JP2000222057A - Information processing system and method for optimizing automatic stop time - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To optimize the set value of automatic stop time for a system/device by dynamically setting/changing the set value of the automatic stop time for the system and the device in accordance with a use situation by a user. SOLUTION: A buffer 30 stores the values of unused time of the past N times (N>=1) of a device. An automatic stop time deciding part 40 obtains the information of the past device unused time from the buffer 30 and decides a new automatic stop time set value on the basis of it. When a long trend exists in the past unused time, the new set value is made shorter than the current one because there is a high possibility that the device ends in failure (the next access to the device is not generated during the time) even if the device is maintained in a full energizing state while it is not used. Conversely, when the past unused time is inclined to be short, the set value of the automatic stop time is increased because there is a high possibility that the next access is generated in a short time even when it is next entered to an unused state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an information processing system such as a personal computer having a power saving control function and a method of optimizing an automatic stop time applied to the system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information processing systems such as personal computers have been equipped with various power saving control functions for the purpose of extending battery operating time. As the power saving control function, a system auto-off function and a device auto-off function are known. The system auto-off function is for turning off the system power when the system is not used for a certain period of time. The device auto-off function is to turn off the display on condition that there is no key input for a certain period of time, or to stop the motor of the hard disk when there is no access for a certain period of time.

In a personal computer having such a power saving control function, an interface for setting an automatic stop time of a system and an automatic stop time of a device such as a hard disk or a display is opened to a user by an OS or a utility program. The automatic stop time can be set by the user himself.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional system, 1) a user must perform an operation for setting / changing an automatic stop time set value by himself / herself.
There are two problems that the operation becomes complicated and 2) the set value determined by the user is based only on the user's feeling and there is little ground that it is optimal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and enables a user to dynamically set / change a set value of an automatic stop time of a system or a device according to a use situation by a user. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system capable of optimizing a set value of an automatic stop time without a change operation, and an automatic stop time optimizing method.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an information processing system or a device in the information processing system when the system or the device is not used for a preset automatic stop time. In an information processing system having a function of automatically shifting to a power saving state, a state detection unit for detecting a use / non-use state of the system or device, and the system or the device based on information from the state detection unit. Time measuring means for measuring the non-use time of the device, means for holding the past N times (N ≧ 1) of measurement results by the time measuring means as a history of measurement results, and past non-use indicated by the history of measurement results An optimal value of the automatic stop time is determined based on a length of time, and the automatic stop time is reset using the determined value. Characterized by comprising a dynamic stop time determination means.

According to this configuration, the set value of the automatic stop time of the system / device is automatically updated based on the length of the non-use time in the past. Without setting / changing, it is possible to set the automatic stop time to a value that seems to be optimal based on past system / device usage trends. For example, when the past non-use time tends to be long, it is highly possible that the next access does not occur immediately after entering the non-use state. If the usage time tends to be short, there is a high possibility that the next access will occur in a short time even after entering the non-use state next, so control such as increasing the set value of the automatic stop time may be performed. preferable.

In addition, since the followability of the set value of the automatic stop time with respect to the change of the use state changes depending on the value of N, the value of N is set to a different value for each type of the device to be controlled for power saving. It is preferable to set. As a result, the value of N is set to a small value for a device such as a disk in which use / non-use switches rapidly, and the followability is improved, and N is set to N for a device such as a display which has relatively few use / non-use switches. It is possible to control such that the value is set to be large and averaging is performed.

[0009] In addition, an upper limit and a lower limit are set for the changeable automatic setting time so that the automatic stop time is updated within a certain range. Since the relationship between the automatic stop times is defined by a relational expression such as an inequality expression, it is preferable to update the automatic stop time within a range satisfying the relational expression.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the stoppage of use of a certain device is used as a trigger to change the automatic stoppage time of another device or system so that the automatic stoppage timing is advanced. Accordingly, for example, when the display enters the power saving state, control such as automatically shifting the system and other devices to the power saving state can be performed, and wasteful power consumption can be reduced. .

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the type of application to be executed and the automatically set time are held in association with each other, and the set value of the automatic stop time is also changed in conjunction with the switching of the application. As a result, power saving control using the automatic stop time suitable for the type of the application that is currently active can be realized. Alternatively, a history of past non-use time may be accumulated separately for each type of application, and an optimal automatic setting time for the type of application currently in the active state may be determined according to the history.

Further, a video camera or the like attached to the information processing system can be used as a sensor, and the automatic setting time can be dynamically changed according to the presence or absence of an operator.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to an information processing system according to an embodiment. This information processing system is used as an information device such as a personal computer or a PDA. The power saving control of the device is made up of a power management mechanism unit 1 and an automatic stop time management unit 2.

The power management mechanism unit 1 automatically shifts the information processing system or a device in the information processing system to a power saving state when the system or device in the information processing system is not continuously used for a preset automatic stop time. And is realized using an OS or the like.

More specifically, the power management mechanism 1 detects a non-use state (system idle) of the system based on the presence or absence of a key input, the presence or absence of a bus access, and the like. When the suspension time (system auto-off time) continues, the information processing system is shifted to the power saving state. The power saving state of the system includes a stop state in which the system power is turned off, a suspend state in which most other devices except the memory are turned off, and a hibernation state in which the system power is turned off after saving memory data to the disk device. There is.

Further, the power management mechanism 1 includes:
It also has the function of shifting it to a power saving state for each device such as a display or hard disk. The corresponding automatic stop time (display auto-off time, HDD auto-off time) is set for each of the devices to be controlled, and when the non-use state continues for the automatic stop time of the device, the device is omitted from the normal operation state. Transition to the power state. For example, as for the display, the display screen is turned off when the time during which no keyboard operation or mouse operation is performed continues for the display auto-off time. When the hard disk is not accessed for the HDD auto-off time, the power of the hard disk is turned off or the rotation of the motor is stopped.

The automatic stop time management section 2 is for automatically optimizing the above-mentioned automatic stop time of the system / device, and is realized by software. Here, a mechanism for optimizing the automatic stop time in the first embodiment will be described.

That is, in the first embodiment, the length of the non-use time of the system / device for the past N times is examined, and a new set value of the automatic stop time of the system / device is determined according to the length. , The current setting value is automatically updated based on the information.

Basically, when the past non-use time tends to be long, even when the system / device is kept in the full energized state when the non-use state is entered, it is missed (immediately after the next use). Since access is not likely to occur), the set value of the automatic stop time is reduced. Conversely, if the past non-use time tends to be short, the next access is likely to occur in a short time even if the next non-use state is entered, so the set value of the automatic stop time is increased. As a result, it is possible to prevent a power saving effect of reducing unnecessary power supply when the system / device is not used, and to prevent a decrease in performance due to an unnecessary power saving of the system / device.

In order to realize such control, the automatic stop time management unit 2 includes a state detection unit 10, a timer unit 20, a buffer 30, an automatic stop time determination unit 40, and an automatic stop time setting unit, as shown in FIG. A unit 50 is provided.

1) The state detector 10 monitors the use / non-use state of the target device, detects the start and end of the non-use state, and sends a trigger to the timer 20.

2) The timer 20 measures the non-use time of the device, receives the trigger from the state detector 10, measures the length of the non-use time of the device, and buffers the result as a buffer. 30.

3) The buffer 30 holds the measurement results from the clock unit 20 for the past N times (N ≧ 1). By deleting the oldest measurement time when the latest measurement time is written, the buffer 30 always has the latest past N
The measurement results for the times (N ≧ 1) are held.

4) The automatic stop time determining unit 40 obtains information on the past device non-use time from the buffer 30 and determines a new automatic stop time setting value based on the information. If the past non-use time tends to be long, even if the device is kept fully energized when not in use, it is likely that it will be missed (the next access to the device will not occur in the meantime), so a new Set the value shorter than the current one.
Conversely, if the past non-use time tends to be short, the next access is likely to occur in a short time even if the next non-use state is entered, so the set value of the automatic stop time is increased.

5) The automatic stop time setting unit 50 updates the value of the current automatic stop time held in the system to the new automatic stop time determined by the automatic stop time determination unit 40.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the set value determining algorithm of the automatic stop time determining unit 40.

First, the automatic stop time determination unit 40
The length of time the device has not been used recently using the contents of
Investigate trends. In this example, the average N times of non-use
Interval T _avrAnd calculate this as your recent device idle time
(Step S1)
1). Next, the value of the currently set automatic stop time (T
_{of f}) (Step S12), and the average non-use time T
_avrIs T_offTo determine whether it is below or above
S13).

If the average non-use time T _avr is smaller than T _off (YES in step S13), T _avr < _0.8T
By examining whether or not the condition _off (step S14), and the average non-use time T _avr determines whether below the one or greatly slightly below T _off.

Similarly, when the average non-use time T _avr exceeds T _off (NO in step S13), T _avr >
By checking whether or not the condition of 1.2T _off is satisfied (step S15), it is determined whether the average non-use time T _avr greatly exceeds T _off or slightly exceeds it.

In this example, the latest device non-use time T
If _avr is sufficiently long compared to the current T _off (step S
And 15 YES in), if slightly below the current T _off the (NO in step S14), and cost to considered good reasonable condition, not modified the current T _off (step S16).

The latest device non-use time is the current T _off
If it is slightly longer than (NO in step S16),
"It was determined that the next access would occur immediately, and the full power-on state was maintained even when the device was not in use. However, the device was stopped without any access. After that, the next access occurred immediately after the stop. It has been returned to the full energized state. " This is because power is consumed when not in use and power is wasted, and at the moment the next access actually occurs, the device is stopped, and the time lag from when the device is turned on to the full power-on state deteriorates usability. That is the worst case. In this case, by slightly increasing (multiplying by 1.2) the current T _off (step S17), there is a high possibility that the full energized state can be maintained until the next access occurs.

Finally, when the latest device non-use time is significantly lower than the current T _off (YES in step S14), the user feels stress due to the time lag because the full power is always supplied when the next access occurs. Nevertheless, there is almost no chance that the device stops, and the power consumption is very large. In this case, the current T
By reducing _off (0.8 times) (step S18), the chance of stopping the device is increased.

According to such an algorithm, a new device automatic stop time set value can be determined by observing the tendency of past device non-use time.

Application Example of the First Embodiment In the first embodiment, the data of the non-use time for the past N times of the device is used, but N may be 1. Basically, the smaller the value of N, the better the follow-up to the current situation,
Conversely, the set value is difficult to stabilize. It is desirable to set the value of N individually for each device type depending on the characteristics of the device. More specifically, for a device such as a disk that switches between use and non-use frequently, the value of N is set to a small value to improve the follow-up property, and the device is used / displayed.
For a device in which the switching of non-use is relatively small, the value of N is set to a large value to achieve averaging.

In the first embodiment, T _off is increased by 1.2 times, and T _off is decreased by 0.8 times. However, these magnifications may of course be any values. . Instead of multiplying by a constant, another calculation method such as adding or subtracting a constant may be used. Since the magnitude of the constant for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division also becomes a factor in determining the ability of the set value to follow the current state, it is desirable to set the value separately for each device type.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to the information processing system according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment,
The following method is used for optimizing the automatic stop time.

That is, in the second embodiment, the automatic stop of the device (A) to be monitored is detected, a necessary time lag is added thereto, and the time lag is used as a trigger to automatically stop another device (B) or the system. The stop time is set.

For a specific device such as a display, there are very few cases where a user uses a personal computer even though the device is in a power saving state. Conversely, if there is no input by the user (for returning the device) immediately after the device automatic stop time has elapsed and the device has entered the power saving state, it is quite likely that the user is not in front of the personal computer. Can be estimated with accuracy. Therefore, by using this information and automatically updating the automatic stop time of another device or system to a small value, useless power consumption can be suppressed.

In order to realize such control, the automatic stop time management section 2 comprises a state detection section 101, a timer section 102, an automatic stop time determination section 103, and an automatic stop time setting section 104 as shown in the figure. Have been.

1) The state detection unit 101 monitors the power supply / stop state of the monitoring target device A, and sends a trigger to the automatic stop time determination unit 103 when the stop is detected.

2) The clock unit 102 generates time information so that the automatic stop time determination unit 103 can measure the elapsed time after the stop of the device A.

3) The automatic stop time determination unit 103 determines whether the device B
Generate a new automatic stop time setting for. The new setting is usually shorter than the current setting. Alternatively, a fixed value (= "0") may be determined in order to immediately shift to the low power consumption state.

4) The automatic stop time setting unit 104 updates the value of the current automatic stop time of the device B held in the system to the new automatic stop time determined by the automatic stop time determination unit 103.

FIG. 4A shows an automatic stop time determination unit 103.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of a set value determination algorithm.

That is, when a predetermined time elapses after the detection that the device A has shifted to the power saving state, the automatic stop time determination unit 103 first obtains the current automatic stop time set value T _off of the device B. (Step S21).
Then, the obtained current automatic stop time set value T _off
Is determined as a new automatic stop time set value T _off of the device B (step S22).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), regardless of the current value of the automatic stop time set value T _{of f} the device B, change the T _off to a fixed value, such as uniquely "0" (Step S31).

Application of <Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, the set value of the automatic stop time of the device B is changed using the data of the operation state of the device A. The system itself may be used.

In the second embodiment, the set value of the automatic stop time of the device B is changed using the data of the operation state of the device A. However, the device B is forcibly stopped directly instead. No problem.

The target device for which the automatic stop time is set is not limited to one device B, and the stop times of a plurality of devices such as devices B, C, and D are set simultaneously using information from the same device A. You can change it.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to the information processing system according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment,
The following method is used for optimizing the automatic stop time.

That is, in the third embodiment, the method of the first embodiment is improved, and the automatic stop time of the system / device is automatically updated only within the range between the specified maximum value and minimum value. It is. By setting the upper and lower limits of the automatic setting time that can be changed in this way and updating the automatic stop time within a certain range, it is possible to prevent the problem that the automatic stop time fluctuates to an inappropriate value It is possible to do.

In order to realize such control, the automatic stop time management unit 2 includes the state detection unit 10 shown in FIG.
Timer unit 20, buffer 30, automatic stop time determination unit 40,
A comparison unit 60 and a buffer 70 are provided in addition to the automatic stop time setting unit 50.

1) The state detector 10 monitors the use / non-use state of the target device, detects the start and end of the non-use state, and sends a trigger to the timer 20.

2) The timer 20 receives the trigger from the state detector 10 and measures the length of non-use time of the device.
The result is sent to the buffer 30.

3) The buffer 30 holds the measurement results from the clock unit 20 for the past N times (N ≧ 1).

4) The automatic stop time determining unit 40 obtains information on the past device non-use time from the buffer 30 and determines a new device automatic stop time setting value based on the information.

5) The buffer 70 holds the maximum value and the minimum value for keeping the changeable range of the device automatic stop time set value within an appropriate range. These are usually fixed values.

6) The comparison unit 60 is provided with the automatic stop time determination unit 4
The new set value determined by 0 is compared with the maximum value and the minimum value. If the value exceeds the maximum value or falls below the minimum value, the maximum value and the minimum value are set as new setting values, respectively.

7) The automatic stop time setting unit 50 updates the value of the current automatic stop time held in the system to a new device automatic stop time set value restricted by the comparing unit 60.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a set value determination algorithm by the automatic stop time determination unit 40 and the comparison unit 60.

Here, steps S11 to S18 in FIG.
Is added to the maximum value and the minimum value in steps S41 to S45. With this comparison processing, T _off is variably set only within an appropriate range.

That is, at step S17, T_offPresent
It is a candidate for automatic stop time to be set to 1.2 times the current
Is determined, the T_offIs the maximum value T_maxTo
It is determined whether it has exceeded (step S41),
The current T if_offTo the maximum value T_maxSet to
(Step S43), and if not exceeded, step S1
T determined in 7_offUse the candidate values of
(Step S42). Also, in step S18
T_offThe automatic stop time can be set to 0.8 times the current
Is determined as a candidate for_offIs the smallest candidate value for
Value T_minIs determined (step S).
44) If below, the current T _offThe value of
Value T_minIs set (step S45), and it is not less than
In this case, T determined in step S18_offThe candidate value of
It is used as a new set value (step S42).

[0064] Application Example of <Embodiment 3>: In the third embodiment, if the candidate value of T _off exceeds the maximum value, T _off
Is the maximum value itself, but this may be another algorithm. For example, an algorithm may be considered in which when the candidate value exceeds the maximum value, T _off is not changed. The same applies to the minimum value. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which only one of the maximum value and the minimum value is limited.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to an information processing system according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment,
The following method is used for optimizing the automatic stop time.

That is, in the fourth embodiment, by improving the method of the first embodiment, a relational expression (mostly an inequality expression) to be satisfied by a plurality of systems / devices during the automatic stop time is determined. In addition, automatic updating is performed only within a range that does not deviate from them. For example, the display automatic stop time (T _D ) is the system automatic stop time (T _S )
If the length is extremely long, the system itself stops before the display stops, which is meaningless. In order to avoid such a case, a relational expression of T _D <T _S is defined, and a new automatic stop time set value is determined only in a range satisfying the relational expression. As a result, it is possible to prevent a setting value that is considered to be inappropriate from being generated.

In order to realize such control, the automatic stop time management unit 2 includes the state detection unit 10 shown in FIG.
Timer unit 20, buffer 30, automatic stop time determination unit 40,
In addition to the automatic stop time setting unit 50, a relationship determining unit 80 and a buffer 90 are provided.

1) The state detector 10 monitors the use / non-use state of the target device, detects the start and end of the non-use state, and sends a trigger to the timer 20.

2) The timer 20 measures the length of non-use time of the device in response to a trigger from the state detector 10,
The result is sent to the buffer 30.

3) The buffer 30 holds the measurement results from the clock unit 20 for the past N times (N ≧ 1).

4) The automatic stop time determination unit 40 obtains information on the past device non-use time from the buffer 30 and determines a new device automatic stop time setting value based on the information.

5) The buffer 90 holds a relational expression with the automatic stop time set value of another device or system that the automatic stop time set value of the device A should satisfy.

6) The relationship determining unit 60 determines whether the new automatic stop time set value determined by the automatic stop time determining unit 40 satisfies the relational expression in the buffer 90.
Automatic stop time setting unit 5 only when the relational expression is satisfied
Send new value to 0.

7) The automatic stop time setting unit 50 changes the value of the current automatic stop time held in the system to the new device automatic stop time set value sent from the relation determination unit 60.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a set value determination algorithm by the automatic stop time determination unit 40 and the relationship determination unit 80.

First, the buffer 9
The relational expression is obtained from 0 (step S5).
1) Other devices B, C, D other than the device to be controlled
Current automatic stop time set value T for each
The values of _{off_B, C, and D} are obtained (step S52). Next, the automatic stop time determination unit 40 performs steps S11 to S18 in the flowchart of FIG. 2, and determines a new candidate value for the automatic stop time T _{off_A} of the device A (step S53).

Thereafter, the relation determining unit 80 determines _whether the candidate value of the new automatic stop time T _{off_A} of the device A is
Current automatic stop time set value T for each of C and D
_It is determined whether or not the relationship with the values of _{off_B , C, and D} satisfies the relationship defined by the relational expression (step S54). If so, the current automatic stop time T _{off_A} of the device A is changed to a candidate value of the new automatic stop time T _{off_A} determined by the automatic stop time determining unit 40 (step S55).
If the condition is not satisfied, the current automatic stop time T _{off_A} of the device A is held without being changed (step S56).

Application of <Embodiment 4> In this embodiment, it is assumed that the setting values of devices other than the device whose setting value is to be changed can be regarded as fixed values. It may be assumed that the setting value of is changed at the same time. In this case, it is necessary for a plurality of devices associated with each other by a relational expression to define a priority order as to which setting value is to be prioritized. For example, in the case where the setting values of the devices A and B are updated simultaneously, if the relational expression of T _A ≧ T _B is defined, the candidate value of T _A is 20 (min) and the candidate value of T _B is 30 ( min), it is necessary to determine whether T _{A is set} to 30 to satisfy the relational expression or T _{B is set} to 20. At this time, if a priority is defined between A and B, it is possible to specify which candidate value is to be corrected.

Further, here, an example has been described in which only the relationship between the automatic stop times between the devices is considered. However, actually, the actual system automatic stop time and the candidate value of the automatic stop time of the device to be controlled are considered to be different. It is important to consider the relationship.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 9 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to the information processing system according to the fifth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment,
The following method is used for optimizing the automatic stop time.

That is, in the fifth embodiment, in a system having an operating environment in which a plurality of application programs can be started simultaneously and used while switching the active application program, when the active application program is switched, it is linked to the active application program. The automatic switching to the device automatic stop time set value associated with the type of the application program is performed automatically. For example, by associating a large value (or infinity) as the display automatic stop time setting value with the application program for presentation, it is possible to avoid a trouble that the display suddenly disappears during the presentation. By automatically switching the setting value for each type of currently active application,
It is possible to reduce the user's trouble of switching settings.

To realize such control, the automatic stop time management section 2 includes a state detection section 201, a detection section 202, a table 203, and an automatic stop time setting section 204 as shown in the figure.

1) The state detection unit 201 detects that the active application has been switched in cooperation with the OS or the like, and sends a trigger to the detection unit 202.

2) Upon receiving a trigger from the state detecting unit 201, the detecting unit 202 specifies the currently active application in cooperation with the OS or the like.

3) The table 203 holds the correspondence information between the type of the application and the set value of the automatic stop time.

4) The automatic stop time setting unit 204 reads a set value corresponding to the currently active application from the table 203, and sets the value as a new automatic stop time.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a set value determining algorithm according to the fifth embodiment.

First, when the active application program is switched, the type of the newly activated application program is determined (step S61). Then, a setting value corresponding to the type of the application program is obtained, and the value of the current automatic stop time is changed to the value. For example, when switching to the application program App_1, the current value of the automatic stop time of the system / device becomes
(Step S62). Similarly, when the application program is switched to the application program App_2, the setting value is changed to the setting value corresponding to the application program App_2 (step S63). In the case of App_3, the setting value is changed to the setting value corresponding to the application program App_3 (step S64). Is changed to the set value corresponding to that App_N (step S65).

Application of <Fifth Embodiment> In the fifth embodiment, the processing in the case where the application registered in the table 203 is activated is described. Other processing may be performed. For example, when a registered application is activated, the current setting value is saved as an initial value and then the setting value is switched. Then, when the application becomes inactive next time, if the next activated application is an unregistered application, the setting value is returned to the saved initial value. If the registered application is another application, the setting value corresponding to the application is read from the table and used, but the initial value saved at this time is kept as it is. That is, the initial value is
This is not the last setting value, but the last setting value when an unregistered application was active.

When the active application is switched to a registered application, a time lag may be intentionally provided before the set value is switched accordingly. When users switch between active applications, not only when they calm down and work on that application, they can switch to another application immediately after just a few seconds, or momentarily activate an application that was accidentally not intended. This is because there are some cases that will be lost. In this case, a time lag of about 10 seconds is intentionally provided, and the setting value is switched for the first time after a specific application is active for 10 seconds, thereby preventing the setting value from changing rapidly. Although it depends on the type of device, the reasonable value that can be originally set for the device automatic stop time is on the order of 1 minute or more even for the shortest device.
A time lag of about 0 second does not particularly affect the operation.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 11 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to an information processing system according to the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the following method is used to optimize the automatic stop time.

That is, in the sixth embodiment, as in the fifth embodiment, when the active application is switched, control is performed such that the device automatic stop time is automatically switched in conjunction therewith, but the control is associated with each application. The set value is based on the last N systems /
The length of non-use time of the device is checked and determined according to the length of time. In this case, the data to be analyzed is only the data of the entire data while the application is active. It is easy to imagine that the usage tendency of the system / device is different depending on the type of the active application, and when all of them are analyzed, the average value eventually becomes meaningless. In the sixth embodiment, by analyzing / using past data for each type of active application,
It is possible to perform more detailed automatic setting value updating.

In order to realize such control, the automatic stop time management section 2 includes a first state detection section 30 as shown in FIG.
1. Clock section 302, second state detection section 303, detection section 3
04, a buffer 305, an automatic stop time determination unit 306, and an automatic stop time setting unit 307.

1) The first state detector 301 monitors the use / non-use state of the target device, detects the start and end of the non-use state, and sends a trigger to the timer 302.

2) The timer 302 is provided with the first state detector 3
In response to the trigger from 01, the length of non-use time of the device is measured, and the result is sent to the buffer 305.

3) The second state detection unit 303 detects that the active application has been switched in cooperation with the OS, and sends a trigger to the detection unit 304.

4) The detector 304 is the second state detector 3
In response to the trigger from 03, an application that is currently active is specified in cooperation with the OS.

5) The buffer 305 is divided into sub-tables for each type of application and has device non-use time information for the past N times (N ≧ 1).
The sub-table corresponding to the active application detected by the detection unit 304 becomes active. The new unused time information from the timer 302 is added to the active sub-table.

6) The automatic stop time determining unit 306 obtains information on the past device non-use time from the active sub-table in the buffer 304, and determines a new device automatic stop time setting value based on the information. The method for the determination is the same as in the first embodiment.

7) The automatic stop time setting unit 307 changes the current device automatic stop time held in the system to a new device automatic stop time set value determined by the automatic stop time determination unit 306.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the set value determining algorithm used in the sixth embodiment.

First, an application in an active state
Is detected (step S71), and the application
Is stored in the sub-table corresponding to the type of the
According to the history of the past N times of non-use, the new device
The motion stop time set value is determined. For example, an application
If you switch to the application program App_1,
Subtable corresponding to application program App_1
By using the information of the
Is the new automatic stop time T corresponding to Ap_1_{of f}Is decided
Is performed (step S72). Application program
The same applies to the programs Ap_2,. And now
The present T_offIs the new automatic stop time T _offChanged to
(Step S76).

Application of <Sixth Embodiment> In the sixth embodiment, upper and lower limits of set values that can be changed are provided in the same manner as in the third embodiment. An application is possible in which the relationship between the set value of the automatic stop time between the device and the system is changed within a range satisfying a predetermined relational expression.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 13 shows a configuration for power saving control applied to the information processing system according to the seventh embodiment. In the seventh embodiment, the following method is used to optimize the automatic stop time.

That is, in the seventh embodiment, a control is used in which a video camera or the like attached to the information processing system is used as a sensor, and the automatic setting time is dynamically changed according to the presence or absence of an operator. Done. When the operator is not in front of an information processing system such as a personal computer, it is possible to reduce unnecessary power consumption by shortening the set value of the automatic stop time of the system / device.

In order to realize such control, the automatic stop time management section 2 includes a state detection section 401, a detection section 402, a table 403, and an automatic stop time setting section 404 as shown in the figure.

1) The state detecting unit 401 detects that the state of the operator has changed, for example, by analyzing an image from a video camera attached to the information processing system, and sends a trigger to the detecting unit 402.

2) Upon receiving a trigger from the state detecting unit 401, the detecting unit 402 detects the presence or absence of the operator from the video from the video camera.

3) The table 403 holds automatic stop time setting values corresponding to when the operator is present and when the operator is absent.

4) The automatic stop time setting section 404 reads a set value corresponding to the current state of the operator from the table 403, and sets the value as a new automatic stop time.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the set value determination algorithm according to the seventh embodiment.

First, when the state of the operator is switched,
It is determined whether the operator is present (step S8).
1). When the state of the operator is switched from being present to being absent, the current value of the automatic stop time T _off is changed to a set value corresponding to the absence set in the table 403 (step S83). When the status is switched from absence to presence, the current automatic stop time T
The value of _off is changed to the set value corresponding to the presence set in the table 403 (step S82).

The contents of each embodiment have been described above. However, since each functional unit of the automatic stop time management unit 2 used in each embodiment can be realized by software, each function of the automatic stop time management unit 2 can be realized. If a computer program including the procedure corresponding to the above is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, the same effects as those of the embodiments can be obtained only by introducing the program into a normal computer through the recording medium.

Further, the functions of the embodiments can be used in appropriate combination, and further effects can be obtained.

[0115]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The setting value of the automatic stop time of the system or device can be dynamically set / changed according to the usage situation by the user, and the set value of the automatic stop time can be optimized without the user's setting / change operation. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an automatic stop time setting algorithm used in the seventh embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Power management mechanism part, 2 ... Automatic stop time management part, 10, 101, 201, 301, 303 ... State detection part, 20, 102, 302 ... Clock part, 30, 70, 9
0, 305: buffer, 40, 103, 306: automatic stop time determination unit, 50, 104, 204, 307, 404
... Automatic stop time setting unit, 60... Comparison unit, 80.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. In the system, state detecting means for detecting a use / non-use state of the system or the device, time measuring means for measuring a non-use time of the system or the device based on information from the state detecting means, Means for retaining the measurement results of the past N times (N ≧ 1) as a history of measurement results; and determining an optimum value of the automatic stop time based on the length of the past non-use time indicated by the history of the measurement results. And
An information processing system comprising: an automatic stop time determining unit that resets the automatic stop time using the determined value. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the value of N is individually set for each type of device to be subjected to power saving control. 3. A means for holding a maximum value and a minimum value which can be set as an automatic stop time of the system or the device; a value of the automatic stop time determined by the automatic stop time determining means; 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: comparing means for comparing the automatic stop time within a predetermined range defined by the maximum value and the minimum value. 4. A means for holding a relational expression defining a relationship between automatic stop times between devices or between a device and a system, wherein the value of the automatic stop time determined by the automatic stop time determining means is the relational expression. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: means for determining whether or not the automatic stop time is satisfied within a range where the relational expression is satisfied. 5. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. In the system, state detection means for detecting an operation / stop state of the first device; time measurement means for measuring an elapsed time after the first device has stopped; and a stop of the first device. When it is detected that a certain period of time has passed since then, the optimal value of the automatic stop time of the system or the second device is determined so that the timing at which the system or the second device is shifted to the power saving state is advanced. Automatic stop time determining means for resetting the automatic stop time of the system or the second device using the determined value. An information processing system comprising: 6. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. In the system, a switching detection unit that detects that an active application program executed on the information processing system has been switched, a detection unit that detects a type of an application program that is currently active, a type and a system of the application program, and Means for holding correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the device and the automatic stop time, and acquiring the automatic stop time corresponding to the type of the currently active application program from the correspondence information, The information processing system characterized by comprising a means for updating the value of the automatic stop time in accordance with the switching of the program. 7. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. A switching detection unit configured to detect that an active application program executed on the information processing system has been switched; a detection unit configured to detect a type of an application program that is currently active; State detection means for detecting a non-use state; time measurement means for measuring the non-use time of the system or device based on information from the state detection means; and N past (N ≧ 1) measurements by the time measurement means The result
Means for individually holding a history of measurement results for each type of application program, and for each type of currently active application program, an optimal value of the automatic stop time is determined using a history of measurement results corresponding thereto, An information processing system comprising: an automatic stop time determining unit that resets the automatic stop time using the determined value. 8. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. In the system, means for detecting the presence or absence of an operator using a sensor provided in the information processing system, and when the operator is absent, the timing at which the system or the second device is shifted to a power saving state is set. Means for updating the automatic stop time according to the detection result so as to be earlier than when the user is present. 9. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. An optimization method applied to a system for optimizing the value of the automatic stop time, comprising: a step of detecting a use / non-use state of the system or device; and a step of detecting information from the state detection unit. A clocking step of measuring the non-use time of the system or the device; a step of storing the measurement results of the past N times (N ≧ 1) by the clocking step in a buffer as a history of the measurement results; Determine the optimal value of the automatic stop time based on the length of non-use time in the past,
Resetting the automatic stop time using the determined value. 10. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. An optimization method applied to a system for optimizing the value of the automatic stop time, comprising: detecting an operation / stop state of a first device; A timing step for measuring an elapsed time; and when it is detected that a certain period of time has elapsed since the first device was stopped, a timing at which the system or the second device is shifted to a power saving state is advanced. The optimum value of the automatic stop time of the system or the second device is determined as described above, and the determined value is used for the system or the second device. Resetting the automatic stop time of the device. 11. An information processing system having a function for automatically shifting a system or a device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. An optimization method applied to a system, for optimizing the value of the automatic stop time, comprising: detecting that an active application program executed on the information processing system has been switched; and Detecting the type of an application program, and referring to correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the type of the application program and the automatic stop time of the system or device, to automatically stop the type of the currently active application program Get time, access Updating the value of the automatic stop time in accordance with switching of the active application program. 12. An information processing system having a function of automatically shifting a system or device to a power saving state when the information processing system or a device in the information processing system is not used for a preset automatic stop time. An optimization method applied to a system, for optimizing the value of the automatic stop time, comprising: detecting that an active application program executed on the information processing system has been switched; and Detecting a type of an application program; detecting a state of use or non-use of the system or device; measuring non-use time of the system or device based on information from the state detection step A timing step; A step of holding the measurement results of N times (N ≧ 1) in a buffer as a history of measurement results individually for each type of application program, and a history of measurement results corresponding to each type of currently active application program. Using the determined value to reset the automatic stop time using the determined value.