JP2020021008A - Power source device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power supply device and an image forming apparatus that can prevent the occurrence of operation trouble related to image formation due to cut-off of power supply from a power source.SOLUTION: A power source device of an image forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of power supply units 31 that each receive power supply from a power source P and feed power at a set DC voltage; and a control unit 11. The power supply units 31 each include a charge holding unit 312 that can discharge when the power supply from the power source P is cut off and temporarily feed power, and a power supply switching unit 314a that switches whether the power supply unit can feed power. Between every two power supply units 31, wiring 331 and switching elements 332 are provided, which electrically connect the charge holding parts 312 of the plurality of power supply units 31 when the power supply from the power source P is cut off; when the power supply from the power source P is cut off, the control unit 11 controls a switching state of the power supply switching units 314a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device and an image forming apparatus.

  There is an image forming apparatus that forms an image by applying a color material to a recording medium. The image forming apparatus performs a process of processing image data related to an image to be recorded into data for a recording operation, or transports the recording medium based on the processed data for the recording operation, and For example, a configuration in which a coloring material is provided thereon is operated. Each of these processes and operations requires an appropriate voltage. Providing separate power supplies for outputting individual voltages leads to an increase in cost and size. Therefore, a technique of converting the output of a power supply that outputs a single high voltage into a plurality of voltages and outputting the converted voltages is widely used.

  In the image forming apparatus, when power supply is unintentionally cut off due to a power outage or the like, a part where a serious trouble such as a failure may occur due to a power cut during operation, such as a data storage device or an operation unit related to color material application, may occur. Have. On the other hand, a technique is known in which a power storage unit such as a capacitor unit that holds power is provided, and when power supply is stopped, each unit is operated using the power held by the power storage unit (Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2017-21234 A

  However, if it is attempted to continue the operation of each unit when the power is cut off from the power supply in order to avoid the occurrence of a trouble, the capacity of the necessary power storage means increases, leading to an increase in cost and size, and there is a problem that efficiency is poor. .

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device and an image forming apparatus for an image forming apparatus that can more efficiently prevent an operation trouble related to image formation due to disconnection of power supply from a power supply. .

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is:
A power supply device of an image forming apparatus including a plurality of power supply units that receive power supply from a power supply and supply power with a set DC voltage, and a control unit,
The power supply unit,
A power storage unit that discharges when power supply from the power supply is cut off and temporarily supplies power,
A switching unit for switching whether to supply power,
Respectively,
Between the plurality of power supply units, when the power supply from the power supply is cut off, an interconnecting unit that electrically connects the power storage units of the plurality of power supply units is provided,
The control unit controls a switching state of the switching unit when power supply from the power supply is cut off.

The invention according to claim 2 is the power supply device according to claim 1,
The power supply apparatus further includes a detection unit that detects disconnection of power supply from the power supply.

The invention according to claim 3 is the power supply device according to claim 2,
The power supply is an AC power supply,
The detection unit detects disconnection of power supply from the power supply using a zero-cross circuit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the power supply device according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The control unit includes:
Holds information related to the power supply continuation time longer than the required operation time of the load operated by the power supply from the power storage unit,
When the power supply from the power supply is cut off, the electrical connection between the power storage unit by the interconnect unit is performed,
After the power supply continuation time elapses after the power supply from the power supply is cut off, the connection by the interconnecting unit is released.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the power supply device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
The control unit is configured to, when power supply from a power supply is cut off, stop the power supply by at least a part of the power supply units according to a state of a load to be supplied with power by the plurality of power supply units. The switching state of the switching unit is controlled.

The invention according to claim 6 is the power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The control unit is configured to, when power supply from a power supply is cut off, stop the power supply by at least some of the power supply units according to a type of a load to be supplied with power by the plurality of power supply units. The switching state of the switching unit is controlled.

The invention according to claim 7 is the power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
At least a part of the power supply unit is capable of supplying power to a plurality of loads,
The control unit, when continuing to supply power to a part of the plurality of loads when the power supply from the power supply is cut off, reduces power consumption related to the remaining operation of the plurality of loads. It is characterized by performing control.

  An eighth aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the power supply device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect,
An image forming operation unit that forms an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method,
The image forming operation section charges a photoconductor, forms a latent image on the photoconductor based on image data to be formed, and forms a latent image on the photoconductor on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. Has a developing section for attaching a coloring material to the
The control unit, when the image forming operation is being performed by the image forming operation unit when the power supply from the power supply is cut off, the charging operation of the photoconductor by the latent image unit and the charging of the photoconductor. The power supply for the driving operation is stopped, and the power supply to the bias power supply for generating the electric field related to the adhesion of the color material by the developing unit is continued.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect,
An image forming operation unit that forms an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method,
The image forming operation unit has a fixing unit that heats and fixes the coloring material on the medium to which the coloring material is attached,
The control unit performs control so as to maintain power supply to the fixing unit when a medium is at a heat fixing position by the fixing unit when power supply from the power supply is cut off. .

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect,
An image forming operation unit for forming an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method,
An auxiliary storage unit that stores data related to the image forming operation;
With
The control unit controls the power supply to the auxiliary storage unit to be maintained if the auxiliary storage unit is operating when the power supply from the power supply is cut off.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to more efficiently prevent the occurrence of operation trouble related to image formation due to disconnection of power supply from a power supply.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming operation unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a power supply circuit in the image forming apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of a power-off correspondence process.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an image forming operation unit 14, a transport unit 20, a power supply unit 30 (power supply device), a communication unit 41, an operation reception unit 42, and a display. A part 43 and the like are provided.

  The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, performs various types of arithmetic processing, and performs overall control of the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. Note that the control unit 11 may independently hold power so as to be able to operate for a short time in response to an instantaneous power, and may be able to execute its own stop operation using this power.

  The storage unit 12 is an auxiliary storage device (auxiliary storage unit) that stores image data to be formed and various setting data related to the image forming operation. The storage unit 12 includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), and the like. The setting data includes priority operation information 121 (information related to power supply continuation time) used for control at the time of power-off.

  Here, the image forming operation unit 14 forms an image on the medium M by an electrophotographic method. The image forming operation unit 14 includes a voltage adjustment unit 151, a latent image unit 152, a developing unit 144, a transfer unit 153, a fixing unit 149, a cleaning unit 146, and the like. The configuration of the image forming operation unit 14 will be described later.

  The transport unit 20 acquires the medium M from a tray or the like and transports the medium. The transport unit 20 includes a roller and a transport drive unit 21 such as a motor that rotates the roller.

  The power supply unit 30 receives power supply of an AC voltage from an external power supply (AC power supply), converts the power supply into a set DC voltage, and outputs (supplies) the power to each unit (load). The power supply unit 30 includes a power-off detection unit 32, a power supply switching unit 314a, a switching element 332, and the like. The circuit configuration of the power supply unit 30 will be described later.

  The communication unit 41 controls communication with an external electronic device to transmit and receive signals. The communication is not particularly limited. For example, communication by a LAN (Local Area Network) is used, and the communication unit 41 includes a network card according to a LAN standard (protocol).

  The operation receiving unit 42 receives (detects) an external input operation performed by a user or the like, and outputs the received content to the control unit 11 as an input signal. As the operation receiving unit 42, for example, a touch panel or a push button switch is used.

  The display unit 43 has, for example, a display screen, and displays a status related to the image forming operation, a menu screen for accepting an operation, and the like based on the control of the control unit 11. As the display screen, for example, a liquid crystal display screen is used. Further, the display unit 43 may include an LED lamp or the like, and may be able to notify a status such as an abnormality by a lighting operation or a blinking operation.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming operation unit 14.
In the image forming operation unit 14, after the four color toner images are respectively transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 147 by the primary transfer roller 145, they are secondarily transferred collectively to the medium M by the secondary transfer roller 148. Fix it. The transfer mechanism for each color includes a photoconductor drum 141 (photoconductor), a charging unit 142, an exposure unit 143, a developing unit 144, a primary transfer roller 145, a cleaning unit 146, and the like.

  The photoreceptor drum 141 has an organic photoreceptor on which a photosensitive layer made of a resin containing an organic photoconductor is formed along the outer peripheral surface of a drum-shaped metal container, and is provided rotatably.

  The charging unit 142 has a charging charger and uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 141 to a predetermined negative potential.

  The exposure unit 143 has a laser light source, a polygon mirror, a lens, and the like. The exposure unit 143 scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 141 with a laser beam based on image data of each color to form an electrostatic latent image. The charging section 142 and the exposure section 143 constitute the latent image section 152 shown in FIG.

  The developing unit 144 supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 141, and develops the toner by attaching toner (coloring material) to the surface of the photosensitive drum 141 in accordance with the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 141. The developing unit 144 causes the charged toner to adhere to the surface of the photoconductor drum 141 according to the electric field between the photoconductor surface and the developing bias voltage surface. The voltage adjusted by the voltage adjusting unit 151 is supplied to the developing unit 144 as a developing bias voltage.

  The primary transfer roller 145 is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 141 with the intermediate transfer belt 147 interposed therebetween to form a nip, and the toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 141 are sequentially placed on the intermediate transfer belt 147. Transfer (primary transfer). As a result, a color toner image in which four color toner images are superimposed is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 147.

  The cleaning unit 146 has a blade-like structure, and peels and removes the toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 141 after the primary transfer. When the operation is suspended, the blade portion of the cleaning unit 146 can be moved to a position separated from the photosensitive drum 141 and made to stand by.

  The intermediate transfer belt 147 is an endless belt stretched by a plurality of rollers (not all illustrated here), and moves around in the direction of the arrow.

  The secondary transfer roller 148 is disposed in contact with the opposing roller 148 a with the intermediate transfer belt 147 interposed therebetween to form a nip, and transfers the color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 147 to one surface of the medium M. Transfer (secondary transfer) on top.

  The fixing unit 149 fixes the toner (color material) transferred (adhered) to the medium M by heating and pressing. As the fixing unit 149, for example, two rollers having a heat source provided inside (core) are provided to face each other with the medium M interposed therebetween.

  The voltage adjusting unit 151 illustrated in FIG. 1 generates and adjusts a voltage appropriate for charging the charging unit 142 and generating an electric field in the photosensitive drum 141, the developing unit 144, and the periphery thereof. The appropriate voltage may change depending on temperature conditions and the like. The voltage adjusting unit 151 changes the voltage directly or under the control of the control unit 11 based on the state of the image forming operation and / or based on temperature measurement data by a temperature sensor (not shown). Note that the voltage once adjusted by the voltage adjustment unit 151 may be maintained as long as the voltage is not changed again by the voltage adjustment unit 151.

  The transfer unit 153 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a primary transfer roller 145, an intermediate transfer belt 147, a secondary transfer roller 148, an opposing roller 148a, and the like, and adjusts a rotation operation and a position thereof. The stress in each nip may be appropriately adjusted by the transfer unit 153 based on the control of the control unit 11.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power supply circuit in the image forming apparatus 1.
The power supply unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality (here, four are illustrated) of power supply units 31 (power supply units) having the same configuration, a power-off detection unit 32 (detection unit), and the like. The power supply units 31 each include an AC / DC converter 311, a charge holding unit 312 (power storage unit), a high-frequency transformer 313, a DC / DC converter 314, and the like. From the DC / DC converter 314 of each power supply unit 31, the storage unit 12 and the voltage adjustment unit 151 (the top stage in FIG. 3), the display unit 43 (the second stage from the top in FIG. 3), and the exposure unit 143 are respectively provided. The power is supplied to the transfer unit 152 (the third stage from the top in FIG. 3), the developing unit 144, the fixing unit 149, and the cleaning unit 146 (the lowest stage in FIG. 3).

  An AC voltage supplied from an external power supply P (mainly a commercial power supply) is input to the power supply unit 30. The AC voltage is input to each power supply unit 31 in parallel. The AC / DC converter 311 converts this AC voltage into DC. Although a bridge rectifier circuit is shown here as the AC / DC converter 311, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The charge holding unit 312 is a capacitor or the like, holds a charge corresponding to the capacitance and the input DC voltage, and discharges the power when the power supply from the power supply is cut off for a short time (power consumption). For example, about 100 msec to about 1 sec is assumed).

  The DC component voltage from which the fluctuation component has been removed by the high-frequency transformer 313 is input to the DC / DC converter 314, and is converted into a desired output voltage (set DC voltage). The desired output voltage is different from the others in at least some of the plurality of power supply units 31. For example, a voltage of about 12 V is output for operations of the control unit 11 and the storage unit 12. In the control unit 11 and the like, the operation is performed by further reducing the voltage to 3 V, 5 V, or the like as necessary. On the other hand, a higher voltage, for example, 24 V or 36 V, is output to the analog circuit and each drive unit related to the image forming operation. One or more appropriate loads according to the output voltage are connected to each power supply unit 31. The DC / DC conversion unit 314 of each power supply unit 31 includes a power supply switching unit 314a (switching unit), and independently determines whether to supply power to each unit based on a control signal from the control unit 11. It can be switched to.

  The plurality of power supply units 31 may be separately provided with switching elements for switching whether or not input from an external power supply P is possible. For example, only the power supply unit 31 connected to a configuration necessary for the initial startup operation, such as the control unit 11, may be operated first, and the other power supply units 31 may be activated thereafter as needed. Thus, unnecessary power consumption related to the operation of the DC / DC conversion unit 314 and the like can be reduced.

  The power-off detection unit 32 detects the input voltage waveform from the AC power supply using, for example, a zero-cross circuit, detects that the input of the waveform (power supply) has been cut off, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 11. I do.

  The same poles of the charge holding units 312 of the plurality of power supply units 31 are electrically connected to each other by the wiring 331 via the switching element 332. Normally, the switching element 332 is in an open state (normally off), and each power supply unit 31 operates independently. When the switching element 332 enters the closed state (ON), the charge holding units 312 are connected in parallel. The operation of the switching element 332 can be changed based on a control signal from the control unit 11. The wiring 331 and the switching element 332 constitute an interconnecting part of the present embodiment.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the power supply from the external power supply P is cut off, the power supply is continued by the charge of the charge holding unit 312, and the operation of each unit is maintained for a short time. For a configuration (load) that is not desirable to stop immediately at an unintended timing, a retreat operation is performed during this maintenance time to ensure the safety of each load and the configuration corresponding to the load.

  However, the time and power required for the evacuation operation differ depending on the load. In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 11 closes the switching element 332 to connect the charge holding units 312 of the plurality of power supply units 31. In the DC / DC converter 314, if there is no problem even if the power supply is immediately stopped, that is, only the load that does not require the retreat operation is connected, the control unit 11 controls the power supply switching unit. By turning off (opening) 314a, the output from the DC / DC converter 314 is immediately stopped. For the other power supply switching units 314a, the ON (closed) state is maintained. That is, the switching state of the power supply switching unit 314a is controlled such that the total of the electric charges held in all the electric charge holding units 312 is supplied and output only from the DC / DC conversion unit 314 that needs to continue the power supply. As a result, the amount of power that can be supplied to a load that requires power supply is increased.

  For example, if the power supply to the HDD or SSD of the storage unit 12 is cut off during operation (particularly during writing), data disappears or a malfunction of the HDD arm occurs. The supply unit 31 retracts the arm of the HDD and preferentially maintains the power supply until the writing of the data being written is completed.

  Further, for example, in the image forming operation unit 14, when the power is turned off during the image forming operation, that is, while the toner is being attached to the photoconductor drum 141, the power supply between the developing unit 144 and the photoconductor drum 141 is stopped. There is a case where the electric field is not applied to the toner supplied to the photosensitive drum 141 and the toner is scattered without attaching to the photosensitive drum 141. Therefore, as compared with the charging operation of the charging unit 142 and the rotation driving operation of the photosensitive drum 141 (the third power supply unit 31 from the top in FIG. 3), the state of application of the developing bias voltage (the bias Generation of an electric field by power supply to the power supply; the power supply unit 31 at the lowermost stage in FIG. 3 is continued for a long time, and the toner powder released into the space between the developing unit 144 and the photoconductor drum 141 is used as the photoconductor. The power supply to the developing unit 144 is stopped after waiting on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 141.

  Further, for example, when the medium M is present in the fixing unit 149 (at the heat fixing position) and the heat fixing is continued, if the power supply is cut off while the medium M remains, the residual heat of the fixing unit 149 causes The medium M and the toner on the surface thereof are overheated, which may cause problems such as the medium M wrapping around or clogging the roller. Therefore, the power supply from the lowermost power supply unit 31 in FIG. 3 can be continued so that the operation is preferentially continued (maintained) until the medium M is discharged from the fixing unit 149.

  Further, for example, if the power supply is cut off during the operation of the cleaning unit, the blade for peeling off the toner is not retracted, so that the photoconductor may be damaged when the operation is resumed. Therefore, the power supply from the lowermost power supply unit 31 in FIG. 3 may be continued until the operation of retracting the blade is performed. In comparison with these, the power supply from the second and third power supply units 31 from the top in FIG. 3 may be stopped immediately.

  As described above, the required continuous operation time (required operation time) is determined according to the load. Here, for example, the configuration (type of load) that must be continued with priority is stored in the storage unit 12 as priority operation information 121 in association with the continuous operation time and the connected power supply unit 31. are doing. The control unit 11 sets the time equal to or longer than the longest continuous operation time (for example, the time obtained by adding a predetermined margin to the longest continuous operation time) as a necessary power supply time (power supply continuous time). May be fixedly determined (depending on the type of the connected load). Alternatively, the power supply time is determined as the power supply time that requires the longest continuous operation time (depending on the load condition) in the configuration (load condition) in operation when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off. Is also good.

  After outputting the necessary control signal, the control unit 11 may stop the operation as it is due to the shortage of the supply voltage. However, the control unit 11 does not stop after the time required to complete all the evacuation operations. In this case, the switching element 332 once turned on (closed) may be turned off (disconnected). Thus, when the power supply from the power supply P is restored, the charge holding unit 312 of the power supply unit 31 that supplies power to the control unit 11 is quickly charged, and the control unit 11 is immediately restarted in advance. be able to.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure by the control unit 11 of a power-off corresponding process executed in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.
The power-off corresponding process is started by interruption when a power-off detection signal is input by the power-off detection unit 32 regardless of other operation states. Note that this processing may be resident and stored in the RAM or the like of the control unit 11 during the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 so that the processing is performed immediately after the power is turned off.

  When the power-off corresponding process is started, the control unit 11 acquires the operation status of each unit (Step S101). The control unit 11 selects and determines, based on the priority operation information 121, the power supply unit 31 whose operation is preferentially maintained and the power supply unit 31 that turns off the power output (step S102). In addition, among the loads to which power is supplied from the power supply unit 31 determined not to turn off the output of the power, the control unit 11 also operates another load that does not need to continue to supply power. In this case, a signal for turning off the operation of the load itself (reducing the power consumption of the remaining operation) may be output.

  The control unit 11 outputs a signal for turning off (opening) the power supply switching unit 314a of the power supply unit 31 to be turned off (step S103). The control unit 11 outputs a signal to turn on (close) the switching element 332 (step S104). If possible, the control unit 11 waits for a predetermined time (power supply continuation time), and returns the wiring switching unit to the off state (open state) after the lapse of the predetermined time (step S105). Thereby, the connection between the charge holding units 312 is released. This predetermined time is fixedly determined based on the priority operation information 121 as described above, or is determined to be in the operation state in step S101, and the power is supplied without turning off the power supply unit 31 in step S102. It may be dynamically determined according to the load determined to be supplied.

  The control unit 11 may perform an operation of terminating the power-off corresponding process. However, when the power supply to the control unit 11 itself is finally insufficient, and the operation becomes impossible, the operation is stopped. You may move to

As described above, the power supply unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the plurality of power supply units 31 that receive the power supply from the power supply P and supply power with the set DC voltage, and the control unit 11. The power supply unit 31 includes a charge holding unit 312 that discharges power when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off and temporarily supplies power, and a power supply switching unit 314a that switches whether to supply power. , Respectively. When the power supply from the power supply P is cut off, a wiring as an interconnecting part that electrically connects the charge holding units 312 of the plurality of power supply units 31 is provided between the plurality of power supply units 31. 331 and a switching element 332 are provided, and the control unit 11 controls the switching state of the power supply switching unit 314a when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off.
As described above, the power supply unit 30 includes the plurality of power supply units 31 having the same configuration, each of which has the charge holding unit 312, and connects the charge holding units 312 when the power supply is cut off. Therefore, regardless of the position of the load to which power is supplied from each power supply unit 31, the connection is made so that all the stored electric charges are supplied to the necessary load. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of the operation trouble in a part where the operation trouble is likely to occur. Further, since there is no need to individually design the power supply units 31, it is possible to more efficiently suppress the occurrence of operation trouble without increasing the design and manufacturing costs.

  In addition, the power supply unit 30 includes a power supply disconnection detection unit 32 that detects disconnection of power supply from the power supply P. As a result, immediately after the power supply is actually cut off, it is possible to promptly detect and respond to that fact, so that necessary measures can be taken in a short time by effectively using the charges held by the charge holding unit 312. Can be.

  In addition, the power supply P is an AC power supply, and the power-off detection unit 32 detects disconnection of power supply from the power supply P using a zero-cross circuit. Thus, the disconnection of the power supply can be detected at a high response speed according to the power supply frequency, so that necessary response processing can be performed more quickly.

Further, the control unit 11 holds information on the power supply continuation time longer than the continuous operation time required for the load operated by the power supply from the charge storage unit 312, and when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off, The electrical connection between the charge holding unit 312 by the connection unit (the wiring 331 and the switching element 332) is performed, and after the power supply continuation time elapses after the power supply from the power supply P is cut off, the switching element 332 is opened. Disconnect the interconnect.
Thus, the connection between the charge holding units 312 by the wiring 331 is easily and promptly performed under the control of the control unit 11. Further, after the power supply to the required load is completed, the connection is released, so that electricity does not flow to the entire image forming apparatus 1. Unnecessary electric shock when a user or an inspector comes into contact can be prevented. Further, the power supply unit 30 and the image forming apparatus 1 can be restarted immediately after the power supply is restarted.

Further, when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off, the control unit 11 stops the power supply by at least some of the power supply units 31 according to the state of the load to be supplied by the plurality of power supply units 31. Thus, the switching state of the plurality of power supply switching units 314a is controlled.
That is, the control unit 11 acquires the operation status of each load, and stops the power supply to the power supply switching unit 314a in a situation where the load connected to the power supply switching unit 314a can be stopped immediately. The charge held by the charge holding unit 312 of the power supply unit 31 can be effectively distributed to the load connected to the other necessary power supply unit 31, and the necessary operation by the load can be completed more reliably. . Therefore, it is possible to more efficiently and safely suppress the operation trouble of the image forming apparatus 1 to which the power supply unit 30 is supplied with power.

In addition, when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off, the control unit 11 stops the power supply by at least some of the power supply units 31 according to the type of the load to be supplied by the plurality of power supply units 31. Thus, the switching state of the plurality of power supply switching units 314a is controlled.
That is, the control unit 11 previously holds information for distinguishing among loads connected to each of the power supply units 31 that may or may not stop the power supply immediately, and immediately stores the information. The power supply switching unit 314a is quickly turned off for the power supply unit 31 to which the load whose power supply may be stopped is connected.
Such a process can be executed promptly by a judgment only inside the control unit 11, and it can be determined that unnecessary power consumption is further suppressed and necessary power is supplied to a required load. . Thereby, it is possible to more efficiently and reliably suppress the operation trouble of the image forming apparatus 1 to which the power supply unit 30 is supplied with power.

In addition, at least a part of the power supply unit 31 can supply power to a plurality of loads, and the control unit 11 supplies power to a part of the plurality of loads when power supply from the power supply P is cut off. When the power supply is to be continued, control is performed to reduce the power consumption of the remaining loads among the plurality of loads.
In other words, even when there is a load that requires power supply and the power supply switching unit 314a cannot be turned off, if it is not necessary to supply power to the remaining loads, a control signal is separately output to the load to separately output the control signal. Alternatively, the amount of power that can be supplied to a necessary load can be increased by suppressing power consumption by stopping all operations. Thus, it is possible to more efficiently and reliably suppress the operation trouble of the image forming apparatus 1 to which the power supply unit 30 is supplied with power.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes the power supply unit 30 described above. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently suppress an operation trouble of the image forming apparatus 1 due to a cutoff of power supply to the image forming apparatus 1 or the like.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming operation unit 14 that forms an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method. The image forming operation unit 14 charges the photosensitive drum 141 and converts the photosensitive drum 141 into image data to be formed. A latent image portion 152 for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 141 based on the image and a developing portion 144 for attaching a color material (toner) to the photosensitive drum 141 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. When the image forming operation is being performed by the image forming operation unit 14 when the power supply from the power source P is cut off, the control unit 11 performs the charging operation of the photosensitive drum 141 by the latent image unit 152 and the The power supply related to the rotation driving operation of the drum 141 is stopped, and the power supply to the bias power supply that generates the electric field related to the adhesion of the color material by the developing unit 144 is continued.
Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to prevent the toner supplied from the developing unit 144 from adhering to the photosensitive drum 141 due to the disappearance of the bias voltage, and the toner that does not adhere is scattered in the image forming apparatus 1 and various parts and Suppress contamination of media. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the problem corresponding to the dirt.

Further, the image forming operation section 14 has a fixing section 149 for heating and fixing the color material on the medium to which the color material (toner) has adhered to the medium, and the control section 11 cuts off the power supply from the power supply P. If the medium is at the heat-fixing position by the fixing unit 149 at this time, control is performed so that power supply to the fixing unit 149 is maintained.
Thus, in the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to suppress troubles such as the medium M being fixed being wound around the roller of the fixing unit 149 and being fixed to the roller due to overheating of the color material (toner).

In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming operation unit 14 and a storage unit 12 such as an HDD or an SSD that stores data related to the image forming operation. When the storage unit 12 is operating when the power supply from the power supply P is cut off, the control unit 11 controls to maintain the power supply to the storage unit 12.
As a result, in the image forming apparatus 1, troubles such as the data being accessed being lost, the HDD arm being stopped at an abnormal position or colliding, and an abnormality occurring in the HDD or data therein are caused. Can be suppressed.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, all the charge holding units 312 are connected, but a configuration or control may be made so that a plurality of sets are connected one by one.

  Further, the development by the developing unit 144 may be one-component development or two-component development.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the switching of the switching element 332 related to the connection between the charge holding units 312. However, the switching unit 332 may be directly switched in response to the power supply disconnection detection signal. Good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the switching element 332 is returned to the open state after a lapse of a predetermined time after the power supply is cut off. The switching element 332 may be returned to the open state based on the elapsed time from the closed state.

  Further, the time until the switching element 332 returns to the open state may be separately set according to the image forming apparatus 1 to which power is supplied. The setting may be performed at the stage of product adjustment and inspection, or may be performed at the time of initial setting or after the start of use by executing a setting program via the operation receiving unit 42.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the detection unit including the zero-cross circuit detects the disconnection of the power supply and outputs the detection signal to the control unit 11, but a configuration related to another detection may be used. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may detect an input voltage and detect disconnection or shortage of power supply based on the decrease in the input voltage.

  Further, the configuration in which the termination operation is performed when the power supply is cut off is not limited to the above-described example, and may include another configuration (load). For example, not only the developing unit 144 but also the bias voltage applied to each configuration of the transfer unit 153 may not be stopped immediately. In addition, the operation of the fan for exhaust or air cooling may not be stopped immediately.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs various control processes when power supply is cut off. However, the power supply unit 30 as a power supply device includes a separate control unit, May perform a control operation.
In addition, specific details such as the configuration, arrangement, control operation, and procedure thereof described in the above embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1 image forming apparatus 11 control unit 12 storage unit 121 priority operation information 14 image forming operation unit 141 photoconductor drum 142 charging unit 143 exposure unit 144 development unit 145 primary transfer roller 146 cleaning unit 147 intermediate transfer belt 148 secondary transfer roller 148a Roller 149 Fixing unit 151 Voltage adjusting unit 152 Latent image unit 153 Transfer unit 20 Transport unit 21 Transport drive unit 30 Power supply unit 31 Power supply unit 311 Conversion unit 312 Charge holding unit 313 High frequency transformer 314 Conversion unit 314a Power supply switching unit 32 Power supply Disconnection detection unit 331 wiring 332 switching element 41 communication unit 42 operation reception unit 43 display unit P power supply

Claims (11)

A power supply device of an image forming apparatus including a plurality of power supply units that receive power supply from a power supply and supply power with a set DC voltage, and a control unit,
The power supply unit,
A power storage unit that discharges when power supply from the power supply is cut off and temporarily supplies power,
A switching unit for switching whether to supply power,
Respectively,
Between the plurality of power supply units, when the power supply from the power supply is cut off, an interconnection unit that electrically connects the power storage units of the plurality of power supply units is provided,
The power supply device, wherein the control unit controls a switching state of the switching unit when power supply from the power supply is cut off.   The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect disconnection of power supply from the power supply. The power supply is an AC power supply,
The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects disconnection of power supply from the power supply using a zero-cross circuit. The control unit includes:
Holds information related to the power supply continuation time longer than the required operation time of the load operated by the power supply from the power storage unit,
When the power supply from the power supply is cut off, the electrical connection between the power storage unit by the interconnect unit is performed,
The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection by the interconnecting unit is released after the power supply continuation time has elapsed since the power supply from the power supply was cut off.   The control unit is configured to, when power supply from a power supply is cut off, stop the power supply by at least a part of the power supply units according to a state of a load to be supplied with power by the plurality of power supply units. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a switching state of the switching unit is controlled.   The control unit is configured to, when power supply from a power supply is cut off, stop the power supply by at least some of the power supply units according to a type of a load to be supplied with power by the plurality of power supply units. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a switching state of the switching unit is controlled. At least a part of the power supply unit is capable of supplying power to a plurality of loads,
The control unit, when continuing to supply power to a part of the plurality of loads when the power supply from the power supply is cut off, reduces power consumption related to the remaining operation of the plurality of loads. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which performs control.   An image forming apparatus comprising the power supply device according to claim 1. An image forming operation unit that forms an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method,
The image forming operation section charges a photoconductor, forms a latent image on the photoconductor based on image data to be formed, and forms a latent image on the photoconductor on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. Has a developing section for attaching a coloring material to the
The control unit, when the image forming operation is being performed by the image forming operation unit when the power supply from the power supply is cut off, the charging operation of the photoconductor by the latent image unit and the charging of the photoconductor. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein power supply related to a driving operation is stopped, and power supply to a bias power supply that generates an electric field related to the adhesion of the color material by the developing unit is continued. An image forming operation unit that forms an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method,
The image forming operation unit has a fixing unit that heats and fixes the coloring material on the medium to which the coloring material is attached,
The control unit performs control so as to maintain power supply to the fixing unit when a medium is at a heat fixing position by the fixing unit when power supply from the power supply is cut off. An image forming apparatus according to claim 8. An image forming operation unit for forming an image on a medium by an electrophotographic method,
An auxiliary storage unit that stores data related to the image forming operation;
With
The control unit controls the power supply to the auxiliary storage unit to be maintained if the auxiliary storage unit is operating when the power supply from the power supply is cut off. 9. The image forming apparatus according to 8.

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