Electronic device

Abstract

To suppress return from a sleep mode to a normal mode at timing not intended by a user.SOLUTION: The controller 24 switches an operation mode of the electronic device 1 between a normal mode and a sleep mode, and switches the operation mode from the sleep mode to the normal mode when a predetermined return condition is satisfied while the operation mode is the sleep mode. The operation section 11 detects a user operation, and the movable section sensor 11c detects the state of the movable section of the operation section 11. The above-described return condition is different between a case where the detected state is a predetermined first state and a case where the detected state is a predetermined second state different from the first state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] One image forming device has two operating modes: a normal mode in which power is supplied to specific functions, and an energy-saving mode in which power is not supplied to specific functions. When a return event that satisfies the conditions for returning from the energy-saving mode to the normal mode is detected, the device resumes power supply to only some of the specific functions depending on the angle of the movable member of the operating unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-44661 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, the conditions for returning from energy saving mode (sleep mode) to normal mode include multiple conditions such as (a) detection of user operation on the operation unit, (b) detection of placement of a document in the automatic document feeder, and (c) detection of a person by a motion sensor. Regardless of the angle of the movable member of the operation unit, if any of these conditions is met, the device will return from energy saving mode to normal mode, which means that the device may return from energy saving mode to normal mode at a time unintended by the user.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an electronic device that prevents the return from sleep mode to normal mode at a timing not intended by the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An electronic device according to the present invention includes a controller that switches an operation mode of the electronic device between a normal mode and a sleep mode that consumes less power than the normal mode, and that switches the operation mode from the sleep mode to the normal mode when a predetermined return condition is met while the operation mode is the sleep mode, an operation unit that detects a user operation, and a movable part sensor that detects a state of a movable part of the operation unit, wherein the return condition differs between when the detected state is a predetermined first state and when the detected state is a predetermined second state different from the first state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, an electronic device can be obtained that prevents the return from sleep mode to normal mode at a timing unintended by the user.

[0008] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic device shown in FIGS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a side view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device shown in Fig. 1 is an image forming device such as a multifunction peripheral, and is equipped with a movable operation unit 11. In this embodiment, operation unit 11 is disposed on the surface of a housing so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 11s.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic device shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the electronic device 1 includes an operation unit 11, a human sensor unit 12 arranged on the surface of the housing, an image reader 21, a printer 22, a storage device 23, and a controller 24.

[0013] The operation unit 11 includes a display device 11a such as a liquid crystal display, an input device 11b such as hard keys or a touch panel, and a movable part sensor 11c. The display device 11a displays information to the user on a screen. The input device 11b detects user operations.

[0014] Movable part sensor 11c detects the state of the movable part of operation unit 11. In this embodiment, operation unit 11 is rotatable around rotation axis 11s, and the state of the movable part is the angle of operation unit 11 with respect to the horizontal direction. In FIG. 1, the angle of operation unit 11 depicted by solid lines is approximately 90 degrees, and the angle of operation unit 11 depicted by dashed lines is approximately 15 degrees. Note that the user can manually rotate operation unit 11 and position it so that it is at the above-mentioned angle.

[0015] The human presence sensor unit 12 is a sensor that detects a human body (a user of the image forming device 1) within a specified range in front of the image forming device 1 using infrared rays, visible light, ultrasonic waves, wireless communication (sensing function using wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Sub-GHz).

[0016] The image reading device 21 is an internal device that optically reads an original image from an original and generates image data of the original image. The image reading device 21 includes an image reading unit, an automatic document feeder, etc. The image reading unit irradiates the original with light and detects the light reflected from the original as an original image using a light receiving element such as a line sensor, and outputs image data of the original image. The automatic document feeder feeds originals one by one from a paper feed tray, transports them to the image reading unit, and transports them from the image reading unit to a paper output tray.

[0017] The printing device 22 is an internal device that prints an image on a printing sheet by, for example, electrophotography. In a copy job, the printing device 22 prints a copy image based on the above-mentioned original image on a printing sheet.

[0018] The storage device 23 is a non-volatile storage device (such as a flash memory) that stores programs and data required for the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, the storage device 23 stores setting data 23a.

[0019] The controller 24 also includes a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), and by loading a program stored in the ROM or a non-volatile storage device (not shown) into the RAM and executing the program on the CPU, it controls internal devices such as the image reading device 21 and the printing device 22 and executes jobs requested by the user.

[0020] In addition, the controller 24 switches the operation mode of the electronic device 1 between a normal mode and a sleep mode that consumes less power than the normal mode, and (a) when a predetermined sleep mode condition (such as detection of a period of no operation for a predetermined length of time) is met while the operation mode is the normal mode, the controller 24 switches the operation mode from the normal mode to the sleep mode, and (b) when a predetermined return condition is met while the operation mode is the sleep mode, the controller 24 switches the operation mode from the sleep mode to the normal mode.

[0021] This return condition differs depending on whether the state detected by the movable part sensor 11c is a predetermined first state (for example, when the operating part 11 is at the angle shown by the dashed line in Figure 1) or whether the state detected by the movable part sensor 11c is a predetermined second state different from the first state (for example, when the operating part 11 is at the angle shown by the solid line in Figure 1).

[0022] In this embodiment, the first state is a state in which the angle of operation unit 11 with respect to the horizontal direction is a predetermined first angle (for example, approximately 15 degrees), and the second state is a state in which the angle of operation unit 11 with respect to the horizontal direction is an angle greater than the first angle (for example, approximately 90 degrees). The return condition when the detected state is the first state includes a predetermined plurality of conditions, and the return condition when the detected state is the second state is a condition selected from the plurality of conditions based on setting data 23a.

[0023] Here, the setting data 23a includes data indicating whether or not each of a number of conditions, such as (a) detection of a user operation on the operation unit, (b) detection of a document being placed on the automatic document feeder, and (c) detection of a person by a human sensor, is included in the return conditions for the second state.

[0024] In this embodiment, when a job is executed, the controller 24 (a) sets the display device 11a to the first display state when the detected state is the first state, and leaves the operating mode in the normal mode after the job is completed; (b) when the detected state is the second state, (b1) sets the display device 11a to a state selected based on the setting data 23a from the first display state (e.g., backlight on) and a second display state that consumes less power than the first display state (e.g., backlight off or backlight on at low brightness); and (b2) automatically and immediately sets the operating mode to the sleep mode after the job is completed. The second display state is specified by the power-saving display setting in the setting data 23a (e.g., display (backlight on), non-display (backlight off), display at low brightness, etc.).

[0025] Furthermore, in this case, if an error occurs when executing a job when the detected state is the second state, the controller 24 forcibly sets the display device 11a to the first display state and displays an error message on the display device 11a.

[0026] Next, the operation of the electronic device will be described with reference to Fig. 3, which is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic device shown in Figs.

[0027] The controller 24 determines whether the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 detected by the movable part sensor 11c is in the on mode state (the first state described above) (step S1).

[0028] If it is determined that the state of the movable part of the operating unit 11 is the on mode state (the first state described above), the controller 24 determines whether the current operating mode is the sleep mode or not (step S2), and if the current operating mode is the sleep mode, determines whether the return condition for the on mode state is met (step S3).

[0029] If the return condition for the ON mode is met, the controller 24 switches the operation mode to the normal mode (step S4). At this time, if there is no job, the printer enters the ready state, and the power-saving display setting in the setting data 23a is not applied. On the other hand, if the return condition for the ON mode is not met, the controller 24 continues the sleep mode (step S5).

[0030] Here, the conditions for returning to the on mode state are (a) detection of a user operation on the operation unit 11 (such as a touch panel or specific hard keys on the input device 11b), (b) detection of a document being placed on the automatic document feeder of the image reading device 21, and (c) detection of a person by the human presence sensor unit 12.

[0031] On the other hand, if the current operation mode is not the sleep mode (i.e., if the current operation mode is the normal mode), the controller 24 determines whether the sleep mode condition is met (step S6). If the sleep mode condition is met, the controller 24 switches the operation mode to the sleep mode (step S5), and if the sleep mode condition is not met, the controller 24 continues the normal mode (step S4).

[0032] Then, the controller 24 determines whether the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 detected by the movable part sensor 11c has become the off mode state (the second state described above) (step S7).

[0033] If the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 is not the off mode state (that is, if it is the on mode state), the controller 24 repeatedly executes the processes from step S2 onwards.

[0034] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 or step S7 that the state of the movable part of the operating unit 11 is in the off mode state, the controller 24 switches the operation mode to the sleep mode (step S8), and then determines whether the return condition for the off mode state is met (step S9).

[0035] Here, the return condition for the off mode state is that any one of a plurality of conditions, (a) detection of a user operation on the operation unit 11 (such as a touch panel or specific hard keys on the input device 11b), (b) detection of placement of a document on the automatic document feeder of the image reading device 21, and (c) detection of a person by the human presence sensor unit 12, is selected based on the setting data 23a. Note that the setting data 23a can also be set so that none of these plurality of conditions is selected.

[0036] If the return condition for the off mode state is not satisfied, the controller 24 continues the sleep mode (step S10) and determines whether or not to execute a job such as a print job (step S11). If the job is to be executed, the controller 24 applies the power-saving display setting in the setting data 23a and executes the job (step S12). Note that here, in the sleep mode, the controller 24 turns off the backlight of the display device 11a (i.e., makes the display device 11a non-displayable). Furthermore, if an error is detected during job execution and an error message is to be displayed on the display device 11a, the controller 24 cancels the power-saving display setting, turns on the backlight, and displays the error message on the display device 11a.

[0037] If the return condition for the off mode is met, the controller 24 switches the operation mode to the normal mode (step S13). At this time, if there is no job, the state becomes ready, and the power saving display setting in the setting data 23a is not applied.

[0038] Then, the controller 24 determines whether the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 detected by the movable part sensor 11c has become the on mode state (the first state described above) (step S14).

[0039] Here, if the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 is not the on mode (that is, if it is the off mode), the controller 24 repeatedly executes the processes from step S9 onwards.

[0040] On the other hand, when the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 is in the on mode state, the controller 24 switches the operation mode to the normal mode (step S4) and executes the subsequent processes.

[0041] After the job is executed in step S12, if the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 is not in the on mode state (step S14) and the return condition for the off mode state is not met (step S9), the controller 24 immediately returns the operating state to the sleep mode (step S10).

[0042] In this way, the controller 24 monitors the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11 (steps S7 and S14), and when the movable part of the operation unit 11 is in the on mode state (first state), the operation mode is set to the normal mode (step S4), and when the movable part of the operation unit 11 is in the off mode state (second state), the operation mode is set to the sleep mode (step S8). In the off mode state, the return condition specified by the setting data 23a is applied, and when the return condition is met, the operation mode is switched to the normal mode. In other words, even if a return condition not specified (selected) in the setting data 23a is met, the operation mode is not switched to the normal mode.

[0043] As described above, according to the embodiment, the controller 24 switches the operation mode of the electronic device 1 between the normal mode and the sleep mode, and when a predetermined return condition is met while the operation mode is the sleep mode, switches the operation mode from the sleep mode to the normal mode. The operation unit 11 detects a user operation, and the movable part sensor 11c detects the state of the movable part of the operation unit 11. The return condition differs depending on whether the detected state is a predetermined first state or a predetermined second state different from the first state.

[0044] As a result, by making the number of return conditions for the second state less than the number of return conditions for the first state, the user can manually set the operation unit 11 to the second state, and the device will not return to normal mode due to a specific return condition, thereby preventing the device from returning from sleep mode to normal mode at a time unintended by the user.

[0045] It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. In other words, it is intended that such changes and modifications be included within the scope of the claims.

[0046] For example, in the above embodiment, the movable part of the operation unit 11 is configured so that the operation unit 11 itself is rotatable, but instead, the operation unit 11 may be provided with a rotatable lid that covers the display device 11a and the input device 11b, and the rotation axis of the lid may be used as the movable part of the above-mentioned operation unit 11. [Industrial Applicability]

[0047] The present invention is applicable to, for example, electronic devices that include a movable operating unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Electronic equipment 11 Control section 11a Display device 11c Moving part sensor 23a Setting data 24 Controller

Claims

1. In electronic devices, a controller that switches an operation mode of the electronic device between a normal mode and a sleep mode that consumes less power than the normal mode, and switches the operation mode from the sleep mode to the normal mode when a predetermined return condition is met while the operation mode is the sleep mode; an operation unit for detecting a user operation; a movable part sensor for detecting a state of the movable part of the operation unit; the restoration condition differs between a case where the detected state is a predetermined first state and a case where the detected state is a predetermined second state different from the first state; An electronic device characterized by:

2. the movable part includes a rotation shaft, the operation unit is rotatable about the rotation axis, the first state is a state in which the angle of the operation unit with respect to a horizontal direction is a predetermined first angle; the second state is an angle at which the operation unit is angled with respect to a horizontal direction greater than the first angle, the restoration condition when the detected state is the first state includes a plurality of predetermined conditions, the restoration condition when the detected state is the second state is a condition selected from the plurality of conditions based on setting data; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1,

3. the operation unit includes a display device, When executing a job, the controller: (a) when the detected state is the first state, sets the display device to the first display state, and after completion of execution of the job, leaves the operation mode in the normal mode; (b) when the detected state is the second state, (b1) sets the display device to a state selected from the first display state and a second display state consuming less power than the first display state based on the setting data; and (b2) after completion of execution of the job, automatically and immediately sets the operation mode to the sleep mode.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2,

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, characterized in that if an error occurs when executing the job when the detected state is the second state, the controller forcibly sets the display device to the first display state and displays an error message on the display device.

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