JP6136405B2 - Device management apparatus, device management system, device management method, and device management program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device management apparatus, a device management system, a device management method, and a device management program.

  In recent years, demand for technologies related to reduction of power consumption and cost reduction in the office environment has been increasing against the background of consideration of the global environment and unstable power supply due to natural disasters. .

  For example, Patent Literature 1 compares device information acquired from an electronic device including an image processing apparatus and the like with cost information related to a substitute device that is stored in advance, and based on the comparison result, the cost associated with device use is replaced. A technique for identifying a proposed device to be reduced is disclosed. With this technology, an alternative device (alternative plan) that realizes cost reduction is proposed to the user.

  However, in the above technique, the user of the device needs to replace the device in order to achieve a reduction in power consumption and the like. That is, there is a problem that an economic burden is imposed on the user of the device even though it is temporary.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to reduce the power consumption even with the current device configuration.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the device management apparatus uses the first transition information indicating the transition of the power consumption over time by a plurality of devices having a plurality of power states with different power consumption. based on, a specifying unit for specifying a period in which the power consumption amount exceeds the threshold value, a first storage unit for storing the execution time of the job for each of the devices, the power with the elapse of time for each of the devices With reference to the second storage unit that stores the second transition information indicating the transition of the state, for each of the devices, the power consumption is reduced by one or more stages in each power state during the period. A selection unit that calculates a power consumption reduced by changing to a state, and selects a device with a relatively small execution amount of the job so that a total sum of the power consumption is equal to or greater than a predetermined value ; Contact to the period of the selected device The that power state, and wherein the amount of power consumption than the power state indicated by the second transition information has a generator for generating a task information for controlling the one stage or multiple stages low power state To do.

  Even with the current device configuration, the power consumption can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows the network structural example of the apparatus management system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the apparatus management apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the apparatus and apparatus management apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the process sequence of the production | generation process of the report of the reduction example of power consumption. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an eco log memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a conversion information storage part. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an apparatus information storage part. It is a figure which shows the transition information of the power consumption in one user environment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a job log memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a report screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a task setting screen. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the process sequence of a task execution process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a device management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the device management system 1 includes a plurality of customer environments E such as customer environments Ea to Ed, and a remote management device 20.

  Each customer environment E is a system environment at the customer for the user of the device 40, that is, the manufacturer of the device 40, and includes the device management apparatus 10 and one or more devices 40. In the present embodiment, for convenience, it is assumed that each customer environment E is a system environment in a different company. However, the organization to which the customer environment E corresponds is not limited to a company unit. A department or a department in one company may be associated with the customer environment E.

  Each customer environment E includes one or more devices 40, a device management apparatus 10, and the like. The device 40 is, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral or a printer, a projector (image projection apparatus), a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. The device management apparatus 10 is a computer that receives various log data from each device 40 belonging to the same customer environment E, uploads the received log data to the remote management device 20, and the like. That is, the device management apparatus 10 is connected to each device 40 belonging to the same customer environment E via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network). The device management apparatus 10 is connected to the remote management apparatus 20 via a network such as a WAN (Wide Area Network).

  In FIG. 1, in the customer environment Ea, a client terminal 50 is connected to the device management apparatus 10a via a network such as a LAN. The client terminal 50 is a terminal that requests the device management apparatus 10a to execute processing for reducing power consumption by the device 40 in the customer environment Ea. Examples of the client terminal 50 include a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a mobile phone, and the like.

  On the other hand, the remote management device 20 is operated by, for example, an organization in charge of maintenance of the device 40 (for example, a manufacturer of the device 40).

  The remote management device 20 is a computer that receives log data and the like uploaded from the device management device 10 or the device 40 in a plurality of customer environments E and manages them in a centralized manner. The remote management device 20 may not be unique. For example, the remote management device 20 may be installed for each country or region. In this case, each remote management device 20 may be in charge of processing related to the customer environment E belonging to the country or region where the remote management device 20 is installed.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the device management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2 includes a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, a CPU 104, an interface device 105, and the like, which are mutually connected by a bus B.

  A program for realizing processing in the device management apparatus 10 is provided by a recording medium 101 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 101 storing the program is set in the drive device 100, the program is installed from the recording medium 101 to the auxiliary storage device 102 via the drive device 100. However, the program need not be installed from the recording medium 101 and may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 102 stores the installed program and also stores necessary files and data.

  The memory device 103 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 102 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 104 executes functions related to the device management apparatus 10 in accordance with a program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 is used as an interface for connecting to a network.

  The device management apparatus 10 may be configured by a plurality of computers. Each of the client terminal 50 and the remote management device 20 may have the same hardware configuration as that in FIG. However, the client terminal 50 preferably includes an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display. Alternatively, the client terminal 50 may include an electronic component in which the input device and the display device are integrated, such as a touch panel.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the device and the device management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3, the device 40 includes a job management unit 41, a power state management unit 42, a log generation unit 43, a log transmission unit 44, a power setting reception unit 45, and the like.

  Job management manages the execution of jobs (processes) in the device 40. The power state management unit 42 manages the transition of the power state of the device 40 and the like. That is, the device 40 has a plurality of power states with different power consumption. The power state management unit 42 transitions the power state of the device 40 when, for example, a no-operation state (a state in which no operation or the like is performed) passes for a certain period of time, an operation is performed, or data is received. Let The log generation unit 43 generates log data according to job execution (hereinafter referred to as “job log data”), log data according to power state transition (hereinafter referred to as “eco log data”), and the like. The job log data indicates job execution time, job contents, and the like. The eco-log data indicates the power state transition time, the power state identification information after the transition, and the like. The log generation unit 43 also generates device information that is periodically uploaded to the device management apparatus 10. The device information is information including attribute information of the device 40, status information of the device 40, setting information for the device 40, and the like. In the present embodiment, device information is an example of log data. The log transmission unit 44 transmits (uploads) the log data generated by the log generation unit 43 to the device management apparatus 10. The power setting receiving unit 45 receives a power state setting instruction from the device management apparatus 10. The power state setting instruction refers to a transition instruction to the power state specified in the setting instruction. The power state management unit 42 changes the power state of the device 40 according to the setting instruction.

  The device management apparatus 10 includes a log reception unit 111, a request reception unit 112, a power transition generation unit 113, an execution period identification unit 114, a reduction target calculation unit 115, a device selection unit 116, a task information generation unit 117, a simulation unit 118, A screen generation unit 119, a response reply unit 120, a task management unit 121, a power setting transmission unit 122, and the like. These units are realized by processing executed by the CPU 104 by a program installed in the device management apparatus 10. The device management apparatus 10 also uses a device information storage unit 131, a job log storage unit 132, an eco log storage unit 133, a conversion information storage unit 134, a task information storage unit 135, and the like. Each of these storage units can be realized using a storage device connected to the auxiliary storage device 102 or the device management device 10 via a network.

  The log receiving unit 111 receives log data transmitted from the device 40. The device information storage unit 131 stores the received device information. The job log storage unit 132 stores the received job log data. The eco log storage unit 133 stores the received eco log data.

  The request receiving unit 112 receives a request from the client terminal 50. An example of a request from the client terminal 50 is a report generation request for an example of reducing power consumption. The power transition generation unit 113 generates information (hereinafter referred to as “transition information”) indicating the transition of the power consumption according to the passage of time by the entire device 40 belonging to the user environment Ea. The transition information of the power consumption is generated based on the ecolog data stored in the ecolog storage unit 133 and the information stored in the conversion information storage unit 134. That is, it can be said that the set of ecolog data is information indicating the transition of the power state over time. On the other hand, the conversion information storage unit 134 stores information for converting each power state into a power consumption amount. Therefore, by applying the information stored in the conversion information storage unit 134 to the ecolog data stored in the ecolog storage unit 133, it is possible to generate transition information of power consumption corresponding to the passage of time.

  Note that the information stored in the conversion information storage unit 134 is not information dependent on the specific user environment E. Therefore, the remote management device 20 may have the conversion information storage unit 134. In this case, the device management apparatus 10 may download the information stored in the conversion information storage unit 134 from the remote management apparatus 20.

  The execution period specifying unit 114 specifies the execution period of a task for reducing the power consumption based on the transition information of the power consumption. The reduction target calculation unit 115 calculates a power consumption reduction target value based on the power consumption transition information. The device selection unit 116 selects the device 40 whose power state is to be changed in order to achieve the power consumption reduction target value during the task execution period. The device selection unit 116 also determines what power state should be changed for each selected device 40. The task information generation unit 117 generates task information indicating which device 40 is set to which power state at which timing in the task execution period.

  The simulating unit 118 generates transition information of power consumption when a task based on task information is applied. The screen generation unit 119 generates screen data indicating the transition of the power consumption before application of the task (that is, the current state) and the transition of the power consumption after application of the task. The response reply unit 120 returns the screen data generated by the screen generation unit 119 to the client terminal 50. That is, in the present embodiment, the content of the screen displayed based on the screen data is a report of an example of power consumption reduction.

  The task information storage unit 135 stores task information. The task management unit 121 performs task execution control based on the task information. The power setting transmission unit 122 transmits a power state setting instruction to the device 40 based on the task information. That is, the transition of the power state of the device 40 is controlled based on the task information.

  Hereinafter, a processing procedure executed by the device management apparatus 10 will be described. In the present embodiment, the description will be given focusing on the user environment Ea.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure of a report generation process of an example of reducing power consumption.

  In step S <b> 101, the request reception unit 112 receives a report generation request for a power consumption reduction example. The request is transmitted to the device management apparatus 10 by the client terminal 50 in response to an instruction input by the user of the client terminal 50, for example. In the request, for example, a threshold value (upper limit value) indicating an upper limit of power consumption and a date, a day of the week, or a period (weekly or monthly unit) to be reported are specified. The upper limit value of the power consumption will be described later. The report target date is a date on a certain past day. The report target period is a period of a certain week or month in the past. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a specific day in the past is designated. The one day is hereinafter referred to as “report target period”. However, a period such as one day, one week, or one month on a specific day may be set as the report target period.

  Subsequently, the power transition generation unit 113 generates transition information of the power consumption amount of the user environment Ea in the report target period based on the ecolog data related to the report target period (S102). The ecolog data is acquired from the ecolog storage unit 133.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the ecolog storage unit. As shown in FIG. 5, the ecolog storage unit 133 stores ecolog data received from each device 40 in time series. One line in FIG. 5 corresponds to one ecolog data. One eco-log data includes values such as date and time, device ID, and power state. The date and time is the date and time when the power state transition occurred. The device ID is the device ID of the device 40 in which the power state transition has occurred. The device ID is identification information for each individual device (machine) of the device 40. The power state is a power state after change or transition. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the power state is classified into three stages such as LOW_POWER_1, LOW_POWER_2, and STAND_BY. The power consumption of each device 40 varies depending on the power state. For example, the magnitude relationship of the power consumption is STAND_BY> LOW_POWER_1> LOW_POWER_2. For example, STAN_BY is a normal state, and LOW_POWER_1 and LOW_POWER_2 are power saving states. Since the power saving state has a plurality of stages, it is classified into a plurality of states. Note that the classification of the power state is not limited to the example shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the ecolog data of each device 40 is stored in a mixed manner, but the ecolog data may be classified and stored for each device 40.

  The ecolog data related to the report target period refers to ecolog data whose date and time are included in the report target period. Accordingly, in step S102, first, ecolog data whose date and time is included in the report target period is extracted from the ecolog storage unit 133. The extracted ecolog data is classified based on the device ID, and is grouped for each ecolog data having a common device ID. Subsequently, for each device ID, based on the date and power state of each ecolog data belonging to the group of the device ID, power state transition information corresponding to the passage of time is generated for the device related to the device ID. The When the transition information is represented by a graph, for example, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the power state. Subsequently, based on the power state transition information for each device ID, power consumption amount transition information for each device ID is generated. The conversion information storage unit 134 is used to generate the power consumption amount transition information.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the conversion information storage unit. In FIG. 6, the conversion information storage part 134 memorize | stores the power consumption per unit time (for example, 1 hour) of each electric power state for every model ID. The model ID is identification information for each model. The model is also called a model, and is a concept that classifies the devices 40 based on commonality such as specifications and performance.

  It can be specified by referring to the device information storage unit 131 to which model each device 40 belongs.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the device information storage unit. In FIG. 7, the device information storage unit 131 stores a device ID, a display name, an IP address, a model ID, and the like for each device 40 belonging to the user environment Ea. The display name is a character string displayed when the list information of the device 40 is displayed. The device information storage unit 131 may store information indicating various states of the device 40 when the device information is collected.

  In the transition information corresponding to the passage of time of the power state of one device 40, the duration of each power state is known in time series in the order of transition in the device 40. Therefore, based on the power state, the duration, and the information stored in the conversion information storage unit 134 with respect to the model ID of the device 40, the power consumption during the duration is obtained. As a result, power consumption amount transition information for each device ID is generated based on the power state transition information for each device ID. The transition information of the power consumption of each user ID is obtained by adding the transition information of the power consumption for each device ID while matching the time axis. The transition information is, for example, information as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing transition information of power consumption in one user environment. In step S102, the transition information of the power consumption of the entire user environment Ea as shown in FIG. 8 is generated for the report target period. Note that time t1 and time t2 are times specified in the subsequent steps.

  Subsequently, the execution period specifying unit 114 is a period in which the power consumption amount exceeds the upper limit value based on the transition information of the power consumption amount and the upper limit value specified in the report generation request of the power consumption reduction example. (Hereinafter referred to as “excess period”) is identified (S103). In FIG. 8, the broken line indicates the upper limit value. Therefore, in step S103, the period from time t1 to time t2 is specified as the excess period. Depending on the transition state of the power consumption, there may be a plurality of excess periods specified.

  When there is an excess period (Yes in S104), the execution period specifying unit 114 sets the excess period as a task execution period for reducing the power consumption (hereinafter referred to as “task execution period”) (S105). ). The task execution period is stored in the memory device 103, for example.

  Subsequently, the reduction target calculation unit 115 calculates a reduction target value α of power consumption during the task execution period (S106). The calculation process corresponds to the process of obtaining the area of the portion exceeding the upper limit value in FIG. Note that the reduction target value α may be specified in advance or in a report generation request for an example of reducing power consumption regardless of the upper limit value.

  Subsequently, the device selection unit 116 sorts the device IDs in ascending order of the job execution amount in the task execution period (S107). The job execution amount is, for example, the number of job executions. Also, weighting may be performed according to the contents of the job. For example, in the case of a print job, the job execution amount may be measured based on the number of printed sheets. Alternatively, the number of job executions per hour may be the job execution amount. In any case, the job execution amount can be obtained based on job log data. The job log data is acquired from the job log storage unit 132.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the job log storage unit. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the job log storage unit 132 stores job log data received from each device 40 in time series. One line in FIG. 9 corresponds to one job log data. One job log data includes values such as date and time, device ID, job type, and count. The date and time is the date and time when the job was executed. The device ID is the device ID of the device 40 that executed the job. The job type is a job type. The count is a value indicating the work amount of the job, for example, the number of printed sheets for a print job and the number of copies for a copy job.

  In step S107, job log data of a job executed within the task execution period is extracted. The job log data is classified for each device ID, and the job execution amount is measured for each device ID. For example, if the number of job executions is the job execution amount, the device IDs are sorted in ascending order of the number of job log data after classification.

  Subsequently, the device selection unit 116 sets one device ID from the top in the sort order as a processing target (S108). Therefore, initially, the device ID with the smallest job execution amount is the processing target. Hereinafter, the device 40 related to the device ID to be processed is referred to as “target device 40”. Note that, as will be apparent from the description below, the processing is performed in the order from the device 40 with the relatively small job execution amount, so that the power consumption amount is preferentially given to the device 40 with the relatively small job execution amount. It is a reduction target (power status change target). The reason why the device 40 with a relatively small job execution amount is given priority is to minimize the influence on the convenience of the device 40 in the customer environment Ea due to the reduction of the power consumption.

  Subsequently, the device selection unit 116 generates power state transition information of the target device 40 during the task execution period (S109). In step S102, in the process of obtaining the transition information of the power consumption amount in the report target period of the user environment Ea, the transition information of the power state of the target device 40 in the report target period is generated. Therefore, in step S109, the transition information related to the task execution period may be extracted from the transition information.

  Subsequently, the device selection unit 116 calculates a power consumption that can be reduced when the power state in the transition information is reduced (S110). That is, the target device 40 calculates the power consumption that can be reduced in the task execution period. The reduction of the power state means transition of the power state to a state with less power consumption. As a form of the power state decrease, for example, it may be a one-step decrease from the original state, or may be a decrease to a power state (LOW_POWER_2) with the lowest power consumption. How to reduce the power consumption may be specified in the report generation request of the power consumption reduction example. When the power state is lowered by one step from the original state, for example, if the transition of the power state in the task execution period of the target device 40 is STAN_BY → LOW_POWER_1 → LOW_POWER_2 → STAN_BY, LOW_POWER_1 → LOW_POWER_2 → LOW_POWER_2 → LOW_POWER_1 Transition. It should be noted that the LOW_POWER_2 remains unchanged for a period in which the original state is LOW_POWER_2. This is because in this embodiment, there is no power state equal to or lower than LOW_POWER_2.

  The amount of power consumption that can be reduced when the power state is lowered includes the transition information of the power consumption obtained based on the transition information of the power state before the decrease (hereinafter referred to as “pre-decrease transition information”), and after the decrease. What is necessary is just to obtain | require the difference with the transition information (henceforth "transition information after a fall") of the power consumption calculated | required based on the transition information of an electric power state. Considering the graph as shown in FIG. 8, the area of the transition information after the decrease may be subtracted from the area of the transition information before the decrease.

  Subsequently, the device selection unit 116 substitutes the sum of the reducible power consumption calculated in step S110 and the variable S for the variable S (S111). The variable S has an initial value of 0, and is a variable for storing a cumulative value of power consumption that can be reduced.

  Subsequently, the device selection unit 116 determines whether or not the value of the variable S is equal to or greater than the reduction target value α (S112). When the value of the variable S is less than the reduction target value α (No in S112), the device selection unit 116 determines whether the device ID of the target device 40 is at the end of the sort order (S113). If the device ID is not at the end of the sort order (No in S113), step S108 and subsequent steps are repeated. In step S108 at this time, the next device ID in the sort order is the processing target.

  When the variable S is greater than or equal to the reduction target value α (S112), or when the variable S is less than the reduction target value α (No in S112), the device ID of the target device 40 is at the end of the sort order (S113). Yes), the process proceeds to step S114. In step S110, when the power state is decreased by one step, when the end of the sort order is reached, step S108 and subsequent steps may be repeated from the top of the sort order. The loop termination condition in this case may be “no room for further reduction of the power state with respect to any device 40”.

  In step S114, the task information generation unit 117 generates task information for reducing power consumption based on the above processing result. That is, in the above description, the device ID of the device 40 that is the target of power state reduction, the transition after the power state reduction for each device 40, the period of each power state, and the like are specified. Such information is included in the task information. The generated task information is stored in the memory device 103, for example. However, it is not stored in the task information storage unit 135. This is because the storage target in the task information storage unit 135 is task information of a task determined as an execution target.

  Subsequently, the simulation unit 118 generates transition information of the power consumption amount in the report target period when the task related to the task information is applied (S115). In step S115, the power state of each device 40 that is the target of the task is replaced with the power state indicated in the task information from the original power state, and the transition of the power consumption amount is based on the replacement result of the power state. Information is generated. It should be noted that the generation processing of the transition information of the power consumption based on the power state replacement result is omitted because it is self-evident from the description regarding step S102.

  Subsequently, the screen generation unit 119 displays a report screen of a power consumption reduction example showing a transition of the current power consumption before application of the task and a transition of the power consumption after application of the task in the report target period. Screen data (hereinafter simply referred to as “report screen”) is generated (S116). Subsequently, the response reply unit 120 returns the screen data and task information to the client terminal 50 (S117). The client terminal 50 displays a report display screen based on the returned screen data.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a report screen. In the report screen shown in FIG. 10, an area 511 shows the transition of the power consumption amount in the report target period before the task application. In area 512, the transition of the power consumption amount in the report target period after the task application is shown. Note that, in the area 512, the power consumption amount is equal to or lower than the upper limit over the entire report target period, but such a transition is not always obtained in the logic of the present embodiment. However, a logic may be employed in which the power consumption amount is equal to or lower than the upper limit value throughout the report target period. That is, the power consumption reduction method is not limited to a specific method.

  When the setting button 513 is pressed by the user of the client terminal 50, the client terminal 50 displays a task setting screen based on the task information.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the task setting screen. A task setting screen 520 shown in FIG. 11 is a screen for setting the contents of a task. In the initial state, the contents of task information generated by the processing of FIG. 4 are reflected.

  The area 521 is an area for selecting the device 40 that is the target of the task, that is, the device 40 that is the target of lowering the power state, such as the group selection region 521a, the belonging device display region 521b, and the target device display region 521c including.

  The group selection area 521a is an area for selecting a group. The group is a concept for classifying the devices 40 in the user environment Ea according to management convenience. For example, the plurality of devices 40 are classified into a plurality of groups based on arbitrary criteria of the user environment Ea, such as IP address similarity, model commonality, or installation location. In addition, groups can form a hierarchical structure. Therefore, tree parts are used for the group selection area 521a.

  The belonging device display area 521b is an area in which a list of devices 40 belonging to the group selected in the group selection area 521a is displayed. The target device display area 521c is an area in which a list of devices 40 that are targets of the task is displayed. In the initial state, a list of devices 40 targeted in the task information generated by the processing of FIG. 4 is displayed. For example, when any row is double-clicked in the belonging device display area 521b, the device 40 related to the row is added to the target device display area 521c. Further, when any row is double-clicked in the target device display area 521c, the device 40 related to the row is deleted from the target device display area 521c.

  An area 522 is an area for setting a task execution schedule (that is, a task execution period). Execute tasks such as once (Once Only), every fixed period (Interval), every day (Daily), once a week (Weekly), once a month (Monthly), etc. by radio buttons arranged on the left side of the area 522 The frequency can be selected. In addition, the start date and time of the task, the end date and time of the task, the day of the week on which the task is executed, and the like can be selected.

  The content of the task information received by the client terminal 50 is changed according to the editing of the task setting screen 520. When the OK button 523 is pressed by the user, the client terminal 50 transmits a task registration request for the task information in which the editing result is reflected to the device management apparatus 10. If editing has not been performed, a task registration request for which the initial task information is specified is transmitted to the device management apparatus 10.

  Upon receiving the task registration request, the request receiving unit 112 of the device management apparatus 10 stores the task information specified in the registration request in the task information storage unit 135.

  In step S104 of FIG. 4, when there is no excess period (No in S104), for example, a report screen 510 that does not include the region 512 is generated in step S116. In this case, the current power consumption amount is notified to the user that there is no problem with the designated upper limit value.

  Next, task execution processing based on the task information stored in the task information storage unit 135 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure of task execution processing. The process of FIG. 12 is performed at regular intervals, for example.

  In step S <b> 201, the task management unit 121 determines whether task information is stored in the task information storage unit 135. When one or more pieces of task information are stored (Yes in S201), the task management unit 121 extracts task information including the current time in the task execution period (S202). When there is the extracted task information (Yes in S202), the power setting transmission unit 122 determines the power that is currently the target of reduction for the device 40 whose power state is to be reduced in the current task information. A state transition instruction is transmitted (S203). The transition instruction may be different depending on the type of the device 40. For example, there is a device 40 that can change the power state by changing the value of a specific object of MIB (Management Information Base) by SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). For such a device 40, a value may be set for the object.

  By executing the task as described above, a reduction in power consumption in the entire user environment Ea can be expected even with the current device configuration. It has been conventionally possible for each device 40 to automatically shift to a power saving state or the like automatically by continuing a no-operation state or the like. However, according to the present embodiment, the power state of the device 40 can be forcibly changed at the timing set in the task information without waiting for the continuation of the no-operation state. In addition, the power state of each device 40 can be controlled as the entire user environment Ea, not the individual control by each device 40. Therefore, it is possible to expect a more effective reduction in power consumption.

  Note that this embodiment may be applied to electronic devices other than the image forming apparatus, such as a projector and a video conference system. At this time, for a device that does not have a concept of a power state, for example, a parameter that affects the power consumption, such as the intensity of a light source, may be set as a setting target instead of the power state.

  In the present embodiment, the execution period specifying unit 114 is an example of a specifying unit. The device selection unit 116 is an example of a selection unit. The task information generation unit 117 is an example of a generation unit. The job log storage unit 132 is an example of a first storage unit. The eco log storage unit 133 is an example of a second storage unit.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to such specific embodiment, In the range of the summary of this invention described in the claim, various deformation | transformation・ Change is possible.

1 device management system 10 device management device 20 remote management device 40 device 41 job management unit 42 power state management unit 43 log generation unit 44 log transmission unit 45 power setting reception unit 50 client terminal 100 drive device 101 recording medium 102 auxiliary storage device 103 Memory device 104 CPU
105 interface device 111 log receiving unit 112 request receiving unit 113 power transition generating unit 114 execution period specifying unit 115 reduction target calculating unit 116 device selecting unit 117 task information generating unit 118 simulating unit 119 screen generating unit 120 response reply unit 121 task management Unit 122 power setting transmission unit 131 device information storage unit 132 job log storage unit 133 eco log storage unit 134 conversion information storage unit 135 task information storage unit B bus

JP 2010-097391 A

Claims (6)

Based on first transition information indicating a transition of power consumption over time by a plurality of devices having a plurality of power states with mutually different power consumption, a period in which the power consumption exceeds a threshold is determined. A specific part to identify;
A first storage section for storing the execution time of the job for each of the device, a second storage unit for storing a second transition information indicating transition of the power state with the elapse of time for each of the devices For each of the devices, the power consumption that is reduced by changing each power state changed in the period to a power state in which the power consumption is lower by one or more steps is calculated, and the consumption A selection unit that selects a device having a relatively small amount of job execution so that the total amount of electric power is equal to or greater than a predetermined value ;
Generating a power state definitive in the period of the selected device, the power consumption than the power state indicated by the second transition information is generated task information for controlling the one stage or multiple stages low power state And
A device management apparatus comprising: Wherein the predetermined value, the device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a power consumption amount exceeds the threshold value in the period.   The said generation part is a period corresponding to the electric power state which can be changed to a lower state among the electric power states shown by said 2nd transition information corresponding to the said apparatus for every said selected apparatus. Generating task information for controlling to a low power state in one or more stages,
The device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device management apparatus is a device. A device management system including one or more computers,
Based on first transition information indicating a transition of power consumption over time by a plurality of devices having a plurality of power states with mutually different power consumption, a period in which the power consumption exceeds a threshold is determined. A specific part to identify;
A first storage section for storing the execution time of the job for each of the device, a second storage unit for storing a second transition information indicating transition of the power state with the elapse of time for each of the devices For each of the devices, the power consumption that is reduced by changing each power state changed in the period to a power state in which the power consumption is lower by one or more steps is calculated, and the consumption A selection unit that selects a device having a relatively small amount of job execution so that the total amount of electric power is equal to or greater than a predetermined value ;
Generating a power state definitive in the period of the selected device, the power consumption than the power state indicated by the second transition information is generated task information for controlling the one stage or multiple stages low power state And
A device management system comprising: A device management system including one or more computers
Based on first transition information indicating a transition of power consumption over time by a plurality of devices having a plurality of power states with mutually different power consumption, a period in which the power consumption exceeds a threshold is determined. Specific steps to identify,
A first storage section for storing the execution time of the job for each of the device, a second storage unit for storing a second transition information indicating transition of the power state with the elapse of time for each of the devices For each of the devices, the power consumption that is reduced by changing each power state changed in the period to a power state in which the power consumption is lower by one or more steps is calculated, and the consumption A selection procedure for selecting a device with a relatively small execution amount of the job so that the total amount of electric power is equal to or greater than a predetermined value ;
Generating a power state definitive in the period of the selected device, the power consumption than the power state indicated by the second transition information is generated task information for controlling the one stage or multiple stages low power state Procedure and
The device management method characterized by performing. Based on first transition information indicating a transition of power consumption over time by a plurality of devices having a plurality of power states with mutually different power consumption, a period in which the power consumption exceeds a threshold is determined. Specific steps to identify,
A first storage section for storing the execution time of the job for each of the device, a second storage unit for storing a second transition information indicating transition of the power state with the elapse of time for each of the devices For each of the devices, the power consumption that is reduced by changing each power state changed in the period to a power state in which the power consumption is lower by one or more steps is calculated, and the consumption A selection procedure for selecting a device with a relatively small execution amount of the job so that the total amount of electric power is equal to or greater than a predetermined value ;
Generating a power state definitive in the period of the selected device, the power consumption than the power state indicated by the second transition information is generated task information for controlling the one stage or multiple stages low power state Procedure and
Management program that causes a computer to execute.

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