JP2012158085A - Recording device, and method for controlling cooling of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress power consumption to minimum when mounting an optional substrate and also reduce a capacity of a power supply of a recording device to miniaturize the device and reduce cost, in a recording device that can be mounted with the optional substrate for function expansion.SOLUTION: For the recording device, it is presupposed that a main substrate and the optional substrate therein each have a cooling unit. The recording device that can be mounted with the optional substrate, is checked whether the optional substrate is mounted thereto, and when determined that the optional substrate has been mounted to the recording device, the cooling units are optimally controlled based on such information stored in a printer controller as cooling performance and power consumption of each cooling unit so that at least either one of the cooling units is driven.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a cooling control method thereof, and more particularly to a recording apparatus to which an option board for function expansion can be mounted and a cooling control method thereof.

  In recent years, recording devices that perform image formation have increased the degree of integration of circuit components due to higher image quality, improved recording speed, enhanced handling of recording media, compounding of products, and optional installation, etc. The frequency has risen. Along with this rise, the amount of heat generated by the device increases, and there is a problem that the device malfunctions due to a temperature rise. Therefore, many devices have been devised for cooling the device.

  As a general cooling method, for example, a fan is provided in the apparatus, and the entire apparatus is forced to suck and cool externally cooled air, or the entire apparatus is forced to suck and cool the heated air. Has been implemented.

  In particular, an integrated circuit (IC) that generates a large amount of heat, for example, by directly contacting a CPU with a heat sink (radiation fins, radiator) to cool the CPU, rotating the fan or blowing cooling air on the heat sink, Methods for cooling the heat sink are known. In addition, by installing a branching material for branching the air on the flow path from the cooling fan in two or more directions, the cooling effect is improved, the size and cost of the cooling device are prevented, and the size of the device is reduced. An image forming apparatus is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-047773 A

  However, in the conventional cooling device control method described above, when there are cooling devices on the main board and the option board of each device, each cooling device is operated with 100% performance, and the heat dissipation performance becomes overspec, which is a waste. There is a problem of consuming large amounts of power.

  Furthermore, since the cooling device cannot be controlled in accordance with the operation mode of the recording device to which the cooling device is mounted, there is a problem that, for example, the power consumption of the cooling device cannot be reduced in the power saving mode. In recent recording apparatuses, the amount of power supplied to each electrical component has increased due to the above-described reasons. When determining the power supply capacity of the recording apparatus (image forming apparatus), assuming that all the electrical components operate 100% at the same time, it becomes overspec, resulting in an increase in apparatus size and cost. Since the recording apparatus is naturally required to be downsized, it is required to suppress the maximum capacity and reduce the size of the power supply.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example. In a recording apparatus in which an option board can be mounted, the power consumption when the option board is mounted is minimized and the power capacity of the recording apparatus is reduced. The aim is to achieve downsizing and cost reduction.

  In order to achieve the above object, the recording apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.

  That is, a printer controller including a main board that controls the entire apparatus and a first cooling unit that cools heat generated from the main board, a printer engine, and a power supply control unit that supplies power to the printer controller and the printer engine A detecting unit for detecting whether or not an optional board having a second cooling unit is attached to the main board for function expansion; and the first cooling unit. And storage means for storing information on the cooling performance and power consumption of each of the second cooling units, analysis means for analyzing the information stored in the storage means, and detection of attachment of the option board by the detection means If not, the first cooling unit is driven to control the recording apparatus to be cooled, and the detection means When the mounting of the option board is detected, at least one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit is driven based on the result of analysis by the analyzing means to And a control means for controlling the recording apparatus to cool.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a printer controller including a main board that controls the entire apparatus and a first cooling unit that cools heat generated from the main board, a printer engine, the printer controller, and the printer A cooling control method in a recording apparatus including a power supply control unit for supplying power to an engine, whether an option board having a second cooling unit is attached to the main board for function expansion. A detection step for detecting the information, and an analysis step for analyzing information on the cooling performance and power consumption of each of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit stored in the memory; and If mounting is not detected, control is performed to drive the first cooling unit to cool the recording apparatus. When mounting of the option board is detected in the detection step, at least one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit is driven based on the analysis result in the analysis step. And a control process for controlling the recording apparatus to cool the recording apparatus.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an effect that power consumption when the option board is mounted can be minimized. As a result, the power supply capacity of the recording apparatus can be reduced, so that the power supply unit can be downsized, contributing to downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) that is a representative embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a printer controller. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a printer engine. 1 is a front external view of an image forming apparatus. 1 is a rear external view of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the layout structure of a main board | substrate and an option board | substrate. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control process according to Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control process according to Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control process according to Example 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control process according to Example 4 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the relative arrangement and the like of the constituent elements described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) which is a typical embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) 102 is connected to a host computer (hereinafter referred to as a host) 101 such as a personal computer via an external bus 106, and receives image data transmitted from the host 101. Receive and perform image formation. The recording apparatus 102 includes a printer controller 103, a printer engine 104, a power control unit 105, and the like. The power control unit 105 controls power supply to each block such as the printer controller 103 and the printer engine 104 of the recording apparatus 102. The recording apparatus 102 is equipped with a recording head that performs recording in accordance with an ink jet method.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the printer controller 103.

  The printer controller 103 has a function of receiving a print instruction and print image data from the host 101, converting the received image data into binary image data that can be printed by the printer engine 104, and outputting the binary image data to the printer engine 104. . The printer controller 103 has a main board 202 and an option board 301 that can be expanded in function.

  The main board 202 includes an ASIC 203, an operation unit 216, a display unit 217, an expansion interface 218 for mounting an option board, an RTC unit 219, an EEPROM 220, a RAM 221, and a ROM 222. In addition, it has a cooling unit 224 that dissipates heat generated by the ASIC 203 and heat generated in each block of the printer controller 103. The ASIC 203 includes a CPU 204, an image processing unit 205, an operation unit control circuit unit 206, a display unit control circuit unit 207, a network interface 208, and an expansion bus circuit unit 209. The ASIC 203 includes a serial communication control circuit unit 210, an EEPROM controller 211, a RAM controller 212, a ROM controller 213, a printer engine interface 214, and a cooling unit control unit 223.

  Each of these blocks is connected to the system bus bridge 215 via a bus line. These blocks are realized as a system semiconductor device, that is, as a printer controller ASIC (application-dedicated integrated circuit) 203 sealed in one package. The CPU 204 governs overall control of the printer controller 103 and sequentially reads and executes programs stored in the RAM 221 or the ROM 222. As a result, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to control the cooling unit 224.

  Similarly, control of the operation unit 216 and the display unit 217 via the operation unit control circuit unit 206 and the display unit control circuit unit 207 is executed. Further, the CPU 204 performs control of the image processing unit 205 for converting the received image data into image formation data, control of the printer engine interface unit 214 for transferring the generated image formation data to the printer engine 104, and the like. Execute.

  The image processing unit 205 converts the image data received from the host 101 into binary image data that can be printed by the printer engine 104. The operation unit control circuit unit 206 notifies the state of the electric signal output from the switch constituting the operation unit 216 as register information in accordance with a read command from the CPU 204. When a change occurs in the state of the electrical signal output from the switch, the operation unit control circuit unit 206 generates an interrupt signal and transmits the interrupt signal to the CPU 204. The display unit control circuit unit 207 outputs an electrical signal to the LCD and the LED lamp that constitute the display unit 217.

  The network interface 208 is a block that provides a transmission / reception function conforming to a network communication system such as 1000BASE-T. In addition, the network interface 208 may include a display unit (not shown) such as an LED indicating the connected network communication speed. The network interface 208 transmits / receives data to / from the host 101 connected via the network, and transmits a message to an SMTP server connected to the network.

  The serial communication control circuit unit 210 controls the RTC unit 219 connected to the ASIC 203 via the serial communication interface. The CPU 204 executes a data input / output operation with respect to the register of the serial communication control circuit unit 210, reads information of the connected RTC unit 219, and writes information into the RTC unit 219. As a communication method of the serial communication interface, any one of I2C (registered trademark) of the 2-wire interface, SPI (registered trademark) of the 3-wire interface, and Microwire (registered trademark) may be adopted. Good.

  The EEPROM controller 211 controls the EEPROM 220 connected to the printer controller ASIC 204 via a serial communication interface. The EEPROM controller 211 generates a necessary control signal in response to a read request from the CPU 204, reads data stored in advance in the EEPROM 220, and sends the read contents back to the CPU 204 via the system bus bridge 215. Further, the EEPROM controller 211 generates necessary control signals on the serial communication interface in response to a write request from the CPU 204 and rewrites the contents of the EEPROM 220. Note that the communication method of the serial communication interface is any one of I2C (registered trademark), SPI (registered trademark), and Microwire (registered trademark), as is the case with the serial communication interface connecting the RTC unit 219. It may be.

  The RTC unit 219 and the EEPROM 220 are controlled by different control blocks, that is, the serial communication control circuit unit 210 and the EEPROM controller 211. However, an RTC device and an EEPROM device may be connected to one control block, and a device to be accessed may be specified according to device address information.

  The RAM controller 212 controls the RAM 221 connected to the ASIC 203 via the RAM bus. The RAM controller 212 relays data to be written or read between each block having the CPU 204 and the DMAC and the RAM 221. The RAM controller 212 generates necessary control signals in response to read requests and write requests from the CPU 204 and each block, and executes writing to the RAM 221 and reading from the RAM 221.

  The ROM controller 213 controls the ROM 222 connected to the ASIC 203 via the ROM bus. The ROM controller 213 generates necessary control signals in response to a read request from the CPU 204, reads control procedures (programs) and data stored in advance in the ROM 222, and reads the read contents via the system bus bridge 215. Transfer to the CPU 204. When the ROM 222 is composed of an electrically rewritable device such as a flash memory, the ROM controller 213 generates a necessary control signal and rewrites the contents of the ROM 222.

  The expansion bus circuit unit 209 controls the option board 301 mounted on the expansion interface 218, and controls to transmit data to the option board 301 and control to receive data output from the option board 301 via the expansion bus. I do. Further, the expansion bus circuit unit 209 detects that the option board 301 is attached to the expansion interface 218 and notifies the CPU 204 of the detection. Further, when the extension bus circuit unit 209 detects that the option board 301 is mounted on the extension interface 218, the extension bus circuit unit 209 determines the type of the option board and notifies the CPU 204 of this.

  A PDL (page description language) processing unit such as LIPS (registered trademark) or PostScript (registered trademark) can be mounted on the extended interface 218 as the option board 301. In addition, the expansion interface 218 may be equipped with a hard disk drive unit that provides a large-capacity storage function, or a communication unit that communicates with the host 101 by a communication function that conforms to IEEE1284 or the like in addition to USB and IEEE1394. it can.

  The cooling unit control unit 223 receives the control instruction from the CPU 204 and controls the drive of the cooling unit 224 by performing PWM (pulse width modulation) control of the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224. If a failure occurs in the cooling unit 312, it is detected and notified to the CPU 204.

  The printer engine interface 214 is a block that transmits and receives data between the printer controller 103 and the printer engine 104. The printer engine interface 214 has a DMAC (direct memory access controller). The printer engine interface 214 sequentially reads the binary image data generated by the image processing unit 205 and stored in the RAM 221 via the RAM controller 212 and transfers the binary image data to the printer engine 104.

  Note that the image processing unit 205, the network interface 208, and the expansion bus circuit unit 209 have a DMAC, similar to the printer engine interface 214, and issue a memory access request.

  The system bus bridge 215 connects blocks constituting the ASIC 203, and arbitrates bus rights when access requests are issued simultaneously from a plurality of blocks. The CPU 204 and each block having the DMAC may issue an access request to the RAM 221 almost simultaneously via the RAM controller 212, and the system bus bridge 215 appropriately arbitrates according to a priority order specified in advance.

  The operation unit 216 includes switches that are linked to buttons for setting the operation of the recording apparatus 102, and outputs the state of these switches as an electrical signal. In addition, the operation unit 216 outputs a change in the switch state caused by operating the operation button as a change in the electrical signal. The operation unit 216 is provided with an online button for switching the operation mode, a menu button for instructing display of the menu screen, an up / down / left / right cross button for selecting an item from the menu screen, and an OK button for confirming the selection item. Yes. The operation unit 216 is also provided with a stop button for instructing to stop printing and a paper feed selection button for selecting a paper feeding method for printing paper.

  The display unit 217 includes an LCD and an LED lamp. The LCD displays an operation state of the recording apparatus 102 and displays a menu by operating a menu button or the like of the operation unit 216. The LED lamp displays the operation status of the recording apparatus 102 and a warning.

  The RTC unit 219 includes an RTC device having a serial communication interface, a crystal resonator for generating a reference clock, and the like. The RTC unit 219 measures the time in units of year, month, day of the week, and seconds, and notifies the time information via the serial communication interface.

  The EEPROM 220 is composed of an EEPROM or the like having a serial communication interface, and stores parameters necessary for controlling the recording apparatus 102. The RAM 221 is configured by a synchronous DRAM or the like, temporarily stores control procedures (programs) executed by the CPU 204, temporarily stores image formation data generated by the image processing unit 205, and serves as a work area for the CPU 204. To play a role. In addition, the RAM 221 temporarily stores data that the network interface 208 exchanges with the option board 301 connected via the temporary buffering of the image data received from the host 101 or the expansion bus. .

  The ROM 222 is configured by a flash memory or the like, and stores a control procedure (program) executed by the CPU 204. The flash memory is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile device, and the stored contents can be rewritten by following a predetermined sequence.

  In addition, each circuit block includes a register for setting an operation mode and the like, and the CPU 204 can set the operation mode and the like of each circuit block via a register access bus (not shown).

  The cooling unit (first cooling unit) 224 includes a PWM control type cooling fan and a heat sink, and the cooling fan is driven by the control of the cooling unit control unit 223. The cooling unit 224 is fixed to the ASIC 203.

  The option board 301 is connected to the extension interface 218 of the main board 202 via the extension interface 308. The option board 301 includes an ASIC 302, an expansion interface 308, a RAM 309, a ROM 310, and a cooling unit (second cooling unit) 312. The ASIC 302 includes a CPU 303, an expansion bus circuit unit 304, a RAM controller 305, a ROM controller 306, and a cooling unit control unit 311. Each of these blocks is connected to the system bus bridge 307 via a bus line. These blocks are realized as a system semiconductor device, that is, as an ASIC 302 sealed in one package.

  In this embodiment, the option board 301 receives the PDL data received from the host 101 from the main board 202, generates and renders a display list as intermediate data, and transmits the rendered data to the main board 202.

  That is, when the PDL data from the host 101 is received by the network interface 208, the CPU 204 stores the received PDL data in the RAM 309 of the option board 301 via the extension interfaces 218 and 308. The CPU 303 generates and renders a display list that is intermediate data from the PDL data stored in the RAM 309 based on the program stored in the ROM 310. Then, the CPU 303 transmits the rendered data to be stored in the RAM 221 of the main board 202 via the extended interfaces 308 and 218 again.

  Therefore, the ROM 310 stores a control control program for the option board 301 and a conversion program for processing PDL data. The RAM 309 is used as a work area for developing a program in the ROM 310, executing a control program for the option board 301, and processing PDL data. The RAM 309 is also used as a buffer memory for temporarily storing various control data transmitted / received to / from the host 101.

  The cooling unit control unit 311 receives a control instruction of the cooling unit 312 from the CPU 204 of the main board via the system bus bridge and the expansion interface, performs PWM control of the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105, and controls the driving of the cooling unit 312. I do. If a failure occurs in the cooling unit 312, it is detected and notified to the CPU 204. The cooling unit 312 includes a PWM control type cooling fan, a heat sink, and the like, and the cooling fan is driven by the control of the cooling unit control unit 311. The cooling unit 312 is fixed to the ASIC 302. Here, the heat dissipation performance (cooling performance) of the cooling unit 312 is higher than the heat dissipation performance (cooling performance) of the cooling unit 224.

  The printer engine 104 records an image on a recording medium based on the binary image data sent from the printer controller 103.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer engine.

  The engine controller 402 controls the printer engine 104. The head controller 403 sends a signal to the recording head 406 and causes ink to be ejected from the recording head 406. The motor control unit 404 controls a conveyance motor 408 that conveys a medium serving as a recording medium, and a carriage motor 407 that causes the recording head 406 to scan perpendicularly to the medium conveyance direction.

  The engine controller 402 drives the head controller 403, the recording head 406, the motor controller 404, the carriage motor 407, and the transport motor 408. A desired image can be formed on the medium by fixing the ink ejected from the recording head 406 at a desired position on the medium. The sensor control unit 405 is connected to the ink remaining amount detection unit 409 and the cover open / close detection unit 410 and controls sensor detection of each detection unit. Here, the sensor control unit 405 is connected to the engine controller 402 in the same manner as the head control unit 403 and the motor control unit 404, and the engine controller 402 transmits data detected by each sensor in the sensor control unit 405 to the printer controller 103. .

  4 is a front external view of the recording apparatus, and FIG. 5 is a rear external view of the recording apparatus and an installation position of the printer controller.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the main board 202 and the option board 301 constituting the printer controller 103 are installed on the back side of the recording apparatus 102. More specifically, the main board 202 is installed on the back surface of the recording apparatus 102, and the option board 301 is mounted at a position below the ASIC 203 in a position perpendicular to the main board 202. Further details will be described later.

  FIG. 6 is a layout diagram of the printer controller 103.

  FIG. 6 shows a side layout diagram (left side) and a front layout diagram (right side) of the printer controller 103. The printer controller 103 includes the main board 202 and the option board 301 as described above. As shown in FIG. 6, a cooling fan (main board side) 224 a and a cooling heat sink (main board side) 224 b are mounted on the main board 202 as the ASIC 203 and the cooling unit 224. Cooling air 225 is generated by driving the cooling fan 224a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a cooling fan (option board side) 312 a and a cooling heat sink (option board side) 312 b are mounted on the option board 301 as the ASIC 302 and the cooling unit 312. Cooling air 313 is generated by driving the cooling fan 312a.

  Here, the option board 301 is mounted at a position perpendicular to the main board 202, and the cooling on the main board side is placed on the flow path of the cooling air 313 of the cooling fan 312a arranged on the option board 301 side. A heat sink 224b is disposed. Accordingly, the cooling heat sink 224b can efficiently cool by receiving the cooling air 313 from the cooling fan 312a. Further, when the cooling air 225 of the cooling fan 224a arranged on the main board 202 side is compared with the cooling air 313 of the cooling fan 312a arranged on the option board 301 side, the cooling air 313 is more Is strong and has a high cooling power.

  Here, the layout configuration in which the cooling heat sink on the main board side is arranged on the cooling air flow path of the cooling fan arranged on the option board side is taken as an example, but the option board and the main board are opposite. The configuration of can also be applied. Further, the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which a duct or the like is provided between the cooling fan and the cooling heat sink of the counterpart unit to form a cooling air flow path to improve the cooling efficiency.

  If the configuration described above is used, the other cooling heat sink is arranged on the cooling air flow path of the one cooling fan, so that the cooling can be performed more efficiently and the power consumption of the cooling unit is reduced. It is possible.

  Next, several embodiments of the cooling control process executed in the recording apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a cooling control process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the recording apparatus 102 is turned on and enters an operation state, and the process proceeds to step S601. In step S601, the expansion bus control unit notifies the CPU 204 whether the option board 301 is mounted on the main board 202, and the CPU 204 receives the notification and determines whether the option board 301 is mounted.

  If the CPU 204 determines that the option board 301 is mounted, the process proceeds to step S603. If it is determined that the option board 301 is not mounted, the process proceeds to step S602. In step S602, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to drive the cooling unit 224, and the cooling unit control unit 223 supplies power from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224 to drive the cooling unit 224. Then, the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S603, the CPU 204 analyzes the heat generation information of the ASICs 203 and 302, the heat dissipation information of the cooling units 224 and 312 and the power consumption information stored in the ROM 222. In the analysis by the CPU 204, the heat generation information of the ASIC and the heat dissipation performance of the cooling unit are compared, and the power consumption of each cooling unit is compared. In step S604, the CPU 204 determines whether the heat dissipation performance is sufficient by driving only one of the cooling units based on the analysis result of the heat generation information, the heat dissipation information, and the power consumption information stored in the ROM 222. Determine whether the cooling unit needs to be driven. If it is determined that driving only one of the cooling units is sufficient, the process proceeds to step S605. If it is determined that driving of both cooling units is necessary, the process proceeds to step S608. .

  In step S605, which cooling unit is driven is determined based on the analysis result in step S603. In the determination of the cooling unit to be driven, if the heat radiation performance of either cooling unit is sufficient for the heat generation information, the CPU 204 determines to preferentially drive the cooling unit with low power consumption. Here, when the cooling unit 312 is driven, the process proceeds to step S606, and when the cooling unit 224 is driven, the process proceeds to step S607. In step S606, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 311 to drive the cooling unit 312, and the cooling unit control unit 311 supplies power from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 312 to drive the cooling unit 312. Then, the process ends. In step S607, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to drive the cooling unit 224, and the cooling unit control unit 223 supplies power from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224 to drive the cooling unit 224. Then, the process ends.

  In step S608, the CPU 204 determines from the analysis result in step S602 whether a simultaneous drive time that overlaps the drive time of the cooling units is necessary for driving both cooling units. If it is determined that the simultaneous driving time is necessary, the process proceeds to step S610. If it is determined that the simultaneous driving time is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S609.

  In step S609, the CPU 204 instructs both cooling unit controllers to operate the controlled cooling unit with a driving pattern in which the driving times of both cooling units do not overlap with each other by PWM control. There are a plurality of drive patterns, and these are stored in the ROM 222. Therefore, the CPU 204 selects and reads an appropriate drive pattern from the ROM 222 and transmits it to both cooling unit controllers. At this time, the CPU 204 selects the drive pattern with the lowest power consumption among the drive patterns that satisfy the heat dissipation performance that requires the heat dissipation performance of both cooling units that operate within the drive pattern selected from the analysis result of step S603. select. In this way, both cooling unit controllers drive the cooling unit with the drive pattern received from the CPU 204, and thereafter end the processing.

  In step S610, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 311 to drive the cooling unit 312. The cooling unit control unit 311 supplies power from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 312 to drive the cooling unit 312. . Further, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit controller 223 to drive the cooling unit 224 with a constant drive pattern by PWM control. There are a plurality of drive patterns, and these are stored in the ROM 222. Therefore, the CPU 204 selects and reads an appropriate drive pattern from the ROM 222 and transmits it to the cooling unit control unit 223. At this time, the CPU 204 consumes power in a drive pattern that satisfies the heat dissipation performance that requires the heat dissipation performance of the cooling unit 224 that operates within the drive pattern selected from the heat dissipation performance of the cooling unit 312 based on the analysis result of step S603. The drive pattern with the lowest is selected. In this way, the cooling unit control unit 223 drives the cooling unit 224 with the drive pattern received from the CPU 204, and thereafter ends the process.

  According to the embodiment described above, in the recording apparatus to which the option board can be attached, each cooling unit can be optimally driven when the main board and the option board have cooling units. Thereby, useless power consumption can be prevented without over-specifying the heat dissipation performance of the cooling unit. In addition, the power supply capacity of the recording apparatus can be prevented from operating at 100% at the same time and over-spec is prevented, so that the size of the power supply capacity can be reduced and the cost of the apparatus can be prevented from increasing.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a cooling control process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Here, it is assumed that the ROM 222 stores the layout configuration of the main substrate 202, the types of the option substrates 301, and the layout configurations, and the option substrate 301 is mounted on the main substrate 202.

  First, in step S701, the type of the option board 301 on which the expansion bus circuit unit 209 is mounted is determined, and this is notified to the CPU 204.

  Next, in step S702, the CPU 204 stores the ROM 222, and reads the heat generation information of the ASIC 302, the heat dissipation information of the cooling unit 312 and the power consumption information in the layout configuration corresponding to the type of option board notified in step S701. At the same time, the CPU 204 reads the heat generation information of the ASIC 203 of the main board 202 and the heat dissipation information and power consumption information of the cooling unit 224 stored in the ROM 222. The CPU 204 performs analysis such as comparison between the read heat generation information of both ASICs and the heat dissipation performance of the cooling unit, and comparison of power consumption in each cooling unit.

  Thereafter, in step S703, the process moves to step S604 shown in FIG. 7, and the subsequent processing is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. At this time, the analysis result in step S702 is used as the analysis result used in the case of performing the processing after step S604.

  Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, since the drive control of the cooling unit can be performed in consideration of the layout configuration of the main board and the option board, compared to the case of driving the cooling unit without considering the layout configuration, Furthermore, useless power consumption can be prevented.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a cooling control process according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  Here, the option board 301 is mounted on the main board 202, and only one of the cooling units is operating. The recording apparatus 102 has the power saving mode, and the first power saving mode. It is assumed that there is a second power saving mode.

  In the first power saving mode, the option board is in an off state, and the CPU 204 instructs the power supply control unit 105 to stop power supply to the option board 301.

  In the second power saving mode, the CPU 204 instructs the power supply control unit 105 to stop supplying power to the printer engine 104 and reduces the clock frequency supplied to the image processing unit 205. Further, the CPU 204 instructs the network interface 208 to switch the network communication speed to a low communication speed. The network interface 208 disconnects the link once and then switches the communication speed to a low speed. Then, the CPU 204 instructs the RAM to enter the self-refresh state, and the RAM shifts to the self-refresh state.

  Based on the above, first, in step S801, the CPU 204 issues a confirmation request for the operating state of the cooling units 224 and 312 to the cooling unit control units 223 and 311. In response to this, each cooling unit control unit transmits information on the state of the cooling unit being controlled to the CPU 204, and the CPU 204 determines which cooling unit is driven based on the information. If the cooling unit 312 is driven, the process proceeds to step S802. If the cooling unit 224 is driven, the process proceeds to step S804.

  In step S802, the recording apparatus 102 waits for the condition for shifting to the first power saving mode to be satisfied, and when the condition is satisfied, the recording apparatus 102 shifts to the first power saving mode. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S803. The condition for shifting to the first power saving mode is when the reception of PDL data has passed without a fixed time or when shifting to the first power saving mode is set by the operation unit 216. Here, the fixed time is, for example, 10 minutes, and the CPU 204 measures using the CPU timer.

  In step S <b> 803, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 311 to stop driving the cooling unit 312 after the elapse of a predetermined time after shifting to the first power saving mode. The cooling unit control unit 311 stops the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 312 and stops driving the cooling unit 312. The fixed time after shifting to the first power saving mode is, for example, 3 minutes, and the CPU 204 uses the CPU timer to measure. In addition, after instructing the cooling unit 312 to stop, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to start driving the cooling unit 224. The cooling unit control unit 223 starts power supply from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224, and the cooling unit 224 starts driving. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S804.

  In step S804, the recording apparatus 102 waits for the condition for shifting to the second power saving mode to be satisfied, and when the condition is satisfied, the recording apparatus 102 shifts to the second power saving mode. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S805. The condition for shifting to the second power saving mode is when a predetermined time has passed while waiting for a print job, or when the operation unit 216 instructs to shift to the second power saving mode. Here, the fixed time is, for example, 10 minutes, and the CPU 204 measures using the CPU timer.

  In step S805, the CPU 204 shifts to the second power saving mode and instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to stop driving the cooling unit 224 after a predetermined time has elapsed. The cooling unit control unit 223 stops the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224, stops the driving of the cooling unit 224, and then ends the processing. The fixed time after shifting to the second power saving mode is, for example, 3 minutes, and the CPU 204 measures using the CPU timer.

  In this embodiment, the case where only one of the cooling units is driven has been described as an example. However, this embodiment can also be applied to the case where both cooling units are driven by PWM control. .

  According to the embodiment described above, since the cooling unit is stopped after a certain time in accordance with the shift to the power saving mode of the recording apparatus equipped with the cooling unit, the power consumption in the power saving mode is further reduced. be able to.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a cooling control process according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  Here, it is assumed that the option board 301 is mounted on the main board 202.

  First, in step S901, the CPU 204 issues a confirmation request for the operating state of the cooling units 224 and 312 to the cooling unit controllers 223 and 311. In response to this, each cooling unit control unit transmits information on the state of the cooling unit being controlled to the CPU 204, and the CPU 204 grasps the driving status of each cooling unit from the information. Here, if only the cooling unit 224 is driven, the process proceeds to step S902, and if not, the process proceeds to step S906.

  In step S902, the process waits until a failure occurs in the cooling unit 224 and is detected by the cooling unit control unit 223. If a failure is detected, the cooling unit control unit 223 notifies the CPU 204 of the failure. The process proceeds to step S903.

  In step S903, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to stop driving the cooling unit 224. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 223 stops the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224, and stops the driving of the cooling unit 224. Further, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit 311 to start driving the cooling unit 312 after instructing the stop of the cooling unit 224. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 311 starts supplying power from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 312, and the cooling unit 312 starts driving. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S904.

  In step S904, the user is notified of the failure of the cooling unit. In step S905, the CPU 204 analyzes the heat generation information of the ASICs 203 and 302 and the heat release information of the cooling units 224 and 312 stored in the ROM 222. The CPU 204 compares the heat generation information of the ASIC in which the failed cooling unit is mounted with the heat dissipation performance of the driving cooling unit, and the operation mode or the operation mode that can cope with the heat dissipation performance of the cooling unit that is driving the cooling ASIC. Determine the operating frequency. Thereafter, the process ends.

  In step S906, whether or not only the cooling unit 312 is driven is determined based on the cooling unit driving status grasped by the CPU 204. If only the cooling unit 312 is driven, the process proceeds to step S907, and if not, the process proceeds to step S909.

  In step S907, the process waits until a failure occurs in the cooling unit 312 and is detected by the cooling unit control unit 311. If a failure is detected, the cooling unit control unit 311 notifies the CPU 204 of the failure, and the process is step. The process proceeds to S908.

  In step S908, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit controller 311 to stop driving the cooling unit 312. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 311 stops the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 312 and stops driving the cooling unit 312. The CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit 224 to start driving the cooling unit 224 after instructing the cooling unit 312 to stop. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 223 starts power supply from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224, and the cooling unit 224 starts driving. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S904.

  Thereafter, the processes of steps S904 to S905 described above are executed.

  In step S909, it is confirmed that both cooling units are PWM-driven based on the cooling unit driving status grasped by the CPU 204. Next, in step S910, it is checked whether a failure has occurred in the cooling unit 224 and the failure has been detected by the cooling unit control unit 223. Here, when a failure is detected, the cooling unit control unit 223 notifies the CPU 204 of the failure. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S912. On the other hand, if no failure is detected, the process proceeds to step 911. In step S911, it is further checked whether a failure has occurred in the cooling unit 312. Here, when a failure is detected by the cooling unit control unit 311, the cooling unit control unit 311 notifies the CPU 204 of the failure. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S913. On the other hand, if no failure is detected, the process returns to step 910.

  In step S912, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit controller 223 to stop driving the cooling unit 224. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 223 stops the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 224, and stops the driving of the cooling unit 224. Further, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit controller 311 to always drive the cooling unit 312 after instructing the stop of the cooling unit 224. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 311 controls the power supply control unit 105 to always supply power to the cooling unit 312 to drive the cooling unit 312 at all times. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S904.

  Thereafter, the processes of steps S904 to S905 described above are executed.

  In step S913, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit controller 311 to stop driving the cooling unit 312. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 311 stops the power supplied from the power supply control unit 105 to the cooling unit 312 and stops driving the cooling unit 312. Further, the CPU 204 instructs the cooling unit control unit 223 to always drive the cooling unit 224 after instructing the stop of the cooling unit 312. In response to this, the cooling unit control unit 223 controls the power supply control unit 105 to always supply power to the cooling unit 224 to drive the cooling unit 312 constantly. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S904.

  Thereafter, the processes of steps S904 to S905 described above are executed.

  Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the operation mode of the recording apparatus in which the failure of the cooling unit is detected and the cooling unit is controlled and the cooling unit that has not failed is cooled and at the same time the failed cooling unit is mounted. And the operating frequency can be determined. As a result, it is possible to prevent a malfunction due to heat from occurring and the entire apparatus from being stopped or the entire apparatus from being damaged.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned Example, A various application is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made by taking the recording apparatus adopting the ink jet system as an example of the image forming apparatus (recording apparatus), but the present invention can be applied to a recording apparatus adopting the electrophotographic system.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (11)

A printer controller including a main board that controls the entire apparatus and a first cooling unit that cools heat generated from the main board; a printer engine; and a power supply controller that supplies power to the printer controller and the printer engine. A recording device comprising:
Detecting means for detecting whether or not an optional board having a second cooling unit is mounted for function expansion with respect to the main board;
Storage means for storing information on the cooling performance and power consumption of each of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit;
Analyzing means for analyzing information stored in the storage means;
When mounting of the option board is not detected by the detection means, the first cooling unit is driven to control the cooling of the recording apparatus, and the mounting of the option board is detected by the detection means Control means for controlling the recording apparatus to cool by driving at least one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit based on the result of the analysis by the analyzing means. A recording apparatus comprising: The storage means stores information on the layout configuration of the option board with respect to the main board when the option board is mounted,
The analysis means analyzes the information of the layout configuration,
The control means controls to cool the recording apparatus by driving at least one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit based on the result of the analysis. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.   When the option board is attached to the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus further comprises a determination unit that determines which one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit is driven. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The recording apparatus includes a first power saving mode for stopping power supply to the option board and a second power saving mode for stopping power supply to the printer engine,
The control means includes
If it is determined by the determination means that the second cooling unit is driven, if the recording apparatus shifts to the first power saving mode, the driving of the second cooling unit is stopped, Control to start driving the first cooling unit;
If it is determined by the determining means that the first cooling unit is being driven, the recording apparatus is controlled to stop driving the first cooling unit if the recording apparatus shifts to the second power saving mode. The recording apparatus according to claim 3. And further comprising detection means for detecting a failure of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit,
The determination means can further determine that both the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit are driving,
The control means includes
It is determined by the determining means that one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit is driven, and the first determined by the detecting means is driven by the determining means When the failure of the cooling unit or the second cooling unit is detected, the drive of the cooling unit in which the failure is detected by the detection means is stopped, and the drive of the cooling unit that is not driven is started.
The determination means determines that both the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit are driven, and the detection means detects a failure of the first cooling unit or the second cooling unit. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control is performed so that the driving of the cooling unit in which the failure is detected by the detection unit is stopped and the other cooling unit is driven at all times.   6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising notification means for notifying a user of the failure when the detection means detects a failure of the first cooling unit or the second cooling unit. . The control means further includes
6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an operation mode of the apparatus and an operation frequency of a CPU mounted on the main board or the option board are determined based on a cooling performance of the driven cooling unit.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling performance of the second cooling unit is higher than the cooling performance of the first cooling unit. The first cooling unit and the second cooling unit are driven by PWM control,
9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit so as not to have time to drive the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit at the same time.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printer engine includes a recording head that performs recording according to an inkjet method. A printer controller including a main board that controls the entire apparatus and a first cooling unit that cools heat generated from the main board; a printer engine; and a power supply controller that supplies power to the printer controller and the printer engine. A cooling control method in a recording apparatus comprising:
A detection step of detecting whether or not an optional board having a second cooling unit is mounted for function expansion with respect to the main board;
An analysis step of analyzing information on the cooling performance and power consumption of each of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit stored in a memory;
When mounting of the option board is not detected in the detection step, control is performed to drive the first cooling unit to cool the recording apparatus, and mounting of the option board is detected in the detection step A control step of controlling at least one of the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit to cool the recording apparatus based on the analysis result in the analysis step. The cooling control method characterized by having.

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