JP2008225384A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an operator to grasp operating states of a plurality of functions performed in parallel and to appropriately grasp which operating state is higher than the others in importance degree even if the operator views a display showing the plurality of operating states. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: an operating state detecting section, which detects the operating states of the functions performed parallelly; an importance degree storage section in which the operating state of each of the functions to be detected by the operating state detecting section is stored together with the importance degree assigned to each operating state; and a display control section, by which an operating guide is displayed on a display section and the detected operating states of the functions are displayed in an operating state display area forming part of the display zone of the display section, while successively switched for every predetermined number of functions. When displaying the operating states of the functions exceeding the predetermined number, the display control section sets the importance degree of each operating state stored in the importance degree storage section, and displays the operating states of the functions in the operating state display area while switching every predetermined number of functions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus (so-called multi-function machine) that has a copy function, a facsimile function, a printer function, and the like, operations based on the plurality of functions may be performed in parallel. Therefore, for example, in the image forming apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 below, the plurality of the plurality of functions are performed on the display screen of the display unit in order to notify the operator of the operation status based on the functions performed in parallel. Each operation status for the function is displayed.
JP-A-7-131575

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, if the operator visually recognizes the display screen of the display unit, each operation status for a plurality of functions can be confirmed. Of the plurality of operation statuses displayed on the display screen, Until the operating status is of high importance, the operator could not grasp. In addition, even if the screen showing the operation status of multiple functions is displayed by switching the display screen of the display unit in order from the most important to be confirmed by the operator, the operation of each function Since the screens indicating the status are switched and displayed one after another, if the operator views a plurality of screens continuously, the operator cannot know which screen indicating the operating status is the most important one. was there.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and allows an operator to grasp each operation status based on a plurality of functions performed in parallel. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of accurately grasping which operation status is the most important even when the display indicating the operation status is continuously viewed.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is an image forming apparatus capable of executing a plurality of functions,
Display means for displaying operation guidance to the operator;
Operation status detection means for detecting the operation status of each of the functions being performed in parallel;
Importance level storage means for storing the operation status of each function to be detected by the operation status detection means together with the importance level of each operation status;
The operation guidance is displayed on the display means, and the operation status of each function detected by the operation status detection means is predetermined in an operation status display area forming a part of the display area of the display means. Display control means for sequentially switching and displaying for each number,
The display control means, when displaying the operation status of each function exceeding the predetermined number, attaches importance for each operation status stored in the importance storage means, In the image forming apparatus, the operation status of the function is sequentially switched and displayed in the operation status display area for each predetermined number.

  According to this configuration, when the display control means sequentially switches and displays the operation status of each function in the operation status display area, the respective operation statuses are assigned after assigning the importance for each operation status. Since it is displayed, it is possible for the operator to grasp each operation status based on each function being performed in parallel, and the operator has observed a display showing a plurality of operation statuses continuously. However, based on the importance attached to each operation situation, it is possible for the operator to accurately grasp which operation situation is the most important.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the operation status detecting unit is configured for each function different from the function indicated by the operation guide displayed on the display unit. It detects the operation status of

  According to these configurations, the operation status detection unit detects the operation status for each function different from the function indicated by the operation guide displayed on the display unit, and the operation status for each detected function is Since the display control unit displays the operation guide together with the operation guide, the operator can visually recognize the operation guide being displayed on the display unit and can also grasp the operation status of each function different from the function indicated by the operation guide.

The invention according to claim 3 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the importance storage means stores the priority of each operation situation as the importance. And
When the display control means displays the operation status of each function exceeding the predetermined number, the priority level of each operation status in all the detected operation statuses is stored in the importance storage means. The operation status of each function is sequentially switched by the predetermined number in the operation status display area after the determination is made based on the priority order of each operation status. It is what is displayed.

  According to this configuration, when the display control unit sequentially switches and displays the operation status of each function in the operation status display area, the priority order for each operation status in all the operation statuses detected by the operation status detection unit. Since the operation status of each function is displayed, the operator can grasp how important the displayed operation status is among all the operation statuses.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the display control means sets each operation state to be displayed as the total number of all detected operation states. After assigning the priorities, the operation status display area is sequentially switched and displayed for each predetermined number.

  According to this configuration, when the display control unit sequentially switches and displays the operation status of each function in the operation status display area, the display control unit adds the total number of the detected all operation statuses and the priority order. Since each operation status is displayed, the operator not only determines how important each operation status is displayed in the operation status, but also an operation that is displayed in turn in the operation status display area. The total number of situations can also be grasped.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display control unit stores the detected operation statuses in the importance level. In the order of increasing importance of the operation status of each function stored in the means, the operation status display area is sequentially switched and displayed for each predetermined number.

  According to this configuration, the display control means sequentially switches and displays the detected operation statuses in the order of importance in the operation status display area by a predetermined number. A plurality of operation statuses displayed on the means can be confirmed in order from the operation status with the highest importance.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control unit has a degree of importance in advance for each of the detected operation states. When the level of importance is higher than a predetermined level of importance, the display mode of the operating status with the higher level of importance is different from other operating statuses to be displayed.

  According to this configuration, when the importance of each operation situation to be displayed is higher than a predetermined importance, the display control means has a display form of the operation situation different from other operation situations. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp the operation status with relatively high importance by visually recognizing the different display forms.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to allow the operator to grasp each operation status based on each function performed in parallel, and the operator continuously displays a plurality of operation status displays. Even if it is visually recognized, it is possible for the operator to accurately grasp which operation status is the most important based on the importance assigned to each operation status.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operator can visually recognize the operation guide being displayed on the display means and can also grasp the operation status of each function different from the function indicated by the operation guide.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the operator can grasp how important each displayed operation situation is in all the operation situations.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the operator displays not only how important each operation status is displayed in the operation status but also one after another in the operation status display area. It is also possible to grasp the total number of operating conditions.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the operator can confirm the plurality of operation statuses displayed on the display means in order from the operation status with the highest importance.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the importance level of each operation situation to be displayed is higher than a predetermined importance level, the display form of the operation situation is different from other operation situations. Since it is displayed, it becomes easy for the operator to grasp the operation status of relatively high importance by visually recognizing the different display forms.

  Hereinafter, a display device according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus including the display device will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral that is an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the operation unit 400. The multifunction device 1 has a scanner function, a facsimile function, a printer function, a copy function, and the like. The multi-function device 1 includes a main body 200, a paper post-processing section 300 disposed on the paper carry-out side, for example, the left side of the main body 200, an operation section 400 for an operator to input various operation commands, and the like. The document reading unit 500 is disposed at the upper part of the main body unit 200 and the document feeding unit 600 is disposed at the upper part of the document reading unit 500.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 400 includes a display unit 410 made up of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and the like, and an operation key unit 430 into which an operation instruction is input from the operator. The operation key unit 430 includes a help key 431, a start key 432, a numeric keypad 433, a function switching key 434, and the like.

  The help key 431 receives an instruction from the operator to cause the display unit 410 to display an operation guidance screen (help screen) that displays each operation method related to the scanner function, facsimile function, printer function, copy function, and the like.

  The start key 432 receives an instruction to start each operation such as a copy operation and a scan operation from the operator. The numeric keypad 433 is a key for receiving an instruction for designating the number of copies from the operator. A function switching key 434 reads out data stored in a storage area (mail box) for each operator provided in a copy function, transmission function (scanner function, facsimile function, etc.), box function (HDD 74 to be described later). This is a key for accepting from the operator a function switching instruction for switching between the two functions.

  The display unit (display unit) 410 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and includes a touch panel unit combined with a touch panel. The display unit 410 displays various operation screens and allows the operator to input execution commands for various functions by touching the display surface (displayed operation keys).

  The document feeding unit 60 includes a document placement unit 601, a paper feed roller 602, a document transport unit 603, and a document discharge unit 604, and the document reading unit 500 includes a scanner 501. The paper feed roller 602 feeds the required number of documents set on the document placement unit 601 one by one, and the document transport unit 603 sequentially transports the fed document to the reading position of the scanner 501. The scanner 501 sequentially reads images of the conveyed document, and the read document is discharged to the document discharge unit 604.

  The main body 200 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 201, a plurality of paper feed rollers 202, a transfer roller 203, a photosensitive drum 204, an exposure device 206, a developing device 207, a fixing roller 208, a discharge port 209, a discharge tray 210, and the like. Prepare.

  The photosensitive drum 204 is uniformly charged by a charging device (not shown) while rotating in the direction of the arrow. The exposure device 206 scans the photosensitive drum 204 with laser light modulated according to the image of the original read by the original reading unit 500, and forms an electrostatic latent image for each color on the drum surface. The developing device 207 supplies a black developer to the photosensitive drum 204 to form a toner image.

  On the other hand, the paper feed roller 202 draws the print paper from the paper feed cassette 201 in which the print paper is stored, and feeds the print paper to the transfer roller 203. The transfer roller 203 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 204 to the conveyed printing paper, and the fixing roller 208 heats and fixes the transferred toner image on the printing paper. Thereafter, the printing paper is carried into the paper post-processing unit 300 from the discharge port 209 of the main body unit 200. The printing paper is also discharged to the discharge tray 210 as necessary.

  The paper post-processing unit 300 includes a carry-in port 301, a print paper carrying unit 302, a carry-out port 303, a stack tray 304, and the like. The printing paper conveyance unit 302 sequentially conveys the printing paper carried into the carry-in port 301 from the discharge port 209 and finally discharges the printing paper from the carry-out port 303 to the stack tray 304. The stack tray 304 is configured to be movable up and down in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the number of print sheets stacked from the carry-out port 303.

  FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the MFP shown in FIG. The multifunction device 1 includes a scanner unit 11, an image processing unit 21, a printer unit 31, an operation unit 400, a control unit 51, a network I / F (interface) unit 71, an HDD (hard disk drive) 74, and a facsimile communication unit 75. .

  The scanner unit 11 includes an exposure lamp 12 and a CCD (charge coupled device) 13 that constitute the scanner 501 shown in FIG. The scanner unit 11 irradiates the document with the exposure lamp 12 and receives the reflected light with the CCD 13, thereby reading an image from the document and outputting an image corresponding to the read image to the image processing unit 21.

  The image processing unit 21 includes a correction unit 22, an image processing unit 23, and an image memory 24. The image processing unit 21 processes the read image by the correction unit 22 and the image processing unit 23 as necessary. The image processed by the image processing unit 21 is stored in the image memory 24 for printing or output to the printer unit 31. The correction unit 22 performs predetermined correction processing such as level correction and γ correction on the read image. The image processing unit 23 performs various types of processing such as image compression or expansion processing and enlargement or reduction processing.

  The printer unit 31 is an image composed of a paper transport unit 32 composed of the paper feed cassette 201 and paper feed roller 202 shown in FIG. 1, the photoconductive drum 204, the exposure device 206 and the development device 207 shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus includes a forming unit 33, a transfer unit 34 including the transfer roller 203 shown in FIG. 1, and a fixing unit 35 including the fixing roller 208 shown in FIG. The printer unit 31 prints an image on recording paper using the document data read by the scanner unit 11. Specifically, the paper transport unit 32 transports the recording paper to the image forming unit 33, the image forming unit 33 forms a toner image corresponding to the above image, and the transfer unit 34 transfers the toner image to the recording paper. The fixing unit 35 fixes the toner image on the recording paper to form an image.

  The network I / F unit 71 uses a network interface (10 / 100Base-TX) or the like, and controls transmission / reception of various data to / from an external device via the LAN. The HDD 74 stores an image read by the scanner unit 11, an output format set for the image, and the like.

  The operation unit 400 includes a display unit 410 and an operation key unit 430 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The display unit 410 displays a plurality of keys that accept input of various instructions by a touch panel function under the control of the display control unit 522. The operation key unit 430 is provided with the function switching key 434, the start key 432, the numeric keypad 433 and the like shown in FIG. The CPU 52 of the control unit 51 receives instructions input by the operator from the keys of the display unit 410 and the operation unit 400.

  The facsimile communication unit 75 includes an encoding / decoding unit (not shown), a modem unit (not shown), and an NCU (Network Control Unit) (not shown). The facsimile communication unit 75 transmits image data of a document read by the scanner unit 11 to a facsimile apparatus or the like via a telephone line, or receives image data transmitted from the facsimile apparatus or the like. The encoding / decoding unit compresses and encodes image data to be transmitted, and decompresses and decodes received image data. The modem unit modulates the compressed and encoded image data into an audio signal, and demodulates the received signal (audio signal) into image data. The NCU controls connection via a telephone line to a facsimile machine or the like as a transmission / reception destination.

  The control unit 51 includes a CPU 52, a display image data storage unit 53, and an importance level storage unit 54. The CPU 52 controls the operation of the multifunction device 1. The display image data storage unit 53 displays various data for displaying an operation guide for the operator, an operation status of each function such as a scanner function, a facsimile function, a printer function, and a copy function and an importance level thereof. Data (including data such as images, characters, symbols, etc.) is stored.

  The importance level storage unit (importance level storage unit) 54 stores the operation status of each function such as the scanner function to be detected by the operation status detection unit 523 together with the importance level of each operation status.

  The CPU 52 includes an operation control unit 521, a display control unit 522, and an operation state detection unit 523. The operation control unit 521 controls operation of each unit (the scanner unit 11, the image processing unit 21, the printer unit 31, etc.) of the multifunction machine 1.

  A display control unit (display control unit) 522 controls the display operation of the display unit 410. The display control unit 522 reads out image data necessary for display of the operation guidance screen and display of each operation status and importance detected by the operation status detection unit 523 from the display image data storage unit 53 and displays them on the display unit 410. Let

  The operation status detection unit (operation status detection means) 523 detects the operation status for each of the functions performed in parallel. In addition to the function indicated by the operation guide displayed on the display unit 410 by the display control unit 522, the operation status detection unit 523 also detects the operation status of each function different from the function indicated by the operation guide.

  Next, a description will be given of a first embodiment of processing performed when the multifunction device 1 displays the operation status of each function on the display unit 410. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of processing when displaying the operation status of each function on the display unit 410, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of a display screen of the display unit 410.

  When the main power supply of the multifunction device 1 is turned on by the operator, the display control unit 522 displays the initial screen A as shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 410 (S1). In the present embodiment, as an example of the initial screen A, the display control unit 522 causes the display unit 410 to display a display screen on which the operating conditions for the copy function can be set.

  While the display control unit 522 is displaying the initial screen A on the display unit 410, the operator presses the function switching key 434 or the start key 432 of the operation key unit 430, and the display control unit 522 When a function switching instruction to a function other than the copy function or a copy operation start instruction is accepted (YES in S2), the display control unit 522 performs an operation of the function corresponding to the function switching key 434 pressed by the operator. A display screen on which conditions can be set or a guidance screen indicating that copying is in progress is displayed on the display unit 410 (S3).

  Each process of the display of the initial screen A (S1), the standby for the instruction input from the operator (S2), and the display screen on which the operating conditions can be input or the guidance screen display during the copying operation (S3) is performed. In addition to the operation status of the copy operation guided on the operation guide screen of the display unit 410, the operation status detection unit 523 displays the operation status of other functions performed in parallel with the copy operation. The detection process is also performed (S4).

  In the multi function device 1, for example, reception of facsimile data sent from the outside through a public line, overwriting and erasing operation of the HDD 74 for ensuring data confidentiality, etc., are in parallel with the copying operation even during the copying operation. And can be executed. Further, the remaining toner in the toner container (not shown) can be detected by the CPU 52 based on a signal from a toner remaining amount detection sensor provided in the toner container even during the copying operation. . For this reason, in the multi-function device 1, the operation status detection unit 523 also displays the operation status of each function that is performed in parallel with the copy operation, in addition to the operation status of the copy operation guided on the operation guide screen. To detect. The “operation status of each function” referred to in this embodiment includes not only the operation status of the copy function, facsimile function, printer function, and scanner function, but also the remaining amount of toner, such as the remaining toner amount display. Including those that indicate the situation.

  When the operation status detection unit 523 detects the operation status of each function being performed in parallel (YES in S5), the display control unit 522 reads each of the detected operation statuses from the importance storage unit 54. The respective importance levels of are detected (S6). Then, the display control unit 522 attaches image data (or character or symbol data) indicating the importance to each detected operation situation (S7).

  Then, the display control unit 522 displays the detected operation status of each function (hereinafter simply referred to as each operation status) in a predetermined operation status display area on the display screen of the display unit 410 together with the importance (S8). ). As the predetermined operation status display area, the display control unit 522 displays an operation guidance screen that is a part of the display area of the display unit 410 and is displayed at that time, for example, as shown in FIG. A portion other than the region to be set (that is, a partial region that does not impair the display of the operation guidance screen) is set. The display control unit 522 displays, in the operation status display area, a predetermined number of each of the detected operation statuses in order of importance along with the importance (in the present embodiment, the predetermined number is 1). In addition, the operation status of the importance level higher than the predetermined importance level, for example, the operation status of the importance level A is blinked and displayed.

  For example, when the level of importance is expressed in three stages of A to C in descending order, the operation status detection unit 523 indicates that the remaining amount of toner has decreased, the HDD data is being overwritten, print data is received, and A5 paper remains. Only four operating conditions are detected, the importance of the toner remaining low is A, the importance during HDD overwrite erasure is B, the importance of receiving print data is C, and the remaining A5 paper is a little. When the importance is C, the display control unit 522 first displays a message indicating that the remaining amount of toner having the importance A has decreased in the operation status display area as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a message indicating the importance B during overwriting of HDD is displayed in the operation status display area. Thereafter, although not shown, the display control unit 522 causes the display unit 410 to sequentially display and display print data reception and a few messages remaining on the A5 sheet.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the display control unit 522 blinks and displays a message indicating that the remaining amount of toner having an importance level A equal to or higher than a predetermined importance level has decreased. Note that the display control unit 522 displays a message indicating an operation status of importance A instead of the blinking display or together with the blinking display, and displays other operation statuses in a different color from the message, (Characters or symbols) may be displayed in different sizes (the same applies to the case where the display control unit 522 performs blinking display in the following embodiment).

  In addition, the display control unit 522 preferably displays an operation state having a predetermined importance or higher as a display in which the display form such as the flashing display is changed, but the flashing display may not be performed. It is possible (same in the embodiment shown below).

  In S5 to S8, the operation status detection unit 523 detects the operation status of each function performed in parallel, including the operation of the function guided on the operation guidance screen displayed at that time. The display control unit 522 displays all detected operation statuses together with the importance level in the operation status display area. Instead, the display control unit 522 provides guidance on the operation guidance screen displayed at that time. The operating status of the function is displayed by switching the operation guidance screen to another display screen, and the operating status of the function operating in parallel in other backgrounds is displayed in the operating status display area. May be. The same applies to each embodiment described below.

  Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of processing performed when the operation status of each function is displayed on the display unit 410 by the multifunction device 1. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of processing when displaying the operation status of each function on the display unit 410, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating an example of a display screen of the display unit 410. Note that the description of the same processing as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the operation status detection unit 523 detects the above operation status (YES in S15), and the display control unit 522 detects the importance of each operation status (S16), but the display control unit 522 further Then, the priority of each operation situation is determined (S17). In other words, in the second embodiment, the importance level storage unit 54 uses the level of the same importance level (for example, as the information indicating the further importance level in addition to the level information items A to C indicating the importance level of each operation situation (for example, Even in the operation status having A), information on which operation status has the highest priority (hereinafter simply referred to as priority) is stored. The display control unit 522, based on the priority of each operation status, priorities in all the operation statuses for each operation status detected by the operation status detection unit 523 (the order of importance of each operation status). Is determined.

  Then, the display control unit 522 attaches image data (character or symbol data) indicating each importance and priority to each detected operation situation (S18). Subsequently, the display control unit 522 displays each detected operation status together with the importance and priority in a predetermined operation status display area on the display screen of the display unit 410 for each predetermined number in descending order of priority. In addition, the operation status having an importance level higher than the predetermined importance level is blinked and displayed (S19).

  For example, the importance of the operation status indicating that the toner remaining amount is low is A and the first priority, and the importance of the operation status indicating that facsimile data is being received is A and the priority is second. The priority of the operation status indicating print data reception is C and the third priority, and the importance of the operation status indicating the remaining A5 paper is C and the priority is fourth. If there is, as shown in FIG. 9, the display control unit 522 first displays a message indicating that the remaining amount of toner having the same importance A but high priority is low in the operation status display area, Next, as shown in FIG. 10, a message that is being received with facsimile data of importance A but low priority is displayed in the operation status display area. In the following, although not shown, the display control unit 522 sequentially switches and displays an operation status indicating reception of print data and an operation status indicating that A5 paper is little remaining in order of priority. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the display control unit 522 causes both messages to blink and display because both of these messages have an importance A that is equal to or higher than a predetermined importance.

  In the second embodiment, the display control unit 522 is configured to sequentially switch and display each detected operation status in the operation status display area together with the importance level and the priority order. However, the display control unit 522 Instead of displaying the importance level of the operation status, only the priority order may be displayed together with each operation status. In this case, the importance level storage unit 54 does not need to store the above-described stage information items A to C as the importance level, and may store priority order information.

  Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of processing performed when the operation status of each function is displayed on the display unit 410 by the multifunction device 1. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of processing when displaying the operation status of each function on the display unit 410, and FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating an example of a display screen of the display unit 410. Note that the description of the same processing as in the first or second embodiment will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, the display control unit 522 determines the priority order of each operation situation (S26), and attaches an image indicating the total number of all operation situations and the priority order in each operation situation for each operation situation ( S27). Then, the display control unit 522 displays each operation status together with the total number of operation statuses and the priority order, in a predetermined operation status display area on the display screen of the display unit 410 for each predetermined number in descending order of priority. (S28). At this time, the display control unit 522 blinks and displays the operation status having a higher order than a predetermined priority order.

  For example, the total number of detected operating situations is 5, the operating status indicating that the remaining amount of toner is low is the first priority, and the operating status indicating that facsimile data is being received is the second priority. Assuming that the operation status indicating reception of print data is the third priority and the operation status indicating the remaining A5 paper is the fourth priority, the display control unit 522 first displays the status as shown in FIG. Then, a message indicating that the amount of remaining high-priority toner has decreased is displayed in the operation status display area together with the total number of operation statuses and priorities, and as shown in FIG. Is displayed in the operation status display area together with the total number of operation statuses and priority. Hereinafter, although not shown, the display control unit 522 sequentially displays the operation status indicating reception of lint data and the operation status indicating a little remaining A5 paper together with the total number of operation statuses and priority in order of priority. Let In the display control unit 522, the operation status to be blinked is set in advance as the first priority or higher, and the display control unit 522 blinks the first priority message as shown in FIG. Display.

  In the third embodiment, the display control unit 522 displays the detected operation status in the operation status display area together with the total number of operation statuses and the priority order. In addition to this, the importance (for example, , A to C) may be performed to further display the importance. In this case, the display control unit 522 may blink an operation state having a predetermined importance or higher based on the importance of each operation state regardless of the priority order.

  1 to 13 is merely an example of the configuration and processing of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and the configuration and processing of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The contents are not limited to those described above.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has been described as the multi-function device 1. However, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the multi-function device, and may be a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or the like. .

1 is a schematic side view illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral that is an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is the elements on larger scale of an operation part. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the multifunction machine shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows 1st Embodiment of the process at the time of displaying the operation condition of each function on a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part. It is a flowchart which shows 2nd Embodiment of the process at the time of displaying the operation condition of each function on a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part. It is a flowchart which shows 3rd Embodiment of the process at the time of displaying the operation condition of each function on a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of a display part.

Explanation of symbols

1 MFP 51 Control Unit 52 CPU
521 Operation control unit 522 Display control unit 523 Operation state detection unit 53 Display image data storage unit 54 Importance storage unit 400 Operation unit 410 Display unit

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus capable of executing a plurality of functions,
Display means for displaying operation guidance to the operator;
Operation status detection means for detecting the operation status of each of the functions being performed in parallel;
Importance level storage means for storing the operation status of each function to be detected by the operation status detection means together with the importance level of each operation status;
The operation guidance is displayed on the display means, and the operation status of each function detected by the operation status detection means is predetermined in an operation status display area forming a part of the display area of the display means. Display control means for sequentially switching and displaying for each number,
When displaying the operation status of each function exceeding the predetermined number, the display control means attaches importance about each operation status stored in the importance storage means, An image forming apparatus that sequentially switches and displays an operation status of a function for each of the predetermined number in the operation status display area.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation status detection unit detects an operation status of each function different from the function indicated by the operation guide displayed on the display unit. The importance storage means stores the priority of each operation situation as the importance,
When the display control means displays the operation status of each function exceeding the predetermined number, the priority level of each operation status in all the detected operation statuses is stored in the importance storage means. The operation status of each function is sequentially switched by the predetermined number in the operation status display area after the determination is made based on the priority order of each operation status. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is displayed.   The display control means assigns each operation status to be displayed to the operation status display area for each predetermined number after adding the total number of all detected operation statuses and the priority order. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is sequentially switched and displayed.   The display control means sets the detected operation states in the operation state display area in the descending order of importance of the operation states of the functions stored in the importance storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is sequentially switched for each number to be displayed.   When the importance of each detected operation situation is higher than a predetermined importance, the display control means is configured to display the operation form having the higher importance as another display object. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is different from the situation.

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