JPH07271483A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save a power by blocking power supply to a part other than a control part which controls the power supply when the non-operating state of a device continues for prescribed time. CONSTITUTION:A power source part 1 supplies the power to a main control part 3 and a driving part 2 by separate systems. A blocking means 4 is connected between the power source part 1 and the driving part 2, and supplies or blocks the power from the power source part 1 to the driving part 2. The time interval means 12 of the main control part 3 issues an instruction to block the supply of a power source to the driving part 2 to the blocking means 4 when the main control part 3 is set in a state where it is not being operated for fixed time, which reduces the power in the non-operating state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to saving power consumption when not operating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a peripheral device for a host computer,
Although there are printer devices and scanner devices, these usually have individual power supply units, and the power cord is connected to an outlet or a tap of a host computer. If the power cord is connected to an outlet, you may forget to turn it on when you use it, or you may forget to turn it off when you are finished.If you forget to turn it on, you cannot receive data from the host computer. The system does not operate normally. On the other hand, when the power cord of the peripheral device is connected to the tap that is interlocked with the power source of the host computer, it is possible to prevent a malfunction such as a data transfer error caused by forgetting to turn on the power or forgetting to turn off the power.

[0003]

However, when the power cord is connected to the tap of the host computer, the power is turned on regardless of whether the peripheral device is used or not as long as the power switch of the peripheral device is turned on. Leave. Therefore, the power is kept on even if the peripheral device is not used, and the power is wasted.

On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-213857, power supply to the speed control means is controlled by an image formation start command to save power during standby. ing.

Although the above image forming apparatus has succeeded in saving power to the motor control means of the image forming apparatus based on the copy start signal, it relates to the motor speed control means of the image forming apparatus and has a heater and other components. It is not for general peripheral devices such as devices. Therefore, it is more preferable that power can be saved by stopping the power supply to the general peripheral device and not only to the motor control means but also to the entire device.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and cuts off the power supply other than the control unit that controls the power supply when the apparatus is in the non-operating state for a certain period of time, thereby saving power. The purpose is to convert.

[0007]

An electronic device according to the present invention has a power supply section, a breaking means, and a time limit means, and the power supply section supplies electric power to the main control section and the driving section by different systems, and the breaking means. Is located between the power supply unit and the drive unit and supplies or cuts off the electric power from the power supply unit to the drive unit.The time-limit means is the power supply to the drive unit when the main control unit is inactive for a certain period of time. Instruct to cut off supply.

Further, it has a battery section and a switching means, the battery section is provided in parallel with the power source section and outputs electric power to be supplied to the main control section, and the switching means is connected to the battery section, the power source section and the main control section. However, power may be supplied to the main control unit by switching between the power supply unit and the battery unit in accordance with an instruction from the time limiter.

Further, it is preferable that the communication control section has a communication control section for controlling communication with an external device, and the communication control section instructs the cutoff means to cut off the power supply when an instruction of non-operation is inputted from the outside.

Further, it is preferable that the cutoff means gives an instruction to the display unit to indicate that the power is being cut off when the power is cut off.

[0011]

In the present invention, the power supply section supplies electric power to the main control section and the drive section by separate systems. The cutoff unit is located between the power supply unit and the drive unit, and supplies or cuts off power from the power supply unit to the drive unit. The time delay means instructs the cutoff means to cut off the power supply to the drive section when the main control unit is not in operation for a certain period of time, and reduces power consumption during non-operation.

Further, the battery section is provided in parallel with the power supply section and outputs electric power supplied to the main control section. The switching means is connected to the battery section, the power source section, and the main control section, switches the power source section and the battery section to supply electric power to the main control section in accordance with an instruction from the time delay means, and the electric power supplied from the battery section when not operating. Drives only the main controller.

Further, the communication control unit for controlling the communication with the external device instructs the cutoff means to cut off the power when an instruction for non-operation is input from the outside, and controls the power cutoff by a signal from the outside. To do.

Further, the shut-off means instructs the display unit to display a power-off state at the time of power-off instruction, and the display unit indicates that the power supply of the drive unit is shut off although the power switch is turned on. .

[0015]

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the electronic device includes a power supply unit 1, a drive unit 2,
It has a main controller 3 and a shutoff means 4.

The power supply unit 1 is connected to the main control unit 3 via the power supply line 16.
Power is directly supplied to the drive unit 2 through the power supply line 17 through the cutoff unit 4. The drive unit 2 has, for example, a drive control unit 5, a sensor 6, a sensor driver 7, a motor 8, a motor driver 9, a volatile storage unit 10, and other parts that operate when the electronic device is operating. Main controller 3 is CPU1
1, a time limit unit 12, a non-volatile storage unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication control unit 15. The CPU 11 controls the entire device based on a program stored in the non-volatile storage unit 13. The time limit means 12 instructs the cutoff means 4 to cut off the power supply to the drive section 2 when the main control section 3 is inactive for a certain period of time. The non-volatile storage unit 13 stores, for example, a control program for controlling the operation of the CPU 11 and various reference data. The display unit 14 displays the state when the power supply unit 1 is switched on but the power supply to the drive unit 2 is cut off by the cutoff unit 4. The communication control unit 15 is connected to an external device and inputs a command from the external device. Blocking means 4
Is located between the power supply unit 1 and the drive unit 2, and supplies or cuts off the power from the power supply unit 1 to the drive unit 2 based on an instruction from the time-limitation means 12.

The operation when the power supply of the drive 2 is cut off when the electronic device having the above-described structure is in the non-operation state for a certain period of time will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power source unit 1 is turned on, the power source unit 1 starts supplying power to the main control unit 3 and the breaking means 4. The time limit means 12 of the main control unit 3 instructs the cutoff unit 4 to supply power to the drive unit 2. The interruption means 4 supplies the electric power supplied from the power supply section 1 to the drive section 2 in accordance with an instruction from the time limit means 12 (step S1). After that, the time limiter 12 starts measuring the non-operation duration time when the electronic device has no input and the main control unit 3 does not operate the electronic device. Time limit means 12
Detects that the electronic device has been inactive for a certain period of time (steps S2 and S3), and instructs the cutoff means 4 to cut off the power supply to the drive unit 2. Blocking means 4
When receiving the instruction to shut off the power from the time limiter 12, the power is shut off from the power supply unit 1 to the drive unit 2 (step S4). As a result, it is possible to prevent current from flowing through the motor 8 of the drive unit 2, the sensor 6 and the like when the electronic device is not operating, and wasting power.

The time delay means 12 of the main control section 3 instructs the shutoff means 4 to shut off the power supply to the drive section 2 until an external input is made, and when an apparatus operation instruction is input from the outside (step S5), the shutoff is made. Instruct the means 4 to supply electric power. When the interruption means 4 is instructed to supply the electric power, the electric power of the power supply unit 1 is supplied to the drive unit 2 again (step S6). As a result, the supply of electric power to the drive unit 2 is automatically started when necessary, and the electronic device can operate normally.

In the above embodiment, the time limit means 12 detects the duration of the non-operation state of the main control unit 3 and instructs the main control unit 3 to cut off the power supply to the drive unit 2 when the non-operation state continues for a certain time. However, the power supply from the external device to the drive unit 2 may be controlled via the communication control unit 15. The operation in this case will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power source unit 1 is turned on, the power source unit 1 starts to supply power to the main control unit 3 and the breaking means 4, and the time delaying unit 12 of the main control unit 3 supplies power to the driving unit 2 to the breaking unit 4. Instruct to supply. The cutoff unit 4 supplies the electric power supplied from the power supply unit 1 to the drive unit 2 according to the instruction of the time limit unit 12 (step S11). Then, when the electronic device is not in operation (step S12), the communication control unit 15
When receiving a command from the external device to cut off the power supply to the drive unit 2 (step S13), the cutoff unit 4 is instructed to cut off the power supply to the drive unit 2. When the cutoff unit 4 receives an instruction to cut off the power of the drive unit 2 from the outside via the communication control unit 15, the cutoff unit 4 cuts off the power supplied from the power supply unit 1 to the drive unit 2 (step S14). When the communication control unit 15 is instructed to supply power to the drive unit 2 from an external device or a drive command is input from the outside (step S1).
5) Instruct the cutoff means 4 to supply electric power. Blocking means 4
Is instructed to supply power, the power of the power supply unit 1 is supplied to the drive unit 2 again (step S16). As a result, the power supply can be controlled from the host computer that is the transmission source of data and the like, so that the power supply can be shut off and supplied immediately and accurately.

In the above embodiment, the power supply from the external device to the drive unit 2 is controlled via the communication control unit 15. However, instead of via the communication control unit 15, for example, the operation unit is driven by the drive unit. It is also possible to operate the power supply by designating an energy saving mode that is a mode for cutting off the power supply to No. 2. As a result, power can be cut off and supplied immediately.

Further, the shut-off means 4 may instruct the display unit 14 to display that the power is being shut off when the power supply to the drive unit 2 is shut off. This allows the operator to easily know the state of the electronic device.

Further, as shown in the configuration diagram of FIG. 4, a battery section 18, a switching means 19, and a consumption detecting section 20 may be provided. The battery unit 18 is arranged in parallel with the power supply unit 1 and has a switching means 19
To the power line 21. The switching unit 19 switches between the power supply unit 1 and the battery unit 18 in accordance with an instruction from the time delay unit 12 of the main control unit 3 to supply power to the main control unit 3. The consumption detecting unit 20 detects a power shortage of the battery unit 18. The operation when the battery unit 18, the switching unit 19 and the consumption detecting unit 20 are provided will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the electronic device is turned on, the main controller 3
The time delay means 12 instructs the switching means 19 to supply the electric power of the power source section 1 and the interruption means 4 to supply the electric power to the drive section 2. In response to an instruction from the time delay means 12, the switching means 19 switches to supply the power of the power supply section 1 to the main control section 3, and the cutoff means 4 supplies the power supplied from the power supply section 1 to the drive section 2 (step S21). ). After that, the time limit means 12 starts measuring the time during which no operation is input to the electronic device and the electronic device is not driven. The time delay means 12 detects that the electronic device has not been driven for a certain period of time (steps S22 and S23), and when the consumption detecting part 20 does not detect the power shortage of the battery part 18 (step S2).
4) The switching means 19 is instructed to supply the power of the battery section 18 to the main control section 3, and the cutoff means 4 is instructed to cut off the power supplied to the drive section 2. In response to an instruction from the time limit means 12, the switching means 19 switches the electric power supplied to the main control section 3 from the electric power of the power source section 1 to the electric power of the battery section 18, and the breaking means 4 supplies the electric power from the power source section 1 to the drive section 2. The power is cut off (step S25). As a result, the time limit means 1
Since the power from the power supply unit 1 is completely cut off when the power is cut off according to the instruction 2, the current does not flow in the power supply unit 1, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

After that, the time limit means 12 of the main control section 3 receives an instruction from the outside or the consumption detecting section 2
When 0 detects that the remaining amount of electric power in the battery unit 18 is insufficient, it instructs the switching unit 19 to supply the electric power of the power supply unit 1 to the main control unit 3, and instructs the cutoff unit 4 to supply the electric power to the drive unit 2. (Steps S26 and S27). In response to the instruction to the time delay means 12, the switching means 19 switches to supply the power of the power supply section 1 to the main control section 3, and the cutoff means 4 supplies the power supplied from the power supply section 1 to the drive section 2 (step S2).
8). As a result, the supply of electric power to the drive unit 2 is automatically started when necessary, the electronic device can operate normally, and further, the main control unit 3 is prevented from being stopped or malfunctioning due to insufficient power of the battery unit 18. it can.

Further, when the battery section 18 is low in electric power, the fact may be displayed on the display section 14. As a result, the operator can operate the battery unit 18
It is possible to take measures such as replacing the battery by knowing that the battery is insufficiently charged.

Further, the battery section 18 may be charged by the power of the power source section 1. Thereby, for example, since the battery unit 18 can be charged when the battery unit 18 is not supplying electric power, the battery unit 18 can be charged.
Can prevent the power shortage.

Further, when the battery section 18 and the switching means 19 are provided, the power supply of the power source section 1 may be directly stopped without using the breaking means 4 as shown in the configuration diagram of FIG. As a result, the device configuration can be simplified.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the main control unit shuts off the electric power of the power supply unit which is supplied to the drive unit when the main control unit is inactive for a certain period of time, and the electric power from the power supply unit depends on the operating state of the device. Is supplied to or cut off from the drive unit, so that power consumption during non-operation can be reduced.

Further, when operating, the power from the power supply unit is supplied to the main control unit and the drive unit, and when the non-operation state continues, the power supply to the drive unit is cut off and the main control is performed by the power supplied from the battery unit. Since only the parts are driven, it is possible to further reduce power consumption during non-operation.

Further, when the non-operation state continues, the power supply of the power supply unit is cut off and only the main control unit is driven by the power supplied from the battery unit, so that the transformer of the power supply unit is prevented from becoming hot and the apparatus is prevented. The internal temperature rise can also be suppressed.

Further, the power to be supplied to the drive unit is cut off or supplied in accordance with a power cutoff instruction or a power supply instruction input via the communication control section, so that the cutoff and supply of the power can be performed by data or the like. It can be controlled by a signal from the host computer which is the transmission source, and the power can be cut off and supplied immediately and accurately, and the remote operation can be performed.

Further, when the power is turned off, the power switch is turned on, but the fact that the power of the drive unit is turned off is displayed, so that the operator can easily grasp the state of the device, and the operator can check the power cord and switch of the device. It is possible to avoid the danger of moving the device without noticing that it is still inside.

Further, since the power-off is judged by the non-operation time of the device, the power consumption can be saved in the general computer peripheral device and the device which operates independently.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart in the case of operating the power supply of the drive unit from the communication control unit.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a case where a blocking means is not used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 power supply section 2 drive section 3 main control section 4 shut-off means 12 time limit means 14 display section 15 communication control section 18 battery section 19 switching means 20 consumption detection section

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A power source unit, a breaking unit, and a time limit unit, the power source unit supplies electric power to the main control unit and the driving unit by separate systems, and the breaking unit is located between the power source unit and the driving unit. The power supply unit supplies or cuts off the power from the power supply unit, and the time limit unit instructs the cutoff unit to cut off the power supply to the drive unit when the main control unit is idle for a certain period of time. Electronic device. 2. A battery unit and a switching unit are provided, the battery unit is provided in parallel with the power supply unit and outputs electric power supplied to the main control unit, and the switching unit is connected to the battery unit, the power supply unit and the main control unit. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit is supplied with electric power by switching between a power supply unit and a battery unit in response to an instruction from the time limit means. 3. A communication control section for controlling communication with an external device, wherein the communication control section instructs the cutoff means to turn off the power when an instruction for non-operation is input from the outside. Electronic device. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the shutoff means instructs the display unit to display a message indicating that the power is shut off when the power shutoff is instructed.