Image forming device

Abstract

To prevent a user from incorrectly operating a voice guide key during a sleep state when an image forming apparatus is connected with an external numeric keypad unit having a lighting-enabled voice guide key.SOLUTION: In causing an image forming apparatus to transit from a standby state to a sleep state through setting of a power saving mode, when a voice guide key (in particular, LED) of a numeric keypad unit is lighted on, the key is lighted off (S21). The voice guide key is a hardware key for switching between an effective state and an invalid state of a voice guide function, and during the standby state, the LED is lighted on in the effective state of the voice guide function and lighted off in the invalid state of the voice guide function. Such a voice guide key is always lighted off during the power saving mode (sleep state). This configuration can easily prevent a user from incorrectly recognizing and operating the voice guide key as a power saving button in releasing the power saving mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

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 technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses have been widely used as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and multifunction devices having multiple functions. One proposed image forming apparatus has a touch panel display capable of displaying software keys on the screen. In this case, a 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 simultaneously displayed on the screen is usually limited. Therefore, a proposed image forming apparatus has been proposed in which frequently used keys, such as a numeric keypad and a start key, are provided as hardware keys on an external input device (e.g., a numeric keypad unit) that can be connected to the image forming apparatus (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, an image forming apparatus equipped with a voice guide function that provides voice guidance on how to operate the apparatus has been proposed (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-118584 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-23637 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Recently, from the viewpoint of user convenience, external input devices are being equipped with, for example, a voice guide key as a hardware key for switching various functions such as the above-mentioned voice guide between enabled and disabled states in response to user operation. Because the voice guide mode is designed particularly for use by visually impaired persons, the voice guide key is provided as a hardware key rather than a software key so that it can be easily operated by visually impaired persons. Furthermore, the voice guide key is provided with, for example, an LED, and by controlling the lighting of this LED, it is possible to notify the user whether the voice guide mode is enabled or disabled depending on the lighting 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 and transitions the image forming apparatus from a standby state to a sleep state that consumes less power, for example by turning off the screen, in order to save power. Conventionally, a power saving button, which is a hardware key for setting and canceling the power saving mode, is provided, and the power saving button is lit by an LED or the like when transitioning from the standby state to the sleep state and remains lit during the power saving mode. A user can then cancel the power saving mode by operating the lit power saving button, thereby returning the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state. When returning the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state, the power saving button is turned off.

[0007] Recently, it has been considered to use a software key instead of the power-saving button described above. However, if the power-saving button is a software key and an input device having the voice guide key described above is connected as a hardware key, there is a risk that the user may mistakenly recognize the lit voice guide key as the power-saving button and operate it when trying to cancel the power-saving mode. In this case, no matter how many times the user operates the voice guide key, the power-saving mode will not be canceled, which reduces user convenience.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent a user from erroneously operating the hardware keys of an external input device having illuminable hardware keys when the image forming apparatus is in a sleep state when the external input device is connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that operates in a plurality of power modes including a first power mode and a second power mode that consumes less power than the first power mode, the image forming apparatus comprising: an operation unit having a liquid crystal module that displays software keys that can be touched by a user; a hardware key capable of instructing execution of a predetermined function in the image forming apparatus; and a light-emitting unit that is in a first light-emitting state when a specified function can be executed and in a second light-emitting state different from the first light-emitting state when the specified function cannot be executed, wherein the light-emitting unit is in the second light-emitting state when the image forming device transitions from the first power mode to the second power mode, the liquid crystal module displays a transition key as a software key for instructing a change in the power mode, and the image forming device changes the power mode in response to operation of the transition key. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a light emitting section that indicates whether a predetermined function is enabled or disabled. a hardware key capable of instructing execution of the predetermined function; and an image forming apparatus that can be equipped with an optional device having the above-mentioned configuration and that operates in a plurality of power modes including a first power mode and a second power mode that consumes less power than the first power mode, the image forming apparatus comprising: an operation unit having a liquid crystal module that displays software keys that are the target of touch operations by a user; and a control unit that controls the light-emitting unit to a first light-emitting state when the predetermined function is enabled, and controls the light-emitting unit to a second light-emitting state different from the first light-emitting state when the predetermined function is disabled, the liquid crystal module displays a transition key as a software key for instructing a change of the power mode, and the image forming apparatus changes the power mode in response to an operation of the transition key; The control unit outputs a signal for controlling the light emitting unit to the second light emitting state based on the image forming apparatus having shifted from the first power mode to the second power mode. To the optional device output do, It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

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

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a control block diagram for explaining a control unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a software key and a hardware key. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the numeric keypad unit. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a lighting control process when a voice guide key is operated on the input device side. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a lighting control process when a voice guide key is operated on the device main body side. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a control process when a power saving mode is set. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a control process when the power saving mode is released. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF 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 facing the image forming apparatus 1 is represented as the front side F, the back side (dorsal side) as the rear side B, the left side as L, the right side as R, the upper side as U, and the lower side as D. The image forming apparatus 1 is configured so that a user positions themselves facing the front side F toward the rear side B to perform various operations.

[0013] In this embodiment, a tandem-type full-color printer will be described as an example of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 can be used for a variety of purposes, such as a printer, various printing machines, copiers, fax machines, and multifunction machines. 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 or monochromatic image forming apparatuses.

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

[0015] The document reading device 20 is, for example, a flatbed scanner device, and is provided on the upper part of the device main body 10. The document reading device 20 has a document table 600 on which a document can be placed, an image reading unit 601 that can read an image on a document placed on the document table 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 provided with a sensor 604 as a document detection unit that can detect that a document has been placed on a tray 603 that serves as a document placement unit. Although not shown in the figure, the image reading unit 601 mainly includes a first reading unit, a document table glass, and a flow reading glass. The document transport unit 602 is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to the document table glass of the image reading unit 601. An original placed on the platen glass is pressed down by a pressure plate (not shown) provided in the original transport unit 602 so as to face the platen glass, and the image is read by a first reading unit that operates in response to the start of copying or scanning of the original. On the other hand, although not shown, the original transport unit 602 is mainly provided with a second reading unit and an original transport body. An original placed on the tray 603 is sent onto the flow-reading glass of the image reading unit 601 by the original 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 to 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 bottom of the apparatus main body 10 and includes sheet cassettes 21a and 21b that store 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 store sheets on which images are formed in the image forming unit 22. In this embodiment, a manual feed unit 700 is provided as an openable and closable loading unit on the side of the apparatus main body 10, and sheets loaded on the manual feed unit 700 may be fed, not just sheets stored in the sheet cassettes 21a and 21b. In this case, the manual feed unit 700 is provided with a sensor 701 as a detection unit that can detect that a sheet has been loaded.

[0017] The image forming section 22 is provided inside the apparatus main body 10 and includes an image forming unit having a developing device and a photosensitive drum, a toner bottle, an intermediate transfer unit, a secondary transfer section, a fixing device, etc. The image forming section 22 is capable of forming an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding section 21 based on image information from the control section 30. The sheet discharge section 23 includes a discharge tray 24 that is arranged downstream of a discharge port, not shown, formed in the apparatus main body 10, for receiving sheets. The discharge tray 24 stacks the sheets discharged from the discharge port.

[0018] <Control unit> As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 30, which serves as a main body-side control unit, is configured 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. The control unit 30 also includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33 for storing programs for controlling each unit, and a hard disk drive (HDD 34). In this embodiment, the control unit 30 includes 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 system controller. The CPU 31 performs, for example, image processing of image data to be formed and network control, as well as outputting image formation instructions to the image forming unit 22 and controlling the image formation process by transmitting and receiving information to and receiving information from the operation unit 50.

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

[0020] An image formation job is a series of operations from the start of image formation to the completion of image formation based on a print signal for forming an image on a sheet, i.e., from the start of preparatory operations (so-called pre-rotation) required for image formation, through the image formation process, to the completion of preparatory operations (so-called post-rotation) required for completing image formation.

[0021] The control unit 30 has 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 an operation unit 50 (described later) and performs various communications from the operation unit 50, and inputs information input by a 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 allowing output from the power supply 25 depending on the power state, such as a power saving mode, the power supply 25 inputs information such as overcurrent detection information to the CPU 31.

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

[0023] The SRAM 38 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of high-speed operation. The RTC 39 is a real-time clock that continues counting 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 a USB, and connects a general-purpose PC, a memory device, and a numeric keypad unit 200 (described later) via a USB connector 40a conforming to the USB standard and a USB port 12. Note that USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. The USB port 12 is a connector installed, for example, on the side or front of a mounting surface 13 (see FIG. 1 ) (described later) on which the numeric keypad unit 200 is installed on the device main body 10, 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 an image bus 30b, which transfers screen data at high speed, and converts the data structure. The image bus 30b is configured, for example, by a PCI bus or IEEE1394.

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

[0026] The control unit 30 further includes a device input / output circuit (I / F) 42, 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, all of which are connected to the image bus 30b. The device input / output circuit 42 connects the document reading device 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 converts PDL data into a bitmap image. The scanner image processing unit 44 corrects, processes, and edits input image data. The printer image processing unit 45 performs printer correction, resolution conversion, etc. on print output image data. The encryption processing unit 46 encrypts input data including image data. The decryption processing unit 47 decrypts encrypted data. In addition, the control unit 30 receives the detection results of the sensor 604 of the document reading device 20 and the sensor 701 of the manual feed unit 700 (see Figure 1), and can determine whether a sheet is placed on the tray 603 or the manual feed unit 700 based on the received detection results.

[0027] <Operation section> Next, we will explain an example of the hardware configuration of the operation unit 50. The operation unit 50 has a microcomputer 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 microcomputer 51 serving as the panel-side control unit is a microcomputer that performs overall control of the operation unit 50. The microcomputer 51 is equipped with a ROM (not shown) that stores programs for the operation of the microcomputer 51. The touch panel module 52 is disposed on the surface of the liquid crystal module 54, and when the user touches it, it notifies the microcomputer 51 of the position information of the touched point via the touch panel communication bus 62. The operation unit 50 can display a software numeric keypad 58 (see FIG. 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 numeric keypad 58. The touch panel module 52 is composed of a touch panel device and a touch panel device controller. The touch panel device may be a resistive type, a capacitive type, or an optical type such as infrared.

[0029] The data converter 53 is a module that receives screen data from the operation unit input / output circuit 35 of the control unit 30 via the bus 61 and converts it into a data format that can be received by the liquid crystal module 54, and is managed by the microcomputer 51. The microcomputer 51 converts screen data containing a software key and the like sent from the control unit 30 into the data converter 53, and inputs the data to the liquid crystal module 54. For example, the data converter 53 receives data conforming to standards such as DisplayPort or HDMI (registered trademark) from the control unit 30, converts the data into an LVDS or CMOS level signal format that can be received by the liquid crystal module 54, and inputs the data to the liquid crystal module 54 via the bus 63. The data converter 53 is also connected to the microcomputer 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 microcomputer 51 at a predetermined position.

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

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

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 50 is provided on the upper part of the front panel 10a of the device body 10. The operation unit 50 is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular flat plate, and is fixed to the device body 10 with a panel unit 57, which is configured by stacking a touch panel module 52 on a liquid crystal module 54 (see FIG. 2), facing upward U. The shape of the operation unit 50 is not limited to a rectangular flat plate, and may be other shapes. Furthermore, the orientation of the panel unit 57 is not limited to the upward U, and may be other directions. For example, the panel unit 57 may be provided so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction rather than being installed in a fixed orientation on the device body 10.

[0033] An installation surface 13 is provided on the right side R of the operation unit 50. A numeric keypad unit 200 and the like can be installed on the installation surface 13, and when installed, the numeric keypad unit 200 is disposed adjacent to the right side R of the operation unit 50 when viewed from the front side. On the exterior of the device main body 10, a USB port 12 is provided on the side surface on the right side R of the installation surface 13. A user can attach an external device with a USB terminal, such as the numeric keypad unit 200, an IC card reader, or a USB memory, to the USB port 12 and connect it via USB.

[0034] 3, a software numeric keypad section (software keys) 58 can be displayed on, for example, the right side R of the panel section 57. The software numeric keypad section 58 displays numeric keys displaying numbers 0 to 9, a start key marked "Start," and the like, and is an input key that detects input of each key when the display portion of each key is touched.

[0035] In this embodiment, a power-saving button 58a is displayed on the software numeric keypad 58. The power-saving button 58a (transition key) is a software key for setting a function (so-called power-saving mode) that limits the power supply from the power source 25 and transitions the image forming apparatus 1 from a standby state to a sleep state that consumes less power than the standby state. When the image forming apparatus 1 is not in the power-saving mode, the user can set the image forming apparatus 1 to the 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, when the image forming apparatus 1 is in the power-saving mode, the user can cancel 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. Note that the standby state referred to here refers to a state in which the image forming unit 22 is capable of performing image formation and is waiting to receive a print signal for forming an image on a sheet.

[0036] <Numeric keypad unit> Next, the hardware configuration and operation of the numeric keypad unit 200 as a general-purpose input device connected to the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3 , the numeric keypad unit 200 has a connection cable 201 (a USB cable) and a USB connector 202, and is electrically connectable to the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment as well as a general PC. The numeric keypad unit 200 has at least one hardware key and is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 having, for example, an operation unit 50 through which information can be input. The numeric keypad unit 200 can input information to the image forming apparatus 1 separately from the operation unit 50. For example, the operation unit 50 and the numeric keypad unit 200 can be used to input information. For example, the operation unit 50 can be used to input settings related to image formation, such as density and size, and the numeric keypad unit 200 can be used to input values ​​such as the number of copies to be formed or a facsimile destination number. In this embodiment, power is supplied to the numeric keypad unit 200 by the power supply 25. That is, 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 (plurality of hardware keys) 205 provided on the top cover 204. The operation keys 205 are roughly 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 "*" and "#". The function key section 207 includes hardware keys such as "Start" for instructing the start of an image formation job executable by the image forming apparatus 1 and "Stop" for instructing the stop of an image formation job currently being executed. In this embodiment, the function key section 207 includes a voice guide key 207a, which is a hardware key for switching a voice guide function between an enabled state and an disabled state.

[0038] 1, the numeric keypad unit 200 is attached by, for example, screws or adhesive so as to be adjacent to the right side R of the operation unit 50 of the image forming apparatus 1. This allows the user to easily use the numeric keypad unit 200 while looking at the operation unit 50.

[0039] 4, the numeric keypad unit 200 has a board 220, which is provided with a hardware switch unit 210, a microcomputer 211, a board connector 212, an LED 213, a USB hub 214, and an external USB port 215. The USB hub 214 is connected to the microcomputer 211 and the external USB port 215, and is also connected to a connection cable 201 via the board connector 212. The board connector 212 is disposed on the board 220, and the base end of the connection cable 201 is connected thereto.

[0040] In this embodiment, tactile switches 216 are employed as an example of hardware keys to give the user a feel for operating the operation keys 205 (see FIG. 3 ) (e.g., a click feeling). The tactile switches 216 are arranged one by one on the inside of the housing 203 in positions facing each of the operation keys 205, and are connected to the microcomputer 211 in, for example, a matrix. Each tactile switch 216 is composed of, for example, a protective cover, a plunger pressed by the operation key 205, a reversing spring that produces a click feeling and functions as a movable contact, and a base portion having two contacts. Note that the tactile switches 216 can have an existing configuration or a new, appropriate configuration, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0041] The microcomputer 211 is capable of, for example, detecting input from the hardware switch unit 210 and controlling the illumination of the LED 213. The USB connector 202 is connected to a USB port, which is a USB connector, of the external input / output circuit 40 (see FIG. 2) of the apparatus main body 10. As a result, the microcomputer 211 and the control unit 30 are USB-connected via a connection cable 201, and are capable of communication using the USB HID protocol. That is, the connection cable 201 is USB-connected from the housing 203 to the apparatus main body 10, and the microcomputer 211 is connected to the USB connector 202 via, for example, a USB hub 214, and is capable of USB communication with the CPU 31 of the image forming apparatus 1 via the external input / output circuit 40.

[0042] When a user presses a tactile switch 216, the microcomputer 211 identifies the pressed tactile switch 216 and generates a predetermined code. The microcomputer 211 transmits the generated key code to the CPU 31 of the image forming apparatus 1 via the connection cable 201. The CPU 31 performs processing according to the input key.

[0043] The LED 213, which serves as input-side lighting means, can light up the voice guide key 207a by being controlled by the microcomputer 211, which serves as the input-side control unit. That is, the microcomputer 211 controls the lighting of the LED 213 based on a lighting signal or an extinguishing signal transmitted from the control unit 30 (see FIG. 2). The LED 213 is provided to notify the user whether the device is in a state where a user's input in the voice guide mode is accepted (input accepted state) or a state where a user's input is not accepted (input not accepted state). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the LED 213 is disposed on the voice guide key 207a, and the voice guide key 207a is controlled by the microcomputer 211 to be either in an on state or an off state. In this embodiment, the LED 213 is turned on when the voice guide function is enabled and turned off when the voice guide function is disabled (except in the sleep state).

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, the start key 207b (another hardware key) may also be provided with an LED 217 (another input-side lighting means) separate from the LED 213. However, the microcomputer 211 controls the illumination of the start key 207b (more specifically, the LED 217) so that it is illuminated when the image forming apparatus 1 can be operated (e.g., copy operation or scan operation) by pressing the key in the standby state. The microcomputer 211 also controls the illumination of the start key 207b so that it is turned off when the image forming apparatus 1 cannot be operated by pressing the key (e.g., the sheet size has not been input). In other words, similar to the voice guide key 207a, the LED 217 is provided to notify the user whether the function of the start key 207b is enabled or disabled. The voice guide key 207a indicates whether input is possible in the voice guide mode, and the start key 207b indicates whether the image forming apparatus 1 can be operated. That is, the LED 213 and the LED 217 each indicate a different state.

[0045] <Processing when operating the voice guide key> Next, lighting control of the LED 213 when the voice guide key 207a is operated will be described using Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing lighting control processing when the voice guide key is operated on the input device (ten-key unit 200) side.

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

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

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

[0049] <Processing when power saving mode is set> Next, the control process when the power saving mode is set, which is performed on the device main body side to which the input device (ten-key unit 200) is connected, will be described using Fig. 7 with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. This process is executed by the control unit 30 when the power saving button 58a is operated while the image forming device 1 is in standby mode, or when the image forming device 1 has been in standby mode for a predetermined time.

[0050] 7, the control unit 30 transmits a turn-off signal to the microcomputer 211 of the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) to turn off the LED 213 (S21). Then, the control unit 30 sets a function to limit the power supply from the power source 25 (so-called power saving mode) (S22), and shifts the image forming apparatus 1 from the standby state to the sleep state. When the power saving mode is set, the power supply to the backlight 59 from the power source 25 is stopped, and the panel unit 57 is blacked out, so that the user cannot operate the power saving button 58a, which is a software key.

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

[0052] As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 30 cancels the function (power saving mode) that limits the power supply from the power source 25 (S31), causing the image forming apparatus 1 to transition from the sleep state to the standby state. When the power saving mode is canceled, the power supply to the backlight 59 from the power source 25 is resumed, and a 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 (S32). If the voice guidance function is not enabled (No in S32), the control unit 30 ends the control process. On the other hand, if the voice guidance function is enabled (Yes in S32), the control unit 30 sends a lighting signal to the microcomputer 211 of the input device (numeric keypad unit 200) to light up the LED 213 (S33).

[0053] As described above, in this embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 1 transitions from the standby state to the sleep state in response to the user's setting of the power-saving mode, if the voice guide key 207a (more specifically, the LED 213) of the numeric keypad unit 200 is lit, it is turned off. Then, when the image forming apparatus 1 returns from the sleep state to the standby state in response to the user's cancellation of the power-saving mode, the voice guide key 207a is returned to the lit state it was in when in the standby state. That is, if the voice guide key 207a was lit when the power-saving mode was set, it is turned on when the power-saving mode is cancelled, and if the voice guide key 207a was unlit when the power-saving mode was set, it is turned off when the power-saving mode is cancelled. In this way, the voice guide key 207a is always turned off in the power-saving mode (sleep state), which easily prevents the user from mistaking the voice guide key 207a for a power-saving button and operating it when canceling the power-saving mode.

[0054] <Other embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the LED 213 is provided on the voice guide key 207a in the numeric keypad unit 200, but this is not limiting. The above-described embodiment is applicable to any case in which an LED is provided on another hardware key in the numeric keypad unit 200 that switches various functions between an enabled state and an disabled state in response to a user operation.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, the user can cancel the power-saving mode by operating the power-saving button 58a, thereby returning the image forming apparatus from the sleep state to the standby state, but this is not limiting. For example, the image forming apparatus may be returned from the sleep state to the standby state when the sensor 701 (see FIG. 1) of the manual feed unit 700 detects a sheet to be fed to the image forming unit 22 in the sleep state. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus may be returned from the sleep state to the standby state when the sensor 604 (see FIG. 1) of the document reading device 20 detects a document in the sleep state.

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, a numeric keypad unit is used as an input device, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to an input device that supports input of characters other than numbers, such as a full keyboard. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1...image forming apparatus, 10...apparatus main body, 22...image forming unit, 25...power supply, 30...main body side control unit (control unit), 51...panel side control unit (microcomputer), 57...panel unit, 58a...software key (start key, power saving button), 59...panel side lighting means (backlight), 200...input device (ten-key unit), 207a...hardware key (voice guide key), 211...input side control unit (microcomputer), 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. 1. An image forming apparatus that operates in a plurality of power modes including a first power mode and a second power mode that consumes less power than the first power mode, an operation unit having a liquid crystal module that displays software keys that are targets of touch operations by a user; a hardware key capable of instructing execution of a predetermined function in the image forming apparatus; a light-emitting unit that is in a first light-emitting state when the predetermined function can be executed, and that is in a second light-emitting state different from the first light-emitting state when the predetermined function cannot be executed, the light-emitting unit is brought into the second light-emitting state based on the image forming apparatus being shifted from the first power mode to the second power mode; the liquid crystal module displays a transition key as a software key for instructing a change of the power mode; the image forming apparatus changes the power mode in response to an operation of the transition key; An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The first light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit emits light.

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

3. The second light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit is turned off.

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

4. the image forming apparatus further includes a control unit that controls a light emitting state of the light emitting unit.

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

5. The control unit is a first control unit, the image forming apparatus further includes a second control unit that transmits a control signal to the first control unit to instruct a light emitting state of the light emitting unit; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. the light emitting unit changes its light emitting state when the power mode is changed in response to an operation of the transition key; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

7. the first light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit is lit, the second light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit is turned off, the light-emitting unit transitions from the first light-emitting state to the second light-emitting state when the image forming apparatus transitions from the first power mode to the second power mode in response to an operation of the transition key; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. An image forming apparatus capable of mounting an optional device having a light-emitting unit that indicates whether a predetermined function is enabled or disabled and a hardware key that can instruct execution of the predetermined function, and that operates in a plurality of power modes including a first power mode and a second power mode that consumes less power than the first power mode, an operation unit having a liquid crystal module that displays software keys that are targets of touch operations by a user; a control unit that controls the light-emitting unit to a first light-emitting state when the predetermined function is enabled, and controls the light-emitting unit to a second light-emitting state different from the first light-emitting state when the predetermined function is disabled, the liquid crystal module displays a transition key as a software key for instructing a change of the power mode; the image forming apparatus changes the power mode in response to an operation of the transition key; the control unit outputs a signal to the optional device to control the light emitting unit to the second light emitting state based on the transition of the image forming apparatus from the first power mode to the second power mode. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

9. The first light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit emits light.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

10. The second light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit is turned off.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

11. the light emitting unit changes its light emitting state when the power mode is changed in response to an operation of the transition key; 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

12. the first light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit is lit, the second light-emitting state is a state in which the light-emitting unit is turned off, the light-emitting unit transitions from the first light-emitting state to the second light-emitting state when the image forming apparatus transitions from the first power mode to the second power mode in response to an operation of the transition key; 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

Images