the previous time.
[0082]
Next, the process proceeds to step S217, where the switching element 29 is turned on and off using the ON time signal 51 having the same value as the previous time. When the load 34 shifts to the non-operating state by the above processing, the output voltage of the power supply circuit can be changed to +1 V when the load shifts to the non-operating state by detecting a change in the power consumption of the load 34. It becomes.
[0083]
Further, a small power fluctuation while the load 34 keeps the non-operating state is obtained by comparing the output voltage value signal 37 with the reference output voltage 47 indicating +1 V in step S213 as in the case of the standard power supply circuit. The output voltage of the power supply circuit can be stably maintained by performing any one of the steps S214, S215, and S216.
[0084]
Next, how the electronic device shifts to the operating state again will be described.
[0085]
When the electronic device is in the non-operation state, the processing in the range shown in the non-operation state in FIG. 6 is repeatedly performed. At this time, when the electronic device is shifted to the operating state, the power consumption of the load 34 increases. This is detected in step S210. In step S210, the following process is performed.
[0086]
The output current feedback control circuit 38 transmits the output current value signal 40 to the ON time comparator 42 via the current photocoupler 39. Here, the ON time comparator 42 compares the + 2V reference voltage 41 with the output current value signal 40, determines that the output current value signal 40 is large, and sets a reference voltage selector to set the output voltage of the power supply circuit to + 5V in the operating state. An output voltage designation signal 43 is sent to 46 so that the +5 V reference voltage 44 is used.
[0087]
For the above processing, the result of the comparison between the output current value signal 40 and the + 2V reference voltage 41 is determined to be “Yes” in step S210. Next, in step S211, the reference voltage selector 46 sends the + 5V reference voltage 44 to the reference output voltage 47 according to the output voltage designation signal 43. As a result, the reference output voltage is set to the operation state. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S205. Since the output voltage of the power supply circuit has decreased due to the increase in power consumption of the load 34, the switching control circuit 27 outputs the output voltage value signal 37 and the selected reference output voltage of + 5V. 47, it is determined to be "low", the ON time of the switching element 29 is set longer than the previous time in step S206, and the switching element 29 is turned on and off in step S209.
[0088]
Next, the process proceeds to step S202, but since the load 34 is in the operating state, the output current value signal 40 is larger than the + 2V reference voltage 41, so that "Yes" is determined, and the output voltage reference value is set to the operating state in step S203.
[0089]
The process proceeds to step S205 again, but if the output voltage of the power supply circuit has not risen to +5 V, it is determined to be “low” again, and the process proceeds to step S206 to perform the same processing as before until step S205.
[0090]
When the above processing is repeated, the output voltage of the power supply circuit reaches +5 V, and the output voltage signal is compared with the +5 V reference voltage in step S205, and the result is determined to be “the same”, and the process proceeds to step S207 to turn on the switching element 29. The time is set to the same as the previous time, and the process proceeds to step S209 to turn on / off the switching element 29.
[0091]
Thereafter, the above operation is repeated while the load 34 maintains the operation state. While the electronic device is in the operating state, the power supply circuit determines the state of the output voltage in step S205 and performs any one of steps S206, S207, and S208 in the same manner as the standard power supply. Is controlled so as to be stabilized at + 5V.
[0092]
As described above, when the electronic device shifts from the non-operation state to the operation state, the power supply circuit detects the change in the current consumption of the load 34 as an increase in the output current value, thereby setting the output voltage in advance for the operation state. It is possible to change to voltage.
[0093]
As described above, by monitoring the current consumption of the circuit 34 connected to the output of the power supply circuit in the power supply circuit, if it is determined whether the circuit is in an operation state or a non-operation state, the circuit becomes non-operational. When in the operating state, the power supply circuit can change the output voltage to the voltage set for the non-operating state, so that the current consumption (power consumption) in the non-operating state can be reduced.
[0094]
In the present embodiment, the +5 V reference voltage 44 in the operation state, the +1 V reference voltage 45 in the non-operation state, the +2 V reference voltage 41 for determining the state of the load 34 based on the output current of the power supply circuit, and the voltage of the ON time signal 24 Although the +4 V voltage limiter 50 is used to limit the fluctuation, any value can be selected according to the situation of the electronic device.
[0095]
In the state where the electronic device has shifted to the non-operation state by performing the above operations, the output voltage of the power supply is reduced as compared with the related art, so that the current consumption in the power supply and the electronic device connected to the power supply are reduced. The current consumption of the circuit can be further reduced. The present embodiment is an effective method for further reducing power consumption in a non-use state particularly in an electronic device powered by an AC adapter.
[0096]
The above-described embodiment includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for causing ink to be ejected, particularly in an ink jet recording system. By using a method that causes a change in the state, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.
[0097]
Regarding the typical configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). Applying at least one drive signal corresponding to recording information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, thereby causing the electrothermal transducer to generate heat energy, and This is effective because a film in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal can be formed on a one-to-one basis by causing film boiling on the heat acting surface. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is in a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.
[0098]
As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.
[0099]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, a serial type recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning a recording head is used. However, a full line type recording apparatus using a recording head having a length corresponding to the width of a recording medium is used. May be. As a full-line type recording head, either a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head is used. May be.
[0100]
In addition, not only the cartridge-type recording head in which the ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, but also the electrical connection with the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip-type recording head that can supply ink from the apparatus main body may be used.
[0101]
It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above because the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.
[0102]
Further, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, and may be a printing head integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The device may be provided with at least one of the full colors.
[0103]
In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid.However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or below, an ink that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Alternatively, in the ink jet system, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. It is sufficient if the ink is sometimes in a liquid state.
[0104]
In addition to the above, the recording apparatus according to the present invention may include, as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, an integrated or separate apparatus, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a transmission / reception function. It may take the form of a facsimile machine.
[0105]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the power consumption of an electronic device in a non-operating state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control circuit of the inkjet recording apparatus illustrated in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply circuit according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the power supply circuit according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply circuit according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the power supply circuit according to the second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 AC outlet
2 Rectifier circuit
3 Smoothing capacitor
4 transformer
5 Switching element
6 Sawtooth wave generation circuit
7 Switching signal generator
8 Rectifier diode
9 Output filter capacitor
10 Load
11 Feedback control circuit
12 Photo coupler
13 Output voltage value signal
14 + 2V reference voltage
15 ON time comparator
16 Output voltage designation signal
17 + 5V reference voltage
18 + 1V reference voltage
19 Reference voltage selector
20 Reference output voltage
21 Differential amplifier
22 Voltage adder
23 Voltage limiter
24 ON time signal
25 AC outlet
26 Rectifier circuit
27 Smoothing capacitor
28 Trance
29 Switching element
30 Sawtooth wave generation circuit
31 Switching signal generator
32 Rectifier diode
33 Output filter capacitor
34 load
35 Output voltage feedback control circuit
36 Photocoupler for voltage
37 Output voltage signal
38 Output current feedback control circuit
39 Photocoupler for current
40 Output current value signal
41 + 2V reference voltage
42 ON time comparator
43 Output voltage designation signal
44 + 5V reference voltage
45 + 1V reference voltage
46 Reference voltage selector
47 Reference output voltage
48 differential amplifier
49 Voltage adder
50 Voltage limiter
51 ON time signal

Claims (1)

A power supply capable of outputting at least two voltage values, a first voltage value corresponding to a case where the connected load device is in an operation state, and a second voltage value corresponding to a case where the load device is in a non-operation state. When,
Detecting means for detecting power consumption of the load device;
Determining means for determining whether the load device is in an operating state or a non-operating state based on the power consumption value detected by the detecting means;
When the determining unit determines that the load device is in the operating state, it causes the power supply to output the first voltage value, and the determining unit determines that the load device is in the non-operating state. In this case, the power supply circuit includes voltage control means for causing the power supply to output the second voltage value.

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