JP7206901B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to image forming devices, and more particularly to image forming devices associated with flying vehicles.

In a large office space or the like, a plurality of employees often share and use an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) connected to a network. In that case, an employee sitting far from the image forming apparatus needs to travel a long distance each time printing is performed. Also, in long and narrow or L-shaped offices, it may be necessary to travel long distances to deliver printed materials to other employees who are sitting very far away. It is wasteful for employees to travel long distances many times to collect printed materials, and it is desired to reduce such work.

In recent years, the development of flying vehicles called drones has been remarkable, and print delivery systems using flying vehicles have been devised. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-87524 (Patent Document 1) discloses that "one or more unmanned air vehicles equipped with one or more image forming apparatuses and delivery cases for delivering printed matter output by the image forming apparatuses, and an information processing device that accepts print jobs from one or more user terminals, wherein the information processing device stores a print delivery destination of a user who sent the print job and authentication information of the user. a print request unit for transmitting the print job and a print request including the generated user information to the image forming apparatus; and receiving the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the print request. and a delivery request unit that transmits a previously specified delivery request to the unmanned air vehicle ([Abstract]).

JP 2017-87524 A

According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the delivery distance of the printed matter by the flying mobile body will become very long. Therefore, there is a need for a technique for shortening the delivery distance of printed matter by flying vehicles.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the background as described above, and an object in one aspect is to provide a technique for shortening the delivery distance of printed matter by flying vehicles.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other devices, a printing unit that prints paper, and a storage unit that stores positional information of a plurality of seats and positional information of a plurality of image forming devices. and a controller for controlling the image forming apparatus. The control unit acquires the delivery destination information from the print job received via the communication unit, receives the position information from the flying mobile object via the communication unit, and stores the position information of the seat of the delivery destination from the storage unit. The position information of the image forming apparatus is read out, and the flying mobile unit reads out the position information of the seat of the delivery destination, the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the position information of the flying mobile unit. Calculate the distance to reach the delivery destination via one of The print job is transferred to another image forming apparatus with the shortest delivery distance, and information on the other image forming apparatus is transmitted to the flying mobile body via the communication unit.

In one aspect, the storage unit stores identifiers of a plurality of flying vehicles. The control unit periodically receives the remaining battery levels from a plurality of flying mobile objects via the communication unit, stores the remaining battery levels in association with the identifier in the storage unit, and calculates the distance to reach the delivery destination. and the remaining battery capacity, the flying mobile body having the maximum remaining battery capacity after collecting the printed matter and delivering it to the delivery destination is selected.

In one aspect, the control unit acquires print settings from a print job, searches a list of image forming apparatuses capable of printing according to the print settings from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and obtains a list of image forming apparatuses capable of printing according to the print settings. The image forming apparatus to which the print job is to be transferred is selected from the list of image forming apparatuses.

In one aspect, the storage unit stores the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses and the functions of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in association with each other. The control unit refers to functions of a plurality of image forming apparatuses and searches for a list of image forming apparatuses that can print according to the print settings.

In one aspect, the calculation of the distance to reach the delivery destination includes calculating the predicted position of the flying moving object at the scheduled completion time of the print job, and calculating the expected position of the flying moving object when the flying moving object starts flying from the predicted position. calculating the distance to reach the delivery destination.

In one aspect, a print job can be set as a destination other than the issuer of the print job.

In one aspect, the image forming apparatus further includes a charging station on which the flying mobile body can land.

In one aspect, the control unit receives, via the communication unit, a print job whose delivery destination is the terminal from a terminal that has registered itself as a prescribed image forming device, and transmits the print job via the communication unit. The destination is received from the body, and based on the fact that the destination is the own device, the printing unit prints the paper without transferring the print job.

In one aspect, the control unit periodically receives the destination from the flying vehicle via the communication unit, stores the destination in the storage unit, and receives the print job from the storage unit. Browse destinations.

In one aspect, the storage further stores the current position of the flying vehicle and the delivery status of the print job. Based on the selection of one of the plurality of flying mobile bodies, the control unit excludes the flying mobile body whose delivery status is "delivering" from the options.

In one aspect, the image forming apparatus further includes a wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the flying vehicle. The control unit estimates the position information of the flying mobile object based on the wireless communication strength between the plurality of image forming apparatuses installed indoors and the flying moving object.

In one aspect, the storage unit further includes area information that divides the room into certain areas. The control unit manages the position information of the flying mobile object on a region-by-region basis.

In one aspect, the control unit manages the seat position information in units of areas. The delivery address information includes seat location information or area.

In one aspect, the storage unit stores user information and seat position information in association with each other. The control unit searches the storage unit based on the user information included in the print job, and acquires the seat position information.

In one aspect, the storage unit stores user information and belonging group information in association with each other. The control unit searches the storage unit based on the belonging group information included in the print job, and acquires seat position information of the plurality of users associated with the belonging group information.

In one aspect, the control unit distributes and transfers the print job to a plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the existence of a plurality of print job delivery destinations.

According to the present technology, it is possible to shorten the delivery distance of printed matter by a flying vehicle.
The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure showing an example of composition of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operational overview of a system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation in an office of a system according to one embodiment; 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 101; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a flying mobile object 102; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device 103; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an office map 410; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an employee table 411; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a seat table 412; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a mobile object table 413; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an office state corresponding to FIG. 10; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a device table 414; FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an office state corresponding to FIG. 12; 1 is an example flow chart of a system according to an embodiment; It is an example of the flowchart of movement distance calculation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of delivery of printed matter when using a function that only some image forming apparatuses 101 have. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an office state corresponding to FIG. 16; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of delivery of printed matter when the delivery destination is not the person who sent the print job; FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an office state corresponding to FIG. 18; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of delivery of printed matter to multiple delivery destinations; FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of an office state corresponding to FIG. 20;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the technical concept according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are given the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

<A. System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the system according to the present embodiment includes image forming apparatus 101, flying vehicle 102, terminal device 103, wireless device 104, and wired network 105. FIG.

The image forming apparatus 101 is connected to a wired network 105 via a wire or wireless. Further, the image forming apparatus 101 can receive a print job from the terminal device 103 via the wired network 105 and print it. Also, one or more image forming apparatuses 101 have a function as a server that manages position information of other image forming apparatuses 101 , terminal devices 103 , seats, and flying vehicles 102 .

Further, the image forming apparatus 101 may have functions of not only printing but also scanning of paper, stapling, and transfer of print jobs. Further, the image forming apparatus 101 may include a stand on which the flying vehicle 102 can land and a function of charging the flying vehicle 102 . In one aspect, an MFP may be used as image forming apparatus 101 .

The flying mobile body 102 collects the paper printed by the image forming apparatus 101 and delivers the collected paper to the terminal device 103, the seat, or a place where people are present. The flying vehicle 102 periodically communicates with the image forming apparatus 101 via radio. At this time, the flying mobile object 102 may communicate with the image forming apparatus 101 via the wireless device 104, or may communicate with the image forming apparatus 101 via a dedicated wireless device. Further, the flying mobile body 102 may incorporate a wireless charging function and be charged on a charging stand provided in the image forming apparatus 101 .

Also, the flying mobile object 102 may periodically communicate with a plurality of beacons in the office to acquire its current position and transmit its current position information to the image forming apparatus 101 . In addition, the flying mobile object 102 periodically communicates wirelessly with a plurality of image forming apparatuses 101 , identifies its current position from the strength of wireless communication with each image forming apparatus 101 , and sends the image forming apparatus 101 its current position. You may transmit the location information of the aircraft. In some aspects, a drone with multiple propellers may be used as the flying vehicle 102 .

The terminal device 103 is used by an employee in the office or a visitor. Also, the terminal device 103 is connected to the wired network 105 via a wired or wireless connection. Also, the terminal device 103 can transmit a print job to the image forming device 101 via the wired network 105 .

Also, the terminal device 103 may be capable of installing driver software for communicating with the image forming apparatus 101 . The terminal device 103 may download driver software from a web server within the image forming apparatus 101 or an external web server, or may install driver software from another storage medium. In one aspect, a PC (Personal Computer) may be used as the terminal device 103 .

The wireless device 104 is connected to the image forming device 101, the flying vehicle 102, and the terminal device 103 via wireless. The wireless device 104 enables devices connected wirelessly to communicate with devices connected to the wired network 105 . In one aspect, a Wi-Fi® (Wireless Fidelity) router may be used as the wireless device 104 .

A wired network 105 is a wired communication network including cables, etc., and is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 , the terminal device 103 and the wireless device 104 . The wired network 105 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) that communicates with TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). In one aspect, Ethernet may be used as wired network 105 .

In the following description, when image forming apparatuses, flying vehicles, or terminal devices are referred to as individual devices, the devices are image forming devices 101A to 101Z, flying vehicles 102A to 102Z, and terminal device 103A. Individual codes are appended at the end, such as ~103Z. On the other hand, when the image forming device, the flying mobile body, or the terminal device are collectively referred to as devices of the same type, the devices are represented as the image forming device 101 , the flying mobile body 102 and the terminal device 103 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an operation outline of the system according to this embodiment. Basic operation of the system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A terminal device 103A, an image forming device 101A, and an image forming device 101B are installed in an office. Also, one flying moving body 102A is flying in the office, and the current flying position of the flying moving body 102A is near the image forming apparatus 101B. The image forming apparatus 101A is physically closer to the terminal apparatus 103A than the image forming apparatus 101B. The terminal device 103A sets the image forming device 101A as a prescribed printer.

Assume that an employee wants to print text data created by an application in terminal device 103A on paper and have it delivered to his or her seat by flying vehicle 102A. First, the employee sends a print job to the image forming apparatus 101A via driver software installed on the terminal device 103A. The print job includes a "delivery request" for the printed matter to be delivered to the user's seat by the flying vehicle 102A as print settings. In one aspect, PJL (Printer Job Language) may be used for print jobs.

The image forming apparatus 101A acquires the current "destination" or "current position" of the flying vehicle 102A based on the "delivery request" included in the print job. The image forming apparatus 101A may periodically communicate with the flying vehicle 102A and internally store the flight position of the flying moving body 102A. May request ground and location information. In one aspect, one image forming device 101 in an office may be a management server that manages the positions of all seats, image forming devices 101 and flying vehicles 102 . In this case, the image forming apparatus 101A that has received the print job inquires of the management server about the "destination" or "current position" of the flying vehicle 102A.

Assume that the "destination" of the flying mobile object 102A is the image forming apparatus 101B. In addition, rather than the "distance A" in which the flying moving body 102A travels to the seat where the terminal device 103A is located via the image forming device 101A, the flying moving body 102A travels to the seat where the terminal device 103A is located via the image forming device 101B. It is assumed that the distance B' is shorter. In this case, the image forming apparatus 101A transfers the print job to the image forming apparatus 101B in order to minimize the flying distance of the moving flying object 202. FIG. In one aspect, image forming apparatus 101A determines whether to transfer the print job based on which of image forming apparatus 101A and image forming apparatus 101B is closer to the "current position" of flying vehicle 102A. Also good.

The image forming apparatus 101B prints the received print job. The flying vehicle 102A receives information about a print job being printed by the image forming apparatus 101B from the image forming apparatus 101A or the image forming apparatus 101B, and heads for the image forming apparatus 101B. After collecting the printed matter from the image forming apparatus 101B, the flying vehicle 102A delivers the printed matter to the seat where the terminal device 103A is located. After delivering the printed matter, the flying vehicle 102A may return to the image forming apparatus 101B that it passed through last or another image forming apparatus 101 that it passes through most frequently, unless it receives a delivery order.

An objective in one aspect of the system according to this embodiment is to minimize the delivery distance by the flying vehicle 102 or to minimize the battery consumption of the flying vehicle 102 . In the system according to the present embodiment, by transferring print jobs in advance between a plurality of image forming apparatuses 101 installed in an office, it is possible to minimize the distance traveled by the flying vehicle 102, which has a limited remaining battery capacity. can be done.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation in the office of the system according to this embodiment. An overview of the operation of the system in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the office is divided into certain sections, and an image forming apparatus 101, a flying vehicle 102, and a terminal device 103 can be arranged in arbitrary sections. The length and breadth of each compartment are the same, but in other aspects these lengths may be different.

As an example, the following description will be made assuming that the image forming apparatus 101A described with reference to FIG. 2 is positioned at "1-F" in the office. Similarly, the image forming apparatus 101B is located at "5-D" in the office. Flight vehicle 102A is located at "5-C" in the office. The terminal device 103A is located at "3-F" in the office.

A Beacon may be installed in each section in the office. By communicating with these beacons, the flying mobile object 102 may be able to grasp in real time which zone it is currently in. Alternatively, each image forming apparatus 101 in the office may have a wireless communication function. In that case, the flying mobile object 102 estimates its current position from the strength of wireless communication with each image forming apparatus 101 . Also, the wireless communication device for ascertaining the position of the flying mobile object 102 may be arranged not only on the image forming apparatus 101 but also at any position in the office.

First, an employee uses the terminal device 103A to send a print job including a "delivery request" to the image forming apparatus 101A. The image forming apparatus 101A obtains the "status", "destination" and "current position" of all the flying vehicles 102 in the office based on the "delivery request". The "state" includes two types of "delivering" indicating that the flying vehicle 102 is delivering printed matter and "free" indicating that nothing is being delivered. The image forming apparatus 101A acquires the "destination" or "positional information" of the flying mobile object 102 whose "status" is "free." It is assumed that the flying mobile object 102A is selected this time.

Next, the image forming apparatus 101A reads the pre-stored position information of all the image forming apparatuses 101 and the position information of the seat where the terminal device 103A is located. Calculate the shortest route to the device 103A. For example, when the flying mobile object 102A travels to the terminal device 103A via the image forming apparatus 101B, the moving distance is "5 sections". When the flying moving body 102A moves toward the terminal device 103A via the image forming device 101A, the moving distance is "9 sections". Therefore, it can be seen that the shortest route is the route via the image forming apparatus 101B.

Next, the image forming apparatus 101A transfers the print job to the image forming apparatus 101B on the shortest route. The image forming apparatus 201B prints the received print job. The flying vehicle 102A receives print job transfer information from the image forming apparatus 101A or the image forming apparatus 201B. Also, the flying vehicle 102A may head to the image forming apparatus 201B before or during printing by the image forming apparatus 201B, collect the printed matter, and deliver the printed matter to the seat where the terminal device 103A is located. After delivering the printed matter, the flying vehicle 102A may return to the image forming apparatus 101B that it passed through last or another image forming apparatus that it passed through most frequently, unless it received a delivery order.

In one aspect, the current position of the flying moving object 102 may be represented by the distance from each image forming device 101 to the flying moving object 102 instead of the grid section, or may be represented by coordinates as viewed from an arbitrary point. May be expressed.

In the system according to the present embodiment, for example, by ascertaining the position of each device for each area of a grid section, the print job is transferred to the appropriate image forming apparatus 101, and the efficiency of the flying vehicle 102 is improved. enable the delivery of generic printed matter.

<B. About the hardware configuration of each device>
Next, the hardware configuration of each device constituting the system according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. As shown in FIG. 4, image forming apparatus 101 includes print unit 401, panel operation unit 402, scan unit 403, control unit 404, image data processing unit 405, communication unit 406, and mobile unit communication unit. 407 , a mobile charging unit 408 , and a storage unit 409 . Storage unit 409 includes office map 410 , employee table 411 , seat table 412 , mobile unit table 413 , device table 414 , and delivery management program 415 .

A print unit 401 performs print processing on a paper medium or the like based on a print job or the like. A panel operation unit 402 is a user interface for the user to operate the image forming apparatus 101 such as scanning and copying. A scanning unit 403 scans a paper medium or the like and takes it in as data.

A control unit 404 controls the entire image forming apparatus 101 . In one aspect, the control unit 404 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), may refer to various data in the storage unit 409, and may execute a program. In another aspect, part of the control unit 404 may be implemented by an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or other circuit elements configured to perform specific processing.

An image data processing unit 405 processes scanned image data and received image data. A communication unit 406 communicates with an external communication device. In a certain aspect, a LAN (Local Area Network) port, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) transmitting/receiving device, or the like may be used as the communication unit 406 .

The mobile communication unit 407 wirelessly communicates with the flying mobile 102 to transmit and receive data. Also, the wireless communication strength between the mobile communication unit 407 and the flying mobile object 102 can be used for estimating the position of the flying mobile object 102 . Also, the mobile communication unit 407 may be included in the communication unit 406 .

The mobile charging unit 408 charges the flying mobile 102 . The mobile charging unit 408 may also serve as a landing stand for the flying mobile 102 . In some aspects, a wireless power module may be used as part of mobile charger 408 .

Storage unit 409 stores various data used in the system according to the present embodiment. Details of each table will be described later. In one aspect, the office map 410, the employee table 411, the seat table 412, the mobile table 413, and the device table 414 may be tables of a relational database, and these tables are referenced by the control unit 404. May be.

Delivery management program 415 is software for performing system processing according to the present embodiment, and is executed by control unit 404 . For example, the control unit 404 may refer to various tables in the storage unit 409 and execute the delivery management program 415 to execute the processing and the like described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the flying vehicle 102. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, flying mobile object 102 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 501, a sensor group 502, a camera 503, a communication unit 504, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 505, and a motor controller. 506 , a motor 507 , a battery 508 , a charging section 509 , a control section 510 and a storage section 511 . Storage unit 511 includes flight control program 512 and device cooperation program 513 .

GPS receiver 501 generally measures the latitude, longitude, and altitude of flying mobile object 102 by receiving positioning signals transmitted from four or more GPS satellites. However, the location where the system according to the present embodiment is used is indoors, and positioning signals from each GPS satellite cannot be received in many cases except near windows. Therefore, it is desirable that a transmitter that emits a pseudo positioning signal having the same configuration as the positioning signal is installed on the ceiling of the location where the system is installed. In this case, the pseudo positioning signal may include location information indicating where the transmitter is installed.

A sensor group 502 includes a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a compass sensor, and the like. Sensor group 502 is primarily used for flight control. The sensor group 502 may also include an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like for safety measures such as collision avoidance.

The camera 503 acquires images of the surroundings of the flying mobile object 102 during flight. Camera 503 may be used for recognition of a person or image forming device 101 . A communication unit 504 communicates with the image forming apparatus 101 and the wireless device 104 . It may also include the ability to communicate with Beacons in the office. The LED 505 notifies people in the office of the presence and direction of travel of the flying vehicle 102 by turning on.

A motor control unit 506 controls the rotation speed of the motor 507 . A motor 507 causes the flying vehicle 102 to float in the air by rotating the propeller. Battery 508 powers each component of flying vehicle 102 . In one aspect, a lithium-ion secondary battery may be used as battery 508 . A charging unit 509 charges the battery 508 . In one aspect, a wireless power supply module may be used as charging unit 509 . In this case, the charging unit 509 can receive power from the mobile unit charging unit 408 of the image forming apparatus 101 in a non-contact manner.

The control unit 510 controls the entire flying vehicle 102 . In one aspect, control unit 510 may be realized by, for example, a CPU. In this case, the control unit 510 refers to various data in the storage unit 511 and executes the program. In another aspect, part or all of control unit 510 may be a combination of circuit elements configured to perform specific processing. Storage unit 511 stores various programs used in the system according to the present embodiment. The flight control program 512 is software that performs flight control of the flying vehicle 102, and controls the rotation speed of the motor 507 via the motor control unit 506 based on the input values of the sensor group to control the flying vehicle 102. let it fly The apparatus cooperation program 513 transmits/receives position information, destination information, transfer destination information of a print job, and the like to/from the image forming apparatus 101, and collects and delivers printed matter. The flight control program 512 and device cooperation program 513 are executed by the control unit 510 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 103. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 6 , terminal device 103 includes an input unit 601 , an output unit 602 , a control unit 603 , a communication unit 604 and a storage unit 605 . The storage unit 605 includes an OS (Operating System) 606 , an application 607 and a printer driver 608 .

An input unit 601 is used to connect a keyboard, mouse, and the like. In one aspect, a USB interface may be used as input 601 . The output section 602 is used to connect an output device such as a display. In a certain aspect, HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Visual Interface) may be used as the output unit 602 .

The control unit 603 controls the terminal device 103 as a whole. In one aspect, control unit 603 is implemented by a CPU. In this case, the CPU refers to various data in the storage unit 605 and executes the program. In another aspect, part or all of control unit 603 may be a combination of circuit elements configured to perform specific processing. A communication unit 604 is used to communicate with an external communication device. In one aspect, a LAN (Local Area Network) port, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) transmitting/receiving device, or the like may be used as the communication unit 604 .

Storage unit 605 stores various programs used in the system according to the present embodiment. The OS 606 executes an application 607 on the terminal device 103 . The application 607 is software installed in the terminal device 103, such as text creation software. A printer driver 608 communicates with the image forming apparatus 101 .

<C. Various tables in the database>
Next, various tables included in storage unit 409 of image forming apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that it is not necessary for all the image forming apparatuses 101 to have the various tables included in the storage unit 409, and one image forming apparatus 101 may have the various tables. In that case, the other image forming apparatus 101 may inquire about information from the image forming apparatus 101 holding various tables at any time.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the office map 410. As shown in FIG. The office map 410 divides an office into certain divisions and manages position information of each division. The office map 410 is used to calculate the distances between devices and to determine the physical location of the destination of the flying vehicle 102 .

Referring to FIG. 7, office map 410 includes map identifier 701 , coordinates 702 and physical location 703 . The example in FIG. 7 is an office map 410 that manages the office in FIG. A map identifier 701 is an identifier assigned to each partition in FIG. Coordinates 702 are logical position information of each partition, and are positions recognized on software. A physical position 703 is actual coordinate information based on an arbitrary point.

For example, the coordinates 702 with the map identifier 701 of "M0001" are "1-A". "1-A" means the section where the terminal device 103E is located. The control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101 can acquire the position of the seat where the terminal device 103E is located by referring to the physical position 703 of the record with the coordinates 702 of "1-A".

The control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101 obtains the distance between the coordinates 702 when calculating the flight route of the flying mobile object 102 . After determining the flight route of the flying vehicle 102 , the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101 may transmit the destination physical position 703 to the flying moving object 102 via the communication unit 406 .

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the employee table 411. As shown in FIG. The employee table 411 manages information on each employee in the office. The employee table 411 cooperates with the seat table 412, which will be described later, so that it is possible to search for the destination of the flying vehicle 102 by employee name. Referring to FIG. 8, employee table 411 includes employee identifier 801 , name 802 , department 803 , and detailed information 804 .

The employee identifier 801 is an identifier assigned to each employee in the office. Name 802 is the name of each employee. The name 802 may be, for example, a full name, last name, nickname, or the like, as long as the individual can be identified. Affiliation 803 is a group to which each employee belongs. The affiliation 803 may be, for example, a company department, a project team, or the like. The detailed information 804 is detailed information such as the contact information of each employee.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the seat table 412. As shown in FIG. Seat table 412 manages the location of each seat in the office. The seat table 412 is used for specifying the delivery destination of printed matter.

Referring to FIG. 9 , seat table 412 includes seat identifier 901 , map identifier 902 and employee identifier 903 . A seat identifier 901 is an identifier assigned to each seat. Map identifier 902 corresponds to map identifier 701 of office map 410 . The employee identifier 903 corresponds to the employee identifier 801 of the employee table 411 .

For example, the map identifier 902 of the seat identifier 901 "S0002" is "M0004". Also, the employee identifier 903 of the record whose map identifier 902 is "M0004" is "E0002".

Referring to FIG. 7, the coordinates 702 with the map identifier 701 of "M0004" are "1-D". Similarly, referring to FIG. 8, the name 802 with the employee identifier 801 of "E0002" is "Kato". Therefore, it can be seen that the employee "Kato" is in the seat of the section "1-D" of the office in FIG.

As described above, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101 cooperates with the office map 410, the employee table 411, and the seat table 412 to search for who is in which seat, and to search for the purpose based on the employee name. It becomes possible to specify a destination for the flying mobile body 102 .

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the mobile object table 413. As shown in FIG. The mobile object table 413 manages the current locations and states of the flying mobile objects 102 in the office. The moving body table 413 is used for selecting the flying moving body 102 that delivers the printed matter.

Referring to FIG. 10, mobile unit table 413 includes mobile unit identifier 1001, IP (Internet Protocol) address 1002, current location 1003, destination 1004, status 1005, and remaining battery capacity 1006.

Mobile identifier 1001 is an identifier assigned to flying mobile 102 . IP address 1002 is the IP address assigned to airborne vehicle 102 . Image forming device 101 communicates with each flying vehicle 102 using IP address 1002 . In one aspect, each flying vehicle 102 may be assigned an IP address by imaging device 101 or wireless device 104 .

The current position 1003 is the position information of the flying mobile object 102 and corresponds to the map identifier in FIG. A destination 1004 is a destination to which the flying vehicle 102 is headed, and corresponds to the map identifier in FIG.

State 1005 indicates whether the flying vehicle 102 is delivering printed matter. If state 1005 is "free," then flying vehicle 102 has not delivered anything. If the state 1005 is "delivering", then the flying vehicle 102 is delivering printed matter. The remaining battery capacity 1006 represents the remaining capacity of the battery of the flying vehicle 102 . The data format of the remaining battery level 1006 may be "%" or "mAh (milliampere hour)".

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the office corresponding to FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the flying mobile object 102A is a mobile object identifier 1001=“D0001”. The flying mobile body 102B is a body with a mobile body identifier 1001=“D0002”.

The flying mobile object 102A is flying at coordinates “3-C” (current position 1003=“M0015”) in the office. Also, the flying mobile object 102A is heading to the coordinates "3-A" (current position 1003="M0013") in the office. In addition, the flying vehicle 102A has not delivered printed matter (state 1005=“free”), and can receive a new delivery command from the image forming apparatus 101. FIG. In addition, the flying mobile object 102A has sufficient remaining battery power (remaining battery power 1006=“78”).

The flying mobile object 102B is flying at coordinates “7-D” (current position 1003=“M0040”) within the office. Also, the flying mobile object 102B is heading to the coordinates "8-F" (current position 1003="M0048") in the office. Also, the flying mobile body 102B is delivering printed matter (state 1005=“delivering”), and cannot newly receive a delivery command from the image forming apparatus 101. FIG. In addition, the flying mobile object 102B has a low remaining battery level (remaining battery level 1006=“38”). The image forming apparatus 101 periodically communicates with the flying vehicles 102 to update the moving body table 413, thereby grasping the states of all the flying moving bodies 102 in the office.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the device table 414. As shown in FIG. The device table 414 manages the positions and states of the image forming devices 101 in the office. The device table 414 is used for selecting the image forming device 101 to which the print job is to be transferred.

Referring to FIG. 12, device table 414 includes device identifier 1201 , position 1202 , function 1203 , state 1204 , and mobile installation flag 1205 . A device identifier 1201 is an identifier assigned to the image forming device 101 . A position 1202 represents the position in the office of the image forming apparatus 101 and corresponds to the map identifier 701 in FIG.

A function 1203 represents the function and performance of the image forming apparatus 101 . For example, the function 1203 may include the print speed of the image forming apparatus 101, the presence/absence of the stapling function, the print speed, and the like. A status 1204 represents the current status of the image forming apparatus 101 . For example, the status 1204 may include information indicating whether the image forming apparatus 101 is printing, information indicating an error status of the image forming apparatus 101, and the like. By referring to the function 1203 and the status 1204, the image forming apparatus 101 can search for another image forming apparatus 101 that has the function of executing a print job and is in a standby state.

The mobile installation flag 1205 indicates whether the flying mobile 102 is landing or hovering over the image forming apparatus 101 . If the mobile installation flag 1205 is “0”, the flying mobile 102 does not exist on the image forming apparatus 101 . If the moving body installation flag 1205 is “1”, the flying moving body 102 exists on the image forming apparatus 101 . The image forming apparatus 101 can select the image forming apparatus 101 having the shortest distance from the flying moving object 102 by referring to the moving object installation flag 1205 .

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the office corresponding to FIG. 12. In FIG. The value of the device identifier 1201 of the image forming device 101A is "P0001". The value of the device identifier 1201 of the image forming device 101C is "P0002".

The image forming apparatus 101A is located at coordinates “1-F” (position 1202=“M0006”) in the office. Also, the image forming apparatus 101A is currently printing (state 1204=“printing”), and cannot immediately execute the next print job. Also, the flying moving body 102A exists on the image forming apparatus 101A (moving body installation flag 1205="1").

The image forming apparatus 101C is located at coordinates “3-A” (position 1202=“M0013”) in the office. Also, the image forming apparatus 101C is on standby (state 1204=“standby”) and can immediately execute the next print job. Also, the flying moving body 102A does not exist on the image forming apparatus 101C (moving body installation flag 1205="0"). A certain image forming apparatus 101 periodically communicates with other image forming apparatuses 101 to update the apparatus table 414, thereby grasping the status of all the image forming apparatuses 101 in the office.

<D. About the control structure of the system>
FIG. 14 is an example of a flowchart of a system according to this embodiment. The control structure of the system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S1405, the control unit 603 of the terminal device 103A transmits the print job to the prescribed image forming apparatus 101A via the communication unit 604. FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, a print job is described in PJL, and an instruction for delivery to one's own seat in flying vehicle 102 is also described in PJL.

In step S1410, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A analyzes the print job received from the terminal device 103A. In step S1415, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A determines whether the print job includes delivery designation. If control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A determines that the print job includes delivery designation (YES in step S1415), control proceeds to step S1420. When control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A determines that the print job does not include delivery designation (NO in step S1415), control proceeds to step S1470. In step S1470, the image forming apparatus 101A prints (executes the print job). Since the print job contains no delivery instructions, flying vehicle 102 does not pick up the prints.

In step S1420, the image forming apparatus 101A determines whether or not the flying moving body 102 exists on itself. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 101A determines whether or not there is a flying moving object 102 that is heading toward the image forming apparatus 101A as a destination. If flying mobile object 102 exists on image forming apparatus 101A (YES in step S1420), control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A shifts the control to step S1445. If flying moving object 102 does not exist above image forming apparatus 101A (NO in step S1420), control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A shifts control to step S1425.

In step S1445, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A causes the print unit 401 to execute the print job. The image forming apparatus 101A is the prescribed image forming apparatus 101 of the terminal device 103A, and is closest to the terminal device 103A. Therefore, if the flying mobile body 102 exists on the image forming apparatus 101A, the flight distance of the flying mobile body 102 can be minimized by having the flying mobile body 102 deliver the printed matter to the seat where the terminal device 103A is located. be possible.

In step S1425, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A calculates the combination of the image forming apparatus 101 and the flying moving body 102 that makes the delivery distance of the flying moving body 102 the shortest. Detailed processing contents will be described later.

In step S1430, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A transfers the print job to the other image forming apparatus 101 selected in step S1425 via the communication unit 406. FIG. At the same time, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A transmits, via the communication unit 406, transfer destination information of the print job to the flying vehicle 102 selected in step S1425. Hereinafter, a case will be described where the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A selects the image forming apparatus 101B and the flying vehicle 102A.

In step S1435, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101B receives the print job from the image forming apparatus 101A via the communication unit 406. FIG. In step S1440, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101B causes the print unit 401 to execute the print job.

In step S1450, the flying vehicle 102A collects the printed material from the image forming apparatus 101 executing the print job. The flying moving body 102A may head toward the image forming apparatus 101 before completing the processing of steps S1445 and S1440.

In step S1455, the image forming apparatus 101A transmits the delivery destination information of the printed matter to the flying mobile object 102A via the communication unit 406 or the mobile object communication unit 407. FIG. When the image forming apparatus 101B executes the printing process, instead of the image forming apparatus 101A, the image forming apparatus 101B sends the printed matter to the flying vehicle 102A via the communication unit 406 or the mobile unit communication unit 407. You may send the delivery address information. In step S1460, the flying vehicle 102A receives the delivery destination information via the communication unit 504. FIG. Note that the flying vehicle 102A may receive the delivery destination information prior to the process of step S1450.

In step S1465, flying vehicle 102A collects the printed material from image forming apparatus 101A or image forming apparatus 101B. Also, the flying mobile object 102A refers to the delivery destination information and delivers the printed matter to the delivery destination, ie, the "seat where the terminal device 103A is located".

In step S1475, the printed matter is delivered to the seat of terminal device 103A by flying vehicle 102A. After detecting that the user has collected the printed matter, the flying vehicle 102A may head toward another image forming apparatus 101 to collect another printed matter.

FIG. 15 is an example of a flow chart for calculating the movement distance. Detailed processing of step S1425 in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIG. In the flow of FIG. 15, "A" is the position of the flying vehicle 102 that delivers the printed matter, "B" is the position of the image forming apparatus 101 that executes the print job, and "C" is the seat position of the delivery destination terminal device 103A. , the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A calculates “the distance between AB+the distance between BC” as the delivery distance of the flying vehicle 102 .

In step S1505, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A searches for other image forming apparatuses 101 and flying vehicles 102 existing in the vicinity (such as in the office). The control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A may execute the process of step S1505 at the timing of receiving the print job, or may execute the process periodically. Further, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the moving object table 413 and the device table 414 in the storage unit 409, and communicates with the other image forming apparatus 101 and the flying moving object 102 via the communication unit 406. You may transmit a survival confirmation signal to .

In step S1510, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A determines whether or not other image forming apparatuses 101 and flying moving bodies 102 have been searched. If control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A cannot search for other image forming apparatus 101 and flying vehicle 102 (NO in step S1510), control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A proceeds to step S1505. to If control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A can search for other image forming apparatuses 101 and flying moving object 102 (YES in step S1510), control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A advances control to step S1515. Move.

In step S1515, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A acquires information on the other image forming apparatus 101 and the flying moving object 102 searched in step S1505, and updates the moving object table 413 and the device table 414. .

In step S1520, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the print settings of the print job and the device table 414, and selects the image forming apparatus 101 capable of printing with the designated print settings. The control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A executes the processing in the loop from steps S1525A to S1525B for each image forming apparatus 101 selected in step S1520. Subsequent processing will be described using the M-th image forming apparatus 101 (M-th loop) as an example.

In step S1530, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the print job and seat table 412, and obtains the seat position "C" of the terminal device 103A to which the printed matter is to be delivered.

In step S<b>1535 , the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101</b>A confirms whether or not the flying moving object 102 exists on the Mth image forming apparatus 101 . When the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A determines that the flying moving object 102 exists on the Mth image forming apparatus 101 (YES in step S1535), the control proceeds to step S1540. When control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A determines that flying moving object 102 does not exist on M-th image forming apparatus 101 (NO in step S1535), control proceeds to step S1550A.

In step S1540, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A sets the distance "between AB" between the image forming apparatus 101 and the flying mobile object 102A to "0". In step S1545, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A calculates the "delivery distance of the flying vehicle 102". Since the distance between the forming apparatus and the flying mobile object 102 is "the distance between AB=0", the delivery distance of the flying mobile object 102 is the distance between the image forming apparatus 101 and the seat position of the terminal device 103A "between BC distance of ”.

The control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A executes the processing in the loop from steps S1550A to S1550B for each flying vehicle 102 selected in step S1520. Subsequent processing will be described using the N-th flying mobile object 102 (N-th loop) as an example.

In step S1555, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the moving body table 413 and determines whether or not the Nth flying moving body 102 is delivering printed matter. When control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A determines that Nth flying vehicle 102 is delivering printed matter (YES in step S1555), control proceeds to step S1565. When control unit 404 of image forming apparatus 101A determines that Nth flying vehicle 102 is not delivering printed matter (NO in step S1555), control proceeds to step S1560.

In step S1560, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the moving body table 413 and determines whether or not the destination of the Nth flying moving body 102 is the Mth image forming apparatus 101. . When the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A determines that the destination of the N-th flying vehicle 102 is not the M-th image forming apparatus 101 (NO in step S1560), the control proceeds to step S1565. . When the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A determines that the destination of the Nth flying vehicle 102 is the Mth image forming apparatus 101 (YES in step S1560), the control proceeds to step S1570. .

In step S1565, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A determines that the Nth flying vehicle 102 cannot be used for the delivery of the printed matter this time, and shifts the control to step S1550B. In step S1570, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the moving body table 413 and acquires the position "A" of the Nth flying moving body 102. FIG. Note that the position “A” of the N-th flying vehicle 102 may be the expected position at the scheduled time when the image forming apparatus 101 of the Nth unit completes the print job. In this case, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A calculates the position "A" of the N-th flying vehicle 102 from the current position of the flying moving object 102 and the function 1203 of the M-th image forming apparatus 101. do.

In step S1575, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the device table 414 and acquires the position "B" of the M-th image forming apparatus 101A. When the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A completes the processing of the loop from steps S1550A to S1550B, the control unit 404 shifts the control to step S1545 to calculate the delivery distance of the flying vehicle 102 .

After performing the processing of step S1545, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A repeats the processing within the loop from steps S1525A to S1525B for the M+1-th image forming apparatus 101 again. The control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A repeats the processing in the loop from steps S1525A to S1525B, thereby obtaining the "flying moving object 102 Calculate the "delivery distance".

In step S1580, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A selects the combination of the image forming apparatus 101 and the flying moving body 102 with the shortest "delivery distance of the flying moving body 102" from the calculated result.

14 and 15, the image forming apparatuses 101 of the system according to the present embodiment transfer print jobs to each other in advance so as to minimize the moving distance of the flying vehicle 102. As a result, the battery consumption of the flying vehicle 102 can be suppressed.

<E. Application examples>
Next, the operation of each example of the system according to the present embodiment and the method of referring to various tables will be described.

(E-1. When using functions that are only available in some image forming apparatuses)
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of delivery of printed matter when using functions that are only available in some image forming apparatuses. The user of the terminal device 103A wants the flying vehicle 102 to carry the stapled printed matter to his or her seat. The image forming apparatuses 101A and 101B do not have a stapling function, and the image forming apparatus 101C has a stapling function. Further, the image forming apparatus 101B is closer to the terminal device 103A than the image forming apparatus 101C.

The terminal device 103A transmits a print job including delivery designation and stapling processing instruction to the self-device to the image forming device 101A registered in the self-device as the prescribed image forming device 101 . The image forming apparatus 101A analyzes the print job and detects that the print job includes "designation of delivery" and "instruction of stapling".

First, the image forming apparatus 101A acquires the seat position of the delivery destination. When the delivery destination is specified by the employee name, the image forming apparatus 101A searches the name 802 column of the employee table 411 and acquires the corresponding employee identifier 801 . Next, the image forming apparatus 101A searches the seat table 412 based on the acquired employee identifier 801 and acquires the corresponding map identifier 902 . Next, the image forming apparatus 101A acquires the physical location 703 of the delivery destination by searching the office map 410 based on the acquired map identifier 902 . When the delivery destination is specified by the seat name, the image forming apparatus 101A starts searching from the seat table 412. FIG.

Next, the image forming apparatus 101A refers to the function 1203 column of the apparatus table 414 and acquires the position of the image forming apparatus 101 capable of stapling. At the same time, it is determined whether or not the flying mobile object 102 exists on the searched image forming apparatus 101 . The image forming apparatus 101A refers to the function 1203 column of the apparatus table 414 and acquires the apparatus identifier 1201, the position 1202, and the mobile installation flag 1205 of the image forming apparatus 101 having the stapling function. Note that the image forming apparatus 101A may exclude image forming apparatuses 101 whose status 1204 is "printing", "broken down", etc., and cannot immediately execute a print job from the search results. Next, the image forming apparatus 101A acquires the physical location 703 of the delivery destination by searching the office map 410 based on the acquired location 1202 .

Next, the image forming apparatus 101A acquires the current position and destination of the flying vehicle 102 capable of delivering printed matter. The image forming apparatus 101A searches the mobile object table 413 and obtains the IP address 1002, current location 1003, and destination 1004 of the flying mobile object 102 whose status 1005 is "free". IP address 1002 is used for communication with airborne vehicle 102 .

As described above, the image forming apparatus 101A acquires information on the delivery destination, the image forming apparatus 101, and the flying vehicle 102, and executes the flow of FIG. You can choose a combination of

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the office corresponding to FIG. Since the flying vehicle 102A is in the immediate vicinity of the image forming apparatus 101B, if the image forming apparatus 101B executes the print job, the print delivery distance is the shortest. However, since the image forming apparatus 101B does not have a stapling function, the image forming apparatus 101A excludes the image forming apparatus 101B from candidates for the transfer destination of the print job. Then, the image forming apparatus 101A selects the image forming apparatus 101C having the stapling function, and transmits an instruction to the flying vehicle 102A to collect the printed matter from the image forming apparatus 101C.

(E-2. When delivering printed matter to someone other than yourself)
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of delivery of printed matter when the delivery destination is not the person who sent the print job. The user of terminal device 103E wants flight vehicle 102 to carry the printed matter to the seat of the user of terminal device 103F. The image forming device 101C is the prescribed image forming device 101 of the terminal device 103E. The image forming device 101D is the image forming device 101 closest to the seat where the terminal device 103F is located. The flying vehicle 102B is flying near the image forming apparatus 101D.

The terminal device 103E transmits a print job including a delivery designation to the seat of the terminal device 103F to the image forming device 101C registered in itself as the prescribed image forming device 101. FIG. The terminal device 103E may allow the user to select a delivery destination based on the office map 410, the employee table 411, and the seat table 412 acquired from the image forming apparatus 101A on the print setting screen displayed to the user. The image forming apparatus 101C analyzes the print job and detects that the print job includes "delivery designation".

Image forming apparatus 101C refers to office map 410, employee table 411, seat table 412, moving body table 413, and device table 414 in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. select. When the image forming apparatus 101A manages various tables, the image forming apparatus 101C can perform processing similar to that described with reference to FIG. 16 by inquiring the image forming apparatus 101A about information on the various tables.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the office corresponding to FIG. The terminal device 103E transmits the print job to the image forming device 101C. The image forming apparatus 101C selects a combination of the image forming apparatus 101D and the flying vehicle 102B, for example, by inquiring of the image forming apparatus 101A. Image forming apparatus 101C transfers the print job to image forming apparatus 101D. The image forming apparatus 101D executes the received print job. The flying vehicle 102B collects the printed matter from the image forming apparatus 101D and delivers the printed matter to the seat where the terminal device 103F is located.

(E-3. When delivering printed matter to multiple people)
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of delivery of printed matter to multiple delivery destinations. The user of the terminal device 103E wants the flying vehicle 102 to carry the printed matter to the seat of the user who belongs to the "Sales Department". "User of terminal device 103A (Sato)", "user of terminal device 103D (Kato)", and "user of terminal device 103E (Tanaka)" belong to the sales department.

The terminal device 103E transmits a print job including a delivery designation to an employee belonging to the sales department to the image forming device 101C, which is registered as the prescribed image forming device 101 in the terminal device 103E. The terminal device 103E may allow the user to select a delivery destination for each affiliation 803 of the employee table 411 acquired from the image forming apparatus 101A on the print setting screen displayed to the user.

The image forming apparatus 101C analyzes the print job and determines that there is a "delivery designation". The image forming apparatus 101C refers to the office map 410, the employee table 411, the seat table 412, the movable body table 413, and the device table 414, as in the description of FIG. Since there are multiple delivery destinations this time, the image forming apparatus 101C may select multiple image forming apparatuses 101 and flying vehicles 102 . When the image forming apparatus 101A manages various tables, the image forming apparatus 101C can perform processing similar to that described with reference to FIG. 16 by inquiring the image forming apparatus 101A about information on the various tables.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the office corresponding to FIG. The terminal device 103E transmits the print job to the image forming device 101C. For example, the image forming apparatus 101C selects a combination of the image forming apparatus 101C and the flying vehicle 102A for delivery of printed matter to the image forming apparatus 101A by inquiring of the image forming apparatus 101A. Further, image forming apparatus 101C selects a combination of image forming apparatus 101A, image forming apparatus 101B, and flying vehicle 102B for delivery of printed matter to the seat where terminal apparatus 103A and terminal apparatus 103D are located.

(E-4. When selecting a flying mobile object according to remaining battery power)
The flying vehicles 102 to deliver the printed material may be selected based on the remaining battery power of each flying vehicle 102 . For example, in step S1515 of the flowchart of FIG. 15, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A acquires the remaining battery level of each flying mobile object 102 by referring to the remaining battery level 1006 of the mobile object table 413. FIG.

In step S1545, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A calculates the battery consumption amount of the flying vehicle 102 and the remaining battery level after delivery based on the delivery distance. In step S1580, the control unit 404 of the image forming apparatus 101A selects the flying vehicle 102 with the highest remaining battery level after delivery.

By selecting the flying mobile body 102 based on the remaining battery capacity and the battery consumption as described above, the flying mobile body 102 can be operated efficiently. Also, the image forming apparatus 101 may select the flying mobile object 102 based on a combination of delivery distance, battery consumption, and remaining battery level.

As described in detail above, according to the printed matter delivery system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to minimize the moving distance of the flying vehicle 102 when delivering printed matter. Additionally, prints can be efficiently delivered to any seat and multiple seats. Further, in a certain aspect, it is possible to select an optimum combination of the image forming apparatus 101 and the flying mobile body 102 based on the remaining battery level of the flying mobile body 102 .

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 101 image forming apparatus 102 flying mobile object 103 terminal device 104 wireless device 105 wired network 202 mobile flying object 401 printing unit 402 panel operation unit 403 scanning unit 404, 510, 603 control unit 405 image Data processing unit 406,504,604 Communication unit 407 Mobile communication unit 408 Mobile charging unit 409,511,605 Storage unit 410 Office map 411 Employee table 412 Seat table 413 Mobile table 414 Device Table, 415 Delivery Management Program, 501 Receiver, 502 Sensor Group, 503 Camera, 506 Motor Control Unit, 507 Motor, 508 Battery, 509 Charger, 512 Flight Control Program, 513 Device Coordination Program, 601 Input Unit, 602 Output Part, 607 Application, 608 Printer Driver, 701, 902 Map Identifier, 702 Coordinates, 703 Physical Location, 801, 903 Employee Identifier, 802 Name, 803 Affiliation, 804 Detailed Information, 901 Seat Identifier, 1001 Mobile Unit Identifier, 1002 Address , 1003 current position, 1004 destination, 1005, 1204 status, 1006 remaining battery level, 1201 device identifier, 1202 position, 1203 function, 1205 moving body installation flag.

Claims (11)

An image forming apparatus that cooperates with one or more flying vehicles,
a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other devices;
a printing unit for printing paper;
a storage unit that stores positional information of a plurality of seats and positional information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A control unit that controls the image forming apparatus,
The storage unit stores identifiers of the one or more flying vehicles,
The control unit
acquiring delivery destination information from the print job received via the communication unit;
receiving location information from the one or more flying vehicles via the communication unit;
reading the position information of the seat of the delivery destination and the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses from the storage unit;
Based on the position information of the seat of the delivery destination, the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the position information of the one or more flying vehicles, the one or more flying vehicles generate a plurality of images. calculating the distance to reach the delivery destination via any one of the forming devices;
Based on the result of the calculation of the distance to reach the delivery destination, the selected flying mobile body collects the printed matter and delivers it to the delivery destination with the shortest distance. forwarding the print job;
transmitting information about the other image forming apparatus to the selected flying vehicle via the communication unit;
periodically receiving the remaining battery level from the one or more flying vehicles via the communication unit;
storing the identifier and the remaining battery level in association with each other in the storage unit;
Based on the result of calculating the distance to reach the delivery destination and the remaining battery power, the remaining battery power after collecting the printed matter from the one or more flying mobile objects and delivering it to the delivery destination. An image forming apparatus that selects the flying mobile object that is the largest . An image forming apparatus that cooperates with one or more flying vehicles,
a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other devices;
a printing unit for printing paper;
a storage unit that stores positional information of a plurality of seats and positional information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A control unit that controls the image forming apparatus,
The control unit
acquiring delivery destination information from the print job received via the communication unit;
receiving location information from the one or more flying vehicles via the communication unit;
reading the position information of the seat of the delivery destination and the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses from the storage unit;
Based on the position information of the seat of the delivery destination, the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the position information of the one or more flying vehicles, the one or more flying vehicles generate a plurality of images. calculating the distance to reach the delivery destination via any one of the forming devices;
Based on the result of the calculation of the distance to reach the delivery destination, the selected flying mobile body collects the printed matter and delivers it to the delivery destination with the shortest distance. forwarding the print job;
transmitting information about the other image forming apparatus to the selected flying vehicle via the communication unit;
Calculation of the distance to reach the delivery destination
calculating an expected position of the flying vehicle at the scheduled completion time of the print job;
and calculating a distance from the expected position of the flying mobile body to reaching the delivery destination when the flight starts. An image forming apparatus that cooperates with one or more flying vehicles,
a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other devices;
a printing unit for printing paper;
a storage unit that stores positional information of a plurality of seats and positional information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A control unit that controls the image forming apparatus,
The control unit
acquiring delivery destination information from the print job received via the communication unit;
receiving location information from the one or more flying vehicles via the communication unit;
reading the position information of the seat of the delivery destination and the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses from the storage unit;
Based on the position information of the seat of the delivery destination, the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the position information of the one or more flying vehicles, the one or more flying vehicles generate a plurality of images. calculating the distance to reach the delivery destination via any one of the forming devices;
Based on the result of the calculation of the distance to reach the delivery destination, the selected flying mobile body collects the printed matter and delivers it to the delivery destination with the shortest distance. forwarding the print job;
transmitting information about the other image forming apparatus to the selected flying vehicle via the communication unit;
receiving, via the communication unit, the print job whose delivery destination is the terminal from a terminal that has registered itself as a prescribed image forming apparatus;
receiving a destination from the flying mobile object via the communication unit;
An image forming apparatus that prints a sheet by the printing unit without transferring the print job based on the fact that the destination is the own apparatus. An image forming apparatus that cooperates with one or more flying vehicles,
a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other devices;
a wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the flying mobile;
a printing unit for printing paper;
a storage unit that stores positional information of a plurality of seats and positional information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses;
A control unit that controls the image forming apparatus,
The storage unit
further including area information that divides the room into certain areas;
storing the user information and the position information of the seat in association with each other;
storing the user information and belonging group information in association with each other;
The control unit
obtaining delivery destination information including the seat position information or the area from the print job received via the communication unit;
receiving location information from the one or more flying vehicles via the communication unit;
reading the position information of the seat of the delivery destination and the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses from the storage unit;
Based on the position information of the seat of the delivery destination, the position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the position information of the one or more flying vehicles, the one or more flying vehicles generate a plurality of images. calculating the distance to reach the delivery destination via any one of the forming devices;
Based on the result of the calculation of the distance to reach the delivery destination, the selected flying mobile body collects the printed matter and delivers it to the delivery destination with the shortest distance. forwarding the print job;
transmitting information about the other image forming apparatus to the selected flying vehicle via the communication unit;
estimating the position information of the flying mobile object based on the strength of wireless communication between a plurality of image forming apparatuses installed in the room and the flying moving object;
managing the position information of the flying mobile object in units of the area;
managing the position information of the seat in units of the area;
searching the storage unit based on the user information included in the print job to obtain the position information of the seat;
The image forming apparatus searches the storage unit based on the belonging group information included in the print job, and acquires the position information of the seats of the plurality of users associated with the belonging group information. The control unit
obtaining print settings from the print job;
searching for a list of image forming apparatuses capable of printing according to the print settings from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image forming apparatus to which said print job is to be transferred is selected from a list of image forming apparatuses capable of printing according to said print settings. the storage unit stores location information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses and functions of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in association with each other;
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said control unit refers to functions of said plurality of image forming apparatuses and searches for a list of image forming apparatuses capable of printing according to said print settings. 7. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the print job can be set as a destination other than the issuer of the print job. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , further comprising a charging station on which said flying mobile body can land. The control unit
periodically receiving the destination from the flying mobile object via the communication unit;
storing the destination in the storage unit;
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said destination is referred to from said storage unit based on said print job being received. the storage unit further stores the current position of the one or more flying vehicles and the delivery status of the print job;
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the control unit excludes the flying mobile body whose delivery status is being delivered from options based on the selection of one of the one or more flying mobile bodies. Image forming device. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit distributes and transfers the print job to the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the existence of a plurality of delivery destinations for the print job.

Images