JP2007133168A - Image forming apparatus and energy-saving return method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine whether or not the operation is necessary to be activated without waiting the request of a controller. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes an engine control section 20 and a controller control section 30 and can be set into an energy saving mode. The controller control section 30 determines a factor of resumption when the apparatus resumes from the energy saving mode. Based on the determined factor of the resumption, the controller control section 30 outputs a resumption mode signal 43 of indicating whether the operation of a writing section and/or a reading section is necessary or not. Based on the resumption mode signal 43, the engine control section 20 determines whether the writing section and/or reading section needs to be initialized or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a digital multifunction machine that combines these functions. Regarding the method.

  With the recent promotion of energy saving, energy saving of image forming apparatuses is also progressing. Among them, Patent Document 1 acquires and stores information on execution history of plural types of image processing applications and operation modes such as copying machines, scanners, printers, and fax machines, and information on devices such as reading and printing. By referring to these information, the operation mode of each application, and information indicating the relationship between the necessity of energy saving control of each of the plurality of devices, energy saving control is performed for a device having the energy saving control necessity. It is described.

  Patent Document 2 describes that a sleep mode release request signal is transmitted to a printer via a communication device and a signal transmission line when display processing of a print dialog on a display device is performed. Describes an image forming apparatus that minimizes the loss of the useful life of the light source while shortening the waiting time required from the pressing of the copy start key to the copy output.

Furthermore, Patent Document 4 discloses a different type of I / F from a controller that implements an I / F in which an engine status change is recognized by an event from the engine and the engine is controlled using this information. In order to cope with the engine having the controller, the controller has an I / F conversion unit that converts a command sent from the controller between the engine and the controller into a command to be notified to the engine. When the command can be processed without going through the engine, the image forming apparatus that returns the status directly from the I / F converter to the controller is restricted.
JP 2001-285543 A JP 2001-285543 A JP 2000-013565 A JP 2004-127150 A

  In the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the start-up determination is made depending on the controller. Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 4, the controller is configured to cope with the difference in I / F, the I / F judges a command sent from the controller, and the command received from the controller passes through the engine. If the processing can be performed without any problem, the status is directly returned from the I / F conversion unit to the controller, and wasteful communication can be suppressed, but no consideration has been given until the start of the engine in the energy saving state.

  As described above, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the start-up control when the engine is switched from OFF to ON is started after waiting for the start-up request from the controller, so the start-up time on the controller side affects the start-up time of the entire product. Was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of such a conventional technique, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to determine whether or not the activation is necessary without waiting for a controller request. .

  In order to achieve the object, the first means is an image forming apparatus having an engine control means and a controller control means, in which the energy saving mode is set, and the controller control means returns from the energy saving mode. A return factor is determined, and a signal indicating whether the operation of the writing unit and / or the reading unit is necessary based on the determined return factor is output, and the engine control unit is configured to output the signal based on the signal. It is characterized by determining whether the writing means and / or the reading means need to be initialized.

  The second means is characterized in that, in the first means, the initialization is a start-up operation when the operation of the writing means and / or the reading means is necessary.

  A third means is characterized in that, in the second means, the starting operation when the operation is necessary is an operation accompanied by a warm-up process.

  A fourth means is characterized in that, in the first means, the initialization is a start-up operation when the operation of the writing means and / or the reading means is unnecessary.

  The fifth means is characterized in that, in the fourth means, the start-up operation when the operation is not required is an operation for setting an energy saving state.

  A sixth means is a return mode signal indicating whether the signal is returned from an energy saving mode or powered on in any one of the first to fifth means.

  A seventh means is the sixth means, wherein the return mode signal is a high-level or low-level signal input to the engine control unit.

  The eighth means is a method for determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode and a step of determining the type of startup in the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode. A step of performing a warming-up process for the writing means and the reading means when it is determined that the writing means and the reading means need to be operated.

  The ninth means includes a step of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode in the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode, and the start-up of the image forming apparatus when returning from the energy saving mode. And a step of performing a warm-up process of the writing unit and the reading unit when it is determined that the operation of the writing unit and the reading unit is necessary in the step of determining the type.

  A tenth means includes a step of determining a type of start-up from the energy-saving mode in an energy-saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy-saving mode, and at the time of return from the energy-saving mode, In the step of determining the type, when it is determined that the operation of the writing unit is unnecessary and the operation of the reading unit is necessary, the writing unit is set in an energy saving state, and the reading unit performs a warm-up process. It is characterized by being.

  The eleventh means includes a step of determining the type of start-up from the energy-saving mode in the energy-saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy-saving mode, and at the time of return from the energy-saving mode, In the step of determining the type, when it is determined that the operation of the writing unit is necessary and the operation of the reading unit is unnecessary, the writing unit performs a warm-up process, and the reading unit sets the energy saving state. A law characterized by

  The twelfth means includes a step of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode in the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode, and the start-up at the time of return from the energy saving mode. The step of judging the type comprises a step of putting both the writing unit and the reading unit in an energy saving state when it is determined that the operation of the writing unit is unnecessary and the operation of the reading unit is also unnecessary. To do.

  In the embodiment described later, the engine control means corresponds to the engine control unit 20, the controller control means corresponds to the controller control unit 30, and the signal corresponds to the return mode signal 43.

  According to the present invention, the controller control means determines a return factor when returning from the energy saving mode, and outputs a signal indicating whether the operation of the writing means and / or the reading means is necessary based on the determined return factor. Output, and the engine control means determines whether or not the writing means and / or the reading means need to be initialized based on the signal. Therefore, it is necessary to perform an initialization operation without waiting for a controller request from the controller control means. It can be determined whether or not it is activated.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. 1, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 10, an engine control unit 20, a controller control unit 30, an image processing unit 32, a reading unit (scanner unit) 35, and a writing unit (plotter unit) 36. Basically composed.

  The engine control unit 20 stores a CPU 21, a ROM 22 that stores a program for operating the CPU 21, a work RAM for program 23, adjustment values such as control and timing, and registered copy mode settings, and nonvolatile data that retains data even when the power is turned off. Based on inputs of the RAM 24 and the respective sensors 37 of the digital copying machine, an I / O control unit 25 that controls a load 38 and the like is configured. The engine control unit 20 and the controller control unit 30 are connected via an image processing unit 32 and exchange not only image data but also control signals and status signals via the image processing unit 32. When the power supply of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the ready state is enabled for copying when the initialization processing of both the engine control unit 20 and the controller control unit 30 is completed.

  The reading unit 35 outputs, for example, an image formed on a sheet to the image processing unit 32 as read image data. The read image data is subjected to MTF correction, scaling processing, image quality correction, and the like by the image processing unit 32 according to the mode set from the operation unit 10, and then via the controller 31 that controls the image data RAM 33 and the HDD 34. And stored in the HDD 34. When using an electronic sort function that takes a plurality of copies, an electronic sort operation is performed by copying image data from the HDD 34 to the image data RAM 33 and performing a copy operation when performing a copy operation for the second and subsequent copies. Is realized. It is also used for recovery operations when paper jams. The image data processed into print data by the image processing unit 32 is written in accordance with the timing of the paper fed by the writing unit 36 and is output as a visible image.

  The controller control unit 30 also includes a network control unit (NCU) 39 for connecting to an external host and a facsimile control unit (FCU) 40 for realizing a facsimile function via a public line. In the case of printing or fax reception, it is converted into print data by the controller 31, temporarily stored in the HDD 34, sent to the writing unit 36 via the image processing unit 32, and printed by the writing unit 36. Is done. Further, a plotter signal 41 and a scanner signal 42 are output from the controller 31 to the CPU 21.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the power supply unit of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. In the figure, the engine control unit 20 and the controller control unit 30 are respectively supplied with 5 V and 5 VE from a PSU (power supply unit) 60, and the controller control unit 30 in FIG. The return mode signal 43 can be output from the power supply control unit 50 to the IO control unit 25 of the engine control unit 20. The controller 31 outputs a 5V ON / OFF signal to the PSU 60. The power supply control unit 50 includes a transistor 51 and a resistor 52, and the controller 31 is connected to the base of the transistor 51, and is further pulled up by the resistor 52. Further, 5VE is input to the output line of the return mode signal 43 output from the transistor 51 via the resistor 53. Hereinafter, the operation of the control configuration of FIG. 2 will be described in detail.

  The controller control unit 30 is driven by 5VE supplied with power from the PSU 60 even in the OFF (energy saving) mode, and the engine control unit 20 is driven by power supply 5V that is turned off in the OFF (energy saving) mode. 5V ON / OFF control is enabled by the controller 31 outputting a 5V ON / OFF signal to the PSU 60.

  When the main power supply is turned on, both 5VE and 5V change from OFF to ON. Since 5VE is connected to the input port to which the return mode signal 43 is input via the resistor 53, the input port becomes “high level”. At this time, the output of the controller 31 is OFF and high impedance, and the input of the transistor is fixed to “low level” by the resistor 52. As a result, the transistor 51 is in an OFF state.

  When shifting to the OFF (energy saving) mode, the controller 51 sets the input of the transistor 51 to “high level”. Since the transistor 51 is turned on by this setting, “low level” is output to the input port to which the return mode signal 43 is input. After performing this process, the controller 31 controls the PSU to turn off 5V and turns off the power supply 5V on the engine control unit 20 side.

  When starting up from the OFF (energy saving) mode, the controller 31 turns on 5V for the PSU 60 and turns on the power supply 5V on the engine control unit 20 side. Next, when the input port to which the return mode signal 43 is input is checked, in this case, the controller 31 is in a power-on state, and the transistor 51 is controlled to be turned on. Is done. As a result, the CPU 21 of the engine control unit 20 can recognize that it is not the startup from the main power supply ON but the OFF (energy saving) mode startup.

  When returning from the OFF (energy saving) mode, the controller 31 turns on 5 V in accordance with the return factor of the return, and then sets the levels of the plotter signal 41 and the scanner signal 42 to “high level (startup requiring operation)”. Or “low level (startup that does not require operation).” That is, when there is an operation such as an artificial operation such as opening / closing of an ADF (not shown), placing a document on the ADF, or accessing from the operation unit 10 Since there is a high possibility that a copying operation will be performed, it is highly probable that a reading operation or a writing operation will be performed. Therefore, it is determined that the operation needs to be started, and both the plotter signal 41 and the scanner signal 42 are detected. When it is set to “high level (startup that requires operation)” and the process returns by “print request” or “FAX reception”, only the writing unit 36 is started Therefore, the plotter signal 41 is set to “high level (startup that requires operation)”, and the scanner signal 42 that is not likely to be operated is output as “low level (startup that does not require operation)”. On the other hand, when returning by “FAX transmission”, “scanner mode”, etc., only the reading unit 35 needs to be activated, so the plotter signal 41 is set to “low level (activation not requiring operation)”. The signal 42 is output as “high level (startup requiring operation)”.

  3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the writing unit 36 is started up, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the reading unit 35 is started up. Hereinafter, each start-up condition will be described with reference to FIGS.

<When starting from the main power supply ON>
When the main power is off, the controller control unit 30 and the engine control unit 20 are not supplied with power. When the main power is turned on, the controller control unit 30 and the engine control unit 20 start up the image forming apparatus. At this time, the IO control unit 25 (input port) on the engine control unit 20 side of the plotter signal 41 and the scanner signal 42 has the meaning of “activation that requires operation”. The default output port for the plotter signal 41 and the scanner signal 42 is “startup that requires operation”.

  The engine control unit 20 confirms this input port (IO control unit 25) at the time of start-up, determines that “startup that requires operation” is performed, starts the start-up, and sets the operation (printing / reading) possible. The engine control unit 20 executes two processes, that is, a process for the reading unit (scanner) shown in FIG. 4 and a process for the writing unit (plotter) shown in FIG.

1) In these processes, first, initialization for startup is performed (steps S1 and S11). As initialization, INPUT information (conveyance path sensor, unit connection detection, door sensor, etc.) is acquired from the IO control unit 25 and adjustment value information is acquired from the nonvolatile RAM 24.

2) Next, error conditions such as the door opening / closing status and unit connection status of the image forming apparatus are checked (steps S2 and S12), and whether or not there is an error is determined (steps S3 and S13).

3) If there is no error in step S3 or S13, the writing unit 36 confirms the plotter signal 41 and the reading unit 35 confirms the scanner signal 42, and determines that “activation is required” (step S4). S14—Operation required).

4) When an operation is required in steps S4 and S14, both the writing unit 36 and the reading unit 35 start up with the operation, and after completion, enter a standby state and can operate (print / read) (step S5). , S15). That is, in steps S5 and S15, a warm-up process is executed to enable a writing and / or reading operation. In this warming-up, the temperature of the writing unit is raised to a standby state and the image forming portion is also set. Initialize operation to make it ready for printing. The reading means performs processing necessary for reading such as shading correction.

<In case of startup from OFF (energy saving) mode-Part 1>
In the OFF (energy saving) mode, only the controller control unit 30 is supplied with power, and the engine control unit 20 is not supplied with power. Therefore, the controller control unit 30 needs to operate (print / read) the engine control unit 20 such as “received a manual operation”, “received a print request”, “received a FAX request”, or the like. If it is determined that the plotter signal 41 and the scanner signal 42 have the meaning of “activation requiring operation”, power is supplied to the engine control unit 20 and start-up is started. The processing in the engine control unit 20 is as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. Since the processing is the same as 1) to 4) described in the above-mentioned main power supply ON, the description is omitted.

<When starting from OFF (energy saving) mode-Part 2>
In the OFF (energy saving) mode, only the controller control unit 30 is supplied with power, and the engine control unit 20 is not supplied with power. Therefore, if the controller control unit 30 determines that the engine control unit 20 needs to be operated (reading only) that the image forming apparatus “has received a document reading request”, the controller control unit 30 sets the plotter signal 41 to “no operation required. After the scanner signal 42 is set to the meaning of “start that requires operation”, power is supplied to the engine control unit 20 and start-up is started.

  In this case, only the processing after steps S4 and S14 of the processing procedure described in the start-up of the main power supply is different, so the processing from steps S4 and S14 will be described.

5) If there is no error in steps S3 and S13, the writing unit 36 confirms the plotter signal 41, the reading unit 37 confirms the scanner signal 42, and the writing unit 36 “starts without operation” in step S4. ”And the reading unit 35 determines“ activation requiring operation ”in step S14. Steps S4 and S14 are steps for determining the type of startup.

6) The writing unit 36 starts up with no operation based on the determination in step S4, and the reading unit 35 starts up with operation based on the determination in step S14. After the start-up, the writing unit 36 enters an energy saving state (step S6), the reading unit 37 enters a standby state (step S15), and operation (reading) is possible. In “start-up not requiring operation”, only the machine configuration of the image forming apparatus is notified to the controller control unit 30, and no load such as a motor is operated. In other words, the CPU 21 does not operate the load.

<In case of startup from OFF (energy saving) mode-Part 3>
In the OFF (energy saving) mode, only the controller control unit 30 is supplied with power, and the engine control unit 20 is not supplied with power. Therefore, if the controller control unit 30 determines that the engine control unit 20 needs to be operated (printing only) as “print request received” or “fax print request received” to the image forming apparatus, After the plotter signal 41 is set to “startup that requires operation” and the scanner signal 42 is set to “startup that does not require operation”, power is supplied to the engine control unit 20 and start-up is started.

  In this case, only the processing after steps S4 and S14 of the processing procedure described in the start-up of the main power supply is different, so the processing from steps S4 and S14 will be described.

7) If there is no error in steps S3 and S13, the writing unit 36 checks the plotter signal 41, the reading unit 35 checks the scanner signal 42, and the writing unit 36 reads “ ”And the reading unit 35 determines“ activation not requiring operation ”in step S14.

8) The writing unit 36 starts up without operation based on the determination in step S4, the reading unit 35 starts up with operation based on the determination in step S14, and the reading unit 35 is in an energy saving state after completion. To (Step S16), the writing means enters a standby state and can operate (print) (Step S5).

<When starting from OFF (energy saving) mode-4>
In the OFF (energy saving) mode, only the controller control unit 30 is supplied with power, and the engine control unit 20 is not supplied with power. Therefore, when the controller control unit 30 determines to acquire the mechanical configuration of the image forming apparatus, the plotter signal 41 and the scanner signal 42 are set to mean “start without operation”, and then the engine control unit 20 is powered on. Supply and start up.

  In this case, only the processing after steps S4 and S14 of the processing procedure described in the start-up of the main power supply is different, so the processing from steps S4 and S14 will be described.

9) If there is no error in steps S3 and S13, the writing unit 36 confirms the plotter signal 41, the reading unit 35 confirms the scanner signal 42, and the writing unit 36 “starts without operation” in step S4. ”And the reading unit 35 determines“ activation not requiring operation ”in step S14.

10) Each of the writing unit 36 and the reading unit 35 performs start-up that does not require any operation (steps S6 and S16).

  In each of the operations described above, when an error is determined in step S3 or S13, the processing procedure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is exited, and error processing (not shown) is executed.

<Mechanical configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 5 shows an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a digital copying machine in which the control is executed. In the figure, a digital copying machine is for monochrome image formation. A main body 400, an image reading device 500 installed on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 400, and an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as an automatic document feeder) mounted thereon. , “ADF”) 550, a large-capacity paper feeding device 700 disposed on the right side of the image forming apparatus main body 400 in the same figure, and a sheet post-processing device disposed on the left side of the image forming apparatus main body 400 in the same figure. 800 is basically composed.

  The image forming apparatus main body 400 includes an image writing unit 410, an image forming unit 420, a fixing unit 430, a duplex conveying unit 440, a paper feeding unit 450, a vertical conveying unit 460, and a manual feeding unit 470.

  The image writing unit 410 modulates the LD, which is a light source, based on the image information of the document read by the image reading device 500, and writes laser on the photosensitive drum 421 by a scanning optical system such as a polygon mirror and an fθ lens. is there. The image forming unit 420 includes a photosensitive drum 421 and known electrophotographic imaging elements such as a developing unit 422, a transfer unit 423, a cleaning unit 424, and a charge eliminating unit provided along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 421. Consists of.

  The fixing unit 430 fixes the image transferred by the transfer unit 423 on the transfer paper. The double-sided conveyance unit 440 is provided downstream of the fixing unit 420 in the transfer sheet conveyance direction, and includes a first switching claw 441 that switches the transfer sheet conveyance direction to the sheet post-processing device 800 side or the double-side conveyance unit 440 side, , The reverse conveying path 442 guided by the switching claw 441, the image forming side conveying path 443 that conveys the transfer paper reversed by the reverse conveying path 442 to the transfer unit 423 again, and the reverse transfer paper after the sheet post-processing device 800. A second switching claw 445 is disposed at a branch portion between the image forming side conveying path 443 and the post processing side conveying path 444.

  The sheet feeding unit 450 includes four sheet feeding stages, and the transfer sheets stored in the sheet feeding stages selected by the pickup roller and the sheet feeding roller are drawn out and guided to the vertical conveyance unit 460. The vertical conveyance unit 460 conveys the transfer paper fed from each paper feed stage to the registration roller 461 immediately upstream in the paper conveyance direction of the transfer unit 423, and the registration roller 461 provides a visible image on the photosensitive drum 421. The transfer paper is fed into the transfer unit 423 in time with the leading edge. The manual feed portion 470 includes an openable and closable manual feed tray 471, and opens the manual feed tray 471 as needed to supply transfer paper manually. Also in this case, the transfer timing of the transfer paper is taken by the registration roller 461 and is transported.

  The large-capacity paper feeding device 700 supplies a large amount of transfer paper of the same size, and the bottom plate 702 rises as the transfer paper is consumed, so that the paper can always be picked up from the pickup roller 701. ing. The transfer paper fed from the pickup roller 701 is conveyed from the vertical conveyance unit 460 to the nip of the registration roller 461.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 800 performs predetermined processing such as punching, alignment, stapling, and sorting. In this embodiment, the punch 801, the staple tray (alignment) 802, the stapler 803, and the shift tray 804 are used for the above functions. I have. In other words, the transfer paper carried from the image forming apparatus 400 to the paper post-processing apparatus 800 is punched one by one with the punch 801 when punching, and then if there is no particular processing, the proofing is performed. When sorting, stacking, and sorting to the tray 805, the sheets are discharged to the shift tray 804, respectively. In this embodiment, the sorting is performed by the reciprocating movement of the shift tray 804 by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. In addition, sorting can be performed by moving the paper in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction on the paper transport path.

  In the case of alignment, the transfer paper that has been punched or not punched is guided to the lower transport path 806, and the staple tray 804 is aligned in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction by the rear end fence. In the jogger fence, alignment in the direction parallel to the paper transport direction is performed. Here, when binding is performed, a predetermined position of the aligned sheet bundle, for example, a predetermined position such as a corner portion or two central positions is bound by the stapler 803 and discharged to the shift tray 804 by the discharge belt. In this embodiment, a pre-stack conveyance path 807 is provided in the lower conveyance path 806, and a plurality of sheets are stacked at the time of conveyance to avoid interruption of the image forming operation on the image forming apparatus main body 400 side during post-processing. Be able to.

  The image reading apparatus 500 is guided onto the contact glass 510 by the ADF 600, optically scans the stopped original, and reads the image formed by the imaging lens through the first to third mirrors, such as a CCD or CMOS. Read by the photoelectric conversion element. The read image data is subjected to predetermined image processing by an image processing circuit (not shown) and temporarily stored in a storage device. Then, it is read from the storage device by the image writing unit 410 during image formation, modulated according to the image data, and optical writing is performed.

  The ADF 550 has a double-sided reading function, and is attached to the contact glass 510 installation surface of the image reading device 500 so as to be freely opened and closed. In the ADF 550, the document placed on the document placement table 551 is automatically sent onto the contact glass 510 when the document is read.

  Also in this example, the same control is performed for driving the registration roller 461, the photoconductive drum 421, the driving roller for driving the transfer belt of the transfer unit 423, the manual attaching roller of the fixing unit 430, and the pressure roller.

  The start-up control for the energy saving mode is executed in the image forming apparatus having such a configuration, for example.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the controller control unit 30 means determines the return factor when returning from the energy saving mode, and the writing unit 36 and / or the reading unit 35 based on the determined return factor. A return mode signal 43 indicating whether or not an operation is necessary is output, and the engine control unit 20 determines whether or not the writing unit 36 and / or the reading unit 35 needs to be initialized based on the return mode signal 43. It is possible to determine whether or not the activation is necessary for performing the initialization without waiting for a request from the controller 31 of the control unit 30. As a result, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is less likely to cause the user to wait when the user is using it or wants to use it, and that can be used with confidence without feeling stressed by the user.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of a power supply unit of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of starting of the writing part in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of starting of the reading part in FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a mechanical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

20 Engine control unit 21 CPU
25 IO Control Unit 30 Controller Control Unit 31 Controller 32 Image Processing Unit 35 Reading Unit 36 Writing Unit 41 Plotter Signal 42 Scanner Signal 43 Return Mode Signal 50 Power Control Unit 60 PSU (Power Supply Unit)

Claims (12)

An image forming apparatus having an engine control means and a controller control means, wherein an energy saving mode is set,
The controller control means determines a return factor when returning from the energy saving mode, and outputs a signal indicating whether the operation of the writing means and / or the reading means is necessary based on the determined return factor,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engine control unit determines whether or not the writing unit and / or the reading unit needs to be initialized based on the signal.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the initialization is a start-up operation when the operation of the writing unit and / or the reading unit is necessary.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the starting operation when the operation is necessary is an operation accompanied by a warm-up process.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the initialization is a start-up operation when the operation of the writing unit and / or the reading unit is unnecessary.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the start-up operation when the operation is unnecessary is an operation for setting an energy saving state.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal is a return mode signal indicating whether the signal is returned from the energy saving mode or the power is turned on.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the return mode signal is a high level or low level signal input to the engine control unit. In the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode,
A process of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode;
When it is determined that the main power supply is turned on in the step of determining the type of start-up, the operation of the writing unit and the reading unit is necessary, and the warming-up process of the writing unit and the reading unit is executed.
An energy saving recovery method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: In the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode,
A process of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode;
A step of executing warming-up processing of the writing unit and the reading unit when the operation of the writing unit and the reading unit is determined to be necessary in the step of determining the type of start-up when returning from the energy saving mode; ,
An energy saving recovery method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: In the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode,
A process of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode;
When returning from the energy saving mode, in the step of determining the type of start-up, when it is determined that the operation of the writing unit is unnecessary and the operation of the reading unit is necessary, the writing unit is set in the energy saving state, The reading means executes a warm-up process;
An energy saving recovery method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: In the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode,
A process of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode;
When returning from the energy saving mode, in the step of determining the type of start-up, when it is determined that the operation of the writing unit is necessary and the operation of the reading unit is unnecessary, the writing unit executes a warm-up process, The reading means is in an energy saving state;
An energy saving recovery method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: In the energy saving return method of the image forming apparatus that returns from the energy saving mode,
A process of determining the type of startup from the energy saving mode;
When returning from the energy saving mode, in the step of determining the type of start-up, if it is determined that the operation of the writing unit is unnecessary and the operation of the reading unit is unnecessary, both the writing unit and the reading unit save energy. A process of making a state;
An energy saving recovery method for an image forming apparatus, comprising:

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