JP2018086751A - Information processing device, control method and program of information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the power consumption during the operation of the whole controller including the power consumption of an expansion part.SOLUTION: A system control unit 210 of an image formation apparatus 100, in a case where it is determined that the contents that can be processed by a function of an expansion controller unit 201 is contained in a job to be processed (YES in S103), and the function of a main controller unit 200 corresponding to the function of the expansion controller unit 201 has been already used (YES in S104), performs control to supply the power to the expansion controller unit 201 (S106), use the expansion controller unit 201 in the job to be processed (S107, S108, S109), in other cases, not to supply the power to the expansion controller unit 201, and use the main controller unit 200 in the job to be processed (S105, S109).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to power saving control of a controller having an expansion unit.

  There is known an image forming apparatus such as a digital multi-functional peripheral having various functions such as a scanner function, a printer function, a copy function, a network function, and FAX transmission / reception. Functional operations in the digital multifunction peripheral are normally controlled by an image input / output control unit called a controller.

  In recent years, digital multifunction peripherals have been designed and manufactured in a wide range from low speed machines to high speed machines in order to meet various customers, and a controller that can flexibly cope with these various device performances is desired. Therefore, there is a controller architecture that can cope with the processing speed of a high-speed machine by expanding the controller for a low-speed machine and flexibly meet such demands.

  On the other hand, it is desired to reduce the power consumption of the digital multi-function peripheral including the controller as much as possible. Therefore, in the controller having the main unit used for the low speed machine and the extension unit for the high speed machine as described above, it is desirable to set the power saving state when the use of the extension part is unnecessary.

  For example, there are CPUs on the main side node and the expansion side node respectively, and when the expansion side CPU is in the power saving state, the entire expansion side node is put into the power saving state, and the number of processes of the main side CPU increases. There has been proposed a technique for returning the extended side node (Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-212358 A

  Depending on the performance of the controller, it may not always be necessary to operate the expansion unit in a high-speed machine. In this case, the extension unit only needs to be operated when the above-described functional jobs such as scan, print, copy, and FAX conflict and the performance cannot be achieved unless the controller uses the extension unit. Therefore, it is only necessary to activate the expansion unit of the controller to the normal state only when the jobs are competing. In other states, controlling the expansion unit to the power saving state is the most power consumption during controller operation. Reduce.

  However, if the expansion unit is returned to the normal state only by the magnitude of the load on the main unit, the minimum necessary normal state may not be obtained. This is because it is not always necessary to return the expansion unit depending on the processing content implemented in each of the main unit and the expansion unit and the content of the processing required for the job. In such a case, as in the case of the CPU or the like, if it is determined whether or not to return the expansion unit to the normal state only by the magnitude of the load, the consumption during the operation of the entire controller including the power consumption of the expansion unit It becomes difficult to keep power to the minimum necessary level.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for reducing power consumption during operation of the entire controller, including power consumption of an expansion unit.

  The present invention can supply power to the first processing means, the second processing means having a function corresponding to at least one function of the first processing means, and the first processing means and the second processing means individually. Power supply means, control means for controlling execution of the job, first determination means for determining whether or not the job to be processed includes content that can be processed by the function of the second processing means, A second determination means for determining whether or not the function of the first processing means corresponding to the function of the second processing means is already used in the processing of the job currently being processed, The control means determines that the job to be processed by the first determination means includes content that can be processed by the function of the second processing means, and the second determination means has the second processing means To function In the first case where it is determined that the function of the corresponding first processing means has already been used, the power supply means supplies power to the second processing means, and the job to be processed from now on If two processing means are used and the first case is not the case, the power supply means does not supply power to the second processing means, and the first processing means is used in a job to be processed. It is characterized by performing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during the operation of the entire controller including the power consumption of the second processing means as the expansion unit.

Block diagram of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment Controller block diagram System control block diagram Block diagram of the print processor, loopback processor, and scan processor Image ring bus switch block diagram Configuration diagram of packet data flowing through the ring bus Block diagram of the loopback image processing unit Example of connection control of image ring bus switch in embodiment 1 Example of connection control of image ring bus switch in embodiment 1 Example of connection control of image ring bus switch in embodiment 1 Flowchart showing the flow of job processing in the first embodiment Diagram illustrating a job and the processing used in that job Example of image ring bus switch connection control in Embodiment 2 Flowchart showing the flow of job processing in the second embodiment

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

<Outline of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The scanner unit 110 optically reads a document image and converts it into image data. The scanner unit 110 includes a document reading unit 112 having a function for reading a document, and a document feeding unit 111 having a function for conveying a document sheet.

  The printer unit 140 conveys the recording paper, prints the image data thereon as a visible image, and discharges it outside the apparatus. The printer unit 140 includes a paper feed unit 142 having a plurality of types of recording paper cassettes, a transfer fixing unit 141 having a function of transferring and fixing image data onto the recording paper, and a printer that sorts and staples the printed recording paper. A paper discharge unit 143 having a function of outputting to the outside.

  The controller unit 120 is an information processing apparatus that is electrically connected to the scanner unit 110 and the printer unit 140 and further connected to a network 150 such as a LAN, a public line, the Internet / intranet.

  The controller unit 120 controls the scanner unit 110 to read image data of a document, and controls the printer unit 140 to output the image data to a recording sheet to provide a copy function. The controller unit 120 provides a scanner function that converts image data read from the scanner unit 110 into code data and transmits the code data to a host computer (not shown) via the network 150. Further, the controller unit 120 provides a printer function that converts code data received from a host computer (not shown) via the network 150 into image data and outputs the image data to the printer unit 140. The controller unit 120 also provides a FAX reception function for receiving and printing data from the public line and a FAX transmission function for transmitting scanned data to the public line.

  The processes such as scanning, printing, and FAX transmission / reception are called jobs, and the image forming apparatus 100 controls and processes these jobs according to instructions. These jobs can be processed simultaneously depending on the combination.

  The operation unit 130 is connected to the controller unit 120, is configured with a liquid crystal touch panel, and provides a user interface for operating the image forming apparatus.

<Controller part>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the controller unit 120.
As shown in FIG. 2, the controller unit 120 includes a main controller unit 200, an expansion controller unit 201, and a power supply unit 290. Hereinafter, each will be described in detail.

  A system control unit 210 inside the main controller unit 200 has a CPU inside, and controls scan processing using the scanner unit 110 and print processing using the printer unit 140. Further, the system control unit 210 transfers image data for performing these processes via the image ring bus switch 220. Further, the system control unit 210 performs overall control of the entire system, such as data transmission to the network 150, data reception from the network 150, display processing on the operation unit 130, and the like. The system control unit 210 controls the power supply unit 290, and details of the control will be described later.

  Next, the image ring bus switch 220 performs image ring bus switch control for transferring image data to each block in the controller. In this embodiment, the data lines for transferring the image data to each unit are connected in a ring shape via the image ring bus switch 220. As a result, the system control unit 210, the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, the scan processing unit 250, and the ring bus external interface 280 can exchange image data. The image ring bus switch 220 is a switch for changing the connection destination of the ring bus as necessary, and details of the switch control will be described later.

  The print processing unit 230 includes various image processing such as color space conversion processing, intermediate length processing, and gamma correction for printing image data by the printer unit 140. The print processing unit 230 receives image data from the image ring bus switch 220, performs image processing on the image data, and then outputs the image data to the printer unit 140.

  The loopback processing unit 240 is a block that performs image processing that may be used in either print processing or scan processing. The loopback processing unit 240 receives image data from the system control unit 210 via the ring bus, performs internal image processing, and then returns the image data to the system control unit 210 via the ring bus. The internal image processing will be described later.

  The scan processing unit 250 includes image processing such as shading correction processing, MTF correction processing, input gamma correction, and filter processing applied to the image data read by the scanner unit 110. The scan processing unit 250 performs the image processing on the image data transferred from the scanner unit 110, and then transfers the image data to the image ring bus switch 220. The image data transferred to the image ring bus switch 220 is transferred to the system control unit 210 via the ring bus.

  The RAM controller 260 receives the image data from the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250, and performs control to temporarily write them into the RAM 270. The RAM controller 260 reads the image data written to the RAM 270 in accordance with instructions from each unit, and performs processing for transferring the data to each unit. The print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250 use the RAM 270 as a temporary image buffer in order to execute image processing held inside each of them and to change the arrangement of image data. doing. At this time, the image data of the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250 are multiplexed and transferred to the transfer path between the RAM controller 260 and the RAM 270. Therefore, when a data transfer exceeding the transfer processing performance (memory bandwidth performance) of this transfer path is requested, a transfer waiting state occurs. Therefore, there are many cases where data transfer between the RAM controller 260 and the RAM 270 becomes a bottleneck of the processing capability of the main controller unit 200.

  Next, the ring bus external interface 280 is an interface that connects the ring bus of the main controller unit 200 centering on the image ring bus switch 220 and the outside of the main controller unit 200. The main controller unit 200 can transmit / receive the ring bus data of the main controller unit 200 to / from the outside via this interface. In this embodiment, the main controller unit 200 is connected to the expansion controller unit 201 via the ring bus external interface 280.

  The extended controller unit 201 is an extended block for speeding up the processing of the controller unit 120. Here, as an example, the extended controller unit 201 has the same configuration as the main controller unit 200. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the development cost for designing the extended controller unit separately from the main controller unit 200. Therefore, the functions of the system control unit 211, the image ring bus switch 221, the print processing unit 231, the loop back processing unit 241, the scan processing unit 251, the RAM controller 261, the RAM 271, and the ring bus external interface 281 in the expansion controller unit 201 are as follows. The functions are the same as those of the system controller 210, the image ring bus switch 220, the print processor 230, the loopback processor 240, the scan processor 250, the RAM controller 260, the RAM 270, and the ring bus external interface 280 of the main controller unit 200.

  In the present embodiment, the loopback processing unit 241 is actually used as an extended function among the print processing unit 231, the loopback processing unit 241, and the scan processing unit 251 inside the expansion controller unit 201. This is because when the print processing unit 231 and the scan processing unit 251 are used, it is necessary to change the connection of the printer unit 140 and the scanner unit 110 from the main controller unit 200 to the extended controller unit 201, and the configuration of the controller unit 120 is complicated. It is because it will become. Therefore, when the loopback processing unit 241 is used, the system control unit 211, the print processing unit 231, and the scan processing unit 251 that do not need to be operated are shaded in FIG. These shaded blocks in FIG. 2 may be in a power saving state in which the clock supply is stopped.

  The power supply unit 290 is a block that controls the power supply of the main controller unit 200 and the expansion controller unit 201. The power supply unit 290 can individually supply power to the main controller unit 200 and the expansion controller unit 201. When the image forming apparatus 100 is turned on, the power supply unit 290 starts supplying power only to the main controller unit 200 inside the controller unit 120. Power supply to the expansion controller unit 201 is controlled in accordance with an instruction from the system control unit 210 inside the main controller unit 200. Therefore, the power supply unit 290 supplies power to the expansion controller unit 201 only when there is a supply instruction from the system control unit 210, and supplies power to the expansion controller unit 201 when there is a supply stop instruction. Stop.

<System controller>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the system control unit 210.
Each block constituting the inside of the system control unit 210 is connected by a system bus 300.

  The CPU 310 is a processor that controls the entire system. The CPU 310 comprehensively controls processing related to jobs such as print processing and scan processing in accordance with an OS (operating system) and control program expanded in the RAM 331.

  The ROM controller 320 is a control module for accessing the ROM 321 storing the boot program of the system. When the image forming apparatus 100 is powered on, the CPU 310 accesses the ROM 321 via the ROM controller 320 and the CPU 310 boots.

  The RAM controller 330 is a control module for accessing the RAM 331 in which system control programs and image data are stored. The RAM controller 330 includes a register for setting and controlling the RAM 331, and this register can be accessed from the CPU 310.

  The operation unit interface 340 controls reception of an operation instruction when the user operates the operation unit 130 and display of an operation result.

  An HDD 361 is a hard disk drive, and stores system software, application programs, image data, and page information and job information corresponding to each image data. The HDD 361 is connected to the system bus 300 via the HDD controller 360, and reads or writes data according to instructions from the CPU 310.

The LAN controller 370 is connected to the network 150 via a PHY (Physical Layer) 371 and inputs / outputs information such as image data to / from an external host computer.
The modem 372 is connected to a public line (not shown), and performs data communication with an external FAX device when performing a FAX transmission or FAX reception job.

  The image compression unit 350 compresses image data stored in the RAM 331 or the HDD 361 into the JPEG format. An image decompression unit 351 decompresses image data compressed in the JPEG format.

  The rendering unit 352 develops image data (PDL code) received from the external device via the LAN controller 370 from the network 150 into bitmap data. Used with the print function. PDL represents Page Description Language.

  The power supply control unit 380 performs power saving control such as stopping the clock supply to the unused block for each block in the controller unit (the main controller unit 200 or the controller unit 201) including the power supply control unit 380. For example, the power supply control unit inside the system control unit 211 of the extended controller unit 201 stops the clock supply of unused blocks such as the system control unit 211, the print processing unit 231, and the scan processing unit 251, and puts it in a power saving state. The power supply control unit receives an identification signal (not shown) from the outside in order to determine whether it is inside the main controller unit 200 or the extended controller unit 201. For example, if the identification signal is in the “Low” state, the power supply control unit determines that it is inside the main controller unit 200. If the identification signal is in the “High” state, the power supply control unit determines that it is inside the expansion controller unit 201.

  The GPIO control unit 390 is a block that controls GPIO (General Purpose IO Port) provided in the controller. The GPIO control unit 390 is controlled by the CPU 310 and controls the GPIO state. In this embodiment, the GPIO signal output from the GPIO control unit 390 is output to the outside of the system control unit 210 and connected to the power supply unit 290 inside the controller unit 120. The power supply unit 290 stops power supply to the expansion controller unit 201 when the GPIO signal is in the “Low” state, and supplies power to the expansion controller unit 201 when the GPIO signal is in the “High” state. As a result, the CPU 310 can control the power supply to the expansion controller unit 201. The initial state of the GPIO signal is “Low”.

  The image ring interface 301 is an interface block that connects the system bus 300 inside the system control unit 210 and a ring bus centering on an image ring bus switch outside the system control unit 210. Data flowing through the ring bus is called packet data. The image ring interface 301 transmits packet data stored in the RAM 331 or the HDD 361 to the ring bus. The image ring interface 301 stores packet data received from the ring bus in the RAM 331 or the HDD 361. Here, the packet data will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of packet data flowing through the ring bus according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the packet data 600 is largely divided into a header part 610 and a data part 620. The header part 610 is further divided into information shown in the figures from 601 to 608.

  The packet type 601 indicates whether this packet is image data or a command. When the packet type 601 indicates image data, the data portion 620 stores image data. When the packet type 601 indicates a command, the data unit 620 stores data indicating a setting address and a setting value for setting a coefficient and a mode of each image processing unit.

  The chip ID 602 indicates an ID (identifier) for identifying a processing unit that is a target for transmitting packet data. For example, if the ID is “0”, the print processing unit 230 is displayed. If the ID is “1”, the loopback processing unit 240 is displayed. If the ID is “2”, the scan processing unit 250 is displayed. A loopback processing unit 241 inside the controller unit 201 is shown.

  The page ID 603 indicates the page number to which the packet belongs. A process such as scan or print may be performed for a plurality of pages, and indicates the page number of the packet in that case.

  A job ID 604 indicates the job number (job identifier) to which the packet belongs. For example, when a scan job and a print job are executed simultaneously, a job number “1” is assigned to the scan job packet, and a job number “2” is assigned to the print job packet to identify the job. It is possible.

  The packet Y coordinate 605 indicates at which Y coordinate in the page the image data is stored when the image data is stored in the data portion 620. The packet X coordinate 606 indicates which X coordinate in the page the image data is stored in when the image data is stored in the data portion 620. The image data stored in the data unit 620 is obtained by dividing image data in page units into a rectangular size of a predetermined number of pixels (for example, 32 pixels × 32 pixels). Therefore, when regenerating the page data from the packet data, the main coordinate data (packet Y coordinate 605 and packet X coordinate 606) is referred to. The image data is compressed by the image compression unit 350 or a compressor mounted inside each image processing unit, and stored in the data unit 620 as compressed image data.

The packet byte length 607 indicates the total number of bytes of the packet.
Data byte length 608 indicates the total number of bytes of data portion 620.
The packet data as described above flows through the ring bus, and each image processing unit receives and interprets the packet data. If the packet indicates a command, each image processing unit sets a processing mode, a coefficient, and the like based on the command. Each image processing unit performs image processing on the image data if the packet indicates image data.

Next, the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250.

<Print processing section>
FIG. 4A shows the internal structure of the print processing unit 230.
When receiving the packet data, the packet input / output I / F 400 refers to the chip ID 602 of the header portion 610 of the packet data and checks whether it is the same as the chip ID allocated to itself. If the ID indicated by the chip ID 602 is different from the chip ID assigned to itself, the packet input / output I / F 400 determines that the packet data is not to be processed by its own image processing unit, and sends the packet to the next image processing unit. Transfer data. On the other hand, when the ID indicated by the chip ID 602 is the same as the chip ID allocated to itself, the packet input / output I / F 400, if the packet is image data, the internal image processing path (the decompressor 401, the packet raster conversion unit). 402, the image processing is executed through the printer image processing unit 403). If the packet is a command, the packet input / output I / F 400 refers to the setting address and setting value stored in the data portion 620 of the packet data, and sets the coefficient and mode of the designated image processing unit. To do.

  The decompressor 401 decompresses the compressed image data input from the packet input / output I / F 400 and restores it to a pixel state that can perform subsequent image processing. The packet raster conversion unit 402 receives the expanded pixel data from the expander 401 and converts it into raster image data. As described above, the image data in the packet is a rectangle of 32 pixels × 32 pixels. In the case of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the printing process in the printer unit 140 is performed in raster order (line sequential). Therefore, the packet raster conversion unit 402 converts the pixel arrangement of image data in raster order. ing. In this embodiment, the packet raster conversion unit 402 uses the RAM 270 as a temporary buffer for converting image data from a 32 pixel × 32 pixel rectangle in raster order, and accesses the RAM 270 via the RAM controller 260. To do.

  The printer image processing unit 403 receives the image data converted in raster order from the packet raster conversion unit 402, and performs image processing as preprocessing for printing the image data in the printer unit 140. Specifically, the image processing includes color space conversion processing for converting RGB into CMYK, intermediate length processing using a dither method or error diffusion method, and gamma correction. The image data after the image processing is output to the printer unit 140. Further, the printer image processing unit 403 needs to output image data from the printer unit 140 in accordance with the activation of the printer unit and the feeding from the recording paper from the paper feeding unit 142. Therefore, the printer image processing unit 403 temporarily writes image data into the RAM 270 via the RAM controller 260 as a buffer for waiting until that timing. The printer image processing unit 403 reads the image data from the RAM 270 in synchronization with the recording paper feeding timing, and outputs the image data to the printer unit 140.

<Loopback processing unit>
FIG. 4B shows the internal structure of the loopback processing unit 240.
When receiving the packet data, the packet input / output I / F 410 refers to the chip ID 602 of the header 610 of the packet data, and checks whether it is the same as the chip ID allocated to itself. When the ID indicated by the chip ID 602 is different from the chip ID allocated to itself, the packet input / output I / F 410 determines that the packet data is not to be processed by its own image processing unit, and transmits the packet to the next image processing unit. Transfer data. On the other hand, when the ID indicated by the chip ID 602 is the same as the chip ID assigned to itself, the packet input / output I / F 410 receives an internal image processing path (from the decompressor 411 to the loopback image processing if the packet is image data). The image processing is executed through the unit 412). When the image data after image processing is received from the compressor 413, the packet input / output I / F 410 adds a header to the image data, shapes it as packet data, and transmits the packet data to the system control unit 210. If the packet is a command, the packet input / output I / F 410 refers to the setting address and setting value stored in the data portion 620 of the packet data, and sets the coefficient and mode of the designated image processing unit. To do.

The decompressor 411 decompresses the compressed image data input from the packet input / output I / F 410 and restores the pixel state so that the subsequent image processing can be performed.
The compressor 413 compresses the processed image data input from the loopback image processing unit 412 and outputs the compressed image data to the subsequent packet input / output I / F 410. The compressor 413 is used to recompress the image data decompressed by the decompressor 411.

  The loopback image processing unit 412 receives the image data from the decompressor 411, performs image processing provided in the loopback processing unit 240, and the compressor 413 passes the image processed image data to the compressor 413. This function can be used in either print processing or scan processing, and the same function is used in the expansion controller unit 201. Details of the loopback image processing unit 412 will be described with reference to FIG.

<Loopback image processing section details>
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating details of the loopback image processing unit 412.
The selector 700 is a selector that selects which internal image processing unit (710 to 714) the image data input / output from the decompressor 411 or the compressor 413 is connected to. This selector is set by the command packet from the CPU 310 before the image data is transmitted, and the connection destination is determined when the image data is transmitted.

  The rotation processing unit 710 performs processing for rotating image data. The rotation processing unit 710 is used, for example, to digitize an image scanned in A4 portrait to A4 landscape, and when printing an A4 landscape image, a recording paper set in the paper feed unit 142 is used. Is used to rotate the image when is A4 portrait instead of A4 landscape.

  The binarization processing unit 711 performs a process of binarizing the input multivalue (for example, RGB 8-bit gradation) using an error diffusion method or the like. The binarization processing unit 711 is used to binarize, for example, when a scanned image is transmitted by FAX.

The color space conversion unit 712 performs processing for converting an RGB image into a YUV image or converting a YUV image into an RGB image.
The resolution conversion unit 713 performs processing for converting the resolution of the input image. For example, in the case of FAX transmission, the resolution conversion unit 713 is used to convert a scanned high-resolution image into a low resolution used for FAX transmission. Further, the resolution conversion unit 713 is used to increase the resolution of the received low-resolution image for printing in the case of FAX reception printing.

  The image composition unit 714 performs a process of compositing composite data such as page printing (numbering), number of copies, and background pattern on image data to be printed. Depending on the user who uses the image forming apparatus, there is a case where composition processing such as copy-forgery-inhibited pattern printing related to security is always used, and it is desired that performance is not deteriorated even if composition processing is always used.

  The interconnect 720 is an interconnect that connects the binarization processing unit 711, the resolution conversion unit 713, the image composition unit 714, and the RAM controller 260. It is difficult for the binarization processing unit 711 and the resolution conversion unit 713 to perform image processing with a rectangle of 32 pixels × 32 pixels, and once the image data is converted into raster order using the RAM 270, image processing is performed. We are carrying out. It is desirable that the binarization processing unit 711 inputs pixels in raster order in order to sequentially apply the error diffusion method to the pixels. In addition, since the resolution conversion unit 713 needs to perform filter processing when converting by, for example, the bicubic method, it is desirable to perform conversion once in raster order, accumulate pixels in an internal line buffer, and perform filter processing. Further, the image composition unit 714 uses the RAM 270 as a temporary buffer for waiting for composite data transmitted as a packet and image data transmitted as a packet. As described above, the loopback image processing unit 412 is used for various jobs.

<Scanner processing unit>
FIG. 4C shows the internal structure of the scan processing unit 250.
When the packet input / output I / F 420 receives the packet data, the packet input / output I / F 420 refers to the chip ID 602 of the header portion 610 of the packet data and checks whether the packet ID is the same as the chip ID allocated to itself. When the ID indicated by the chip ID 602 is different from the chip ID assigned to itself, the packet input / output I / F 420 determines that the packet data is not to be processed by its own image processing unit, and transmits the packet to the next image processing unit. Transfer data. On the other hand, when the ID indicated by the chip ID 602 is the same as the chip ID allocated to itself, the packet input / output I / F 420 sets the setting address and setting value stored in the data unit 620 if the packet is a command. Refer to and set the coefficient and mode of the designated image processing unit.
Note that since the scan processing unit 250 receives image data only from the scanner unit 110, the received packet does not indicate image data.

  The compressor 421 compresses the image data input from the raster packet conversion unit 422 and outputs the compressed image data to the subsequent packet input / output I / F 420. The compression process is performed to compress image data of packet data transmitted by the packet input / output I / F 420.

  The raster packet conversion unit 422 converts the pixel data input from the scan image processing unit 423 into rectangular image data of 32 pixels × 32 pixels. As described above, since the image data in the packet is a rectangle of 32 pixels × 32 pixels, it is converted into a rectangle for subsequent packet transmission. Since the scan processing in the scanner unit 110 is performed in raster order (line sequential) using a line-type image sensor, the raster packet conversion unit 422 converts the pixel arrangement of the image data into a rectangle. In this embodiment, the RAM 270 is used as a temporary buffer for converting the image data from the raster order into a rectangle of 32 pixels × 32 pixels, and the raster packet converter 422 accesses the RAM 270 via the RAM controller 260. To do.

  The scan image processing unit 423 receives image data from the scanner unit 110 and performs image processing such as shading correction processing, MTF correction processing, input gamma correction, and filter processing. The image data after the image processing is output to the raster packet conversion unit 422. Further, the scan image processing unit 423 needs to receive image data in time for the input transfer speed of the input image data in order not to stop the scan operation using the image sensor in the scanner unit 110. On the other hand, in the packet transmission by the packet input / output I / F 420, when the timing of packet transmission of each image processing unit and its own packet transmission overlap, the transmission may be awaited, and the transmission speed is not stable. Therefore, the scan image processing unit 423 temporarily writes image data into the RAM 270 via the RAM controller 260 as an image buffer for temporary interference up to the transmission timing. Then, the scan image processing unit 423 reads the image data from the RAM 270 in synchronization with the packet transmission timing, and transmits the image data to the raster packet conversion unit 422.

<Image ring bus switch>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image ring bus switch 220.
As shown in FIG. 5, the image ring bus switch 220 includes switches 501 to 506 inside. The image ring bus switch 220 changes connections of the print processing unit 230, the loop back processing unit 240, the scan processing unit 250, and the ring bus external interface 280 according to the purpose.

  The switch 501 switches whether to output packet data input from the ring bus external interface 280 to the loopback processing unit 240 or to the scan processing unit 250 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 310.

  The switch 502 switches between packet data output to the ring bus external interface 280 from data input from the print processing unit 230 or data input from the loopback processing unit 240 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 310. .

  The switch 503 switches whether to output the packet data input from the print processing unit 230 to the loopback processing unit 240 or to the ring bus external interface 280 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 310.

  The switch 504 switches between packet data output to the loopback processing unit 240 from data input from the print processing unit 230 or data input from the ring bus external interface 280 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 310. .

  The switch 505 switches whether to output the packet data input from the loopback processing unit 240 to the scan processing unit 250 or to the ring bus external interface 280 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 310.

  The switch 506 switches between packet data output to the scan processing unit 250 from data input from the loopback processing unit 240 or data input from the ring bus external interface 280 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 310. .

<Image ring bus switch control>
8A to 8C are diagrams for explaining specific connection control of the image ring bus switch 220 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, it demonstrates in detail using FIG. 8A-FIG. 8C.

  FIG. 8A is an example of connection control when packet data is not transmitted from the main controller unit 200 to the extension controller unit 201 via the ring bus external interface 280. At this time, packet data does not flow through the switch 501 and the switch 502, and the switch 501 and the switch 502 are in an unused state (shaded in the drawing).

  The switch 503 is controlled to output packet data input from the print processing unit 230 to the switch 504 (loopback processing unit 240 side). The switch 504 is controlled to output packet data input from the switch 503 (print processing unit 230 side) to the loopback processing unit 240. The switch 505 is controlled to output packet data input from the loopback processing unit 240 to the switch 506 (scan processing unit 250 side). The switch 506 is controlled to output the packet data input from the switch 505 (loopback processing unit 240 side) to the scan processing unit 250.

  By controlling the image ring bus switch 220 in this way, the packet data sequentially passes from the system control unit 210 to the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250, and the system control unit 210 Return to. Such connection control is performed when the extended controller unit 201 is not used.

  FIG. 8B is an example of connection control when packet data is transmitted from the main controller unit 200 to the extension controller unit 201 via the ring bus external interface. At this time, packet data does not flow through the switch 504 and the switch 505, and is in an unused state (shaded in the figure).

  The switch 503 is controlled to output the packet data input from the print processing unit 230 to the switch 502 (ring bus external interface 280 side). The switch 502 is controlled to output the packet data input from the switch 503 (print processing unit 230 side) to the ring bus external interface 280.

  The switch 501 is controlled to output packet data input from the ring bus external interface 280 to the switch 506 (scan processing unit 250 side). The switch 506 is controlled to output packet data input from the switch 501 (ring bus external interface 280 side) to the scan processing unit 250.

  By controlling the image ring bus switch 220 in this way, the packet sequentially passes from the system control unit 210 to the print processing unit 230, the ring bus external interface 280, and the scan processing unit 250, and then to the system control unit 210. Return. Such connection control is performed when the extended controller unit 201 is used. By not using the loopback processing unit 240 inside the main controller in this way, congestion of the data transfer path to the RAM 270 is alleviated, and it becomes possible to prevent a decrease in performance of the main controller.

  FIG. 8C is an example of connection control of the image ring bus switch 221 when packet data is processed inside the extended controller unit 201. At this time, packet data does not flow through the switch 503 and the switch 506, and the switch 503 and the switch 506 are in an unused state (shaded in the figure).

  The switch 501 is controlled to output packet data input from the ring bus external interface 281 to the switch 504 (loopback processing unit 241 side). The switch 504 is controlled to output packet data input from the switch 501 (ring bus external interface 281 side) to the loopback processing unit 241.

  The switch 505 is controlled to output the packet data input from the loopback processing unit 241 to the switch 502 (ring bus external interface 281 side).

  In this way, by controlling the image ring bus switch 221, the packet data input to the expansion controller unit 201 goes to the loopback processing unit 241 and returns to the main controller unit 200. The packet is transmitted from the main controller unit 200 via the ring bus external interfaces 280 and 281. Such connection control is performed in the extension controller unit 201.

<Control flow chart>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a job processing flow of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment. By executing this flowchart, it is possible to achieve the minimum required operating power consumption of the controller in accordance with the job processing state. The processing in this flowchart is executed by the CPU 310 controlling the scanner unit 110, the controller unit 120, and the printer unit 140 in accordance with a program stored in a storage device such as the HDD 361 or the ROM 321.

  First, in S101, the CPU 310 receives a job input. For example, in the case of a scan job or FAX transmission job, the CPU 310 detects that the user has operated the operation unit 130 via the operation unit interface 340, and accepts the input of the job. If the job is a print job, the CPU 310 receives an input of the job from the host computer via the network 150 and the LAN controller 370. If the job is a FAX reception job, the CPU 310 accepts an input of the job via the public line and the modem 372. If it is determined that a job has been received (YES in S101), CPU 310 advances the process to S102.

  In S102, the CPU 310 checks an image processing function used internally by the job received in S101. Specifically, the CPU 310 checks which processing unit of the print processing unit 230, the loopback processing unit 240, and the scan processing unit 250 is used by the received job. Here, an example of a job and processing used in the job will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a job and processing used in the job.
For example, when “FAX transmission job” is received as the reception job 1, first, “0” is assigned to the FAX transmission job as a job ID. In the FAX transmission job, the scan processing unit 250 is used to execute a scan process using the scanner unit 110 for FAX transmission. In the FAX transmission job, a loopback image processing unit 412 is used to convert scanned image data into a format that can be FAX-transmitted. Specifically, the image processing executed by the loopback image processing unit 412 is binarization of the transmission image by the binarization processing unit 711 and conversion processing to a resolution capable of FAX transmission by the resolution conversion unit 713. In the FAX transmission job, the print processing unit 230 and the printer unit 140 are not used.

  Next, when “print job” is received as the reception job 2, “1” is assigned to the print job as a serial number of the previous job. In the print job, the print processing unit 230 is used to execute print processing using the printer unit 140. For example, when the image data to be printed sent from the host computer and the orientation of the recording paper set in the paper feeding unit 142 are different, the rotation processing unit 710 of the loopback image processing unit 412 is used and the image data is used. The direction of is rotated. Further, for example, when there is an instruction to synthesize data such as a tint block with image data, the image synthesizing unit 714 of the loopback image processing unit 412 is used to synthesize the tint block data with the image data. In the print job, the scan processing unit 250 and the scanner unit 110 are not used.

Hereinafter, the description returns to the flowchart.
In S103, the CPU 310 determines whether there is an expandable function among the functions to be used checked in S102. In this embodiment, the expandable function as shown in FIG. 2 is a function of loopback image processing in the loopback processing unit 241 of the expansion controller unit 201. For example, in the case of the two jobs shown in FIG. 10, since the loopback processing unit is used, it is determined that “an expandable function is used”.

  If it is determined in S103 that there is no use of an expandable function (NO in S103), the CPU 310 advances the process to S105. On the other hand, if it is determined that an expandable function is used (YES in S103), CPU 310 advances the process to S104.

  In S104, the CPU 310 determines whether or not the function determined to be used in S102 is already in use in the main controller unit 200. The state already in use is when another job is accepted before accepting the job in S101 above, and the job is currently being processed, and the functions that can be expanded within that job are now the main controller. Indicates that the unit 200 is in use. The image forming apparatus 100 can generally accept a plurality of jobs at the same time, and a state in which jobs overlap in this way is called a job conflict state. The job competition state occurs, for example, when the image forming apparatus 100 accepts a print job and a FAX transmission job so as to overlap each other.

  If it is determined in S104 that the main controller unit 200 is not using it (NO in S104), the CPU 310 advances the process to S105.

In S105, the CPU 310 sets the image ring bus switch 220 in a state of being used inside the main controller unit 200. Since S105 is performed when it is determined that the expandable function is not used in the main controller unit 200, the image ring bus switch 220 is set not to use the expansion controller unit 201 as shown in FIG. 8A. To do. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the power supply unit 290 supplies power only to the main controller unit 200 when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on. Therefore, the extended controller unit 201 is in a power saving state in which no power is supplied when the power source is activated, and is in a state of not operating. However, since the packet data is not transferred to the extended controller unit 201 due to the setting of the image ring bus switch 220, no problem occurs.
After S105, the CPU 310 advances the process to S109.

  If it is determined in S104 that the function determined to be used in S102 is already in use by the main controller unit 200 (YES in S104), the CPU 310 advances the process to S106. .

  In S106, the CPU 310 turns on the power of the expansion controller unit 201. Specifically, the CPU 310 controls the GPIO control unit 390 to change the GPIO signal connected to the power supply unit 290 inside the controller unit 120 to the “High” state. As a result, the power supply unit 290 detects a change in the GPIO signal and starts supplying power to the expansion controller unit 201.

  Next, in S107, the CPU 310 sets the image ring bus switch 220 in a state where packet data can be transmitted from the main controller unit 200 to the extension controller unit 201 via the ring bus external interface 280. The specific setting is as shown in FIG. 8B. Since S107 is performed when it is determined that the expandable function is already in use in the main controller unit 200, the image ring bus switch 220 is set so that the expansion controller unit 201 can be used as shown in FIG. 8B. Set.

Next, in S108, the CPU 310 executes initial setting of the expansion controller unit 201. The initial settings are settings of the image ring bus switch 221, the loopback processing unit 241, and the RAM controller 261. The image ring bus switch 221 is controlled as shown in FIG. 8C. In this embodiment, the CPU 310 sets the extended controller unit 201 by transmitting packet data in which the packet type 601 indicates a command to the extended controller unit 201.
After S108, the CPU 310 advances the process to S109.

  In step S109, the CPU 310 controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 and executes the job received in step S101. If the above S105 is performed, the job is executed in the controller unit 120 using only the main controller unit 200, and at this time, no power is supplied to the extended controller unit 201. On the other hand, if the above S106 to S108 are executed, the job is executed in the controller unit 120 using both the main controller unit 200 and the extended controller unit 201.

  Next, in S110, the CPU 310 determines whether or not the job being executed in S109 has ended. If it is determined that the job has not ended (NO in S110), CPU 310 waits until the job ends. If it is determined that the job has ended (YES in S110), CPU 310 advances the process to S111.

  In S111, the CPU 310 determines whether or not the job competition state has been canceled by the end of the job in S110. For example, when a job conflict state has occurred between a FAX transmission job and a print job, it is determined that the job conflict state has been canceled if one of them has ended. Even if one of the jobs ends in such a job conflict state, the job conflict state is not canceled if a next conflicting job has already been received.

If it is determined in S111 that the job conflict state is not released (NO in S111), the CPU 310 ends the process of this flowchart.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S111 that the job race condition has been canceled (YES in S111), CPU 310 advances the process to S112.

In S112, the CPU 310 turns off the power of the expansion controller unit 201. Specifically, the CPU 310 controls the GPIO control unit 390 to change the GPIO signal connected to the power supply unit 290 inside the controller unit 120 to the “Low” state. Thereby, the power supply unit 290 detects a change in the GPIO signal and stops the power supply to the expansion controller unit 201. Note that if the job processing using the extended controller unit 201 has not been completed, the processing waits until the processing is completed. That is, when the job processing is completed in the extended controller unit 201 and the number of jobs to be processed or currently processed by the controller unit 120 is at most one, the power supply to the extended controller unit 201 is stopped. As a result, the extended controller unit 201 returns to the power saving state again. Further, the CPU 310 returns the image ring bus switch 220 to the state of FIG. 8A in which the expansion controller unit 201 is not used in accordance with the power-off of the expansion controller unit 201.
After S112, the CPU 310 ends the process of this flowchart.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to use the extended controller unit 201 and minimize the time for supplying power to the extended controller unit 201 in accordance with job processing. In general, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during the operation of the controller unit 120.

  In the first embodiment described above, a method of using the loopback processing unit 241 inside the extended controller unit 201 without using the loopback processing unit 240 inside the main controller unit 200 when a job race condition occurs is described. . In the second embodiment, a method of using the loopback processing unit 241 inside the extended controller unit 201 while continuing to use the loopback processing unit 240 inside the main controller unit 200 when a job race condition occurs will be described. . As a result, it is possible to use the loopback processing unit 241 inside the extended controller unit 201 without stopping the use of the loopback processing unit 240 inside the main controller unit 200 by the job being processed in advance.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration and control flow of the image ring bus switch. The configuration of the controller unit 120 other than the image ring bus switch of the image forming apparatus 100 and the other internal configurations of the image forming apparatus 100 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will be omitted.

<Image ring bus switch control>
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining specific connection control of the image ring bus switch 220 inside the main controller unit 200 according to the second embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 11 corresponds to an example of connection control when packet data is transmitted from the main controller unit 200 to the extension controller unit 201 via the ring bus external interface.

  In connection control according to the second embodiment, first, packet data output from the system control unit 210 is input to the print processing unit 230. The packet data output from the print processing unit 230 is input to the switch 503. Unlike the switch of the first embodiment, the switch 503 has a selector 510 inside. The selector 510 refers to the job ID of the input packet data. Then, the selector 510 determines whether to output the packet data input according to the referred job ID to the switch 502 (ring bus external interface 280 side) or to the switch 504 (loopback processing unit 240 side). ,Output. At this time, which job ID is output to which is output by the CPU 310 to the selector 510 is set (registered) in advance.

The switch 502 is controlled to output the packet data input from the switch 503 (print processing unit 230 side) to the ring bus external interface 280.
The switch 501 is controlled to output packet data input from the ring bus external interface 280 to the switch 506 (scan processing unit 250 side).

The switch 504 is controlled to output packet data input from the switch 503 (print processing unit 230 side) to the loopback processing unit 240.
The switch 505 is controlled to output packet data input from the loopback processing unit 240 to the switch 506 (scan processing unit 250 side).

  Unlike the switch of the first embodiment, the switch 506 includes a MUX 511 inside. The switch 506 is controlled to output packet data input from the switch 501 (ring bus external interface 280 side) and packet data input from the switch 505 (loopback processing unit 240 side) to the scan processing unit 250. Yes. At this time, the MUX 511 multiplexes two packet data inputs into one output. Note that the MUX 511 multiplexes by temporarily storing packets in an internal buffer (not shown) when two packet data are input simultaneously.

  Finally, the packet data output from the scan processing unit 250 returns to the system control unit 210 via the image ring bus switch 220.

<Control flow chart>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of job processing of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. By executing this flowchart, it is possible to achieve the minimum required operating power consumption of the controller in accordance with the job processing state. The processing in this flowchart is executed by the CPU 310 controlling the scanner unit 110, the controller unit 120, and the printer unit 140 in accordance with a program stored in a storage device such as the HDD 361 or the ROM 321.

  S201 to S204 are the same steps as S101 to S104 shown in FIG. 9 of the first embodiment. S206 is also the same step as S106 in FIG. 9, and S208 to S212 are also the same steps as S108 to S112 in FIG. What differs from the first embodiment (FIG. 9) is S205 and S207. Description of the same steps as those in FIG. 9 is omitted.

  In S205, the CPU 310 sets the image ring bus switch 220 in a state of being used inside the main controller unit 200. In S205, the switches 504 and 505 in the image ring bus switch 220 are set not to use the expansion controller unit 201 as shown in FIG. 8A. Further, in S205, the CPU 310 sets the job ID to the selector 510 in the switch 503 so that the packet data of the job ID to be processed by the CPU 310 is output to the switch 504 (loopback processing unit 240 side). (sign up. At this time, as in the first embodiment, the extended controller unit 201 is not supplied with power by the power supply unit 290 and is in a power saving state.

  In S207, the CPU 310 sets the image ring bus switch 220 in a state where packet data can be transmitted from the main controller unit 200 to the extension controller unit 201 via the ring bus external interface 280. Specific settings are as shown in FIG. Here, the selector 510 in the switch 503 will be described. For example, there is a job that is currently being processed, and this is “reception job 1” in FIG. At this time, the job ID of this job is “0”, and the packet data of this job ID is set (registered) in the selector 510 by the CPU 310 so that the packet data of the job ID is output to the loopback processing unit 240 in the main controller unit 200. ) Also, there is a job to be processed that has been accepted in S201, and it is referred to as “reception job 2” in FIG. At this time, the job ID of this job is “1”, and the packet data of this job ID is set (registered) in the selector 510 by the CPU 310 so that the packet data is output to the loopback processing unit 241 side in the extended controller unit 201 by the selector 510. ) The image ring bus switch 221 inside the expansion controller unit 201 is controlled as shown in FIG. 8C.

  By controlling the selector 510 as described above, the loopback processing unit 241 inside the extended controller unit 201 is used while continuing the processing of the loopback processing unit 240 inside the main controller unit 200 of the job currently being processed. It becomes possible. For example, when the binarization processing unit 711 inside the loopback processing unit has performed binarization processing by the error diffusion method, the error diffusion method performs binary processing while propagating an error due to the binarization processing to surrounding pixels. It will become. Therefore, the halfway image data (packet data in the middle of the page) is processed by the loopback processing unit 240, and the image data from the middle (packet data from the middle of the page) is looped back on the extended controller side. The part 241 cannot be processed. In such a case, it is effective to continue the processing of the loopback processing unit 240 in the main controller unit 200 of the job currently being processed as in the second embodiment.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the loopback processing unit 241 inside the extended controller unit 201 is used without stopping the use of the loopback processing unit 240 inside the main controller unit 200 by the job being processed in advance. Make it possible. Therefore, it is possible to start, use, and stop the expansion controller unit 201 without depending on the processing content of the job being processed in advance, and the time to supply power to the expansion controller unit 201 is the minimum necessary for job processing. It becomes possible to limit.

  As described above, according to each embodiment, the normal operation of the expansion controller unit 201 is performed in consideration of the processing content implemented in each of the main controller unit 200 and the expansion controller unit 201 and the processing content required for the job. By controlling the return to the state and the transition to the power saving state, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during the operation of the entire controller unit 120.

  In each of the above embodiments, as an example, the extended controller unit 201 has the same configuration as the main controller unit 200. However, the extended controller unit 201 may have a different configuration from the main controller unit 200. The extension controller unit 201 only needs to have a function corresponding to at least one function of the main controller unit 200 (a function of the loopback processing unit 240 in this embodiment). Note that the loopback processing unit 241 does not have to be the same as the loopback processing unit 240, but may be anything that can replace the loopback processing unit 240, such as one that can produce the same processing result. Moreover, the structure which provides two or more extended controller parts may be sufficient.

In each of the above embodiments, the controller unit 120 of the image forming apparatus 100 has been described. However, a controller to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the controller of the image forming apparatus, and can be applied to controllers of various electronic devices. Is possible. The function of the controller is not limited to image processing, but has a data processing function corresponding to a device to which the controller is applied.
With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during operation of the entire controller including the power consumption of the expansion unit.

In addition, the structure of the various data mentioned above and its content are not limited to this, You may be comprised with various structures and content according to a use and the objective.
Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can take an embodiment as, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, or storage medium. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.
Moreover, all the structures which combined said each Example are also contained in this invention.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of one device.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are excluded from the scope of the present invention. is not. That is, the present invention includes all the combinations of the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof.

100 Image forming device
120 Controller
200 Main controller
210 System controller
240 Loopback processing section
201 Extended controller
241 Loopback processing section

Claims (11)

First processing means;
Second processing means having a function corresponding to at least one function of the first processing means;
Power supply means capable of individually supplying power to the first processing means and the second processing means;
Control means for controlling job execution;
First determination means for determining whether or not the job to be processed includes content that can be processed by the function of the second processing means;
A second determination unit that determines whether or not the function of the first processing unit corresponding to the function of the second processing unit is already in use in the job currently being processed;
The control means includes
The job to be processed by the first determination unit is determined to include content that can be processed by the function of the second processing unit, and corresponds to the function of the second processing unit by the second determination unit. In the first case where it is determined that the function of the first processing unit is already used, the second processing unit supplies power to the second processing unit by the power supply unit, and the second processing is performed in a job to be processed from now on. Using means,
If it is not the first case, the power supply unit does not supply power to the second processing unit, and performs control to use the first processing unit in a job to be processed.
An information processing apparatus characterized by that. Connection means for connecting the first processing means and the second processing means;
Switching means for switching whether the job data is transmitted to the first processing means or the second processing means via the connection means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The job data includes a job identifier,
The switching unit refers to a job identifier of the job, and determines whether to transmit the job data to the first processing unit or the second processing unit according to the job identifier. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The connection means is a ring bus that connects the first processing means and the second processing means,
4. The switch according to claim 2, wherein the switching unit is a bus switch that switches whether data flowing through the ring bus is transmitted to the first processing unit or to the second processing unit. 5. Information processing device.   5. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit supplies power to the first processing unit and does not supply power to the second processing unit when the information processing apparatus is activated. The information processing apparatus described in 1.   When the job processing is completed by the second processing unit and the number of jobs to be processed or currently processed is at most one, the control unit supplies power to the second processing unit by the power supply unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply is stopped.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first processing unit and the second processing unit have the same configuration.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processing unit sets a block that is not used for processing the job to a power saving state. The information processing apparatus is a controller provided in the image forming apparatus,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a function corresponding to at least one function of the first processing unit included in the second processing unit is an image processing function. . A first processing unit, a second processing unit having a function corresponding to at least one function of the first processing unit, and a power supply for individually controlling power supply to the first processing unit and the second processing unit A method for controlling the information processing apparatus, comprising:
A first determination step for determining whether or not the job to be processed includes content that can be processed by the function of the second processing means;
A second determination step of determining whether the function of the first processing unit corresponding to the function of the second processing unit is already used in the processing of the job currently being processed;
It is determined that the job to be processed in the first determination step includes content that can be processed by the function of the second processing unit, and corresponds to the function of the second processing unit in the second determination step. In the first case where it is determined that the function of the first processing unit is already used, the second processing unit supplies power to the second processing unit by the power supply unit, and the second processing is performed in a job to be processed from now on. A first control step using the means;
If not in the first case, the power supply means does not supply power to the second processing means, and the second control step uses the first processing means in a job to be processed.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising:   The program for functioning a computer as a control means of any one of Claims 1-9.

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