Image forming apparatus

Abstract

This prevents accidental operation of voice guide keys by the user while the device is in sleep mode, when an external numeric keypad unit with illuminated voice guide keys is connected. [Solution] When the image forming apparatus is switched from standby to sleep mode by setting the power saving mode, if the voice guide key (specifically the LED) on the numeric keypad unit is lit, it is turned off (S21). The voice guide key is a hardware key for switching the voice guide function between enabled and disabled states. The LED is lit when the voice guide function is enabled in standby mode and turned off when the voice guide function is disabled. This voice guide key is always turned off when in power saving mode (sleep state). This makes it easy to prevent the user from mistakenly recognizing the voice guide key as a power saving button and operating it when deactivating power saving mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which an input device having a hardware key can be externally connected.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has been widely used as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having a plurality of these functions, and the like. As an image forming apparatus, one having a touch panel type display capable of displaying software keys on a screen has been proposed. In this case, the user can execute various functions pre-assigned to the software keys by touching the software keys on the screen. However, from the viewpoints of user convenience, operability, and visibility, the number of software keys that can be displayed on the screen at the same time is usually limited. Therefore, those having relatively high usage frequencies, such as numeric keys and start keys, are provided as hardware keys in an external input device (for example, a numeric keypad unit), and this input device can be connected to the image forming apparatus has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, as an image forming apparatus, one having a voice guide function for guiding, for example, an operation method of the apparatus by voice has been proposed (Patent Document 2). [[ID=e17]]

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Recently, from the perspective of user convenience, various functions such as the voice guide mentioned above are sometimes implemented as hardware keys on external input devices to switch between enabled and disabled states in response to user operation. For example, a voice guide key is sometimes placed on an external input device. Since the voice guide mode is designed with the use of visually impaired people in mind, the voice guide key is provided as a hardware key rather than a software key so that it is easy for visually impaired people to actually touch and operate. Furthermore, the voice guide key is equipped with an LED, for example, and by controlling the illumination of this LED, the user can be notified whether the voice guide mode is enabled or disabled by the status of the LED.

[0006] Furthermore, image forming apparatuses have a function (so-called power saving mode) that limits the power supply from the power source to transition the image forming apparatus from a standby state to a sleep state with lower power consumption, for example, by turning off the screen, in order to conserve power. Conventionally, a power saving button, which is a hardware key for setting and canceling the power saving mode, is provided. The power saving button is illuminated by an LED or the like when transitioning from the standby state to the sleep state, and remains illuminated while in power saving mode. The user can then cancel the power saving mode by operating the illuminated power saving button, thereby returning the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state. When the image forming apparatus returns from the sleep state to the standby state, the power saving button is turned off.

[0007] Incidentally, recently, there has been consideration of using a software key for the power saving button as described above. However, if the power saving button is a software key, and an input device with the above-mentioned voice guide key is connected as a hardware key, there is a risk that the user may mistakenly perceive the illuminated voice guide key as the power saving button when trying to deactivate power saving mode and operate it. In that case, no matter how many times the user operates the voice guide key, power saving mode will not be deactivated, which reduces user convenience.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent user error when an external input device having illuminable hardware keys is connected, and when the apparatus is in sleep mode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit capable of forming an image on a sheet, comprising: a panel unit capable of inputting information by displaying software keys; an input device provided to be connectable to the image forming apparatus, comprising: a hardware key for inputting an instruction to switch a predetermined function of the image forming apparatus between an enabled state and an disabled state; and a light-emitting unit capable of indicating whether the predetermined function is in the enabled state or the disabled state by being lit up and turned off; and a control unit that lights up the light-emitting unit when the predetermined function transitions from the disabled state to the enabled state in a standby state in which the image forming unit is capable of forming an image on a sheet, wherein the control unit turns off the panel unit and the light-emitting unit when the predetermined function is in the enabled state and the image forming apparatus transitions from the standby state to a sleep state which consumes less power than the standby state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, when an external input device having a lit hardware key is connected, it is easy to prevent the user from accidentally operating the hardware key of the input device while the system is in sleep mode. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A perspective view illustrating the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. [Figure 2] A control block diagram illustrating the control unit. [Figure 3]A schematic diagram illustrating software keys and hardware keys. [Figure 4] Control block diagram of the numeric keypad unit. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the lighting control process when the voice guide key is operated on the input device side. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the lighting control process when the voice guide key is operated on the device itself. [Figure 7] A flowchart illustrating the control process when power saving mode is set. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing the control process when power saving mode is deactivated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In this embodiment, the front side is denoted as the front side F, the back side (rear side) as the rear side B, the left side as L, the right side as R, the top side as U, and the bottom side as D. The image forming apparatus 1 is configured so that the user is positioned facing from the front side F to the rear side B to perform various operations.

[0013] In this embodiment, a tandem-type full-color printer is described as an example of an image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 can be implemented in various applications such as printers, various printing machines, copiers, fax machines, and multifunction devices. Note that this embodiment is not limited to the tandem-type image forming apparatus 1, but can also be applied to other types of image forming apparatuses. Furthermore, it is not limited to full-color image forming apparatuses, but can also be applied to monochrome and monocolor image forming apparatuses.

[0014] <Image forming apparatus> As shown in Figure 1, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes an image forming apparatus body (hereinafter referred to as the apparatus body) 10. The apparatus body 10 includes a document reading device 20, a sheet feeding unit 21, an image forming unit 22 (see Figure 2), a sheet ejection unit 23, a control unit 30 (see Figure 2), and an operation unit 50. The recording material, the sheet, is on which a toner image is formed, and specific examples include plain paper, resin sheets that are substitutes for plain paper, cardboard, and sheets for overhead projectors.

[0015] The document reading device 20 is, for example, a flatbed scanner and is located on top of the main unit 10. The document reading device 20 includes a document tray 600 on which a document can be placed, an image reading unit 601 capable of reading an image on the document placed on the document tray 600, and a document transport unit 602 (Auto Document Feeder) that transports the document to the image reading unit 601. The document transport unit 602 is equipped with a sensor 604 as a document detection unit that can detect when a document is placed on the tray 603, which serves as the document placement unit. The image reading unit 601, although not shown in the figure, mainly includes a first reading unit, a document tray glass, and a scanning glass. The document transport unit 602 is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to the document tray glass of the image reading unit 601. A document placed on the document glass is held down by a pressure plate (not shown) provided on the document transport unit 602, which faces the document glass, and an image is read by a first reading unit that operates in response to the start of copying or scanning of the document. On the other hand, although not shown, the document transport unit 602 mainly includes a second reading unit and a document transport body. A document placed on the tray 603 is sent to the scanning glass of the image reading unit 601 by a document transport body that operates in response to the start of copying or scanning, and the image of the first side is read by the first reading unit, and the image of the second side opposite the first side is read by the second reading unit. The images read by the first reading unit and the second reading unit in this way are used as image data.

[0016] The sheet feeding unit 21 is disposed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 10, and includes sheet cassettes 21a and 21b for stacking and accommodating sheets such as recording paper, and feeds the sheets to the image forming unit 22 (see FIG. 2). The sheet cassettes 21a and 21b can accommodate sheets for image formation in the image forming unit 22. Further, in the case of this embodiment, a manual feeding unit 700 as a placement unit that can be opened and closed on the side surface side of the apparatus main body 10 is provided, and not only the sheets accommodated in the sheet cassettes 21a and 21b but also the sheets placed on the manual feeding unit 700 may be fed. In this case, the manual feeding unit 700 is provided with a sensor 701 as a detection unit that can detect that a sheet is placed thereon.

[0017] The image forming unit 22 is provided inside the apparatus main body 10, and has an image forming unit having a developing device and a photosensitive drum (both not shown), a toner bottle, an intermediate transfer unit, a secondary transfer unit, a fixing device, and the like. The image forming unit 22 can form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 21 based on the image information from the control unit 30. The sheet discharging unit 23 includes a discharge tray 24 disposed downstream of a discharge port (not shown) formed in the apparatus main body 10. The discharge tray 24 stacks the sheets discharged from the discharge port.

[0018] <Control Unit> As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 30 as the main body side control unit is constituted by a computer. The control unit 30 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 32 for temporarily storing data. Further, the control unit 30 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33 for storing a program for controlling each unit and a hard disk device (HDD 34). Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 30 has a system bus 30a and an image bus 30b, and the CPU 31, RAM 32, ROM 33, and HDD 34 are all connected to the system bus 30a. The CPU 31 is a processor that comprehensively controls the image forming apparatus 1 and is the main body of the system controller. The CPU 31 performs, for example, image processing of image data to be formed, network control, outputs an instruction for image formation to the image forming unit 22, and controls the image forming process by transmitting and receiving information to and from the operation unit 50.

[0019] The RAM 32 is a system work memory for the operation of the CPU 31, is also an image memory for temporarily storing image data, and functions as the main memory and work area of the CPU 31. In the RAM 32, setting information in the image forming apparatus 1, job logs and operation logs when each process is performed, and the like are stored. In the ROM 33, for example, an image forming job (program) for forming an image on a sheet is stored. The CPU 31 can perform image forming control by operating the image forming unit 22 by executing the image forming job (program) stored in the ROM 33. The HDD 34 is a hard disk drive and stores system software, applications, image data, screen data, and the like.

[0020] The image forming job is a series of operations from the start of image formation to the completion of the image forming operation based on a print signal for forming an image on a sheet. That is, it is a series of operations from starting a preliminary operation (so-called, pre-rotation) required for performing image formation, passing through the image forming process, to the completion of a preliminary operation (so-called, post-rotation) required for ending image formation.

[0021] The control unit 30 includes an operation unit input / output circuit (I / F) 35, a power supply input / output circuit (I / F) 36, a modem 37, an SRAM 38, an RTC 39, and an external input / output circuit (I / F) 40, all of which are connected to the system bus 30a. The operation unit input / output circuit 35 transmits screen data to the operation unit 50 (described later) and performs various communications from the operation unit 50, as well as inputting information entered by the user from the operation unit 50 to the CPU 31. The power supply input / output circuit 36 ​​controls the power supply 25 of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition to enabling output of the power supply 25 according to power status such as power saving mode, it also inputs information such as overcurrent detection from the power supply 25 to the CPU 31.

[0022] The modem 37 connects to the public telephone line 91 and functions as a facsimile communication unit, performing information input and output. As a result, the control unit 30, under the direction of the CPU 31, can communicate with other connected PCs and servers via the network 90 through the external input / output circuit 40, or via the public telephone line 91 through the modem 37. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 performs input and output of image information and device information by connecting to the network 90 or the public telephone line 91.

[0023] SRAM38 is a high-speed non-volatile storage medium. RTC39 is a real-time clock that continues to count the current time even when the control unit 30 is not powered on. The external input / output circuit 40 is a general-purpose input / output circuit such as USB, and connects a general-purpose PC, memory device, and the numeric keypad unit 200 (described later) via a USB standard USB connector 40a and USB port 12. USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. The USB port 12 is a connector installed, for example, on the side or front of the mounting surface 13 (see Figure 1) (described later) on the main unit 10 where the numeric keypad unit 200 is installed, or on the side of the operation unit 50. The numeric keypad unit 200 can be connected to the USB port 12.

[0024] The control unit 30 has an image bus input / output circuit (I / F) 41 and an audio processing input / output circuit (I / F) 48. The image bus input / output circuit 41 is a bus bridge that connects the system bus 30a and the image bus 30b, which transfers screen data at high speed, and converts the data structure. The image bus 30b is configured as, for example, a PCI bus or IEEE1394.

[0025] The audio processing input / output circuit (I / F) 48 can process audio data to, for example, guide the user on how to operate each part, and can transmit the audio data to the speaker 49. The speaker 49, upon receiving the audio data, emits sound (audio guide) according to the audio data. Although not shown in Figure 1, the speaker 49 may be housed inside the main unit 10 or connected as an external unit outside the main unit 10. In this embodiment, the main unit has an audio guide function as a predetermined function (audio guide mode), and this audio guide function can be switched between an enabled state and an disabled state by operating the audio guide key 207a (see Figure 3), which will be described later. The enabled state of the audio guide function is a state in which the operation of the software keys displayed on the panel unit 57 (see Figure 1), which will be described later, is guided, and the disabled state of the audio guide function is a state in which the operation of the software keys displayed on the panel unit 57, which will be described later, is not guided.

[0026] Furthermore, the control unit 30 includes a device input / output circuit (I / F) 42 connected to the image bus 30b, a RIP unit 43, a scanner image processing unit 44, a printer image processing unit 45, an encryption processing unit 46, and a decryption processing unit 47. The device input / output circuit 42 connects the document reader 20 and the image forming unit 22 to the control unit 30 and performs synchronous and asynchronous conversion of screen data. The RIP unit 43 is a raster image processor that expands PDL data into a bitmap image. The scanner image processing unit 44 performs correction, processing, and editing of the input image data. The printer image processing unit 45 performs printer correction, resolution conversion, etc., on the print output image data. The encryption processing unit 46 performs encryption processing of the input data, including image data. The decryption processing unit 47 performs decryption processing of the encrypted data. Furthermore, the control unit 30 receives detection results from the sensor 604 of the document reader 20 and the sensor 701 of the manual feed unit 700 (see Figure 1), and can determine whether or not a sheet is placed on the tray 603 or the manual feed unit 700 based on the received detection results.

[0027] <Operation section> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the operation unit 50 will be described. The operation unit 50 includes a microcontroller 51, a touch panel module 52, a data converter (Conv) 53, and a liquid crystal module 54. The operation unit 50 is connected to the control unit 30 by a serial bus 60 for communicating with the CPU 31 and a bus 61 for transferring data to be displayed on the liquid crystal module 54.

[0028] The microcontroller 51, acting as the panel-side control unit, is a microcomputer that comprehensively controls the operation unit 50. The microcontroller 51 is equipped with a ROM (not shown) that stores the program for the operation of the microcontroller 51. The touch panel module 52 is positioned on the surface of the liquid crystal module 54, and when the user touches it, it notifies the microcontroller 51 of the location information of the touched area via the touch panel communication bus 62. The operation unit 50 can display a software keypad 58 (see Figure 3), which will be described later, on the liquid crystal module 54, and information can be input by touching the touch panel module 52 via the software keypad 58. The touch panel module 52 consists of a touch panel device and a touch panel device controller. As the touch panel device, any of the following may be used: resistive, capacitive, or optical (such as infrared).

[0029] The data converter 53 is a module that receives screen data from the control unit 30's input / output circuit 35 via the bus 61 and converts it into a data format that the liquid crystal module 54 can receive, and is managed by the microcontroller 51. The microcontroller 51 converts screen data containing software keys transmitted from the control unit 30 into the data converter 53 and inputs it to the liquid crystal module 54. For example, the control unit 30 receives data from standards such as DisplayPort and HDMI (registered trademark), converts it into an LVDS or CMOS level signal format that the liquid crystal module 54 can receive, and inputs it to the liquid crystal module 54 via the bus 63. The data converter 53 is also connected to the microcontroller 51 via the bus 64 and has the function of overwriting the screen data sent from the control unit 30 with screen data generated by the microcontroller 51 at a predetermined position.

[0030] The liquid crystal module 54 consists of an LCD (not shown) and a backlight 59 such as an LED. It receives data from the data converter 53 via the bus 63 and transfers the screen data to the LCD at predetermined timings. At this time, the backlight 59, which acts as a panel-side lighting means, lights up, and the screen data transferred to the LCD is displayed as a visible image. The brightness of the backlight 59 is adjusted by operating dedicated brightness adjustment switches 55 and 56 attached to the operation unit 50. In this embodiment, the power supply 25 described above can supply power to the backlight 59.

[0031] Specifically, when switch 55 is pressed down once, the microcontroller 51 sends a control signal (command) to the CPU 31 via the serial bus 60 to brighten the backlight 59 by one level. Upon receiving the control signal from the microcontroller 51 to brighten the backlight 59 by one level, the CPU 31 controls the power supply 25 to increase the power supplied to the backlight 59 by a predetermined value. On the other hand, when switch 56 is pressed down once, the microcontroller 51 sends a control signal (command) to the CPU 31 via the serial bus 60 to dim the backlight 59 by one level. Upon receiving the control signal from the microcontroller 51 to dim the backlight 59 by one level, the CPU 31 controls the power supply 25 to decrease the power supplied to the backlight 59 by a predetermined value.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the operating unit 50 is provided on the upper part of the front panel 10a of the main body of the device 10. The operating unit 50 is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular flat plate, and the panel section 57, which is constructed by stacking a touch panel module 52 on top of a liquid crystal module 54 (see Figure 2), is fixed to the main body of the device 10 with the panel section facing upward U. Note that the shape of the operating unit 50 is not limited to a rectangular flat plate, and other shapes are also possible. Furthermore, the orientation of the panel section 57 is not limited to upward U, and other directions are also possible; for example, it may be provided so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction without being fixed in orientation to the main body of the device 10.

[0033] A mounting surface 13 is provided on the right-hand side (R) of the control unit 50. A numeric keypad unit 200 or the like can be mounted on the mounting surface 13, and when mounted, the numeric keypad unit 200 is positioned adjacent to the right-hand side (R) of the control unit 50 when viewed from the front. On the exterior of the device body 10, a USB port 12 is provided on the right-hand side (R) of the mounting surface 13. The user can connect external devices with USB terminals, such as the numeric keypad unit 200, an IC card reader, or a USB memory stick, to the USB port 12 via USB.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, a software numeric keypad (software keys) 58 can be displayed on the right side R of the panel section 57. The software numeric keypad 58 displays numeric keys showing numbers from 0 to 9, a start key labeled "Start," etc., and is an input key that detects input by touching the display area of ​​each key.

[0035] In this embodiment, a power saving button 58a is displayed on the software keypad 58. The power saving button 58a (transition key) is a software key for setting the image forming apparatus 1 to a sleep state (so-called power saving mode) that consumes less power than the standby state by limiting the power supply from the power supply 25. If the image forming apparatus 1 is not in power saving mode, the user can set it to power saving mode by operating the power saving button 58a, thereby transitioning the image forming apparatus 1 from the standby state to the sleep state. On the other hand, if the image forming apparatus 1 is in power saving mode, the user can deactivate the power saving mode by operating the power saving button 58a, thereby returning the image forming apparatus 1 from the sleep state to the standby state. The standby state referred to here is a state in which the image forming unit 22 is capable of image forming operations and is waiting to receive a print signal to form an image on a sheet.

[0036] <Numeric keypad unit> Next, the hardware configuration and operation of the numeric keypad unit 200, which serves as a general-purpose input device connected to the image forming apparatus 1, will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the numeric keypad unit 200 has a connection cable 201 consisting of a USB cable and a USB connector 202, and is electrically connectable to a general PC as well as the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The numeric keypad unit 200 has at least one hardware key and is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, which has, for example, an operation unit 50 that can input information, and can input information to the image forming apparatus 1 separately from the operation unit 50. As an example of how to differentiate between information input from the operation unit 50 and the numeric keypad unit 200, settings such as density and size related to image formation are input from the operation unit 50, and numerical values ​​such as the number of copies of the image to be formed and the facsimile destination number are input from the numeric keypad unit 200. In this embodiment, power is supplied to the numeric keypad unit 200 by the power supply 25 described above. In other words, the LED 213 of the numeric keypad unit 200, which will be described later, is powered by the power supply 25.

[0037] The numeric keypad unit 200 includes, for example, a housing 203, a top cover 204 provided on the top surface of the housing 203, and operation keys (multiple hardware keys) 205 provided on the top cover 204. The operation keys 205 are broadly divided into a numeric keypad section (numerical key section) 206 and a function key section 207. The numeric keypad section 206 is a hardware key for inputting at least numerical information such as "0" to "9", "*", and "#". The function key section 207 has hardware keys for instructing the start of an image forming job that can be executed in the image forming apparatus 1, such as "Start", and for instructing the stop of an image forming job that is currently running, such as "Stop". In this embodiment, the function key section 207 includes a voice guide key 207a, which is a hardware key for switching the voice guide function between an enabled state and a disabled state.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, the numeric keypad unit 200 is mounted adjacent to the right side R of the operation unit 50 of the image forming apparatus 1, for example, by screwing or adhesive. This allows the user to easily use the numeric keypad unit 200 while looking at the operation unit 50.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the numeric keypad unit 200 has a circuit board 220, which is equipped with a hardware switch unit 210, a microcontroller 211, a circuit board connector 212, an LED 213, a USB hub 214, and an external USB port 215. The USB hub 214 is connected to the microcontroller 211 and the external USB port 215, and is also connected to a connection cable 201 via the circuit board connector 212. The circuit board connector 212 is located on the circuit board 220, and the base end of the connection cable 201 is connected to it.

[0040] In this embodiment, a tactile switch 216 is used as an example of a hardware key in order to provide the user with a tactile sensation (e.g., a click sensation) when operating the operation key 205 (see Figure 3). One tactile switch 216 is placed on the inside of the housing 203 of each operation key 205, opposite each other, and is connected to the microcontroller 211 in a matrix, for example. Each tactile switch 216 is composed of, for example, a protective cover, a plunger that is pressed by the operation key 205, a reversing spring that produces a click sensation and functions as a movable contact, and a base portion having two contacts. Note that existing configurations or new, appropriate configurations can be used for the tactile switch 216, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0041] The microcontroller 211 can, for example, perform input detection from the hardware switch unit 210 and control the lighting of the LED 213. The USB connector 202 is connected to the USB port of the external input / output circuit 40 (see Figure 2) of the main unit 10 of the device. As a result, the microcontroller 211 and the control unit 30 are connected via USB through the connection cable 201 and can communicate using the USB HID protocol. Specifically, the connection cable 201 is connected via USB from the housing 203 to the main unit 10 of the device, the microcontroller 211 is connected to the USB connector 202 via, for example, a USB hub 214, and can communicate via USB with the CPU 31 of the image forming apparatus 1 via the external input / output circuit 40.

[0042] When a tactile switch 216 is pressed down by the user, the microcontroller 211 identifies the pressed tactile switch 216 and generates a predetermined code. The microcontroller 211 transmits the generated key code to the CPU 31 of the image forming apparatus 1 via the connection cable 201. The CPU 31 processes the input key.

[0043] The LED 213, acting as an input-side lighting means, is controlled by the microcontroller 211, acting as an input-side control unit, thereby enabling the voice guide key 207a to light up. In other words, the microcontroller 211 controls the lighting of the LED 213 based on the lighting and extinguishing signals transmitted from the control unit 30 (see Figure 2). The LED 213 is provided to inform the user whether the system is in a state where it is accepting input via the user's voice guide mode (input enabled state) or a state where it is not accepting user input (input disabled state). In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the LED 213 is positioned on the voice guide key 207a, and the microcontroller 211 controls whether the voice guide key 207a is in an on state or an off state. In this embodiment, the LED 213 is lit when the voice guide function is enabled and extinguished when the voice guide function is disabled (except in sleep mode).

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the start key 207b (another hardware key) may also be provided with an LED 217 (another input-side lighting means) separate from LED 213. However, the start key 207b (specifically LED 217) is controlled by the microcontroller 211 to light up when the image forming apparatus 1 can be operated (e.g., copy operation or scan operation) by pressing the key in standby mode. The start key 207b is also controlled by the microcontroller 211 to turn off when the image forming apparatus 1 cannot be operated by pressing the key (e.g., sheet size not entered). In other words, similar to the voice guide key 207a, LED 217 is provided to inform the user whether the function of the start key 207b is enabled or disabled. The state displayed by the voice guide key 207a indicates whether input via voice guide mode is possible, while the state displayed by the start key 207b indicates whether the image forming apparatus 1 can be operated. In other words, LED213 and LED217 each display different states.

[0045] <Processing when using the voice guide key> Next, the control of the LED 213's illumination when the voice guide key 207a is operated will be explained using Figures 5 and 6, with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the illumination control process when the voice guide key is operated on the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) side.

[0046] As shown in Figure 5, the microcontroller 211 of the numeric keypad unit 200 determines whether or not the voice guide key 207a has been operated (S1). If the voice guide key 207a has not been operated (No in S1), the microcontroller 211 jumps to the process in step S3. If the voice guide key 207a has been operated (Yes in S1), the microcontroller 211 sends a signal to the control unit 30 indicating that the voice guide key 207a has been operated (S2). However, the microcontroller 211 does not execute the processes in steps S1 and S2 if the image forming apparatus 1 is in a sleep state.

[0047] The microcontroller 211 determines whether or not it has received a signal from the control unit 30 to turn on the LED 213 (S3). If it has received a signal from the control unit 30 (Yes in S3), the microcontroller 211 turns on the LED 213 (S4) and terminates the lighting control process. On the other hand, if it has not received a signal from the control unit 30 (No in S3), the microcontroller 211 determines whether or not it has received a signal from the control unit 30 to turn off the LED 213 (S5). If it has not received a signal from the control unit 30 (No in S5), it terminates the lighting control process. If it has received a signal from the control unit 30 to turn off the LED 213 (Yes in S5), the microcontroller 211 turns off the LED 213 (S6) and terminates the lighting control process.

[0048] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the lighting control process when the voice guide key is operated on the main unit side to which the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) is connected. As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 30 determines whether or not it has received a signal from the microcontroller 211 of the numeric keypad unit 200 indicating that the voice guide key 207a has been operated (S11). If it has not received a signal indicating that the voice guide key 207a has been operated (No in S11), the control unit 30 terminates the lighting control process. If it has received a signal indicating that the voice guide key 207a has been operated (Yes in S11), the control unit 30 determines whether or not the voice guide function is enabled (S12). If the voice guide function is enabled (Yes in S12), the control unit 30 sends an off signal to the microcontroller 211 of the numeric keypad unit 200 to turn off the LED 213 (S13). The control unit 30 also switches the voice guide function from enabled to disabled (S14) and terminates the lighting control process. On the other hand, if the voice guidance function is disabled (No. in S12), the control unit 30 sends a signal to the microcontroller 211 of the keypad unit 200 to light up the LED 213 (S15). The control unit 30 also switches the voice guidance function from disabled to enabled (S16) and terminates the lighting process.

[0049] <Processing when power saving mode is set> Next, the control process for setting the power saving mode, which is performed on the main unit of the device to which the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) is connected, will be explained using Figure 7 with reference to Figures 1 to 4. This process is executed by the control unit 30 when the power saving button 58a is operated while the image forming apparatus 1 is in standby mode, or when the image forming apparatus 1 remains in standby mode for a predetermined period of time.

[0050] As shown in Figure 7, the control unit 30 sends an off signal to the microcontroller 211 of the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) to turn off the LED 213 (S21). The control unit 30 then sets the device to a function that limits the power supply from the power supply 25 (so-called power saving mode) (S22), and transitions the image forming apparatus 1 from standby to sleep mode. When power saving mode is set, the power supply to the backlight 59 by the power supply 25 is stopped, and the panel 57 blacks out, so the user cannot operate the power saving button 58a, which is a software key.

[0051] <Processing when power saving mode is deactivated> Next, the control process performed on the main unit of the device to which the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) is connected when the power saving mode is deactivated will be explained using Figure 8 with reference to Figures 1 to 4. This process is executed by the control unit 30 when the user touches the panel 57 while the image forming apparatus 1 is in sleep mode.

[0052] As shown in Figure 8, the control unit 30 releases the function that restricts the power supply from the power supply 25 (power saving mode) (S31), and transitions the image forming apparatus 1 from sleep state to standby state. When the power saving mode is released, the power supply 25 resumes supplying power to the backlight 59, and the screen is displayed on the panel unit 57, allowing the user to operate the power saving button 58a. The control unit 30 then determines whether the voice guidance function is enabled or disabled (S32). If the voice guidance function is not enabled (No in S32), the control unit 30 terminates the control process. On the other hand, if the voice guidance function is enabled (Yes in S32), the control unit 30 sends a signal to the microcontroller 211 of the input device (keypad unit 200) to light up the LED 213 (S33).

[0053] As described above, in this embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 1 is transitioned from standby to sleep state in response to the user setting of the power saving mode, if the voice guide key 207a (specifically, LED 213) of the numeric keypad unit 200 is lit, it is turned off. Then, when the image forming apparatus 1 is returned from sleep state to standby state in response to the user canceling the power saving mode, the voice guide key 207a is returned to the lit state it was in when in standby state. That is, if the voice guide key 207a is lit when the power saving mode is set, it is lit when the power saving mode is canceled, and if the voice guide key 207a is off when the power saving mode is set, it is turned off when the power saving mode is canceled. In this way, the voice guide key 207a is always off when in power saving mode (sleep state), making it easy to prevent the user from mistakenly recognizing and operating the voice guide key 207a as a power saving button when canceling the power saving mode.

[0054] <Other Embodiments> In the embodiments described above, the case in which an LED 213 is provided on the voice guide key 207a in the numeric keypad unit 200 was explained as an example, but it is not limited to this. The embodiments described above are applicable if an LED is provided on other hardware keys in the numeric keypad unit 200 that switch various functions between enabled and disabled states in response to user operation.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, the user can deactivate the power saving mode by operating the power saving button 58a, thereby returning the image forming apparatus from sleep state to standby state. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, when the sensor 701 (see Figure 1) of the manual feed unit 700 detects a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit 22 while the image forming apparatus is in sleep state, it may be returned from sleep state to standby state. Alternatively, when the sensor 604 (see Figure 1) of the document reader 20 detects a document while the image forming apparatus is in sleep state, it may be returned from sleep state to standby state.

[0056] In the embodiments described above, a numeric keypad unit was used as the input device, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, it may also be applied to input devices that support character input other than numbers, such as a full keyboard. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1…Image forming apparatus, 10…Apparatus body, 22…Image forming unit, 25…Power supply, 30…Main unit side control unit (control unit), 51…Panel side control unit (microcontroller), 57…Panel unit, 58a…Software key (start key, power saving button), 59…Panel side lighting means (backlight), 200…Input device (numeric keypad unit), 207a…Hardware key (voice guide key), 211…Input side control unit (microcontroller), 213…Input side lighting means (LED), 601…Image reading unit, 602…Document transport unit, 603…Document placement unit (tray), 604…Document detection unit (sensor), 700…Placement unit (manual feed unit), 701…Detection unit (sensor)

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit capable of forming an image on a sheet, A panel section that displays software keys and allows information to be entered, An input device connected to the image forming apparatus, comprising: a hardware key for inputting an instruction to switch a predetermined function of the image forming apparatus between an enabled state and a disabled state; and a light-emitting unit capable of indicating whether the predetermined function is in the enabled state or the disabled state by being lit up and turned off; The system includes a control unit that lights up the light-emitting unit when the predetermined function transitions from the disabled state to the enabled state while the image forming unit is in a standby state in which it is capable of forming an image on the sheet, When the predetermined function is in the enabled state, and the image forming apparatus transitions from the standby state to a sleep state which consumes less power than the standby state, the control unit turns off the panel and the light-emitting unit. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. The control unit illuminates the panel and the light-emitting unit when the predetermined function is in the enabled state and the image forming apparatus transitions from the sleep state to the standby state. The image forming apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The control unit, when the hardware key is operated in the sleep state, does not switch between the enabled state and the disabled state of the predetermined function. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned predetermined function is a voice guide function that provides voice guidance for operating the panel. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The software key has a transition key for transitioning to the sleep state, The control unit transitions the image forming apparatus from the standby state to the sleep state in response to the operation of the transition key. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The control unit, when the standby state of the image forming apparatus continues for a predetermined period of time, transitions the image forming apparatus from the standby state to the sleep state. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit, when the image forming apparatus is in the sleep state, transitions the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state in response to the operation of the panel. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A mounting section on which recording material to be supplied to the image forming section can be placed, The mounting portion includes a detection unit capable of detecting that a recording material has been placed on it, The control unit, when the image forming apparatus is in the sleep state, transitions the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state when the detection unit detects recording material. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A manuscript placement section for placing the manuscript, An image reading unit that reads images on the document, A document transport unit that transports the document placed on the document placement unit to the image reading unit, The system includes a document detection unit capable of detecting when a document is placed on the document placement unit, The control unit, when the image forming apparatus is in the sleep state, transitions the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state when the document detection unit detects a document. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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