JP2010219621A - Image forming apparatus and power consumption notifying method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor power consumption varying due to a secular change at component level, and to provide power consumption information obtained from a result of monitoring to a user. <P>SOLUTION: Since the present power consumption amount is estimated based on the accumulated amount of operation of a component in which power consumption changes in secular change, the present power consumption amount per component is estimated based on the accumulated amount of operation of the component (S101), and the estimated values of components involved in each operation mode are summed to obtain the present power consumption amount per operation mode (S102). It is determined whether the obtained power consumption amount exceeds an upper limit value (e.g. standard power consumption amount of TEC) or not (S103), and if it exceeds, a user or a manager is informed that the power consumption must be reduced and is informed of information indicating the power consumption state for every operation mode such as "present power value", "present service life" per component and "present power value" (S104). The information is used as a reference for selecting a component to be replaced in component replacement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus (copier, printer, etc.) having a function of monitoring power consumption.

  In recent years, there has been an increase in momentum to review products from the viewpoint of CO2 reduction. As for the image forming apparatus, the largest proportion of the amount of CO2 generated throughout the life cycle is power consumption used by the user. Therefore, as a means for grasping the power consumption of the image forming apparatus, a method of directly measuring the integrated power of the image forming apparatus by externally attaching a power consumption measuring device has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

However, the method of directly measuring the power consumption has a problem that the measuring device must be built in or externally attached, leading to an increase in cost.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to estimate the current power consumption without adding a power measurement device and to notify the user of the increase in power consumption. .

The present invention is an image forming apparatus that changes a component to be operated according to a set operation mode and an operation state, and monitors a component operation state and obtains a monitoring result as a cumulative operation amount, Power consumption that estimates the power consumption of a component for each operation mode at the time of obtaining this result from the cumulative motion amount obtained by the component motion amount acquisition means based on the relationship between the cumulative motion amount and power consumption of the determined component For each operation mode, at least two of an estimation unit, a current value of power consumption information updated at a predetermined cycle by the power consumption of the component estimated by the power consumption estimation unit, and a predetermined upper limit value of power consumption information Information for notifying the user of information regarding power consumption based on the comparison result between the current value of the power consumption information and the upper limit value of the power consumption information. Characterized in that a means, a.
The present invention relates to a power consumption notification method in an image forming apparatus that changes a component to be operated according to a set operation mode and an operation state, and monitors a component operation state and obtains a monitoring result as a cumulative operation amount Based on the acquisition step and a predetermined relationship between the cumulative operation amount of the component and the power consumption, the power consumption of the component at the time of obtaining this result from the cumulative operation amount obtained in the component operation amount acquisition step for each operation mode. At least two of a current value of power consumption information updated in a predetermined cycle according to the power consumption of the component estimated in the power consumption estimation step, and a predetermined upper limit value of power consumption information Power consumption information storage step for storing the power consumption for each operation mode, and based on the comparison result between the current value of the power consumption information and the upper limit value of the power consumption information, Characterized in that and a step of notifying the information about.

  According to the present invention, the power consumption that varies at the component level due to changes over time is monitored for each operation mode, and the power consumption information obtained from the monitoring result is provided to the user, so that correct information representing the current state of power consumption can be obtained in more detail. A method of reducing power consumption that can be communicated to the user and considered desirable by the user can be selected.

1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an electric system in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the power consumption information for every operation mode. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the power consumption information for every components, and cumulative operation information. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the power consumption of a xenon lamp, and a lifetime (the number of lighting). It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the processing flow for managing power consumption for every operation mode. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the power consumption information for every components after xenon lamp replacement | exchange, and cumulative operation information. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the power consumption information for every operation mode after xenon lamp replacement | exchange. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the processing flow for managing power consumption for every operation mode. An example of the screen displayed when the calculated power consumption value exceeds the upper limit value is shown. An example of the detailed screen displayed when the calculated | required power consumption value exceeds an upper limit is shown. An example of a “part replacement simulation” screen opened from the detailed screen of FIG. 11 is shown. Another example of the “part replacement simulation” screen opened from the detail screen of FIG. 11 is shown. Another example of the “part replacement simulation” screen opened from the detail screen of FIG. 11 is shown. It is a table | surface which shows the data to write in the components and ID chip which attach an ID chip. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process which reads data from an ID chip at the time of power-on. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process which writes data in an ID chip at the time of shutdown.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following embodiment, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described as an example in which the image forming apparatus is applied to an image forming apparatus having a composite function such as a copy / scanner / FAX and capable of color printing.
"Outline of image forming device"
FIG. 1 is a front view of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment.
An image forming apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an operation unit / display unit 109 that functions as a user interface in the upper right of FIG. On the operation unit / display unit 109, operation guidance and key input for setting the operation conditions of the image forming apparatus 100 such as copy / scanner set number of sheets, color / monochrome, single-sided / double-sided, energy saving mode shift / cancellation, etc. Perform the operation. The display unit is provided with a backlight to display brightly on a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display may be either a touch panel type or a normal display that is not a touch panel.

The automatic document feeder 107 can place one or more documents, and when the copy / scan start button is pressed, the documents are sequentially read. The original can be either single-sided or double-sided. Although not shown, a scanner unit is provided below the automatic document feeder 107, and includes a scanner (xenon) lamp, a scanner lamp driver and a motor.
On the left side of FIG. 1 is a main power switch 101. When the main power switch 101 is turned on, a DC voltage is generated from a DC power supply unit (PSU 123 described later) of the image forming apparatus, and although not shown, power is supplied to the control unit and drive unit of the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus Activated. Further, when the main power switch 101 is turned off, a shutdown process similar to that of a personal computer is started, and the power is automatically turned off when necessary processes are completed.
The front cover 103 is a cover that opens and closes for jam processing or maintenance. The paper feed tray 105 is a tray on which transfer paper is set. Although not shown, when copying, the transfer paper on the paper feed tray 105 is conveyed, and the image of the original is transferred and discharged. It has a built-in motor that performs this transfer / discharge.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric system in the image forming apparatus of FIG.
In FIG. 2, the main control unit 130 receives an operation command by a user input to the operation unit / display unit 109 (FIG. 1) via the operation / display control unit 135, and sets an operation condition to the engine control 140 according to the command. The major processing flow is to cause the user to perform processing such as scanner reading and image formation requested by the user.
The main control unit 130 also has a control function for keeping the device state of the image forming apparatus normal. The main control unit 130 stores data and programs necessary for performing image processing and operations for controlling the entire device in the built-in storage device (2), operates the programs, and uses the data to A function as a control unit is realized. A power control function to be described later for managing the power consumption of the image forming apparatus for each operation mode is provided by the main control unit 130 as one function.
In order to support various composite functions, the main control unit 130 includes two HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) 131, a LAN (Local Area Network) 132, and a telephone line 133 in addition to operation / display control and engine control. Also controls.

The operation / display control unit 135 controls the backlight 137 and the LCDC (liquid crystal display control) 136.
In addition, the engine control unit 140 controls the conveyance motor 143 through the automatic document conveyance unit 142, the scanner motor 145 through the scanner control unit 144, the xenon lamp 146, and the polygon motor 148 through the writing control unit 147. In addition, under direct control, the heater driving unit 124 that drives the heater 125, the fixing thermistor 150, the temperature / humidity sensor 151, the paper feed motor 153, the transport motor 154, the drum motor 155, the FAN (fan fan) 156, the SOL ( Solenoid) 157, CL (clutch) 158, motor 159 and sensor 160 are placed. The storage device (1) is a storage device that stores data and programs necessary for the engine control unit 140 to perform a control operation.
The main power is input to the heater drive unit 124 and the PSU (Power Supply Unit) 123 via the power cord 121 and the main power switch 101. The DC voltage from the PSU 123 is supplied to each unit of the control unit and the drive unit.

A function for managing power consumption for each operation mode (hereinafter referred to as “power consumption management function”) provided in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described below.
"Cumulative operation amount of parts"
Among the drive units to which power is supplied from the PSU 123, there is a drive unit whose characteristics deteriorate due to a change with time, and the power consumed to perform the required operation gradually increases. This causes the reference power consumption determined for the device (image forming apparatus) to be exceeded. Since this reference power consumption is set as an upper limit value for management in each operation mode in this embodiment, it must be managed so as not to exceed this upper limit value.
For the management to keep the power consumption within the upper limit, for example, a method corresponding to the change of the software can be adopted, but the change of the software may not be possible, and here, by replacing the parts used, A method is adopted in which the power consumption is kept within the upper limit by restoring the initial characteristics.

It is desirable to effectively replace the power consumption within the standard without replacing parts on a large scale. For this purpose, it is necessary to grasp the degree of deterioration at the part level. The degree of deterioration of a component can be quantified by monitoring the operation of the component and obtaining a cumulative amount of operation such as the time and number of operations from the initial state to the present.
However, obtaining the cumulative amount of operation for all the components leads to an increase in cost and is not realistic, so in this embodiment, the following components are targeted.
Among the components shown in FIG. 2 to which power is supplied from the PSU 123, the power consumption when energized is large and the power change with time is also large. For example, two HDDs 131 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. The backlight 137, the transport motor 143, the scanner motor 145, the xenon lamp 146, the polygon motor 148, the paper feed motor 153, the transport motor 154, and the drum motor 155 are selected as target components. Of course, components other than the selected component may be added to this cumulative operation amount monitoring target, and conversely, considering the difficulty of component replacement maintenance and replaceability, monitoring of this cumulative operation amount is performed for highly difficult components. It may be excluded from the target.

The above-mentioned parts that are targets for monitoring the cumulative operation amount are organized as follows.
・ Motors (paper feed motor, transport motor x2, drum motor, scanner motor, polygon motor) ... These motors employ brushless motors, etc., and the frictional force increases with long-term use. Because it increases, the power consumption gradually increases.
Lamps (xenon lamps, backlights): These lamps need to gradually increase power consumption in order to maintain a certain amount of light due to contamination of the inner surface of the arc tube.
-HDD ... Motor drive parts are used inside, and as with the motors described above, the power consumption gradually increases with long-term use.
In addition, the above-described target part may be configured not only to be replaced with the same type at the time of part replacement, but also to a new technical part or a part with lower power consumption. For example, it is assumed that the HDD is replaced with an SSD (Solid State Drive) or a next-generation lamp component with improved luminous efficiency of the xenon lamp is used.

"Power consumption for each operation mode"
Since the power consumption is managed based on the reference power consumption (the above-mentioned upper limit value) determined for each operation mode, it is necessary to know the current amount of power consumed in each operation mode.
In this embodiment, a method is used in which the current power consumption is estimated from the above-described cumulative operation amount of a component whose power consumption varies with time. That is, there is a fixed relationship between the cumulative operation amount of the component and the power consumption, and the power consumption amount is estimated from the current cumulative operation amount of the component based on a predetermined relationship between the two.
This estimation of power consumption is to identify the parts related to each operation mode (parts that are subject to monitoring of the cumulative operation quantity described above), add the estimated results to each, and add them to the power consumption of the invariable part. Thus, the power consumption of the operation mode is obtained. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the increase in power consumption of components other than the above-mentioned components that are the targets for monitoring the accumulated operation amount is an amount that can be almost ignored.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, there are at least the following operation modes as operation modes in which power consumption is managed.
Warm-up mode: An operating state that takes the period from when the main power switch is turned on or when the sleep mode is canceled until the mode changes to the ready mode.
-Copy mode: A state in which the print unit and scan unit are in operation. It may be further subdivided according to the copy contents.
Print mode: A state that the print unit takes during operation (when the printer function is used, the scan unit does not operate in this mode). It may be further subdivided according to the print contents.
Scan mode: A state that the scanning unit takes when operating (when the scanner function is used, the printing unit does not operate in this mode). It may be further subdivided according to the scan contents.
・ Ready mode: It is in a standby state and can be copied or printed immediately.
-Power saving mode: The heater maintenance temperature is lowered from the ready mode, the backlight of the display unit and some motors are stopped, and the power consumption is lower than in the ready mode. Note that it may take 10 seconds to 40 seconds to shift from the power saving mode to the ready mode.
-Sleep mode: A state in which only a part of the functions of the PSU and the main control unit is energized and the other loads are stopped or deenergized to greatly reduce power consumption.

Further, as described above, the management of power consumption is to keep the power consumption within the upper limit value, and it is necessary to obtain the current power consumption amount. The fluctuation in power consumption due to changes over time is an increase in the power consumption of the above components that are monitored for cumulative operation, so the current power consumption is the initial value of power consumption. It can be determined by adding the amount of increase (estimated value).
In this embodiment, the initial value of the power consumption for each operation mode is stored in the storage device (2) 134 of the main control unit 130 at the time of factory shipment. Further, the upper limit value of the power consumption for each operation mode is also stored here.
If no action is taken against the increase in power consumption due to changes over time, this upper limit value will be exceeded. When the upper limit is exceeded, as will be described in detail later, a message for prompting component replacement is transmitted to the outside by communication, or is displayed on the display unit 109 (FIG. 1), or recorded in the HDD 131 or the like. Deal with it in a way that

In the above description, the upper limit value is a value stored at the time of shipment from the factory. However, the upper limit value may be set arbitrarily on the user side for convenience of management.
Alternatively, the user may set a target value for one week of power consumption so that the image forming apparatus automatically converts and sets the target value to an upper limit value for each operation mode. For example, one of the energy saving standard values is a weekly standard power consumption = TEC based on the International Energy Star. When the TEC value desired to be set as the upper limit is input on the user side, a method of automatically calculating the upper limit value for each operation mode for the image forming apparatus to be equal to or lower than the upper limit TEC value and storing the calculation result can be adopted. Described later in “Response to Energy Conservation”).
In addition, the initial value of power consumption of the above components to be monitored for cumulative operation amount, a table or relational expression of cumulative operation amount (hereinafter also referred to as “lifetime”) and power consumption, life count information (whether to count by energization time) In addition, the storage device (2) 134 also stores a counting method such as counting by the number of times of printing and scanning. Note that the storage device (1) 141 may be used to store these.

An example of information stored in the storage device (2) 134 for use in power consumption management will be described with reference to the tables in FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a table showing power consumption information for each operation mode (refer to the above description regarding the operation mode for managing power consumption).
The power consumption information includes an initial value of power consumption, an upper limit value determined in terms of management, and a current power value (power consumption), each taking a value for each operation mode. In FIG. 3, only the value of the copy mode is illustrated as the current power value.
FIG. 4 shows power consumption information (initial value, upper limit value and current power value of power consumption) and cumulative operation information (life count) for each component (the above description and reference regarding the component whose cumulative operation amount is to be monitored). Method, power and life table or correction formula, current life). Note that the table of FIG. 4 illustrated corresponds to the copy mode. The cost shown together with the column of the initial value of the power consumption is a cost for purchasing parts.

The current power value and the current life in the table of FIG. 4 are numerical values that are updated as needed according to the component life (cumulative operation amount). The “current life” is a numerical value that is constantly monitored by the main control unit 130 or the engine control unit 140 in FIG. 2 and is sequentially updated with reference to the life counting method.
Further, the current power value (power consumption) in the table of FIG. 3 reflects the current power value of each component in the table of FIG. For example, the breakdown of the initial value 1200 W in the copy mode is 700 W for the power consumption of the heater 125 system and 500 W for the power consumption of the PSU 123 system. The parts in the table of FIG. 4 are all power consumption of the PSU 123 system, and out of 500 W, the total parts in the table occupy 390 W.

An example of the “power and life” correction formula A of the xenon lamp 146 in the table of FIG. 4 is shown. The xenon lamp 146 has a life curve as shown in FIG. In addition, the vertical axis | shaft of the graph shown in FIG. 5 is the power consumption of a xenon lamp, a horizontal axis is the frequency | count of lighting (life), and the curve showing the relationship between both is a lifetime curve.
In the lifetime calculation based on the lifetime curve shown in FIG. 5, the “current power value” corresponding to the usage time is calculated by multiplying each coefficient corresponding to the usage time approximately. Each coefficient used for the calculation is, for example, the following numerical value.
Number of lighting 0 or more to less than 50,000 ... initial value x 1.1 times
50,000 or more and less than 100,000 ... initial value x 1.2 times
100,000 to less than 150,000 ... initial value x 1.3 times
150,000 or more to less than 200,000 ... initial value x 1.4 times
200,000 to less than 250,000 ... initial value x 1.5 times
250,000 to less than 300,000 ... initial value x 1.7 times
・
・
・

In addition, there is a part that deteriorates due to the temperature and humidity and the power consumption increases remarkably. In order to more accurately estimate the power consumption in consideration of the influence of the environment such as temperature and humidity, it is necessary to monitor the environment such as temperature and humidity during the operation of the component. For example, if the temperature / humidity sensor 151 (FIG. 2) is used to detect the temperature / humidity inside the image forming apparatus and the lifetime is calculated by taking into account not only the part usage time / number of times but also the temperature / humidity, the accuracy is further improved. High power consumption can be estimated.
As a simple method, a method of increasing the lifetime count-up value when a predetermined temperature is exceeded may be employed as a correction method when the temperature is taken into account. For example, when it is detected that the temperature inside the image forming apparatus has exceeded 50 ° C., the energization time of the motors to be monitored for the accumulated operation amount is normally counted as 1 h for 1 h. Multiplying by a factor of 2, the real time is 1 h, but the influence on the lifetime is counted as equivalent to 1.2 h. In addition to these motors, the same concept may be applied to lamps and HDDs, and a correction coefficient may be multiplied when a predetermined temperature is exceeded.

"Response to energy conservation"
The energy saving standard based on the International Energy Star includes a power testing method based on TEC (= standard power consumption for one week).
Since the user can arbitrarily set the TEC value desired to be the upper limit, a method for applying the power management function of this embodiment in that case will be described below.
In this method, when the TEC value that the user wants to set as the upper limit is input on the user side, the image forming apparatus automatically calculates an upper limit value for each operation mode for setting the upper limit TEC value to be equal to or lower than the upper limit TEC value. This is a method corresponding to the case of storing as the upper limit value of FIG.

In the image forming apparatus 100, a TEC value is written in the storage device as a standard power consumption amount common to the image forming apparatuses. For example, assume that the target TEC value = “14558 Wh” is stored. Further, the TEC value 14558Wh is decomposed for each operation mode, that is, the following numerical values,
・ Warm-up mode ... 1300W
・ Copy mode: 1200W
・ Print mode ・ ・ ・ 1050W
・ Scan mode: 450W
・ Ready mode: 250W
・ Power saving mode: 150W
・ Sleep mode: 20W
Is also stored at the same time. These decomposed numerical values become initial values for each operation mode. The above numerical values vary depending on the type of product of the image forming apparatus.

TEC value = “14558 Wh” is calculated in reverse from the initial value of power consumption for each operation mode and the CPM (number of copies per minute), warm-up time, first copy time, and energy saving mode transition time of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, a correction coefficient and a calculation program for a calculation formula for estimating the power consumption for each operation mode are created.
Further, when the TEC value that is the upper limit, for example, “15000 Wh” is input by the user, the upper limit value for each operation mode is calculated from the correction coefficient and calculation program that the image forming apparatus has inside. The following numerical value shows an example of the calculation result.
・ Warm-up mode ... 1350W
・ Copy mode ... 1250W
・ Print mode: 1100W
・ Scan mode ・ ・ ・ 470W
・ Ready mode: 270W
・ Power saving mode: 170W
・ Sleep mode: 25W

Embodiments of a management operation based on the power consumption management function will be described as Embodiments 1 to 3 below.
“Embodiment 1”
This embodiment shows the basic operation of the power consumption management function.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for managing power consumption for each operation mode.
The flow shown in FIG. 6 is a process for managing power consumption that changes over time, and therefore it is assumed that the flow is periodically executed at intervals such as every day or every week.
In addition, as described so far, this processing is performed by previously storing the power consumption initial value and the upper limit value (both of which are shown in FIG. 3) in advance in the storage device (2) 134 (hereinafter simply referred to as “memory”). In the case of “device”, this is stored in this storage device). In addition, the component to be monitored for the accumulated operation amount counts the lifetime (accumulated operation amount) based on the lifetime counting method (see FIG. 4) stored in the storage device.

When the flow of FIG. 6 is started every day or every week, first, the “current power value” of the component is obtained, and the power value stored so far is updated (step S101). The “current power value” is estimated from the “current life (cumulative operation amount)” that is being monitored. The “power and life table or correction formula” used for this estimation is acquired with reference to “life count method (number of operations / type of operation time)”.
Next, based on the estimated “current power value” of each component, the “current power value” for each operation mode is updated (step S102). In addition, the “current power value” for each operation mode is determined for each operation mode, which part is operated / stopped, or what percentage of power is added for each operation mode for each part. It is calculated based on this.

For example, in the example of the copy mode in FIG. 4, the power value of the component is added at a rate of 100% to the “current power value” of the component targeted in the copy mode. A total (462 W) is calculated. The total value is reflected in the current power value for each operation mode to obtain a new “current power value”. That is, since the total power value of the current component is 72 W (= 462 W-390 W) up from the initial value, the “current power value” in the copy mode is the initial value as shown in FIG. 72W is added to (1200W), resulting in 1272W.
The power value stored so far is updated with the “current power value” for each operation mode obtained in this way.

Next, it is determined whether or not the “current power value” for each operation mode exceeds a predetermined upper limit value (step S103). This determination is performed in order to manage the power consumption so as not to exceed the upper limit value by replacing parts when the power consumption exceeds the upper limit value.
Here, when the power consumption does not exceed the upper limit value (step S103-No), it is considered that the normal state is maintained, and the process returns to the start and has the next update time.
On the other hand, when the power consumption exceeds the upper limit value (step S103-Yes), the power consumption status is notified as a measure for reducing the power consumption (step S104).

In the case of the exemplified copy mode, the updated “current power value” 1272 W is compared with the upper limit power consumption 1250 W in the copy mode. In this example, it is determined that the “current power value” exceeds the upper limit value as a comparison result, and based on this determination, the image forming apparatus 100 performs measures for reducing the current power consumption.
This measure is based on the fact that power consumption needs to be reduced and the power consumption status such as “current life” and “current power value” (see FIGS. 3 and 4) for each operation mode and for each part. Information (data) to be expressed is notified to a user or an administrator as information on power consumption. The notification method includes a method performed through the operation unit / display unit 109, or a method of transmitting via the LAN 132 or the telephone line 133. Either method may be used, or both methods may be performed simultaneously.

The notification to the outside is a user power monitoring server or a sales company of the image forming apparatus 100. When the user's power monitoring server or sales company is notified that the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 100 is over, the user or sales company refers to data such as “current life” and “current power value” in FIG. Then, which parts are replaced greatly contributes to the reduction of power consumption, and the cost performance considering the remaining life is examined, and the parts are replaced.
At this time, for example, when a part replacement of one xenon lamp is performed, the value stored in the storage device as the “current life” of the replaced part is reset to zero.
FIG. 7 is a table showing an example of power consumption information and cumulative operation information for each part after the xenon lamp is replaced. As shown in the figure, the “current life” of the xenon lamp becomes 0, the “current power value” becomes the initial value of 120 W, and the “current power value” of the total components in the copy mode also becomes 432 W. Become.
FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of power consumption information for each operation mode after replacing the xenon lamp. As shown in the figure, the “current power value” in the copy mode is reduced from 1272 W before the replacement to 1242 W by the xenon lamp replacement. By this component replacement, the reduced “current power value” falls within a value that does not exceed the upper limit value.

In the above description, the method in which the image forming apparatus 100 communicates data for notifying the power consumption status (such as exceeding the upper limit value) to the outside when the upper limit value is exceeded has been described. Alternatively, the data may be stored in the storage location, and the external power monitoring server may read the data periodically, or the product sales company may read the data at the time of inspection.
Further, not only the upper limit value but also the “current power consumption” for each operation mode may be a system in which the power monitoring server or a product sales company or the like sucks up data as necessary during inspection.
As described above, in this embodiment, the accumulated operation amount of the component is monitored, and the power consumption that varies at the component level due to the change over time is obtained for each operation mode. It is possible to select a power consumption reduction method that can be communicated and considered desirable by the user. Further, the obtained power consumption can be converted into CO2 to be discharged, and can be applied to management from such a viewpoint by setting an upper limit value as a target of CO2 emission.

“Embodiment 2”
This embodiment shows a mode in which a function for providing information to be referred to at the time of component replacement is added to the first embodiment showing the basic operation of the power consumption management function.
This additional function determines that it is necessary to reduce power consumption, and shows the details of the information when notifying the user or the administrator through the operation unit / display unit 109 of the image forming apparatus 100 in more detail. It relates to the function that can.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing flow of this embodiment for managing power consumption for each operation mode. However, in the flow shown in FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not the “current power value” for each operation mode exceeds a predetermined upper limit value, and when the upper limit value is exceeded, the power consumption status is notified. That is, the display operation in step S204 is a characteristic part of this embodiment, and the processing flow up to this step is the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, steps S201 to S203 in FIG. 9 refer to the description of steps S101 to S103 in the processing flow (FIG. 6) of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted here.

When the “current power value” for each operation mode exceeds a predetermined upper limit value in the flow of FIG. 9 (step S203—Yes), the power consumption status is notified through the operation unit / display unit 109. At that time, the display contents are set such that more detailed information on the power consumption can be provided on the assumption that the power consumption needs to be reduced and the parts are replaced.
FIG. 10 shows an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit / display unit when the obtained power consumption value exceeds the upper limit value. A screen 201 in FIG. 10 is a screen for notifying that the power consumption exceeds a specified value. This screen is displayed according to the result of the power consumption management function of the image forming apparatus 100 working every day, for example, regardless of the user's operation. It is assumed to be displayed on a part of the screen. The screen 201 is provided with a “display details” button 202 and a “cancel” button 203. By pressing a “display details” button 202, the screen is switched to a details screen. In addition, when the “Cancel” button is pressed, the display screen indicating that the power consumption is over can be deleted. As long as the upper limit value is exceeded, the screen of FIG. 10 may be displayed once every time the main power switch is turned on to alert the user.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen switched by the “display details” button in FIG. 10. The power consumption is displayed in the screen element 305 on the upper left side of the screen of FIG. In the upper right, there is a “reorder” button 301. When this button is pressed, the center parts list table 302 is displayed in the order of “current power value” in order of “power increase (increase from initial value)”. The items can be rearranged in order of size, in order of “remaining life” (in order of remaining life ratio), and in order of “unit price”. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can be rearranged in order from the "part" name.
When a “component replacement simulation” button 303 on the lower left side of the screen of FIG. 11 is pressed, the screen switches to a component replacement simulation screen that displays a power consumption estimated value at the time of component replacement.

FIG. 12 is an example of a component replacement simulation screen. There is an “Sort” button 311 on the right side of the screen in FIG. 10. When this button is pressed, the center component list table 312 displays the “current power value” in the order of “current power value”, “power increase (increase from initial value) Sorting is possible in the order of “quantity”), order of “remaining life” (in order of remaining life ratio), and order of “unit price”. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can be rearranged in order from the "part" name.
The leftmost column of the parts list table 312 displaying the replaceable parts is also a selectable button, and when pressed, the table cell is reversed in black and white. For example, when “xenon lamp” is selected, information is updated when the xenon lamp is replaced. The information to be updated is the power consumption in the display element 313 on the lower left side of the screen and the price in the display element 315 on the lower center side of the screen. By selecting “Xenon lamp”, the estimated power consumption value after parts replacement and the amount of money required for parts replacement are displayed. At this time, a value such as “current power value” of the “xenon lamp” is naturally changed to an initial value.
In addition, the numerical value of power consumption may be a list for each operation mode shown in the table of FIG. 3, or may be standard power consumption that is an index combining a plurality of operation modes.

As shown in the screen of FIG. 12, when “xenon lamp” is selected from the parts list table 312, the value calculated as the power consumption after replacement at this time indicates that the upper limit value can be cleared. If a margin is to be increased, a plurality of parts can be selected by further pressing the parts in the parts list table 312.
FIG. 13 shows a part replacement simulation screen when “motor 1” is further selected.
As shown in the figure, the addition of “motor 1” can further reduce the power increase by 5 W. In this screen, compared with the screen of FIG. 11, the estimated power consumption and price after replacement have changed.
As shown in the screen of FIG. 13, when a plurality of parts are actually replaced according to the part replacement simulation for selecting a plurality of parts, the data shown in the tables of FIGS. 3 and 4 required for the operation of the power consumption management function is obtained. It is necessary to return to the initial value. In the above example, the data stored in the storage device (2) 134 such as “current power value” and “current life” related to “xenon lamp” and “motor 1” is returned to the initial state.

In addition, in the screen of FIG. 12 or FIG. 13, the relationship with the upper limit value is shown in a form of comparing the power consumption values before and after the component replacement so that the display element 313 at the lower left of the screen can understand the effect of the component replacement. It is better to express these quantities in a bar graph or line graph that is easier to understand than numerical values.
FIG. 14 shows a component replacement simulation screen in which power consumption values before and after component replacement are displayed as a bar graph. As shown in the figure, a power consumption value by a bar graph is shown in the display element 317 at the lower left of the screen. A replacement parts list frame 319 is provided beside the bar graph. By displaying the selected part here, the effect can be confirmed correctly.

“Embodiment 3”
This embodiment relates to a storage form of information used for the operation of the power consumption management function.
As information used for the operation of the power consumption management function, there is information attached to the component (see FIG. 4). In the first and second embodiments, this information is stored in the storage device (2) 134 or the storage device (1) 141. In this storage mode, at the time of component replacement, as described above, the “current life” stored as information attached to the component is reset to 0, and the “current power value” is set to the initial value (factory default value). By returning it, the data is optimized. However, according to this embodiment, when using in place of a high-efficiency part improved at the time of part replacement, data such as initial values and a life table change, so the above method stores incorrect data. End up. In order to correct the error, an operation of rewriting data manually or via communication or the like must be performed, which may cause a new human error.

Therefore, in this embodiment, an ID chip is introduced, and an ID chip is attached to each component, so that information attached to the component can be managed here. By adopting this method, it is possible to prevent an error that occurs when replacing with a high-efficiency part at the time of replacement described above, and further, the memory capacity can be reduced by not using the storage device (2) 134 or the storage device (1) 141. .
FIG. 15 is a table showing a part to which an ID chip is attached and data to be written to the ID chip.
At least one of the data shown in the table of FIG. 15 includes “power initial value”, “cost”, “life count method”, “power and life table or correction formula”, and “current life”. "Is written. It should be noted that the “current power value” may be either written in the ID chip or calculated sequentially from the “current life” and “power and life table or correction formula” on the image forming apparatus side. good. Further, other data not shown in the table of FIG. 15, temperature and life correction formulas, correction coefficients, or the like may be written.

Next, an operation performed when an ID chip is attached to each component will be described.
This operation is for managing data stored in the ID chip (data illustrated in the table of FIG. 15). When the image forming apparatus 100 is in an operating state, the main control unit 130 has a power consumption management function. In this case, the process of updating data that changes depending on the operation is performed. Therefore, the management is performed under the main control unit 130 and the data is stored again in the ID chip at the time of shutdown or the like.
FIG. 16 shows a processing flow when the main control unit 130 or the engine control unit 140 is turned on for the ID chip, and FIG. 17 is also a diagram showing a processing flow at the time of shutdown.

As shown in FIG. 16, after the main power switch 101 (FIG. 1) is turned on, the main control unit 130 or the engine control unit 140 accesses the ID chip attached to each component and reads data therefrom (step S301). ). The read data includes data exemplified in the table of FIG. In the reading performed after the part replacement, invariable data other than data whose value changes such as “current life” is not required to be read when the main control unit 130 stores it.
The read data is stored in a RAM (Random Access Memory) that operates while the power is on, and is used for processing of the power consumption management function described above, and data such as “current life” that changes depending on the processing is updated. Is done.

Also, as shown in FIG. 17, the “current lifetime” updated by the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 starts processing when an operation to instruct power OFF is performed after the main power switch 101 is pressed. At the time of shutdown, data is written to the ID chip by the main control unit 130 or the engine control unit 140 (step S401). At this time, the data to be written may be only data whose value changes as the image forming apparatus 100 operates, such as “current life”. In the above description, only “current life” is written. However, not only this but also “current power value” may be added.
Moreover, the method of setting the timing at which the main control unit 130 or the engine control unit 140 writes data such as “current life” to the ID chip as a shutdown time is an example, and writing is performed at regular intervals such as an hour or half-day cycle. The method may be adopted.

As described above, by providing an ID chip for each component, information that attaches the nonvolatile storage area of the storage device (2) 134 or the storage device (1) 141 of the image forming apparatus 100 to the component (see FIG. 4). The memory size can be reduced.
In addition, since the ID chip is used, even if the xenon lamp is changed to a next-generation high-efficiency lamp or the HDD is replaced with an SSD, for example, the ID chip can be replaced. There is a merit that it can be reflected in the processing of the power consumption management function of the image forming apparatus 100 simply by reading the data, and the data in the storage device of the image forming apparatus 100 can be rewritten manually or via communication. There are no disadvantages.

  100..Image forming device 109..Operation unit / display unit 123..PSU 130..Main control unit 134..Storage device (2) 135..Operation / display control unit 140..Engine Control unit.

JP 2008-261826 A

Claims (13)

An image forming apparatus for changing a component to be operated and an operation state according to a set operation mode,
Component operation amount acquisition means for monitoring the operation state of the component and obtaining the monitoring result as a cumulative operation amount;
Consumption that estimates the power consumption of a component for each operation mode at the time of obtaining this result from the cumulative operation amount obtained by the component operation amount acquisition means based on a predetermined relationship between the cumulative operation amount of the component and the power consumption Power estimation means;
Consumption that stores at least two of the current value of power consumption information updated at a predetermined cycle by the power consumption of the component estimated by the power consumption estimation means and a predetermined upper limit value of power consumption information for each operation mode Power information storage means;
Based on a comparison result between the current value of the power consumption information and the upper limit value of the power consumption information, notification means for notifying the user of information regarding power consumption;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
Limit detection means for detecting whether or not the current value of the power consumption information stored in the power consumption information storage means has exceeded an upper limit for management,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the notification unit performs notification when the limit detection unit detects that a current value of power consumption information exceeds a management upper limit value. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the notification unit notifies a current value of the power consumption information as information regarding power consumption. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The image forming apparatus characterized in that the notification means notifies the user that power consumption needs to be reduced as information regarding power consumption. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
Limit detection means for detecting whether or not the current value of the power consumption information stored in the power consumption information storage means has exceeded an upper limit for management,
The informing means informs that replacement of related parts is urged when it is detected by the limit detecting means that the current value of the power consumption information exceeds the upper management limit. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.
The notification that prompts replacement of related parts by the notification means includes a parts list to be replaced and a cumulative operation amount for each part as notification contents. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit uses a list indicating parts in a predetermined order as a list of parts to be replaced. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,
Arbitrary combination of the predetermined order in the order of the part names, the order of the level of part deterioration estimated from the cumulative operation amount, the order of the effect amount of power consumption reduction estimated by part replacement, or the order of the parts cost The image forming apparatus can be rearranged by the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:
Component means for selecting a component instructed from the component list;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a notification unit configured to notify a component cost selected by the component selection unit, a component cost, power consumption, and an effect amount of power consumption reduction estimated by component replacement. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An image forming apparatus comprising: means for updating power consumption information of a corresponding part stored in the power consumption information storage means when a part is replaced. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that an operation state of a component monitored by the component operation amount acquisition means is at least one of the number of operation times of the component, the operation time of the component, and an environment during the operation of the component. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
Attach an ID chip with a storage unit to the component,
In the storage part of the ID chip, the cumulative operation amount obtained by the component operation amount acquisition means, the relationship between the predetermined cumulative operation amount of the component used for the power consumption estimation means and the power consumption, and the power consumption An image forming apparatus, wherein power consumption of parts estimated by power consumption estimation means is stored. A power consumption notification method in an image forming apparatus for changing a component to be operated according to a set operation mode and an operation state,
A component operation amount acquisition step of monitoring the operation state of the component and obtaining a monitoring result as a cumulative operation amount;
Consumption that estimates the power consumption of a component for each operation mode at the time of obtaining this result from the cumulative operation amount obtained in the component operation amount acquisition step based on a predetermined relationship between the cumulative operation amount of the component and the power consumption Power estimation process;
Consumption that stores at least two of the current value of power consumption information updated in a predetermined cycle according to the power consumption of the component estimated in the power consumption estimation step and a predetermined upper limit value of power consumption information for each operation mode A power information storage step;
Informing the user of information related to power consumption based on a comparison result between the current value of the power consumption information and the upper limit value of the power consumption information;
A power consumption notification method characterized by comprising:

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