INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM FOR MANAGING POWER CONSUMPTION

• US 20120053868A1
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,335,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/61
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1261 by using alternate printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0048 Indicating an illegal or impossible operation or selection to the user

Abstract

To determine power consumption of an image forming apparatus in each state in detail, an analysis server collects job history of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, calculates power consumption of each of the image forming apparatuses in a job processing state in a designated period by using the job history, identifies a number of times each of the image forming apparatuses has executed processing, which is performed when printing is started, in the designated period based on the job history, and adding a value obtained by multiplying job start time power consumption by the number of times of identification to the power consumption of each of the image forming apparatuses, and corrects the power consumption of each of the image forming apparatuses in the job processing state.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for calculating electric power consumption of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a first generation unit configured to generate a display screen used for displaying a map image on which a plurality of icons that represent installation positions of the plurality of image forming apparatuses are arranged; and

a second generation unit configured to, if designation regarding one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is accepted via the display screen, generate a display screen used for displaying more detailed information of the electric power consumption of the designated image forming apparatus considering a plurality of possible states of the image forming apparatus in addition to the map image,

wherein the first generation unit generates said display screen used for displaying a chart illustrating a ratio of electric power consumption of each of the image forming apparatuses in each state so that the chart is arranged in a position corresponding to each icon on the map image and a size of the chart corresponds to an amount of the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus, and

wherein the designation of the image forming apparatus via the display screen is designation of the icon or the chart on the map image.

2. An information processing apparatus for calculating electric power consumption of an image forming apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store start time power consumption indicating electric power consumption of processing when a job of the image forming apparatus is started;

a collection unit configured to collect job history of the job from the image forming apparatus;

an electric power consumption calculation unit configured to calculate the electric power consumption in a job processing state in a designated period by using the job history;

an identification unit configured to identify a number of times the image forming apparatus has executed a starting process which is performed when printing is started in the designated period based on the job history; and

a correction unit configured to correct a value of the electric power consumption calculated by the electric power consumption calculation unit by adding a value obtained by multiplying the start time power consumption by the identified number of times to the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in the job processing state.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the job history includes a job start date and time and a job end date and time, and

wherein the identification unit identifies that the number of times the starting process has been executed is once for the whole job if, before a job including printing is completed, a different job including printing is started.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising an acquisition unit configured to acquire electric power state of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus,

wherein the electric power consumption calculation unit calculates state-specific power consumption of the image forming apparatus in the designated period by using the electric power state and the job history.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a total time calculation unit configured to calculate a total time of the image forming apparatus in each state in the designated period based on the electric power state and the job history;

wherein the storage unit further stores state-specific power consumption indicating electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in each state per unit time; and

wherein the electric power consumption calculation unit calculates electric power consumption in each state of the image forming apparatus in the designated period by multiplying the state-specific power consumption by the total time of the image forming apparatus in each state.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the job history includes information of a number of pages of each job,

wherein the storage unit further stores operation-specific power consumption indicating electric power consumption of each job operation per page of a job executed by the image forming apparatus, and

wherein the correction unit further adds a total value of each value obtained by multiplying the operation-specific power consumption by the number of pages of each job operation of each job executed in the designated period of the image forming apparatus based on the job history to the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in the job processing state.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a power on number identification unit configured to identify a power on number indicating a number of times power of the image forming apparatus is turned on in the designated period based on the electric power state,

wherein the electric power consumption in each state of the image forming apparatus calculated by the electric power consumption calculation unit includes electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in a standby state,

wherein the storage unit further stores power-on time power consumption indicating electric power consumption of processing of the image forming apparatus when power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, and

wherein the correction unit further adds a value obtained by multiplying the power-on time power consumption by the power on number to the electric power consumption in the standby state calculated by the power consumption calculation unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a power off number identification unit configured to identify a power off number indicating a number of times power of the image forming apparatus is turned off in the designated period based on the electric power state,

wherein the storage unit further stores power-off time power consumption indicating electric power consumption of processing of the image forming apparatus when power of the image forming apparatus is turned off, and

wherein the correction unit further adds a value obtained by multiplying the power-off time power consumption by the power off number to the electric power consumption in the standby state calculated by the electric power consumption calculation unit.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit further stores configuration information including information of a finisher included in the image forming apparatus and electric power consumption of the finisher in each state in advance, and

wherein the correction unit further adds a value obtained by multiplying the electric power consumption of the finisher in each state by a total time of the finisher in each state to the electric power consumption in each state.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the job history includes information of a number of pages of each finisher function of the finisher processed by the job,

wherein the storage unit further stores finisher function-specific power consumption indicating electric power consumption of each finisher function per page of a job executed by the finisher, and

wherein the correction unit further corrects the electric power consumption of the job processing by adding a value obtained by multiplying the finisher function-specific power consumption by the number of pages of each finisher function to the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in the job processing state.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the finisher function includes a stapling function and a punching function.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a generation unit configured to generate a display screen used for displaying electric power consumption of the one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses in each state.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the generation unit generates said display screen used for displaying a chart illustrating a ratio of the electric power consumption of the one or a plurality of image forming apparatus in each state so that the chart is arranged in a position corresponding to each icon on a map image where an icon indicating an installation position of the image forming apparatus is arranged and a size of the chart corresponds to an amount of the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, if the icon or the chart is designated, the generation unit generates a detailed display screen used for displaying more detailed information of the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in each state corresponding to the designated icon or the designated chart in addition to display information on the display screen.

15. A method for calculating electric power consumption of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the method comprising:

generating a display screen used for displaying a map image on which a plurality of icons that represent installation positions of the plurality of image forming apparatuses are arranged; and

generating, if designation regarding one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is accepted via the display screen, a display screen used for displaying more detailed information of the electric power consumption of the designated image forming apparatus considering a plurality of possible states of the image forming apparatus in addition to the map image,

wherein said display screen is generated to display a chart illustrating a ratio of electric power consumption of each of the image forming apparatuses in each state so that the chart is arranged in a position corresponding to each icon on the map image and a size of the chart in corresponds to an amount of the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus, and

wherein the designation of the image forming apparatus via the display screen is designation of the icon or the chart on the map image on the display screen.

16. A method for calculating electric power consumption of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

collecting job history of a job executed by the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus;

calculating electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in a job processing state in a designated period by using the job history;

identifying a number of times the image forming apparatus has executed a starting process which is performed when printing is started in the designated period based on the job history; and

correcting the calculated value of the electric power consumption by adding a value obtained by multiplying start time power consumption indicating power consumption of the image forming apparatus when a job is started by the identified number of times to the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in the job processing state.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a machine or processor, causes the machine or processor to perform operations for calculating electric power consumption of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the operations comprising:

generating a display screen used for displaying a map image on which a plurality of icons that represent installation positions of the plurality of image forming apparatuses are arranged; and

generating, if designation regarding one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is accepted via the display screen, a display screen used for displaying more detailed information of the electric power consumption of the designated image forming apparatus considering a plurality of possible states of the image forming apparatus in addition to the map image,

wherein said display screen is generated to display a chart illustrating a ratio of electric power consumption of each of the image forming apparatuses in each state so that the chart is arranged in a position corresponding to each icon on the map image and a size of the chart in corresponds to an amount of the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus, and

wherein the designation of the image forming apparatus via the display screen is designation of the icon or the chart on the map image on the display screen.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a machine or processor, causes the machine or processor to perform operations for calculating electric power consumption of one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the operations comprising:

collecting job history of a job executed by the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus;

calculating electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in a job processing state in a designated period by using the job history;

identifying a number of times the image forming apparatus has executed a starting process which is performed when printing is started in the designated period based on the job history; and

correcting the calculated value of the electric power consumption by adding a value obtained by multiplying start time power consumption indicating power consumption of the image forming apparatus when the printing is started by the identified number of times to the electric power consumption of the image forming apparatus in the job processing state.