JP2015088036A - Information processing device and power management system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing device for calculating and visualizing consumption power of an apparatus without the use of a power meter and also performing power source control in consideration of use frequency of the apparatus including USB power supply.SOLUTION: An information processing device 101 for managing network apparatuses 102 and 103 includes: receiving means for receiving, from the network apparatuses 102 and 103, first history information on power supply to another apparatus by connection (USB connection) in compliance with a predetermined standard; display control means 206 for, as an analysis result of the first history information, displaying the power usage by power supply of the network apparatuses 102 and 103; and transmission means for transmitting an instruction for suppressing a function for performing power supply to another apparatus by USB connection, to the network apparatuses 102 and 103.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for calculating power consumption and a power management system for controlling an operating state of an image forming apparatus.

  In recent years, with the increasing social awareness of global environmental protection, so-called "visualization" that makes it easier for users to recognize the power consumption and carbon dioxide emissions of office equipment with the aim of reducing the environmental burden in the office. There are an increasing number of products and services that realize this. In order to realize this “visualization”, energy management systems called HEMS (Home Energy Management System) and BEMS (Building Energy Management System) are adopted.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for associating a device with an outlet based on the load information of the device and the power information of the outlet, and displaying the power consumption of the device associated with the outlet on a PC screen for visualization. Disclosure. Further, in Patent Document 2, in order to save power in the office, the management server manages the number of prints of all operating PCs, preferentially operates a printer with a large number of prints from the PC, A technique for stopping a small number of printers is disclosed.

JP 2013-48520 A JP 2013-16084 A

  However, in the method of displaying and visualizing (visualizing) the power information acquired from the outlet as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a means for measuring the power on the outlet or the device side, resulting in an expensive system. End up. Here, USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a commonly used interface in a PC (Personal Computer) peripheral device or the like. Conventionally, USB can supply not only data communication between devices but also power supply of 2.5 W (watt) called bus power, and various devices driven by bus power are on the market. Furthermore, a new standard called USB PD (Power Delivery), which greatly increases the bus power supply capability, has been established, and devices supporting USB PD can supply power up to 100 W at maximum.

  For this reason, it is considered that opportunities and applications for using a device such as a printer as a power source by USB power supply are expanded. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, in the method of determining the use frequency based on the number of prints and selecting a printer to be operated with priority, the operation is performed even when the printer is performing USB power supply. Is not taken into account, and the printer may be stopped.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention calculates and visualizes the power consumption of a device without using a power meter, and also uses a connection based on a data transfer standard that can supply power to a connected device such as a USB. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that performs power control in consideration of the situation.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus that manages a plurality of network devices, and is a first power supply that is performed from a network device to another device by connection according to a predetermined standard. The receiving means for receiving the history information, the display control means for displaying the power used by the power supply of the network device as the analysis result of the first history information, and the connection to the network device according to the predetermined standard Transmission means for transmitting an instruction for suppressing the function of power supply to the device.

  According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus that performs power control in consideration of a power supply state using a connection based on a data transfer standard capable of supplying power to a connected device such as a USB connection. Become.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a power management system. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a hardware block diagram of a host computer. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a host computer. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a management server. It is a figure which shows an example of a job history information table. It is a figure which shows an example of a job history information table. It is a flowchart of a USB power supply history information generation process and a USB power history collection process. It is a flowchart of a job history collection process. It is a flowchart of a power consumption and usage frequency analysis process. It is a figure which shows an example of the display method of a power consumption and usage frequency analysis result. It is a flowchart of a power supply control process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power management system according to the present embodiment. The power management system for analyzing the power consumption of the apparatus and controlling the power supply of the apparatus according to the present invention includes a host computer 101, image forming apparatuses (network devices) 102 and 103, and a management server 104. The host computer 101, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and the management server 104 are connected to each other via a network 105 that uses a known communication technique.

  The host computer 101 is an apparatus used by a user, and issues an image data generation instruction, a print instruction, and the like. The image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 receive print data received from the host computer 101 via the network 105, and print on an actual recording medium such as paper using a known print technology such as electrophotographic technology or inkjet technology. It is a device to perform. Further, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 may have a function of reading a document through a scanner, a copy of the read document, and converting the image data into image data and transmitting it by Email or the like. Further, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 may not have a scanner function but may have only a printer function. The management server 104 performs power consumption analysis and power control of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 via the network 105.

  Next, a hardware configuration of the host computer 101 that is an information processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The host computer 101 includes a CPU 201 that executes software stored in a ROM 202 or a hard disk (HDD) 211. The CPU 201 generally controls each device connected to the system bus 204. A RAM 203 is a main memory of the CPU 201 and functions as a work area.

  A timer (Timer) 212 measures actual time, for example, measures elapsed time when a regular inquiry is made to the image forming apparatus. A keyboard controller (KBDC) 205 controls instructions input from a keyboard 209 provided in the host computer 101. A display controller (DISPC) 206 is a display control unit that controls the display of the display 210 formed of a display module such as a liquid crystal display. A disk controller (DKC) 207 controls a hard disk (HDD) 211 that is a large-capacity storage device. A network interface card (NIC) 208 exchanges data bidirectionally with other nodes via the network 105.

  Next, the functional configuration of the host computer 101 will be described with reference to FIG. The host computer 101 includes a print application 401, a printer driver 402, and a print job transmission unit 403. The print application 401 issues a print instruction by transmitting a drawing command or the like to the printer driver 402. In addition, the printer driver 402 converts a drawing command received from the print application 401 into a page description language (PDL) that is print data that can be interpreted by the image forming apparatus. Further, the printer driver 402 transmits the created print job data to the print job transmission unit 403. The print job transmission unit 403 transmits the print job received from the printer driver 402 to the image forming apparatus via the network 208 via the NIC 208.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 will be described with reference to FIG. The CPU 301 executes software stored in the ROM 302 or the hard disk (HDD) 311 and comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 304. A RAM 303 is a main memory of the CPU 301 and functions as a work area. A timer (Timer) 318 measures the actual time, for example, the elapsed time from the start time to the end time of the print job.

  A panel controller (Panel C) 305 controls an instruction input from the operation panel 309 provided in the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. A display controller (DISPC) 306 controls the display on the display 310 formed of a display module such as a liquid crystal display, for example. A disk controller (DKC) 307 controls a hard disk (HDD) 311 that is a large-capacity storage device. A network interface card (NIC) 308 exchanges data with other nodes via the network 105.

  A scanner controller (SCCANC) 312 controls an optical scanner 313 provided in the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and reads a paper document with the scanner 313. A printer controller (PRNC) 314 controls a printer 315 provided in the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and prints on an actual sheet using a known printing technique such as an electrophotographic technique or an inkjet technique.

  A USB controller (USBC) 316 is a USB host controller or a USB device controller, and transmits and receives data to and from a USB peripheral device 317 that is connected through a USB interface according to various USB standards. Note that when the USBC 316 is a normal USB host controller, a bus power of 2.5 W (watts) can be supplied to the USB peripheral device 317. Further, when the USBC 316 is a USB host controller and a USB device controller compatible with USB Power Delivery, it is possible to supply a maximum power of 100 W to the USB peripheral device. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are configured to be power supply sources.

  Next, the functional configuration of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 will be described with reference to FIG. The interface unit 601 receives a print job from the host computer 101 via the network 105. In response to a job history acquisition request from the management server 104, the interface unit 601 transmits job history information (second history information) from a job history management unit 609 described later. Further, upon receiving the USB power information acquisition request, USB power history information (first history information) is transmitted from a USB power history management unit 611 described later. The print data storage unit 602 temporarily stores print job data received from the host computer 101 in the RAM 303 or the hard disk (HDD) 311.

  The UI control unit 610 controls the operation panel 309 via the panel controller (PanelC) 305 and accepts a copy instruction and a scan transmission instruction from the user. The job management unit 603 analyzes the print job, acquires output attribute information such as the number of copies to be printed and color printing, and manages it as job information together with the job start time. Further, the job management unit 603 receives output attribute information and the like from the UI control unit 610 in the case of a job issued by the operation panel 309 receiving a user operation, for example, like a copy job.

  The print data development unit 604 acquires print data from the print data storage unit 602 according to the job information stored in the job management unit 603, performs image generation processing, and generates image data. A scanner control unit 605 controls a scanner controller (SCCANC) 312 to scan a paper document and create image data of the scanned paper document. The image storage unit 606 temporarily stores the image data generated by the print data development unit 604 and the scanner control unit 605 in the RAM 303 or the hard disk (HDD) 311.

  The printer control unit 607 controls the printer engine 608 by a printer controller (PRNC) 314 and prints image data stored in the image storage unit 606. The printer engine 608 is an apparatus that actually prints image data stored in the image storage unit 606 on a medium such as printing paper using a known printing technique such as an electrophotographic technique or an inkjet technique.

  A job history management unit 609 manages job history information. When the job is completed, the job management unit 603 transmits job information to be managed as job history information to the job history management unit 609, and the job history management unit 609 stores the job history information. The job history management unit 609 transmits job history information to be stored in response to a request from the management server 104 received by the interface unit 601 via the network 105. The USB power history management unit 611 manages USB power history information. The USB power history management unit 611 transmits USB power history information stored in response to a request from the management server 104 received by the interface unit 601 via the network 105.

  Note that the internal hardware configuration of the management server 104 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the host computer 101 shown in FIG. Next, a functional configuration of the management server 104 will be described with reference to FIG. The management server 104 includes an interface unit 501, a history collection unit 502, a device information management unit 503, an analysis processing unit 504, and a device power supply control unit 505. The interface unit 501 communicates with the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 via the NIC 208 and the network 105.

  The history collection unit 502 acquires and stores job history information and USB power history information from the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 via the network 105. At this time, the history collection unit 502 stores job history information as a history information table 5021 and stores USB power history information as a USB power history information table 5022.

  The apparatus information management unit 503 acquires and stores information such as power consumption for each operation mode of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 from the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 via the network 105. At this time, the device information management unit 503 stores information such as the power consumption amount as the device state power consumption table 5031.

  The analysis processing unit 504 performs power consumption analysis processing of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 based on job history information and USB power history information. At this time, the analysis processing unit 504 stores a job power consumption table 5041 and a totaling result table 5042. The apparatus power supply control unit 505 performs control to stop the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 via the network 105 based on the analysis result of the usage frequency and power consumption of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 by the analysis processing unit 504.

  Next, each table stored in the history collection unit 502 and the device information management unit 503 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. First, the job history information table 5021 stored in the analysis processing unit 502 of the management server 104 shown in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 7A is an example of the job history information table 5021. The job history ID in column 701 is an ID for uniquely identifying the job history within the system. The device ID in column 702 is an ID for identifying an image forming apparatus. As an ID for uniquely identifying, for example, a MAC address or an IP address may be used. The job type in column 703 indicates the type of job, and is, for example, printing (printing), copying, scanning, faxing, or the like according to an instruction from the host computer 101.

  The start time in the column 704 indicates the time when the job is started. Similarly, the end time in the column 705 indicates the time when the corresponding job ends. The color type in column 706 indicates that the job is printed in either color or black and white. Although not shown, other attributes indicating various color types such as single color, two color, and silver may be set. The page size in the column 707 indicates the size of the print page. For example, a predetermined paper size such as A4 or B5 may be used, or a size designated by height × width may be used. As the number of pages in the column 708, the number of pages printed with the color type indicated by the color type 706 and the page size indicated by the page size 707 by the corresponding job is recorded.

  For example, according to the information illustrated in FIG. 7A, in the job history indicated by the row 709, the image forming apparatus 102 starts at 2009/09/25 (date) — 14:25:30 (time) and 2009/09/25 — 14. : Indicates that the copy job completed at 40:30 has been executed. In addition, this job also indicates that 10 pages have been printed in color and size A4.

  Next, the USB power history information table 5022 stored in the analysis processing unit 502 of the management server 104 shown in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 7B is an example of the USB power history information table 5022. The device ID in column 801 is an ID for identifying an image forming apparatus. The USB supply power in the column 802 indicates the power supplied by the USB bus power. When the USB bus power is the conventional USB bus power, 2.5 W of power can be supplied. On the other hand, when the USB bus power corresponds to USB Power Delivery, it is possible to supply power of 10 W, 18 W, 36 W, 60 W, 100 W, etc. according to various profiles. The supply time in the column 803 is a time indicating a period during which power is supplied by USB, and the unit is, for example, minutes. The unit is not limited to this, and may be another unit indicating time such as time, second, or a combination thereof.

  Based on the information shown in FIG. 7B, for example, row 804 is information of the image forming apparatus 103, and indicates that the USB supply power is 60 W and the supply time is 289 minutes. When there is a change in the USB supply power, such as when the USB peripheral device connected to the image forming apparatus 103 is changed, it is stored separately as shown in row 805. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are each configured to be connected to a single USB peripheral device. However, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are configured to have a plurality of USB interfaces and to be connected to a plurality of USB peripheral devices. It is good. In that case, the USB power history information is stored in the USB power history information table 5022 for each USB interface.

  Next, the device state power consumption table 5031 stored in the device information management unit 503 of the management server 104 shown in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 7C is an example of the device state power consumption table 5031. The apparatus state power consumption table 5031 stores power consumption in each operation mode for each image forming apparatus. For example, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 according to the present embodiment shift to the normal mode state for 5 minutes after the execution of the job, and if no new job processing occurs in that state, the low power consumption thereafter. Transition to power saving mode. This power consumption information may be information set in the management server 104 in advance, or may be acquired from the image forming apparatus via the network 105 using, for example, the SNMP protocol.

  The apparatus ID in the column 1001 is information for identifying the image forming apparatus. A column 1002 indicates power consumption when the image forming apparatus is in the normal mode. A column 1003 indicates power consumption when the image forming apparatus is in the power saving mode. A column 1004 shows basic power consumption when the image forming apparatus is processing a job. Any unit of power consumption uses [Wh] or the like. As described above, according to the information shown in FIG. 7C, for example, the row 1005 is information of the image forming apparatus 102, and indicates the power consumption of the normal mode 80Wh, the power saving mode 1Wh, and the job processing 1000Wh.

  Next, the job power consumption table 5041 stored in the analysis processing unit 504 of the management server 104 illustrated in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is an example of the job power consumption table 5041. The job power consumption table 5041 stores the power consumption (Wh) consumed when printing one page for each image forming apparatus. The apparatus ID in the column 1101 is an ID for identifying an image forming apparatus. The job type in line 1103 indicates the type of job such as print or copy. The color type of the row 1104 indicates whether printing is color printing or monochrome printing. The page size in the row 1105 indicates the print page size. In this embodiment, two types of paper sizes A4 and A3 are illustrated as an example. However, other specific paper sizes such as B4 and B5 sizes, or sizes larger than B4 are smaller than Large and B4. The size may be roughly classified as Small. A row 1106 indicates the power consumption of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 according to the job type, color type, and page size.

  As described above, according to the information shown in FIG. 8A, for example, the column 1102 indicates the power consumed when the job type is color printing for printing and printing one page with the page size A3. The power consumption of the image forming apparatus 102 is 2.0 Wh. The power consumption differs depending on the model of the image forming apparatus and the presence / absence of peripheral device options, and can be set individually. In the present embodiment, only print and copy jobs are illustrated, but other processing such as scanning may be set in the same manner.

  Next, a summary result table 5042 stored in the analysis processing unit 504 of the management server 104 illustrated in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8B is an example of the tabulation result table 5042. The totaling result table 5042 stores the power consumption totaled for each image forming apparatus and the number of jobs indicating the usage frequency of the image forming apparatus. Aggregation processing by the analysis processing unit 504 is performed based on the contents of the job history information table 5021, the USB power history information table 5022, the device state power consumption table 5031, and the job power consumption table 5041. The device ID in the column 1201 is an ID for identifying an image forming device.

  The USB power consumption in column 1202 is the power consumption (Wh) totaled for each image forming apparatus based on the USB power history information table 5022. The job power consumption in the column 1203 is the power consumption (Wh) totaled for each image forming apparatus based on the job history information table 5021, the apparatus state power consumption table 5031, and the job power consumption table 5041. The power consumption mode power consumption in the column 1204 indicates the total standby power consumption (Wh) in the power saving mode that is aggregated for each image forming apparatus. In this embodiment, the power when in the power saving mode state for 24 hours is illustrated as an example. However, in actuality, processing such as a job is not performed from when the user turns on the image forming apparatus. Most of the time is the power consumption in the power saving mode. The number of jobs in column 1205 is tabulated based on the job history information table 5021 and indicates the number of jobs such as copying and printing.

  As described above, according to the information shown in FIG. 8B, for example, the row 1206 is information of the image forming apparatus 102, the USB power consumption is 37.25 Wh, the job power consumption is 96.68 Wh, and the power saving mode consumption. This indicates that the power is 24 Wh and the number of jobs is two. A row 1207 is information on the image forming apparatus 103 and indicates that the USB power consumption is 396.83 Wh, the job power consumption is 30.8 Wh, the power saving mode power consumption is 24 Wh, and the number of jobs is two.

  Next, USB power history information generation processing of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 and USB power history information collection processing of the management server 104 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. Here, the USB power history information generation processing of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 is processing for generating USB supply power history information in the USB power history management unit 611. The USB power history information collecting process of the management server 104 is a process of collecting the USB power history information of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. The acquired USB power history information is the USB power history information of the history collecting unit 502. It is stored in the table 5022. In the present embodiment, the USB power history information collection process of the management server 104 is performed in correspondence with the USB supply power history information generation process of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. The processing is realized by the CPU 301 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 302 of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. Further, it is realized by the CPU 201 performing processing according to a program stored in the ROM 202 of the management server 104.

  First, USB supply power history information generation processing of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 will be described. In step S <b> 1301, the USB controller (USBC) 316 of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 waits for connection in a state where the USB peripheral device 317 can be connected. In step S1302, it is determined whether the USB peripheral device 317 is connected to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. If it is determined that the USB peripheral device 317 is connected (Yes), the USBC 316 performs a predetermined initialization process for the USB interface in step S1303, and the connection with the USB peripheral device 317 is established. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1302 that the USB peripheral device 317 is not connected (No), connection determination is performed until the USB peripheral device 317 is connected.

  In step S1304, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 determine whether to perform USB power supply according to the type of the USB peripheral device 317. If it is determined that the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 perform USB power supply (Yes), the process proceeds to step S1305. On the other hand, when it is determined that the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 do not perform USB power feeding (No), the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 terminate the process because there is no power consumption by USB power feeding.

  In step S <b> 1305, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 store a power value supplied to the USB peripheral device 317 and measure a timer (Timer) 318 to measure the power supply time. To start. In step S 1306, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 wait for a USB power information acquisition request from the management server 104. In step S 1307, it is determined whether the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 have received the USB power information acquisition request from the management server 104. Here, the USB power information acquisition request is transmitted from the management server 104 in step S1313 in the USB power history information collection process of the management server 104 described later. If it is determined that the USB power information acquisition request has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S1308.

  In step S <b> 1308, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 transmit USB power history information managed by the USB power history management unit 611 to the management server 104. In step S1309, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 reset the timer (Timer) 318, start measuring the supply time by USB power supply from this point, and return to step S1307.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1307 that the USB power information acquisition request has not been received (No), the process proceeds to step S1310, and in step S1310, it is determined whether or not the USB power supply is to be terminated. If it is determined that the USB power feeding is to be terminated (Yes), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the USB power supply (No), the process returns to step S1307.

  Next, USB power history information collection processing of the management server 104 will be described. First, in step S <b> 1311, the management server 104 starts measuring a timer 212 in order to measure time for periodically transmitting a USB power information acquisition request to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. . In step S1312, the management server 104 determines whether it is time to transmit a USB power information acquisition request to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. If it is determined that it is time to transmit the USB power information acquisition request (Yes), the USB power information acquisition request is transmitted to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 in step S1313. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not time to transmit the USB power information acquisition request (No), the determination is made until it is time to transmit the USB power information acquisition request.

  In step S <b> 1314, the management server 104 determines whether USB power history information has been received from the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. Here, the USB power history information is transmitted from the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 in step S1308 in the USB power history information generating process of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 described above. If it is determined that the USB power history information has been received (Yes), the acquired USB supply power and its elapsed time are tabulated for each image forming apparatus in step S1315 and stored as the USB power history information table 5022. On the other hand, when it is determined that the USB power history information is not received (No), the determination is performed until the USB power history information is received. In step S1316, the management server 104 determines whether to end the USB power information acquisition process. If it is determined to end the USB power information acquisition process (Yes), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the USB power information acquisition process (No), the process returns to step S1312, and the process is continued.

  Next, job history collection processing of the management server 104 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The job history collection process is a process in which the job history collection unit 503 of the management server 104 communicates with the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 via the network 105 and collects the job history managed by the job history management unit 609. . This processing is realized by the CPU 301 performing processing according to the program stored in the ROM 302 on the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 side. On the other hand, on the management server 104 side, the processing is implemented by the CPU 201 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 202.

  First, processing executed by the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 will be described. In step S1401, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 determine whether to start a print job in response to an instruction from the host computer 101, for example. As a job other than a print job, for example, a job such as copy, scan, and fax may be used. If it is determined to start the job (Yes), the process proceeds to step S1402. On the other hand, if it is determined not to start the job (No), the determination is continued until the job is started. Next, when the jobs of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are completed in step S1402, the job management unit 603 stores the job history information of the job in the job history management unit 609 in step S1403. In step S1404, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 wait for a job history acquisition request from the management server 104.

  In step S1405, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 determine whether a job history acquisition request from the management server 104 has been received. If it is determined that a job history acquisition request has been received (Yes), job history information is transmitted in step S1406. On the other hand, when it is determined that the job history acquisition request has not been received (No), the determination is continued until the job history acquisition request is received. In step S1407, it is determined whether or not the operations of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are to be ended. If it is determined that the operations of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are to be ended (Yes), the processing is ended. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the operations of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 (No), the process returns to step S1401 to continue the processing.

  Next, processing executed by the management server 104 will be described. In step S <b> 1408, the management server 104 starts measurement with a timer 212 in order to measure time for periodically transmitting a job history acquisition request. In step S1409, the management server 104 determines whether it is time to transmit a job history acquisition request to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. If it is determined that it is time to transmit the job history acquisition request (Yes), the job history acquisition request is transmitted to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 in step S1410. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not time to transmit the job history acquisition request (No), the determination is continued until it is time to transmit the job history acquisition request.

  In step S <b> 1411, the management server 104 determines whether job history information has been received from the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. If it is determined that the job history information has been received (Yes), the received job history information is totaled and stored in the history collection unit 502 as the job history information table 5021 in step S1412. On the other hand, when it is determined that the job history information has not been received (No), the determination is continued until the job history information is received.

  In step S1413, the management server 104 determines whether to end the job history acquisition process. If it is determined that the job history acquisition process is to be terminated (Yes), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the job history acquisition process (No), in step S1414, the timer for measuring the time for periodically transmitting the job history acquisition request is reset, and the process returns to step S1409. Continue.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the USB power history information is transmitted by the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 in response to a request from the management server 104 has been described. However, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 periodically manage the USB power history information. It may be configured to transmit to the server 104. In this case, the management server 104 does not transmit a USB power information acquisition request to the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 but waits for notification of USB power history information from the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. Become.

A process in which the analysis processing unit 504 of the management server 104 analyzes the usage frequency and power consumption of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the process of analyzing the usage frequency and power consumption of the image forming apparatus, a totaling result table 5042 is created based on the job history information table 5021, USB power history information table 5022, apparatus state power consumption table 5031, and job power consumption table 5041. Is done. This processing is realized by the CPU 201 performing processing according to a program stored in the ROM 202 of the management server 104. First, in step S1501, the management server 104 calculates USB power consumption for each image forming apparatus. Specifically, the analysis processing unit 504 calculates the USB power consumption (Wh) of each device ID based on the USB power history information table 5022 by the following calculation formula.

USB power consumption (W) x supply time (h) = USB power consumption (Wh)

Next, the calculated USB power consumption of each device ID is summed up with the same device ID. In the USB power history information table 5022, the USB power consumption (Wh) in the case of the image forming apparatus 103 is 60 × 289/60 + 36 × 120/60 + 10 × 215/60 = 396.83 (Wh). This is the USB power consumption in the column 1202 of the tabulation result table 5042. Note that, when the USB power consumption having the same device ID that has already been calculated is stored in the aggregation result table 5042, the value is updated by adding the value of the USB power consumption that is newly calculated and obtained. In step S1502, the management server 104 calculates job power consumption for each image forming apparatus. Specifically, the analysis processing unit 504 uses the job power consumption table 5041 based on the device ID, job type, color type, page size, and number of pages in the job history information table 5021 to calculate Job power consumption (Wh) is calculated.

Job power consumption (Wh) = power consumption (Wh) × number of pages consumed when printing one page

The job power consumption calculated from the same device ID is totaled. For example, the job power consumption (Wh) in the case of the image forming apparatus 103 is 1.2 × 3 + 3.2 × 2 = 10 (Wh). Further, by calculating the end time-start time in each job history in the job history information table 5021, the required time related to the job can be calculated. Based on the time required for the job and the power consumption for each operation mode corresponding to the device ID in the device state power consumption table 5031, the analysis processing unit 504 calculates the device state power consumption (Wh). In the present exemplary embodiment, as an example, the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 calculate that the normal mode is performed for 5 minutes after the job ends. At this time, the apparatus state power consumption (Wh) can be calculated by the following calculation formula as the sum of the power consumption during job processing and the power consumption in the normal mode.

Device state power consumption (Wh) = job processing power consumption (W) × job required time (hours) + normal mode power consumption (W) × 5/60 (hours)

And the apparatus state power consumption calculated from the same apparatus ID is totaled. As an example, in the case of the image forming apparatus 103, 650 × 22/3600 + 50 × 300/3600 + 650 × 47/3600 + 50 × 300/3600 = 20.8 (Wh). Here, the job power consumption (Wh) in the column 1203 of the total result table 5042 is obtained by summing the previously obtained job power consumption (Wh) and apparatus state power consumption (Wh). As an example, in the case of the image forming apparatus 103, 10 + 20.8 = 30.8 (Wh). If the job power consumption having the same device ID calculated previously is already stored in the total result table 5042, the job power consumption value newly calculated and added is added to obtain the value. Update. In step S1503, the management server 104 calculates power saving mode power consumption for each image forming apparatus. Specifically, the power consumption mode (Wh) is obtained from the power consumption in the power saving mode in the device state power consumption table by the following formula.

Power consumption (Wh) = Power saving mode Power consumption (W) x Power saving mode time (hours)

  The power saving mode time is an accumulated time obtained by excluding the normal mode and job processing time from the operation time from when the image forming apparatus is turned on. In the present embodiment, the cumulative time in the power saving mode from when the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 are turned on is, for example, 24 hours. At this time, in the case of the image forming apparatus 103, 1 (W) × 24 (hours) = 24 (Wh). This value becomes the power saving mode power consumption in the column 1204 of the tabulation result table 5042. If the power saving mode power consumption having the same device ID calculated previously is stored in the total result table 5042, the value of the power saving mode power consumption already calculated and added is added. Update the value.

  In step S1504, the management server 104 calculates the number of jobs for each image forming apparatus. Specifically, the number of jobs is obtained by summing up the number of different job history IDs having the same device ID based on the job history information table 5021. As an example, in the case of the image forming apparatus 103, the jobs with the job history ID 1001 and the job history 1002 are totaled, so the number is twice. This value is the number of jobs in the column 1205 of the total result table 5042. If the number of jobs having the same device ID that has already been calculated is stored in the aggregation result table 5042, the value is updated by adding the value of the number of jobs newly calculated and obtained. The number of jobs represents the number of times the image forming measures 102 and 103 are used, that is, the usage frequency of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. The analysis processing unit 504 relatively determines whether the frequency of use of each image forming apparatus is high or low by comparing the image forming apparatuses based on the number of jobs. The use frequency can be determined not only by comparing with another device, but also by preparing a predetermined threshold value, and when the frequency is lower than the threshold value, the use frequency is lower than expected. The threshold value here is set, for example, by a network administrator in consideration of the size of the office, the number of users, the type of business, and the like. As described above, the analysis processing unit 504 of the management server 104 analyzes the usage frequency and power consumption of the image forming apparatus, and the analysis results are tabulated in the tabulation result table 5042.

  After analyzing the usage frequency and power consumption (power consumption) of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, the management user who uses the system according to the present embodiment can manage the usage frequency and the power consumption state so that the management user can grasp the usage frequency and the power consumption state. The analysis result is displayed on the display 210 of the server 104. An example of the analysis result displayed on the display 210 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, FIG. 12A is a graph of the USB power consumption (Wh) of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and visualizes the aggregation results in the column 1202 of the aggregation result table 5042. FIG. 12B is a graph of job power consumption (Wh) of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and visualizes the aggregation results in the column 1203 of the aggregation result table 5042. FIG. 12C is a graph of the power saving mode power consumption of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and the tabulation results in the column 1204 of the tabulation result table 5042 are visualized. FIG. 12D is a graph of the number of jobs of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103, and visualizes the aggregation results in the column 1205 of the aggregation result table 5042.

  FIG. 12E is a graph of the total power consumption of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103. The USB power consumption tabulation result in the column 1202 of the tabulation result table 5042 and the job power consumption tabulation result in the column 1203. The total is visualized. In this case, since the comparison is made visible, it can be seen that the image forming apparatus 103 has a smaller job power consumption than the image forming apparatus 102, but the USB power consumption is very large. For this reason, it is possible to easily determine that the image forming apparatus 103 is stopped to be effective in reducing power consumption as a system. As described above, the visualization of the job power consumption and USB power consumption of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 in the system according to the present embodiment can assist the judgment of the management user.

  FIG. 12F is a graph showing the USB power consumption (Wh) of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 as in FIG. 12A. The power consumption of the image forming apparatus is preset. A case where power consumption is exceeded is highlighted as an example. In the present embodiment, the preset value is 300 (Wh), but the management user can set an arbitrary value. Thereby, it can assist so that it can grasp | ascertain easily easily about the power consumption which a system administrator notes.

  The power control of the image forming apparatuses 102 and 103 performed by the apparatus power control unit 505 of the management server 104 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The management server 104 of the system according to the present embodiment can remotely stop an appropriately selected image forming apparatus via the network 105 in order to reduce the power of the entire system. This processing is realized by the CPU 201 performing processing in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 202 of the management server 104.

  First, in step S1601, the management server 104 performs the power consumption and usage frequency analysis processing of the image forming apparatus described in the flowchart of FIG. In step S1602, the apparatus power control unit 505 of the management server 104 determines whether or not to stop the image forming apparatus in order to reduce the power of the entire system. Here, the stop control of the image forming apparatus is, for example, almost used in the system when a preset power allowable amount that can be used in the entire system is exceeded or by the use frequency analysis in step S1601. This is the case, for example, when an unformed image forming apparatus is found. If it is determined that stop control of the image forming apparatus is to be performed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S1603. On the other hand, if it is determined not to perform stop control of the image forming apparatus (No), the process returns to step S1601 to perform analysis processing of power consumption and usage frequency of the image forming apparatus.

  In step S1603, the apparatus power supply control unit 505 extracts (specifies) an image forming apparatus having the smallest number of job executions, that is, the least frequently used, from the totaling result table 5042. Then, the apparatus power supply control unit 505 makes an inquiry through the network 105 to determine whether the image forming apparatus that is least frequently used is being powered by USB. If it is determined that USB power feeding is being performed by a response from the image forming apparatus having the lowest usage frequency (Yes), the process proceeds to step 1604. On the other hand, if it is determined that the USB power supply is not being performed due to a response from the image forming apparatus having the lowest usage frequency (No), the process advances to step S1605, and the apparatus power control unit 505 transmits the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus via the network 105. The stop notification is transmitted to stop the image forming apparatus.

  In step S <b> 1604, the apparatus power supply control unit 505 determines whether or not the USB power consumption of the image forming apparatus exceeds a predetermined allowable amount of USB power consumption from the aggregation result table 5042. As the predetermined USB power consumption, for example, a setting value that can be allowed as the USB supply power of the image forming apparatus by the system administrator can be set in advance. If it is determined that the USB power consumption of the image forming apparatus exceeds the predetermined allowable amount of USB power consumption (Yes), the process advances to step S1605, and the apparatus power supply control unit 505 establishes the network 105 for the image forming apparatus. The stop notification is transmitted via the control unit to stop the image forming apparatus. In this case, although the stopped image forming apparatus is being powered by USB, since it can be determined that the power consumption by USB power feeding is large, it is possible to give priority to the suspension in order to reduce the power consumption in the system. On the other hand, if it is determined that the USB power consumption of the image forming apparatus does not exceed the predetermined allowable amount of USB power consumption (No), the process advances to step S1606.

  In step S <b> 1606, the apparatus power supply control unit 505 determines whether or not USB power is being supplied to the image forming apparatus with a low usage frequency via the network 105 in the order of the low usage frequency from the aggregation result table 5042. Inquire. If there is an image forming apparatus that is not powered by USB, a stop notification is transmitted to the image forming apparatus via the network 105 (priority), and the image forming apparatus is stopped. Here, for example, when there is only an image forming apparatus that is powered by USB, the least frequently used image forming apparatus may be stopped. Alternatively, an image forming apparatus that consumes the most power by USB power supply may be stopped, or an image forming apparatus that consumes the least power by USB power supply may be stopped. The priority may be changed accordingly.

  After the image forming apparatus is stopped in step S1605 or step S1606, the process proceeds to step S1607. In 1607, when the management server 104 continues the analysis processing of the power consumption and usage frequency of the image forming apparatus described in the flowchart of FIG. 10 (Yes), the process returns to step S1601 to continue the processing. When the management server 104 does not continue the analysis processing of the power consumption and usage frequency of the image forming apparatus (No), this flow ends.

  In this embodiment, the apparatus power supply control unit 505 of the management server 104 transmits a stop notification to the image forming apparatus via the network 105 to stop the image forming apparatus. It is not limited to the configuration to stop. For example, even if the image forming apparatus is not stopped, a screen for alerting the system administrator as shown in FIG. 11F on the display 210 of the management server 104 may be displayed. Further, even if the image forming apparatus is not stopped, the USB controller (USBC) 316 of the image forming apparatus is controlled by communication from the management server 104 to invalidate the function of the USB interface itself including data communication. Also good. Furthermore, the USB controller 316 of the image forming apparatus is controlled by communication from the management server 104 to reduce (suppress) the USB power supply capability, or receive USB power from the USB peripheral device 317 without performing USB power supply. The structure which performs control may be sufficient.

  As described above, it is not determined which image forming apparatus is to be stopped based only on the frequency of use depending on the number of prints, but in consideration of the case where the user uses the image forming apparatus as a power source by USB power supply, power saving in the system power consumption It is possible to carry out effective power control that can be aimed at achieving the above. Further, visualization of power consumption in consideration of power consumption by USB power feeding is realized so that the system administrator does not overlook power consumption when functioning as a power source by power feeding.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

Claims (10)

An information processing apparatus that manages a plurality of network devices,
Receiving means for receiving, from the network device, first history information relating to power feeding performed to another device by connection according to a predetermined standard;
Display control means for displaying power used by power feeding of the network device as an analysis result of the first history information;
Transmitting means for transmitting an instruction for suppressing a function of power feeding to the other device by connection according to the predetermined standard to the network device;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The receiving unit receives second history information related to job processing from the network device;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays power used by the execution of the job of the network device as an analysis result of the second history information.   The display control means performs control for comparing and displaying the power used by the power supply of the network device and the power used by job execution as an analysis result of the first and second history information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. Among the plurality of network devices, a network device in which the number of job executions is relatively smaller than that of other network devices or a number of job executions less than a predetermined threshold is referred to as a network device that is less frequently used by a job. Identify,
The said transmission means transmits the said instruction | indication with respect to the network apparatus with low use frequency by a job based on the analysis result of the said 1st and 2nd historical information. Information processing device.   5. The transmission unit according to claim 4, wherein the transmission unit preferentially transmits the instruction to a network device that does not supply power to another device among network devices that are not frequently used by a job. The information processing apparatus described.   The information according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the receiving means receives the first and second history information from each of the plurality of network devices at predetermined time intervals. Processing equipment.   2. The transmission unit transmits an instruction for stopping a function of power supply to another device of the network device as the instruction based on at least the analysis result of the first history information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of?   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection conforming to the predetermined standard is a USB standard connection. An information processing apparatus control method for managing a plurality of network devices,
Receiving, from the network device, first history information relating to power feeding to another device by connection according to a predetermined standard;
Displaying the power used by the power supply of the network device as an analysis result of the first history information;
A step of transmitting an instruction to the network device to suppress a function of power feeding performed to the other device by connection according to the predetermined standard;
A control method characterized by comprising: The program for functioning a computer as a means of any one of Claims 1-8.

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