JP2010002972A - Print control system, printing control unit and image forming unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print control system which processes printing jobs by means of an image forming unit with smallest total power consumption required for the printing job, and to provide a print control unit and an image forming unit for use in the printing control system. <P>SOLUTION: The print control system 1 having network connection for a plurality of image forming units 3 provided with a power saving mode, and a print control unit 4 requesting this image forming units 3 for print jobs, wherein the print control unit 4 includes a performance information management section 40 for managing the performance information of each image forming unit 2; a rise time management section 41 for calculating starting time Tr of the image forming unit 2 in the power saving mode; a power calculation section 42 for calculating power Wt accumulated on the occurrence of the print job, based on this performance information, the start time Tr and the number of printing sheets Pp; and a printing job management section 43 for preferentially transmitting the printing job to the image forming unit 2 having the smallest accumulated power Wt. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control system, and a print control apparatus and an image forming apparatus used in the print control system.

  An image forming apparatus such as a printer or a so-called multifunction machine having a printer function is connected to a computer terminal or a print server via a network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) to constitute a print control system. In a print control system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses having different performance (for example, whether or not color printing is possible, printing speed, etc.) are installed, each print job is requested by requesting a print job suitable for each image forming apparatus. It can be carried out efficiently and economically.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printer system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a host are connected via a network, and the fixing temperature of each image forming apparatus can be monitored on the host side. The printer system disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a function of searching and selecting an image forming apparatus having the shortest warm-up time from the energy saving mode from the fixing temperature data at the time of a print command, and sending the print data to the image forming apparatus. By preparing for the host, the power required to execute each print job is reduced.
JP 2004-272011 A

  In general, in an image forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic method, the printing speed and the power consumption during warm-up have a positive correlation, so that it is suitable for processing a print job with a small number of prints. The low-speed machine has a shorter warm-up time from the standby state and consumes less power during warm-up than a so-called high-speed machine suitable for processing a print job with a large number of prints. Therefore, in the printer system disclosed in Patent Document 1, print jobs are concentrated on such an image forming apparatus.

  However, when a print job with a large number of prints is executed on a low-speed machine, the print time becomes long, and the total power consumption may increase rather than using a high-speed machine. Furthermore, low speed machines are generally less durable than high speed machines, and many print jobs are concentrated so that the frequency of use increases and the speed deteriorates quickly.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a print control system that processes a print job with an image forming apparatus that requires the least total power consumption for the print job, and a print control apparatus and image formation used in the print control system. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first characteristic configuration of a print control system according to the present invention includes a power saving mode for reducing power consumption during standby, as described in claim 1 of the claims. A print control system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a print control apparatus for requesting a print job to the image forming apparatus are connected to a network, and the print control apparatus includes a print speed and consumption of each image forming apparatus. Performance information management unit that manages power and performance information including the reference return time from the power saving mode to the ready mode, and the image forming apparatus that has shifted to the power saving mode are required to return to a ready state that can be printed. A rise time management unit that calculates a rise time, and a print job based on the performance information, the rise time, and the number of prints when a print job occurs. A power calculation unit that calculates an integrated power required for executing a print job for each image forming apparatus capable of printing, and prints preferentially with respect to an image forming apparatus that minimizes the integrated power calculated by the power calculation unit. A print job management unit for transmitting jobs is provided.

  Since the print job is preferentially transmitted from the print control apparatus to the image forming apparatus in which the total power consumption required for the print job is minimized among the image forming apparatuses that have shifted to the power saving mode, the print job Is likely to be executed with minimal power consumption.

  In the second feature configuration, as described in claim 2, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the start-up time management unit includes power saving mode transition information received from each image forming apparatus, The rising time is calculated based on the elapsed time from the reception of the power mode transition information and the reference return time.

  In an image forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic system, the rise time required to return from a power saving state to a ready state for printing is substantially the same as the time required for the fixing temperature to rise to a predetermined printable temperature. . That is, the rise time is short when the fixing temperature is high and long when the fixing temperature is low. Therefore, the start-up time management unit obtains the rate of decrease in the fixing temperature according to the elapsed time from the reception of the power saving mode transition information when the power supply to the fixing device stops and the fixing temperature starts to decrease. The rise time can be accurately calculated based on the reference return time in consideration of the decrease rate.

  The third feature configuration is that, as described in claim 3, in addition to the second feature configuration described above, the power saving mode transition information includes environment information at the time of power saving transition.

  The decreasing rate of the fixing temperature varies depending on the internal temperature and humidity. The rise time management unit can calculate a more accurate rise time by calculating the decrease rate of the fixing temperature based on the elapsed time in consideration of environmental information such as the in-machine temperature and humidity.

  In the fourth feature configuration, as described in claim 4, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the start-up time management unit is ready to print on each image forming apparatus when a print job is generated. The point is that a rise time required for returning to the state is requested, and the rise time transmitted from each image forming apparatus is output to the power calculation unit.

  The rise time management unit does not need to calculate the rise time by itself, and the load on the print control apparatus is reduced.

  The characteristic configuration of the print control apparatus according to the present invention is that it is used in a print control system having any one of the first to fourth characteristic configurations described above.

  A characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is that it is used in a print control system having any one of the first to fourth characteristic configurations described above.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the print control system that processes the print job with the image forming apparatus that requires the least total power consumption for the print job, and the print control apparatus and image formation used in the print control system. The device can now be provided.

  Hereinafter, a print control system of the present invention, a print server as a print control apparatus used in the print control system, and a printer as an image forming apparatus will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the print control system 1 requests a print job from a plurality of computer terminals 2, a plurality of printers 3 having a power saving mode for reducing power consumption during standby, and the printer 3. The print server 4 is configured to be connected to the network 10.

  The printer 3 includes a network interface circuit 30 connected to the network 10, a printer engine 31 that employs an electrophotographic system, a control unit 32 that controls the printer 3, and the like.

  For example, FIG. 2A shows the printer 3a. As shown in FIG. 2A, the control unit 32a is composed of a board on which a CPU and a ROM storing a CPU operation program and a RAM as a work area of the CPU are mounted. The CPU executes the operation program. Control the printer 3a. In FIG. 2A, “a” is added to the numbers assigned to the printer 3a so as to indicate that the printer engine 31a, the control unit 32a, and the like are provided in the printer 3a.

  After the power to the printer 3 is turned on, the control unit 32 shifts the printer 3 to a power saving mode in which power supply to the printer engine 31 is stopped and power consumption is reduced if there is no print job request from the print server 4 for a predetermined time. At the same time, it transmits to the print server 4 power saving mode transition information indicating that the power saving mode has been entered.

  When a print job is requested from the print server 4 in the power saving state, busy information indicating that the print job is being executed is transmitted to the print server 4 and power supply to the printer engine 31 is resumed. When the fixing device (not shown) provided in the printer engine 31 rises to a predetermined printable temperature, the printer 3 is returned to the ready mode for printing, and ready mode return information indicating that the printer has returned to the ready mode is printed. Send to server 4. When the print job is completed, completion information indicating that the print job is completed is transmitted to the print server 4.

  The computer terminal 2 and the print server 4 include a CPU, a memory, a hard disk, and the like. For example, FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the computer terminal 2a. As shown in FIG. 2B, the computer terminal 2a includes a mother board 22a on which a CPU 20a and a memory 21a are mounted, a hard disk 23a, and an interface circuit 25a to which an input / output device 24a such as a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse is connected. The network interface circuit 26a connected to the network 10 is provided, and each is connected by a bus 27a. In FIG. 2B, “a” is added to the numbers assigned to the CPU 25, the memory 26 and the like so as to indicate that the computer terminal 2a is provided.

  The hard disk 23 of the computer terminal 2 has an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) 230, an application 231 that generates a document file, and a printer that generates a print file for a page to be printed on the document file. A driver 232 is stored.

  In the computer terminal 2, the CPU 20 loads the OS 230 into the memory 21 and executes it, receives an operator's command via a keyboard or the like, and displays the command execution result on the monitor. Under the management of the OS 230, the application 232 is executed to generate a document file, the printer driver 232 is executed to generate a print file, and the print file is transmitted to the print server 4. A print job is generated by sending the print file.

  The print file includes various types of information necessary for executing the print job (for example, the layout condition of each page of the document file to be printed by the printer 3 and the number of copies). For example, the print file is described in a page description language, and in this case, the above-described information is described in the header portion.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the print server 4 includes a performance information management unit 40 that manages performance information including the print speed, power consumption, and reference return time from the power saving mode to the ready mode, and power consumption of each printer 3. A rise time management unit 41 that calculates the rise time required for the printer 3 that has shifted to the power saving mode to return to a ready state capable of printing, and performance information and rise time when a print job occurs And a power calculation unit 42 that calculates the integrated power required to execute the print job for each printable printer 3 based on the number of prints, and the printer 3 that minimizes the integrated power calculated by the power calculation unit 42. Is provided with a print job management unit 43 that preferentially transmits print jobs.

  The performance information management unit 40, the rise time management unit 41, the power calculation unit 42, and the print job management unit 43 request a print job from the printer 3 according to the print file received from the computer terminal 2 under the management of the OS. This is a functional block implemented in the print server 4 by executing a print job management application.

  The performance information management unit 40 includes an area for managing the performance information of each printer 3 in a storage unit composed of a hard disk or a non-volatile memory. For example, when the new printer 3 is installed, the performance information management unit 40 The performance information of the printer 3 installed in the print server 4 by the administrator is stored in the area and managed in addition to the performance information of the existing printer 3.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the performance information, the time Tf required for the first print and the number of prints Pm per unit time are set as the print speed. As the power consumption, an average power Wa at the time of printing by the printer 3 is set. As a reference return time, a specification value Tb set as a time required for returning from a stable state in a power saving state (a state where the fixing temperature of the fixing device whose power supply is cut off to a stable state) to a ready state (a printable state). Is set.

  The start-up time management unit 41 includes power saving mode shift information that the printer 3 transmits when shifting to the power saving mode, busy information that is transmitted when a print job is requested, ready mode return information that is transmitted when the ready mode returns, and print When the job is completed, the completion information to be transmitted is received, and the state of the transmission source printer 3 is stored in an area secured in the storage unit in association with the name of the printer 3 based on each information.

  Therefore, the start-up time management unit 41 sets each printer 3 to the power saving state, the ready state, or the power saving mode transition information, the ready mode return information, the busy information, and the completion information stored in the area. It is possible to grasp which state is busy. Further, the elapsed time Tp from the reception of the power saving mode transition information is measured, and the elapsed time Tp is managed in association with the name of the corresponding printer 3.

  In this area, for example, startup time calculation information installed when a new printer 3 is installed is stored. As shown in FIG. 4B, the rise time calculation information includes the elapsed time Tp after the transition to the power saving mode and the shortened time Ts corresponding to each elapsed time Tp (how much the rise time is shortened from the reference return time). It is composed of table data indicating the relationship of time) indicating whether or not it can be performed. This relationship is grasped through experiments.

  When a print job occurs, the start-up time management unit 41 refers to the power saving mode transition information and identifies the printer 3 that is in the power saving state. With reference to the startup time calculation information, the startup time Tr (= reference return time Tb−reduced time Ts) of each printer 3 specified based on the elapsed time Tp after shifting to the power saving mode is calculated.

  The power calculation unit 42 analyzes the header part of the print file of the generated print job and calculates the number of prints Pp. Then, each printer 3 in the ready state and the power saving state is grasped via the rise time management unit 41, and the integrated power Wt that is the power consumed when the printer 3 executes the print job is calculated. To do.

The power calculation unit 42 calculates the integrated power Wtr of the printer 3 in the ready state based on Equation 1. The integrated power Wts of the printer 3 in the power saving state is calculated based on Equation 2.

  The print job management unit 43 receives the print file of the computer terminal 2, stores the print file in the area secured in the storage unit in association with the name of the transmission source computer terminal 2, and sets the generation time of the print job The data is output to the management unit 41 and the power calculation unit 42. Based on the integrated power Wt calculated by the power calculation unit 42, the print file is preferentially transmitted to the printer 3 having the minimum integrated power Wt to request a print job.

  Hereinafter, a printer 3a having a printing speed (Tfa, Pma) of “3 seconds, 80 PPM”, a power consumption Waa of “1200 W”, a reference return time Tba of “30 seconds”, and a printing speed (Tfb, Pmb) of “3 The case where the printer 3b having 4 seconds, 25 PPM, power consumption Wab of “1000 W”, and reference return time Tbb of “15 seconds” is used in the print control system 3 will be described.

  The accumulated power Wtra when the number of prints Pp of the print job is “1”, the printer 3a is in a stable power saving state is “39600 Wsec”, and the power consumption Wtrb when the printer 3b is in a stable power saving state is “19000 Wsec. Is. Accordingly, the print job management unit 43 requests the print job from the printer 3b having a small integrated power Wtr.

  When the number Pp of print jobs is “21” and the printer 3a is in a stable power saving state, Wtra is “57600 Wsec” and Wtrb is “67000 Wsec”. Accordingly, the print job management unit 43 requests the print job from the printer 3a having a small integrated power Wtr.

  In addition, the print job management unit 43 transmits information related to the printer 3 that requested the print job (for example, the name of the printer 3) to the computer terminal 2 that has transmitted the print file. For example, when requesting a print job from the printer 3a, the computer terminal 2 that has received the information displays a confirmation screen on the monitor indicating that the print has been output to the printer 3a, as shown in FIG. By confirming the confirmation screen, the operator of the computer terminal 2 can grasp to which printer 3 the print of the requested print job has been output.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the print control system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In response to the print command of the operator who edits the document file, the printer driver is activated, the print file is output from the computer terminal 2, and a print job is generated (S1).

  The print job management unit 43 of the print server 4 stores the print file in the storage unit in association with the name of the computer terminal 2 that is the transmission source of the print file, and determines the occurrence of the print job by the rise time management unit 41 and the power calculation unit. (S3).

  The startup time management unit 41 calculates the startup time Tr of each printer 3 in the power saving state based on the power saving mode transition information stored in the storage unit (S4). The power calculation unit 42 calculates the number of prints Pp of the print job, and grasps each printer 3 in the power saving state or the ready state via the rise time management unit 41. Then, based on the calculated number of prints Pp, the performance information of each printer 3 managed by the performance information management unit 40, and the startup time Tr calculated by the startup time management unit 41, the printer 3 The integrated power Wt required for job execution is calculated (S5).

  The print job management unit 43 requests the print job by outputting the print file stored in the storage unit to the printer 3 having the minimum integrated power Wt calculated by the power calculation unit 42 (S6). Information about the printer 3 that requested the print job is transmitted to the computer terminal 2 that is the transmission source of the print file (S7).

  The printer 3 requested for the print job transmits busy information to the print server 4 and outputs a print based on the received print file, and outputs the completion information to the print server 4 after the print output (S8). The computer terminal 2 that has received the information about the printer 3 displays the information about the printer 3 on the monitor (S2).

  Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the startup time management unit 41 starts up based on the power saving mode transition information received from each printer 3, the elapsed time Tp from when the power saving mode transition information was received, and the reference return time Tb. Although the time Tr is calculated, when the print job is generated, the startup time Tr required to return to the ready state where each printer 3 can print is requested, and the startup time Tr transmitted from each printer 3 is calculated. It may be configured to output to the power calculation unit 42.

  In the printer 3, the startup time reference information indicating the relationship between the elapsed time after the transition to the power saving mode and the startup time required to return from the power saving state to the ready state, and the request from the startup time management unit 41. Accordingly, a rise time calculation unit that calculates the rise time with reference to the rise time reference information is provided. The rise time reference information is acquired through experiments or the like and stored in advance in the ROM of the control unit 32 or the like. The rise time calculation unit is a functional block that is implemented by the CPU executing an operation program stored in the ROM.

  When a print job occurs, the start-up time management unit 41 identifies the printer 3 in the power-saving state based on the power-saving mode transition information stored in the storage unit, and requests the start-up time Tr from the specified printer 3 To do. The rise time calculation unit refers to the rise time reference information with the time from when the request is transferred to the time when the request is received as the elapsed time, calculates the rise time Tr, and calculates the rise time Tr Is transmitted to the print server 4. In this way, the startup time management unit 41 receives the startup time Tr of the printer 3 and outputs the startup time Tr to the power calculation unit 42.

  In the embodiment described above, the control unit 32 of the printer 3 transmits the power saving mode shift information when shifting the printer 3 to the power saving mode. Environmental information may be included. The environmental information indicates parameters that affect the fixing temperature, and indicates, for example, the in-machine temperature and humidity of the printer 3.

  For example, if the in-machine temperature is high, the rate of decrease of the fixing temperature with respect to the elapsed time Tp after shifting to the power saving mode becomes moderate, and if the in-machine temperature is low, the rate of decrease in the fixing temperature with respect to the elapsed time Tp becomes steep.

  Therefore, the storage unit of the print server 4 includes a plurality of startup time calculation information corresponding to the environmental information for each printer 3, and the startup time to be referred to based on the environmental information included in the power saving mode transition information. By configuring the rise time management unit 41 so as to select the calculation information, the rise time management unit 41 calculates the rise time Tr more accurately. The rise time calculation information at this time is acquired through experiments or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the power consumption of the performance information managed by the performance information management unit 40 is the average power Wa at the time of printing of the printer 3, but when the printer 3 is returned from the power saving state to the ready state. The power Ww at the time of start-up required for the printing and the average power Wa at the time of printing by the printer 3 may be used.

In this case, the power calculation unit 42 calculates the integrated power Wts of the printer 3 in the power saving state based on Equation 3. Thereby, the integrated power Wt of the printer 3 having a large difference between the power Ww at the start-up and the average power Wa can be accurately calculated.

  In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is the printer 3, but it may be a so-called multi-function machine having a printer function, or a combination of a printer and a multi-function machine. .

  It is also possible to combine each embodiment mentioned above suitably in the range with which the effect by this invention is show | played.

  Each functional block described in the above embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the specific configuration can be changed as appropriate within the range where the effects of the present invention are exhibited.

Illustration of print control system (A) is explanatory drawing of a printer, (b) is explanatory drawing of a computer terminal. Illustration of print server (A) is explanatory drawing of performance information, (b) is explanatory drawing of starting time calculation information. Confirmation screen to notify the printer that requested the print job Flow chart explaining operation of print control system

Explanation of symbols

1: Print control system 2: Computer terminal 3: Image forming apparatus (printer)
4: Print control device (print server)
40: Performance information management unit 41: Startup time management unit 42: Power calculation unit 43: Print job management unit

Claims (6)

A print control system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses having a power saving mode for reducing power consumption during standby and a print control apparatus for requesting a print job to the image forming apparatus are connected to a network.
The print control device has shifted to the power saving mode, and a performance information management unit that manages the performance information including the print speed, power consumption, and the reference return time from the power saving mode to the ready mode of each image forming apparatus. A start-up time management unit that calculates the start-up time required for the image forming apparatus to return to a ready state for printing, and printing is possible based on the performance information, start-up time, and number of prints when a print job occurs A power calculation unit that calculates an integrated power required for executing the print job for each image forming apparatus, and print jobs are preferentially applied to the image forming apparatus having the minimum integrated power calculated by the power calculation unit. A print control system including a print job management unit for transmission.   The rise time management unit calculates the rise time based on the power saving mode transition information received from each image forming apparatus, the elapsed time since the power saving mode transition information was received, and the reference return time. Item 2. The print control system according to Item 1.   The print control system according to claim 2, wherein the power saving mode transition information includes environment information at the time of power saving transition.   The rise time management unit requests a rise time required for each image forming apparatus to return to a ready state capable of printing when a print job is generated, and the rise time transmitted from each image forming apparatus is used as the power. The print control system according to claim 1, wherein the print control system outputs the calculation unit.   A print control apparatus used in the print control system according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus used in the print control system according to claim 1.

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