JP4387248B2 - Display control device for touch panel type setting operation unit and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display control device, an electronic device, and an image forming apparatus of a touch panel type setting operation unit that displays a plurality of keys on a display screen and performs input processing corresponding to the operated key.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, on operation panels such as copying machines and facsimiles, a plurality of keys for input are displayed on a display screen of a liquid crystal display device, a CRT display device, etc., and an operator has a finger or the like in the key display area on the screen. When a touch is made, a display control device of a touch panel type setting operation unit for inputting an operation instruction corresponding to the key is provided.

For example, in a facsimile apparatus having a touch panel, a one-touch key for displaying 20 to 30 destination telephone numbers is displayed on the touch panel screen, and 100 or more destination telephone numbers can be registered by switching the screen. There is. This one-touch key function simplifies the frequently used destination transmission operation procedure and improves the operability of the facsimile apparatus. Then, for example, each time the one-touch key is used, the number of times the destination is used is counted, and the destination is ordered based on the number of times of use. A technique for sequentially changing the display position to the eye has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 04-225673).
JP 04-225673 A

  However, electronic devices such as copiers, facsimiles, and printers are equipped with various functions, and many setting keys for setting by the user are displayed on the touch panel. Even a user who has been confused in the operation.

  However, as in the above-described facsimile apparatus, each time the one-touch key is used, the destination display position displayed on the touch panel screen is sequentially changed according to the frequency of use. There is a problem that it takes time and effort to search, and it becomes a burden at the time of operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is not limited to a facsimile machine, and is a touch panel type that can be easily operated even by a user who is not familiar with electronic devices equipped with many functions. An object of the present invention is to provide a display control device and an electronic device for the setting operation unit.

In order to achieve the above object, the display control device according to claim 1 of the present invention displays a plurality of keys on the display screen as described in claim 1 of the claims section. A display unit; an input unit that is provided integrally or separately with the display unit, and that inputs an instruction corresponding to the operated key when the key displayed on the display unit is operated; and the display When a plurality of keys displayed on the means are operated and an operation reflecting the instruction input to the input means is set by this operation, a contribution key for detecting each key that contributed to the content setting of the operation Based on a determination means, a determination means for determining the number of each of the keys detected by the contribution key detection means operated for setting the content of the action, and a determination result by the determination means , The operation order storage means for storing the number of times each key is operated for each operation, and the contents stored in the operation order storage means when the operation belonging to the same type is performed a plurality of times A counting means for counting the number of operations of each key according to the order of operation, and a selecting means for selecting a key with the highest number of operations for each operated order based on a counting result by the counting means; The display colors of the display areas of the respective keys selected for each operation order by the selection means are changed from a display color with a high visibility to a display color with a low visibility in order from the youngest in the operation order. Display control means for displaying differently.

  According to the above configuration, when the user operates, the standard setting operation can be smoothly performed by visually checking the display color of the key display area and sequentially operating from the color with the highest visibility. There is. For example, display is performed with a color gradation in the order of red, orange and yellow in descending order of evaluation value.

  Standard setting operations can be performed smoothly by using frequently used keys for each operation sequence by the user as keys with high evaluation values, and settings can be performed after operating multiple keys on one screen. In this case, the operation desired by the user can be easily executed on the electronic device.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a display control device for a touch panel type setting operation unit and an electronic device that can be easily operated even by a user who is not familiar with an electronic device having many functions. Equipment can now be provided.

  An embodiment in which a display control device of a touch panel type setting operation unit according to the present invention is mounted on a color copying machine will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the color copier 1 includes a plurality of process control units such as a scanner unit 2, an image processing unit 3, an LSU 4, an image forming unit 5, a paper feeding / conveying unit 6, a fixing unit 7, and a DF unit 8. It is configured.

  The DF unit 8 conveys a plurality of documents 80 placed on the document tray 81 one by one to a document reading position by the scanner unit 2, and discharges the document that has been read to a paper discharge tray 82.

  The scanner unit 2 sends light reflected by the original to the CCD image sensor 21 via an RGB filter, where it is converted into an electrical signal. The image processing unit 3 is a part that processes the signal from the CCD image sensor 21 into image data subjected to A / D conversion, shading correction, color tone correction, and other image processing. The LSU 4 converts the image data of the image processing 3 into laser light and irradiates the photosensitive drum 51.

  The image forming unit 5 includes a photosensitive drum 51, a main charging unit 52, a developing unit 53, a transfer belt 54, a cleaning unit 55, a recycled toner replenishing unit 56, and a charge eliminating lamp 57. In particular, the developing unit 53 is a cyan developer. 531, a magenta developing unit 532, a yellow developing unit 533, a black developing unit 534, and a recycling developing unit 535. The main charger 52 stretches a thin tungsten wire of 50 to 100 μm in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 51 in a shield case opened toward the photosensitive drum 51, and applies a high voltage of about +5 KV to the photosensitive drum 51. The body drum 51 is positively charged. The LSU 4 irradiates the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 51 with a laser beam corresponding to image information, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51. A toner image is formed by applying the bias voltage of the developing roller and the potential of the surface of the photosensitive drum to the toner charged in the developing unit 53 and positively charged in the portion of the photosensitive drum 51 irradiated with the laser. Is transferred onto the surface of the transfer belt 54. The toner that has not been transferred onto the photosensitive drum 51 is scraped off by the rubber blade 551 of the cleaning means 55 in the next process, and is neutralized by the neutralizing lamp 57 in order to keep the residual potential on the surface uniform. Prepare for the next series of processes.

  In the color image output mode, the above-described operation is performed for each of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and the toner image is superimposed on the transfer belt 54, and the toner image is transferred onto a sheet by the secondary transfer units (541a, 541b). .

  In the monochrome image output mode, the cyan developing unit 531, the magenta developing unit 532, and the yellow developing unit 533 are not operated, and only the black developing unit 534 is used. When requested, output is performed only by the recycle developing unit. .

  The paper feeding / conveying means 6 comprises paper feeding cassettes 611 and 612, paper feeding rollers 621 and 622, a vertical conveying path 63, a pair of registration rollers 64a and 64b, and a conveying belt 65. The paper feeding cassettes 611 and 612 have a paper stacking plate on which a plurality of papers are stacked. The paper stacking plate is a spring or a top motor of the paper stacked by a lift motor or the like. The roller 621, 622 is urged to come into contact. The registration roller pairs 64a and 64b stop the paper at one end in order to synchronize the transfer timing of the conveyed paper and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 51 of the image forming unit 5 and to adjust the leading edge of the paper. It has a role of transporting paper to the image forming means 5. The conveying belt 65 conveys the sheet on which the unfixed toner is transferred to the fixing unit 7. The necessary number of conveying rollers in each conveying path is laid out as needed.

  The fixing unit 7 includes a first heat roller 71, a first heater 711 inside the first heat roller 71, a second heat roller 72, a second heater 721 inside the heat roller 72, a pair of fixing discharge rollers 73a and 73b, and the like. . The heat roller pairs 71 and 72 are made of aluminum or the like having good thermal conductivity and coated with fluorine. The two heaters 711 and 721 are built in and controlled to a predetermined temperature required for fixing. The first heat roller 71 faces the second heat roller 72 and contacts with an appropriate pressure, and is driven by driving means (not shown). The heat roller pair 71, 72 is made of an aluminum roller having a good thermal conductivity, and its periphery is covered with an elastic layer in order to secure a fixing nip width. Although not shown, each roller is provided with a claw member for peeling the paper, a roller for cleaning, and a web.

  The setting operation unit 9 of the color image forming apparatus is disposed on the front side of the scanner unit 2 and includes a color liquid crystal display screen 90 in the center as shown in FIG. 3, and sets the number of copies on the right side thereof. A basic control key group for copying operation such as a numeric input key 91, a start key 92, and a clear / stop key 93 is arranged, and a copy mode for outputting an image read from a document to a sheet on the left side of the screen 90 is connected to a network. A status display unit 94 for displaying LEDs such as a printer mode for printing output data from a computer or the like on a sheet and a scanner mode for reading document information is arranged, and a special mode setting key 95 is arranged at the top of the screen 90. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the display control device of the setting operation unit 9 executes input / output control for the operation unit and is set for a CPU (not shown) provided in the process control unit described above. A CPU 911 for transmitting a mode, a ROM 912 storing an execution program by the CPU 911, a RAM 913 used as a working area, and an input / output circuit 914 are connected via an internal bus, and an LED display driver is connected to the input / output circuit 914. A circuit 915, a liquid crystal driver circuit 916 for driving and controlling the color liquid crystal display screen 90, an AD conversion circuit 917 for detecting a pressed position of a transparent electrode sheet described later, a key matrix input circuit 918 for receiving various key inputs, and the like are provided. It is configured. For example, the AD conversion circuit 917 and the key matrix input circuit 918 function as input means in the claims. The AD conversion circuit 917, the key matrix input circuit 918, and the color liquid crystal screen 90 may be provided integrally in the same device, or may be provided separately. For example, a display device having a color liquid crystal screen 90 is configured separately from a color image forming device including a display control device and is installed at a distance from each other, and the display device and the color image forming device perform the above control. It may be connected so as to be possible.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the color liquid crystal display screen 90 is configured by a touch panel type liquid crystal display device, the upper part of the screen is configured as a message display area 901, and the lower part is configured as a mode setting key area 902, and mode setting keys An area 902 includes a basic mode setting tab 903 for setting basic conditions for copying operations such as magnification, paper size, and exposure level, a user function tab 904 that can be individually set and registered by the user, and the color copying machine. Are displayed, and a function list tab 905 that can be set, various setting tab areas of the program tab 906, a function registration key 907 that can individually register various setting modes, and the like are displayed on the screen surface. The pressed part is configured to be detected by pressing the provided transparent electrode sheet. Accordingly, for example, a paper size selection key is constituted by the paper size selection portion displayed on the basic mode setting tab 903 and the transparent electrode sheet corresponding thereto.

  Settings of various functions installed in the color copying machine are configured to be displayed in a list by selecting a function list tab 905. More specifically, when the function list tab 905 is selected, as shown in FIG. 4, all function selection keys such as a paper selection key, a copy density key, an original image quality key, a sort key, and a duplex / division key are displayed. In response to the key selected by the pressing operation by the user, the screen is shifted to a setting operation screen that allows a detailed setting operation for the function.

For example, when the “collection” key shown in FIG. 4 is selected, as shown in FIG. 5A, the “no setting” state selected as the default value and two originals are reduced and copied to one sheet. "2
The screen shifts to a selection screen for three types of keys “in 1” and “4 in 1” for reducing and copying four originals into one. Here, the currently set mode (“no setting” state) is displayed with high brightness (assuming that the inverted portion is displayed with high brightness in the drawing). Here, when the “2 in 1” key is selected, as shown in FIG. 5B, the screen changes to a screen for setting the output form in detail, and each of layout, page break, and document set orientation is selected. Operation becomes possible. When the setting according to the user's intention is completed, the setting is completed when the “Register” key is operated, and the screen of FIG. 4 is returned when the “Close” key is operated. When the “4 in 1” key is operated, the screen transitions to the screen shown in FIG. 5C and the detailed output form setting screen, as described above.

  The display control device, for example, for the function list display screen shown in FIG. 4 for each key operated for a predetermined period after the device is turned on, for example, one week or one month. The number of operations is counted only for those that have actually shifted to the copy operation in that mode and stored in the operation history data storage area set in the RAM 913, and from the key with the high operation frequency to the key with the low operation frequency, Display control is performed with a color gradation so that the display color of the key display area is sequentially changed from a display color with high visibility to a display color with low visibility.

  This display control process is executed by the CPU 911. The CPU 911 functions as a printing operation detection unit, an evaluation value calculation unit, and a display control unit in the claims. This display control process will be described with reference to FIG. For example, when one of the keys such as “screen / divide” and “combine” shown in FIG. 4 is operated by the operator (YES in S1), the operation proceeds to the copy operation by operating this key. It is determined whether or not it has been done (S2). When the key operation shifts to a copy operation (YES in S2), the number of times this key is operated is incremented by 1, and the operation history of the key is updated (S3).

  The processes of S1 to S3 are performed for each key displayed on the color liquid crystal display screen 90 until a predetermined period (for example, one week or one month) elapses after the apparatus is turned on. (NO in S4) When a predetermined period of time elapses (YES in S4), the value of the difference in the number of operations of each key with respect to the key with the minimum number of operations is calculated and derived as an evaluation value for each key. It is determined which group of the plurality of groups divided by the operation frequency threshold belongs to the evaluation value (S5). That is, it is determined to which group each key belongs among a plurality of groups provided according to the difference in operation frequency. Then, in order from the key group belonging to the group with the highest operation frequency, the color gradation so that the display color of the display area of the key group varies step by step from the display color with high visibility to the display color with low visibility. The display is controlled (S6).

  For example, when the level is set at three levels, the display is grouped into “red”, “orange”, and “yellow” in descending order of evaluation value. This display is performed for a character portion that displays an operation instruction input by the key in a display area of each key and a portion that is displayed as a background of the character portion. In addition, when a plurality of keys belong to the same group, the key with the highest evaluation value may be controlled to blink. The color gradation is not limited to the above-described example, and any color gradation may be used as long as the color is changed from a highly visible color to a low color step by step, and the number of divided groups is not limited to three. .

  As a result, for example, in FIG. 4, when the “aggregate” key has the highest evaluation value, the display color of the key is changed to red (represented by hatching in the upper right direction in the figure). When the “Duplex / Split” key is at the second highest evaluation value, the key display color is changed to orange (indicated by hatching in the upper left direction in the figure), and the other keys The display color is changed to yellow (shown in the figure without hatching).

  Further, each function selection key is an operation key on the detailed setting screen when operated, for example, the above-mentioned “no setting”, “2 in 1”, “4 in 1” keys, and further lower setting screens The number of operations may be stored and the display control may be performed so that the table value is similarly calculated and derived for each of the operation keys for the layout, page break, and document set.

  In the above-described embodiment, the number of key operations is not simply counted, but the number of key operations when the key is pressed and the operation shifts to a copy operation, that is, the key operation that gives an instruction to determine the setting contents of the copy operation. It is important to count the number of times. With this configuration, when the user operates, the standard setting operation can be smoothly performed by visually checking the display color of the key display area and sequentially operating from the color with the highest visibility. .

  Here, the button pressed by the user is displayed with a higher brightness than the display-controlled color as described above. This makes it easy for the user to recognize the pressed button without changing the display color.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in addition to the number of relative operations described above, the evaluation value may be calculated and derived by weighting using the relative operation order. That is, the product of the relative operation order and the relative operation count is used as the evaluation value. The relative operation count and the relative operation sequence do not necessarily match. Even if the relative operation count is large, if the relative operation sequence is slow, it may be time-consuming to perform the operation if only the relative usage count is evaluated. If the number of relative uses is low even with an early key, it may be complicated. Therefore, by considering both the relative usage count and the relative usage order, even a user who is unfamiliar with the user can perform a reasonable setting operation.

  Also, the background color of the display area of the key having a high evaluation value (the color of the part displayed as the background of the character part displaying the operation instruction input by the key in the display area of each key) It may be controlled to change to a complementary color of the background color of the key display area. For example, if the background color of all keys is “yellow” in the initial state, the background color of the key with the highest evaluation value is changed to “blue”. As a result, when the user operates, the operation target key can be determined using the background color as a clue, and the setting operation can be performed smoothly.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5B and the flowchart shown in FIG. This display control process is executed by the CPU 911 as described above. The CPU 911 functions as a contribution key detection unit, a determination unit, a totaling unit, a selection unit, and a display control unit in the claims. The RAM 913 functions as an operation order storage unit.

  The display screen shown in FIG. 5B includes one of a key group a for setting an aggregation type, one of a key group b for setting a layout, and a line type in order to determine an aggregation copy setting. Is a screen on which one of the key group c for setting and one of the key group d for setting the document setting direction is pressed. That is, a plurality of keys are displayed on one display screen, and the content of the copy operation is set by pressing the plurality of keys on this display screen.

  For example, when a plurality of keys shown in FIG. 5B are operated by the operator (YES in S11), it is determined whether or not the operation has shifted to the copy operation by operating this key. (S12). If the key operation has shifted to the copy operation (YES in S12), a key in which the input instruction is reflected in the content setting of the copy operation is detected among the pressed keys (S13). In other words, a key that contributed to the content setting of the copy operation is detected, and a key that has been pressed and is irrelevant to the content setting of the copy operation is eliminated.

  Subsequently, it is determined what number each pressed key is operated to set the content of the current copy operation (S14). The order in which these keys are operated is stored in the RAM 913 for each copy operation (S15). These processes of S11 to S15 are performed each time a copy operation is performed until a predetermined period (for example, one week or one month) elapses (NO in S16).

  When the predetermined period has elapsed (YES in S16), when the copy operation is classified by each mode (for example, in the case of FIG. 5B, the copy operation is “not specified”, “2 in 1”, “4” In the case of classifying in which mode “in 1”, the number of times of operation of each key is counted for each mode according to the order of operation (S17). For example, when the copy operation of “2 in 1” is executed a plurality of times, the number of times each key pressed first, the number of times each key pressed second,... Nth The number of times each key that has been pressed is counted.

  After this counting, for each copy operation mode, the key with the highest number of times pressed first, the key with the highest number of times pressed second,... The key with the largest number is selected (S18).

  Then, the color gradation of the display area of each key selected for each operation order as described above is changed from a display color with a high visibility to a display color with a low visibility in order from the youngest one in the operation order. Are displayed in a step-by-step manner (S19).

  Using the screen shown in FIG. 5B, this display screen is displayed again. As an initial screen in this display screen, the key for selecting the copy operation mode of “2 in 1” is another key (“no designation” ”,“ 4 in 1 ”key) will be described in the case where the display color is set to be displayed.

  In this case, when the copy operation mode of “2 in 1” has been executed in the past, the key that was most frequently pressed first, the key that was most frequently pressed second, the third key that was most frequently pressed Select the key that was pressed most frequently and the key that was pressed the fourth most frequently, and color gradation from the display color with the highest visibility to the display color with the lower visibility in order from the youngest Are displayed in stages. For example, the “2 in 1” button is displayed in red, the upper button of the layout button is displayed in orange, the “no line” button is displayed in yellow, and the “back” button for original setting is displayed in light yellow. Thereby, the operator can set the content of the copy operation mode of “2 in 1” by sequentially pressing the buttons with display colors having high visibility.

  If the operator presses the “undesignated” key or the “4 in 1” key on the screen of FIG. 5B, the CPU 911 displays the copy operation mode corresponding to the pressed key. Of the key that was pressed most frequently, the key that was pressed frequently the second time, the key that was pressed frequently the third time, and the number of times the key was pressed fourth Keys that are large are selected and displayed in order of color gradation from a display color with high visibility to a display color with low visibility in order from the youngest in operation order.

  For example, when the operator presses the “4 in 1” key on the screen of FIG. 5B, the screen transitions to the screen of FIG. At this time, when the copy operation mode of “4 in 1” is executed, the key that was most frequently pressed first, the key that was most frequently pressed second, and the key that was pressed third Select the key that has been frequently pressed and the key that has been pressed the fourth most frequently, and step by step from color display with high visibility to display color with low visibility in descending order of operation. Display differently. For example, the “4 in 1” button is displayed in red, the upper left button of the layout button is displayed in orange, the “solid line” button is displayed in yellow, and the “left” button for document setting is displayed in light yellow.

  Here, the button pressed by the user is displayed with a higher brightness than the display-controlled color as described above. This makes it easy for the user to recognize the pressed button without changing the display color.

  In the above embodiment, when the transition to any of the screens of FIGS. 5A to 5C is made, a button with a high evaluation value is selected, so the brightness of the red, orange, yellow, and light-colored buttons Is displayed high. When a default button is set in advance, the default button may be displayed with a higher brightness regardless of the evaluation value of the button.

  In addition, although each above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated what performed a display control process in the predetermined period after power activation, the timing which starts this predetermined period, and the setting of predetermined time may be changeable by an operation part. .

  In each of the above embodiments, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the operation evaluation value is calculated, the number of operations is totaled, and the key is selected. You may make it perform a calculation, total of the frequency | count of operation, and key selection. In that case, the processing of S4 in FIG. 6 and S16 in FIG. 7 is omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the display control device of the touch panel type setting operation unit built in the copying machine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the touch panel type of other image forming apparatuses such as a facsimile and a printer is used. The present invention can also be applied as a display control device for a setting operation unit. Furthermore, the display control apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to other electronic devices that are not limited to image forming apparatuses. In this case, the display control device functions to reflect the conditions set by a series of key operations on the electronic device.

  In the electronic device of the present invention, the display control unit may be provided separately from other components including the input unit of the electronic device. For example, in the case of plant equipment or the like, the equipment main body and the operation panel are installed separately.

Block diagram of the display control device of the setting operation unit Operational diagram of the copier Diagram showing the setting operation unit The figure which shows the display screen part of the setting operation section (A) (b) (c) is a figure which shows the display screen part of a setting operation part. The flowchart which shows the flow of the process at the time of the display control by the display control apparatus which concerns on this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the process at the time of the display control by the display control apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

1: Color copier 2: Scanner unit 3: Image processing unit 4: LSU
5: Image forming unit 6: Paper feeding / conveying unit 7: Fixing unit 8: DF unit 90: Color liquid crystal display screen 911: CPU
912: ROM
913: RAM
914: Input / output circuit 915: Driver circuit 916: Liquid crystal driver circuit 917: AD conversion circuit 918: Key matrix input circuit

Claims (1)

Display means for displaying a plurality of keys on the display screen;
An input unit that is provided integrally or separately with the display unit, and in which an instruction corresponding to the operated key is input when the key displayed on the display unit is operated;
When a plurality of keys displayed on the display means are operated and an operation reflecting the instruction input to the input means is set by this operation, each key contributing to the content setting of the operation is detected. A contribution key detection means;
Discriminating means for discriminating what number each of the keys detected by the contribution key detecting means is operated for setting the content of the action;
Based on the determination result by the determination means, an operation order storage means for storing the number of times each key is operated for each operation;
When the operation belonging to the same type is performed a plurality of times, based on the content stored in the operation order storage means, a totaling means for totaling the number of operations of each key according to the order of operation;
A selection means for selecting a key having the highest number of operations for each operated order based on the result of the aggregation by the aggregation means;
The display color of each key display area selected for each operation order by the selection means is stepped by color gradation from a display color with high visibility to a display color with low visibility in order from the youngest in the operation order. An electronic device comprising display control means for displaying differently.