Image processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus that can reduce power consumption as compared to a conventional case by energizing required minimum devices at an appropriate timing depending on contents of a request received from an external apparatus through a communicating medium during a power-saving state, if a data processing request is received from the external apparatus through a NIC during a sleep mode, an MPU of the NIC and an MPU of each controlling unit control automatic changeover switches, which switch energization states of sub-power sources, to control energization of each function block based on contents of the data processing request and the state of the own apparatus. When switching the function blocks from a “non-energized state” to an “energized state”, a hierarchical energization controlling process is performed to switch the functional blocks with hierarchical relationships to the “energized state” in the order from higher to lower blocks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.