Image forming apparatus capable of changing sensitivity of human body detection sensor when receiving disaster information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11068220-B2
Application number	US-201916597233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2019
Priority date	Oct 15, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, a human body sensor, a communication section, and a controller. The image forming section forms an image on a recording medium. The human body sensor detects a human body. The communication section receives disaster information. When the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller controls the human body sensor such that sensitivity of the human body sensor is raised to a level higher than that before reception of the disaster information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming section configured to form an image on a recording medium;
a human body sensor configured to detect a human body;
a communication section configured to receive disaster information; and
a controller configured to control the human body sensor such that, when the communication section has received the disaster information, sensitivity of the human body sensor is raised to a level higher than that before reception of the disaster information, wherein
the controller controls the communication section to send detection information indicating an installation location of the image forming apparatus having detected the human body.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when the human body sensor has detected the human body after the sensitivity of the human body sensor has been raised, the controller controls the communication section to send the detection information to an external terminal, the detection information indicating that the human body has been detected.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a display section, wherein
when the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller controls the display section to display an image relating to the disaster information.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the image relating to the disaster information includes an image exhibiting an evacuation route.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the image relating to the disaster information includes one or more images of an installation location of a fire extinguisher, a guidance route to the fire extinguisher, an installation location of an automated external defibrillator, a guidance route to the automated external defibrillator, a location of emergency food storage, and a guidance route to the emergency food storage.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the image forming section includes a fixing section which applies heat and pressure to the recording medium to fix an image formed on the recording medium to the recording medium,
the image forming apparatus has a first power mode and a second power mode which are power modes for supplying electric power to the fixing section,
the first power mode is a power mode in which the electric power is applied to the fixing section such that preparation for fixing the image to the recording medium has been completed,
the second power mode is a power mode in which the electric power is not supplied to the fixing section or the electric power is supplied to the fixing section at a lower level than in the first power mode, and
when the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller prohibits the power mode from being set to the first power mode.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising
a display section, wherein
in a case where the human body sensor has detected the human body before the communication section receives the disaster information, the controller controls the display section to light up and sets the power mode to the first power mode, and
in a case where the human body sensor has detected the human body after the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller controls the display section to light up and sets the power mode to the second power mode.

8. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming section configured to form an image on a recording medium;
a human body sensor configured to detect a human body;
a communication section configured to receive disaster information; and
a controller configured to control the human body sensor such that, when the communication section has received the disaster information, sensitivity of the human body sensor is raised to a level higher than that before reception of the disaster information, wherein
the image forming section includes a fixing section which applies heat and pressure to the recording medium to fix an image formed on the recording medium to the recording medium,
the image forming apparatus has a first power mode and a second power mode which are power modes for supplying electric power to the fixing section,
the first power mode is a power mode in which the electric power is applied to the fixing section such that preparation for fixing the image to the recording medium has been completed,
the second power mode is a power mode in which the electric power is not supplied to the fixing section or the electric power is supplied to the fixing section at a lower level than in the first power mode, and
when the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller prohibits the power mode from being set to the first power mode.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
when the human body sensor has detected the human body after the sensitivity of the human body sensor has been raised, the controller controls the communication section to send detection information to an external terminal, the detection information indicating that the human body has been detected.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising
a display section, wherein
when the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller controls the display section to display an image relating to the disaster information.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the image relating to the disaster information includes an image exhibiting an evacuation route.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the image relating to the disaster information includes one or more images of an installation location of a fire extinguisher, a guidance route to the fire extinguisher, an installation location of an automated external defibrillator, a guidance route to the automated external defibrillator, a location of emergency food storage, and a guidance route to the emergency food storage.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising
a display section, wherein
in a case where the human body sensor has detected the human body before the communication section receives the disaster information, the controller controls the display section to light up and sets the power mode to the first power mode, and
in a case where the human body sensor has detected the human body after the communication section has received the disaster information, the controller controls the display section to light up and sets the power mode to the second power mode.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Ohashi Akira

Classifications

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• G08B21/10

  responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes · CPC title

• G08B7/066

  guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip · CPC title

• G08B21/0469

  Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone (G08B21/0476 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/32106 Primary

  separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file · CPC title