Apparatus comprising plurality of operation units and image forming apparatus

• US 20070086037A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Motoyama, Eiichi, Hombo, Tsunao, Yaginuma, Masatoshi, Sakai, Akihiko, Watanabe, Masao, Kitahara, Toshihiko, Into, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,422,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00

Abstract

An apparatus is provided that can perform. distributed control for a plurality of operation units, without concentrating control in a single device. The apparatus includes a plurality of modules that respectively correspond to a plurality of operation units, each module including a communication device, a functional block setting device and a functional block connected with a corresponding operation unit. The functional block has a register that holds, in an updateable condition, control values relating to various controls of the corresponding operation unit. Each module is triggered by an operation start signal input to a start terminal of the communication device to start an operation for controlling a corresponding operation unit in accordance with each control value held in the register device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a plurality of operation units, and a plurality of modules that correspond respectively to the plurality of operation units, the plurality of modules having:

a control value holding device that holds a control value for controlling a corresponding operation unit;

a control device that autonomously controls a corresponding operation unit in accordance with a control value that is held by the control value holding device; and

a communication device that receives, at least, a common trigger signal that is sent simultaneously to the plurality of modules;

wherein the control device, upon receiving the trigger signal from the communication device, shifts to a state in which control of a corresponding operation unit is enabled.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is a signal designating start of operation that is sent from outside or from a specific module among the plurality of modules.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a specific module among the plurality of modules outputs a reference signal as an operating reference for other modules.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of modules has a control value setting device for updating a control value held in the control value holding device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of modules has an operating state holding device that holds an operating state of a corresponding operation unit, and

the plurality of modules can refer to an operating state that is held in the operating state holding device of each module through the communication device of each module.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of operation units, which forms an image on a sheet by the respective operations of the operation units, further comprising a plurality of modules that correspond respectively to the plurality of operation units, the plurality of modules having:

a control value holding device that holds a control value for controlling a corresponding operation unit;

a control device that autonomously controls a corresponding operation unit in accordance with a control value that is held in the control value holding device; and

a communication device that receives, at least, a common trigger signal that is sent simultaneously to the plurality of modules;

wherein the control device, upon receiving the trigger signal from-the communication device, shifts to a state in which control of a corresponding operation unit is enabled.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of operation units include a laser scanner unit, an image forming process unit, a sheet feeding unit, a sheet conveying unit, a fixing unit and a finisher unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the trigger signal is a signal designating start of image formation.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a specific module among the plurality of modules outputs a reference signal as an operating reference for other modules.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an operating mode setting device that sets an operating mode relating to image formation, wherein

each of the plurality of modules has a control value setting device for setting a control value corresponding to the set operating mode in the control value-holding device.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of modules has an operating state holding device that holds an operating state of a corresponding operation unit, and

the plurality of modules can refer to an operating state that is held in the operating state holding device of each module through the, communication device of each module.