JP2018041037A - Electronic apparatus, image forming device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus that, when supply of voltage from an external power source is stopped and then resumed, can accurately determine whether the cause of the stoppage is a circuit breaker shutting down the voltage, an image forming apparatus, and a program.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 10 comprises: a detection part 24 that detects the magnitude of a voltage supplied from a commercial power supply system 40 via a circuit breaker 42; and a determination part 30 that, when the supply of the voltage is stopped and then the supply of the voltage is resumed, determines whether the supply of the voltage is stopped due to the circuit breaker 42 shutting down the voltage on the basis of the amount of change in voltage immediately before the stoppage derived from the magnitude of the voltage detected by the detection part 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device, an image forming apparatus, and a program.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a load that operates with electric power supplied from a commercial power source, a detection unit that detects a power source voltage input from the commercial power source, and a storage unit that stores an operation guarantee voltage value necessary for the operation of the load. An electronic device having notification means for performing notification is described. The electronic apparatus further includes a control unit that controls electric power applied to the load. This control means calculates the power supply voltage during normal operation of the load as the predicted voltage value. The predicted voltage value is calculated when a second value of power different from the first value smaller than the operating power value supplied from the commercial power supply during normal operation of the load is applied to the load, respectively. This is performed based on the first voltage value and the second voltage value detected by the detecting means. When the calculated predicted voltage value is lower than the operation guarantee voltage value stored in the storage unit, the control unit notifies the malfunction of the commercial power supply by the notification unit. When the third voltage value detected by the detection means during the normal operation of the load is lower than the predicted voltage value, the control means connects devices other than the electronic device to the same power line as the electronic device by the notification means. Notification about confirmation of whether or not

  Patent Document 2 describes an image forming apparatus that forms an image. The image forming apparatus includes a determination unit that determines whether or not a power-off of the image forming apparatus has occurred as a result of a circuit interruption by a breaker. The image forming apparatus includes a display unit that displays a warning message when the image forming apparatus is restarted when it is determined by the determination unit that a power interruption has occurred as a result of a circuit interruption by a breaker.

Japanese Patent No. 5188278 JP 2013-186443 A

  By the way, when the supply of voltage from the external power supply stops due to the circuit breaker (breaker) being cut off while the electronic device is in use, the breaker breaks down when the breaker is restored immediately after the stop and the electronic device is restarted. May recur. In order to execute the countermeasure for preventing the recurrence, it is desired to be able to accurately determine whether or not the cause of the voltage supply stoppage is due to the circuit breaker breaking.

  The present invention relates to an electronic device, an image forming apparatus, and a program capable of accurately determining whether or not the cause of the stop is due to the breaker breaking when the voltage supply from the external power supply is stopped and then restarted The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the electronic device according to claim 1 includes a detection unit that detects a magnitude of a voltage supplied from an external power source through a circuit breaker, and the voltage after the supply of the voltage is stopped. When the supply of the voltage is resumed, the supply of the voltage is performed by breaking the breaker based on the amount of change in the voltage immediately before the stop, which is derived from the magnitude of the voltage detected by the detection unit. And a determination unit that determines whether or not has stopped.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the amount of change in the voltage and the magnitude of the voltage immediately before the stop detected by the detection unit. On the basis of the above, it is determined whether or not the supply of the voltage is stopped by the interruption of the circuit breaker.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the change amount of the voltage includes a first inflection point of the voltage change immediately before the stop, and the first inflection point. Is the amount of change in the voltage between the second inflection point of the voltage change immediately before and the magnitude of the voltage is the magnitude of the voltage at the first inflection point.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the determination unit is configured such that the amount of change in the voltage between the first inflection point and the second inflection point is the voltage. Indicates that the voltage supply at the first inflection point is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the supply of the voltage has stopped due to the breaker breaking. Is.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the voltage is supplied through an insertion terminal that is detachably inserted into a voltage supply port of the external power supply, When the determination unit indicates a state in which the amount of change in the voltage between the first inflection point and the second inflection point indicates that the voltage is rising, or when the voltage indicates a constant state The supply of the voltage is determined to have been stopped by pulling out the insertion terminal from the voltage supply port.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electronic device is placed in a sleep mode by the transition unit that causes the electronic device to transition to a sleep mode, and the transition unit. A storage unit that stores transition information indicating that the transition has been performed, and when the determination unit stores the transition information in the storage unit, the supply of the voltage is stopped by the transition by the transition unit It is determined that it was done.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the determination unit determines that the supply of the voltage is stopped due to the circuit breaker being interrupted. And a notification unit for notifying that the circuit breaker has been disconnected.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the determination unit determines that the supply of the voltage has stopped due to the circuit breaker being interrupted. The electronic device further includes an activation unit that activates the electronic device by shifting to a power saving mode.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to claim 9 is operated by a voltage supplied from an external power source through a circuit breaker, and forms an image on a recording medium; A detection unit for detecting the magnitude of the voltage, and when the supply of the voltage is resumed after the supply of the voltage is stopped, the detection unit is derived from the magnitude of the voltage detected by the detection unit. A determination unit that determines whether or not the supply of the voltage has been stopped by the breaking of the circuit breaker based on the amount of change in the voltage immediately before.

  Furthermore, in order to achieve the said objective, the program of Claim 10 functions a computer as a determination part with which the electronic device of any one of Claims 1-8 is provided.

  According to the inventions according to claim 1, claim 9, and claim 10, when the voltage supply from the external power supply is stopped and then restarted, it is determined whether or not the cause of the stop is due to the circuit breaker being interrupted. Can be judged well.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine with higher accuracy by using the value of the voltage immediately before the stop in addition to the amount of change in the voltage immediately before the stop.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the amount of change between two inflection points of the voltage immediately before the stop is used as the amount of change of the voltage immediately before the stop, and the value of the voltage immediately before the stop is used as the voltage value immediately before the stop. By using the value of the inflection point of the voltage at, it can be determined more easily.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, it can determine more simply that the cause of a stop is based on interruption | blocking of a circuit breaker using two inflection points of the voltage immediately before a stop.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more easily determine that the cause of the stop is the extraction of the plug-in terminal, using the two inflection points of the voltage immediately before the stop.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, it can determine more simply that the cause of a stop is based on transfer to sleep mode using the transfer information to sleep mode.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 7, a user's convenience can be improved by alert | reporting to a user that interruption | blocking of the circuit breaker generate | occur | produced.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 8, it can prevent that the interruption | blocking of a circuit breaker reoccurs by making an electronic device transfer to a power saving mode and starting.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment and a configuration of a part related to a commercial power supply system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process by the determination processing program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 6 is a graph illustrating an example of a change in voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system to the image forming apparatus over time when the supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment is stopped due to the breaker being cut off. 6 is a graph illustrating an example of a change in voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system to the image forming apparatus over time when supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment is stopped by pulling out a plug. 10 is a graph showing another example of a change in voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system to the image forming apparatus over time when supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment is stopped by pulling out a plug. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process by the starting process program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the alerting | reporting screen which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process by the starting process program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the flow of a process by the starting process program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the flow of a process by the starting process program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment and a configuration of a part related to the commercial power supply system 40.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a control unit 12, a storage unit 14, a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, a document reading unit 22, a detection unit 24, A switching unit 26, an LV (Low Voltage) power source 27, and a plug 28 are provided. The image forming apparatus 10 is an example of an electronic device.

  The control unit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12C, and an input / output interface (I / O) 12D. These units are connected via a bus. Are connected to each other.

  Functional units including a storage unit 14, a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, and a document reading unit 22 are connected to the I / O 12D. Each of these functional units can communicate with the CPU 12A via the I / O 12D.

  The control unit 12 may be configured as a part of a main control unit that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 10. For example, an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip set is used for some or all of the blocks of the control unit 12. An individual circuit may be used for each of the blocks, or a circuit in which part or all of the blocks are integrated may be used. Each of the blocks may be provided as a single unit, or some of the blocks may be provided separately. In addition, a part of each block may be provided separately. The integration of the control unit 12 is not limited to an LSI, and a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor may be used.

  As the storage unit 14, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, or the like is used. The storage unit 14 stores a determination processing program 14A and an activation processing program 14B. Note that the determination processing program 14A and the activation processing program 14B may be stored in the ROM 12B.

  The determination processing program 14 </ b> A and the activation processing program 14 </ b> B may be installed in the image forming apparatus 10 in advance, for example. The determination processing program 14 </ b> A and the activation processing program 14 </ b> B may be realized by being stored in a non-volatile storage medium or distributed via a network and appropriately installed in the image forming apparatus 10. As examples of the nonvolatile storage medium, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, an HDD, a DVD-ROM, a flash memory, a memory card, and the like are assumed.

  As the display unit 16, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like is used. The display unit 16 integrally has a touch panel. The operation unit 18 is provided with various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key. The display unit 16 and the operation unit 18 receive various instructions from the user of the image forming apparatus 10. These various instructions include, for example, an instruction to start reading a document and an instruction to start copying a document. The display unit 16 displays various types of information such as a result of processing executed according to an instruction received from the user and a notification for the processing.

  Further, the operation unit 18 is provided with a main power button 18A for turning the main power on (ON) or off (OFF), and a power saving button 18B for shifting the image forming apparatus 10 to the sleep mode. The sleep mode is one of the power saving modes of the image forming apparatus 10 and is a state where only the control unit 12 is energized, for example.

  When the main power button 18A is pressed, the CPU 12A performs control to switch the switching unit 26 from on to off or from off to on. The switching unit 26 switches on / off of the main power source. When the power saving button 18B is pressed, the CPU 12A functions as the transition unit 34. That is, the transition unit 34 causes the image forming apparatus 10 to transition to the sleep mode. Further, the transition unit 34 cancels the sleep mode of the image forming apparatus 10 in the sleep mode.

  The document reading unit 22 captures documents one by one on a sheet feeding table of the automatic document feeder, and optically reads the retrieved documents to obtain image information. Alternatively, the document reading unit 22 optically reads a document placed on a document table such as a platen glass to obtain image information.

  The image forming unit 20 outputs an image based on image information obtained by reading by the document reading unit 22 or image information obtained from an external PC (Personal Computer) connected via a network, such as paper. Formed on a recording medium. In the present embodiment, an electrophotographic method is exemplified and described as a method for forming an image, but other methods such as an ink jet method may be adopted.

  When the image forming method is an electrophotographic method, the image forming unit 20 includes a photosensitive drum, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. The charging unit applies a voltage to the photosensitive drum to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum. The exposure unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum by exposing the photosensitive drum charged by the charging unit with light according to image information. The developing unit forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum with toner. The transfer unit transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum to a recording medium. The fixing unit fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium by heating and pressing.

  The image forming apparatus 10 may be installed in, for example, an office or a store. In these offices and stores, an outlet 44 for supplying a power supply voltage (hereinafter simply referred to as voltage) to the image forming apparatus 10 is provided. The outlet 44 is an example of a voltage supply port, and is connected to the commercial power supply system 40 via the breaker 42. The plug 28 of the image forming apparatus 10 is an example of an insertion terminal, and is inserted into the outlet 44 so as to be insertable / removable. Note that the plug 28 may not be provided integrally with the image forming apparatus 10 and may be detachable from the image forming apparatus 10. By connecting the plug 28 and the outlet 44, a voltage is supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 to the image forming apparatus 10. By supplying this voltage, each functional unit including the image forming unit 20 operates.

  The commercial power supply system 40 is an example of an external power supply, and supplies, for example, an AC voltage of 100V. The LV power supply 27 transforms the 100V AC voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 into, for example, 24V and supplies it to each unit.

  The breaker 42 is an example of a circuit breaker, and is connected between the commercial power supply system 40 and the outlet 44. As the breaker 42, for example, a thermal type or electromagnetic type breaker is used. The breaker 42 performs an operation of interrupting the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 to the image forming apparatus 10 when a current exceeding a specified value flows. In the following, the interruption of the supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus 10 due to the interruption of the breaker 42 is referred to as “breaker drop”.

  By the way, if the breaker is returned immediately after the breaker is dropped and the image forming apparatus is restarted, it is highly possible that the breaker will recur. In general, a thermal breaker is widely used as the breaker, and the thermal breaker performs a shut-off operation when heated to a certain temperature or more according to an electric current. That is, immediately after the breaker is dropped, the temperature of the breaker is not sufficiently lowered. If the image forming apparatus 10 is restarted in this situation, the breaker temperature becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, and it is considered that the breaker falls again. It is done. Even in the case of the electromagnetic type, the breaker drop may occur again as in the case of the thermal type.

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, it is difficult to accurately determine whether or not the cause of the supply of voltage being stopped is due to the breaker breakage, and the breaker breakage may be repeated.

  In contrast, the detection unit 24 according to the first embodiment detects the magnitude (value) of the voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40. The CPU 12A according to the first embodiment functions as the determination unit 30 according to the first embodiment by writing and executing the determination processing program 14A stored in the storage unit 14 in the RAM 12C. When the voltage supply from the commercial power supply system 40 is stopped and then restarted, the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the voltage supply has been stopped due to a breaker drop based on the amount of change in the voltage immediately before the stop. Determine. The change amount of the voltage is derived from the voltage value detected by the detection unit 24. The determination unit 30 according to the first embodiment determines whether the cause of the stop is due to a breaker failure based on the amount of change in the voltage and the value of the voltage detected by the detection unit 24 immediately before the stop. Determine whether or not.

  In the following, the case where the detection unit 24 detects the AC voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 will be described as an example. However, the detection unit 24 detects the AC current supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 and the same. The determination process may be performed.

Next, the operation of the determination unit 30 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow by the determination processing program 14A according to the first embodiment.
When the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 is started by starting the image forming apparatus 10, the CPU 12 </ b> A writes and executes the determination processing program 14 </ b> A stored in the storage unit 14 in the RAM 12 </ b> C and functions as the determination unit 30. .

  First, in step 100 of FIG. 2, the determination unit 30 stores the value and change amount of the voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 together with time information in the storage unit 14. The voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 is detected by the detection unit 24 at regular time intervals or continuously. The determination unit 30 stores the voltage value detected by the detection unit 24 in association with the time information at the time of detection in the storage unit 14. Then, the determination unit 30 derives a voltage change amount from these voltage values and time information, and stores the derived voltage change amount in the storage unit 14. The amount of change in voltage may be derived when a predetermined number of values of a plurality of voltages are obtained, or may be derived when a predetermined period of time equal to or longer than the predetermined time has elapsed. . Note that time information may be unnecessary if the interval at which the voltage is repeatedly detected is known.

  Next, in step 102, the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 is stopped based on the detection result by the detection unit 24, for example. As an example of this determination, the determination unit 30 may determine that the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 has stopped when the voltage detected by the detection unit 24 is less than the threshold value. In this case, the case where the voltage is not 0 (zero) is also included. When it is determined that the supply of voltage has been stopped (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 104. When it is determined that the supply of voltage has not been stopped (in the case of a negative determination), the process returns to step 100 and the process is repeated.

  Next, in step 104, the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the cause of the stop of the voltage supply is a shift by the shift unit 34, that is, a stop due to the shift to the sleep mode. If the stop is due to the transition to the sleep mode (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 106. If the stop is not due to the transition to the sleep mode (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 108.

  Next, in step 106, the determination unit 30 stores transition information indicating that the mode has shifted to the sleep mode in the storage unit 14. As the transition information, for example, a value of a flag indicating the transition to the sleep mode may be stored in the storage unit 14.

  On the other hand, in step 108, the determination unit 30 determines whether the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 has been resumed based on the detection result by the detection unit 24, for example. As an example of this determination, the determination unit 30 may determine that the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 has been resumed when the voltage detected by the detection unit 24 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. When it is determined that the supply of voltage has been resumed (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 110. When it is determined that the supply of voltage has not been resumed (in the case of a negative determination), a standby state is entered in step 108.

  Next, in step 110, the determination unit 30 determines whether the migration information is stored in the storage unit 14. When the transfer information is stored in the storage unit 14 (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 112. When the transfer information is not stored in the storage unit 14 (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 114.

  Next, in step 112, the determination unit 30 determines that the cause of the voltage supply being stopped is due to the transition to the sleep mode, notifies the determination unit 14 of the determination result, and then executes the determination processing program 14A. finish.

  On the other hand, in step 114 and subsequent steps, the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the cause of the voltage stop is due to the breaker dropping based on the voltage value and the change amount stored in the process of step 100 immediately before the voltage stop. Determine.

FIG. 3 shows changes in the voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 to the image forming apparatus 10 over time when the supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is stopped by the interruption of the breaker 42. It is a graph which shows an example.
In FIG. 3, the vertical axis represents voltage (unit: volts (V)). The horizontal axis represents time (unit: second (s)). Since the voltage is an AC voltage, it is actually a sine wave, but is shown here in a simplified manner.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first voltage V <b> 1 (for example, 100 V) is supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 to the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 is provided with various loads such as a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, a document reading unit 22, and a finisher unit (not shown). Then, as the load on the image forming apparatus 10 increases, the voltage input to the image forming apparatus 10 gradually decreases. The second voltage V2 is a predetermined threshold value (reference value) that serves as a guideline for occurrence of a breaker drop. The second voltage V2 is set to 90V, for example.

  Here, it is assumed that the supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus 10 is stopped and the voltage input to the image forming apparatus 10 becomes 0 (zero) at time T1 in FIG. In this case, when the supply of the voltage to the image forming apparatus 10 is resumed, the determination unit 30 refers to the storage unit 14 and acquires the voltage value and the change amount (slope) immediately before the voltage is stopped. That is, the storage unit 14 stores the voltage value and the amount of change before time T1. The determination unit 30 acquires the value of the voltage and the amount of change immediately before the voltage is stopped from the storage unit 14.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of change in voltage immediately before the stop of the voltage is the first inflection point P1 of the change in voltage immediately before the stop of the voltage and the second of the change in voltage immediately before the first inflection point P1. This is shown as a voltage change amount k1 between the inflection point P2. In this case, the voltage value immediately before the voltage is stopped is indicated as a value Vp at the first inflection point P1 of the voltage. The inflection point represents a point at which the slope of the voltage that changes with the passage of time changes as shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4 and 5 described later.

  When the supply of voltage is stopped due to a breaker failure, the voltage change amount k1 indicates a state where the voltage is decreasing, and the value Vp at the first inflection point P1 of the voltage is equal to or less than the second voltage V2. Here, the “state where the voltage is decreasing” means a state where the voltage change amount k1 (= the voltage value of the first inflection point P1−the voltage value of the second inflection point P2) becomes a negative value. Shall be shown.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows the voltage supplied to the image forming apparatus 10 from the commercial power supply system 40 as time elapses when the supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is stopped by pulling out the plug 28. It is a graph which shows an example of change. FIG. 5 shows the voltage supplied to the image forming apparatus 10 from the commercial power supply system 40 as time elapses when the supply of voltage to the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is stopped by pulling out the plug 28. It is a graph which shows the other example of a change.
4 and 5, the vertical axis and the horizontal axis are the same as those in the graph of FIG. As in the example of FIG. 3, since the voltage is an AC voltage, it is actually a sine wave, but is simplified here.

  Hereinafter, a state in which the plug 28 of the image forming apparatus 10 is pulled out from the outlet 44 is referred to as “plug extraction”. When the supply of voltage is stopped by pulling out the plug, the voltage change amount k1 shows a state where the voltage is constant as shown in FIG. 4 as an example. Here, the “voltage constant state” indicates a state in which the voltage change amount k1 is 0 (zero) including a predetermined error. In this example, the value Vp of the voltage at the first inflection point P1 is equal to or lower than the second voltage V2. Further, when the supply of voltage is stopped by pulling out the plug, the voltage change amount k1 may indicate a state where the voltage is rising as shown in FIG. 5 as an example. Here, the “state in which the voltage is rising” indicates a state in which the voltage change amount k1 is a positive value. In this example, the value Vp of the voltage at the first inflection point P1 is larger than the second voltage V2.

  In the example of FIGS. 4 and 5 described above, the case where the supply of voltage is stopped by pulling out the plug is shown. Note that the change in voltage supplied from the commercial power supply system 40 to the image forming apparatus 10 over time when the supply of voltage is stopped by turning off the main power button 18A is similar to the example shown in FIGS. It becomes the same.

  In consideration of the above, returning to FIG. 2, in step 114, the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the voltage change amount k1 immediately before the stop of the voltage is a negative value. If the voltage change amount k1 is a negative value (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 116. If the voltage change amount k1 is not a negative value (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 120.

  Next, in step 116, the determination unit 30 determines whether or not the voltage value Vp immediately before the voltage is stopped is equal to or less than a reference value (second voltage V2). If the voltage value Vp is less than or equal to the reference value (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 118. If the voltage value Vp is greater than the reference value (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 120.

  Next, in step 118, when the determination unit 30 indicates that the voltage change amount k1 in step 114 shows a negative value and the voltage value Vp in step 116 is equal to or less than a reference value, the voltage stoppage is stopped. It is determined that the cause is a breaker failure. And the determination part 30 complete | finishes this determination process program 14A, after notifying the starting part 32 of this determination result.

  On the other hand, in step 120, the determination unit 30 stops the voltage when the voltage change amount k1 in step 114 does not indicate a negative value or when the voltage value Vp in step 116 is larger than the reference value. Is determined to be caused by pulling out the plug. And the determination part 30 complete | finishes this determination process program 14A, after notifying the starting part 32 of this determination result.

  According to the first embodiment, when the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 is stopped and then restarted, it is accurately determined whether or not the cause of the stop of the supply of voltage is due to the breaker breakage. .

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the activation unit 32 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the activation processing program 14B according to the first embodiment.
When the determination result is notified from the determination unit 30, the CPU 12 </ b> A writes and executes the activation processing program 14 </ b> B stored in the storage unit 14 in the RAM 12 </ b> C and functions as the activation unit 32.

  First, in step 130 of FIG. 6, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the cause of the voltage stop is a breaker failure based on the determination result notified from the determination unit 30. When it is not a breaker failure, that is, when it is determined that the sleep mode or the plug is pulled out (in the case of negative determination), the routine proceeds to step 132. If it is determined that the breaker has fallen (in the case of a positive determination), the routine proceeds to step 134.

  Next, in step 132, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 in the normal mode. The normal mode is, for example, a mode in which each function unit of the image forming apparatus 10 is energized and the image forming apparatus 10 is started up with maximum power. The sleep mode and the plug extraction may be activated in different modes.

  On the other hand, in step 134, the activation unit 32 determines whether to activate the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode. When the system is started by shifting to the power saving mode (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 136. Further, when the system is not started by shifting to the power saving mode (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 132. In addition, as an example of a method for determining whether to start by shifting to the power saving mode, as shown in FIG. 7, a notification screen 50 for notifying that a breaker has dropped is displayed on the display unit 16 (touch panel). It may be displayed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the notification screen 50 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, the notification screen 50 is a screen for notifying the user that the breaker has occurred and for allowing the user to select whether to start the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode. . In this case, the activation unit 32 displays the notification screen 50 on the display unit 16 and waits for a selection instruction from the user. The display unit 16 is an example of a notification unit. If the user selects “Yes” on the notification screen 50, an affirmative determination is made in step 134 and the process proceeds to step 136. If the user selects “No” on the notification screen 50, a negative determination is made at step 134, and the routine proceeds to step 132.

  Next, in step 136, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode. The power saving mode is a mode in which, for example, at least one of control of lowering the fixing temperature of the fixing unit provided in the image forming unit 20 and increasing the conveyance interval of the recording medium is performed. The power consumption in the power saving mode is smaller than the power consumption in the normal mode. As a method of lowering the fixing temperature of the fixing unit, for example, a method of not energizing a part of the plurality of fixing lamps, or reducing the fixing temperature of each of the plurality of fixing lamps substantially equally can be considered. By starting up in this power saving mode, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced to prevent the breaker from recurring. In the above example, the mode is shifted to the power saving mode in accordance with the user's selection instruction. However, when it is determined that the breaker has been dropped, the image forming apparatus 10 may be forced to shift to the power saving mode and be activated. .

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, in order to prevent the breaker from recurring, the user determines whether the image forming apparatus 10 displays the notification screen 50 and starts the image forming apparatus 10 in the power saving mode. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 determines whether or not to start the image forming apparatus 10 in the power saving mode in order to prevent the breaker from recurring. The configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  The determination unit 30 according to the second embodiment determines whether or not the supply of voltage is stopped due to a breaker failure when the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 is stopped and then restarted. For example, the determination process described in the first embodiment is applied to the determination process by the determination unit 30. The CPU 12A according to the second embodiment functions as the activation unit 32 according to the second embodiment by writing the activation processing program 14B stored in the storage unit 14 into the RAM 12C and executing it. When the determination unit 30 determines that the cause of the stop is due to a breaker failure, the activation unit 32 shifts the activation mode of the image forming apparatus 10 to the power saving mode and activates it.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the operation of the activation unit 32 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow by the activation processing program 14B according to the second embodiment.
When the determination result is notified from the determination unit 30, the CPU 12 </ b> A writes and executes the activation processing program 14 </ b> B stored in the storage unit 14 in the RAM 12 </ b> C and functions as the activation unit 32.

  First, in step 140 of FIG. 8, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the cause of the voltage stop is a breaker failure based on the determination result notified from the determination unit 30. When it is not a breaker failure, that is, when it is determined to shift to the sleep mode or to pull out the plug (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 142. If it is determined that the breaker has been dropped (in the case of a positive determination), the process proceeds to step 144.

  Next, in step 142, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 in the normal mode. As described above, the normal mode is a mode in which each functional unit of the image forming apparatus 10 is energized and the image forming apparatus 10 is started with the maximum power.

  On the other hand, in step 144, the starting unit 32 sets a first threshold value different from the voltage value immediately before the voltage is stopped. The value of the voltage immediately before the voltage is stopped is detected by the detection unit 24. As shown in FIG. 3 above, the value of the voltage immediately before the stop of the voltage is shown as, for example, the value Vp of the first inflection point P1. Specifically, a plurality of threshold values may be stored in the storage unit 14 in advance, and a threshold value corresponding to the value Vp of the first inflection point P1 may be set as the first threshold value. In addition, when the breaker 42 is fragile and the breaker is likely to fall under a normal environment, it is desirable to set a value larger than the value Vp of the first inflection point P1 as the first threshold value. On the other hand, when the breaker 42 is relatively difficult to fall under the normal environment, a value smaller than the value Vp of the first inflection point P1 may be set as the first threshold value.

  Next, in step 146, the starting unit 32 determines whether or not the value of the voltage resumed from the commercial power supply system 40 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. When it is determined that the value of the voltage after the resumption of supply is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 142. When it is determined that the value of the voltage after resumption of supply is less than the first threshold value (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 148.

  Next, in step 148, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode. As described above, the power saving mode is a mode in which at least one of control of lowering the fixing temperature of the fixing unit provided in the image forming unit 20 and increasing the conveyance interval of the recording medium is performed. The power consumption in the power saving mode is smaller than the power consumption in the normal mode.

  In the above example, the activation unit 32 sets the first threshold based on the voltage value immediately before the voltage is stopped, and when the voltage value resumed from the commercial power supply system 40 is less than the first threshold value, The image forming apparatus 10 is started by shifting to the power saving mode. By starting up in this power saving mode, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced to prevent the breaker from recurring.

Next, with reference to FIG. 9, another operation of the activation unit 32 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow by the activation processing program 14B according to the second embodiment.
When the determination result is notified from the determination unit 30, the CPU 12 </ b> A writes and executes the activation processing program 14 </ b> B stored in the storage unit 14 in the RAM 12 </ b> C and functions as the activation unit 32.

  First, in step 150 of FIG. 9, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the cause of the voltage stop is a circuit breaker based on the determination result notified from the determination unit 30. When it is not a breaker failure, that is, when it is determined to shift to the sleep mode or to pull out the plug (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 152. Further, when it is determined that the breaker has been dropped (in the case of a positive determination), the process proceeds to step 154.

  Next, in step 152, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 in the normal mode.

  On the other hand, in step 154, the starting unit 32 measures the time from when the supply of voltage is stopped until it is restarted. The measurement time is derived based on the voltage value and time information stored in the storage unit 14. That is, the measurement time is derived from the time information corresponding to the voltage value immediately before the voltage supply is stopped and the time information corresponding to the voltage value immediately after the voltage supply is resumed.

  Next, in step 156, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the measurement time measured in step 154 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (reference time). When it is determined that the measurement time is equal to or longer than the reference time (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 152. When it is determined that the measurement time is less than the reference time (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 158.

  Next, in step 158, the activation unit 32 delays activation of the image forming apparatus 10 for a predetermined period (a certain period). The period for delaying the activation is not particularly limited. For example, a period equal to or longer than the time obtained by subtracting the measurement time from the reference time is set.

  Next, in step 160, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting the image forming apparatus 10 to the power saving mode.

  It should be noted that the flow without the step 158 may be adopted. In this case, when the activation unit 32 determines in step 156 that the measurement time is less than the reference time, the process proceeds to step 160, where the image forming apparatus 10 is activated and activated.

  In the above example, when the measurement time from when the supply of voltage is stopped to when it is restarted is less than the reference time, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode. By starting up in this power saving mode, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced to prevent the breaker from recurring. Note that, by shifting the image forming apparatus 10 for a certain period before shifting to the power saving mode, the effect of preventing the breaker from recurring is further enhanced.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, another operation of the activation unit 32 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing flow by the activation processing program 14B according to the second embodiment.
When the determination result is notified from the determination unit 30, the CPU 12 </ b> A writes and executes the activation processing program 14 </ b> B stored in the storage unit 14 in the RAM 12 </ b> C and functions as the activation unit 32.

  First, in step 170 of FIG. 10, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the cause of the stop is a breaker based on the determination result notified from the determination unit 30. When it is not a breaker failure, that is, when it is determined to shift to the sleep mode or to pull out the plug (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 172. If it is determined that the breaker has been dropped (in the case of an affirmative determination), the routine proceeds to step 174.

  Next, in step 172, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 in the normal mode.

  On the other hand, in step 174, the starting unit 32 sets a first threshold value different from the voltage value immediately before the voltage is stopped. The value of the voltage immediately before the voltage is stopped is detected by the detection unit 24.

  Next, in step 176, the starting unit 32 measures the time from when the supply of voltage is stopped until it is restarted. This measurement time is derived based on the voltage value and time information stored in the storage unit 14 as described in step 154 of FIG.

  Next, in step 178, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the measurement time measured in step 176 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (reference time). When it is determined that the measurement time is equal to or longer than the reference time (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 180. When it is determined that the measurement time is less than the reference time (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 182.

  Next, in step 180, the activation unit 32 determines whether or not the value of the voltage resumed from the commercial power supply system 40 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. When it is determined that the value of the voltage after the resumption of supply is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 172. When it is determined that the value of the voltage after resumption of supply is less than the first threshold value (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 188.

  On the other hand, in step 182, the activation unit 32 sets a second threshold value that is larger than the first threshold value in accordance with the measurement time measured in step 176. That is, if the measurement time is short, there is a high possibility that the breaker will recur. Therefore, in this example, a second threshold value that is larger than the first threshold value is further set. Although it does not specifically limit as a 2nd threshold value, It is desirable to set a big value, so that measurement time is short.

  Next, in step 184, the starting unit 32 determines whether or not the value of the voltage resumed from the commercial power supply system 40 is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. When it is determined that the voltage value after the supply restart is equal to or greater than the second threshold value (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 172. When it is determined that the voltage value after the supply restart is less than the second threshold value (in the case of negative determination), the process proceeds to step 186.

  Next, in step 186, the activation unit 32 delays activation of the image forming apparatus 10 for a predetermined period (a certain period).

  Next, in step 188, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode.

  In the above example, the activation unit 32 determines that the measurement time from when the supply of voltage is stopped to when it is restarted is equal to or longer than the reference time, and the value of the voltage after restarting supply is determined to be less than the first threshold value. In this case, the image forming apparatus 10 is started by shifting to the power saving mode without delaying for a certain period. In addition, the activation unit 32 delays activation of the image forming apparatus 10 for a certain period when it is determined that the measurement time is less than the reference time and the voltage value after resumption of supply is less than the second threshold. . Then, the activation unit 32 activates the image forming apparatus 10 by shifting to the power saving mode after a certain period of delay. By starting up in this power saving mode, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced to prevent the breaker from recurring.

  According to the second embodiment described above, when it is determined that the supply of voltage from the commercial power supply system 40 is stopped due to a breaker breakage, the image forming apparatus 10 is shifted to the power saving mode. By starting up, the breaker failure is prevented from recurring.

  As described above, the electronic apparatus and the image forming apparatus have been described as exemplary embodiments. The embodiment may be in the form of a program for causing a computer to execute the function of each unit included in the electronic device. The embodiment may be in the form of a computer-readable storage medium storing this program.

  In addition, the configurations of the electronic apparatus and the image forming apparatus described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and may be changed according to the situation without departing from the gist.

  Further, the processing flow of the program described in the above embodiment is an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be changed within a range not departing from the gist. Good.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the process which concerns on embodiment was implement | achieved by a software structure using a computer by running a program, it is not restricted to this. The embodiment may be realized by, for example, a hardware configuration or a combination of a hardware configuration and a software configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Control part 14 Memory | storage part 14A Judgment processing program 14B Starting process program 16 Display part 18 Operation part 18A Main power button 18B Power-saving button 20 Image formation part 22 Original reading part 24 Detection part 26 Switching part 27 LV power supply 28 Plug 30 Determination Unit 32 Start-up Unit 34 Transition Unit 40 Commercial Power Supply System 42 Breaker 44 Outlet 50 Notification Screen

Claims (10)

A detection unit for detecting the magnitude of the voltage supplied from the external power source through the circuit breaker;
When the supply of the voltage is resumed after the supply of the voltage is stopped, derived from the magnitude of the voltage detected by the detection unit, based on the amount of change in the voltage immediately before the stop, A determination unit for determining whether or not the supply of the voltage is stopped by the breaker being interrupted;
With electronic equipment.   The determination unit determines whether or not the supply of the voltage is stopped due to the breaking of the circuit breaker based on the amount of change in the voltage and the magnitude of the voltage immediately before the stop detected by the detection unit. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is determined. The amount of change in the voltage is the voltage between the first inflection point of the voltage change immediately before the stop and the second inflection point of the voltage change immediately before the first inflection point. The amount of change,
The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the magnitude of the voltage is a magnitude of the voltage at the first inflection point.   The determination unit indicates a state in which the voltage changes between the first inflection point and the second inflection point, and the voltage at the first inflection point. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein when the magnitude of is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the supply of the voltage is stopped due to the breaking of the circuit breaker. The voltage is supplied through an insertion terminal that is pluggable into the voltage supply port of the external power supply,
The determination unit indicates a state where the amount of change in the voltage between the first inflection point and the second inflection point indicates a state where the voltage is rising, or a state where the voltage is constant. 5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein in this case, it is determined that the supply of the voltage is stopped by pulling out the insertion terminal from the voltage supply port. A transition unit for transitioning the electronic device to a sleep mode;
A storage unit for storing transition information indicating that the electronic device has transitioned to a sleep mode by the transition unit;
Further comprising
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the determination unit determines that supply of the voltage is stopped by the transfer by the transfer unit when the transfer information is stored in the storage unit. .   The notification unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a notification unit that notifies that the circuit breaker has been disconnected when the determination unit determines that the supply of the voltage has been stopped by the circuit breaker being disconnected. Item 1. An electronic device according to item 1.   8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an activation unit configured to start the electronic device by shifting to a power saving mode when it is determined by the determination unit that the supply of the voltage is stopped due to the interruption of the circuit breaker. The electronic device of Claim 1. An image forming unit that operates with a voltage supplied from an external power source through a circuit breaker and forms an image on a recording medium;
A detection unit for detecting the magnitude of the voltage;
When the supply of the voltage is resumed after the supply of the voltage is stopped, derived from the magnitude of the voltage detected by the detection unit, based on the amount of change in the voltage immediately before the stop, A determination unit for determining whether or not the supply of the voltage is stopped by the breaker being interrupted;
An image forming apparatus.   The program for functioning a computer as a determination part with which the electronic device of any one of Claims 1-8 is provided.

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