JP2021144477A - Job transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a job transfer device capable of accurately measuring distance to other devices even when a frequency band used for wireless communication is congested.SOLUTION: A job transfer device (image formation device 10a) includes: a sound generation request unit 402 that requests a transfer destination candidate device (image formation device 10b) connected to via a network to generate a sound wave for distance measurement; a detection unit (sound wave detection unit 107 or sound-for-distance-measurement detection unit 403) that detects the sound wave for distance measurement generated from the transfer destination candidate device; and a transfer destination determination unit that determines that the transfer destination candidate device is a transfer destination based on the detected sound wave for distance measurement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present disclosure relates to a job transfer device that transfers a job to another device when the job cannot be executed.

Conventionally, a printing system has been known in which a print job is transferred to another image forming apparatus for processing when the image forming apparatus that receives a print job request becomes unprintable due to factors such as running out of paper or a failure. There is.

For example, in Patent Document 1, as the image forming apparatus to which the job is transferred, the image forming apparatus having the shortest distance from the image forming apparatus requested for the print job is determined first, and the image forming apparatus is printed on the determined image forming apparatus. A printing system for processing jobs is disclosed.

JP-A-2018-32305

In the printing system described in Patent Document 1, the distance between image forming devices is measured by using the reception strength in wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). However, due to the recent increase in IoT (Internet of Things) devices and wireless support of various electronic devices, the frequency band used for wireless communication is extremely congested, and in such a state, images are imaged due to radio wave interference. It may not be possible to accurately measure the distance between the forming devices.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a job transfer device capable of accurately measuring the distance to another device even when the frequency band used for wireless communication is congested. The purpose.

The job transfer device of one aspect of the present disclosure is a job transfer device that transfers a job to a transfer destination, and is a request unit that requests a transfer destination candidate device connected via a network to generate sound waves for distance measurement. And a detection unit that detects a sound wave for distance measurement generated from the device of the transfer destination candidate, and a determination unit that determines the device of the transfer destination candidate as the transfer destination based on the detected sound wave for distance measurement. It is characterized by having.

Further, there are a plurality of the transfer destination candidate devices, and further include a measuring unit for measuring the distance to each transfer destination candidate device based on the detected sound for distance measurement, and the determination unit is measured. The transfer destination may be determined based on the distance from each transfer destination candidate device.

Further, the determination unit may preferentially set the transfer destination candidate device having a closer distance as the transfer destination.

Further, the determination unit confirms whether or not the job can be accepted for the device of the transfer destination candidate having the shortest distance, and if it is acceptable, determines the device of the transfer destination candidate having the shortest distance as the transfer destination. May be good.

When the determination unit confirms whether or not a job can be accepted from a plurality of the transfer destination candidate devices for one transfer destination candidate device, when the job can be accepted, the one transfer destination candidate device is referred to as the transfer destination. When the decision is made and the device cannot be accepted, it may be confirmed whether or not the job can be accepted by the device of the transfer destination candidate having the next closest distance to the device of the transfer destination candidate.

Further, the requesting unit requests the first transfer destination candidate device and the second transfer destination candidate device to generate the sound wave for distance measurement, and the detection unit requests the first transfer destination candidate to generate the sound. When the sound wave for distance measurement emitted from the device is detected and the sound wave for distance measurement emitted from the device of the second transfer destination candidate cannot be detected, the device for distance measurement is said to be the device of the first transfer destination candidate. The measuring unit further includes a receiving unit that receives information on the distance to the second transfer destination candidate device from the first transfer destination candidate device, and the measuring unit is a transfer destination candidate from the job transfer device. The sum of the distance to the device and the distance from the first transfer destination candidate device to the second transfer destination candidate device is the distance from the job transfer device to the second transfer destination candidate device. You may look at it.

Further, the requesting unit may request that the sound waves emitted from the transfer destination candidate device be generated in a manner that can be distinguished and detected.

Further, the requesting unit may request that the plurality of transfer destination candidate devices generate sound waves at different timings.

Further, the requesting unit may request that the plurality of transfer destination candidate devices generate sound waves having different frequencies.

In addition, a display unit that displays the distance between the one or more transfer destination candidate devices and each transfer destination candidate device, and selection of which transfer destination candidate device to transfer from the displayed transfer destination candidate device. The determination unit may further include an input unit that accepts input, and the determination unit may determine the transfer destination candidate device indicated by the selection input as the transfer destination.

Further, a storage unit for storing the identification information of the plurality of transfer destination candidate devices may be further provided.

The job transfer device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a job transfer device that transfers a job to a transfer destination, and is a request unit that requests a transfer destination candidate device connected via a network to measure a distance, and a distance. A sound generating unit that generates a sound wave for measurement, a receiving unit that receives information on the distance measured by the device of the transfer destination candidate based on the sound wave for distance measurement from the device of the transfer destination candidate, and a receiving unit that receives the information. It is provided with a determination unit that determines the device of the transfer destination candidate as the transfer destination based on the information of the distance.

Further, the sound wave for distance measurement may be a sound wave of 20 kHz or more.

The image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is
An image forming unit for executing a print job for forming a print image on a sheet and the above-mentioned job transfer device are provided, and when the print job cannot be executed by the image forming unit, the job transfer device is used for the print job. Make a transfer.

According to the present disclosure, by using sound waves, it is possible to accurately measure the distance to other devices even when the frequency band used for wireless communication is congested. As a result, the job can be transferred to a device that is highly convenient for the user (the device that is closest to the user).

It is a figure which shows the structure of a printing system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an image forming apparatus. (A) is a diagram for explaining the principle of distance measurement using sound waves. (B) is a graph showing the relationship between the distance and attenuation of sound waves. (C) is a diagram showing a method of measuring a distance between two devices having a distance. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the image forming apparatus of a transfer source and the image forming apparatus of a transfer destination. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the image forming apparatus of a transfer source. It is a flowchart which shows the distance measurement process. It is a flowchart which shows the transfer destination determination process. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the image forming apparatus of a transfer destination. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the image forming apparatus of a transfer source and the image forming apparatus of a transfer destination. It is a flowchart which shows the distance measurement process. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the image forming apparatus of a transfer destination. This is an example of the forwarding destination selection screen displayed on the operation panel.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the printing system according to the present disclosure will be described.
(Embodiment 1)
(1) Configuration of Printing System FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of printing system 1. As shown in the figure, the printing system 1 includes a plurality of image forming devices 10 connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and a plurality of information terminals 20.

In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 is a color multifunction device (MFP: Multi-Function Peripheral) having functions such as a scanner, a printer, and a copier.

The information terminal 20 is a terminal device capable of controlling the image forming apparatus 10 by installing a predetermined printer driver such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smartphone.

The user operates the information terminal 20 or operates the operation panel included in the image forming apparatus 10 to instruct the image forming apparatus 10 to execute the print job, and the image forming apparatus 10 instructs the instructed print job to be executed. To execute. Note that executing a print job means forming an image based on the image data specified by the print job on the sheet and discharging it to a paper ejection tray (not shown) included in the image forming apparatus 10.

(2) Hardware Configuration of Image Forming Device 10 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a control unit 101, a non-volatile storage unit 102, an operation panel 103, an image reading unit 104, an image forming unit 105, a communication unit 106, a sound wave detecting unit 107, and a sound wave generating unit 108. Be prepared.

The control unit 101 includes a CPU 101a, a RAM 101b, and a ROM 101c. The CPU 101a controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 10 by executing the program stored in the ROM 101c. The RAM 101b is used as a work area for the CPU 101a to execute a program. The ROM 101c stores a control program for controlling the operation panel 103, the image reading unit 104, the image forming unit 105, the communication unit 106, the sound wave detecting unit 107, and the sound wave generating unit 108.

The non-volatile storage unit 102 is, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory, and stores data required for the image forming device 10 to operate.

The operation panel 103 includes a display with a touch panel, and has both an input unit that receives various inputs from the user and a display unit that displays various information to the user.

The image reading unit 104 optically reads the document placed on the document tray with an optical sensor such as a CCD to generate image data.

The image forming unit 105 forms an image based on the image data on the sheet by an electrophotographic process and outputs it on the paper ejection tray.

The communication unit 106 includes, for example, a network interface such as a NIC, and communicates with another image forming apparatus and the information terminal 20. For example, the communication unit 106 receives a scan job or a print job from the information terminal 20, and transmits the image data generated by the image reading unit 104 to the information terminal 20 according to the received scan job. Further, the communication unit 106 is provided with an interface for facsimile communication, and image data may be transmitted and received by facsimile communication.

The sound wave detection unit 107 is a microphone that converts sound waves into electric signals.

The sound wave generating unit 18 is a speaker that converts an electric signal into sound waves.

(3) Principle of distance measurement using sound waves FIG. 3 (a) is a diagram for explaining the principle of distance measurement using sound waves. As shown in FIG. 3A, consider an image forming apparatus 31 including a sound wave detecting unit 31a and an image forming apparatus 32 including a sound wave generating unit 32a. The sound wave generated from the sound wave generating unit 32a propagates in the air and reaches the sound wave detecting unit 31a. At this time, the sound pressure of the sound wave is attenuated according to the propagation distance. FIG. 3B is a graph showing the relationship between the sound wave propagation distance and the sound pressure. By using the relationship between the sound wave propagation distance and the sound pressure, the distance from the sound wave sound pressure detected by the sound wave detection unit 31a to the sound wave generation unit 32b (distance from the image forming device 31 to the image forming device 32). ) Can be measured.

Since the sound wave is attenuated as described above, if the distance d between the image forming device 31 and the image forming device 32 is large, the sound wave generated by the sound wave generating unit 32a cannot be detected by the sound wave detecting unit 31a, and the distance d is measured. It may not be possible. In that case, as shown in FIG. 3C, another image forming apparatus 33 exists between the image forming apparatus 31 and the image forming apparatus 32, and the distance d1 between the image forming apparatus 31 and the image forming apparatus 33 If the distance d2 between the image forming apparatus 33 and the image forming apparatus 32 can be measured, it can be approximated as d≈d1 + d2.

(4) Functional Configuration of Image Forming Device 10 When a job is accepted, the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment acquires its own state, determines whether or not the accepted job can be executed, and executes the job. If it cannot be executed, the job is transferred to another image forming apparatus 10. At this time, the distance to the other image forming apparatus 10 is measured using sound waves, and the job is transferred to the image forming apparatus 10 having the closest distance.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus 10a as a transfer source and an image forming apparatus 10b as a transfer destination.

(4-1) Functional configuration of image forming apparatus 10a The image forming apparatus 10a includes a job execution determination unit 401, a sound wave generation request unit 402, a distance measurement sound wave detection unit 403, a distance measurement unit 404, and a transfer destination status confirmation unit 405. It includes a transfer destination determination unit 406, a distance information request unit 407, a distance information reception unit 408, a job transfer unit 409, and a job execution unit 410. Further, the non-volatile storage unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 10a is provided with a storage area for storing device state information 411, job information 412, transfer destination candidate information 413, sound pressure attenuation information 414, and inter-device distance information 415. ing.

The device state information 411 is information indicating the current state of the image forming device 10a. The device state information 411 may include information indicating whether or not the paper is out of paper. The device state information 411 may include information on whether or not an error such as a jam has occurred. The device state information 411 may include information on optional functions that can be executed by the image forming device 10a.

The job information 412 is information indicating the details of the job received by the image forming apparatus 10a. The job information 412 may include information indicating whether or not the received job is accompanied by paper output. The job information 412 may include information indicating whether or not the received job uses the optional function.

The transfer destination candidate information 413 is identification information of the image forming apparatus 10 that is a transfer destination candidate. As the identification information, information such as a computer name, an IP address, and a MAC address of each image forming apparatus 10 can be used. The transfer destination candidate information 413 may include identification information of all the image forming devices 10 belonging to the same network as the image forming device 10a. The transfer destination candidate information 413 may include identification information of a part of the image forming apparatus 10 selected by the administrator among the image forming apparatus 10 belonging to the same network as the image forming apparatus 10a.

The sound pressure attenuation information 414 is information indicating the relationship between the propagation distance and the detected sound pressure when a sound wave having a predetermined frequency is generated at a predetermined sound pressure. Based on this information, the distance from the sound wave source that generated a sound wave of a predetermined frequency at a predetermined sound pressure is calculated.

The inter-device distance information 415 stores information indicating the distance to each transfer destination candidate. The inter-device distance information 415 may include the distance to the first transfer destination candidate measured by the distance measuring unit 403. The inter-device distance information 415 includes the distance between the image forming apparatus 10a measured by the distance measuring unit 403 and the first transfer destination candidate, and the first transfer destination candidate and the second transfer destination received by the distance information receiving unit. The distance between the image forming apparatus 10a calculated based on the distance to the candidate and the second transfer destination candidate may be included.

The job execution determination unit 401 refers to the device status information 411 and the job information 412, and determines whether the job received by the image forming apparatus 10a is executed by the image forming apparatus 10a or transferred to another image forming apparatus 10. do. The job execution determination unit 401 determines that the image forming apparatus 10a transfers the job to another image forming apparatus 10 when the received job cannot be executed, and determines that the job is executed in other cases. You may. For example, when the job information 412 indicates that the accepted job is a job accompanied by paper output and the device status information 411 indicates the occurrence of a jam, the job execution determination unit 401 indicates that the accepted job is Determined to be infeasible. Further, the job execution determination unit 401 indicates, for example, that the job information 412 indicates that the received job is a job used by the staple function, and the device state information 411 indicates that the staple function cannot be used. Judge that the accepted job cannot be executed.

The sound wave generation requesting unit 402 communicates with the image forming apparatus 10b which is a transfer destination candidate via the communication unit 106, and transmits a message requesting the generation of sound waves for distance measurement. Information on the destination of the message is stored in the forwarding destination candidate information 413. The message requesting the generation of the sound wave for distance measurement includes information for specifying the frequency of the sound wave for distance measurement and information for specifying the timing for generating the sound wave for distance measurement. When there are a plurality of image forming devices 10b as transfer destination candidates, the sound wave generation requesting unit 402 requests the generation of sound waves for distance measurement so that the sound waves generated by each image forming device 10b can be detected separately. Send a message. For example, by generating sound waves for distance measurement at different timings in the image forming apparatus 10b which is a candidate for each transfer destination, the distance of the image forming apparatus 10b which is a candidate for each transfer destination can be measured separately. Further, by generating sound waves having different frequencies in the image forming apparatus 10b which is a candidate for each transfer destination, the distance of the image forming apparatus 10b which is a candidate for each transfer destination can be measured separately.

The sound wave detection unit 403 for distance measurement detects the maximum value of the sound pressure level of the detection frequency in the detection period from the electric signal output from the sound wave detection unit 107. Here, the detection frequency is the frequency of the sound wave for distance measurement specified in the message requesting the generation of the sound wave for distance measurement. Further, the detection period is a period of a predetermined length including the timing of generating the sound wave for distance measurement specified in the message requesting the generation of the sound wave for distance measurement.

The distance measuring unit 403 refers to the detected sound pressure level and the sound pressure attenuation information 414, and measures the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b, which is the source of the sound wave for distance measurement.

The transfer destination status confirmation unit 405 communicates with the image forming device 10b which is a transfer destination candidate via the communication unit 106, and determines whether or not the job of the image forming device 10b can be accepted. The transfer destination status confirmation unit 405 transmits a confirmation message confirming acceptance / rejection of the job to the image forming apparatus 10b, and receives a response message as a response. The determination of acceptance / rejection of the job may be performed by the image forming apparatus 10a or the image forming apparatus 10b. When the image forming apparatus 10a determines whether or not to accept the job, the confirmation message is a message requesting the apparatus state information of the image forming apparatus 10b, and the response message includes the apparatus state information of the image forming apparatus 10b. Then, the transfer destination status confirmation unit 405 determines whether or not the job can be accepted by using the device status information of the image forming apparatus 10b and the job information 412 included in the response message. On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 10b determines whether or not to accept the job, the confirmation message includes detailed information of the job to be transferred in the job information 412. Then, the image forming apparatus 10b determines whether or not the job can be accepted by using the detailed information of the job to be transferred included in the confirmation message and the apparatus state information of the image forming apparatus 10b, and includes the determination result in the response message. Is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10a. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 10a determines whether or not the job can be accepted.

The transfer destination determination unit 406 receives information on the distance to the image forming device 10b of each transfer destination candidate stored in the inter-device distance information 415, and the job of each transfer destination candidate input from the transfer destination status confirmation unit. The image forming apparatus 10b to which the job is transferred is determined based on the acceptance / rejection. In the present embodiment, among the transfer destination candidates that can accept the job to be transferred, the transfer destination candidate having the shortest distance is determined as the transfer destination.

The distance information requesting unit 407 communicates with the image forming apparatus 10b via the communication unit 106, and transmits a message requesting information on the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b and another image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10b may measure the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b and another image forming apparatus 10 in response to receiving a message requesting distance information from the distance information requesting unit 407. The method in which the image forming apparatus 10b measures the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b and another image forming apparatus 10 is the same as the method in which the image forming apparatus 10a measures the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b. good.

The distance information receiving unit 408 communicates with the image forming apparatus 10b via the communication unit 106, and in response to the message transmitted by the distance information requesting unit 407, the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b and the other image forming apparatus 10 is set. Receive a message containing information. The distance information receiving unit 408 includes information on the distance between the image forming apparatus 10b and another image forming apparatus 10 included in the received message, and the image forming apparatus 10a and the image forming apparatus 10b included in the inter-device distance information 415. The distance between the image forming apparatus 10a and another image forming apparatus 10 is calculated using the distance and stored in the inter-device distance information 415. This makes it possible to calculate the distance between the image forming apparatus 10a and the image forming apparatus 10 whose distance cannot be measured by sound waves.

The job transfer unit 409 communicates with the image forming apparatus 10b via the communication unit 106, and transfers the job to the transfer destination determined by the transfer destination determination unit 406.

The job execution unit 410 executes the job when the job execution determination unit 401 determines that the image forming device 10a executes the job.

(4-2) Functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10b The image forming apparatus 10b includes a sound wave generation processing unit 451, an apparatus state transmission unit 452, a distance information transmission unit 453, a job reception unit 454, and a job execution unit 455. Further, the non-volatile storage unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 10b is provided with a storage area for storing distance measurement sound information 461, device state information 462, and inter-device distance information 463.

The distance measurement sound information 461 stores an audio file for generating a distance measurement sound wave from the sound wave generation unit 108 when a message requesting the generation of a distance measurement sound wave is received from the image forming apparatus 10a. Will be done. The distance measurement sound information 461 stores audio files corresponding to each of the frequencies that may be specified in the message requesting the generation of the distance measurement sound wave.

The device state information 462 is information for determining whether or not the image forming device 10b can accept the job to be transferred, and is the same information as the device state information 411 of the image forming device 10a.

The inter-device distance information 463 is information on the distance to another image forming device 10 measured by the image forming device 10b.

The sound wave generation processing unit 451 receives a message requesting the generation of sound waves for distance measurement from the image forming apparatus 10a, and distances an audio file for generating sound waves for distance measurement at a frequency specified in the received message. Sound waves based on the acquired sound wave file acquired from the measurement sound information 461 and at the timing specified in the received message are generated from the sound wave generation unit 108.

The device state transmission unit 452 transmits the device state information 462 stored in the non-volatile storage unit 102 to the image forming device 10a in response to the request for the device state information from the image forming device 10a.

The distance information transmission unit 453 transmits the distance information included in the inter-device distance information 462 stored in the non-volatile storage unit 102 to the image forming device 10a in response to the request for the distance information from the image forming device 10a.

The job receiving unit 454 receives a job from the image forming apparatus 10a, and the job executing unit executes the received job.

(5) Operation of the image forming apparatus 10 FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer source.

First, the image forming apparatus 10 accepts the input of the job from the information terminal 20 or the operation panel 103 (step S11), and stores the detailed information of the accepted job in the job information 412.

The job execution determination unit 401 acquires the device status information 411, confirms the device status of the image forming apparatus (step S12), and determines whether to execute the job received in step S11 or transfer it to another image forming apparatus. Determine (step S13).

When it is determined to execute the job (step S13: No), the job execution unit 410 executes the job based on the detailed information of the job stored in the job information 412 (step S14).

When it is determined that the job is to be transferred (step S13: Yes), the image forming apparatus 10 performs a distance measurement process to measure the distance to each transfer destination candidate (step S15). The details of the distance measurement process will be described later.

After the distance measurement process, the image forming apparatus 10 performs a transfer destination determination process to determine the transfer destination of the job (step S16). The details of the transfer destination determination process will be described later.

The job transfer unit 409 transfers the job to the determined transfer destination. That is, the detailed information of the job stored in the job information 412 is transmitted, and the job is executed (step S17).

After transferring the job, the image forming apparatus 10 returns to step S11 and waits until a new job is accepted.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the distance measurement process in step S15.

When the distance measurement process is started, the sound wave generation requesting unit 402 refers to the transfer destination candidate information 413 and selects one transfer destination candidate (step S21).

The sound wave generation requesting unit 402 transmits a message requesting the generation of sound waves for distance measurement to the transfer destination candidate selected in step S21 (step S22).

The sound wave detection unit 403 for distance measurement sets the detection frequency and the detection period according to the message transmitted in step S22, and detects the sound pressure level of the sound wave of the detection frequency in the set detection period. When the sound wave is successfully detected (step S23: Yes), that is, when the maximum value of the sound pressure level of the sound wave of the detection frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold in the detection period, the distance measuring unit 404 detects the detection frequency in the detection period. From the maximum value of the sound pressure level of the sound wave and the sound pressure attenuation information 414, the distance to the detected sound wave source for distance measurement is measured (step S24). The distance measuring unit 404 stores the measured distance as the distance to the transfer destination candidate selected in step S21 in the inter-device distance information 415.

When the sound wave detection fails (step S23: No), the distance measuring unit 404 stores in the inter-device distance information 415 that the distance to the transfer destination candidate selected in step S21 could not be measured, and performs processing. Proceed.

It is determined whether or not the transmission of the message requesting the generation of sound waves to all the transfer destination candidates included in the transfer destination candidate information 413 is completed (step S25), and if it is completed, the process is terminated and completed. If not, the process returns to step S21, and a message requesting the generation of sound waves is transmitted to the transfer destination candidate who has not transmitted the message.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the transfer destination determination process in step S16.

When the transfer destination determination process is started, the transfer destination determination unit 406 refers to the inter-device distance information 415 and acquires the information of the transfer destination candidate whose distance can be measured among the plurality of transfer destination candidates. Then, the transfer destination determination unit 406 selects the transfer destination candidate having the shortest distance among the transfer destination candidates whose distances can be measured (step S31).

The transfer destination status confirmation unit 405 confirms whether or not the job can be accepted for the transfer destination candidate selected in step S31 (step S32). Specifically, the transfer destination status confirmation unit 405 transmits a message requesting the device status information 462 to the transfer destination candidate selected in step S31, and in response, the transfer destination candidate selected in step S31. Acquires the device state information 462 of. Then, from the job information 412 and the device status information 462 of the transfer destination candidate, it is determined whether or not the job of the transfer destination candidate can be accepted.

When the transfer destination candidate selected in step S31 is determined to be acceptable for the job (step S33: Yes), the transfer destination determination unit 406 determines the transfer destination candidate selected in step S31 as the transfer destination and processes it. Is finished (step S34).

When the transfer destination candidate selected in step S31 is determined to be unacceptable for the job (step S33: No), the transfer destination determination unit 406 confirms whether or not all the transfer destination candidates whose distances have been measured can be accepted. Whether or not it is determined (step S35).

If there is a transfer destination candidate whose acceptance / rejection has not been confirmed for the transfer destination candidate whose distance has been measured (step S35: No), the process returns to step S31 and the acceptance / rejection is confirmed among the transfer destination candidates whose distance has been measured. Among the transfer destination candidates that have not been set, the transfer destination candidate with the shortest distance is selected, and the process is continued.

When it is confirmed whether or not all the transfer destination candidates whose distances have been measured can be accepted (step S35: Yes), whether or not the distance information of the transfer destination candidates whose distances have not been measured can be acquired from the transfer destination candidates whose distances have been measured. Is determined (step S36). Specifically, the transfer destination candidate whose distance has been measured is requested to measure the distance between the transfer destination candidate whose distance has been measured and the transfer destination candidate whose distance has not been measured, and the distance information of the measurement result is received.

When the distance information between the distance-measured transfer destination candidate and the distance-unmeasured transfer destination candidate can be obtained from the distance-measured transfer destination candidate (step S36: Yes), the distance-measured transfer destination candidate and the distance The distance information of the unmeasured transfer destination candidate is acquired, and the distance between the image forming apparatus 10 and the transfer destination candidate whose distance is not measured is calculated based on the acquired distance information (step S37). As a result, the transfer destination candidate whose distance is calculated in step S37 becomes a candidate whose distance has been measured. Returning to step S31, among the transfer destination candidates whose distances have been measured and for which acceptance / rejection has not been confirmed, the transfer destination candidate having the closest distance is selected, and the process is continued.

When it is not possible to acquire the distance information between the transfer destination candidate whose distance has been measured and the transfer destination candidate whose distance has not been measured from the transfer destination candidate whose distance has been measured (step S36: Yes), the transfer destination determination unit 406 has accepted. An error notification indicating that the job cannot be executed and that the image forming apparatus 10 at the transfer destination could not be detected is given, and the process ends. The transfer destination determination unit 406 notifies the information terminal 20 of an error when the job received in step S11 is an input from the information terminal 20, and when the job received in step S11 is an input from the operation panel 103. Notify an error on the operation panel.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 at the transfer destination.

The sound wave generation processing unit 451 determines whether or not a message requesting the generation of sound waves for distance measurement has been received from the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer source (step S41), and requests the generation of sound waves for distance measurement. When a message is received, an audio file for generating a sound wave for distance measurement is acquired from the sound information 461 for distance measurement, and a sound wave based on the acquired audio file is generated from the sound wave generator 108 at the timing specified in the message. Generate (step S42).

The device state transmission unit 452 determines whether or not a message requesting the device state information 462 has been received from the image forming device 10 of the transfer source (step S43), and when the message requesting the device state information 462 is received, the device state transmission unit 452 receives the message. The device state information 462 is transmitted to the transfer source image forming device 10 (step S44).

When the distance information transmission unit 453 receives a message from the transfer source image forming device 10 requesting information on the distance between the transfer destination image forming device 10 and another designated image forming device (step S45). , The distance between the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer destination and another designated image forming apparatus is measured, and the distance information of the measurement result is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer source (step S46).

When the job receiving unit 454 receives the job to be transferred from the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer source (step S47), the job receiving unit 454 causes the job execution unit to execute the received job to be transferred (step S48).

As described above, the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer source performs the processing according to the flowchart shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and the image forming apparatus 10 of the transfer destination performs the processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, thereby realizing the job transfer processing.
(supplement)
Although the present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiment, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the following modifications can be considered.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the transfer-destination image-forming device 10 and the transfer-source image-forming device 10 detect the sound waves generated by the transfer-destination image-forming device 10. However, the configuration for measuring the distance between the image forming apparatus 10 at the transfer destination and the image forming apparatus at the transfer source is not limited to this.

For example, as a configuration in which the image forming device 10 of the transfer destination detects the sound wave generated by the image forming device 10 of the transfer source to measure the distance between the image forming device 10 of the transfer destination and the image forming device of the transfer source. May be good.

In FIG. 9, the distance between the image forming device 10d of the transfer destination and the image forming device 10c of the transfer source is measured by detecting the sound sound generated by the image forming device 10c of the transfer source by the image forming device 10d of the transfer destination. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure to perform.

The image forming apparatus 10c includes a distance measurement requesting unit 501 and a sound wave generation processing unit 502 as compared with the image forming apparatus 10a according to the first embodiment. Further, the non-volatile storage unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 10c is provided with a storage area for storing the sound information 503 for distance measurement.

The distance measurement request unit 501 communicates with the image forming apparatus 10d which is a transfer destination candidate via the communication unit 106, and transmits a message requesting the distance measurement by sound waves. The message requesting the distance measurement by the sound wave includes information specifying the frequency of the sound wave generated from the image forming apparatus 10c and information specifying the timing of generating the sound wave from the image forming apparatus 10c.

The sound wave generation processing unit 502 acquires an audio file of the frequency specified by the message requesting the distance measurement by the sound wave transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10d from the sound information 503 for distance measurement, and acquires it at the timing specified by the message. A sound wave based on the sound file is generated from the sound wave generation unit 108.

The distance measurement sound information 503 stores an audio file for generating a sound wave for distance measurement from the sound wave generation unit 108. The distance measurement sound information 503 stores audio files corresponding to each of the frequencies that may be specified in the message requesting the distance measurement by sound waves.

The image forming apparatus 10d includes a sound wave detecting unit 511 for distance measurement and a distance measuring unit 512 as compared with the image forming apparatus 10b according to the first embodiment. Further, the non-volatile storage unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 10d is provided with a storage area for storing the sound pressure attenuation information 513.

The sound wave detection unit 511 for distance measurement determines the sound pressure level of the detection frequency during the detection period from the electric signal output from the sound wave detection unit 107 based on the message requesting the distance measurement by the sound wave received from the image forming apparatus 10c. Detect the maximum value. Here, the detection frequency is the frequency of the sound wave for distance measurement specified in the message requesting the distance measurement by the sound wave. Further, the detection period is a period of a predetermined length including the timing of generating the sound wave for distance measurement specified in the message requesting the distance measurement by the sound wave.

The distance measuring unit 512 refers to the detected sound pressure level and the sound pressure attenuation information 513, and measures the distance from the image forming apparatus 10c, which is the source of the sound wave for distance measurement.

The sound pressure attenuation information 513 is information indicating the relationship between the propagation distance and the detected sound pressure when a sound wave having a predetermined frequency is generated at a predetermined sound pressure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the distance estimation process in the image forming apparatus 10c.

When the distance estimation process is started in the image forming apparatus 10c, the distance measurement requesting unit 501 first transmits a message requesting the distance measurement by sound waves to the image forming apparatus 10d (step S51).

Next, the sound wave generation processing unit 502 acquires an audio file having a frequency specified in the message transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10d from the distance measurement sound information 503, and generates a sound wave based on the acquired audio file from the sound wave generation unit 108. (Step S52).

Then, the distance information receiving unit 408 determines the distance between the image forming device 10c and the image forming device 10d measured by the image forming device 10d as a response message to the message requesting the distance measurement by the sound wave transmitted to the image forming device 10d. Information is acquired and stored in the inter-device distance information 415.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 10d.

When it is determined whether or not a message requesting distance measurement by sound waves has been received from the sound wave detection unit 511 for distance measurement and the image forming apparatus 10c of the transfer source (step S61), and a message requesting distance measurement by sound waves is received. , The detection frequency and the detection period are set according to the received message, and the sound wave pressure level of the sound wave of the detection frequency in the set detection period is detected (step S62).

When the sound wave is successfully detected (step S62: Yes), that is, when the maximum value of the sound pressure level of the sound wave of the detection frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold in the detection period, the distance measuring unit 512 detects the detection frequency in the detection period. From the maximum value of the sound pressure level of the sound wave and the sound pressure attenuation information 513, the distance to the detected sound wave source for distance measurement is measured (step S63).

The distance measuring unit 513 stores the measured distance in the inter-device distance information 463, and the distance information transmitting unit 453 forms an image of the distance between the image forming device 10c and the image forming device 10d stored in the inter-device distance information 463. It is transmitted to the device 10c (step S64).

When the sound wave detection fails (step S62: No), the distance measuring unit 512 notifies the image forming apparatus 10c that the distance could not be measured, and proceeds with the process.

The processing of steps S43 to S48 in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is the same as that of FIG.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, after measuring the distance, the transfer destination candidate having the closest distance is prioritized and determined as the transfer destination, but the method for determining the transfer destination is not limited to this. For example, after measuring the distance of each transfer destination candidate, the transfer destination selection screen 1200 as shown in FIG. 12 is presented to the user, an input for selecting an image forming device is received from the user, and the image forming selected by the user is received. The device may be determined as the transfer destination. On the transfer destination selection screen 1200, the identification information 1201 of the image forming apparatus as a transfer destination candidate, the distance 1202 to each image forming apparatus, and the user interface for selecting one image forming apparatus from a plurality of image forming apparatus. 1203 is displayed. When the user selects one image forming apparatus according to the user interface and inputs the OK button 1204, the input for selecting the image forming apparatus from the user is accepted. When a job is input from the information terminal 20, the transfer destination selection screen 1200 is displayed on the display of the information terminal 20 via the printer driver installed in the information terminal 20. When a job is input from the operation panel 103, the transfer destination selection screen 1200 is displayed on the display of the operation panel 103.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the distance between the image forming devices is measured by utilizing the attenuation according to the propagation distance of the sound pressure, but the method of measuring the distance is not limited to this. For example, sound waves travel in the standard atmosphere at a speed of approximately 1225 km / h. Therefore, it is possible to measure the distance from the sound wave source to the sound wave receiving place from the difference between the sound wave generation time and the sound wave reception time, and the distance between the two devices is measured using this method. You may.

(4) When sound waves for distance measurement are frequently generated during work, sound waves with frequencies outside the audible range (for example, sound waves with a frequency of 20 kHz or higher) should be generated as sound waves for distance measurement so as not to interfere with work. Is desirable. Further, when there is an obstacle such as a partition between the image forming devices, it is desirable to generate a sound wave having a frequency having a property of easily wrapping around.

The present disclosure can be widely applied to a job transfer device that transfers a job such as printing including an image forming device to another device.

1 Printing system 10 Image forming device 20 Information terminal 401 Job execution judgment unit 402 Sound generation request unit 403 Distance measurement sound detection unit 404 Distance measurement unit 405 Transfer destination status confirmation unit 406 Transfer destination determination unit 407 Distance information request unit 408 Distance information Reception unit 409 Job transfer unit 410 Job execution unit 451 Sound generation processing unit 452 Device status transmission unit 453 Distance information transmission unit 454 Job reception unit 455 Job execution unit 455

Claims (14)

A job transfer device that transfers jobs to a transfer destination.
A request unit that requests the device of the transfer destination candidate connected via the network to generate sound waves for distance measurement, and
A detector that detects sound waves for distance measurement generated from the transfer destination candidate device, and
A determination unit that determines the transfer destination candidate device as the transfer destination based on the detected sound wave for distance measurement, and
A job transfer device comprising. There are a plurality of devices as transfer destination candidates, and there are a plurality of devices.
It is further equipped with a measuring unit that measures the distance to each transfer destination candidate device based on the detected sound wave for distance measurement.
The job transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the transfer destination based on the measured distance to each transfer destination candidate device. The job transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit gives priority to a device of a transfer destination candidate having a closer distance as the transfer destination. The determination unit confirms whether or not a job can be accepted with the device of the transfer destination candidate having the shortest distance, and if it can be accepted, determines the device of the transfer destination candidate having the shortest distance as the transfer destination. The job transfer device according to claim 3. When the determination unit confirms whether or not a job can be accepted from a plurality of the transfer destination candidate devices for one transfer destination candidate device, when the job can be accepted, the one transfer destination candidate device is referred to as the transfer destination. The job transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the job transfer device is determined, and when it is unacceptable, it is confirmed whether or not the job can be accepted by the device of the transfer destination candidate having the next closest distance to the device of the transfer destination candidate. .. In the requesting unit, the first transfer destination candidate device and the second transfer destination candidate device are requested to generate the sound wave for distance measurement, and in the detection unit, from the first transfer destination candidate device. When the emitted sound wave for distance measurement is detected and the sound wave for distance measurement emitted from the second transfer destination candidate device cannot be detected, the second transfer destination candidate device performs the second transfer destination candidate device. Further includes a receiving unit that receives information on the distance to the transfer destination candidate device from the first transfer destination candidate device.
The measuring unit calculates the sum of the distance from the job transfer device to the first transfer destination candidate device and the distance from the first transfer destination candidate device to the second transfer destination candidate device. The job transfer device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, which is regarded as a distance from the job transfer device to the second transfer destination candidate device. The job transfer device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the requesting unit requests to generate sound waves in a manner in which sound waves emitted from the transfer destination candidate devices can be distinguished and detected. .. The job transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the requesting unit requests that the plurality of transfer destination candidate devices generate sound waves at different timings. The job transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the requesting unit requests that the plurality of transfer destination candidate devices generate sound waves having different frequencies. A display unit that displays the distance between one or more transfer destination candidate devices and each transfer destination candidate device, and
Further provided with an input unit that accepts a selection input of which transfer destination candidate device to transfer from the displayed transfer destination candidate device.
The job transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit determines a transfer destination candidate device indicated by the selection input as the transfer destination. The job transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a storage unit for storing identification information of the plurality of transfer destination candidate devices. A job transfer device that transfers jobs to a transfer destination.
A request unit that requests the device of the transfer destination candidate connected via the network to measure the distance, and
A sound generator that generates sound waves for distance measurement,
A receiving unit that receives information on the distance measured by the device of the transfer destination candidate based on the sound wave for distance measurement from the device of the transfer destination candidate, and a receiver.
A determination unit that determines the transfer destination candidate device as the transfer destination based on the received distance information, and
A job transfer device comprising. The job transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the sound wave for distance measurement is a sound wave of 20 kHz or more. The job is a print job for forming a print image on a sheet.
The job transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
An image forming unit for executing the print job is provided, and when the print job cannot be executed by the image forming unit, the job transfer device is made to transfer the print job.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that.

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