JP2018014600A - Image forming apparatus and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which: when a user selects a function to use and makes an apparatus return from a power-saving mode after user authentication is performed, it takes unnecessary time for the return.SOLUTION: There is provided an image forming apparatus that causes a user to select a copy function, a scan or facsimile function before performing user authentication and subsequently performs user authentication, and thereby releases a power-saving mode at an early timing to reduce the time required for start-up.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a user authentication function and a control method.

  Conventionally, for the purpose of environmental conservation, it has become important to improve the energy consumption efficiency of equipment, and the energy consumption of equipment when not in use is also economically wasteful for users. In the method of Patent Document 1, it is possible to select which function is used when returning from the power saving state to the normal power state, and selectively return a desired function. Thus, for example, when only the scan function is used, the power consumption of the printer function can be suppressed.

JP 2010-28613 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, since the selection of the function to be restored after user authentication is accepted and the function restoration is started after the selection, it takes time until the function can actually be used.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that realizes shortening of a return time of a function desired by a user even when performing user authentication.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention allows an authentication means for authenticating an operator, a predetermined operation instructed by the operator after authentication by the authentication means, and allows the operator to perform authentication before authentication by the authentication means. An image forming apparatus that allows a preparatory operation selected to perform the predetermined operation to be instructed.

  According to the present invention, even when user authentication is performed, it is possible to shorten the return time of the function desired by the user.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an operation part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, an outline of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a document conveying device 3a at the top, and the main body of the image forming device 1 includes an operation panel 2, a document reading unit 3b, a sheet supply unit 4a, A paper conveyance path 4b, an image forming unit 5a, and a fixing unit 5b are provided. A control unit 8 is provided for controlling the entire apparatus.

  The document conveying device 3 a places a document on the document loading tray 32 and performs a predetermined operation, whereby the document loaded on the document loading tray 32 is rotated by the plurality of document conveying roller pairs 31. Each sheet is continuously conveyed toward the reading position of the document reading unit 3b. The document reading unit 3b reads the document with an image sensor and forms image data of the document. A platen glass 33 is provided on the upper surface of the document reading unit 3b, and a reading optical system (not shown) such as an exposure lamp, a mirror, a lens, and an image sensor such as a CCD is provided in the document reading unit 3b.

  The optical system irradiates light on the original transported by the original transport device 3a or the original placed on the platen glass 33, and outputs the output value of each pixel of the image sensor that receives the reflected light of the original. A / D converted image data is generated. The image forming apparatus 1 can perform printing based on image data obtained by a copy (copying) function. The image forming apparatus 1 can output the obtained image data by the scanner function.

  The sheet supply unit 4a stores a bundle of sheets in the cassette 41 and feeds them one by one to the sheet conveyance path 4b by a sheet feeding roller 42 that is rotationally driven during printing.

  The paper supplied from the paper supply unit 4a is transported to the discharge tray 43 through the paper transport path 4b. An image forming unit 5a, a fixing unit 5b, and the like are arranged on the sheet conveyance path, and an image is formed on the sheet while the sheet is conveyed, and the image is fixed. In the sheet conveying path 4b, a guide 44 for guiding the sheet, a pair of conveying rollers 45 that are rotationally driven when conveying the sheet, and the conveyed sheet are made to wait in front of the image forming unit 5a to form a toner image. A registration roller 46 and the like for feeding the paper at the same timing are provided.

  The image forming unit 5a forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 51 based on the image data, and transfers the toner image to the conveyed paper. For this reason, the image forming unit 5 a includes a photosensitive drum 51 that is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1, a charging unit 52 disposed around the photosensitive drum 51, a laser scanning unit 53, and a developing unit 54. A transfer roller 55, a cleaning unit 56, and the like.

  A photosensitive drum 51 provided in the image forming unit 5 a and driven to rotate in a predetermined direction is charged to a predetermined potential by a charging device 52. The laser scanning unit 53 outputs, for example, pulse width modulated laser light L based on the image data, scans and exposes the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 51 with laser light, and generates an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data. Form. As the image data, image data obtained by the document reading unit 3b, image data transmitted from the user terminal 100 or the facsimile (FAX) apparatus 200 (see FIG. 2) connected via a network, or the like is used. The developing device 54 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 51 with toner. The transfer roller 55 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 51 to form a nip. Then, the paper enters the nip while being timed so that the toner image is transferred to the printing area of the paper. A predetermined voltage is applied to the transfer roller 55, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 51 is transferred to the sheet sandwiched between the nip portions. The cleaning device 56 removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 51 after the transfer.

  The toner-developed paper is conveyed to the fixing unit 5b through the conveyance path 4. The fixing unit 5b fixes the toner image transferred to the paper. The fixing unit 5b in the present embodiment includes a heating roller 57 and a pressure roller 58 that incorporate a heating element. The heating roller 57 and the pressure roller 58 are in pressure contact to form a nip. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred passes through the nip, so that the toner on the sheet surface is melted and heated, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet. The sheet after toner fixing is sent to the discharge tray 43 and placed on the discharge tray 43. In this way, image formation (printing) is performed when the copy function and the printer function are used.

<Configuration for Controlling Image Forming Apparatus>
Next, a hardware configuration for controlling the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, a control unit 8 is provided. The control unit 8 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1, and includes, for example, a CPU 81, a storage unit 82, an image processing unit 83, and the like. The power supply unit 7 supplies power to each unit of the image forming apparatus. The power supply unit 7 is controlled by the control unit 8 to shift from a normal mode in which power is supplied to the entire apparatus to a power saving mode in which power is supplied only to a portion corresponding to the function to be activated. To return to normal mode. Furthermore, it is possible to shift to a power saving mode (also referred to as a sleep mode or a sleep mode) in which power is supplied only for input via the interface unit 84 or for accepting an operation by the operation panel 2, and from the power saving mode to the normal mode or power saving mode. Return to mode. The power saving mode may have a plurality of sub modes depending on the function to be activated. For example, if the copy function is selected, power is supplied to other units without supplying power to the I / F unit 84 of FIG. For example, if the scan function is selected, power is supplied to other units without supplying power to the paper supply unit 4a, the paper transport path 4b, the image forming layer unit 5a, and the fixing unit 5b. For example, when the facsimile function is selected, power is supplied to other units used for facsimile transmission without supplying power to the paper supply unit 4a, the paper transport path 4b, the image forming layer unit 5a, and the fixing unit 5b.

  The CPU 81 is a central processing unit, and executes each control program stored in the storage unit 82 to control each unit of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition to the CPU 81, a display control CPU for the operation panel 2 may be provided in the operation panel 2 or the like. The image processing unit 83 performs various types of image processing on the image data to be printed and the image data transmitted to the user terminal 100 or the counterpart FAX apparatus 200.

  The storage unit 82 is configured by combining nonvolatile and volatile storage devices such as ROM, RAM, and hard disk (HDD). It is not necessary to have an HDD. The storage unit 82 can store various data such as a control program, control data, setting data, and image data of the image forming apparatus 1. Also, advertisement information corresponding to specific company information (company name), the address of a predetermined page on the Internet, the jam rate and the remaining amount of paper as the state of the image forming apparatus, and the usage record for each identification information (for example, paper The number of sheets used) can be stored as necessary.

  The control unit 8 includes signal lines and the like such as the operation panel 2, the document conveying device 3a, the document reading unit 3b, the sheet feeding unit 4a, the sheet conveying path 4b, the image forming unit 5a, the fixing unit 5b, and the power source unit 7. To control the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. An authentication unit 9 is connected to the control unit 8. The authentication unit 9 can be realized as hardware or by software using the CPU 81, the storage unit 82, a program, or the like of the control unit 8. The authentication unit 9 checks the input user identification information against separately registered identification information (for example, a password), and permits the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 if the login user can be specified. In the present embodiment, after the user is authenticated, for example, the mode is shifted from the power saving mode to the power saving mode or the normal mode according to the function selected before the authentication. The authentication unit 9 may be realized by an external authentication server.

  Next, the return operation from the power saving mode will be described. The power saving mode in the present embodiment refers to the operation panel 2, the document conveying device 3a, the document reading unit 3b, the sheet feeding unit 4a, the sheet conveying path 4b, the image forming unit 5a, the fixing unit 5b, the image processing unit 83, and the I / O. The energization to the F portion 84 is suppressed or cut off.

<Return procedure from power saving mode>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment. The procedure of FIG. 3 is executed by the control unit 8, particularly the CPU 81. First, at the start of FIG. 3, there is no user in the image forming apparatus 1, and the image forming apparatus 1 cannot be used and is in the power saving mode. When the user presses a power saving button (return button) provided on the operation panel 2, for example, in S101, the operation panel is energized to return from the power saving mode. In addition, since the control unit 8 may partially stop supplying power in the power saving mode, the control unit 8 is also returned from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

  The user interface shown in FIG. 4A is displayed on the operation panel that has returned from the power saving mode (S102), and allows the user to select a desired function. When the user selects the scan function or the FAX function on the user interface (NO in S103), the scan function return process is started (S105). Specifically, the power supply unit 7 is controlled to restore the scan function unit including the document conveying device 3a, the document reading unit 3b, and the image processing unit 83 and the I / F unit 84 shown in FIG. Note that the print function unit including the sheet supply unit 4a, the sheet conveyance path 4b, the image forming unit 5a, and the fixing unit 5b that are not used in the scan function or the FAX function maintains the power saving mode. That is, power is not supplied to functional units that are not used. The authentication unit 9 also supplies power to the authentication unit 9 when dedicated hardware is provided. However, if the authentication unit 9 is realized by software, the authentication unit 9 is realized by the control unit 8. There is no particular need for power supply to.

  On the other hand, when the user selects the copy function (YES in S103), the copy function return process is started. Specifically, the scan function unit including the document conveyance device 3a, the document reading unit 3b, and the image processing unit 83 shown in FIG. 2, the I / F unit 84, the sheet supply unit 4a, the sheet conveyance path 4b, and the image forming unit 5a. And the print function unit including the fixing unit 5b are returned to the normal mode (S104). That is, the power supply unit 7 is controlled to supply power to these functional units. The authentication unit 9 is the same as S105.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to S106, and the user interface shown in FIG. 4B is displayed on the operation panel. In FIG. 4B, when the user inputs the user ID and password, the authentication unit 9 compares the input user ID and password with a separately set user ID and password, and if they match, the user authentication is successful. The process proceeds to the subsequent processing. In this embodiment, the user authentication means is a method of inputting a user ID and a password. However, another method, for example, user authentication including an ID card and a card reader may be performed.

  If user authentication passes (YES in S107), the authenticated user is permitted to use the function selected in S102 and can use a desired function. On the other hand, if the user authentication does not pass even after elapse of a predetermined time, for example, 5 minutes after starting the user authentication (NO in S107 and YES in S108), the user authentication is stopped and the image forming apparatus is again set in the power saving mode. stand by. In S108, it is determined whether the number of times that user authentication has been attempted exceeds a predetermined number, not the elapsed time. If the predetermined number of times is exceeded, the process may branch to S109.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the embodiment, before performing user authentication, a desired function is selected and a return is started. Then, a power mode for returning from the power saving mode is selected, and user authentication is performed after the return is started. By doing so, the recovery time of the desired function can be shortened.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus, 2 Operation panel, 7 Power supply part, 8 Control part, 9 Authentication part

Claims (7)

An authentication means for authenticating the operator;
A control unit that allows a predetermined operation instructed by an operator after authentication by the authentication unit, and permits a preparatory operation selected to perform the predetermined operation instructed by the operator before authentication by the authentication unit; And an image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit starts transition to a power state for performing the predetermined operation instructed by an operator after selection by the preparation operation.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preparation operation is a selection of at least two of a copy operation, a scan operation, and a facsimile operation. The image forming apparatus includes a reading unit that reads an image, an image forming unit that forms an image, and a transmission unit that transmits an image.
The control unit supplies power to the reading unit and the image forming unit when the predetermined operation instructed by an operator is the copy operation, and does not supply power to the transmission unit,
When the predetermined operation instructed by the operator is the scanning operation or the facsimile operation, power is supplied to the reading unit and the transmitting unit, and power is not supplied to the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit suppresses the supplied power when a predetermined time elapses without successful authentication of the operator by the authentication unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication method of the authentication unit is verification with a preset password. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus including an authentication unit for authenticating an operator,
A predetermined operation instructed by an operator after authentication by the authentication unit is allowed, and a preparatory operation selected to perform the predetermined operation instructed by the operator before authentication by the authentication unit is allowed. Control method.

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