Image forming apparatus that selects appropriate power saving mode for each time slot

An image forming apparatus includes an operation panel, a printing device, a storage device, a job management unit, a power-saving mode setting unit, and an operation mode control unit. The power-saving mode setting unit that: (a) specifies the job log where the start time point of the job execution belongs to an identical time slot in a past for a predetermined time slot; and (b1) sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot to the first power-saving mode when a proportion of the number of the executing jobs where the job types of the specified job log belong to the first job type group to the number of the executing jobs where the job types of the specified job log belong to the first job type group or the second job type group exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is based upon, and claims the benefit of priority from, corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-271378 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Dec. 27, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

One power-saving control unit automatically controls a reference elapsed time for causing itself to switch from a normal mode to a power-saving mode based on a time log that records the time points when operations were done.

Another print apparatus specifies the number of times of print job per time slot, and sets an elapsed time to switch from the normal mode to the power-saving mode based on the number of times of print jobs.

SUMMARY

An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the disclosure includes an operation panel, a printing device, a storage device, a job management unit, a power-saving mode setting unit, and an operation mode control unit. The operation panel accepts user operations. The printing device executes a print job. The storage device stores job classification data that indicates a job type belonging to a first job type group and a job type belonging to a second job type group. The job management unit records the job type of an executing job and a start time point of the job execution as a job log. The power-saving mode setting unit that: (a) specifies the job log where the start time point of the job execution belongs to an identical time slot in a past for a predetermined time slot; (b1) sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot to the first power-saving mode when a proportion of the number of the executing jobs where the job types of the specified job log belong to the first job type group to the number of the executing jobs where the job types of the specified job log belong to the first job type group or the second job type group exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and (b2) sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot to the second power-saving mode when the proportion is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value. The operation mode control unit causes an operation mode to be switched to the first power-saving mode or the second power-saving mode set by the power-saving mode setting unit when the operation mode is switched from a normal mode to the power-saving mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes embodiments of the disclosure based on the drawings.

FIG. 1illustrates a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The image forming apparatus illustrated inFIG. 1is a multi-functional peripheral with a printing function, an image reading function, and a facsimile function. This image forming apparatus includes an operation panel11, a communication device21, a printing device22, an image reading device23, a facsimile device24, a storage device25, and a controller26.

The operation panel11includes a display unit11asuch as a liquid crystal display and an input unit11bsuch as a touch panel. The operation panel11displays an operation screen for a user and detects an input operation by the user.

The communication device21is connectable to a host apparatus (not illustrated) over a network or a similar medium. The communication device21is an apparatus that performs data communications in a predetermined communication protocol. For example, the communication device21receives data for print job from the host apparatus.

The printing device22is, for example, an internal device that prints a document image on a printing paper sheet by an electrophotographic method.

The image reading device23is an internal device that optically reads a document image from an original document, and generates an image data of the document image.

The facsimile device24is an internal device having a receiving function and a transmitting function. With the receiving function, the facsimile device24receives a facsimile signal and converts the facsimile signal into an image data. With the transmitting function, the facsimile device24converts the image data into the facsimile signal and transmits the facsimile signal.

The storage device25is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive and a flash memory. The storage device25stores, for example, data and a program. The storage device25stores job classification data41and threshold value data42.

The job classification data41indicates a job type belonging to a job type specified as a low-power mode (the first job type group) and a job type belonging to a job type specified as a sleep mode (the second job type group). The threshold value data42indicates the threshold value data described later.

The controller26includes a computer that includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) (not illustrated), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and a similar unit. The controller26loads programs stored on the ROM or the storage device25to the RAM. The CPU executes the program to operate as various processors.

In this embodiment, the controller26operates as a job management unit31, a power-saving mode setting unit32, and an operation mode control unit33.

The Job management unit31executes various jobs using the internal apparatus such as the communication device21, the printing device22, the image reading device23, the facsimile device24, and the storage device25according to the data received from the host apparatus or a user operation to the operation panel11. The Job management unit31sequentially records a job log43that indicates the job types of the executed job and execution start time point on the storage device25.

The power-saving mode setting unit32performs the processes for the predetermined time slot as follows.

(a) The power-saving mode setting unit32specifies the job log43where the start time point of the job execution belongs to an identical time slot in a past.

(b1) The power-saving mode setting unit32sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot to the low-power mode (the first power-saving mode) when a proportion of the number of the jobs where the job types of the specified job log43belong to the low-power mode specifying job type to the number of the jobs where the job types of the specified job log43belong to the low-power mode specifying job type or the sleep-mode designating job type exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

(b2) The power-saving mode setting unit32sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot to the sleep mode (the second power-saving mode) when the proportion is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

In the low-power mode, the electric power supply to the operation panel11is suspended while the electric power supply to the printing device22or a similar internal apparatus continues. On the other hand, in the sleep mode, the electric power supply to the operation panel11and the printing device22or a similar internal apparatus is suspended. In both modes, the electric power supply to a standby unit to resume a normal mode continues. In the low-power mode, the electric power is consumed more than that in the sleep mode while the low-power mode ensures a short recovery time compared with the sleep mode.

The power-saving mode setting unit32identifies the job type belonging to the low-power mode setting job type or the job type belonging to the sleep-mode setting job type based on the job classification data41. The power-saving mode setting unit32identifies the above-described threshold value based on the threshold value data42.

In the above-described predetermined time slot, when the operation mode control unit33switches an operation mode of the image forming apparatus from the normal mode to the power-saving mode, the operation mode control unit33switches the operation mode to the low-power mode or the sleep mode, which are set by the power-saving mode setting unit32. For example, the operation mode control unit33performs this operation after a job completion or an elapse of a predetermined time from the job completion, or if no user operations has been made to the operation panel11in a normal mode during a predetermined time. When an event to resume the normal mode is input into the standby unit to resume the normal mode after the operation mode control unit33switches an operation mode of the image forming apparatus into the power-saving mode (the low-power mode or the sleep mode), the operation mode control unit33resumes from the power-saving mode to the normal mode.

Here, the job type belonging to the low-power mode setting job type is a job type that requires the user operation to the operation panel11. The job type belonging to the sleep-mode setting job type is a job type that doesn't requires the user operation to the operation panel11. Thus, when the job type is set, at the time slot when jobs that require the user operation to the operation panel (e.g. copy job) are performed frequently, the operation mode control unit33resumes not from the sleep mode to the normal mode but from the power-saving mode to the normal mode. This causes resuming the normal mode in a short time, thus shortening a waiting time for users to ensure an improved operability.

FIG. 2illustrates one example of the job classification data41inFIG. 1.

For example, as illustrated inFIG. 2, a copy job, a host transmit (scan to send) job, a facsimile transmission job, and a box printing job, which prints a document in a document box, are designated as the low-power mode setting job type where the user operation to the operation panel11is necessary. On the other hand, a print job, which prints based on data from the host apparatus, a box storage job, which stores generated job data based on data from the host apparatus in the document box, and a facsimile reception job are specified as the sleep-mode setting job type where the user operation to the operation panel11is not necessary.

Next, the following describes the operation of the above-described image forming apparatus.

In this embodiment, the job management unit31records the job log43per job execution. Then, the operation mode control unit33switches the operation mode from the normal mode to the power-saving mode corresponding to status of the image forming apparatus, or resumes from the power-saving mode to the normal mode. When the operation mode control unit33switches the operation mode from the normal mode to the power-saving mode corresponding to status of the image forming apparatus, the operation mode control unit33switches to the low-power mode or the sleep mode, which are set by the power-saving mode setting unit32. After that, at a predetermined timing, the power-saving mode setting unit32selects the power-saving mode used at the predetermined time slot from the low-power mode and the sleep mode.

Here, the following describes the operation of the power-saving mode setting unit32.FIG. 3illustrates the operation of the power-saving mode setting unit32in the image forming apparatus inFIG. 1

When the power-saving mode setting unit32detects a predetermined timing of timer setting (Step S1), the power-saving mode setting unit32sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot (Step S2to S5).

For example, when the timing of the timer setting is set to the starting time point of one week, the time from the moment in the one week is divided into a predetermined length of the time slot (such as 30 minutes), and the power-saving mode is set by the processes from Steps S2to S5for each of the time slots.

When the timing of the timer setting is set to the starting time point of a day, the time from the moment in a day is divided into a predetermined length of the time (such as 30 minutes), and the power-saving mode is set by the processes from Steps S2to S5for each of the time slots.

The power-saving mode setting unit32reads all of the job log43having an execution start time point that belongs to a focused time slot (Step S2), and determines whether the proportion of the job of the low-power mode setting job type in the job log43exceeds a predetermined threshold value or not (Step S3).

Then, with respect to the time slot, when the proportion of the job of the low-power mode setting job type exceeds the predetermined threshold, the power-saving mode setting unit32specifies the low-power mode as the power-saving mode during the time slot (Step S4). If not so, the power-saving mode setting unit32specifies the sleep mode as the power-saving mode during the time slot (Step S5).

Thus, the power-saving mode for each of the time slots in a certain period (such as for one week or a day) is set, and the operation mode control unit33performs the set power-saving mode.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the power-saving mode setting unit32performs the processes during the predetermined time slot as follows.

(a) The power-saving mode setting unit32specifies the job log43where the start time point of the job execution belongs to an identical time slot in a past.

(b1) The power-saving mode setting unit32sets the power-saving mode for the predetermined time slot to the low-power mode when a proportion of the number of the jobs where the job types of the specified job log43belong to the low-power mode setting job type to the number of the jobs where the job types of the specified job log43belong to the low-power mode setting job type or the sleep-mode setting job type exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

(b2) The power-saving mode setting unit32sets the power-saving mode to the sleep mode when the proportion is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

Accordingly, corresponding to the job type of a job that is executed at the identical time slot in the past, an appropriate power-saving mode is selected. Therefore, as the power-saving mode, the appropriate mode is applied among a plurality of the mode at each the time slots.

The embodiments described above are preferred examples of the disclosure. However, the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes of the embodiments may be made without departing from the gist of the disclosure.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the job classification data41may be editable (changeable) corresponding to the user operation to the operation panel11. This allows a user to change the job type, which is often used by the user, to the low-power mode setting job type.FIG. 4illustrates one example of the job classification data41after the user has edited. For example, the box storage itself does not need a user operation. Since some users may do box printing immediately after the box storage, the user can change the box storage job to the low-power mode setting job type, as illustrated inFIG. 4.

In the embodiments described above, the threshold value data42can be editable (changeable) corresponding to the user operation to the operation panel11.

The disclosure, for example, is applicable to an image forming apparatus having an operation panel.