# US 11,451,177 B2 · Image forming apparatus configured to control motor based on control value set according to type of motor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,177 B2 - Document ID: US11451177B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/064,433 - Filed: 2020-10-06 - Published: 2021-05-06 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-30 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yohei Ohashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451177B2 ## CPC - H02P 21/22: Current control, e.g. using a current control loop - G03G 15/5004: {Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off} - G03G 15/80: {Details relating to power supplies, circuits boards, electrical connections} - H02P 21/18: Estimation of position or speed - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract An image forming apparatus includes a power source, a motor, a motor control device, a first switching element, a controller, a detector, a discriminator, and a first setting unit configured to set a control value. The motor control device includes a phase determiner configured to determine a rotational phase by using the control value, and a second setting unit. The motor control device includes a first mode and a second mode. The discriminator discriminates a type of the motor in the first mode. The motor control device executes the first mode if the controller controls the first switching element in response to supplying of the power. The motor control device does not execute the first mode even if the power is supplied to a driving circuit, when the controller controls the first switching element in response to inputting of a trigger signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium, the image forming apparatus comprising: a power source to be connected to an external power source and configured to be supplied with power from the external power source; a motor configured to drive a load; a driving circuital to which a winding of the motor is connected, the driving circuit being configured to supply driving current to the winding based on power supplied from the power source; a first switching element configured to be switched between a first state in which the power is supplied from the power source to the driving circuit and a second state in which the power is not supplied from the power source to the driving circuit; a first controller configured to operate with power supplied from the power source and configured to switch a state of the first switching element between the first state and the second state; a second switching element configured to be switched between a third state in which the power is supplied from the power source to the first controller through the second switching element and a fourth state in which the power is not supplied from the power source to the first controller through the second switching element; a detector configured to detect driving current flowing through the winding; and a second controller configured to control the driving circuit, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a first power mode, as a power mode, in which the power is supplied from the power source to both the first controller and the driving circuit, and includes a second power mode, as the power mode, in which the power is supplied from the power source to the first controller and is not supplied from the power source to the driving circuit, the first controller switching the state of the first switching element from the second state to the first state in a case where the power mode is switched from the second power mode to the first power mode, wherein the second controller is configured to: set a control value corresponding to a type of the motor connected to the driving circuit based on the driving current detected by the detector; determine a rotational phase of a rotor of the motor based on the driving current detected by the detector and the set control value; and set a target value of current to be supplied to the winding so as to decrease a deviation between the determined rotational phase and an instructed phase representing a target phase of the rotor of the motor, wherein the second controller includes a first mode in which the second controller controls the driving circuit so that the driving circuit supplies predetermined current to the winding to set the control value, and a second mode in which the second controller controls the driving circuit so that the driving circuit supplies driving current corresponding to the set target value to the winding, wherein the second controller is configured to set the control value based on the driving current detected by the detector in the first mode, wherein the second controller is configured to execute the first mode, in a case where the power is supplied from the power source to the first controller caused by switching of the second switching element from the fourth state to the third state and the first controller switches the state of the first switching element from the second state to the first state in response to the power being supplied to the first controller, and wherein the second controller is configured not to execute the first mode even if the first controller switches the state of the first switching element from the second state to the first state in response to the power mode being switched from the second power mode to the first power mode, in a case where the power mode is switched from the second power mode to the first power mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second switching element is configured to be operated by a user, the second switching element connecting the power source and the first controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to set, as the target value, a target value of a torque current component that is a current component represented in a rotational coordinate system based on the determined rotational phase and that produces a torque in the rotor so as to decrease the deviation between the determined rotational phase and the instructed phase. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to discriminate a type of the motor connected to the driving circuit based on the driving current detected by the detector in the first mode, and wherein the second controller is configured to set the control value corresponding to the discriminated type of the motor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control value includes a value corresponding to resistance of the winding. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a document conveyance unit including a stacking unit on which a document is stacked, and a conveyance unit configured to convey the document stacked on the stacking unit; and a reading unit including a transparent member, and a reading portion configured to read an image on a document placed on the transparent member and read an image on a document conveyed by the conveyance unit, wherein the document conveyance unit is configured to be rotatable with respect to the reading unit, and wherein the motor is configured to drive a load in the document conveyance unit. ### Claim 7 An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium, the image forming apparatus comprising: a power source connected to an external power source and configured to be supplied with power from the external power source; a motor configured to drive a load; a driving circuit, to which a winding of the motor is connected, and the driving circuit being configured to supply driving current to the winding based on power supplied from the power source; a first switching element configured to be switched between a first state in which the power is supplied from the power source to the driving circuit and a second state in which the power is not supplied from the power source to the driving circuit; a first controller configured to operate with power supplied from the power source and configured to switch a state of the first switching element between the first state and the second state; a second switching element configured to be switched between a third state in which the power is supplied from the power source to the first controller through the second switching element and a fourth state in which the power is not supplied from the power source to the first controller through the second switching element; a detector configured to detect driving current flowing through the winding; and a second controller configured to control the driving circuit, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a first power mode, as a power mode, in which the power is supplied from the power source to both the first controller and the driving circuit, and includes a second power mode, as the power mode, in which the power is supplied from the power source to the first controller and is not supplied from the power source to the driving circuit, the first controller switching the state of the first switching element from the second power mode to the first power mode, wherein the second controller is configured to: set a control value corresponding to a type of the motor connected to the driving circuit based on the driving current detected by the detector; determine a rotational speed of a rotor of the motor based on the driving current detected by the detector and the set control value; and set a target value of current to be supplied to the winding so as to decrease a deviation between the determined rotational speed and an instructed speed representing a target speed of the rotor of the motor, wherein the second controller includes a first mode in which the second controller controls the driving circuit so that the driving circuit supplies predetermined current to the winding to set the control value, and a second mode in which the second controller controls the driving circuit so that the driving circuit supplies driving current corresponding to the set target value to the winding, wherein the second controller is configured to set the control value based on the driving current detected by the detector in the first mode, wherein the second controller is configured to execute the first mode, in a case where the power is supplied from the power source to the first controller caused by switching of the second switching element from the fourth state to the third state and the first controller switches the state of the first switching element from the second state to the first state in response to the power being supplied to the first controller, and wherein the second controller is configured not to execute the first mode even if the first controller switches the state of the first switching element from the second state to the first state in response to the power mode being switched from the second power mode to the first power mode, in a case where the power mode is switched from the second power mode to the first power mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second switching element is configured to be operated by a user, the second switching element connecting the power source and the first controller. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second controller is configured to determine a rotational phase of the rotor, wherein the second controller is configured to set, as the target value, a target value of a torque current component that is a current component represented in a rotational coordinate system based on the determined rotational speed and that produces a torque in the rotor so as to decrease the deviation between the determined rotational speed and the instructed speed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control value includes a value corresponding to resistance of the winding. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the load is a conveyance roller configured to convey the recording medium. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a document conveyance unit including a stacking unit on which a document is stacked, and a conveyance unit configured to convey the document stacked on the stacking unit; and a reading unit including a transparent member, and a reading portion configured to read an image on a document loaded on the transparent member and read an image on a document conveyed by the conveyance unit, wherein the document conveyance unit is configured to be rotatable with respect to the reading unit, and wherein the motor is configured to drive a load in the document conveyance unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the load is a conveyance roller as the conveyance unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second controller includes a memory configured to store a first control value corresponding to a first type of the motor as the control value and a second control value corresponding to a second type of the motor different from the first type of the motor as the control value, and wherein the second controller is configured to: read, if the type of the motor connected to the driving circuit is discriminated as the first type, the first control value from the memory, and set the first control value as the control value; and read, if the type of the motor connected to the driving circuit is discriminated as the second type, the second control value from the memory, and set the second control value as the control value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control value includes a value corresponding to inductance of the winding. ### Claim 16 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second controller is configured to discriminate a type of the motor connected to the driving circuit based on the driving current detected by the detector in the first mode, and wherein the second controller is configured to set the control value corresponding to the discriminated type of the motor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the second controller includes a memory configured to store a first control value corresponding to a first type of the motor as the control value and a second control value corresponding to a second type of the motor different from the first type of the motor as the control value, wherein the second controller is configured to: read, if the type of the motor connected to the driving circuit is discriminated as the first type, the first control value from the memory, and set the first control value as the control value; and read, if the type of the motor connected to the driving circuit is discriminated as the second type, the second control value from the memory, and set the second control value as the control value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control value includes a value corresponding to inductance of the winding. ### Claim 19 (depends on 7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the load is a conveyance roller configured to convey the recording medium.