JPH10336364A - Image forming device and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device and the control method therefor by which it is prevented that a unit changed to the power saving mode is started again just after the mode change. SOLUTION: In the case that the transit condition to the power saving mode of any unit is established in response to the operating state of units 3-8 whose power is saved or a manual operation, a main control section 1 allows an operation display section 6 to display a message for confirmation by the user to the transition to the power saving mode via a control line B and after the user confirms it, any of the units 3-8 is transited to the power saving mode. In the case that the user instructs the transit to the power saving mode of any of the units 3-8 by manual operation, the main control section 1 detects the operating state of each unit via the control line B, discriminates whether or not there is any job relating to the unit transited to the power saving mode and the concerned unit is transited to the power saving mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a power saving function and a control method therefor, and more particularly, to a shift to a power saving mode depending on a user's confirmation before shifting to a power saving mode or a type of a job currently being executed. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of preventing an unnecessary transition to a power saving mode by reserving the image forming apparatus, and a control method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional image forming apparatus which integrates a facsimile transmission / reception function and a function of reading an image with a scanner has a structure in which each function can be independently turned on / off in order to suppress unnecessary power consumption. When the function is not used for a certain period of time, the power of the function is turned off.

In such a power-saving type image forming apparatus, a user sets a power-saving mode (power of each function is turned off in advance) so that the power of each function can be controlled on / off according to the usage mode of the user. State, the same applies hereinafter) is set, and a transition is made to the power saving mode when the transition condition is satisfied.

[0004]

However, in an image forming apparatus having a power saving function as described above, even if the user determines that the apparatus satisfies the condition for shifting to the power saving mode, the user can switch to the power saving mode. You may want to cancel the migration. For example, it is assumed that the user has set a transition condition such that the scanner and the monitor are shifted to the power saving mode at 10:00 pm because the scanner and the monitor are not used much at night. However, depending on the situation, the user may want to use the scanner or monitor even after 10 pm.

Further, in an image forming apparatus in which a user can manually instruct the transition to the power saving mode,
In some cases, the function instructed to shift to the power saving mode is being executed, or even when the function is not executed, the function may be used in conjunction with another function. For example, in the facsimile transmission / reception function of the image forming apparatus, the image forming function of printing the image on a predetermined sheet is not used during the reception of the image data, but may be used after the image data is received.

[0006] As described above, when the next user wants to use immediately or when a specific function such as reception of a fax is executed, the user may be immediately restarted even after shifting to the power saving mode. There is a problem that power is consumed instead.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a restart immediately after a transition to a power saving mode.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to shift to a power saving mode in which part or all of a power supply is cut off according to a use condition or by manual operation. The image forming apparatus further includes a power saving mode transition control unit that confirms a transition to the power saving mode to a user when the mode is switched to the power saving mode, and controls the transition to the power saving mode after the confirmation. And

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the power saving mode transition control means includes a job activation control means for controlling activation of another job during confirmation with the user. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the power saving mode shift control means switches to the power saving mode when another job is activated during confirmation with the user. The feature is to cancel the transfer.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the power saving mode shift control means shifts to a power saving mode when there is no confirmation operation from a user. I do.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which part or all of a power supply is cut off in accordance with a use situation or by a manual operation. If a unit is instructed to shift to the power saving mode, and there is a specific job, the unit includes a power saving mode shift control unit that controls the shift to the power saving mode after the completion of the specific job. It is characterized by doing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the power saving mode transition control means activates a job using the unit after the transition to the power saving mode is instructed. When the job is started within a predetermined time, the unit is shifted to a power saving mode after the job is completed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect of the invention, the power saving mode transition control means activates another job before the unit transitions to the power saving mode. It is characterized by including a job activation control means for controlling.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth to seventh aspects of the present invention, the power saving mode shift control means shifts the unit instructed to shift to the power saving mode to the power saving mode. Up to this point, a reservation message display means for displaying that the transition of the unit to the power saving mode is reserved is provided.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the power saving mode transition control means is controlled according to a setting item which can be arbitrarily changed by a user. I do.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power saving method for an image forming apparatus in which a part or all of a power supply of the image forming apparatus is cut off according to a use condition or manually. Upon shifting, the user is confirmed to shift to the power saving mode, and after the confirmation, the power saving is executed.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power saving method for an image forming apparatus in which part or all of a power supply is cut off in accordance with a use situation or by a manual operation. When a power saving is instructed and a specific job is present, the power saving is executed after completion of the specific job.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control program for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which part or all of a power supply is cut off in accordance with a use situation or manually. The recorded medium, wherein the control program confirms a transition to the power saving mode to the user when transitioning to the power saving mode,
After the confirmation, control is performed to shift to the power saving mode.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control program for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which part or all of a power supply is cut off in accordance with a use situation or manually. The recorded medium, wherein the control program is configured to terminate the specific job when a specific job exists when a shift to the power saving mode is instructed to any unit by the manual operation. It is characterized in that control is made to wait and then to shift to the power saving mode.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a main control unit 1 for controlling a plurality of units for realizing functions such as data reception, and a control program and various conditions for the main control unit. A storage unit 9 for storing data; a power supply unit 2 for supplying power to each unit; an analog line such as a telephone line;
A communication control unit 3 connected to a digital line such as a DN for controlling transmission and reception of image data, a data storage unit 4 for storing received image data, and image processing for performing processing such as compression and decompression on the received image data Unit 5 and an operation display unit 6 serving as a user interface such as a keyboard and a monitor
And an image forming unit 7 for printing image data on a predetermined sheet
And an image reading unit 8 for reading an image printed on a predetermined sheet as image data.

Each of the above units is connected to the main control unit 1 by a control line B shown by a dotted line in the figure, and the main control unit 1 monitors and controls the operation state of each unit.

The communication control unit 3 is connected to the data storage unit 4 and the image processing unit 5 by a data line A shown by a solid line in the figure, and exchanges image data according to a control signal output from the main control unit 1. Here, since image data generally has a large amount of information, the image processing unit 5 compresses or encodes the image data when transmitting and receiving the image data. When the image processing unit 5 is processing, the image data is temporarily stored in the data storage unit 4, and the stored image data is transferred after the processing is completed.

The image processing unit 5 is connected to the image forming unit 7 and the image reading unit 8 via the data line A, and outputs the image data to the image forming unit 7 when the user wants to print an image. The image forming unit 7 prints. The image data captured by the user using the image reading unit 8 is output to the image processing unit 5 via the data line A. These user operations are performed on the operation display unit 6, and the operation display unit 6 displays the operation results. FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a control panel which is an embodiment of the operation display unit 6.

The control panel 103 shown in FIG.
LCD screen 10 for displaying various menus and operation messages
4, a job status display screen 105 for displaying the job status of the image forming apparatus, a confirmation / cancel button 400 for executing confirmation or cancellation of the job, and various menus on the liquid crystal screen
04, a facsimile button 402 for executing a facsimile function, a copy button 403 for executing a copy function, a meter / specification setting button 404 for executing detailed setting of each function, and registration or identification of a password. A password button 405 for performing a change, a power saving button 406 for performing a power saving function, a numeric keypad 407 for inputting the number of copies, a destination designation, various settings and numerical values, and performing other copy operations during continuous copying or reception printing. An interrupt button 408, a clear button 409 for correcting numerical input, an all clear button 410 for returning the apparatus to a basic state, and a stop button 41 for stopping copying.
1 and start button 41 for starting communication or copying
2 is comprised.

The power supply of each unit shown in FIG.
From a power supply line C shown by a bold line in the figure. Whether or not power is supplied to each unit is independently controlled by the main control unit 1. Thereby, it is possible to shift to the power saving mode independently for each unit. Specifically, the main control unit 1 grasps the state of each unit via the control line B, and executes processing such as stopping or decreasing the supply of power to the unit that has not been used for a certain period of time. ing.

The transition conditions (hereinafter, referred to as “transition conditions”) such as the elapse of a predetermined time and after 10:00 p.m. are stored in the storage unit 9 in advance, and the main control unit 1 controls the control line. The subsequent condition stored in the storage unit 9 is read out via B to make a determination, and the transition to the power saving mode is controlled. Also, the control panel 1 shown in FIG.
The transition can also be made by pressing the power saving button 406 provided on the device 03.

The transition conditions can be changed by the user as appropriate. In addition, there are various execution parameters in the power saving mode, and the user can change the settings of these parameters (hereinafter, referred to as “power saving function settings”).

Here, a method for setting the transition condition and the power saving function will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. FIG.

When the user sets the power saving function, first, the meter / control panel 103 shown in FIG.
By pressing the specification setting button 104, the LCD screen 104 is displayed as shown in FIG.
The specification setting pop-up display window 200 shown in FIG. This specification setting pop-up display window 2
00, buttons (reference numerals 304 to 313) for setting various functions and a close button 3 for closing the pop-up display window 200 are provided as shown in FIG.
03 is provided. Here, these buttons are soft keys displayed on the liquid crystal screen, and the user selects the soft key by touching the displayed portion of the soft key with a finger.

The user touches the power saving function setting button 311 among these soft keys to display a power saving function setting pop-up window 201 shown in FIG. In this window, a power saving function setting item display area 202 is provided, which is used to set a "timer time-up time" for setting a time required for user confirmation, and to set whether to shift to the power saving mode when there is no user confirmation. Yes, set whether to allow operation other than "Yes" and "No" as confirmation of transition to power saving mode. "User operation other than entering power saving mode" Yes / No "" In addition, four setting items of “user operation during power saving confirmation” for setting whether to permit another operation while confirming the transition to the power saving mode to the user are displayed.

In the power saving function setting pop-up window 201, an UP button 314 and a DOWN button 31 are displayed.
5, a previous page button 316, a next page button 317, and a check / change button 318 are provided, and are used when changing the setting items displayed in the power saving function setting item display area 202. Here, the selected setting item is highlighted as shown in FIG.
Touching the button 315 highlights the setting item (item 2 in the figure) immediately below the currently selected setting item (item 1 in the figure), and touches the UP button 314 to set the currently set item. The item immediately above the item that is currently displayed is highlighted.

After selecting the setting item to be set as described above, touching the confirm / change button 318 causes the setting item to be in the edit state, and the UP button 314 or D
Touching the OWN button 315 changes the setting state. For example, when the setting item 1 is selected as shown in FIG. 4, when the UP button 314 is touched, the setting state changes from the current "1 minute" to "2 minutes", "3 minutes", and so on.
Increases every minute. Also, when the DOWN button is touched, the setting states are “3 minutes”, “2 minutes”, “1 minute”,.
Decreases every minute. By the same operation, the setting item 2 is set to “do” or “do not”, the setting item 3 is set to “accept” or “not accepted”, and the setting item 4 is set to “valid” or “invalid”.

After the setting state of each setting item is changed by such an operation, when the confirmation / change button 318 is touched, the setting content is determined and stored in the storage unit 9.

Next, a method for setting the transition condition will be described. The user touches the previous page button 316 from the state in which the power saving function pop-up display window 201 shown in FIG. 4 is opened, and opens the transition condition setting pop-up display window 203 shown in FIG. In this window,
Transition condition setting item display area 204 for displaying setting items in the same manner as power saving function setting pop-up display window 201
And various operation buttons.

The item setting method in the transition condition setting pop-up display window 203 is the same as that in the power saving function setting pop-up display window 201, and the UP button 314 is used.
Alternatively, the user touches the DOWN button 315 to select a setting item, and touches the confirmation / change button 318 to change the setting state.

As shown in FIG. 5, the setting items of the transition condition include a "unit name" for designating the name of the unit to be subjected to power saving, and a "time designation" for setting a time at which the unit is shifted to the power saving mode. And “unused time” for specifying the unused time of the unit before shifting to the power saving mode.

In the transition condition setting pop-up display window 203 on which these setting items are displayed, the user touches the UP button 314 or the DOWN button 315 with the setting item "unit name" to set the unit name to be set. select. At this time, when the UP button 314 is touched, the setting state changes sequentially from “image forming section” to “image reading section”, “image processing section”.
When the button 315 is touched, the unit name changes in the reverse order as when the UP button 314 is touched. Also,
When the UP button 314 is touched in the setting item “time designation”, the setting state changes from “night (22:00 to 6:00)” to “midnight (00:00 to 2:00)” and “early morning (4:00 to 6:00)”.
6:00) "... Sequentially and the DOWN button 31
Touching 5 changes in the reverse order as when the UP button 314 is touched. A plurality of time patterns are stored in advance, and the convenience of setting is considered.
When the UP button 314 is touched with the setting item “unused time”, the setting state changes from “45 minutes” to “50 minutes”.
“55 minutes”..., And sequentially increases in 5 minute increments. If the DOWN button 315 is touched, the “55 minutes” to “50 minutes”
Minutes "," 45 minutes ", and the like every 5 minutes In addition to these, when the user removes the LOGOUT or the section card from the image forming apparatus, the mode can be automatically shifted to the power saving mode.

After the transition conditions have been set, a close button 3
03 is touched, and the transition condition setting pop-up display window 203 ends. When the next page button 317 is touched on the transition condition setting popup display window 203, the power saving function setting popup display window 2 is displayed.
01 can be opened.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, even if the main control unit 1 determines that the transition condition set as described above is satisfied, the main control unit 1 does not immediately transition to the power saving mode, but temporarily After confirming the above operation, the unit is shifted to the power saving mode according to the result. When the shift to the power saving mode is manually instructed, it is checked whether the unit is in a job at the time of the instruction, and furthermore, the start immediately after the unit is predicted, and according to the result, The unit to the power saving mode.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention in which the user's confirmation operation is requested will be referred to as a first embodiment of the present invention in a case where a start immediately after the unit to be transferred is expected. One embodiment will be described in more detail as a second embodiment.

[0043]

First Embodiment As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, since the user can arbitrarily set the transition condition and the power saving function, the operation differs depending on the set contents.

First, the power saving function setting is “timer time up time = 1 minute”, “power saving inrush when user operation is not responded =
Yes "," User operation other than entering the power saving mode "Yes / No" = Accepted ", and" User operation during power saving confirmation = Valid ", and the transition condition is set to" Unused time = The operation when "45 minutes" is set will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the main control unit 1 detects the use state of each unit via the control line B, and the unit that has not been used for 45 minutes (hereinafter, it is assumed that the image reading unit 8 is unused for example). If there is, it is determined that the unit satisfies the transition condition (YE in step 500).
S).

Next, the main control unit 1 instructs the operation display unit 6 via the control line B to request a user's confirmation operation, and displays the liquid crystal screen 104 of the control panel 103 as shown in FIG.
0, a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 13 is displayed. The main control unit 1 displays the confirmation screen and simultaneously operates a timer provided inside the main control unit 1 to start measuring the time until a response from the user is returned (step 501).

FIG. 10 is a view showing a display screen of a pop-up display window 205 for confirming the transition to the power saving mode. The decision button 300 which is a soft key is displayed on the pop-up display window 205 for confirming the transition to the power saving mode. , A Yes button 301 and a No button 302 are provided.

When the user approves the shift of the image reading unit displayed in the window to the power saving mode, the user touches the Yes button 301 to highlight the button, and then touches the enter button 300. On the other hand, if the shift to the power saving mode is not allowed, the user touches the No button 302 to highlight the button, and then presses the enter button 3
Touch 00.

FIG. 11 and FIG. 13 are diagrams showing the display screen of the message line display window 206 for confirming the transition to the power saving mode. In these windows, a hard key is used for the user's response operation. In FIG. 11, the start button 412 shown in FIG. 2 is used as a response of the transfer approval, and the stop button 411 is used as a response of the transfer refusal.
In 3, the power saving button 406 is used as a response to the transfer approval, and the other buttons are used as responses to reject the transfer.

If there is no user operation during the display of the confirmation screen as described above (No in step 502), the main control unit 1 sets the timer according to the power saving function setting of "timer time-up time = 1 minute". It is determined whether one minute has elapsed since the start of the measurement (step 504). If not, the process returns to step 502 and waits for a user operation. When one minute has elapsed, the image reading unit 8 shifts to the power saving mode. If there is a user operation during the display of the confirmation screen (YES in step 502), and if the confirmation screen displayed in step 501 is the transition confirmation pop-up display window 205 to the power saving mode shown in FIG. If the operation performed in step 3 is a touch on the yes button 301, the mode shifts to the power saving mode (step 505). If the operation other than "yes" such as touching the no button 302 or using the copy function, the power saving mode is selected. It does not shift to the mode (No in step 503).

It should be noted that, even if 45 minutes have passed from the unused state, the transition to the power saving mode can be canceled if another job occurs while the confirmation screen is being displayed. In this case, in the power-saving function setting pop-up display window shown in FIG. 4, a setting item of "power saving cancellation at job startup" is provided, the setting state is set to "Yes", and " Did it start? "

The confirmation screen displayed in step 501 is shown in FIG.
If the window 206 is a confirmation message line display window 206 for shifting to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
If the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the start button 412, the process proceeds to step 505 and shifts to the power saving mode. When the pressed hard key is another operation such as the use of the stop button 411 or the copy function, the mode is not shifted to the power saving mode.

If the confirmation screen displayed in step 501 is the message line display window 206 for confirming the transition to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
In step 3, if the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the power saving button 406, the process proceeds to step 505 and shifts to the power saving mode. If the pressed hard key is a key other than the power saving button 406 or if it is another operation such as use of a copy function, the operation is executed without shifting to the power saving mode.

In the transition to the power saving mode in step 505, the main control section 1 controls the power supply section 2 via the control line B to stop the power supply to the image reading section 8.

If there is no user operation during the display of the confirmation screen (NO in step 502) and the timer has expired (YES in step 504), the power saving function setting "power saving inrush when user operation is not responded = set" , The image reading unit 8 is shifted to the power saving mode (step 50).
5).

Next, when the power saving function setting is "timer time up time = 1 minute", "power saving inrush when user operation is not responded =
Yes "," User operation other than entering power saving mode "Yes / No" = Not accepted "," User operation during power saving confirmation =
The operation in the case where “invalid” is set and the transition condition is set to “unused time = 45 minutes” for all units will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the main control unit 1 detects the use state of each unit via the control line B, and the unit that has not been used for 45 minutes (hereinafter, it is assumed that the image reading unit 8 is unused for example). If there is, it is determined that the unit satisfies the transition condition (YE at step 510).
S).

Next, the main control unit 1 instructs the operation display unit 6 via the control line B to request a user's confirmation operation, and displays the liquid crystal screen 104 of the control panel 103 as shown in FIG.
0, a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 13 is displayed. The main control unit 1 displays the confirmation screen and simultaneously operates a timer provided inside the main control unit 1 to start measuring the time until a response from the user is returned (step 511).

If there is no user operation or an operation other than "yes / no" during the display of the above confirmation screen (no operation or user operation other than "yes / no" in step 512) The main controller 1 determines whether one minute has elapsed from the start of the timer measurement in accordance with the power saving function setting of “timer time-up time = 1 minute” (step 514). The process returns to 512 and waits for a user operation again. When one minute has elapsed, the image reading unit 8 shifts to the power saving mode. At this time, since the power saving function setting is “operation other than power saving inrush“ yes / no ”= not accepted”, other operations such as use of the copy function are not accepted.

It is assumed that the user operation of "Yes / No" has been performed while the confirmation screen is being displayed (step 51).
If the confirmation screen displayed in step 511 is the power saving mode shift confirmation pop-up display window 205 shown in FIG. 10, the operation performed in the window is the “Yes” button 301. If the user touches the No button 302, the process shifts to the power saving mode (No in Step 513).

The confirmation screen displayed in step 511 is shown in FIG.
In the case of the transition confirmation message line display window 206 to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
If the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the start button 412, the process proceeds to step 515 and shifts to the power saving mode. When the pressed hard key is the stop button 411, the mode does not shift to the power saving mode.

If the confirmation screen displayed in step 511 is the message line display window 206 for confirming the transition to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
In step 3, if the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the power saving button 406, the process proceeds to step 515 and shifts to the power saving mode. When the pressed hard key is a key other than the power saving button 406, the mode does not shift to the power saving mode.

If there is no user operation while the confirmation screen is displayed and the timer times out (step 5).
(YES in 14), the image reading unit 8 is shifted to the power saving mode in accordance with the power saving function setting “power saving inrush when user operation is not responded =” (step 515).

Next, the operation when shifting to the power saving mode by manual operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the power saving function settings are set to “power saving inrush when user operation is not responded = ON”, “user operation other than power saving mode inrush“ yes / no ”= accept”, and “user operation during power saving confirmation = valid”. FIG. 8 shows the operation when it is set.
This will be described using.

First, the main control section 1 detects the state of the operation display section 6 via the control line B, and the control panel 10
Then, it is determined whether or not the hard key provided in No. 3 has been pressed (step 520). If any hard key is pressed, it is determined whether the hard key is the power saving button 406 (step 521). If not, the process returns to step 520 and any hard key is pressed again. Wait for it to be done.

The pressed hard key is a power saving button 406.
In this case, the main control unit 1 instructs the operation display unit 6 via the control line B to request a user's confirmation operation, and displays the liquid crystal screen 104 of the control panel 103 as shown in FIG.
2 or a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. The main control unit 1 displays the confirmation screen and simultaneously operates a timer provided inside the main control unit 1 to start measuring the time until a response is returned from the user (step 522).

If there is no user operation during the display of the confirmation screen as described above (NO in step 523), the main control unit 1 sets the timer according to the power saving function setting of “timer time-up time = 1 minute”. It is determined whether one minute has elapsed since the start of the measurement (step 525). If not, the process returns to step 523 and waits for a user operation again.
When one minute has elapsed, the image reading unit 8 shifts to the power saving mode. If there is a user operation during the display of the confirmation screen, it is determined whether or not the operation is the pressing down of the power saving button 406 (step 524). (Step 52
6) If the operation is another operation such as use of a copy function, the operation is executed without shifting to the power saving mode.

The confirmation screen displayed in step 522 is shown in FIG.
In the case of the pop-up display window 205 for confirming the shift to the power saving mode shown in FIG. 0, if the operation performed in the window is the touch of the Yes button 301, the mode shifts to the power saving mode (step 526), and the touch of the No button 302 If so, do not shift to the power saving mode (step 5
No. 24).

The confirmation screen displayed in step 522 is shown in FIG.
If the window 206 is a confirmation message line display window 206 for shifting to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
If the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the start button 412, the process proceeds to step 526 and shifts to the power saving mode. When the pressed hard key is the stop button 411, the mode does not shift to the power saving mode.

Next, when the power saving function setting is "power saving inrush when user operation is not responded = enable", "user operation other than power saving mode inrush" yes / no "= not accepted", "user operation during power saving confirmation = invalid" The operation when "" is set will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the main control section 1 detects the state of the operation display section 6 via the control line B, and the control panel 10
Then, it is determined whether or not the hard key provided in No. 3 has been pressed (step 530). If any hard key is pressed, it is determined whether the hard key is the power saving button 406 (step 531). If not, the process returns to step 530 and any hard key is pressed again. Wait for it to be done.

When the pressed hard key is the power saving button 406
In this case, the main control unit 1 instructs the operation display unit 6 via the control line B to request a user's confirmation operation, and displays the liquid crystal screen 104 of the control panel 103 as shown in FIG.
The confirmation screen shown in FIG. The main control unit 1 displays the confirmation screen and simultaneously activates a timer provided inside the main control unit 1 to start measuring a time until a response is returned from the user (step 532).

If there is no user operation or an operation other than "yes / no" while the above confirmation screen is displayed (no operation or user operation other than "yes / no" in step 533) The main controller 1 determines whether one minute has elapsed from the start of the timer measurement in accordance with the power saving function setting of “timer time-up time = 1 minute” (step 535). The process returns to 533 and waits for a user operation again. When one minute has elapsed, the image reading unit 8 shifts to the power saving mode. At this time, since the power saving function setting is “operation other than power saving inrush“ yes / no ”= not accepted”, other operations such as use of the copy function are not accepted.

If there is a user operation of power saving inrush “Yes / No” during the display of the confirmation screen (power saving inrush “Yes / No” in step 533), the operation performed on the confirmation screen is If it is touched, the mode shifts to the power saving mode (step 536). If it is touched, the mode is not shifted to the power saving mode (step 534).
No.)

The confirmation screen displayed in step 532 is shown in FIG.
If the window 206 is a confirmation message line display window 206 for shifting to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
If the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the start button 412, the process proceeds to step 536 and shifts to the power saving mode. When the pressed hard key is the stop button 411, the mode does not shift to the power saving mode.

If the confirmation screen displayed in step 532 is the message line display window 206 for confirming the transition to the power saving mode shown in FIG.
In step 4, if the hard key pressed during the display of the window is the power saving button 406, the process proceeds to step 536 and shifts to the power saving mode. When the pressed hard key is a key other than the power saving button 406, the mode does not shift to the power saving mode.

If there is no user operation while the confirmation screen is displayed and the timer times out (step 5
(YES at 35), the image reading unit 8 is shifted to the power saving mode in accordance with the power saving function setting “power saving inrush when user operation is not responded =” (step 536).

In the first embodiment described above, the confirmation to the user is such that a confirmation message is displayed only on the operation display unit 6 provided in the image forming apparatus, but as shown in FIG. And the image forming apparatus 100 via LAN
And a plurality of terminals 101
, A confirmation message can be displayed, so that a confirmation operation can be requested from a plurality of users.

[0080]

[Second Embodiment] In the second embodiment, when the shift to the power saving mode is instructed by a manual operation, if the job being executed is a job related to the unit to be power saving, , Reserve the transition to the power saving mode. The setting of this reservation function can be changed, and the user can set the power saving function setting pop-up display window 201 shown in FIG.
By touching the UP button 314 or the DOWN button 315, the power saving reservation function setting pop-up display window 207 shown in FIG. 17 is displayed, and the setting items displayed in the power saving reservation function setting item display area 208 are changed. The method of changing setting items and operating the window is described in the power saving function setting pop-up display window 2 shown in FIG.
Same as 01.

In FIG. 17, "timer time-up time" for setting the time until the power-saving mode is entered when no new job is generated after the power-saving button 406 is pressed after the power-saving button 406 is pressed, Set whether or not to accept a new job when a new job starts, and set whether or not to allow a user operation during power saving reservation to cancel the power saving reservation. Of a power saving reservation by a user operation ”and“ user operation during a power saving reservation ”for setting whether to permit a user operation during a power saving reservation.

In the setting item “timer time-up time”, the time-up time is set in units of one minute. In the “new job during power saving reservation”, either “accept” or “not accept” is set. In the "power saving reservation release by user operation during reservation", "power saving reservation cancellation is not allowed" or a button to instruct power saving reservation cancellation is set,
In "user operation during power saving reservation", either "valid" or "invalid" is set.

First, FIG. 1 shows an example in which the image forming unit 7 is instructed to shift to the power saving mode during reception of a fax.
5 will be described.

During reception of a fax, the image forming unit 7 to be conserved is not used, but is used to print the data after the reception of the fax data is completed. For this reason, in the present invention, even if the image forming unit 7 is instructed to shift to the power saving mode,
During fax reception, reserve the transition to power saving mode once,
After the data printing is completed, the mode shifts to the power saving mode.

Here, the power saving function setting includes “timer time-up time = 3 minutes”, “new job during power saving reservation = accept”, power saving reservation release by user operation during power saving reservation = only power saving button, “power saving” It is assumed that “user operation during reservation = valid” is set.

First, the main control unit 1 detects the state of the operation display unit 6 via the control line B, and determines whether a hard key provided on the control panel 103 shown in FIG. 2 has been pressed (step 540). ). If any hard key is pressed, that key is
Is determined (step 541). If the button is the power saving button, the main control unit 1 detects the use state of each unit via the control line B, and there is a unit currently in the job. It is determined whether or not it is (step 542).

If there is a unit currently in the job and the job is receiving data from the outside by the communication control unit 3, power saving is reserved (step 544). It proceeds to the processing flow (portion surrounded by a dotted frame in the figure). If the job is not data reception from outside, the image forming unit 7 shifts to the power saving mode (step 550). When the power saving of the image forming unit 7 is reserved, the main control unit 1 displays a power saving reservation message via the control line B to indicate to the user that the shift to the power saving mode is reserved. Operation display section 6
, The operation display unit 6 displays a power saving reservation message on the liquid crystal screen 104 provided on the control panel 103 (step 545). This power saving reservation message is
A power saving reservation pop-up display window 209 in a pop-up window format as shown in FIG. 18 or a power saving reservation message line display window 210 in a message line format as shown in FIG. 19 may be used.

Since the power saving function setting is set to “power saving reservation release by user operation during power saving reservation = only power saving button”, the user presses power saving button 406 provided on control panel 103 to save power. The transition to the mode can be canceled.

Further, since the power saving function setting is set to “user operation during power saving reservation = valid”, even during power saving reservation, the image forming unit 7 such as transmitting a facsimile or registering a shortened number is not used. Not only user operations but also user operations using the image forming unit 7, such as copying, are accepted.

Instead of displaying the power saving reservation message as described above, the control panel 103 as shown in FIG.
When the LED 413 indicating the power saving reservation is provided above, the user can be notified that the power saving reservation is being made by blinking the LED. In this case, an LED button is used as the power saving button 406, and the power saving button 4 is used.
06 itself may blink.

The main controller 1 displays the power saving reservation message, activates the timer, and starts measuring the time until the next job occurs (step 545). Hereinafter, in steps 546 and 541, it is determined whether a new job has occurred in the image forming unit 7 before the timer times out (three minutes in this example), and if a new job occurs within three minutes, Is (Step 546)
YES), the transition to the power saving mode is set after the end of the new job, and the power saving reservation time is extended (step 547). If the image forming unit 7 is not used within three minutes, for example, if the received data is only stored in the data storage unit 4 as in confidential reception, the image forming unit 7 is shifted to the power saving mode ( (YES in step 549).

When a new job is generated in the image forming unit 7, the job is terminated first, and when all jobs are completed, the image forming unit 7 is shifted to the power saving mode (YES in step 548). .

In the above-described example, an operation example in the case where an instruction to shift to the power saving mode of the image forming unit 7 has been given during data reception from the outside such as reception of a fax has been described.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the image forming apparatus is connected to the network, a condition of “Is data being received from the terminal 101?” Is added to the determination in step 543 shown in FIG. Consider activation of the image forming unit 7 in conjunction with data reception. As described above, when the image forming apparatus is connected to the network, a configuration can be adopted in which each terminal 101 can instruct the shift to the power saving mode.

Not only reception of facsimile and data but also an instruction to shift the image forming unit 7 to the power saving mode during copying or an instruction to shift the power to the power saving mode to the communication control unit 3 during communication. In such cases as well, a transition to the power saving mode is reserved.

Further, even when the unit whose power is to be saved is not in a job, data to be processed is stored in the data storage unit 4 when a shift instruction is issued, such as time-designated printing or time-designated transmission. When the unit is started immediately after the transfer instruction, the shift to the power saving mode is reserved.

Note that the control of the image forming apparatus in each of the above embodiments can be realized by installing a control program. In this case, the control program is stored in a recording medium such as a magnetic disk. Can be recorded.

[0097]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to prevent the unit that has shifted to the power saving mode from being restarted immediately thereafter.

Particularly, in the first embodiment, when the image forming apparatus is set to automatically shift to the power saving mode by removing the department card, it is assumed that a plurality of users are waiting in turn. In the situation, even if a user who has been using the image forming apparatus and removes the department card after the work is completed, the next user is confirmed before the image forming apparatus enters the power saving mode. Therefore, the next user can use the device immediately. As a result, unnecessary shifting to the power saving mode can be prevented, and the device can be used efficiently.

Further, in the second embodiment, when power saving of the image forming unit is instructed, it is not apparent at first glance that a job is in progress as in the case of receiving a facsimile, but the next print job using the image forming unit is performed. When the copy is being made, the image forming unit shifts to the power saving mode after the reception of the fax, so that the load on the unit can be reduced by unnecessary power ON / OFF, and the power consumption can be further suppressed. Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, various conditions can be set for shifting to the power saving mode, and a power saving function according to a user's desire can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a control panel.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation screen for setting specifications of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation screen for setting a power saving function.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation screen for setting conditions for shifting to a power saving mode.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which when the transition condition is “45 minutes unused”, the power saving function setting is “enter power saving mode“ Yes / No ””.
9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the image forming apparatus when “user operation other than = accept”.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which when the transition condition is “45 minutes unused”, the power saving function setting is “enter power saving mode“ Yes / No ””.
9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus when "user operation other than" = not accept ".

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image forming apparatus when the power saving function setting is “user operation other than entering the power saving mode“ Yes / No ”= accepted” when a shift to the power saving mode is instructed by a manual operation. .

FIG. 9 illustrates an operation example of the image forming apparatus when the power saving function setting is “user operation other than entering the power saving mode“ Yes / No ”= not accepted” when a shift to the power saving mode is instructed by a manual operation. flowchart.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a display screen in a pop-up window format for confirming a shift to a power saving mode.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a display screen for confirming a shift to a power saving mode, which is a message line format display screen when a start button and a stop button are used for a user's confirmation operation.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a display screen for confirming a shift to a power saving mode, which is a message line format display screen when a power saving button and all other buttons are used for a user's confirmation operation.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a display screen for confirming a shift to a power saving mode, which is a pop-up window format display screen when a power saving button and all other buttons are used for a user's confirmation operation.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration when the image forming apparatus is connected to a network.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example in a case where an instruction to shift to the power saving mode of the image forming unit is given by a manual operation during facsimile reception.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the configuration of a control panel including an LED indicating that a power saving reservation is being made.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an operation screen for setting a power saving reservation function.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a display screen in a pop-up window format for displaying that a power saving reservation is being made.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a message line format display screen for displaying that a power saving reservation is being made.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main control part 2 Power supply part 3 Communication control part 4 Data storage part 5 Image processing part 6 Operation display part 7 Image formation part 8 Image reading part 9 Storage part A Data line B Control line C Power supply line 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Terminal 102 Network 103 Control panel 104 Liquid crystal screen 105 Job status display screen 200 Usage setting pop-up display window 201 Power saving function setting pop-up display window 202 Power saving function setting item display area 203 Transition condition setting pop-up display window 204 Transition condition setting item display area 205 Power saving mode Confirmation pop-up display window for transition to power saving 206 Message confirmation window display for transition to power saving mode 207 Power saving reservation function setting popup display window 208 Power saving reservation function setting item display area 209 Power saving reservation pop-up display window 210 Power saving reservation message line display window 300 OK button 301 Yes button 302 No button 303 Close button 304 Screen display setting button 305 Report setting button 306 Timer setting button 307 Sound adjustment button 308 Diagnosis button 309 Copy screen setting button 310 Copy function setting button 311 Power saving function setting button 312 Fax screen setting button 313 Fax function setting button 314 UP button 315 DOWN button 316 Previous page button 317 Next page button 318 Confirm / change button 400 Confirm / Cancel button 401 Menu button 402 Fax button 403 Copy button 404 Meter / specification setting button 405 Password button Section 406 Button 407 ten-key 408 interrupts button 409 clear button 410 All Clear button 411 stop button 412 start button 413 LED

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI H02J 1/00 306 G06F 1/00 334G 334D (72) Inventor Tetsuo Suzuki 134 Kobe-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Business Park East Tower 13F Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Sekine 134, Kobe-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Business Park East Tower 13F Inside Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which part or all of a power supply is cut off according to a use condition or by manual operation. An image forming apparatus comprising: a power saving mode transition control unit that confirms transition to the power saving mode and controls transition to the power saving mode after the confirmation. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power saving mode transition control means includes a job activation control means for controlling activation of another job during confirmation with the user.
The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power-saving mode transition control unit cancels the transition to the power-saving mode when another job is started during confirmation with the user. apparatus. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said power saving mode shift control means shifts to a power saving mode when there is no confirmation operation from a user. 5. An image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which part or all of a power supply is cut off according to a use situation or manual operation, wherein any of the units is switched to the power saving mode by the manual operation. The image forming apparatus further includes a power saving mode transition control unit that controls the transition to the power saving mode after the completion of the specific job if a specific job exists when the transition is instructed. apparatus. 6. The power-saving mode shift control means measures a time from when the shift to the power-saving mode is instructed until a job using the unit is started, and the job is started within a predetermined time. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the job is completed, the unit is shifted to a power saving mode after the end of the job. 7. The power saving mode transition control means includes a job activation control means for controlling activation of another job until the unit transits to a power saving mode. The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 8. The power-saving mode transition control means, until the unit instructed to transition to the power-saving mode transitions to the power-saving mode, displays reservation indicating that the transition of the unit to the power-saving mode is reserved. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a message display unit. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power saving mode transition control unit is controlled according to a setting item that can be arbitrarily changed by a user. 10. A power saving method for an image forming apparatus, wherein part or all of a power supply of the image forming apparatus is cut off in accordance with a use situation or by a manual operation. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising: confirming a shift to a mode; and performing the power saving after the confirmation. 11. A power saving method for an image forming apparatus which cuts off a part or all of a power supply according to a use situation or by a manual operation, wherein, when power saving is instructed to any one of the units by the manual operation, A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising: when a specific job exists, executing the power saving after waiting for the end of the specific job. 12. A medium recording a control program for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which a part or all of a power supply is cut off according to a use situation or by a manual operation, The control program, when shifting to the power saving mode, confirms the user to shift to the power saving mode, and after the confirmation, controls to shift to the power saving mode. . 13. A medium recording a control program for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of shifting to a power saving mode in which a part or all of a power supply is cut off according to a use situation or by a manual operation, The control program, when the shift to the power saving mode is instructed to any unit by the manual operation,
When a specific job is present, the medium is recorded with a control program for controlling to shift to the power saving mode after completion of the specific job.