JP5455882B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to an energy saving state that consumes less energy than a normal state.

  Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus that can shift to an energy saving state that consumes less energy than the normal state, an operation corresponding to a prediction condition such as opening a print preview screen in an information terminal that requests printing to the image forming apparatus saves energy. There is known an image forming apparatus that performs a pre-return operation to a normal state such as lighting of a fixing heater when it is performed during the state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The conventional image forming apparatus can return to the normal state and start printing in a short time when a print request is actually received from the information terminal by performing the advance return operation.

JP 2008-70653 A

  Here, even if the user performs an operation corresponding to the prediction condition in the information terminal during the energy saving state, there are not a few cases where the print request is not immediately sent from the information terminal to the image forming apparatus due to various circumstances. .

  However, the conventional image forming apparatus has a problem that energy saving may not be achieved as a result of the advance return operation that is always performed when the operation corresponding to the prediction condition is performed during the energy saving state.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus that can improve energy-saving performance as compared with the related art.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus having at least two states of a normal state and an energy saving state in which energy consumption is less than that in the normal state, the state changing unit changing the state, and the state A judgment value storage means for storing a judgment value, which is a value for judging a change of the judgment value, a judgment value changing means for changing the judgment value stored in the judgment value storage means, and a judgment value storage means. A state change determination unit that determines whether or not the state change unit changes the state based on the determined determination value, and the determination value change unit sends a print request to the image forming apparatus. The determination value is changed by adding a change amount according to the status of the information terminal that performs the determination to the determination value.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can determine a change in state more complicatedly than in the past in accordance with the situation of the information terminal.

  The determination value changing unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may change the change amount according to the type of the situation.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the influence on the change of the state depending on the type of the situation of the information terminal, so that the energy saving performance can be improved.

  The determination value changing unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may change the change amount according to a time zone.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the influence on the change of the state depending on the time zone, and thus can improve the energy saving performance.

  Further, the situation of the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes the number of the information terminals being activated, and the judgment value changing unit changes the change amount according to the number of the information terminals being activated. May be.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the influence on the change in state depending on the number of activated information terminals, and thus can improve the energy saving performance.

  Further, the situation of the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a user of the information terminal that is being activated, and the determination value changing means sets the amount of change according to the user of the information terminal that is being activated. It may be changed.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can improve the energy saving performance because the user of the activated information terminal can place a light weight on the influence on the state change.

  Further, the situation of the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a print-related operation that is a print-related operation by the information terminal and an elapsed time after the print-related operation is not performed by the information terminal. The change amount according to the printing-related operation is one of a positive number and a negative number, and the change amount according to the elapsed time may be the other of a positive number and a negative number. .

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can automatically return the state changed according to the printing-related operation by the information terminal according to the elapsed time after the information-related operation is not performed by the information terminal. Because it can, energy saving performance can be improved.

  In addition, the determination value changing unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may change the change amount according to the elapsed time.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can reduce the influence on the change of the state by the elapsed time after the printing-related operation is not performed by the information terminal, so that the energy saving performance can be improved. it can.

  The image forming system according to the present invention includes an image forming apparatus having at least two states of a normal state and an energy saving state in which energy consumption is lower than that of the normal state, and an information terminal that issues a print request to the image forming apparatus. An image forming system comprising: a state change unit that changes the state; a determination value storage unit that stores a determination value that is a value for determining the change of the state; and the determination value storage unit A determination value changing means for changing the determination value stored in the state, and a state for determining whether or not the state changing means is to change the state based on the determination value stored in the determination value storage means Change judgment means, wherein the judgment value change means changes the judgment value by adding a change amount according to the status of the information terminal to the judgment value.

  With this configuration, the image forming system of the present invention can determine a change in state in a more complicated manner than the prior art according to the situation of the information terminal, so that the energy saving performance can be improved as compared with the prior art.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an energy saving program comprising: an image forming apparatus having at least two states of a normal state and an energy saving state that consumes less energy than the normal state; a state changing unit that changes the state; A judgment value storage means for storing a judgment value, which is a value for the judgment, a judgment value changing means for changing the judgment value stored in the judgment value storage means, and a judgment value storage means. An energy-saving program for causing the state change unit to function as a state change determination unit that determines whether or not to change the state based on the determination value, wherein the determination value change unit causes the image forming apparatus to The judgment value is changed by adding to the judgment value a change amount according to the status of the information terminal that requests printing.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus that executes the energy saving program of the present invention can determine the change in state more complicatedly than before according to the situation of the information terminal, and thus can improve the energy saving performance than before.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention can improve the energy saving performance as compared with the prior art.

1 is a block diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the MFP shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device illustrated in FIG. 2 and illustrating a relationship between the number of activated PCs and a determination value change amount. FIG. 3 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device shown in FIG. 2 and showing a relationship between a user of a running PC and a change amount of a judgment value. FIG. 3 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device shown in FIG. 2 and showing a relationship between a type of printing-related operation by a PC and a change amount of a determination value. FIG. 3 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device illustrated in FIG. 2, illustrating a relationship between an elapsed time after a printing-related operation is not performed by a PC and a change amount of a determination value. It is a block diagram of PC shown in FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the operation of the MFP shown in FIG. 1 when changing the value of a judgment value counter. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the MFP shown in FIG. 1 when changing a state.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image forming system 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 10 includes an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 20 as an image forming apparatus of the present invention and a plurality of PCs including a PC (Personal Computer) 70 as an information terminal of the present invention. ing. The MFP 20 and the plurality of PCs are communicably connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The MFP 20 has three states, a normal state in which printing is possible, a light sleep state that is an energy saving state that consumes less energy than the normal state, and a deep sleep state that is an energy saving state that consumes less energy than the normal state and the light sleep state. Have a state. In the light sleep state, the return to the normal state is faster than the deep sleep state.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the MFP 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the MFP 20 is connected to the main controller 30 that cannot perform image processing in the energy saving state by performing image processing in the normal state, the energy saving controller 40 that controls the MFP 20 in the energy saving state, and the main controller 30. A printer 51 that performs printing on a recording medium such as paper, a scanner 52 that is connected to the main controller 30 and reads a document to generate image data, and an energy-saving controller 40. An operation unit 61 for inputting various operations by a user, a display 62 connected to the energy saving controller 40 for displaying various information, and a built-in battery connected to the energy saving controller 40 when the MFP 20 is powered off. RTC for measuring time (Rea Time Clock (63), a network communication unit 64 connected to the energy saving controller 40 and performing network communication with an external device such as a PC via the network, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) connected to the energy saving controller 40 ) And a non-volatile storage device 65 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

  The main controller 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and various data in advance, and a RAM that is a rewritable volatile storage device used as a work area of the CPU. (Random Access Memory). The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit that operates the control unit by executing a program stored in the ROM. The RAM temporarily stores programs and various data when the programs are executed by the CPU. The main controller 30 is not completely turned off when in the light sleep state, but is completely turned off when in the deep sleep state.

  The energy saving controller 40 includes a CPU, a ROM that stores in advance a program including the energy saving program of the present invention and various data, and a RAM that is a rewritable volatile storage device used as a work area of the CPU. ing. The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit that operates the control unit by executing a program stored in the ROM. The RAM temporarily stores programs and various data when the programs are executed by the CPU. The energy saving controller 40 is a value for determining a change in the state of the MFP 20, a state managing unit 41 that manages the state of the MFP 20, a state predicting unit 42 that predicts the state of the MFP 20 by executing the energy saving program. It functions as a judgment value counter 43 as judgment value storage means of the present invention for storing judgment values.

  The state management unit 41 is configured to change the state of the MFP 20 and constitutes a state changing unit of the present invention.

  The state prediction unit 42 changes the judgment value stored in the judgment value counter 43, and constitutes the judgment value changing means of the present invention. Further, the state prediction unit 42 determines whether or not the state management unit 41 should change the state of the MFP 20 based on the determination value stored in the determination value counter 43, and the state of the present invention. It constitutes a change judging means.

  The judgment value counter 43 is an integer counter having a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 100.

  The printer 51 is a printing device that prints various data such as image data generated by the scanner 52 and print data received from an external apparatus via the network communication unit 64.

  The operation unit 61 is an input device such as a button that forms a touch panel together with the display 62.

  The display 62 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

  For example, the network communication unit 64 transmits image data generated by the scanner 52 to an external device, and receives print data to be printed by the printer 51 from the external device.

  FIG. 3 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device 65 and showing a relationship between the number of activated PCs and the amount of change in the judgment value. FIG. 4 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device 65 and showing a relationship between a user of a running PC and a change amount of the determination value. FIG. 5 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device 65 and showing a relationship between the type of printing-related operation by the PC and the change amount of the judgment value. FIG. 6 is a table stored in the non-volatile storage device 65, and is a table showing the relationship between the elapsed time after the printing-related operation is no longer performed by the PC and the change amount of the judgment value. .

  The non-volatile storage device 65 stores, for example, the tables shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 used by the state prediction unit 42.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the PC 70.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the PC 70 includes a controller 80, an operation unit 91 connected to the controller 80 and input with various operations by a user, and a display connected to the controller 80 and displaying various information. 92 and a network communication unit 93 that is connected to the controller 80 and performs network communication with an external device such as the MFP 20 via the network.

  The controller 80 includes a CPU, a ROM that stores programs and various data in advance, and a RAM that is a rewritable volatile storage device used as a work area of the CPU. The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit that operates the control unit by executing a program stored in the ROM. The RAM temporarily stores programs and various data when the programs are executed by the CPU. The controller 80 functions as a print-related operation determination unit 81 that determines whether or not a print-related operation has been executed by executing a driver or utility for the MFP 20 as a program.

  Note that the configuration of the PCs other than the PC 70 among the plurality of PCs of the image forming system 10 is the same as the configuration of the PC 70, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the image forming system 10 will be described.

  The state prediction unit 42 of the MFP 20 periodically searches for a PC on which the driver or utility for the MFP 20 is installed via the network communication unit 64. Therefore, the state prediction unit 42 can acquire the number of activated PCs and the users of activated PCs as the PC status.

  Each time the print-related operation determination unit 81 of the PC 70 determines that the print-related operation has been executed in the PC 70, it transmits the type of the print-related operation that has been executed to the MFP 20 via the network communication unit 93. The PC 70 has been described, but the same applies to PCs other than the PC 70 among the plurality of PCs of the image forming system 10. Therefore, the state prediction unit 42 of the MFP 20 can acquire a printing-related operation by the PC as the PC status. Further, since the state predicting unit 42 can acquire the printing-related operation by the PC, the printing-related operation is performed by the PC as the PC status based on the acquired printing-related operation and the time acquired from the RTC 63. It is possible to obtain the elapsed time since it was lost.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the operation of the MFP 20 when the value of the judgment value counter 43 is changed.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the state prediction unit 42 of the MFP 20 determines whether or not the PC status has changed until it is determined that the PC status has changed (S <b> 101).

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S101 that the PC status has changed, the state prediction unit 42 changes the value of the determination value counter 43 (S102).

  For example, if the state prediction unit 42 determines in S101 that the number of activated PCs has changed, the value of the determination value counter 43 is changed in S102 based on the table shown in FIG. Specifically, when the number of activated PCs increases from 0 to 1, the amount of change in the judgment value when the number of activated PCs is 0 is 0, and the number of activated PCs is Since the amount of change in the judgment value for one unit is +10, the state prediction unit 42 increases the value of the judgment value counter 43 by 10 as the difference. On the other hand, when the number of active PCs is reduced from 11 to 5, the change amount of the judgment value when the number of active PCs is 11 is +20, and the number of active PCs is 5 Since the change amount of the judgment value at that time is +10, the state prediction unit 42 decreases the value of the judgment value counter 43 by 10 as the difference.

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S101 that there has been a change in the user of the activated PC, the state prediction unit 42 changes the value of the determination value counter 43 in S102 based on the table shown in FIG. Specifically, when the number of users with normal printing frequency increases by one as the user of the active PC, the change amount of the judgment value for the user with normal printing frequency is +2, so the state prediction unit 42 Increases the value of the judgment value counter 43 by two. On the other hand, if the number of users with high printing frequency is reduced by one as a user of the active PC, the change amount of the judgment value for the user with high printing frequency is +4. Decrease the value of 43 by 4. Note that the printing frequency is registered in advance in the nonvolatile storage device 65 for each user.

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S101 that there has been a change in the printing-related operation of the activated PC, the state prediction unit 42 changes the value of the determination value counter 43 in S102 based on the table shown in FIG. Specifically, when the print preview is displayed as a print-related operation of the activated PC, the change amount of the determination value with respect to the print preview display is +20. Increase the value by 20. Further, when the paper size is changed by the print driver as a printing-related operation of the activated PC, the change amount of the determination value with respect to the change of the paper size by the print driver is +15. The value of the value counter 43 is increased by 15.

  Further, when the state prediction unit 42 determines in S101 that the elapsed time since the printing-related operation is not performed by the activated PC has changed, the value of the determination value counter 43 is determined based on the table shown in FIG. Change in S102. Specifically, when the current time is AM 8:00 and the elapsed time after the printing-related operation is not performed by the activated PC reaches the fifth minute, the current time is AM 8:00, Since the change amount of the judgment value when the elapsed time after the printing-related operation is not performed by the activated PC reaches the fifth minute is −2, the state prediction unit 42 determines the value of the judgment value counter 43. Is decreased by 2. Also, when the current time is AM8: 05 and the elapsed time since the printing-related operation is not performed by the activated PC reaches the tenth minute, the current time is AM8: 05 and the activation is in progress. Since the change amount of the judgment value when the elapsed time after the printing-related operation is not performed by the PC reaches the tenth minute is -8, the state prediction unit 42 decreases the value of the judgment value counter 43 by 8. Let

  In S102, when the value of the judgment value counter 43 reaches 0, which is the lower limit, the state prediction unit 42 does not lower the value of the judgment value counter 43 any more, and the value of the judgment value counter 43 is the upper limit 100. When the value reaches, the determination value counter 43 is not increased any further.

  When executing the process of S102, the state prediction unit 42 executes the process of S101 again.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the operation of the MFP 20 when changing the state.

  The state prediction unit 42 of the MFP 20 also executes the process shown in FIG. 9 in parallel with the process shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the state prediction unit 42 determines whether or not the value of the determination value counter 43 has changed until it is determined that the value of the determination value counter 43 has changed (S <b> 111).

  When the state prediction unit 42 determines in S111 that the value of the determination value counter 43 has changed, it determines whether or not the value of the determination value counter 43 is 0 to 10 (S112).

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S112 that the value of the determination value counter 43 is 0 to 10, it determines whether or not the current state of the MFP 20 is a deep sleep state (S113).

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S113 that the current state of the MFP 20 is not the deep sleep state, the state management unit 41 causes the state management unit 41 to shift the state of the MFP 20 to the deep sleep state (S114) and returns to the process of S111 again. On the other hand, when determining in S113 that the current state of the MFP 20 is the deep sleep state, the state predicting unit 42 returns to the process of S111 again without executing the process of S114.

  If the state predicting unit 42 determines in S112 that the value of the determination value counter 43 is not 0 to 10, it determines whether or not the value of the determination value counter 43 is 11 to 80 (S115).

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S115 that the value of the determination value counter 43 is 11 to 80, it determines whether or not the current state of the MFP 20 is a light sleep state (S116).

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S116 that the current state of the MFP 20 is not the light sleep state, the state management unit 41 causes the state management unit 41 to shift the state of the MFP 20 to the light sleep state (S117), and returns to the process of S111 again. On the other hand, when determining in S116 that the current state of the MFP 20 is the light sleep state, the state predicting unit 42 returns to the process of S111 again without executing the process of S117.

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S115 that the value of the determination value counter 43 is not 11 to 80, the state prediction unit 42 determines whether or not the current state of the MFP 20 is a normal state (S118).

  If the state prediction unit 42 determines in S118 that the current state of the MFP 20 is not the normal state, the state prediction unit 42 causes the state management unit 41 to shift the state of the MFP 20 to the normal state (S119), and returns to the process of S111 again. On the other hand, when determining in S118 that the current state of the MFP 20 is the normal state, the state prediction unit 42 returns to the process of S111 again without executing the process of S119.

  As described above, the MFP 20 changes the value of the judgment value counter 43 by adding to the judgment value counter 43 a change amount corresponding to the status of the PC that requests the MFP 20 to make a print request. According to the situation, it is possible to determine a change in state more complicated than before. Therefore, the MFP 20 can improve the energy saving performance compared to the conventional one.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the MFP 20 changes the amount of change in the value of the judgment value counter 43 in accordance with the type of PC status, so that the change in state is affected by the type of PC status. Light weight can be attached. Therefore, the MFP 20 can improve the energy saving performance.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 20 changes the amount of change in the value of the judgment value counter 43 in accordance with the number of activated PCs. Therefore, the MFP 20 changes the state depending on the number of activated PCs. The impact can be lightened.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the MFP 20 changes the amount of change in the value of the judgment value counter 43 according to the user of the activated PC, so that the change in the state is influenced by the activated PC user. Can be lightly weighted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the MFP 20 changes the amount of change in the value of the judgment value counter 43 in accordance with the type of printing-related operation of the activated PC. Therefore, depending on the type of printing-related operation of the activated PC. The impact on the change of state can be put lightly.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the MFP 20 changes the amount of change in the value of the judgment value counter 43 in accordance with the elapsed time since the printing-related operation is not performed by the PC, so that the printing-related operation is performed by the PC. The influence on the change of the state can be attached lightly according to the elapsed time since it was lost.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the MFP 20 changes the amount of change in the value of the judgment value counter 43 according to the PC status according to the time zone, so the judgment is made at a time zone when the MFP 20 is likely to be frequently used. The amount of decrease in the value counter 43 is decreased, and the amount of decrease in the value of the judgment value counter 43 is increased during a time period when the MFP 20 is unlikely to be frequently used. Can be lightly weighted.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the MFP 20 has a positive change amount corresponding to the printing-related operation by the PC, and the elapsed time after the printing-related operation is not performed by the PC, as shown in FIG. Since the change amount corresponding to the print number is a negative number, the state changed according to the print related operation by the PC can be automatically returned according to the elapsed time after the print related operation is not performed by the PC. . Therefore, the MFP 20 can improve the energy saving performance.

  Note that the MFP 20 may stop the processing illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 in accordance with an instruction from the user. When the MFP 20 is configured as such, the user can use the MFP 20 in the normal state or when the user does not want to increase the network load due to frequent communication between the MFP 20 and the PC. The processing shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be stopped.

  Further, the MFP 20 may change the value of the judgment value counter 43 in accordance with the situation of the PC other than the various situations described above.

  Further, the MFP 20 is used for the minimum and maximum values of the determination value counter 43, the printing frequency registered for each user, the setting values in the tables shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, and the determination in S112 and S115. Various setting values such as the value of the judgment value counter can be set by the user via the operation unit 61, for example.

  Further, the image forming system 10 may have a configuration other than the configuration described above. For example, the image forming system 10 has a configuration corresponding to at least one of the state predicting unit 42, the judgment value counter 43, and the nonvolatile storage device 65, by a computer outside the MFP 20 such as one PC of a plurality of PCs. You may come to prepare.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an MFP in the present embodiment, but may be an image forming apparatus other than the MFP, such as a copier or a printer.

  The information terminal of the present invention is a PC in this embodiment, but may be an information terminal other than a PC.

10 image forming system 20 MFP (image forming apparatus)
41 State management unit (state changing means)
42 State prediction unit (judgment value changing means, state change judging means)
43 judgment value counter (judgment value storage means)
70 PC (information terminal)

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus having at least two states: a normal state and an energy-saving state that consumes less energy than the normal state,
State changing means for changing the state, judgment value storage means for storing a judgment value which is a value for judgment of the state change, and judgment for changing the judgment value stored in the judgment value storage means A value change unit, and a state change determination unit that determines whether or not the state change unit changes the state based on the determination value stored in the determination value storage unit,
The judgment value changing means changes the judgment value by adding an amount of change according to a situation of an information terminal that requests printing to the image forming apparatus to the judgment value .
The situation includes a printing-related operation that is a printing-related operation by the information terminal, and an elapsed time after the information-related operation is no longer performed by the information terminal,
The amount of change according to the printing-related operation is one of a positive number and a negative number,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the change amount according to the elapsed time is the other of a positive number and a negative number .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination value changing unit changes the change amount according to the type of the situation.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination value changing unit changes the change amount according to a time zone. The situation includes the number of information terminals that are active,
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination value changing unit changes the change amount according to the number of the information terminals that are activated. The situation includes a user of the information terminal being activated,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination value changing unit changes the change amount according to a user of the information terminal that is being activated.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination value changing unit changes the change amount according to the elapsed time.   An image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus having at least two states of a normal state and an energy saving state in which energy consumption is less than that of the normal state; and an information terminal that requests printing to the image forming apparatus. And
  State changing means for changing the state, judgment value storage means for storing a judgment value which is a value for judgment of the state change, and judgment for changing the judgment value stored in the judgment value storage means A value change unit, and a state change determination unit that determines whether or not the state change unit changes the state based on the determination value stored in the determination value storage unit,
  The decision value changing means changes the decision value by adding a change amount according to the status of the information terminal to the decision value,
  The situation includes a printing-related operation that is a printing-related operation by the information terminal, and an elapsed time after the information-related operation is no longer performed by the information terminal,
  The amount of change according to the printing-related operation is one of a positive number and a negative number,
  The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the change amount according to the elapsed time is the other of a positive number and a negative number.   An image forming apparatus having at least two states of a normal state and an energy saving state that consumes less energy than the normal state,
  State change means for changing the state, judgment value storage means for storing a judgment value which is a value for judgment of the state change, and judgment value change for changing the judgment value stored in the judgment value storage means And an energy-saving program for causing the state change unit to function as a state change determination unit for determining whether to change the state based on the determination value stored in the determination value storage unit ,
  The judgment value changing means changes the judgment value by adding an amount of change according to a situation of an information terminal that requests printing to the image forming apparatus to the judgment value.
  The situation includes a printing-related operation that is a printing-related operation by the information terminal, and an elapsed time after the information-related operation is no longer performed by the information terminal,
  The amount of change according to the printing-related operation is one of a positive number and a negative number,
  The amount of change according to the elapsed time is the other of a positive number and a negative number.

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