Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To improve the ease of use in starting systems and recovering from an energy saving mode in an image forming apparatus holding a plurality of systems.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises: a scanner control system 2; a plotter control system 3; a relay system 4 that controls the foregoing systems and relays a request from an external device; an operating unit 5 that has a panel; a detection unit 10 that detects a predetermined trigger; an energy saving control unit 20 that, upon receiving an instruction, makes a transition of an operating state to an energy saving mode; a determination unit 50 that acquires the states of a main system linked in advance to the detected trigger and a related system associated in advance, and determines whether to start up the related system on the basis of the state of the related system; and a start-up control unit 30 that receives information designating the main system and the related system determined to start up, and controls the start-up of the system and recovery from the energy saving mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In image forming devices, there is a technology that determines which parts of the device should be restored from energy-saving operation based on triggers such as opening and closing a cover or setting an original or printing paper. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that reduces the user's operational burden by continuing the energy-saving mode even if the user opens the cover of the document tray to remove the document that was left there after the user has instructed the device to switch to the energy-saving mode while the document is still set on the document tray. However, if the cover is already open or if an original or paper is already loaded, the user may accidentally use the wrong function. For example, if the scanner cover is opened on a device that has switched to energy-saving mode with paper still loaded, only the scanner section will return from energy-saving mode, meaning that copying cannot be started immediately and it takes some time before copying can begin. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to improve ease of use of system startup and recovery from an energy saving mode in an image forming apparatus having multiple systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a scanner control system for controlling the scanner; a plotter control system for controlling the plotter; a relay system that controls the scanner control system and the plotter control system and relays requests from external devices; an operation unit having a panel; a detection means for detecting a predetermined trigger generated in at least one of the scanner control system, the plotter control system, and the operation unit; an energy-saving control means for transitioning the operating state to the energy-saving mode when receiving an instruction to transition to the energy-saving mode; a determination means for receiving a detected trigger, acquiring a status of a main system pre-linked to the detected trigger and a status of an associated system pre-associated with the main system, and determining whether to start the associated system based on the status of the associated system; a start-up control means for receiving information specifying the main system and the associated system determined to be started, and controlling the start-up of the system specified in the information and the return from the energy-saving mode; It shall be equipped with the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of systems, it is possible to improve ease of use in starting up the systems and returning from an energy saving mode. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a table showing an example of correspondence between triggers and main systems. [Figure 3] 10 is a table showing an example of correspondence between triggers, main systems, and related systems. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart outlining an example of the startup and energy saving recovery operation of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation in which a determination unit acquires a system to be started. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a determination process when starting up the scanner control system. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a determination process when starting up the plotter control system. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the drawings for explaining the embodiments of the present invention, components such as members and components having the same function or shape are designated by the same reference numerals as far as they can be distinguished, and descriptions thereof will be omitted once they have been described.

[0008] The present invention improves the ease of use of startup and recovery from energy saving mode for each system in an image forming apparatus having multiple systems. Hereinafter, "startup and recovery from energy saving mode for each system" will also be referred to as "startup and recovery from energy saving mode" as appropriate. The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a scanner control system, a plotter control system, and a relay system that relays the respective systems, and communication with external devices is performed by the relay system. The scanner control system has an operation unit where a panel operated by a user is arranged. The image forming device determines the system for startup and recovery from energy saving mode taking into consideration not only the trigger for startup and recovery from energy saving mode but also the state of the image forming device, thereby enabling users to quickly start using the functions they want to use and achieving appropriate power consumption values. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is composed of a scanner control system 2 that controls the scanner, a plotter control system 3 that controls the plotter, and a relay system 4 that controls the scanner control system 2 and the plotter control system 3 and relays requests from external devices, and is equipped with an operation unit 5 that has a panel. The operation unit 5 is connected to the scanner control system 2, and the panel is controlled by the scanner control system 2.

[0010] The scanner control system 2 and the relay system 4 are connected via a scanner interface (SCN I / F). The plotter control system 3 and the relay system 4 are connected via a printer interface (PRN I / F). The relay system 4 can be connected to external devices such as information processing terminals, recording media, etc. via interfaces such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface (USB I / F) and a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) interface (WiFi I / F).

[0011] The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a detection unit (also referred to as "detection unit") 10, an energy saving control unit (also referred to as "energy saving control unit") 20, a startup control unit (also referred to as "startup control unit") 30, and a judgment unit (also referred to as "judgment unit") 50 as control units for controlling the aforementioned systems and operation unit 5, which are surrounded by dashed lines in FIG. 1, to switch between normal mode and energy saving mode, and to start up each system. Here, the energy saving mode (also referred to as "energy saving mode") is a state in which the image forming apparatus 1 operates so as to consume less power than in the normal mode, for example.

[0012] The detection unit 10 detects a predetermined trigger (also referred to as a "predetermined process") that occurs in at least one of the scanner control system 2, the plotter control system 3, and the operation unit 5. The detection unit 10 notifies the determination unit 50 of the predetermined trigger as a result of the detection. The predetermined trigger may be, for example, at least one of the following processes. Opening and closing the scanner cover of the scanner control system 2 Opening and closing the printer cover of the plotter control system 3 Placement of the document in the scanner control system 2 -Installation of recording media such as printing paper in the plotter control system 3 Operation of the panel of the operation unit 5

[0013] The detection unit 10 may be configured to include, for example, a cover open / close detection unit 11, a document set detection unit 12, and a panel operation detection unit 13. The cover open / close detection unit 11 detects whether a cover provided in the scanner control system 2 or the plotter control system 3 has been opened or closed. The document set detection unit 12 detects that a document has been set on the surface where the document is to be set in the scanner control system 2 or the plotter control system 3, or that printing paper has been set in the position (location) where the printing paper is to be set. The panel operation detection unit 13 detects that the panel of the operation unit 5 has been operated.

[0014] When receiving an instruction to transition to the energy saving mode, the energy saving control unit 20 transitions the operating state from the normal mode to the energy saving mode. The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured to operate in either a normal mode in which normal power is used or an energy-saving mode in which power consumption is reduced. A detailed description of the process of transitioning from the normal mode to the energy-saving mode will be omitted here. Whether the image forming apparatus 1 is operating in the normal mode or the energy saving mode may be stored in, for example, a storage area accessible by a control unit or the like included in the image forming apparatus 1. The accessible storage area may be, for example, the system memory (MEM-P) 302 or the local memory (MEM-C) 306 in Fig. 8, which will be described later.

[0015] In the following description, the memory area that can be referenced by the control means, etc. is a memory area that can be read or written by the control means, etc., and may be, for example, the system memory (MEM-P) 302, local memory (MEM-C) 306, or HDD 308 in Figure 8 described below, or a removable memory that can be read or written via an interface with the outside.

[0016] When the detection unit 10 detects the execution of a predetermined trigger, the determination unit 50 receives the detected trigger as a detection result and acquires a main system that is pre-linked to the detected trigger. The main system is, for example, one of multiple systems included in the image forming apparatus 1 that is activated when a trigger occurs, and is pre-set and linked to the trigger. The determination unit 50 also acquires the status of associated systems that are pre-linked to the main system, and determines whether to activate the associated systems based on the status of the associated systems. The determination unit 50 notifies the activation control unit 30 of information (also referred to as "system activation information") that specifies the systems to be activated (the main system and associated systems, or only the main system).

[0017] The determination unit 50 acquires the state of the related system from, for example, the state of the signal line connected to each sensor.

[0018] The determining unit 50 is configured to determine the status of the main system and the associated systems and the associated systems to be started based on, for example, the information shown in Fig. 2-3. The determining unit 50 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The activation control unit 30 receives system activation information from the determination unit 50, and controls activation of the system specified in the system activation information and recovery from the energy-saving mode.

[0020] For example, when at least one of the main system and the related systems is operating in the energy-saving mode, the startup control unit 30 causes the system operating in the energy-saving mode to return from the energy-saving mode and transition to the normal mode, and when the main system and the related systems are operating in the normal mode, the startup control unit 30 performs control not to return from the energy-saving mode.

[0021] Next, an example of a process for determining and deciding the main system and related systems when a trigger occurs will be described. The determination unit 50 determines whether to start the related system in addition to the main system linked to the trigger, based on the state of the related system.

[0022] Figure 2 is a table showing an example of the correspondence between triggers and main systems, and shows a transition diagram when the state of the image forming apparatus 1 is not taken into consideration. The relay system 4 is powered on in any state in order to control each system. The panel of the operation unit 5 is turned off when printing, but the panel is turned on when the "Printing" message is displayed.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of the correspondence between triggers and main systems and related systems, and shows a transition diagram when the state of the image forming device 1 is taken into consideration. The relay system 4 is powered on in any state in order to control each system. The panel of the operation unit 5 is turned off when printing, but the panel is turned on when the "Printing" message is displayed. Taking into consideration the state of the image forming device 1, if the cover is already open or a document or paper is already set, the power of both the scanner control system 2 and the plotter control system 3 is turned on (restored).

[0024] In Figure 3, among the triggers shown in Figure 2, the trigger that does not take into account the state of the image forming device 1 is pressing the operation panel, and although execution of a copy job, scanner job, and print job is not shown, it activates a system similar to that shown in Figure 2.

[0025] Next, an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 from when it receives an instruction to energy saving to when it returns to normal operation will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart outlining an example of the startup and energy saving recovery operation of the image forming apparatus. The energy saving control unit 20 waits until it receives a request to switch to the energy saving mode (NO in S11), and when it receives a request to switch from the normal mode to the energy saving mode (YES in S11), it performs processing to switch to the energy saving mode (S12).

[0026] After transitioning to the energy saving mode, the detection unit 10 waits until it detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger (NO in S13). When the detection unit 10 detects the predetermined trigger (YES in S13), it notifies the determination unit 50 of the detection result. Based on the detected trigger, the determination unit 50 determines which system to start (main system and related systems, or only the main system) (S14). Step S14 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5-7. The start-up control unit 30 controls the start-up of the system and the return from the energy-saving mode (S15) based on the information of the system to be started notified from the determination unit 50. At this time, if no system is specified in the information of the system to be started, the process ends without starting the system.

[0027] An example of the operation of the determining unit 50 determining which system (main system, related system) to start will be described with reference to FIGS. 5-7. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation in which the determining unit acquires a system to be activated. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the determination process when starting up the scanner control system. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the determination process when starting up the plotter control system.

[0028] The determination unit 50 determines in which system the trigger detected by the detection unit 10 occurred (which system the trigger relates to), and then proceeds with the process. If the trigger is a scanner control system 2 trigger (for example, scanner cover open, document placed on scanner, or scanner job execution) (YES in S21), the determination unit 50 performs a determination process when the scanner control system is started (S22). The process of step S22 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. If the trigger is a trigger for the plotter control system 3 (for example, printer cover opening, printing paper loading, printer job execution) (YES in S23), the determination unit 50 performs a determination process when the scanner control system is started (S24). The process of step S24 will be described later with reference to FIG. 7. If the trigger is a panel operation (for example, pressing the panel) of the operation unit 5 (YES in S25), the determination unit 50 designates the scanner control system 2, the panel of the operation unit 5, and the relay system 4 as the main system (S26). If the trigger is a copy job execution trigger (YES in S27), the determination unit 50 designates all of the systems, ie, the scanner control system 2, the plotter control system 3, the panel of the operation unit 5, and the relay system 4, as main systems (S28). The determination unit 50 notifies the start-up control unit 30 of information specifying the main system and the related systems that have been determined to be started, or information specifying the main system (S29). As shown in FIG. 2-3, the main system or the related systems that have been determined to be started may be one or more systems.

[0029] An example of the operation of the determination process performed by the determination unit 50 when starting up the scanner control system 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The judgment unit 50 judges whether the trigger of the scanner control system 2 is the opening / closing of the cover or the setting of a document for the scanner (S31), and if it is the opening / closing of the cover or the setting of a document for the scanner (YES in S31), it obtains the status of the plotter control system 3 as the status of the image forming device 1 (S32). If the determination unit 50 determines that the cover of the plotter control system 3 is open (YES in S33) and that paper has been set (YES in S34), it decides to start the plotter control system 3. The determination unit 50 determines the scanner control system 2, the panel of the operation unit 5, and the relay system 4 as the main systems, and the plotter control system 3 as the associated system (S35). In any other case (NO in S31, NO in S33, or NO in S34), the judgment unit 50 decides not to start the plotter control system 3, and determines the scanner control system 2, the panel of the operation unit 5, and the relay system 4 as the main system (S36).

[0030] An example of the operation of the determination process performed by the determination unit 50 when starting up the plotter control system 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The judgment unit 50 judges whether the trigger of the plotter control system 3 is the opening / closing of the cover or the setting of paper for printing (S41), and if it is the opening / closing of the cover or the setting of paper (YES in S41), it obtains the status of the scanner control system 2 as the status of the image forming device 1 (S42). When the determination unit 50 determines that the cover of the scanner control system 2 is open (YES in S43) and that a document has been set (YES in S44), it decides to start up the scanner control system 2 and the panel of the operation unit 5. The determination unit 50 determines that the plotter control system 3 and the relay system 4 are the main systems, and that the scanner control system 2 and the panel of the operation unit 5 are the associated systems (S45). In any other case (NO in S41, NO in S43, or NO in S44), the judgment unit 50 decides not to start up the scanner control system 2 and the panel of the operation unit 5, and determines the plotter control system 3 and the relay system 4 as the main system (S46).

[0031] As shown in Figure 6-7, when the detected trigger is either the opening or closing of the scanner cover or the placement of a document for the scanner, the judgment unit 50 obtains the status of the related system, i.e., the opening or closing of the printer cover and the placement of a recording medium such as printing paper, and judges whether to start the plotter control system 3 as the related system. In addition, when the detected trigger is either the opening / closing of the printer cover or the placement of a recording medium, the judgment unit 50 acquires the status of the related system, that is, the opening / closing of the scanner cover and the placement of a document for the scanner, and judges whether to start the scanner control system 2 as the related system.

[0032] Furthermore, when the determining unit 50 determines that the main system is the plotter control system 3, it may or may not designate a panel that the operation unit 5 has as the associated system. When the plotter control system 3 is operated, it is preferable that it can be adapted to a system configured to display on a panel and a system configured not to display on a panel.

[0033] As described above, upon detecting a trigger, the image forming apparatus 1 starts up the system that directly corresponds to the trigger and resumes from energy saving mode, as well as starting up systems related to the main system. In this way, by determining the system to start up and resume from energy saving mode taking into consideration not only the trigger at the time of startup and resume from energy saving mode but also the state of the image forming apparatus 1, the functions that the user wants to use can be quickly started and an appropriate power consumption value can be achieved. This reduces the user's effort when returning from energy saving mode and starting up the system based on a trigger, and improves usability.

[0034] Variations. In the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which the determination unit 50 determines a main system linked to a predetermined trigger. The image forming apparatus 1 may be configured, for example, to store table information shown in FIGS. 2-3 in advance in a storage area accessible by the determination unit 50, and the determination unit 50 may refer to the table to proceed with processing. As an example, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to include a recording unit that stores table information. When determining a system to start up and return from energy saving mode and an associated system related to the main system, the determination unit 50 may determine the main system and the associated system by, for example, referring to the table information stored in advance in the recording unit.

[0035] Furthermore, in a configuration in which the information in the above-mentioned table is stored in a recording unit or the like, the information in the table may be changed via the operation unit 5 or an external information processing device, etc. In this way, the user can flexibly change the system startup and return from energy saving mode depending on the usage situation.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the control means may be realized, for example, by a program or by a combination of a program and hardware.

[0037] Next, with reference to Fig. 8, an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus described in each of the above embodiments will be described using image forming apparatus 300. Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus.

[0038] The image forming apparatus 300 is constructed by an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral / Product / Printer) etc. The image forming apparatus 300 includes a controller 310, a short-range communication circuit 320, an engine control unit 330, an operation panel 340, and a network I / F 350.

[0039] The controller 310 controls the entire image forming apparatus 300, for example, controlling drawing, communication, and input from the operation panel 340. Specifically, the controller 310 has a CPU 301, which is the main part of the computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 302, a north bridge (NB) 303, a south bridge (SB) 304, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 305, a local memory (MEM-C) 306, which is a storage unit, an HDD controller 307, and an HDD 308, which is also a storage unit, and is configured such that the NB 303 and the ASIC 305 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 309.

[0040] The CPU 301 is a control unit that performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 300 .

[0041] The NB 303 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 301 with the MEM-P 302, the SB 304, and the AGP bus 309, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 302, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

[0042] The MEM-P 302 comprises a ROM 302a, which is a memory for storing programs and data that realize the functions of the controller 310, and a RAM 302b, which is used as a memory for expanding programs and data and for drawing when printing from memory.

[0043] The programs stored in the ROM 302a may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD.

[0044] The SB304 is a bridge for connecting the NB303 to PCI devices and peripheral devices.

[0045] The ASIC 305 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing purposes that has hardware elements for image processing, and serves as a bridge that connects the AGP bus 309, PCI bus 311, HDD 308, and MEM-C 306, respectively.

[0046] ASIC305 consists of a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of ASIC305, a memory controller that controls MEM-C306, multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that perform image data rotation using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between scanner unit 331 and printer unit 332 via PCI bus 311.

[0047] The ASIC 305 may be connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an IEEE1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface.

[0048] The MEM-C 306 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer.

[0049] The HDD 308 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. The HDD controller 307 controls reading and writing of data from and to the HDD 308 under the control of the CPU 301.

[0050] The AGP bus 309 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphics processing, and by directly accessing the MEM-P 302 at high throughput, the graphics accelerator card can be made faster.

[0051] Further, the short-range communication circuit 320 includes a short-range communication circuit 920a. The short-range communication circuit 320 is a communication circuit such as NFC or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0052] The engine control unit 330 is made up of a scanner unit 331 and a printer unit 332. The scanner unit 331 or the printer unit 332 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

[0053] The operation panel 340 includes a panel display unit 340a such as a touch panel that displays the current setting values ​​and selection screens, etc., and accepts input from the operator, and an operation panel 340b that includes a numeric keypad that accepts setting values ​​for image formation conditions such as density setting conditions, and a start key that accepts a copy start instruction. The operation panel 340 can be used as a panel included in the operation unit 5 shown in FIG. 1, and for example, the operation panel 340 may be configured to be managed by the scanner control system 2 as shown in FIG.

[0054] Image forming apparatus 300 allows the user to sequentially switch between document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function using the application switching key on operation panel 340. When the document box function is selected, the device enters document box mode, when the copy function is selected, the device enters copy mode, when the printer function is selected, the device enters printer mode, and when the facsimile mode is selected, the device enters facsimile mode.

[0055] The network I / F 350 is an interface for performing data communication using the communication network NT. The short-range communication circuit 320 and the network I / F 350 are electrically connected to the ASIC 305 via the PCI bus 311.

[0056] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. <1> a scanner control system for controlling the scanner; a plotter control system for controlling the plotter; a relay system that controls the scanner control system and the plotter control system and relays requests from external devices; an operation unit having a panel; a detection means for detecting a predetermined trigger generated in at least one of the scanner control system, the plotter control system, and the operation unit; an energy-saving control means for transitioning the operating state to the energy-saving mode when receiving an instruction to transition to the energy-saving mode; a determination means for receiving a detected trigger, acquiring a status of a main system pre-linked to the detected trigger and a status of an associated system pre-associated with the main system, and determining whether to start the associated system based on the status of the associated system; a start-up control means for receiving information specifying the main system and the associated system determined to be started, and controlling the start-up of the system specified in the information and the return from the energy-saving mode; The image forming apparatus includes: <2> The detected trigger is the operation is any one of opening and closing a scanner cover of the scanner control system, opening and closing a printer cover of the plotter control system, placing an original in the scanner control system, placing a recording medium in the plotter control system, and operating a panel of the operation unit; The determination means When the detected trigger is either the opening / closing of the scanner cover or the placement of the document, the status of the opening / closing of the printer cover and the placement of the recording medium are acquired as the status of the related system, and it is determined whether or not to start the plotter control system as the related system; When the detected trigger is either the opening / closing of the printer cover or the placement of the recording medium, the status of the scanner cover or the placement of the document is acquired as the status of the related system, and it is determined whether or not to start the scanner control system as the related system. The above-mentioned <1> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <3> When the determining means determines that the main system is the plotter control system, it designates the panel to the associated system. The above-mentioned <1> or <2> 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: <4> When the determining means determines that the main system is the plotter control system, the determining means does not designate the panel to the associated system. The above-mentioned <1> from <3> 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged parallel to each other.

[0057] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and within the scope of the present invention, the elements of the above-described embodiments can be modified, added, or converted in ways that would be easily conceivable to a person skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1,300 Image forming device 2. Scanner Control System 3 Plotter Control System 4. Relay System 5 Control section 10 Detection unit (detection means) 11 Cover open / close detector 13 Document set detector 15 Panel operation detector 20 Energy saving control unit (energy saving control means) 30 Start control unit (start control means) 50 Judgment part (judgment means) [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0059] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-314727

Claims

1. a scanner control system for controlling the scanner; a plotter control system for controlling the plotter; a relay system that controls the scanner control system and the plotter control system and relays requests from external devices; an operation unit having a panel; a detection means for detecting a predetermined trigger generated in at least one of the scanner control system, the plotter control system, and the operation unit; an energy-saving control means for transitioning the operating state to the energy-saving mode when receiving an instruction to transition to the energy-saving mode; a determination means for receiving a detected trigger, acquiring a status of a main system pre-linked to the detected trigger and a status of an associated system pre-associated with the main system, and determining whether to start the associated system based on the status of the associated system; a start-up control means for receiving information specifying the main system and the associated system determined to be started, and controlling the start-up of the system specified in the information and the return from the energy-saving mode; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The detected trigger is the operation is any one of opening and closing a scanner cover of the scanner control system, opening and closing a printer cover of the plotter control system, placing an original in the scanner control system, placing a recording medium in the plotter control system, and operating a panel of the operation unit; The determination means When the detected trigger is either the opening / closing of the scanner cover or the placement of the document, the status of the opening / closing of the printer cover and the placement of the recording medium are acquired as the status of the related system, and it is determined whether or not to start the plotter control system as the related system; When the detected trigger is either the opening / closing of the printer cover or the placement of the recording medium, the status of the scanner cover or the placement of the document is acquired as the status of the related system, and it is determined whether or not to start the scanner control system as the related system.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. When the determining means determines that the main system is the plotter control system, it designates the panel to the associated system.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. When the determining means determines that the main system is the plotter control system, the determining means does not designate the panel to the associated system.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

Images