POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20070280720A1
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kimura, Yoshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,675,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/88
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/80 Details relating to power supplies, circuits boards, electrical connections

Abstract

A circuit unit connects outputs from a first power supply and a second power supply in parallel, and simultaneously supplies powers from both power supplies to a load. A control unit controls an output current from the first power supply to an upper-limit value or lower, and controls an output current from the second power supply to a value obtained by subtracting the upper-limit value from a current detected by a current detector. An abnormality detector detects an abnormality in simultaneously supplied power, based on a reference current value associated with an operating state of the power supply apparatus and the current detected by the current detector.

Claims

1. A power supply apparatus comprising:

a first power supply that outputs a constant voltage using an externally supplied power as an input source;

a second power supply that outputs a constant current using a power charged in a capacitor as an input source;

a circuit unit that connects an output from the first power supply and an output from the second power supply in parallel, and simultaneously supplies a power from the first power supply and a power from the second power supply to a load;

a current detector that detects a current supplied to the load;

a control unit that controls an output current from the first power supply to equal to or lower than an upper-limit value, and controls an output current from the second power supply to a value obtained by subtracting the upper-limit value from the current detected by the current detector;

a residual power detector that detects a residual power of the capacitor; and

an abnormality detector that estimates the residual power of the capacitor according to an operating state of the power supply apparatus and detects an abnormality in simultaneously supplied power, based on detected residual power and estimated residual power.

3. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium;

a fixing unit that heats the recording medium on which the image is formed, using a heater;

a power supply unit that supplies a power to the heater of the fixing unit;

the power supply apparatus according to claim 1, which supplies a power to a load of the image forming unit; and

a system controller that reduces, when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, an amount of power to be supplied from the power supply unit to the fixing unit, and continues an image forming process of forming the image on the recording medium.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, the system controller outputs a notice of the abnormality.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, the system controller transmits information on the abnormality to a network to which the image forming apparatus is connected.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium;

a fixing unit that heats the recording medium on which the image is formed, using a heater;

a power supply unit that supplies a power to the heater of the fixing unit;

the power supply apparatus according to claim 1, which supplies a power to a load of the image forming unit; and

a system controller that reduces, when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, an amount of power to be supplied from the power supply unit to the fixing unit, and suspends a start of forming an image on a next recording medium after forming the image on a current recording medium.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, the system controller outputs a notice of the abnormality.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, the system controller transmits information on the abnormality to a network to which the image forming apparatus is connected.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium;

a fixing unit that heats the recording medium on which the image is formed, using a heater;

a temperature detecting unit that detects a heating temperature of the fixing unit;

a power supply unit that supplies a power to the heater of the fixing unit;

the power supply apparatus according to claim 1, which supplies a power to a load of the image forming unit; and

a system controller that reduces, when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, an amount of power to be supplied from the power supply unit to the fixing unit, and if the heating temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, suspends a start of forming an image on a next recording medium after forming the image on a current recording medium.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, the system controller outputs a notice of the abnormality.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the power supply apparatus detects the abnormality, the system controller transmits information on the abnormality to a network to which the image forming apparatus is connected.

2. A power supply apparatus comprising:

a first power supply that outputs a constant voltage using an externally supplied power as an input source;

a second power supply that outputs a constant current using a power charged in a capacitor as an input source;

a circuit unit that connects an output from the first power supply and an output from the second power supply in parallel, and simultaneously supplies a power from the first power supply and a power from the second power supply to a load;

a first current detector that detects a current supplied to the load;

a control unit that controls an output current from the first power supply to equal to or lower than an upper-limit value, and controls an output current from the second power supply to a value obtained by subtracting the upper-limit value from the current detected by the current detector;

a second current detector that detects the output current from the second power supply; and

an abnormality detector that detects an abnormality in simultaneously supplied power, based on the output current from the second power supply detected by the second current detector, the upper-limit value, and the current detected by the first current detector.