Image Forming Apparatus Power Control via Clock Frequency Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses consume excessive power in power save mode due to continuous power supply to communication control units and clock halting, leading to reduced power-saving effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a restoration control unit that manages power supply and clock frequency based on external interface requests, transitioning to a high-power state only when print data is received, thereby optimizing power consumption between normal and power save modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If power is continuously supplied to communication control units in power save mode, then the apparatus can respond to network requests, but power consumption is excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is divided into multiple independent control units, each capable of being independently powered on or off. When in power save mode, only the communication control unit remains powered to handle network requests, while other control units are powered down. This segmentation allows selective power supply to different functional blocks, resolving the contradiction between maintaining responsiveness and reducing power consumption.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the clock is halted in power save mode, then power consumption is reduced, but processing speed decreases when transitioning back to normal mode
Solution Approach 1:
The clock frequency is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system can adjust clock frequency based on operational requirements - using lower frequencies during power save mode to reduce power consumption, and rapidly switching to higher frequencies when transitioning to normal mode to ensure fast processing. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between power savings and processing speed.
3Use of energy by moving object
If all control units are powered down in power save mode, then power consumption is minimized, but the apparatus cannot process new requests
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple independent control units with different functions. The communication control unit is kept powered on during power save mode to maintain the ability to receive and process network requests, while other control units are powered down. This selective segmentation ensures that essential functionality is maintained while minimizing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication control unit is kept in a ready state before actual printing operations are needed. By maintaining this unit powered on during power save mode, the system performs preliminary preparation to ensure it can immediately respond to incoming network requests without needing to power up the entire system, thus balancing power savings with request processing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A image forming apparatus 100 has a network interface 103 for receiving data transmitted from an external apparatus, and a control unit 102 for interpreting content of data received by the network interface 103. The image forming apparatus 100 further has a printing unit 101 for executing print processing based upon print data if print data has been received by the network interface 103, and a restoration control unit 107 for exercising control so as to place the control unit 102 in an active state or inactive state. The restoration control unit 107 of the image forming apparatus 100 starts supplying a low-speed clock to the control unit 102 in the inactive state in response to receipt of data by the network interface 103, and starts supplying a high-speed clock in response to an interpretation by the control unit 102 that the content of the data is print data.