Control system and units removably attachable to the same

• US 7,123,370 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Nobuo, Sono, Koichi, Kondo, Kenichi, Koide, Yuji, Watanabe, Gaku, Sekine, Masayoshi, Ishikawa, Motohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT II, JEROME
• Application Number:
  US10/806,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20040178775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 358/468, 358/400, 358/401, 358/474, 358/496, 358/497, 358/442, 358/406, 358/437, 358/446, 358/422, 358/421, 358/436, 358/1.14, 358/504
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00496 Constructional details of the interface or console not otherwise provided for, e.g. rotating or tilting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00885 Power supply means, e.g. arrangements for the control of power supply to the apparatus or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00888 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00901 Using different supplies or connection to an external supply H04N1/00893, H04N1/00896 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0034 Details of the connection, e.g. connector, interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A control system having device units removably attachable to a control device such as a computer is arranged to optimize the allocation and distribution of electric power to the device units and also displays of varied kinds. For this purpose, each device unit of the system includes a communication circuit arranged to transmit information of electric power consumption and an operating state of the device unit detachably connected to the control device such as a computer, a stopping circuit for partly stopping a function of the device unit according to a control signal sent in reply from the control device on the basis of information of varied kinds transmitted through the transmission circuit to the control device. The control device, on the other hand, includes a communication circuit arranged to receive the information on the device unit from the device unit, and a control circuit arranged to compare the information of electric power consumption and the operating state received by the communication circuit with information of the amount of electric power which can be supplied to the device unit and to send the control signal to the device unit for partly stopping the function of the device unit according to the result of comparison. Further, the control device changes a display made therein and controls the operation of the device unit according to information of the operating state and the connected state of the device unit.

Claims

1. A unit detachable connectable to an apparatus which includes an electric power source, comprising:

a communication device, arranged to transmit electric power consumption information of said unit to said apparatus which includes the electric power source; and

a control device, arranged to effect control so that an operation mode of said unit is switched to a mode for reducing power consumption thereof, in accordance with a control signal supplied from said apparatus in response to the electric power consumption information transmitted thereto by said communication device,

wherein said apparatus which includes the electric power source is arranged so as to be detachably connectable to a plurality of units and supply electric power to each of said plurality of units.

2. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said communication device transmits information obtained by said unit to said apparatus in addition to the electric power consumption information of said unit.

3. A unit according to claim 2, wherein said unit is an image pickup unit, and wherein the information obtained by said unit is an image pickup data of the image pickup unit.

4. A control method of a unit which is detachably connectable to an apparatus which includes an electric power source, comprising the steps of:

transmitting electric power consumption information of said unit to said apparatus which includes the electric power source; and

effecting control so that an operation mode of said unit is switched to a mode for reducing power consumption thereof, in accordance with a control signal supplied from said apparatus in response to the electric power consumption information transmitted thereto in said transmitting step,

wherein said apparatus which includes the electric power source is arranged so as to be detachably connectable to a plurality of units and supply electric power to each of said plurality of units.