Image forming apparatus

Abstract

Two or more intermediate controllers are connected to a main controller via different first communication lines. Each of one or more device controllers is connected to a corresponding intermediate controller via a second communication line, and controls one or more load devices. The main controller transmits a control order to the intermediate controllers. In response to receiving the control order, the intermediate controllers transmit control instructions to the device controller or controllers. The device controller or controllers controls or control the one or more load devices on the basis of the control instructions.

Description

Image forming apparatus

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

[0002] The image forming apparatus has a plurality of functional units, and maintenance is performed for each functional unit. According to Patent Document 1, a plurality of control boards for controlling the plurality of functional units are arranged on the back side of the main body of the image forming apparatus. This facilitates maintenance.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-18173

[0004] The plurality of functional units each include a control circuit (application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), central processing unit), and are controlled by the control circuit. The plurality of control circuits have slave communication circuits and are controlled by a main controller having a master communication circuit. The master communication circuit and the slave communication circuit are connected by individual bundled wires. Therefore, as the scale of the image forming apparatus increases, the amount of bundled wires also increases. Thus, an object of the present disclosure is to reduce the amount of bundled wires used in the image forming apparatus.

[0005] This disclosure includes, for example, a main controller, two or more intermediate controllers, each connected to the main controller by a different first communication line, and one or more device controllers connected to each of the two or more intermediate controllers, each of which is connected to a corresponding intermediate controller by a second communication line and configured to control one or more load devices, wherein the main controller is configured to transmit control commands relating to image forming operations to the intermediate controller among the two or more intermediate controllers that corresponds to the control commands, each of the two or more intermediate controllers is configured to receive the control commands transmitted from the main controller, transmit control signals to the one or more device controllers in response to the reception of the control commands, receive output signals transmitted from the one or more device controllers, and transmit output information to the main controller in response to the reception of the output signals, and the one or more device controllers are configured to perform control operations that control the one or more load devices based on the control signals, The present invention provides an image forming apparatus configured to perform at least one of the following operations: generating an output signal based on signals output from one or more load devices, and transmitting the output signal to an intermediate controller among the two or more intermediate controllers that controls one or more of the device controllers.

[0006] According to this disclosure, the amount of wire bundles used in the image forming apparatus is reduced.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the technical ideas derived from this disclosure will become apparent from the following description with reference to the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar components are given the same reference numeral.

[0008] The attached drawings are included in the specification and constitute part thereof, illustrating embodiments in this disclosure and used together with the description to explain the technical ideas derived from this disclosure. Diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus. Diagram illustrating a zone architecture. Diagram illustrating edge devices and control mechanisms. Diagram illustrating edge devices and control mechanisms. Diagram illustrating zone assignment. Diagram illustrating control mechanisms. Diagram illustrating edge devices. Diagram illustrating zone devices. Diagram illustrating a central device. Diagram illustrating inter-device connectivity. Diagram illustrating a control method for zone devices. Diagram illustrating other examples of zone devices.

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are necessary, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] 1. Example 1 1-1. Device Configuration Diagram 1 shows the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus 10. In the following description, "front" refers to the front side of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in Figure 1. "Rear (back)" refers to the back side of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in Figure 1. "Right" refers to the right side of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in Figure 1. "Left" refers to the left side of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in Figure 1. The front side is the side from which the user operates the image forming apparatus 10 when performing maintenance work. For example, the control panel is located on the front side. Cassettes 31 and 32 containing the recording material S are pulled out from the back side toward the front side. "Vertical direction" refers to the vertical direction when the image forming apparatus 10 is installed on a surface such as the floor. Therefore, the downward direction is the direction of gravity, and the upward direction is the direction opposite to the direction of gravity.

[0011] The image forming apparatus 10 has a main body 10A. The main body 10A has an image forming engine 150. The image forming engine 150 forms a toner image on the recording material S based on an image signal received from an external terminal such as a document reader or a personal computer (not shown) that reads an image on the document. The image forming engine 150 has image forming units PY, PM, PC, PK and an intermediate transfer belt unit 160. The image forming units PY, PM, PC, and PK each form toner images of yellow "Y", magenta "M", cyan "C", and black "K", respectively, and transfer them to the intermediate transfer belt 21.

[0012] The supply unit 130 supplies recording material S to the image forming engine 150. The supply unit 130 includes cassettes 31 and 32 and feed rollers 33 and 34. Cassettes 31 and 32 each contain multiple recording materials S. The feed roller 33 picks up the recording material S contained in cassette 31 and feeds it to the transport path 60. The feed roller 34 picks up the recording material S contained in cassette 32 and feeds it to the transport path 60. For example, the transport path 60 is provided to transport the recording material S from bottom to top (a so-called vertical transport method). Various types of sheet materials can be used as recording material S, such as paper (e.g., plain paper, cardboard, rough paper, textured paper, and coated paper), plastic film, and cloth.

[0013] A pre-registration roller pair 41 and a registration roller pair 42 are arranged in the transport path 60. The pre-registration roller pair 41 corrects the skewness of the recording material S. Specifically, the leading edge of the recording material S transported by the pre-registration roller pair 41 abuts against the nip portion of the registration roller pair 42, which is not rotating. This causes the recording material S to loop, correcting its skewness. An intermediate transfer belt 21 is arranged above the registration roller pair 42, which is a pair of rotating bodies. The registration roller pair 42 transports the recording material S to the secondary transfer section in accordance with the timing at which the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to the recording material S. The registration roller pair 42 is positioned upstream of the secondary transfer section and closest to the secondary transfer section in the transport direction (upward) of the recording material S being transported along the transport path 60. The secondary transfer section is formed by a secondary transfer inner roller 22 and a secondary transfer outer roller 44 that face each other across the intermediate transfer belt 21, which is a transfer member (first transfer member, intermediate transfer body). The secondary transfer section is a nip section that transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the recording material S by applying a predetermined pressure and secondary transfer voltage to the recording material S and the toner image.

[0014] The image formation process, which involves transporting the recording material S to the secondary transfer section at a similar timing to the transport process described above, will now be explained. First, the image forming sections PY to PK will be explained. However, the image forming sections PY to PK are basically the same except for the toner color. Therefore, the yellow image forming section PY will be explained as a representative example. The explanation of the image forming section PY can be interpreted as an explanation of the image forming sections PM, PC, and PK.

[0015] The image forming unit PY includes a photosensitive drum 1Y, a charger 2Y, an exposure unit 3Y, and a developer unit 4Y. The charger 2Y uniformly charges the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 1Y using a predetermined charging voltage. The exposure unit 3Y is driven based on an image signal and irradiates the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 1Y with laser light. This forms an electrostatic latent image. As the photosensitive drum 1Y rotates, the electrostatic latent image is transported to the developer unit 4Y. The developer unit 4Y develops the electrostatic latent image using toner supplied from a toner bottle 90Y to form a toner image. The developer unit 4Y has a developing sleeve carrying a developer containing toner and a carrier, and toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 1 as the developing sleeve rotates. A predetermined developing voltage is applied to the developing sleeve. Toner is consumed during development. The toner bottle 90Y is a container for storing replenishment toner. The toner bottle 90Y is driven to rotate at appropriate timings, and toner is replenished from the toner bottle 90Y to the developer unit 4Y.

[0016] The primary transfer roller 5Y is positioned opposite the photosensitive drum 1Y, with the intermediate transfer belt 21 in between. The primary transfer roller 5Y is subjected to a primary transfer voltage and transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1Y to the intermediate transfer belt 21 (primary transfer). After the primary transfer is complete, any toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1Y is removed by the photosensitive drum cleaner.

[0017] The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an endless belt that rotates in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and is stretched by the secondary transfer internal rollers 22, drive rollers 23, and tension rollers 24, etc. The image forming units PY to PK each execute the image forming process in parallel. As a result, the four-color toner images are superimposed sequentially on the intermediate transfer belt 21, forming a full-color image. As the intermediate transfer belt 21 moves, the toner image is transported to the secondary transfer unit. The primary transfer rollers 5Y to 5K, the intermediate transfer belt 21, the secondary transfer internal rollers 22, the drive rollers 23, and the tension rollers 24 are integrated as an intermediate transfer belt unit 160.

[0018] In the secondary transfer section, the arrival timing of the recording material S coincides with the arrival timing of the full-color toner image. As a result, the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the recording material S (secondary transfer). After the secondary transfer is completed, any toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is removed by the belt cleaner.

[0019] The recording material S onto which the toner image has been transferred is further transported along the transport path 60 toward the fuser 50. The fuser 50 applies heat and pressure to the recording material S and the toner image. This fixes the toner image to the recording material S. The fuser 50 has a fuser roller that is heated by a heater (not shown) and a pressure roller that contacts the rotating fuser roller to form a fuser nip. The fuser 50 controls the power supplied to the heater so that the heater temperature reaches a target temperature. Furthermore, the fuser 50 rotates the pressure roller at a specified rotation speed.

[0020] The recording material S, on which the toner image has been fixed by the fuser 50, is further transported upward along the transport path 60 and discharged to the outside by the discharge unit 170. The discharge unit 170 has discharge rollers 61 and 62 and a flapper 63. The discharge rollers 61 and 62 discharge the recording material S into discharge trays 81 and 82, respectively.

[0021] When the operating mode is a double-sided mode in which toner images are formed on both sides of the recording material S, a toner image is also formed on the second side of the recording material S, where an image has been formed on the first side. Therefore, the recording material S is transported to the sub-transport path 171. Specifically, the recording material S is transported by the forward rotation of the discharge roller 61 until the rear end of the recording material S passes the flapper 63. After that, the discharge roller 61 rotates in the reverse direction, transporting the recording material S to the sub-transport path 171. The recording material S transported to the sub-transport path 171 is returned to the registration roller pair 42. The subsequent transport and image formation process on the second side are the same as for the first side. The recording material S, on which an image has been formed on the second side, is discharged to the outside by the discharge unit 170.

[0022] 1-2. Control System Figures 2 to 5 show a zone architecture adopted in the control system 200 of the image forming apparatus 10. The control system 200 comprises a central device 201, a zone device 210, an edge device 220, and various control mechanisms 300. Each of the central device 201, the zone device 210, and the edge device 220 is implemented by hardware such as a CPU. Some or all of these devices may be implemented by hardware such as a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI), ASIC, or field-programmable gate array. Some or all of these devices may be implemented by the cooperation of software and hardware.

[0023] In the control system 200, the central device 201 is the highest-level controller and may also be called the main controller. The central device 201 is connected to a plurality of zone devices 210 via a communication line 202. Furthermore, each of the plurality of zone devices 210 is connected to one or more edge devices 220 via a communication line 203. Each of the plurality of edge devices 220 is connected to one or more control mechanisms 300 via a signal line 204.

[0024] The central device 201 controls multiple edge devices 220 through one of the multiple zone devices 210. In other words, the central device 201 communicates with the edge devices 220 through the zone devices 210 and controls the edge devices 220. The zone devices 210 are intermediate controllers that convert control commands received from the central device 201 into control instructions for the edge devices 220 according to predetermined rules. Furthermore, the zone devices 210 identify the destination of the control instructions and send the control instructions to the identified destination edge device 220. The commands may include the content of the control instructions and identification information indicating the destination of the control instructions. The edge devices 220 control the load devices (control mechanisms 300) according to the control instructions. Note that the terms control commands, control instructions, control information, and control signals are merely convenient names and may be interchangeable.

[0025] When the zone device 210 receives output information from the edge device 220 under its control, it processes the output information as needed and transmits it to the central device 201.

[0026] Various configurations can be used for the connection between the central device 201 and the zone device 210, and between the zone device 210 and the edge device 220. For example, the physical layer may include Controller Area Network (CAN), Ethernet®, RS-232, RS-485, or Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS). The communication protocol may include, for example, CAN open, TCP / IP, or EthernetCAT. These are just examples. The network topology may be tree, star, or ring, or a combination of these.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the zone device 210 includes a first zone device 211, a second zone device 212, a third zone device 213, and a fourth zone device 214. However, the number of zone devices 210 only needs to be two or more.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, the image forming apparatus 10 is divided into a first zone 501, a second zone 502, a third zone 503, and a fourth zone 504. The first zone 501 is a load zone responsible for feeding and transporting the recording material S. The second zone 502 is a load zone consisting of loads involved in toner replenishment. The third zone 503 is a load zone consisting of loads involved in image formation. The fourth zone 504 is a load zone consisting of loads involved in image fixing, transport, and ejection.

[0029] When the central device 201 receives a print job, it determines the image forming operation according to the contents of the print job. The contents of the print job include, for example, the size of the recording material S (e.g., A4, A4R, A3), the type of recording material S (e.g., thickness, basis weight, presence or absence of coating), the feed port, and the output port. The feed port may include, for example, cassettes 31, 32, a manual feed tray, and optionally a feed unit connected to the image forming apparatus 10. The output port includes output trays 81, 82. The size and type of recording material S are used to set the transport speed and fixing temperature of the recording material S. The central device 201 sequentially sends fixing commands, image formation commands, feed commands, and output commands according to the image forming operation. The operations in response to these control commands are described below zone by zone.

[0030] The first zone 501 contains the first zone device 211. The first zone device 211 controls the feed edge devices 221, 222, and 223 located in the first zone 501. As shown in Figure 3, the feed edge device 221 controls the transport control mechanism 301. The transport control mechanism 301 includes a motor M1 that rotates the pre-registration roller pair 41 and a motor M2 that rotates the registration roller pair 42. The feed edge device 222 controls the cassette control mechanisms 302 and 303. The cassette control mechanism 302 includes a motor M3 that rotates the feed roller 33. The cassette control mechanism 303 includes a motor M4 that rotates the feed roller 34. The feed edge device 223 controls the feed control mechanism 304. The feed control mechanism 304 includes a motor M5 that rotates the feed roller that feeds the recording material S placed on the manual feed tray (multipurpose tray).

[0031] When the first zone device 211 receives a feed command from the central device 201, it identifies the edge device 220 to which the feed command applies. The feed command may include a feed instruction and identification information of the feed mechanism that should perform the feed (e.g., cassette 31). The first zone device 211 may calculate the rotational speeds of motors M1 and M2 based on the feed command. If the identification information identified from the feed command is for feed edge device 221, feed edge device 222, and cassette control mechanism 302, the feed command is sent to feed edge devices 221 and 222. When feed edge device 221 receives the feed command, it drives the transport control mechanism 301 according to the feed command. When feed edge device 222 receives the feed command, it drives the cassette control mechanism 302 according to the feed command. Feed edge device 222 selects the cassette control mechanism 302 based on the identification information included in the feed command. In addition, the cassette control mechanism 303 may be specified by the feed command. If the identification information identified from the feed command is the feed edge device 223, the feed command is sent to the feed edge device 223. The feed edge device 223 drives the feed control mechanism 304.

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, the second zone device 212 is located in the second zone 502. As shown in Figure 2, the second zone device 212 controls the toner edge device 224 and the image edge device 225 located in the second zone 502. As shown in Figure 3, the toner edge device 224 controls the bottle control mechanism 305. The bottle control mechanism 305 includes a motor M6 that rotates the toner bottles 90Y, 90M, 90C, and 90K. The image edge device 225 controls the registration control mechanism 306 and the density control mechanism 307. The registration control mechanism 306 controls the formation position of the toner image on the recording material S. The density control mechanism 307 controls the density of the toner image.

[0033] When the second zone device 212 receives an image formation command, it transmits the image formation command to the image edge device 225. Upon receiving the image formation command, the image edge device 225 operates the registration control mechanism 306 and the density control mechanism 307 according to the image formation command. When the second zone device 212 receives a toner replenishment command, it transmits the replenishment command to the toner edge device 224. Upon receiving the replenishment command, the toner edge device 224 drives the motor M6 of the bottle control mechanism 305 to supply toner from the toner bottle 90Y, etc., to the image forming unit PY, etc.

[0034] As shown in Figure 5, a third zone device 213 is located in the third zone 503. As shown in Figure 2, the third zone device 213 controls the ITB edge device 226 and the image-forming edge device 227 located in the third zone 503. ITB is an abbreviation for intermediate transfer belt. As shown in Figure 4, the ITB edge device 226 controls the ITB control mechanism 401. The ITB control mechanism 401 includes a motor M8 that rotates a drive roller 23 that drives the intermediate transfer belt 21. The ITB control mechanism 401 includes a power supply PS1 that generates the primary transfer voltage. The image-forming edge device 227 controls the drum control mechanism 402 and the development control mechanism 403. The drum control mechanism 402 includes a motor M9 that rotates the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. The drum control mechanism 402 includes a power supply PS2 that generates the charging voltage. The development control mechanism 403 includes a motor M10 that rotates each of the development sleeves 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K of the developing units, and a power supply PS3 that generates the development voltage.

[0035] When the third zone device 213 receives an image-making command, it sends an image-making command to the ITB edge device 226 and the image-making edge device 227. The image-making command may include image-making parameters. These parameters include constant-speed drive, charging voltage (e.g., -900V), development voltage (e.g., -740V), and primary transfer voltage (e.g., 3000V). Based on the image-making command, the third zone device 213 may calculate control parameters such as the rotational speed of the motor M8 of the ITB control mechanism 401, the rotational speed of the motor M9 of the drum control mechanism 402, and the rotational speed of the motor M10 of the development control mechanism 403. Based on the image-making command, the third zone device 213 may also calculate control parameters such as the charging voltage, development voltage, and primary transfer voltage. The image-making command may include these control parameters. When the ITB edge device 226 receives an image-making command, it drives the ITB control mechanism 401 according to the control parameters specified by the image-making command. In other words, the ITB control mechanism 401 drives the motor M8 at a specified rotational speed and generates a primary transfer voltage of a specified value. When the imaging edge device 227 receives an imaging command, it drives the drum control mechanism 402 and the development control mechanism 403 with the control parameters specified by the imaging command. The drum control mechanism 402 drives the motor M9 at a specified rotational speed and generates a charging voltage of a specified value. The development control mechanism 403 drives the motor M10 at a specified rotational speed and generates a development voltage of a specified value.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the fourth zone 504 contains the fourth zone device 214. As shown in Figure 2, the fourth zone device 214 controls the discharge edge device 228 and the fixing edge device 229 located in the fourth zone 504. As shown in Figure 4, the discharge edge device 228 controls the inversion control mechanism 404 and the discharge control mechanism 405. The inversion control mechanism 404 includes a motor M11 that drives the discharge roller 61 involved in the inversion process of the recording material S, and a solenoid SL1 that drives the flapper 63. The discharge control mechanism 405 includes a motor M12 that drives the discharge roller 61 for discharging the recording material S, and a motor M13 that drives the discharge roller 62. The fixing control mechanism 406 includes a motor M14 that rotates the pressure roller of the fuser 50, a heater 407, and a temperature sensor 408. The temperature sensor 408 detects or measures the temperature of the heater 407.

[0037] When the fourth zone device 214 receives a fixing command, it sends a fixing command, including the fixing temperature, to the fixing edge device 229. The fixing command may include fixing parameters such as the fixing temperature (e.g., 180°C) and the motor rotation speed. Based on the fixing temperature, the fourth zone device 214 may calculate the power supplied to the heater 407 and the rotation speed of the motor M14. If the heater 407 is driven on / off, the on-duty cycle of the heater 407 may be calculated. The fixing edge device 229 drives the fixing control mechanism 406 according to the fixing command. The fixing control mechanism 406 supplies power to the heater 407 so that its temperature reaches the fixing temperature specified by the fixing command. The fixing control mechanism 406 drives the motor M14 at the rotation speed specified by the fixing command.

[0038] When the fourth zone device 214 receives an ejection command, it sends an ejection command to the ejection edge device 228. The ejection edge device 228 drives the ejection control mechanism 405 according to the ejection command. The fourth zone device 214 may calculate the rotational speeds of motors M11 and M12 based on the ejection command and include the rotational speed in the ejection command. When the fourth zone device 214 receives a reverse command, it sends a reverse command to the ejection edge device 228. The ejection edge device 228 controls the reverse control mechanism 404 according to the reverse command.

[0039] 3. Communication Control 3-1. Definitions In the following, the first process is the communication process performed between the central device 201 and the zone device 210. The second process is the communication process performed between the zone device 210 and the edge device 220.

[0040] 3-2. First Processing 3-2-1. The downlink central device 201 starts the image forming operation according to the print job. The central device 201 transmits a predetermined control command to a predetermined zone device 210 according to the control program. When the zone device 210 receives the control command, it decodes the control command according to a predetermined rule and generates a control command. The zone device 210 may transmit the control command to an edge device 220 according to the destination information contained in the control command.

[0041] 3-2-2. The uplink zone device 210 incorporates the output information received from the edge device 220 into a communication frame for the central device 201 and transmits the communication frame to the central device 201.

[0042] 3-3. Second Processing 3-3-1. The downlink zone device 210 identifies the destination of the control command according to predetermined rules and transmits the control command to the edge device 220 which is the destination. The edge device 220 generates a control signal according to the control command and controls the control mechanism 300 based on the control signal.

[0043] 3-3-2. The uplink edge device 220 transmits the output information output from the control mechanism 300 to the zone device 210. The zone device 210 receives the output information from the edge device 220.

[0044] 3-4. Other predetermined rules may include, for example, conditions based on the functions of the control mechanism 300 associated with the edge device 220. The predetermined rules may include conditions dependent on the zone to which the control mechanism 300 belongs. The predetermined rules may include conditions based on the communication volume, communication frequency, and latency between the zone device 210 and the edge device 220 at a predetermined time.

[0045] The first zone device 211 executes predetermined communication control for the feeding edge device 221, the feeding edge device 222, and the feeding edge device 223. The second zone device 212 executes communication control for the toner edge device 224 and the image edge device 225. The third zone device 213 executes communication control for the ITB edge device 226 and the image forming edge device 227. The fourth zone device 214 executes communication control for the discharge edge device 22 and the fixing edge device 229.

[0046] 4. Effects of the zone architecture As shown in FIG. 5, based on the relevance between the positions and controls of the functional units in the image forming apparatus 10, the functional units are grouped to form zones (functional blocks). A plurality of edge devices 220 are arranged in each zone. The zone device 210 relays communication between the central device 201 and the plurality of edge devices 220. Compared with the case where the central device 201 and the plurality of edge devices 220 are directly connected by a cable bundle, in the first embodiment, the total amount (total distance) of the required cable bundles can be significantly reduced.

[0047] By reducing the total amount (total distance) of the cable bundles, the maintainability of the image forming apparatus 10 is improved. Also, the maintenance cost will be reduced.

[0048] 5. Functions Installed in the Controller 5-1. Control Mechanism FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the functions included in the control mechanism 300. The control mechanism 300 includes, for example, an electric load 601, a sensing device 602, and a mechanical component 603. The electric load 601 includes, for example, at least one of motors M11 to M14, a solenoid SL1, power supplies PS1 to PS3, and a control circuit. The electric load 601 drives a mechanical component 603 (e.g., an actuator) or the like based on a control signal or a drive signal supplied from the edge device 220. The sensing device 602 includes various sensors. The sensing device 602 detects the operation of the mechanical component 603 and outputs a detection signal (output signal) indicating the detection result to the edge device 220. The sensing device 602 is not limited to a sensor (e.g., the temperature sensor 408) or an encoder that detects the operation of the mechanical component 603. The sensing device 602 may be any of an environmental sensor that detects the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the image forming apparatus 10 is installed, an image sensor that detects the position of an image formed on the recording material S, and a density sensor that detects the density of a toner image.

[0049] 5-2. Edge Device Figure 7 shows an example of the functions provided in the edge device 220. The edge device 220 includes, for example, a load control unit 701, an information acquisition unit 702, an edge communication unit 703, and a storage unit 704. The edge communication unit 703 is a communication circuit for communicating with the zone device 210 or a program module for controlling the communication circuit. The load control unit 701 receives control commands transmitted from the zone device 210 through the edge communication unit 703. The load control unit 701 outputs control signals to control the electrical loads 601 (e.g., motors M1 to M14, solenoid SL1) included in the control mechanism 300 according to the control commands. The electrical loads 601 operate according to the control signals. The information acquisition unit 702 acquires output signals (output information) output from the sensing device 602 of the control mechanism 300. The output information is the position information of the mechanical components 603 driven by the electrical loads 601. The information acquisition unit 702 transmits an output signal to the zone device 210 via the edge communication unit 703. The storage unit 704 includes non-volatile memory such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or flash memory. The storage unit 704 also includes volatile memory such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The storage unit 704 stores configuration information of the edge device 220 and processing rules for the edge device 220 in response to control commands generated by the zone device 210 from control commands transmitted from the central device 201. The configuration information of the edge device 220 may include, for example, information about the control mechanism 300 located under the edge device 220.

[0050] 5-3. Zone Device Figure 8 shows an example of a function provided in the zone device 210. The zone device 210 includes, for example, a zone communication unit 801, an edge communication unit 802, and a storage unit 803. The zone communication unit 801 is a communication circuit that communicates with the central device 201 or a program module that controls the communication circuit. The edge communication unit 802 is a communication circuit that communicates with the edge device 220 or a program module that controls the communication circuit. The zone communication unit 801 receives a control command from the central device 201, converts the control command into control instructions for a plurality of edge devices 220, and stores the control instructions in the buffer area of ​​the storage unit 803. The edge communication unit 802 identifies the destination of the control instructions stored in the buffer area and transmits the control instructions to the edge device 220 identified as the destination. The edge communication unit 802 receives output information from the edge device 220 and stores the output information in the buffer area. The zone communication unit 801 reads the output information from the buffer area, processes the output information as needed, and transmits the output information to the central device 201.

[0051] The storage unit 803 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The storage unit 803 stores configuration information of the zone device 210, rules for converting control commands into control instructions, rules for identifying the destination of control instructions from control commands, and rules for processing output information. The configuration information of the zone device 210 may also include identification information of the edge devices 220 located under the zone device 210, and further identification information of the control mechanisms 300 located under those.

[0052] 5-4. Central Device Figure 9 shows an example of the functions provided in the central device 201. The central device 201 includes, for example, a main control unit 901, a zone communication unit 902, an output processing unit 903, an input processing unit 904, and a storage unit 905. The zone communication unit 902 is a communication circuit that communicates with the zone device 210 or a program module that controls the communication circuit. The main control unit 901 determines a series of image forming operations based on the print job. The output processing unit 903 generates control commands according to instructions from the main control unit 901 and transmits the control commands to the zone device 210 through the zone communication unit 902. The input processing unit 904 receives output information transmitted from the zone device 210 through the zone communication unit 902 and passes the output information to the main control unit 901. The main control unit 901 feeds the output information back into the image forming operation.

[0053] The storage unit 905 includes non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The storage unit 905 stores, for example, a program incorporated into the central device 201, configuration information related to the central device 201, and processing results from the central device 201. The storage unit 905 may also store configuration information for the zone devices 210, configuration information for the edge devices 220, and control commands for controlling the control mechanism 300. The configuration information related to the central device 201 may include identification information for a plurality of zone devices 210 connected to the central device 201. The configuration information for the zone devices 210 may include identification information for one or more edge devices 220 connected to each zone device 210. The configuration information for the edge devices 220 may include identification information for one or more control mechanisms 300 connected to each edge device 220. The main control unit 901 may determine the presence or absence of optional equipment, appropriate control commands, and the destination of control commands by referring to this configuration information.

[0054] 6. Device Connection Relationship Diagram 10 shows the connection relationships between these devices. For example, in the central device 201, the main control unit 901 generates a control command to execute an image forming operation and passes the control command to the output processing unit 903. The output processing unit 903 identifies the zone device 210 that will be the destination of the control command from among the multiple zone devices 210. The zone communication unit 902 transmits the control command to the identified zone device 210 as the destination.

[0055] In the zone device 210, the zone communication unit 902 receives a control command transmitted from the central device 201 (first process: downlink communication). The zone communication unit 801 or the edge communication unit 802 converts the control command into a control instruction based on predetermined rules stored in the storage unit 803 and identifies the destination of the control instruction. Here, multiple destinations and multiple control instructions may be generated from a single control command. The edge communication unit 802 transmits the control instruction to the edge device 220 identified as the destination among the multiple edge devices 220 (second process: downlink communication).

[0056] In the edge device 220, the edge communication unit 703 receives control information from the zone device 210 (downlink communication in the second process). The load control unit 701 identifies the controlled device (load device), which is the electrical load 601, based on the control information, and writes a control signal (control information) for controlling the identified electrical load 601 to the register 705. The electrical load 601 is a motor or a solenoid, etc. In the control mechanism 300, the electrical load 601 drives the mechanical component 603 (actuator) based on the control signal written to the register 705. The sensing device 602 is provided outside or inside the electrical load 601, or inside or outside the mechanical component 603, and detects the operation of the electrical load 601 or the mechanical component 603. For example, the sensing device 602 may detect the number of rotations of motors M1 to M14, or the attachment or removal of the insertion / removal unit to or from the main body 10A. The sensing device 602 detects temperature, humidity, toner concentration, etc., and outputs a detection signal (output signal) to the edge device 220.

[0057] In the edge device 220, the information acquisition unit 702 acquires the output signal from the sensing device 602, processes the output signal as needed, and passes the processed output signal to the edge communication unit 703. The edge communication unit 703 creates a communication frame for edge communication from the output signal and transmits the communication frame to the zone device 210 with the output signal as the payload (uplink communication in the second process). Note that the edge communication unit 802 of the zone device 210 may be a master, and the edge communication unit 703 of the edge device 220 may be a slave. Generally, one or more slaves are connected to one master, so in the uplink, there may only be one master as the destination.

[0058] In zone device 210, the edge communication unit 802 receives a communication frame containing an output signal from edge device 220 (uplink communication in the second process). The edge communication unit 802 passes the communication frame for edge communication to zone communication unit 801. The edge communication unit 802 may also extract the output signal from the communication frame for edge communication and pass the output signal to zone communication unit 801. The zone communication unit 801 creates a communication frame containing the output signal and transmits it to the central device 201 (uplink communication in the first process). The zone communication unit 801 of zone device 210 may be a slave, and the zone communication unit 902 of central device 201 may be a master.

[0059] In the central device 201, the zone communication unit 902 receives a communication frame from the zone device 210 (uplink communication for the first process). The zone communication unit 902 extracts the payload (output signal) from the communication frame and passes it to the input processing unit 904. The input processing unit 904 processes the output signal as needed and passes it to the main control unit 901. The main control unit 901 feeds the output signal back to the image forming operation.

[0060] 7. Flowchart 11 shows the communication method performed by the zone device 210. When the zone device 210 is started up, it performs the following processes. Note that the following communication method will be performed repeatedly.

[0061] In S1101, the zone communication unit 801 determines whether it has received a control command transmitted from the central device 201. If a control command is received, the zone communication unit 801 proceeds from S1101 to S1102.

[0062] In S1102, the zone communication unit 801 refers to the processing rule (first rule) stored in the memory unit 803 and generates a control command from the control command according to the processing rule. Here, a control command for one destination may be generated, or control commands for multiple different destinations may be generated. In this way, multiple control commands (first control command, second control command) may be generated from a single control command. As described above, the on-duty cycle of the heater 407 to achieve the fixing temperature specified by the control command may be calculated, or the rotational speeds of the motors M1 to M14 may be calculated. The calculation results are reflected in the control information.

[0063] In S1103, the zone communication unit 801 refers to the processing rules stored in the memory unit 803 and identifies the destination of the control command according to the processing rules. Here, one destination may be identified, or multiple destinations may be identified. To distinguish between multiple destinations, the edge device 220 may be assigned identification information. Furthermore, each of the multiple control mechanisms 300 may also be assigned identification information. Note that if the control command includes destination information, the destination identification process based on the processing rules is skipped.

[0064] In S1104, the edge communication unit 802 transmits a control command to the destination specified by the zone communication unit 801.

[0065] If no control command is received in S1101, the zone communication unit 801 proceeds from S1101 to S1111.

[0066] In S1111, the edge communication unit 802 determines whether it has received an output signal transmitted from any of the edge devices 220 under its control. If an output signal is received, the edge communication unit 802 proceeds from S1111 to S1112. If no output signal is received, the zone communication unit 801 either terminates the series of communication methods or returns from S1111 to S1101.

[0067] S1112 is optional. In S1112, the edge communication unit 802 refers to the processing rule (second rule) stored in the memory unit 803 and processes the output signal according to the processing rule. For example, the edge communication unit 802 may store the numerical values ​​indicated by the output signal and perform statistical processing specified by the processing rule on the multiple stored numerical values. Statistical processing may include, for example, calculation of the mean, calculation of the variance, calculation of the maximum value, calculation of the minimum value, and calculation of the median.

[0068] In S1113, the zone communication unit 801 refers to the processing rules stored in the memory unit 803 and generates a communication frame with the output signal as a payload according to the processing rules. The communication frame may include either or both of the identification information of the control mechanism 300, which is the source of the output signal, and the identification information of the edge device 220.

[0069] In S1114, the zone communication unit 801 transmits a communication frame to the central device 201, which is acting as a master above it.

[0070] 8. In other embodiments described above, the central device 201 controls the control mechanism 300 via the zone device 210 and the edge device 220. For example, when feedback control is applied to the control mechanism 300, the output signal of the sensing device 602 in the control mechanism 300 needs to be transmitted to the central device 201. However, this is just one example. For example, in order to reduce the load on the central device 201, some of the controls for realizing the image forming operation may be performed by the zone device 210.

[0071] Figure 12 shows another zone device 210. In this example, a sub-control unit 1201 has been added. The sub-control unit 1201 is responsible for a part of the control method that was handled by the main control unit 901 of the central device 201. For example, suppose zone device 210 is the fourth zone device 214. In this case, the sub-control unit 1201 of the fourth zone device 214 sets the target temperature of the heater of the fuser 50 through control commands from the central device 201.

[0072] The fuser edge device 229 detects the temperature of the heater 407 using a temperature sensor 408 installed as a sensing device 602 in the fuser 50. The fuser edge device 229 creates a communication frame that includes an output signal indicating the temperature of the heater 407 and transmits the communication frame to the fourth zone device 214.

[0073] When the edge communication unit 802 of the fourth zone device 214 receives a communication frame from the fuser edge device 229 that includes an output signal indicating the temperature of the heater 407, it passes the output signal to the sub-control unit 1201. The sub-control unit 1201 generates a control command to control the power supply to the heater 407 so that the temperature of the heater 407 indicated by the output signal is maintained at a target temperature. The edge communication unit 802 transmits the generated control command to the fuser edge device 229. The fuser edge device 229 adjusts the power supplied to the heater 407 of the fuser 50 based on the control command.

[0074] In this way, the central device 201 only needs to set the target in the zone device 210, and the zone device 210 may be responsible for the control required to achieve the target. This would reduce the load on the central device 201.

[0075] 9. Summary As shown in Figure 2, the central device 201 is an example of a main controller. The zone devices 210 (first zone device 211 to fourth zone device 214) are an example of two or more intermediate controllers. Each zone device 210 may be connected to the main controller by a different first communication line (e.g., communication line 202). The edge devices 220 are an example of one or more device controllers connected to each of the two or more intermediate controllers. Each of the one or more edge devices 220 may be connected to the corresponding zone device 210 by a second communication line (e.g., communication line 203). The edge devices 220 may be configured to control one or more load devices. The central device 201 may transmit control commands related to image forming operations to the zone device 210 corresponding to the control command among the two or more zone devices 210. Each of the two or more zone devices 210 may receive the control command transmitted from the central device 201 and transmit control commands to one or more edge devices 220 in response to the receipt of the control command. The zone device 210 may receive output signals transmitted from one or more edge devices 220 and transmit output information to the central device 201 in response to the reception of such output signals. One or more edge devices 220 may perform control operations to control one or more load devices (e.g., control mechanisms 300) based on control commands. The edge device 220 may generate output signals based on signals output from one or more control mechanisms 300. The edge device 220 may perform a transmission operation to send output signals to the zone device 210 that is controlling one or more of the two or more zone devices 210. By arranging the zone device 210 between the central device 201 and the edge devices 220 in this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of wiring used in the image forming apparatus 10.

[0076] The control command transmitted by the central device 201 may include the content of the control instruction transmitted by the zone device 210 and identification information of one or more edge devices 220 that is the destination of the control instruction. As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, one zone device 210 may control multiple edge devices 220. In this case, it is necessary to identify whether the control command transmitted from the central device 201 is a control command for controlling that edge device 220. According to this embodiment, since the destination information of the control instruction is included in the control instruction, the zone device 210 will be able to easily identify the edge device 220 to be controlled.

[0077] Each of the two or more zone devices 210 may have a storage unit 803 that stores a first rule for generating control commands from control commands. Each of the two or more zone devices 210 may generate control commands (control information) from control commands according to the first rule stored in the storage unit 803. In this way, the control commands received from the central device 201 do not need to be directly transferred to the edge devices 220. The control commands may be replaced with control commands that conform to the command system of the edge devices 220. The first rule may include the content of the control command and identification information of the edge device 220 that is the destination of the control command among the one or more edge devices 220. This makes it possible for the zone devices 210 to easily convert control commands into control commands (control content) and destination information. Furthermore, if the control mechanism 300 controlled by the edge device 220 is changed, it is possible to send an appropriate control command to the control mechanism 300 by updating the first rule.

[0078] As illustrated in Figure 2, one of two or more zone devices 210 may be configured to control multiple edge devices 220. In other words, one zone device 210 may control multiple edge devices 220. In this case, one zone device 210 (e.g., first zone device 211) may generate a first control command and a second control command based on a control command. One zone device 210 (e.g., first zone device 211) sends the first control command to one of the multiple edge devices 220 (e.g., feeding edge device 221). One zone device 210 (e.g., first zone device 211) may send the second control command to another of the multiple edge devices 220 (e.g., feeding edge device 222).

[0079] The zone device 210 may transmit the contents of the output signals transmitted by one or more edge devices 220 to the central device 201 as output information. Each of the two or more zone devices 210 may have a storage unit 803 that stores a second rule for generating output information from the output signals. Each of the two or more zone devices 210 may generate output information from the output signals according to the second rule stored in the storage unit 803. The second rule may be, for example, a rule that defines a method for converting, compressing, statistically calculating, processing, etc., the output signal. The second rule may include statistical processing of the output signal. By processing the information in the zone device 210, the processing load on the central device 201 will be reduced.

[0080] The output information may include identification information of one or more edge devices 220 that are the source of the output information. The output information may also include identification information of one or more load devices related to the content included in the output information (e.g., identification information of a control mechanism 300).

[0081] As shown in Figure 7, one or more edge devices 220 may have one or more registers 705 associated with one or more control mechanisms 300. One or more edge devices 220 may control one or more control mechanisms 300 by writing control signals corresponding to control instructions to one or more registers.

[0082] As shown in Figure 12, each of the two or more zone devices 210 may generate a different control command based on an output signal and transmit that control command to one or more control mechanisms 300. In this way, the zone devices 210 may control the control mechanisms 300 via the edge devices 220 without the involvement of the central device 201. This will reduce the control burden on the central device 201.

[0083] As illustrated in Figure 5, the image forming apparatus 10 may have a plurality of different functional blocks. Each of the plurality of functional blocks may have one zone device 210. Each of the plurality of functional blocks may have one or more edge devices 220 that communicate with the zone device 210 via a second communication line. Each of the plurality of functional blocks may have one or more control mechanisms 300 controlled by one or more edge devices 220. One or more control mechanisms 300 may include motors M1 to M14 that rotate a rotating body involved in image forming. One or more control mechanisms 300 may include a solenoid SL1 that moves a member involved in image forming. One or more control mechanisms 300 may include a sensor (e.g., a temperature sensor 408) that acquires information necessary for image forming.

[0084] Multiple functional blocks (e.g., zones) may include blocks on which sheet feeding means (feeding rollers 33, 34) for feeding sheets are arranged. Multiple functional blocks may include blocks on which image forming means (e.g., image forming unit PY) for forming an image on a sheet with a colorant (e.g., toner) are arranged. Multiple functional blocks may include blocks on which supply means (e.g., toner bottle 90Y) for supplying colorant to the image forming means are arranged. Multiple functional blocks may also include blocks on which discharge means (e.g., discharge rollers 61, 62) for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed are arranged.

[0085] As shown in Figure 5, the image forming apparatus 10 may have multiple zones corresponding to multiple functions for forming an image on a sheet. Here, a zone may be a predetermined arrangement space inside the image forming apparatus 10, or it may be a name assigned to a specific group of components among the multiple components that make up the image forming apparatus 10.

[0086] The first zone device 211 is an example of a first zone controller located in the first zone. The feeding edge device 221 and the like are examples of first device controllers located in the first zone and communicating with the first zone controller via a first communication line. The transport control mechanism 301 and the like are examples of first load devices located in the first zone and controlled by the first device controller. The second zone device 212 is an example of a second zone controller located in a second zone different from the first zone. The toner edge device 224 and the like are examples of second device controllers located in the second zone and communicating with the second zone controller via a second communication line. The bottle control mechanism 305 and the like are examples of second load devices located in the second zone and controlled by the second device controller. The central device 201 is an example of a main controller connected to the first zone controller via a third communication line and communicating with the first zone controller, and also connected to the second zone controller via a fourth communication line and communicating with the second zone controller. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, by arranging the zone device 210 between the central device 201 and the edge device 220, the amount of wire bundles used in the image forming apparatus 10 is reduced. Reducing the number of wire bundles will also make maintenance of the control mechanism 300 easier.

[0087] The main controller (e.g., central device 201) may send a control command for the first load device to the first zone controller when controlling the first load device. When the first zone controller (e.g., zone device 210) receives a control command for the first load device from the main controller, it may send a control command corresponding to the control command to the first device controller. The first device controller (e.g., edge device 220) may control the first load device based on the control command.

[0088] The main controller (e.g., central device 201) may send a control command for the second load device to the second zone controller (e.g., zone device 210) when controlling the second load device. When the second zone controller receives a control command for the second load device from the main controller, it may send a control command corresponding to the control command to the second device controller (e.g., edge device 220). The second device controller may control the second load device (e.g., control mechanism 300) based on the control command.

[0089] The second device controller (e.g., edge device 220) may transmit output information regarding the second load device to the second zone controller. When the second zone controller (e.g., zone device 210) receives output information from the second device controller, it may transmit said output information to the main controller. The main controller (e.g., central device 201) may receive said output information from the second device controller.

[0090] The second device controller (e.g., edge device 220) may transmit output information regarding the second load device to the second zone controller. When the second zone controller (e.g., zone device 210) receives output information from the second device controller, it may transmit said output information to the main controller. The main controller (e.g., central device 201) may receive said output information from the second device controller.

[0091] (Other Embodiments) The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the embodiments described above to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions. The technical ideas derived from the present disclosure are not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed, but are intended to include various modifications of the exemplary embodiments, or substitutions with equivalent structures or functions. The scope of the following claims should be given in the broadest possible way to include all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0092] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-006263, filed on 16 January 2025, and all of its contents are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. The system comprises: a main controller; two or more intermediate controllers, each connected to the main controller by a different first communication line; and one or more device controllers connected to each of the two or more intermediate controllers, each of which is connected to a corresponding intermediate controller by a second communication line and configured to control one or more load devices; wherein the main controller is configured to transmit control commands relating to image forming operations to the intermediate controller corresponding to the control command among the two or more intermediate controllers; each of the two or more intermediate controllers is configured to receive the control command transmitted from the main controller, transmit a control command to the one or more device controllers in response to the receipt of the control command, receive an output signal transmitted from the one or more device controllers, and transmit output information to the main controller in response to the receipt of the output signal; and the one or more device controllers are configured to perform control operations that control the one or more load devices based on the control command. An image forming apparatus configured to perform at least one of the following operations: generating an output signal based on a signal output from one or more load devices, and transmitting the output signal to an intermediate controller among the two or more intermediate controllers that controls one or more device controllers.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control command transmitted by the main controller includes the content of the control instruction transmitted by the intermediate controller and identification information of one or more device controllers to which the control instruction is to be received.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the two or more intermediate controllers has a storage unit that stores a first rule for generating the control command from the control command, and each of the two or more intermediate controllers is configured to generate the control command from the control command in accordance with the first rule stored in the storage unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first rule includes the content of the control command and identification information of one or more device controllers to which the control command is to be received.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein one of the two or more intermediate controllers is configured to control a plurality of device controllers among the one or more device controllers, and the one intermediate controller is configured to generate a first control command and a second control command based on the control command, transmit the first control command to the first device controller among the plurality of device controllers, and transmit the second control command to the second device controller among the plurality of device controllers.

6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the one or more device controllers have one or more registers associated with the one or more load devices, and the one or more device controllers control the one or more load devices by writing control information corresponding to the control command to the one or more registers.

7. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the intermediate controller is configured to transmit the contents of the output signals transmitted by one or more device controllers to the main controller as output information.

8. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the two or more intermediate controllers has a storage unit that stores a second rule for generating the output information from the output signal, and each of the two or more intermediate controllers is configured to generate the output information from the output signal in accordance with the second rule stored in the storage unit.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second rule includes statistical processing of the output signal.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the output information includes at least one of the following: identification information of one or more device controllers that are the source of the output information; and identification information of one or more load devices related to the content contained in the output information.

11. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein each of the two or more intermediate controllers is configured to generate another control command based on the output signal and to transmit the other control command to the one or more load devices.

12. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein each of the image forming apparatus has a plurality of different functional blocks, each of the plurality of functional blocks having: one intermediate controller from among the two or more intermediate controllers; one or more device controllers communicating with the one intermediate controller via the second communication line; and one or more load devices controlled by the one or more device controllers.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of functional blocks include at least one of the following blocks: a block on which a sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet is provided; a block on which an image forming means for forming an image on the sheet with a colorant is provided; a block on which a supply means for supplying the colorant to the image forming means is provided; and a block on which a discharge means for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed is provided.

14. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the one or more load devices include one or more of the following: a motor that rotates a rotating body involved in image forming; a solenoid that moves a member involved in image forming; and a sensor that acquires information necessary for image forming.

15. An image forming apparatus having multiple zones corresponding to multiple functions for forming an image on a sheet, comprising: a first zone controller located in a first zone; a first device controller located in the first zone and communicating with the first zone controller via a first communication line; a first load device located in the first zone and controlled by the first device controller; a second zone controller located in a second zone different from the first zone; a second device controller located in the second zone and communicating with the second zone controller via a second communication line; a second load device located in the second zone and controlled by the second device controller; and a main controller connected to the first zone controller via a third communication line and communicating with the first zone controller, and connected to the second zone controller via a fourth communication line and communicating with the second zone controller.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the main controller transmits a control command for the first load device to the first zone controller when controlling the first load device, the first zone controller, upon receiving the control command for the first load device from the main controller, transmits a control command corresponding to the control command to the first device controller, and the first device controller controls the first load device based on the control command.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the main controller transmits a control command for the second load device to the second zone controller when controlling the second load device, the second zone controller, upon receiving the control command for the second load device from the main controller, transmits a control command corresponding to the control command to the second device controller, and the second device controller controls the second load device based on the control command.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the second device controller transmits output information relating to the second load device to the second zone controller, the second zone controller transmits the output information to the main controller upon receiving the output information from the second device controller, and the main controller receives the output information from the second device controller.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the second device controller transmits output information relating to the second load device to the second zone controller, the second zone controller transmits the output information to the main controller upon receiving the output information from the second device controller, and the main controller receives the output information from the second device controller.

Images