INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION, AND CONTROL METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM THEREFOR

• US 20150012769A1
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: KOGA, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,846,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An information processing apparatus capable of changing a state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus with less user operation. When a sleep recovery button is depressed in a power saving mode, a button depression time is measured, and whether a length of the measure depression time exceeds a threshold value is determined. If the depression time exceeds the threshold value, a normal power mode is selected as power mode after transition. If the depression time does not exceed the threshold value, another power saving mode is selected as power mode after transition. According to the selected power mode, a state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus is changed.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that has a plurality of power modes including a normal power mode and at least one power saving mode and that performs a mode changeover among the plurality of power modes, thereby changing a state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus, comprising:

an operation unit configured to be operated to make a transition from one of the at least one power saving mode to another power mode;

a measurement unit configured to measure an operation time of said operation unit;

a selection unit configured to select a power mode after transition according to a length of the operation time of said operation unit measured by said measurement unit; and

a control unit configured to change the state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus according to the power mode selected by said selection unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation unit includes an operation button, and said measurement unit measures, as the operation time, a depression time of the operation button.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two of the plurality of power modes are set by a user as first and second particular power modes, and

wherein said selection unit selects the first particular power mode in a case where the operation time of said operation unit measured by said measurement unit exceeds a threshold value, and selects the second particular power mode in a case where the operation, time does not exceed the threshold value.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where said operation unit is operated in a state that said control unit is supplied with power, said measurement unit measures a time period from an operation start time to an operation end time of said operation unit to thereby measure the operation time of said operation unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where said operation unit is operated in a state that said control unit is not supplied with power, said measurement unit measures an operation start time of said control unit and an operation end time of said operation unit, calculates a time period from the operation start time to the operation end time, and adds, to the calculated time period, a wait time period equivalent to a time period from an operation start time of said operation unit to the operation start time of said control unit, to thereby measure the operation time of said operation unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

an auto sleep unit configured to transit the information processing apparatus to a sleep state corresponding to one of the at least one power saving mode when a predetermined time period has lapsed in a predetermined condition; and

an extension unit configured to extend the predetermined time period according to the length of the operation time of said operation unit measured by said measurement unit.

7. A control, method for an information processing apparatus that has a plurality of power modes including a normal power mode and at least one power saving mode and that performs a mode changeover among the plurality of power modes, thereby changing a state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus, comprising:

a measurement step of measuring an operation time of an operation unit that is operated to make a transition from one of the at least one power saving mode to another power mode;

a selection step of selecting a power mode after transition according to a length of the operation time of the operation unit measured in said measurement step; and

a control step of changing the state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus according to the power mode selected in said selection step.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an information processing apparatus that has a plurality of power modes including a normal power mode and at least one power saving mode and that performs a mode changeover among the plurality of power modes, thereby changing a state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus, wherein:

the control method comprises a measurement step of measuring an operation time of an operation unit that is operated to make a transition from one of the at least one power saving mode to another power mode, a selection step of selecting a power mode after transition according to a length, of the operation time of the operation unit measured in the measurement step, and a control step of changing the state of power supply to respective parts of the apparatus according to the power mode selected in the selection step.