JP6147041B2 - Image processing apparatus, control method therefor, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method therefor, and a program, and more particularly, to a control technique for performing processing quickly while reducing power consumption.

  In recent years, there is an increasing need for power consumption reduction in businesses and homes. In response to this, smart meters have begun to spread worldwide. A smart meter is a power meter with a communication function that allows the power company to perform remote control such as opening and shutting off power to the consumer, and power consumption from the consumer to the power provider and home area network (HAN). It is possible to send data.

  In addition, demand response is attracting attention as a next-generation technology. Demand response is a means of reducing peak demand by dynamically setting electricity charges so that electricity charges are high during times when peak demand and supply are expected, and providing compensation for power savings. It is a mechanism to promote.

  The demand response is roughly classified into a price type demand response and an incentive type demand response. The price-type demand response is characterized by changing the electricity rate according to the demand situation of electric power. On the other hand, the incentive type demand response is characterized in that a program subscriber (demand) requests / executes load suppression / blocking when the price increases.

  The following types of price-type demand response exist.

  1. Charges by time zone (TOU: Time Of Use): A type (for example, five stages) in which different electricity rates are set according to time zones and seasons.

  2. Real time pricing (RTP): A type in which electricity charges are determined based on prices in the wholesale power market. The consumer is typically notified of electricity charges in advance (one hour ago, one day ago, etc.).

  3. Critical Peak Pricing (CPP): A hybrid type of TOU and RTP. Normally, electricity charges are set according to the season and time zone according to TOU. However, when the demand rises, the electricity charges are high according to the wholesale market price.

  4). Peak Day Pricing (PDP): A peak day (for example, about 10 days a year) when power demand increases makes the electricity charge higher than TOU, and non-peak day makes electricity charge cheaper than TOU.

  When a device is used in an environment where a price-type demand response is applied, the power unit price varies depending on the time of day and power demand. For this reason, even if the device is operated in the same manner, the electricity charge paid by the user differs depending on the time period in which it is used, and the electricity charge unexpected by the user may occur. On the other hand, a technique for controlling the execution timing of a job so as to minimize the cost (power cost) at the time of job execution has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-103837 A

  However, in the above conventional technique, for example, even if the user instructs the image processing apparatus to execute the job, the job is not executed until the time when the cost is the cheapest, so it is desired to obtain the job execution result quickly. It lacks convenience for the user.

  Further, in the above-described conventional technology, no mention is made of how to deal with a case where a job scheduled to be executed is obstructed due to other jobs being executed. Therefore, even if a job is executed after the end of another job, if the power unit price changes during that time, there is a possibility that the user will be charged an unexpected electricity charge.

  On the other hand, the same is true for firmware updates as well as job execution. Rebooting the device is essential for firmware updates. At the time of rebooting, the main part including the engine is activated and power is consumed, so it is desirable that the timing of rebooting be performed when the power unit price is low. On the other hand, there are many cases where important updates are included in firmware updates, such as solving problems, improving security, and supporting new functions.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can control the execution timing of processing according to the unit price of power for each time, the processing start setting made by the user, etc., improving usability and power cost. It aims at providing the control technology which aims at the reduction | decrease simultaneously.

In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an electric power unit price information storage unit that stores electric power unit price information for each time in an image processing apparatus that executes a process that has received an execution instruction. A threshold time setting means for setting a time to be set as a threshold time, a process start condition setting means for setting a process start condition for the process, and a point in time when the execution instruction is received with reference to the power unit price information A power unit price storage unit that stores the unit price of power as a reception unit price, and determines the time to start the process based on the power unit price information, the threshold time, the processing start condition, and the power unit price at the time of reception. It is characterized by comprising processing time determining means and processing executing means for executing the processing at the time determined by the processing time determining means .

  According to the present invention, the execution timing of processing can be controlled according to the unit price of power for each time, the processing start setting made by the user, and the like, and it is possible to simultaneously improve usability and reduce power cost.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the network containing the image processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example in the image processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the software structural example in an image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the power unit price information memorize | stored in the power unit price information storage part 305 in an image processing apparatus. (A)-(c) It is a figure for demonstrating the difference in operation by processing start condition setting. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of job execution timing control processing executed when the image processing apparatus receives a job execution instruction. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of job execution timing control processing according to an operation state of the image processing apparatus. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of firmware update execution timing control executed by the image processing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the update process of the firmware after a reboot.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network including an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image processing apparatus 101 is configured by a multifunction machine, a printer, or the like that can access the Internet 102 via the network 104. The network 104 is a small and medium-sized network constructed in the user environment 100 and capable of digital communication. The Internet 102 is a large-scale network constructed on a public line and capable of digital communication.

  The power unit price information distribution server 103 is a server that provides power unit price information to the image processing apparatus 101 in the user environment 100 via the Internet 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the power unit price information is table information in which the power unit price is different for each time.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the image processing apparatus 101 in FIG.

  The CPU 201 executes programs and controls various processes. The non-volatile memory 202 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores programs and data necessary for the initial stage in the startup processing of the image processing apparatus 101. The volatile memory 203 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) and is used as a temporary storage location for programs and data.

  The auxiliary storage device 204 is composed of a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk or a RAM drive, and stores large-capacity data and holds execution codes of programs. The auxiliary storage device 204 stores data that needs to be retained for a long time compared to the volatile memory 203.

  A scanner engine 205 is an apparatus for reading an image from a document. The display 206 is configured by a liquid crystal display or the like, and is a device for transmitting information to the user. The input device 207 includes keys and buttons, and is a device for accepting a user's selection instruction and transmitting it to the program via the internal bus 211.

  The network communication device 208 is a device for communicating with an external information processing device such as the power unit price information distribution server 103 via the network 104 or the Internet 102, for example. The fax unit 209 is a device for transmitting image data created by the image processing apparatus 101 and image data stored in the auxiliary storage device 204 to other devices via a public line (not shown) or the network 104. . Note that the fax unit 209 is an option and may not be mounted by an individual.

  The printer engine 210 is a device for printing the image data created by the image processing apparatus 101 and the image data stored in the auxiliary storage device 204 on a paper medium.

  The internal bus 211 is a communication bus that connects the above-described units to a communicable state.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration example in the image processing apparatus 101 of FIG. Each software module shown in FIG. 3 is realized by the CPU 201 executing a program. Data necessary for the control is stored in any one of the nonvolatile memory 202, the volatile memory 203, and the auxiliary storage device 204.

  The process start condition setting unit 301 stores information on a process start condition described later in the process start condition storage unit 302. Information about the processing start condition is stored in the auxiliary storage device 204 so that the processing start condition is not lost even when the image processing apparatus 101 is turned off.

  The threshold time setting unit 303 has a function of storing threshold time information in the threshold time storage unit 304. The threshold time is a threshold set when a job processing execution instruction is given. When the threshold time is designated, as a rule, job processing is executed within the threshold time. The threshold time information is stored in the auxiliary storage device 204 so that it is not lost even when the image processing apparatus 101 is turned off.

  The unit price information storage unit 305 stores the unit price information acquired by the image processing apparatus 101 from the unit price information distribution server 103. The power unit price information is acquired from the power unit price information distribution server 103 via the Internet 102 and the network 104 when the image processing apparatus 101 is started up or periodically, and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 204.

  The process reception unit 306 performs a job execution instruction reception process. When receiving the job execution instruction, the process receiving unit 306 stores information on the power unit price at the time of reception in the power unit price storage unit 307 at the time of reception. The information on the electricity unit price at the time of reception is stored in the auxiliary storage device 204 so that it will not be lost even if the image processing apparatus 101 is turned off.

  In addition, when receiving a job execution instruction, the process reception unit 306 acquires the urgency level of the job process by the urgency level acquisition unit 310.

  The processing time determination unit 308 determines the execution start time of the job received by the processing reception unit 306 based on the following information.

The process start condition stored in the process start condition storage unit 302 The threshold time stored in the threshold time storage unit 304 The power unit price information stored in the power unit price information storage unit 305 The stored power unit price storage unit 307 Received power unit price ・ Emergency level of job processing acquired by the emergency level acquisition unit 310 The power state detection unit 311 determines whether the image processing apparatus 101 is in a low power state (sleep state) or a normal state (standby state). To detect.

  The low power operation setting unit 312 stores the low power operation setting information in the low power operation setting storage unit 313. The low power operation setting includes, for example, “a setting that does not execute processing when the power is in a low power state”. The low power operation setting information is stored in the auxiliary storage device 204 so that it is not lost even when the image processing apparatus 101 is turned off.

  The process execution unit 309 executes the job based on the determined job execution start time, the detected state of the image processing apparatus 101, and the low power operation setting information stored in the low power operation setting storage unit 313. Execute job processing by switching the execution timing.

  Note that the power state detection unit 311, the low power operation setting unit 312, and the low power operation setting storage unit 313 may be configured to be installed as options. In this case, the process execution unit 309 executes job processing based on the job execution start time determined by the process time determination unit 308.

  Next, the process start conditions set by the process start condition setting unit 301 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c).

  In the present embodiment, the process is classified into whether the process is executed within the threshold time set by the user (501 to 504) or whether the process is executed regardless of the threshold time (505 to 506). For example, when the processing start condition is “immediate execution”, the job processing is started simultaneously with the job execution instruction (501 in FIG. 5A).

  If the processing start condition is “the time when the power unit price is initially lower than the power unit price at the time of reception”, the job processing is performed at the time when the power unit price is first lower than the power unit price at the time of reception within the threshold time. Execution is started (502 in FIG. 5A). However, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the threshold time has passed without being lower than the unit price of power when the job execution instruction is received, the job processing is executed within the threshold time.

  When the processing start condition is “the time when the power unit price is the cheapest”, the job processing starts to be executed in the time zone where the power unit price is the cheapest within the threshold time (503 in FIG. 5A). However, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the threshold time has elapsed without being lower than the unit price of power when the job execution instruction is received, the job processing is executed immediately after the threshold time has elapsed.

  When the process start condition is “after execution of another job”, when another job (process) is executed within the threshold time, the process is executed immediately thereafter (504 in FIG. 5B). . However, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the threshold time has passed without being lower than the unit price of electricity when the execution instruction is received, the job processing is executed in a table after the threshold time has passed.

  If the processing start condition is “Time when the power unit price is first lower than the power unit price at the time of reception”, the job is performed at the time when the power unit price is first lower than the power unit price at the time of reception, regardless of the set threshold time. Processing is executed (505 in FIG. 5C).

  If the processing start condition is “the time when the power unit price is the cheapest”, the job processing is executed at the time when the power unit price is the lowest regardless of the set threshold time (FIG. 5C). 506).

  Next, job execution timing control processing executed when the image processing apparatus 101 receives a job execution instruction will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of job execution timing control processing executed when the image processing apparatus 101 receives a job execution instruction.

  In step S <b> 601, the CPU 201 determines whether a job execution instruction has been received by the process reception unit 306. When it determines with having received, it progresses to step S602.

  In step S <b> 602, the CPU 201 acquires power unit price information from the power unit price information storage unit 305.

  Next, in step S <b> 603, the CPU 201 refers to the acquired power unit price information, and stores the current power unit price (when the job execution instruction is received) in the reception power unit price storage unit 307.

  Next, in step S <b> 604, the CPU 201 acquires the process start condition described above from the process start condition storage unit 302.

  In step S <b> 605, the CPU 201 acquires the threshold time from the threshold time storage unit 304.

  In step S <b> 606, the CPU 201 determines the job execution start time by the processing time determination unit 308. The processing time determination unit 308 refers to the processing start condition acquired in step S604, the threshold time acquired in step S605, the power unit price information acquired in step S602, and the reception power unit price acquired from the reception power unit price storage unit 307. To determine the job execution start time.

  In step S607, the CPU 201 makes a reservation for processing in order to execute job processing at the job execution start time determined in step S606.

  In step S608, the CPU 201 determines whether or not the reserved job execution start time has been reached. If it is determined that the reserved job execution start time has been reached, the process advances to step S609.

  In step S <b> 609, the CPU 201 determines whether another process is being executed in the image processing apparatus 101. If it is determined that another process is being executed, the process proceeds to step S610. On the other hand, if it is determined that other processes (including other job processes) are not being executed, the process advances to step S612.

  In step S610, the CPU 201 determines whether other processing being executed has ended. If it is determined that the other processing is completed, the process proceeds to step S611.

  In step S611, the CPU 201 refers to the power unit price information acquired from the power unit price information storage unit 305, and compares the power unit price at the end of execution of other processes with the power unit price at the reserved job execution start time. If it is determined that the power unit price at the end of execution of other processing is the same as or lower than the power unit price at the time of reservation, the process proceeds to step S612. On the other hand, if it is determined that the power unit price at the end of execution of other processes is higher than the power unit price at the time of reservation, the process returns to step S606, and the processing time determination unit 308 determines the job execution start time again.

  In step S612, the CPU 201 causes the process execution unit 309 to execute the job received in step S601.

  Next, the process execution unit 309 determines the job status based on the state of the image processing apparatus 101 detected by the power state detection unit 311 and the low power operation setting information stored in the low power operation setting storage unit 313. Processing for controlling execution timing will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of job execution timing control processing according to the operation state of the image processing apparatus 101. This process is preferably performed after step S608 in FIG. 6, but may be executed at any timing as long as it is immediately before step S612.

  In step S701, the CPU 201 acquires the low power operation setting from the low power operation setting storage unit 313, and determines whether the low power operation setting is executed immediately or executed after returning to the normal state. As a result, for example, if the setting is “do not execute processing when in low power state”, the process proceeds to step S702 where it is determined that the process is to be executed after returning to the normal state. On the other hand, for example, if it is set to “execute immediately regardless of the power state”, it is determined to be immediately executed, and the process proceeds to step S704.

  In step S <b> 702, the CPU 201 detects the power state of the image processing apparatus 101 by the power state detection unit 311.

  In step S703, the CPU 201 determines whether or not the power state detected in step S702 is a low power state. If it is determined that the low power state is set, the process returns to step S702 again. That is, no processing is performed in the low power state. On the other hand, if it is determined not to be in the low power state, the process proceeds to step S704.

  In step S704, the CPU 201 causes the process execution unit 309 to execute the job received in step S601. That is, step S704 is step S612 of FIG.

  As described above, even when the reserved job execution start time is reached, the power saving effect is expected by not returning the image processing apparatus 101 to the normal state when it is in the low power state. Then, when the image processing apparatus 101 returns to the normal state by another trigger such as job input, the processing is performed collectively.

  What has been referred to as “processing” has been execution of “jobs” represented by copying and printing, but is not limited to this, and may be execution of “update firmware”.

  However, this is different from the processing described in FIGS. 6 and 7 because it differs from “job” execution in that a “reboot process” is required when updating the firmware.

  The firmware of the image processing apparatus 101 is updated automatically or manually from a firmware server (not shown) via the network 104. The downloaded firmware is stored in the work area (nonvolatile memory 202 or auxiliary storage device 204) of the image processing apparatus 101. Then, the firmware stored by rebooting the image processing apparatus 101 is written in a regular area (non-volatile memory 202 or auxiliary storage device 204), and the new firmware is used at the next startup. Firmware download and reboot may be performed at different timings, and the conventional firmware operates until the reboot is performed.

  When the image processing apparatus 101 is rebooted, power is consumed by starting up the engine. Therefore, rebooting when the power unit price is high increases the electricity bill. On the other hand, since firmware is updated for the purpose of defect correction and function enhancement, rebooting as soon as possible is necessary to quickly apply new firmware. Some updaters are available to fix critical problems, so you may need to reboot as soon as possible.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of firmware update execution timing control executed by the image processing apparatus 101. Note that steps S801 to S812 in FIG. 8 are the same processes as steps S601 to S612 in FIG. Step S813 in FIG. 8 is different from the process in FIG.

  In FIG. 8, in step S <b> 813, the CPU 201 acquires the urgency level of processing execution by the urgency level acquisition unit 310. This urgency level is downloaded at the same time as the firmware is downloaded. If it is determined that the degree of urgency is high, it is unconditionally set to “immediate execution” (501 in FIG. 5A) when the job execution start time is determined in step S806. As a result, when the urgency of firmware update is high, it is possible to update quickly even at the expense of an increase in electricity bill. Note that step S813 can be performed not only when the firmware is updated but also when a normal “job” is executed, and a configuration in which the urgency level is designated by the input device 207 when a job is submitted can be realized. is there. Needless to say, the processing of FIG. 7 can also be applied.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of firmware update processing after reboot.

  In step S901, the CPU 201 determines whether new firmware exists in the work area (the non-volatile memory 202 or the auxiliary storage device 204). If it is determined that it exists, the process proceeds to step S902. On the other hand, if it is determined that the image processing apparatus 101 does not exist, the process proceeds to step S903, and the activation processing of the image processing apparatus 101 is performed using the firmware existing in the regular storage area.

  In step S902, the CPU 201 moves the firmware existing in the work area to the regular storage area.

  In step S <b> 903, the CPU 201 performs activation processing of the image processing apparatus 101 using firmware existing in a regular storage area.

  As described above, the time for starting the process is determined based on the power unit price information, the threshold time, the process start condition, and the reception-time power unit price, and the process is executed at the determined time. Furthermore, the execution of the process is controlled according to the operation setting at the time of low power of the image processing apparatus and the detected operation state. As a result, the execution timing of the process can be controlled according to the unit price of power for each time, the process start setting made by the user, and the like, and it is possible to simultaneously improve the usability and reduce the power cost.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

101 image processing apparatus 103 power unit price information distribution server 201 CPU
204 Auxiliary storage device 301 Processing start condition setting unit 303 Threshold time setting unit 305 Electric power unit price information storage unit 308 Processing time determination unit 309 Processing execution unit 312 Low power operation setting unit

Claims (6)

In an image processing apparatus that executes a process that has received an execution instruction,
Power unit price information storage means for storing power unit price information for each time;
Threshold time setting means for setting a time for executing the process as a threshold time;
A process start condition setting means for setting a process start condition of the process;
A power unit price storage unit at the time of reception that stores a power unit price at the time when the execution instruction is received with reference to the power unit price information,
Processing time determination means for determining a time to start the processing based on the power unit price information, the threshold time, the processing start condition, and the reception power unit price;
Processing execution means for executing the processing at the time determined by the processing time determination means;
An image processing apparatus comprising:   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing start condition includes immediate execution, a time when the power unit price is initially lower than a reception-time power unit price, and a time when the power unit price is the lowest. . The process, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it is a copy job or print job. The process, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it is a firmware update. In a control method of an image processing apparatus that executes a process that has received an execution instruction,
A power unit price information storing step of storing power unit price information for each time in the storage means;
A threshold time setting step for setting a time at which the process is executed as a threshold time;
A process start condition setting step for setting a process start condition of the process;
A power unit price storage process at the time of reception that stores the power unit price at the time of receiving the execution instruction with reference to the power unit price information;
A process time determination step for determining a time to start the process based on the power unit price information, the threshold time, the process start condition, and the reception power unit price;
A process execution step of executing the process at the time determined in the process time determination step;
A control method comprising: A computer-readable program for causing an image processing apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 5 .

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