JP2005318206A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which is composed of two housings of an image reading unit and an image forming unit, and in which one housing provided with no console panel is provided with a display means of performing display only in a necessary case to display a guidance for operating the housing. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming apparatus 1 composed of the image reading unit 2 and image forming unit 3, the image forming unit 3 is provided with: a form jam detection part 33 which detects a form jam; a display part 32 which displays a guidance for removing the form jam; and a display ON/OFF means of supplying electric power to the display part 33 when a form jam is detected and ceasing the power supply to the display means when the display of the guidance ends. The image reading unit 2 is provided with: an operation part 22 which has a display; and a guidance display control part 23 which makes the display part 32 display a guidance corresponding to the jam position etc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including two housings, an image reading unit and an image forming unit, which can be installed and operated at remote locations.

Conventionally, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, a printer unit and a scanner unit are housed in separate housings for the purpose of facilitating the discrimination of units that are subject to errors and statuses and improving convenience. The scanner unit is provided with operation display means for displaying the error and status of the scanner unit and the printer unit, and for performing operation input of the entire image forming apparatus. The printer unit includes the printer unit. An image forming apparatus in which display means for displaying the error and status is arranged is described.
JP 1996-297388 A

  However, in the above background art, there is a problem that more power is wasted more when the display means is always turned on, particularly when a relatively large display means for displaying operation guidance or the like is provided.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is configured by two housings, an image reading unit and an image forming unit, for operating the housing on a housing that does not include an operation unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus including a display unit for displaying the guidance of the display unit that is displayed (powered on) only when necessary.

  An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus in which an image reading unit and an image forming unit can be separately installed, and one of the image reading unit and the image forming unit. The unit includes an operation unit for an operator to perform an operation for operating the image forming apparatus, and the other unit includes a detection unit that detects a state in which the operator needs to perform an operation on the unit, Display means for displaying guidance for instructing the operator to perform an operation on the state, and when either of the image reading unit and the image forming unit is detected by the detection unit In addition, when the power supply to the display unit is turned on and the display of the guidance is finished, the display on for turning off the power supply to the display unit is turned on. A full unit, when said condition is detected by said detecting means, characterized in that it comprises a display control means for displaying a guidance corresponding to the detected state to the display means.

  The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the image reading unit and the image forming unit uses the display unit. When the operator inputs the setting for using the display means and the setting for using the display means by the input means, the display means is operated, and the display means is not used by the input means. And switching means for preventing the display means from operating when a setting is input.

  An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the input unit is provided in the display unit.

  An image forming apparatus according to claim 4 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation unit and the display control unit are provided in the image reading unit, and the detection unit. And the display means and the display on / off means are provided in the image forming unit, the detecting means detects that a paper jam has occurred in the image forming unit, and the display means is detected by the detecting means. When the operator detects that the paper jam has occurred, the display on / off means displays an operation guidance for the image forming unit to release the paper jam. When the power supply to the display means is turned on and the display of the guidance is finished, the power supply to the display means is turned off, and the display control means If the paper jam is detected that occurs, and wherein the to be displayed on said display means the guidance of the operation by the operator makes to the image forming unit in order to release the paper jam by.

  An image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the display means is a unit of the unit that can be viewed by an operator when performing the operation. It is provided in the place in a housing | casing.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the image reading unit and the image forming unit that do not include the operation unit, the state in which the operator needs to operate the unit is detected by the detection unit, and the detection is performed. When the state is detected by the means, the power supply to the display means is turned on by the display on / off means provided in one of the units, and the guidance according to the detected state is displayed by the display control means by the operation unit. When the display of the guidance is completed, the power supply to the display means is turned off by the display on / off means.

  Therefore, when the state (for example, paper jam or cartridge replacement) occurs, guidance for operating the apparatus to deal with the state is displayed on the display means provided in the unit to be operated. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform an operation while looking at the guidance displayed on the operation means of the other unit installed at a remote location, and an operation for dealing with the state can be easily performed. Since the power of the display means is turned on only when it is displayed, power consumption can be saved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the setting of whether or not to use the display means is input by the operator using the input means provided in one of the units, and the setting for using the display means is performed by the input means. Is input by the switching means, and when the setting not to use the display means is input by the input means, the display means is not operated by the switching means. Therefore, the operator can decide whether or not to operate the display unit. For example, the image reading unit and the image forming unit are installed at sufficiently close positions, and the display unit is provided while viewing the display of the operation unit. When the case can be easily operated, power consumption can be saved by not operating the display means.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the input means is provided in the display means, the use / non-use of the display means can be switched by an easier operation.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the detection unit detects that a paper jam has occurred in the image forming unit, and the detection unit detects the paper jam, the display on / off unit provided in the unit is provided. The power supply to the display unit is turned on, and the guidance for releasing the paper jam is displayed on the display unit provided in the image forming unit by the display control unit provided in the image reading unit, and the guidance is displayed. When finished, the power supply to the display means is turned off by the display on / off means.

  Therefore, when a paper jam occurs, guidance for releasing the paper jam is displayed on the display means provided in the image forming unit, and the operation means of the image reading unit installed at a remote location. There is no need to operate while looking at the guidance displayed on the screen, and it is possible to easily cancel the paper jam. In addition, the display is turned on only when the guidance is displayed, saving power consumption. can do.

  Further, since the operation means is provided in the image reading unit, it is possible to perform the document placement and the copy operation start instruction in the same unit. Since the display control means is provided in the image reading unit, a simpler configuration can be achieved by configuring the image reading unit including the operation unit as a main controller. The display on / off means is provided in the same unit as the display means to be controlled, and can have a simpler configuration.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the display means is provided in a place in the unit housing that can be seen by the operator when performing the operation, the operator can easily perform the operation. You can see the guidance.

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

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The image reading unit 2 is a unit that reads an image from a document. The image reading unit 2 transmits the read image data to an image forming unit 3 connected to the image reading unit 2 via a communication line 4 (network, dedicated line, wireless, or the like). The image reading unit 2 includes an operation unit 22 for an operator to input an operation instruction of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming unit 3 is a unit that prints image data received from the image reading unit 2 on a recording sheet. The image forming unit 3 includes a display unit 32 that displays a guidance for a release procedure when a paper jam occurs in the image forming unit 3. The display unit 32 is desirably large enough to explain the guidance with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image reading unit 2 and an image forming unit 3. The image reading unit 2 includes an image reading unit 21, an operation unit 22, a guidance display control unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The image forming unit 3 includes an image forming unit 31, a display unit 32, a paper jam detection unit 33, a display unit on / off switching unit 34, a display unit non-use setting unit 35, and a communication unit 36.

  The image reading unit 21 reads an image from a document. The image reading unit 21 transmits the read image data to the image forming unit 31 of the image forming unit 3 via the communication unit 24. The operation unit 22 is for an operator to input an operation instruction of the image forming apparatus 1 and includes a display and various operation keys. In addition to being used for operation input by the operator, the display is also used for displaying a message from the image forming apparatus 1 to the operator, guidance for releasing paper jam, and the like. The operation unit 22 is also used for setting by an operator for disabling the display unit 32 of the image forming unit 3. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, by pressing a printer display OFF key 221 provided in the operation unit 22, the display unit 32 can be put into an unused state. The printer display OFF key 221 is a toggle switch, for example.

  The guidance display control unit 23 performs control to display guidance for paper jam release on the display unit 32. When the guidance display control unit 23 receives that a paper jam is detected from the paper jam detection unit 33 via the communication unit 24, the guidance display control unit 23 selects an appropriate paper jam release guidance according to the position of the paper jam, and the guidance. Is transmitted to the operation unit 22 and the display unit 32. The communication unit 24 communicates with the image forming unit 3 and is connected to the communication unit 36 of the image forming unit 3 through a communication line (network, dedicated line, wireless, or the like).

  When the image forming unit 31 receives image data from the image reading unit 21 via the communication unit 36, the image forming unit 31 prints the image on a recording sheet. The display unit 32 is for displaying guidance for clearing paper jams and includes a display. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display unit 32 when guidance for clearing paper jam is displayed. The paper jam detection unit 33 detects a paper jam, and includes a jam detection sensor provided at various points in the paper path. When detecting a paper jam, the paper jam detection unit 33 transmits a paper jam detection signal to the guidance display control unit 23 via the communication unit 36.

  The display unit on / off switching unit 34 switches the power of the display unit 32 on and off. The display unit non-use setting unit 35 sets the display unit 32 to be non-use for the display unit on / off switching unit 34 (for example, sets a display unit non-use flag). The communication unit 36 communicates with the image reading unit 2 and is connected to the communication unit 24 of the image reading unit 2 through a communication line.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control flow in the image forming apparatus 1. A control flow in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the image reading unit 2, in step S <b> 1, the operation unit 22 checks whether or not it is accepted that a setting for disabling the display unit 32 of the image forming unit 3 has been input by the operator. (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S3. In step S <b> 3, the operation unit 22 transmits an instruction to disable the display unit 32 to the display unit nonuse setting unit 35 via the communication unit 24. In the branch of step S1, when it is not accepted that the setting for disabling the display unit 32 is input (NO in step S1) and when the process of step S3 is completed, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the guidance display control unit 23 checks whether or not a paper jam detection signal has been received via the communication unit 24. If it has been received (YES in step S5), the process proceeds to step S7. In step S <b> 7, the guidance display control unit 23 transmits an instruction to turn on the display unit 32 (display unit power on instruction) to the display unit on / off switching unit 34 via the communication unit 24. In step S <b> 9, the guidance display control unit 23 transmits a guidance display instruction to the display unit 32 via the communication unit 24. In step S <b> 11, the guidance display control unit 23 transmits a guidance display instruction to the operation unit 22, and the operation unit 22 displays the guidance on the display of the operation unit 22. If the paper jam detection signal is not received in step S5 (NO in step S5) and if the process in step S11 is completed, the process returns to step S1 and the processes from step S1 are repeated.

  In the image forming unit 3, in step S <b> 21, the display unit non-use setting unit 35 checks whether or not an instruction to make the display unit non-use is received from the operation unit 22 via the communication unit 36. If so (YES in step S21), the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the display unit non-use setting unit 36 sets the display unit on / off switching unit 34 so that the display unit 32 is not used (for example, a display unit non-use flag is set). In the branch of step S21, when the display unit non-use instruction is not received (NO in step S21) and when the process of step S23 is completed, the process proceeds to step S25.

  In step S25, the paper jam detector 33 checks whether or not a paper jam has been detected. If a paper jam is detected (YES in step S25), the process proceeds to step S27. In step S <b> 27, the paper jam detection unit 33 transmits a paper jam detection signal to the guidance display control unit 23 via the communication unit 36. In step S29, the display unit on / off switching unit 34 checks whether the display unit power-on instruction is received from the guidance display control unit 23 via the communication unit 36 (NO in step S29). In that case (YES in step S29), the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the display unit on / off switching unit 34 checks whether or not the display unit 32 is set to be disabled (for example, a display unit non-use flag is set), and is set to be disabled. If not (NO in step S31), the process proceeds to step S33. In step S <b> 33, the display unit on / off switching unit 34 turns on the power of the display unit 32. In step S35, the display unit 32 checks whether or not the guidance display instruction is received from the guidance display control unit 23 via the communication unit 36 (NO in step S35). YES at S35), the process proceeds to step S37.

  In step S37, the display unit 32 displays guidance based on the received guidance display instruction. In step S39, the display unit on / off switching unit 34 turns off the power of the display unit 32. If a paper jam is not detected in the branch of step S25 (NO in step S25), if the display unit 32 is set not to be used in the branch of step S31 (YES in step S31), and in step S39 When the process is finished, the process returns to step S21 to repeat the process from step S21.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the display unit 32 provided in the image forming unit 3 is turned on only when the paper jam release guidance is displayed, so that the normal state (no paper jam has occurred). In the state), since the power of the display unit 32 is turned off, when the image reading unit 2 and the image forming unit 3 are installed at a distance from each other, and a paper jam occurs in the image forming unit 3 In addition, since the guidance for releasing the paper jam is displayed on the display unit 32 provided in the image forming unit 3, the paper jam is observed while looking at the display of the operation unit 22 provided in the image reading unit 2 at a remote location. It is not necessary to perform the release operation, and power is supplied only when guidance is displayed on the display unit 32 of the image forming unit 3. In, it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption due to the provision of the display unit 32 to the image forming unit 3.

  In addition, since the setting unit (display unit non-use setting unit 35) for disabling the display unit 32 of the image forming unit 3 is provided, it is not necessary to use the display unit 32 of the image forming unit 3 (for example, image When the reading unit 2 and the image forming unit 3 are installed close to each other and the operation unit 22 of the image reading unit 2 can be easily seen when the paper jam is released, the display unit 32 of the image forming unit is not used. In addition, an increase in power consumption due to the display unit 32 provided in the image forming unit 3 can be further suppressed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the thing of the said embodiment, The aspect described below can be employ | adopted. In the present embodiment, the image reading unit 2 includes the operation unit 22, and the image forming unit 3 includes the display unit 32. Conversely, the image forming unit includes the operation unit, and the image reading unit includes the display unit. May be provided.

  In this embodiment, the display of the release guidance when the paper jam occurs is described as an example. However, for example, when the paper replenishment guidance or the toner runs out when the paper runs out The toner cartridge replacement guidance may be displayed on the display unit.

  In this embodiment, the release guidance when a paper jam occurs is normally displayed on both the operation unit and the display unit. However, when displaying on the display unit, it is not displayed on the operation unit. Also good.

  In the present embodiment, the display unit 32 is provided on the surface of the casing of the image forming unit as shown in FIG. 1. However, for example, when performing an operation for releasing a paper jam, a place inside the casing is easy for the operator to see. The display unit 32 may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a display unit 32 may be provided inside the opening / closing plate beside the casing of the unit 3. Further, if the display unit 32 is turned on only when the open / close plate is opened, the power consumption of the image forming apparatus can be saved.

1 is a schematic front view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the operation part in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the display part in one Embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. It is the external appearance schematic of the image forming unit which shows the position of the display part in other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Image reading unit 22 Operation part (operation means, input means)
23 Guidance display control unit (display control means)
3 Image forming unit 32 Display section (display means)
33 Paper jam detection unit (detection means)
34 Display part on / off switching part (display on / off means)
35 Display section non-use setting section (switching means)

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus capable of separately installing an image reading unit and an image forming unit,
One of the image reading unit and the image forming unit is:
Comprising an operation means for an operator to perform an operation for operating the image forming apparatus;
The other unit is
Detecting means for detecting a state in which the operator needs to operate the unit;
Display means for displaying guidance for instructing the operator to perform an operation on the state,
One of the image reading unit and the image forming unit is:
A display on / off means for turning on the power supply to the display means when the state is detected by the detection means, and turning off the power supply to the display means when the display of the guidance is terminated;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a display control unit configured to display on the display unit guidance according to the detected state when the state is detected by the detection unit. Either one of the image reading unit and the image forming unit has an input means for an operator to input a setting as to whether or not to use the display means;
When the setting for using the display unit is input by the input unit, the display unit is operated. When the setting for not using the display unit is input by the input unit, the display unit is operated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit that prevents operation of the image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input unit is provided in the display unit. The operation means and the display control means are provided in the image reading unit,
The detection unit, the display unit, and the display on / off unit are provided in the image forming unit,
The detecting means detects that a paper jam has occurred in the image forming unit;
The display means displays an operation guidance performed by an operator for the image forming unit to release the paper jam detected by the detection means,
The display on / off means turns on the power supply to the display means when the detection means detects that a paper jam has occurred, and the power to the display means when the guidance display ends. Turn off the supply,
The display control unit displays, on the display unit, guidance for an operation performed by an operator on the image forming unit to release the paper jam when the detection unit detects that a paper jam has occurred. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is provided in a place in a casing of the unit that can be viewed by an operator when performing the operation.

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