Image Forming Apparatus Sleep Mode Wake-Up Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses wake up from sleep mode unnecessarily due to inability to determine if incoming jobs are prohibited from execution, leading to unnecessary power consumption and resource usage.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus with a generation unit that creates prohibition conditions for preventing wake-up from the sleep mode based on received data, and a power control unit that only returns to the standby state if the data matches specified conditions, thereby reducing unnecessary wake-ups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the image forming apparatus returns from sleep mode to standby state upon receiving any data in sleep mode, then the apparatus can respond to all incoming jobs, but unnecessary wake-ups occur when prohibited jobs are received, increasing power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by notifying the NIC of prohibition conditions before entering sleep mode. This allows the NIC to filter incoming jobs and determine whether to trigger a wake-up event, preventing unnecessary wake-ups for prohibited jobs while ensuring reliable wake-up for permitted jobs.
Solution Approach 2:
The NIC acts as an intermediary between the external network and the image forming apparatus body. It receives and evaluates incoming jobs against prohibition conditions, making a preliminary determination about whether the apparatus should wake up, thus mediating between unconditional wake-up and complete sleep.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the NIC determines job executability in sleep mode, then unnecessary wake-ups are reduced, but the NIC must have sufficient processing capability, increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the wake-up decision-making process into two parts: the NIC handles preliminary filtering based on prohibition conditions (simple rule-based evaluation), while the full job execution decision remains with the image forming apparatus body. This segmentation allows the NIC to be relatively simple while still providing intelligent wake-up control.
Solution Approach 2:
The prohibition conditions are defined using specific parameters (job attributes, user settings, time-based rules) that the NIC can evaluate. By changing the parameters to be evaluated to those that are simple to check (e.g., job type, source address, time of day), the NIC's processing burden is reduced while maintaining effective filtering.
3Use of energy by moving object
If power is supplied only to the NIC in sleep mode, then power consumption is minimized, but the apparatus cannot execute image forming processing, limiting functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts power supply based on the nature of incoming jobs. When a permitted job is detected by the NIC, power is supplied to wake up the apparatus for execution. When prohibited jobs are detected, the apparatus remains in low-power mode. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain minimal functionality in sleep mode while being able to execute full image forming processing when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
The information processing apparatus generates and notifies, in the first power state, a prohibition condition for prohibiting the information processing apparatus from returning to the first power state even if an interface unit has received data from an external apparatus in the second power state and the received data matches a return condition for causing the information processing apparatus to return from the second power state to the first power state. When data is received from the external apparatus in the second power state, if the received data matches the prohibition condition, the interface unit does not transmit a return command to the power control unit, and if the received data does not match the prohibition condition, the interface unit transmits the return command to the power control unit.