JPH0425863A - Copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a copying machine that performs predetermined control based on a determination as to whether an operator is present near the copying machine. [Prior Art] Conventionally, a copying machine has been proposed which is equipped with a timer means and a guidance display means on the operating section, and displays a specific message on the guidance display means when the operator operates the operating section during a preset time band. ing. In this type of copying machine, the guidance display means is not only used to explain how the copying machine operates and display its operating status, but also to display greetings to the operator and the remaining time until the end of the work day. ing. By using guidance display means in this way,
The operator can use the copying machine efficiently by looking at the greeting display and the remaining time displayed on the guidance display means and planning the copying work setup. [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The specific message displayed on the guidance display means in the above-mentioned conventional copying machine is displayed when the operator operates the operation unit, so it is difficult to display other operational explanations or operations of the copying machine. The operator receives the message in the same way as the status is displayed. Therefore, the message gives a weak impression to the operator. This invention has been made in view of the current state of this type of copying machine as described above, and its purpose is to provide a copying machine with high added value that can impress meaningful information on the operator. [Means for solving the problem] The above purpose is to provide an audio output means for transmitting messages and operational explanations to the operator, and an operator detection means for detecting the presence of an operator near the device and outputting a detection signal. means, a clock means for measuring time, a memory means for storing various data, and when the detection signal is output in a predetermined time band registered in the memory means, a message is outputted by the audio output means. This is achieved by comprising a control means. [Operation] By configuring in this way, the predetermined time bands (for example, 30 minutes after the start of work and 30 minutes before the end of work) registered in the memory means
When the operator detecting means detects that the operator is near the apparatus in the minute), the voice outputting means sends a message (for example, a morning greeting or notification of the remaining time until the end of work). [Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Structure of the copying machine and its positional relationship with the operator] Figure 1 is an explanatory side view showing the relative positional relationship (distance) between the copying machine and the operator, and Figure 2 is the relative positional relationship (distance) between the copying machine and the operator. It is an explanatory diagram seen from a plane showing positional relationships (distances). In the figure, a document pressure plate 2 for pressing the document on a contact glass is provided on the top surface of a copying machine 1, and an operation display section 3 and a detection section 4 of an operator detection device are provided on the front side F of the top surface. . The operator 5 is set to operate the copying machine 1 from the front side F of the copying machine 1, and the detection unit 4 detects the presence of the operator 5 and the relative location range with respect to the copying machine 1. It has become. The detection section 4 of this operator detection device is generally known to be of an optical (for example, infrared wA) type or an ultrasonic type, and the operation display section 3 is attached to indicate which type is used. 1 and 2, for example, when an infrared beam 6 is emitted by the detection unit 4, the presence of the operator 5 is detected by detecting the reflection of the infrared ray 6, and in the case of ultrasonic waves, the outer edge 7 vertically between .8 and the outer edge 9. Areas in the horizontal direction are defined between the distances 0 and 0, and in these areas it is possible to measure the distance of the operator 5 to the front surface F of the copying machine I. If there is a reflective object within a predetermined distance within this range, , it is determined that operator 5 is present. When using the infrared beam 6, the beam is set to be emitted at the chest area of the average operator 5 because of its strong directivity. Normally, when operating the copying machine, the width is the width of the operator's arm plus the width of the arm at the chest position, so even if the position of the operator 5 is slightly different, there is no need to worry about the operator falling out of the detection area of the detection device. It is from. The detection position of the operator 5 is detected in as wide a region as possible because the detection area is one beam, and infrared rays (which do not spread like ultrasonic waves)
This is of great significance in the case of optical) systems, especially when operator detection is to be performed with a single detection device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the copying machine according to the embodiment as seen from the front side F. A contact glass 2 is provided around the top surface of the copying machine, and a document pressure plate 2 is mounted to press the document placed on the contact glass 12. It is rotatably attached to the rear side of the top surface. This document pressure plate 2 can also be replaced with an automatic document feeder. An operator card 13 is attached to the left side of the panel section where the operation section 3 is arranged, and it explains simple operation methods and abnormal displays, and a front cover 11 is attached to the front F of the copying machine 1 so that it can be opened and closed. There is. A main switch 15 is disposed on the left side of the housing of the copying machine 1, and inside the housing are a light source, a mirror, and a mirror (not shown).
A known electronic system consisting of an optical system consisting of a lens, etc., a photoreceptor, a charging charger arranged along its outer periphery, a developing unit, a transfer charger, a separation charger, a cleaning unit, a fixing unit provided on the downstream side in the transport direction, etc. The image forming/fixing system of the photocopying machine, and the paper feed tray 17 that feeds transfer paper from either the paper feed cassette 16 or the manual feed table installed on the right side of the housing in the figure, and the paper output tray 17 installed on the left side of the housing. It houses each part of the transport system, including the transport route for transporting up to FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the operating section 3 of FIG. 3. As shown in the figure, a display panel 18 for displaying various types of information is provided at the center of the operation section 3, and above the display panel 18, a detection section 4 of an operator detection device and a guidance display section 14 are provided. It is being Further, below the display panel 18, an automatic concentration key 19a, a temperature adjustment key 19b,
An automatic paper selection key 20a, paper selection key 20b, same size key 21a, enlargement key 21b, and reduction key 21c are provided, respectively. Furthermore, on the right side of the display panel 18, a numeric keypad 22 is provided.
, an enter key 23, a start key 24, a guidance key 25, etc., and a key group and display group 28 mainly related to copy execution, which have various displays such as a guidance key display 26, a timer display 27, etc. has been done. On the other hand, on the left side of the display panel 18 in the figure, a page continuous shooting key 2 is provided.
9. A key group and display group 34 mainly related to the copy mode are provided, including various keys such as a zoom magnification key 30, and various displays such as a centering display 31, a dimension magnification change display 32, and a sort display 33. There is. FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the display panel 18 shown in FIG. 4. The negative half of the display panel 18 serves as a paper display section 35, and the other half serves as an operation display section 41. The paper display section 35 is provided with a magnification display 36, a paper specification variable magnification display 37, an automatic paper selection display 38, a paper selection display 39, a paper size display 40, and the like. Further, the operation display section 41 is provided with a toner replenishment display 42, a standby display 43, a copy ready display 44, an automatic density display 45, and the like.

[Copy machine control circuit]

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control device for a copying machine according to an embodiment having various functions such as an operator detection device, a voice output device, and a timer. In the figure, a main board 200 as a control body includes a microprocessor 210, an R
OM220, RAM230, timer 2 as clock means
80 etc. are mounted on this main board 200, an operator detection device 500, an audio output device 600, and a display board 3.
10, a driving board 320, and a lighting board 325 are connected. The main hoard 200 also includes a driver 37.
0,380, signal processing circuit 390, paper feeding unit 360
, a duplex unit 80, and other various loads are connected thereto. Further, various AC loads 400 are connected to the driver 370, various DC loads 410 are connected to the driver 380, and various sensors 420 are connected to the signal processing circuit 390. Operator detection device 500 includes a signal processing section 510, a transmitter 520, and a receiver 530, and includes an audio output device 600.
are the voice synthesis controller 610, the voice synthesizer 620, and the R
Each of them includes an OM 630 and an output section 640. The operator detection device 500 is configured to output a detection signal when detecting the presence of an operator within a predetermined distance from the device. In addition, the main board 200
A timer 280 is provided as a clock means, and a time band of 30 minutes after the start of work and 30 minutes before the end of work, which is registered in advance in the memory means, is set in this timer 280. When the operator detection device 500 detects an operator and outputs a detection signal during this time band, the voice output device 600 outputs morning greetings or evening guidance. The display board 310 is connected to a display section 100 including a guidance display device [4] and a key and input section 102, and the drive board 320 is connected to a motor M1. M2. M3 is connected. A lamp 3j is connected to the lighting board 325 via a lamp control board 330, and heaters HTI and HT2 are connected via a lamp control board 340. The operator detection device 500 is the detection unit 4 of the copying machine 1.
The oscillator 520 emits distance measuring light (infrared rays) or ultrasonic waves in the direction in which the operator 5 is operating, and the receiver 530 receives the reflection from the reflecting object to determine the distance to the reflecting object. There are two types: optical type and ultrasonic type. Then, if the measurement results measured by these methods are within a preset range and continue to exist for a preset time, the presence signal of the operator 5 is determined.

[Detection principle of operator position]

Since the principles for measuring distance are different between light and ultrasound, we will first explain the principles of those that use light and those that use ultrasound. Detection by light> An optical system is installed on the operation (display) section 3 or document table of the copying machine 1, or in the vicinity thereof, to convert the output of the infrared light-emitting diode and the light-emitting diode into a narrow beam.
The machine is installed so that it faces the direction in which the operator 5 stands when operating the machine. A one-dimensional position sensor (Po
A site 5 sensitive device (PSD) is installed so that its elongated direction is in the direction of the distance from the beam emission position. Using the principle of triangulation, the distance to the object is determined from the data on the position where the PSD receives the reflected light. Due to the operational characteristics of the copier 1, the operator 5
may be operated in such a way as to come into contact with or come close to it. In this method, if the operator 5 gets too close, the light receiving section or the light projecting section may be blocked by the operator 5, or the reflected light may exceed the light receiving range based on the length limit of the PSD. There are cases where reflected light cannot be received. In order to prepare for the case where the operator 5 gets too close to the PSD and the position signal cannot be obtained from the PSD, the distance to the operator 5 is continuously measured, and the distance to the operator 5 gradually becomes closer. After that, when the reflected light cannot be received, the operator 5 determines that there is a reflected light. Another countermeasure under such conditions is to
When the operator 5 is not present, the detection gain is set so that the reflected light from the wall or ceiling behind can be detected, and when the reflected light cannot be received, it is determined that the operator 5 is present. Alternatively, when there is no moving object such as the operator 5 or a person passing by, detect and store the distance to a reflective object, such as a rear wall or ceiling, and detect objects farther away than the stored distance. When this happens, it is determined that operator 5 is present. This is because if the operator 5 is too close to receive the reflected light, the detection result will be the same as if the object was far enough away and the reflected light could not be received. The determination is based on the fact that this cannot occur unless the conditions under which the copying machine 1 is installed are changed. In these methods, it is not necessary to continuously detect the approach of the operator 5. Detection using ultrasonic waves> An ultrasonic speaker and microphone are installed on the operation section (display) section 3 of the copying machine 1 or on the document table, or in the vicinity thereof.
The copying machine 1 is installed so that its directivity is directed in the direction in which the operator 5 stands when operating the copying machine 1. The time it takes for the ultrasonic waves emitted from the speaker to hit the detection target, reflect, and return to the microphone is measured, and the distance is determined from the speed at which the sound waves propagate through the air. Since the emitted ultrasonic waves have a spread, they are not all reflected from the same distance, and the time it takes for them to return varies depending on the distance to the position where the ultrasonic waves are reflected. Therefore, signals received by the microphone include signals with various delay times. The distance of the object to be detected is determined based on the delay time of the signal that returns earliest among these signals, and if the distance is within a predetermined range, it is taken as the presence signal of the operator 5. When the speaker and microphone are installed far apart, if the operator 5 approaches the copying machine 1 extremely, one or both of them will be blocked by the operator 5 and will not be able to receive the reflection. In this case as well, the presence of the operator 5 is determined in the same manner as in the detection method using light. First, an optical operator detection device 500 using an LED that emits infrared rays and a photodetector (PDS) that detects a position using the reflected light will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of the PSD used in the embodiment. PSD is the output electrode 4a. 4b and a common electrode 4c, and a light-receiving surface 4 on the front surface.
d is provided. A current as shown in the figure flows through the output electrodes 4a, 4b depending on the position in the longitudinal direction of the light receiving surface 4d. In other words, when the spot light 4e hits the center, the current ■ generated in the output electrode 4a and the current I2 generated in the output electrode 4b are equal, and when it shifts to the right, 11<1. If it shifts to the left, iz<r+. 1+, the rate of increase/decrease in Iz is proportional to the deviation from the center of the spotlight 4e. Therefore, the position of the spot light 4e and I Z
/I I is a constant value and is unrelated to the strength of the spotlight 4e. That is, by calculating the current ratio, the position of the spotlight 4e can be determined. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a distance measurement method using PSD. In the figure, the detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500 is provided with a light emitting lens 4f and a light receiving lens 4h.
PDS4A is arranged behind each of h. Arrange like this and PSD 4. Using the ability to detect the position of the spot light 4e using A, the distance to the position hit by the emitted infrared beam can be determined by triangulation. The infrared light from the projection LED 4g is made into a narrow beam by the projection lens 4f and reflected toward the position where the operator 5 who is the object of detection stands. The spot light 4e reflected by the detection target is made to form a real image on the light receiving surface 4d of the PSD 4A by the light receiving lens 4h. The deviation d from the center of the spot light 4e is inversely proportional to the distance to the detection target, and the base line length S, the light receiving lens 4
h, PSD4A, and (7) distance Mr have the following relationship: f/L=d/S. As shown in Fig. 7, the output current of PSD4A is 1+, I
There is the following relationship with z. 1, = c / 2- d = c / 2- f
S / Ll 2 = C / 2 d = c /
2 + f S / L 12 /It = (cL/2+fS)/(cL/2
-fS) =l+cfS/L, (rz/Xl-1) is proportional to 1/L, and c,
Since f and S have values unique to the detection device, ■2/1. You can ask for mustard. In this method, the length of the PSD 4A required for short distances must be increased, but the accuracy is increased and it is suitable for detecting the presence of the operator 5 of the copying machine 1. In this embodiment, the presence of the operator 5 is determined to be determined when the distance measurement result is smaller than a predetermined value inside or outside 50011. Furthermore, in order to distinguish the person from a person who is simply passing by without using the copying machine 1, it may be determined that the operator 5 is present when the operator is within a predetermined distance for a predetermined period of time. If the operator 5 gets too close to the copier 1 and exceeds the light receiving range of the PSD 4A, or covers the light emitting part or the light receiving part, and position data cannot be obtained, the operator It is determined that 5 exists. However, as mentioned above, simply determining that the operator 5 is present when no position data is available may lead to an incorrect judgment in the event that the detection device malfunctions. It is also possible to avoid such a problem by using data before the data becomes unobtainable and setting the condition of the determination as being that position data is no longer obtainable as a result of the operator 5 approaching. Alternatively, distance data of ceilings, walls, etc. obtained when the operator 5 is not present may be stored, and when a distance longer than this is detected, it may be determined that the operator 5 is present. Detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500 in FIGS. 1 and 2
The installation position is set under the normal installation conditions of the copying machine 1, with consideration given to obtaining data based on reflection from the ceiling as distance data from the background of the operator 5. Since the copying machine 1 is installed in places with various lighting conditions,
It is necessary to distinguish between these ambient lights and distance measurement lights. Therefore, in this embodiment, the emitted infrared rays are 80
A wavelength between 0 and 950 nm is selected, and the PSD
Insert a visible light cut filter in front of the light receiving surface 4d of 4A,
The LED 4g is driven in pulses and only the change is taken out to measure the distance, and the driving of the LED 4g is limited to a predetermined interval, and only when the LED 4g is being driven, the detection current of the PSD 4A is calculated to obtain distance data. That's what I do. In this way, the operator detection device 5
There is also the effect that the detection unit 4 of 00 is no longer visible and the operator 5 does not feel uncomfortable. If it is invisible, it is possible to prevent it from responding in a way that is not intended by the design, such as intentionally avoiding detection. On the other hand, the ultrasonic operator detection device 500 uses ultrasonic waves instead of infrared rays, a speaker instead of LEDO, a microphone instead of PSD, and the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves in the air instead of distance measurement by triangulation. It uses FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an operator detection device 500 using ultrasonic waves according to an embodiment, and shows the detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500, which includes a speaker 4E, an ultrasonic oscillator 4B, a microphone 4F, and a receiver 4D. . code 9 and 1
The area between 0, 9' and 10 indicates the directivity of the speaker 4E and microphone 4F. Actually speaker 4
Compared to the distance between E and the microphone 4F, the distance between the detection unit 4 and the operator 5 is much larger, so the first
In the figures and FIG. 2, it is shown as an overall detection area. With this configuration, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the speaker 4E are reflected, received by the microphone 4F, the time from emission to incidence is measured, and the distance from the detection unit 4 to the operator 5 is L,
If the time from emission to incidence is d, and the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves in the air is V, then 1 = v d / 2, and ■ is a value of about 340 m/s. The distance can be calculated from the measured time d. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method of measuring time d. An ultrasonic signal with a constant period is applied to the speaker 4E each time a measurement is performed, and ultrasonic waves as shown in the figure are emitted. The emitted ultrasonic waves hit an object and are reflected, and the reflected waves are received by the microphone 4F. Ultrasonic waves reflect back from various objects within the solid angle shown as directivity, so the propagation paths are different, and the received signals have different times from emission to reception, transport, and amplitude. It is a composite of the signals. From this signal, the data of the signal reflected from the closest point is used as distance measurement data. Therefore, the received signal is amplified, its amplitude is limited by a predetermined limiter, and then detected to obtain the detected signal shown in the figure, and the time to its leading edge is defined as d. Then, from time d, the above equation is calculated to find the distance to the operator. The response when the operator 5 is too close to measure the distance is the same as in the case of the infrared method. Next, the operation of determining the presence/absence and presence range of the operator 5 based on the distance data between the operator 5 and the copying machine 1 obtained from the operator detection device 500 will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the range in which the operator 5 exists with respect to the copying machine 1. In the figure, the distance a is the distance a when the detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500 enters into the copying machine 1. The distance is calculated by subtracting the difference. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the location range of the operator 5 in which distances a, b, c, and d are further set, and can be used in the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 19. Therefore, from the copying machine 1, the operator 5
FIG. 13 shows a flowchart for detecting whether or not . In this process, first, in 5TEP 1-1, it is determined whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within a predetermined value a, and if it is determined that it is within the predetermined value a, it is determined that the operator 5 is present. The process proceeds to 5TEPi2, and if it is determined that the value is greater than the predetermined value a, the process proceeds to 5TEPI-3. 5TEPI-2 determines that operator 5 exists,
To apply that information to various controls, set the operator presence flag. In 5TEP 1-3, it is determined that operator 5 does not exist, so the "operator presence flag is reset." As described above, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. device 50
Based on the distance data obtained from 0, it is determined whether the operator 5 is present in front of the copying machine 1 or not. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for determining that the operator 5 exists when the operator 5 continues to exist within a predetermined distance for a predetermined period of time. In this process, first in 5TEP2-1 it is determined whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within a predetermined value a, and if it is within the predetermined value a, then the process proceeds to 5TEP2-2 for a time check. If the value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value a, the operator 5 does not exist, so the process proceeds to 5TEP2-7. At 5TBP2-2, the operator 5 checks whether the "time-up flag" is set to 1, which indicates that the time within the predetermined value a has continued for a predetermined time or more. If so, there is no need to check the predetermined time, so proceed to 5TEP2-5. “
If the time-up flag is O, it means that the check has not been completed for the specified time, so the next 5T
Proceed to EP2-3. At 5TEP2-3, a time-up counter (time UP CNT), which is a counter for determining whether the operator 5 has been present at a distance within a predetermined value a for a predetermined time or longer, is incremented by 1. In step 4, it is determined whether the contents of the counter have reached 100 or more. When this subroutine is checked every 511IS,
The predetermined time is about 500m5. This value can be freely set depending on the operating characteristics of the operator detection means 500 and the operator 5. In 5TEP2-4, if (Time UP CNT)≧100, it has been continued for a predetermined time, so it is determined that operator 5 is present, and 5TEP2 is executed for the processing.
-Go to 5. If (time UP CNT)<100, the predetermined period of time has not continued, and the processing of this subroutine ends. 5TEP2-5 sets a "time-up flag" to 1, which indicates that the operator 5 has been within a distance of a predetermined value a for a predetermined time or more. Next, in 5TEP2-6, it is determined that the operator 5 is present. Then, in order to apply that information to various controls, the operator presence flag is set to 1. If it is determined in 5TEP 2-1 that the value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value a, as described above, in 5TEP 2-7, since the operator 5 does not exist within the predetermined distance (a), "the time-up flag is reset to O, The contents of the time-up counter are reset to 0, and the "operator presence flag is also reset to 0." Figure 15 shows that when the distance data suddenly disappears after detecting the presence of operator 5,
12 is a flowchart for determining that a In the following explanation, distances a, b, c, and d shown in FIG. 12 will be used. The meaning and size relationship of each are shown in the figure. In this process, first, 5TEP3-1 determines whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within a predetermined value a, and if it is determined that it is within the predetermined value a, it is assumed that the operator 5 is present, and 5TEP3-1 Proceed to -2. 5TE if the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value a, or if there is no distance data (undetectable)
Proceed to the process of P38. In 5TEP3-2, since the detection distance is within the predetermined value a, the within a flag is set to 1. This flag is used to determine where the operator 5 is located within the detection range, and to check the moving direction of the operator 5 in combination with other flags. At 5TEP3-3, the "operator presence flag" indicating that the operator 5 exists is set to 1. At 5TEP3-4, it is checked whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within a predetermined value. If it is within, set the "within b flag to 1" in 5TEP3-5. If it is above the specified value, 5
In TEP3-11, "Reset the within-b flag to O."The within-b flag is also used for the same purpose as the within-a flag. At 5TEP3-6, it is checked whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within a predetermined value C or not. If it is within the predetermined value C, the within C flag is set to 1 in 5TEP37. 5TE if it is above the predetermined value C
At P3-12, reset the within C flag to 0. The within-C flag is also used for the same purpose as the within-a flag. At 5TEP3-8, the m3 or less flag is reset to O. Next, in 5TEP3-9, it is checked whether the m0 or less flag is 1 or 0. This is a process that makes it possible to determine that the operator 5 is present even if the detection distance becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value a when the operator 5 gets too close to the operator detection device 500, or even if the distance data is lost. It is. In other words, even if the detected distance is greater than the predetermined value a or there is no distance data, if the within C flag is set to 1, the operator 5
Since it is shown that the operator 5 has approached the copying machine 1 and has not moved further than a certain distance C from the copying machine 1, it is possible to determine that the operator 5 has come too close to the copying machine 1 (has entered the undetectable range). It is. If the detection distance is not within the predetermined value a and the "within C flag is not set, it is determined that the operator 5 does not really exist, and the operator presence flag is reset to O in 5TEP 310. FIG. 16 shows a copying machine. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the location range of the operator 58 with respect to the copying machine 1. Of course, when the detection unit 4 is inserted into the copying machine 1, the distance is subtracted by that amount. FIG. 17 shows the location range of the operator 5 according to the embodiment This is a flowchart illustrating another processing procedure for determining the object, in which the detection gain is adjusted so that distance data can be obtained even when there is no detected object, and when the distance cannot be detected, the operator 5 determines that the object exists. Also, the first
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure, in which distance data when there is no detected object is stored, and when a detection result that the object is farther than the distance data is obtained, the operator 5 determines that it exists. It shows. 1st
In the explanation of FIGS. 7 and 18, n, a, d shown in FIG.
use the distance of The meaning and size relationship of each are shown in the figure. First, at 5TEP4-1 in FIG. 17, it is checked whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within a predetermined value a. If it is within the predetermined value a, it is determined that the presence of the operator 5 has been detected and the process proceeds to 5TEP4-3. Predetermined value a
If it is above, the next processing step is S T E P 4
．． Proceed to -2. At step 5TEPI-2, it is checked whether distance data from the operator detection device 500 exists. If the distance data exists, it is determined that the operator 5 does not exist within a distance of the predetermined value a, and the process proceeds to 5TEP4-4 to reset the operator presence flag to O.If the distance data does not exist, that is, the distance If it cannot be detected, the operator 5 is too close to the detection device 500, and it is determined that the operator 5 is present, and the process advances to STEP 4-3 to set the "operator presence flag to 1." Further, in FIG. 18, first, at 5TEP5-1, it is checked whether the distance data from the operator detection value W500 is within a predetermined value a. If it is within the predetermined value a, it is determined that the presence of the operator 5 has been detected, and the process proceeds to 5TEP5-3. If it is above the predetermined value a, the next check 5TEP5-
Proceed to 2. 5TEP5-2 checks whether the distance data from the operator detection device 500 is within or above the data n measured and stored in advance in the absence of the operator 5. If the distance data is within n or equal to n, operator 5 determines that it does not exist and 5TEP5-
Proceed to 4 and reset the operator presence flag to O. If the distance data is n or more, it is assumed that the operator 5 is too close to the detection device 500 and normal distance data cannot be obtained, and it is determined that the operator is present. 5T
Proceed to EP5-3 and set the operator presence flag to 1. [Voice guidance control] Describe the process when determining the relative positional relationship between the operator 5 and the copying machine 1 as described above and performing voice guidance control. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating the voice guidance control operation of the embodiment, and in 5TEP6-1, it is determined whether the operator is within a distance from the copying machine and the "within a flag" is set to 1. A determination is made. 5T
If the determination in EP6-1 is YES, proceed to 5TEP6-2 and check the "output method flag" to see if the operator is within a distance of a from the copying machine and has given voice guidance. Judgment is made by If the "output method flag" is set to 1, it means that the operator is still near the copying machine after giving voice guidance, so RET is performed without doing anything. If the judgment of 5TEP6-2 is NO, 5TEP6-3
Then, it is determined whether the current time is past 8:30. If the determination at 5TEP63 is YES, the process proceeds to 5TEP6-4, where it is determined whether the current time is before 9 o'clock, and if the determination at 5TEP6-4 is YES, the process proceeds to 5TEP6-5. At 5TEP6-5, the "output method flag" is set to 1, and the program proceeds to 5TEP6-6 where the morning greeting voice guidance (
Audio output (1)) is performed. microprocessor 21
In response to the command signal from 0, the audio output device 600 outputs "
Good morning First of all, "Thank you for your continued support today."
Morning greetings such as ``Let's do our best today'' are output as audio. If the judgment of 5TEP6-3 is No, or 5TEP6
If the determination in -4 is No, the process proceeds to 5TEP 6-7, where it is determined whether the current time is past 17:00. If the judgment of 5TEP6-7 is YES, 5TEP6
-8, it is determined whether the current time is before 17:30, and if this determination is YES, 5TEP6
Proceed to -9. At 5TEP 6-9, the "output method flag" is set to 1, and the process proceeds to 5TEP 6-10, where evening audio guidance (audio output C2)) is performed. microprocessor 2
In response to the command signal from 10, the voice output device 600 outputs evening guidance such as ``00 minutes left until the end of work'', ``Thank you for your hard work today'', and ``Thank you for your hard work today''. If the judgment in 5TEP 6-1 above is NO, the operator is not near the device, so proceed to 5TEP 611 and
Reset the output flag to O. Also, if the judgment of 5TEP6-7 or 5TEPI-8 is No.
If so, it is not the time for guidance, so RET directly.
do. In this way, when the operator approaches the copier within a predetermined distance within 30 minutes after starting work according to the embodiment,
For example, "Good morning" from the voice output bag W600.
This morning greeting is output as audio. Further, when the operator approaches the copying machine within a predetermined distance within 30 minutes before the end of the workday, the evening guidance voice output device 600 outputs, for example, "00 minutes left until the end of work". In this way, in the example, 30 minutes after the start of the workday and 30 minutes before the end of the workday.
If the operator approaches the copying machine within 0 minutes, the morning greeting or evening guidance will be voiced, giving the operator meaningful information. [Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, in the present invention, when an operator approaches a copying machine within a predetermined distance during a preset time band, an audio message of information is output by the audio output means. . By doing so, it becomes possible to impress the operator with meaningful information, thereby increasing the added value of the copying machine.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

All the figures are for explaining the present invention in detail, and FIG. 1 is a side view showing the state in which the copying machine is used, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the copying machine, and FIG. 4 5 is a front enlarged view of the display panel of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the control device of the copying machine, and FIG. 7 shows the characteristics of the light receiving element. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a distance measurement method using a light receiving element, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a distance measurement method using ultrasonic waves, and FIG. 1O is an explanatory diagram showing a time measurement method. An explanatory diagram, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the range of the operator's presence with respect to the copying machine, FIG. 12 is another explanatory diagram showing the range of the operator's presence with respect to the copying machine, and FIG.
The figure is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for detecting whether or not an operator exists within a predetermined distance range, and FIG. Flowchart showing,
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining that an operator is continuously present when distance data suddenly disappears after detecting the presence of an operator;
17 and 18 are flowcharts each showing a processing procedure for detecting whether or not an operator exists within a predetermined distance range, and FIG. It is a flow chart explaining example voice guidance control operation. 1... Copying machine, 3... Operation (display) section, 4... Detection section, 4d... Light receiving surface, 4
e: Spot light, 4f: Emitter lens, 4h: Receiving lens, 4g: L
ED, 4A...PSD (light receiving element), 4B.
...Ultrasonic oscillator, 4D...Receiver, 4E
...Speaker, 4F...Microphone, 5...Operator, 6...Infrared beam, 7.8.9.10...Outer edge Part, 14・
...Guidance display device, 18...Display panel, 60...Document supply device, 100...
... Display unit, 200 ... Main board, 21
0...Microprocessor (control means>, 23
0...RAM (memory means), 280...
...Timer (clock means), 500... Operator detection device, 520... Transmitter, 530...
. . . receiver, 600 . . . audio output device (sound output means), 610 . . . speech synthesis controller, 620 . . . speech synthesizer. No.! Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 7 Fig. Subo/Gaiji position l Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 4 is D Fig. 10 Ward 1/ Ward Fig. 13 Fig. 16 Fig. 17 Fig. 18 →--1 Fig. 19 Figure D Procedural amendment (method) Case indication Patent application Hei 2 Name of invention Copying machine Amendment to person case No. 130222

Claims (1)

[Claims] voice output means for transmitting messages and operational explanations to the operator; operator detection means for detecting the presence of an operator near the device and outputting a detection signal;
A clock means for measuring time, a memory means for storing various data, and a control means for causing the voice output means to output a message when the detection signal is output in a predetermined time band registered in the memory means. A copying machine characterized by comprising: