Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To allow delivery of information between a controller control unit and an engine control unit different in input / output specification.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: a controller control unit that acquires image data; an engine control unit that performs print processing; and a relay unit that relays between the controller control unit and the engine control unit. The relay unit receives the image data and a command from the controller control unit through a first input / output unit that is communicable with the controller control unit, and transmits the received image data and command to the engine control unit through a second input / output unit that is communicable with the engine control unit. The engine control unit performs the print processing based on the image data and the command received through the relay unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer includes an engine control unit that controls an image forming unit, and a controller control unit that transmits image data and commands to the engine control unit, and each is configured to start independently (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in order to start the controller control unit and the engine control unit independently, the controller control unit and the engine control unit need to be implemented by separate hardware. However, if the hardware specifications (specifically, input / output specifications) are different between the controller control unit and the engine control unit, various types of information (such as image data and commands) cannot be directly passed between the controller control unit and the engine control unit.

[0005] For this reason, conventional image forming apparatuses have a problem in that the hardware specifications (specifically, input / output specifications) must be matched between the controller control unit side and the engine control unit side.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and proposes an image forming apparatus that enables information to be passed between a controller control unit and an engine control unit having different input / output specifications.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a controller control unit that acquires image data, an engine control unit that performs printing processing, and a relay unit that relays between the controller control unit and the engine control unit , a sleep return condition signal line for notifying a sleep return condition signal indicating a first value or a second value from the controller control unit to the engine control unit and An image forming apparatus having a sleep function is provided with ii. At the time of sleep return, when the sleep return condition signal notified from the controller control unit indicates the first value, the engine control unit does not perform warm-up for the printing process, and when the sleep return condition signal indicates the second value, the engine control unit performs warm-up in parallel with the return process of the relay unit .

[0008] By doing so, the controller control unit and the engine control unit with different input / output specifications can communicate with each other via the relay unit

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] The present invention can realize an image forming apparatus that enables information to be transferred between a controller control unit and an engine control unit having different input / output specifications

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration and Operation of Image Forming System] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an image forming system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in this FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 is composed of a HostPC 100 and an image forming apparatus 200. In FIG. 1, while showing the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 200, the configuration of the HostPC 100 is omitted. The reason for this is that the configuration of the HostPC 100 is a general computer configuration.

[0013] The HostPC 100 is connected to the image forming apparatus 200 via USB (Universal Serial Bus) or network, and is configured to transmit image data to the image forming apparatus 200. The image data is transmitted from the HostPC 100 to the image forming apparatus 200 as a print job.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 200 has a controller board 210 and an engine board 220. The controller board 210 is provided with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 212, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 213, a USBI / F section 214, and a network I / F section 215.

[0015] The CPU 211 reads out and executes a controller FW (Controller Unit Firmware) 216, which is one of the programs stored in a non-volatile memory (or ROM 212) not shown in the figure, in the RAM 213. By executing the controller FW 216, the CPU 211 controls the entire image forming apparatus 200. Specifically, the controller FW 216 includes a controller control unit 217. The controller control unit 217 receives image data from the Host PC 100 via, for example, the USB I / F unit 214 or the network I / F unit 215, and sends the image data and commands to the engine board 220 side.

[0016] On the other hand, the engine board 220 is provided with two CPUs 221 and 222, a ROM 223, and a RAM 224. The first CPU 221 reads out and executes an engine FW (Printer Unit Firmware) 225, which is one of the programs stored in a non-volatile memory (or ROM 223) not shown in the figure, in the RAM 224. By executing the engine FW 225, the CPU 221 controls the print head 226 as an image forming means. Specifically, the engine FW 225 includes an engine control unit 227. The engine control unit 227 receives the image data and commands sent from the controller board 210 side, and based on the received commands, transfers the received image data to the print head 226 to start the printing process.

[0017] As described above, in the image forming apparatus 200, the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 are implemented by separate hardware (the CPU 211 on the controller board 210 side and the CPU 221 on the engine board 220 side), and the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 have an independent configuration.

[0018] Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 200, it is necessary to transfer image data and commands between the controller control unit 217 on the controller board 210 side and the engine control unit 227 on the engine board 220 side. However, in the image forming apparatus 200, the hardware specifications (specifically, the input / output specifications) are different between the controller control unit 217 side and the engine control unit 227 side, and there is no input / output port or the like for directly transferring image data and commands. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 200, image data and commands cannot be directly transferred between the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227.

[0019] Therefore, the image forming apparatus 200 is provided with relay FW (Relay Firmware) 228 for absorbing the difference in the input / output specifications between the controller control unit 217 side and the engine control unit 227 side and relaying between the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 (that is, relaying between the controller FW 216 and the engine FW 225).

[0020] This relay FW 228 is executed by the second CPU 222 provided on the engine board 220. By executing the relay FW 228, the CPU 222 relays between the controller FW 216 and the engine FW 225.

[0021] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the relay FW 228 controls input / output ports 2401 to 240 n and input / output ports 2411 to 241 n for communicating with the engine FW 225.

[0022] The input / output ports 2401 to 240 n are input / output ports adapted to the input / output specifications on the controller FW 216 side, and connect the CPU 222 (FIG. 1) that executes the relay FW 228 to the CPU 211 (FIG. 1) that executes the controller FW 216, and are input / output ports for communicating between the relay FW 228 and the controller FW 216. Also, the input / output ports 2411 to 241 nIt is an input / output port that conforms to the input / output specifications on the engine control unit 227 side, and is an input / output port for connecting the CPU 222 (Fig. 1) that executes the relay FW 228 to the CPU 221 (Fig. 1) that executes the engine FW 225 and for communicating between the relay FW 228 and the engine FW 225.

[0023] The relay FW 228 controls the input / output ports 2401 to 240 n to receive image data and commands from the controller FW 216, and then sends the received image data and commands to the engine FW 225 by controlling the input / output ports 2411 to 241 n so as to relay between the controller FW 216 and the engine FW 225 (that is, between the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227).

[0024] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, this relay FW 228 includes a protocol unit 231 having a command control unit 229 and a print control unit 230. Further, the command control unit 229 of the protocol unit 231 includes a command transfer device driver (not shown) for transmitting and receiving commands between the controller control unit 217 and the command control unit 229 and between the command control unit 229 and the engine control unit 227. The command control unit 229 receives commands from the controller control unit 217 and transmits commands to the engine control unit 227 through this command transfer device driver.

[0025] On the other hand, the print control unit 230 of the protocol unit 231 includes an image data transfer device driver (not shown) for transmitting and receiving image data between the controller control unit 217 and the print control unit 230 and between the print control unit 230 and the engine control unit 227. The print control unit 230 receives image data from the controller control unit 217 and transmits image data to the engine control unit 227 through this image data transfer device driver.

[0026] In the relay FW228, without converting the commands and image data received from the controller FW216, the same commands and image data are transmitted to the engine FW225.

[0027] The configuration of the image forming system 1 is as described above. Here, the operation during printing by the image forming system 1 will be described.

[0028] In the image forming system 1, the HostPC100 transmits image data to the image forming apparatus 200 connected via USB or network. The controller control unit 217 of the image forming apparatus 200 receives the image data from the HostPC100 via the USBI / F unit 214 or the network I / F unit 215 and writes it to the RAM213. Subsequently, the controller control unit 217 makes transfer preparations for transferring the image data and commands to the relay FW228.

[0029] After the transfer preparations are completed, the controller control unit 217 transfers the commands to the relay FW228 (the transfer of image data will be described later). Here, the command control unit 229 of the relay FW228 receives the commands from the controller control unit 217 via the command transfer device driver.

[0030] When the command control unit 229 receives a command from the controller control unit 217, it starts analyzing the command. After the analysis is completed, the command control unit 229 transmits the command to the engine control unit 227 of the engine FW225 via the command transfer device driver. In this way, the command control unit 229 transfers the commands received from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227.

[0031] Furthermore, all commands passed from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227 are to be transferred by the command control unit 229. Examples of commands passed from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227 include a print process start request command for causing the engine control unit 227 to start a printing process, a job cancel command for causing the engine control unit 227 to cancel a print job, a sleep transition request command for causing the engine control unit 227 to shift to the sleep mode, a sleep return request command for causing the engine control unit 227 to return from the sleep mode, a reset command for resetting the engine control unit 227, and the like.

[0032] Furthermore, the sleep mode is a function for suppressing the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 200 by stopping the operation except for a part of the image forming apparatus 200 (for example, a power saving operation unit not shown in the figure). For this reason, the controller FW 216, the engine FW 225, and the relay FW 228 do not operate during the sleep mode.

[0033] When the engine control unit 227 receives a command from the command control unit 229 and needs to respond to the controller control unit 217, it transmits a response command to the command control unit 229 of the relay FW 228. At this time, the command control unit 229 receives the response command from the engine control unit 227 via the command transfer device driver.

[0034] When the command control unit 229 receives a response command from the engine control unit 227, it starts analyzing the response command. After the analysis is completed, the command control unit 229 transmits the response command to the controller control unit 217 of the controller FW 216 via the command transfer device driver. In this way, the command control unit 229 transfers the response command received from the engine control unit 227 to the controller control unit 217.

[0035] Further, after the analysis result of the command received from the controller control unit 217 is completed, the command control unit 229 may send a response command to the controller control unit 217 without transferring the command to the engine control unit 227.

[0036] Also, in parallel with the transfer of the above-described command, the controller control unit 217 transfers image data to the relay FW 228. At this time, the print control unit 230 of the relay FW 228 receives the image data from the controller control unit 217 via the device driver for image data transfer, and writes it to a predetermined area (area used by the relay FW 228) of the RAM 224.

[0037] Subsequently, the print control unit 230 reads the image data from the RAM 224, and sends it to the engine control unit 227 of the engine FW 225 via the device driver for image data transfer.

[0038] The engine control unit 227 writes the image data received from the print control unit 230 to a predetermined area (area used by the engine FW 225) of the RAM 224. Then, based on the command received from the command control unit 229, the engine control unit 227 reads the image data from the RAM 224, transfers the image data to the print head 226, and starts the printing process. The operation of the image forming system 1 is as described above.

[0039] [1-2. Operation Procedure during Printing by Image Forming System] Next, the operation procedure during printing by the image forming system 1 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. Since the operation during printing by the image forming system 1 has been described above, here, mainly the overall flow of the operation during printing will be described.

[0040] First, in step SP1 shown in FIG. 3, HostPC100 transmits image data to the image forming apparatus 200 connected via USB or network. Next, in step SP2, the controller control unit 217 of the image forming apparatus 200 receives the image data via the USBI / F unit 214 or the network I / F unit 215 and writes it to the RAM 213.

[0041] Next, in step SP3, the controller control unit 217 makes transfer preparations for transferring the image data and commands to the relay FW228. When the transfer preparations are completed, the controller control unit 217, if a positive result is obtained in the next step SP4, moves to step SP5 and starts transferring the commands to the command control unit 229 of the relay FW228.

[0042] Next, in step SP6, the command control unit 229 of the relay FW228 receives the commands from the controller control unit 217 via the command transfer device driver and starts analyzing the commands. In the command analysis process, it is analyzed whether the configuration (specifically, the byte configuration) of the commands sent to the relay FW228 matches the assumed configuration (the byte configuration determined in advance). That is, the command control unit 229 analyzes whether the commands received from the controller control unit 217 are normal commands.

[0043] When the command analysis process is completed, the command control unit 229, if a positive result is obtained in the next step SP7, moves to step SP8 and transmits the commands to the engine control unit 227 of the engine FW225 via the command transfer device driver. If the command control unit 229 determines as a result of analyzing the commands sent from the controller control unit 217 that the commands do not match the assumed configuration (i.e., they are not normal commands), the command control unit 229 does not transmit the commands to the engine control unit 227 and waits, for example, for the commands to be resent from the controller control unit 217.

[0044] In step SP9, the controller control unit 217 starts transferring the image data to the relay FW228. Here, the print control unit 230 of the relay FW228 receives the image data from the controller control unit 217 via the command transfer device driver and writes it to the area of the RAM224 used by the relay FW228. Note that this step SP9 is performed in parallel with the above-described step SP5 (transfer of commands).

[0045] In the subsequent step 10, the print control unit 230 of the relay FW228 reads the image data from the RAM224 and, in the subsequent step SP11, transmits it to the engine control unit 227 of the engine FW225 via the image data transfer device driver. The engine control unit 227 writes the image data received from the print control unit 230 to the area of the RAM224 used by the engine FW225. When the writing of the image data is completed, in step SP13 where a positive result is obtained in the subsequent step SP12 and the process proceeds, the engine control unit 227 reads the image data from the RAM224 based on the command received from the command control unit 229 and transfers the image data to the print head 226.

[0046] In the subsequent step SP14, the print head 226 starts the printing process based on the image data transferred from the engine control unit 227. When the printing process by the print head 226 is completed, since a positive result is obtained in the subsequent step SP15, a series of operations during printing by the image forming system 1 is completed. The overall flow of the operations during printing by the image forming system 1 is as described above.

[0047] [1-3. Summary and effects] As described so far, in the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200 is provided with a controller control unit 217 that acquires image data, an engine control unit 227 that performs printing processing, and a protocol unit 231 (command control unit 229 and print control unit 230) as a relay unit that relays between the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227. The protocol unit 231 receives image data and commands from the controller control unit 217 via input / output ports 2401 to 240 n and transmits the received image data and commands to the engine control unit 227 via input / output ports 2411 to 241 n The engine control unit 227 performs printing processing based on the image data and commands received via the protocol unit 231.

[0048] By doing so, in the image forming apparatus 200, the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 having different hardware specifications can communicate with each other via the protocol unit 231. Thus, in the image forming apparatus 200, the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 having different hardware specifications can communicate with each other.

[0049] Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 200, by mounting the protocol unit 231 on the engine board 220 side, for example, it becomes possible to transfer image data and commands between the controller board 210 manufactured by a manufacturer different from the engine board 220 and the engine board 220.

[0050] Note that in this embodiment, the protocol unit 231 as a relay unit is mounted on the engine board 220 side, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the protocol unit 231 may be mounted on the controller board 210 side.

[0051] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. This second embodiment is an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 200 are different from those of the first embodiment. Therefore, here, the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 200 will be mainly described. Note that, to distinguish it from the first embodiment, the image forming system 1 of the second embodiment is denoted as the image forming system 1x, and the image forming apparatus 200 is denoted as the image forming apparatus 200x.

[0052] [2-1. Configuration of Image Forming System] FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the image forming system 1x according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 4, the same components as those of the image forming system 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0053] As shown in this FIG. 4, the image forming system 1x is composed of a HostPC 100 and an image forming apparatus 200x. The image forming apparatus 200x of the second embodiment is obtained by adding a sleep return condition signal line 300 that directly connects the CPU 211 on the controller board 210 (that is, the CPU 211 that executes the controller FW 216) and the CPU 221 on the engine board 220 (that is, the CPU 221 that executes the engine FW 225) to the image forming apparatus 200 of the first embodiment. Since the configurations other than the sleep return condition signal line 300 are the same between the image forming apparatus 200x and the image forming apparatus 200, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] Note that, in FIG. 4, a fixing device 301 is connected to the engine board 220 of the image forming apparatus 200x, but in FIG. 1, the fixing device 301 is omitted. That is, the fixing device 301 is provided in both the image forming apparatus 200 and the image forming apparatus 200x. This fixing device 301 is a device that is controlled by the engine control unit 227 and fixes an image on a medium by pressurizing and heating the medium on which the image has been transferred by the printing process of the print head 226.

[0055] The sleep return condition signal line 300 newly added to the image forming apparatus 200x is a single signal line for notifying the sleep return condition signal represented by HIGH or LOW from the controller FW216 to the engine FW225, and cannot transmit and receive information such as image data and commands.

[0056] In the image forming apparatus 200x, when this sleep return condition signal is set to LOW, the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 is performed at startup (that is, when returning from sleep). On the other hand, when this sleep return condition signal is set to HIGH, in the image forming apparatus 200x, the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 is not performed at startup (when returning from sleep). The configuration of the image forming system 1x is as described above.

[0057] Here, the above-mentioned mechanical will be briefly described. The mechanical refers to the initial operation performed when the power of the image forming apparatus 200x is turned on or when the device cover (not shown) is opened or closed. Specifically, this mechanical is an operation performed to detect whether sensors and motors (not shown) controlled by the engine FW225 are faulty, whether it is time to replace consumables, whether non-genuine products are being used, etc., and to determine whether the image forming apparatus 200x is in a state where it can print.

[0058] Also, the mechanical (warming up) is one of the operations included in the mechanical, and is an operation of heating the temperature of the fixing device 301 to the standby temperature.

[0059] That is, in the image forming apparatus 200x, when the sleep return condition signal is set to LOW, the mechanical (warming up), which is an operation of heating the temperature of the fixing device 301 to the standby temperature, is performed, and when the sleep return condition signal is set to HIGH, the mechanical (warming up), which is an operation of heating the temperature of the fixing device 301 to the standby temperature, is not performed.

[0060] Specifically, if the sleep return condition signal is LOW when the image forming apparatus 200x is started, then, when the engine is started thereafter (that is, when current is supplied to the engine board 220 and the CPUs 221 and 222 are started), the engine control unit 227 starts mechanical (warming up). If the sleep return condition signal is HIGH, the engine control unit 227 does not start mechanical (warming up) when the engine is started.

[0061] [2-2. Operating Procedure at Sleep Return by Image Forming Apparatus] Next, the operating procedure at sleep return by the image forming apparatus 200x will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 5.

[0062] In step SP21 shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 200x is started. Here, if the sleep return condition signal is set to LOW, the process proceeds from step SP22 to step SP23, and the controller is started by a power-saving operation unit (not shown) (that is, the CPU 211 that executes the controller FW216 is started). In the subsequent step SP24, the CPU 211 starts the return process of the controller FW216.

[0063] Immediately after the return process of the controller FW216 is started, in the subsequent step SP25, the engine is started by a power-saving operation unit (not shown) (that is, current is supplied to the engine board 220 and the CPUs 221 and 222 are started). In the subsequent step SP26, since the sleep return condition signal is set to LOW, the engine control unit 227 starts mechanical (warming up) of the fixing unit 301.

[0064] Also, in parallel with steps SP25 and SP26, in step SP27, the CPU 222 starts the return process of the relay FW228. Here, the return process of the controller FW216 is interrupted from when the return process of the relay FW228 starts until it ends. When the return process of the relay FW228 ends, in the subsequent step SP28, the return process of the controller FW216 resumes, and the transmission and reception of commands between the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 start via the relay FW228.

[0065] In the subsequent step SP34, when the return process of the controller FW216 ends, a series of operations during sleep return by the image forming apparatus 200x end.

[0066] On the other hand, when the sleep return condition signal is set to HIGH, the process moves from step SP22 to step SP29, the controller is activated by a power saving operation unit (not shown), and in the subsequent step SP30, the CPU 211 starts the return process of the controller FW216.

[0067] Immediately after the return process of the controller FW216 starts, in the subsequent step SP31, the engine is activated by a power saving operation unit (not shown). At this time, since the sleep return condition signal is set to HIGH, the engine control unit 227 does not perform mechanical (warming up) of the fixing unit 301.

[0068] Also, in parallel with step SP31, in step SP32, the CPU 222 starts the return process of the relay FW228. Here, the return process of the controller FW216 is interrupted from when the return process of the relay FW228 starts until it ends. When the return process of the relay FW228 ends, in the subsequent step SP33, the return process of the controller FW216 resumes, and the transmission and reception of commands between the controller control unit 217 and the engine control unit 227 start via the relay FW228.

[0069] In the subsequent step SP34, when the return process of the controller FW216 is completed, a series of operations during the sleep return of the image forming apparatus 200x are completed. The operation procedure during the sleep return of the image forming apparatus 200x is as described above.

[0070] Here, a timing chart of the operations during the sleep return of the image forming apparatus 200x is shown in FIG. 6. Note that FIG. 6 is a timing chart when the sleep return condition signal is set to LOW.

[0071] As shown in the timing chart of FIG. 6, first, at time t0, the image forming apparatus 200x is activated and the return process of the controller FW216 is started. Thereafter, at time t1, the return process of the controller FW216 is interrupted, the engine is started, the return process of the relay FW228 is started, and the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 is started by the engine control unit 227. Note that it takes about 1 second to start the entire engine.

[0072] Thereafter, when the return process of the relay FW228 ends at time t2, the return process of the controller FW216 is resumed, and the return process of the controller FW216 ends at time t3. Here, the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 ends before the return process of the controller FW216 ends. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 200x returns from the sleep mode at time t3 when the return process of the controller FW216 ends as a whole.

[0073] Next, as a comparison target, a timing chart of the operations during the sleep return of the image forming apparatus 200 (FIG. 1) according to the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 7. In the image forming apparatus 200, since it does not have the sleep return condition signal line 300, after the return process of the relay FW228 is completed, a command for starting the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227 is sent via the relay FW228.

[0074] In this case, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 7, first, at time t0, the image forming apparatus 200 is activated and the return process of the controller FW216 is started. Then, at time t1, the return process of the controller FW216 is interrupted, the engine is activated, and the return process of the relay FW228 is started. At this point, the engine control unit 227 cannot determine whether to perform the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301. Therefore, at this point, the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 is not started.

[0075] After that, when the return process of the relay FW228 ends at time t2, the return process of the controller FW216 is restarted. Here, a command to start the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 is sent from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227 via the relay FW228, and thus the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 is started.

[0076] After that, the return process of the controller FW216 ends at time t3. However, in the image forming apparatus 200, since the time to start the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 is later than that of the image forming apparatus 200x, the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 has not ended yet at this point, and finally ends at time t4 after time t3. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 200 returns from the sleep mode at time t4 when the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 ends as a whole.

[0077] As is clear from the timing charts of FIGS. 6 and 7, in the image forming apparatus 200x of the second embodiment, at the time of engine startup, the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 can be performed in parallel with the return process of the relay FW228. Therefore, the time to return from sleep (referred to as the sleep return time) can be significantly shortened as compared with the image forming apparatus 200.

[0078] Also, in the present embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 200x resumes from sleep, by performing the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 in parallel with the return process of the relay FW228, the sleep return time is shortened. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the image forming apparatus 200x is powered on, by performing the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 in parallel with the startup process of the relay FW228, it is also possible to shorten the startup time.

[0079] [2-3. Procedure for Setting Sleep Return Condition Signal] Next, the procedure for setting the sleep return condition signal by the user will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8.

[0080] In step SP41 shown in FIG. 8, the user activates the image forming apparatus 200x. In the subsequent step SP42, the user operates a panel as an operation unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 200x to perform warm-up setting at startup.

[0081] If the mechanical (warming up) is performed at startup in this warm-up setting as set by the user, the process proceeds from step SP43 to step SP44, and the controller control unit 216 of the image forming apparatus 200x sets the sleep return condition signal to LOW at the next startup. In the subsequent step SP46, the controller control unit 216 stores the setting information indicating the setting of the sleep return condition signal, for example, in a non-volatile memory (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 200x, and ends the setting operation of the sleep return condition signal.

[0082] On the other hand, if the user sets not to perform mechanical (warming-up) at startup in the warm-up setting, the process moves from step SP43 to step SP45, and the controller control unit 216 of the image forming apparatus 200x sets the sleep return condition signal at the next startup to HIGH. In the subsequent step SP46, the controller control unit 216 stores the setting information of the sleep return condition signal, for example, in a non-volatile memory (not shown), and ends the setting operation of the sleep return condition signal.

[0083] Then, at the next startup, the controller control unit 216 reads out the setting information of the sleep return condition signal from a non-volatile memory (not shown) and sets the sleep return condition signal based on the setting information.

[0084] In this way, in the image forming apparatus 200x, by the user performing the warm-up setting at startup, it is possible to select whether to perform the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 at startup.

[0085] [2-4. Summary and Effects] As described so far, in the second embodiment, a sleep return condition signal line 300 is provided in the image forming apparatus 200x having a sleep function to notify a sleep return condition signal, which is a binary signal that becomes HIGH as the first value or LOW as the second value, from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227. In the image forming apparatus 200x, when returning from sleep, the sleep return condition signal is notified from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227, and when the sleep return condition signal is LOW, the engine control unit 227 performs the mechanical (warming-up) of the fixing device 301 in parallel with the return process of the relay FW228 (that is, the return process of the protocol unit 231).

[0086] Thus, in the image forming apparatus 200x, before the return process of the relay FW228 ends, the sleep return condition signal is notified from the controller control unit 217 to the engine control unit 227 via the sleep return condition signal line 300, and the engine control unit 227 can start the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301.

[0087] As a result, after the return process of the relay FW228 ends, the image forming apparatus 200x notifies the engine control unit 227 of a command to perform the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 from the controller control unit 217 via the relay FW228. Compared with the case where the engine control unit 227 is made to perform the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301, the sleep return time can be significantly shortened.

[0088] Also, since the sleep return condition signal is a binary signal that becomes HIGH or LOW, it is only necessary to connect the CPU 211 that executes the controller control unit 217 and the CPU 221 that executes the engine control unit 227 with a single signal line capable of transmitting a binary signal, and it has the advantage of not requiring a relay section such as the relay FW228.

[0089] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 200x, since the user can select whether to perform the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 at startup, it is also possible to set not to perform the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 at startup.

[0090] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the sleep return condition signal is LOW, the engine control unit 227 performs an operation of heating the fixing device 301 to the standby temperature as a warming up for the printing process. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other operations included in the warming up for the printing process may be performed in parallel with the operation of heating the fixing device 301.

[0091] [3. Other Embodiments] [[ID= Also, in the above-described first embodiment, the print control unit 230 and the engine control unit 227 share the RAM 224 by using separate areas on the RAM 224. However, this is not the only way. For example, on the engine board 220, a RAM used by the print control unit 230 and a RAM used by the engine control unit 227 may be separately mounted. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0092] [3-2. Other Embodiment 2] Also, in the above-described first embodiment, the CPU 222 that executes the relay FW 228 is provided on the engine board 220 side. However, the CPU 222 that executes the relay FW 228 may be provided on the controller board 210 side, or a relay board may be provided separately from the controller board 210 and the engine board 220, and the CPU 222 that executes the relay FW 228 may be provided on the relay board. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0093] [3-3. Other Embodiment 3] Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, on the image forming apparatus 200x, the user can operate the panel to set whether to execute the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 at startup (that is, whether to set the sleep return condition signal to HIGH or LOW). However, this is not the only way. For example, on the setting screen of the printer driver installed on the HostPC 100, the user may be able to set whether to execute the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 when the image forming apparatus 200x starts up. Also, this is not the only way. For example, by using the web browser installed on the HostPC 100, a setting page provided by the image forming apparatus 200x via the network is displayed, and on the setting page, the user may be able to set whether to execute the mechanical (warming up) of the fixing device 301 when the image forming apparatus 200x starts up.

[0094] [3-4. Other Embodiment 4] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, it was assumed that the controller FW216, the engine FW225, and the relay FW228 were not activated during the sleep mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and among these, the controller FW216 may be activated during the sleep mode.

[0095] [3-5. Other Embodiment 5] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention was applied to the image forming system 1 (1x) composed of the HostPC100 and the image forming apparatus 200 (200x). However, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming system using a smartphone, a tablet, or the like instead of the HostPC100. In addition, as the image forming apparatus 200 (200x) included in the image forming system 1 (1x), a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, or the like can be used.

[0096] [3-6. Other Embodiment 6] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, the present invention is applicable to embodiments in which some or all of the above-described embodiments are arbitrarily combined, or embodiments in which a part is extracted.

Industrial Applicability

[0097] The present invention can be widely used, for example, in an image forming apparatus including a controller control unit and an engine control unit.

Explanation of Signs

[0098] 1. 1x... Image forming system, 100... HostPC, 200, 200x... Image forming apparatus, 210... Controller board, 211... CPU, 214... USB I / F section, 215... Network I / F section, 216... Controller FW, 217... Controller control section, 220... Engine board, 221, 222... CPU, 225... Engine FW, 226... Print head, 227... Engine control section, 228... Relay FW, 229... Command control section, 230... Print control section, 231... Protocol section, 240, 241... Input / output port, 300... Sleep return condition signal line, 301... Fuser.

Claims

1. A controller control unit for acquiring image data, An engine control unit for performing printing processing, A relay unit for relaying between the controller control unit and the engine control unit, A sleep return condition signal line for notifying a sleep return condition signal indicating a first value or a second value from the controller control unit to the engine control unit An image forming apparatus having a sleep function, comprising: The relay unit receives the image data and commands from the controller control unit via a first input / output unit capable of communicating with the controller control unit, and transmits the received image data and commands to the engine control unit via a second input / output unit capable of communicating with the engine control unit. The engine control unit: Performs the printing process based on the image data and commands received via the relay unit. At the time of sleep return, when the sleep return condition signal notified from the controller control unit indicates the first value, the engine control unit does not perform warming up for the printing process. When the sleep return condition signal indicates the second value, the engine control unit performs warming up in parallel with the return process of the relay unit. An image forming apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The warming up: Is an operation of heating the temperature of the fixing unit to a predetermined temperature. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The relay unit: A command control unit that receives the command from the controller control unit via the first input / output unit and transmits the received command to the engine control unit via the second input / output unit. A print control unit that receives the image data from the controller control unit via the first input / output unit and transmits the received image data to the engine control unit via the second input / output unit. Having The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The command control unit: When the command received from the controller control unit is not a normal command, does not transmit the command to the engine control unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. A controller board on which the controller control unit is mounted, An engine board on which the engine control unit is mounted Comprising The relay unit: Is mounted on either the controller board or the engine board. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

Images