Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To improve the accuracy of calculating the power consumption of an image forming apparatus. [Solution] The image forming apparatus comprises an internal load, a connection means to which an external load is connected, and a calculation means for calculating the power consumption value of the internal load. The calculation means adds the power consumption value of the external load and the power consumption value of the internal load according to the power supply status of the external load connected to the connection means.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, Green Transformation (GX) has been taken up as an issue for companies. Therefore, there is an increasing need to visualize the power consumption of image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals (MFPs). According to Patent Document 1, in addition to calculating the power consumption of a thermal head, it has been proposed to calculate the power consumption of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although a USB device is connected to a USB port of an image forming apparatus, the USB device may not be powered on. According to Patent Document 1, even in such a case, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus is calculated assuming that the USB device is consuming maximum power. Therefore, the calculation accuracy of the power consumption of the image forming apparatus is low. Thus, an object of the present invention is to improve the calculation accuracy of the power consumption of the image forming apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention is, for example, an image forming apparatus, an internal load provided inside the image forming apparatus, connection means to which an external load is connected, and arithmetic means for calculating a power consumption value of the internal load, The calculation means adds the power consumption value of the external load and the power consumption value of the internal load according to the power supply state of the external load connected to the connection means, thereby providing an image forming apparatus. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, the accuracy of calculating the power consumption of an image forming apparatus is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the user interface. [Figure 3] This is a state transition diagram for multiple power supply states. [Figure 4] This diagram explains the methods for summing and accumulating power consumption. [Figure 5] This diagram explains how to calculate the total amount of electricity consumed. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram illustrating the functions of the arithmetic unit. [Figure 7] This is a diagram explaining the first table. [Figure 8] This is a diagram illustrating the second table. [Figure 9] This is a diagram illustrating the method for calculating the cumulative amount of electricity consumed. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing the control method. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart showing the control method. [Figure 12] This is a sequence diagram showing the process of acquiring information from a server computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0009] <Example 1> 1. Image forming apparatus Example 1 describes a method for calculating power consumption that takes into account the power supply status of optional equipment connected to the image forming apparatus, and a configuration for realizing this method.

[0010] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 mainly consists of a controller module 100, an operating unit 120, a scanner module 130, a printer module 140, and a fuser module 150.

[0011] The controller module 100 has a circuit board 100a, on which a calculation unit 101, an image processing unit 102, memories 103-106, a control unit 107, I / Fs 108-114, a timer 118, and a power supply circuit 191 may be mounted. I / F is an abbreviation for interface and may also be called a port, connector, or terminal conforming to a standard (e.g., Universal Serial Bus standard). The power supply circuit 191 may include a USB controller. The USB controller may include a communication circuit for communicating with a USB device and a power supply circuit for supplying power to the USB device.

[0012] The substrate 100a may be a single circuit board or a plurality of circuit boards. The arithmetic unit 101 is a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) responsible for controlling the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 and handling print jobs transmitted from peripheral devices (e.g., a personal computer (PC)). When the image forming apparatus 10 is activated, the arithmetic unit 101 reads out a boot program stored in the non-volatile memory 104. The read program is expanded in the volatile memory 103. The boot program is, for example, a basic input / output system (BIOS), a boot loader, and an operating system (OS).

[0013] The non-volatile memory 104 is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC), etc. The non-volatile memory 104 may include a random access memory (RAM) constantly powered by a battery. The volatile memory 103 includes, for example, a RAM. The RAM includes, for example, a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The volatile memory 103 is used as a work memory for the arithmetic unit 101.

[0014] The arithmetic unit 101 is connected to the control unit 107. The control unit 107 is a communication circuit that communicates with peripheral devices such as a PC via an I / F 108 for a wired LAN. LAN is an abbreviation for a local area network. Generally, an RJ-45 standard connector is used as the I / F 108 for the wired LAN. As a communication protocol, a transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP) etc. is utilized. The arithmetic unit 101 and the control unit 107 are connected via, for example, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus. The control unit 107 is connected to the I / F 108.

[0015] When a PC sends a print job to the image forming apparatus 10 via a wired LAN, the control unit 107 receives the print job and forwards it to the calculation unit 101. The calculation unit 101 outputs instructions to the image processing unit 102 to drive the scanner module 130 and the printer module 140 according to the print job.

[0016] The image processing unit 102 is a second processor and may be integrated with the arithmetic unit 101. The image processing unit 102 performs image processing (e.g., noise reduction, color conversion) on the scanned data of the original document input from the scanner module 130 to generate image data. The image processing unit 102 stores the image data in non-volatile memory 106. The image processing unit 102 converts the input image data and sends it to the printer module 140. Here, the image data format is converted to a format that the printer module 140 can understand. This enables the copying of the original document. The image data acquired by the scanner module 130 is bitmap data in red-green-blue (RGB) format. On the other hand, the printer module 140 forms an image on a recording medium using yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (YMCK) toner or ink. Therefore, the image processing unit 102 needs to perform color conversion. The image processing unit 102 and the scanner module 130 are connected via I / F 113. The image processing unit 102 and the printer module 140 are connected via I / F 114.

[0017] The image processing unit 102 has a volatile memory 105 that functions as work memory. The non-volatile memory 106 may include, for example, ROM and a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0018] The image forming apparatus 10 can connect to a printer server (not shown). This enables the execution of jobs in conjunction with a workflow system generated for each user. The printer server is connected to the controller module 100 via a conversion unit 160. The conversion unit 160 is a communication conversion circuit for the image forming apparatus 10 to communicate with the server computer. The conversion unit 160 is connected to the image processing unit 102 via an I / F 112. The conversion unit 160 converts the format of the image data transmitted from the printer server into a format that the image processing unit 102 can understand. Both the printer server and the conversion unit 160, or the conversion unit 160 alone, are optional devices. It is prohibited to connect the printer server and the conversion unit 160 to the controller module 100, or to disconnect the printer server and the conversion unit 160 from the controller module 100, while the image forming apparatus 10 is operating.

[0019] The arithmetic unit 101 also has multiple I / Fs 109 to 111 to which optional devices can be connected. I / F 109 is a USB 2.0 port connected to a USB 2.0 device 115. The USB 2.0 device 115 operates in accordance with the standard commonly known as USB 2.0. The USB 2.0 device 115 is, for example, a memory device and a card authentication device. USB 2.0 is an abbreviation for version 2.0 of the USB standard. In Example 1, it is assumed that the USB 2.0 device 115 is a memory device. I / F 110 is a USB 3.0 port connected to a USB 3.0 device 116. The USB 3.0 device 116 operates in accordance with the standard commonly known as USB 3.0. The USB 3.0 device 116 is, for example, a memory device and a protocol conversion device to the Ethernet standard. USB 3.0 is an abbreviation for version 3.0 of the USB standard. In Example 1, it is assumed that the USB 3.0 device 116 is a memory device. The memory device can be connected and disconnected even while the image forming apparatus 10 is in operation.

[0020] The WLAN device 117 is connected to the processing unit 101 via the I / F 111. WLAN is an abbreviation for wireless LAN. Standards applicable between the WLAN device 117 and the processing unit 101 include, for example, USB or Secure Digital Input / Output (SDIO). It is prohibited to connect the WLAN device 117 to the image forming apparatus 10 or to disconnect the WLAN device 117 from the image forming apparatus 10 while the image forming apparatus 10 is in operation.

[0021] The controller module 100 has a timer 118 connected to the arithmetic unit 101. The timer 118 may be a so-called real-time time clock (RTC). The timer 118 can hold date and time information. The timer 118 is constantly powered by a battery (e.g., lithium-ion battery) not shown. Therefore, the timer 118 can hold information even when the image forming apparatus 10 is not powered. The RTC may be implemented inside the arithmetic unit 101.

[0022] In Example 1, the calculation unit 101 is expected to calculate the amount of power consumed (in watts or watt-hours or watt-seconds) by integrating the power consumption (in watts) and present the amount of power consumed to the user. Therefore, the calculation unit 101 requires time information to identify the period during which the power consumption was measured. For example, the calculation unit 101 stores time information obtained from the timer 118 in the volatile memory 103. The calculation unit 101 uses the time information stored in the memory 103 to calculate the time between two points in time. Generally, even when the image forming apparatus 10 transitions to a power-saving state, the volatile memory 103 continues to receive power, so the time information is not lost.

[0023] The operation unit 120 is connected to the calculation unit 101 via an I / F 119. The operation unit 120 includes a display (e.g., a liquid crystal display) that shows the status of the image forming apparatus 10 to the user, and an input device (e.g., a panel-type touch sensor, hardware keys) that receives various instructions from the user. The calculation unit 101 displays the power consumption value of the image forming apparatus 10 on the display of the operation unit 120. The video signal provided from the calculation unit 101 to the operation unit 120 is communicated, for example, via DisplayPort (DP) or High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI®).

[0024] The scanner module 130 includes a control unit 131 and a drive unit 132. The control unit 131 controls the drive unit 132 to read a document placed on a document glass (not shown) and generate image data corresponding to the document. The drive unit 132, for example, drives an automatic document feeder (ADF) to feed the document to the scanner module 130. The drive unit 132 also drives light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that illuminate the document and drives an image sensor that converts light from the document into color information.

[0025] The printer module 140 has a control unit 141 and a drive unit 142. The control unit 141 controls the drive unit 142 to form images and characters on the recording medium. As shown in Figure 5, the drive unit 142 drives a motor 501 that rotates the photoreceptor drum, a charging power supply 502 that charges the photoreceptor drum, and an exposure unit 503 that irradiates the photoreceptor drum with light to form an electrostatic latent image. The drive unit 142 also drives a developing power supply 504 that develops the electrostatic latent image using toner to form a toner image, a primary transfer power supply 505 that transfers the toner image from the photoreceptor drum to an intermediate transfer medium, and a secondary transfer power supply 506 that transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium.

[0026] The fuser module 150 has a fuser roller (or cylindrical heating film) and a pressure roller, which heat and pressurize the recording medium onto which the toner image has been transferred. This fixes the toner image to the recording medium.

[0027] Power supply 190 is a power supply device that converts AC power supplied from an AC power source into DC power. Power supply circuit 191 supplies the DC voltage supplied from power supply 190 to various external loads (optional equipment) through I / F 109~112. Power supply circuit 191 is controlled by the calculation unit 101 and switches between supplying and cutting off (stopping supply of) power to the various optional equipment. Power supply circuit 191 also supplies DC voltage to internal loads (e.g., controller module 100, scanner module 130, printer module 140, fuser module 150).

[0028] 2. User Interface (UI) Figure 2 shows an example of the UI200 displayed on the operation unit 120. The UI200 includes icons 204 indicating the power status or operating status of the image forming apparatus 10, and a graph display area 210 that displays the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10. The calculation unit 101 accumulates the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 with a predetermined statistical period as the unit of time. Tab 201 is a specification object for specifying the statistical period. In other words, Tab 201 can switch the position of a predetermined statistical period in the time axis direction or the length of a predetermined statistical period. The specification object may be implemented by a pull-down list that displays a list of multiple time units. In Figure 2, "day" is specified as the statistical period by Tab 201. Therefore, the calculation unit 101 accumulates the power consumption value day by day to obtain the power consumption, creates a graph showing the trend of power consumption over a week, and displays the graph in the graph display area 210. The calculation unit 101 may switch the display of power consumption on the operation unit 120 as an accumulated value on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, depending on the user's selection on tab 201. In other words, the calculation unit 101 switches the statistical period for power consumption based on the selection on tab 201.

[0029] When the image forming apparatus 10 is installed in the customer's room, the calculation unit 101 may create log data of the power consumption value and store it in the non-volatile memory 104. The calculation unit 101 can then refer to the log data to accumulate the power consumption value [W] over a specified statistical period (accumulation period) and display the power consumption amount [Wh] on the operation unit 120. For example, the start date of the statistical period may be the day the image forming apparatus 10 is installed in the customer's room, and the end date of the statistical period may be "today". Thus, the statistical period may be selected by the user or predetermined.

[0030] The operation unit 120 may display the power consumption of each functional module that constitutes the image forming apparatus 10. For example, the power consumption of the controller module 100 and the power consumption of the fixing module 150 may be displayed in separate columns or as separate graphs.

[0031] 3. Method for Calculating Power Consumption (Method for Calculating Power Consumption) Figure 3 is a diagram showing state transitions that occur between multiple power states. Here, the image forming apparatus 10 has multiple power states. The job state is the state in which printing or scanning is being performed. The standby state is the state in which the image forming apparatus 10 is waiting for a job. The sleep state is the state in which the image forming apparatus 10 is saving power. Note that the sleep state may have multiple sleep states (e.g., SLEEP I, SLEEP II) each with different power consumption. SLEEP I and SLEEP II are substates of the sleep state. In particular, the power consumption of SLEEP II is less than that of SLEEP I.

[0032] Figure 4 shows the power consumption value Pm [W] and energy consumption Wm [Wh] for each power supply state. The horizontal axis represents time. The vertical axis represents the power consumption value Pm. The area of ​​the hatched rectangle represents the energy consumption Wm [Wh].

[0033] The power consumption values ​​Pm and Wm in sleep mode are very low. However, loads operating in sleep mode (e.g., communication circuits) also operate in job mode and standby mode. When a copy job is submitted to the image forming apparatus 10, the image forming apparatus 10 transitions from sleep mode to job mode. The scanner module 130 performs document scanning. The power consumption values ​​Pm and Wm during document scanning are indicated as RD. Loads operating in standby mode (e.g., operation unit 121) also operate in job mode. The power consumption values ​​Pm and Wm of such loads are indicated as STANDBY. Once document scanning is complete, the fuser module 150 is woken up. The power consumption values ​​Pm and Wm at this time are indicated as W-UP. Once the fuser module 150 has woken up, image formation on the recording medium is performed. PRINT indicates the power consumption consumed by the printer module 140, etc. PRINT (Fusing) indicates the power consumption values ​​Pm and Wm consumed by the fuser module 150. When a copy job is completed, the image forming apparatus 10 transitions from the job state to the standby state. Furthermore, if the length of time (time) during which no next job is submitted exceeds a threshold while in the standby state, the image forming apparatus 10 transitions from the standby state to the sleep state.

[0034] The calculation unit 101 calculates the total power consumption WA by integrating (summarizing) the power consumption value Pm of each functional module along the time axis to obtain the power consumption Wm of each functional module and summing them up. In other words, the sum of the areas of the multiple rectangles shown in Figure 4 represents the total power consumption WA [Wh]. Here, it is assumed that the unit of power consumption is watt-seconds [Ws].

[0035] The calculation unit 101 controls the supply and cessation of power to each functional module according to the operating state (power supply state) of the image forming apparatus 10. As a result, the amount of power consumed changes over time. The calculation unit 101 can calculate the total amount of power consumed by the image forming apparatus 10 by integrating (accumulating) the amount of power consumed by each functional module along the time axis.

[0036] Figure 5 shows an example of multiple functional modules. Wm1 represents the power consumption of the scanner module 130. Wm2 represents the power consumption of the controller module 100. Wm4 represents the power consumption of the fuser module 150. Wm5 represents the power consumption of the printer module 140. The printer module 140 includes a motor 501 that drives the photoreceptor drum and transport rollers, a charging power supply 502, an exposure unit 503, a developing power supply 504, a primary transfer power supply 505, and a secondary transfer power supply 506.

[0037] Wm3 is the power consumption of optional equipment 500 connected to the controller module 100. Optional equipment 500 includes, for example, a USB 2.0 device 115, a USB 3.0 device 116, a WLAN device 117, and a conversion unit 160.

[0038] The calculation unit 101 calculates the total power consumption WA, which is the sum of Wm1 to Wm5. The calculation unit 101 may also calculate the power consumption WA[Ws] by integrating the total power consumption Pm1 to Pm5 along the time axis. In other words, the calculation unit 101 can calculate the total power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 by integrating the power consumption WA, which is determined according to the power supply state of the image forming apparatus 10, over a predetermined period of time (e.g., 1 day, 1 week, 1 month).

[0039] 4. Functions of the Calculation Unit Figure 6 shows the functions of the arithmetic unit 101. The arithmetic unit 101 is connected to a volatile memory 103, a non-volatile memory 104, a timer 118, an operation unit 120, and a communication circuit 670. The arithmetic unit 101 communicates with optional equipment 500 via the communication circuit 670 and I / F 109~112. The battery 680 supplies power to the memory 104.

[0040] The option control unit 600 primarily monitors the connection status of the optional equipment 500 connected via the communication circuit 670. For example, the option control unit 600 performs an initialization process called enumeration, obtains device information of devices connected to I / F 109~112, etc., and creates a device list. The option control unit 600 detects the connection and disconnection of USB devices to I / F 109 and 110 and updates the device list. When the image forming apparatus 10 starts up, the calculation unit 101 checks whether the WLAN device 117 is connected to the image forming apparatus 10 and whether the conversion unit 160 is connected to the image forming apparatus 10.

[0041] The monitoring unit 601 monitors the actual power supply status to the optional equipment 500. In other words, the monitoring unit 601 monitors the power supply status to the external load connected to I / F 109~112. Even if the optional equipment 500 is connected to the image forming apparatus 10, power may not be supplied to the optional equipment 500. Therefore, in order to accurately determine the power consumption of the optional equipment 500, it is necessary to monitor the power supply status of the optional equipment 500. The power supply status of the optional equipment 500 often changes in conjunction with, for example, the power supply status of the image forming apparatus 10. Therefore, the monitoring unit 601 may obtain the power supply status of the optional equipment 500 according to the power supply status by monitoring the power supply status of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0042] The individual acquisition unit 610 acquires the power consumption value Pm or power consumption amount Wm for each functional module. The Wm1 acquisition unit 611 acquires the power consumption of the scanner module 130. For example, the Wm1 acquisition unit 611 acquires a fixed value indicating the power consumption of the scanner module 130 stored in the non-volatile memory 104. The Wm1 acquisition unit 611 may also acquire the power consumption value or power consumption amount calculated by the control unit 131 in the scanner module 130 via the communication circuit 670.

[0043] The Wm2 acquisition unit 612 acquires the power consumption value or amount of power consumed by the controller module 100.

[0044] Figure 7 shows a first table 641 that holds the power consumption value Pm of the controller module 100 for each power supply state. The first table 641 may be stored in a non-volatile memory 104. As shown in Figure 7, the power consumption value Pm of the controller module 100 varies greatly depending on the combination of the power supply state and the operating state of the image forming apparatus 10. For example, when the power supply state is JOB and the operating state is print + scan, the power consumption value is 35 [W]. When the power supply state is JOB and the operating state is print or scan, the power consumption value is 30 [W]. When the power supply state is STANDBY and the operating state is job reception, the power consumption value is 20 [W]. When the power supply state is SLEEP and the operating state is the first power-saving state, the power consumption value is 8 [W]. When the power supply state is SLEEP and the operating state is the second power-saving state, the power consumption value is 0.5 [W]. When the power supply state is OFF and the operating state is power off, the power consumption value is 0 [W].

[0045] The first power-saving state is a state in which the backlight of the control unit 120 is turned off and no power is supplied to the conversion unit 160. In other words, in the first power-saving state, various devices actively reduce power consumption by clock gating or power gating.

[0046] The second power-saving state is a state in which power is supplied only to the volatile memory 103, the control unit 107, the timer 118, the interrupt control unit, the touch sensor provided on the operation unit 120, and the WLAN device 117. The interrupt control unit is provided on the arithmetic unit 101. In the second power-saving state, the volatile memory 103 is in a so-called self-refresh state. The control unit 107 filters unnecessary packets received from the outside by a function called proxy response. The first power-saving state and the second power-saving state may be selected alternatively by the user. For example, if power saving is prioritized, the second power-saving state is selected. If shortening the recovery time from sleep state to standby state is prioritized, the first power-saving state is selected.

[0047] The Wm2 acquisition unit 612 reads the power consumption value corresponding to the combination of power supply state and operating state from the first table 641.

[0048] The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 acquires the power consumption value Pm or power consumption Wm of the optional device 500 connected to the controller module 100.

[0049] Figure 8 shows the second table 642, which holds the power consumption values ​​of the optional device 500. The second table 642 is also stored in the non-volatile memory 104. As shown in Figure 8, the power consumption values ​​of the optional device 500 also change depending on the power supply state.

[0050] The power consumption of USB 2.0 device 115 varies depending on the power state. When the power state is JOB, STANDBY, or SLEEP I, the power state is controlled to ON. As a result, the power consumption of USB 2.0 device 115 is 2.5 [W]. When the power state is SLEEP II, the power state is controlled to OFF. Therefore, the power consumption of USB 2.0 device 115 is 0 [W].

[0051] The power consumption of USB 3.0 device 116 also changes depending on the power state. When the power state is JOB, STANDBY, or SLEEP I, the power state is controlled to ON. As a result, the power consumption of USB 3.0 device 116 is 4.5 [W]. When the power state is SLEEP II, the power state is controlled to OFF. Therefore, the power consumption of USB 3.0 device 116 is 0 [W].

[0052] The power consumption of the WLAN device 117 varies depending on the power supply state. The powered-on state of the WLAN device 117 remains on regardless of the power supply state. When the power supply state is JOB, STANDBY, or SLEEP I, the power consumption of the WLAN device 117 is 2.5[W]. When the power supply state is SLEEP II, the power consumption of the WLAN device 117 is 0.25[W].

[0053] The power consumption of the converter 160 changes depending on the power supply state. When the power supply state is JOB, the power supply state is controlled to ON. When the power supply state is JOB, the power consumption of the converter 160 is 30[W]. When the power supply state is STANBY, the power consumption of the converter 160 is 10[W]. When the power supply state is SLEEP I or SLEEP II, the power supply state is controlled to OFF. In this case, the power consumption is 0[W].

[0054] Thus, the power consumption of the optional device 500 changes depending on the power supply state. This is because the power supply state of the optional device 500 switches according to the power supply state.

[0055] The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to the second table 642 and acquires the power consumption value corresponding to the power state (powered-on state) of the optional device 500.

[0056] The Wm4 acquisition unit 614 acquires the power consumption value of the fuser module 150. The Wm5 acquisition unit acquires the power consumption value of the printer module 140. The Wm4 acquisition unit 614 reads the power consumption value of the fuser module 150 as a fixed value stored in the non-volatile memory 104. The Wm5 acquisition unit 615 reads the power consumption value of the printer module 140 as a fixed value stored in the non-volatile memory 104. The Wm4 acquisition unit 614 may also acquire the power consumption value of the fuser module 150 calculated by a control unit provided inside the fuser module 150. The Wm5 acquisition unit may also acquire the power consumption value calculated by a control unit 141 provided inside the printer module 140.

[0057] The integrating unit 620 calculates the total power consumption WA by summing the power consumption values ​​or power consumption amounts for each functional module acquired by the individual acquisition unit 610. Furthermore, the integrating unit 620 calculates the cumulative power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10 by integrating the power consumption WA along the time axis over a specific period. The display control unit 630 creates a UI 200 for displaying the cumulative power consumption and displays the UI 200 on the display of the operation unit 120.

[0058] Figure 9 shows how to calculate the cumulative power consumption by adding the power consumption of the controller module 100 (Wm2) and the power consumption of the optional equipment 500 (Wm3). The vertical axis represents power consumption values. The horizontal axis represents time. The hatched rectangles represent power consumption. The power state during the period from time t0 to time t2 is STANDBY. The power state during the period from time t2 to time t3 is JOB. The power state during the period from time t3 to time t4 is STANDBY. The power state during the period from time t4 to time t5 is SLEEP I. The power state during the period from time t5 to time t6 is SLEEP II. The power state during the period from time t6 to time t8 is STANDBY.

[0059] The calculation unit 101 starts calculating power consumption from time t0. The starting point is, for example, when the user touches the tab 201, or when the image forming apparatus 10 is installed in the user's room. The optional equipment 500 connected to the image forming apparatus 10 is assumed to be a printer server and a conversion unit 160. The controller module 100 supplies power to the conversion unit 160 according to the power status of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0060] At time t0, the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 is STANDBY. The Wm2 acquisition unit 612 refers to the first table 641 in the non-volatile memory 104. Since the power state is STANDBY, it refers to Key#0x3 and obtains 20[W] as the power consumption value of the controller module 100. The calculation unit 101 may refer to the first table 641 expanded in the volatile memory 103. The option control unit 600 monitors the connection and disconnection of the conversion unit 160 to the I / F 112. For example, the option control unit 600 may detect the connection and disconnection of the conversion unit 160 through initialization processing based on the PCIe Bus standard used between the conversion unit 160 and the calculation unit 101. The calculation unit 101 may also detect the connection and disconnection of the conversion unit 160 through general-purpose input / output (GPIO) provided on the conversion unit 160. When the connection of the conversion unit 160 is detected, the Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to the second table 642 in the non-volatile memory 104. Since the power state is STANDBY, the Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x18 and acquires 10[W] as the power consumption value. The integration unit 620 adds the power consumption value of the controller module 100, which is 20[W], and the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160, which is 10[W], and performs integration over the period from time t0 to time t1. The integrated power consumption Wt01 from time t0 to time t1 is calculated by the following formula.

[0061] Wt01 = (20+10) × (t1-t0) ···Eq.1 The calculation unit 101 obtains the actual value of time t from the timer 118. The calculation unit 101 may also count the elapsed time using a program running on the calculation unit 101.

[0062] At time t1, the user connects the USB 3.0 device 116 to the image forming apparatus 10. The USB 3.0 device 116 is a USB memory device that operates according to the USB 3.0 standard. The option control unit 600 detects that the USB 3.0 device 116 has been connected to the image forming apparatus 10. For example, the connection may be detected by an initialization process based on the USB Bus standard performed between the calculation unit 101 and the USB 3.0 device 116. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to the second table 642 in the non-volatile memory 104. Since the power state is STANDBY, the Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x13 and obtains 4.5[W] as the power consumption value of the USB 3.0 device 116.

[0063] The integrating unit 620 calculates the integrated power consumption value Wt12 from time t1 to time t2 by adding the power consumption value of 4.5[W] to the 30[W] acquired during the period from time t0 to time t1.

[0064] Wt12 = (30+4.5) × (t2-t1) ···Eq.2 At time t2, the user instructs the image forming apparatus 10 to execute a job. For example, the user instructs the execution of a print job via a wired LAN. As a result, the calculation unit 101 switches the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 from STANDBY to JOB. When the Wm2 acquisition unit 612 detects the change in the power state of the image forming apparatus 10, it refers to Key# 0x2 from the first table 641. This gives 30W as the power consumption value of the controller module 100. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x17 from the second table 642 and obtains 30[W] as the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x13 from the second table 642 and obtains 4.5[W] as the power consumption value of the USB3.0 device 116.

[0065] The integrating unit 620 sums these power consumption values ​​and performs integration over the period from time t2 to time t3. The integrated power consumption value Wt23 for the period from time t2 to t3 is calculated using the following formula.

[0066] Wt23 = (30+30+4.5) × (t3-t2) ···Eq.3 When the job finishes at time t3, the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 transitions from JOB to STANDBY. When the monitoring unit 601 detects a change in the power state of the image forming apparatus 10, the Wm2 acquisition unit 612 refers to Key # 0x3 from the first table 641 and obtains 20[W] as the power consumption value of the controller module 100. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key # 0x18 from the second table 642 and obtains 10[W] as the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 also refers to Key # 0x13 from the second table 642 and obtains 4.5[W] as the power consumption value of the USB3.0 device 116. The integration unit 620 sums these power consumption values ​​and performs integration over the period from time t3 to time t4. In other words, the integrated power consumption value Wt34 over the period from time t3 to t4 is calculated by the following formula.

[0067] Wt34 = (20+10+4.5) × (t4-t3) ···Eq.4 Time t4 is the point at which a certain amount of time has elapsed since time t3, when the power state transitioned from JOB to STANDBY. Timer 118 notifies the arithmetic unit 101 that a certain amount of time has elapsed. In other words, the arithmetic unit 101 measures a certain amount of time using Timer 118. At time t4, the arithmetic unit 101 transitions the power state from STANDBY to SLEEP (first power saving state). At this time, the arithmetic unit 101 controls the power supply circuit 191 and stops supplying power to the conversion unit 160. This reduces power consumption. Meanwhile, the power supply circuit 191 continues to supply power to the USB3.0 device 116. The Wm2 acquisition unit 612, upon receiving the change in the power state of the image forming apparatus 10, refers to Key# 0x4 from the first table 641 and obtains 8[W], which is the power consumption value of the controller module 100. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 also refers to Key# 0x19 from the second table 642 and obtains 0[W] as the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160. Furthermore, the Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x13 from the second table 642 and obtains 4.5[W] as the power consumption value of the USB3.0 device 116. The integration unit 620 sums these power consumption values ​​and integrates them up to time t5. In other words, the integrated power consumption value Wt45 from time t4 to t5 is calculated using the following formula.

[0068] Wt45 = (8+0+4.5) × (t5-t4) ···Eq.5 Time t5 is the point at which a certain amount of time has elapsed since time t4. When the timer 118 notifies the calculation unit 101 that a certain amount of time has elapsed, the calculation unit 101 transitions the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 from the first power saving state to the second power saving state. The calculation unit 101 controls the power supply circuit 191 and stops supplying power to the USB3.0 device 116. This further reduces power consumption. When the monitoring unit 601 detects a change in the power state of the image forming apparatus 10, the Wm2 acquisition unit 612 refers to Key# 0x5 from the first table 641 and obtains 0.5[W], which is the power consumption value of the controller module 100. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x19 from the second table 642 and obtains 0[W] as the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 also refers to Key# 0x14 from the second table 642 and obtains 0[W] as the power consumption value of the USB3.0 device 116. The integrating unit 620 sums these power consumption values ​​and performs integration over the period from time t5 to time t6. In other words, the integrated power consumption value Wt56 for the period from time t5 to t6 is calculated using the following formula.

[0069] Wt56 =(0.5+0+0) × (t6-t5) ···Eq.6 At time t6, the user inputs a reset trigger for the image forming apparatus 10. The reset trigger could be, for example, the user touching the touch sensor on the operation unit 120. This causes the calculation unit 101 to transition the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 to SLEEP IISTANDBY. The calculation unit 101 controls the power supply circuit 191 and resumes supplying power to the conversion unit 160 and the USB3.0 device 116. When the monitoring unit 601 detects a change in the power state of the image forming apparatus 10, the Wm2 acquisition unit 612 refers to Key# 0x3 from the first table 641 and obtains 20[W], which is the power consumption value of the controller module 100. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 refers to Key# 0x18 from the second table 642 and obtains 10[W] as the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160. The Wm3 acquisition unit 613 also refers to Key# 0x13 from the second table 642 and obtains 4.5[W] as the power consumption value of the USB3.0 device 116. The integrating unit 620 sums these power consumption values ​​and performs integration over the period from time t6 to time t7. In other words, the integrated power consumption value Wt67 for the period from time t6 to t7 is calculated using the following formula.

[0070] Wt67 = (20+10+4.5) × (t7-t6) ···Eq.7 At time t7, the user removes the USB memory, which is USB3.0 device 116, from I / F110. The option control unit 600 detects that the USB3.0 device 116 has been removed from I / F110. For example, the user inputs an instruction to remove the USB memory from the operation unit 120. When the calculation unit 101 detects that the communication signal from the USB3.0 device 116 has ceased, it determines that the USB3.0 device 116 has been removed. Upon receiving notification of the removal of the USB3.0 device 116, the Wm3 acquisition unit 613 notifies the integration unit 620 of only the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160. In other words, the integrated power consumption value Wt78 from time t7 to t8 is calculated using the following formula.

[0071] Wt78 = (20+10) × (t8-t7) ···Eq.8 4. Flowchart Figures 10 and 11 show the control method executed by the calculation unit 101 according to the control program. Here, when the power supply state of the image forming apparatus 10 changes, the following processes are executed.

[0072] In S1001, the calculation unit 101 determines whether the power state of the image forming apparatus 10 has returned from the second power saving state to the first power saving state or the standby state. If the second power saving state continues, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1001 to S1021 and obtains the current time from the timer 118. After that, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1021 to S1005. If the state has returned from the second power saving state to another state, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1001 to S1002.

[0073] In S1002, the calculation unit 101 obtains the current time from the timer 118. In S1003, the calculation unit 101 calculates the amount of power consumed between the previously obtained time and the current time. These times are the times when state transitions occurred. In other words, a specific power supply state is maintained during the period from the previously obtained time to the current time.

[0074] In S1004, the calculation unit 101 accumulates the calculated power consumption. It is added to the accumulated power consumption. In the second power saving state, the calculation unit 101 is not supplied with power and therefore cannot perform the calculation of power consumption. Thus, after returning from the second power saving state to another state, the power consumption for the period in the second power saving state is calculated. Time information indicating the current time may be stored in either the volatile memory 103 or the non-volatile memory 104. In Embodiment 1, the time information is stored in the volatile memory 103.

[0075] In step S1005, the calculation unit 101 obtains the power consumption value of the controller module 100 that matches the current power supply state of the image forming apparatus 10 from the non-volatile memory 104. For example, the calculation unit 101 refers to the first table 641 in the non-volatile memory 104 and obtains the power consumption value corresponding to the current power supply state. For example, the power consumption value corresponding to the combination of power supply state and operating state is obtained.

[0076] In S1006, the calculation unit 101 determines, through the option control unit 600, whether the optional device 500 is connected to the image forming apparatus 10. If the optional device 500 is connected, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1006 to S1007. In S1007, the calculation unit 101 obtains the power consumption of the optional device 500. For example, the calculation unit 101 refers to the second table 642 in the non-volatile memory 104 and obtains the power consumption value corresponding to the current power supply state. The power consumption is obtained by integrating the power consumption values ​​along the time axis. If the optional device 500 is not connected, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1006 to S1008.

[0077] In S1008, the calculation unit 101 determines, through the option control unit 600, whether the connection state of the optional device 500 has changed. A change in the connection state includes the optional device 500 being connected to the image forming apparatus 10 and the optional device 500 being disconnected from the image forming apparatus 10. If the connection state of the optional device 500 has not changed, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1008 to S1031. In S1031, the calculation unit 101 determines whether a trigger has been detected. Here, the trigger can be any trigger that causes a change in the power supply state. If no trigger has been detected, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1031 to S1008. If a trigger has been detected, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1031 to S1011.

[0078] If a change in connection status is detected in S1008, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1008 to S1009. In S1009, the calculation unit 101 determines, through the option control unit 600, whether the connection of the optional device 500 has been detected. If the removal of the optional device 500 is detected, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1009 to S1011. If the connection of the optional device 500 is detected, the calculation unit 101 proceeds from S1009 to S1010.

[0079] In S1010, the calculation unit 101 obtains device information of the optional device 500 through the option control unit 600. The option control unit 600 may also obtain the device ID and device category information by communicating with the optional device 500.

[0080] In S1011, the calculation unit 101 obtains the current time from the timer 118. This time is the time when the connection status of the optional device 500 changed or when a trigger was detected.

[0081] In S1012, the calculation unit 101 obtains a power consumption value corresponding to the current power supply state from the memory 104 and calculates the amount of power consumed during the period from the previous time to the current time. The calculation unit 101 refers to the first table 641 and the second table 642 according to the current power supply state and obtains a power consumption value corresponding to the current power supply state. For example, the calculation unit 101 enumerates the optional equipment 500 connected to the image forming apparatus 10 and obtains the power consumption value for each of the enumerated optional equipment 500. This provides an amount of power consumption that takes into account the power supply state of the image forming apparatus 10 and the power supply state of the optional equipment 500. In other words, even if the optional equipment 500 is connected to the image forming apparatus 10, the power supply state to the optional equipment 500 changes according to the power supply state. In other words, the power consumption value of the optional equipment 500 changes according to the power supply state. Because the power consumption value of the optional equipment 500 according to the power supply state is taken into consideration, the amount of power consumed by the image forming apparatus 10 can be calculated more accurately.

[0082] In S1013, the calculation unit 101 adds the amount of power consumed during the period from the previous time to the current time to the cumulative power consumption. Since it is necessary to calculate the cumulative power consumption, the power consumption for a specific period is added to the cumulative power consumption up to that point. The cumulative power consumption is stored in the non-volatile memory 104. The cumulative power consumption may also be stored in the volatile memory 103. In this case, the cumulative power consumption may be written from memory 103 to memory 104 when transitioning to the second power-saving state and when transitioning to power off. In other words, writing to memory 104 may be performed as part of the suspend process or shutdown process.

[0083] In S1014, the calculation unit 101 transitions to a power state corresponding to the trigger.

[0084] According to Example 1, the power consumption WA of the image forming apparatus 10 is calculated based on the power consumption of the controller module 100 and the power consumption of the optional equipment 500. This allows for accurate calculation of the total power consumption WA of the image forming apparatus 10. In particular, even if the optional equipment 500 is connected to the image forming apparatus 10, if power is not supplied to the optional equipment 500, the power consumption of the optional equipment 500 is not added to the power consumption WA. In other words, the calculation unit 101 adds the power consumption value of the internal load (e.g., controller module 100, etc.) and the power consumption value of the external load (e.g., optional equipment 500) according to the power supply status of the external load (e.g., optional equipment 500). Furthermore, even if the connection status of the optional equipment 500 is dynamically changed, the power consumption can be calculated with accuracy.

[0085] Memory 104 and the second table 642 function as storage means for storing power consumption values ​​of external loads corresponding to each of multiple power supply states (e.g., on / off). The monitoring unit 601 monitors the power supply state to external loads connected to connection means (e.g., I / F 109, 110). The calculation unit 101 may acquire the power consumption values ​​of external loads stored in the storage means according to the power supply state of the external loads acquired by the monitoring unit 601.

[0086] As shown in Figures 3, 4, 7, and 8, the image forming apparatus 10 may have multiple power supply states. The monitoring unit 601 may obtain the power supply status of the external load from the second table 642 according to the power supply state applied to the image forming apparatus 10 among the multiple power supply states.

[0087] The calculation unit 101 may calculate the amount of power consumption by integrating the sum of the power consumption values ​​of the internal load and the external load in the time axis direction. This is equivalent to calculating the power consumption of the internal load and the external load individually and then integrating them.

[0088] As Figures 10 and 11 suggest, the calculation unit 101 may accumulate the power consumption for each period during which a particular power state persists. This simplifies the accumulation of power consumption.

[0089] As Figure 2 suggests, the calculation unit 101 may accumulate the power consumption at predetermined statistical periods. Users may want to know the power consumption at predetermined statistical periods. Therefore, the accumulation period and the statistical period may be different.

[0090] As suggested by Figure 5, the calculation unit 101 may obtain individual power consumption values ​​for multiple functional modules and sum the obtained individual power consumption values ​​to determine the power consumption value of the internal load. Alternatively, the power consumption of multiple functional modules may be calculated individually and the obtained individual power consumption values ​​may be summed up. This would allow the power consumption to be determined by applying an appropriate calculation method for each functional module.

[0091] As shown in Figure 1, the power supply 190 is a power supply device that supplies power to the internal and external loads. The arithmetic unit 101 and the power supply circuit 191 may also function as supply control means that control the supply of power to the external loads via connection means. This makes it possible to control the power to each external load. As a result, the overall power saving effect of the image forming apparatus 10 will be improved.

[0092] The substrate 100a may have a power supply circuit 191 that functions as a supply control means and a calculation unit 101 that functions as a calculation means mounted on it. In other words, the substrate on which the power supply circuit 191 is mounted and the substrate on which the calculation unit 101 is mounted may be the same substrate. This will reduce the number of substrates required to form the image forming apparatus 10.

[0093] As indicated in the second table 642, the power supply circuit 191 may switch the power supply state to the external load in response to state transitions occurring between multiple power supply states. This is because the power supply state is associated with the power supply state to the optional equipment 500.

[0094] As shown in Figure 8, memory 104 and the second table 642 function as storage means for storing the power consumption value of the external load for each of multiple power states. The arithmetic unit 101 may obtain the power consumption value associated with the current power state from the second table 642. In other words, the arithmetic unit 101 may obtain the power consumption value from the second table 642 without specifying the power supply state of the external load. This is because, since the power state is associated with the power supply state, the power state itself may be recognized as the power supply state.

[0095] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the multiple power states may include JOB, STANDBY, SLEEP I, and SLEEP II. JOB is the power state in which the image forming apparatus 10 is executing a job. STANDBY is the power state in which the image forming apparatus 10 is waiting for job input. SLEEP I and II are power states in which the image forming apparatus is in sleep mode. The power consumption value in SLEEP II is less than that of SLEEP I. The power consumption value in SLEEP I is less than that of STANDBY. The power consumption value in STANDBY is less than that of JOB.

[0096] As shown in Figure 8, the power consumption of the external load in SLEEP II is less than the power consumption of the external load in SLEEP I.

[0097] As shown in Figure 7, the JOB may include a first substate in which image formation is performed, a second substate in which document scanning is performed, and a third substate in which both document scanning and image formation on the image scanned from the document are performed. The power consumption values ​​of the first substate, the second substate, and the third substate may be different. Alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 7, the power consumption values ​​of the first substate and the second substate may be equal. Thus, the power consumption values ​​of the first substate and the third substate may be different. The power consumption values ​​of the second substate and the third substate may be different.

[0098] Interfaces 109 and 110 may have connectors conforming to a specified standard. Optional equipment 500 is an example of peripheral equipment conforming to a specified standard. The standard may be, for example, the Universal Serial Bus standard.

[0099] As shown in Figure 8, the second table 642 may store the power consumption values ​​of an external load compliant with the first version of the standard (e.g., USB 2.0) and the power consumption values ​​of an external load compliant with the second version of the standard (e.g., USB 3.0). When an external load is connected to the first connector, the calculation unit 101 may obtain the power consumption value of the external load compliant with the first version of the standard from the second table 642. When an external load is connected to the second connector, the calculation unit 101 may obtain the power consumption value of the external load compliant with the second version of the standard from the second table 642. Thus, power consumption values ​​may differ depending on the connector and interface standards. Therefore, calculating power consumption values ​​according to the standard version will allow for more accurate calculation of power consumption.

[0100] The conversion unit 160 is an example of a communication conversion circuit for the image forming apparatus to communicate with a server computer. The calculation unit 101 may acquire the power consumption value of the conversion unit 160 as an external load. As shown in Figure 8, if the power consumption value of the conversion unit 150 is large, the power consumption value of the conversion unit 150 will also contribute to the overall power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0101] As shown in Figure 2, the display device of the operation unit 120 may display the cumulative value for each predetermined statistical period of the sum of the power consumption values ​​of the internal load and the external load. This will make it easier for the user to understand the overall power consumption of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0102] Tab 201 functions as a switching mechanism to switch the position or length of a predetermined statistical period in the time axis direction. This allows the user to easily switch between statistical periods.

[0103] <Variation> In Example 1, the first table 641 and the second table 642 are stored in memory 104, but this is just one example. The first table 641 and the second table 642 may also be stored on a server computer connected to a wired LAN or wireless LAN. The arithmetic unit 101 may access the server computer through I / F 108 or I / F 111 to refer to the first table 641 and the second table 642, or to download the first table 641 and the second table 642 to memory 104.

[0104] As shown in Figure 12(A), the calculation unit 101 may obtain the power consumption value of an external load from outside the image forming apparatus 10. As described above, a server computer 1200 located on an external network may store the first table 641 and the second table 642. The server computer 1200 includes a CPU, communication circuits, and storage devices (RAM, ROM, hard disk drive, solid-state drive). The storage device of the server computer 1200 stores the first table 641 and the second table 642.

[0105] In S1201, the calculation unit 101 accesses the server computer 1200 via the control unit 107 and the I / F 108 and sends a request for power consumption values. Here, the request for the first table 641 includes information indicating the power supply status and information indicating the operating status. The request for the second table 642 includes identification information of optional equipment and the power supply status or energized status.

[0106] In S1202, the server computer 1200 receives the request and retrieves the power consumption value corresponding to the request by searching either the first table 641 or the second table 642.

[0107] In S1203, the server computer 1200 transmits the power consumption value found through the search to the image forming apparatus 10. The calculation unit 101 stores the power consumption value received from the server computer 1200 in memory 104 or memory 103 and uses it for calculating the amount of power consumption.

[0108] As shown in Figure 12(B), the calculation unit 101 may acquire at least one of the first table 641 or the second table 642 from outside the image forming apparatus 10.

[0109] In S1211, the calculation unit 101 accesses the server computer 1200 via the control unit 107 and the I / F 108 and sends a request for the first table 641 or the second table 642. Here, the requests for the first table 641 and the requests for the second table 642 may include identification information of the image forming apparatus 10. This is because the tables may differ depending on the model of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0110] In S1212, server computer 1200 receives the request and searches and extracts the corresponding information from either the first table 641 or the second table 642.

[0111] In S1213, the server computer 1200 transmits the first table 641 or the second table 642 found by the search to the image forming apparatus 10. The calculation unit 101 stores the first table 641 or the second table 642 received from the server computer 1200 in memory 104 or memory 103 and uses it to calculate the amount of power consumed.

[0112] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0113] 10...Image forming apparatus, 100...Controller module, 109~112...I / F, 101...Calculation unit

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, An internal load provided inside the image forming apparatus, A connection means to which an external load is connected, It includes a calculation means for calculating the power consumption value of the internal load, The image forming apparatus wherein the calculation means adds the power consumption value of the external load and the power consumption value of the internal load according to the power supply state of the external load connected to the connection means.

2. A storage means for storing the power consumption values ​​of the external load according to each of the multiple power supply states, The system further includes monitoring means for monitoring the power supply status to the external load connected to the connection means, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means obtains the power consumption value of the external load stored in the storage means according to the power supply state of the external load obtained by the monitoring means, and adds the obtained power consumption value of the external load to the power consumption value of the internal load.

3. The image forming apparatus has multiple power supply states, The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring means acquires the power supply state to the external load according to the power supply state applied to the image forming apparatus from among the plurality of power supply states.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means calculates the amount of power consumed by integrating the sum of the power consumption value of the internal load and the power consumption value of the external load in the time axis direction.

5. The image forming apparatus has multiple power supply states, The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the calculation means accumulates the amount of power consumed for each period during which a specific power state among the plurality of power states continues, and further accumulates the amount of power consumed for each predetermined statistical period.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means obtains individual power consumption values ​​for a plurality of functional modules that the image forming apparatus has as an internal load, and calculates the power consumption value of the internal load by summing the obtained individual power consumption values.

7. The aforementioned multiple functional modules are: A scanner module that reads the document, A controller module for controlling the image forming apparatus, A printer module that forms a toner image on a recording medium, A fuser module that fixes the aforementioned toner image onto a recording medium, The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, having the following features.

8. A power supply that supplies power to the internal load and the external load connected to the connecting means, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supply control means for controlling the supply of power to the external load via the connection means.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a substrate on which the supply control means and the calculation means are mounted.

10. The image forming apparatus has multiple power supply states, The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the supply control means switches the power supply state to the external load in accordance with the state transitions that occur between the plurality of power supply states.

11. The image forming apparatus further includes a storage means for storing the power consumption value of the external load for each of the multiple power supply states it has, The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the calculation means obtains the power consumption value of the external load corresponding to the power supply state of the image forming apparatus from the storage means.

12. The aforementioned multiple power states include a first state, a second state, and a third state. The first state is the power state in which the image forming apparatus performs a job, The second state is a power state in which the image forming apparatus is waiting for job input, The third state is a power state in which the image forming apparatus is in sleep mode. The power consumption value of the image forming apparatus in the third state is smaller than the power consumption value of the image forming apparatus in the second state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the power consumption value of the image forming apparatus in the second state is smaller than the power consumption value of the image forming apparatus in the first state.

13. The aforementioned multiple power states further include a fourth state, The fourth state is a power state in which the image forming apparatus is in sleep mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the power consumption value of the image forming apparatus in the fourth state is smaller than the power consumption value of the image forming apparatus in the third state.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the power consumption value of the external load in the fourth state is smaller than the power consumption value of the external load in the third state.

15. The first state includes a first sub-state that performs image formation, a second sub-state that performs document reading, and a third sub-state that performs both document reading and image formation on the image read from the document. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the power consumption value of the first sub-state and the power consumption value of the third sub-state are different, and the power consumption value of the second sub-state and the power consumption value of the third sub-state are different.

16. The connection means includes a connector conforming to a predetermined standard, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external load includes peripheral equipment conforming to the predetermined standard specifications.

17. The system further includes a storage means for storing the power consumption value of an external load conforming to the first version of the standard, and the power consumption value of an external load conforming to the second version of the standard. The aforementioned connecting means is A first connector conforming to the aforementioned first version standard, Includes a second connector conforming to the second version of the standard, The aforementioned calculation means is When an external load is connected to the first connector, the power consumption value of the external load conforming to the first version of the standard is obtained from the storage means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an external load is connected to the second connector, the power consumption value of the external load conforming to the second version of the standard is obtained from the storage means.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the aforementioned standard is a universal serial bus standard.

19. The aforementioned connection means is connected to a communication conversion circuit for the image forming apparatus to communicate with a server computer. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means acquires the power consumption value of the communication conversion circuit as the external load.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display means for displaying the cumulative value for each predetermined statistical period of the sum of the power consumption value of the internal load and the power consumption value of the external load.

21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a switching means for switching the position of the predetermined statistical period in the time axis direction or the length of the predetermined statistical period.

22. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means acquires the power consumption value of the external load from outside the image forming apparatus.

Images