JP2020042169A - Drone delivery system and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation system that can prevent the quality of an image from deteriorating due to a drone's taking off and landing and secure a sufficiently large transportable range by the drone.SOLUTION: A system transports a sheet output by an image formation device by drone. A control device controls taking off and landing of the drone in the image formation device. The control device includes a communication unit capable of communicating with a control unit of the image formation device and the drone, and an instruction unit for monitoring the state of the drone and instructs the drone to operate on the basis of the state. The control unit of the image formation device and the instruction unit of the control device cooperate with each other and set a period when the drone takes off and lands so that it does not overlap with an operation period of an information formation unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for delivering a sheet to be output to a drone.

  In a bookbinding factory, for example, different pages are printed in parallel by different printers, and these pages are collected by one bookbinding machine and finished into one book. It is desired that these steps be unmanned (automated) for the purpose of reducing manufacturing costs. In particular, since the distance from the printer to the bookbinding machine is longer as the size of the factory is larger, the manual delivery of pages output from the printer to the bookbinding machine may be a factor that impairs productivity. On the other hand, in recent years, the technology of a robot that runs autonomously on the ground, such as an automatic cleaning robot, and a drone that autonomously flies in the air has been developed. “Drone” is a general term for unmanned aerial vehicles in a broad sense, and refers to a helicopter capable of vertical takeoff and landing in a narrow sense. These robots and drones are increasingly used for sorting packages in distribution warehouses and the like. Therefore, among these, an idea of applying a drone to automatic delivery of a document has been proposed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5). With a drone, it is possible to deliver sheets from the paper discharge port of the printer to the bookbinding machine regardless of many devices and obstacles such as people existing on the factory floor. Delivery of sheets by drone can be used not only for bookbinding but also in a manufacturing factory of other products to transfer a large amount of sheet bundles directly from a printer to a distribution line.

JP 2016-141036 A JP 2017-035849 A JP 2017-036005 A JP 2017-036007 A JP 2017-087524 A

  In general, the greater the number of printers, the greater the number of drones, which is advantageous for shortening the delivery time. However, on the other hand, the larger the number of drones, the more frequently the drones take off and land on the printer, so that takeoff and landing may occur during the operation of the printer. In this case, the impact / vibration generated by the drone taking off and landing affects the image forming operation of the printer, and further, the image reading (scanning) operation when the printer is incorporated in a multi-function peripheral (MFP). , There is a danger that it will have an adverse effect as a disturbance. In order to keep the quality of the formed image or the read image high, it is necessary to take measures to take off and land the drone while avoiding the operation period of the printer.

  In addition, the following measures are required. Drones consume more power than self-propelled robots. This is mainly because, unlike a self-propelled robot, in which the engine is stopped during standby, the drone also needs power to stand by (hover) in the air. Therefore, in order to keep the range that can be delivered by the drone as wide as possible, the flight time of the drone other than delivery, such as the time the drone waits for hovering before landing, must be reduced as much as possible.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in particular, to provide an image forming system that can prevent image quality deterioration due to take-off and landing of a drone, and can secure a sufficiently wide deliverable range by a drone. It is in.

  A system according to one aspect of the present invention uses a drone to deliver sheets output by an image forming apparatus. This system includes a control device that controls takeoff and landing of a drone in an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet while conveying the sheet, and a control unit that controls an operation of the image forming unit. The traffic control device has a communication unit that can communicate with the control unit and the drone of the image forming apparatus, and an instruction unit that monitors the state of the drone and instructs the drone to operate based on the state. The control unit of the image forming apparatus and the instruction unit of the control device cooperate with each other to set the time of takeoff and landing of the drone so as not to overlap with the operation period of the image forming unit.

  The drone has a flight mechanism that can take off and land vertically, a holding mechanism that releasably holds the sheet output by the image forming apparatus, a communication unit that can communicate with the instruction unit of the control device, and a drone according to instructions from the instruction unit. A control unit that controls takeoff and landing by the flight mechanism, flight to the delivery destination, and holding and release of the sheet by the holding mechanism may be provided.

  The system may further include a drone accommodation mechanism that is installed at a paper exit of the image forming apparatus and that can take off and land or stop the drone. This drone accommodation mechanism controls the take-off part where the drone can take off, the landing part where the drone can land, the accommodation part that houses the drone inside and supplies power to the drone, and the drone that landed at the landing part. In accordance with an instruction from the instruction unit of the apparatus, the apparatus may include a transport unit that transports the paper from the landing unit to the storage unit or the paper discharge port, and further transports the paper from the storage unit or the paper discharge port to the take-off unit.

  The instruction unit may postpone takeoff or landing of the drone until the operation period of the image forming unit is completed. When the control unit of the image forming apparatus receives a job to be processed by the image forming unit, the instruction unit may postpone takeoff or landing by the drone, and give priority to the job processing by the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus may further include a scanning unit that reads an image from a document. The indicating unit may cause the drone to postpone takeoff and landing until the operating period of the scanning unit is completed. When the control unit of the image forming apparatus receives a job to be processed by the scanning unit, the instruction unit may postpone takeoff or landing of the drone and give priority to processing of the job by the scanning unit. The instruction unit may cause the control unit of the image forming apparatus to temporarily stop the image forming unit and give priority to landing of the drone when the drone is in a flight difficult state while flying. The instruction unit causes the control unit of the image forming apparatus to temporarily stop the image forming apparatus when the drone enters a takeoff or landing posture with respect to the image forming apparatus, and causes the image forming unit to complete taking off or landing of the drone. You may wait. When the landing of the drone satisfies the condition that adversely affects the operation of the image forming apparatus, the instruction unit may determine whether to give priority to the landing of the drone over the operation of the image forming apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention distributes an output sheet to a drone. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet while conveying the sheet, a control unit that controls an operation of the image forming unit, and a control unit that controls takeoff and landing of a drone in the image forming apparatus. Have. The control unit has a communication unit that can communicate with the control unit and the drone, and an instruction unit that monitors the state of the drone and instructs the drone to operate based on the state. The control unit and the instruction unit cooperate with each other to prevent the timing of takeoff and landing of the drone from overlapping with the operation period of the image forming unit.

  In the above-described system according to the present invention, the control unit of the image forming apparatus and the instruction unit of the control device for the drone cooperate with each other to set the time of takeoff and landing of the drone so as not to overlap with the operation period of the image forming unit. As a result, this system can prevent the image quality from being degraded due to the takeoff and landing of the drone, and can secure a sufficiently wide range that can be delivered by the drone.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic front view of this system. FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of a printer provided with this system. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the ADF and the scanner along a line IV-IV shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic control system of the MFP. (A) is a table showing an example of a job queue. (B) is a table showing an example of a state database. It is a block diagram of an electronic control system of a drone. 7 is a flowchart of takeoff and landing control in the MFP priority mode. 9 is a flowchart of takeoff and landing control in a continuous print / scan priority mode. It is a flow chart of takeoff and landing control of unconditional drone priority mode. It is a flowchart of a landing control of a conditional drone priority mode.

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

[Appearance of image forming system]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a main body 100 which is a multi-function peripheral (MFP), a drone accommodation mechanism 200 surrounding the main body 100, and a plurality of drones 300 taking off and landing on the drone accommodation mechanism 200.

  The main body, that is, the MFP 100 has functions of a scanner, a copier, and a printer. An automatic document feeder (ADF) 110 is mounted on the upper surface of the MFP 100 so as to be openable and closable. The scanner 120 is built in the upper part of the MFP 100 located immediately below the ADF 110, and the printer 130 is built in the lower part. A paper feed cassette 131 is attached to the bottom of the printer 130 so that it can be pulled out. The ADF 110 sends the original placed on the tray on the upper surface to the scanner 120. The scanner 120 captures an image from the front side of the document. The printer 130 forms the image or the image represented by the image data obtained from the network on the sheet in the paper feed cassette 131. An operation panel 51 is attached to the back of the upper surface of MFP 100. A touch panel is embedded in the front of the operation panel 51, and various mechanical push buttons are arranged below the touch panel. The touch panel displays a graphics user interface (GUI) screen such as an operation screen and an input screen for various kinds of information, and receives a user's input operation through gadgets such as icons, virtual buttons, menus, and toolbars included in the screen.

  Drone accommodation mechanism 200 is a concave housing that covers the outside of both sides and the bottom surface of MFP 100, one of the two upper ends (the right side in FIG. 1) is a landing port 210 for drone 300, and the other is a landing port 210. Takeoff port 220. On the landing port 210, a mounting table 211 on which the drone 300 can land is provided so as to be able to move up and down. The mounting table 211 descends together with the drone 300 thereon to accommodate the drone 300 in the accommodation mechanism 200. Inside the storage mechanism 200, the stored drone dives below the MFP 100 from below the landing port 210 and is transported below the takeoff port 220. At the takeoff port 220, a mounting table 221 from which the drone 300 can take off is provided so as to be able to move up and down. The mounting table 221 rises together with the drone 300 placed on the inside of the accommodation mechanism 200 to expose the drone 300 from the upper surface of the accommodation mechanism 200. In this state, the drone 300 can take off from the mounting table 221 of the takeoff port 220.

  The drone 300 is a helicopter capable of vertical takeoff and landing, and includes, for example, four electric rotary wings (rotors) as a flight mechanism, and is particularly capable of hovering. The drone 300 is equipped with a secondary battery and an electronic circuit group, and can fly autonomously with them. The drone 300 further has a sheet holder 321 mounted at a lower portion. The sheet holder 321 holds the bundle of sheets output from the MFP 100 in a releasable manner, for example, by sandwiching the bundle of sheets with a movable arm or storing the bundle in a bucket.

[Internal structure of image forming system]
FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the system. FIG. 2 depicts the elements inside the system as if they were seen through the front of the housing.

  Inside the MFP 100, the paper feed path FDP from each paper feed cassette 11 joins one transport path CRP, and the transport path CRP passes through the image forming unit 20 and the fixing unit 30 and is sent from the output unit 40 to a discharge tray. It is connected to 50.

  Inside the drone accommodating mechanism 200, the mounting table 211 of the landing port 210 together with the drone 300 thereon descends vertically along the side surface of the MFP 100. An extruding member 212 is provided at the lowermost portion of the landing port 210 so as to be able to expand and contract in a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the MFP 100 (in the horizontal direction in FIG. 2). When the mounting table 211 descends to the lowermost part, the pushing member 212 is shortened, and the drone 300 comes into contact with the tip thereof. When the extruding member 212 extends in this state, the drone 300 is pushed by its tip and moves from the mounting table 211 onto the belt conveyor 230. The belt conveyor 230 is provided along a cavity at the lower part of the storage mechanism 200 extending below the bottom surface of the MFP 100 in a direction perpendicular to the side surface (the left-right direction in FIG. 2). Since the belt conveyor 230 is sufficiently long, a plurality of drones 300 can be accommodated at the same time. Belt conveyor 230 can transport drone 300 placed thereon from one side of MFP 100 to the other (from right to left in FIG. 2). As described above, the belt conveyor 230 functions as both a storage unit and a transport unit for the drone 300. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a charger for the drone 300 is installed at the back of the belt conveyor 230, and a connection electrode therewith extends along the belt conveyor 230. While on the belt conveyor 230, the drone 300 contacts this connection electrode and receives charging through it. The transfer destination of the belt conveyor 230 is the lowermost position where the mounting table 221 of the takeoff port 220 can move. If the mounting table 221 is waiting at this position, the belt conveyor 230 can move the drone 300 to the mounting table 221 from above. From this position, the mounting table 221 moves up with the drone 300 and moves to the uppermost position to expose the drone 300 from the takeoff port 220. In this state, the drone 300 takes off.

  A document tray 201 of the scanner 120 is provided in the course of the lowering of the mounting table 211 of the landing port 210. When the drone 300 lands on the landing port 210 holds the document DCM to be read in the sheet holder 321, the mounting table 211 temporarily stops at the same height as the document tray 201. At this time, the accommodating mechanism 200 pushes the original DCM from the sheet holder 321 of the drone 300 with the pushing member (not shown in FIG. 2) and moves the original DCM to the original tray 201. Further, the scanner 120 rotates the paper feed roller 202 to take in the original DCM from the original tray 201. Thereafter, the mounting table 211 resumes descending, and transports the drone 300 to the lowermost position.

  The discharge tray 44 of the MFP 100 and the discharge tray 202 of the scanner 120 are installed at different heights along the path in which the mounting table 221 of the takeoff port 220 rises. The mounting table 221 temporarily stops at the same height as the respective discharge trays 44 and 202. As a result, the sheet holder 321 of the drone 300 can acquire the sheet bundle SHT or the original DCM from each of the discharge trays 44 and 202. With the sheet holder 321 holding the sheet bundle SHT or the original DCM, the mounting table 221 resumes rising and transports the drone 300 to the top.

[Internal structure of printer]
FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 130. FIG. 3 depicts these internal elements as if they were seen through the front of the housing. The printer 130 includes a feeding unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a fixing unit 30, and a sending unit 40. These elements 10-40 cooperate to function as an electrophotographic image forming unit, and form an image with toner on a sheet based on image data.

  The feeding unit 10 uses the feeding roller groups 12 and 13 to feed one sheet at a time from the bundle of sheets stored in each sheet feeding cassette 11 to the image forming unit 20. The material of the sheets that can be stored in the paper feed cassette 11 is paper or resin, the size is A3, A4, A5, B4, or the like, and the paper type is plain paper, high-quality paper, coated paper, or the like. A paper feed sensor FS is provided near the paper feed cassette 11. It is determined whether or not the feed roller groups 12, 13 are feeding the sheet to the path at a normal timing according to whether there is no delay in the sheet passing timing indicated by these outputs.

  The feeding unit 10 includes a timing roller 14 and a timing sensor TS near the boundary with the image forming unit 20. Since the timing roller 14 is generally stopped, any sheet arriving at the place temporarily stops. Thereafter, the timing roller 14 starts rotating at a timing indicated by a drive signal from the main control unit 60 described later. As a result, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 comes into contact with the sheet sent from the timing roller 14 to the image forming unit 20 with good timing, so that the toner image is correctly transferred to the sheet. . The timing sensor TS is used to determine the presence or absence of a sheet conveyance failure in the timing roller 14 and its surroundings based on the sheet passage timing indicated by the output.

  The image forming unit 20 forms a toner image on a sheet sent from the feeding unit 10. More specifically, first, the exposure unit 21 irradiates the photosensitive drum 22 with the laser beam LSB to expose the surface thereof in a pattern represented by image data, thereby creating an electrostatic latent image on the surface. Next, the developing unit 23 develops the electrostatic latent image with toner. The emerged toner image is transferred from the surface of the photosensitive drum 22 to the surface of the sheet passing between the photosensitive drum 22 and the electrode 24 by an electric field between the photosensitive drum 22 and the electrode 24 facing the surface. Transcribed.

  The fixing unit 30 thermally fixes the toner image on the sheet sent from the image forming unit 20. Specifically, when a sheet is passed through the nip between the fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32, the fixing roller 31 applies heat of a built-in heater to the surface of the sheet, and the pressure roller 32 Pressure is applied to the heated portion of the sheet and pressed against the fixing roller 31. By the heat from the fixing roller 31 and the pressure from the pressure roller 32, the toner image is fixed on the surface of the sheet.

  The sending section 40 sends out the sheet sent from the fixing section 30 to the sheet discharge tray 44 from the sending port 42. The outlet 42 is a horizontally elongated slit opened on the side surface of the MFP 100. The sheet that has moved to the delivery port 42 is delivered from the delivery port 42 to the paper discharge tray 44 as the delivery roller 43 disposed inside the delivery port 42 rotates. A paper ejection sensor ES is provided upstream of the sending roller 43. It is determined whether or not the sending roller 43 sends out the sheet at a normal timing according to whether or not there is a delay in the passage timing of the sheet indicated by this output.

[ADF / scanner structure]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ADF 110 and the scanner 120 along the line IV-IV shown in FIG.

  The ADF 110 takes in the originals DC0 one by one from the paper supply tray 111 into the paper supply port 113 by the paper supply rollers 11A, and discharges the paper from the paper supply port 113 along the transport path by the transport roller groups 11B-11G. Then, the sheet is discharged from the discharge port 115 by the discharge roller 11H. The document DC2 discharged from the discharge port 115 is stored in the discharge tray 112. While the document passes through this transport path, the bottom surface of the ADF 110 is scanned by the irradiation light from the scanner 120, and the inside of the ADF 110 is scanned by the irradiation light from the back scanner 116.

  The scanner 120 has a paper feed roller 12A between itself and the document tray 201, and has a backside scanner 12B and a paper discharge roller 12C between it and the paper discharge tray 202. The paper feed roller 12A feeds the originals DCM one by one from the original tray 201 into the gap between the ADF 110 and the scanner 120. The document DCN that has passed through the gap is pulled out to the discharge tray 202 by the discharge roller 12C. While the document passes through this transport path, the front side is scanned by the irradiation light from the scanner 120 in the gap between the ADF 110 and the scanner 120, and immediately after being pulled out from the gap, the back side is scanned by the irradiation light from the back side scanner 12B. Is done.

  A slit is formed in the upper surface of the scanner 120, and the contact glass 121 closes the slit. The contact glass 121 faces a part of the document transport path exposed on the bottom surface of the ADF 110 and a part of the document transport path provided in the gap between the ADF 110 and the contact glass 121 by the paper feed roller 12A. The scanner 120 irradiates light through the contact glass 121 to the surface of the document passing through a part of each transport path, and detects the reflected light. The upper surface of the scanner 120 also has an opening different from the slit for closing the contact glass 121, and this opening is closed by the platen glass 122. The scanner 120 irradiates light through the platen glass 122 onto the surface of a document placed thereon, and detects the reflected light. A slider 123 is installed inside the scanner 120 so as to be able to reciprocate between a position directly below the contact glass 121 and an end of the platen glass 122. The slider 123 irradiates the light of the line light source 128 onto the surface of the document through the contact glass 121 or the platen glass 122 from the upper surface. The slider 123 further reflects the light reflected from the surface of the document and incident from the upper surface toward the pair of mirrors 124 and the lens 125 by the mirror 129. These optical elements 124 and 125 further focus the reflected light, and cause the line sensor 126 to detect the amount of the reflected light. Since the amount of light changes according to the color of the surface of the document (more precisely, the light reflectance), the electric signal output from the line sensor 126 in response to the detection of the amount of light converts the image displayed on the surface of the document into an image. Represent. Similarly, the electric signals output from the back scanners 116 and 12B represent an image displayed on the back of the document. These electric signals are converted into image data by the image processing unit 127 and output to the printer 130 or an external electronic device.

[Electronic control system of main unit]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic control system of MFP 100. In this electronic control system, an operation unit 50 and a main control unit 60 are communicably connected to each other via a bus 90 in addition to the ADF 110, the scanner 120, and the printer 130.

−Printer−
Each of the functional units 10-40 of the printer 130 includes a dedicated actuator 10A-40A, a control circuit 10C-40C, and a drive circuit 10D-40D. These are arranged near each of the functional units 10-40 shown in FIG. The actuators 10A to 40A include a stepping motor, a direct current brushless (BLDC) motor, or a solenoid, which is a driving source for various movable members such as the transport roller groups 12, 13, and 14 and the photosensitive drum 22. The control circuit 10C-40C is an electronic circuit such as a microprocessor (MPU / CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a programmable integrated circuit (FPGA), and controls the actuators belonging to the same functional unit 10-40. Control. Specifically, the control circuit 10C-40C controls the actuator 10A-C based on the parameter setting value specified by the main control unit 60 and the actual measured value of the parameter fed back from the actuator 10A-40A to be controlled. A target amount such as a drive voltage for 40A is determined and instructed to drive circuits 10D-40D. The parameters for which setting values are instructed from the main control unit 60 include, for example, parameters relating to job processing, such as sheet size, paper type, and conveyance speed. The parameters to which the measured values are fed back from the actuator include parameters representing the operation state of the actuator, such as the number of revolutions, torque, and current. The drive circuits 10D to 40D are, for example, switching power supplies, and apply a drive voltage or a drive current to the actuators 10A to 40A using a switching element such as a power transistor (FET), and change the value from the control circuits 10C to 40C. Maintain the specified target value.

  The control circuit 10C-40C further monitors the operation state of the functional unit 10-40 of the printer 130 and the sheet conveyance state using various kinds of sensors, and when any of them is detected as a failure, the failure is detected. The main controller 60 is notified. These sensors include position sensors for detecting the positions or postures of movable members such as paper passing sensors FS, TS, ES, the photosensitive drum 22, and the fixing roller 31, which are distributed along the sheet conveyance path, and an actuator 10A. -40A or a temperature sensor for detecting overheating of the drive circuits 10D to 40D, a cassette sensor for detecting the paper feed cassette 11 pushed into the housing of the printer 130, a sensor for detecting a paper break in the paper feed cassette 11, A sensor for detecting a shortage of toner in the developing unit 23 is included.

  Although not shown in FIG. 5, the configuration of each functional unit 10-40 of the printer 130, that is, the combination of the actuator, the control circuit, and the drive circuit is the same for each functional unit of the ADF 110 and the scanner 120.

-Drone accommodation mechanism-
The drone accommodation mechanism 200 also includes a dedicated actuator 250, a control circuit 260, and a drive circuit 270, similarly to the functional units 10-40 of the printer 130. The actuator 250 includes a motor for raising and lowering the mounting tables 211 and 221 of the landing port 210 and the takeoff port 220, a solenoid for expanding and contracting the pushing member 212, a driving motor for the belt conveyor 230, and a sheet tray 321 from the sheet holder 321 of the drone 300. And a drive motor for a member that moves the bundle of sheets SHT from the discharge trays 44 and 202 to the sheet holder 321 of the drone 300. The control circuit 260 is an electronic circuit such as an MPU / CPU, an ASIC, and an FPGA, and determines a target amount such as a drive voltage for the actuator 250 and instructs the drive circuit 270. The control circuit 260 particularly monitors the state of charge of the drone 300 placed on the belt conveyor 230, and instructs the drive circuit 270 to charge if the charge rate is lower than the allowable lower limit. The drive circuit 270 is, for example, a switching power supply, and applies a drive voltage or a drive current to the actuator 250 using a switching element such as an FET, and maintains the value at a target value specified by the control circuit 260. The drive circuit 270 particularly includes a battery management system for the drone 300, and performs, for example, constant-voltage / constant-current charging of a secondary battery mounted on the drone 300 in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 260.

  The control circuit 260 further uses various sensors to detect the heights of the mounting tables 211 and 221 of the landing port 210 and the takeoff port 220, the amount of expansion and contraction of the pushing member 212, the drone 300 mounted on the belt conveyor 230, and the like. Of the drone 300 and the state of charge of the drone 300, and the failure is detected by any of the main control unit. Notify 60.

-Operation part-
The operation unit 50 receives a job request and image data to be formed through a user operation or communication with an external electronic device, and transmits them to the main control unit 60. The operation unit 50 includes an operation panel 51. Operation panel 51 is installed on the upper surface of MFP 100, as shown in FIG. 1, and includes a push button, a touch panel, and a display. The operation panel 51 displays a GUI screen on a display. The operation panel 51 also identifies the position of the push button or touch panel operated by the user, and transmits information related to the identification to the main control unit 60 as operation information. The external I / F 52 includes a USB port or a memory card slot, through which image data to be formed is directly taken in from an external storage device such as a USB memory or a hard disk drive (HDD). The external I / F 52 is connected to an external network (not shown in FIG. 5) by wire or wirelessly, and receives image data to be formed from another electronic device on the network. The external I / F 52 is wirelessly connected to the electronic control system of the drone 300 in particular, and relays data exchange between the electronic control system and the main control unit 60.

−Main control unit−
Main controller 60 is an integrated circuit mounted on one printed circuit board installed inside MFP 100, and includes CPU 61, RAM 62, and ROM 63.

  The CPU 61 is composed of one MPU, and realizes various functions as a control entity for the other elements 50, 110, 120, and 130 of the MFP 100 by executing various firmwares. For example, the CPU 61 causes the operation unit 50 to display a GUI screen such as an operation screen and accept a user input operation. In response to the input operation, the CPU 61 determines an operation mode of the MFP 100, such as an operation mode, a standby (low power) mode, a sleep mode, and instructs each element 110, 120, and 130 to perform a process according to the operation mode. In particular, the CPU 61 selects a target value of the sheet conveyance speed in accordance with the type of sheet of the sheet indicated by the operation information from the operation unit 50, and instructs the target value to the functional unit 10-40 of the printer 130. The CPU 61 further functions as a control unit 610 by executing specific firmware. The control unit 610 monitors the state of the drone, for example, the altitude, attitude, speed of the flight, and the remaining amount of the secondary battery by communicating with the drone 300 using the external I / F 52, and based on the state, the drone 300 is controlled. Instruct the operation.

  The RAM 62 is a volatile semiconductor memory device such as a DRAM or an SRAM, and provides a work area for executing firmware to the CPU 61 and stores image data to be formed received by the operation unit 50. The RAM 62 further includes a job queue 621 and a status database 622. The job queue 621 is a storage area for storing the contents of jobs received from the outside by the operation unit 50 in the order of reception. In principle, the jobs stored in the job queue 621 are processed by the CPU 61 in the order in which they are stored. The status database 622 is a storage area for storing values of various parameters representing the status of each of the drones 300 for each drone. The value to be stored is obtained from each drone 300.

  The ROM 63 is a nonvolatile storage device, and is particularly configured by a combination of a non-writable device and a rewritable device. The former stores firmware, and the latter includes a semiconductor memory device such as an EEPROM, a flash memory, and an SSD, or an HDD, and provides a storage area for environmental variables and the like to the CPU 61.

-Job queue-
FIG. 6A is a table illustrating an example of the job queue 621. Items in the queue 621 include, for example, the identifier (ID) and type of the job, the status of the job processing, and the time required for completion. The job type indicates the type of job that can be processed by MFP 100, for example, print, copy, or scan. The state of the job processing includes, for example, executing and waiting. Each time the MFP 100 completes one job process, the CPU 61 deletes the content of the job from the queue 621.

  According to the example of FIG. 6A, in the MFP 100, the printer 130 is currently executing the process of the print job with ID = JB1, and the process is completed in three minutes. Next, the scanner 120 is on standby to process the scan job with ID = JB2. One minute after the required time, the scanner 120 and the printer 130 will cooperate to perform a copy job with ID = JB3.

-State database-
FIG. 6B is a table illustrating an example of the state database 622. Items in the database SDB include, for example, the ID of the drone and the navigation mode, the weight including the held seat, the state of the mounted secondary battery, and the position of the drone. The navigation mode of the drone includes, for example, stopping in the drone accommodation mechanism 200, delivery of a sheet, and forwarding from a delivery destination. The state of the secondary battery is represented by, for example, a remaining amount, a consumption speed, and a dischargeable time. The position of the drone includes, for example, global positioning system (GPS) information, a distance from the MFP 100, a distance to a delivery destination, and a return time to the MFP 100. Each time the drone changes the navigation mode, the CPU 61 acquires the values of these parameters from the drone and updates the status database 622.

  According to the example of FIG. 6B, the drone with ID = DRN1 is parked inside the accommodation mechanism 200. This drone weighs 1.5 kg including the bundle of held sheets, and the mounted secondary battery has a remaining amount of 100%, that is, is fully charged. This drone consumes an average of 40% of the power of the secondary battery per hour. The next destination for this drone is 150 m from MFP 100. The drone with ID = DRN2 is being forwarded from the delivery destination to MFP 100. This drone weighs 0.8 kg, and the remaining amount of the secondary battery is 30%. Since the power of the secondary battery is consumed on average by 20% per hour, the dischargeable time of this drone is 1.5 hours remaining. This drone is located at a distance of 5 m from MFP 100 according to the GPS information. At this distance, the drone has already arrived at the landing standby area set above the MFP 100, so the return time to the MFP 100 can be substantially ignored. The drone with ID = DRN3 is delivering a sheet from MFP 100 to the delivery destination. This drone weighs 1.2 kg, and the remaining amount of the secondary battery is 50%. Since the power of the secondary battery is consumed on average 20% per hour, the dischargeable time of this drone is 2.5 hours remaining. This drone is located at a distance of 150 m from MFP 100 according to the GPS information. With this distance, the return time to the MFP 100 is 30 seconds.

[Drone electronic control system]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the electronic control system of the drone 300. The electronic control system includes a flight mechanism 310, a holding mechanism 320, a power supply section 330, a communication section 340, a monitoring section 350, and a control section 360, which are communicably connected to each other through a bus 390.

  The flight mechanism 310 includes a thrust mechanism such as a BLDC motor (rotor motor) for rotating the rotor, a speed change mechanism for adjusting the number of rotations of the rotor, and a drive circuit for an actuator provided in these mechanisms. The holding mechanism 320 includes, in addition to the sheet holder 321, an actuator for a movable member such as an arm and a bucket provided with the seat holder 321, and a drive circuit for the actuator. The drive circuit of each mechanism is, for example, a switching power supply, and applies a drive voltage or drive current to the actuator using a switching element such as an FET, and maintains the value at a target value specified by the control unit 360. . The power supply unit 330 includes a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, and a power conversion circuit that supplies power from the secondary battery to the drive circuits of the mechanisms 310 and 320. Communication unit 340 connects the electronic circuit group connected to bus 390 mainly to main control unit 60 of MFP 100 so that data can be wirelessly exchanged. The monitoring unit 350 detects a flight altitude and a position of the drone 300, a GPS that detects a flying altitude and a position of the drone 300, and detects a tilt and rotation of the body of the drone 300, in addition to a sensor that monitors an operation state of an actuator and a drive circuit of each mechanism 310 and 320. Gyro sensor, a camera such as a CCD for photographing a bundle of sheets around the body or in the sheet holder 321, and a remaining amount sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the secondary battery of the power supply unit 330. The control unit 360 is an integrated circuit mounted on one printed circuit board installed in the drone 300, and includes a CPU 361, a RAM 362, and a ROM 363. The CPU 361 is composed of one MPU, and realizes various functions as a control entity for the other elements 310 to 350 of the drone 300 by executing various firmwares. The CPU 361 controls the flight mechanism 310 to fly the drone 300 along a predetermined route between the MFP 100 and the delivery destination, and controls the holding mechanism 320 to hold the sheet bundle SHT on the sheet holder 321. Let or release. The RAM 362 is a volatile semiconductor memory device such as a DRAM or an SRAM, and provides the CPU 361 with a work area when executing firmware. The ROM 363 is a non-writable or rewritable nonvolatile storage device, and stores firmware.

[Drone takeoff and landing control by the traffic control unit]
When the drone 300 lands on the landing port 210 and the drone 300 takes off from the takeoff port 220, vibrations and impacts generated on the mounting tables 211 and 221 can be transmitted to the MFP 100. These vibrations and shocks may affect the image forming operation of the printer 130 and the reading operation of the scanner 120 as a disturbance. The control unit 610 controls takeoff and landing of the drone 300 in cooperation with the control of the MFP 100 in order to keep the quality of the formed image or the read image high.

  The take-off and landing control of the drone 300 includes the following four modes: an MFP priority mode, a continuous print / scan priority mode, an unconditional drone priority mode, and a conditional drone priority mode. These modes are pre-selected by the user, for example.

-MFP priority mode-
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of takeoff and landing control in the MFP priority mode. This control is started each time the control unit 610 receives a landing application from the drone 300 to the landing port 210 or a takeoff application from the takeoff port 220. In the MFP priority mode, the operation of the MFP 100 is given priority over the takeoff and landing of the drone 300 in principle. As an exception, if any of the drones applying for landing is difficult to fly, the emergency landing will take precedence.

  In step S101, control unit 610 accesses the control system of MFP 100 and checks whether MFP 100 is operating. If the MFP 100 is operating, the process proceeds to step S102, and if the MFP 100 is on standby, the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S102, since MFP 100 is operating, control unit 610 instructs the drone that has requested takeoff and landing to postpone takeoff and landing. As a result, the drone applying for landing stands by over the MFP 100 by continuing hovering or turning repeatedly, and the drone applying for takeoff stands by on the takeoff port 220 with the rotor stopped. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, the control unit 610 checks whether any of the drones waiting for landing has difficulty flying. A “difficult to fly” drone is a condition in which the rechargeable battery level is below an acceptable lower limit (eg, the power required for the drone 300 to continue hovering for several minutes), a rotor motor, a rechargeable battery, or This refers to a drone in which the flight mechanism 310, the power supply unit 330, or the control unit 360 has a problem that may hinder the continuation of normal operation, such as a state in which a circuit element is overheated. The control unit 610 retrieves these states from the state database 622. If there is a drone that is difficult to fly, the process proceeds to step S104; otherwise, the process is repeated from step S101.

  In step S104, some of the drones waiting for landing are difficult to fly, and must be landed urgently. Therefore, control unit 610 causes the control system of MFP 100 to temporarily stop MFP 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the control unit 610 notifies the drone having difficulty in flying of permission to land. At this point, since the MFP 100 has already been stopped, an adverse effect on the image quality due to the landing of the drone is prevented. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, the control unit 610 checks whether the drone permitted to land has landed on the landing port 210. If it has landed, the process proceeds to step S107, and if it has not landed, the process repeats step S106.

  In step S107, since the drone permitted to land has already landed on landing port 210, control unit 610 causes the control system of MFP 100 to resume the operation of MFP 100. Thereafter, the processing is repeated from step S101.

  In step S108, since the MFP 100 is on standby, there is no danger that the takeoff and landing of the drone will adversely affect the image quality. Therefore, the control unit 610 notifies all the drones that have applied for takeoff and landing of permission for takeoff and landing. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S109, the control unit 610 checks whether or not all the drones permitted to take off and land have finished landing on the landing port 210 or taking off from the takeoff port 220. If all the drones have been completed, the process proceeds to step S110, and if there is any unfinished drone, the process repeats step S109.

  In step S110, since all the drones that have permitted takeoff and landing have finished takeoff and landing, control unit 610 notifies the control system of MFP 100 that the operation of MFP 100 is possible. Thereafter, the process ends.

-Continuous print / scan priority mode-
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of takeoff and landing control in the continuous print / scan priority mode. This control is started each time the control unit 610 receives a landing application from the drone 300 to the landing port 210 or a takeoff application from the takeoff port 220. This control is obtained by adding steps S111, S112, and S113 to the flowchart of the MFP priority mode shown in FIG. Thus, even if the MFP 100 is on standby, while the job stored in the job queue 621 remains, that is, while the print job or the scan job is continuous, in principle, the take-off and landing of the drone 300 Also, the operation of MFP 100 has priority. Here again, as an exception, if any of the drones applying for landing are difficult to fly, the emergency landing is given priority. In addition, even though an unprocessed print job remains in the job queue 621, if there is no drone to receive a sheet that is a processing result of the job in the storage mechanism 200, the drone is operated more than the operation of the MFP 100. 300 takeoffs and landings have priority.

  In step S101, control unit 610 checks whether or not MFP 100 is operating. If MFP 100 is operating, the process proceeds to step S102; if the MFP 100 is on standby, the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S102, since MFP 100 is operating or an unprocessed job remains in job queue 621, control unit 610 instructs the drone that has requested takeoff and landing to postpone takeoff and landing. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, the control unit 610 checks whether any of the drones waiting for landing has difficulty flying. If there is such a drone, the process proceeds to step S104, and if not, the process is repeated from step S101.

  In step S104, since there is a drone that is difficult to fly among the drones waiting for landing, control unit 610 causes the control system of MFP 100 to temporarily stop MFP 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the control unit 610 notifies the drone having difficulty in flying of permission to land. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, the control unit 610 checks whether the drone permitted to land has landed on the landing port 210. If it has landed, the process proceeds to step S107, and if it has not landed, the process repeats step S106.

  In step S107, control unit 610 causes the control system of MFP 100 to restart the operation of MFP 100. Thereafter, the processing is repeated from step S101.

  In step S111, since MFP 100 is on standby, control unit 610 checks whether an unprocessed job remains in job queue 621 or not. If so, the process proceeds to step S112; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S112, since an unprocessed job remains in the job queue 621, the control unit 610 checks whether the job is a print job or a scan job. If it is a print job, the process proceeds to step S113; if it is a scan job, the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S113, since the unprocessed job is a print job, the control unit 610 checks whether or not a drone capable of receiving the sheet of the processing result of the job remains inside the accommodation mechanism 200. If it remains, the process proceeds to step S102; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, no unprocessed job remains in the job queue 621, or no drone to receive the processing result of the unprocessed print job remains inside the accommodation mechanism 200. Therefore, the control unit 610 notifies all the drones that have applied for takeoff and landing of permission for takeoff and landing. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S109, the control unit 610 checks whether or not all the drones permitted to take off and land have finished landing on the landing port 210 or taking off from the takeoff port 220. If all the drones have been completed, the process proceeds to step S110, and if there is any unfinished drone, the process repeats step S109.

  In step S110, since all the drones that have permitted takeoff and landing have finished takeoff and landing, control unit 610 notifies the control system of MFP 100 that the operation of MFP 100 is possible. Thereafter, the process ends.

-Unconditional drone priority mode-
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of takeoff and landing control in the unconditional drone priority mode. This control is started each time the control unit 610 receives a landing application from the drone 300 to the landing port 210 or a takeoff application from the takeoff port 220. In the unconditional drone priority mode, takeoff and landing of the drone 300 is given priority over the operation of the MFP 100 without exception.

  In step S121, control unit 610 accesses the control system of MFP 100 and checks whether MFP 100 is operating. If the MFP 100 is operating, the process proceeds to step S122; if the MFP 100 is on standby, the process proceeds to step S123.

  In step S122, because MFP 100 is operating, control unit 610 causes the control system of MFP 100 to temporarily stop MFP 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S123.

  In step S123, since the MFP 100 has already been stopped, there is no danger of adversely affecting image quality due to takeoff and landing of the drone. Therefore, the control unit 610 notifies all of the drones that have applied for takeoff and landing of permission for takeoff and landing. Thereafter, the processing proceeds to step S124.

  In step S124, the control unit 610 checks whether or not all the drones permitted to take off and land have finished landing on the landing port 210 or taking off from the takeoff port 220. If all the drones have been completed, the process proceeds to step S125. If there is any unfinished drone, the process repeats step S124.

  In step S125, since all the drones that have permitted takeoff and landing have finished takeoff and landing, control unit 610 notifies the control system of MFP 100 that the operation of MFP 100 is possible. Thereafter, the process ends.

-Conditional drone priority mode-
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the landing control in the conditional drone priority mode. This control is started each time the control unit 610 receives a landing application from the drone 300 to the landing port 210. This control is obtained by adding steps S131 to S134 instead of steps S121 and S122 in the flowchart of the unconditional drone priority mode shown in FIG. Unlike the unconditional drone priority mode in which takeoff and landing of the drone 300 is given priority over the operation of the MFP 100 without exception, in the conditional drone priority mode, if the landing of the drone 300 satisfies a specific condition, the operation of the MFP 100 is continued. Landing of the drone 300 is prioritized. This condition indicates that landing of the drone 300 may adversely affect the operation of the MFP 100. For example, the case where the drone 300 is running out of batteries is prevented, and the case where a plurality of drones return to the MFP 100 continuously. There is. Landing control based on these conditions is as follows.

  In step S131, control unit 610 searches state database 622 for a parameter value required to determine whether the drone for which landing has been applied satisfies the above condition, for example, dischargeable time RST or return time RTN. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S132.

  In step S132, the control unit 610 accesses the control system of the MFP 100, obtains the required time of the job being processed by the MFP 100, and, based on this time and the parameter values RST and RTN obtained in step S131, generates a drone. Check whether the landing of 300 satisfies the above conditions. For example, a condition for preventing a drone from running out of battery during transport is that the drone dischargeable time RST is shorter than the required time of the job. In this case, there is a risk that the battery of the drone will run out before MFP 100 completes the job processing. A condition when a plurality of drones 300 continuously return to MFP 100 is that the interval ΔRTN (the maximum value) of return time RTN of drone 300 is shorter than the required time of the job. In this case, there is a risk that the next drone will return before the job processing started after the return of one drone is completed. If any one of the conditions is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S133; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S134.

  In step S133, since the condition is satisfied, there is a risk that the landing of the drone will adversely affect the operation of MFP 100. For the purpose of avoiding this danger, control unit 610 causes MFP 100 to temporarily stop MFP 100 by the control system. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S123.

  In step S134, since the condition is not satisfied, there is no danger that the landing of the drone will adversely affect the operation of MFP 100. Therefore, control unit 610 notifies the control system of MFP 100 that MFP 100 can operate. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S123.

  In step S123, since there is no risk of adversely affecting the operation of MFP 100 due to the landing of the drone, control unit 610 notifies all the drones that have applied for landing of permission to land. Thereafter, the processing proceeds to step S124.

  In step S124, the control unit 610 checks whether or not all the drones permitted to land have landed on the landing port 210. If all the drones have been completed, the process proceeds to step S125. If there is any unfinished drone, the process repeats step S124.

  In step S125, since all the drones that have permitted landing have finished landing, control unit 610 notifies the control system of MFP 100 that MFP 100 can operate. Thereafter, the process ends.

[Advantages of the embodiment]
As described above, in the system according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the CPU 61 functions as the control unit 610 for the drone 300 in the main control unit 60 of the MFP 100, the operation of the MFP 100 determines the takeoff and landing timing of the drone 300 in cooperation with the control of the MFP 100. Set it so that it does not overlap with the period. This setting includes an MFP priority mode, a continuous print / scan priority mode, and a drone priority mode. In either mode, the drone 300 lands on the landing port 210 while the MFP 100 is on standby, or the drone 300 takes off from the takeoff port 220. Therefore, even if the vibrations / shocks generated on the mounting tables 211 and 221 are transmitted to the MFP 100, there is no danger that the vibrations / shocks will cause a disturbance and adversely affect the image forming operation of the printer 130 and the reading operation of the scanner 120. As a result, the quality of the formed image or the read image is kept high. On the other hand, if any of the drones applying for landing is difficult to fly, emergency landing is given priority. In this way, the system can prevent the image quality from being degraded due to the takeoff and landing of the drone, and can secure a sufficiently large range that can be delivered by the drone.

[Modification]
(A) The image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an MFP. In addition, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may be any other single-function machine such as a laser printer, an inkjet printer, or another type of printer, a copier, a scanner, or a facsimile.

  (B) In the system shown in FIG. 2, the scanner 120 includes a document tray 201, a paper feed roller 12A, a paper discharge tray 202, a back side scanner 12B, and a paper discharge roller 12C (see FIG. 4). By combining these with the drone 300, the taking in and returning of the original to be scanned and the copy job, and the delivery of the copied sheet are automated. However, these are not essential, and automation of either the scan job or the copy job may be omitted.

  (C) In the continuous print / scan priority mode, both the print job and the scan job have priority. Alternatively, only one of them may be given priority. That is, steps S112 and S113 may be omitted (see FIG. 9). Since a copy job can be regarded as a combination of a print job and a scan job, there is no need to particularly distinguish the copy job, and the copy job may be handled in the same manner as a print job.

  (D) The MFP priority mode and the continuous print / scan priority mode incorporate a mode (S103-S107) for urgently landing a difficult-to-flight drone (see FIGS. 8 and 9). However, this incorporation is not essential, and if the risk of running out of battery during delivery or forwarding is sufficiently low, such as the risk of running out of batteries during delivery is sufficiently low because the delivery range is sufficiently small, The emergency landing mode may be omitted.

  (E) In the conditional drone priority mode, when the landing of the drone 300 satisfies the condition that adversely affects the operation of the MFP 100, the landing of the drone 300 is given priority over the continuation of the operation of the MFP 100. This condition can be set in addition to the above two types, that is, a case in which the battery of the drone being forwarded is exhausted and a case in which a plurality of drones return to the MFP 100 continuously. For example, the estimated landing time of the drone is estimated from the return time of the drone, the completion time of the job processing is estimated from the required time of the job, and if the latter is later than the former, the operation of the MFP 100 may be suspended. .

  The present invention relates to a sheet delivery system using a drone, and as described above, sets the time of takeoff and landing of the drone so as not to overlap with the operation period of the image forming unit. Thus, the present invention is obviously industrially applicable.

100 MFP
110 ADF
Reference Signs List 120 Scanner 130 Printer 44 Printer ejection tray 51 Operation panel 200 Drone accommodation mechanism 201 Scanner document tray 202 Scanner ejection tray 210 Landing port 211 Landing port mounting table 212 Extrusion member 220 Takeoff port 221 Takeoff port mounting table 230 Belt conveyor 300 drone 321 seat holder

Claims (11)

A system for delivering a sheet output by an image forming apparatus by a drone,
A control device for controlling takeoff and landing of the drone in the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet while conveying the sheet,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the image forming unit,
The control device,
A communication unit that can communicate with the control unit and the drone of the image forming apparatus,
An instruction unit that monitors the state of the drone and instructs the drone to operate based on the state,
A system, wherein a control unit of the image forming apparatus and an instruction unit of the control apparatus cooperate with each other to set a takeoff and landing time of the drone so as not to overlap with an operation period of the image forming unit. The drone,
A flight mechanism capable of vertical takeoff and landing,
A holding mechanism for releasably holding a sheet output by the image forming apparatus,
A communication unit capable of communicating with an instruction unit of the control device;
2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to control takeoff and landing by the flight mechanism, flight to a delivery destination, and holding and release of the sheet by the holding mechanism in response to an instruction from the instruction unit. A drone accommodation mechanism that is installed at a paper ejection port of the image forming apparatus and that can take off and land or stop the drone;
The drone accommodation mechanism,
A takeoff unit from which the drone can take off,
A landing section on which the drone can land,
An accommodating section that accommodates the drone and supplies power to the drone,
The drone that has landed on the landing section is transported from the landing section to the storage section or the discharge port in accordance with an instruction from an instruction section of the control device, and further from the storage section or the discharge port. The system according to claim 1, further comprising: a transport unit configured to transport to the takeoff unit.   The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the instruction unit causes the drone to postpone takeoff or landing until the operation period of the image forming unit is completed.   When the control unit of the image forming apparatus receives a job to be processed by the image forming unit, the instruction unit delays takeoff or landing of the drone, and gives priority to the job processing by the image forming unit. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the system is operated. The image forming apparatus includes:
A scanning unit for reading an image from the document;
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the indicating unit causes the drone to postpone both takeoff and landing until the operation period of the scanning unit is completed.   When the control unit of the image forming apparatus receives a job to be processed by the scanning unit, the instruction unit delays takeoff or landing of the drone, and prioritizes processing of the job by the scanning unit. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that:   When the drone is in flight and falls into a difficult-to-flight state, the instruction unit causes the control unit of the image forming apparatus to temporarily stop the image forming unit and give priority to landing of the drone. A system according to any one of the preceding claims.   The instruction unit causes the control unit of the image forming apparatus to temporarily stop the image forming apparatus when the drone enters a takeoff or landing position with respect to the image forming apparatus, and the drone completes takeoff or landing. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the image forming unit is made to wait until the operation is completed.   When the landing of the drone satisfies a condition that adversely affects the operation of the image forming apparatus, the instruction unit determines whether to give priority to landing of the drone over the operation of the image forming apparatus. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein An image forming apparatus for delivering a sheet to be output to a drone,
An image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet while conveying the sheet,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the image forming unit;
A control unit for controlling takeoff and landing of the drone in the image forming apparatus,
The control unit,
A communication unit capable of communicating with the control unit and the drone;
An instruction unit that monitors the state of the drone and instructs the drone to operate based on the state,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the control unit and the instruction unit cooperate with each other to prevent a timing of takeoff and landing of the drone from overlapping with an operation period of the image forming unit.

Images