Multi-Panel Power Management in MFPs via Staged Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-function peripherals (MFPs) with multiple liquid crystal touch-panels face inefficiencies in power management, as not all panels need to be active simultaneously, leading to wasteful power consumption, and existing techniques cannot directly apply to MFPs due to differences in operational and state display panel usage.
Innovation Solution
A system with a control unit that transitions display units from normal mode to power save mode based on set priorities, with the operation panel and state display panel prioritized differently, allowing for efficient power management by turning off non-active panels successively and reverting them individually when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple display panels are kept always on in an MFP, then the user can access operation and status information at any time, but power consumption increases wastefully
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the display system into multiple independent display panels (operation panel and state display panel) that can be controlled separately. Each panel can transition to power save mode independently based on its specific function and usage patterns, allowing the system to reduce overall power consumption while maintaining accessibility to critical information through selective panel activation.
2Loss of energy
If all display panels transition to power save mode simultaneously, then power consumption is reduced maximally, but the system cannot respond efficiently to user operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements dynamic control where display panels transition to power save mode at different times based on their specific functions and current system state. The operation panel and state display panel have different transition timings, allowing the system to maximize power savings while ensuring that at least one panel remains responsive to user operations, thus maintaining system responsiveness.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the operation panel is turned off to save power, then energy consumption decreases, but the user cannot input instructions efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs periodic activation where the operation panel transitions to power save mode after a period of inactivity but can be quickly reactivated upon detecting user presence or interaction. This periodic on-off cycle allows the system to save power during idle periods while maintaining operational readiness when users need to input instructions.
4Use of energy by moving object
If the state display panel is turned off to save power, then energy consumption decreases, but users cannot monitor system status effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality control by differentiating the power management strategy for the state display panel based on its specific function of displaying system status. The panel maintains longer visibility or higher brightness levels compared to other panels during critical system operations, ensuring status information remains accessible while still reducing power consumption during normal idle states.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes display panels included in each of an operation unit 130 and a display unit 136, and a control unit causing the two display panels to successively make transitions to a power save mode if a prescribed time period has passed without any operation to the operation unit 130. If priority is given to the operation, the control unit first causes the display panel of display unit 136 to make a transition to the power save mode, and thereafter causes the display panel of the operation unit 130 to the power save mode. If the priority is given to the display, the control unit causes the display panel of operation unit 130 to make a transition to the power save mode, and thereafter causes the display panel of display unit 136 to make a transition to the power save mode. Thus, wasteful power consumption by the two display panels can be reduced.