JP2011025562A - Image forming apparatus, control method thereof and control program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problems: in a quick start-up mode in the prior art, it is necessary to supply power to a necessary function to achieve a high-speed start-up, consequently, low power consumption, such as a sleep function, is achieved with difficulty. <P>SOLUTION: Regarding the image forming apparatus including a power switch which can be operated by a user, and a second switch, in the state where the high-speed start-up mode (quick start-up mode) is selected with the user's operation to select not a normal start-up mode but the high-speed start-up mode, if the user turns off the power switch, the electrical control switch is turned on to maintain the power supply to some devices, and then, a predetermined shut-down processing is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that has a copying function, a printer function, and the like, and enables high-speed power-on control.

  Multi-function image forming devices equipped with copy function, printer function, etc., process of each process such as initialization of startup program, download of program, and initialization of each application before operation is possible after power switch is turned on Need to do. Therefore, each process requires time for processing, and it takes time until the user can accept it.

  Therefore, as a technique for starting up the image forming apparatus at high speed, power control as in Patent Document 1 is known. In Patent Document 1, the main power supply is turned off or on by a switch separate from the main body. For this reason, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, there are a plurality of switches related to power control, and the power ON / OFF operation is complicated. In addition, an apparatus such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a standby mode and a fast startup mode.

JP 07-095496 JP2007-214983

  However, in the high-speed start-up mode according to the conventional technology as described above, it is difficult to realize low power consumption such as a sleep function because it is necessary to energize necessary functions in order to start up the apparatus at high speed. It was.

  The present invention can be realized as an image forming apparatus, for example. The image forming apparatus includes: a power switch for switching on / off of power by a user; a first switch for switching on / off of power separately from the power switch; and turning on the power by the power switch A setting unit that sets a high-speed startup mode that makes the process for starting the image forming apparatus in a standby state faster than normal, and a processing unit that executes a shutdown process when the power switch is turned off. When the power switch is turned off and the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the processing means performs a shutdown process with the first switch turned on, and the setting means If the fast startup mode is not set by the above, the processing means shuts down with the first switch turned off. And performing.

  According to the present invention, the normal start mode and the fast start mode (quick start mode) can be operated by turning the main switch on and off, so that it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is easy to understand and use for the user. . In addition, it is possible to reduce the power consumption in the fast start-up mode as in the sleep mode.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The figure which shows the power supply structure of the image forming apparatus to which this invention is applied FIG. 5 is another diagram showing a power supply configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 is another diagram showing a power supply configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 7 is a flowchart showing processing of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. Another flowchart showing the processing of the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The figure which shows the operation part display of an image forming apparatus

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the controller unit 120 serving as the central function of the image forming apparatus will be described. The CPU 101 executes a software program of the image forming apparatus and controls the entire apparatus. The ROM 110 is a read-only memory, and stores a boot program for the apparatus, fixed parameters, and the like. The RAM 111 is a random access memory and is used for temporary data storage when the CPU 101 controls the apparatus. The HDD 112 is a hard disk drive and is used for storing various data such as print data. The printer I / F control unit 113 is a device that controls the printer 114. The SRAM 102 is for storing various setting values of the image forming apparatus. Since it is a volatile memory, power is supplied by a battery and backup is performed in order to retain data. The panel control unit 103 can control the operation panel 106 to display various types of information and input instructions from the user. The FAX 104 controls data transmission / reception with the public line 115. The LAN 105 controls data transmission / reception with the network 116. A CPU 101, SRAM 102, panel control unit 103, FAX 104, LAN 105, scanner I / F control unit 109, ROM 110, RAM 111, HDD 112, and printer I / F control unit 113 are connected to the bus 107. A bus 107 is a system bus through which control signals from the CPU 101 and data signals between devices are transmitted and received.

  Next, the power control unit 129 of the image forming apparatus will be described. The main switch 122 is a switch for switching the power-on state (power-on) / off state (power-off) of the image forming apparatus. By turning on the main switch 122 of the image forming apparatus, the commercial power supply 121 outside the apparatus supplies power to the night-time power supply 125 via the main switch 122. Here, if the main switch is turned on, the night-time power is supplied from the commercial power supply 121 and is not cut off from the commercial power supply 121 even when the image forming apparatus is in a power saving standby state (sleep state). Further, by connecting both ends of the main power switch in parallel with the relay switch 123, the night-time power supply 125 is fed from the commercial power supply 121 through the relay switch 123. The image forming apparatus can switch the power ON / OFF by the relay switch 123. This will be explained later. Here, the relay switch 123 is controlled so that it is turned on in the normal standby state and turned off in the power saving standby state (sleep state) when the high speed startup mode is set when the main power switch 122 is in the off state. On the other hand, when the fast startup mode is not set, control is performed so as to be OFF in the normal standby state.

  Further, regarding the connection destination of the night power supply, the area surrounded by the dotted line on the controller unit 120 side is connected to the night power supply device 117. Further, the quick start switch 126 is connected to the quick start related device 118. The quick activation related device 118 is a device that is a target of high-speed activation when the user selects higher-speed activation. Further, the emergency night power supply 127 can be applied by controlling the emergency night switch 124 and is connected to the emergency night power supply device 118. The emergency night power supply device 118 is driven by the emergency night power supply 127. The emergency night power supply is cut off from the commercial power supply 121 when the image forming apparatus is in the sleep state while the main switch is turned on. An ON / OFF signal of the main power switch 122 in the power control unit 129 is transmitted to the CPU 101 via the signal line 128. Further, the CPU 101 can perform ON / OFF control of the relay switch 123, the emergency night switch 124, and the quick start switch 126.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram of device regions 117 to 119 divided by a power source connected to the power source control unit 129 in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention.

  The state in FIG. 2 shows an operable standby state after the power switch of the image forming apparatus is turned on. The operation is performed as follows. When an operation to turn on the main power switch 122 is accepted, power is supplied from the commercial power supply 121 to the night power source device area 117 including the CPU 101 and the quick startup related device 118 via the main power switch 122 and the night power source 125. The A method for supplying power to the quick activation related device 118 is as follows. When the CPU 101 of the controller turns on the quick start switch 126 via the control signal 204, power is supplied from the night power supply to the quick start related device 118. Further, the CPU 101 monitors the main power switch 122 using the control signal line 201. The CPU 101 controls the relay switch 123 via the control signal line 202 and the emergency night switch 124 via the control signal line 203.

  In the normal mode, the main power switch 122 is turned on immediately after the power is turned on, and supplies power to the power source 125 at night. In addition, immediately after the power is turned on, the CPU 101 performs ON control on the relay switch 123 and performs control for supplying power to the power supply unit 125 all night. The emergency night switch 124 is controlled by the CPU 101, and power is supplied to the emergency night power source device 119 via the emergency night power source 127 by turning on the switch.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device regions 117 to 119 of the controller unit and the power supply control unit of the image forming apparatus in the high speed startup mode of the image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention. The state in FIG. 3 is a standby state in which the main power switch 122 and the relay switch 123 are in the ON state in the fast start-up mode. A portion where the power is turned off is shown with respect to a block shown in gray and a dotted line connection portion. Through the commercial power supply 121 and the relay switch 123, the night power supply 125 is connected to the night device 117 including the CPU 101. The power supply is not connected to the other emergency night power supply 127, emergency night switch 124, quick start switch 126, and device areas 118 and 119. In this state, most devices are not powered, so the power consumption is very low.

  The fast startup shutdown process in the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This sequence is executed by the CPU 101 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 110 or the HDD 112.

  First, when the image forming apparatus is activated, the user is set to select whether or not to select the fast activation mode (S501). In this mode selection method, when a setting key on an operation panel in an operation unit (not shown) is pressed, a setting menu (not shown) appears, and the setting of the activation mode is selected from the menu. Then, the screen of FIG. 7 is displayed. Two types of startup mode settings can be selected. By default, the normal startup mode (left side) is selected. The normal activation mode is a mode in which normal activation is performed by accepting an operation of turning on the main power switch, and power supply to the image forming apparatus is stopped by accepting an operation of turning off the main power switch. .

  While the image forming apparatus is in a standby state, the user turns off the main power switch (S502). When the CPU 101 detects this operation, the shutdown process is started. The following processing program is executed by the CPU 101. First, it is determined whether there is a fast startup setting. (S503) Here, if the start mode is set to the high speed start mode, the process proceeds to S504. In step S504, it is determined whether the relay switch is ON. As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the relay switch 123 is a switch that is disposed between the commercial power supply 121 and the nighttime power supply 125 and is controlled by the CPU 101 in the nighttime device 117. When the relay switch 123 is ON, the image forming apparatus performs a sleep setting process (S505). Here, the apparatus state of the image forming apparatus is backed up. The CPU 101 writes in the backup information storage storage area of the SRAM 102 of the controller unit. Here, the function setting information of the LAN 105, FAX 104, and panel control unit 103 is written into the backup information storage unit of the SRAM 102 described above. The SRAM 102 can hold the device state of the image forming apparatus using a backup battery. The information held in the SRAM 102 is used when the image forming apparatus executes high-speed activation.

  Thereafter, the CPU 101 sets the emergency night switch 124 to OFF via the control signal line 203 and stops the power supply of the emergency night power supply 127. As a result, the emergency night device 119 is turned off and the image forming apparatus enters a sleep state (S506). Further, backup processing of the functions of the LAN 105, the FAX 104, and the panel control unit 103 described above is performed so that these devices can be turned off. Next, the CPU 101 sets the quick start switch 126 to OFF via the control signal line 204, and stops the power supply from the nighttime power supply 125 to the quick start related device 118. Thereby, the power supply to the quick activation related device 118 is stopped (S507). Thereby, the shutdown process for performing high-speed startup is completed.

  In S504, the operation when the relay switch is OFF will be described below.

  The state in which the relay switch is OFF is a state in which the image forming apparatus is on standby with low power consumption, that is, a so-called power saving standby state (sleep mode).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the states of the device areas 117 to 119 of the controller unit and the power supply control unit 129 of the image forming apparatus in the power saving standby state (sleep mode) in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention. The state in FIG. 4 is a state waiting for an external activation factor (a factor for returning from the sleep state) in the sleep mode. The block shown in gray and the portion where power is not supplied to the dotted line connection portion are shown. The main power switch 122 is in an ON state, and the commercial power source 121 is connected to the night device 117 including the CPU via the main power switch 122 and the night power source 125. Further, the CPU 101 controls the quick start switch to be ON, and power is supplied to the quick start related device 118 via the quick start switch 126. Other power supplies, switches, and devices are not connected. In this state, the power consumption is low because of the sleep mode.

  In this state, the relay switch 123 is OFF. At this time, if the main power switch is turned off, the power is not supplied. Therefore, the backup performed in S505 is not executed. For this reason, if the shutdown process is executed in this state, the image forming apparatus cannot be started at a high speed even when the high speed startup mode is set at the next return. Therefore, by using the following method, the shutdown process is performed, and the transition control to the quick mode becomes possible.

  If the relay switch is OFF in S504, the process proceeds to S508, and system reset processing is executed (S508). By executing this process, the shutdown process can be continued even when the relay switch 123 is OFF. With the reset process, the CPU 101 performs control to set the relay switch 123 to ON (S509). The image forming apparatus performs a restart process for returning once (S510). When the restart is completed, the process advances to step S505 to back up the device state of the image forming apparatus described above. After that, power supply to the emergency night device is stopped. Subsequently, the night power supply to the quick start-related devices is sequentially stopped to complete the fast start-up shutdown process.

  If the default normal activation mode is selected in S501, the process jumps to No because it is not the high-speed maneuver setting in the determination in S503. Thereafter, the power-off setting is performed (S511), and the power-off process (S512) is performed to complete the shutdown process.

  Subsequently, the return processing in the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

  First, it is confirmed whether the main power switch 122 is turned on by the user (S601). When the main power switch 122 is turned on, a signal for turning on the main power switch is transmitted to the CPU 101. The following control is executed by the CPU 101 program. Next, it is confirmed whether or not there is a setting for the fast startup mode (S602). When the high speed start mode is set, the CPU 101 controls the quick start switch 126 to be ON and supplies power to the quick start related device 118 (S603). The quick activation related device 118 is a device such as a LAN, FAX, or panel control unit. Subsequently, in order to perform setting processing after power supply, backup processing is continuously executed. The CPU 101 reads out device state information of the image forming apparatus that has been written at the time of shutdown in the fast startup mode from the backup information storage area of the SRAM 102 of the controller unit. In addition, a process for restoring the device state of the image forming apparatus and a process for restoring the LAN, FAX function, and panel control are performed (S604). In this way, the device status information of the image forming apparatus before shutdown is stored, the information stored at the time of return is read, and set in the registers of each unit (not shown). At this time, in the fast startup mode, the stored information is set without initializing the registers of each unit, so that the state of the device before the shutdown can be quickly restored. Then, after the return processing of the quick activation related device 118 in the LAN, FAX function or the like is completed, the CPU 101 controls the emergency night switch 124 to ON, starts up the emergency night power supply 127, and energizes the emergency night device 119 ( S605). When the above processing ends, the high-speed startup return sequence in the image forming apparatus of the present invention is completed, and the standby state is set (S606). If the fast startup setting is not performed in S602, the process jumps to No, performs initialization setting in the normal startup mode (S607), and enters the standby mode. In the normal activation mode, it requires work to initialize the device state by initializing the registers of each unit, so that it takes more time to recover than when recovering by high-speed activation.

  As described above, first, by setting the normal mode and the high speed start mode from the operation unit of the image forming apparatus, the high speed start mode can be set only by turning on / off the main switch. Also, by setting the fast startup mode, the startup time of the image forming apparatus is shortened, which is very convenient for the user. Furthermore, by setting the fast startup mode, by performing power processing of the main device, and by controlling the power of devices such as the LAN and FAX functions, image formation with low power consumption equivalent to or higher than the conventional sleep mode The operation of the device can be achieved.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (21)

In the image forming apparatus,
A power switch for switching the power on / off by the user;
A first switch for switching on / off of the power supply separately from the power switch;
Setting means for setting a high-speed startup mode that makes the processing for starting the image forming apparatus in a standby state faster than usual when the power is turned on by the power switch;
Processing means for executing shutdown processing when the power switch is turned off;
When the power switch is turned off and the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the processing means performs a shutdown process with the first switch turned on, and the setting means The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the activation mode is not set, the processing unit performs a shutdown process in a state where the first switch is turned off. Storage means for storing setting information or status information of the image forming apparatus;
When the power switch is turned off, and when the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the processing means forms the image on the storage means with the first switch turned on. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein processing for storing setting information or status information of the apparatus is executed.   When the power switch is turned off, if the fast start mode is not set by the setting unit, the processing unit stores the image forming apparatus in the storage unit with the first switch turned off. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the process of storing the setting information or the state information is not executed. A determination unit for determining a state of the first switch;
When the power switch is turned off, and when the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the determination means determines that the first switch is in the off state, and the first switch 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shutdown process is performed by the processing unit after the switch is turned on. A second switch for controlling power supply to a target device to be fast-started;
When the power switch is turned off, if the fast start mode is set by the setting means, control is performed so that power is supplied to the target device to be fast started through the second switch. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. When the power switch is turned on, execution means for executing processing for starting the image forming apparatus in a standby state;
When the high-speed startup mode is set by the setting means, the execution means executes the process for starting up with the first switch turned on, and the high-speed startup mode is set by the setting means. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit performs the start-up process in a state where the first switch is turned off if not. 6. Storage means for storing setting information or status information of the image forming apparatus;
When the power switch is turned on, when the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the setting information stored in the storage means or the first switch is turned on or The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a reading unit that reads the state information.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first switch is connected in parallel with the power switch. The image forming apparatus has a power saving standby state,
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first switch is turned off in the power saving standby state.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power switch and the first switch are connected to a power supply at night.   11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a third switch for controlling power supply to a device driven by an emergency night power source, wherein the third switch is turned off in the shutdown process. The image forming apparatus described.   12. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a third switch for controlling power supply to a device driven by an emergency night power supply, wherein the third switch is turned off in the shutdown process. The image forming apparatus described.   8. The device according to claim 6, further comprising a third switch for controlling power supply to a device driven by an emergency night power supply, wherein the third switch is turned on in the process executed by the execution unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. In the control method of the image forming apparatus,
An accepting step of accepting an operation for switching on / off of a power switch by a user;
A switching step for switching a first switch for switching on / off a power supply different from the power switch;
A setting step for setting a high-speed startup mode that makes the processing for starting the image forming apparatus in a standby state faster than usual when the power-on operation by the user is received in the receiving step step;
A processing step of executing a shutdown process when the power-off operation by the user is accepted in the accepting step;
When the power switch is turned off and the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the processing means performs a shutdown process with the first switch turned on, and the setting means A control method for an image forming apparatus, wherein if the activation mode is not set, the processing means performs a shutdown process with the first switch turned off. A storage step of storing setting information or status information of the image forming apparatus;
When the power switch is turned off, and when the fast start mode is set by the setting step, the processing step is performed when the first switch is turned on, and the processing step forms the image on the storage unit. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a process of storing setting information or status information of the apparatus is executed.   When the power switch is turned off, if the fast start mode is not set in the setting step, the processing step is performed when the image forming apparatus is in the storage step with the first switch turned off. The method for controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the process for storing the setting information or the state information is not executed. A determination step of determining a state of the first switch;
When the power switch is turned off, and when the fast start mode is set by the setting means, the determination step determines that the first switch is in the OFF state, 16. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a shutdown process is performed by the processing unit after the switch is turned on. A control step for controlling a second switch for supplying power to a target device to be fast-actuated;
In the control step, when the power switch is turned off, when the fast start mode is set by the setting means, power is supplied to the target device to be fast started through the second switch. The image forming apparatus control method according to claim 14, wherein the control is performed as described above.   When the power switch is turned on, when the execution step for starting the image forming apparatus in a standby state and the fast start mode is set by the setting step, the first switch is turned on. The execution means executes the process for starting in the state of being turned on, and if the fast start mode is not set by the setting means, the execution step is performed with the first switch turned off. The method for controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the start processing is performed. A storage step of storing setting information or status information of the image forming apparatus;
When the power switch is turned on, if the fast start mode is set by the setting step, the setting information stored in the storage step or the first switch is turned on or The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a reading step of reading out the state information.   The program for controlling an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 20.

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