JP2012063887A - Image forming apparatus, energy saving management method, and energy saving management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further improve an energy saving effect by accumulating, in a common memory, data which a subsystem uses in an energy saving mode and maintaining the energy saving mode.SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus including a main system for controlling the whole apparatus in a preset normal mode, and a subsystem controlling a part of the apparatus in a preset energy saving mode; further includes: power state determination means, in response to a data reference request from an external device, determining a mode based on the power state of the main system; and data management control means that accumulates the data managed by the main system when shifting to the energy saving mode, in a memory used as a buffer of prescribed data in the normal mode and, when the mode acquired by the power state determination means is determined to be the energy saving mode, controls to acquire the data according to the reference request from the data accumulated in the memory.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an energy saving management method, and an energy saving management program.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a demand for a reduction in power consumption even in image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals due to an increase in energy orientation of users. Depending on the user, for example, the purchase product is often determined based on the power consumption described in the product catalog or the like.

  In each country, energy conservation is recommended, various regulations and standards are established, and efforts are being made to reduce power consumption. For example, the Energy Conservation Law has been amended in Japan, and standards such as Energy Star and Blue Angel have been established overseas. For example, products that meet certain conditions are marked with a log mark indicating that they are environmentally conscious products. Is permitted.

  In order to comply with such regulations and standards, energy saving operation modes (hereinafter referred to as “energy saving mode”) such as a sleep mode, a standby mode, and a low power mode are introduced in each product. Note that the conventional image forming apparatus has a main system that controls the entire apparatus in the normal mode and a subsystem that consumes less power. In the energy saving mode, the main system is turned off and the subsystem is connected to the apparatus. A method of reducing power consumption by controlling a part is known.

  Conventionally, a method has been disclosed in which an ASIC (Application Specified IC) is mounted in a system to maintain an energy saving state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Here, the problem in the prior art will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a problem in the prior art.

  The image forming apparatus 1A shown in FIG. 1A and the image forming apparatus 1B shown in FIG. 1B are the subsystem 3B and the ASIC provided in the image forming apparatus 1B shown in FIG. It is different in point. That is, FIG. 1B shows an example in which the ASIC shown in Patent Document 1 is mounted on the subsystem 3A of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

  A conventional image forming apparatus 1A shown in FIG. 1A is, for example, an MFP (Multi Function Printer), an SFP (Single Function Printer), or the like, and is roughly configured to include a main system 2A and a subsystem 3A. ing.

  In the energy saving mode, the image forming apparatus 1A turns off the main system 2A and operates only by the subsystem 3A. The image forming apparatus 1A is connected to a plurality of terminal devices 4-1 to 4-2 such as a client PC as an external device via a network.

  The main system 2A manages, for example, CGI (Common Gateway Interface) data using Web, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), etc., status data of the image forming apparatus 1A, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, during normal time (in normal mode), the status data of the image forming apparatus 1A is referred to the data management means of the subsystem 3A by an actor (user) of the terminal device 4, for example. When there is a normal time information acquisition request, etc., the data management means sends a normal time information acquisition request to the flash ROM of the main system 2A, receives data (return) from the flash ROM, and outputs the data to the actor Was.

  At the time of energy saving transition, the power management means of the main system 2A outputs an energy saving transition notification to the data management means, and if the data management means is OK for energy saving transition, it outputs a return to the power management means that the transition is OK. When the energy saving information acquisition request is received from the actor during energy saving (in energy saving mode), the data management means cancels the energy saving state of the main system 2A and responds to the information acquisition request from the flash ROM. I was getting data.

  Therefore, the period of the energy saving state of the main system 2A is shortened, and the energy saving state of the main system 2A must be canceled only for acquiring data, and the energy saving state cannot be maintained, so that the efficiency is very poor.

  Further, as shown in the conventional image forming apparatus 1B in FIG. 1B, when the ASIC is mounted on the subsystem 3B, when the above-described information acquisition request is made at the time of energy saving, the data The management means acquires data corresponding to the information acquisition request from the ASIC and outputs the data to an actor to maintain the energy saving state of the main system 2B. However, in the example of FIG. 1B, since the memory is limited, only the status data can respond while maintaining the energy saving state of the main system 2B, and more information cannot be provided.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and stores an image used by a subsystem in an energy saving mode in a shared memory, thereby maintaining the energy saving mode and further improving the energy saving effect. It aims at providing an energy saving management method and an energy saving management program.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a main system for controlling the entire apparatus in a preset normal mode and a subsystem for controlling a part of the apparatus in a preset energy saving mode. In response to a data reference request from an external device, power state determination means for determining a mode from the power state of the main system, and data managed by the main system at the time of transition to the energy saving mode are predetermined in the normal mode. Data is stored in a memory used as a data buffer, and data corresponding to the reference request is acquired from the data stored in the memory when the mode obtained by the power state determination unit is determined to be the energy saving mode. And data management control means for controlling as described above.

  The present invention also provides an energy saving management executed in an image forming apparatus having a main system that controls the entire apparatus in a preset normal mode and a subsystem that controls a part of the apparatus in a preset energy saving mode. A method for determining a mode from a power state of the main system in response to a data reference request from an external device and data managed by the main system at the time of transition to the energy saving mode are determined in the normal mode. Data is stored in a memory used as a data buffer, and data corresponding to the reference request is acquired from the data stored in the memory when the mode obtained by the power state determination procedure is determined to be the energy saving mode. And a data management procedure for performing control as described above.

  The present invention is also an energy saving management program in an image forming apparatus having a main system that controls the entire apparatus in a preset normal mode and a subsystem that controls a part of the apparatus in a preset energy saving mode. In response to a data reference request from an external device, the power state determination means for determining the mode from the power state of the main system, and the data managed by the main system at the time of transition to the energy saving mode are determined in the normal mode. Data is stored in a memory used as a data buffer, and data corresponding to the reference request is acquired from the data stored in the memory when the mode obtained by the power state determination unit is determined to be the energy saving mode. It is made to function as a data management control means for controlling as described above.

  According to the present invention, by storing data used by the subsystem in the energy saving mode in the shared memory, it is possible to maintain the energy saving mode and further improve the energy saving effect.

It is a figure for demonstrating the subject in a prior art. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structural example of a subsystem. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the execution process in the data management control means which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the execution process of the data management control means at the time of energy saving mode transfer. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the other execution process of the data management control means at the time of energy saving mode transfer. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the execution process in the data management control means at the time of return to normal mode at the time of constructing a virtual file system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Schematic Configuration Example of Image Forming Apparatus According to this Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 is configured to include a main system 11M, a subsystem 11S, and a shared memory 12. The image forming apparatus 10 is connected to terminal devices 13-1 to 13-2 such as client PCs as external devices via a network.

  In the present embodiment, for example, by reusing the shared memory 12 that is not used in the energy saving mode, larger data is cached without installing a new memory. For example, an area used as a buffer for printing when energy is not used is used for the memory to be reused. This area is not used in the energy saving mode because printing cannot be performed in the energy saving state. Therefore, for example, about 76 Kbytes of Web UI top screen data is cached in this buffer.

  Here, an operation example in this embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In addition, since it is the same as that of the operation | movement shown in FIG. 1 about normal time, description here is abbreviate | omitted.

  When the data management means of the subsystem 11S receives an energy saving transition notification from the power management means of the main system 11M during the energy saving transition, it makes a data acquisition request to the main system 11M. For example, when the Web UI top screen data or the like is acquired from the flash ROM or the like of the main system 11M, the data management unit stores the data in the shared memory 12, makes a data storage destination request to the shared memory 12, and receives the data storage destination address.

  Next, the data management means outputs a return indicating that the energy saving transition is OK to the power management means, and when there is an energy saving time information acquisition request from the actor, the data according to the information acquisition request from the shared memory 12 Is obtained and output to the actor.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, when the main system 11M receives a data acquisition request from the subsystem 11S, the data is directly stored in the shared memory 12 and is stored in the data management unit. You may notify that.

  Thereby, for example, when there is an information acquisition request from the terminal device 13 for referring to the status data of the image forming apparatus 10, the Web UI that provides more information while maintaining the energy saving state of the main system 11M. It is possible to display the top screen or the like. This is a result of considering that there are many opportunities to use the status monitor on the top screen of the Web UI, and this makes it possible to increase the period of the energy saving state while maintaining the memory saving.

<Hardware Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 10>
Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment described above will be specifically described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 10 is configured to include a controller board 11, an engine unit 14, an operation unit 15, and the like. The controller board 11, the engine unit 14, and the operation unit 15 are connected via an I / F group 16.

  As will be described later, the shared memory 12 used in this embodiment is included in the controller board 11. Further, as described above, the image forming apparatus 10 is connected to terminal devices 13-1 to 13-2 such as client PCs as external devices via a network.

  On the controller board 11, a main CPU 111 and a sub CPU 121 are arranged. The main CPU 111 is a CPU of the main system 11M. The sub CPU 121 is a CPU of the subsystem 11S. The main CPU 111 and the sub CPU 121 are connected via a bus. In the figure, arrows indicate buses.

  The main system 11M is a hardware group that controls the image forming apparatus 10 in the normal mode. The subsystem 11S is a hardware group that controls the image forming apparatus 10 in the energy saving mode.

  The energy saving mode is a state in which power is supplied only to the subsystem 11S in order to reduce power consumption when, for example, a no-operation state continues for a certain period of time, power supply to the main system 11M and the engine unit 14 This refers to a power-saving state such as a state in which is reduced. The normal mode refers to a normal power state in which power supply to the main system 11M, the subsystem 11S, the engine unit 14, and the like is not limited. The subsystem 11S is activated after, for example, shifting to the energy saving mode, and controls the image forming apparatus 10.

  In the main system 11M, the main CPU 111 is connected to the ROM 112, RAM 113, ASIC 114-1 to ASIC 114-2, PHY chip 115, and PHY chip 116 via a bus.

  The main CPU 111 controls functions of the entire image forming apparatus 10 based on a program recorded in the ROM 112 and loaded into the RAM 113. The main CPU 111 has a function corresponding to the “power management means” shown in FIG.

  The ROM 112 records, for example, static data such as a Web UI image, and the RAM 113 stores dynamic data such as status data. The ROM 112 and the RAM 113 have a function corresponding to the “flash ROM” shown in FIG.

  The ASICs 114-1 to ASIC 114-2 are connected to an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 117 and the I / F group 16 via a bus, and execute, for example, image processing and communication control.

  The PHY chip 115 converts a logic signal from the CPU 111 into an electric signal and inputs the electric signal to the I / F group 16. The PHY chip 116 converts a logic signal from the main CPU 111 into an electric signal and inputs it to the hub 118. The USB interface 119 and the I / F group 16 are connected via a hub 118. The USB interface 119 is a hardware interface for USB connection.

  In the subsystem 11S, the sub CPU 121 is connected to the ROM 122, RAM 123, ASIC 124, PHY 125, and USB interface 126 via a bus. The sub CPU 121 controls the operation (mainly communication processing) of the image forming apparatus 10 after shifting to power saving based on a program recorded in the ROM 122 and loaded in the RAM 123.

  The ASIC 124 is connected to the HDD 117, the I / F group 16, and the like via a bus. For example, when the status data of the image forming apparatus 10 is requested from the terminal device 13 or the like in the energy saving mode, the ASIC 124 acquires status data and responds. Etc. are executed. In the present embodiment, the ASIC 124 may not be included. In this case, each process as described above is executed by the sub CPU 121, for example.

  The PHY chip 125 converts the logic signal from the sub CPU 121 into an electrical signal and inputs the electrical signal to the network interface 127. The network interface 127 is hardware for connecting to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), for example, and realizes a physical layer function in network communication.

  The controller board 11 includes a shared memory 12 connected to the main system 11M and the subsystem 11S. The shared memory 12 is a memory used as a printing buffer in the normal mode. Since printing is not performed in the energy saving mode, the shared memory 12 is not used as a buffer for printing. Therefore, in this embodiment, the shared memory 12 is reused as a memory for storing data used by the subsystem 11S in the energy saving mode.

  The engine unit 14 includes a scanner, a printer, an FCU (facsimile control unit), and the like. The scanner scans a document and inputs the scanned image data to the ASIC 114 via the I / F group. The printer prints image data input from the ASIC 114 via the I / F group 16 on printing paper. The FCU performs FAX transmission / reception. The operation unit 15 includes display means such as a liquid crystal panel and input means such as hardware keys. An SD card 17 or the like can be connected to the I / F group 16. The SD card 17 is an auxiliary storage device that can be expanded and expanded.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the main system 11M may be configured without the HDD 117, or the subsystem 11S may be configured without the ASIC 124.

<Functional configuration of subsystem 11S>
Next, the functional configuration of the subsystem 11S will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the subsystem. As shown in FIG. 4, the subsystem 11S of the image forming apparatus 10 includes a power state determination unit 21, a data management control unit 22, a screen generation unit 23, a file system control unit 24, and a file access control unit 25. It is comprised so that it may have.

  For example, in response to an information acquisition request referring to status data from the terminal device 13, the power state determination unit 21 determines a mode from the power state of the main system 11M. For example, the power state determination unit 21 determines whether the apparatus is in the normal mode or the energy saving mode based on the energy saving mode transition notification or the like notified from the power management unit of the main system 11M.

  The data management control means 22 has a function corresponding to the “data management means” shown in FIG. 2, and corresponds to the ASIC 124 in FIG. As described above, when the ASIC 124 is not provided, the data management control unit 22 corresponds to the sub CPU 121.

  Specifically, the data management control means 22 stores the data managed by the main system 11M in, for example, the shared memory 12 used as a buffer for predetermined data in the normal mode when shifting to the energy saving mode, and determines the power state. When the mode obtained by the means 21 is determined to be the energy saving mode, control is performed so as to acquire data corresponding to the information acquisition request described above from the data stored in the shared memory 12 or the like.

  Further, when the mode obtained by the power state determination unit 21 is determined to be the normal mode, the data management control unit 22 sets the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 of the main system 11M (if the HDD 117 is provided in the configuration, the HDD 117 is Data corresponding to the information acquisition request described above may be acquired.

  In addition, when the data management control means 22 receives the energy saving mode transition notification from the main system 11M, it makes a data acquisition request for acquiring data used in the energy saving mode to the main system 11M. When the data management control unit 22 acquires data used in the energy saving mode from the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 of the main system 11M, the data management control unit 22 transfers the data to the image processing area of the shared memory 12, for example.

  The data management control unit 22 uses, for example, static data such as a Web UI image recorded in the ROM 112 or status data held in the RAM 113 as data used in the energy saving mode in the shared memory 12 or the like. Cache data etc.

  Further, the data management control means 22 makes a request for notification of the data storage destination storing the transferred data to, for example, the shared memory 12 and receives the address information of the data storage destination from the shared memory 12, for example. The address information is stored, and the main system 11M is notified of the energy saving transition approval.

  Note that the data management control unit 22 manages, for example, by deleting data stored in the shared memory 12 and using the shared memory 12 as a print buffer in the normal mode when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. .

  The screen generation means 23 uses the data of the shared memory 12 acquired by the data management control means 22 to generate a screen such as a status monitor that is the top screen of the Web UI in response to an information acquisition request from the terminal device 13, for example. To do. Further, when there is an HTTP request from the terminal device 13, the screen generation unit 23 generates a Web page that displays information requested in the HTTP request.

  When the data management control unit 22 receives the notification of transition to the energy saving mode, the file system control unit 24 is a virtual system corresponding to a predetermined file system constructed in the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 in the image processing area of the shared memory 12, for example. Build a (new) file system. As a result, data transferred from the ROM 112 or RAM 113 of the main system 11M to the shared memory 12 can be stored in this virtual file system. In addition, file access from the subsystem 11S to the virtual file system is enabled in the energy saving mode.

  Here, the virtual file system corresponds to a predetermined file system constructed in the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 that stores information such as data for executing a plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus 10 and image processing, for example. It is constructed. The virtual file system is constructed in the shared memory 12 described above, and is managed by using a RAM (memory) disk that uses the shared memory 12 as a disk device, for example. Note that the RAM disk is realized by a function of an OS or the like installed in the image forming apparatus 10 and makes a physical memory area managed by the OS look like a disk device.

  The file system control unit 24 deletes the virtual file system constructed in the shared memory 12 when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode.

  The file access control means 25 controls access from the subsystem 11S to the ROM 112 or RAM 113 of the main system 11M and access to the virtual file system constructed by the file system control means 24. For example, the file access control means 25 determines whether to access the ROM 112 or RAM 113 of the main system 11M from the subsystem 11S or to access the virtual file system.

  Specifically, the file access control means 25 interrupts the file access from the subsystem 11S to the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 when shifting to the energy saving mode. The file access control means 25 controls the virtual file system constructed by the file system control means 24 to transfer the program or data used in the energy saving mode from the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 to the virtual file system and then access the file. To do.

  Further, when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, the file access control means 25 transfers or deletes the programs and data stored in the virtual file system to the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 or the like, and then from the shared memory 12 to the main system 11M. Control file access.

  In the present embodiment, the data management control unit 22 determines whether the data is stored in the shared memory 12 described above, or whether the virtual file system is built in the shared memory 12 and stored. It can be determined based on the amount of data to be accumulated.

<Flow of execution processing in data management control means>
Next, an execution process in the data management control unit 22 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of execution processing in the data management control means according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the data management control unit 22 determines whether there is an information acquisition request or the like for referring to status data or the like of the image forming apparatus 10 from the terminal device 13 or the like (S10).

  When the data management control unit 22 determines that there is an information acquisition request or the like (YES in S10), it checks whether or not the mode obtained by the power state determination unit 21 is the energy saving mode (S11).

  Here, the power state determination means 21 is, for example, when the data management control means 22 has received a notification of shifting to the energy saving mode from the main system 11M or when notifying the main system 11M that the energy saving mode has been transferred. The main system 11M is determined to be in the energy saving mode.

  If the mode obtained by the power state determination unit 21 is determined to be the energy saving mode (YES in S11), the data management control unit 22 obtains data corresponding to the information acquisition request from the data stored in the shared memory 12. Obtain (S12).

  As will be described later, at the time of shifting to the energy saving mode, data or the like used in the energy saving mode is transferred to the shared memory 12 in advance, and the data management control means 22 stores the storage destination address information in which the data is saved from the shared memory 12 Is notified.

  The screen generation unit 23 generates a screen corresponding to the information acquisition request described above based on the data acquired by the data management control unit 22 in the process of S12, and displays the data on the terminal device 13 or the like (S13). ), The process is terminated.

  The data management control unit 22 responds to an information acquisition request from the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 of the main system 11M when it is determined that the mode obtained by the power state determination unit 21 is not the energy saving mode (NO in S11). Data is acquired (S14), and the process proceeds to S13. If the data management control means 22 determines that there is no information acquisition request (NO in S10), it continues the process of S10.

<Flow of execution processing when shifting to energy saving mode>
Next, the execution process of the data management control means 22 at the time of shifting to the energy saving mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of execution processing in the data management control means at the time of shifting to the energy saving mode.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the data management control means 22 determines whether or not an energy saving mode transition notification has been received from the power management means or the like of the main system 11M (S20).

  If the data management control means 22 determines that the energy saving mode transition notification has been received (YES in S20), it makes a data acquisition request to the main system 11M to acquire data used in the energy saving mode, and the main system 11M When data used in the energy saving mode is acquired from the ROM 112 or the RAM 113, the image data is transferred to the image processing area of the shared memory 12 (S21).

  If it is determined that the energy saving mode transition notification has not been received (NO in S20), the process of S20 is continued.

  Next, the data management control means 22 requests the shared memory 12 to notify the data storage destination address that has been transferred and stored in the process of S21 (S22). When the data management control unit 22 receives the address information of the data storage destination from the shared memory 12, the data management control unit 22 stores the received address information (S23).

  Next, the data management control means 22 notifies the main system 11M of the approval of shifting to the energy saving mode from the subsystem 11S (S24), and ends the processing.

<Flow of other execution processes when shifting to energy saving mode>
Next, another execution process of the data management control unit 22 at the time of shifting to the energy saving mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of another execution process in the data management control means when shifting to the energy saving mode. FIG. 7 differs from FIG. 6 in that a virtual file system is constructed in the shared memory 12 and file access is controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the data management control means 22 determines whether or not an energy saving mode transition notification has been received from the power management means of the main system 11M (S30).

  When the data management control unit 22 determines that the energy saving mode transition notification has been received (YES in S30), the file access control unit 25 stops the access from the subsystem 11S to the ROM 112 or RAM 113 of the main system 11M. The file access is interrupted (S31).

  Note that the file access control means 25 holds the state where the file access is suspended. If it is determined that the energy saving mode transition notification has not been received (NO in S30), the process of S30 is continued.

  Next, for example, the data management control unit 22 sets the image processing area of the shared memory 12 as a virtual file system area, and the file system control unit 24 constructs a virtual file system in the image processing area (S32).

  Next, the file access control means 25 makes a data acquisition request for acquiring the program, data, etc. used in the energy saving mode to the main system 11M, and uses it in the energy saving mode from the ROM 112 or RAM 113 of the main system 11M. When the data to be acquired is acquired, for example, it is transferred to the virtual file system constructed in the shared memory 12 (S33).

  Next, the file access control means 25 switches the file access from the main system 11M to the shared memory 12 so as to change the path to the file system and access the virtual file system of the shared memory 12 (S34).

  Next, the data management control unit 22 requests the shared memory 12 to notify the data storage destination address of the virtual file system in which data or the like is transferred and stored in the process of S33 (S35). Next, when the data management control means 22 receives the address information of the data storage destination from the shared memory 12, it stores the received address information (S36).

  Next, the data management control means 22 notifies the main system 11M of the approval of transition to the energy saving mode from the subsystem 11S (S37). Next, the file access control means 25 releases the suspended file access state, resumes file access (S38), operates the virtual file system of the shared memory 12, and ends the process.

<Allocation of memory area in normal mode and energy saving mode>
Here, allocation of the memory area of the shared memory 12 in the normal mode and the energy saving mode will be described.

  For example, the memory area of the shared memory 12 in the normal mode is allocated as an image processing area that is an area used for image processing, such as a buffer area for printing. The image processing area is used for image processing by a copy, a scanner, a fax machine, a printer, or the like.

  In addition, the memory area of the shared memory 12 in the energy saving mode is a data storage area for storing the data used by the subsystem 11S described above, or a virtual file system. And allocated as a virtual file system area for storing data used by the subsystem 11S.

  When returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, the data stored in the data storage area of the shared memory 12 and the virtual file system built in the shared memory 12 are deleted, and the image processing for the normal mode is performed. By returning to the area, image processing such as copying, scanning, faxing, and printer is performed using the image processing area.

<Operation example during and after transition to energy saving mode>
Next, an operation example at the time of transition to the energy saving mode and after transition will be described. When shifting to the energy saving mode, the image processing area allocated to the memory area of the shared memory 12 is used as a data storage area or a virtual file system area. When used as a virtual file system area, a virtual file system is constructed in the image processing area.

  Thereafter, among the information stored in the ROM 112 or the RAM 113, for example, programs and data used in the energy saving mode are transferred to the shared memory 12, and stored in the data storage area or the virtual file system of the shared memory 12. The file access control means 25 controls the access from the subsystem 11S to the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 to access the shared memory 12.

  Accordingly, it is possible to obtain information corresponding to the information acquisition request from the terminal device 13 or the like by accessing the shared memory 12 without accessing the ROM 112 or RAM 113 from the subsystem 11S in the energy saving mode.

<Operation example when returning from energy saving mode to normal mode and after returning>
Next, an operation example at the time of returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode and after the return will be described. When returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode, the data, programs, and the like stored in the data storage area of the shared memory 12 or the virtual file system are written back to the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 or the like.

  As a result, the ROM 112 or the RAM 113 can be accessed. If copy data is stored as stored data, the cached copy data may be deleted.

  Further, by deleting or disappearing data or programs stored in the data storage area of the shared memory 12 or the virtual file system constructed in the energy saving mode, the memory area of the shared memory 12 is used for image processing in the normal mode. Use as an area. When returning to the normal mode, the subsystem 11S can access the ROM 112 or RAM 113 of the main system 11M.

<Flow of execution processing when returning to normal mode when building a virtual file system>
Next, an execution process in the data management control unit 22 when returning to the normal mode when a virtual file system is constructed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of execution processing in the data management control means when returning to the normal mode when the virtual file system is constructed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the data management control unit 22 receives a return notification from the energy saving mode to the normal mode from the power management unit of the main system 11M by the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 (S40), file access control is performed. The means 25 stops the access to the virtual file system and interrupts the file access (S41). Note that the file access control means 25 holds the state where the file access is suspended.

  Next, the file access control means 25 writes back the program, data, etc. used in the energy saving mode from the virtual file system of the shared memory 12 to the ROM 112, etc. (S42). At this time, the file access control means 25 may erase the cached copy data when the copy data has been transferred in the process of S33 of FIG.

  Next, the file access control means 25 changes the path to the file system and switches the access to the file system from the shared memory 12 to the main system 11M so as to access the ROM 112 or RAM 113 (S43).

  Thereafter, the file system control means 71 deletes and erases the virtual file system in the shared memory 12 (S44).

  Next, the data management control means 22 notifies the normal mode return approval from the subsystem 11S to the main system 11M (S45).

  Next, the file access control means 72 cancels the state where the file access is suspended, resumes file access to the ROM 112 or RAM 113 (S46), returns to the normal mode, and ends the processing.

  When data is stored in the shared memory 12 without constructing the virtual file system, when the data management control means 22 receives the return notification to the normal mode in the process of S40 described above, the process of S42 The data stored in the shared memory 12 is written back to the ROM 112 or the RAM 113, or the stored data is deleted, and the main system 11M is notified of the return to the normal mode in the process of S45, and the process is performed. finish.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the shared memory used as a buffer for predetermined data in the normal mode stores the data managed by the main system and used by the subsystem in the energy saving mode when shifting to the energy saving mode. In the energy saving mode, information is acquired from the shared memory and control is performed so as not to access the main system. Thereby, it is possible to maintain the energy saving mode and further improve the energy saving effect.

  In addition, a virtual file system is constructed in the shared memory, and the virtual file system that is managed by the main system and used by the subsystem in the energy saving mode is stored in the constructed virtual file system, and the virtual file system is accessed in the energy saving mode. Control to prevent access to the main system. As a result, the energy saving mode can be maintained and the energy saving effect can be improved.

The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to that described in the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Is possible.

1A, 1B, 10 Image forming devices 2A, 2B, 11M Main systems 3A, 3B, 11S Subsystem 4, 13 Terminal device 11 Controller board 12 Shared memory 14 Engine unit 15 Operation unit 16 I / F group 17 SD card 18 Network 21 Power state determination means 22 Data management control means 23 Screen generation means 24 File system control means 25 File access control means 111 Main CPU
112 ROM
113 RAM
114 ASIC
115 PHY chip 116 PHY chip 117 HDD
118 Hub 119 USB interface 121 Sub CPU
122 ROM
123 RAM
124 PHY
125 USB interface 126 Network interface

JP 2004-153742 A

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus having a main system that controls the entire apparatus in a preset normal mode and a subsystem that controls a part of the apparatus in a preset energy saving mode,
In response to a data reference request from an external device, power state determination means for determining a mode from the power state of the main system;
When data managed by the main system at the time of transition to the energy saving mode is stored in a memory used as a buffer for predetermined data at the time of the normal mode, and the mode obtained by the power state judging means is judged to be the energy saving mode The image forming apparatus further comprising: a data management control unit that controls to acquire data according to the reference request from the data stored in the memory.   The data management control means transfers data used in the energy saving mode from the main system to the memory at the time of transition to the energy saving mode, and deletes the transferred data upon returning from the energy saving mode to the normal mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the data used in the energy saving mode includes a top screen of a Web UI. An energy saving management method executed in an image forming apparatus having a main system that controls the entire apparatus in a preset normal mode and a subsystem that controls a part of the apparatus in a preset energy saving mode,
In response to a data reference request from an external device, the power state determination procedure for determining the mode from the power state of the main system and the data managed by the main system when shifting to the energy saving mode are used as a buffer for predetermined data in the normal mode. And when the mode obtained by the power state determination procedure is determined to be the energy saving mode, control is performed so as to obtain data corresponding to the reference request from the data stored in the memory. An energy saving management method comprising: a data management procedure. An energy-saving management program in an image forming apparatus having a main system that controls the entire apparatus in a preset normal mode and a subsystem that controls a part of the apparatus in a preset energy-saving mode,
Computer
In response to a data reference request from an external device, a power state determination unit that determines a mode from the power state of the main system,
When data managed by the main system at the time of transition to the energy saving mode is stored in a memory used as a buffer for predetermined data at the time of the normal mode, and the mode obtained by the power state judging means is judged to be the energy saving mode And an energy saving management program for functioning as data management control means for controlling to acquire data corresponding to the reference request from the data stored in the memory.

Images