Electrical equipment

Abstract

To provide a technique that prevents wrong operation from occurring at the time of instantaneous interruption with respect to power state control.SOLUTION: Electrical equipment comprises: control means which controls the electrical equipment; power supply means which supplies electric power to the control means; and power control means which controls supply and cutoff of electric power to the control means by the power supply means. The control means and the power control means can communicate in command format. The power control means instructs the power supply means to cutoff electric power supplied to the control means on the basis of a stop command received from the control means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to electrical equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to reduce the power consumption of an electrical device, a technology is known that allows the power state of the device to transition between a normal state and a power saving state that consumes less power than the normal state. Patent Document 1 discloses a sensor device in which a data storage element changes its own state when it detects a sensor output, and supplies power to the processor by enabling a power circuit that supplies power to the processor. This sensor device changes the state of the data storage element in response to a control signal from the processor, and stops the power supply to the processor by disabling the power circuit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 1,0642,331 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Electrical devices are equipped with an undervoltage lockout (UVLO) function to protect electrical circuits against power outages. Due to the UVLO, electrical devices stop working when a power outage occurs and the commercial power voltage drops. When the commercial power source is restored after the blackout, the electrical devices are initialized and operate normally. On the other hand, if the power outage is a momentary interruption that occurs in an extremely short time, some circuits will stop due to the UVLO, while other circuits may continue to operate without the UVLO working. If communication between circuits is carried out using signal lines with changes in high and low level signals, the signal line will go low due to the momentary interruption. If the circuit receiving the signal continues to operate without the UVLO working, it may mistake the low level signal caused by the momentary interruption for a communication signal and cause a malfunction.

[0005] The present invention relates to power state control, and provides a technique for preventing malfunctions from occurring during a momentary power interruption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, An electrical device comprising: A control means for controlling the electrical device; power supply means for supplying power to the control means; a power control means for controlling the supply and cut-off of power to the control means by the power supply means, The control means and the power control means are capable of communicating with each other in a command format; The power control means instructing the power supply means to cut off the power supplied to the control means based on the stop command received from the control means; An electrical device characterized by the above features is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for preventing malfunctions from occurring during a momentary power interruption in relation to power state control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of an electrical device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal mechanism of the electrical device in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of the electrical device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1A is an explanatory diagram of a command, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of a comparative example. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when the power key is operated. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when the power key is operated. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation during a momentary interruption in a comparative example. [Figure 10] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] <Outline of Electrical Equipment> 1 is an external view of an electrical device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front. The electrical device 1 of this embodiment is an inkjet recording device that ejects ink as a liquid to record on a recording medium, but the present invention is also applicable to various electrical devices other than inkjet recording devices. In the figure, arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions that are perpendicular to each other, and arrow Z indicates the up-down direction (direction of gravity). The X direction is the width direction (left-right direction) of the electrical device 1. The Y direction is the depth direction of the electrical device 1.

[0011] In addition, "recording" includes not only the formation of meaningful information such as characters and figures, but also the formation of images, patterns, and the like on a recording medium, whether meaningful or insignificant, or the processing of the medium, regardless of whether it is manifested in a way that can be visually perceived by humans. In addition, although a sheet of paper is assumed as the "recording medium" in this embodiment, it may also be cloth, plastic film, etc.

[0012] The electric device 1 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and includes a device body 2, a cover 3, and a cassette-type loading section 4. The cover 3 is provided so as to cover the upper part of the device body 2, and constitutes the top part of the electric device 1. The cover 3 is a movable part that can be operated by the user, and can be opened and closed in the direction of the arrow D1. FIG. 1 shows the cover 3 in a closed state. When the cover 3 is in an open state, the internal mechanism of the device body 2 is exposed to the outside, and maintenance and the like can be performed. The loading section 4 is a tray on which recording media are loaded, and is a movable part that can be operated by the user, and can be pulled out and attached (pushed back) to the device body 2 in the direction of the arrow D2. An ejection section 6 is formed at the front of the electric device 1, from which recorded recording media are ejected. In addition, an operation unit 8 that accepts user operations is provided at the front of the electric device 1. The operation unit 8 has a touch panel display and a power key 8a. In this embodiment, the power key 8a is a push button type switch. The user can issue a power-on instruction and a power-off instruction to the electric appliance 1 by operating the power key 8a.

[0013] A housing forming the outer wall of the device main body 2 has a plurality of windows 2a to 2d formed therein. A user can visually check the internal configuration of the device main body 2 through the windows 2a to 2d. In this embodiment, a user can visually check the remaining amount of liquid contained in the containers 5Bk, 5C, 5M, and 5Y (hereinafter, when collectively referred to or not distinguished, they will be referred to as containers 5) through the windows 2a to 2d. The containers 5 are ink tanks that contain ink as liquid, and the four containers 5 contain different types of ink. In this embodiment, the container 5Bk contains black ink, the container 5C contains cyan ink, the container 5M contains magenta ink, and the container 5Y contains yellow ink. The types of ink are not limited to four types as in this embodiment, but may be one type or multiple types other than four types, and the number of containers 5 may be greater than or equal to the number of types of liquid ink.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal mechanism of the electric device 1. The electric device 1 includes ejection heads 12a and 12b (hereinafter, when they are collectively referred to or when they are not distinguished, they are referred to as containers 5) that eject liquid. In this embodiment, the ejection head 12a is a recording head that ejects ink supplied from a container 5Bk onto a recording medium to perform recording, and the ejection head 12b is a recording head that ejects ink supplied from containers 5C to 5Y onto a recording medium to perform recording. The ejection head 12 has an ejection surface in which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are formed. Each nozzle is provided with, for example, an electrothermal conversion element (heater), and the electrothermal conversion element is heated by passing electricity to cause the ink to bubble, and the ink is ejected by the resulting bubbling energy.

[0015] The ejection head 12 is mounted on a carriage 11. The carriage 11 reciprocates in the X direction (main scanning direction) by a drive unit 13. The drive unit 13 includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley (only the driven pulley 13b is shown in FIG. 2) spaced apart in the X direction, an endless belt 13c wound around these pulleys, and a carriage motor 13a which is a drive source for rotating the drive pulley. The carriage 11 is connected to the endless belt 13c, and the carriage 11 moves in the X direction by running the endless belt 13c. During the movement of the carriage 11, an image is recorded by ejecting ink from the ejection head 12 onto a recording medium. This operation is sometimes called recording scanning.

[0016] Thus, the electrical device 1 of this embodiment is a serial type inkjet recording device in which the ejection head 12 is mounted on a reciprocating carriage 11. However, the present invention is also applicable to other recording devices, such as an inkjet recording device equipped with a so-called full-line ejection head (recording head) provided with multiple nozzles that eject liquid in an area corresponding to the width of a recording medium.

[0017] The electrical device 1 includes a feeding unit 9 and a transport unit 10 for transporting a recording medium. The feeding unit 9 includes a feeding mechanism (not shown) for feeding a recording medium from a stacking unit 4 or a tray 7 on which sheet-shaped recording media are stacked. The feeding mechanism includes, for example, a feeding roller for feeding the recording medium and a feeding motor that is a drive source for rotating the feeding roller. The transport unit 10 is a mechanism for transporting the recording medium fed from the feeding unit 9 in the Y direction (sub-scanning direction). The transport unit 10 includes a transport roller 10a and a transport motor that is a drive source for rotating the transport roller 10a. A pinch roller (not shown) is pressed against the transport roller 10a, and the recording medium is sandwiched at a nip portion between them. The transport roller 10a rotates to transport the recording medium intermittently to the ejection head 12. The recording operation is performed by alternately repeating the transport operation of the recording medium by the transport unit 10 and the recording scan.

[0018] <Control unit> 3 is a block diagram of a control unit provided in the electric device 1. The control unit is an electric circuit that controls the electric device 1. The control unit includes a power supply unit 20, a system control unit 30, and a power control unit 40.

[0019] The system control unit 30 is a control circuit (e.g., ASIC) that controls the entire electrical device 1. The CPU 31 is a processor that controls the control of each operation of the electrical device 1 and data processing. The CPU 31 executes programs stored in the storage unit 32 to control the entire electrical device 1. The storage unit 32 is composed of a semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM or RAM). The storage unit 32 stores various data required for processing, such as data received from the host computer 100, in addition to the programs executed by the CPU 31. The engine controller 34 includes a driver that controls the engine 50. The engine 50 includes components related to the recording operation (the ejection head 12, the feeding unit 9 and the transport unit 10, various sensors, etc.).

[0020] The host computer 100 is, for example, a personal computer or a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal) used by a user. A printer driver that performs communication between the host computer 100 and the electrical device 1 is installed in the host computer 100. The electrical device 1 includes a communication interface (communication I / F) 33, and communication between the host computer 100 and the CPU 31 is performed via the communication I / F 33.

[0021] The input interface (input I / F) 36 has an input port to which a signal from the power control unit 41 is input, and in particular, a signal indicating the detection result of a user's operation on the power key 8a is input. The communication interface (communication I / F) 35 performs data communication with a communication interface (communication I / F) 42 of the power control unit 41.

[0022] The input interface (input I / F) 37 has an input port to which the detection result of the sensor 15 is input. The sensor 15 is, for example, a sensor that detects the opening and closing of the cover 3 and the insertion and removal of the loading section 4. The detection result of the sensor 15 is input to the input I / F 37 via a processing circuit 45, and the processing circuit 45 is provided in the power control unit 40.

[0023] When plug 14a is inserted into an outlet, power supply unit (PSU) 14 converts the AC voltage of the commercial power source into a DC voltage such as 32V or 24V used by electrical device 1, and outputs the DC voltage to power supply unit 20. The state in which PSU 14 starts supplying power after plug 14a is inserted into an outlet is also referred to as a hard-on state.

[0024] The power supply unit 20 is a circuit that supplies power to the system control unit 30, and includes a DC / DC converter 21, a regulator 22, and a reset control circuit 23. The DC / DC converter 21 is a power output unit that includes a conversion circuit 21a that converts the DC voltage output from the PSU 14 into a predetermined DC voltage V1 and supplies it to the system control unit 30, and a control circuit 21b that controls the conversion circuit 21a. The control circuit 21b has an under-voltage lockout function (UVLO), monitors the voltage input from the PSU 14, and stops the output of the DC voltage V1 by the conversion circuit 21a when the voltage becomes equal to or lower than a threshold voltage (Vth1). The regulator 22 is a power output unit that converts the DC voltage output from the PSU 14 into a predetermined DC voltage V2 and supplies it to the power control unit 40 and the reset control circuit 23.

[0025] The reset control circuit 23 is a circuit that switches between outputting and stopping the voltage V1 by the DC / DC converter 21. When the reset control circuit 23 receives an output stop instruction (called a reset instruction) from the power saving control circuit 41, it stops the output of the voltage V1 from the DC / DC converter 21 (called a reset state). Furthermore, when the power saving control circuit 41 receives an instruction to release the reset state, the reset control circuit 23 causes the DC / DC converter 21 to output the voltage V1.

[0026] The power control unit 40 operates by receiving power from the regulator 22, and controls the supply and cut-off of power to the system control unit 30 by the power supply unit 20. The power saving control circuit 41 controls the transmission of a reset instruction to the reset control circuit 23 and the release of the reset instruction. That is, the power state of the system control unit 30 is controlled by the power saving control circuit 41 of the power control unit 40, and the system control unit 30 goes into a power saving state when a reset instruction is output, and goes into a power supply state when the reset state is released.

[0027] In this embodiment, the power saving state is a standby state in which power supply to the system control unit 30 is cut off, and the power consumption of the system control unit 30 is zero. Since power supply and cut-off to the system control unit 30 are controlled by software, in this embodiment, the power saving state is also called a soft-off state, and the power supply state in which recording operation is possible is also called a soft-on state.

[0028] Regardless of whether the regulator 22 is in a reset state or released, the regulator 22 always outputs the voltage V2 as long as power is being supplied from the PSU 14. The power control unit 40 has a power-on reset function, and stops its operation when the voltage supplied from the regulator 22 becomes equal to or lower than a threshold voltage (Vth2) (called power-on reset). In this embodiment, the threshold voltage Vth1 is a higher voltage than the threshold voltage Vth2 (Vth1>Vth2).

[0029] The power saving control circuit 41 receives an operation detection result for the power key 8a. The power saving control circuit 41 inputs the operation detection result for the power key 8a to the input I / F 36 of the system control unit 30. Therefore, in the soft-on state, the system control unit 30 can also recognize the operation state of the power key 8a.

[0030] At hard-on time (when the regulator 22 starts supplying the voltage V2), the power saving control circuit 41 controls the output of a reset command and the release of the reset state based on the result of detection of the operation of the power key 8a and a signal from the system control unit 30 via the communication I / F 42.

[0031] The power control unit 40 also includes a counter 43, a storage unit 44, and a processing circuit 45. The counter 43 can count time. The counter 43 has a slow clock that can count once every 50 milliseconds, for example, and can measure time in a power-saving manner, for example, in a soft-off state, by counting the clock signal.

[0032] The memory unit 44 can hold a specific value according to the operation of the electric device 1. For example, it holds information related to hard-on. The count value of the counter 43 and the values ​​held in the memory unit 44 can be acquired by the system control unit 30 via the communication I / F 42.

[0033] The processing circuit 45 is a circuit having a function of outputting the detection result of the sensor 15 to the system control unit 30 and also holding the detection result. For example, in the soft-off state, the detection result is held in the processing circuit 45, and in the soft-on state, the system control unit 30 acquires the held detection information. This allows the system control unit 30 in the soft-on state to recognize the state of the electric device 1 in the soft-off state.

[0034] In this embodiment, power consumption is reduced by cutting off the power supply to the system control unit 30 in the soft-off state. On the other hand, the power state of the system control unit 30 can be controlled by the power control unit 40 configured with a relatively small-scale circuit. This allows the electric device 1 to achieve necessary functions while significantly reducing power consumption.

[0035] <Communication type> The communication between the communication I / F 35 of the system control unit 30 and the communication I / F 42 of the power control unit 40 is performed according to a command-based communication protocol. For example, a communication protocol such as Inter integrated Circuit (I2C) or Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) can be used. In addition, a communication protocol such as Peripheral Component Interconnect-Express (PCIe) can also be used.

[0036] FIG. 4(A) shows an example of a command 35a between the communication I / F 35 and the communication I / F 42, and shows an example of a command transmitted from the communication I / F 42 to the communication I / F 35. The command 35a is composed of a signal sequence of multiple bits. FIG. 4(B) shows an example of communication using a 1-bit signal of High level and Low level, instead of a command format, as a comparative example. When the signal changes from High level to Low level, for example, the power control unit 40 is notified of the stop of the system control unit 30. In the example of FIG. 4(B), when a signal input to the communication I / F 42 changes from High level to Low level during a momentary interruption or the like, the power control unit 40 may misrecognize the notification and malfunction. By using a command format for communication as shown in FIG. 4(A), such misrecognition and malfunction can be prevented.

[0037] <Power state transition example> An example of the transition of the power state and the operation of the system control unit 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 7. Fig. 5 shows an example of the operation (start-up sequence) of the PSU 14, the power supply unit 20, the power control unit 40, and the system control unit 30 at the time of hard-on.

[0038] The PSU 14 starts generating the power supply voltage used by the electrical device 1 (S1). The DC voltage generated by the PSU 14 is supplied to the power supply unit 20 (power-on), i.e., the power supply unit 20 is powered on. The power supply unit 20 is initialized, and the regulator 22 starts outputting the DC voltage V2 (S2). The DC voltage V2 is supplied to the power control unit 40 (power-on (V2)). The power control unit 40 starts operating (S3), and an internal reset of the power control unit 40 is performed. The power saving control circuit 41 releases the reset state of the reset control circuit 23 of the power supply unit 20.

[0039] By releasing the reset state, the reset control circuit 23 starts the operation of the DC / DC converter 21 (S4). A direct current voltage V1 is supplied from the DC / DC converter 21 to the system control unit 30 (power-on (V1)). The CPU 31 of the system control unit 30 executes a startup process in accordance with a program stored in the storage section 32 (S5). When startup is complete, the system control unit 30 transmits a startup notification (startup command) to the power control unit 40. The startup notification is transmitted in the form of a command from the communication I / F 35 to the communication I / F 42.

[0040] Thereafter, when the system control unit 30 detects, for example, a power-on operation using the power key 8a, it transitions to the soft-on state. The period from when the DC voltage V1 is supplied to the system control unit 30 until the transition to the soft-on state is sometimes called a standby state. As another example of processing, for example, information previously set by the user and stored in the storage unit 32 may be read out to select whether to enter the soft-on state or the soft-off state.

[0041] Next, a case where the user performs a power-off operation using the power key 8a in the soft-on state will be described with reference to FIG.

[0042] In the soft-on state, when a power-off operation using the power key 8a is detected, it is determined that the user has requested to shut down the electrical device 1, and the system control unit 30 starts the shutdown process (S11). The shutdown process is a process in which the system control unit 30 prepares for cutting off the power supply. When the shutdown process is completed, the system control unit 30 transmits a shutdown notification (shutdown command) to the electronic control unit 40 via the communication I / F 35. The shutdown notification is transmitted in the form of a command from the communication I / F 35 to the communication I / F 42.

[0043] In the stop control unit 40 that has received the stop notification, the power saving control circuit 41 issues a reset instruction to the power supply unit 20 as a state transition process (S12). In response to the reset instruction, the reset control circuit 23 of the power supply unit 20 performs a reset process to stop the operation of the DC / DC converter 21 (S13). The supply of the DC voltage V1 from the DC / DC converter 21 to the system control unit 30 is stopped (power supply stopped (V1)). The system control unit 30 transitions to the soft-off state.

[0044] In the illustrated example, the system control unit 30 is transitioned to the soft-off state when the power key 8a is operated to turn off the power. However, similar operations may be performed when other conditions are met. For example, a soft-off time may be set, and when the set time arrives, the system control unit 30 may transition to the soft-off state by the operation shown in FIG. 6. As another example, the condition may be that no processing request has been made by the user for a certain period of time.

[0045] Next, a case where the user performs a power-on operation using the power key 8a in the soft-off state will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Since the system control unit 30 is stopped, the power-on operation is recognized by the power control unit 40 (power saving control circuit 41) (S21). The power control unit 40 instructs the reset control circuit 23 to release the reset state as a state transition process (S22). The reset control circuit 23 of the power supply unit 20 performs a reset release process and causes the DC / DC converter 21 to start operating. Power is supplied from the DC / DC converter 21 to the system control unit 30 (power on (V1)).

[0046] When power is supplied, the CPU 31 of the system control unit 30 executes a startup process in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 32 (S24). When startup is complete, the system control unit 30 transmits a startup notification (startup command) to the power control unit 40. This is the same process as S5 in FIG. 5. The system control unit 30 transitions to the soft-on state. The power control unit 40 executes processes related to the startup of the system control unit 30.

[0047] <Operation during power outage> The operation during a commercial power outage will now be described. Fig. 8 shows an example of the operation of the control unit when a power outage occurs in the soft-on state and is then restored. Due to the power outage, the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 drops (S31). When the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 falls below the threshold voltage Vth1, the UVLO of the DC / DC converter 21 is activated and the output is stopped (S32). As a result, no power is supplied to the system control unit 30, and the system control unit 30 goes down.

[0048] When the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 further drops due to a power outage (S33), the output voltage of the regulator 22 of the power supply unit 20 drops (S34). When the voltage supplied from the regulator 22 to the power control unit 40 falls below the threshold voltage Vth2, a power-on reset is triggered in the power control unit 40, and the power control unit 40 enters a stopped state.

[0049] Thereafter, when the power outage is restored, the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 is restored (S36), and the output voltage of the regulator 22 of the power supply unit 20 is also restored (S37). The power control unit 40 starts operating (S38) in the same manner as in the hard-on state of Fig. 5, and an internal reset of the power control unit 40 is performed. The power saving control circuit 41 releases the reset state of the reset control circuit 23 of the power supply unit 20.

[0050] By releasing the reset state, the reset control circuit 23 starts the operation of the DC / DC converter 21 (S39). A direct current voltage V1 is supplied from the DC / DC converter 21 to the system control unit 30 (power-on (V1)). The CPU 31 of the system control unit 30 executes a startup process in accordance with a program stored in the storage section 32 (S40). When startup is complete, the system control unit 30 transmits a startup notification (start-up command) to the power control unit 40.

[0051] By the above process, even if a power outage occurs in the commercial power supply in the soft-on state, the system control unit 30 can return to the soft-on state when the power outage is restored.

[0052] <Operation during momentary power outage> The operation during a momentary interruption of commercial power will be described below. Here, it is assumed that the output voltage of the PSU 14 falls below the threshold voltage Vth1, but the output voltage of the regulator 22 does not fall to the threshold voltage Vth2, and the commercial power is restored.

[0053] First, as a comparative example, an example of communication between the communication I / F 35 and the communication I / F 42 using the 1-bit signal illustrated in Fig. 4(B) will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Here, it is assumed that the stop notification (corresponding to S11 in Fig. 6) sent from the communication I / F 35 to the communication I / F 42 is performed by a signal change from High level to Low level.

[0054] Due to a power outage, the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 drops (S101). When the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 falls below the threshold voltage Vth1, the DC / DC converter 21 activates the UVLO and stops its output (S102). As a result, power is not supplied to the system control unit 30, and the system control unit 30 goes down. Although a stop notification has not been output from the system control unit 30, the high-level signal input to the communication I / F 42 changes to a low-level signal. At this stage, the power control unit 40 is not yet in a power-on reset state, but in a normal operating state. As a result of the low-level signal being input to the communication I / F 42, the power control unit 40 erroneously recognizes that a stop notification has been issued from the system control unit 30. As a result, the power saving control circuit 41 issues a reset instruction to the power supply unit 20 as a state transition process (S103).

[0055] Thereafter, when the power failure is restored, the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 is restored (S104). However, since the power control unit 40 is not in the power-on reset state, the reset state is not released as when the power is turned on. The power supply unit 20 goes into the reset state, power is not supplied to the system control unit 30, and the system control unit 30 does not start up.

[0056] Next, the operation during a momentary interruption in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. Due to a power outage, the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 drops (S41). When the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 becomes equal to or lower than the threshold voltage Vth1, the DC / DC converter 21 activates the UVLO and stops its output (S42). As a result, power is not supplied to the system control unit 30, and the system control unit 30 goes down. The signal input to the communication I / F 42 of the power control unit 40 becomes low level. At this stage, the power control unit 40 is not yet in a power-on reset state, but in a normal operating state. However, unlike the example of FIG. 9, the communication between the communication I / F 35 and the communication I / F 42 is in a command format, so even if the signal input to the communication I / F 42 becomes low level, it is not mistakenly recognized as a stop notification. Therefore, the power control unit 40 does not issue a reset instruction to the power supply unit 20.

[0057] Thereafter, when the power outage is restored, the voltage supplied from the PSU 14 to the power supply unit 20 is restored (S43). In the DC / DC converter 21, the UVLO is released (S44), and the DC / DC converter 21 starts operating (S45). A direct current voltage V1 is supplied from the DC / DC converter 21 to the system control unit 30 (power-on (V1)). The CPU 31 of the system control unit 30 executes a startup process in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 32 (S46). When startup is complete, the system control unit 30 transmits a startup notification (start-up command) to the power control unit 40.

[0058] By the above process, even if a momentary interruption occurs in the commercial power supply in the soft-on state, the system control unit 30 can return to the soft-on state when the power is restored. Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent malfunctions in the control of the power state during a momentary interruption.

[0059] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, an inkjet recording apparatus is exemplified as an electrical device, but the present invention can also be applied to other electrical devices.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the power supply unit 20 and the power control unit 40 are configured as separate ICs, but they may also be configured as a single IC.

[0061] In the above embodiment, there is one type of soft-on state, but the soft-on state may be further configured to include two types: a normal power supply state and a power saving state.

[0062] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0063] <Disclosure of the embodiment> The above embodiment discloses the following inventions.

[0064] Item 1. An electrical device comprising: A control means for controlling the electrical device; power supply means for supplying power to the control means; a power control means for controlling the supply and cut-off of power to the control means by the power supply means, The control means and the power control means are capable of communicating with each other in a command format; The power control means instructing the power supply means to cut off the power supplied to the control means based on the stop command received from the control means; 1. An electrical device comprising:

[0065] Item 2. Item 1 is an electrical device according to the present invention, The power control means instructing the power supply means to supply power to the control means at the time of startup; instructing the power supply means to supply power to the control means based on a power-on instruction from a user; The control means transmits the stop command to the power control means based on a power-off instruction from a user. 1. An electrical device comprising:

[0066] Item 3. The electrical device according to item 1 or 2, the power supply means cuts off power supplied to the control means when a power supply voltage of the power supply means becomes equal to or lower than a first voltage; the power control means stops operating when the power supply voltage becomes equal to or lower than a second voltage; The first voltage is higher than the second voltage. 1. An electrical device comprising:

[0067] Item 4. An electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The power supply means includes: A first power output unit that outputs power to be supplied to the control means; A second power output unit that outputs the power supplied to the power control means. 1. An electrical device comprising:

[0068] Item 5. An electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The electrical device is a recording device that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium. 1. An electrical device comprising:

[0069] Item 6. An electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The stop command is composed of a multi-bit signal string. 1. An electrical device comprising:

[0070] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following items are attached to publicize the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 Electrical equipment, 12a Discharge head, 12b Discharge head, 20 Power supply unit, 30 System control unit, 40 Power control unit

Claims

1. An electrical device comprising: A control means for controlling the electrical device; power supply means for supplying power to the control means; a power control means for controlling the supply and cut-off of power to the control means by the power supply means, The control means and the power control means are capable of communicating with each other in a command format; The power control means instructing the power supply means to cut off the power supplied to the control means based on the stop command received from the control means; 1. An electrical device comprising:

2. 2. The electrical device according to claim 1 , The power control means at the time of startup, instructing the power supply means to supply power to the control means; instructing the power supply means to supply power to the control means based on a power-on instruction from a user; The control means transmits the stop command to the power control means based on a power-off instruction from a user.

1. An electrical device comprising:

3. 2. The electrical device according to claim 1 , the power supply means cuts off power supplied to the control means when a power supply voltage of the power supply means becomes equal to or lower than a first voltage; the power control means stops operating when the power supply voltage becomes equal to or lower than a second voltage; The first voltage is higher than the second voltage.

1. An electrical device comprising:

4. 2. The electrical device according to claim 1 , The power supply means includes: a first power output unit that outputs power to be supplied to the control means; A second power output unit that outputs the power supplied to the power control means.

1. An electrical device comprising:

5. 2. The electrical device according to claim 1 , The electrical device is a recording device that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium.

1. An electrical device comprising:

6. 2. The electrical device according to claim 1 , The stop command is composed of a multi-bit signal string.

1. An electrical device comprising:

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