Power source management apparatus

• US 20080188993A1
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikusawa, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US11/798,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188993A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Disclosed is a power source management apparatus including: a receiving section to receive information about a consumed electric power value in a predetermined area; a transmitting section to transmit a control instruction to an image forming apparatus; and a control section to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a low-power mode with less electric power consumption than a normal electric power mode or a power-off mode, when the electric power value is a predetermined standard switching value or higher.

Claims

1. A power source management apparatus comprising:

a receiving section to receive information about consumed electric power value in a predetermined area;

a transmitting section to transmit a control instruction to an image forming apparatus; and

a control section to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a low-power mode with less electric power consumption than a normal electric power mode or a power-off mode, when the electric power value is a predetermined standard switching value or higher.

2. The power source management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control section allows the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to the normal electric power mode, when the electric power value is a predetermined standard returning value or lower, while the image forming apparatus is in the low-power mode or the power-off mode.

3. The power source management apparatus of claim 2, wherein the standard switching value is higher than the standard returning value.

4. A power source management apparatus comprising:

a receiving section to receive information about an outdoor temperature;

a transmitting section to transmit a control instruction to an image forming apparatus; and

a control section to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a low-power mode with less electric power consumption than a normal electric power mode or a power-off mode, when the temperature is at a predetermined standard switching value or higher.

5. The power source management apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control section allows the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to the normal electric power mode, when the temperature is at a predetermined standard returning value or lower, while the image forming apparatus is in the low-power mode or the power-off mode.

6. The power source management apparatus of claim 5, wherein the standard switching value is higher than the standard returning value.

7. A power source management apparatus comprising:

a receiving section to receive information about an outdoor humidity;

a transmitting section to transmit a control instruction to an image forming apparatus; and

a control section to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a low-power mode with less electric power consumption than a normal electric power mode or a power-off mode, when the humidity is at a predetermined standard switching value or higher.

8. The power source management apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control section allows the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to the normal electric power mode, when the humidity is at a predetermined standard returning value or lower, while the image forming apparatus is in the low-power mode or the power-off mode.

9. The power source management apparatus of claim 8, wherein the standard switching value is higher than the standard returning value.

10. A power source management apparatus comprising:

a receiving section to receive information about at least one of a forecast maximum temperature and a forecast minimum temperature of a day;

a transmitting section to transmit a control instruction to an image forming apparatus; and

a control section to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a low-power mode with less electric power consumption than a normal electric power mode or a power-off mode, when the at least one of the forecast maximum temperature and the forecast minimum temperature is at a predetermined standard switching value or higher.

11. The power source management apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control section allows the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to the low-power mode or the power-off mode at a predetermined start time and allows the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to the normal electric power mode at a predetermined end time, when the at least one of the forecast maximum temperature and the forecast minimum temperature is at the predetermined standard switching value or higher.

12. A power source management apparatus comprising:

a receiving section to receive information about a forecast temperature variation in a day;

a transmitting section to transmit a control instruction to an image forming apparatus; and

a control section to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a low-power mode with less electric power consumption than a normal electric power mode or a power-off mode, at a time when an ambient temperature is forecast to be at a predetermined standard switching value or higher, and to allow the transmitting section to transmit an instruction to the image forming apparatus to switch to a normal electric power mode at a time when the ambient temperature is forecast to be at a predetermined standard returning value or lower, based on the information about the forecast temperature variation.