US 6,580,460 B1 · System connecting power supply line to image sensing device upon data transport

Abstract

According to the invention, a power supply for an image sensing device is obtained from a printer to prevent consumption of the battery. When the image sensing device is connected to the printer, a power management unit checks if electric power can be supplied from the printer. When electric power can be supplied from the printer, the power management unit switches the power supply from the battery to a power supply receiving/supplying unit that receives electric power from the printer. In this case, if the remaining capacity on the battery is small, the battery is charged by electric power from the printer. Also, the luminance of a display unit is increased, or the operation frequency of a control unit is raised. On the other hand, when electric power cannot be supplied from the printer, the power management unit switches the power supply to the battery. In this case, the power management unit reduces consumption power by decreasing the luminance of the display unit or reducing the operation frequency of the control unit.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An image input/output system built by connecting an image output device and an image input device, said image output device outputting an image signal received from said image input device, and supplying electric power to said image input device,

said image input device being connected to said image output device via a connection cable to transmit image data to said image output device and to receive the electric power supplied from said image output device, said image input device comprising:
a power supply unit;
and
a power supply control unit (i) for determining whether to receive the electric power from said image output device, (ii) for, when it is determined that said image input device can receive the electric power from said image output device, using the electric power from said image output device, and (iii) for, when it is determined that said image input device cannot receive the electric power from said image output device, using electric power from said power supply unit,
wherein said image input device further comprises means for, when said image input device can receive the electric power from said image output device, measuring a supplied electric power amount, and optimizing an arithmetic operation speed of an image processing operation of said image input device in accordance with the obtained electric power value.

2 more elements

An image input device comprising:

connection means connected to an external device which exchanges data with a connected device, and can supply electric power to said image input device;
a power supply unit;
a power supply control unit (i) for checking if electric power can be received from said external device, (ii) for, when it is determined that the electric power can be received from said external device, using the electric power from said external device, and (iii) for, when it is determined that the electric power cannot be received from said external device, using electric power from said power supply unit;
and
means for, when the electric power can be received from said external device, measuring a supplied electric power amount, and optimizing an arithmetic operation speed of an image processing operation of said image input device in accordance with the obtained electric power value.

2 more elements

A method of controlling an image input device, which has a power supply unit and a display unit, is connected to an external device, and is driven by electric power supplied from one of the external device and the power supply unit, comprising:

a determination step of checking if electric power can be received from the external device;
a power supply control step of using the electric power from the external device when it is determined that the electric power can be received from the external device, and using electric power from the power supply unit when it is determined that the electric power cannot be received from the external device;
and
a measuring step of measuring a supplied electric power amount when it is determined in said determination step that the electric power can be received from the external device, and optimizing an arithmetic operation speed of an image processing operation of the image input device in accordance with the obtained electric power value.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System connecting power supply line to image sensing device upon data transport

Life of this patent

System connecting power supply line to image sensing device upon data transport

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18