JP5012238B2 - Image processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, and a program.

  A function in which a plurality of client terminal devices, a plurality of printers, and a management server device are interconnected via a network, and each printer switches the power source to each mode of ON / OFF / Sleep by remote control from the management server device The management server device monitors the connection of the client terminal device to the network, and turns on the printer according to the print job instructed by the client terminal device and the print job history of each client terminal device connected to the network. A printer system having a function of switching to each mode of ON / OFF / Sleep is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the host computer monitors the operating status of each multi-function device, counts and totals the operating time, turns off the power to the multi-function device that is not used in a predetermined time zone by the device controller, and uses it from the predetermined time zone. There is also known an image forming system that performs control to turn on a power source of a multifunction apparatus using a device controller (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  Further, the duration of the standby state when the standby state ends before the power saving control is started is stored, and the set time until the transition to the power saving control state is reset based on the duration. Thus, there is also known an output device that can appropriately set a set time for starting power saving control when the standby state continues beyond a predetermined time (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  Furthermore, each of a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a network calculates the total amount of power consumption for each department, and newly adds a department whose power consumption is equal to or more than the upper limit power consumption. An image forming apparatus that prohibits execution of a job to be accepted is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-234082 JP 2001-341379 A JP 7-271538 A JP 2002-292977 A

Here, conventionally, the transition time to the power saving mode could not be set finely in consideration of the number of users who are expected to use the apparatus.
An object of the present invention is to make it possible to finely set the transition time to the power saving mode in consideration of the number of users who are expected to use the apparatus.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of image processing apparatuses that shift to a power saving mode in which power consumption of their own apparatus is reduced when the state of waiting for an image processing instruction continues for a predetermined time or more, and the plurality of images A management device that manages a processing device, wherein the management device obtains a total value of power consumption of each of the plurality of image processing devices, and the total value obtained by the obtaining unit, Each of the plurality of image processing devices and a calculation unit that calculates a target power consumption reduction rate in the organization based on the target value of the power consumption in the organization that manages the plurality of image processing devices are used. it comprises a number information on the number of people the user envisaged, and transmitting means for transmitting said target reduction ratio calculated by the calculation means to each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses, the plurality of images Each management device, on the basis of the said target reduction ratio and the number information sent by the management apparatus, an image processing system characterized by comprising a determination means for determining the predetermined time.
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the total value by totaling the power consumption amounts obtained from each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses. It is an image processing system of description.
The invention according to claim 3 is the image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the total value from a device that holds information related to the power consumption of the tissue.

The invention according to claim 1 has an effect that the transition time to the power saving mode can be set so that the power consumption amount of the organization approaches the target power amount as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided. Have
The invention of claim 2 has an effect that the transition time to the power saving mode can be set so that the power consumption amount of the organization approaches the target power amount as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided. Have
The invention of claim 3 has an effect that the transition time to the power saving mode can be set so that the power consumption amount of the organization approaches the target power amount as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided. Have

The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of an image processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.
As illustrated, the image processing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, a communication unit 12 that communicates with other devices via a network, and data that the control unit 11 uses for processing. The memory | storage part 13 which memorize | stores. In addition, the image reading unit 14 that reads an image, an image forming unit 15 that forms an image on a medium, and a power supply unit 16 that supplies power to each unit in the apparatus are provided.

The control unit 11 performs image processing on the image read by the image reading unit 14 and print data (for example, PDL) received from the network by the communication unit 12, and outputs the result to the image forming unit 15. Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the power supply unit 16 to perform a shift to a power saving mode and a return from the power saving mode, which will be described later, and various types related to shortening the time for shifting to the power saving mode. Process. That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 11 is provided as an example of a control unit that performs control so as to shift to the power saving mode, and as an example of a determination unit that determines a time until shifting to the power saving mode. Yes.
The communication unit 12 receives print data from a PC (Personal Computer) or a print server, and transmits / receives information necessary for the process of shortening the transition time to the power saving mode to / from other devices. That is, in the present embodiment, the communication unit 12 is provided as an example of an acquisition unit that acquires information used to determine the time until shifting to the power saving mode.
The storage unit 13 temporarily stores an image to be subjected to image processing and stores information necessary for processing for shortening the transition time to the power saving mode.

The image reading unit 14 reads an image printed on a document, for example. Here, the image reading unit 14 is, for example, a scanner, and a CCD system in which reflected light with respect to light irradiated from a light source to a document is reduced by a lens and received by a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices), or an LED light source is sequentially irradiated onto a document. It is preferable to use a CIS system that receives reflected light with respect to the received light with a CIS (Contact Image Sensor).
The image forming unit 15 forms an image on a medium based on the result of image processing in the control unit 11. Here, the image forming unit 15 is, for example, a printer, and forms an image by transferring the toner attached to the photosensitive member to a recording medium to form an image, or ejecting ink onto the recording medium. An ink jet type may be used. The medium is not particularly limited as long as it can print an image. A typical example is paper, but an OHP sheet, a metal plate, cloth, or the like may be used.
The power supply unit 16 supplies power to each part of the device, but in the sleep mode described later, the control of the control unit 11 stops the power supply to each part except for the minimum necessary part to return from the sleep mode. To do.

  Here, the power saving mode in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the standby mode, the low power mode, and the sleep mode are assumed as the power saving modes. Of these, the standby mode is a state in which an instruction for copying, printing, or the like is awaited, and is a mode in which it returns immediately. The low power mode is a mode in which the temperature of the heater unit is lowered and the motor is stopped, and is restored in a relatively short time. Furthermore, the sleep mode is a state in which the power of many parts such as the image forming unit 15 and the image reading unit 14 is turned off and the power can be saved most, but it takes the longest time to return.

FIG. 2 shows the transition time to each power saving mode and the power consumption in recovery, copying / printing, and each power saving mode.
First, the transition time to each power saving mode will be described.
As shown in the figure, the duration of the standby mode (standby period) necessary for shifting to the low power mode is the low power mode transition time. In addition, a period obtained by adding the duration of the low power mode (low power mode period) necessary for shifting to the sleep mode to the standby period is the sleep mode transition time.
Next, power consumption will be described.
As shown in the figure, the power consumption is greatest at the time of recovery and is second to that at the time of copying / printing. As for the power saving mode, it can be seen that the power consumption can be suppressed in the order of the standby mode, the low power mode, and the sleep mode.

By the way, in this Embodiment, the process which changes the normal state shown to (a) into the state which shortened the low power mode transition time and sleep mode transition time shown to (b) is performed. As a result, the power consumption in the portion indicated by the oblique lines in FIG.
Further, in the present embodiment, such a process for shortening the power saving mode transition time is performed based on the following two types of information. One is information regarding the number of users who are assumed to use the image processing apparatus 10, and the other is a target regarding a reduction target of power consumption in the image processing apparatus 10 or an organization that manages the image processing apparatus 10. Information. In the following, the embodiment will be described using the number-of-users ratio as an example of the number-of-persons information and the ratio of reduction due to excess power as an example of the target information.

[First Embodiment]
In a general office, there are times when there are few users of the image processing apparatus 10 such as lunch breaks, overtime hours, and holidays. In such a time zone, the occupation time of the image processing apparatus 10 per user (= 1 hour ÷ number of users) is expanded. For example, if the number of users is halved, the image processing apparatus 10 will be occupied for twice the normal time. However, the standby period and the low power mode period are constant at times when the image processing apparatus 10 is not operating in order to increase the operating rate of the image processing apparatus 10 with a normal number of people or not to wait for the returning time. It is in a state of using the power of Therefore, even in a time zone where the number of users is smaller than usual, being in a similar standby state is an excessive measure compared to usual.
Therefore, in the first embodiment, this excessive correspondence is made appropriate in a time zone with few users.

First, the system configuration in the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration in the present embodiment.
The system according to the present embodiment is installed in the image processing apparatus 10a installed in the department A, the image processing apparatus 10b installed in the department B, the image processing apparatus 10c installed in the department C, and the department D. The image processing apparatus 10 d is connected via the network 90. Here, the image processing apparatuses 10a to 10d have the same configuration as the image processing apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. In the following, it is clearly shown that the control unit 11, the communication unit 12, the storage unit 13, the image reading unit 14, the image forming unit 15, and the power supply unit 16 illustrated in FIG. 1 are also in the image processing apparatuses 10a to 10d. In order to do so, the symbols a to d are used.
In the present embodiment, as illustrated, the image processing apparatus 10a stores the power saving mode reference information in the storage unit 13a. Here, the power saving mode reference information includes a calendar table and a person ratio setting table, which will be described later. On the other hand, the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d develop this and store it in the storage units 13b, 13c, and 13d as power saving mode development information, respectively.

FIG. 4 shows an example of power saving mode reference information and power saving mode development information.
Among these, (a) is an example of a calendar table held by the image processing apparatus 10a, and (b) is an example of a person ratio setting table held by the image processing apparatus 10a. Further, (c) is an example of power saving mode development information obtained by the image processing apparatus 10b developing the values in the number ratio setting table of (b), and (d) is an example of the image processing apparatus 10d ( It is an example of the power saving mode expansion information obtained by expanding the values in the number ratio setting table of b).

  In the present embodiment, in the image processing apparatus 10a, first, the type of day is defined in the calendar table of (a). Here, a weekday is set as “set date A”, and holidays such as Saturday, Sunday, and holidays are set as “set date B”. Next, the number-of-users ratio is set for each set date and for each usage time period in the number-of-persons ratio setting table of (b). Here, the number-of-users ratio is a ratio of persons who can use the image processing apparatus 10 at a certain point in time among persons who are authorized to use the image processing apparatus 10. If one image processing apparatus 10 is installed in a department and all employees belonging to the department are authorized to use the image processing apparatus 10, the usage ratio is calculated from among the employees belonging to the department. It is equal to the percentage of those who work.

For example, when the usage rate is 70% from 17:00 to 21:00, which is the overtime hours on weekdays, the usage rate of 70% is stored in the column corresponding to the time zone on the set date A in (b).
As a result, the image processing apparatus 10b communicates with the image processing apparatus 10a at a predetermined time (for example, every Friday at 10 o'clock), develops the power saving mode reference information, and stores it as power saving mode development information. For example, as shown in the figure, in the overtime hours from 17:00 to 21:00, the low power mode transition time is shortened from the initial value of 15 minutes to 10.5 minutes which is 70% thereof. That is, the time of the hatched portion in (b) corresponding to the low power mode transition time in FIG. 2 (a) is 4.5 minutes (= 15 minutes-10.5 minutes). The power is reduced from 170 W in the standby mode to 71 W in the low power mode, thus saving power.
Similarly, the image processing apparatus 10c and the image processing apparatus 10d develop the power saving mode reference information.
Furthermore, for the lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00 and at night from 21:00 to 00:00, a ratio of 10% of the number of users is stored in both the set date A and set date B columns of (b). It saves power just like overtime hours.
In (d), the minimum value of the shortened value is set to 1 minute in consideration of convenience and the like. As a result, the shortened value is up to 1 minute, considering power saving and convenience.

  As described above, in this embodiment, if the power saving mode reference information is set in the image processing apparatus 10a in the department A, the power saving mode reference information is set in the image processing apparatuses 10 in all departments in the office. A configuration that saves power even if not required. Further, by applying this configuration and setting the power saving mode reference information in the image processing apparatus 10 at the head office, the power saving mode reference information can be saved without setting the power saving mode reference information in the image processing apparatuses 10 at all sales offices in other bases. It is good also as a structure used as electric power. Furthermore, even if there is a change in the ratio of the number of users with respect to the calendar table and the usage time zone, the stored contents of all the image processing devices 10 can be changed by changing only one image processing device 10. Furthermore, since the ratio of the number of users is set in the image processing apparatus 10a, setting of each image processing apparatus 10 is unnecessary, and setting in the image processing apparatus 10a is easy. In addition, by using a uniform setting of the ratio of the number of employees, it is possible to ensure the fairness of users in the department.

  The operation of the first embodiment will be described together with the description of the operation of the second embodiment described later.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the power saving mode reference information is held in the image processing apparatus 10 of one department, but the power saving mode reference information is held in a server other than the image processing apparatus 10. Also good. Further, the image processing apparatus 10 that holds the power saving mode reference information is not separated from the image processing apparatus 10 that expands and holds the information as the power saving mode development information. A configuration is also conceivable in which both information setting and deployment to power saving mode deployment information are performed.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an entrance / exit management system is provided. Here, the entrance / exit management system is a system that performs personal authentication by reading an ID card or the like possessed by an employee and grasps in real time which employee is in the company. Thereby, the personal authentication result of the entrance / exit and the user registered in each image processing apparatus 10 are collated, and the current ratio of the number of users of each image processing apparatus 10 is detected. In the present embodiment, the entrance / exit management system 20 is used as an example of an apparatus that acquires information related to a user's entry / exit with respect to an area where the apparatus is placed.

First, the system configuration in the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration in the present embodiment.
The system in the present embodiment is exactly the same as the system configuration shown in FIG. 3 except that the entrance / exit management system 20 is connected to the network 90. Further, the image processing device 10a stores the power saving mode reference information in the storage unit 13a, and the image processing devices 10b, 10c, and 10d develop this, and store them in the storage units 13b, 13c, and 13d as power saving mode development information, respectively. The points to be stored are the same as in FIG. 3, but the contents of the power saving mode reference information and the power saving mode development information are partially different, and this will be described.

FIG. 6 shows an example of power saving mode reference information and power saving mode development information.
Among these, (a) is an example of a calendar table held by the image processing apparatus 10a, and (b) is an example of a person ratio setting table held by the image processing apparatus 10a. Further, (c) is an example of power saving mode development information obtained by the image processing apparatus 10b developing the values in the number ratio setting table of (b), and (d) is an example of the image processing apparatus 10d ( It is an example of the power saving mode expansion information obtained by expanding the values in the number ratio setting table of b).

  As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, in the number ratio setting table of (b), there is a column in which the number of used persons ratio is “X%”. For example, a column corresponding to the time zone from 17:00 to 21:00 on the set date A and the set date B, a column corresponding to a time zone from 8:30 to 12:00 on the set date B, and 13:00 to 17:00 on the set date B This corresponds to the column corresponding to the time zone. As described above, the column in which the ratio of the number of users is “X%” is expanded to each image processing apparatus 10 as it is, and then the number of persons detected by each image processing apparatus 10 in cooperation with the entrance / exit management system 20. It is set to the ratio of the number of users based on. For example, in the image processing apparatus 10b, as shown in the figure, during the overtime hours from 17:00 to 21:00, the ratio of the number of users is set to 30%. The time is reduced from 30 minutes to 4.5 minutes, which is 30%. That is, the shaded portion in (b) corresponding to the low power mode transition time in FIG. 2 (a) is 10.5 minutes (= 15 minutes−4.5 minutes). The power is reduced from 170 W in the standby mode to 71 W in the low power mode, thus saving power. In this embodiment, when there is a difference in the number of employees in the time zone where there are few users, such as overtime hours, an appropriate ratio of the number of users can be set, and the transition time suited to the actual environment Can be set.

Here, in the present embodiment, the operation when the image processing devices 10b, 10c, and 10d develop and store the power saving mode reference information held by the image processing device 10a as the power saving mode development information, and the image processing An operation when the devices 10b, 10c, and 10d shift to the power saving mode will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation when developing the power saving mode reference information. Here, it is assumed that the calendar table and the number ratio setting table are transmitted from the image processing device 10a to the image processing devices 10b, 10c, and 10d, and the image processing devices 10b, 10c, and 10d are referred to as the image processing device 10. Will be described. That is, it is assumed that the storage unit 13 of the image processing apparatus 10 stores a calendar table and a person ratio setting table. Further, it is assumed that the storage unit 13 of the image processing apparatus 10 also stores an initial value of the power saving mode transition time in the power saving mode development information.

In the image processing apparatus 10, first, the control unit 11 pays attention to a specific day on which the power saving mode reference information needs to be developed (step 101). For example, if the power saving mode reference information is developed once a week, attention is paid to a certain day of the week after today. Next, the control unit 11 focuses on a specific time zone from among a plurality of preset time zones (step 102). Then, it is determined whether the ratio of the number of users in the focused time zone of the focused date is “X%” (step 103).
Specifically, the calendar table is read from the storage unit 13 and the type of the day focused on in step 101 is determined. That is, it is determined whether the focused day is the set date A or the set date B. Then, the number-of-persons ratio setting table is read out from the storage unit 13 and is set in the column corresponding to the type of the day determined here (set date A or set date B) and corresponding to the time zone noted in step 102. Take out the ratio of the number of employees.

As a result, if the user number ratio is “X%”, the power saving mode development information is read from the storage unit 13, “X%” is set as the user number ratio and written back to the storage unit 13 (step 104).
On the other hand, if the number-of-users ratio is not “X%”, the power-saving mode development information is read from the storage unit 13, and the storage unit is stored as a shortened value by multiplying the preset initial value of the power-saving mode transition time by the number-of-users ratio. 13 is written back (step 105).
Thereafter, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the expansion has been performed for all the time zones on the focused day (step 106). If development has not been performed for all time zones, steps 102 to 105 are repeated. If development has been performed for all time zones, it is determined whether or not development has been performed for all days (step 107). . If development has not been performed for all days, steps 101 to 106 are repeated. If development has been performed for all days, the process ends.

  When the number-of-users ratio in the number-of-persons ratio setting table is “X%”, the number-of-users ratio in the power saving mode development information is “X%” when the power saving mode reference information is developed. However, in the time zone of the day, the ratio of the number of users is determined by the entrance / exit management system 20 as shown in the column corresponding to the time zone from 17:00 to 21:00 in FIG. And the shortened value is obtained by multiplying the initial value by the ratio of the number of users after the replacement.

  The operation at the time of developing the power saving mode reference information in the first embodiment corresponds to the case where the determination result in step 103 is always “No” in the flowchart shown in FIG. This is because in the first embodiment, since the entrance / exit management system 20 is not provided, the setting of “X%” is not made in the number-of-users ratio table.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation when shifting to the power saving mode. This flowchart shows the operation when the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d receive an instruction for image processing such as copying and printing when the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d are not in operation, or when the timer measures a predetermined time. It is. Here, the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d are also described as the image processing apparatus 10.
In the image processing apparatus 10, first, the control unit 11 determines whether an image processing instruction has been received from the communication unit 12 (step 121).
As a result, when it is determined that an image processing instruction has been received, the control unit 11 performs control to return to the normal mode (step 122) and performs image processing (step 123). For example, the image forming unit 15 forms an image on the medium under the control of the control unit 11. And the control part 11 memorize | stores in the memory | storage part 13 the time (processing time) which performed image processing, and low power mode transition time and sleep mode transition time corresponding to processing time (step 124).

  On the other hand, if it is not determined that the image processing instruction has been received, that is, if the timer counts a predetermined time, the control unit 11 determines whether the result of subtracting the processing time from the current time is greater than the low power mode transition time. It is determined whether or not (step 125). In this case, the current time may be obtained from a timer (not shown) that counts the time. Further, the processing time and the low power mode transition time are those stored in the storage unit 13 in step 124. Here, if the result of subtracting the processing time from the current time is equal to or shorter than the low power mode transition time, the low power mode transition time has not elapsed since the previous image processing, and thus the processing is terminated.

  If the result of subtracting the processing time from the current time exceeds the low power mode transition time, the control unit 11 determines whether the result of subtracting the processing time from the current time is greater than the sleep mode transition time. (Step 126). In this case, the current time may be obtained from a timer (not shown) that counts the time. Further, the processing time and the sleep mode transition time are those stored in the storage unit 13 in step 124. If the result of subtracting the processing time from the current time is equal to or shorter than the sleep mode transition time, the mode shifts to the low power mode (step 127). If the sleep mode transition time is exceeded, the mode shifts to the sleep mode (step 128).

  The operation at the time of shifting to the power saving mode in the first embodiment is exactly the same as the flowchart of FIG.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the power saving mode reference information is held in the image processing apparatus 10 of one department, but the power saving mode reference information is held in a server other than the image processing apparatus 10. Also good. Further, the image processing apparatus 10 that holds the power saving mode reference information is not separated from the image processing apparatus 10 that expands and holds the information as the power saving mode development information. A configuration is also conceivable in which both information setting and deployment to power saving mode deployment information are performed.

[Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment, the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d send the approximate power consumption value to the image processing apparatus 10a at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be, for example, a timing for developing the power saving mode reference information. Further, the approximate amount of power used may be calculated from the product of each time and a predetermined power by counting each time of recovery, operation, standby mode, low power mode, and sleep mode.
Thereby, in the image processing apparatus 10a, the whole is totaled from the electric power approximate value. If the target is exceeded, the reduction ratio of the transition time due to the excess power is calculated and developed as power saving mode reference information. In particular, in this embodiment, the transition time is shortened regardless of the time zone, and power is saved so as to approach the target.
As described above, it is possible to grasp the approximate power of a plurality of image processing apparatuses 10 such as departments and sales offices only by setting the target value of the power amount in the image processing apparatus 10a, and the power saving level can be changed in the target comparison result. As a result, power saving management of the image processing system for the entire jurisdiction can be automatically and easily performed.

First, the system configuration in the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration in the present embodiment.
The system in the present embodiment is exactly the same as the system configuration shown in FIG. However, the image processing apparatus 10a does not hold a calendar table and a person ratio setting table as power saving mode reference information as shown in FIG. 3, but holds a reduction ratio calculation table described later. In addition to the power saving mode development information, the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d hold an approximate power consumption value.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the power saving mode reference information and the power saving mode development information.
Among these, (a) is an example of a reduction ratio calculation table held by the image processing apparatus 10a. Further, (b) is an example of the power saving mode development information obtained by the image processing apparatus 10b developing the values in the reduction ratio calculation table of (a), and (c) is the image processing apparatus 10d ( It is an example of the power saving mode expansion information obtained by expanding the value in the reduction ratio calculation table of a).
In (a), the overall target excess is obtained from the integrated power value collected from each department and the target value for each department. Here, the target excess is 15.2%, and the reduction ratio due to excess power is 84.8%.
Therefore, the image processing apparatus 10b develops this reduction ratio as shown in (b), and the low power mode transition time is shortened from 15 minutes to 12.7 minutes. That is, the time of the hatched portion in (b) corresponding to the low power mode transition time in FIG. 2 (a) is 2.3 minutes (= 15 minutes-12.7 minutes). The power is reduced from 170 W in the standby mode to 71 W in the low power mode, thus saving power. Also, the sleep mode transition time is shortened from 60 minutes to 50.9 minutes. On the other hand, the image processing apparatus 10d also develops this reduction ratio as shown in (c), and both the low power mode transition time and the sleep mode transition time are reduced from 2 minutes to 1.7 minutes.

  The operation of the third embodiment will be described together with the description of the operation of the fourth embodiment to be described later.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the power saving mode reference information is held in the image processing apparatus 10 of one department, but the power saving mode reference information is held in a server other than the image processing apparatus 10. Also good. Further, the image processing apparatus 10 that holds the power saving mode reference information is not separated from the image processing apparatus 10 that expands and holds the information as the power saving mode development information. A configuration is also conceivable in which both information setting and deployment to power saving mode deployment information are performed.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The fourth embodiment is an example in which the ratio of the number of users is also used in the third embodiment to obtain both power saving effects.
First, the system configuration in the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration in the present embodiment.
The system in the present embodiment is exactly the same as the system configuration shown in FIG. However, the image processing apparatus 10a holds not only the reduction ratio calculation table but also a calendar table and a person ratio setting table as the power saving mode reference information as shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the power saving mode reference information and the power saving mode development information.
Among these, (a) is an example of a calendar table held by the image processing apparatus 10a, and (b) is an example of a person ratio setting table held by the image processing apparatus 10a. Further, (c) is an example of power saving mode development information obtained by the image processing apparatus 10b developing the values in the number ratio setting table of (b), and (d) is an example of the image processing apparatus 10d ( It is an example of the power saving mode expansion information obtained by expanding the values in the number ratio setting table of b). That is, in the present embodiment, the power consumption mode standard information employs the ratio of the number of users and the reduction ratio due to excess power. The shortened value is obtained by multiplying by the ratio. For example, in the image processing apparatus 10b, as shown in the figure, the ratio of the number of employees is 70% and the reduction ratio due to excess power is 95.4% from 17:00 to 21:00, which is the overtime hours. Therefore, the low power mode transition time is reduced from the initial value of 15 minutes to 10 minutes, which is 95.4% of that 70%. That is, the shaded portion in (b) corresponding to the low power mode transition time in FIG. 2 (a) is 5 minutes (= 15 minutes−10 minutes). At this time, for example, the power consumption is in the standby mode. The power consumption is reduced from 170 W to 71 W in the low power mode.

Here, in the present embodiment, an operation when the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d develop and store the power saving mode reference information held by the image processing apparatus 10a as the power saving mode development information will be described.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation when developing the power saving mode reference information. In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatuses 10b, 10c, and 10d develop the power saving mode reference information held by the image processing apparatus 10a. In the following description, it is assumed that the image processing apparatus 10b develops the information. To do.
In the image processing apparatus 10b, first, the control unit 11b reads the power integrated value stored in the storage unit 13b and passes it to the communication unit 12b, and the communication unit 12b transmits the power integrated value to the image processing apparatus 10a. (Step 141).

  Thereby, in the image processing apparatus 10a, the communication unit 12a receives the power integrated value and passes it to the control unit 11a (step 142). Then, the control unit 11a calculates a reduction ratio due to excess power from the integrated power value sent from the image processing apparatus 10 of each department and the target value of each department (step 143). Thereafter, the control unit 11a reads the calendar table and the number-of-people ratio setting table from the storage unit 13a and passes them to the communication unit 12a together with the reduction ratio. Then, the communication unit 12a transmits a calendar table, a person ratio setting table, and a reduction ratio to the image processing apparatus 10b (step 144).

Then, in the image processing apparatus 10b, the communication unit 12b receives these pieces of information and stores them in the storage unit 13b (step 145). And the control part 11b pays attention to the specific day which needs to expand | deploy power saving mode reference | standard information (step 146). For example, if the power saving mode reference information is developed once a week, attention is paid to a certain day of the week after today. Next, the control unit 11b pays attention to a specific time zone from among a plurality of preset time zones (step 147). Then, the ratio of the number of users in the focused time zone on the focused date is read out.
Specifically, the calendar table is read from the storage unit 13b, and the type of the day focused on is determined in step 146. That is, it is determined whether the focused day is the set date A or the set date B. Then, the number-of-persons ratio setting table is read out from the storage unit 13 and is set in the column corresponding to the type of date determined here (set date A or set date B) and corresponding to the time zone noted in step 147. Take out the ratio of the number of employees.

Thereby, the control unit 11b reads the power saving mode development information from the storage unit 13b, multiplies the preset initial value of the power saving mode transition time by the number of users, and writes it back to the storage unit 13b as a shortened value (step) 148).
Thereafter, the control unit 11b determines whether or not the expansion has been performed for all the time zones on the focused day (step 149). If development has not been performed for all time zones, steps 147 and 148 are repeated. If development has been performed for all time zones, it is determined whether or not development has been performed for all days (step 150). . If development is not performed for all days, steps 146 to 149 are repeated. If development is performed for all days, the process is terminated.

Note that the operation at the time of developing the power saving mode reference information in the third embodiment corresponds to the case where the processing in steps 146 to 150 is performed without considering the date and time zone in the flowchart shown in FIG. . This is because, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the power saving mode transition time is shortened using the same reduction ratio regardless of the day and the time zone.
The operation at the time of shifting to the power saving mode in the third and fourth embodiments is exactly the same as the flowchart of FIG.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the power saving mode reference information is held in the image processing apparatus 10 of one department, but the power saving mode reference information is held in a server other than the image processing apparatus 10. Also good. Further, the image processing apparatus 10 that holds the power saving mode reference information is not separated from the image processing apparatus 10 that expands and holds the information as the power saving mode development information. A configuration is also conceivable in which both information setting and deployment to power saving mode deployment information are performed.

[Fifth Embodiment]
In the fifth embodiment, in the fourth embodiment, not the total power of the image processing apparatus 10 but the entire power amount is obtained from the distribution board, and the power saving is managed with respect to the target.
First, the system configuration in the fifth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration in the present embodiment.
The system in the present embodiment is exactly the same as the system configuration shown in FIG. 11 except that the distribution board 30 is connected to the network 90. In the present embodiment, a distribution board 30 is used as an example of a device that holds information related to the power consumption of an organization.
FIG. 15 shows an example of the power saving mode reference information and the power saving mode development information. This is also substantially the same as that shown in the fourth embodiment, but as shown in (b), a larger value than the fourth embodiment is used as the power integrated value. To the image processing apparatus 10a.

The operation at the time of development of the power saving mode reference information in the present embodiment is not the transmission of the integrated power value in step 141 in the flowchart shown in FIG. Is equivalent to what I did.
Further, the operation at the time of shifting to the power saving mode in the present embodiment is exactly the same as the flowchart shown in FIG.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the power saving mode reference information is held in the image processing apparatus 10 of one department, but the power saving mode reference information is held in a server other than the image processing apparatus 10. Also good. Further, the image processing apparatus 10 that holds the power saving mode reference information is not separated from the image processing apparatus 10 that expands and holds the information as the power saving mode development information. A configuration is also conceivable in which both information setting and deployment to power saving mode deployment information are performed.

[Sixth Embodiment]
In the sixth embodiment, the same operation as that of the third embodiment is performed by a single image processing apparatus 10. That is, as long as the power target is set, the power can be saved in consideration of the power target.
FIG. 16A shows a state where the image processing apparatus 10 installed in the office A is connected to the network 90. Here, other image processing apparatuses 10 may be connected to the network 90, but in the present embodiment, as shown in (b), regardless of such other image processing apparatuses 10. A reduction ratio due to excess power in the processing in the image processing apparatus 10 is obtained. Then, as shown in (c), the low power mode transition time and the sleep mode transition time are shortened. For example, in the image processing apparatus 10, as shown in the figure, the reduction ratio due to excess power is 84.8%. Therefore, the low power mode transition time is shortened from the initial value of 15 minutes to 82.7% of 12.7 minutes. That is, the time of the hatched portion in (b) corresponding to the low power mode transition time in FIG. 2 (a) is 2.3 minutes (= 15 minutes-12.7 minutes). The power is reduced from 170 W in the standby mode to 71 W in the low power mode, thus saving power.

By the way, the processing in the present embodiment may be realized by a general computer in addition to being performed by the control unit 11 of the image processing apparatus 10. Therefore, the hardware configuration will be described assuming that this processing is realized by the computer 9.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the computer 9.
As shown in the figure, the computer 9 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91 that is a calculation means, a main memory 92 that is a storage means, and a magnetic disk device (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) 93. Here, the CPU 91 executes various software such as an OS (Operating System) and an application, and realizes each function described above. The main memory 92 is a storage area for storing various software and data used for execution thereof, and the magnetic disk device 93 is a storage area for storing input data for various software, output data from various software, and the like. .
Further, the computer 9 includes a communication I / F 94 for performing communication with the outside, a display mechanism 95 including a video memory and a display, and an input device 96 such as a keyboard and a mouse.

  It should be noted that the program for realizing the present embodiment may be provided by being stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, as well as provided by communication means.

It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the image processing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the power saving mode and power consumption in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the specific example of the power saving mode reference | standard information and power saving mode expansion | deployment information in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the specific example of the power saving mode reference | standard information in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and power saving mode expansion | deployment information. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of expansion | deployment of the power saving mode reference | standard information in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of transfer to the power saving mode in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the specific example of the power saving mode reference | standard information and power saving mode expansion | deployment information in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the specific example of the power saving mode reference | standard information in the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and power saving mode expansion | deployment information. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement at the time of expansion | deployment of the power saving mode reference | standard information in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure in the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the specific example of the power saving mode reference | standard information in the 5th Embodiment of this invention, and power saving mode expansion | deployment information. It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure in the 6th Embodiment of this invention, and the specific example of power saving mode reference | standard information and power saving mode expansion | deployment information. It is a hardware block diagram of the computer which can apply embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image processing apparatus, 11 ... Control part, 12 ... Communication part, 13 ... Memory | storage part, 14 ... Image reading part, 15 ... Image formation part, 16 ... Power supply part

Claims (3)

A plurality of image processing apparatuses that shift to a power saving mode in which power consumption of the apparatus is reduced when a state of waiting for an instruction for image processing continues for a predetermined time or more;
A management device for managing the plurality of image processing devices,
The management device
Obtaining means for obtaining a total value of power consumption of each of the plurality of image processing devices;
Calculating means for calculating a target reduction rate of power consumption in the organization based on the total value acquired by the acquisition means and a target value of power consumption in the organization managing the plurality of image processing apparatuses; ,
Transmission for transmitting information on the number of users who are expected to use each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses and the target reduction rate calculated by the calculation means to each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses. Means and
With
Each of the plurality of image processing devices includes:
Determination means for determining the predetermined time based on the number of persons information and the target reduction rate transmitted by the management device
The image processing system characterized by comprising a. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the total value by adding the power consumption amounts obtained from each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the total value from a device that holds information on the power consumption of the tissue.

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