Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To immediately make a display screen of a display transitioned to a target operation screen on the basis of a voice instruction input by voice.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus (1) comprises a display (473), a display control unit (101), a microphone (2), a receiving unit (103), and a control unit (100). While the display control unit (101) displays a selection screen on the display (473), when a voice instruction is input to the microphone (2), the display control unit makes a display screen of the display (473) transitioned from the selection screen (SC1) to a setting screen (SC2) for receiving input of a setting value indicated by the voice instruction, and displays the setting value indicated by the voice instruction on the setting screen (SC2).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of voice instruction.

Background Art

[0002] Some image forming apparatuses such as copiers and multifunction peripherals are provided with an operation panel for a user to perform manual input operations. By operating via the operation panel, the user can select one function from a plurality of functions (for example, a copying function, a scanner function, a facsimile function), or can perform settings for the functions.

[0003] In addition, various image forming apparatuses that enable voice instructions have been proposed and put into practical use. For example, Patent Document 1 below describes reflecting the content of a voice instruction in job settings, and Patent Document 2 below describes narrowing down job history information intended by the user from among a plurality of job history information based on keywords included in the user voice.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0005] When it is desired to transition the operation screen currently displayed on the operation panel to another operation screen, there are times when many operation screens must be displayed during the transition by manual input operation. For example, when it is desired to display the setting screen for the copying function while the setting screen for the scanner function is displayed on the operation panel, the user needs to once display the function selection screen by manual input operation. In this way, if it is difficult to move to the target operation screen, it is troublesome for the user.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to immediately transition the display screen of a display unit to a target operation screen based on a voice instruction input by voice input.

[0007] An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, and includes a display unit, and a selection screen for allowing a user to select a function to be executed from among a plurality of functions executable by the image forming apparatus is displayed on the display unit, and a display control unit that displays a setting screen for receiving an input related to the setting of each function selected on the selection screen on the display unit, a voice input unit into which voice is input from the user, a reception unit that receives a voice instruction based on the voice input into the voice input unit, and a control unit that executes a job according to the content of the voice instruction received by the reception unit. The display control unit, when the selection screen is being displayed on the display unit and the voice instruction is input into the voice input unit, transitions the display screen of the display unit from the selection screen to the setting screen for receiving an input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction, and the set value indicated by the voice instruction is displayed on the setting screen.

[0008] According to the present invention, based on a voice instruction input by voice input, the display screen of the display unit can be immediately transitioned to a target operation screen.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is, for example, a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a copying function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function, and includes a document feeder 6, a document reading unit 5, an image forming unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a paper feeding unit 14, a storage unit 8, a human sensor 21, an operation unit 47, a facsimile communication unit 71, a network interface unit 91, a microphone 22, and a speaker 23.

[0011] The document feeder 6 is configured to be openable and closable by hinges (not shown) on the upper surface of the document reading unit 5, and the document feeder 6 functions as a document pressing cover when reading a document placed on a platen glass (not shown). Further, the document feeder 6 is what is called an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) or a DP (Document Processor), includes a document placement tray 61, and supplies the documents placed on the document placement tray 61 to the document reading unit 5 one by one.

[0012] A case where a document reading operation is performed in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. The document reading unit 5 optically reads the image of the document supplied to the document reading unit 5 by the document feeder 6 or the document placed on the platen glass, and generates image data. The image data generated by the document reading unit 5 is stored in an image memory (not shown) or the like.

[0013] The case where the image forming operation is performed by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. Based on the image data generated by the original document reading operation or the image data received from a computer as an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected to the network, the image forming unit 12 forms an image on a recording paper as a recording medium fed from the paper feeding unit 14.

[0014] The fixing unit 13 heats and presses the recording paper on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit 12 to fix the toner image on the recording paper, and the recording paper subjected to the fixing process is discharged to the discharge tray 151. The paper feeding unit 14 includes a plurality of paper feeding cassettes 141.

[0015] The storage unit 8 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various control programs and the like.

[0016] The human presence sensor 21 detects a person approaching the image forming apparatus 1. As the human presence sensor 21, for example, a sensor that detects infrared rays emitted by the human body is used.

[0017] The operation unit 47 receives instructions such as an image forming operation execution instruction from the operator regarding various operations and processes that the image forming apparatus 1 can execute. The operation unit 47 includes a display unit 473 that displays operation guidance and the like to the operator. Further, the operation unit 47 receives an input of an instruction from the user based on an operation (touch operation) by the user on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 473 via the touch panel provided in the display unit 473 or an operation by the user on a physical key.

[0018] The display unit 473 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like. The display unit 473 includes a touch panel. When the operator touches a button or a key displayed on the screen, an instruction associated with the touched position is received by the touch panel.

[0019] The facsimile communication unit 71 includes an encoding / multiplexing, modulation / demodulation unit and an NCU (Network Control Unit) not shown in the figure, and performs facsimile transmission and reception using a public telephone network or the like.

[0020] The network interface unit 91 is a communication interface that performs transmission and reception of various data with external devices (for example, personal computers) within a local area or on the Internet.

[0021] The microphone 22 is a voice input unit that collects sounds around the image forming apparatus 1 and converts them into electrical signals (voice data). The microphone 22 is provided at an appropriate location, for example, on the operation unit 47, where it is easy to collect the voice of the user speaking.

[0022] The speaker (voice output unit) 23 outputs various voices such as operation sounds and effect sounds when operating the operation unit 47, guidance voices explaining the operation method, and warning sounds when a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the speaker 23 is provided at a location not visible from the outside of the image forming apparatus 1, for example, inside the operation unit 47.

[0023] The control unit 10 includes a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a dedicated hardware circuit. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 10 includes a control unit 100, a display control unit 101, a voice analysis unit 102, and a reception unit 103.

[0024] The control unit 10 functions as a control unit 100, a display control unit 101, an audio analysis unit 102, and a reception unit 103 by the operation of the above-mentioned processor according to the control program stored in the storage unit 8. However, these control units 100, etc. can also be configured by hardware circuits without depending on the operation according to the control program by the control unit 10. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the same applies to each embodiment.

[0025] The control unit 100 is in charge of the overall operation control of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 100 is connected to a document feeder 6, a document reading unit 5, an image forming unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a paper feeding unit 14, a storage unit 8, a human presence sensor 21, an operation unit 47, a facsimile communication unit 71, a network interface unit 91, a microphone 22, and a speaker 23, and performs drive control and the like of these units. For example, the control unit 100 controls the operation of the image forming unit 12 and the like to form the document image obtained by reading by the document reading unit 5 on a recording sheet as a recording medium.

[0026] Also, when the human presence sensor 21 detects an approaching person, the control unit 100 controls the microphone 22 to turn it on, enabling voice input to the microphone 22. When a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed after the human presence sensor 21 no longer detects an approaching person, the control unit 100 controls the microphone 22 to turn it off. Note that the control unit 100 can also perform the on / off switching of the microphone 22 according to an instruction input to the operation unit 47.

[0027] The display control unit 101 controls the display operation of the display unit 473. For example, the display control unit 101 displays on the display unit 473 a selection screen for allowing the user to select a function to be executed from among a plurality of functions executable by the image forming apparatus 1, and also displays on the display unit 473 a setting screen for receiving an input related to the setting of each function selected on the selection screen.

[0028] FIG. 3(A) and (B) are diagrams showing an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 473. The operation screen SC1 shown in FIG. 3(A) is a selection screen for allowing a user to select a function to be executed from among a plurality of functions executable by the image forming apparatus 1. On the operation screen SC1, a "Copy" button, a "Transmit (Scanner function)" button, a "Fax (Facsimile function)" button, etc. are displayed. Note that the operation screen SC1 as the above selection screen is also the home screen. When the "Copy" button is pressed by the user, a copy function selection instruction is received by the operation unit 47, and the control unit 100 causes the operation screen SC2 shown in FIG. 3(B) to be displayed on the display unit 473 according to this instruction.

[0029] The operation screen SC2 is displayed on the display unit 473 as a lower layer than the "Home" screen. The operation screen SC2 is a setting screen for receiving an input related to the setting of the "Copy" function. In the central part of the setting screen of the "Copy" function, six buttons marked "Paper Selection", "Color Selection", "Page Aggregation", "Reduce / Enlarge", "Double-Sided / Split", and "Staple / Punch" are displayed. These buttons are images for receiving settings related to the "Copy" function.

[0030] Also, on the operation screen SC2, below the above six buttons, a button for receiving the designation of a favorite registration setting in which setting values different from the default values are registered in advance is displayed. For example, the button is marked "ID Card Copy". "ID Card Copy" is a function used when you want to copy both the front and back of an ID card such as a driver's license or insurance card side by side on one sheet of recording paper. For "ID Card Copy", setting values different from the default values such as "A6 (Paper Selection)", "Color (Color Selection)", "2in1 (Page Aggregation)", "A6 (Original Size)", "Do not set (Continuous Reading)", "Set (Erase outside the original area)", "Outer Frame: 1mm (Frame Erase)" are registered in advance. Therefore, when the user presses the "ID Card Copy" button, an instruction to reflect these setting values different from the default values in the copy function is input to the operation unit 47 and further received by the reception unit 103.

[0031] The voice analysis unit 102 converts the electrical signal (voice data) converted by the microphone 22 into text data using existing voice recognition technology, and analyzes the text data using existing natural language processing technology, thereby recognizing voice instructions from the user.

[0032] The reception unit 103 receives, as an instruction from the user, an instruction input by a manual input operation via the operation unit 47 (including a touch panel) for the currently displayed screen on the display unit 473, and a voice instruction (analysis result by the voice analysis unit 102) recognized by the voice analysis unit 102 via the microphone 22. The control unit 100 executes a job according to the content of the instruction received by the reception unit 103.

[0033] The display control unit 101 displays, on the display unit 473, a setting screen that displays the content indicated by the instruction input by the manual input operation or the voice instruction. For example, when the operation screen SC2 as the setting screen shown in FIG. 3(B) is displayed on the display unit 473, the user inputs an instruction to set "paper selection" to "A4", "color selection" to "black and white", and "page aggregation" to "2in1" via the operation unit 47, and the reception unit 103 receives these instructions. At this time, the display control unit 101 displays, on the display unit 473, an operation screen SC2 (setting screen) that switches and displays the setting of "paper selection" from "automatic" to "A4", the setting of "color selection" from "full color" to "black and white", and "page aggregation" from "off" to "2in1" as shown in FIG. 4(A).

[0034] Also, when the operation screen SC2 shown in FIG. 3(B) is displayed on the display unit 473, if the user speaks the keywords "A4", "black and white", and "2in1", and the reception unit 103 receives these voice instructions via the speaker 23 and the voice analysis unit 102, the display control unit 101 will display on the display unit 473 an operation screen SC2 as shown in FIG. 4(B), where the setting of "paper selection" is switched from "automatic" to "A4", the setting of "color selection" is switched from "full color" to "black and white", and "page aggregation" is switched from "off" to "2in1". The operation screen SC2 shown in FIG. 4(B) is different from the operation screen SC2 shown in FIG. 4(A) in that an operation button B1 marked with "voice input item" is displayed.

[0035] When an item output instruction is received by the reception unit 103 via the operation unit 47 by pressing the operation button B1 on the operation screen SC2 shown in FIG. 4(B), the control unit 100 controls the voice output operation of the speaker 23 to output the content of the set item based on the voice instruction in voice. For example, a voice "A4, black and white, and 2in1 have been set by voice" is output from the speaker 23. Note that the reception unit 103 also receives settings for set items that are not displayed on the operation screen (setting screen) through voice instructions via the speaker 23 and the voice analysis unit 102. The control unit 100 also causes the speaker 23 to output in voice the content of the set item that is not displayed on the operation screen and is set based on the voice instruction.

[0036] Voice instructions may be less accurate in receiving instructions compared to instructions input by manual operations. For this reason, the user may be worried about whether the set value is accurately received by the voice instruction. This possibility is particularly high for settings that are hidden and not displayed on the display unit 473. By outputting the content of the setting made by the voice instruction in voice, the user can confirm the content of the set value set by the voice instruction in voice, thus reducing the above worry.

[0037] In addition, when a confirmation instruction (output instruction) is input manually by the user to the operation unit 47 and received by the reception unit 103, the display control unit 101 causes the display unit 473 to display the content of each set value set based on the voice instruction received by the reception unit 103. When a confirmation instruction is input by voice instruction via the microphone 22 and the voice analysis unit 102 and received by the reception unit 103, the control unit 100 may output the content of each set value set based on the voice instruction by voice.

[0038] When the operation screen SC1 shown in FIG. 3(A) is displayed on the display unit 473 and the user utters the keyword "black and white copy", a voice instruction to set the set value to "black and white copy" is received by the reception unit 103 via the speaker 23 and the voice analysis unit 102. That is, when the display control unit 101 is displaying the operation screen SC1, which is a selection screen, on the display unit 473 and a voice instruction is input to the speaker 23 and received by the reception unit 103 via the voice analysis unit 102, the display screen of the display unit 473 is changed from the operation screen SC1, which is a selection screen, to the operation screen SC2, which is a setting screen for the copy function for receiving the input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 as an example, the display control unit 101 causes the operation screen SC2 to display the set value indicated by the received voice instruction, here "black and white copy". For each setting screen, information on which function it corresponds to and for what kind of set value input it is for is held in advance, for example, in the memory built into the control unit 10, by an operation based on the control program. The display control unit 101 identifies the setting screen for receiving the input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction based on the information.

[0039] However, when the operation screen SC1 as the selection screen shown in FIG. 3(A) is displayed on the display unit 473 and the user utters the keyword "black and white" and the voice instruction is received by the reception unit 103, since "black and white" indicated by the voice instruction is common to a plurality of functions including the copy function, the scanner (transmission) function, and the facsimile (fax) function, it is not possible to narrow down to one setting screen for receiving the input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction.

[0040] Therefore, when the set value indicated by the voice instruction is common to a plurality of functions and it is not possible to narrow down to one setting screen for receiving the input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction, the display control unit 101 does not perform the transition from the selection screen to the setting screen. On the selection screen, the image indicating the function that does not use the set value indicated by the voice instruction is made non-display, and only the images indicating the functions that use the set value indicated by the voice instruction are displayed.

[0041] For example, when the user utters the keyword "2in1" and the voice instruction is received by the reception unit 103, it is not possible to narrow down to one setting screen for receiving the input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction, but it is possible to narrow down to two functions, namely the copy function and the scanner function. Therefore, the display control unit 101 causes the display unit 473 to display an operation screen SC3 that displays only the image (button) indicating the copy function and the image (button) indicating the scanner function as shown in FIG. 6. That is, the display control unit 101 causes the display unit 473 to display an operation screen SC3 (selection screen) on which the images (buttons) indicating "fax", "user box", "system settings", and "internet", which are functions not assumed to be desired by the user, are not displayed.

[0042] In addition, the reception unit 103 also applies the set value indicated by the voice instruction as the set value for the above-mentioned pre-registered favorite registration setting. For example, when the operation screen SC2 is displayed, if the user utters a keyword "ID card copy" and the voice instruction is received by the reception unit 103 via the voice analysis unit 102 or by operating the operation unit 47, the reception unit 103 changes and accepts each set value different from the default set in the favorite registration setting to each set value already received by the above voice instruction at this time.

[0043] Next, an example of the processing performed by the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 7. This processing is performed when the voice analysis unit 102 analyzes the electrical signal (voice data) converted by the microphone 22.

[0044] When the display control unit 101 causes the display unit 473 to display the operation screen SC1 which is a selection screen, and a voice instruction is input to the speaker 23 and received by the reception unit 103 via the voice analysis unit 102, a setting screen (function to which the set value indicated by the voice instruction is applied) for accepting the input of the set value indicated by the voice instruction is specified (S1).

[0045] Furthermore, the display control unit 101 determines whether there is one such specified setting screen (function) (S2). If the display control unit 101 determines that there is one such specified setting screen (function) (YES in S2), the display control unit 101 causes the display unit 473 to display the above-specified setting screen (S3). After that, the processing ends.

[0046] On the other hand, if the display control unit 101 determines that there is not one such specified setting screen (function) (NO in S2), the display control unit 101 does not perform the transition from the selection screen to the setting screen, and on the selection screen, hides the image indicating the function that does not use the set value indicated by the voice instruction, and only displays the images indicating the functions that use the set value indicated by the voice instruction (S4). After that, the processing ends.

[0047] Thus, in this embodiment, even when a set value commonly used for a plurality of functions is input by voice, the user is guided by a display that narrows down to the functions to which the set value input by voice is applied. For this reason, the user can more easily select the setting screen necessary for inputting the set value to be set.

[0048] In addition, when the display control unit 101 acquires operation state information indicating that the operation mechanism included in the image forming apparatus 1 has operated, among the plurality of functions for which the set value indicated by the voice instruction is used, the display screen of the display unit 473 may be transitioned to a setting screen for accepting input of the set value for the function previously associated with the content of the operation state information.

[0049] For example, when the functions for which the set value indicated by the voice instruction is used are a plurality of functions including a copy function and a scanner function, the display control unit 101 acquires opening / closing detection information from a schematic opening / closing switch that detects the opening and closing of the document feeder 6, and when the opening / closing detection information indicates "open", the display unit 473 is caused to display a setting screen for accepting input of the set value of the scanner function previously associated with the "open" information, and when the opening / closing detection information indicates "closed", the display unit 473 is caused to display a setting screen for accepting input of the set value of the copy function previously associated with the "closed" information.

[0050] Further, each time the voice instruction is received by the reception unit 103, the control unit 100 may cause the speaker 23 to output the content of the set value indicated by the voice instruction. Alternatively, when the operation screen SC2 as a setting screen for displaying the set value indicated by the voice instruction is displayed, the control unit 100 may cause the speaker 23 to output the content of the set value indicated by the voice instruction to be displayed in a lump.

[0051] Note that when the content of the set value indicated by the voice instruction is output to the speaker 23 in this way, if the number of set values to be output by voice becomes too large, the user will find it difficult to understand the content of the set value.

[0052] Therefore, as a further embodiment, when the number of set values to be output by voice is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (for example, 5), the control unit 100 does not output the above content by voice, but causes the speaker 23 to output a predetermined warning message by voice. For example, the control unit 100 causes the speaker 23 to output a voice saying "Please check the set values on the screen".

[0053] Also, as a further embodiment, the display control unit 101 may cause the display unit 473 to display a preview image on the setting screen assuming that the control unit 100 executes a job by applying the set value indicated by the voice instruction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8 as an example, it is possible to confirm before job execution whether the set value indicated by the voice instruction is accurately received and a result prediction when the set value indicated by the voice instruction is applied.

[0054] Note that the case where the voice data collected by the microphone 22 and converted so far is analyzed by the voice analysis unit 102 in the image forming apparatus 1 has been described. However, as a further embodiment, a speaker called a smart speaker, which has a built-in microphone and an AI (artificial intelligence) assistant function, is adopted, and the voice of the user is collected by the speaker. The image forming apparatus 1 may use the speaker as a voice input unit, and the reception unit 103 may receive the voice analysis result from the speaker as a set value.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. Further, in the above embodiments, the configurations and processes shown by the above embodiments using FIGS. 1 to 8 are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to such configurations and processes.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, A display unit; a display control unit that causes a selection screen to be displayed on the display unit so that a user can select a function to be executed from a plurality of functions that can be executed by the image forming apparatus, and also causes a setting screen to be displayed on the display unit so that inputs related to settings of each function selected on the selection screen can be received; a voice input unit for inputting voice from a user; a reception unit that receives a voice instruction based on the voice input to the voice input unit; a control unit that executes a job in accordance with the content of the voice instruction received by the reception unit, An image forming device, wherein when the voice instruction is input to the voice input unit while the selection screen is being displayed on the display unit, the display control unit transitions the display screen of the display unit from the selection screen to the setting screen for accepting input of a setting value indicated by the voice instruction, and displays the setting value indicated by the voice instruction on the setting screen.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the selection screen is displayed on the display unit and the voice instruction is input to the voice input unit, if the setting value indicated by the voice instruction is used in common to a plurality of functions, the display control unit does not perform the transition, and hides images indicating functions for which the setting value indicated by the voice instruction is not used on the selection screen, and displays images indicating each function for which the setting value indicated by the voice instruction is used.

3. 3. The image forming device according to claim 2, wherein when the display control unit acquires operating status information indicating that an operating mechanism of the image forming device has operated, the display screen of the display unit transitions to the setting screen for accepting input of setting values ​​for functions that are pre-associated with the contents of the operating status information, among the functions that use the setting values ​​indicated by the voice instruction.

4. Further comprising an audio output unit, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit further causes the voice output unit to output the content of the setting value indicated by the voice instruction.

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the number of setting values ​​indicated by the voice instruction is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the control unit does not cause the voice output unit to output the contents of the setting values ​​indicated by the voice instruction, and instead causes the voice output unit to output a predetermined warning message.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display a preview image of a case where the job is executed by applying the setting values ​​indicated by the voice instruction on the setting screen.

7. An operation unit into which an instruction is input by a user's operation is further provided, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display the setting value indicated by the voice instruction received by the reception unit when a confirmation instruction is input to the operation unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the accepting unit further accepts the setting value indicated by the voice instruction as a setting value for a favorite registration setting in which a setting value different from a default value is registered in advance.

Images