Image forming apparatus and image forming method

Abstract

An image forming apparatus of an embodiment includes a sensor unit, an operation identification unit, and an object detection unit. The sensor unit receives an electromagnetic wave and outputs information indicating a physical quantity of the received electromagnetic wave. The operation identification unit identifies an input operation to its own apparatus, based on the information indicating the physical quantity of the electromagnetic wave. The object detection unit detects the presence or absence of an object around its own apparatus, based on the information indicating the physical quantity of the electromagnetic wave.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
 a sensor that receives an electromagnetic wave and outputs information indicating a physical quantity of the received electromagnetic wave;   a display that displays information;   an axis of rotation that holds an end portion of the display such that a normal vector of a display surface is rotatable around an end from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction;   a position sensor that detects rotation position of display; and   a processor that executes instructions to perform operations, comprising:
 identifying an operation on the display surface based on the information indicating the physical quantity of the electromagnetic wave in a case where the rotation position is within a first range; 
 detecting a presence or an absence of an object around the image forming apparatus based on the information indicating the physical quantity of the electromagnetic wave, in a case where the rotation position is within a second range. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an input to the display.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 adjusting light reception sensitivity of the sensor,   wherein the light reception sensitivity is adjusted to a predetermined light reception sensitivity which is set in advance.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the normal vector of the display surface having the rotation position within the first range is more vertical direction than the normal vector of the display surface having the rotation position within the second range.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 adjusting light reception sensitivity of the sensor,   wherein the light reception sensitivity of the sensor is adjusted to a first sensitivity in a case where the rotation position is within the first range, and   adjusting the light reception sensitivity of the sensor is adjusted to a second sensitivity that is higher than the first sensitivity in a case where the rotation position is within the second range.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 identifying an input operation to the display based on an intensity of the electromagnetic wave received by the sensor, and   detecting the presence or absence of an object around the image forming apparatus based on intensity of the electromagnetic wave received by the sensor.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the electromagnetic wave is an infrared ray, and the operations further comprise:
 identifying an input operation to the display based on the infrared ray received by the sensor, and 
 detecting the presence or absence of an object around the image forming apparatus based on the infrared ray received by the sensor. 
   
     
     
         8 . An image forming method, comprising:
 receiving an electromagnetic wave and outputting information indicating a physical quantity of the received electromagnetic wave;   displaying information;   holding an axis of rotation of an end portion of a display such that a normal vector of a display surface is rotatable around an end from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction;   detecting a rotation position of display;   identifying an operation on the display surface based on the information indicating a physical quantity of the electromagnetic wave in a case where the rotation position is within a first range;   detecting a presence or an absence of an object around an image forming apparatus based on the information indicating the physical quantity of the electromagnetic wave, in a case where the rotation position is within a second range.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving an input to the display.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 adjusting light reception sensitivity of the sensor to a predetermined light reception sensitivity which is set in advance.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the normal vector of the display surface having the rotation position within the first range is more vertical direction than the normal vector of the display surface having the rotation position within the second range.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 adjusting light reception sensitivity of the sensor to a first sensitivity in a case where the rotation position is within the first range, and   adjusting the light reception sensitivity of the sensor to a second sensitivity that is higher than the first sensitivity in a case where the rotation position is within the second range.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 identifying an input operation to the display based on an intensity of the electromagnetic wave received, and   detecting the presence or absence of an object around the image forming apparatus based on intensity of the electromagnetic wave received.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the electromagnetic wave is an infrared ray, and further comprising:   identifying an input operation to the display based on the infrared ray received, and   detecting the presence or absence of an object around the image forming apparatus based on the infrared ray received.