JP7196572B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, and a facsimile apparatus, which performs image forming processing by an electrophotographic method, and in particular, to a voice guide emitted from the main body of the image forming apparatus to the user during operation. and improvements to the user interface such as warning messages.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of voice recognition technology, user interfaces that interactively operate electronic devices such as smartphones and home appliances through voice have become popular. Compared to the form of input instruction by operating the operation unit, which is a general panel operation, the input form performed through human voice has the advantage of being able to intuitively instruct.

In this case, it is necessary to accurately reflect the instructions and settings desired by the user on the device through voice, and it is also important for the interactive user interface that the user accurately listens to the voice guidance and messages emitted by the device. become.

However, in an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral), if an operation is performed through voice while a job such as copying or printing is being executed, the operation sound of the image forming apparatus is superimposed, resulting in poor accuracy in voice recognition. As a result, an erroneous operation may occur, and when the image forming apparatus issues a voice message, the user may not be able to fully hear the voice message due to the operating noise.

In the former case, that is, when the image forming apparatus is operated through voice, the accuracy of voice recognition can be improved by generating a voice signal from the user's instruction voice and removing the noise component due to the operation sound from the voice signal. so that it can properly interpret and execute the user's instructions.

On the other hand, in the latter case, that is, when outputting a voice message from the image forming apparatus to the user, the user may not be able to hear the voice message due to operating sounds or noise generated by the device. No prior art is known to deal with such problems.

In particular, when outputting a voice message to a user in an image forming apparatus, if jobs are executed in parallel, the user may not be able to hear the voice message due to the influence of the operating sound of the image forming apparatus. Users are unable to properly respond to voice messages.

In such a case, the above problem can be avoided by pausing the execution of the job during the period when the voice message is output. There are obstacles such as slow completion.

There is also a method of avoiding the above problem by outputting a voice message at a volume that takes into consideration the maximum operating volume generated by the image forming apparatus. Even when there is no message, there is a problem that the message volume is too loud and noisy.

JP-A-2004-163458

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-163458 discloses a technique for controlling noise cancellation characteristics according to the usage environment, and it has been considered to use this technique for removing operation noise of an image forming apparatus. is limited to stationary noise, and cannot remove non-stationary noise accompanied by abrupt volume changes, such as the operating sound of an image forming apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of accurately transmitting a voice message to a user even in the presence of operation sounds whose volume changes unsteadily.

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that executes image forming processing by electrophotography, and includes voice message output means for outputting a voice message, and a volume changing unit for changing the volume of the voice message according to the magnitude of the operating sound from the device main body, wherein the volume changing unit changes the volume of the voice message on a word-by-word basis. do.
Further, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that executes image forming processing by an electrophotographic method, and includes voice message output means for outputting a voice message, and voice messages from the apparatus main body that are generated along with job execution. volume changing means for changing the volume of the voice message according to the magnitude of the operation sound; determining means for determining whether the operation executed in parallel with the output of the voice message can be stopped or changed in speed; If the result is affirmative, the operation speed change means for stopping the corresponding operation or changing the operation speed to reduce the operation sound, and the volume change means and the operation speed change means are alternatively selected. and selection means for selecting, wherein the selection means changes the operation speed by the operation speed changing means when it is determined that the operation volume is above the specified value, and when it is determined that the operation volume is below the specified value. 3, the selection is performed such that the volume of the voice message is changed by the volume changing means.
Further, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that executes image forming processing by an electrophotographic method, and includes voice message output means for outputting a voice message, and voice messages from the apparatus main body that are generated along with job execution. Selecting alternatively among volume changing means for changing the volume of the voice message, timing changing means for changing the output timing of the voice message, and volume changing means and timing changing means according to the magnitude of the operation sound. and means for changing the output timing by means of the timing changing means when determining that the operating sound volume is above the specified level, and when determining that the operating sound volume is below the specified level. The selection is performed such that the volume of the voice message is changed by volume changing means.

In this case, the volume changer is characterized in that the volume of the voice message is changed so that the louder the operating sound generated during job execution, the higher the volume of the voice message.

Further, the volume changer is characterized by changing the volume of the voice message based on the operating volume of an optional device mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Further, the volume changer is characterized by changing the volume of the voice message for each job status.

Further, the volume changer is characterized by changing the volume of the voice message according to the magnitude of the operation sound of another image forming apparatus.

In addition, judgment means for judging whether the operation executed in parallel with the output of the voice message can be stopped or changed in speed, and if the judgment result is affirmative, stop the relevant operation or change the speed of the operation. and an operation speed changing means for reducing operation noise.

The apparatus also has timing delay means for delaying the output timing of the voice message until the operation is stopped or the operation speed is changed.

According to the above configuration, the changing means changes the sound volume of the voice message outputting means in accordance with the operation sound from the apparatus main body that is generated as the job is executed.

For example, by making the volume of the voice message louder than the operation sound from the main body of the device, it is possible to prevent the user from misunderstanding the message. In this case, the volume is not set to a high value all the time, but is changed according to the operation sound, so that a bad environment such as being loud and offensive will not be created in the future.

1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the image forming apparatus 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing configurations of a main controller 100, an audio processing section 180, and an audio output section 190. FIG. (A) is a table showing the presence or absence of each job status for each job. 3 is a table showing the operation sound volume of the image forming apparatus 1 in each job status of a scan job when each option is installed in the image forming apparatus 1; 4 is a table showing the operating sound volume of the image forming apparatus 1 in each job status of a print job; 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the audio processing unit 180. FIG. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing specific examples of operations controlled according to the flowchart, where (A) shows changes in operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1, (B) shows changes in voice messages, and (C) shows (B). (D) shows the volume level of the voice message during the same period. FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D are diagrams showing an operation example when executing a job different from FIG. 6, and FIGS. , (C) and (D). 4 is a list showing all cases of volume adjustment in the image forming apparatus 1; 3 is a diagram showing a list of optional devices connected to the image forming apparatus 1 and volume correction values; FIG. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing parts to be modified in the flow chart shown in FIG. 5 when an optional device is connected to the image forming apparatus 1; FIG. (A) is the operating volume when the option device is connected, and (B) is the message volume when the option device is connected. 2 is a diagram showing a case where another image forming apparatus is installed near image forming apparatus 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for communicating a volume level from another device to its own device; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a process in which one's own device sequentially stores transmission data from another device; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a sequence in which the own device calculates the volume level of a voice message including the volume levels of other devices; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example in which the own device performs volume correction in consideration of the volume levels of other devices. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the voice processing unit 180 when the volume level of the message is set; It is a table showing a speed variable list. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the fifth embodiment;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[1] First Embodiment (1-1) Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral), and has a paper feeding section 140 at the bottom and an image forming section 120 at the top. The paper feed unit 140 has a plurality of drawer-type paper feed trays, and each paper feed tray can accommodate different sizes of recording paper. A discharge tray 121 for recording paper is provided above the image forming section 120 .

An image reading unit 110 is mounted on the discharge tray 121 with a stacking space for the bundle of recording papers. An automatic document feeder (ADF) 150 feeds documents one by one from a bundle of documents when the image reading unit 110 reads images from the documents by the sheet-through method. Further, the image reading unit 110 can also read a document placed on the platen glass by a scanner movement method.

An operation panel 130 including operation buttons 131 for instructing job conditions and the like and a touch panel 132 for displaying the instructed job conditions and other necessary indicators is provided on the front right side of the image reading unit 110 . The operation panel 130 has a microphone as an audio input unit and a speaker as an output unit (not shown) embedded near the operation button 131 .

The image forming section 120 forms an image on recording paper by a well-known electrophotographic method. That is, the surface of the photoreceptor is mainly charged with a uniform charge, the surface of the photoreceptor is exposed to light modulated according to image data to form an electrostatic latent image, and toner particles are supplied to the latent image. Then, the toner image is thermally fixed on the recording paper. The recording paper after fixing is discharged onto the discharge tray 121 . Note that the recording paper is supplied from the paper feed unit 140 .

Although not shown, the image forming apparatus 1 can be interconnected with a PC (Personal Computer) terminal or other image forming apparatus via a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN. , the PC terminal can directly request the image forming apparatus 1 to execute a job (JOB).

When a user requests a copy job such as copying a required number of copies of a document, the user goes to the image forming apparatus 1, sets the document bundle on the automatic document feeder 150, inputs copy conditions on the operation panel 130, You will have to press the copy button.
(1-2) System Configuration FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the system configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a main controller 100, an image reading section 110, an image forming section 120, an operation panel 130, a paper feed section 140, an automatic document feed section 150, a communication section 160, and an audio processing section 180. , and an audio input unit 170 and an audio output unit 190 are connected to the audio processing unit 180 .

The main controller 100 includes ROM (Read Only Memory) 101, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 102, RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 104, CPU (Central Processing Unit) 105, and the like. , the CPU 105, which is activated by reading the boot program from the ROM 101, executes the program read from the HDD 102 using the RAM 103 as a working storage area, and operates the ASIC 104 when executing the program, thereby realizing various functions. do.

The operation panel 130 accepts a job, for example, by presenting information to the user through the touch panel 132 and accepting instruction input from the user using the operation buttons 131 and the touch panel 132 . The communication unit 160 receives jobs from other devices and transmits image data and the like to other devices via a communication network (not shown).

The voice input unit 150 receives a job or the like when a user inputs an instruction by voice. When a job is accepted by operation panel 130, communication unit 160, and voice input unit 150, image forming apparatus 1 performs processing such as image reading processing (scanning) and image forming processing (printing) according to the instruction content of the job. Run.

When a user inputs a voice message to the voice input unit 170, the voice input unit 170 generates an analog voice signal from the voice message, converts the analog voice signal into a digital voice signal, and inputs the digital voice signal to the voice processing unit 180. . The voice processing unit 180 performs voice recognition processing using the digital voice signal to generate text data. A job is generated by linguistically analyzing this text data.

In the configuration described here, the audio processing unit 180 and the audio input unit 170 are connected to the main controller 100. However, there is a configuration in which part or all of the audio processing unit 180 is included in the main controller 100. Alternatively, the voice input unit 170 and the voice processing unit 180 may be integrated.
(1-3) Detailed Configuration FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main controller 100, the audio processing section 180, and the audio output section 190. As shown in FIG. The audio output unit 190 has a speaker 201 and a DA (Digital to Analogue) converter 202 inside. The DA converter 202 converts the digital audio data input from the audio processing unit 180 into an analog audio signal, outputs audio corresponding to the analog audio signal.

The voice processing unit 180 internally includes a message division unit 210 and a volume control unit 211 and is connected to the voice output unit 190 and the main controller 100 .

The main controller 100 uses the device state detection unit 220 to monitor the device states of the image reading unit 110, the image forming unit 120, the operation panel 130, the paper feeding unit 140, the automatic document feeder unit 150, and the communication unit 160, and Detects whether the device is in a state where a message should be output. Based on this detection result, the voice generating section 221 generates a voice message corresponding to the device state, and outputs the voice message to the message dividing section 210 of the voice processing section 180 .

For example, when the device state detection unit 220 detects a jam as the device state, the voice generation unit 221 generates a voice message saying "A jam has occurred in the XX part." Also, when the device state detection unit 220 detects that the A4 paper is empty as the device state, the voice generation unit 221 generates a voice message saying "A4 paper has run out."

Note that the voice generation unit 221 may store text data of a voice message in advance in association with each device state, and generate a voice message by reading out the text data according to the device state.

The job status detection unit 222 detects the progress of job execution by the image forming apparatus 1, that is, the job status. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the job type is a copy (platen) job in which a document placed on the platen glass is read by the scanner movement method, the job status is "document reading" and "paper feeding." Paper", "Paper Conveyance", "Transfer", "Fixing" and "Paper Ejection". Each job status corresponds to the operating state of the image forming apparatus 1 .

The job status detection unit 222 identifies the job status by monitoring the control state of each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 by the main controller 100 and the operating state of each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 . The job status detection unit 222 notifies the volume control unit 211 of the audio processing unit 180 of the job type and job status of the job currently being executed.

Message division unit 210 of audio processing unit 180 divides the audio message received from audio generation unit 221 and sequentially inputs the divided audio messages (hereinafter referred to as “divided messages”) to volume control unit 211 . The voice processing unit 180 may store the division positions of the voice message in advance, or may determine the division positions by language analysis of the voice message. Also, the voice message may be segmented by word.

The volume control unit 211 determines the volume for outputting the voice message each time the job status detection unit 222 notifies the job type and the job status. Volume control unit 211, upon receiving a divided message from voice processing unit 180, synthesizes digital voice data of the divided message with a volume corresponding to the current job status. The volume control unit 211 inputs the synthesized digital audio data to the DA converter 202 of the audio output unit 190 .
(1-4) Volume control unit 211
The volume control unit 211 refers to, for example, volume tables shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C in order to determine the volume.

As shown in FIG. 4A, job statuses of jobs executed by the image forming apparatus 1 include "document feeding", "document reading", "document ejection", "paper feeding", and "paper transporting". , 'Transfer', 'Fixing' and 'Discharge'. However, not all jobs have these eight job statuses, and the job statuses that can be obtained differ depending on the job. In FIG. 4A, the ◯ mark indicates that the job described in the leftmost "job type" column can have the job status, and the x mark indicates that the job status cannot be obtained.

When the image forming apparatus 1 starts executing the jobs, the job status detection unit 222 notifies the volume control unit 211 of which job has which job status. Further, when image forming apparatus 1 completes execution of a job and there is no job to be subsequently executed, when job status detection unit 222 notifies volume control unit 211 to that effect, volume control unit 211 outputs a voice message. to restore the output volume to the default volume.

When the volume control unit 211 receives the notification of the type of job being executed and the job status from the job status detection unit 222, if the job type indicates a job requiring a scanning operation, the volume control unit 211 performs the operation shown in FIG. 4B. Referring to the table, if the job type is "copy (platen)", "scan (platen)" or "FAX (platen)", among the rows with "none" in the option column, Acquire the volume by referring to the column corresponding to the job status.

If the job type is "copy (circular ADF)", "scan (circular ADF)" or "FAX (circular ADF)", the , the volume is obtained by referring to the column corresponding to the notified job status. The same applies when the job type is "copy (one-pass double-sided ADF)", "scan (one-pass double-sided ADF)", or "FAX (one-pass double-sided ADF)".

For example, if the job type is "scan (circular ADF)" and the job status is "document feeding", among the rows with "circular ADF" in the option column in the table of FIG. By referring to the column in which the job status is "document feeding", the volume "2" described in the column is obtained.

Further, the volume control unit 211 may store an optional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in advance. For example, if the job being executed is "Print", the job status is "Paper feeding", and a large capacity tray (LCT: Large Capacity Tray) is installed as an option, the With reference to the table of C), among the rows having "LCT" in the option column, the column corresponding to the job status "Paper feeding" is referred to, and volume "5" is acquired. On the other hand, if the paper feed option is not installed, refer to the column corresponding to the job status "paper feed" among the rows with "no paper feed option" in the option column, and set the volume to "2". get.

After acquiring the operating volume corresponding to the job status of the job being executed by referring to the tables in FIGS. ). The message volume may be set to a volume equal to or higher than the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1, for example. The message volume may be any volume that allows the user of the image forming apparatus 1 to hear the content of the voice message, regardless of the magnitude relationship with the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1 .

If the volume is not specified in the column corresponding to the job being executed in the tables of FIGS. 4B and 4C, or if there is no column corresponding to the job being executed, the volume control unit adopts the default volume as the message volume.
(1-5) Flowchart of Volume Variable Control FIG.

For example, when the image forming apparatus 1 is executing the print job 1 and the paper empty occurs and the execution of the print job 1 cannot be continued, the paper feed tray used by the print job 1 is displayed. When starting execution of print job 2 that uses a paper feed tray different from However, in other situations, the voice processor 180 can similarly adjust the message volume appropriately to make the voice message easier to hear.

Note that even if the preceding job is interrupted and a voice message is output, if there is no succeeding job or if a job that does not require the mechanical operation of the image forming apparatus 1 succeeds, image formation Since the operation sound of the device 1 is not generated, it is not necessary to adjust the message volume, and it is sufficient to output the voice at the default volume.

Also, when print jobs 1 and 2 use the same paper feed tray and no jobs other than print jobs 1 and 2 are input to the image forming apparatus 1, the paper empty state of the paper feed tray is determined. If this occurs, print job 2 cannot be executed, so adjustment of the message volume is unnecessary even in such a case.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the message division unit 210 receives an input of a voice message such as paper empty from the voice generation unit 221 (S1), it divides the voice message into words (S2), and divides the voice message into words. A variable n representing the order of the word is initialized and set to "1" (S3). Then, the volume control unit 211 refers to the notification from the job status detection unit 222 to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus 1 is executing the job, and if not (S4: N), adjusts the volume. The voice message is output as voice at the default sound volume (S5).

If the job is being executed, the job status of the job being executed is acquired by referring to the notification from the job status detection unit 222 (S6), and referring to the tables of FIGS. 4B and 4C. (S7), and acquires the operating volume (S8). For example, if the type of job being executed is copy (circular ADF) and the job status is document feeding, the operating sound volume is "2" from FIG. 4B.

With this, the volume of the n=1th word is adjusted. If the voice message is "Paper Empty Occurs" and is divided into three words "Paper", "Empty" and "Occurrence", the volume of the first "Paper" is adjusted (S9). As an adjustment method, when the operating volume is 2, the volume can be set to 3, which is larger than 2, or 4 or more. However, it is not essential to make the message volume louder than the operating volume. The point is that the user should be able to hear each word of the voice message without being interrupted by the operating sounds.

When the user is at a position closer to the operation panel 130 than the operation sound source in the image forming apparatus 1, the voice message is output from the operation panel 130 even if the operation volume and the message volume are the same. easy to hear. That is, even if the message volume is below the operating volume, the user may be able to hear the voice message sufficiently. Also, when the frequency of the operation sound is low and the frequency of the voice message is high, even if the frequency of the operation sound and the voice message are significantly different, the message volume may not be as large as the operation volume, but the message may be easily heard.

Therefore, the message volume at which the voice message is easy to hear may be determined by experiment or the like for each operation sound or operation volume and set in advance.

After that, the digital voice data for the word at the message volume is input to the voice output unit 190 and voice output from the speaker 201 (S10).

Next, in step S11, the notification from the job status detector 222 is referenced to determine whether the original job status has ended. If not yet finished (S11:N), it is determined whether or not all the words forming the voice message have been output. If the output has not ended (S17: N), the variable n is incremented (S12), the volume of the next word "empty" is adjusted (S9), and the voice is output (S10).

After that, if the original job status has not ended (S11: N) and output of all words has not been completed (S17: N), n is further incremented (S12), and the last word " , the message volume is adjusted (S9) and output as voice (S10).

On the other hand, for example, at the stage of outputting "empty", the original job status has ended (S11: Y), but if the job status is changed to the next job status and the job is being executed (S13: N), the next job status is executed. exists (S14: N), the variable n is incremented (S16), the current job status is acquired (S6), the operating sound volume in that status is acquired (S7, S8), and finally , the message volume of the word "occurrence" is adjusted (S9).

In the table of FIG. 4A, the job status next to "paper feeding" of print job 2 is "paper feeding", and from FIG. It turns out that it is. Therefore, the message volume of the word "occurrence" will be adjusted to this level 1 operating volume. In Fig. 4(C), the operating sound volume for the job status "Paper feeding" before the job status "Paper feeding" is louder than the operating sound volume for the job status "Paper feeding" regardless of the presence or absence of the option. , the word "occurrence" is output with a lower message volume than the preceding words "paper" and "empty".

In this embodiment, once the voice message is output, it will not be repeatedly output as voice even if the job status has changed to the subsequent job status. Of course, it is also possible to set the number of times and repeat the voice output.

In the above example, the message is divided into words and the volume of the message is adjusted according to the operation sound corresponding to the status. , the message volume may be changed according to the operating volume of the job status after the transition. In that case, without changing the volume of the digital audio data input to the audio output unit 190, the audio output unit 190 may change the volume by separately instructing the audio output unit 190 to change the volume of the message.
(1-6) Concrete Example A specific example will be given to explain the adjustment of the message volume when the voice message relating to the preceding job is output by voice during the execution of the succeeding job.
(1-6-1) Specific example 1
FIG. 6 shows a specific example of operations controlled according to the above flowchart. FIG. 10 shows changes in operation volume and message volume when paper empty occurs during execution of print job 1 in image forming apparatus 1, and paper empty is notified to the user after another print job 2 is started to be executed. there is

6A shows the transition of the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1, and FIG. 6B shows the parallel transition of the message volume.

In FIG. 6A, paper empty occurs at time 0 during the execution of print job 1, and after execution of print job 1 is interrupted, execution of print job 2 is started at time t1. Note that print job 2 uses a paper feed tray different from the paper feed tray in which the paper empty occurred. Therefore, even if print job 1 is interrupted due to paper empty, print job 2 can be executed.

Also, although the paper empty occurs at time 0, the image forming apparatus 1 detects it and displays it with some delay. Please set A3 paper in the cassette.") is output.

When the paper empty state is resolved at time t3, the interruption condition of print job 1 is resolved. At time t5, print job 1 finishes printing.

In the above operation, the image forming apparatus 1 generates operating sounds with operating volumes shown in the figure at respective times. The reason why the operating sound volume is large after time t1 is that print job 1 is interrupted due to paper empty from time 0 to time t1, and print job 2 is executed after time t1. .

FIG. 6B shows the message volume when voice messages are output at each time. In this example, the voice message is output three times: the period from time t2 to t3, the period from t4 to t5, and the period after t5. The content of the message is indicated by the character string written at the corresponding time.

Next, FIG. 6C shows changes in operating sound volume for each job status during the period from time t2 to time t3 in FIG. 6B. It can be seen that the operation sound volume changes in each job status such as paper feeding/conveyance and transfer. FIG. 6D shows the message volume when a voice message is output for each job status.

In FIGS. 6(C) and 6(D), "With LCT" or "Without LCT" indicates the presence or absence of a large capacity tray (LCT) that makes a large operating noise due to the large amount of vertical movement, and the presence of a finisher. , No indicate whether or not there is a post-processing device connected to the paper ejection port of the image forming apparatus 1 . The LCT and the finisher are optional devices of the image forming apparatus 1, and when these optional devices are installed, the operating volume increases, so the message volume is also increased. The details of the installation of these optional devices will be described in the next embodiment.
(1-6-2) Specific example 2
FIG. 7A shows an operation example when executing a job different from that in FIG. That is, it shows the transition of the operating sound volume when a jam occurs while a scan (ADF) job is being executed and a print job is interrupted. A jam occurs at time 0, and output of a voice message notifying of the jam starts at time t2. FIG. 7(B) shows transition of the message volume corresponding to FIG. 7(A). 7(C) and 7(D) show transitions of the operation volume and message volume for each job status during the period from time t2 to time t3. As in FIG. 6, since the operating volume and message volume are the same, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
(1-6-3) Other Specific Examples In addition to the above specific examples, it is effective to adjust the message volume in the cases shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, when an event described in the status column occurs during the execution of the preceding job, the execution of the preceding job is interrupted and the interrupt job described in the interrupt job column is executed. Of the combinations of events and interrupt jobs described in the status column, for the combination described as "Variable volume" in the column corresponding to the combination, the voice message related to the notification described in parentheses in the column message volume depending on the job status of interrupted jobs.

For example, if a paper feed jam occurs during execution of a print job and copy (ADF), copy (platen), scan (ADF), and scan (platen) are executed as interrupt jobs, the interrupt job job Adjust the message volume of the paper feed jam notification according to the status. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the voice message from becoming difficult to hear due to the operating sound of the image forming apparatus 1 .

In this case, the user of the image forming apparatus 1 can listen to the voice message and quickly remove the jammed paper, so that the print job preceding the interrupt job can be quickly restarted and completed. Therefore, compared to the case where the user fails to listen to the voice message of the paper feed jam notification and the paper feed jam is not resolved, the execution of the print job remains suspended. can improve sexuality.

For combinations of other preceding jobs and interrupt jobs, it is possible to quickly resolve the interruption of the execution of the preceding job and promptly notify the completion of the preceding job. Smooth utilization of the device 1 can be promoted.
[2] Second Embodiment In this embodiment, adjustment of the message volume when an optional device is installed in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 9 shows optional devices connected to the image forming apparatus 1 . The LCT and finisher are as described in FIG. Other options include a recirculating ADF, a single-pass ADF, a punch kit, and an inner finisher. A punch kit is an optional device that punches holes at specified positions on recording paper on which a toner image has been fixed. The inner finisher is a post-processing device mounted in the inner space of the image forming apparatus 1 . The in-body space is the space between the image reading section 110 and the image forming section 120 .

Since the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1 differs depending on which optional device is installed, the message volume also needs to be adjusted according to the optional device. FIG. 9 is a table showing volume correction values to be added to the message volume for each type of optional device. The table of FIG. 9 is stored as a correction table by the volume control section 211 (see FIG. 3).

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a portion to be modified in the main flow shown in FIG. 5 when an optional device is connected. Steps S8, S9, and S10 are steps in the flow chart of FIG. The newly added steps are S101 to S104.

First, in S8, if the operating sound volume is acquired, it is then determined from the device configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 whether or not an optional device is installed (S101). If an optional device is installed (S101: Y), the process proceeds to S102, refers to the correction table in FIG. 9 (S102), and reads out the volume correction value of the connected optional device (S103). After the volume of the n-th word is adjusted in step S9, the read volume correction value is added to the message volume (S104). When the added message volume is input, the voice output unit 190 outputs the voice message using the speaker 201 with the added message volume (S10).

11A and 11B show transitions of the operation volume and the message volume when an optional device is connected to the image forming apparatus 1. FIG.
[3] Third Embodiment In the previous embodiments, the message volume was adjusted according to the operation volume of one image forming apparatus 1, but in this embodiment, a plurality of, for example, two Disclosed is an example of adjusting the message volume in consideration of the operating sound volume of the other image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatuses are arranged at a distance where the operation sound of the other image forming apparatus reaches.

FIG. 12 shows the case where the image forming apparatus 12 is installed at a relatively short distance from the image forming apparatus 1 . The image forming apparatus 12 also has the same configuration as the image forming apparatus 1 shown in the first embodiment. may have a function to change The image forming apparatuses 1 and 12 are connected by a communication network and can communicate with each other. In the following description, the image forming apparatus 1 is assumed to be the image forming apparatus 1 and the image forming apparatus 12 is assumed to be the other apparatus.

For example, when trying to output a voice message to the effect that a paper empty has occurred in one's own machine, when an operating sound is generated by another machine executing a job in parallel, the own machine outputs This process adjusts the message volume so that the user can easily hear the voice message.

FIG. 13 shows processing in which the other device notifies its own device of the operating volume. First, the other device performs a process of establishing communication with itself (S200), and then when job execution is started (S201: Y), it monitors changes in the job status. When the job status changes (S202: Y), the operating sound volume is detected based on the changed job status (S203). Then, the detected operating sound volume is immediately transmitted (S204). After that, when the execution of the job is completed (S205: Y), 0 is transmitted to the self apparatus as the operating sound volume (S206), and the process proceeds to step S201 to repeat the above process.

On the other hand, the own device executes the processing shown in FIG. That is, after establishing communication with the other device (S300), every time an operating volume is received from the other device (S301: Y), the area for storing the volume level of the other device is overwritten with the received operating volume. , and record the operating volume of the other device (S302). As a result, the latest operating volume of the other device is always recorded in the storage area.

In parallel with this recording process, the self apparatus simultaneously executes a process of correcting the message volume as shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, only portions for modifying the main flow shown in FIG. 5 are shown. Steps S8, S9, and S10 are steps in the flow chart of FIG. The newly added steps are S400 to S402.

After adjusting the message volume of the n-th word (S9), the device refers to the operating volume of the other device recorded in the process shown in FIG. (S401). In general, when the distance from the other device to the own device is doubled, the operating sound volume from the other device is attenuated by 6 decibels. For this reason, the reference distance and the operating volume when the distance from the other device to the device itself is the reference distance may be stored, and the volume correction value may be calculated from the ratio between the actual distance and the reference distance.

After calculating the final message volume by adding the operation volume of the other device calculated in step S401 to the message volume obtained in step S9 (S402), the voice message is output at the message volume (S10). .

In this way, the own machine can set the volume level of the message taking into consideration the operation sound of the other machine, and even if the other machine is in operation, it is possible to improve mishearing of the voice message. can.

FIG. 16 shows an operation example in which the own device corrects the message volume in consideration of the volume level of the other device. As shown in FIG. 16, the message volume of the own machine is obtained by adding a volume correction value corresponding to the operating volume of the other machine to the message volume (solid line graph) corresponding to the operating volume when executing print job 2. volume (dashed line graph). Note that FIG. 16 illustrates a case where the operating volume of the other device is constant.
[4] Fourth Embodiment If the message volume is adjusted according to the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1, and if the operating volume is particularly high, the message volume is also increased. It becomes considerably large, and there is a possibility that the quietness in the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 1 may be impaired. For example, if the tranquility of the office environment is disturbed, there may be a problem that work efficiency in the office is reduced. Therefore, in order to make the voice message easier to hear, measures other than increasing the message volume are required.

This embodiment discloses a countermeasure for making the voice message easier to hear while suppressing the total volume of the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1 and the message volume.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of volume adjustment processing according to the present embodiment.

First, when an event such as a jam or paper empty occurs during execution of a job, an input of a voice message notifying the user of the occurrence of the event is accepted (S500), and execution of the job is interrupted. Check if there is a job to be interrupted while it is running. If there is no job to be interrupted (S501: N), the image forming apparatus 1 has stopped executing jobs and the operation sound is not particularly loud, so the voice message is output at the default message volume (S506). .

If there is an interrupt job (S501: Y), the operating sound volume in the current job status of the interrupt job is specified (S502), and it is confirmed whether or not the operating sound volume exceeds the upper limit. If the operating volume does not exceed the upper limit (S503: N), it is considered that the total volume will not be too large even if the voice message is output, so the message volume is adjusted according to the operating volume (S507). ), the voice message is output at the message volume (S506).

If the operating sound volume in the current job status exceeds the upper limit value (S503: Y), the variable speed list as illustrated in FIG. 18 is referred to. The variable speed list records whether or not the operating speed of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced for each job status of various interrupt jobs. For example, the column where the interrupt job is "copy (platen) job" and the job status is "paper transport" is "possible", and the operating speed of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced.

If the operating speed of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced in the job status of the interrupt job (S504: Y), the operating speed of the image forming apparatus 1 is reduced (S505). Then, since the operating sound volume of the image forming apparatus 1 is lowered, the total sound volume of the operating sound and the voice message can be suppressed.

On the other hand, if the operation speed cannot be lowered (S504: N), the message volume of the voice message is adjusted according to the operation volume in the job status (S507), and the voice message is output (S506). . In this case, although there is a limit to suppressing the total sound volume, it is possible to make it easier for the user to listen to the voice message, as in the above embodiment.
[5] Fifth Embodiment In this embodiment, if the message volume cannot be increased to the extent that the voice message can be easily heard because the operating volume is too high, or if the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 1 is too high. Disclosed is a technique for coping with the case where there is a limit to increasing the message volume in order to request quietness.

FIG. 19 shows a detailed system configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 3 in that the audio processing unit 180 is provided with an audio output timing delay unit 212 and a selection unit 213 .

The voice output timing delay unit 212 executes processing for outputting a voice message with a time delay. The delay time is the time until the job status transitions to the job status in which the operating sound volume is equal to or less than the upper limit value, or the job is completed.

For example, if the LCT is installed as an optional device in the image forming apparatus 1, the upper limit value of the operating sound volume is "4", paper empty occurs in the preceding print job, and the LCT is used as an interrupt job. Think about when you run a job.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the voice message notifying the occurrence of paper empty is issued when the LCT is installed as an optional device and The operating sound volume "5" when the job status is "paper feeding" is higher than the upper limit value "4". Further, as shown in FIG. 18, in a print job, the operation speed of the image forming apparatus 1 cannot be lowered when the job status is "paper feeding".

Therefore, while the job status of the interrupt job is "Paper feeding", the output of the voice message is suppressed. After that, when the job status of the interrupt job becomes "paper transport", as shown in FIG. be started.

Furthermore, when the image forming apparatus 1 is equipped with an inner finisher as an optional device, the operation volume is "7" when the job status of the interrupt job is "discharge", which is higher than the upper limit value "4". big. In this case, as shown in FIG. 18, for a print job, the operating speed of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced when the job status is "discharge".

Therefore, during a period in which the job status of the interrupt job is "discharge", the operating speed of the image forming apparatus 1 is reduced, and the voice message is output with the operating volume reduced. Note that the message volume in this case may be the default volume, or may be the message volume corresponding to the operation volume when the operation speed is reduced.

Selection unit 213 alternatively selects the output of volume control unit 211 or the output of audio output timing delay unit 212 and outputs the selected output to audio output unit 190 . The selection unit 213 determines whether or not the operating volume of the image forming apparatus 1 exceeds the upper limit as shown in FIG. 20, and if the operating volume exceeds the upper limit (S603: Y), The output of the voice output timing delay unit 212 is selected (S604), the output timing of the voice message is adjusted, and voice is output (S606).

On the other hand, if the operating volume is equal to or lower than the upper limit (S603: N), the output of volume control section 211 is selected (S605), the message volume is adjusted, and the voice message is output (S606).
[6] Modifications Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is of course not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications can be implemented. .
(6-1) In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction machine, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this. A similar effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to a single-function image forming apparatus such as a copier or a facsimile machine, or a single-function image processing apparatus such as a scanner.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the user from missing the message when the apparatus issues a voice message to the user while the apparatus is generating operation sounds.

180... Audio processing unit 190... Audio output unit 220... Device state detection unit 221... Audio generation unit 222... Job status detection unit 210... Message division unit 211... Volume control unit 212 Audio output timing delay unit 213 Selection unit

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus that performs image forming processing by electrophotography,
voice message output means for outputting a voice message;
a volume changing means for changing the volume of the voice message according to the magnitude of the operating sound from the device main body that is generated along with the execution of the job;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the volume changing unit changes the volume of the voice message for each word. An image forming apparatus that performs image forming processing by electrophotography,
voice message output means for outputting a voice message;
volume changing means for changing the volume of the voice message in accordance with the magnitude of the operating sound from the device main body that is generated along with the execution of the job;
determining means for determining whether an operation executed in parallel with the output of the voice message can be stopped or changed in speed;
an operation speed changing means for reducing operation noise by stopping the corresponding operation or changing the operation speed when the determination result is affirmative;
selecting means for alternatively selecting the volume changing means and the operating speed changing means;
The selection means is
when it is determined that the operating sound volume is above the specified level, changing the operating speed by the operating speed changing means;
changing the volume of the voice message by the volume changing means when it is determined that the operating volume is less than the specified volume;
An image forming apparatus, wherein the selection is performed as follows. An image forming apparatus that performs image forming processing by electrophotography,
voice message output means for outputting a voice message;
volume changing means for changing the volume of the voice message in accordance with the magnitude of the operating sound from the device main body that is generated along with the execution of the job;
timing changing means for changing the output timing of the voice message;
a selection means for alternatively selecting the volume change means and the timing change means,
The selection means is
when it is determined that the operating sound volume is above the prescribed level, the output timing is changed by the timing changing means;
changing the volume of the voice message by the volume changing means when it is determined that the operating volume is less than the specified volume;
An image forming apparatus, wherein the selection is performed as follows. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the volume changing unit changes the volume of the voice message so that the louder the operating sound generated during job execution, the louder the volume of the voice message. . 4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the volume changing unit changes the volume of the voice message based on the operating volume of optional equipment installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. Device. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the volume changer changes the volume of the voice message for each job status. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said volume changing means further changes the volume of said voice message according to the magnitude of operation sound of another image forming apparatus. . determining means for determining whether an operation executed in parallel with the output of the voice message can be stopped or changed in speed;
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising operation speed changing means for stopping the corresponding operation or changing the operation speed to reduce operation noise when the determination result is affirmative. Image forming device. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising timing delay means for delaying the output timing of the voice message until the operation is stopped or the operation speed is changed.

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