JP2017019124A - Information processing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that a card reader does not actuate immediately and responsiveness deteriorates when a human presence sensor cannot correctly detect a user.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: the human presence sensor for detecting a person; and the card reader for reading information recorded in a recording medium. The information processing device controls the card reader to change an interval for reading the information recorded in the recording medium in accordance with a value detected by the human presence sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for performing control using detection values of human sensors.

  Among image forming apparatuses such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), there is an apparatus having a login function. Some devices also have a card reader that reads information from the user's card to log in.

  In order to reduce power consumption, the image forming apparatus has a function of transitioning from a standby mode to a power saving mode when there is no user usage for a certain period of time. When the user presses the power button during the power saving mode, the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving mode to the standby mode. While the image forming apparatus is in the power saving mode, the card reader for login is also turned off in order to reduce power consumption as much as possible. In this case, since the card reader is turned off, the user cannot log in even if the user holds the card.

  On the other hand, an image forming apparatus including a human sensor that detects the presence and distance of a user has also been proposed. By using the human sensor, the image forming apparatus can activate the card reader when detecting that the user has approached the image forming apparatus during the power saving mode. As a result, the user can log in to the image forming apparatus by holding the card over the card reader in the same way as in normal usage. Patent Document 1 discloses processing for switching operations based on the detection result of the sensor in the image forming apparatus as described above.

JP 2008-0945570 A

  The human sensor may not be able to detect the user correctly. In such a case, the card reader does not start up promptly and the responsiveness decreases. Hereinafter, operations of the human sensor and the card reader during the power saving mode will be described.

  First, the detection value of the human sensor is one of three values: (1) the user position cannot be detected, (2) the user position is FAR (far), (3) the user position is NEAR (near). Detected. When the detection value of the human sensor is (1) undetectable and (2) FAR, the card reader remains off because the user does not hold the card immediately. On the other hand, when the detection value of the human sensor is (3) NEAR, since it is assumed that the user holds the card immediately, the card reader is activated to accept the login using the card.

  However, the above technique has the following problems.

  The first problem is that the human sensor may make a false detection. The human sensor cannot distinguish between a short user who is near and a long user who is far away. For example, a human user may output a value of (2) FAR even though the user is short (3) NEAR. In such a case, since the card reader is not activated, it is not possible to prepare for login, and the user's login operation cannot be accepted, resulting in a decrease in responsiveness.

  The second problem is that the human sensor has a blind spot. When the human sensor is installed in the image forming apparatus, usually only a user approaching from the front can be detected, and a user standing on the side cannot be detected. Therefore, even when the image forming apparatus is immediately next to the image forming apparatus, (1) “undetectable” is output as a detection value. The same applies to the case where the card is held across the apparatus from behind the image forming apparatus, and login using the card cannot be performed.

  When the user is in (3) NEAR and the polling speed is slow, the responsiveness of reading the card is deteriorated.

  An information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a human sensor for detecting a person, a card reader for reading information recorded on a recording medium, and the card reader according to a value detected by the human sensor. And control means for changing an interval for reading information recorded on the recording medium.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the responsiveness of the card reader while maintaining low power consumption.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the system which concerns on an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the controller which concerns on an Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the use case using the conventional human sensor and card reader. It is a flowchart which shows the conventional process. It is a figure which shows the problem in the conventional process. It is a flowchart which shows the process which concerns on an Example. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of the polling which concerns on an Example. It is a figure which shows the comparison of the electric power trial calculation of the process which concerns on an Example, and another process. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the UI controller which concerns on an Example.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are essential to the solution means of the present invention. Not exclusively.

  Hereinafter, in this embodiment, an image forming apparatus as an embodiment of an information processing apparatus will be described. Of course, the information processing apparatus is not limited to an image forming apparatus, and uses a value detected by a human sensor to control the behavior of a device (in this embodiment, a card reader) that accepts a user's predetermined operation. Any device can be used.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a system including an image forming apparatus which is a type of information processing apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a scanner apparatus 2 that optically reads an image from a document and converts it into a digital image, a printer apparatus 4 that outputs a digital image to a paper device, and operates the image forming apparatus 1 and displays information to the user. The operation display unit 5 is provided. Further, it has a hard disk device 6 for storing digital images and control programs, and a FAX device 7 for transmitting digital images to a telephone line or the like. The controller 3 is connected to each of these modules and can execute a job on the image forming apparatus by giving an instruction to each module.

  The image forming apparatus 1 can input and output digital images from the computer 9 via the LAN 8 and can issue jobs and instruct each module in accordance with instructions from the computer.

  The scanner device 2 includes a document feeding unit 21 that can automatically and sequentially replace a bundle of documents, and a scanner unit 22 that can optically scan a document and convert it into a digital image. Sent to.

  The printer device 4 includes a paper feed unit 42 that can sequentially feed a paper bundle one by one, a marking unit 41 for printing image data on the fed paper, and a paper discharge unit 43 for discharging the printed paper. including.

  The computer 9 issues an instruction to the controller via the LAN 8 to execute the job. In this embodiment, the computer 9 issues a power OFF instruction to the controller 3, and the controller 3 can control the power OFF process of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The UI microcomputer 10 receives instructions from the controller 3 and controls the human sensor 11 and the card reader 12. The human sensor 11 detects the position of the user. That is, as described above, the human sensor detects any one of (1) the user position cannot be detected, (2) the user position is FAR (far), and (3) the user position is NEAR (near). The detection value indicating the detection result is output. The card reader 12 is a device that reads information on a card (recording medium) by wireless communication called NFC (Near field radio communication), for example. The card reader 12 makes a response request (polling) at a predetermined interval in order to read the card information, and acquires the card information by reading the information returned from the card in response to this request. In this embodiment, an example in which the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 1 by holding the card 13 over the card reader 12 will be described. The UI microcomputer 10 notifies the controller 3 of the detection result of the human sensor 11 and the reading result of the card reader 12. That is, the UI microcomputer 10 notifies the controller 3 of the detection value detected by the human sensor 11 and the information read by the card reader 12. Details will be described later.

  The image forming apparatus 1 can perform various functions. For example, the image forming apparatus 1 can execute a copying function of recording an image read from the scanner device 2 on the hard disk device 6 and simultaneously printing using the printer device 4. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 can execute an image transmission function for transmitting an image read from the scanner device 2 to the computer 9 via the LAN 8. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 can record an image read from the scanner device 2 in the hard disk device 6 and execute an image storage function for performing image transmission and image printing as necessary. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 can analyze, for example, a page description language transmitted from the computer 9 and execute an image printing function for printing with the printer apparatus 4.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller 3. The controller 3 includes a main board 200 and a sub board 220.

  The main board 200 is a so-called general-purpose CPU system. The main board 200 includes a main CPU 201 that controls the entire main board, a boot ROM 202 that includes a boot program, and a memory 203 that is used as a work memory for the main CPU. In addition, it includes a bus controller 204 having a bridge function with an external bus, a nonvolatile memory 205 that does not lose information even when the power is turned off, and an RTC 211 having a clock function. Also, a disk controller 206 that controls the storage device, a flash disk (SSD, etc.) 207 that is a relatively small-capacity nonvolatile storage device composed of semiconductor devices, a USB controller 208 that can control the USB, etc. Have. A USB memory 209, an operation display unit 5, a hard disk device 6 and the like are connected to the outside of the main board 200.

  The sub board 220 includes a relatively small general-purpose sub CPU system and image processing hardware. The general-purpose sub CPU system includes a sub CPU 221 that controls the entire sub board and a memory 223 that is used as a work memory for the sub CPU. In addition, a bus controller 224 having a bridge function with an external bus and a nonvolatile memory 225 that does not erase information even when the power is turned off are provided. As image processing hardware, an image processing processor 227 for performing real-time digital image processing and an engine controller 226 are provided. The external scanner device 2 and the external printer device 4 exchange digital image data via the engine controller 226. The FAX apparatus 7 is directly controlled by the sub CPU 221.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the outline of the controller, and is a simplified diagram. For example, the main CPU 201, the sub CPU 221 and the like include a large number of CPU peripheral hardware such as a chip set, a bus bridge, and a clock generator. However, since these are not the main points of the present embodiment, only a simplified description is given.

  Next, the operation of the controller 3 will be described by taking image copying by a paper device as an example.

  When the user instructs image copying from the operation display unit 5, the main CPU 201 sends an image reading command to the scanner device 2 via the sub CPU 221. The scanner device 2 optically scans a paper document, converts it into digital image data, and inputs the digital image data to the image processor 227 via the engine controller 226. The image processor performs DMA transfer to the memory 223 via the sub CPU 221 to temporarily store digital image data. When the main CPU 201 can confirm that a certain amount or all of the digital image data has entered the memory 223, it issues an image output instruction to the printer device 4 via the sub CPU 221. The sub CPU 221 tells the image processor 227 the position of the image data in the memory 223. The image data on the memory 223 is transmitted to the printer device 4 via the image processor and the engine controller 226 in accordance with the synchronization signal from the printer device 4. Then, digital image data is printed on the paper device by the printer device 4.

  The main CPU 201 of the image forming apparatus 1 is also connected to the UI module 300. When the operation mode changes from the standby mode to the power saving mode, the main CPU 201 issues an instruction to the UI microcomputer 10 to perform appropriate control.

  The UI microcomputer 10 controls the power of the human sensor 11 and the card reader 12 (ON or OFF), acquires the value detected by the current human sensor 11 or the value read by the card reader 12. can do.

  The image forming apparatus 1 operates only the UI microcomputer during the power saving mode. The UI microcomputer can also notify the main CPU 201 that the user has logged in based on the acquired value, or read some value, and shift the power mode to the standby mode.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a conventional use case in the UI module 300.

  In FIG. 3, the behavior when the user approaches the image forming apparatus will be described with respect to the UI module 300 connected to the controller 3 of the image forming apparatus described in FIG. Hereinafter, the conventional behavior of the UI module 300 will be described using three scenarios.

  FIG. 3A shows a state where the user is away from the UI module. The detection value of the human sensor at this time is (1) undetectable or (2) FAR value. In such a state, the controller 3 and the card reader 12 are not energized, and the UI microcomputer 10 and the human sensor 11 are energized. That is, the UI microcomputer 10 is in a state where only the human sensor 11 is energized. Since the measurement result of the human sensor 11 is (1) undetectable or (2) FAR, the UI microcomputer 10 does not return the card reader 12 to the energized state.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a case where the user further approaches the image forming apparatus from the state of FIG. 3A, that is, a value detected by the human sensor is (3) NEAR. Since the value detected by the human sensor 11 is (3) NEAR, there is a high possibility that the user logs in while holding the card. Therefore, the UI microcomputer 10 prepares for login by energizing the card reader 12.

  FIG. 3C is a diagram illustrating a case where the user holds the card 13 over the card reader 12 from the state of FIG. The card reader 12 detects the card 13 and reads login information included in the card 13. How to handle login information varies depending on the UI module implementation. In the configuration in which the login information can be collated in the UI microcomputer 10, the UI microcomputer 10 collates the login information read from the card reader 12. If the login is successful, the UI microcomputer 10 changes the power mode of the controller 3 to the standby mode. If the login fails, the UI microcomputer 10 maintains the power saving mode without changing the power mode of the controller 3 to the standby mode. On the other hand, in a configuration in which the login information cannot be verified in the UI microcomputer 10, the UI microcomputer 10 changes the power mode of the controller 3 to the standby mode when a value is read from the card reader 12. The UI microcomputer 10 notifies the controller 3 of the read value (login information). Then, the controller 3 verifies the login information.

  FIG. 4 is a determination flowchart of the prior art as shown in FIG. The operation of the conventional human sensor 11 and the card reader 12 when accepting login in the power saving mode and shifting from the power saving mode to the standby mode will be described with reference to FIG.

  At the start of the processing of FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus is in the power saving mode. In step S401, the human sensor 11 determines the position of the user. If the value detected by the human sensor is (3) NEAR, the UI microcomputer 10 proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if the value detected by the human sensor 11 is not (3) NEAR, the process proceeds to step S405.

  If the value detected by the human sensor is (3) NEAR, in step S402, the UI microcomputer 10 returns the card reader to the energized state and performs polling. When the card reader polls, the card reader reads information contained in the card when the card is held over the card reader. In step S403, the card reader determines whether the card is held over. That is, the presence / absence of a card is determined. If there is no card, it is assumed that the user does not intend to log in, or that the user intends to log in but has not yet held the card. Therefore, the process returns to step S401.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the card is held over, the card reader reads the information stored in the card and performs the above-described login process.

  If the value detected by the human sensor 11 in step S401 is not (3) NEAR, the UI microcomputer determines in step S405 whether the card reader is in an energized state. If the card reader is in an energized state, the card reader is shifted to a non-energized state. That is, the UI microcomputer turns off the card reader. If the card reader is not energized in step S405, the UI microcomputer does nothing.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the problem of the conventional technique, and the problem of the conventional technique will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The first problem will be described with reference to FIG. False detection may occur in the human sensor. Specifically, the human sensor uses infrared rays to determine the distance based on the object size reflected on the sensor. Due to the straightness of light, the short user 501 in NEAR and the tall user 502 in FAR may appear as the same size on the sensor. At this time, if the default height detected by the sensor is a height like the user 502, it is determined that the user 501 is in FAR even if the user 501 with a short height is in the NEAR position. For this reason, the card reader 12 cannot log in while remaining in a non-energized state.

  The second problem will be described with reference to FIG. The human sensor has a limited detection range depending on the straightness of light and the installation location of the human sensor. That is, only those within a certain angle from the human sensor can be detected. That is, a blind spot is likely to occur in the human sensor, and a user in the blind spot cannot be detected. For example, even if the user suddenly enters the NEAR area from the blind spot, the card reader is in a non-energized state, so the card cannot be read immediately and the return to the standby mode is delayed. Alternatively, even if the user holds the card in a blind spot, the card reader cannot read the card because the card reader is in a non-energized state.

  Next, the third problem will be described with reference to FIG. When the user 504 is always in the NEAR position, the human sensor 11 always detects the user. When the user is in the NEAR, if the polling speed is slow, the responsiveness to read the card is deteriorated. Therefore, polling is performed at a higher polling speed in order to improve responsiveness. At this time, for example, the user may be chatting near the image forming apparatus. The human sensor 11 always detects the user 504 who is not the original user. That is, the human sensor (3) continues to send the detected value of NEAR to the UI microcomputer 10. For this reason, the card reader 12 cannot transition to the non-energized state, and as a result, extra power may be consumed.

  A method of the present embodiment for solving the above problems will be described below. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in this embodiment. When the operation mode is switched from the standby mode to the power saving mode, the processing shown in FIG. 6 is started. That is, when the UI microcomputer receives notification from the main CPU that the operation mode has shifted to the power saving mode, the process shown in FIG. 6 is started. At the start of operation, the UI microcomputer sets the human sensor to the energized state and the card reader to the non-energized state.

  In step S601, the human sensor 11 determines the position of the user. That is, the human sensor 11 determines whether the position of the user is “undetectable”, “NEAR”, or “FAR”.

  If the detection value detected by the human sensor 11 in step S601 is a value indicating “undetectable”, the UI microcomputer 10 advances the process to step S602. If the user is “undetectable”, it is assumed that the user is very far away or is in the blind spot of the human sensor. There are relatively few cases where the user is in the blind spot of the human sensor. However, it cannot be completely denied that the user is in the blind spot of the human sensor. Therefore, in this embodiment, in step S602, the UI microcomputer 10 controls the card reader 12, and the card reader performs low-frequency polling in which polling is performed at a relatively low frequency. Here, infrequent polling is, for example, controlling so as not to perform 1.8 second polling after performing polling processing for 0.2 seconds. Specifically, under the control of the UI microcomputer 10, the card reader 12 is controlled to be energized for 0.2 seconds to perform polling, and is controlled to be de-energized for 1.8 seconds. Infrequent polling is performed by repeating such processing.

  If the detection value detected by the human sensor 11 in step S601 is a value indicating “FAR”, the UI microcomputer 10 advances the process to step S603. If the user's position is “FAR”, it is assumed that the user is far away, or that the human sensor is erroneously detecting that the user who is originally in “NEAR” is in “FAR”. Although it is relatively rare that a user is erroneously detected, it is preferable to prepare for handling such a case of erroneous detection. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the detection value detected by the human sensor indicates “FAR”, the UI microcomputer 10 controls the card reader in step S603, and the card reader performs polling at a relatively high frequency. Perform polling. Here, “high frequency” of high frequency polling indicates that the frequency is higher than the low frequency described above. The high frequency polling is, for example, control not to perform 0.8 second polling after polling for 0.2 seconds. Specifically, under the control of the UI microcomputer 10, the card reader 12 is controlled to be energized for 0.2 seconds to perform polling, and is controlled to be de-energized for 0.8 seconds. By repeating such processing, high-frequency polling is performed.

  If the detection value detected by the human sensor 11 in step S601 is a value indicating “NEAR”, the UI microcomputer 10 advances the process to step S604. If the user's position is “NEAR”, it is assumed that the user is already at a position near the image forming apparatus. In step S604, the UI microcomputer 10 returns the card reader to the energized state and performs polling. The polling in step S604 is the same processing as the polling described in step S402 that is conventionally performed. This conventional polling is called full polling to distinguish it from low frequency polling or high frequency polling. That is, full polling is a process with a higher polling frequency (or faster polling speed) than infrequent polling and frequent polling.

  Subsequent to step S604, in step 605, the card reader determines whether the user holds the card over the card reader within a predetermined time (for example, 1 second). If the card is not held over within a predetermined time, it is assumed that the user is nearby but does not intend to use the image forming apparatus. If the card reader performs full polling in such a state, power is wasted. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the card is not held over the predetermined time, that is, if the card cannot be read within the predetermined time after the card reader returns to the energized state and starts full polling, step S606. Proceed to In step S606, the card reader shifts to high frequency polling. The reason for not shifting to infrequent polling is that the user is still in a position near the image forming apparatus, so it cannot be assumed when the card is held over. Thereafter, the process returns to step S601.

  On the other hand, if the card reader can read information from the card in step S605, the process proceeds to step S607. In step S607, the UI microcomputer performs the login process as described above and ends the process. That is, the image forming apparatus returns to the standby mode, and the UI microcomputer shifts the human sensor and the card reader to a non-energized state.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the card reader full polling operation when the human sensor is NEAR and the high frequency polling and the low frequency polling in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the human sensor detects that the user is positioned in the NEAR, the card reader continues to perform the polling operation. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, in the high-frequency polling and the low-frequency polling according to the present embodiment, the polling operation is performed in the first period, and the first polling after the first period is performed. In the period 2, the polling operation is paused.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the power estimation and merit in the case where the conventional processing is performed, the case where the card reader is always energized in order to improve responsiveness, and the case where the processing according to the present embodiment is performed. is there. Hereinafter, the power consumption in each case will be compared using FIG. In addition, power consumption shall be calculated with the following formula | equation.
Power consumption = Power consumption of human sensor + Power consumption of card reader (1)
As shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the human sensor consumes about 5.5 W during operation and the card reader consumes about 1 W during full operation (full polling). Note that the human sensor always operates in both the conventional case and the case where the processing of the present embodiment is performed, so the power consumption remains 0.5 W. That is, the power consumption of the UI module varies according to the variation of the power consumption of the card reader. Note that (2) when the card reader is always ON, no human sensor is required, so only the power consumption of the card reader is shown.

The power consumption of the card reader is an average value at the time of polling. For example, in the case of infrequent polling (ON for 0.2 seconds and OFF for 1.8 seconds), the power consumption is calculated as follows.
Card reader power consumption = (1W * 0.2s + 0W * 1.8s) / (0.2s + 1.8s)
= 0.1W
When polling frequently with the same calculation method as above (ON for 0.2 seconds and OFF for 0.8 seconds), the power consumption of the card reader is 0.2 W.

  From the viewpoint of responsiveness, (2) the case where the card reader is always ON is the most responsive, but the power consumption becomes higher than other patterns and lacks practicality.

  Comparing (1) the prior art and (3) the present embodiment, the present embodiment consumes a little more power than the prior art when “not detectable” or “FAR”. However, the increased power consumption is only slight. Further, from the viewpoint of responsiveness, as described above, it can be understood that a quick response can be made even when the card reader malfunctions or an approach from a blind spot, and the responsiveness can be improved. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, when a predetermined time elapses even at the NEAR time, it shifts to high-frequency polling, so that it is possible to further reduce power consumption. Thus, the responsiveness can be improved by changing the polling frequency based on the value detected by the human sensor.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the UI module according to the present embodiment. Control of the human sensor 11 and the card reader 12 by the UI microcomputer 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The UI microcomputer 10 is connected to the human sensor 11 and the card reader 12 by two different types of lines. One of them is data lines 901 and 903, which are used for transfer of detection values of human sensors and initialization data. The other is power lines 902 and 904, which are used to control the ON / OFF of the device.

  The human sensor 11 notifies the detected value to the UI microcomputer 10 via the data line 801. The UI microcomputer 10 sets the power line 804 of the card reader based on the notified value and changes the energization state of the card reader. That is, the UI microcomputer 10 executes the above-described high-frequency polling and low-frequency polling by switching between the energized state and the non-energized state of the card reader. For example, in the case of the above-mentioned infrequent polling, the card reader is energized for 0.2 seconds and de-energized for 1.8 seconds. As a behavior of the card reader, polling is performed as before when the power is turned on.

  According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to make up for weak points of hardware with a slight increase in power consumption, and to log in as intended by the designer. In addition, hardware improvement, for example, there is no need to switch to a human sensor component with a high cost but a small blind spot, and the cost can be reduced.

<Other examples>
In the example described above, if the detection value detected by the human sensor is “undetectable”, the card reader performs low-frequency polling, and if the detection value is “FAR”, the card reader performs high-frequency polling. An example was explained. However, the degree of false detection of the human sensor and the frequency of user intrusion from the blind spot can vary depending on the installation environment and usage conditions, and are not uniquely determined. Therefore, for example, when the detection value detected by the human sensor is “undetectable”, the card reader performs high-frequency polling, and when the detection value is “FAR”, the card reader performs low-frequency polling. May be. Also, without distinguishing between the two, low-frequency polling or high-frequency polling is performed in both cases where the detection value detected by the human sensor is “undetectable” and the detection value is “FAR”. Such a form may be sufficient. Further, although the case where the detection value detected by the human sensor is “NEAR” and the card is not held for a predetermined time has been described as shifting to high frequency polling, processing to shift to low frequency polling may be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which both low-frequency polling and high-frequency polling are executed when the detection value of the human sensor is “undetectable” and “FAR”. However, even when either one is executed, the responsiveness is slightly reduced, but the response can be improved as compared with the conventional case, and therefore, either one may be executed. That is, low (or high) frequency polling may be performed only when the detection value of the human sensor is “undetectable”. Alternatively, the high (or low) frequency polling may be performed only when the detection value of the human sensor is “FAR”.

  Further, it can be said that full polling, high frequency polling, and low frequency polling are states in which the ratio of the period during which the card reader is energized and the period during which the card reader is deenergized is different in a certain predetermined period. For example, in the full polling, the card reader is energized in all the predetermined periods. In the high frequency polling, the ratio of the period in which the energized state is set in a predetermined period is higher than that in the low frequency polling. Thus, it can be said that the above process is a process of changing the ratio between the energized period and the non-energized period of the card reader in a predetermined period in accordance with the value detected by the human sensor.

  The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (12)

A human sensor for detecting a person,
A card reader for reading information recorded on a recording medium;
An information processing apparatus comprising: control means for changing an interval at which the card reader reads information recorded on the recording medium according to a value detected by the human sensor. The card reader performs polling in an energized state,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the interval by switching between an energized state and a non-energized state of the card reader in a predetermined period.   When the value detected by the human sensor indicates that the user cannot be detected, or when the user indicates that the user is located at the FAR, the control unit is in the non-energized period. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information processing apparatus is controlled to be shorter than the period.   When the value detected by the human sensor indicates that the user cannot be detected, the control means performs control so that the period of the energized state is shorter than when the user indicates that the user is in FAR. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.   When the value detected by the human sensor indicates that the user is in the NEAR, the control means turns on the card reader and performs the switching after a predetermined time has elapsed. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4.   The control means shifts the operation mode of the device connected to the information processing device from the power saving mode to the standby mode when it is determined that login is possible based on information read from the recording medium by the card reader. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a notification is output.   When the card reader is able to read information from the recording medium, the control means outputs a notification for shifting the operation mode of the device connected to the information processing device from the power saving mode to the standby mode, and acquires the information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processed information is output to the apparatus.   8. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein, when notified that an operation mode of a device connected to the information processing device has shifted to a power saving mode, the control unit sets the human sensor to a power-on state. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims. A human sensor for detecting a person,
A card reader for reading information recorded on a recording medium;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a control unit that changes a ratio between a period of energization of the card reader and a period of non-energization in a predetermined period according to a value detected by the human sensor. A control method of an information processing apparatus having a human sensor for detecting a person and a card reader recorded on a recording medium,
And a changing step of changing an interval at which the card reader reads information recorded on the recording medium in accordance with a value detected by the human sensor. A control method of an information processing apparatus having a human sensor for detecting a person and a card reader recorded on a recording medium,
A control method comprising: a changing step of changing a ratio between a period of energization of the card reader and a period of non-energization in a predetermined period according to a value detected by the human sensor.   A program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.