JP2016087878A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device to which a user can attach and detach optional equipment, even if the equipment does not comply with hot swapping, without referring to a manual.SOLUTION: A guidance storing portion 401 stores data about guidance indicating a procedure for attaching optional equipment to a main body of a compound machine 100 or a procedure for detaching the equipment from the main body of the compound machine 100. An instruction receiving portion 402 receives an instruction for attachment and detachment of the optional equipment. A power supply state control portion 403, when the instruction receiving portion 402 receives the instruction for attachment and detachment, converts at least a state of power supply to a site to which is attached the optional equipment in compliance with the instruction for attachment and detachment into a state where the attachment and detachment of the optional equipment is made possible. A display control portion 404 reads out guidance corresponding to the procedure for attachment or the procedure for detachment for the optional equipment to be attached/detached to/from the attachment site at which the power supply state control portion 403 converts the power supply state, out of the guidance stored in the guidance storing portion 401, and displays the guidance on a display portion 201.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which optional equipment is detachably connected as necessary.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and multifunction machines have adopted a configuration in which various optional devices are connected to an image forming apparatus main body as necessary in order to meet various needs of users (for example, , See Patent Document 1). Optional devices include an additional storage, a communication interface such as a facsimile board, a network card, and a wireless LAN card, in addition to a paper feeding device and a post-processing device.

  In such an image forming apparatus, the user often attaches / detaches optional equipment with reference to a manual. However, in an image forming apparatus in which various optional devices can be mounted, the number of manual pages is often enormous, and manuals are not always provided near the image forming apparatus. Therefore, referring to the manual itself is often complicated for the user.

  As a countermeasure, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that provides guidance until the completion of the installation procedure by selecting the type of an optional device to be installed from a menu when the optional device is installed, and displaying the touch panel and sound.

JP 2006-35632 A

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is effective for an image forming apparatus and optional equipment that can be hot-plugged (hot-plugged). However, not all of the optional devices support hot plugging. When hot-plugging is not supported, it is necessary to attach and detach optional equipment with the image forming apparatus turned off. In this case, with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the user cannot refer to the guidance through the touch panel.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional situation, and even a device that does not support hot-swapping can be used to attach and detach optional devices without referring to the manual. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means. First, the present invention is premised on an image forming apparatus to which an optional device is detachably connected as necessary. The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a guidance storage unit, a display unit, an instruction receiving unit, a power supply state control unit, and a display control unit. The guidance storage unit stores guidance data indicating a procedure for attaching the optional device to the image forming apparatus main body or a procedure for removing the optional device from the image forming apparatus main body. The display unit displays guidance. The instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to attach / detach the optional device. When the instruction receiving unit receives the attachment / detachment instruction, the power supply state control unit changes at least the power supply state to the attachment site of the optional device corresponding to the attachment / detachment instruction to a state in which the optional device can be attached / detached. The display control unit reads out guidance from the guidance stored in the guidance storage unit, corresponding to the attachment procedure or the detachment procedure of the optional device attached to or detached from the attachment site where the power supply state control unit has changed the power supply state. To display. For example, the power supply state control unit can adopt a configuration in which power supply to at least a mounting portion of an optional device corresponding to the attachment / detachment instruction is interrupted when the instruction reception unit receives the attachment / detachment instruction.

  In this configuration, at least the power supply state to the attachment site of the option device to be attached / detached is changed to a state in which the option device can be attached / detached, and the function of the display control unit is maintained. Therefore, in a state where the guidance is displayed on the display unit, power supply to the attachment site of the optional device to be attached / detached is stopped. Therefore, the user can attach or detach the optional device while referring to the guidance displayed on the display unit. When an optional device is attached or detached, the image forming apparatus can be restarted as necessary.

  The above-described image forming apparatus can further include an attachment / detachment operation detection unit that detects an optional device mounting operation or an optional device removal operation by the user. In this case, the display control unit changes the guidance displayed on the display unit according to the detection result of the attachment / detachment operation detection unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is an apparatus which does not respond | correspond to hot-line insertion / extraction, a user can implement attachment / detachment of an optional apparatus, without referring a manual.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an operation panel of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the multifunctional device in one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows an example of the optional equipment attachment or detachment procedure which the multifunctional device in one Embodiment of this invention implements The figure which shows an example of the guidance which the multifunctional machine in one Embodiment of this invention displays

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the present invention is embodied as a digital multifunction peripheral.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction peripheral 100 includes a main body 101 including an image reading unit 120 and an image forming unit 140, and a platen cover 102 attached above the main body 101. An operation panel 200 is provided on the front surface of the multifunction device 100 so that a user can give the multifunction device 100 a start of copying and other instructions, and can confirm the state and settings of the multifunction device 100.

  An image reading unit 120 is provided on the upper portion of the main body 101. The image reading unit 120 reads an image of a document with the scanning optical system 121 and generates digital data (image data) of the image.

  The image forming unit 140 prints image data generated by the image reading unit 120 or image data received from another device (not shown) connected to the network on a sheet. The image forming unit 140 feeds paper from the manual feed tray 151, the paper feed cassettes 152, 153, and 154 to the transfer unit 155 that transfers the toner image. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred in the transfer unit 155 is discharged to a discharge tray 149.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an appearance of an operation panel included in the multifunction peripheral. The user can use the operation panel 200 to give the MFP 100 a start of copying and other instructions, and to confirm the status and settings of the MFP 100. On the operation panel 200, a display 201 with a touch panel and operation keys 203 are arranged. The display 201 includes a display surface including a liquid crystal display that displays operation buttons, messages, and the like, and a sensor that detects a pressed position on the display surface. The detection method of a press position is not specifically limited. Any method such as a resistance film method, a capacitance method, a surface acoustic wave method, and an electromagnetic wave method can be employed. The user can perform input through the display 201 using his / her finger or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control system in the multifunction machine. The multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment includes a central processing unit (CPU) 301, a random access memory (RAM) 302, a read only memory (ROM) 303, a hard disk drive (HDD) 304, an image reading unit 120, and an image forming unit 140. A driver 305 corresponding to each of the driving units in FIG. The ROM 303, the HDD 304, and the like store programs, and the CPU 301 controls the multifunction peripheral 100 in accordance with the instructions of the control program. For example, the CPU 301 uses the RAM 302 as a work area, and controls the operation of each driving unit by exchanging data and commands with the driver 305. The HDD 304 is also used to store image data obtained by the image reading unit 120 and image data received from other devices via a network.

  An operation panel 200 and various sensors 307 are also connected to the internal bus 306. The operation panel 200 receives a user operation and supplies a signal based on the operation to the CPU 301. The display 201 displays the above-described operation screen according to a control signal from the CPU 301. The sensor 307 includes various sensors such as an open / close detection sensor for the platen cover 102, a document detection sensor on the document table, a temperature sensor for the fixing device, and a detection sensor for the conveyed paper or document. In particular, in the present embodiment, when an optional device is attached or detached, a sensor that detects opening / closing of a cover that exposes an optional device mounting portion when the user opens it, or whether an optional device is present at the position where the optional device is disposed is detected. A sensor is arranged.

  The CPU 301 executes, for example, a program stored in the ROM 303 to realize each of the following means (functional blocks) and controls the operation of each means according to signals from these sensors.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the MFP according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment includes a guidance storage unit 401, an instruction reception unit 402, a power supply state control unit 403, and a display control unit 404.

  The guidance storage unit 401 stores guidance data indicating a procedure for attaching an optional device to the main body 101 of the multifunction device 100 or a procedure for detaching the optional device from the main body 101 of the multifunction device 100. The content of the guidance is not particularly limited as long as it can be recognized by the user. For example, it can be composed of only character information or only image information. Moreover, it can also be set as the structure containing both character information and image information. The image information may be a still image or a moving image. Furthermore, not only a guidance display but the structure etc. which use audio guidance together can also be employ | adopted.

  In this embodiment, for each option device that can be attached to the multifunction device 100, guidance data indicating a procedure for attaching or detaching the option device to or from the main body 101 of the multifunction device 100 is stored in the guidance storage unit 401. . Further, in the present embodiment, the guidance is configured in a state including information of a plurality of stages according to the progress of the installation operation of the optional device or the removal operation of the optional device by the user, as will be described later.

  The instruction receiving unit 402 receives an instruction to attach / detach an optional device. Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, an instruction to attach / detach the optional device by the user is input through the display 201 with a touch panel. In the present embodiment, the user inputs the type of option device and the type of attachment / detachment to the instruction receiving unit 402. The type of optional device is a type of optional device that can be mounted on the multifunction peripheral 100, and includes, for example, a sheet feeding device, a post-processing device, an additional storage, a facsimile board, a network card, and a wireless LAN card.

  When the instruction receiving unit 402 receives the attachment / detachment instruction, the power supply state control unit 403 changes at least the state of power supply to the attachment site of the optional device corresponding to the attachment / detachment instruction to a state in which the option device can be attached / detached. . Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, when the instruction receiving unit 402 receives an attachment / detachment instruction, the power supply state control unit 403 interrupts power supply to an attachment site of an optional device corresponding to the attachment / detachment instruction. The power supply can be interrupted, for example, by any configuration such as a configuration that stops the operation of a power supply circuit that supplies power to the mounting site, or a configuration that switches off a switch provided on the electrical path connecting the mounting site and the power supply circuit. Can be realized.

  The display control unit 404 reads, from the guidance stored in the guidance storage unit 401, guidance corresponding to the mounting procedure or the detaching procedure of the optional device that is attached to or detached from the mounting site whose power supply state control unit 403 has changed the power supply state. Are displayed on the display 201 which is a display unit. Here, as a particularly preferable form, a configuration in which the display 201 functions as a display unit is employed, but a configuration in which the display unit displaying the guidance and the display 201 are different may be employed.

  The multifunction device 100 further includes an attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405 that detects an optional device mounting operation or an optional device removal operation by the user. The attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405 includes, for example, a sensor that detects opening / closing of a cover that is opened / closed when the optional device is attached / detached, and a sensor that detects the presence / absence of the optional device at the arrangement position of the optional device. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 404 is configured to change the guidance displayed on the display 201 which is a display unit according to the detection result of the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405.

  Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the power supply state control unit 403 adopts a configuration in which power is supplied only to a portion necessary for displaying the guidance. More specifically, the power supply state control unit 403 supplies power to the display unit operation panel 200, the CPU 301, the RAM 302, the ROM 303, the HDD 304, and the like that realize the above-described functional blocks, and the sensors that configure the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405. To do. For example, in the case of a multifunction peripheral having a power saving mode (standby mode) in which power is not supplied to the image reading unit 120 and the image forming unit 140, the operation panel 200 is used in addition to the power supply portion in the power saving mode. This can be realized by supplying power.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the multi-function device 100 will be described using an example of mounting an additional storage which is an optional device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an optional device attachment / detachment procedure performed by the multifunction peripheral 100. The procedure starts, for example, when the user inputs an instruction to mount an optional device through the operation panel 200.

  When the procedure starts, the instruction receiving unit 402 requests the user to specify the type of option device and the type of attachment / detachment (step S501). In the present embodiment, the instruction receiving unit 402 displays a list of optional devices that can be attached to the multifunction peripheral 100 on the display 201. The user selects an optional device to be attached / detached (attached here) from the list. In addition, the instruction receiving unit 402 displays an “attachment” button and a “detachment” button for inputting a type of attachment or removal together with a list of optional devices. In this example, the user selects an additional storage from the option device list and selects the “mount” button.

  Upon receiving the option device type and the attachment / detachment type, the instruction receiving unit 402 notifies the power supply state control unit 403 that the attachment / detachment instruction has been received, and notifies the display control unit 404 of the input information. At this time, the power supply state control unit 403 changes the power supply state to a state where the power supply other than the portion related to the guidance display function is cut off as described above (step S502). The power supply state control unit 403 that has changed the power supply state notifies the display control unit 404 to that effect.

  Upon receiving the notification, the display control unit 404 reads the guidance (here, additional storage mounting) corresponding to the information input from the instruction receiving unit 402 from the guidance storage unit 401 and displays it on the display 201 (step S503).

  At this time, the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405 monitors the attachment operation of the optional device by the user. The attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405 that has detected the progress of the mounting operation by the user notifies the display control unit 404 of the detection result. In response to the notification, the display control unit 404 changes the guidance displayed on the display 201 to the guidance corresponding to the detected detection result of the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of guidance displayed on the display 201 by the display control unit 404. As shown in FIG. 6, the guidance 601 includes character information indicating a series of operation procedures for mounting an additional storage that is an optional device, and a still image indicating an operation target part. In this example, a cursor indicating which of the character information shown on the right side of the still image is the attachment procedure indicated by the still image is on the left side of the sentence. The user confirms the procedure of the mounting operation by operating the operation buttons 603 including the “forward” button and the “return” button arranged below the still image, regardless of the detection result of the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405. You can also When the user selects a “restart” button 602, the multifunction peripheral 100 starts to restart.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the user performs a mounting operation according to the guidance and the mounting operation is detected by the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405, the next guidance is automatically displayed. .

  At this time, the multifunction peripheral 100 waits until the additional storage is completely installed (No in step S504). When the installation of the additional storage is completed and the user selects the “restart” button 602, the multi-function device 100 starts restart (Yes in steps S504 and S505).

  Here, the installation of the optional device has been described, but the same applies to the removal of the optional device.

  As described above, in this multifunction device 100, at least the power supply state to the attachment site of the option device to be attached / detached is changed to a state in which the option device can be attached / detached. At this time, the function of the display control unit 404 is maintained. Therefore, in a state where the guidance is displayed on the display 201, the power supply to the attachment site of the optional device to be attached / detached is stopped. Therefore, the user can attach or detach the optional device while referring to the guidance displayed on the display 201. Further, the optional device is not damaged due to being attached or detached while being energized. When the optional device is attached or detached, the multifunction device 100 can be restarted as necessary.

  In the above embodiment, since the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405 is configured to detect an optional device mounting operation or an option device removal operation by a user, guidance according to the progress of the operation according to the detection result of the attachment / detachment operation detection unit 405. Can be displayed on the display 201.

  The above-described embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and various modifications and applications other than those already described are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the power supply state control unit 403 is configured to block power supply other than the portion related to the guidance display function. Good. Moreover, although it was set as the structure provided with the attachment / detachment operation detection part 405 in the said embodiment, the said element is not an essential element for this invention. Even in a configuration that does not include the element, the user can attach and detach optional equipment without referring to the manual.

  Further, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the order of the steps can be appropriately changed within a range where the equivalent action is achieved. For example, in FIG. 5, guidance is displayed after the power supply state is changed, but the order of these may be reversed and may be executed in parallel.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is embodied by a digital multifunction peripheral. However, the present invention can be applied not only to a digital multifunction peripheral but also to an arbitrary image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine.

  According to the present invention, even if the device is not compatible with hot-swap, the user can attach / detach the optional device without referring to the manual, which is useful as an image forming apparatus.

100 MFP (image forming device)
200 Operation panel 201 Display (display unit)
401 Guidance storage unit 402 Instruction reception unit 403 Power supply state control unit 404 Display control unit 405 Attachment / detachment operation detection unit 601 Guidance

Claims (3)

An image forming apparatus to which an optional device is detachably connected as required,
A guidance storage unit for storing guidance data indicating a procedure for mounting the optional device on the image forming apparatus main body, or a procedure for detaching the optional device from the image forming apparatus main body;
A display unit for displaying the guidance;
An instruction receiving unit for receiving an instruction to attach / detach the optional device;
When the instruction accepting unit accepts the attachment / detachment instruction, at least a power supply state control unit that changes the power supply state to the attachment site of the option device corresponding to the attachment / detachment instruction to a state in which the option device can be attached and detached,
From the guidance stored in the guidance storage unit, the guidance corresponding to the mounting procedure or the detaching procedure of the optional device attached to or detached from the mounting site where the power supply state control unit has changed the power supply state is read and displayed on the display unit A display control unit,
An image forming apparatus comprising:   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the instruction receiving unit receives an attachment / detachment instruction, the power supply state control unit interrupts power supply to at least an attachment site of an optional device corresponding to the attachment / detachment instruction. It further includes an attachment / detachment operation detection unit that detects an optional device mounting operation or an optional device removal operation by the user,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit changes a guidance displayed on the display unit according to a detection result of the attachment / detachment operation detection unit.

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