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US 8,265,512 B2Granted
Power supply unit for image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKatsuya Endo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A first power system supplies electric power to a first control circuit. A second power system supplies electric power to a load further on a downstream side than the second power system. A second control circuit receives the supplied electric power from a commercial power supply. In a power saving mode, a path switching section switches an electric power supply path to interrupt the electric power from the second power system to a cooling fan and supply electric power from an electricity storing section to the cooling fan.
Claims20
A power supply unit for an image forming apparatus comprising:
- a first control circuit configured to control the image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium, to be transitioned among plural operation modes including a normal mode in which the image forming apparatus operates at normal power consumption and a power saving mode in which the image forming apparatus operates at other power consumption lower than the normal power consumption;
- a first power system configured to receive first electric power supplied from a commercial power supply, and supply second electric power to at least the first control circuit;
- a second power system configured to receive the first electric power supplied from the commercial power supply, and supply third electric power to a load further on a downstream side than the second power system;
- an electricity storing section provided on a downstream side in a power supplying direction of the second power system and charged by the third electric power from the second power system in the normal mode;
- a switch configured to turn off and on the first electric power from the commercial power supply to the second power system in association with open and close of a body cover, and generate fourth electric power;
- a second control circuit to which the fourth electric power is supplied through the switch;
- a cooling fan controlled by the second control circuit and configured to receive the third electric power supplied by the second power system;
- and
- a path switching section driven by the second control circuit and configured to switch, in the power saving mode, an electric power supply path to interrupt the third electric power from the second power system to the cooling fan and supply fifth electric power from the electricity storing section to the cooling fan.
6 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a process section configured to generate, with first electric power supplied from a commercial power supply, a developer image on a medium using an electrophotographic system;
- a fixing device configured to fix the developer image on the medium with heat generated in a heat generating member using the first electric power supplied from the commercial power supply;
- a first control circuit configured to control the process section and the fixing device to be transitioned among plural operation modes including a normal mode in which the image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium operates at normal power consumption and a power saving mode in which the image forming apparatus operates at other power consumption lower than the normal power consumption;
- a first power system configured to receive the first electric power supplied from the commercial power supply, and supply second electric power to at least the first control circuit;
- a second power system configured to receive the first electric power supplied from the commercial power supply, and supply third electric power to a load further on a downstream side than the second power system;
- a electricity storing section provided on a downstream side in a power supplying direction of the second power system and charged by the third electric power from the second power system in the normal mode;
- a switch configured to turn off and on first electric power from the commercial power supply to the second power system in association with open and close of a body cover, and generate fourth electric power;
- a second control circuit to which the fourth electric power is supplied through the switch;
- a cooling fan controlled by the second control circuit and configured to receive the third electric power supplied by the second power system;
- and
- a path switching section driven by the second control circuit and configured to switch, in the power saving mode, an electric power supply path to interrupt the third electric power from the second power system to the cooling fan and supply the fifth electric power from the electricity storing section to the cooling fan.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.