Abstract:
The present invention provides an information processing apparatus, a program and a system in which a user sets data about electric power conditions in the information processing apparatus so as to reduce electric power consumption of the input/output device when the user is not in front of the input/output device. The information processing system comprises the information processing apparatus  101  comprising a storage section  106  for storing the data about the electric power conditions of the input/output device, and the input/output device  110 , wherein the information processing apparatus comprises an input/output control section  104, 105  for giving and receiving information to/from the input/output device, and the input/output control section gives instructions about electric power conditions to the input/output device, regardless of whether or not input data from the input/output device or output data to said input/output device is transferred and the input/output device controls the electric power conditions based on the instructions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a program product executable by a computer and an information processing system, and in particular, it relates to a system and a method for reducing electrical power consumption of a monitor device that is connected to a computer terminal according to a time setting in the computer terminal.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Conventional information processing apparatuses such as computer terminals are increasingly used in a configuration wherein the computer terminals are activated automatically at a time specified by users to perform operations such as e-mail receipt, virus check, TV recording and the like. In such configuration, input/output devices such as monitor devices connected to the computer terminals are powered on at the same time when the computer terminals are activated (see patent documents  1 ,  2  and  3 )  
           [0005]    [Patent Document  1 ] 
           [0006]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-041397  
           [0007]    [Patent Document  2 ] 
           [0008]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-053066  
           [0009]    [Patent Document  3 ] 
           [0010]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-190855).  
           [0011]    In the prior arts described above, there is a problem in that electric power may be consumed uselessly because the input/output devices such as the monitor devices may be powered on even when the users are not in front of the input/output devices. Though the monitor devices typically determine whether or not to enter into power saving mode depending on the presence or absence of a video signal (a synchronization signal), in some operating conditions in which the computer terminals cannot turn off the video signal, the monitor devices cannot enter into the power saving mode and the electric power is wasted continuously even during an unattended operation. Furthermore, if the computer terminals are configured by the users to be activated automatically while the users are sleeping, e.g. at midnight, there is another problem in that the users&#39; sleep may be disturbed due to the brightness of the monitor devices and the sound from speakers.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    In view of the above problems in relation to the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to reduce electric power consumption of an input/output device such as a monitor device when a user is not in front of the monitor device by allowing the user to configure data about electric power conditions of the input/output device such as a relationship between times and power saving settings on an information processing apparatus such as a computer terminal.  
           [0013]    In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising an input/output control section for giving and receiving information to/from an input/output device, wherein the input/output control section gives instructions about electric power conditions to the input/output device based on data stored in a storage section, regardless of whether or not to transfer input data from the input/output device or output data to said input/output device.  
           [0014]    The storage section stores a management table showing a relationship between times and electric power saving control instructions of the input/output device, and the input/output control section gives the instructions to said input/output device according to the management table.  
           [0015]    The instructions are given to allow predetermined electric power conditions to be maintained for a predetermined time period.  
           [0016]    According to another aspect of the present an information processing apparatus to give instructions about electric power conditions to an input/output device, regardless of whether or not input data from the input/output device or output data to the input/output device is being transferred.  
           [0017]    According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an information processing system comprising: an information processing apparatus that comprises a storage section for storing data about electric power conditions of an input/output device; and the input/output device, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises an input/output control section for giving and receiving information to/from the input/output device, the input/output control section gives instructions about the electric power conditions to the input/output device based upon the data stored in the storage section, regardless of whether or not to transfer input data from the input/output device or output data to the input/output device, and the input/output device controls the electric power conditions based on the instructions. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric power reduction monitor management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric power reduction monitor management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an LCD unit  116  in a monitor device  110  shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a flowchart describing operations of the electric power reduction monitor management system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing the operations shown in FIG. 4 in an easy-to-understand manner; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a plot describing an effect obtained from the embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric power reduction monitor management system that is one form of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the electric power reduction monitor management system includes a computer terminal  101  (an information processing apparatus) and a monitor device  110  that is one form of an input/output device connected to the computer terminal  101 . The computer terminal  101  is a commercially available personal computer (PC) terminal. The computer terminal  101  includes an operating system (OS)  102 , an application storage section  103 , a display driver  104 , a graphic accelerator  105 , and a central processing unit (CPU)  107  for controlling various devices in the PC  101  such as the application storage section  103 , the display driver  104 , the graphic accelerator  105  and the like.  
         [0026]    Various application programs are stored in the application storage section  103 . According to the present invention, a task management application program  106  is stored in the application storage section  103 . In this task management application program  106 , a relationship between predetermined times and power saving settings is configured by a user. For example, it may be configured that TV programs are recorded from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., during which monitor brightness is set to 20 when the brightest level is represented as 100. Further, a sound level during the TV recording is set to 0. When the monitor device is a liquid crystal display with backlighting as an example of the input/output devices, the monitor brightness may be set by adjusting the backlight brightness. An example of the liquid crystal display device is shown in the figure, wherein it includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) controller  111 , an EEPROM  112  for storing EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) that is information about monitor types, resolution and the like, a ROM  113  for storing software programs that operate the monitor device, a microprocessor (MPU)  114  for controlling operation of the entire monitor device, an EEPROM  115  for storing various setting values such as the monitor brightness, contrast, sound level and the like in normal operation, an LCD unit  116 , an inverter  117  for driving a cold-cathode tube (backlight) provided in the LCD unit  116 , and an audio amplifier  118 . The monitor device may not include an audio amplifier  118 .  
         [0027]    The monitor brightness control configured in the task management application program  106  may be implemented by controlling the brightness of the backlight and, optionally, the contrast and color levels. The electric power consumption of the monitor device  110  may not be reduced by reducing voltage level of video signals or reducing the contrast or the color levels depending on the design configuration of the monitor device  110 , but even in such case, there is an effect the monitor brightness is reduced so as not to disturb the user&#39;s sleep.  
         [0028]    When the monitor device  110  has OSD (On Screen Display) features for displaying on the monitor device  110  set values of the display brightness, the sound level and the like in normal operation, the values may be written on the EEPROM  115  in the monitor device  110 .  
         [0029]    In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the graphic accelerator  105  in the computer terminal  101  is connected to the LCD controller  111  in the monitor device  110  via a signal line  120  in accordance with specifications of the DDC/CI (Display Data Channel Command Interface) standard specified by VESA (Video Electronics Standard Association). Commands such as, for example, the ones included in MCCS (Monitor Control Command Set) specified by VESA may be used between the computer terminal  101  and the monitor device  110 . For example, in order to reduce electric power consumption by reducing the backlight brightness, a value lower than the previous setting may be sent to an address ( 10   h ). In this case, however, there is no command that corresponds to operations such as the backlight turn-off or volume control, though such operations may be supported by adding new commands to addresses (E 0 h-FFh) that are independently defined addresses allowed by the MCCS.  
         [0030]    The values that are sent from the display driver  104  and the graphic accelerator  105  in the computer terminal  101  via the DDC signal line  120  described above are stored in a RAM (not shown) in the LCD controller  111  and, then, are sent to the EEPROM  115  via the MPU  114  to change the monitor brightness and the sound level set in normal operation that are stored in the EEPROM  115 . In the monitor device  110 , the MPU  114  controls the output of the inverter  117  and the audio amplifier  118  based on the values stored in the RAM in the LCD controller  111 .  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric power reduction monitor management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, same elements as in FIG. 1 are shown. The configuration in FIG. 2 differs from the one in FIG. 1 in that the DDC signal line  120  is connected not to the LCD controller  111  but to the MPU  114 . Also, in this configuration, the electric power consumption of the monitor device  110  can be saved according to the values set in the computer terminal  101 , just as in FIG. 1.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of the LCD unit  116  in the monitor device  110  shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The LCD unit  16  in itself is well-known. In FIG. 3, there are shown a liquid crystal panel  31 , a cold-cathode tube  32  that acts as a backlight, an inverter  33  for supplying electric power for the cold-cathode tube  32 , and a light guide  34  for guiding light emitted from the cold-cathode tube  32  to the liquid crystal panel  31 . According to this embodiment, the electric power supplied to the cold-cathode tube  32  in a predetermined time period can be restricted depending on set values in the task management application  106 .  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 4 is a flowchart describing operations of the electric power reduction monitor management system shown in FIG. 1 or  2 . In this figure, in step  401 , a user configures an operation in the task management application program  106  to allow the computer terminal  101  and the monitor device  110  to operate automatically. This operation may include, for example, TV recording from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., during which the monitor brightness is set to zero and the speaker sound level is also set to zero as described above, a virus scan, a backup and the like. Here, it is to be noted that the backlight is not turned off to set the monitor brightness to zero. Typically, the inverter  117  is not turned off completely while the video signal is supplied from the computer terminal  101  to the monitor device  110 , but the brightness is adjusted by adjusting the backlight brightness and, optionally, at least one of the contrast and the color level. Alternatively, the backlight may be turned off by turning off the inverter  117 . Further, the sound level may be set to zero by using a mute function of the audio amplifier  118 .  
         [0034]    Then, in step  402 , when the computer terminal (PC)  101  is turned off, the user sets the times when the task management application program  106  starts and ends automatically in a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The BIOS is a program to control disks, a keyboard, graphics and the like. The BIOS is configured to activate the computer terminal  101  a few minutes before the time when the task management application program  106  starts the operation set by the user automatically.  
         [0035]    Then, in step  403 , the BIOS activates the computer terminal  101  at the automatic activation time set in step  402 .  
         [0036]    Then, in step  404 , the BIOS utilizes the DDC  120  to read the EDID (a profile of the monitor device) stored in the EEPROM  112  via the graphic accelerator  105 .  
         [0037]    Then, in step  405 , the graphic accelerator  105  outputs the suitable video signal to the monitor device  110  based on the profile of the monitor device read in step  404 .  
         [0038]    Then, in step  406 , the OS  102  is booted up.  
         [0039]    Here, it is to be noted that the operations from step  402  to step  406  are performed only when the user configures the task management application program  106  and, then, turns off the computer terminal  101 . On the other hand, the operations from step  404  to step  406  are always performed when a computer terminal is activated.  
         [0040]    Then, in step  407 , the task management application program  106  activates a TV recording software program at the set time.  
         [0041]    Then, in step  408 , the task management application program  106  reads the current set values for the monitor device  110  from the EEPROM  115  and stores it in the computer terminal  101 . This operation is required to restore the monitor device to the initial conditions such as, for example, the brightness level 100 and the sound level 50, after completion of the automatic operation of the computer terminal  101 .  
         [0042]    Then, in step  409 , the task management application program  106  utilizes the DDC  120  to transmit operating conditions during the automatic operation to the monitor  110 . In the example shown in FIG. 1, a set value for “the brightness level “0” and the sound level “0”” is sent to the LCD controller  111  (in the case of FIG. 1) or the MPU  114  (in the case of FIG. 2), to which an address  6 E is assigned according to the specifications of the DDC/CI (Display Data Channel Command Interface) standard.  
         [0043]    Then, in step  410 , the MPU  114  in the monitor device  110  controls the inverter  117  and the audio amplifier  118  according to the conditions sent from the computer terminal  101 . The electric power supplied to the cold-cathode tube for the backlight can be reduced through the control of the inverter  117 . If the monitor device  110  has the OSD (On Screen Display) features, the conditions sent from the computer terminal  101  such as the display brightness, the sound level and the like may be written in the EEPROM  115 .  
         [0044]    Then, in step  411 , the TV recording is started at the set start time.  
         [0045]    Then, in step  412 , the TV recording is ended at the set stop time.  
         [0046]    Then, in step  413 , the task management application program  106  transmits the initial set values (the brightness level: 100 and the sound level: 50) stored in step  408  to the device (the LCD controller  111  or the MPU  114 ) having an address  6 E in the monitor device  110  via the DDC  120 .  
         [0047]    Then, in step  414 , the MPU  114  in the monitor device  110  controls the inverter  117  and the audio amplifier  118  according to the sent conditions and, further, writes the sent set values in the EEPROM  115 . This restores the monitor device  110  to the conditions in which the user usually uses the monitor device  110 .  
         [0048]    Then, in step  415 , the task management application program  106  shuts down the computer terminal (PC)  101 .  
         [0049]    According to the operations described above, the electric power consumption of the monitor device can be reduced during the time period set by the user, even if the video signal is output from the computer terminal  101  to the monitor device  110 .  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing the operations shown in FIG. 4 in an easy-to-understand manner. In this figure, in step  501 , the task management application program  106  activates the computer terminal (PC)  101 . This operation corresponds to step  403  in FIG. 4 and it is performed a few minutes before the actual recording start time.  
         [0051]    In step  502 , the computer terminal (PC)  101  reads and stores the set values for the monitor device  110 . This operation corresponds to step  408  in FIG. 4.  
         [0052]    In step  503 , the values for electric power reduction set in the task management application program  106  (for example, the brightness level 30 and the sound level 0) are transmitted to the monitor device  110 . This operation corresponds to step  409  in FIG. 4.  
         [0053]    In step  504 , the TV recording is started and, in step  505 , the TV recording is ended. Between step  504  and step  505  or from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the shown example, the brightness of the monitor device is lowered and the sound level is set to zero. Therefore, when the user is not in front of the monitor device  110 , unnecessary electric power consumption can be inhibited and the user&#39;s sleep is disturbed by the brightness of the display or the sound. The operations in these steps correspond to step  411  and step  412  in FIG. 4.  
         [0054]    In step  506 , the computer terminal (PC)  101  transmits the set values stored in step  502  to the monitor device  111 . This operation corresponds to step  413  in FIG. 4.  
         [0055]    In step  507 , the task management application program  106  shuts down the computer terminal (PC)  101 . This operation corresponds to step  415  in FIG. 4.  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 6 is a plot describing an effect obtained from the embodiments of the present invention. As shown in this figure, as the adjustment value of the brightness is changed from the maximum level to the minimum level, the electric power consumption of the liquid crystal display is reduced proportionately. However, even if the brightness is set to zero, the electric power consumption of the liquid crystal display is not reduced to zero. This is because it is a common practice to always illuminate the backlight irrespective of the brightness set value when the user uses the liquid crystal display. The display brightness of most liquid crystal display products is adjusted by adjusting the backlight brightness. As a certain level of electric power is needed to illuminate the backlight, the electric power consumption of the backlight may not be reduced to zero even if the brightness is adjusted to the minimum value. Further, in addition to the minimum electric power to illuminate the backlight, other components may consume electric power. Even if the backlight is turned off, the electric power for such components may be consumed. According to the embodiments of the present invention, the user can configure the brightness of the monitor device during the automatic operation of the computer terminal in an arbitrary manner. The brightness of the monitor device can be lowered by controlling the brightness and at least one of the contrast and the color level. According to another embodiment of the present invention, instead of controlling the brightness and the contrast or the color level, the backlight may be turned off. Though a screen on the display device is not visible at all when the backlight is turned off, it is no problem if the user is not in front of the monitor device.  
         [0057]    The embodiments described above are intended to describe the present invention in an exemplary manner and the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. The present invention may be applied to any display device comprising the backlight. Further, the interconnection between the computer terminal and the monitor device may be established based on any standard instead of the DDC/CI standard specified by VESA.  
         [0058]    Further, though a display device or, in particular, an LCD has been described as an example of input/output devices, the present invention may be applied to many other input/output devices such as a CRT, an audio device, a keyboard and a mouse.  
         [0059]    As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, by setting data about electric power conditions in an information processing apparatus, there is an effect in that electric power consumption of an input/output device can be reduced when the information processing apparatus is activated automatically and a user is not in front of the input/output device. Further, there is another effect in that the user&#39;s sleep is not disturbed by the brightness of an input/output device such as a monitor device or a sound level even if the information processing apparatus is activated automatically while the user is sleeping such as at midnight.  
         [0060]    The method described with reference to FIG. 4 can be realized by a computer program or a computer program product executable by a computer. The program or program product may be delivered through on-line to any destination, or may be stored in any storage medium.