JPH1063136A - Composite device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite device saving the power consumption by changing the preheating temperature for fixing temperature in accordance with the frequency in use of a recording part in an energy saving mode. SOLUTION: In the energy saving mode, a CPU 2 controls the temperature of the fixing heater 4 of a fixing part 6 to the preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature based on the detection result by a thermistor 5. When the CPU 2 detects copying operation or a reception detection circuit 7 detects a facsimile reception, the CPU 2 updates the frequency in use of the respective tables of a time zone table storage memory 8 and a data table storage memory 9 in every time zone and data of the operation based on the time measurement result by a real time clock(RTC) 3. Based on the frequency in use of the respective tables of the memories 8 and 9, a temperature difference from the fixing temperature is calculated to control the temperature of the heater 4 to the preheating temperature corresponding to the temperature difference.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a multifunction device,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a multifunction device having an energy saving mode for reducing power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a demand for energy saving (energy saving). In addition to having a facsimile function, a copy function, and a scanner function, it is connected to an external device and functions as a recording device, a scanner device, and the like of the external device. Multifunction devices that reduce power consumption by reducing power supplied to high-power-consuming parts, such as the heating unit of the recording unit, in various standby states such as reception standby and copy standby. doing.

[0003] As a conventional multifunction device for such energy saving, for example, there is a multifunction device (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-54102) filed by the present applicant earlier.

This multifunction peripheral has a power saving mode for controlling the temperature of the heating means to a low temperature. When a function using the heating means is selected in the power saving mode, the power saving mode is canceled to return to the normal temperature. When the function is returned and the function not using the heating means is selected, the power saving mode is not released to save power. In the power saving mode, heating is performed to a predetermined energy saving temperature lower than the normal temperature by the heating means, and the predetermined energy saving temperature lower than the normal temperature is a predetermined energy saving temperature of a plurality of stages. Set to temperature.

[0005]

However, such a conventional multifunction device still has room for improvement in reducing power consumption.

That is, in the above-described multifunction apparatus, the power saving mode is released and not released depending on whether or not the function using the heating means is selected. For example, when the recording mode (copy mode) is selected, the time until the first copy operation is limited to several steps, and fine-grained energy saving temperature setting can be performed. However, there is still room for improvement in reducing power consumption while improving the usability of the multifunction peripheral.

[0007] In view of the above, the invention according to a first aspect of the present invention relates to a multifunction apparatus that controls a fixing unit to a predetermined preheating temperature lower than a fixing temperature in an energy saving mode. By setting and controlling the preheating temperature of the fixing device, the fixing unit is heated to a preheating temperature according to the frequency of use, thereby improving the usability of the multifunction device and providing a multifunction device that can further reduce power consumption. It is intended to be.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled on the basis of the frequency of occurrence of the copy operation for each predetermined time period, so that the fixing unit is controlled for each time period. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunction device that can be heated to a preheating temperature according to the frequency of occurrence of the copying operation, improve the usability of the copy function of the multifunction device, and further reduce power consumption.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the frequency of occurrence of the copying operation in the fixing unit every day is set and controlled by setting and controlling the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode based on the frequency of occurrence of the copying operation every day. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunction device that can be heated to a preheating temperature corresponding to the temperature of the multifunction device, thereby improving the usability of the copy function of the multifunction device and further reducing power consumption.

According to the present invention, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the facsimile receiving operation for each time period, so that the fixing unit is controlled for each time period. Heating to a preheating temperature according to the frequency of facsimile reception operation, recording of the received image at the time of facsimile reception of the multifunction device with a waiting time according to the facsimile reception frequency for each time zone, and improving the usability of the multifunction device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunction device that can further reduce power consumption while improving power consumption.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of occurrence of the facsimile receiving operation on a daily basis, so that the fixing unit performs the facsimile receiving operation on a daily basis. Heating to a preheating temperature according to the frequency of occurrence, recording the received image at the time of facsimile reception of the multifunction device with a waiting time according to the facsimile reception frequency every day, while improving the usability of the multifunction device,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunction device that can further reduce power consumption.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multifunction device including at least a fixing unit that heats a recording member recorded on a recording sheet by a recording unit by a heating unit and fixes the recording member on the recording sheet. When the recording operation by the recording unit is started, the fixing unit is heated to a predetermined fixing temperature by the heating unit to perform the fixing operation, and the heating unit performs the fixing operation in an energy saving mode for reducing power consumption. In a multifunction device having an energy saving mode in which a fixing unit is heated to a preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature, an occurrence frequency acquisition unit that acquires the occurrence frequency of the recording operation, and the occurrence frequency acquired by the occurrence frequency acquisition unit. An occurrence frequency storage means for storing, and the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode based on the occurrence frequency stored in the occurrence frequency storage means. Set, by providing a preheating control means for heating to the preheat temperature by the heating means, has achieved the above objects.

According to the above configuration, in the multifunction apparatus that controls the fixing unit to the predetermined preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature in the energy saving mode, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set based on the frequency of the recording operation. Since the setting and control are performed, the fixing unit can be heated to a preheating temperature corresponding to the frequency of use, so that the usability of the multifunction device can be improved and power consumption can be further reduced.

In the above case, for example, the occurrence frequency acquisition means acquires the occurrence frequency of the copy operation for each predetermined time period, and the occurrence frequency storage means stores the predetermined time. The preheating control means stores the frequency of occurrence of the copy operation for each zone, and the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating means for each of the predetermined time zones based on the frequency of occurrence of the copy operation for each time zone. May be set and controlled.

According to the above configuration, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the copy operation for each predetermined time period. Can be heated to a preheating temperature in accordance with the frequency of occurrence of, the utility of the copy function of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 3, the occurrence frequency acquiring means acquires the occurrence frequency of the copy operation every day, and the occurrence frequency storage means stores the occurrence frequency of the copy operation every day. The preheating control unit sets and sets the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating unit for each day based on the frequency of occurrence of the copying operation for each day.
It may be controlled.

According to the above configuration, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the copying operation on a daily basis. The apparatus can be heated to the preheating temperature, the usability of the copy function of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 4, the occurrence frequency acquisition means acquires the occurrence frequency of the facsimile reception operation for each predetermined time period, and the occurrence frequency storage means stores the frequency information for the predetermined time period. The preheating control means stores the frequency of occurrence of the facsimile receiving operation for each time period, and the preheating of the fixing unit by the heating means for each of the predetermined time periods based on the frequency of occurrence of the facsimile receiving operation for each time period. The temperature may be set and controlled.

According to the above configuration, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the facsimile reception operation for each time period. Can be heated to a preheating temperature according to the frequency of occurrence of facsimile, and the recording of a received image at the time of facsimile reception of the multifunction peripheral can be recorded with a waiting time according to the facsimile reception frequency for each time zone. As a result, the usability of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 5, the occurrence frequency acquiring means acquires the occurrence frequency of the facsimile reception operation for each day, and the occurrence frequency storage means acquires the occurrence frequency of the facsimile reception operation for the day. A frequency may be stored, and the preheating control unit may set and control the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating unit for each day based on a frequency of occurrence of a facsimile receiving operation for each day.

According to the above configuration, the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled on the basis of the frequency of the facsimile reception operation on a daily basis. The facsimile can be heated to the appropriate preheating temperature, and the received image can be recorded at the time of facsimile reception of the multifunction peripheral with a waiting time corresponding to the facsimile reception frequency every day. As a result, the usability of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

[0022]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description. The embodiments are not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

FIGS. 1 to 8 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a multifunction device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a main part of a multifunction device 1 to which an embodiment of the multifunction device according to the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram.

In FIG. 1, a multifunction device 1 has a CPU (Ce
ntral Processing Unit) 2, real-time clock (R
TC) 3, a fixing unit 6 having a fixing heater 4 and a thermistor 5, an incoming call detection circuit 7, a time zone table storage memory 8, a date table storage memory 9, and the like. Each unit required for performing the operation includes, for example, a scanner unit, a recording unit, a facsimile communication unit, and an operation display unit.

The CPU (preheating control means, occurrence frequency obtaining means) 2 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), not shown, and uses the RAM as a work memory based on a program in the ROM. While performing the basic processing as the multifunction device 1, the power saving mode processing described later is also performed. That is, the multifunction device 1 includes an energy saving mode in which the heating temperature of the fixing heater 4 of the fixing unit 6 is reduced to a preheating temperature lower than a fixing temperature required for normal fixing to reduce power consumption. This energy saving mode processing is executed based on a program in the ROM. The details of the energy saving mode process will be described later.

The real-time clock 3 performs a time measurement process for the current time, date, and the like, and outputs the time measurement result to the CPU 2.

The fixing unit 6 includes a fixing heater 4 and a thermistor 5.
And a pressure roller for pressing a recording sheet on which an image is recorded by a recording unit against the fixing roller, and the like. The recording paper to which the member is attached is pressed against the fixing roller by a pressure roller, and the toner on the recording paper is fixed on the recording paper by the heat of the fixing roller. The fixing roller is heated by the fixing heater 4, and the temperature of the fixing heater 4, specifically, the temperature of the fixing roller is detected by the thermistor 5 and output to the CPU 2.

The CPU 2 refers to the time table in the time table storage memory 8 and the date table in the date table storage memory 9 based on the temperature detected by the thermistor 5 and the current mode (normal mode or energy saving mode, etc.). Then, the temperature of the fixing heater 4, that is, the temperature of the fixing roller is determined, and the power supply to the fixing heater 4 is controlled.

The time zone table storage memory 8 is formed of a backed-up RAM or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the number of copies for each time zone and the number of incoming calls for each time zone (not shown in FIG. 2) are stored. Remember. The number of copies and the number of incoming calls for each time zone in the time zone table storage memory 8 are as follows:
It is managed by the CPU 2. That is, when an operation process using the fixing unit 6, for example, a copy operation, a recording operation of a received document, or an incoming call operation is performed, the CPU 2 stores the time zone table storage memory 8 based on the time measurement result of the real-time clock 3. Rewriting is performed by adding 1 to the number of copies or the number of incoming calls in the time zone in which the operation is performed.

The date table storage memory 9 is formed of a backed-up RAM or the like, and, as in FIG.
For example, the number of copies and the number of incoming calls are stored for each day of the week, the day of the month, or the day of the month. The number of copies and the number of incoming calls for each date in the date table storage memory 9 are managed by the CPU 2. That is, CPU2
Performs the date management based on the time measurement result of the real-time clock 3 and, when the above-described copying operation, recording operation of the received document, or the incoming call operation is performed, stores the date of the operation in the date table storage memory 9. Rewriting is performed by adding the number of copies or the number of incoming calls.

The incoming call detection circuit (occurrence frequency acquisition means) 7
An incoming call (facsimile incoming call) from the line is detected, and the detection result is output to the CPU 2. The CPU 2 includes an incoming call detection circuit 7
When detects an incoming call, it performs normal incoming call processing,
A rewriting process (use frequency table setting process) of the number of incoming calls to the time zone table storage memory 8 and the date table storage memory 9 is performed.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. The multifunction device 1 has an energy saving mode in which the temperature of the fixing heater 4 of the fixing unit 6 that consumes high power at a predetermined time such as a standby time is reduced to a preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature to reduce power consumption. The feature is that the preheating temperature of the fixing heater 4 in the energy saving mode is controlled according to the operation frequency of the copy operation and the incoming operation.

That is, in the multifunction device 1, the CPU 2
The basic control process shown in FIG. 3 is performed based on the program in M.

That is, the CPU 2 first performs the use frequency table setting process shown in FIG. 4 (step S1). When the use frequency table setting process is completed, the copy start key (copy start button) of the operation display section is turned on. It is checked whether an operation start instruction for a copy operation or a recording operation (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a copy operation) has been issued (step S2).

If there is no copy operation start instruction in step S2, CPU 2 checks whether there is a facsimile call (FAX call) based on the presence or absence of a call signal from call detection circuit 7 (step S3). Then, the preheating temperature setting process shown in FIG. 5 is performed (step S4), and the process returns to the use frequency table setting process of step S1 to perform the same process as described above.

In step S2, when there is an instruction to start the copy operation, the CPU 2 performs a copy operation and a received image recording operation process (step S5), and checks whether a facsimile call has been received (step S3).

If the facsimile is received in step S3, the CPU 2 performs a normal facsimile reception process (step S6) and performs a preheating temperature setting process (step S4).

In the use frequency table setting process, the CPU 2 first performs a timer process to acquire time data and date data as shown in FIG. 4 (step S1).
1) It is checked whether a copy operation is being performed (step S12). If the copying operation is not being performed, it is determined that the copying operation for updating the data is not being performed, and it is checked whether or not the facsimile communication operation is being performed (step S1).
3) When the facsimile communication operation is not being performed, it is determined that the facsimile operation for updating the data is not performed, and the process returns to the timer process.

In step S12, during the copy operation, the CPU 2 stores the time acquired by the timer processing and the copy mode of the copy operation in the time zone table storage memory 8.
(Step S14), the date acquired by the timer processing and the copy mode of the copy operation are stored in the date table of the date table storage memory 9, and the process proceeds to step S13 (step S15).

When the facsimile operation is being performed in step S13, the CPU 2 stores the time acquired by the timer processing and the facsimile communication mode of the facsimile communication operation in the time zone table of the time zone table storage memory 8 (step S16). The date acquired by the timer process and the facsimile communication mode of the facsimile communication operation are stored in the date table of the date table storage memory 9, and the process proceeds to step S11 (step S17).

Therefore, every time a copy operation, a recording operation, and a facsimile reception operation are performed, the number of operations in the time period and the date when the copy operation and the facsimile reception operation are performed can be updated. It is possible to manage the number of copy operations and the number of facsimile reception operations for each.

Next, the preheating temperature setting process in step S4 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the preheating temperature setting process, the CPU 2 first confirms the current date and time from the time measurement result of the real-time clock 3 (step S21), and reads data (X) from the time zone table in the time zone table storage memory 8. ) Is read (step S22). This data (X) is a time zone frequency index, that is, a frequency index of occurrence of a copy operation or an incoming call operation in the time zone.
As shown in (2), the CPU 2 calculates the frequency of occurrence of the copy operation and the incoming call operation for each time period, and writes the frequency in the time period table of the time period table storage memory 8.

After reading the data (X), the CPU 2 reads the data (Y) from the date table storage memory 8 (step S23). The data (Y) is a frequency index by date, that is, a frequency index of occurrence of a copy operation or an incoming call operation on the date. As in the case of the time zone frequency index, the CPU 2 performs the copy operation and the The occurrence frequency of the incoming call operation is calculated and written in the date table of the date table storage memory 9.

After reading the data (Y), the CPU 2 determines the preheating temperature (step S2).
4). That is, the CPU 2 calculates a temperature difference from the fixing temperature based on a preset temperature difference function Z (Z = f (X, Y)), and sets a temperature having the temperature difference from the fixing temperature as a preheating temperature. decide. This temperature difference function Z is appropriately set. For example, when the preheating temperature is set only by the time zone frequency index (data (X)), Z = 10
FIG. 2 shows an example of the temperature difference from the fixing temperature in the case where it is given by 0 × 3 / (X + 5) and is calculated by the temperature difference function Z based on the number of copies in each time zone. CPU2
After calculating the temperature difference from the fixing temperature, the preheating temperature having the temperature difference with respect to the fixing temperature is calculated and determined (step S24). Note that FIG.
An example of the preheating temperature at each of the above temperature differences when 5 ° C. is set is shown.

After determining the preheating temperature, the CPU 2 controls the temperature of the fixing heater 4 to the determined preheating temperature (step S25), and ends the preheating temperature setting process.

Therefore, if the frequency of use during the day is in a state as shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 7, the higher the frequency of use, the lower the fixing temperature and the higher the frequency of use. When the preheating temperature at which the temperature difference is small is set, FIG. 8 shows a graph, and FIG.
As shown by “slow”, the time until the first copy (first copy) in each copy operation is performed, that is, the waiting time until the fixing heater 4 is heated to the fixing temperature becomes shorter as the frequency of use increases, and The less frequently used, the longer.

As a result, the more frequently the copying operation or the receiving operation is performed, the higher the preheating temperature, the lower the power consumption, the shorter the waiting time, and the better the usability of the multifunction device 1. In addition, the power consumption can be further reduced by lowering the preheating temperature at night or the like when the frequency of use is low, so that the power consumption can be further reduced while improving the usability of the multifunction peripheral 1. be able to.

In the case of FIGS. 6 to 8, as shown in FIG. 6, the frequency of use for each time is A, B,..., And the waiting time (second) until the first copy is performed. ,
Assuming that A ′, B ′,..., The total waiting time Q for one day is given by Q = A × A ′ + B × B ′ +.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where energy saving is performed by controlling the heating temperature of the fixing unit has been described. However, the energy saving is not limited to the temperature control of the fixing unit. The same can be applied to the case where the power consumption of the portion is controlled.

[0052]

According to the multifunction apparatus of the first aspect, in the multifunction apparatus that controls the fixing unit to a predetermined preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature in the energy saving mode, energy saving is performed based on the frequency of the recording operation. Since the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the mode is set and controlled, the fixing unit can be heated to the preheating temperature according to the frequency of use, so that the usability of the multifunction device can be improved and the power consumption can be further reduced. You can save money.

According to the composite apparatus of the second aspect,
Since the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the copying operation in each predetermined time period, the fixing unit is set to the preheating temperature corresponding to the frequency of the copying operation in each time period. Heating can be performed, the usability of the copy function of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and power consumption can be further reduced.

According to the composite apparatus of the third aspect,
Since the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the copying operation every day, the fixing unit can be heated to the preheating temperature according to the frequency of the copying operation every day, The usability of the copy function of the multifunction device can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

According to the composite apparatus of the fourth aspect,
Since the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the facsimile receiving operation for each time period, the fixing unit is set to the preheating temperature corresponding to the frequency of the facsimile receiving operation for each time period. Heating can be performed, and recording of a received image at the time of facsimile reception of the multifunction peripheral can be recorded with a waiting time according to the facsimile reception frequency for each time zone. As a result, the usability of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

According to the composite apparatus of the invention described in claim 5,
Since the preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set and controlled based on the frequency of the facsimile receiving operation every day, the fixing unit can be heated to the preheating temperature according to the frequency of the facsimile receiving operation every day. It is possible to record a received image at the time of facsimile reception of the multifunction peripheral with a waiting time corresponding to a facsimile reception frequency every day. As a result, the usability of the multifunction peripheral can be improved, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part circuit block diagram of a multifunction peripheral to which one embodiment of the multifunction peripheral of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a time zone table stored in a time zone table storage memory of FIG. 1 and various data necessary for a fixing heater temperature control process.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing basic control processing by the multifunction peripheral in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed process of a use frequency table setting process of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed process of a preheating temperature setting process of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a daily use frequency.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a preheating temperature and a fixing temperature set for the use frequency in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a waiting time until a first copy when the preheating temperature in FIG. 7 is set for the use frequency in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 multifunction device 2 CPU 3 real-time clock 4 fixing heater 5 thermistor 6 fixing unit 7 incoming detection circuit 8 time zone table storage memory 9 date table storage memory

Claims (5)

[Claims] A fixing unit for heating a recording member recorded on a recording sheet by a recording unit by a heating unit to fix the recording member on the recording sheet; Means for heating the fixing unit to a predetermined fixing temperature to perform the fixing operation, and heating the fixing unit to a preheating temperature lower than the fixing temperature by the heating unit in an energy saving mode for reducing power consumption. In a multifunction device having a mode, an occurrence frequency acquisition unit that acquires the occurrence frequency of the recording operation, an occurrence frequency storage unit that stores the occurrence frequency acquired by the occurrence frequency acquisition unit, and a storage unit that stores the occurrence frequency. The preheating temperature of the fixing unit in the energy saving mode is set based on the occurrence frequency, and the heating unit heats the preheating temperature to the preheating temperature. Composite apparatus characterized by comprising: a pre-heating control unit, the to. 2. An occurrence frequency acquiring means for acquiring a frequency of occurrence of a copy operation for each predetermined time period, wherein said occurrence frequency storage means stores a frequency of occurrence of a copy operation for each predetermined time period, 2. The preheating control unit sets and controls the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating unit for each of the predetermined time zones based on a frequency of occurrence of a copy operation in each of the time zones. A composite device as described. 3. The occurrence frequency acquisition means acquires the occurrence frequency of the copy operation for each day, the occurrence frequency storage means stores the occurrence frequency of the copy operation for the day, and the preheating control means stores the occurrence frequency of the copy operation for each day. 3. The multifunction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating unit is set and controlled on a daily basis based on a frequency of occurrence of the copying operation. 4. An occurrence frequency acquisition unit acquires a frequency of a facsimile reception operation for each predetermined time period, and said occurrence frequency storage unit stores a frequency of a facsimile reception operation for each predetermined time period. , The preheating control means, based on the frequency of the facsimile receiving operation for each time period,
4. The multifunction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating unit is set and controlled for each of the predetermined time periods. 5. 5. The occurrence frequency acquiring means acquires the occurrence frequency of the facsimile reception operation for each day, the occurrence frequency storage means stores the occurrence frequency of the facsimile reception operation for each day, and the preheating control means, 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preheating temperature of the fixing unit by the heating unit is set and controlled for each day based on a frequency of occurrence of a facsimile receiving operation for each day. Composite device.