Patent ID: 8924757
Filing Date: 2014-12-30
Classification: G03G,G06F,H04N,Y02D

Abstract:
1. An electrical apparatus, comprising: a power supply controller for switching a power supply mode between a normal power mode for supplying power to respective parts of the electrical apparatus, a first power saving mode for reducing a power supply amount as compared with the normal power mode and a second power saving mode for reducing the power supply amount as compared with the first power saving mode; a time meter which starts measuring time when the execution of an operation of the electrical apparatus based on a manipulation on the electrical apparatus is completed in a state where the electrical apparatus is set in the normal power mode; a manipulation instruction receiver for receiving an instruction for a manipulation on the electrical apparatus; and a switch controller for instructing a switch to the first power saving mode to the power supply controller when a state where no instruction for the manipulation is received by the manipulation instruction receiver continues and the time measured by the time meter reaches a preset first standby time in the normal power mode, a switch to the second power saving mode to the power supply controller when the state where no instruction for the manipulation is received by the manipulation instruction receiver continues and the time measured by the time meter reaches a preset second standby time in the first power saving mode, and a switch from the first or second power saving mode to the normal power mode when an instruction for the manipulation is received by the manipulation instruction receiver in a state where the electrical apparatus is set in the first or second power saving mode; wherein the switch controller omits the first power saving mode and instructs a switch to a third power saving mode as a power supply mode in which the power supply amount is less than in the first power saving mode, but more than in the second power saving mode when the time measured by the time meter reaches the first standby time if a predetermined condition is satisfied; the electrical apparatus is an image forming apparatus and comprises an image forming unit including a fixing device for heating a toner image at a preset temperature and fixing the toner image to a recording medium; the power supply controller switches the power supply mode between the normal power mode for supplying power to the respective parts including the image forming unit, the first power saving mode for reducing the power supply amount as compared to the normal power mode by setting the temperature of the fixing device at a temperature lower than the preset temperature and the second power saving mode for reducing the power supply amount as compared to the first power saving mode by setting the temperature of the fixing device at a temperature lower than the temperature in the first power saving mode; and the predetermined condition is that a manipulation performed on the image forming apparatus has not been a manipulation for causing the image forming unit to form an image a preset number of times or more in a row after the switch from the first or second power saving mode to the normal power mode.