JP2012232555A - Image forming apparatus, image forming system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that can efficiently achieve energy saving as an entire system that includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and an image forming system, and the control method.SOLUTION: The image forming system 200 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 100 and 160. At least one image forming apparatus 100 among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, includes: a learning part that learns an operational condition of the image forming apparatus 100; a control part that switches the image forming apparatus 100 from a normal state to an energy saving state; a scheduling part that generates a schedule to specify the timing to make the control part operate based on the result of learning; and a transmission part to transmit the schedule to another image forming apparatus 160. The other image forming apparatus 160 changes into the state of the energy saving based on the received schedule. As a result, the energy saving of the entire system can be achieved.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of transitioning to an energy saving state, an image forming system including the image forming apparatus, and a control method therefor.

  As one type of image processing apparatus that is an electronic device, an image forming apparatus (typically a copier) that forms an image on a recording sheet is introduced in many offices (company, office, etc.). In such offices, there are many cases where an image forming apparatus having a printer function or a copy function is connected to a network and shared by a plurality of users. A multifunction peripheral (MFP (Multi Function Peripheral)), which is one type of such an image forming apparatus, has a copy mode, a facsimile mode (hereinafter referred to as a facsimile), a network compatible printer mode, and a scanner mode. A plurality of basic operation modes are provided.

Consider a digital machine equipped with an image forming unit for an electrophotographic process as an image forming apparatus. In such an image forming apparatus, a toner image recorded and reproduced on a photoreceptor is transferred onto a recording sheet. The heat fixing unit includes a heat source such as a heater, and fixes the toner transferred onto the recording paper onto the recording paper with a predetermined temperature and pressure. Therefore, in order to provide an environment in which image formation can always be performed, it is necessary to keep the temperature of the heat fixing unit constant. For this purpose, it is necessary to always control the energization of the heater. When such control is performed, there is a problem that power consumption naturally increases. In particular, since the heater requires large electric power, it is a problem from the viewpoint of energy saving (hereinafter also referred to as energy saving). Recently, it is important to save power consumption at offices, and it is not appropriate to always require such a large amount of power.

Therefore, it is preferable to control the energization of the heat fixing unit at the installation site of the image forming apparatus after grasping the operation status while the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on. For example, in a time when the image forming apparatus is not used much, it is preferable to suppress the energization to the fixing unit and reduce the power consumption of the apparatus. For this purpose, a technique for learning the operating status of the image forming apparatus and managing the energization state of the image forming apparatus according to the learning result is known.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on input image information detects the state of the image forming apparatus to learn the image formation time, and based on the learning result. Thus, there is disclosed a technique for performing switching control between an on state and a sleep state for the power source of the image forming apparatus.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming system including a plurality of multifunction devices and a host computer connected to a network. In this image forming system, the host computer monitors and learns the operation status of each multi-function device for each time zone, and based on the learning result, power on / off control of each multi-function device is performed, thereby reducing power consumption. Can be minimized.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-44068 JP 2001-341379 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, although energy saving of each image forming apparatus can be achieved, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as an office are installed, each image forming apparatus has a learning function and a power switching control function. It is necessary to have. That is, in order to achieve energy saving of the entire office, it is necessary to add these functions to an image forming apparatus that does not have these functions, or to replace them with an image forming apparatus that has these functions.

  In Patent Document 2, the operation status of a plurality of multifunction devices connected to the network must be constantly monitored and managed by a host computer or the like, and the load on the host computer increases. There is a problem that traffic increases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a control method therefor that can efficiently save energy as a whole system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses.

  The above object can be achieved by the following.

  That is, a first image forming system according to the present invention is a system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information, and is at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. Each image forming apparatus learns a learning unit that learns the operation status of the image forming apparatus, a control unit that switches the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state, and a schedule that specifies the timing for operating the control unit. And a transmission unit that transmits the schedule to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the other image forming apparatus, based on the received schedule, Switch to energy saving mode.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus including the learning unit transmits a schedule when the power is turned on or off.

  More preferably, when the schedule is updated, the image forming apparatus including the learning unit transmits the updated schedule.

  More preferably, the other image forming apparatus includes a learning unit that learns an operation status of the other image forming apparatus, a control unit that switches the other image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state, and a learning result. A scheduling unit that generates a schedule for specifying the timing for operating the control unit, and the other image forming apparatus updates the generated schedule using the received schedule.

  Preferably, the other image forming apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines whether the received schedule has an energy saving effect as compared to a schedule already generated by the other image forming apparatus, and determines that the image forming apparatus has the energy saving effect. Only when this is done, the schedule generated by the other image forming apparatus is updated using the received schedule.

  More preferably, the other image forming apparatus further includes a transmission source determining unit that determines whether or not the received schedule is transmitted from a previously registered image forming apparatus, and the received schedule is an image registered in advance. Only when the information is transmitted from the forming apparatus, the schedule generated by the other image forming apparatus is updated using the received schedule.

  A second image forming system according to the present invention includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information, and is at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The image forming apparatus includes a learning unit that learns the operation status of the image forming apparatus, and a control unit that switches the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state. The image forming apparatus is in an energy saving state by the control unit. When switching to, a predetermined command is transmitted to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the other image forming apparatus switches from the normal state to the energy saving state based on the received command. .

  Preferably, when the other image forming apparatus is operating when receiving the command, the image forming apparatus switches from the normal state to the energy saving state after the operation ends.

  A first image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on input image information, a learning unit that learns the operating status of the image forming apparatus, A control unit that switches the image forming apparatus from the normal state to the energy saving state, a schedule that generates a timing for operating the control unit based on a learning result, and a switching from the normal state to the energy saving state according to the schedule Another image forming apparatus includes a transmission unit that transmits a schedule generated based on a learning result as a schedule for switching the other image forming apparatus to an energy saving state.

  A second image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on input image information, a learning unit that learns the operating status of the image forming apparatus, And a control unit that switches the image forming apparatus from the normal state to the energy saving state. When the control unit switches the image forming apparatus to the energy saving state, the image forming apparatus is switched to another image forming apparatus from the normal state. Send a command to switch to the energy saving state.

  A first control method according to the present invention is a control method for a system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information. As a result of learning, a step for learning the operating status of at least one image forming apparatus, a step for switching the image forming apparatus from the normal state to the energy saving state, and a timing for executing the step for switching to the energy saving state are obtained as a result of learning. Generating based on the schedule, transmitting the schedule from the image forming apparatus to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and another image based on the schedule received by the other image forming apparatus. Switching the forming device to an energy saving state.

  A second control method according to the present invention is a control method for a system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information. A step of learning an operating status of at least one image forming apparatus, a step of switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state, and a plurality of image forming apparatuses from the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is switched to an energy saving state. Transmitting a predetermined command to another image forming apparatus among the image forming apparatuses, and switching another image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state based on a command received by the other image forming apparatus. including.

  According to the present invention, in a system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the energy saving schedule obtained by learning the operation status of one image forming apparatus is used by another image forming apparatus. Another image forming apparatus that does not have a learning function can be efficiently put into an energy saving state.

  In addition, when the image forming apparatus transitions to the energy saving state in accordance with the energy saving schedule obtained by learning the operation status of one image forming apparatus, another image forming apparatus also enters the energy saving state. Transition can be made.

  Therefore, energy saving of the entire system can be realized without adding a learning function to another image forming apparatus that does not have a learning function and without replacing it with an image forming apparatus that has a learning function.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus used in an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2. 3 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for controlling energization of the first image forming apparatus constituting the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a program for controlling energization of a second image forming apparatus constituting the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a table showing the operating status of the first image forming apparatus constituting the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a table which shows the energy saving mode corresponding to the operation condition of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration different from FIG.

  In the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  An image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a network, and a print server computer (hereinafter referred to as “print server”). The image forming apparatus is a digital multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a scanner function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and a printer function. At least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses has a function of learning the operating status of the image forming apparatus itself, particularly the internal energization status. According to the learning result, an energy saving state with reduced power consumption is provided. Realize. Furthermore, an image forming apparatus having a learning function also realizes an energy saving state of another image forming apparatus.

  Referring to FIG. 1, an image forming system 200 according to the present embodiment includes a first image forming apparatus 100, a second image forming apparatus 160, a print server 170, a terminal apparatus 180, and a network 190 to which these are connected. ing. The terminal device 180 is a computer, for example. The print server 170 is a server that manages the first image forming apparatus 100 and the second image forming apparatus 160, and the user operates the terminal device 180 to form an image with the first image forming apparatus 100 or the second image forming apparatus 160. (Printing) is possible.

  In addition to the first image forming apparatus 100 and the second image forming apparatus 160, the image forming system 200 can include an image forming apparatus having the same function as these, but in FIG. Show. Similarly, the image forming system 200 can include a plurality of terminal devices and a plurality of printer servers, but FIG. 1 representatively shows only one of each.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the first image forming apparatus 100 includes a document reading unit 110, an image forming unit 120, an operation unit 130, a paper feed unit 140, a manual paper feed tray 142, and a paper discharge processing unit 150. . The operation unit 130 includes a touch panel display 132 and an operation key unit 134. The touch panel display 132 includes a display panel configured by a liquid crystal panel and the like, and a touch panel that is disposed on the display panel and detects a touched position. In the operation key unit 134, several function keys (not shown) are arranged. Note that the second image forming apparatus 160 has the same configuration as the first image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, the following description regarding the configuration and function of the first image forming apparatus 100 is also the description regarding the second image forming apparatus 160.

  The first image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU) 102 that controls the entire first image forming apparatus 100, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 104 for storing a program and the like, and a volatile storage device. RAM (Random Access Memory) 106 and HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 108 which is a non-volatile storage device that retains data even when power is turned off. The ROM 104 stores programs and data necessary for controlling the operation of the first image forming apparatus 100.

  The first image forming apparatus 100 further includes an image processing unit 122, an image memory 124, a NIC (Network Interface Card) 112, and a bus 114. The CPU 102, ROM 104, RAM 106, HDD 108, NIC 112, document reading unit 110, image forming unit 120, image processing unit 122, image memory 124, and operation unit 130 are connected to the bus 114. Data (including control information) is exchanged between the units via the bus 114. The CPU 102 reads a program from the ROM 104 onto the RAM 106 via the bus 114, and executes the program using a part of the RAM 106 as a work area. That is, the CPU 102 controls each part of the first image forming apparatus 100 according to a program stored in the ROM 104, and realizes each function of the first image forming apparatus 100.

  The NIC 112 is connected to an external network 190 and is an interface for the first image forming apparatus 100 to communicate with an external device via the network 190. The first image forming apparatus 100 is connected to an external telephone line (not shown), and a FAX modem (not shown) that is an interface for the first image forming apparatus 100 to perform FAX communication with the external apparatus via the telephone line. ).

  The document reading unit 110 includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) for reading an image, and a document detection sensor that detects a document set on a document table, an automatic document feeder (ADF), and the like. To input image data. The image data is temporarily stored in the image memory 124. The image processing unit 122 performs various image processing on the read image data. The image forming unit 120 prints image data on a recording sheet. The image data is stored in the HDD 108 as necessary.

  The paper feeding unit 140 holds recording paper for image formation. The manual paper feed tray 142 is a tray for manually feeding recording paper.

  The operation unit 130 receives an input of an instruction or the like from the user to the first image forming apparatus 100. The user confirms the state of the first image forming apparatus 100 and the job processing status on the screen displayed on the touch panel display 132. By selecting a key displayed on the touch panel display 132 on the touch panel overlaid on the display panel (touching a corresponding part on the touch panel), function setting, operation instruction, and the like of the first image forming apparatus 100 can be performed.

  The CPU 102 monitors the user's operation on the touch panel display 132 provided on the operation unit 130, input keys, and the like, and informs the touch panel display 132 of information to be notified to the user such as information on the state of the first image forming apparatus 100. indicate.

  The print server 170 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an HDD, and a NIC, like a general-purpose computer.

  Hereinafter, each mode for executing the functions (copy function, printer function, scanner function, and facsimile function) installed in the first image forming apparatus 100 will be briefly described.

(Copy mode)
When the first image forming apparatus 100 is used as a copying machine, image data of a document read by the document reading unit 110 is output from the image forming unit 120 as a copy.

  An image of the original set at the reading position can be electronically read by the CCD provided in the original reading unit 110. The read image data is completed as output data (print data) on the image memory 124 and then stored in the HDD 108. When there are a plurality of documents, this reading operation and storage operation are repeated. Thereafter, based on the processing mode instructed from the operation unit 130, the image data stored in the HDD 108 is sequentially read out at an appropriate timing and sent to the image memory 124. Then, the image data is transmitted to the image forming unit 120 in synchronization with the image forming timing in the image forming unit 120.

  Similarly, when printing a plurality of read image data, it is similarly stored as output data in the HDD 108 in units of pages, sent from the HDD 108 to the image memory 124, and repeated for the number of output sheets. It is transmitted to the forming unit 120.

  In the paper feeding unit 140, the recording paper is pulled out by a pickup roller and conveyed to the image forming unit 120 by a plurality of conveying rollers. The image forming unit 120 forms an electrostatic latent image according to the image data on the surface of the photosensitive drum by exposing the charged photosensitive drum according to the input image data. After the toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image portion on the photosensitive drum, the toner image is transferred to the conveyed recording paper via the transfer belt. Thereafter, the recording paper is heated and pressurized (this fixes the image on the recording paper), and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 152.

(Printer mode)
When the first image forming apparatus 100 is used as a printer, the image data received via the NIC 112 is output from the image forming unit 120 via the image memory 124 or the like.

  The NIC 112 receives image data from the terminal device 180 connected to the network 190. The received image data is sent to the image memory 124 in units of pages as output image data, and then stored in the HDD 108. Thereafter, the image data is sent again from the HDD 108 to the image memory 124 and transmitted to the image forming unit 120 in the same manner as in the copy mode described above, and image formation is performed.

(Scanner mode)
When the first image forming apparatus 100 is used as a network scanner, for example, image data of a document read by the document reading unit 110 is transmitted from the NIC 112 to a computer or the like (for example, the terminal device 180) via the network 190. . Also in this case, the original is electronically read by the CCD provided in the original reading unit 110. The read image data of the original is completed as output data on the image memory 124 and then stored in the HDD 108. Thereafter, the image data is sent again from the HDD 108 to the image memory 124, and after establishing communication with the designated destination via the operation unit 130, the image data is sent from the NIC 112 to the designated destination.

(Facsimile mode)
The first image forming apparatus 100 can perform FAX transmission / reception with an external facsimile apparatus via a FAX modem and a telephone line network.

  When the first image forming apparatus 100 is used as a facsimile apparatus, the data received by FAX from the facsimile apparatus is formed as image data on the image memory 124 and stored in the HDD 108 and printed by the image forming unit 120 in the same manner as described above. Can be executed. The first image forming apparatus 100 can read image data from the HDD 108, convert it to a data format for FAX communication, and transmit it to an external facsimile apparatus via a FAX modem and a telephone line network.

  Hereinafter, in the image forming system 200, the first image forming apparatus 100 realizes energy saving of the first image forming apparatus 100 itself according to the result of learning the operation status of the first image forming apparatus 100 itself. A function for realizing energy saving of the second image forming apparatus 160 as the image forming apparatus will be specifically described.

  Here, the second image forming apparatus 160 has a function similar to that of the first image forming apparatus 100, but may not have a learning function. However, the second image forming apparatus 160 can transition to the energy saving state under external control. Further, the HDD 108 of the first image forming apparatus 100 stores a schedule that is a result of learning the past operation status of the first image forming apparatus 100. As will be described in detail later, the first image forming apparatus 100 stores job execution results as logs in the HDD 108 and periodically totals the logs. The first image forming apparatus 100 determines the operating status of the first image forming apparatus 100 itself according to the counting result, and assigns a predetermined energy saving mode to each time zone of the day. This aggregation and allocation process corresponds to learning, and the learning result is schedule data (hereinafter also simply referred to as a schedule) obtained as a result of the allocation. The obtained schedule data is stored in the HDD 108 as a learning result. Note that the process described here is a process for controlling the energization state of the first image forming apparatus 100 and the second image forming apparatus 160, and a process for executing a normal job is separately executed.

  Referring to FIG. 4, a control structure of a program executed by CPU 102 of first image forming apparatus 100 will be described, and a control structure of a program executed by CPU of second image forming apparatus 160 will be described with reference to FIG. To do.

Referring to FIG. 4, in step 300, CPU 102 reads the learning result stored in HDD 108, that is, the schedule.

In step 302, the CPU 102 refers to the schedule read in step 300 and determines the type of energy saving mode corresponding to the current time (including date). The schedule is data representing an energy saving mode of the first image forming apparatus 100 in each small period by dividing a predetermined period (for example, one week) into a plurality of small periods (for example, in units of one hour).

An example of the total result of the operating status of the first image forming apparatus 100 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows the number of recording sheets printed in each period of the first image forming apparatus 100. The days of the week are arranged in the horizontal direction, and the periods in which one day is divided into a plurality of periods are arranged in the vertical direction. Each period is a period in which one week is divided every hour from midnight on Sunday. Each cell is specified by day of the week and period. The numerical value of each cell is the number of printed sheets in that period.

The learning result (schedule) is stored in the HDD 108 as a table as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a learning result corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 7, the energy saving mode is classified into four types according to the number of printed sheets, and a pattern corresponding to the energy saving mode is drawn in each cell. For example, the state in which the image forming apparatus is used most frequently is “high performance”. Although not as high as “high performance”, a state in which the image forming apparatus is used at a considerably high frequency is defined as “performance”. A state in which the image forming apparatus is used less frequently than “performance” is defined as “balance”. A state where the frequency of use of the image forming apparatus is the lowest is defined as “power saving”. In FIG. 7, “power saving”, “balance”, “performance”, and “high performance” indicate that the number of printed sheets in each cell is 0 or more, less than 10, 10 or more, less than 30, 30 or more, less than 50, or 50 or more. Corresponding to the above cases, a dot pattern, a right-downward oblique line pattern, a left-downward oblique line pattern, and a lattice pattern are shown, respectively. As described above, the learning result includes “information specifying the day of the week”, “information specifying the period of the day”, and “information specifying the type of the energy saving mode” as one set, and all combinations of the day of the week and the period. Is a collection of data (sets) related to “Information specifying the day of the week”, “information specifying the period of the day”, and “information specifying the type of the energy saving mode” are, for example, numerical data, character (including numbers, symbols, etc.) data, and the like.

  In step 304, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the transition to the energy saving state should be executed from the type of the energy saving mode determined in step 302 and the current job execution status. When it is determined that the transition to the energy saving state is to be executed, the process proceeds to step 306. Otherwise, the process returns to step 302 and the process of step 302 is repeated. The transition to the energy saving state is, for example, the transition of the heat fixing unit of the image forming unit 120 to the preheating mode. In this case, if the time from when the heat fixing unit stops operating until it shifts to the preheating mode (hereinafter referred to as “transition time”) is preset according to the type of energy saving mode, this step Then, it suffices to determine whether or not the transition time corresponding to the type of the energy saving mode has elapsed. The transition time is an example of information for specifying the timing of transition to the energy saving state.

  In a time zone in which the image forming apparatus is not used much, it is preferable to reduce power consumption of the image forming apparatus by suppressing energization to the fixing unit. In this case, if energization to the heat fixing unit is excessively suppressed, even if energization to the heat fixing unit is started to form an image, image formation cannot be started immediately. This is because the temperature of the heat fixing unit is lowered, and an image cannot be formed until the heat fixing unit reaches a predetermined temperature, and the user waits. For this reason, it is not preferable to cut off the power supply to the heat fixing unit in a very short time after the end of the operation (job) of the image forming apparatus. On the other hand, depending on the time zone, the operation of the image forming apparatus may be concentrated, or the standby state may continue for a long time without using the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately determine the time until the energization of the heat fixing unit is cut off. For example, the fixing unit transition time is set as follows. In the case of “high performance”, the transition time is set to be the longest, and in the case of “performance”, it is set to the next longest time. In the case of “balance”, the transition time is set to be much shorter than in the case of “performance”, and in the case of “power saving”, it is set to shut off in the shortest time after the operation is completed.

  The elapsed time from the end of the job may be measured by a timer (hardware timer or software timer).

  In step 306, the CPU 102 transmits to the second image forming apparatus 160 a switching command for switching another image forming apparatus, that is, the second image forming apparatus 160 to the energy saving state. When the second image forming apparatus 160 receives the switching command, the second image forming apparatus 160 shifts to the energy saving state as described later.

  In step 308, the CPU 102 shifts the first image forming apparatus 100 to the energy saving state.

  In step 310, the CPU 102 determines whether or not to return from the energy saving state to the normal state. If it is determined that the normal state should be restored, the process proceeds to step 312. Otherwise, the process of step 310 is repeated. The condition for returning to the normal state is, for example, when the first image forming apparatus 100 receives a print instruction from an external device such as the terminal device 180 via the NIC 112 or when FAX data is received via a FAX modem. This is a case where it is necessary to execute image formation.

  In step 312, the CPU 102 returns the first image forming apparatus 100 to the normal state, and then returns to step 302.

  Next, referring to FIG. 5, in step 400, the CPU of second image forming apparatus 160 determines whether or not a switching command for shifting to the energy saving state is received from first image forming apparatus 100. . If it is determined that it has been received, the process proceeds to step 402. Otherwise, the process of step 400 is repeated.

  In step 402, the CPU of the second image forming apparatus 160 determines whether a job is being executed. If it is determined that the job is not being executed, the process proceeds to step 404. Otherwise, the process of step 402 is repeated. Therefore, if the job is being executed, the process of step 404 is executed after the job is completed.

  In step 404, the CPU of the second image forming apparatus 160 shifts the second image forming apparatus 160 to the energy saving state.

  In step 406, the CPU of the second image forming apparatus 160 determines whether or not to return from the energy saving state to the normal state. If it is determined that the normal state should be restored, the process proceeds to step 408. Otherwise, the process of step 406 is repeated. The conditions for returning to the normal state are the same as those described above for the first image forming apparatus 100.

  In step 408, the CPU of the second image forming apparatus 160 returns the second image forming apparatus 160 to the normal state, and then returns to step 400.

  As described above, the first image forming apparatus 100 can not only learn the operation status of the first image forming apparatus 100 itself and realize an efficient energy saving operation of the first image forming apparatus 100 itself, but also can be managed by the same print server 170. The second image forming apparatus 160 that has been configured can also execute an energy saving operation. Therefore, it is possible to realize energy saving of the entire plurality of image forming apparatuses that are management targets.

  Although the system configuration in which the first image forming apparatus 100 and the second image forming apparatus 160 are directly connected to the network has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a system configuration in which the first image forming apparatus 100 and the second image forming apparatus 160 are connected to the print server 170 may be used.

  In the above description, a case has been described in which a switching command for shifting to the energy saving state is transmitted from the first image forming apparatus 100 to the second image forming apparatus 160, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the second image forming apparatus 160 has a learning function of the operating status of the second image forming apparatus 160 itself, like the first image forming apparatus 100, the second image forming apparatus 100 performs the second image forming process. Part or all of the learning result (schedule data) may be transmitted to the device 160. Then, using the received schedule data, the second image forming apparatus 160 can change the schedule data that is the result of learning by the second image forming apparatus 160 itself so that the energy saving effect is higher. .

  For example, when the current schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160 and the received schedule are compared for the same period, the received schedule has a more energy saving effect than the current schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160. When it is high, the schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160 is changed to the received schedule. On the other hand, when the current schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160 has a higher energy saving effect than the received schedule, the schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160 is maintained without being changed. For example, the current schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160 is a schedule that transitions to the energy saving state 15 minutes after the job ends, and the schedule received from the first image forming apparatus 100 enters the energy saving state 30 minutes after the job ends. If the schedule is a transition schedule, the current schedule of the second image forming apparatus 160 is maintained without being changed.

  The schedule data may be information that can determine the timing for switching the image forming apparatus from the normal state to the energy saving state, and may not include data that directly represents the timing. The schedule may be anything corresponding to the table shown in FIG. That is, if the image forming apparatus stores information in which schedule data and timing are associated with each other in advance, the image forming apparatus receives schedule data (a data group that specifies the type of energy saving mode for each period) Timing can be determined. Therefore, the timing stored in each image forming apparatus can be changed according to the internal configuration, power consumption characteristics, and the like of each image forming apparatus.

  The timing for transmitting the learning result schedule from the first image forming apparatus 100 to the second image forming apparatus 160 is arbitrary. For example, when the first image forming apparatus 100 changes the schedule, the changed schedule can be transmitted. This timing may be when an operation to turn on the power of the first image forming apparatus 100 is performed, that is, when the first image forming apparatus 100 becomes operable after the power is turned on. Further, this timing may be when an operation for turning off the power of the first image forming apparatus 100 is performed, that is, after an operation for turning off the power is performed and until the power is turned off.

  The second image forming apparatus 160 may use only a schedule received from an image forming apparatus registered in advance. For example, the usage status of a plurality of image forming apparatuses managed by one print server may differ for each group (for example, for each installed department). In this case, since the operation status differs depending on the image forming apparatus, a schedule generated by learning by an image forming apparatus does not produce an energy saving effect for an image forming apparatus having an operation status different from that image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is preferable to use a schedule received from an image forming apparatus having a similar operating status and not to use a schedule received from an image forming apparatus having a different operating status.

  Although the case where there are four types of energy saving modes has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. There may be four or more types of energy saving modes, or less than four types.

  Further, the energy saving state is not limited to the above-described preheating mode of the heat fixing unit. For example, the state where the energization to the drive unit of the touch panel display 132 is stopped and the display is turned off may be used. In this case, the normal state is restored even when the operation unit 130 is operated or when a document is set on the document reading unit 110 (when the document detection sensor detects the document).

  In the above description, a case has been described in which one week is divided into sub-periods of one hour, and data in which each sub-period is associated with an energy saving mode of the image forming apparatus is used as a schedule. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The predetermined period may be a period with periodicity regarding use of the image forming apparatus, and may be one month, four quarters (three months), one year, or the like. The small period is arbitrary and may be longer or shorter than one hour.

  Time may shift due to daylight saving time. This is a system that shifts the time display of clocks (including clocks inside electronic devices such as computers) at the same time in a specific country, a specific region, etc., and usually the time related to economic activities does not change. . For example, the start time and end time of a company do not change before and after daylight saving time. Therefore, since the learning result of the image forming apparatus is considered to be hardly affected by daylight saving time, the present application does not consider daylight saving time for a plurality of image forming apparatuses in the same country or region where daylight saving time is implemented. The invention can be applied.

  When a plurality of image forming apparatuses are dispersedly arranged in an area where daylight saving time is implemented and an area where daylight saving time is not implemented, it is necessary to consider daylight saving time when the present invention is applied to them. For example, when the first image forming apparatus 100 is disposed in an area where daylight saving time is being implemented and the second image forming apparatus 160 is disposed in an area where daylight saving time is not being performed, the first image forming apparatus 100 is The timing for transmitting a switching command for causing 160 to transition to the energy saving state to the second image forming apparatus 160 is delayed by a predetermined time. However, when the learning result is transmitted from the first image forming apparatus 100 to the second image forming apparatus 160, daylight saving time need not be taken into consideration.

  There may also be a time difference within the country. For example, the United States is divided into four time zones, with some states having time zone boundaries within one state. When a plurality of image forming apparatuses are dispersedly arranged in different time zones, when applying the present invention to them, the timing for transmitting a control command in consideration of the time difference is determined in the same manner as in the explanation regarding the daylight saving time. It is necessary to decide. However, the time difference need not be taken into account when transmitting the learning result.

  The present invention has been described above by describing the embodiment. However, the above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and is implemented with various modifications. be able to.

100 First image forming apparatus 102 Control unit (CPU)
104 ROM
106 RAM
108 HDD
110 Document reading unit 112 NIC
114 Bus 120 Image forming unit 122 Image processing unit 124 Image memory 130 Operation unit 132 Touch panel display 134 Operation key unit 140 Paper feed unit 142 Manual paper feed tray 150 Paper discharge processing unit 152 Paper discharge tray 160 Second image forming apparatus 170 Print server 180 terminal device 190 network 200 image forming system

Claims (12)

A system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information,
At least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses includes:
Means for learning the operating status of the image forming apparatus;
Control means for switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state;
Means for generating a schedule for identifying timing for operating the control means based on the learning result;
Means for transmitting the schedule to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses,
The another image forming apparatus is switched to an energy saving state based on the received schedule.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus including a learning unit transmits the schedule when a power-on operation or a power-off operation is performed.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus including a learning unit transmits the updated schedule when the schedule is updated. The another image forming apparatus includes:
Means for learning the operating status of the other image forming apparatus;
Control means for switching the other image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state;
Means for generating a schedule for identifying the timing for operating the control means based on the learning result;
4. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the schedule generated by the other image forming apparatus is updated using the received schedule. 5. The another image forming apparatus includes:
Means for determining whether the received schedule is more energy-saving than a schedule generated by the other image forming apparatus;
The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein only when it is determined that there is an energy saving effect, the schedule generated by the other image forming apparatus is updated using the received schedule. The another image forming apparatus includes:
Means for determining whether the received schedule is transmitted from a pre-registered image forming apparatus;
6. The schedule generated by another image forming apparatus is updated using the received schedule only when the received schedule is information transmitted from a previously registered image forming apparatus. The image forming system according to any one of the above. A system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information,
At least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses includes:
Means for learning the operating status of the image forming apparatus;
Control means for switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state,
The image forming apparatus transmits a predetermined command to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses when the control unit switches to an energy saving state.
The another image forming apparatus switches from a normal state to an energy saving state based on the received command.   The image forming system according to claim 7, wherein, when the another image forming apparatus is operating when the command is received, the image forming system is switched from a normal state to an energy saving state after the operation is completed. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on input image information,
Means for learning the operating status of the image forming apparatus;
Control means for switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state;
Means for generating a schedule for identifying timing for operating the control means based on the learning result;
Means for transmitting the schedule generated based on the learning result to another image forming apparatus that switches from the normal state to the energy saving state according to the schedule as a schedule for switching the other image forming apparatus to the energy saving state; An image forming apparatus comprising: An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on input image information,
Means for learning the operating status of the image forming apparatus;
Control means for switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state,
The image forming apparatus transmits a command for switching another image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state to another image forming apparatus when the control unit switches to the energy saving state. Image forming apparatus. A control method for a system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information,
Learning the operating status of at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
Switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state;
Generating a schedule for identifying a timing for executing the step of switching to the energy saving state based on the learning result;
Transmitting the schedule from the image forming apparatus to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
And a step of switching the other image forming apparatus to an energy saving state based on the schedule received by the other image forming apparatus. A control method for a system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium based on input image information,
Learning the operating status of at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
Switching the image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state;
Transmitting a predetermined command from the image forming apparatus to another image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses when the image forming apparatus is switched to the energy saving state;
And a step of switching the other image forming apparatus from a normal state to an energy saving state based on the command received by the another image forming apparatus.

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