# US 9,519,253 B2 · Electric power supply device and image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 9,519,253 B2
- Document ID: US9519253B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/863,776
- Filed: 2015-09-24
- Published: 2016-03-31
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-26
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yuya Nishida
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519253B2

## CPC

- G03G 15/5004: {Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off}
- H02M 1/083: {for the ignition at the zero crossing of the voltage or the current}
- H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
- H02M 1/36: Means for starting or stopping converters
- H02M 5/2573: {with control circuit}
- H02M 1/0032: {Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode}
- Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

An electric power supply device for supplying electric power to a load, the electric power supply device includes a first relay connected with a live line of an AC voltage source; a second relay connected with a neutral line of the AC voltage source; a controller for executing a starting sequence for rendering On the first relay and the second relay from Off state; and a storing portion for storing information relating to the starting sequence executed by the controller; wherein when the electric power supply device is actuated, the controller switches the starting sequence on the basis of the information stored in the storing portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electric power supply device for supplying electric power to a load, said electric power supply device comprising:
at least one first relay connected with a live line of an alternating-current voltage source;
at least one second relay connected with a neutral line of the alternating-current voltage source;
a controller for executing a stopping sequence for rendering Off said first relay and said second relay from On state; and
a storing portion for storing information relating to the stopping sequence executed by said controller, said stopping sequence includes a first stopping sequence in which said first relay is rendered Off, and then said second relay is rendered Off, and a second stopping sequence in which said second relay is rendered Off, and then said first relay is rendered Off,
wherein when said controller discriminates whether or not the first relay and the second relay fail, said controller executes the second stopping sequence if the storing portion has stored the information relating to the first stopping sequence for a previous stopping sequence.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A device according to claim 1, wherein when said electric power supply device is stopped, said controller executes the first stopping sequence if the storing portion stores the information relating to the second stopping sequence.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A device according to claim 1, wherein said controller effects failure detection for said first relay in the first stopping sequence and effects failure detection for said second relay in the second stopping sequence.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A device according to claim 1, further comprising,
a supply portion for supplying electric power to the load, and
a detecting portion for detecting failure of said first relay or said second relay,
wherein said detecting portion includes a current detector for detecting a current flowing through the load, a voltage detection portion for detecting a voltage applied to the load, or a zero-cross detection portion for detecting a zero-cross point of an alternating-current voltage of the alternating-current voltage source.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

A device according to claim 3, further comprising,
a supply portion for supplying electric power to the load, and
a detecting portion for detecting failure of said first relay or said second relay,
wherein said detecting portion includes a current detector for detecting a current flowing through the load, a voltage detection portion for detecting a voltage applied to the load, or a zero-cross detection portion for detecting a zero-cross point of an alternating-current voltage of the alternating-current voltage source.

### Claim 6

An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming station for forming an image on a recording sheet;
a fixing portion for fixing the image formed on the recording sheet by said image forming station on the recording sheet;
an electric power supply device for supplying electric power to said fixing portion;
said electric power supply device including,
at least one first relay connected with a live line of an alternating-current voltage source;
at least one second relay connected with a neutral line of the alternating-current voltage source;
a controller for executing a stopping sequence for rendering Off said first relay and said second relay from On state; and
a storing portion for storing information relating to the stopping sequence executed by said controller, said stopping sequence includes a first stopping sequence in which said first relay is rendered Off, and then said second relay is rendered Off, and a second stopping sequence in which said second relay is rendered Off, and then said first relay is rendered Off,
wherein when said controller discriminates whether or not the first relay and the second relay fail, said controller executes the second stopping sequence if the storing portion has stored the information relating to the first stopping sequence for a previous stopping sequence.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said controller executes the stopping sequence when a state of said apparatus shifts from a stand-by state to a sleeping state which consumes less electric energy than in the stand-by state, the stand-by state waiting for shifting to a printing state for effecting image forming operation by said image forming station.