JP2017027454A - Power supply device, control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power supply device, a control method and a program that can simultaneously supply electric power and perform processing other than the power supply, using electric power output from a power source having a small outputtable power value.SOLUTION: There is provided a power supply device comprising: connection means of connecting with an external device; power supply means of executing processing for supplying electric power to the external device that is connected to the connection means, using electric power output from a power source; and execution means of executing processing other than the processing that the power supply means executes, using the electric power output from the power source, the execution means being characterized in that a peak value of electric power used for the processing other than the processing that the power supply means executes when the power supply means executes the processing for supplying the electric power is made smaller than a peak value of the electric power used for the processing other than the processing that the power supply means executes when the power supply means does not perform the processing for supplying the electric power.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device, a control method, and a program.

  Devices that can supply power to connected external devices are known. For example, in recent years, a standard called USB power delivery has been enacted, so that a power supply device that supports USB power delivery can deliver power that reaches a maximum of 100 W in response to a power supply request from an external device connected via the USB interface. Supply became possible.

  Patent Document 1 describes a device that can supply power to an external device connected via a USB interface.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-88036

  By the way, in a power supply device that supplies power to an external device as in Patent Document 1, the peak power consumption value when power supply and other processing such as image processing are executed simultaneously has not been considered.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device, a control method, and a program that can simultaneously perform power feeding and processing other than power feeding using power output from a power source having a small output power value. To do.

Therefore, in order to achieve the above object, the power supply device of the present invention
A power supply device that supplies power to an external device,
Connection means for connecting to the external device;
Power supply means for executing processing for supplying power to an external device connected by the connection means using power output from a power source;
Execution means for executing processing other than the processing executed by the power supply means using the power output from the power source,
The execution means is a process in which the power supply means supplies power with a peak value of power used in a process other than the process executed by the power supply means when the power supply means is executing a process of supplying power. The power is set to be smaller than the peak value of power used in processing other than the processing executed by the power supply means when the power is not executed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously execute power feeding and processing other than power feeding using power output from a power source having a small output power value.

The flowchart which shows the process for the electric power feeding which the electric power supply apparatus to which this invention is applied performs The flowchart which shows the process of the selection of the electric power feeding profile and the setting of a printing mode which the electric power supply apparatus to which this invention is applied performs The flowchart which shows the process for the electric power feeding which the electric power supply apparatus to which this invention is applied performs during image processing The flowchart which shows the process of the selection of the electric power feeding profile and the setting of a printing mode which the electric power supply apparatus to which this invention is applied performs Diagram showing an example of the print quality priority mode setting screen The figure which shows an example of the screen for notifying a user of refusal of electric power feeding Diagram showing an example of the print quality priority mode setting screen The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electric power supply apparatus to which this invention is applied Schematic diagram of a power supply system including a power supply apparatus to which the present invention is applied

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, within the scope of the present invention, the present invention includes modifications and improvements appropriately made to the embodiments described below based on the ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be understood to enter.

(First embodiment)
A power supply apparatus to which the present invention is applied and an external apparatus that receives power supply from the power supply apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described. In the present embodiment, an inkjet multifunction printer (MFP) is illustrated as the power supply apparatus. The power supply device may be a device having a function of supplying power to an external device, and may be a device such as a personal computer (PC). Furthermore, the power supply device may be a device such as a full-color laser beam printer, a monochrome printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or a scanner. Further, these devices may be multi-function or single function. Moreover, in this embodiment, the portable terminal is illustrated as an external device. The external device may be a device that receives power from the power supply device, such as a smart phone, a PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA, a digital camera, a hard disk (HDD), an optional device that can be attached to the power supply device, etc. It may be a device.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the power supply system of the present embodiment. The power supply system of the present embodiment includes an MFP 100 and a mobile terminal 200, and the MFP 100 and the mobile terminal 200 can be connected by a USB cable 300. The MFP 100 is a power supply apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The MFP 100 has a USB (Universal Serial Bus) power delivery function as a power supply function, and operates as a power supply apparatus in the power supply system of the present embodiment. The mobile terminal 200 is an external device in the present embodiment, and operates as a power receiving device in the power supply system of the present embodiment. The USB cable 300 connects devices according to various USB standards, and performs data communication and power supply between the devices. The USB power delivery function is a function for supplying power to a power receiving apparatus connected via a USB interface. Specifically, when the power supply apparatus receives a power supply request from the power reception apparatus, the power supply apparatus supplies power to the power reception apparatus at a voltage and a current according to the content of the received power supply request.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of MFP 100.

  A CPU 801 is a system control unit and controls the entire MFP 100.

  The ROM 802 stores various programs such as a control program executed by the CPU 801 and an embedded operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) program. In the present embodiment, the control program stored in the ROM 802 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 802.

  The RAM 803 includes a memory such as an SRAM (static RAM), and stores program control variables, setting values registered by the user, management data of the MFP 100, power supply profile information, print mode setting information, and the like, and various work buffers. An area is provided.

  The operation unit 804 includes operation buttons such as a power key, an operation start key, an operation stop key, and a home position key, and a liquid crystal display provided with a touch sensor, and a user interface for performing various operations and various settings of the MFP 100. It is. When the operation unit 804 receives various inputs from the user, the operation unit 804 notifies the CPU 801 of the received input content, and executes processing according to the input content.

  The power delivery power supply unit 805 supplies power to the USB device 812 corresponding to the USB power delivery function with a power value determined by a power supply profile defined by the USB power delivery function. The power delivery power supply unit 805 can switch the USB power delivery function between ON and OFF by being controlled by the CPU 801.

  The USB I / F 806 is an interface having a connector for connecting to the USB device 812, and performs communication between the USB device 812 and the MFP 100 and transmission of power supplied from the power delivery power supply unit 805.

  The image processing unit 807 performs various types of image processing such as smoothing processing, recording density correction processing, and color correction on the image data to be printed via an image processing control unit (not shown), so that the image to be printed is processed. Data is converted into high-definition image data and output to the recording unit 809.

  The reading unit 808 includes a photoelectric conversion unit such as a contact image sensor (CIS) or a CCD, and sequentially sends image data of a document read via the CIS or CCD based on the control of the CPU 801 to the image processing unit 807. .

  The recording unit 809 includes an inkjet print device, and prints image data output from the print device control and image processing unit 807 based on a print job received from the USB device 812 or the like, an operation on the operation unit 804, or the like. Do. Specifically, the recording unit 809 outputs a printing result by forming an image on a recording medium such as paper using a recording agent such as ink.

  The driving unit 810 includes a motor for driving the paper supply / discharge rollers provided in the reading unit 808 and the recording unit 809, a gear for transmitting the driving force of the motor, a driver circuit for driving the motor, and the like. To drive.

  The sensor unit 811 includes a document presence / absence sensor, a recording sheet presence / absence sensor, an encoder, and the like, detects the state of the document and the recording sheet, and controls their conveyance amount and the like.

  The various components 801 to 811 are connected to each other via a system bus 813 managed by the CPU 801.

  In addition, MFP 100 includes a power source (not shown) that supplies power to each component included in MFP 100. When the MFP 100 receives a power supply request, the power supply of the MFP 100 also supplies power to the external device that requested the power supply via the power delivery power supply unit 805. The power output from the power source of MFP 100 is also used in other processing executed by MFP 100 such as image processing. Therefore, when the MFP 100 executes power supply and other processing such as image processing at the same time, the power source of the MFP 100 outputs power used for power supply and power used for other processing at the same time. . Therefore, if the consumption amount of power used for power supply other than power feeding in MFP 100 is left as it is, the output power value of the power source of MFP 100 must be increased. However, the power supply increases in cost and size as the outputable power value increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, during power feeding, the MFP 100 performs processing other than power feeding with power saving, and reduces the peak value (peak power consumption value) of power used in processing other than power feeding. By adopting such a configuration, MFP 100 can simultaneously perform power feeding and other processing by a power source having a small outputable power value. Note that the MFP 100 may not have the power source, and the MFP 100 may execute processing with power output from a power source provided in another apparatus.

  The USB device 812 is an external device that includes a USB interface unit and supports a USB power delivery function. In the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 200 corresponds to the USB device 812. When the USB device 812 is connected to the MFP 100, the USB device 812 communicates with the MFP 100 via the USB I / F 806. At this time, if there is a power supply request from the USB device 812, the MFP 100 performs power supply using the USB power delivery function.

  The power supply request is information in a format defined by USB power delivery, and is information for requesting power supply to the power supply apparatus. The power supply request includes setting information related to the requested power supply, such as a requested current value and a voltage value. Note that the content of the power supply request is determined according to, for example, the model and specification of the power receiving device that transmits the power supply request. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the current that can be requested by the power supply request is 1.5, 2, 3, 5A, and the voltage that can be requested is 5, 12, or 20V. In addition, the power value of the power supplied in the USB power delivery function is determined by the combination of the current value and the voltage value required by the power supply request. In the present embodiment, the power value that can be supplied by the MFP 100 is any one of 10, 18, 36, 60, and 100 W, and it is assumed that the power supply profile is determined corresponding to these power values. The power supply profile is not limited to these, and any power supply profile may be set by combining any voltage value and current value as long as the power value satisfies the safety standard requirement (100 W or less).

  The power supply profile is a profile that conforms to the USB power delivery standard, and is a profile that defines what power value is used for power supply in the USB power delivery function. Information regarding the power supply profile is stored in a memory provided in the MFP 100 such as the RAM 803. In the present embodiment, the MFP 100 has five power feeding profiles 1 to 5, and the power to be supplied by selecting one of the power feeding profiles according to the content of the power feeding request. Determine the power value. In the power feeding profiles 1 to 5, it is defined that power feeding is performed at power values of 10, 18, 36, 60, and 100 W, respectively. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the print mode is set corresponding to each power supply profile, and when one of the power supply profiles is selected, the CPU 801 sets the print mode corresponding to the selected power supply profile to itself. Set. Specifically, during power supply, the total value of the value of power supplied in response to a power supply request and the peak value of power consumed in processing other than power supply of MFP 100 is the output possible power value of the power supply possessed by MFP 100 Set the print mode so that:

  Here, the print mode is a mode set in the MFP 100 in order to determine the control executed by the MFP 100 when the recording unit 809 performs printing. In the present embodiment, the print modes set in the MFP 100 include a standard print mode and a power saving print mode in which printing is performed in a power saving state in which the power consumption is lower than that in the standard print mode. Note that the standard print mode is a mode in which printing is performed in a normal state without executing power saving control, which will be described later, and is set for the MFP 100 when the MFP 100 is not performing power supply. The power saving printing mode is a mode for performing printing by executing power saving control, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the MFP 100 is set when the MFP 100 is executing power feeding. The power supply device only needs to have one power saving printing mode, but may have a plurality of modes having different power saving effects. In the present embodiment, the power supply apparatus has power saving printing modes 1 to 5. Further, the details of the power saving printing mode can be arbitrarily set. In this embodiment, the power saving printing mode 1 has the largest power consumption, and the power consumption decreases in order, and the power saving printing mode 5 has the highest power consumption. Is set to be small. In the present embodiment, which of the power saving printing modes 1 to 5 is set when the MFP 100 is performing power feeding is determined by the content of the power feeding request and the selected power feeding profile.

  The power saving control will be described. The power saving control is control for reducing the peak value of power used in processing other than power feeding, which is executed by the MFP 100 in which the power saving printing mode is set. Note that the number of power saving controls executed for one process may be one or plural. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the MFP 100 can execute print processing with power saving as processing other than power feeding. Specifically, as power saving control, the following two power saving controls are performed in order to execute printing processing with power saving. In the present embodiment, the MFP 100 does not change the voltage value, suppresses the operation of the recording head or the like by power saving control, and reduces the current consumption value, thereby reducing the peak value of power consumption.

  The first power saving control is to eject an ink in accordance with a mask pattern in which a plurality of recording pixels corresponding to the position at which the ink is ejected is arranged on the recording medium, and scan the unit area a plurality of times to scan the image. This is control for executing the process (print mask process) to be formed. In this control, ink is ejected from the ejection port by reducing the number of times ink is ejected from the ejection port in one scan of the recording head, compared to the normal state (when the standard printing mode is set). This is a control to reduce the number of times of driving the printing element for this purpose. For example, when the power-saving printing mode 1 is set, the MFP 100 prints the entire ejection port width by reducing the number of times ink is ejected from the ejection ports in one scan of the recording head by 50% from the normal case. To do. Then, the portion where the number of print dots is thinned in the first scan is scanned again, and recording is performed according to the mask pattern that fills the thinned portion. By executing this control, the printing speed is reduced, but the number of times the recording element is driven per unit time can be reduced, so that the peak power consumption value in the printing process can be reduced. When the power saving printing modes 2 to 5 are set, the MFP 100 executes the same print mask processing, but further reduces the number of times ink is ejected from the ejection ports, and accordingly reduces the number of scans of the same line. The increase rate may increase the reduction rate of the peak power consumption value in the printing process.

  The second power saving control is a control for executing a process (scan division process) for dividing the number of ejection ports used in one scan of the recording head of the ink jet printer. In the recording head, 1000 or more ejection openings are arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the recording head. In a normal case (when the standard print mode is set), the MFP 100 uses all the discharge ports arranged in the discharge port row to execute control for printing all the discharge port widths in one scan. . On the other hand, for example, when the power saving printing mode 4 is set, the MFP 100 divides the ejection port used in one scan into two, and prints the entire ejection port width in two scans. By executing this control, the printing speed is reduced, but the discharge ports are halved, so that the peak power consumption value in the printing process can be reduced. However, since this control increases the number of lines to be scanned, a lot of connecting stripes are generated, and the image quality of the printed matter is deteriorated as compared with the standard print mode. Note that the connecting stripe is a problem that occurs when the recording material concentration at the end of the preceding line increases due to the recording material driven into the subsequent line flowing into the preceding line. For this reason, the print mask process is executed only when the power saving printing modes 4 and 5 that require a further reduction in the peak power consumption value are set. When the power saving printing mode 5 is set, the MFP 100 executes the same scan division processing, but increases the reduction rate of the peak power consumption value in the printing processing by increasing the number of ejection port divisions to be used. May be. For example, in the above description, the scan division process has been described to be executed only in the power saving printing modes 4 and 5. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and may be executed in the power saving printing modes 3 to 5, for example. , It may be executed in all power-saving printing modes.

  The power saving control executed in the power saving printing mode is not limited to these, for example, various controls that can reduce the peak power consumption value in the printing process, such as a control for executing a process for reducing the conveyance speed of the recording medium. Is available. Also, by changing the contents of these power saving controls or changing the combination of the power saving controls, the contents of the power saving printing modes may be changed, or the number of power saving printing modes may be increased or decreased. good. In the above description, the example of the power saving control executed in the ink jet printer has been described. However, if the MFP 100 is a printer that uses another method, such as an electrophotographic printer, for example, it corresponds to that. Power saving control is executed. For example, in the case of an electrophotographic printer, processing for lowering the fixing temperature for fixing the toner transferred to the recording medium by heating and pressurizing the recording medium, and conveyance of the recording medium when fixing the toner to the recording medium Processing for reducing the speed is executed as power saving control.

  Further, the power saving control may be executed in the scanning process as a process other than the power supply. In this case, the MFP 100 executes the power saving control such as a process for reducing the document reading speed. Furthermore, power saving control may be executed in processing other than image processing such as printing and scanning as processing other than power supply. In this case, for example, in the process in which the display unit included in MFP 100 displays the screen, MFP 100 executes power saving control such as stopping the supply of power to the display unit and stopping the display of the screen. Further, when there are a plurality of processes other than power feeding, power saving control may be executed in one or more of the processes. In this case, the effect is further increased by executing the power saving control in the process in which the peak value of the power used is large.

  The processing for power saving control by processing other than power feeding is not limited to the printing processing and scanning processing described above, and may be other processing, or may be a plurality of processing.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing processing for power supply executed by MFP 100 in the present embodiment. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 801 loading a control program stored in the ROM 802 or an HDD (not shown) included in the MFP 100 into the RAM 803 and executing the control program. When the power is turned on, MFP 100 performs settings necessary for operation and enters a standby state. In the standby state, the MFP 100 is set to the standard print mode as the print mode. It is assumed that the processing shown in this flowchart is started when MFP 100 is in a standby state.

  First, in S101, the CPU 801 determines whether or not a USB device (here, the mobile terminal 200) is connected to the USB I / F 806. The CPU 801 performs the process of S102 when the mobile terminal 200 is connected, and performs the process of S105 when the mobile terminal 200 is not connected.

  In step S <b> 102, the CPU 801 determines whether a power supply request has been received from the mobile terminal 200 connected to the USB I / F 806. The CPU 801 performs the process of S103 when a power supply request is received, and performs the process of S107 when a power supply request is not received.

  In step S <b> 103, the CPU 801 refers to setting information related to power supply such as a current value and a voltage value included in the received power supply request, and selects a power supply profile and sets a print mode. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Subsequently, in S104, the CPU 801 turns on the USB power delivery function, and determines the power value of the power to be supplied according to the power supply profile selected in S104. Then, the CPU 801 starts power supply to the mobile terminal 200 with a voltage value and a current value corresponding to the power supply request. At this time, the CPU 801 continues to supply power when the USB power delivery function is already ON and power supply has started.

  In step S <b> 105, the CPU 801 initializes the print mode set in the MFP 100 (sets the standard print mode). By adopting such a form, when the connection with the portable terminal 200 is released, the MFP 100 can return the printing mode of the MFP 100 to the initial setting and resume normal printing processing without performing power saving control. it can.

  In S <b> 106, the CPU 801 turns off the USB power delivery function and stops the power supply to the mobile terminal 200.

  In step S107, the CPU 801 determines whether there is an unprocessed print job. If there is an unprocessed print job, the process of S108 is performed. If there is no unprocessed print job, the process of S101 is performed again.

  In S <b> 108, the CPU 801 performs printing according to the print job while executing power saving control according to the print mode set in the MFP 100. At this time, if the standard print mode is set in the MFP 100, the CPU 801 does not execute power saving control. After the printing is completed, the CPU 801 performs the process of S101 again.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the MFP 100 can reduce the peak power consumption value in the printing process by setting the power saving print mode in response to the reception of the power supply request, and can perform power supply as requested. While doing so, printing can be performed. Furthermore, since MFP 100 can change the content of the power saving control to be executed according to the content of the received power supply request, it can execute printing with an appropriate print quality according to the content of the power supply request.

  Next, details of processing for selecting a power supply profile and setting a print mode will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating processing for selecting a power supply profile and setting a print mode, which is executed by the MFP 100 in the present embodiment. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 801 loading a control program stored in the ROM 802 or an HDD (not shown) included in the MFP 100 into the RAM 803 and executing the control program. The process shown in this flowchart corresponds to the process of S103 and the process of S304 described later, and starts when the MFP 100 determines to start power supply, such as when the CPU 801 finishes the process of S102 or S303 described later. Shall be.

  First, in S201, the CPU 801 confirms the content of the power supply request and determines whether or not a voltage value of “5V” is requested. The power supply profile corresponding to the power supply request requesting the voltage of the value “5V” is the power supply profile 1 that is determined to perform power supply with a power value of 10 W (voltage value 5 V, current value 2 A). Therefore, when the voltage of “5V” is requested, the CPU 801 selects the power supply profile 1 as the power supply profile to be used in S210. Thereafter, in step S215, the CPU 801 sets the power saving printing mode 1 that is the printing mode corresponding to the power supply profile 1 to itself. On the other hand, when a voltage value of “5V” is not requested, the CPU 801 performs the process of S202.

  In S202, the CPU 801 confirms the content of the power supply request, and determines which value of “12V” or “20V” is requested. When the voltage having the value of “12V” is requested, the CPU 801 performs the process of S204, and when the voltage having the value of “20V” is requested, the CPU 801 performs the process of S203.

  In S203, the CPU 801 confirms the content of the power supply request, and determines which value of “3A” or “5A” is requested. When a current having a value of “3A” is requested, the CPU 801 is determined to supply power at a power value of 60 W (voltage value 20 V, current value 3 A) as a power supply profile to be used in S207. Profile 4 is selected. Thereafter, in step S212, the CPU 801 sets the power saving print mode 4 that is the print mode corresponding to the power supply profile 4 to itself. Further, when a current having a value of “5 A” is requested, the CPU 801 is determined to supply power with a power value of 100 W (voltage value 20 V, current value 5 A) as a power supply profile to be used in S206. Is selected. Thereafter, in step S211, the CPU 801 sets the power saving print mode 5 that is the print mode corresponding to the power supply profile 5 to itself.

  In S204, the CPU 801 confirms the content of the power supply request and determines whether or not a current having a value of “1.5 A” is requested. When a current value of “1.5 A” is requested, the CPU 801 determines to supply power with a power value of 18 W (voltage value 12 V, current value 1.5 A) as a power supply profile to be used in S209. Is selected. Thereafter, in step S214, the CPU 801 sets the power saving print mode 2 that is the print mode corresponding to the power supply profile 2 to itself. When the current of “1.5 A” is not requested, the CPU 801 performs the process of S205.

  In step S <b> 205, the CPU 801 confirms the content of the power supply request and determines which value of “3A” or “5A” is requested. When a current having a value of “3A” is requested, the CPU 801 is determined to supply power at a power value of 36 W (voltage value 12 V, current value 3 A) as a power supply profile to be used in S208. Profile 3 is selected. Thereafter, in S213, the CPU 801 sets the power saving printing mode 3 that is the printing mode corresponding to the power supply profile 3 to itself. Further, when a current having a value of “5 A” is requested, the CPU 801 is determined to supply power with a power value of 60 W (voltage value 12 V, current value 5 A) as a power supply profile to be used in S207. Is selected. Thereafter, in step S212, the CPU 801 sets the power saving print mode 4 that is the print mode corresponding to the power supply profile 4 to itself.

  When any of S211 to S215 is completed and the print mode setting change is completed, the CPU 801 starts power supply to the mobile terminal 200 in S104. Specifically, the CPU 801 turns on the USB power delivery function, determines the power value of the power to be output according to the selected power supply profile, and uses the supply voltage value and the supply current value according to the content of the power supply request as the portable terminal. Power supply to 200 is started.

  As described above, when printing is performed in a state where power is being supplied to the mobile terminal 200, the MFP 100 can execute printing with power saving by executing power saving control. With this configuration, MFP 100 can reduce the peak power consumption value when power feeding and printing are performed simultaneously. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the MFP 100 changes the print mode according to the content of the power supply request and the selected power supply profile, thereby performing appropriate power saving control according to the content of the power supply request and the selected power supply profile at the time of printing. Can be executed.

  For example, a power supply apparatus that performs printing with 100 W of power needs to include a power source that can output power equivalent to 250 W in consideration of the conversion efficiency of the power source in order to respond to a power supply request of 100 W. However, if the peak power consumption value in the printing process can be reduced and printing can be performed with, for example, 50 W of power, a power supply capable of outputting power equivalent to 200 W may be provided even when responding to a power supply request of 100 W. It will be. As described above, in this embodiment, the MFP 100 changes the print mode according to the content of the power supply request, and executes power saving control during printing. As a result, since the peak power consumption value in the printing process is reduced, the MFP 100 can execute both power feeding and printing with a power source having a small outputable power value, thereby realizing reduction in cost for the power source and downsizing of the apparatus. .

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, when a power supply request is met before printing, the power supply that reduces the peak power consumption by executing power saving control during printing by changing the print mode according to the content of the power supply request. The apparatus has been described. In the second embodiment, a description will be given of a power supply apparatus capable of starting a power saving control by changing a print mode during printing when a power supply request is met during printing. The power supply system in the present embodiment is the same as the power supply system described in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 100 in the present embodiment. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 801 loading a control program stored in the ROM 802 or an HDD (not shown) included in the MFP 100 into the RAM 803 and executing the control program. It is assumed that the processing shown in this flowchart is started when MFP 100 is performing printing.

  Moreover, since the process of S301-S308 is the same as the process of S101-S108, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step S309, the CPU 801 starts power saving control according to the power saving printing mode set in step S304.

  In S310, the CPU 801 stops the power saving control started in S309 and starts printing according to the standard print mode.

  In step S311, the CPU 801 determines whether printing has ended. The CPU 801 performs the process of S301 again when the printing process has not ended, and ends the process when the printing process has ended.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even when the MFP 100 receives a power supply request during the printing process, the MFP 100 can start the power saving control together with the reception of the power supply request, and can respond to the power supply request without stopping printing. Further, the MFP 100 can resume normal printing without performing power saving control when the connection with the portable terminal 200 is released during the printing process and power supply is not performed.

  Note that this embodiment may be used in combination with the first embodiment. That is, the process of the present embodiment may be executed in S108. Furthermore, when the process of the present embodiment is completed, the CPU 801 may be configured to perform the process of S101. By adopting such a form, it is possible to set a print mode according to a power supply request and reduce the peak power consumption value in the printing process before printing or during printing.

  In this embodiment, the configuration in which the print mode is switched during printing when a power supply request is received during printing has been described. However, when the print mode is switched during printing, before and after switching the print mode. Thus, the quality of the recorded image may change. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only a power supply request with a small power value may be accepted during printing, and the print mode may be switched only to a print mode with a small change in image quality.

(Third embodiment)
When the MFP 100 receives a power supply request requesting the supply of power with a large power value, the image quality of the printed matter is maintained by setting a power saving printing mode with a high power saving effect, but maintaining an image quality that is not problematic in actual use. In some cases, power saving control that causes deterioration of the printer is executed during printing. However, depending on the use case, priority may be given to avoiding the deterioration of the image quality of the printed matter rather than reliably supplying power according to the power supply request.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a power supply apparatus that accepts only a predetermined power supply request for requesting the supply of power with a small power value and sets only a predetermined power-saving print mode corresponding thereto will be described. The power supply system in the present embodiment is the same as the power supply system described in the first embodiment.

  First, the print quality priority mode will be described. The print quality priority mode is a mode that avoids the setting of the print mode for executing the power saving control that causes the degradation of the image quality of the printed material, and is set in the MFP 100 by the user's operation. FIG. 5 is a print quality priority mode setting screen that is a screen for setting the print quality priority mode in MFP 100. The print quality priority mode setting screen is displayed on an operation panel (not shown) provided in MFP 100 when operation unit 804 accepts an operation for setting the print quality priority mode from the user. When the standard mode is selected by the user's operation via the print quality priority mode setting screen, the MFP 100 sets the standard mode to itself, and selects and prints the power supply profile corresponding to all received power supply requests. Set the mode. On the other hand, when the print quality priority mode is selected by the user's operation, MFP 100 sets the print quality priority mode to itself. Then, the MFP 100 selects a power supply profile and sets a print mode according to only the power supply request corresponding to the print quality priority mode among the received power supply requests. The power supply request corresponding to the print quality priority mode is a power supply request for requesting the supply of power equal to or less than a predetermined power value that can be arbitrarily set. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that only a power supply request for requesting the supply of power of 36 W or less, in which a print mode in which power saving control that causes deterioration in image quality of a printed material is not performed, is set. As described above, by enabling the user to select which of the standard mode and the print quality priority mode is set, the user selects which one of priority is given to responding to the power supply request and maintaining the print quality. be able to.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing for selecting a power supply profile and setting a print mode performed by the MFP 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 801 loading a control program stored in the ROM 802 or an HDD (not shown) included in the MFP 100 into the RAM 803 and executing the control program. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart corresponds to the processing of S104 and S105. When the “print quality priority mode” is set in the MFP 100 by the user's operation and the MFP 100 determines to start power feeding. Shall begin.

  Further, the processes of S401, S404, S408 to S410, and S413 to S415 are the same as the processes of S201, S204, S208 to S210, and S213 to S215, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  In S <b> 402, the CPU 801 checks the content of the power supply request and determines which value of “12V” or “20V” is requested. When the voltage of “12V” is requested, the CPU 801 performs the process of S204. When a voltage value of “20V” is required, the power supply profile corresponding to the power supply request is a power supply profile 5 that is determined to supply power at a power value of 100 W (voltage value 20 V, current value 5 A). is there. The print mode corresponding to the power supply profile 5 is the power saving print mode 5. Since the MFP 100 in which the power saving printing mode 5 is set performs the scan division process as the power saving control process, the image quality of the printed matter may be deteriorated. Therefore, the CPU 801 executes the process of S416.

  In step S <b> 405, the CPU 801 checks the content of the power supply request and determines which value of “3A” or “5A” is requested. When a current having a value of “3A” is requested, the CPU 801 performs the process of S408. When a current having a value of “5A” is requested, the power supply profile corresponding to the power supply request is a power supply profile 4 that is determined to supply power with a power value of 60 W (voltage value 12 V, current value 5 A). is there. The print mode corresponding to the power supply profile 4 is the power saving print mode 4. Since the MFP 100 in which the power saving printing mode 4 is set performs the scan division process as the power saving control process, the image quality of the printed matter may be deteriorated. Therefore, the CPU 801 executes the process of S416.

  In S416, the CPU 801 rejects power supply according to the power supply request. Therefore, the CPU 801 does not select a power supply profile or change the print mode. By adopting such a form, the MFP 100 gives priority to maintaining the print quality over responding to the power supply request, and can respond to the power supply request only when the print quality can be maintained. At this time, the CPU 801 may display a screen for notifying the user of power rejection as shown in FIG. 6 and prompting the user to change to the standard mode on an operation panel (not shown) provided in the MFP 100. .

  In S417, the CPU 801 turns on the USB power delivery function and starts power supply according to the content of the power supply request.

  In the above-mentioned embodiment, it was set as the structure which does not receive the electric power supply request | requirement which requests | requires supply of the electric power of 60 W or more. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a power supply request for requesting the supply of power exceeding a predetermined power value that can be arbitrarily set in accordance with the contents of the power saving printing mode and the output power value of the power supply provided in the MFP 100 is made. It may be configured not to accept.

  In addition, it is good also as a structure which can select the range of the corresponding electric power supply request | requirement by providing several printing quality priority modes like the setting screen shown in FIG. At this time, for example, when the print quality priority mode 1 is set, the CPU 801 responds only to the power supply request in which the power saving print modes 1 and 2 are set. In addition, when the print quality priority mode 2 is set, the CPU 801 responds only to the power supply request for which the power saving print modes 1 to 4 are set.

  In the present exemplary embodiment, the configuration that can be switched between the print quality priority mode and the standard mode has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the MFP 100 may not be able to respond to a power supply request for requesting the supply of power with a large power value, such as when the MFP 100 has only a power source with a small power supply value. Even in such a case, the present embodiment can be applied, and the MFP 100 may operate only in a mode (print quality priority mode in the present embodiment) that excludes a power supply request that exceeds a predetermined power value. In this case, an exclusive power supply request is determined by the required power value regardless of whether or not the power saving control that causes the degradation of the image quality of the printed material is performed at the time of printing.

  Note that this embodiment may be combined with the second embodiment and configured to be able to set a print mode according to a power supply request before printing or during printing. At this time, also in the process of selecting the power supply profile and setting the print mode during the printing process, only the power supply request corresponding to the print quality priority mode is handled.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the MFP 100 performs power supply in accordance with the USB power delivery standard. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another power supply standard such as PoE (Power Over Ethernet (registered trademark)) is used. May be.

  As long as the effects of the above-described embodiment can be realized, the processing order of the flowcharts of the above-described embodiment may be changed, all of the processing may not be executed, or the processing content may be changed.

  The above-described embodiment supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus execute the program This process can be realized. The above-described embodiments can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (20)

A power supply device that supplies power to an external device,
Connection means for connecting to the external device;
Power supply means for executing processing for supplying power to an external device connected by the connection means using power output from a power source;
Execution means for executing processing other than the processing executed by the power supply means using the power output from the power source,
The execution means is a process in which the power supply means supplies power with a peak value of power used in a process other than the process executed by the power supply means when the power supply means is executing a process of supplying power. The power supply device is characterized in that it is smaller than the peak value of power used in the processing other than the processing executed by the power supply means when the power is not executed.   The execution means is a process in which the power supply means supplies power with a peak value of power used in a process other than the process executed by the power supply means when the power supply means is executing a process of supplying power. The power peak value used in a process other than the process executed by the power supply unit when the power supply unit is not executed is reduced according to the power value of the power supplied by the power supply unit. Item 2. The power supply device according to Item 1.   The execution means uses a peak value of power used in processing other than the processing executed by the power supply means when the power supply means is executing a process of supplying power of the first power value. Is smaller than the peak value of the power used in the processing other than the processing executed by the power supply means when the processing of supplying the power of the second power value smaller than the first power value is executed. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply device is a power supply device.   The power supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the execution unit executes image processing as processing other than processing for supplying power to the external device.   The power supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image processing is processing for forming an image on a recording medium with a recording agent.   In the image processing, the recording agent is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports while scanning a recording unit including an ejection port array in which a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting the recording agent are arranged in a predetermined direction. The power supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the power supply apparatus is a process of forming an image on the recording medium by discharging the ink.   The execution unit executes the number of the ejection ports for discharging the recording agent in the image processing performed when the power supply unit supplies power, and executes when the power supply unit does not supply power. The power supply apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in the image processing to be performed, the number is less than the number of the ejection ports that eject the recording agent.   The execution means determines the number of times that the discharge port discharges the recording agent in one scan of the recording unit in the image processing executed when the power supply means supplies power. 8. The number of times that the ejection port ejects the recording agent in one scan of the recording unit in the image processing that is executed when power is not supplied. The power supply device described in 1.   The image processing is a process of forming an image on the recording medium by fixing the recording agent transferred to the recording medium to the recording medium by heating and pressing while conveying the recording medium. The power supply device according to claim 5, wherein the power supply device is provided.   The execution means is a temperature at which the recording agent is heated in the image processing executed when the power supply means supplies power, and the image executed when the power supply means does not supply power. The power supply apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the temperature is lower than a temperature at which the recording agent is heated in the processing.   The execution means is executed at a speed at which the recording medium is conveyed in the image processing executed when the power supply means supplies power, and is executed when the power supply means does not supply power. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is slower than a speed at which the recording medium is conveyed in image processing.   The execution means is a process of supplying power to the external device when the power supply means starts supplying power while the execution means is executing a process other than the process of supplying power to the external device. When processing other than the above is started in a power saving state, and the power supply by the power supply unit is stopped while the execution unit is performing a process other than the process of supplying power to the external device The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein processing other than processing for supplying power to the external device is stopped in a power saving state. Further comprising an accepting means for accepting a power supply request for requesting the supply of power of a predetermined power value from the external device to which the connection means is connected,
The power supply unit supplies power corresponding to a power value requested by the power supply request to an external device connected to the connection unit when the reception unit receives the power supply request. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.   And a setting unit configured to set, in the power supply device, a mode in which the execution unit executes a process other than a process of supplying power to the external device in a power saving state when the reception unit receives the power supply request. The power supply device according to claim 13.   The power supply unit does not supply power to an external device connected to the connection unit when the power value requested by the power supply request received by the reception unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined power value. Item 15. The power supply device according to item 13 or claim 14.   The connection means is connected when the power value requested by the power supply request received by the reception means is equal to or greater than a predetermined power value and the power supply means does not supply power to the external device to which the connection means is connected. The power supply device according to claim 15, further comprising a first display unit that displays a screen for notifying the external device that the power supply unit does not supply power.   The first mode in which the power supply means does not supply power when the power value requested by the power supply request accepted by the accepting means is greater than or equal to a predetermined power value, or requested by the power supply request accepted by the accepting means A setting screen for setting any one of the second modes in which the power supply means supplies power to the external device to which the connection means is connected even if the power value is equal to or greater than a predetermined power value. 17. The power supply device according to claim 15, further comprising a second display unit configured to display. When the execution means executes a plurality of processes as processes other than the processes executed by the power supply means,
When the power supply means is executing a process of supplying power, the execution means indicates a power peak value used in a process with a large peak power consumption value among the plurality of processes. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the power supply is set to be smaller than a peak value of power used in a process with a large peak value of consumed power when the process of supplying power is not executed. apparatus. A control method executed in a power supply device that supplies power to an external device,
A connection step of connecting to the external device;
A power supply step for performing processing for supplying power to the external device connected in the connection step using power output from a power source;
An execution step of executing processing other than the processing of supplying power to an external device using the power output from the power source;
In the execution step, when executed at the same time as the power supply step, the peak value of power used in processes other than the process of supplying power to the external device is set to the power to the external device when not executed at the same time as the power supply step. A control method characterized by making it smaller than the peak value of electric power used in processing other than the processing for supplying power.   A program for realizing each means of the power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 18 by a computer.

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