JPH11122409A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely notifying trouble and also to listen to content of the trouble any time by notifying it by a user's specific button operation through a voice guide function while trouble is detected. SOLUTION: When a user presses a voice guide button of an operating part 1 while a trouble detecting means 4 detects the occurrence of trouble, a trouble notifying means 5 announces the content of the trouble as a level one through a speaker 6. Next, the voice guide button is pressed, it announces the content of the trouble and a simple way to cope with it and when the voice guide button is further pressed, it announces the content of the trouble and a clear and detailed way to cope with it as a level three and urges trouble processing. After that, each time the voice guide button is pressed, the trouble notification of the level three is performed when the trouble is not released. It also can notify trouble when any of operation buttons is pressed while trouble occurs in addition to the voice guide button.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a voice guide function, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus for giving a trouble notification.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile, when a trouble such as a paper jam or running out of toner occurs, an alarm is sounded to notify a user. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-62154, a message is generated in addition to an alarm. Thereby, the contents of the alarm can be known in detail.

[0003]

However, conventionally, an alarm or a message is output only once after a trouble has occurred. There was no way to listen again. In particular, a visually impaired person cannot visually check the state of the apparatus, so that the cause of the trouble cannot be estimated, and it has been difficult to solve the problem. Further, in some cases, the user may not even notice that a trouble has occurred.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which allows a user to easily hear the contents of a trouble when he or she desires.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure that a user involved in an operation is notified of a trouble as long as the trouble has occurred.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in an image forming apparatus having a voice guide function, an operation unit for a user to perform an operation and an operation for detecting an operation of the operation unit are provided. Detecting means, trouble detecting means for detecting trouble, and trouble notifying means for outputting the content of the trouble by voice via the voice guide function when a specific button of the operation unit is operated. An image forming apparatus is provided.

In such an image forming apparatus, when a trouble is detected by the trouble detecting means, when the user operates a specific button of the operation section, the trouble notifying means informs the contents of the trouble through the voice guide function. Output audio.

Thus, the user can know the content of the trouble by voice every time a specific button is operated. Further, according to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having a voice guide function, an operation unit for a user to perform an operation,
An operation detection unit that detects an operation of the operation unit, a trouble detection unit that detects a trouble, and when any one of the buttons of the operation unit is operated, outputs the content of the trouble through a voice guide function. And a trouble notification unit.

In this image forming apparatus, when a trouble is detected by the trouble detecting means, when the operation section detecting means detects that any of the buttons on the operation section is operated, the trouble notifying means causes the trouble notifying section to operate. Is output as voice via the voice guide function.

Thus, even if the user does not know that a trouble has occurred, if the user attempts to perform any operation, the contents of the trouble are reliably output as voice and the user is notified.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the function of the present embodiment.
The operation detection unit 2 detects an operation of the operation unit 1 including operation buttons and numeric keys. On the other hand, the trouble detecting means 4
Troubles in various mechanisms 3 such as a paper feed mechanism are detected. When a specific button of the operation unit 1 is operated when a trouble occurs in the mechanism unit 3, the trouble notification unit 5 outputs the contents of the trouble from the speaker 6 by voice.

Next, a specific example of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the multifunction peripheral. An MFP as an image forming apparatus is an apparatus that combines a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. The image input unit 10 includes a platen glass 11, a cover 12, a control panel 13, and a handset 14.
The platen glass 11 is for placing an original 11a for copying or facsimile. The document 11a placed on the platen glass 11 is read by an image reading device (not shown), and the read image data of the document 11a is temporarily stored in a memory and later used as a facsimile signal or a print output. Converted to an image signal.

The control panel 13 includes a liquid crystal display 13 a having a touch panel on a display surface, and an operation unit 13.
b. The liquid crystal display 13a is used to display an operation guide when using the multifunction peripheral as a copy or facsimile, and to display various setting data.
Various settings can also be input using a touch panel. Various operations such as a numeric keypad for inputting the number of copies and a facsimile transmission destination telephone number, a one-touch dial button for registering a facsimile transmission destination telephone number, and a start button for starting copying or facsimile transmission are provided on the operation unit 13b. Buttons are provided. The specific configuration of the control panel 13 will be described later.

The handset 14 is used during a manual facsimile transmission operation. The image output unit 20 has a printer engine for printing image data read by the image input unit 10, facsimile data sent from another facsimile device, or character / image data sent from a personal computer or the like on the upper part 21. The lower part 22 is provided with a paper tray for storing paper of various sizes.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of the control panel 13. The control panel 13 has a liquid crystal display 13a on the left and an operation unit 13b on the right. The operation unit 13b includes a numeric keypad 31, a manual reception button 32, a reset button 33, a stop button 34,
Start button 35, interrupt button 36, clear button 37, voice guide button 38, function switching button 3
9. One-touch dial buttons 40 are provided.
The operation unit 13b is also provided with a sound output unit 41, a volume knob 42, and an earphone jack 43.

The ten keys 31 are used for setting the number of copies and the number of copies, inputting a facsimile transmission destination telephone number, registering a telephone number to the one-touch dial button 40, and the like. The manual reception button 32 is used when switching the automatic reception mode of the facsimile to the manual reception mode.
The reset button 33 is used for canceling the entered value when the entered value is incorrect during various settings. The stop button 34 is used when the started function is stopped halfway.

The start button 35 is used to start a copy or facsimile function with the setting after the setting is completed. The interrupt button 36 is used when interrupting a job. The clear button 37
It is used when returning various settings made through the control panel 13 to the initial state.

The voice guide button 38 is used when executing all operations by voice guide. The sound at this time is output from the sound output unit 41 and can also be heard by inserting an earphone into the earphone jack 43. The volume can be adjusted with the volume knob 42. When the voice guide button 38 is pressed when a trouble has occurred, the contents of the trouble are output in voice.

The function switching button 39 is a button for switching whether to use the multifunction peripheral as a copy or a facsimile. One-touch dial button 40 is used to call a telephone number registered in advance with a single button.

Next, such a control panel 13
The configuration of the control unit of the multifunction peripheral having the above will be described. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the multifunction peripheral. The control unit of the multi-function peripheral has a main controller 51. On the board of the main controller 51, in addition to a processor, a memory, and the like, an RO storing audio guide data 52a is stored.
M52 is mounted. The main controller 5
1 is connected to a speaker 53 that outputs a voice guide, an error message, and the like by voice. This speaker 53
Is output to the outside via the audio output unit 41 of the control panel 13 shown in FIG.

The main controller 51 is connected to a control panel 13, a scanner mechanism 54, a print mechanism 55, and an NCU (network control unit) 56 via a bus 50.
The control panel 13 receives image data for displaying an operation guide from the main controller 51 and displays the image data on the liquid crystal display 13a.
In response to the input of various buttons on the operation unit 13b, the information is sent to the main controller 51.

The scanner mechanism 54 receives a reading operation command from the main controller 51 and performs a reading operation of a document. Then, the read image data is
The data is sent to the main controller 51 via the bus 50. The print mechanism 55 prints print data sent from the main controller 51 on a sheet. Further, the main controller 51 receives signals from various sensors provided in the scanner mechanism 54 and the print mechanism 55, and constantly monitors the operation states of the scanner mechanism 54 and the print mechanism 55.

The NCU 56 connects the telephone line to the main controller 51 when the MFP is used as a facsimile.
, And when the handset 14 goes off-hook, the telephone line is connected to the handset 14.

Next, an example of an operation relating to a trouble notification in the multifunction peripheral of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.
First, when the user presses the voice guide button 38 of the control panel 13, if no trouble occurs, the voice guide mode is entered as it is. On the other hand, if a trouble has occurred, the sound guide mode is not entered, and a level 1 trouble notification is issued from the sound output unit 41 or the earphone inserted into the earphone jack 43. That is, as the notification of the level 1, for example, in the case of a paper jam, “paper has been jammed.”
If the paper is out of paper, an announcement is made to notify only the content of the trouble "There is no paper of A4 size."

If the user clears the trouble by this level 1 notification, the multifunction peripheral is in a state of waiting for an operation from the user. On the other hand, if the audio guide button 38 is pressed again without performing the trouble cancellation, a level 2 trouble notification is made from the audio output unit 41 or the earphone inserted into the earphone jack 43. That is, for example, in the case of a paper jam, "paper is jammed. Please remove the jammed paper."
There is no 4 size paper. Add paper to the tray. ", The details of the trouble and the simple countermeasures are announced.

If the user clears the trouble according to the level 2 notification, the multifunction peripheral is in a state of waiting for an operation from the user. On the other hand, if the audio guide button 38 is pressed again without performing the trouble release, a level 3 trouble notification is performed from the audio output unit 41 or the earphone inserted into the earphone jack 43 this time. For example, in the case of a paper jam, "The paper is jammed. Open the lower left cover of the main body, remove the jammed paper, and close the cover." No paper. Please replenish Tray 1 with A4 size paper. "

Thereafter, as long as the trouble is not cleared, a level 3 trouble notification is made each time the voice guide button 38 is pressed. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure on the control unit side for executing a trouble notification. Note that this flowchart is started when the voice guide button 38 is pressed while waiting for a user operation. [S1] It is determined whether or not it is in a trouble state. If it is in a trouble state, the process proceeds to step S3, and if not, the process proceeds to step S2. [S2] The voice guide mode is entered. [S3] The level 1 trouble is notified. [S4] It is determined whether or not the trouble has been dealt with. If the trouble has been dealt with, the process proceeds to step S5. If not, the process proceeds to step S6.
Proceed to. [S5] The flow returns to the state of waiting for an operation from the user before the start of this flowchart. [S6] It is determined whether or not the voice guide button 38 has been pressed. If the voice guide button 38 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S7. If not, the process returns to step S4. [S7] The level 2 trouble is notified. [S8] It is determined whether or not the trouble has been dealt with. If the trouble has been dealt with, the process proceeds to step S5. If not, the process proceeds to step S9.
Proceed to. [S9] It is determined whether or not the voice guide button 38 has been pressed. If so, the process proceeds to step S10, and if not, the process returns to step S8. [S10] The level 3 trouble is notified.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when a trouble has occurred, the trouble notification is performed by pressing the voice guide button 38. Therefore, when the user wants the details of the trouble, the trouble is easily notified. You can listen.
Therefore, even if the first trouble notification is missed, the user can listen again at any time, and there is no need to make an alarm sound or an announcement for a long time, so that it is not uncomfortable.

Further, in this embodiment, as long as the trouble is not dealt with, the details of the notification are announced step by step every time the voice guide button 38 is pressed, so that even a person unfamiliar with the operation can easily deal with the trouble. It can be performed.

In this embodiment, the voice guide button 38
The trouble notification is performed by pressing the button. However, if any of the touch panel of the liquid crystal display 13a or the button on the operation unit 13b is pressed when a trouble occurs, the trouble notification is performed. Is also good.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another execution example of the trouble notification. Note that this flowchart shows that the liquid crystal display 13 is in a state of waiting for a user operation.
The process starts when any one of the touch panel a and the button on the operation unit 13b is pressed. [S11] It is determined whether or not it is in a trouble state. If it is in a trouble state, the process proceeds to step S13. If not, the process proceeds to step S12. [S12] An operation corresponding to the input button is executed. [S13] The level 1 trouble is notified. [S14] It is determined whether or not the trouble has been dealt with. If the trouble has been dealt with, the process proceeds to step S15. If not, the process proceeds to step S16. [S15] The process returns to the state of waiting for an operation from the user before the start of this flowchart. [S16] It is determined whether a button or the like of the operation unit 13b has been pressed. If the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S17. If not, the process returns to step S14. [S17] Level 2 trouble notification is performed. [S18] It is determined whether or not the trouble has been dealt with. If the trouble has been dealt with, the process proceeds to step S15. If not, the process proceeds to step S19. [S19] It is determined whether a button or the like of the operation unit 13b has been pressed. If the button has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S20. If not, the process returns to step S18. [S20] The level 3 trouble is notified.

As described above, when a trouble has occurred, the user is notified of the trouble even if any one of the touch panel of the liquid crystal display unit 13a and the button on the operation unit 13b is pressed. Even if the user does not know this, if any operation is performed, the content of the trouble is reliably output as voice and notified to the user. Therefore, even a person who is blind and cannot distinguish between buttons can easily find a trouble.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a trouble is detected, when the user operates a specific button on the operation unit, the contents of the trouble are outputted as voice through the voice guide function. Therefore, every time the user operates a specific button, the user can know the content of the trouble by voice. Therefore, even if the user misses the trouble notification, he / she can listen to it at any time, and he / she does not hear the alarm sound or the announcement for a long time, so that he / she does not become uncomfortable.

Further, according to the present invention, when a trouble is detected, if the operation of any one of the buttons of the operation unit is detected, the content of the trouble is output as voice through a voice guide function. Therefore, even if the user does not know that a trouble has occurred, if the user attempts to perform any operation, the contents of the trouble can be reliably output as voice and notified to the user. Therefore, even a person who is blind and cannot distinguish between buttons can easily find a trouble.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the function of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the multifunction peripheral.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of a control panel.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the multifunction peripheral.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure on the control unit side for executing a trouble notification.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another example of execution of a trouble notification.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation part 2 Operation detection means 3 Mechanism part 4 Trouble detection means 5 Trouble notification means 6 Speaker 10 Image input part 13 Control panel 13a Liquid crystal display 13b Operation part 20 Image output part 31 Numeric keypad 38 Voice guide button 41 Audio output part 51 Main Controller 52 ROM 52a Voice guide data 53 Speaker 54 Scanner mechanism 55 Print mechanism

Claims (5)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus having a voice guide function, an operation unit for a user to perform an operation, an operation detection unit for detecting an operation of the operation unit, a trouble detection unit for detecting a trouble, and the operation An image forming apparatus comprising: a trouble notifying unit that outputs a sound of the content of the trouble via the voice guide function when a specific button of the unit is operated. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific button is an operation command button for the voice guide function. 3. The trouble notification means is configured to change the trouble notification stepwise to detailed contents every time the specific button is pressed while the trouble is occurring. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 4. An image forming apparatus having a voice guide function, an operation unit for a user to perform an operation, an operation detection unit for detecting an operation of the operation unit, a trouble detection unit for detecting a trouble, and the operation An image forming apparatus comprising: a trouble notifying unit that outputs a sound of the content of the trouble via a voice guide function when one of the buttons of the unit is operated. 5. The trouble notification means is characterized in that, while the trouble is occurring, the trouble notification is changed stepwise to detailed contents every time the button is pressed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.