Abstract:
An apparatus and method for saving power in an office machine having a display panel are provided. The method comprises setting the apparatus in an operation standby mode, detecting whether an error exists in the apparatus and turning on the display panel to display the error thereon when the error is detected. Furthermore, the apparatus keeps the display panel in an off state when the error is not detected. Thus, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a power saving method of an office machine which prevents unnecessary power consumption during an operation of an office machine having a display panel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/566,650, filed on Aug. 3, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/939,822, filed on Nov. 4, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,259,096, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/517,432, filed on Sep. 8, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,855,721, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-0084769, filed on Sep. 12, 2005 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosures of all of said prior applications being incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a power-saving control method and a apparatus employing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for saving power by driving a display panel in a power saving mode. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Generally, an office machine may comprise a photocopier, a facsimile, a printer and the like. With the recent development of display technology, many office machines employ a display panel such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to enhance a user&#39;s convenience. 
         [0006]    Furthermore, such display panels are advancing in development in line with the advance of office machines. 
         [0007]    However, office machines which employ a display panel such as the advanced LCD panel consume a large amount of power. 
         [0008]    Also, the conventional office machines consume power unnecessarily as the display panel displays information even when the office machines operate normally. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for saving power in an office machine. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, it is an aspect of exemplary embodiments of the present invention to provide a apparatus and method for saving power which prevents unnecessary power consumption during an operation of an office machine having a display panel. 
         [0011]    Additional aspects and/or advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice. 
         [0012]    The foregoing and/or other aspects of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are also achieved by providing an apparatus and method for saving power used by an office machine having a display panel, comprising setting the office machine in standby mode, detecting whether an error exists in the office machine, turning on the display panel to display the error thereon when the error is detected, and keeping the display panel in an off state when the error is not detected. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is further provided a display lamp to display a normal operation state of the office machine, wherein the display lamp is illuminated when the error is not detected. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus and method for converting an office machine into a power saving mode when the office machine receives a request to be converted into the power saving mode, converting into an operation standby mode when the office machine receives a request to be converted into the operation standby mode, detecting whether an error exists in the office machine, turning on the display panel to display the error when the error is detected, and keeping the display panel in the off state when the error is not detected. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus and method further comprise turning on the display panel according to a command input by a user. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The above and/or other aspects and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an office machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of an element of the exemplary office machine shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a control flowchart of a power-saving control method of an office machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0020]    Throughout the drawings, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    The matters defined in the description such as a detailed construction and elements are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the invention and are merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness. Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The exemplary image forming apparatus  100  may include a printer, a facsimile, a multifunction device or similar apparatus that forms an image on a printing media. However, the present invention is not limited to an apparatus that forms an image on a printing media. 
         [0023]    The exemplary image forming apparatus  100  comprises a printing part  110  which performs a printing operation, a user interface  120  which displays an operation state of the image forming apparatus  100  and receives a command input from a user, a power supply  130  which supplies power to the printing part  110  and the user interface  120  and a controller  140  which controls the printing part  110  and the user interface  120 . 
         [0024]    The controller  140  controls power supplied to the printing part  110  through a printing power supply  150  which is provided between the printing part  110  and the power supply  130 , and controls power supplied to the user interface  120  through a switch  160  which is provided between the user interface  120  and the power supply  130 . 
         [0025]    Furthermore, the controller  140  may be connected with an external computer  200  through a network. 
         [0026]    The user interface  120  may comprise an input part  121  to which a user inputs a command and a display panel  122  which displays an operation state of the image forming apparatus  100 . The user interface  120  may perform input and output functions with the display panel  122  by employing a touch screen and the like. 
         [0027]    Printing data, which may be received from the computer  200 , is converted into a printing command by the controller  140 . The printing part  110  receives the printing command and performs the printing operation on a printing medium. Here, the controller  140  controls the display panel  122  of the user interface  120  to display a current operation state, in other words a printing operation state of the image forming apparatus  100 . 
         [0028]    Meanwhile, a method of saving power of the office machine according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is accomplished by on/off operations of the display panel  122  through on/off controls of the switch  160  by the controller  140 . Details of the power saving method of the office machine will be described later. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates an external appearance of an exemplary user interface  120  of the image forming apparatus  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . The exemplary user interface  120  comprises the display panel  122  provided, for example, on a left side thereof as a touch screen and the input part  121  which is provided, for example, on a right side thereof and having a plurality of buttons. The user interface  120  further comprises a display lamp  123  such as one or more LEDs (light emitting diodes) to display a normal or abnormal state of the image forming apparatus  100  and a display panel power button  124  to selectively turn on and off the display panel  122  by a user. The display panel  122  may be turned on and off by an operation of the display panel power button  124  by a user, other than by control of the controller  140 . 
         [0030]    A user may input a command through the input part  121  or through the display panel  122  when a touch screen is provided as the display panel  122 . Also, the display panel  122  displays the operation state of the image forming apparatus  100  through a display control of the controller  140 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is a control flowchart illustrating an exemplary power-saving control method of the image forming apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0032]    First, the image forming apparatus  100  is initialized when receiving power (S 10 ). The initialization may comprise trial operations of respective elements of the image forming apparatus  100  and removing of a latent image and toner remaining in the printing part  110 . During the initialization (S 10 ), the display  122  remains in an off state. 
         [0033]    The image forming apparatus  100  is set in a printing standby mode through the initialization (S 20 ). Here, in the printing standby mode, the image forming apparatus  100  is ready to immediately perform a printing operation. Typically, in the printing standby mode, the printing part  110  receives power so as to perform a printing operation as required. 
         [0034]    In the printing standby mode, the controller  140  determines whether the respective elements of the image forming apparatus  100  have errors (S 30 ). That is, the controller  140  checks for jams, printing paper, remaining toner, malfunction of the elements and the like. 
         [0035]    When the controller  140  determines that there is no error, the controller  140  turns on the display lamp  123  only while the display panel  122  of the user interface  120  is turned off, to display the normal state of the image forming apparatus  100  (S 40 ). 
         [0036]    Conversely, when the controller  140  determines that there is an error, the controller  140  turns on the display panel  122  to display the corresponding error information thereon (S 80 ). 
         [0037]    Accordingly, the display panel  122  of the user interface  120  remains in an off state when the image forming apparatus  100  is initialized and when the apparatus operates normally. When the image forming apparatus  100  operates abnormally, the display panel  122  of the user interface  120  is converted into an on state to display the error information thereon. 
         [0038]    If error information is displayed in S 80 , a user may respond properly to the error information displayed on the display panel  122 . 
         [0039]    Meanwhile, after the display lamp  123  is turned on, the image forming apparatus  100  is converted into a power saving mode when a printing operation is not performed for a period of time (S 50  and S 60 ). A program may be used to determine whether the period of time has passed. When the period of time has passed without a printing operation, the controller  140  may recognize it as a request for a conversion to the power saving mode (S 50 ). 
         [0040]    In the power saving mode (S 60 ), the controller  140  reduces the power supplied to the printing part  110 , thereby minimizing power consumption of the image forming apparatus  100 . To convert from the power saving mode to the printing standby mode again, the printing part  110  may be preheated by receiving power at a normal level. 
         [0041]    When the controller  140  receives a printing command through data transmission from the external computer  200  or through the user interface  120  by a user, the controller  140  determines to convert the image forming apparatus  100  into the printing standby mode (S 70 ). Then, the image forming apparatus  100  is converted into the printing standby mode by the control of the controller  140  (S 20 ). 
         [0042]    In the printing standby mode, the image forming apparatus  100  detects for error again before performing the printing operation (S 30 ). If an error is detected, the image forming apparatus  100  turns on the display  122  to display the detected error on the display panel  122  (S 80 ). When the error is not detected, the image forming apparatus  100  turns on the display lamp  123  only while turning off the display panel  122 , to perform the printing operation. 
         [0043]    Meanwhile, a user may turn on the display panel  122  through the display panel power button  124  to check the operation state of the image forming apparatus  100 . 
         [0044]    In the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the image forming apparatus  100  is provided as an example of the office machine, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the present invention may be applicable to various office machines having a display panel to save power through on/off controls of the display panel. 
         [0045]    Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their full scope of equivalents.