JP2013111904A - Apparatus and system for forming image - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable determination of an optimum connection order of post-processing devices connected to an image forming apparatus according to a use status.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes an image forming part forming an image to a sheet, and allows multiply connection of the post-processing devices performing post-processing of the sheet on which the image is formed. Moreover, the image forming apparatus includes a control part obtaining information on the connection order of the post-processing devices connected to the image forming apparatus, and a storage part storing the status of use of the post-processing deices. The control part determines a recommended connection order of the connected post-processing devices based on the status of use stored in the storage part, and indicates the recommended connection order of the post-processing devices in an indication part. That enables an operator to know the information on the appropriate connection order of the post-processing devices easily, and moreover, enables further reduction in power consumption and noises, and material savings.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an image is formed on a sheet and the sheet can be post-processed by a post-processing apparatus, and an image forming system including the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine that forms an image on a sheet, post-processing can be performed on the sheet on which the image is formed as desired. The post-processing is performed by a post-processing device connected to the rear side of the image forming apparatus. Examples of the post-processing device include a flat stitching device, a saddle stitching device, a folding device, a punching device, a bookbinding device, and a large-capacity stacker. Furthermore, recently, an image forming system has also been proposed in which a plurality of post-processing devices having different functions are connected in series to the image forming apparatus, and a plurality of post-processing can be performed (for example, Patent Document 1, 2).
In such a system, an increase in power consumption and noise due to an increase in scale are problems to be solved. In response to this problem, in the image forming system proposed in Patent Document 1, a technique has been proposed in which each post-processing device autonomously stops operation when it determines that a predetermined number of sheets are not conveyed to its own machine.
Further, in the image forming system proposed in Patent Document 2, a technique is proposed in which a device to be operated is determined based on a printing mode and a connection order of a paper feeding device or a paper discharging device, and only a device necessary for printing is operated. ing.

JP 2005-195929 A JP 2008-80648 A

However, these techniques do not consider the connection order of a plurality of post-processing devices. For this reason, in a conventional image forming system, when a post-processing device that performs post-processing on the rear stage side is connected, the post-processing device on the front stage side does not need to perform post-processing, and transports paper. However, there is a problem that it is necessary to operate and is wasteful.
Furthermore, recently, there has been a proposal of an image forming apparatus that enables various kinds of post-processing by enabling connection of the post-processing apparatus, and the apparatus configuration of the image forming system is not fixed. For this reason, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot cope with various connection forms caused by connection switching.

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above circumstances, and further reduction of power consumption and noise can be expected by appropriately changing the connection order of the post-processing devices according to the usage status of the post-processing devices. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.

That is, of the image forming apparatuses according to the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and connects a plurality of post-processing apparatuses that perform post-processing of the sheet on which the image has been formed. In a possible image forming apparatus,
A control unit that acquires connection order information of the post-processing device connected to the image forming apparatus; and a storage unit that stores a usage status of the post-processing device;
The control unit is configured to determine a recommended connection order of the connected post-processing devices based on the usage state stored in the storage unit.

  According to the present invention described above, the recommended order of connection of the post-processing devices is determined according to the usage status of the post-processing devices stored in the storage unit, and the operator appropriately connects the post-processing devices with reference to this. For example, by disposing a post-processing device that is frequently used on the front stage side, wasteful operation on the rear stage side can be suppressed and power saving and noise reduction can be achieved.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect of the present invention, a display unit for displaying is provided, and the control unit displays the recommended connection order on the display unit.

  According to the present invention, the operator can easily confirm the recommended connection order of the post-processing apparatus on the display unit.

  In the image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the control unit previously acquires configuration information of the connected post-processing device, and the configuration information is It is stored in the storage unit.

According to the present invention, the configuration information of the connected post-processing device is acquired in advance and stored in the storage unit, and the connection order information of the post-processing device can be acquired from this configuration information.
The configuration information of the post-processing apparatus can be obtained by inputting an operator when the post-processing apparatus is newly connected to the image forming apparatus or another post-processing apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the control unit includes a communication unit that communicates with the connected post-processing device, via the communication unit. The connection order information of the post-processing device is acquired.

  According to the present invention, the control unit can acquire the information by transmitting and receiving connection order information between the post-processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus via the communication unit. In addition, a post-processing apparatus having a post-processing apparatus can communicate with an image forming apparatus through the post-processing apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the control section can display the current connection order and recommended connection order of the post-processing apparatus on the display section simultaneously or by switching. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, the operator can confirm both the current connection order of the post-processing apparatus displayed on the display unit and the recommended connection order.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the usage status is a usage history or / and a usage plan.

According to the present invention, an appropriate connection order can be determined based on the past history of the post-processing device and the future use schedule.
As the usage status, the number of post-processing sheets, the number of discharged sheets in the post-processing apparatus, the operation time, and the like can be used.

  An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the use history or / and the use plan relate to job information.

  According to the present invention, the use history and the use plan can be obtained based on the number of sheets processed for each job, the use time of the post-processing apparatus, the number of discharged sheets, and the like.

An image forming system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is an image forming system comprising: the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention; and a post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus. ,
Each of the post-processing devices can discharge the paper by itself.
The control unit may determine the recommended connection order so that a post-processing apparatus having a relatively large number of discharged sheets is arranged on a side closer to the image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the succeeding post-processing device that discharges a relatively large amount of paper is connected to the front side, thereby suppressing unnecessary operation of the post-side post-processing device.

  An image forming system according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the image forming system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the post-processing apparatus includes a communication unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus or another post-processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus can communicate with each other via the communication unit, and the connection order information of the post-processing apparatus can be acquired by the control unit through the communication unit.

  An image forming system according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the eighth or ninth aspect of the present invention, the post-processing device can individually shift to a power saving mode or be turned off.

  According to the present invention, power saving and noise reduction can be achieved by a power saving mode and power off when not required.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the operator can easily know the appropriate connection order information of the post-processing device according to the usage status of the post-processing device, and further reduce power consumption and noise, Expected to save material.

It is a system configuration figure of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is a system configuration diagram of the second embodiment. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the control block of 1st Embodiment. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the control block of 2nd Embodiment. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the detail of an operation panel. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the basic screen displayed on the operation panel. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the output job history screen displayed on the operation panel. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining a recommended connection order of the post-processing apparatus and displaying it on the operation panel. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the optimal system structure display screen which displayed the recommended connection of the post-processing apparatus on the operation panel.

Below, one Embodiment of this invention is described based on FIG.
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the first embodiment.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 11 and a fixing unit 12 in an image forming apparatus main body 10, and the image forming unit of the present invention is configured by the image forming unit 11 and the fixing unit 12. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an operation panel 20 and a document reading unit 30 on the image forming apparatus main body 10.
In the subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus 1, the relay apparatus 40, the saddle stitching apparatus 50, the large-capacity stacker apparatus 60, and the flat stitching apparatus 70 are connected in series to constitute an image forming system. The relay device 40, the saddle stitch device 50, the large-capacity stacker device 60, and the flat stitch device 70 are collectively referred to as a post-processing device.

The user can set a document on the document reading unit 30 and designate a desired print mode from the operation panel 20 to instruct the start of printing. The operation panel 20 can perform various displays and has a function as a display unit of the present invention.
In the image forming apparatus 1, an original is read by the original reading unit 30 to generate image data. At the same time, paper is fed from the paper feed cassette 13, a toner image of the image data is formed by the image forming unit 11, an image is formed on the paper by transferring this, and an image on the paper is formed by the fixing unit 12. It is fixed and conveyed to the relay device 40.

  The relay device 40 is a device that relays between the image forming apparatus 1 and the subsequent apparatus, and accelerates and conveys the sheet from the image forming apparatus body 10 to the subsequent post-processing apparatus.

The saddle stitching device 50 is one of the post-processing devices, and has (1) a straight paper discharge function, (2) a sub-tray paper discharge function, and (3) a saddle stitch function.
The straight sheet discharge function conveys the paper straight from the front-end post-processing device (in this example, the relay device 40) to the post-stage post-processing device (in this example, the large-capacity stacker device 50). The sub-tray paper discharge function receives paper from the post-processing device in the previous stage and discharges the paper to the saddle stitching device sub-tray 51.
The saddle stitching function receives a sheet from the post-processing apparatus in the preceding stage, performs saddle stitching by the saddle stitching unit 55, and then discharges the sheet to the saddle stitch booklet tray 52.

The large-capacity stacker device 60 is one of the post-processing devices, and has (1) a straight sheet discharge function, (2) a sub-tray sheet discharge function, and (3) a large-capacity stacker sheet discharge function.
The straight sheet discharge function conveys the paper straight from the front-end post-processing device (in this example, the saddle stitching device 50) to the rear-stage post-processing device (in this example, the side-stitching device 70).
The sub-tray discharge function receives a sheet from the post-processing device in the previous stage and discharges the sheet to the large-capacity stacker device sub-tray 61.
The large-capacity stacker discharge function receives a sheet from the post-processing apparatus in the previous stage and discharges the sheet to the large-capacity stacker 62.

The flat binding device 70 is one of the post-processing devices, and has (1) a straight paper discharge function, (2) a sub-tray paper discharge function, and (3) a staple function such as one back point, one front point, and two points. Yes.
The straight sheet discharge function receives a sheet from a front-end post-processing device (in this example, a large-capacity stacker device), and discharges the sheet to the flat-bound sheet discharge tray 72.
The sub-tray discharge function receives a sheet from the post-processing apparatus in the previous stage and discharges the sheet to the side stitching apparatus sub-tray 71.
In the stapling function, a sheet is received from the post-processing apparatus in the previous stage, and a desired staple is performed by the side stitching unit 75, and then the sheet is conveyed to the side stitching discharge tray 72.

  In this embodiment, the connection order of the post-processing devices must be the relay device 40 at the front stage and the flat stitching device 70 at the last stage. On the other hand, the saddle stitching device 50 and the large-capacity stacker device 60 can be interchanged.

FIG. 2 shows a system according to a second embodiment in which the saddle stitching device 50 and the large-capacity stacker device 60 are replaced. FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the second embodiment.
The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the connection order of the saddle stitching device 50 and the large-capacity stacker device 60 is changed as described above, and the configuration of each device is the same.
That is, the image forming system is configured by sequentially connecting the relay device 40, the large-capacity stacker device 60, the saddle stitching device 50, and the flat stitching device 70 to the subsequent stage of the image forming device 1. Note that the configuration of each device is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, a control block in the image forming system of the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 3 and will be described.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus control unit 100 that controls a sheet conveying unit 110, a communication unit 120, an image forming unit 11, a fixing unit 12, an operation panel 20, a document reading unit 30, a nonvolatile memory 130, and the like. Yes. The image forming apparatus control unit 100 corresponds to the control unit of the present invention.

  The image forming unit 11 and the fixing unit 12 are controlled by the image forming apparatus control unit 100 to form an image on a sheet.

  The document reading unit 30 reads the document under the control of the image forming apparatus control unit 100 and transmits the read image data to the image forming apparatus control unit 100.

  The paper transport unit 110 is a control unit that receives control of the image forming apparatus control unit 100 and transports the paper from the paper feed tray 13 to the subsequent relay device 40.

The non-volatile memory 130 stores counters and adjustment values related to the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus, can store information on the use plan of the post-processing apparatus, and can be read and written by the image forming apparatus control unit 100. It has become. The nonvolatile memory 130 functions as a storage unit of the present invention.
The usage plan is exemplified as one stored as a reservation job. Further, configuration information (for example, type and connection order) of the post-processing device connected to the nonvolatile memory 130 may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 130. The configuration information of the post-processing apparatus may be input by the operator through the operation panel 20 or may be transmitted from the post-processing apparatus through the communication unit 120 described later.

  The communication unit 120 is controlled by the image forming apparatus control unit 100 and controls communication performed with a post-processing device in the subsequent stage (in this example, the relay device 40). Status and connection information can be acquired.

  The relay device 40 includes a communication device 210/220 and a relay device control unit 200 that controls the paper transport unit 230.

The communication unit 210 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit 120 of the image forming apparatus 1 under the control of the relay device control unit 200.
The communication unit 220 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit of the post-processing device in the subsequent stage under the control of the relay device control unit 200.

  The sheet conveyance unit 230 is a control unit that receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus 1 and conveys the sheet to a subsequent post-processing apparatus (in this example, the saddle stitching apparatus 50).

The saddle stitching device 50 includes a communication unit 310/320, a first paper transport unit 330, a second paper transport unit 340, a third paper transport unit 350, and a saddle stitching device control unit 300 that controls the saddle stitching unit 55. Yes.
The first paper transport unit 330 is controlled by the saddle stitching device control unit 300, receives a sheet from the front-end post-processing device (in this example, the relay device 40), and receives the post-processing device (in this example, the large-capacity stacker device 60). The control unit until the paper is conveyed straight.
The second paper transport unit 340 is a control unit that is controlled by the saddle stitching device control unit 300 to receive the paper from the post-processing device in the previous stage and discharge the paper to the saddle stitching device sub-tray 51.
The third paper transport unit 350 is controlled by the saddle stitching device control unit 300, receives paper from the post-processing device in the previous stage, performs saddle stitching by the saddle stitching unit 55, and then ejects the paper to the saddle stitch booklet tray 52. This is the control unit until paper is used.
The saddle stitching unit 55 is a unit that performs post-processing of saddle stitching on a sheet conveyed by the third sheet conveyance unit 350 under the control of the saddle stitching apparatus control unit 300.
The communication unit 310 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit of the post-processing device in the previous stage under the control of the saddle stitching device control unit 300.
The communication unit 320 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit of the post-processing device in the subsequent stage under the control of the saddle stitching device control unit 300.

The large-capacity stacker device 60 includes a communication unit 410/420, a first paper transport unit 430, a second paper transport unit 440, a third paper transport unit 450, and a large-capacity stacker device control unit 400 that controls the large-capacity stacker 62. doing.
The first paper transport unit 430 is controlled by the large-capacity stacker device control unit 400 to receive paper from the front-end post-processing device (in this example, the saddle stitching device 50) and to perform the rear-stage post-processing device (in this example, the side-stitching device). 70) to the control unit until the paper is conveyed straight.
The second paper transport unit 440 is a control unit that is controlled by the large-capacity stacker device control unit 400 to receive paper from the post-processing device in the previous stage and discharge the paper to the large-capacity stacker device sub-tray 61.
The third paper transport unit 450 is a control unit that is controlled by the large-capacity stacker device control unit 400 to receive paper from the post-processing apparatus in the previous stage and discharge the paper to the large-capacity stacker 62.
The large-capacity stacker 62 is a unit that stacks sheets conveyed by the third sheet conveying unit 450 under the control of the large-capacity stacker device control unit 400.
The communication unit 410 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit of the post-processing apparatus in the previous stage under the control of the large-capacity stacker device control unit 400.
The communication unit 420 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit of the post-processing device in the subsequent stage under the control of the large-capacity stacker device control unit 400.

The flat binding device 70 includes a communication unit 510/520, a first paper transport unit 530, a second paper transport unit 540, a third paper transport unit 550, and a flat binding device control unit 500 that controls the flat binding unit 75. Yes.
The first sheet transport unit 530 is controlled by the side stitching device control unit 500 to receive a sheet from the post-processing device in the previous stage (in this example, the large-capacity stacker device 60) and transfer the sheet to the side stitching discharge tray 72. This is a control unit until paper is discharged.
The second paper transport unit 540 is a control unit that is controlled by the flat stitching device control unit 500 to receive paper from the post-processing device in the previous stage and discharge the paper to the flat binding device sub-tray 71.
The third paper transport unit 550 is controlled by the flat stitching device control unit 500 to receive the paper from the post-processing device in the previous stage, perform the flat binding by the flat binding unit 75, and then transfer the paper to the flat binding paper discharge tray 72. This is a control unit until paper is discharged.
The side-stitching unit 75 is a unit that performs post-processing of side-stitching on sheets conveyed by the third sheet conveying unit 550 under the control of the side-stitching device control unit 500.
The communication unit 510 is a control unit that communicates with the communication unit of the post-processing device in the previous stage under the control of the side stitching device control unit 500.

  Each device exchanges status information with each other through the respective communication units as described above. Further, the image forming apparatus control unit 100 can transmit control information to each post-processing apparatus via each communication unit. For example, when the corresponding post-processing apparatus does not carry the paper to the rear side and does not perform post-processing for a predetermined time, the image forming apparatus control unit 100 sends a control signal to the corresponding post-processing apparatus and omits the corresponding post-processing apparatus. The power mode or the power off state can be set.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram for the system configuration diagram of the second embodiment, and each device block is the same as that of the first embodiment. Each device block has the same function as that described with reference to FIG.

Next, details of the operation panel 20 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a layout diagram of the operation panel 20.

The operation panel 20 includes a display operation unit 21 that can display and operate, a numeric keypad 22 that receives an operation input, a print key 23, a stop key 24, and a panel reset key 25.
The display operation unit 21 is configured by superimposing an LCD for displaying language messages and bitmap images and a touch screen for accepting operations, and functions as a display unit.
The operator operates the touch screen at a desired position of the language message or bitmap image displayed on the LCD to set the image forming mode while changing the screen hierarchy.
Further, the numeric keypad 22 can be used for setting the number of prints and inputting a telephone number, and the print key 23 and the stop key 24 are used for instructing to start / stop printing.
The panel reset key 25 initializes the set image forming mode to the default state, and the display operation unit 21 also returns to the basic screen at the initial power-on.

FIG. 6 shows a basic screen 140 displayed on the operation panel 20.
In the center of the basic screen 140, a system configuration display unit 141 for displaying the current system configuration is provided. The system configuration display unit 141 displays the connection order of the post-processing devices in an identifiable manner. Yes. This system configuration corresponds to the first embodiment described above.

  Further, the basic screen 140 is provided with a reservation job display field 142, and a part of the reservation jobs is displayed in a list in the order of reservation. When the job button 143 is pressed, a list of reserved jobs can be displayed in more detail. The reserved job corresponds to the use plan in the present invention.

Further, on the basic screen 140, a job list button 144 is displayed so that it can be pushed.
The image forming apparatus control unit 100 can store up to 100 output job histories in the nonvolatile memory 130 or a RAM (not shown), for example. When more than 100 jobs are output, the old history is deleted, a new history is added, and the latest 100 output job histories are stored.

When the job list button 144 on the basic screen 140 is pressed, the screen shifts to the output job history screen 150 as shown in FIG. 7, and the stored output job history is displayed in a list in the history display column 151. The output job history includes information such as the number of pages and the number of copies, and further includes information about the ejected tray, although not shown. Therefore, the image forming apparatus control unit 100 can calculate and obtain information on the number of sheets in the paper discharge tray of each post-processing apparatus from the output job history.
Further, a post-processing device order button 152 is displayed on the output job history screen 150 so as to be pushable.

  When the post-processing device order button 152 is pressed by the operator, the image forming device control unit 100 compares the recommended number of post-processing devices with the number of tray discharges in the output job history and recommends the post-processing device order. Judging. The procedure will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The following procedure is executed under the control of the image forming apparatus control unit 100.

The post-processing apparatus can shorten the printing operation time as it is arranged closer to the image forming apparatus. Moreover, since it is not necessary to operate an unnecessary post-processing apparatus, power consumption and noise can be reduced.
In other words, it is preferable to arrange the post-processing apparatus having a frequently used function in the vicinity of the main body of the image forming apparatus in order.

  First, it is determined whether or not the post-processing device order button has been pressed (step s1). If the button has not been pressed (No in step s1), the process ends. If the post-processing device order button is pressed (step s1, Yes), the number of sheets output from the saddle stitching device is calculated based on the 100 output job histories (step s2), and the large number is determined based on the output job history. The number of sheets discharged from the capacity stacker device is calculated (step s3). Next, the saddle stitching device discharge sheet number obtained by calculation is compared with the large capacity stacker device discharge sheet number to determine whether the saddle stitching device discharge sheet number is larger than the large capacity stacker device discharge sheet number (step s4). ).

  The number of discharged sheets of the saddle stitching device is the sum of the number of discharged sheets to the saddle stitching device sub-tray 51 and the saddle stitching booklet tray 52. The number of discharged sheets of the large-capacity stacker device is the sum of the number of discharged sheets to the large-capacity stacker device sub-tray 61 and the large-capacity stacker 62.

  If the number of sheets output from the saddle stitching apparatus is larger than the number of sheets output from the large-capacity stacker apparatus (step s4, Yes), the optimum connection order (recommended) is determined by using the front-stage saddle stitching apparatus and the rear-stage as the large-capacity stacker apparatus. 20 (step s5), and the process ends. If the number of sheets output from the saddle stitching apparatus is not larger than the number of sheets output from the large-capacity stacker apparatus (No in step s4), the optimum connection order (recommended) is determined by using the large-capacity stacker apparatus as the front stage and the saddle stitching apparatus as the rear stage The information is displayed on the panel 20 (step s6), and the process ends.

  In this example, as the data for determining the frequency of use of the post-processing device, the tray discharge number of the output job history is used. However, the accumulated discharge number of each discharge tray is stored in the nonvolatile memory 130 of the image forming apparatus 1. It may be memorized and used. Further, instead of the past output job history, a future output job plan (such as a reserved job) may be used, or the output job history and the output job plan may be used together.

FIG. 9 shows an optimal system configuration display screen 160 showing the device configuration determined to be optimal.
On the optimal system configuration display screen 160, a system configuration display unit 162 is displayed in the center of the screen together with a message 161 "Displaying the optimal connection order of the post-processing apparatus". This display allows the operator to easily confirm the recommended connection order of the post-processing apparatus. In this screen, only the optimum connection order is displayed, but a system configuration in which the current connection order is known may be displayed together.
In FIG. 9, a system configuration in which the relay device 40, the large-capacity stacker device 60, the saddle stitching device 50, and the flat stitching device 70 are connected in series is displayed at the subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus 1. This corresponds to the system apparatus configuration of the embodiment.
In the optimum system configuration display screen 160, a “return” button 163 is displayed so that it can be pushed. When the “return” button 163 is pressed, the screen returns to the output job history screen of FIG.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to the content of the said embodiment, A suitable change is possible unless it deviates from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 11 Image forming unit 12 Fixing unit 20 Operation panel 40 Relay apparatus 50 Saddle stitching apparatus 51 Saddle stitching apparatus subtray 52 Saddle stitching booklet tray 55 Saddle stitching unit 60 Large capacity stacker apparatus 61 Large capacity stacker apparatus subtray 62 Large capacity stacker 70 flat binding device 71 flat binding device sub-tray 72 flat binding discharge tray 75 flat binding unit 100 image forming apparatus control unit 120 communication unit 210 communication unit 220 communication unit 310 communication unit 320 communication unit 410 communication unit 420 communication unit 510 communication unit 520 Communication department

Claims (10)

In an image forming apparatus that includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet and can connect a plurality of post-processing apparatuses that perform post-processing of the sheet on which the image has been formed.
A control unit that acquires connection order information of the post-processing device connected to the image forming apparatus; and a storage unit that stores a usage status of the post-processing device;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the control unit determines a recommended connection order of the connected post-processing devices based on the usage state stored in the storage unit. It has a display unit that displays,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the recommended connection order on the display unit.   3. The image formation according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires configuration information of the connected post-processing apparatus in advance, and the configuration information is stored in the storage unit. apparatus.   The said control part has a communication part which communicates with the said post-processing apparatus connected, The connection order information of the said post-processing apparatus is acquired via this communication part, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The image forming apparatus described.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit can display a current connection order and a recommended connection order of the post-processing apparatus simultaneously or by switching to the display unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the usage status is a usage history or / and a usage plan.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the use history or / and use plan relates to job information. An image forming system comprising: the image forming apparatus according to claim 1; and a post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus.
Each of the post-processing devices can discharge the paper by itself.
The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the recommended connection order so that a post-processing device having a relatively large number of discharged sheets is disposed on a side closer to the image forming device.   The image forming system according to claim 8, wherein the post-processing apparatus includes a communication unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus or another post-processing apparatus.   The image forming system according to claim 8, wherein each of the post-processing devices can be individually shifted to a power saving mode or powered off.

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