Information processing device and program

Abstract

To increase a possibility of being able to make a shift to a first power-off state in the case of being able to make a shift to either a first power-off state for stopping operation while maintaining a present operation state without executing a restart of a control program or a second power-off state for stopping the operation after executing the restart of the control program to perform initialization processing when an instruction to make a shift to a power-off state is received.SOLUTION: A CPU 25 determines whether or not it is possible to make a shift to a power-off state in a high-speed start possible mode in the case of receiving an instruction to make a shift to the power-off state, and executes a re-determination after a set time elapses even in the case of determining that it is impossible to make a shift to the power-off state of the high-speed start possible mode. The CPU 25 makes a shift to the power-off state of the high-speed start possible mode in the case of determining that a shift can be made in the re-determination, and makes a shift to a power-off state of a sub power-off mode in the case of determining that a shift cannot be made in the re-determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an image forming device in which, when the power switch is turned off, a startup means executes a reboot process and then transitions to a second power mode in which a part of the image forming device is energized without executing an adjustment process of the image forming means.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses an information processing device that, when receiving a power-off request for an information processing system, determines the need to restart the information processing system from the state of the information processing system, and if it determines that there is no need to restart, performs suspend processing, and if it determines that there is a need to restart, performs shutdown processing.

[0004] Patent document 3 discloses an electronic device that sets a reboot flag on during shutdown processing when the power is turned off, performs a boot process again, and if the reboot flag is on during the boot process, executes only predetermined processing for restarting the device and transitions to a power saving mode, and if the power switch is turned on after transitioning to the power saving mode, cancels the power saving mode and executes the subsequent boot process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5885390 [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-128705 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2012-155534 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and program that, when an instruction to transition to a power off state is received, can transition to either a first power off state, which stops operation while maintaining the current operating state without restarting the control program, or a second power off state, which restarts the control program, performs initialization processing, and then stops operation, and that can increase the likelihood of transitioning to the first power off state compared to immediately transitioning to the second power off state if there is a reason why the first power off state cannot be transitioned to.

[0007] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a processor, The processor, Controlling the operation of the device by executing a control program; when receiving an instruction to transition to a power-off state, determining whether or not it is possible to transition to a first power-off state in which the operation is stopped while maintaining the current operating state without restarting the control program; when it is determined that the transition to the first power-off state is not possible, a re-determination is performed after a set time has elapsed to determine whether or not the transition to the first power-off state is possible; If the re-determination determines that transition to the first power-off state is possible, then transition to the first power-off state is made, and if the re-determination determines that transition to the first power-off state is not possible, then transition to a second power-off state is made, in which the control program is restarted, initialization processing is performed, and operation is stopped.

[0008] A second aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, in which the processor executes the re-determination when the reason for not being able to transition to the first power off state is one that will be resolved over time.

[0009] An information processing device of a third aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, wherein the processor repeats a re-determination multiple times to determine whether or not transition to the first power off state is possible after a set time has elapsed.

[0010] An information processing device of a fourth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, wherein the processor sets a time until the re-determination is performed depending on a type of reason for not being able to transition to the first power off state.

[0011] An information processing device of a fifth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, wherein the processor sets a time preset by a user as the time until the redetermination is performed.

[0012] A sixth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, in which, when the reason for being unable to transition to the first power off state is a fault in a peripheral device, the processor performs a re-evaluation after executing a restart process for the peripheral device.

[0013] A seventh aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device of the first aspect, in which when the processor receives an instruction to transition to a power off state by user operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the first power off state, it transitions to the second power off state without performing the re-determination.

[0014] An eighth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the seventh aspect, wherein when the processor receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state by remote control and determines that it is not possible to transition to the first power-off state, it performs the re-determination.

[0015] A ninth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the third aspect, wherein the processor sets the number of times to repeat the re-determination when it receives an instruction to transition to a power off state by user operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the first power off state to be less than the number of times to repeat the re-determination when it receives an instruction to transition to a power off state by remote operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the first power off state.

[0016] An information processing device of a tenth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the third aspect, further comprising a human presence sensor that detects whether or not a user is present around the device, When the processor receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state by user operation and the presence of the user is no longer detected by the human presence sensor, the processor increases the number of times to repeat the re-determination when it determines that transition to the first power-off state is not possible compared to when the presence of the user is detected by the human presence sensor.

[0017] A program according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: controlling an operation of an apparatus by executing a control program; a step of determining whether or not it is possible to transition to a first power-off state in which the operation is stopped while maintaining a current operating state without restarting the control program when an instruction to transition to a power-off state is received; a step of executing a re-determination, when it is determined that the transition to the first power-off state is not possible, after a set time has elapsed, of determining whether or not the transition to the first power-off state is possible; If the re-determination determines that transition to the first power-off state is possible, the computer executes a step of transitioning to the first power-off state, and if the re-determination determines that transition to the first power-off state is not possible, the computer executes a step of transitioning to a second power-off state in which the control program is restarted, initialization processing is performed, and operation is stopped. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the information processing device of the first aspect of the present invention, when an instruction to transition to a power off state is received, if it is possible to transition to either a first power off state in which operation is stopped while maintaining the current operating state without restarting the control program, or a second power off state in which operation is stopped after restarting the control program and initialization processing is performed, the possibility of transitioning to the first power off state can be increased compared to immediately transitioning to the second power off state if there is a reason not being able to transition to the first power off state.

[0019] According to the information processing device of the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent re-determination even when the device is unable to transition to the first power-off state due to a reason that is not resolved even after the passage of time.

[0020] According to the information processing device of the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the possibility of transitioning to the first power-off state, compared to a case where re-determination is performed only once.

[0021] According to the information processing device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce unnecessary re-determination, compared to a case where re-determination is performed after a certain time has elapsed regardless of the type of reason for not being able to transition to the first power-off state.

[0022] According to the information processing device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the user can set the time until re-determination is performed.

[0023] According to the information processing device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, even if the cause of being unable to transition to the first power-off state is not resolved over time, it is possible to transition to the first power-off state.

[0024] According to the information processing device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the user directly operates the device, it is possible to transition to the second power-off state in the shortest time.

[0025] According to the information processing device of the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the possibility of transitioning to the first power off state without deteriorating operability for the user.

[0026] According to the information processing device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the user is not present near the device, it is possible to increase the likelihood of transitioning to the first power off state compared to when the user is present near the device.

[0027] According to the information processing device of the tenth aspect of the present invention, when a user moves away from the device after instructing a transition to a power-off state, it is possible to increase the likelihood of transitioning to a first power-off state compared to when the user does not move away from the device.

[0028] According to the program of the 11th aspect of the present invention, when an instruction to transition to a power off state is received, if it is possible to transition to either a first power off state in which operation is stopped while maintaining the current operating state without restarting the control program, or a second power off state in which operation is stopped after restarting the control program and initialization processing is performed, the possibility of transitioning to the first power off state can be increased compared to immediately transitioning to the second power off state if there is a reason not being able to transition to the first power off state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2A to 2C are diagrams for explaining types of power-off states of the image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display screen of an operation panel when enabling / disabling the power-off state of the fast start-up mode. [Diagram 5]10 is a flowchart for explaining an outline of an operation performed when a CPU 25 is instructed to transition to a power-off state. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart for explaining details of a transition process when CPU 25 transitions to a power-off state of the high-speed start-up enabled mode, shown in step S102 of the flowchart in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 6 is a flowchart for explaining details of a transition process when CPU 25 transitions to a power off state of the auxiliary power off mode, shown in step S103 of the flowchart in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an operation panel when setting execution of re-determination of whether or not transition to a power-off state in the high-speed startup mode is possible; FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of performing a re-determination after a set time has elapsed when a transition to a power-off state is instructed and transition to the power-off state of the fast start-up mode is not possible. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when, when instructed to transition to a power-off state, it is not possible to transition to the power-off state of the fast start-up mode, performing initialization processing and then executing a re-evaluation. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a redetermination process management table. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a redetermination parameter correction table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] 1, an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured with an image forming apparatus 10 and a terminal apparatus 20, which are connected to each other via a network 30. The terminal apparatus 20 generates print data and transmits the generated print data to the image forming apparatus 10 via the network 30. The image forming apparatus 10 receives the print data transmitted from the terminal apparatus 20 and outputs an image on paper according to the print data. The image forming apparatus 10 is a device known as a multifunction device having multiple functions such as a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function.

[0033] Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 in the image forming system of this embodiment is shown in FIG.

[0034] 2, the image forming apparatus 10 has a controller 11 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 12 including a touch panel or a liquid crystal display and a keyboard, an image reading unit 13, a power switch 14, and an image forming unit 15. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 16.

[0035] The controller 11 is also composed of a boot ROM 21, a non-volatile memory device 22 consisting of an HDD (Hard Dick Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), an NV-RAM 23 which is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a RAM 24 which is a volatile memory, a CPU 25, a wired communication IF 26 which transmits and receives data to and from an external device via a wired communication line such as Ethernet (registered trademark), a wireless communication IF 27 which transmits and receives data to and from an external device via a wireless communication line such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and a timer 28.

[0036] The CPU 25 is a processor that, at the time of startup, loads a boot program stored in the boot ROM 21 into the RAM 24 to execute startup processing, and executes a predetermined process based on a control program stored in the NV-RAM 243 or the non-volatile storage device 22 to control the operation of the image forming apparatus 10. In other words, the CPU 25 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 by executing a predetermined control program.

[0037] The UI device 12 is, for example, an operation panel configured by a touch panel, which displays various information to the user and inputs operations from the user. The image reading unit 13 reads an original image from a set original based on the control of the controller 11. The image forming unit 15 outputs an image on a recording medium such as printing paper based on the control of the controller 11.

[0038] Further, the power switch 14 is provided for turning off the power of the image forming apparatus 10 in the normal operating state, and for turning the image forming apparatus 10 in the power-off state into the normal operating state.

[0039] A power switch is also provided in the operation panel of the UI device 12, and the operation state of the image forming apparatus 10 is switched between a normal operation state and a power-off state by the user operating the power switch in this operation panel.

[0040] Next, types of power-off states of the image forming apparatus 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0041] In the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, there are three power-off states: a complete power-off mode, a sub-power-off mode, and a high-speed start-up possible mode.

[0042] [Full power off mode] Here, the power-off state of the complete power-off mode is a state in which the power of all hardware, such as the controller 11, UI device 12, image reading unit 13, image forming unit 15, etc., is off. When returning to the normal operation state from the power-off state of this complete power-off mode, the power of all hardware is turned on, and the CPU 25 is also started up from the initial state. Therefore, the start-up time from the power-off state of this complete power-off mode to returning to the normal state is the longest compared to the other two states.

[0043] [Sub power off mode] Next, the power off state of the auxiliary power off mode will be described. When a power off instruction is received in the normal operation state and the power off state of the auxiliary power off mode is entered, the CPU 25 is shut down and then a hardware reset is performed to restart the CPU 25. When the CPU 25 executes a predetermined startup process and starts up, only a part of the OS (Operating System) is started up, and only the power of the RAM 24, which is a volatile memory, is turned on, and the CPU 25 is placed in a suspended state. By entering this suspended state, even if the CPU 25 is executing a control program, it stops operating at a point in the middle of the execution and enters an energy saving state. In other words, in the power off state of the auxiliary power off mode, the CPU 25 is held in a stopped state after startup. Therefore, the recovery time is shortened compared to when the CPU 25 is restarted when returning to the normal operation state.

[0044] In addition, in the power-off state of this sub-power-off mode, when CPU 25 is put into a suspended state and then returned to a normal operating state, the control program is executed from the point before the suspended state, and therefore the startup time is shorter than when CPU 25 is started up from the power-off state of the complete power-off mode.

[0045] However, when the normal operating state is changed to the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode, the CPU 25 is shut down, so that the control program is initialized and re-executed from the beginning.

[0046] In this way, the power-off state in the sub power-off mode is a power-off state in which the control program is restarted, initialization processing is performed, and then operation is stopped.

[0047] [Fast boot mode] Next, the power-off state of the fast start-up mode will be described. When a power-off instruction is received in the normal operation state and the power-off state of the fast start-up mode is entered, the power supply other than that of the RAM 24, which is a volatile memory, is turned off without performing a shutdown process of the CPU 25, and the CPU 25 is entered into a suspended state. In other words, the power-off state of the fast start-up mode is a power-off state in which the operation is stopped while maintaining the current operating state without restarting the control program.

[0048] As described above, there are three power-off states. When the power switch is operated to transition from the power-off state to the power-on state, the startup time from the power-off state in the fast startup mode is the shortest, and the startup time from the power-off state in the complete power-off mode is the longest.

[0049] When a transition to the power-off state is instructed by operating the power switch 14 configured as hardware, the operating state transitions from the normal operating state to the power-off state of the complete power-off mode. When a transition to the power-off state is instructed by operating a power switch configured as software provided in an operation panel realized by the UI device 12, the operating state transitions from the normal operating state to the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode or the power-off state of the fast start-up possible mode.

[0050] Here, the reason why the power-off state of the image forming apparatus 10 is switched to the complete power-off mode when the power switch 14 configured by hardware is operated is that when the user operates the hardware power switch 14, it is considered that the user has a strong intention to immediately switch the image forming apparatus 10 to the power-off state.

[0051] Since the power-off state of the complete power-off mode takes time to start up and transition to the normal operating state, when the power switch of the software configuration in the operation panel, which is used more frequently, is operated, the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode or the power-off state of the fast startup possible mode is transitioned to. Therefore, in the following explanation, the power-off state of the complete power-off mode will be omitted.

[0052] In addition, whether to enable or disable the transition to the power-off state in the fast start-up mode may be switched based on the user's selection. For example, a display screen such as that shown in Fig. 4 may be displayed on the operation panel, and the transition to the power-off state in the fast start-up mode may be made only when the user selects a setting to enable fast start-up.

[0053] As described above, if an instruction to transition to a power-off state is given, the system transitions from the normal operating state to the power-off state of the fast-start-up mode, and if an instruction to transition to a power-on state is given, the system returns to the normal operating state from the power-off state of the fast-start-up mode, thereby minimizing the startup time required to return to the normal operating state.

[0054] However, depending on the state of the device, problems may occur if the device always switches to the power-off state in the high-speed startup mode when an instruction to switch to the power-off state is received.

[0055] For example, when the power switch on the operation panel is operated to instruct the printer to switch to the power-off state, the printer cannot switch to the power-off state in the fast startup mode if packet data is being received from the network, a print job is being executed, an error such as a paper jam has occurred, image forming unit 15 is warming up or setting up, or a specific process such as encryption or diagnostics of defective areas is being executed.

[0056] When transitioning to the power-off state in the fast startup mode, the CPU 25 transitions to a suspended state without restarting the control program, and when the power is turned on, it resumes processing while maintaining the previous state. However, the surrounding hardware devices will be powered off once and then powered on again, causing them to not be able to process normally.

[0057] For example, if a user operates the power switch in the operation panel to instruct the device to switch to the power-off state while a print process is being executed, when the device switches to the power-off state in the fast start-up mode and then returns to the normal operating state, the CPU 25 may immediately resume operation even though the hardware such as the image forming unit 15 has been powered back on and is being restarted, which may result in an error in the print process.

[0058] Furthermore, depending on the device configuration of the image forming apparatus 10, there may be cases where it is not possible to transition to the power-off state of the high speed start-up enabled mode in the first place.

[0059] For example, if a wireless communication line such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is enabled, if the device is connected to a PC (Personal Computer) via a USB cable, if the user has disabled the transition to the power-off state of the quick startup mode, or if an error has occurred due to a paper jam or the opening and closing door being open, the device cannot transition to the power-off state of the quick startup mode.

[0060] However, when transitioning to the power-off state of the auxiliary power supply off mode, the CPU 25 executes a shutdown process and restarts the control program, so all states are initialized. Therefore, even if the state is such that transition to the power-off state of the fast startup enabled mode is not possible, no problem will occur even if the power switch is operated again to return to the normal operating state after transitioning to the power-off state of the auxiliary power supply off mode after stopping the ongoing process.

[0061] Therefore, when the power switch is operated to instruct a transition to the power-off state, it is determined whether or not the conditions for transitioning to the power-off state of the fast startup mode are satisfied, and transitioning to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is made only if the conditions are satisfied.

[0062] In this way, when a transition to a power-off state is instructed by the user, depending on the operating state of the device, it may be necessary to transition to the power-off state in the sub-power-off mode, thereby restarting the control program and transitioning to the power-off state.

[0063] In other words, when the CPU 25 receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state, it determines, based on the device state, whether or not it is possible to transition to the power-off state of the quick-start-up mode, and performs control to transition to either the power-off state of the quick-start-up mode or the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode.

[0064] An outline of the determination process performed by the CPU 25 when a transition to the power-off state is instructed based on such control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0065] When the CPU 25 receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state, in step S101, it determines whether the current device state is in a state in which it is not possible to transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode as described above, and thereby determines whether it is possible to transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode.

[0066] Then, if it is determined in step S101 that transition to the power-off state of the quick startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 executes a transition process to the power-off state of the quick startup mode in step S102, and transitions to the power-off state of the quick startup mode.

[0067] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S101 that transition to the power off state of the fast start-up possible mode is not possible, the CPU 25 executes a transition process to the power off state of the auxiliary power off mode in step S103, and transitions to the power off state of the auxiliary power off mode.

[0068] Next, details of the transition process when the CPU 25 transitions to the power-off state of the fast start-up enabled mode shown in step S102 of the flowchart in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0069] When transitioning to the power-off state of the fast startup mode, in step S201, the controller 11 turns off power to everything except the RAM 24, and in step S202, the CPU 25 transitions to a suspended state, and the image forming device 10 transitions to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0070] Next, details of the transition process when the CPU 25 transitions to the power off state of the sub-power off mode, shown in step S103 of the flowchart in FIG. 5, will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0071] First, when transitioning to the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode, the CPU 25 performs a shutdown process in step S301, and the controller 11 performs a hardware reset.

[0072] Then, in step S302, the boot loader is started, the CPU 25 is restarted, and only a part of the OS is started.

[0073] Thereafter, in the controller 11, only the power supply to the RAM 24 is turned on in step S303, the CPU 25 transitions to a suspended state in step S304, and the image forming apparatus 10 transitions to a power-off state in the auxiliary power-off mode.

[0074] In this way, when the fast startup setting is enabled, if the user operates the power switch to instruct a transition to the power off state, if certain conditions are met, the power will be transitioned to the fast startup enabled mode power off state, and if the certain conditions are not met, the power will be transitioned to the sub-power off mode power off state.

[0075] The specific conditions for determining whether or not the device can transition to the power-off state in the fast startup mode include configuration conditions that depend on the configuration of the device itself, and dynamic conditions that depend on the state of the device at that time.

[0076] Here, the configuration conditions are, as described above, conditions such as the wireless communication line not being active, and are conditions that do not change unless the device configuration itself is changed. And the dynamic conditions are conditions that change in a short period of time, such as the paper tray not being lifted up, packet data not being received via the network, various jobs such as a print job not being executed, no error occurring, and the image output unit not being warmed up or set up.

[0077] Even if a transition to the power-off state is instructed and transition to the power-off state in the fast startup mode is not possible because the above dynamic conditions are not satisfied, the dynamic conditions may become satisfied after a short period of time.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the CPU 25 receives an instruction to transition to the power off state, it determines whether or not it is possible to transition to the power off state of the quick start-up possible mode, and even if it determines that it is not possible to transition to the power off state of the quick start-up possible mode, it executes a re-determination to determine whether or not it is possible to transition to the power off state of the quick start-up possible mode after a set time has elapsed. Then, if it is determined in this re-determination that it is possible to transition to the power off state of the quick start-up possible mode, the CPU 25 transitions to the power off state of the quick start-up possible mode, and if it is determined in the re-determination that it is not possible to transition to the power off state of the quick start-up possible mode, the CPU 25 transitions to the power off state of the sub-power off mode.

[0079] During the process in which the CPU 25 waits for the set time to elapse and then re-determines whether or not it is possible to transition to the power-off state in the fast startup mode, the illumination of the UI device 12 is turned off and the power of peripheral devices such as the image reading unit 13 and the image forming unit 15 is also turned off. Therefore, to the user, it appears as if the image forming device 10 is already in the power-off state.

[0080] Furthermore, the CPU 25 may execute a re-determination when the reason for not being able to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is one that will be resolved over time. For example, if packet data happens to be being received via a network when an instruction to transition to the power-off state is received, the reception of the packet data may be completed after a few seconds, and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode may become possible. Therefore, for example, if it is determined again after a few seconds has passed whether transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the determination result may indicate that transition is possible.

[0081] Furthermore, the CPU 25 may repeat a number of times the determination as to whether or not the transition to the power-off state in the high speed start-up enabled mode is possible after a set time has elapsed.

[0082] Furthermore, the CPU 25 may set the time until re-determination is performed according to the type of reason why the power cannot be switched to the power-off state of the fast startup mode. For example, if the reason why the power cannot be switched to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is that packet data happens to be being received via the network, as described above, the time until re-determination is set to be shorter than the time when a print job is being executed.

[0083] Moreover, the CPU 25 may set a time preset by the user as the time until re-determination is performed.

[0084] Furthermore, if the reason for being unable to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is the occurrence of a fault in the peripheral device, the CPU 25 may perform a re-determination after executing a restart process for the peripheral device. For example, if the image reading unit 13 is unable to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode due to some error occurring therein, the error may be eliminated by turning the image reading unit 13 off once and then turning it on again to restart it. Therefore, if a re-determination is performed after executing a restart process for the peripheral device, it may be possible to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0085] When the CPU 25 receives an instruction to transition to the power-off state by a direct operation of the user on the UI device 12 and determines that the power-off state cannot be transitioned to the fast startup mode, the CPU 25 may transition to the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode without executing re-determination. When the CPU 25 receives an instruction to transition to the power-off state by a remote operation and determines that the power-off state cannot be transitioned to the fast startup mode, the CPU 25 may execute re-determination.

[0086] When a user stands in front of the image forming apparatus 10 and directly operates the UI device 12 such as an operation panel to instruct the image forming apparatus 10 to switch to a power-off state, the user may want the image forming apparatus 10 to switch to a power-off state immediately. For example, when the image forming apparatus 10 is to be unplugged and moved to another location, the user may want the image forming apparatus 10 to switch to a power-off state immediately after operating the power switch.

[0087] In other words, when a user is in front of or around the image forming apparatus 10, it is desirable to transition to the power-off state in as short a time as possible without performing re-determination.

[0088] Therefore, the number of times that the CPU 25 repeats the re-determination when it receives an instruction to transition to the power-off state by user operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode may be set to be less than the number of times that the CPU 25 repeats the re-determination when it receives an instruction to transition to the power-off state by remote operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode.

[0089] For example, when a user instructs the transition to the power-off state by directly operating a UI device 12 such as an operation panel, the number of re-determinations may be set to one, whereas when a user instructs the transition to the power-off state by remote operation, the number of re-determinations may be set to multiple.

[0090] Further, the image forming apparatus 10 may be provided with a human presence sensor that detects whether or not a user is present around the apparatus. In such a case, when the CPU 25 receives an instruction to transition to the power-off state by a user operation and the human presence sensor no longer detects the presence of the user, the CPU 25 may repeat the re-determination performed when it is determined that transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode cannot be made more than when the human presence sensor detects the presence of the user.

[0091] In other words, even if the user directly operates a UI device 12 such as an operation panel to instruct a transition to the power-off state, if the human presence sensor no longer detects the presence of the user, that is, if it detects that the user has left the image forming apparatus 10, there is less need to immediately transition to the power-off state, and it is considered that the possibility of problems occurring is low even if the time for performing the re-evaluation is extended.

[0092] Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0093] First, a case where the number of re-determinations and the waiting time until the re-determination are directly set by the user will be described.

[0094] For example, the user sets the number of times to perform re-determination and the waiting time before performing re-determination from a display screen such as that shown in Fig. 8. The example display screen of the operation panel shown in Fig. 8 shows a case where the user has set the re-determination to be performed three times every five minutes.

[0095] Next, with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9, we will explain the operation of performing re-determination after a set time has elapsed when it is not possible to transition to the power-off state in the fast startup mode when a transition to the power-off state is instructed.

[0096] Note that the processing of steps S102 and S103 in the flowchart of Fig. 9 is the same as that shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. Also, in the following, a transition to a power-off state may be expressed as a transition to a power-off state, but this is merely a difference in expression and the substantial meaning is the same.

[0097] First, when a user operates the power switch to instruct a transition to a power-off state, the CPU 25 determines in step S401 whether or not a transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible based on configuration conditions.

[0098] Then, if it is determined in step S401 that any of the configuration conditions is not satisfied and transition to the power off state of the fast start-up possible mode is not possible, the CPU 25 executes transition processing to the power off state of the secondary power off mode in step S103, and transitions to the power off state of the secondary power off mode.

[0099] In this way, if the configuration conditions are not met, such as the wireless communication line not being enabled, there is a low possibility that the conditions will have changed even if a re-determination is made after the set time has elapsed. Therefore, if the configuration conditions are not met, the system transitions to the power-off state of the secondary power-off mode without re-determination.

[0100] Then, in step S401, if it is determined that all configuration conditions are satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 determines in step S402 based on the dynamic conditions whether or not transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible.

[0101] Then, if it is determined in step S402 that all dynamic conditions are satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 executes transition processing to the power-off state of the fast startup mode in step S102, and transitions to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0102] Then, if it is determined in step S402 that any of the dynamic conditions is not satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible, CPU 25 determines in step S403 whether or not the unsatisfied dynamic condition is likely to be resolved over time, that is, whether or not it is likely to become possible to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode over time.

[0103] For example, when the paper tray is once removed from the image forming apparatus 10 and then reattached, a lift-up process is performed to move the paper tray to a position where paper can be fed. If the paper tray is being lifted up when determining whether or not a transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode is possible, it is determined that there is a possibility that a transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode will be possible over time.

[0104] Dynamic conditions for determining whether or not a transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode over time is possible include a condition as to whether or not a setup is being performed to adjust image quality in an image output unit such as image forming unit 15, and a condition as to whether or not a fixing device in image forming unit 15 is being warmed up. Note that in image forming device 10, a setup is performed to maintain the quality of image quality by automatically adjusting image quality periodically in image forming unit 15. Also, in image forming device 10, the fixing device in image forming unit 15 may be periodically warmed up to keep the temperature of the fixing device constant, or the fixing device may be periodically heated to prevent condensation.

[0105] Then, if it is determined in step S403 that there is no possibility of transitioning to the power off state of the fast start-up possible mode due to the passage of time, the CPU 25 executes a transition process to the power off state of the secondary power off mode in step S103, and transitions to the power off state of the secondary power off mode.

[0106] Then, in step S403, if it is determined that there is a possibility that the power supply state of the high speed start-up mode can be changed to the power off state due to the passage of time, the CPU 25 determines in step S404 whether or not the re-determination has been repeated the designated number of times, and if the re-determination has not been repeated the designated number of times, the CPU 25 waits for a set time in step S405. For example, if five minutes is specified as the set time as in the example operation screen shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 25 waits for five minutes.

[0107] Then, after waiting for the designated time, in step S402, the CPU 25 again determines whether or not a transition to the power-off state of the high-speed startup mode is possible based on the dynamic condition.

[0108] Then, if it is determined in step S402 that all dynamic conditions are satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 executes transition processing to the power-off state of the fast startup mode in step S102, and transitions to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0109] In this way, switch 25 repeats the processing of steps S402 to S405 the set number of times, and when the number of re-determinations performed in step S404 reaches the set number of times, CPU 25 gives up on transitioning to the power off state of the fast start-up possible mode, and in step S103, executes transition processing to the power off state of the secondary power off mode, and transitions to the power off state of the secondary power off mode.

[0110] Next, with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10, we will explain the operation when performing initialization processing and then re-determination when it is not possible to transition to the power-off state in the fast startup mode when a transition to the power-off state is instructed.

[0111] For example, if a system error, a communication error, or the like occurs in the image forming apparatus 10, the possibility of such an error being resolved even if the image forming apparatus 10 waits for a set time is low. Therefore, if the reason for being unable to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is based on a dynamic condition such as the occurrence of a system error, a communication error, or the like, the CPU 25 does not re-determine after the set time has elapsed, but instead performs initialization processing to attempt to resolve such an error and re-determines whether or not it has become possible to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0112] In addition, since the processes in steps S102 and S103 in the flowchart in FIG. 10 are the same as those shown in the flowchart in FIG. 5, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0113] First, when a user operates the power switch to instruct a transition to a power-off state, the CPU 25 determines in step S501 whether or not a transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible based on configuration conditions.

[0114] Then, in step S501, if it is determined that any of the configuration conditions is not satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible, the CPU 25 sets N to 0 in step S502, and the number of re-determinations is 0.

[0115] Then, in step S503, the CPU 25 performs a shutdown process, and in the controller 11, a hardware reset is performed.

[0116] Then, in step S504, the boot loader is started and the CPU 25 is restarted. Furthermore, in step S505, the CPU 25 determines whether or not N is 0. Here, since N is set to 0, the CPU 25 starts up only a part of the OS in step S506.

[0117] Thereafter, in the controller 11, only the power supply to the RAM 24 is turned on in step S507, the CPU 25 transitions to a suspended state in step S508, and the image forming apparatus 10 transitions to a power-off state in the auxiliary power-off mode.

[0118] Then, in step S501, if it is determined that all configuration conditions are satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 determines in step S509 based on the dynamic conditions whether or not transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible.

[0119] Then, if it is determined in step S509 that all dynamic conditions are satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 executes transition processing to the power-off state of the fast startup mode in step S102, and transitions to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0120] Then, if it is determined in step S509 that any of the dynamic conditions is not satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible, the CPU 25 sets the number of re-determinations to N in step S510. Note that when performing re-determination by performing initialization processing, the determination result is likely to be the same even if repeated multiple times, so a case where the number of re-determinations is set to 1 will be described here.

[0121] Then, in step S503, the CPU 25 performs a shutdown process, and in the controller 11, a hardware reset is performed.

[0122] Then, in step S504, the boot loader is started and the CPU 25 is restarted. Furthermore, in step S505, the CPU 25 determines whether or not N is 0. Here, since N is set to 1, the CPU 25 subtracts 1 from N in step S511. As a result, the value of N becomes 0.

[0123] Then, in step S512, CPU 25 starts the OS, and in step S513, determines again based on the dynamic condition whether or not transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible. Note that, since the initialization process of CPU 25 and the hardware reset of image forming apparatus 10 are performed in steps S503 and S504, if the reason for not being able to transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is the occurrence of a system error or the like, this reason may have been resolved.

[0124] As a result, if it is determined in step S513 that all dynamic conditions are satisfied and transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is possible, the CPU 25 executes transition processing to the power-off state of the fast startup mode in step S102, and transitions to the power-off state of the fast startup mode.

[0125] Then, in step S513, if it is determined that any of the dynamic conditions are not satisfied and the re-determination also determines that transition to the power-off state of the fast start-up possible mode is not possible, CPU 25 returns to the processing of step S503 to execute the shutdown processing and hardware reset. However, since the value of N is 0 in the determination processing of step S505, thereafter, the processing of steps S506 to S508 is executed, and transition is made to the power-off state of the secondary power-off mode.

[0126] In the above-described method of executing re-determination, it is assumed that the set time to wait before performing re-determination and the number of times re-determination is to be repeated are set in advance by the user.

[0127] However, the set time to wait before making the re-determination, that is, the waiting time and the number of times the re-determination is repeated, may be set according to the type of reason why the transition to the power-off state of the fast start-up compatible mode cannot be made.

[0128] For example, the re-evaluation processing management table shown in FIG. 11 and the re-evaluation parameter correction table shown in FIG. 12 can be stored in the non-volatile memory device 22, and when it is determined that transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible, the waiting time until re-evaluation and the number of times re-evaluation is to be repeated can be determined depending on the type of reason why the transition is not possible.

[0129] For example, when it is determined that transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible, and the reason for not being able to transition is that the paper tray is being lifted up, the waiting time until re-evaluation is set to 10 seconds, and the number of times re-evaluation is repeated is set to four.

[0130] Also, based on the method by which the power-off instruction was issued at that time, the waiting time until re-evaluation and the number of times re-evaluation is repeated may be modified using the re-evaluation parameter modification table shown in Fig. 12. For example, when the execution of re-evaluation is set to "enabled" and an instruction to turn off the power is issued via the operation panel, the table values ​​are halved. Specifically, when the reason for not being able to transition is that the paper tray is being lifted up, based on the table in Fig. 11, the waiting time until re-evaluation is set to 10 seconds and the number of times re-evaluation is repeated is four, but these values ​​are halved to set the waiting time until re-evaluation to 5 seconds and the number of times re-evaluation is repeated to two.

[0131] In addition, when the reason for determining that the transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible is the reception of packet data from the network, the amount of received packet data is often not large, and the process is completed by completing the reception of the packet data and responding after the reception. Therefore, in such a case, it is highly likely that the transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode will be possible by performing a re-determination after a waiting period of several seconds.

[0132] Also, when processing is performed by a timer interrupt, if the processing is to be ended immediately depending on the content of the processing, it is preferable to control so that the processing is to be performed again after waiting for a while. For example, if the timer interrupt is such that the processing is only periodically stored as to the state of the content, the processing is to be ended immediately, so that the processing is to be performed again after waiting for a certain period of time. Other functions that are performed by timer interrupts include a function for diagnosing memory leaks in free time, a function for overwriting and erasing unnecessary data on the HDD in free time, and a function for periodically notifying information on the image forming apparatus 10 to an external server.

[0133] However, even if the processing is executed by a timer interrupt, in the case of a job such as time-specified printing or time-specified fax, it is not possible to know how long it will take to complete the processing, so when a transition to the power-off state is instructed, it is desirable to immediately transition to the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode without making a second judgment.

[0134] Generally, when an instruction to transition to the power-off state is given while a print job is being executed or while a print job is being received, it is desirable to stop the execution or reception of the print job and immediately transition to the power-off state of the sub-power-off mode. This is because there is a possibility that the user who instructed the transition to the power-off state will be kept waiting for a long time, since it is not known how long it will take to wait for the execution or reception of the print job to finish.

[0135] However, in the case of an instruction to transition to the power off state by remote operation such as remote power off or power off at a specified time, since the user is not in front of the device, it may be better to make a re-determination after a certain waiting time and transition to the power off state of the fast startup mode. Furthermore, if the power off state cannot be transitioned to the power off state of the fast startup mode because a FAX is being received when an instruction to transition to the power off state is issued, since the user is not in front of the device and the job is based on an incoming call from outside, it is also possible to wait for a certain period of time and then make a re-determination and transition to the power off state of the fast startup mode.

[0136] In addition, the re-evaluation processing management table shown in Figure 11 makes it possible to set, for each type of reason for determining that transition to the power-off state of the fast startup mode is not possible, whether to perform a re-evaluation, whether to perform a re-evaluation after a set time, or whether to perform a re-evaluation after rebooting and performing initialization processing.

[0137] 11 and 12, it is possible to switch whether or not to perform re-determination for each reason for not being able to transition and each method of powering off depending on the usage mode of the image forming apparatus 10. For example, for a user who performs a remote power-off process for the image forming apparatus 10 and then turns off the power breaker to cut off the power supply to the image forming apparatus 10, there is no need to perform re-determination after the remote power-off. Therefore, such a user can simply set the attribute value of "Action when transition is not possible" in the case of remote power-off to "Do not perform re-determination."

[0138] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0139] In addition, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0140] [Variations] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the image forming apparatus 10 transitions from a normal operating state to a power-off state; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied to cases in which other information processing apparatuses, such as personal computers, mobile terminal devices such as smartphones, etc. transition from a normal operating state to a power-off state.

[0141] In the above embodiment, it has been described that when the power switch 14 of the hardware configuration is operated, the power-off state of the complete power-off mode is transitioned to, and when the power switch of the software configuration in the operation panel is operated, the power-off state of either the sub-power-off mode or the power-off state of the fast start-up possible mode is transitioned to, but the present invention is not limited to such cases.

[0142] The present invention can also be applied in a case where, when there are multiple power switches, when a specific power switch is operated, it is determined whether to transition to either the power off state of the sub-power off mode or the power off state of the fast start-up possible mode, and when a power switch other than the specific power switch is operated, control is performed to transition to the specific power off state without making such a determination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 10 Image forming device 11 Controller 12 User Interface (UI) Devices 13 Image reading unit 14 Power Switch 15 Image forming section 16 Control Bus 20 Terminal Equipment 21 Boot ROM 22 Non-volatile storage devices 23 NVRAM 24 RAM 25 CPU 26 Wired communication interface 27 Wireless communication interface 28 Timer 30 Network

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, Controlling the operation of the device by executing a control program; when receiving an instruction to transition to a power-off state, determining whether or not it is possible to transition to a first power-off state in which the operation is stopped while maintaining the current operating state without restarting the control program; when it is determined that the transition to the first power-off state is not possible, a re-determination is performed after a set time has elapsed to determine whether or not the transition to the first power-off state is possible; If it is determined in the re-determination that the state can be shifted to the first power-off state, the state is shifted to the first power-off state, and if it is determined in the re-determination that the state cannot be shifted to the first power-off state, the state is shifted to a second power-off state in which the control program is restarted, initialization processing is performed, and operation is stopped. Information processing device.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor executes the re-determination when the reason for being unable to transition to the first power-off state is one that will be resolved over time.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor repeats a plurality of times a re-determination as to whether or not the transition to the first power-off state is possible after a set time has elapsed.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor sets a time period until the re-determination is performed depending on a type of reason why the transition to the first power-off state is not possible.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor sets a time period preset by a user as the time period until the re-determination is performed.

6. 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the reason for being unable to transition to the first power-off state is the occurrence of a failure in a peripheral device, the processor performs a restart process for the peripheral device and then performs the determination again.

7. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein when the processor receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state by user operation and determines that transition to the first power-off state is not possible, the processor transitions to the second power-off state without performing the re-determination.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor executes the re-determination when it receives an instruction to transition to the power-off state by remote control and determines that transition to the first power-off state is not possible.

9. 4. The information processing device of claim 3, wherein the processor reduces the number of times that the re-determination is performed when it receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state by user operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the first power-off state, to less than the number of times that the re-determination is performed when it receives an instruction to transition to a power-off state by remote operation and determines that it is not possible to transition to the first power-off state.

10. Further comprising a human presence sensor for detecting whether or not a user is present around the device; The information processing device of claim 3, wherein the processor, when receiving an instruction to transition to a power-off state by user operation and the presence of a user is no longer detected by the human presence sensor, increases the number of times to repeat the re-determination to be performed when it is determined that transition to the first power-off state is not possible, compared to when the presence of a user is detected by the human presence sensor.

11. controlling operation of the device by executing a control program; a step of determining whether or not it is possible to transition to a first power-off state in which the operation is stopped while maintaining a current operating state without restarting the control program when an instruction to transition to a power-off state is received; a step of executing a re-determination, when it is determined that the transition to the first power-off state is not possible, after a set time has elapsed, of determining whether or not the transition to the first power-off state is possible; transitioning to the first power-off state when it is determined in the re-determination that transition to the first power-off state is possible, and transitioning to a second power-off state in which operation is stopped after restarting a control program and performing initialization processing when it is determined in the re-determination that transition to the first power-off state is not possible; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

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