JP2006178068A - Device system and image forming apparatus system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device system and an image forming apparatus system capable of flexibly performing a limiting operation as the system as a whole, even when the characteristic or the function of a functional unit, the specifications, and so forth are changed. <P>SOLUTION: In the device system composed of an electric power supply unit for managing a power source and for supplying the electric power and a plurality of electric power operational units which are operated by the supply of electric power from the electric power supply unit, it is characterized in that the device system includes the electric power supply unit and the electric power operational units, wherein the electric power operational units make a demand on the electric power supply unit for the amount of electric power required according to a plurality of operational modes, and wherein the electric power supply unit calculates the amount of usable electric power to be consumed by the electric power operational units, on the basis of the amount of the demand for the electric power from the plurality of electric power operational units and predefined priority, and announces and supplies the amount of the usable electric power to the electric power operational units. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus system and an image forming apparatus system including a plurality of power operation units and a power supply unit.

  The conventional device system has a power supply unit for supplying power to the entire device system, and collectively supplies power necessary for the operation of the entire device. Therefore, usually, the amount of electric power required by the operation of the entire device is estimated in advance, and the power supply capability of the power supply unit is determined to design the device.

  However, the amount of power required to perform the device operation always fluctuates depending on the situation where the device system is placed. For example, in the case where a certain operation is continuously performed for a long time. In such a case, the amount of power required by the device system may exceed the amount of power that can be supplied by the power supply unit. In such a case, the normal device system cannot continue its operation.

  Therefore, in order to enable the operation to continue even in such a case, it has been proposed to execute a restriction operation that allows the operation of the device system to be continued by restricting some functions. Yes.

  For example, in an electrophotographic equipment system, in continuous fixing to a plurality of recording media, the amount of heat absorbed from the fixing roller to each recording medium is accumulated, so the main heater is fully lit by continuous fixing. However, the degree of decrease from the temperature adjustment temperature of the fixing roller becomes significant. If continuous fixing is continued as it is, depending on the environment and the paper type, the fixing roller temperature falls below the lower limit fixing temperature, and as a result, fixing properties may not be ensured. When the temperature reaches several times the minimum fixing temperature so that the fixing roller temperature does not fall below the minimum fixing temperature, the number of images formed per hour is reduced and the amount of heat absorbed per hour from the fixing roller to the recording medium is reduced. Thus, the temperature drop of the fixing roller is suppressed, and the productivity is reduced to secure the fixing property (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-330313 A

  However, in that case, the judgment as to whether it is appropriate to set the number of image forming sheets per hour needs to be determined in view of the overall operation of the electrophotographic apparatus system, and therefore sufficient consideration must be made. In addition, since the constraint conditions vary in a complicated manner depending on the combination of individual units constituting the electrophotographic apparatus system, such as a fixing device unit and a recording medium transport unit, it is not possible to take detailed measures against the constraints. In practice, this is impossible. For this reason, it has been necessary to determine a limited operation specification having a certain margin with respect to a decrease in fixability and a limitation on power supply.

  In addition, the priority order of functions that are restricted depending on the purpose of the operator, etc. with respect to the restriction specifications should be inherently different, but the conventional restriction operation specifications are determined based on the operation of the entire device system. The control specifications are rigid, and it has been difficult to control the operation flexibly with respect to changes in the temperature of the fixing device and the power consumption.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is a device that can flexibly perform the restricting operation as a whole system even when the characteristics, functions, specifications, etc. of the functional unit are changed. A system and an image forming apparatus system are provided.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the configuration includes an individual functional unit that divides the device system for each function and a power supply unit that determines the amount of power supplied to each functional unit. Multiple operating modes and the amount of operating power required for their operation are stored as control information, while the information is notified to the power supply unit, and individual functional units are required when the equipment system operates. The power supply unit is notified of the used power corresponding to the operation mode, and the power supply unit supplies power in order from the highest priority to the used power request from all the functional units.

  The present invention has a configuration in which each functional unit is distributed, so that even when a certain arbitrary functional unit is replaced with a similar unit having the same function, the operation mode and power in the new unit are changed. By simply changing the priority order according to the amount of use, it is possible to realize the operation as a system device including a flexible restriction mode relatively easily.

  As a representative example of the device system of the present invention, an electrophotographic image forming system can be considered. In this case, the functional unit includes a developing unit, a recording medium transfer unit, a recording medium feeding unit, a recording medium conveying unit, a double-sided recording medium conveying unit, a fixing unit, a laser control unit, and the like.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the basic configuration and the basic operation essential for implementing the present invention are shown in the claims.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the power supply unit performs power supply according to the priority order related to the operation mode notified from the functional unit and the predetermined operation mode when the power is turned on. Even when there is a change in the function, specification, etc., it is possible to flexibly perform the limiting operation as the entire device system.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the individual functional units can be operated in the optimum operation mode in accordance with the usable power amount permitted to be supplied.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the operation mode is particularly a function restriction mode.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the individual functional units operate in the restriction mode, whereby the entire device system is dynamically switched to the optimum restriction mode according to the situation and environment where the device is placed. It becomes possible.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since each functional unit is notified to the power supply unit that power supply is not required when the operation is completed, more efficient power use is performed as the entire device system. Is possible.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly shift to the non-restricted mode (normal mode) by being able to supply the unit that has not been supplied with the requested amount of power again. Become.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, when a large amount of electric power is suddenly required by a certain functional unit, a smooth transition from a normal mode or a mode with less restrictions to a more restrictive mode can be made smoothly. Can be done.

  According to invention of Claim 9, based on embodiment of the restriction | limiting mode suitable for an operator and an operation condition by enabling it to change the priority used as the judgment criterion of the electric power supply in an electric power supply unit. The equipment system can be operated.

  According to the invention described in claim 10, even when different functional units are connected, by performing power supply according to the priority order for the new operation mode, the restriction operation of the entire device system can be flexibly performed. Can do.

  According to the invention described in claim 11, it is proposed to apply the present system to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus system.

  According to the invention described in claim 12, the individual functional units (image forming subunits) in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus system are particularly laser control units, developing units, recording medium transfer units, recording medium feeding units, and recording media. It has been proposed to be a conveyance unit, a double-sided recording medium conveyance unit, a fixing unit, and the like.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the power supply unit performs image supply by performing power supply according to the priority order related to the operation mode notified from the image forming subunit and the predetermined operation mode when the power is turned on. Even when the characteristics, functions, specifications, etc. of the subunit are changed, the entire electrophotographic image forming apparatus system can flexibly perform a limiting operation such as a down sequence.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the individual image forming subunit can dynamically switch to the optimum operation mode in accordance with the amount of usable power permitted to be supplied.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the operation mode is particularly a function restriction mode.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to dynamically switch to an optimum recording medium conveyance speed particularly in the paper feeding unit, the recording medium conveyance unit, and the double-sided recording medium conveyance unit as the image forming subunit. .

  According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to dynamically switch to the optimum fixing heating temperature particularly in the fixing unit which is the image forming subunit.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to dynamically switch between the color mode and the monochrome mode as required, particularly in the developing unit which is an image forming subunit.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the combination of the individual image forming subunits operating in the restriction mode allows the entire electrophotographic image forming apparatus system to be optimally restricted according to the situation and environment in which the apparatus is placed. It is possible to dynamically switch to the image forming operation in the mode.

  According to the twentieth aspect, each functional unit is notified to the power supply unit that the power supply is not required when the operation is completed, so that the entire device system can use the power more efficiently. Is possible.

  According to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly shift to the image forming operation in the normal mode by being able to supply the unit that has not been supplied with the requested power amount again. Become.

  According to the twenty-second aspect of the present invention, when a large amount of electric power is required for an image forming subunit suddenly, the mode is shifted from the normal mode or the mode with less restrictions to the more restrictive mode. It is possible to perform smoothly.

  According to the invention of claim 23, based on the embodiment of the restriction mode more suitable for the operator and the operation situation by making it possible to change the priority as the judgment criterion of the power supply in the power supply unit. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus system can be operated.

  According to the twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, even if different image forming subunits are connected, the power supply according to the priority order for the new operation mode is performed, thereby limiting the entire electrophotographic image forming apparatus system. The operation can be performed flexibly.

  A configuration of a device system for realizing the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The device system according to the present invention includes a device control unit 101 and functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 divided for each internal function in the device. The device control unit 101 gives commands for performing individual functional operations on the functional units necessary for performing some device operation to the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106.

  On the other hand, the device control unit 101 includes a power supply unit 102 in its configuration, and power is supplied from the power supply unit 102 to each functional unit A103, B104, C105, D106 via power supply buses A107, B108, C109, D110. Supply is possible.

  In addition, the device control unit 101 including the power supply unit 102 determines the amount of power supplied to each of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 by the CPU 112. That is, the device control unit 101 also functions as a power supply unit. At that time, the device control unit 101 has a recording memory 113 for recording the function priority information of each functional unit as means for storing judgment information for judging the distribution of the power supply amount to each functional unit. ing. Further, the CPU 112 performs a control instruction and necessary information communication to the logic control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 included in each of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 via the logical communication bus 111.

  Hereinafter, power control in the device system according to the invention having such a configuration will be described.

  First, when the device system is powered on, the device control unit 101 can operate only the logic control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 via the power supply unit 102. Supply power. The logical control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 are preliminarily configured with one or more operation modes that can be performed by the functional units via the logical communication bus 111. The CPU 112 of the control unit 101 is notified. The CPU 112 stores the operation mode notified from each functional unit A103, B104, C105, D106 in the storage memory 113.

  When the device control unit 101 performs any device operation on each of the function units A 103, B 104, C 105, and D 106, the device control unit 101 issues a command for performing a necessary function operation to each function unit via the logical communication bus 111.

  On the other hand, each of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 notifies the device control unit 101 of the power consumption required for performing the functional operation according to the command via the logical communication bus 111. If the total amount of power used for performing the functional operation notified from each of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 is less than or equal to the amount of power that can be supplied from the power supply unit 102, the device control unit 101 is shown in FIG. As shown, after notifying the logic control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106, a desired power is supplied from the power supply unit 102 to the power supply buses A107, B108, C109, Supplied via D110.

  On the other hand, when the total amount of power used for performing the functional operation notified from the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 is greater than or equal to the amount of power that can be supplied by the power supply unit 102, as shown in FIG. Then, the amount of power supplied to each functional unit A103, B104, C105, D106 is determined according to the operation mode instructed to each functional unit A103, B104, C105, D106 and the priority order stored in the storage memory 113, After notifying the logic control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 to that effect, desired power is supplied from the power supply unit 102 via the power supply buses A107, B108, C109, and D110. Supply. As a result, a functional unit that supplies less power than the requested amount of power operates in an operation mode that restricts functions that are relatively less urgent than the operation mode that should be performed. The amount of power used by the functional unit by performing the limiting operation is notified to the device control unit 101. As a result, the surplus power amount is supplemented and supplied as a supplementary power amount to the functional unit whose power consumption is limited.

  In addition, when an operation instructed in a certain functional unit is completed, this is notified to the device control unit 101 via the logical communication bus 111. As shown in FIG. 4, upon receiving the notification, the device control unit stops power supply to the target functional unit, while supplementing the functional unit whose power consumption is limited as a supplementary power amount. Supplied.

  In addition, when a new device operation request is generated later in the state of operation in a certain operation mode, the device control unit 101 performs a function operation necessary for each of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106. Is issued via the logical communication bus 111. On the other hand, each of the functional units A 103, B 104, C 105, and D 106 controls the power consumption required for performing the functional operation according to the command in parallel with the currently executing functional operation via the logical communication bus 111. Notify unit 101.

  In the device control unit 101, the power supply unit 102 can supply a total amount of power used for performing the function operation notified from each of the function units A 103, B 104, C 105, and D 106 in parallel with the function operation currently being executed. If the amount of power is less than or equal to the amount of electric power, the logic control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 of the respective functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 are notified of the fact, and then desired power is supplied from the power supply unit 102 to the power supply buses A107 and B108 , C109, D110.

  On the other hand, when the total amount of power used for performing the functional operation notified from each of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 is greater than or equal to the amount of power that can be supplied by the power supply unit 102, as shown in FIG. The amount of power supplied to each functional unit A103, B104, C105, D106 is determined according to the operation mode instructed to each functional unit A103, B104, C105, D106 and the priority order stored in the storage memory 113, and After notifying the logic control units A114, B115, C116, and D117 of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 to that effect, desired power is supplied from the power supply unit 102 via the power supply buses A107, B108, C109, and D110. Supply. As a result, a functional unit that supplies less power than the requested amount of power operates in an operation mode that restricts functions that are relatively less urgent than the operation mode that should be performed.

  If the adjusted power consumption is greater than or equal to the power that can be supplied by the power supply unit 102, any one of the functional units A103, B104, C105, and D106 operates exceeding the power consumption as instructed. There is a possibility of going. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 6, the power consumption of each functional unit A103, B104, C105, and D106 is investigated, and after the functional unit that uses unauthorized power is identified, the operation is immediately stopped. To do.

7 to 9 are drawings showing the equipment configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus system which is an optimum embodiment for explaining the effects of the present invention.
(Configuration of color reader)
First, the configuration of the color reader unit will be described.

  FIG. 8 shows the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus. Here, reference numeral 801 denotes a CCD, 811 denotes a substrate on which the CCD 701 is mounted, 800 denotes a control unit for controlling the entire image forming apparatus system, 812 denotes a printer processing unit including a portion excluding the image processing unit shown in FIG. A platen glass (platen), 802 is a document feeder (DF) (a mirror surface pressure plate (not shown) is mounted instead of the document feeder 802), and 803 and 804 are light sources for illuminating the document. (Halogen lamp or fluorescent lamp), 805 and 806 are reflectors for condensing the light of the light sources 803 and 804 on the original, 807 to 809 are mirrors, 810 is the reflected light or projection light from the original on the CCD 801. A lens 814 is an external interface (I / F) with halogen lamps 803 and 804 and reflectors 805 and 813 with other devices.

  The carriage 814 is moved at a speed V and the carriage 815 is moved at a speed V / 2, and is mechanically moved by a drive motor 816 in a direction perpendicular to the electrical scanning (main scanning) direction of the CCD 801. Scan (sub-scan).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 800 operates with a CPU 901 having an I / F that exchanges information for performing control with respect to the digital image processing unit 912, the external I / F 813, and the printer control I / F 817. A unit 902 and a memory 903 are included. The operation unit 302 includes a liquid crystal with a touch panel for inputting processing execution contents by the operator, information about processing for the operator, and notification of warnings and the like.

  An external I / F 813 is an interface for exchanging image information, code information, and the like with the outside of the image processing apparatus. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a facsimile apparatus 1001, a LAN interface apparatus 1002, and the like are provided. It is possible to connect. Note that the image information and code information exchange procedure control with the facsimile apparatus 1001 and the LAN interface apparatus 1002 is performed by mutual communication between the facsimile apparatus 1001 and the LAN interface apparatus 1002 as the respective connection apparatuses and the CPU 901 of the control unit 800. .

  Next, the digital image processing unit will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the digital image processing unit.

  The document on the platen glass reflects light from the light sources 803 and 804, and the reflected light is guided to the CCD 801 and converted into an electrical signal (in the case of the CCD 701, a color sensor, RGB color filters are on one line CCD). It may be in-line in RGB order, or it may be a 3-line CCD with R filters, G filters, and B filters arranged for each CCD. The filter is on-chip or the filter is separate from the CCD. It doesn't matter if it becomes Then, the electric signal (analog image signal) is input to the image processing unit 712, and clamp & Amp. & S / H & A / D unit 702 samples and holds (S / H), clamps the dark level of the analog image signal to the reference potential, and amplifies it to a predetermined amount (the above processing order is not limited to the notation order). D-converted and converted into, for example, an RGB 8-bit digital signal.

  Subsequently, the RGB signal is subjected to shading correction and black correction by the shading unit 703. The corrected RGB signal is further processed by a connection & MTF correction & document detection unit 704. When the CCD 701 is a three-line CCD, the connection processing differs in the reading position between the lines, so the delay amount for each line is set according to the reading speed. The signal timing is corrected so that the reading positions of the three lines are the same, and the MTF correction changes the reading MTF depending on the reading speed and magnification, so that change is corrected, and the document detection is performed on the platen glass. The document size is recognized by scanning the document. The digital signal whose reading position timing is corrected corrects the spectral characteristics of the CCD 701 and the spectral characteristics of the light sources 803 and 804 and the reflectors 805 and 806 by the input masking unit 705. The output of the input masking unit 705 is input to a selector 706 that can be switched to an external I / F signal.

  The signal output from the selector 706 is input to the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 707 and background removal unit 715. After the background is removed, the signal input to the background removal unit 715 is input to the black character determination unit 716 that determines whether the document is a black character in the document, and generates a black character signal from the document. In the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 707 to which the output of the other selector 706 is input, the color space compression determines whether or not the read image signal is within a range that can be reproduced by the printer. If not, the image signal is corrected so that it can be reproduced by the printer. Then, background removal processing is performed, and RGB signals are converted to CMY signals by LOG conversion.

In order to correct the signal and timing generated by the black character determination unit 716, the timing of the output signal of the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 707 is adjusted by a delay 708. The moire removal unit 709 removes moire from these two types of signals, and 710 performs scaling processing in the main scanning direction. Reference numeral 711 denotes a UCR & masking & black character reflecting unit. The CMY signal generated from the magnification processing unit is a CMYK signal generated by UCR processing, and the masking processing unit corrects the signal to the output of the printer and determines black characters. The determination signal generated by the unit 716 is fed back to the CMYK signal. The signal processed by the UCR & masking & black character reflection unit 711 is subjected to density adjustment by the γ correction unit 712 and then smoothed or edge processed by the filter unit 713.
(Configuration of printer unit)
Next, the configuration of the printer unit will be described. FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a full-color printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus system according to the present invention.

  A photosensitive drum (hereinafter simply referred to as “photosensitive member”) 825 as an image carrier is provided so as to be rotated in the direction of arrow A by a motor (not shown). Around the photoreceptor 825, a primary charger 821, an exposure device 818, a black developing unit 819, a color developing unit 823, a transfer charger 820, and a cleaner device 822 are arranged.

  The black developing device 819 is a developing device for monochrome development, and develops the latent image on the photoconductor 825 with K toner. The color developing unit 823 includes three developing devices 823Y, 823M, and 823C for full color development. Developing devices 823Y, 823M, and 823C develop the latent images on the photoconductor 825 with Y, M, and C toners, respectively. When developing toner of each color, the developing unit 823 is rotated in the direction of arrow R by a motor (not shown), and the developing device for that color is aligned so as to contact the photoconductor 825.

  The toner images of each color developed on the photoconductor 825 are sequentially transferred to the transfer belt 826 as an intermediate transfer member by the transfer charger 820, and the four color toner images are superimposed. The transfer belt 826 is stretched around rollers 827, 828, and 829. Among these, the roller 827 functions as a drive roller that is coupled to a drive source (not shown) and drives the transfer belt 826, the roller 828 functions as a tension roller that adjusts the tension of the transfer belt 826, and the roller 829 has 2 It functions as a backup roller for the transfer roller 831 as the next transfer device.

  The transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 850 is a drive unit for adhering or releasing the transfer roller 831 to / from the transfer belt 826. A cleaner blade 832 is provided at a position facing the roller 827 across the transfer belt 826.

  The cleaner blade attaching / detaching unit 868 is a drive unit for causing the cleaner blade 832 to adhere to or detach from the transfer belt 826. When the cleaner blade 832 is moved in the attachment direction by the cleaner blade attaching / detaching unit 868, the residual toner on the transfer belt 826 is scraped off by the blade.

  The recording media stored in the cassettes 840 and 841 and the manual paper feed unit 853 are nipped by the registration roller 855 and the pair of paper feed rollers 835, 836 and 837, that is, the contact part between the secondary transfer device 831 and the transfer belt 826. To be sent to. At this time, the secondary transfer device 831 is in contact with the transfer belt 826 by driving the transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 850 in the contact direction.

  The toner image formed on the transfer belt 826 is transferred onto the recording medium at this nip portion, thermally fixed by the fixing device 834, and discharged outside the device. Note that the cassettes 840 and 841 and the manual sheet feeding unit 853 have sheet-less detection sensors 843, 844, and 845 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium, respectively. The cassettes 840 and 841 and the manual paper feed unit 853 have paper feed sensors 847, 848, and 849 for detecting a pickup failure of the recording medium, respectively.

  In the color printer having the above configuration, image formation is performed as follows.

  First, the recording medium conveyance operation in the paper feeding unit will be described. The recording media stored in the cassettes 840 and 841 and the manual paper feed unit 853 are conveyed onto the paper feed path 866 one by one by the pickup rollers 838, 839 and 854. When the recording medium on the paper feed path 866 is conveyed to the registration roller 855 by the pair of paper feed rollers 835, 836, and 837, the registration sensor 856 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording medium. In this embodiment, when the registration sensor 856 detects the passage of the recording medium, the conveying operation is interrupted after an appropriate time has elapsed.

  As a result, the recording medium hits the stopped registration roller 855, and the conveyance is stopped. At this time, the position of the recording medium is fixed so that the traveling direction end of the recording medium is perpendicular to the conveyance path. The paper feed path conveyance direction is corrected when skew occurs due to the deviation of the conveyance direction with respect to the conveyance path. This process is referred to as normal sheet feeding registration. Paper registration is essential for minimizing the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to subsequent recording media. After the paper feeding registration is taken, the registration roller 855 is activated to supply the recording medium to the secondary transfer device 831.

  Next, a procedure for forming an image on a recording medium supplied to the secondary transfer device 831 will be described.

  First, a voltage is applied to the charging device 821, and the surface of the photoconductor 825 is uniformly negatively charged with a predetermined charged portion potential. Subsequently, exposure is performed by an exposure device 818 including a laser scanner unit so that an image portion on the charged photoconductor 825 has a predetermined exposure unit potential, and a latent image is formed. The exposure device 818 forms a latent image corresponding to the image by turning on and off based on the image signal.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the laser scanner unit in the present embodiment.

Light emitted from the laser 1101 passes through a condenser lens 1113 (hereinafter referred to as a collimator) to become laser light L1, which is deflected by a rotating polyhedron 1102 that is rotated by a drive motor 1103 to scan the drum. The The deflected laser beam L1 scans the drum 1115 via the imaging lens 1114 in order to scan the drum 1115 at a uniform density. Further, in order to make the image writing timing of each line constant, it is constituted by a sensor 1118 (hereinafter referred to as a BD sensor 1118) for detecting the laser light L1 and generating a horizontal synchronizing signal.

  A developing bias set in advance for each color is applied to the developing rollers of the black developing device 819 and the color developing device 823, and the latent image is developed with toner when passing through the position of the developing roller. Is visualized as The toner image is transferred to the transfer belt 826 by the transfer device 820, further transferred to the recording medium conveyed from the paper feeding unit by the secondary transfer device 831, and then to the fixing device 834 via the fixing conveyance belt 830. It is conveyed. First, the fixing device 834 is charged by the pre-fixing chargers 851 and 852 and further the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing roller 833 in order to compensate for the toner adsorption force and prevent the image disturbance, and then the paper discharge flapper. By 857, the transport path is switched to the discharge path 858, and the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 842 as it is.

  In full-color printing, toners of four colors are superimposed on the transfer belt 826 and then transferred to a recording medium. The toner remaining on the photoconductor 825 makes the toner charge easy to clean with a preliminary cleaning device (not shown), and is removed and collected by the cleaner device 822. Finally, the photoconductor 825 is charged with a static eliminator (not shown). As shown in the figure, the charge is uniformly discharged to near 0 volts to prepare for the next image forming cycle.

  The image forming timing of the color printer is controlled with a predetermined position on the transfer belt 826 as a reference. The transfer belt 826 is wound around rollers including a driving roller 827, a tension roller 828, and a backup roller 829, and a predetermined tension is applied by the tension roller 828.

  Between the driving roller 827 and the roller 829, reflective sensors 824 (a) and (b) for detecting the reference position are arranged. Reflective sensors 824 (a) and (b) are disposed at both ends of the outer peripheral surface of the transfer belt 826, respectively, and detect markings such as a reflective tape provided at positions just opposite to the surface of the transfer belt 826. The I-top (a) and (b) signals are alternately output every time the transfer belt 826 makes a half turn.

  The outer peripheral length of the photoconductor 825 and the peripheral length of the transfer belt 826 have an integer ratio represented by 1: n (n is an integer). With this setting, the photosensitive member 825 rotates an integer during one rotation of the transfer belt 826 and returns to the same state as before the transfer belt 826, so that four colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 826. When matching (the belt rotates four times), it is possible to avoid color misregistration due to uneven rotation of the photoconductor 825.

  In the intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus as described above, after detecting either the I-top (a) or (b) signal, exposure is started by an exposure device 818 comprising a laser scanner after a predetermined time has elapsed. Here, there is no particular distinction between the I-top (a) and (b) signals, and exposure is started with either one being detected first as a trigger.

  Further, in the case of a short paper size image, the transfer belt 826 has a belt length capable of forming a toner image for two images, and in particular, two sheets for forming a color image in which four colors are superimposed. The productivity can be improved by making it possible to form a minute image in a time required for only four belt rotations. This image forming method is hereinafter referred to as a two-sheet pasting operation.

  In the two-sheet pasting operation in the present embodiment, two images are formed by using the I-top (a) and (b) signals of the transfer belt 826 as trigger signals (the preceding image in this case). For convenience, the subsequent image will be referred to as the B image).

  However, the A image and the B image are not arranged at equal positions on the transfer belt 826, and the distance between the images B-A is wider than the distance between the images A-B. This is because, considering the flow of image formation, the color of the toner image to be written differs between the images B-A, so that the color developing unit 823 has three developing devices 823Y and 823M for full-color development on the way. , 823C must be switched, and it is necessary to secure a time margin for rotationally driving the developing unit 823 for the switching. Even when two sheets are pasted, the I-top (a) or (b) signal may be used first to start the image writing.

  The operation when an image is formed on the back surface of the recording medium will be described in detail.

  When an image is formed on the back surface of the recording medium, first, image formation on the surface of the recording medium is performed first. Since the image forming operation on the surface has been described in detail above, the description is omitted here. However, in the case of image formation only on the surface, the discharge flapper is formed after the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing unit 834 after image formation. The transfer path is switched to the discharge path 858 side by 857 and is discharged to the discharge tray 835 as it is, but when the back side image is subsequently formed, the transfer path is switched to the back path 859 side by the discharge flapper 857. The recording medium is once conveyed into the double-side reversing path 861 by the rotational driving of the reversing roller 860 in conjunction therewith. After that, the recording medium is conveyed into the double-sided reversing path 861 by the width of the sheet medium in the feeding direction, and then the advancing direction is switched by the reverse rotation driving of the reversing roller and the driving of the double-sided path conveying roller 862 to form an image on the surface. Then, the image is faced down and conveyed to the duplex path 863.

  Subsequently, when the recording medium is conveyed on the double-sided path 863 toward the refeed roller 864, the refeed sensor 865 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording medium. In this embodiment, when the re-feed sensor 865 detects the passage of the recording medium, the transport operation is interrupted after an appropriate time has elapsed. As a result, the recording medium hits the stopped re-feed roller 864, and the conveyance is temporarily stopped. At this time, the position is fixed so that the end of the recording medium in the traveling direction is perpendicular to the conveyance path. Then, the refeed path transport direction correction is performed when skew feeding occurs due to the transport direction of the recording medium deviating from the transport path in the refeed path. This process is generally referred to as re-feed registration. The re-feed registration is indispensable for minimizing the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to the back surface of the recording medium thereafter.

  After the re-feed registration, the re-feed roller 864 is activated to transport the recording medium onto the paper feed path 866 again with the front and back sides reversed. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as the above-described surface image forming operation, and is therefore omitted here. The recording medium on which images are formed on both the front and back surfaces is directly switched to the discharge path 858 by the discharge flapper 857 and is discharged to the discharge tray 835 as it is.

  With the operation as described above, in this embodiment, it is possible for the operator to automatically form an image on both sides of the sheet medium without resetting the front and back of the sheet medium.

  Although the overall functions of the electrophotographic image forming system in the present embodiment have been described, the functions and operations of a plurality of image forming subunits divided for each function as shown in FIG. Realized by combining. The function for each subunit will be described below.

  The reader control unit 1201 is a subunit for controlling the operation of the color reader unit in the electrophotographic image forming system.

  The digital image processing unit 1202 is a subunit for controlling an image processing operation for delivering an image signal from the color reader unit to the printer unit.

  The laser scanner control unit 1203 is a subunit for performing exposure processing based on an image signal via the digital image processing unit 1202 and forming a latent image on the photoconductor 825.

  The developing unit 1204 is a subunit for forming a toner image from the latent image formed by the laser scanner control unit 1203.

  The recording medium transfer unit 1205 is a subunit for transferring the toner image to the recording medium.

  A recording medium feeding unit 1206 is a subunit for feeding a recording medium for image formation.

  The recording medium transport unit 1207 is a subunit for transporting the recording medium to the transfer unit in order to form an image on the recording medium.

  The double-sided recording medium transport unit 1208 is a subunit for reversing and retransmitting a recording medium once image-formed in order to form a similar image on the back surface of the recording medium on which image formation has been performed.

  The fixing unit 1209 is a subunit for thermally fixing a toner image on a recording medium on which an image is formed.

  Power supply to these subunits is performed by a power supply unit 1210 in a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus system.

  As for these subunits 1201 to 1209 and the power supply unit 1210, a device having functional units A103, B104, C105, D106 and a power supply unit 102 in the device system configuration described above as the best mode for carrying out the invention. It has the same configuration and relationship as the control unit 101 and realizes the same function regarding power supply.

  Some of these subunits 1201 to 1208 have a plurality of operation modes with different amounts of power used and realization functions during operation.

  The reader control unit 1201 has five reading modes related to the document reading speed. If the document reading speed is increased, the document reading resolution is relatively decreased, resulting in lower image quality. Further, the motor for driving the carriages 814 and 815 is driven at a higher speed. The amount of power used increases because it is necessary to do so. Also, the digital image processing unit 1202 can operate in a speed mode that matches the operation mode of the reader control unit 1201, and the operation speeds must always be synchronized.

  The developer unit 1204 has a two-stage image forming mode related to the toner image forming speed. When the image forming speed is increased, only black and white development is possible due to device restrictions in forming a toner image (at low speed, both color and black and white development is possible). Further, the amount of power used increases because it is necessary to drive the members related to each development at high speed. Further, the laser scanner control unit 1203 and the recording medium transfer unit 1205 can operate in a speed mode in accordance with the operation mode of the developing unit 1204, and the operation speeds must always be synchronized. .

  The recording medium conveyance unit 1207 has a five-stage recording medium conveyance mode related to the recording medium conveyance speed for forming an image of the toner image on the recording medium. At this time, when the recording medium conveyance speed is increased, the amount of power used increases because it is necessary to drive members such as a motor related to the recording medium conveyance at a high speed. The recording medium transfer unit 1205 can operate in a speed mode that matches the operation mode of the recording medium conveyance unit 1207, and the operation speeds must always be synchronized. In the case of having a transfer mechanism using an intermediate transfer member as in this embodiment, when the toner image is once transferred to the intermediate transfer member, it is synchronized with the operation speed of the developing unit 1204 and transferred to a recording medium. Needs to be synchronized with the operation speed of the recording medium transport unit 1207.

  The recording medium feeding unit 1206 has a five-stage recording medium conveyance mode related to the conveyance speed for conveying the recording medium before image formation to the image forming unit. At this time, if the recording medium conveyance speed is increased, the amount of power used increases because it is necessary to drive the members related to the recording medium conveyance at a high speed. The recording medium conveyance speed in these conveyance modes corresponds to the recording medium conveyance unit 1207 on a one-to-one basis. However, if there is a margin in conveyance time due to a delay in the preceding paper, the conveyance speed is low. However, in some cases, it is possible to select a speed slower than the conveyance speed of the recording medium by giving priority to reducing the amount of power used.

  The double-sided recording medium conveyance unit 1208 has a five-step double-sided recording medium conveyance mode related to the conveyance speed for reversing and retransmitting the recording medium on which the image is formed to the image forming unit again. At this time, when the recording medium conveyance speed is increased, the amount of power used increases because it is necessary to drive members such as a motor related to the recording medium conveyance at a high speed. The recording medium conveyance speed in these conveyance modes corresponds to the recording medium conveyance unit 1207 on a one-to-one basis. However, if there is a margin in conveyance time due to a delay in the preceding paper, the conveyance speed is low. However, in some cases, it is possible to select a speed that is slower than the conveyance speed of the recording medium by giving priority to reducing the amount of power used.

  The fixing unit 1209 has a five-step heater heating mode for switching wattage for heating a fixing heater for heat-fixing a recording medium on which an image is formed. At this time, when heating is performed with the maximum wattage, the amount of power used is naturally increased.

  The type of operation mode of the subunit is notified from each subunit to the control unit 800 including the power supply unit 1210 when the power is turned on. These operation modes are recorded in the memory 903 in the control unit 800 as table data that indicates the priority of each operation mode. In this case, the priority order is determined in advance by a determination algorithm in the control unit 800 based on the immediacy of the operation itself and the degree of functional degradation due to the impossibility of execution. In addition to the priority order table data, the memory 903 also holds the maximum power supply amount that can be supplied by the power supply unit 1210 as information. An example of the priority table data is shown in FIG.

  An embodiment during the image forming operation will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the transition to the function limiting operation in the electrophotographic image forming system.

  First, the operator instructs to start a normal image forming operation. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a monochrome printing operation instruction is first given. Then, first, the control unit 800 instructs each subunit to shift to the operation mode necessary for monochrome printing.

  Next, the control unit 800 is notified of the amount of power used to perform the operation from each subunit. If the total amount of power notified from each subunit is greater than or equal to the maximum supply power amount, the power amount is adjusted, but it is normally notified from each subunit because it is at the start of the print instruction. It is unlikely that the total amount of power to be exceeded exceeds the maximum supply power amount, and therefore a desired image forming operation is normally started. FIG. 14 schematically shows the power usage status of each unit during the image forming operation.

  The temperature control temperature of the fixing unit 1209 in the present embodiment is 190 ° C. at the beginning of printing, but in the case of continuous black-and-white fixing to a plurality of recording media, absorption from the fixing roller to each recording medium is performed. Since the amount of heat is accumulated, the degree of decrease from the temperature adjustment temperature of the fixing roller becomes significant due to continuous fixing. Depending on the environment and the type of paper, if continuous fixing is continued as it is, the fixing roller temperature will fall below the lower limit fixing temperature, and as a result, fixing properties may not be ensured.

  In this embodiment, in such a case, a kind of function limiting operation, that is, a so-called down sequence, is performed in which the image forming interval is increased to prevent the fixing roller from being lowered in temperature and prevent printing from becoming impossible.

  The conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus system is designed so as to be able to shift to a printing state in which productivity is lowered so that the fixing property can be maintained even when the fixing roller is lowered. However, even in that case, the paper conveyance speed itself is not normally reduced, and the productivity is lowered by increasing the interval at which image formation is performed.

  As a result, for the recording medium, only the interval for starting the transfer is extended, so that the maximum power consumption in the recording medium transport unit cannot be lowered. It simply increases the time that the recording medium is kept waiting in the registration state before the transfer is started. Accordingly, operations of various transport related units such as the recording medium feeding unit 1206, the recording medium transport unit 1207, and the double-sided recording medium transport unit 1208, and image forming related units such as the fixing unit, the developing unit, and the recording medium transfer unit are performed simultaneously. The peak power amount in the case of breakage is not different from that in normal operation. Therefore, although the power consumption amount as a time average decreases, it is practically impossible to distribute the power to other functions. FIG. 15 shows the power usage status during the conventional down sequence operation.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the down sequence is performed, first, the priority table of each unit recorded in the memory 903 is referred to search for the operation mode of the unit having a low priority. For example, in the example of the priority table shown in FIG. 13, the high-speed transport operation of transport-related units such as the recording medium feeding unit 1206 / recording medium transport unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium transport unit 1208 has a relatively high priority. The priority is set higher for the lower and lower speed transport operation. This is based on the idea that if the transport operation itself is stopped, the image formation cannot be continued, but if only the speed is lowered, the productivity is lowered, but the image formation operation itself can be continued.

  As a result, the control unit 800 changes the recording medium feeding unit 1206 / recording medium conveying unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium conveying unit 1208 to a higher-priority conveying operation (that is, a lower-speed conveying operation). Request each unit.

  The recording medium feeding unit 1206 / recording medium conveying unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium conveying unit 1208 receives an instruction from the control unit 800 to shift to a low-speed conveying operation, and starts switching to the low-speed conveying operation. As a result, it is virtually impossible to maintain productivity at the start. Then, the controller 800 is notified of the new power consumption due to the switching to the low-speed conveyance operation. The amount of power used at that time is lower than the amount of power used when performing high-speed conveyance.

  The control unit 800 receives a notification of a new power consumption amount from the recording medium paper feeding unit 1206 / recording medium conveyance unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium conveyance unit 1208, and controls the power supply unit 1210 to obtain a desired power supply amount. Switch to. As a result, although the total amount of power used is reduced, in this embodiment, the reduced amount of power is allocated to the fixing unit 1209. In other words, by switching the operation of the fixing unit 1209 to an operation mode in which more power is applied during heating, the return of the lowered fixing unit 1209 to the initial fixing temperature is promoted.

  If the temperature adjustment temperature of the fixing device returns to the initial state as a result of the down sequence, the operation mode of the fixing device unit returns to the initial operation state. At this time, the fixing device unit 1209 uses the power consumption amount. Is again notified to the control unit 800, and as a result, the surplus power amount is redistributed to the recording medium feeding unit 1206 / recording medium conveying unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium conveying unit 1208. Notify to return to the initial operating mode. Then, the recording medium paper feeding unit 1206 / recording medium conveyance unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium conveyance unit 1208 again requests an increase in required power consumption, and the power supply unit 1210 is controlled in response to the request to supply the desired power. Return from the down sequence by switching to the quantity. FIG. 16 schematically shows a change in the power usage state when the normal state is shifted to the down sequence and then the normal state is restored again.

  Furthermore, in the electrophotographic image forming system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a down sequence operation according to the operator's purpose by determining the priority order for the operation mode of the device.

  In the example described above, the image forming operation can be continued as a result by reducing the image forming speed with respect to the decrease in the fixing device temperature. This is based on the premise that fixing failure does not occur even if the temperature of the fixing device drops. However, even if some deterioration of fixing property is observed, it can be performed for an operator who wants to maintain initial productivity. Sometimes it is better to continue printing as fast as possible.

  In this embodiment, such a request can be easily realized by changing the priority table stored in the memory 903. For example, the priority table data shown in FIG. 13 may be changed as shown in FIG. That is, the priority should be set higher in the transport operation mode of the recording medium feeding unit 1206 / recording medium transport unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium transport unit 1208 than in the operation mode of the fixing unit 1209. As a result, even when the temperature of the fixing device is relatively lowered, the image forming operation speed does not become low. If the quality of the printed matter is allowed to be somewhat reduced, the image forming operation can be continued at high speed without reducing the productivity.

  In the example described above, the image forming speed is reduced with respect to the decrease in the fixing device temperature, and further the amount of electric power supplied to the fixing device unit 1209 is further added to promote the restoration of the fixing temperature. Some operators may prefer to reduce power consumption at the expense of productivity. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 18, by setting the total suppliable power amount in the priority table stored in the memory 903 to be low in advance, the power consumption amount can be determined using the same algorithm as described above. Reductions can be made.

  In addition, in this embodiment, even when the functions or power consumption performance of some subunits are improved and the units are replaced, down-sequencing can be realized relatively easily without significant algorithm changes. Is possible.

  Specifically, when the power is turned on, the details of the operation mode type are notified to the control unit 800 including the power supply unit 1210 from the new subunit that has been replaced in the same manner as other subunits when the power is turned on. According to the contents of the priority table created in the memory 903, the same operation instruction as described above may be given to a plurality of subunits including a new subunit.

  For example, if the fixing unit 1209 having improved fixability compared to the power consumption is replaced, if the maximum power consumption is constant in the normal state, the amount is additionally supplied to other subunits. It becomes possible to do. For example, according to the priority table shown in FIG. 13, the recording medium feeding unit 1206 / recording medium conveying unit 1207 / double-sided recording medium conveying unit 1208, etc., which have lower priority than the fixing unit 1209 are operated at higher speed. It becomes possible to make it.

  In addition, since the fixing unit 1209 can perform the same operation as before with a relatively low power supply amount even during the down sequence transition, it is possible to relatively reduce the speed reduction due to the down sequence. What should be noted here is that it is possible to improve the performance during normal operation and down sequence without significant change of the judgment algorithm. FIG. 19 schematically shows a change in the power usage status when the normal state is changed to the down sequence after the fixing unit 1209 is replaced and then the normal state is restored again.

<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, the down sequence in consideration of the decrease in the fixing device temperature during monochrome printing has been described. However, the same sequence can be considered when color printing is performed during monochrome printing. However, generally, color printing has a lower margin of tolerance for a decrease in the fixing device temperature, so that the image forming operation itself cannot be performed until the temperature of the fixing device returns to some extent. However, in this case as well, the operation and power supply related to the sub-units other than the fixing unit 1209 are temporarily stopped, so that the entire power amount can be supplied to the fixing unit 1209 to minimize the recovery time. can do. At that time, the priority of the power supply to the fixing unit is maximized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the down sequence considering the decrease in the fixing device temperature during monochrome printing has been described. However, the image reading operation by the reader control unit 1201 is performed simultaneously with the execution of image formation. May be. In particular, when performing a high-speed reading operation or the like with a large amount of power consumption, a competition of the power consumption with the image forming operation occurs. Even in such a case, it is possible to realize an efficient reader reading operation by executing in the restriction mode according to the contents of the priority table described above.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the apparatus system for implement | achieving this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the electric power supply to each function unit. It is a figure which shows typically adjustment of the electric power supply amount when exceeding the maximum electric power supply amount with respect to the electric power requirement of each functional unit. It is a figure which shows typically the stop of the electric power supply when operation | movement of a functional unit is completed. It is a figure which shows typically adjustment of the electric energy used by the priority of the functional operation in a functional unit. It is a figure which shows typically the failure diagnosis by the functional unit performing improper electric power use. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an image digital image processing part. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an external interface. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a laser scanner part. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an electrophotographic image forming system. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the priority table data on performing the function restriction | limiting in a subunit unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows the electric power usage condition in each subunit during image formation. It is a schematic diagram which shows the electric power usage condition in each subunit in the conventional down sequence. It is a schematic diagram which shows the electric power usage condition in each subunit in the down sequence in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the priority order table data when giving priority to high-speed printing. It is a figure which shows an example of the priority table data in the case of giving priority to reduction of power consumption. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a change in the power usage status when shifting to a down sequence when the fixing unit is replaced.

Explanation of symbols

101 Device Control Unit 102 Power Supply Unit 103 Functional Unit A
104 Functional unit B
105 Functional unit C
106 Functional unit D
107 Power supply bus A
108 Power supply bus B
109 Power supply bus C
110 Power supply bus D
111 Logical communication bus 112 CPU
113 Recording memory 114 Logic controller A
115 Logic controller B
116 Logic controller C
117 Logic controller D
701 CCD
702 Clamp & Amp. & S / H & A / D section 703 Shading section 704 Connection & MTF correction correction & Document detection section 705 Input masking section 706 Selector 707 Color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion section 708 Delay 709 Moire removal section 710 Scaling processing section 711 UCR & masking & black character Reflection unit 712 γ correction unit 713 Filter unit 714 External I / F unit 715 Background removal unit 716 Black character determination unit 800 Control unit 801 Platen glass 802 Document feeder (DF)
803, 804 Light source 805, 806 Reflector Umbrella 807-809 Mirror 810 Lens 811 Substrate on which CCD is mounted 812 Printer processing unit 813 External interface (I / F)
814, 815 Carriage 816 Drive motor 817 Printer control I / F
818 Exposure device 819 Black developing device 820 Transfer band electricity 821 Primary charger 822 Cleaner device 823 Color developing unit 824 Reflective sensor 825 Photoconductor 826 Transfer belt 827 to 829 Roller 830 Fixing conveyance belt 831 Transfer roller 832 Cleaner blade 833 Fixing roller 834 Fixing device 835 to 837 Paper feed roller pair 838, 839 and 854 Pickup roller 840 and 841 Cassette 842 Paper discharge tray 843 to 845 No sheet detection sensor 847 to 849 Paper feed sensor 850 Transfer roller detaching unit 851 and 852 Charger before fixing 853 Manual feed unit 855 Registration roller 856 Registration sensor 857 Paper discharge flapper 858 Paper discharge path 859 Back surface path 860 Reverse roller 861 Double-side reverse path 862 Double-side path transport low 863 duplex path 864 refeed roller 865 re-feed sensor 866 sheet guide 868 cleaner blade detachable unit 901 CPU
902 Operation unit 903 Memory 1001 Facsimile device 1002 LAN interface device 1101 Laser 1102 Rotating polyhedron 1103 Drive motor 1113 Condensing lens 1114 Imaging lens 1115 Drum 1116 BD sensor 1201 Reader control unit 1202 Digital image processing unit 1203 Laser scanner control unit 1204 Developer Unit 1205 recording medium transfer unit 1206 recording medium feeding unit 1207 recording medium transport unit 1208 double-sided recording medium transport unit 1209 fixing unit 1210 power supply unit

Claims (24)

In an equipment system comprising a power supply unit for managing power and supplying power, and a plurality of power operation units that operate by being supplied with power from the power supply unit,
The power operation unit requests the power supply unit for a required amount of power according to a plurality of operation modes, and the power supply unit has a predetermined priority with the power request amount from the plurality of power operation units. An electric power supply unit characterized in that the electric power operating unit calculates an available electric energy and notifies the electric power operating unit of the available electric energy and supplies the electric power operating unit. system.   The power supply unit has a recording memory table for recording a plurality of operation mode information of the power operation unit and a priority order regarding the operation mode operation, and the operation mode information regarding the power operation unit recorded in the recording memory table; 2. The apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein an operation mode for the power operation unit is determined based on a predetermined priority.   The apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein the power operation unit operates in an operation mode in which the power operation unit can operate according to the notified and supplied usable electric energy.   4. The apparatus system according to claim 3, wherein the operation mode operable in the power operation unit is a restriction mode accompanied by performance degradation in the power operation unit.   The combination of the limited mode operations in the individual power operating units is dynamically switched to the optimum limited mode by operating in the limited mode in which the individual power operating units can operate with the supplied power. Item 4. The device system according to Item 4.   The power operation unit notifies the power supply unit of the fact after completing the operation according to the amount of usable power supplied by the power supply unit, and automatically stops the operation. Item 6. The device system according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   The power supply unit stops power supply to the power operation unit in response to an operation completion notification from the power operation unit, and as a result, the surplus power amount is reduced to the power supply amount requested in advance. The insufficient power amount that could not be supplied due to the restriction by the supply amount is supplemented and supplied to the power operation unit, and as a result, the power operation unit operates again in the operation mode corresponding to the supplemented power amount. The device system according to claim 6.   When a power request for the power operating unit with a higher priority is generated later, the power operating unit issues a power usage reduction request to the power operating unit with a lower priority and responds accordingly. 8. The apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein the power operation unit operates again in an operation mode in which the power operation unit can operate with an amount of power corresponding to the reduction request.   The power supply unit has power supply priority changing means for changing a priority setting for supplying power to the plurality of power operating units recorded in the recording memory table, and the power priority changing means The apparatus system according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the plurality of power operation units are operated in accordance with the recording contents of the recording memory table whose priority has been changed.   Even when one or more of the power operating units is replaced with the same type of operating unit having the same function, operation is possible by replacing the operation mode information related to the power operating unit recorded in the recording memory table. The device system according to claim 2, wherein a new operation mode is realized. In an image forming apparatus system configured by a power supply unit for managing power and supplying power, and a plurality of image forming subunits that operate by being supplied with power from the power supply unit,
The power supply unit calculates the amount of power that can be used by the image forming subunit based on the amount of power required from the plurality of image forming subunits and a predetermined priority, and uses the amount of usable power as the image forming amount. An image forming apparatus system including the power supply unit and the image forming subunit, wherein the image forming subunit is notified and supplied to the subunit.   12. The image forming subunit is a laser control unit, a developing unit, a recording medium transfer unit, a recording medium feeding unit, a recording medium conveying unit, a double-sided recording medium conveying unit, or a fixing unit. Image forming equipment system.   The power supply unit has a recording memory table for recording a plurality of operation mode information of the image forming subunit and a priority order related to the operation mode operation, and relates to the power operation unit recorded in the recording memory table. 13. The photographic image forming apparatus system according to claim 11, wherein an operation mode for the image forming subunit is determined based on the operation mode information and a predetermined priority.   The image forming apparatus system according to claim 11, wherein the image forming subunit operates in an operable operation mode in accordance with the notification and the supplied usable electric energy.   The image forming apparatus system according to claim 14, wherein the operation mode in which the image forming subunit can operate is a restricted mode accompanied by a performance degradation in the image forming subunit.   The plurality of operation modes of the paper feeding unit, the recording medium conveyance unit, and the double-sided recording medium conveyance unit which are the image forming subunits are recording medium conveyance modes at a plurality of different recording medium conveyance speeds. The image forming apparatus system according to any one of 13 to 15.   16. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of operation modes of the fixing unit as the image forming subunit are fixing modes based on a plurality of different fixing heating temperatures.   16. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of operation modes of the developing unit which is the image forming subunit is a color printing operation or a monochrome printing mode.   16. The individual image forming subunits are dynamically switched from an operation combination to an optimum restriction mode by operating in a restriction mode operable with power supplied by the power supply unit. The image forming apparatus system described.   The image forming subunit notifies the power supply unit of the fact after completing the operation according to the available power amount supplied by the power supply unit, and automatically stops the operation. Item 20. The image forming apparatus system according to any one of Items 11 to 19.   The power supply unit stops the power supply to the image forming subunit in response to the operation completion notification from the image forming subunit, and as a result, the surplus power amount is totally reduced with respect to the power supply amount requested in advance. The insufficient power amount that could not be supplied due to the restriction by the power supply amount is supplemented and supplied to the image forming subunit. As a result, the image forming subunit operates again in the operation mode corresponding to the supplemented power amount. 21. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 20, wherein the image forming apparatus system is performed.   When a power request for the image forming subunit having a higher priority is subsequently generated, the image forming subunit issues a power consumption reduction request to the image forming subunit having a lower priority. The image forming apparatus system according to any one of claims 11 to 21, wherein the image forming subunit performs an operation again in an operation mode in which the image forming subunit can operate with an amount of electric power according to a reduction request.   The power supply unit has power supply priority changing means for changing the prioritization for supplying power to the plurality of image forming subunits recorded in the recording memory table, and the power priority changing means has priority. 23. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of image forming subunits are operated in accordance with the recording contents of the recording memory table whose degree is changed.   Even when one or more of the image forming subunits are replaced with the same type of subunit having the same function, the operation is performed by replacing the operation mode information related to the image forming subunit recorded in the recording memory table. 24. The image forming apparatus system according to claim 13, wherein a possible new operation mode is realized.

Images