Image Forming Apparatus Power-Saving State Control via Obstacle Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional image forming apparatuses face energy inefficiency due to unintended cancellation of power-saving states when users pass nearby, especially when obstacles like walls obstruct the sensing area, leading to unnecessary power consumption.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus incorporates a sensing unit to detect users and obstacles, determining if a power-saving state cancellation avoiding area is necessary and creating such an area to prevent unintended cancellation, using a light irradiation unit to mark the cancellation area and adjust it based on user movement and other factors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If a sensor that senses user existence in advance is provided to shorten standby time, then user convenience is improved, but unintended cancellation of power-saving state occurs when users pass nearby, causing energy waste

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestandby timeVSAvoidenergy waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The sensing area is divided into multiple regions with different functions: a first sensing area that triggers power-saving cancellation when a user enters, and a second sensing area that detects obstacles. This segmentation allows the system to distinguish between intentional user approach and accidental passage, resolving the contradiction between quick activation and energy waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection of obstacles in the second sensing area before finalizing the power-saving cancellation decision. By detecting obstacles in advance and using this information to adjust the first sensing area or make conditional cancellation decisions, the system avoids unintended activation while maintaining quick response for legitimate users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Speed

If the sensing area is expanded to detect users from farther away, then activation speed is improved, but the area for unintended detection increases, causing more energy consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveactivation speedVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the sensing area have different detection characteristics and purposes. The first sensing area is optimized for user detection at various distances, while the second sensing area is optimized for obstacle detection. This local differentiation allows the system to maintain large coverage for speed while using specific regional analysis to prevent energy waste from false detections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of energy

If obstacle detection is added to prevent unintended cancellation, then energy saving is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy savingVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensing unit is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting users in the first sensing area, detecting obstacles in the second sensing area, and providing this information to the control unit for integrated decision-making. This multi-functionality allows the system to prevent unintended power-saving cancellation while avoiding the need for separate dedicated obstacle detection hardware, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9485378B2Image forming apparatus, power-saving state control method, and program

Publication Date: 2016.11.01 KONICA MINOLTA INC

AI summary

An image forming apparatus includes: a sensing unit configured to sense a user and an obstacle blocking the user's passage, and measure positions of the sensed user and the sensed obstacle; a power-saving state canceling unit configured to cancel a power saving state when the sensing unit senses entrance of a user into a power-saving state canceling area, the power-saving state canceling area causing cancellation of the power saving state when a user enters the power-saving state canceling area; a first determining unit configured to determine whether a power-saving state cancellation avoiding area not causing cancellation of the power saving state is necessary in the power-saving state canceling area when the obstacle is sensed by the sensing unit; and a creating unit configured to create the power-saving state cancellation avoiding area when the first determining unit determines that the power-saving state cancellation avoiding area is necessary.