JP2011082922A - Power saving control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power saving control device, a power saving control program, and an image forming device which prevent recovery to a normal power state from a power saving state from becoming impossible to be performed by comparing with the case of not performing re-authentication when the power saving state becomes to be a not authenticated state under a previously determined communication standard after having moved to a power saving state. <P>SOLUTION: The power saving control device 34 includes a communication unit 50 for performing communications with a server device 14 for performing an authentication process of a user via a communication line, and a control unit 40 for controlling a communication unit 50 and notifying to a main controller 18 so that a communication state in the communication line when the main controller 18 which is an object of a power saving control is switched to a power saving state from a normal power state while information necessary for making it to be an authenticated state when being in a not-authenticated state defined by IEEE802.1X as a predetermined communication standard is transmitted to the server device 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power saving control device, a power saving control program, and an image forming apparatus.

  In Patent Document 1, when shifting from a power mode that supplies power to a control unit to a power saving mode that does not supply power to the control unit, communication for communicating with other communication devices before shifting to the power saving mode is disclosed. A technique for cutting off the power supply to the control unit after the speed is lowered is disclosed.

JP 2007-276341 A

  When the present invention shifts to a power saving state and enters a non-authenticated state according to a predetermined communication standard, it becomes impossible to return from a power saving state to a normal power state as compared with a case where re-authentication is not performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a power saving control device, a power saving control program, and an image forming apparatus that can be prevented.

  In order to achieve the above object, a power saving control device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with an authentication device that performs a user authentication process via a communication line, and a power saving control target. When the power control target unit is switched from the normal power state to the power saving state, if the communication state in the communication line is an unauthenticated state defined by a predetermined communication standard, it is necessary to enter the authenticated state. Notification means for notifying the control means included in the power saving target control section so as to control the communication means so that information is transmitted to the authentication device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the power saving target control unit enters the non-authentication state in the power saving state, the notification unit causes the power saving target control unit to enter the normal power state. Notifying the control means to control the power supply means for supplying power to the control means, and to control the communication means so that information necessary to enter the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device. When the authentication is successful, the power supply unit is controlled so that the power supply to the power saving target control unit is interrupted.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the notification unit detects that the communication speed in the communication line has been switched, information necessary for setting the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device. The control means is notified to control the communication means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the notification means receives authentication start request information for requesting start of authentication from the authentication device, information required to enter the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device. Thus, the control means is notified so as to control the communication means.

  The invention described in claim 5 is a power saving control program for causing a computer to function as each means constituting the power saving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus that is necessary for setting the authentication state from the power saving control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects and the power saving control device. Control of the communication means so that information necessary to enter the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication apparatus when notified to control the communication means so that information is transmitted to the authentication apparatus And a control unit included in the power saving target control unit, and an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium under the control of the control unit.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the state is shifted to the power saving state and becomes the non-authentication state, it is not possible to return from the power saving state to the normal power state as compared with the case where the re-authentication is not performed. It has the effect that it can be prevented.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when the non-authentication state is entered after shifting to the power saving state, it is impossible to return from the power saving state to the normal power state as compared with the case where re-authentication is not performed. It has the effect that it can be prevented.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing load as compared with the case where the non-authentication state is detected based on the information received from the authentication device.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where it is detected that the authentication apparatus has entered the non-authentication state without monitoring that the authentication start request information for requesting the start of authentication has been received from the authentication apparatus, the non-authentication is reliably performed. It has the effect that it can detect that it is an authentication state.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the state is shifted to the power saving state and becomes the non-authenticated state, it is impossible to return from the power saving state to the normal power state as compared with the case where the re-authentication is not performed. It has the effect that it can be prevented.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the state is shifted to the power saving state and becomes the non-authentication state, it is not possible to return from the power saving state to the normal power state as compared with the case where the re-authentication is not performed. It has the effect that it can be prevented.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of a power saving control apparatus. It is a flowchart of the main routine performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process in the normal mode performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process in the power saving mode performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process performed by CPU of the main controller which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process in the normal mode performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process in the power saving mode performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process in normal mode performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process in the power saving mode performed by the control part of the power saving control apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram at the time of comprising a power saving control apparatus including a computer.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of an image forming system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 10 has a configuration in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses 12 and a server apparatus 14 are connected to each other via a hub 16. Each device and the hub 16 are connected by a LAN (Local Area Network) cable 17. In addition, it is good also as a structure connected by wireless LAN by providing each apparatus with a wireless communication function instead of the structure connected by the LAN cable 17. FIG.

  FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 12. As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 12 includes a main controller 18.

  The main controller 18 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 18A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 18B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 18C, a non-volatile memory 18D, and an input / output interface (I / O) 18E via a bus 18F. Each is connected.

  The I / O 18E includes an operation display unit 20, an image reading unit 22, an image forming unit 24, a paper supply unit 26, a paper discharge unit 28, a telephone line interface (I / F) 30, a hard disk 32, and a power saving control device 34. Are connected to each other. A power supply unit 36 is connected to the power saving control device 34.

  The I / O 18E includes a media access controller (MAC) 19 for network communication with other devices such as the server device 14 via a power saving control device 34 described later.

  For example, the operation display unit 20 displays various buttons such as a start button for instructing the start of copying, various buttons such as a numeric keypad, a setting screen for setting various image forming conditions such as copy density, and a state of the apparatus. It is configured to include a touch panel and the like.

  The image reading unit 22 includes an image reading sensor such as a line CCD and a scanning mechanism for scanning the image reading sensor, and reads an image of a document set on the apparatus.

  The image forming unit 24 forms an image on a recording medium by, for example, a so-called electrophotographic method. Specifically, the image forming unit 24 is a charging device for charging the photosensitive drum, and the charged photosensitive drum is exposed to light corresponding to the image to expose the static on the photosensitive drum according to the image. An exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image, a developing device that develops toner with an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum, and a transfer device that transfers a toner image corresponding to the image formed on the photosensitive drum to a recording medium The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device that fixes a toner image corresponding to the image transferred to the recording medium.

  Examples of the exposure apparatus include an optical scanning apparatus configured to include an optical system such as a semiconductor laser, a rotating polygon mirror, a collimator lens, a cylindrical lens, and an fθ lens, and an LED head composed of a plurality of LEDs.

  The paper supply unit 26 includes a paper storage unit that stores recording paper, a supply mechanism that supplies recording paper from the paper storage unit to the image forming unit 24, and the like.

  The paper discharge unit 28 includes a discharge unit for discharging the recording paper, a discharge mechanism for discharging the recording paper on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 24 onto the discharge unit, and the like.

  The telephone line communication I / F 30 is an interface for performing facsimile communication with other image forming apparatuses connected via a telephone line (not shown).

  The hard disk 32 stores, for example, log data such as the status and operating status of each part of the apparatus, log data of processing results such as copying, facsimile communication, and printing, various setting data, control programs, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the power saving control device 34 includes a controller 44 including a control unit 40 and a storage unit 42, and a communication unit 50.

  Although details will be described later, the control unit 40 analyzes the packet data from the server device 14 received by the communication unit 50 via the hub 16, processes the result according to the analysis result, and outputs the received packet data to the main controller 18. A process of transmitting response packet data corresponding to the received packet data through the communication unit 50, and the like. The storage unit 42 stores packet data received by the communication unit 50.

  The communication unit 50 performs processing for setting a link speed (communication speed) in data communication with the hub 16 through communication with the hub 16 and performs data communication with other devices such as the server device 14 via the hub 16. Do.

  The power supply unit 36 supplies power to each unit of the image forming apparatus 12 in addition to the main controller 18 when the apparatus is in the normal mode in response to an instruction from the power saving control apparatus 34, and when the apparatus is in the power saving mode. The power is supplied only to the power saving control device 34 and the power supply to other functional units such as the main controller 18 is cut off.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 12 is supplied with power only to a normal mode in which power is supplied to the entire apparatus and can perform normal operation, and power is supplied only to some functional units, for example, the power saving control device 34, and other functions. A case will be described in which the operation is performed in any one of a power saving mode in which power supply to the unit is cut off to save power.

  In the present embodiment, each device of the image forming system 10 supports the IEEE 802.1X standard, which is a protocol that defines user authentication for devices connected to a wired LAN or a wireless LAN.

  In IEEE802.1X, an authentication server performs user authentication for a device connected to a LAN, and only authorized users can communicate. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 12 communicates with the server apparatus 14 as an authentication server via the hub 16.

  When the image forming apparatus 12 is connected to the hub 16, the hub 16 notifies the server apparatus 14 as an IEEE 802.1X authentication server of the connection. In the server device 14, for example, an EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) request packet (authentication start request information) that requests transmission of information necessary for user authentication such as a user ID and a password is transmitted via the hub 16 to the image forming device 12. Send to. In response to this, the image forming apparatus 12 transmits the requested information to the server apparatus 14 via the hub 16. When the user authentication is performed by the server device 14 and the image forming device 12 is notified that the authentication is successful, the image forming device 12 is permitted to communicate with other devices.

  Next, as an operation of the present exemplary embodiment, processing executed by the control unit 40 of the power saving control device 34 of the image forming apparatus 12 will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  In the present embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 12 is turned on, authentication processing in the IEEE 802.1X standard is executed by communication between the main controller 18 and the server apparatus 14, and the authentication has already been successful. To do.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a main routine executed by the control unit 40 of the power saving control device 34. This process is executed when the image forming apparatus 12 is turned on.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in step 100, processing in the normal mode as shown in FIG. 5 is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in step 200, it is determined whether or not the transition to the power saving mode is notified from the main controller 18, and if the transition to the power saving mode is notified, the process proceeds to step 202, and notification is made. If not, it waits until it is notified of the transition to the power saving mode.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, whether or not to shift to the power saving mode is determined by the main controller 18. The main controller 18 supplies power to functional units other than the power saving control device 34 in order to shift from the normal mode to the power saving mode when there is no operation or operation instruction for the image forming apparatus 12 for a predetermined time or more, for example. The power saving control device 34 is notified to stop.

  In step 202, the communication unit 50 is instructed to reduce the link speed (communication speed) in order to shift to the power saving mode and save power. In the normal mode, since a large amount of data such as print data is communicated, the processing efficiency is prioritized and the communication speed is set to a high speed (for example, 1 Gbps). In this embodiment, in the power saving mode, power consumption is suppressed. And the link speed is set to a low speed (for example, 10 Mbps). As a result, the communication unit 50 requests the hub 16 to reduce the communication speed and switches the communication speed.

  When the communication speed is switched in this way, although it depends on the specifications of the hub 16, the IEEE 802.1X authentication is generally cut off. When the authentication is expired, the server device 14 transmits an EAP request packet to the image forming device 12 in order to authenticate again.

  Therefore, in step 204, it is determined whether or not packet data is received from the hub 16. If packet data is received, the process proceeds to step 206. If packet data is not received, the process proceeds to step 208. To do.

  In step 206, it is determined whether or not the received packet is an EAP request packet. If the received packet is an EAP request packet, the process proceeds to step 210. If the received packet is not an EAP request packet, the process proceeds to step 208. .

  In step 208, it is determined whether or not a timeout has occurred. Specifically, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed since the communication unit 50 was instructed to decrease the link speed in step 202. If YES in step 216, the flow advances to step 216. If time-out has not occurred, the flow returns to step 204.

  If an EAP request packet is received, it is considered that authentication has expired. Therefore, in step 210, the main controller 18 is instructed to perform re-authentication. As a result, the main controller 18 transmits information necessary for authentication to the hub 16 via the power saving control device 34.

  In step 212, it is determined whether or not the authentication completion is notified from the main controller 18. If the authentication completion is notified, the process proceeds to step 214. If not notified, the process waits until reception.

  In step 214, it is determined whether or not the authentication is successful based on the authentication completion notification. If the authentication is successful, the process proceeds to step 216. If the authentication is unsuccessful, the process returns to step 200.

  In step 216, the power supply unit 36 is instructed to stop the power supply to the functional units other than the power saving control device 34 such as the main controller 18. Thereby, the power supply unit 36 cuts off the power supply to the functional units other than the power saving control device 34.

  If the authentication fails, instead of returning to step 200, the fact that the authentication has failed may be stored in the storage unit 42, and this routine may be terminated to shift to the power saving mode.

  In step 102 of FIG. 4, processing in the power saving mode as shown in FIG. 6 is executed.

  In step 300 shown in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 50 has received packet data from another apparatus via the hub 16. If received, the process proceeds to step 302. Waits until packet data is received.

  In the case of shifting to the power saving mode, as described above, since the authentication is shifted to the power saving mode after re-authentication, the authentication failure does not basically occur. However, the hub 16 is disconnected or plugged in for some reason. If it is reset, authentication expires. In this case, an EAP request packet is transmitted from the server device 14 to request re-authentication.

  In step 302, it is determined whether the received packet is an EAP request packet. If the received packet is an EAP request packet, the process proceeds to step 304. If the received packet is not an EAP request packet, the process proceeds to step 314. .

  In step 304, the power supply unit 36 is instructed to resume power supply to the main controller 18. As a result, the power supply unit 36 resumes power supply to the main controller 18. Here, since power is supplied only to the main controller 18 and not to other functional units, the image forming apparatus 12 remains in the power saving mode.

  Steps 306 to 312 are the same as steps 210 to 216 in FIG. 5, but if it is instructed to cut off the power supply to the main controller 18 in step 312, the process returns to step 300 and the processing in the power saving mode is continued. .

  If it is determined in step 310 that the authentication has failed, the routine is terminated and the normal mode is entered. If the authentication fails, this routine may not be terminated, but the fact that the authentication has failed may be stored in the storage unit 42 and the process may return to step 300.

  On the other hand, in step 314, it is determined whether or not the power saving control device 34 can make a proxy response. This is determined by, for example, storing in advance a list data of packets that can be used as proxy responses and packets that are not so in the storage unit 42 and referring to them.

  If the packet is not capable of proxy response, for example, if it is a packet that cannot be processed unless it is in the normal mode, such as print data, the process proceeds to step 316. If the packet is capable of proxy response, the process proceeds to step 320.

  In step 316, since it is necessary to return to the normal mode, the power supply unit 36 is instructed to supply power to the function unit that has been cut off in addition to the main controller 18, as in step 304. As a result, the power supply unit 36 resumes power supply to the functional unit that has been cut off from power supply.

  In step 318, the communication unit 50 is instructed to increase the communication speed to the communication speed in the normal mode (for example, 1 GHz), and this routine is terminated, and the process proceeds to the normal mode. Accordingly, the communication unit 50 switches the communication speed to the communication speed in the normal mode by communication with the hub 16.

  On the other hand, in step 320, a response packet corresponding to the received packet is transmitted. For example, response packet data corresponding to a packet capable of proxy response may be stored in the storage unit 42 in advance, and a response packet corresponding to the received packet may be transmitted with reference to this.

  Next, processing executed by the CPU 18A of the main controller 18 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. This process is executed, for example, every predetermined time.

  In step 400, it is determined whether or not a re-authentication operation instruction has been issued from the power saving control device 34. If a re-authentication operation instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step 402, and if there is no re-authentication operation instruction. Terminates this routine.

  In step 402, communication necessary for authentication is performed by transmitting authentication information to the server device 14 via the power saving control device 34.

  In step 404, it is determined whether or not the server device 14 has notified that the authentication has succeeded. If the authentication is successful, the process proceeds to step 406. If the authentication fails, the process proceeds to step 408.

  In step 406, the power saving control device 34 is notified that the authentication has been successful. On the other hand, in step 408, the power-saving control device 34 is notified that the authentication has failed, and a message indicating that the authentication has failed is displayed on the operation display unit 20, for example, so that the authentication has failed for the user. Inform the effect.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the communication speed is reduced and authentication is lost when shifting to the power saving mode, the server device 14 does not immediately shift to the power saving mode, but the EAP from the server device 14. Wait for the request packet to be sent. And when an EAP request packet is received, it re-authenticates and transfers to a power saving mode.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as 1st Embodiment, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Since the image forming system 10 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, as an operation of the present exemplary embodiment, processing executed by the control unit 40 of the power saving control device 34 of the image forming apparatus 12 will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  In the present embodiment, the process shown in FIG. 8 is executed in the normal mode process in step 100 of FIG. In addition, about the step which performs the process same as the process shown in FIG. 5, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The process shown in FIG. 8 is different from the process shown in FIG. 5 only in that the process in step 202 in FIG. 5 is omitted in the process in FIG.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the communication speed is reduced in order to suppress the power consumption in communication when shifting to the power saving mode has been described, but the communication speed is not necessarily decreased when shifting to the power saving mode. Therefore, in the present embodiment, processing for reducing the communication speed is omitted. In this case, the authentication failure does not occur due to the switching of the communication speed. However, as described above, the authentication failure occurs when the LAN cable 17 is connected or disconnected or the hub 16 is reset for some reason. Since the EAP request packet is transmitted from, the same processing as in FIG. 5 is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the process shown in FIG. 9 is executed in the power saving mode process in step 102 of FIG. In addition, about the step which performs the process same as the process shown in FIG. 6, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The process shown in FIG. 9 is different from the process shown in FIG. 6 only in that the process in step 318 in FIG. 6 is omitted in the process in FIG.

  As described above, even in the power saving mode, if the LAN cable 17 is disconnected or the hub 16 is reset for some reason, the authentication is lost and the server device 14 transmits the EAP request packet. Similar processing is performed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as 1st Embodiment, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Since the image forming system 10 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where the re-authentication operation is performed assuming that the authentication failure has occurred when the EAP request packet is received from the server device 14 is described, but in this embodiment, the packet is not monitored. A case will be described in which re-authentication is performed on the assumption that authentication failure has occurred when switching of link speeds is detected.

  Next, as an operation of the present exemplary embodiment, processing executed by the control unit 40 of the power saving control device 34 of the image forming apparatus 12 will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  In the present embodiment, the process shown in FIG. 10 is executed in the normal mode process in step 100 of FIG. In addition, about the step which performs the process same as the process shown in FIG. 5, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. Also, for steps that perform processing different from the processing shown in FIG. 5, “A” is appended to the end of the reference numeral.

  The process shown in FIG. 10 is different from the process shown in FIG. 5 in the process of step 204A.

  In step 204A, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 50 has switched the link speed of communication with the hub 16. If the link speed has been switched, the process proceeds to step 210. On the other hand, if the link speed has not been switched, the process proceeds to step 216 to instruct the power supply unit 36 to stop the power supply to the main controller 18 or the like.

  As described above, when the link speed is switched, it is considered that the authentication has expired, and processing necessary for re-authentication is executed in step 210 and subsequent steps.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the process shown in FIG. 11 is executed in the power saving mode process in step 102 of FIG. In addition, about the step which performs the process same as the process shown in FIG. 6, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. Also, for steps that perform processing different from the processing shown in FIG.

  The processing shown in FIG. 11 is different from the processing shown in FIG. 6 in the processing of steps 300A and 302A.

  In step 300A, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 50 has switched the link speed of communication with the hub 16. If the link speed has been switched, the process proceeds to step 304. On the other hand, if the communication speed has not been switched, the process proceeds to step 302A to determine whether or not a packet has been received. If a packet has been received, the process proceeds to step 314 and no packet has been received. If so, the process returns to step 300A.

  As described above, when the link speed is switched, it is considered that the authentication has been broken, and processing necessary for re-authentication is executed by the processing from step 304 onward.

  In each of the above embodiments, the controller 44 of the power saving control device 34 may be configured as a computer 80 as shown in FIG. A computer 80 shown in FIG. 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 80A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 80B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 80C, a non-volatile memory 80D, and an input / output interface (I / O) 80E. The communication unit 50 is connected to the I / O 80E. In this case, a program that causes the computer 80 to execute the processes shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8 to 11 is written in, for example, the nonvolatile memory 80D, and is read and executed by the CPU 80A. Thereby, the computer 80 functions as the main controller 18 of the power saving control device 34. The program may be provided by a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

  The configurations of the image forming apparatus 12 and the power saving control apparatus 34 described in the present embodiment (see FIGS. 2 and 3) are examples, and unnecessary portions may be deleted without departing from the scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that new parts may be added.

  The processing flow of the control program described in the present embodiment (see FIGS. 5 to 11) is also an example, and unnecessary steps can be deleted or new steps can be added without departing from the scope of the present invention. Needless to say, they may be added or the processing order may be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming system 12 Image forming apparatus 14 Server apparatus 16 Hub 17 LAN cable 18 Main controller (an example of control means)
20 Operation display unit 22 Image reading unit 24 Image forming unit (an example of an image forming unit)
26 Paper supply unit 28 Paper discharge unit 30 Telephone line communication I / F
32 Hard disk 34 Power saving control device 36 Power supply unit (an example of power supply means)
32 Hard disk 34 Power saving control device 40 Control unit (an example of notification means)
42 storage unit 44 controller 50 communication unit (an example of communication means)

Claims (6)

A communication means for communicating with an authentication device for performing a user authentication process via a communication line;
When the power saving control target part that is the target of power saving control switches from the normal power state to the power saving state, when the communication state in the communication line is a non-authentication state defined by a predetermined communication standard, A notification means for notifying the control means included in the power saving target control section so as to control the communication means so that information necessary for entering the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device;
A power-saving control device. The notifying unit supplies power to the control unit so that the power saving target control unit enters the normal power state when the power saving target control unit enters the non-authentication state in the power saving state. When controlling the power supply means and notifying the control means so as to control the communication means so that information necessary for entering the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device, and when authentication is successful The power saving control device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply means is controlled such that power supply to the power saving target control unit is interrupted. The notifying unit controls the communication unit so that information necessary to enter the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device when it is detected that the communication speed in the communication line has been switched. The power saving control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means is notified. The notification unit controls the communication unit so that information necessary to enter the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device when receiving authentication start request information requesting authentication start from the authentication device. The power saving control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means is notified.   A power saving control program for causing a computer to function as each means constituting the power saving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The power saving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Necessary for entering the authentication state when the power saving control device is notified to control the communication means so that information necessary for entering the authentication state is transmitted to the authentication device. The control means for controlling the communication means so that information is transmitted to the authentication device;
An image forming unit that is included in the power saving target control unit and forms an image on a recording medium under the control of the control unit;
An image forming apparatus.

Images