JPH0869225A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To easily discriminate whether the device is in a sleep mode or a power switch is turned off by providing a means for distinguishing that the device is in the sleep mode, and a means for distinguishing data processing circumstances in the sleep mode. CONSTITUTION: Display control is performed by an image processor 412 and data is supplied to a control panel according to a control signal from the processor 412. Next, the data is transmitted to a ten keys part 408, a one-touch key part 409, a tally lamp part 410 and a POWER-LED part 411 through the board of an LCD control part 407. In such constitution, the control of each part is executed according to every state of a main body. Therefore, in the case the device gets in the sleep mode, a tally lamp displaying on the tally lamp part 410 is lighted and other control signals are turned off, so that the display of the control panel different from the standby state of the image forming device main body and the off-state of a main power source is performed, thereby displaying for the user that the device is in the sleep mode.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-function machine in which a digital copying machine is provided with functions such as a FAX and a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a copying machine, the power of the copying machine main body is often turned off at night for reasons such as safety and power saving. However, in recent years, the use of multifunctional machines has advanced, and the number of machines having a fax function has increased in copying machines. Therefore, considering that the FAX reception time cannot be specified,
Power saving mode is considered. This mode is called sleep mode, and fixing and drive system loads are turned off.
With the display of the operation unit turned off, that is, with the heat source of the copying machine turned off, the standby mode is restored due to the mobile factor due to reception of fax etc. The sleep mode can be switched depending on the soft or hardware mobility factor. To be

[0003]

However, in this type of apparatus, during sleep, as in the power-off state of the conventional copying machine, the appearance is completely the same as in the state in which the power source is not energized. It was difficult to judge from the appearance that it was in sleep mode or the power was turned off.

[0004]

In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a means for identifying the sleep mode and a means for identifying the data processing status during the sleep mode so that the visual processing is performed visually. The above-mentioned problem is improved by using a multifunction device that can provide various information to users.

[0005]

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
1-1 is an image processor for converting video data into image data, 1-2 is for reading an original image,
It is a document reading device (reader) for converting into video data. Further, 1-3 is a laser driver, and 1-1
A latent image is formed on a drum (not shown) along with the image data created by the image processor. Reference numeral 1-4 indicates a FAX block. Received data is sent to the image processor 1-1, and transmitted data is sent from the image processor 1-1 to F-1-4.
It is sent to the AX section and data communication can be performed through the line.
Reference numeral 1-5 denotes an operation unit, which provides operation information using a display means such as an LCD or an LED (not shown) so that the user can understand the state of the image forming apparatus. 1-6 is
It is a board for further performing decoration processing (shadowing, marker processing) on the image processing 1-1. Reference numeral 1-7 indicates an output device, that is, a DC controller that controls the printer unit. Next, FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the image forming apparatus. Each part will be described along with the operation of the image forming apparatus.
2-5 Set the image original set on the platen glass 2-3
The original illumination lamp, the optical lamp unit including the second mirrors 2-1 and 2-2, and the second mirror are scanned by an optical motor (not shown), and the originals are sequentially read. When the optical lamp unit scans the original,
The irradiation light of the document is sequentially passed through the lens 2-13 and then 2-15.
The light is focused on the CCD and imaged on a photo sensor (not shown) of the CCD. The image read by the CCD 2-15 is converted into a video signal by an analog processor (not shown), further subjected to image processing by an image processor (not shown), and then sent as a control signal for the laser unit 2-6. The 2-6 laser unit that receives the control signal causes the laser to emit light faithfully to the control signal, and passes through the first laser mirror 2-16, 2-12, 2-14, the second laser mirror, and the dust-proof glass 2. Irradiated on the drum. Reference numeral 2-8 is a drum cleaner for removing the toner remaining on the drum. The drum from which the toner has been removed is destaticized by the next primary charger 2-11. A latent image is formed on the drum from which the charge has been removed by irradiation with the laser light described above. The drum on which the latent image is formed is
A visible image formed of toner is developed by a developing device 2-17, and a transfer charger 2-32 or a cassette 32 feeding paper from a cassette 2-32 to a cassette 1 feeding roller 2-27, Output paper fed through the cassette 1 separation roller 2-25 and 2-26, the cassette 1 transport roller, the vertical pass roller 1 2-20 and 2-19, the pre-registration roller, and the registration roller 2-28. It is transferred as a toner image on top. The charged output paper is neutralized by the neutralization needle of 2-30, and is 2-34 at the transport unit of 2-31.
Then, the toner image is fixed and the output image is obtained from the paper discharge unit 2-36.

Next, FIG. 3 shows an example of the operation section of the image forming apparatus. Reference numeral 3-1 is a display unit that displays the setting and operation status of the image forming apparatus, and is composed of an LCD and a touch panel that is a data input unit. 3-2
Is a start key, and by pressing the start key, copying and FAX transmission are started. Reference numeral 3-3 is a reset key for clearing the set copy content, and 3-4 is a key for canceling the copy operation. Three
-5 is a ten-key for setting the number of sheets, 3-6 is a preheat key for entering the preheat mode, and 3-7 is an interrupt key for accepting interrupt work. Reference numeral 3-8 is an operation unit power switch, which is a hardware means for entering the sleep mode described in the present invention. Reference numeral 3-9 is a power source display lamp, which has conventionally been turned on by turning on a main body main switch (not shown) and turning on the operation unit power source switch 3-8. Reference numeral 3-10 is a one-touch key for performing a one-touch dial of FAX. Reference numeral 3-11 is a recitation key for limiting the users who can use the image forming apparatus by recitation numbers. The # key and * key of 3-12 and 3-14 are special keys corresponding to a telephone, and 3-13 is a clear key for clearing an erroneous input. Reference numeral 3-15 is a status display lamp for displaying the communication status of the FAX, the printer and the like.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 3-
Conventionally, all the information on the operation unit has been turned off in a state where the operation unit power switch 8 is pressed from the standby state of the image forming apparatus or enters the sleep mode by the automatic shutdown by the software setting of the image forming apparatus. However, in this state, the OF of the main power supply of the image forming apparatus is turned off.
There is no apparent difference from the F state, and in order to confirm the state of the image forming apparatus, the operation unit power switch 3-8 is actually turned OFF or ON, or the back side of the side of the image forming apparatus not shown is shown. There was no other way than to visually check the power supply located at. Therefore, since the operation section is turned off at the age when the service person performs maintenance of the image forming apparatus,
Presuming that the power is off, there was a case where an unexpected injury or damage to the machine was caused by working while the internal board was energized. In addition, the preheating mode that is often used for the user. Then, LCD (liquid crystal) of Figure 3-1
The backlight was turned off and nothing was displayed. Instead, the preheat key 3-6 was turned on to provide the user with information that allows the user to visually confirm that it is in preheat mode.
Since nothing was displayed in sleep mode, it was difficult to confirm. In particular, unlike the sleep mode, the residual heat mode does not perform remote control from the image forming apparatus side, and therefore has a FAX transmission / reception function that does not know when it will be sent, like this image forming apparatus, In addition, when there is a situation in which the received files in the storage means are sequentially output, such as when the free space of the storage means for reception runs out, a sleep mode that can be put into a standby state by a control signal of the main body Mode is enabled. However, since this sleep mode also does not function when the main power supply of the image forming apparatus is OFF, in order to achieve both safety and energy saving while making use of the FAX, the image forming apparatus should be operated at night. It is recommended to make sure to enter the sleep mode in the unused time zone. Therefore, a means for the user to recognize the sleep mode at a glance is needed. As the means, the present invention is realized by controlling the status display means on the operation panel as shown in FIG. 3 independently of the operation unit power switch shown in FIG. 3-8. The configurations of the display control unit and the operation panel are shown in FIG. The display control is performed by the image processor 412 and controls the display data of the liquid crystal (LCD) shown in FIG. 3A and various lamps on the operation panel. This control signal supplies data to the operation panel through the path 401. Next, the supplied data is passed through the LCD control board 407 of the operation panel,
Numpad 408, one-touch key 409, 41
It is sent to the Cree lamp section of 0 and the POWER-LED section of 411. Reference numerals 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406 denote paths for sending control data to the LCD control unit, the numeric keypad unit, the tally lamp unit, the one-touch key unit, and the POWER-LED unit, respectively. In this configuration, each board is independently connected to the 412 image processors, and each unit can be controlled according to the state of the main body. From this, when entering sleep mode,
By turning on the tally lamp displayed on 410 and turning off the other control signals, an operation panel display different from the standby state of the image forming apparatus main body or the main power OFF state can be displayed, and the user can be displayed. ,
It is possible to indicate that it is in the sleep mode. A flow chart for entering the sleep mode is shown in FIG. Reference numeral 501 indicates a copy standby state when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on. 2 to enter sleep mode
There is a passage, one is on the operation panel as shown in FIG.
-8 The operation part power switch is used to enter the sleep mode. The second is software shutoff.
Therefore, the sleep mode is entered when the set time or the non-operation time exceeds the set time. According to the first method, according to FIG. 5, when the operation unit power switch of 502 is not pressed, the flow proceeds in the direction of n0, and the copy setting, the output, the fax, and the printer remain in the standby state. Waiting for output information. When the operation unit power switch is pressed and the flow proceeds in the direction of yes, the process proceeds to the sleep mode of 503, and as shown by 506, the data of the LCD display unit and the backlight are turned off,
Further, control such as turning off the temperature of the fixing device, turning off the drive system load, and turning on the tally lamp for checking the sleep mode is performed. Further, in the case of performing automatic shut-off by software, the process proceeds from the standby state of 501 to the timer circuit of 504, and when the comparison result by the timer comparison unit of 505 matches, the sleep mode of 503 is entered. With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus is powered off.
In this state, the FAX reception or the reserved FAX transmission is performed, and the storage device becomes the FULL state or the standby state at the output designated time, and the received files in the storage device can be collectively output. Furthermore, since the user can confirm at a glance that it is in sleep mode,
For example, by looking at the image forming apparatus when returning home, it can be discriminated whether the main power supply is in the OFF state or the sleep mode, and it seems that the main power supply is OFF and the user comes home and cannot receive the FAX. Make less mistakes. Further, in the present invention, the sleep mode is displayed by turning on the tally lamp,
Red and green are prepared for the tally lamp, and as shown in FIG. 6, 601 has two display parts such as LCD, 602 is green, and 603 is red. Normally, the red lamp indicates an error of the main body itself or a communication error, the green light blinks during communication, and if there is FAX reception data in the storage device, it remains lit and the image forming apparatus remains. The status of is always displayed. The green lamp of this tally lamp is always lit in sleep mode,
When receiving X, the green tally lamp blinks to indicate the communication status. At this time, the power supply indicator lamp 604 is off. As described above, by providing the sleep mode display unit, it is possible to realize energy saving while supporting the FAX function for 24 hours, and to provide an image forming apparatus in which the state of the image forming apparatus is not mistaken. can do.

(Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1, by performing the display means indicating the sleep mode with the power supply display lamp 604, only the power supply display lamp 604 is turned on in the sleep mode. By indicating communication information during sleep mode by blinking green tally lamp,
The state of the image forming apparatus, which the lighting means has, can be represented without any slack, and the image forming apparatus can be configured so that the user can see the state at a glance and the same effect can be provided.

(Embodiment 3) In FIG. 4, 411 POW
By adjusting the lighting voltage of the backlight of the LCD with the tally lamp of the ER-LED and 410 turned off, the lighting voltage of the normal backlight is made darker and LC
A screen indicating that the sleep mode is entered is displayed on the screen D, and at the same time, the load of the drive system of the image forming apparatus is turned off, and the temperature control of the fixing system is also turned off to provide the same effect. be able to. The configuration of the operation panel in this case is as shown in FIG. 701 is L
In the CD part, the backlight is dimmed in the sleep mode to display the mode. The backlight control signal 704 is input to the lighting voltage variable device 702, and the backlight lighting voltage is generated from the voltage generation circuit 703 according to the set control signal. 705 is L
The CD section is shown. Also, in the FAX communication in the sleep mode, the green LED of FIG. 6-602 is turned on, but the brightness can be changed by changing the lighting voltage at this time, and a display different from the standby state may be displayed. It is possible. Each of these display means can be controlled independently, and as shown in FIG. 8, the display in the sleep mode can be set according to the preference of the user.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, by having the sleep mode display means, the operator can easily discriminate whether the apparatus is in the sleep mode or the power switch is turned off, and the operator It is possible to prevent a situation in which the FAX function cannot be used because the user does not notice that the power switch is turned off.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating control of an operation panel.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for entering a sleep mode.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an operation panel as viewed from the front.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a sleep mode using an LCD display.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a sleep mode display setting screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 412 Image processor 407 LCD control unit 408 Numeric keypad 409 One-touch key 410 Tally lamp 411 POWER-LED

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Akinobu Nishikata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yoshihiko Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Within the corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus capable of transmitting / receiving information to / from an external device via a communication line, and means for entering a sleep state in which fixing, drive system load, and a display unit on an operation panel are turned off. An image which can be displayed by an independent control, which has means for changing from a sleep state to a standby state in which an image can be formed by an activation factor and also has a display means for indicating a sleep state and a designated information transmission / reception state display means Forming equipment. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has means capable of partially controlling a display section on an operation panel and performs a minimum necessary display indicating a state inside the image forming apparatus. 3. The image forming apparatus has means capable of variably controlling the brightness of the display screen of the data display means on the operation panel, and at the same time, changing the brightness of the display means on the operation panel. Image forming apparatus having means. 4. A communication means having a facsimile communication function, an image forming means for forming an image, and a display means for displaying an operation state of the communication means and the image forming means, the display means comprising: An image forming apparatus that distinguishes and displays a state in which both the communication unit and the image forming unit are operable and a state in which the communication unit is operable but the image forming unit is inoperative.