JP2007128408A - Operating panel for office automation equipment and office automation equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operating panel for OA equipment for enabling an able-bodied person, of course, and even a disabled person (even disabled person staying in wheelchair) to safely and easily operate the operating panel and OA equipment for enabling the disabled person to safely and easily perform operation about the operating panel. <P>SOLUTION: The operating panel 1 for OA equipment fixedly installed in an OA equipment MFP main body includes a screen 11 having a surface that curvedly comes down from a deep side toward this side to perform display at an EL (electro luminescence) element and a transparent touch panel 12 arranged over the screen 11. The touch panel 12 is provided with an operation area shift indication part b for shifting an operation area (a) displayed on the screen between the deep side and this side, and the operation area (a) can be shifted along the curved screen surface in the direction of the deep side and this side and an up/down direction by an operation of the indication part b. The OA equipment MFP is provided with the operating panel 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation panel for OA equipment such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, an electrophotographic system such as a multifunction machine combining two or more of these, an electrostatic recording system, and the like, and the operation panel. It relates to the OA equipment provided.

  An apparatus called an OA (office automation) apparatus such as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer is usually provided with an operation panel. For example, taking a copying machine as an example, a numeric keypad for designating the number of copies, a size designation key for designating the size of copy paper, a key for instructing the start of copying, or an area for displaying various information, etc. An operation panel is provided.

  On the other hand, recently, attention has been paid to UD (universal design) support in products in various fields, and the same applies to OA equipment, and UD support is required for its operation unit and the like. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-246114, as an operation panel for an image forming apparatus or the like, display contents can be easily confirmed and key operations can be performed even when a physically handicapped person or a disabled person sits in a wheelchair. Describes an operation panel in which the mounting angle can be changed.

  Such an operation panel capable of changing the mounting angle is generally shown in FIGS. That is, the operation panel P is rotatably connected to the main body part Bd of the image forming apparatus or the like, and the front side part pf of the panel can be moved up and down, thereby changing the panel mounting angle.

  To change the mounting angle, pull the lever L on the front side to release the lock (not shown) and set the operation / display surface ps to an appropriate angle in the range from the small horizontal angle θ to the large horizontal angle θ ′. It can be done. When the lever L is released, the lever returns to the original position and the operation / display surface ps can be locked at a desired angle.

  Depending on the operator, for example, the angle θ (about 7 °) to the angle θ ′ (about 45 °) is set so that the operation / display surface ps is a surface substantially orthogonal to the operator's line of sight (A, B). The angle from the equipment installation floor to the operation / display surface ps of the operation panel is about 1000 mm to 1050 mm when the angle θ is about 7 °. The display contents can be easily confirmed and the keys can be operated even when a physically handicapped person or a physically handicapped person is sitting on a wheelchair.

JP 2003-246114 A

  However, in the adjustment of the operation panel angle by lever operation, it may be difficult for a non-healthy person with limited hand movement or the like to pull the lever itself, which is more difficult than a normal person can imagine. It is pointed out that there may be cases. There have also been contrivances such as pulling a lever on a string, and this has improved the difficulty of lever operation to some extent, but it is still not satisfactory.

  In order to eliminate the difficulty of lever operation, it may be possible to change the angle of the operation panel by simply pressing lightly, without unlocking operation such as pulling the lever. If you apply more than a certain amount of force, for example, if the operator leans on the operation panel, the angle of the operation surface will change, making it difficult to operate, or the angle will change at once by the amount that the panel angle can be changed. It can be dangerous.

  On the other hand, if the operation panel angle cannot be changed unless it is pressed hard, not only will it go backwards in response to UD, but if more than a certain amount of force is applied, the angle will change at a stroke as much as the panel angle can be changed. And dangerous.

  Although it is conceivable to move the operation panel up and down by a button operation or the like, depending on the structure of the OA device, the lowered operation panel may make it difficult to take out copied paper or the like, for example.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an operation panel for an OA device that can be safely and easily operated not only by a healthy person but also by a non-healthy person (even a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair).
It is another object of the present invention to provide an OA device that can be safely and easily operated with respect to an operation panel, not only for a healthy person but also for a non-healthy person (even a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair).

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention is an operation panel for an OA device that is fixedly installed on an OA device main body, and is curved from the back side to the near side of the OA device main body while being fixedly installed on the OA device main body. A screen having an EL (electroluminescence) element having a lower surface and a transparent touch panel disposed on the screen, the transparent touch panel having an operation area displayed on the touch panel on the screen An operation area movement instruction unit for moving between the back side and the near side of the OA device main body is provided, and the operation area is moved along the curved screen surface by operating the operation area movement instruction unit. Provided is an OA device operation panel that can be moved in the back and front side and up and down directions, and an OA device including the OA device operation panel. .

  Here, “OA device” refers to a device generally called an OA (office automation) device, which is an OA device such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a combination machine combining two or more of these. Any of the devices to which it belongs.

Since the operation panel for OA equipment according to the present invention is fixedly installed on the OA equipment, the operation panel can be used safely without any risk of sudden change of posture due to external force.
Also, select an OA device body part that does not hinder the use of the entire OA device. For example, when the OA device is a copying machine, select a copy machine body part that does not interfere with the removal of copied paper, etc. A fixed installation can prevent the use of OA equipment.

  The operation panel for an OA device according to the present invention is fixedly installed on the OA device, but has a surface that falls in a curved shape from the back side to the near side of the OA device body in a state of being fixedly installed on the OA device body. , A screen including an EL element and a transparent touch panel disposed on the screen, and thus having a curved surface as well. The transparent touch panel is provided with an operation area movement instruction unit. Therefore, not only a healthy person but also a non-healthy person (even a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair) can easily access the operation area movement instruction unit due to the curved and inclined form of the screen and touch panel. By touching and operating it, the operation area can be easily scrolled up and down to a position where it can be easily seen.

  The OA device according to the present invention includes the operation panel according to the present invention, so that not only a healthy person but also a non-healthy person (even a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair) can easily be that much. Can be operated.

  As an example of the transparent touch panel, a pressure-sensitive touch panel can be raised. When the pressure-sensitive touch panel is adopted, the operation area movement instruction unit is displayed on the pressure-sensitive touch panel on the screen. By operating the operation area movement instructing unit displayed on the pressure type touch panel, the operation area can be moved along the curved screen surface in the back side and the up and down direction. Good.

  The transparent touch panel may include the operation area movement instruction unit configured by an electrostatic touch panel. In this case, the operation area movement instruction section may be operated so that the operation area can be moved along the curved screen surface in the back side front side direction and the vertical direction.

  When the transparent touch panel includes an operation area movement instruction unit configured with an electrostatic touch panel, the portion corresponding to the operation area may be configured with a pressure-sensitive touch panel.

  The operation area movement instruction section may be a dial member. In this case, it is only necessary to operate the dial member so that the operation area can be moved along the curved screen surface in the back side and the up and down direction.

  The screen surface, and thus the touch panel surface, may be a curved surface that is continuously curved, or may be a curved surface that is formed of multiple surfaces whose inclination angles are changed stepwise.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an operation panel for OA equipment that can be safely and easily operated by not only a healthy person but also a non-healthy person (even a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair). Can do.
In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an OA device that can be safely and easily operated with respect to the operation panel, not only for a healthy person but also for a non-healthy person (even a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an OA device according to the present invention. This OA device is a multifunction peripheral MFP that doubles as a copier, a facsimile machine, and a printer.

  The MFP MFP includes an original platen glass GL, an automatic document feeder ADF that also serves as a cover for the platen glass, an image reading device IR below the platen glass, a printer unit PR below it, and a recording medium supply cassette C below it. A discharge tray portion T is provided between the image reading device IR and the printer portion PR, and has an operation panel 1 fixed to a front portion of the image reading device IR.

According to the MFP, the automatic document feeder ADF can be opened, a document can be set on the platen glass GL, and the document image can be read by the image reader IR while the document is stationary. It is also possible to set an original on the ADF, move the original relative to the original table glass GL, and read the original image with the image reading device IR in a so-called original panning mode.
The document image information read by the image reading device IR can be transmitted to a desired place by the communication means, and can also be used for image formation in the printer unit PR.

  When the read document image information is sent from the image reading device IR, the printer unit PR forms a copy image of the document on a recording medium such as recording paper supplied from the cassette C in the electrophotographic process in this example. Then, the recording medium is discharged to the tray portion T. The printer unit IR can also form (print) an image based on image information transmitted from another device (for example, a computer).

The operation panel 1 is in a position where there is no hindrance to the overall operation of the MFP, such as setting of a document, taking out of a manuscript, and taking out of an image-formed recording medium discharged to the tray T.
The operation panel 1 is fixedly installed on the MFP MFP, and can be used safely without any risk of the operation panel 1 changing its posture suddenly by an external force.

  2 and 3 show the operation panel 1 extracted. FIG. 2 shows a case where the operation area a and the operation area movement instruction part b in the operation panel 1 are located at the upper part of the panel, and FIG. The case where the operation area a and the operation area movement instruction | indication part b are located in the lower part of a panel is shown. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the operation panel 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation panel 1 as viewed from the side, in which a is a certain range of the operation area, A is an example of a line of sight when the operation area is located at the top of the panel, and B Shows an example of the line of sight when the operation area is located at the bottom of the panel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 1 is fixedly installed on the multifunction device main body, and the surface of the panel is curved downward from the back side to the near side of the multifunction device body.
The operation panel 1 includes a screen 11 on which EL elements are arranged, and a transparent pressure-sensitive touch panel 12 provided on the screen surface.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the screen 11 is formed by laminating an ETL (electron transport layer) 111, an EML (light emitting layer) 112, and an HTL (hole transport layer) 113 in this order to form an EL layer 100. An electrode (cathode) 114 is provided on one side of the layer (surface on the ETL layer side), and a transparent electrode (anode) 115 is provided on the other side (surface on the HTL layer side), thus forming a screen in which EL elements are arranged. is there.

  The screen 11 is laminated so that the cathode 114 overlaps the surface of the flexible film 116 laminated on the curved surface of the panel exterior member 117, so that the screen surface is curved, A transparent pressure-sensitive touch panel 12 is laminated, and the touch panel 12 is similarly curved.

  The screen 11 is driven by a screen drive unit under an instruction from a display control unit (not shown) and can display an image. In the image display, an operation area a and an operation area movement instruction unit b are displayed on the screen 11, and these areas are displayed. Is displayed on the transparent touch panel 12. More specifically, the image is displayed on the touch panel 12 through the transparent touch panel 12. The display control unit is also configured to input finger contact information to the touch panel 12.

The operation area a includes an area a1 such as a numeric key for operation of the multi-function peripheral, a transmission on / off key, and an area a2 for mode switching and various settings.
A mark b1 is displayed on the operation area movement instruction part b.

  According to the operation panel 1 described above, a non-healthy person, for example, a wheelchair, is displayed in a state where the operation area a and the operation area movement instruction part b are displayed on the upper part convenient for operation by a healthy person as shown in FIG. A non-healthy person sitting on the hand touches the mark b1 of the operation area movement instruction part b, moves the finger while tracing the surface of the touch panel 12 from the back side to the near side and in the downward α direction, Then, by releasing the finger from the touch panel 12, the operation information is input to the display control unit (not shown), and the display control unit instructs the screen drive unit (not shown) in response to the information input to operate the display. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the area movement display part b and the operation area a are scrolled to the lower part of the operation panel and displayed on the lower part. Thereby, even a non-healthy person, for example, a non-healthy person sitting on a wheelchair, can easily and easily operate the operation panel by arranging the operation area a at a position where it can be easily seen.

The operation area a moved downward can be moved upward by touching the operation area movement instruction part b with a finger and tracing it from the near side to the back side and in the upward β direction.
The operation required to scroll the operation area a up and down and stop it at a desired position is performed by touching the touch panel 12 with a finger and releasing the finger from the touch panel at the desired position, even for an unhealthy person. Easy to do.
The vertical movement of the operation area a can be performed only by operating one of the left and right operation area movement instruction units b.

  In the operation panel 1 described above, the transparent touch panel 12 is entirely constituted by a pressure-sensitive touch panel. For example, the movement area of the operation area a is a pressure-sensitive touch panel, and the movement of the operation area movement instruction unit b is performed. The range area may be an electrostatic touch panel.

  Although not shown in the drawings, as the operation area movement instruction section, instead of the instruction section b, the operation panel surface is arranged on the operation panel surface as a position that can be easily operated even by a non-healthy person sitting in a wheelchair, for example. You may provide operation members, such as a mechanical operation area movement instruction | indication dial member which can be easily operated in the lower part or the position close | similar there.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used to provide an operation panel for OA equipment and an OA equipment that can be easily operated even by non-healthy persons.

1 is a perspective view of an example (multifunction machine) of an OA device according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of the example of an operation panel concerning the present invention, and shows the state where the operation area and the operation area movement instruction part are located in the upper part. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same operation panel as that shown in FIG. 2, showing a state where an operation area and an operation area movement instruction section are located at the lower part. It is a partial cross-sectional view of the operation panel showing the structure of an example of the operation panel according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the operation panel which concerns on this invention seeing from the side. An example of a conventional operation panel capable of changing the angle is shown. FIG. (A) shows a state where the horizontal angle of the panel operation surface is set to a small value, and FIG. (B) shows a pair of panel operation surfaces for a non-healthy person. A state in which the horizontal angle is set to a large value is shown. It is a figure which combines and shows the (A) figure and (B) figure of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

MFP MFP GL Document glass ADF Automatic document feeder IR Image reader PR Printer unit C Recording medium supply cassette T Discharge tray unit 1 Operation panel 11 Screen 100 EL layer 111 ETL (Electronic transport layer)
112 EML (light emitting layer)
113 HTL (Hole Transport Layer)
114 electrode (cathode)
115 Transparent electrode (anode)
116 Flexible film 117 Panel exterior member 12 Transparent touch panel a Operation area a1 Key area a2 Mode switching setting area b Operation area movement instruction part b1 Mark A, B Eye line Bd Main part P of image forming apparatus P Operation panel pf Operation Front side of panel P p Operation panel operation / display surface L Lever

Claims (7)

It is an operation panel for OA equipment that is fixedly installed on the OA equipment body, and is displayed on an EL element having a surface that descends from the back side to the near side of the OA equipment body in a state that it is fixedly installed on the OA equipment body. And a transparent touch panel disposed on the screen, and the transparent touch panel moves an operation area displayed on the touch panel on the screen between the back side and the near side of the OA device main body. An operation area movement instructing section is provided, and by operating the operation area movement instructing section, the operation area can be moved along the curved screen surface in the back side front side and in the vertical direction. Operation panel for OA equipment characterized by The transparent touch panel is a pressure-sensitive touch panel, the operation area movement instruction section is displayed on the pressure-sensitive touch panel on the screen, and the displayed operation area movement instruction section is operated on the pressure sensitive touch panel. The operation panel for OA equipment according to claim 1, wherein the operation area can be moved in the back and front direction and in the vertical direction along the curved screen surface. The transparent touch panel includes the operation area movement instruction unit composed of an electrostatic touch panel, and the operation area moves along the curved screen surface by operating the operation area movement instruction unit. The operation panel for OA equipment according to claim 1, which can be moved in a vertical direction and a vertical direction. The operation area movement instructing unit is a dial member, and the operation area can be moved in the front side and the up and down direction along the curved screen surface by operating the dial member. Operation panel for OA equipment. The operation panel for OA equipment according to claim 1, wherein the screen surface is a curved surface that is continuously curved. The operation panel for OA equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the screen surface is a curved surface having a plurality of faces and the inclination angle is changed stepwise. An OA device comprising the OA device operation panel according to claim 1.