JP7388274B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program.

In recent years, image forming apparatuses have been proposed that prevent large fluctuations in output voltage even when there is a sudden change in load current (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a switching unit that alternately outputs power and ground, an output inductor, an output capacitor, and a controller that controls the switching units of the output inductor, and has normal mode and light load mode. and a control unit that performs processing of the image forming apparatus, and when the control unit is informed of a target current value indicating the magnitude of the load current corresponding to each operation rate of each power feeding destination device. , the controller controls the switching unit so that the inductor average current value, which is the average value of the output inductor currents, becomes the target current value at the end of the predicted time until the load current changes.

JP2017-99162A

The problem of the present invention is to switch the operation mode of the DCDC converter from PFM mode to PWM mode based on a change in the output current of the DCDC converter when there is an instruction to return from energy saving mode to normal mode. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and a program that can suppress a drop in the output voltage of a DC/DC converter when returning from an energy saving mode to a normal mode.

[1] A processing unit that receives power from the DCDC converter and performs predetermined processing;
a detection unit that detects the output current of the DCDC converter;
a switching unit that switches the operation mode of the DCDC converter to PFM mode or PWM mode based on the detected output current;
An information processing device comprising: a switching control unit that controls the switching unit to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode regardless of the detection result of the detection unit when conditions for returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode are satisfied. .
[2] A detection unit that detects the output current of the DCDC converter;
A switching unit that switches the operation mode of the DCDC converter to a PFM mode or a PWM mode based on the detected output current, and a processor,
The processor receives power from the DCDC converter and performs predetermined processing,
An information processing device that controls the switching unit to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode regardless of a detection result of the detection unit when a condition for returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode is satisfied.
[3] A processor that controls a switching unit that switches the operation mode of the DCDC converter to PFM mode or PWM mode based on the detected output current of the DCDC converter,
receiving power from the DCDC converter to perform predetermined processing;
A program for controlling the switching unit to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode regardless of the detection result of the output current when a return condition from the energy saving mode to the normal mode is satisfied.

According to the invention according to claims 1 to 3, when there is an instruction to return from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, the operation mode of the DCDC converter is changed from the PFM mode to the PWM mode based on the change in the output current of the DCDC converter. Compared to the case of switching, it is possible to suppress a drop in the output voltage of the DCDC converter when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a DCDC converter. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the energy saving control section, the main ASIC, and the DCDC converter. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operations of the main CPU and sub CPU.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in each figure, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanation thereof will be omitted. An image forming apparatus will be described below as an example of an information processing apparatus.

[Summary of embodiment]
The information processing device according to the present embodiment includes a processing unit that receives power from a DCDC converter and performs predetermined processing, a detection unit that detects an output current of the DCDC converter, and a processing unit that performs predetermined processing based on the detected output current. A switching unit that switches the operating mode of the DC-DC converter to PFM mode or PWM mode; and a switching unit that switches the operating mode of the DC-DC converter from PFM mode to PWM mode when conditions for returning from energy saving mode to normal mode are met, regardless of the detection result of the detection unit. and a switching control section for controlling.

The normal mode refers to, for example, a mode in which image formation can be executed. The energy saving mode is, for example, a mode in which power consumption is lower than in the normal mode and image formation cannot be performed.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunctional device having multiple functions such as a scanning function, a printing function, a copying function, an e-mail function, and a facsimile function.

The image forming apparatus 1 has a control section 2 that controls each section of the apparatus 1, and this control section 2 includes a storage section 3, an operation display section 4, an image reading section 5, an image forming section 6, a communication section 7, A DC/DC converter 8, a power supply switch 9, etc. are connected. The image forming apparatus 1 has a normal mode and an energy saving mode (sometimes referred to as a sleep mode) as operating modes.

The control unit 2 includes a processor 2a such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an interface, and the like. The processor 2a functions as a main ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 20, an energy saving control unit 21, etc. by executing a program 30 stored in the storage unit 3. Details of the main ASIC 20 and the energy saving control section 21 will be described later. The main ASIC 20 includes a main CPU 20a and a sub CPU 20b. The main ASIC 20 is an example of a processing section. The energy saving control section 21 is an example of a switching control section.

The storage unit 3 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, etc., and stores various information such as a program 30, energy saving transition conditions 31, energy saving return conditions 32, and the like. The energy saving return condition 32 is an example of a return condition.

The energy saving transition condition 31 is a condition for transitioning from normal mode to energy saving mode. The energy saving transition condition 31 includes, for example, when the operation display unit 4 remains inactive for more than a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute), when the power saving key is operated, etc. . If the no-operation state in which the operation display section 4 is not operated continues for a predetermined period of time, an energy-saving interrupt signal 40a instructing a transition from the normal mode to the energy-saving mode is sent from the operation state detection section 40, which will be described later. It is transmitted to the energy saving control section 21.

The energy saving return condition 32 is a condition for returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. The energy saving return condition 32 includes, for example, when the operation display unit 4 is operated (including touching), when a human sensor detects a person approaching the image forming apparatus 1, and the like. When the operation display section 4 is operated, a return interrupt signal 40b instructing a return from the energy saving mode to the normal mode is transmitted to the energy saving control section 21 from the operating state detecting section 40, which will be described later.

The operation display unit 4 is used to input and display information. The operation display unit 4 is, for example, a touch panel display, and has a configuration in which a touch panel is superimposed on a display such as a liquid crystal display.

Further, the operation display section 4 includes an operation state detection section 40 that detects the operation state of the operation display section 4 . If the operation display unit 4 remains inactive for a predetermined period of time (for example, 1 minute) while executing the normal mode, the operation state detection unit 40 changes the mode from the normal mode to the energy saving mode. An energy saving interrupt signal 40a instructing the transition to is transmitted to the energy saving control unit 21. Further, when the operation state detection unit 40 detects an operation (including touching) on the operation display unit 4 while executing the energy saving mode, the operation state detection unit 40 sends a return interrupt signal 40b that instructs to return from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. It is transmitted to the energy saving control unit 21.

The image reading unit 5 includes an automatic paper feeder provided on a document table, and a scanner that optically reads a document image from a document placed on the document table or a document fed by the automatic sheet feeder.

The image forming unit 6 creates printed matter by forming an image on paper fed from a paper cassette using, for example, an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method.

The communication unit 7 communicates with external devices such as user terminals and servers via a network (wired or wireless) such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet, or the Internet.

The DCDC converter 8 generates high voltage (for example, 24V) and low voltage (for example, 5V, 3.3V) DC voltage from the AC power supplied from the AC power supply, and supplies it to each part 2 to 7 of the device 1. do. The loads to which the high voltage is supplied are, for example, the operation display section 4 (excluding the operation state detection section 40), the image reading section 5, and the image forming section 6. The loads to which the low voltage is supplied are, for example, the control section 2, the storage section 3, and the operation state detection section 40. Note that the DCDC converter 8 may also generate a voltage intermediate between the high voltage and the low voltage.

Further, the DCDC converter 8 has a PWM (pulse width modulation) mode and a PFM (pulse frequency modulation) mode as switching control methods (also referred to as operation modes). In the normal mode, the DCDC converter 8 operates in a PWM mode with high efficiency in a relatively large current region, and in the energy saving mode, it operates in a PFM mode with high efficiency in a relatively small current region.

In the energy saving mode, the power supply switch 9 supplies power from the DCDC converter 8 to loads that require high voltage, such as the operation display section 4, the image reading section 5, and the image forming section 6, under the control of the energy saving control section 21. stop.

(Configuration of DCDC converter)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the DCDC converter 8. As shown in FIG. The DCDC converter 8 outputs a PFM setting voltage from a PFM setting voltage output section 80a that outputs a PFM setting voltage, a PWM setting voltage output section 80b that outputs a PWM setting voltage, and a PFM setting voltage output section 80a. A PFM comparator 81a that outputs a PWM setting voltage from a PWM setting voltage output section 80b, a PFM/PWM switching section 82 that switches the operation mode to PFM mode or PWM mode, A switching output section 83 configured with a switching element, an output current detection section 84 that detects a coil current as an output current, and an output that detects a voltage applied to the output side of the output current detection section 84 as an output voltage. A voltage detection section 85 is provided. The PFM/PWM switching section 82 is an example of a switching section. The output voltage detection section 85 is an example of a detection section.

The PFM comparator 81a outputs a PFM signal whose pulse frequency is controlled without changing the pulse width according to the difference between the feedback voltage from the output current detection section 84 and the PFM setting voltage. That is, when the feedback voltage decreases, the switching frequency of the switching element of the switching output section 83 is increased, and when the feedback voltage increases, the switching frequency of the switching element of the switching output section 83 is decreased.

The PWM comparator 81b outputs a PWM signal whose pulse width is controlled without changing the pulse frequency according to the difference between the feedback voltage from the output current detection section 84 and the PWM setting voltage. That is, when the feedback voltage decreases, the on time of the switching element of the switching output section 83 is lengthened, and when the feedback voltage increases, the on time of the switching element of the switching output section 83 is shortened.

The PFM/PWM switching unit 82 performs switching by switching to either the PFM signal output from the PFM comparator 81a or the PWM signal output from the PWM comparator 81b, depending on the output current from the output current detection unit 84. It is output to the output section 83. That is, when the output current from the output current detection section 84 is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the signal is switched to the PWM signal, and when the output current is equal to or less than the threshold value, the signal is switched to the PFM signal.

The switching output section 83 generates two systems of DC voltage, high voltage and low voltage, by switching the switching elements.

Next, the main ASIC 20 and the energy saving control section 21 of the control section 2 will be explained.

The main CPU 20a of the main ASIC 20 controls the power supply switch 9. That is, the main CPU 20a outputs an instruction C11 to stop power supply to the high voltage side to the power supply switch 9 in response to an instruction C10 from the energy saving control section 21, which will be described later. Further, the main CPU 20a outputs an instruction C12 to start supplying power to the high voltage side to the power supply switch 9 in response to an instruction C20, which will be described later, from the energy saving control unit 21. The sub CPU 20b receives instructions C10 and C20, which will be described later, from the energy saving control unit 21.

The energy saving control unit 21 performs control to shift the image forming apparatus 1 from the normal mode to the energy saving mode, or control to return the image forming apparatus 1 from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

Specifically, when the image forming apparatus 1 satisfies the energy saving transition condition 31 while executing the normal mode, the energy saving control unit 21 instructs the main ASIC 20 to transition from the normal mode to the energy saving mode (hereinafter referred to as "energy saving transition instruction"). ”) Outputs C10.

Furthermore, when the energy saving return condition is satisfied, the energy saving control section 21 controls the PFM/PWM switching section 82 to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode, regardless of the detection result of the output current detection section 84. That is, when the image forming apparatus 1 satisfies the energy saving return condition 32 while executing the energy saving mode, the energy saving control unit 21 instructs the main ASIC 20 to transition from the normal mode to the energy saving mode (hereinafter also referred to as "energy saving transition instruction"). .) C20, and also outputs an instruction (hereinafter also referred to as "PWM forced instruction") C21 to forcefully switch from PFM mode to PWM mode to the PFM/PWM switching unit 82.

(Operation of image forming apparatus)
Next, an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operations of the energy saving control section 21, the main ASIC 20, and the DCDC converter 8. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the main CPU 20a and sub CPU 20b.

(1) Operation when transitioning from normal mode to energy saving mode As shown in FIG. Upon receiving the energy saving interrupt signal 40a, the energy saving control unit 21 outputs an energy saving transition instruction C10 to the main ASIC 20 (S11).

The main ASIC 20 performs an energy saving preparation operation in response to the energy saving transition instruction C10 (S12).

In the energy saving preparation operation (S12) of the main ASIC 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the main CPU 20a outputs a sleep instruction to the sub CPU 20b (S120), and enters an infinite loop waiting for a power OFF instruction (S121). The sub CPU 20b resets the main CPU 20a (S123) in response to the sleep instruction (S121).

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the main ASIC 20 performs a power OFF operation (S13).

In the power OFF operation (S13) of the main ASIC 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the sub CPU 20b instructs the main CPU 20a to turn off the power, and instructs the power supply switch 9 to stop supplying power to the high voltage side C11. Output.

As a result, power supply to loads that require large voltage, such as the operation display section 4 (excluding the operation state detection section 40), the image reading section 5, and the image forming section 6, is stopped. The current output from the output current detection section 84 of the DCDC converter 8 decreases, and the PFM/PWM switching section 82 switches the operation mode from the PWM mode to the PFM mode. The main CPU 20a is turned off (S123), enters an energy saving mode, and is stopped (S124).

After the power OFF operation (S13), the sub CPU 20b enters an interrupt wait state (WFI) (S131).

(2) Operation when transitioning from energy saving mode to normal mode As shown in FIG. Upon receiving the return interrupt signal 40b, the energy saving control unit 21 outputs an energy saving return instruction C20 to the main ASIC 20 (S15). The main ASIC 20 performs a power-on operation (S16).

In the above energy saving return instruction C20 (S15), as shown in FIG. The main CPU 20a is instructed to turn on the power, and the main CPU 20a is turned on (S125) and shifts to the normal mode.

As shown in FIG. 3, the energy saving control section 21 outputs a PWM forced instruction C21 (see FIG. 2) to the PFM/PWM switching section 82 of the DCDC converter 8 (S17). When the PWM forced instruction C21 is output, the PFM/PWM switching unit 82 switches the PFM signal output from the PFM comparator 81a from the PFM comparator 81b, regardless of the output current from the output current detection unit 84. The DCDC converter 8 operates in PWM mode by switching to a PWM signal and outputting it to the switching output section 83. Thereafter, the main ASIC 20 enters the reset release state (S18).

In the reset release state (S18) of the main ASIC 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the sub CPU 20b releases the reset on the main CPU 20a (S18), and the main CPU 20a starts a return process (S126). The main CPU 20a outputs an instruction C12 to the power supply switch 9 to start supplying power to the high voltage side. As a result, power supply to loads requiring large voltage, such as the operation display section 4, image reading section 5, and image forming section 6, starts. Further, the main CPU 20a operates normally (waiting for synchronization with the sub CPU 20b) (S127), and the sub CPU 20b also operates normally (waiting for synchronization with the main CPU 20a) (S181).

When there is an instruction to return from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, the DCDC converter 8 switches from the PFM mode to the PWM mode before the reset of the main CPU 20a is released. Compared to the case where the operation mode is switched from PFM mode to PWM mode, a drop in the output voltage of DCDC converter 8 is suppressed.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus has been described as an information processing apparatus, but the present invention may be applied to a general-purpose information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, or may be applied to a dedicated information processing apparatus such as an image processing apparatus. Good too.

(Modification 2)
Although the interrupt signal from the operating state detection unit 40 is illustrated as the energy saving transition condition 31 and the energy saving return condition 32, detection of a human sensor or other conditions may be used.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and implementations are possible.

Each means of the processor may be partially or entirely configured by a hardware circuit such as a reconfigurable circuit (FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

In the above embodiments, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes a general-purpose processor (for example, CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and a dedicated processor (for example, GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, etc.) ).

Further, the operation of the processor in the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by a plurality of processors located at physically separate locations working together. Further, the order of each operation of the processor is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

Further, some of the constituent elements of the above embodiments may be omitted or changed. Further, in the flow of the above embodiment, steps may be added, deleted, changed, replaced, etc. Further, the program used in the above embodiment can be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and can be stored in an external server such as a cloud server and used via a network. You can also.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Image forming apparatus, 2... Control part, 2a... Processor, 3... Storage part, 4... Operation display part,
5... Image reading unit, 6... Image forming unit, 7... Communication unit, 8... DCDC converter,
9... Power supply switch, 20... Main ASIC, 20a... Main CPU,
20b...Sub CPU, 21...Energy saving control unit, 30...Program,
31...Energy saving transition condition, 32...Energy saving return condition, 40...Operation state detection unit,
40a...Energy saving interrupt signal, 40b...Recovery interrupt signal,
80a...PFM setting voltage output section, 80b...PWM setting voltage output section,
81a... Comparator for PFM, 81b... Comparator for PWM,
82...PFM/PWM switching section, 83... Switching output section,
84...Output current detection section, 85...Output voltage detection section

Claims (3)

a processing unit that receives power from the DC/DC converter and performs predetermined processing;
a detection unit that detects the output current of the DCDC converter;
a switching unit that switches the operation mode of the DCDC converter to PFM mode or PWM mode based on the detected output current;
a switching control unit that controls the switching unit to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode regardless of the detection result of the detection unit when a condition for returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode is satisfied;
An information processing device equipped with a detection unit that detects the output current of the DCDC converter;
A switching unit that switches the operation mode of the DCDC converter to a PFM mode or a PWM mode based on the detected output current, and a processor,
The processor receives power from the DCDC converter and performs predetermined processing,
controlling the switching unit to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode, regardless of the detection result of the detection unit, when conditions for returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode are satisfied;
Information processing device. A processor that controls a switching unit that switches the operation mode of the DCDC converter to PFM mode or PWM mode based on the detected output current of the DCDC converter,
receiving power from the DCDC converter to perform predetermined processing;
A program for controlling the switching unit to switch from the PFM mode to the PWM mode regardless of the detection result of the output current when a return condition from the energy saving mode to the normal mode is satisfied.

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