JP2000015891A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain the good operativity of the printer operating part and visibility of the commanding part even in the case the printer mounting form and the height are changed according to the disposition of the apparatus such as desk top and low printer position by disposing an operating part and/or a display part optionally with respect to the apparatus main body. SOLUTION: An operating part unit 2 is provided on the front upper side of a printer with the operating part next to a display part when viewed from the front side. The operating part unit 2 is attached to the printer main body 1 rotatably around a hinge part 23 as the rotation center. The operating part unit 2 and the display part 41 are mounted such that the orientation thereof can be set freely, that is, in the case the apparatus is mounted in a desk top form, they are oriented to the front side, and in the case of a low printer position, they are oriented to be viewed well from above. Moreover, for the fixing method of the operating unit 2, a click method, a ratchet method, or the like, can be used so that the orientation thereof can be set and maintained in multiple stages.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer peripheral device such as a laser beam printer and an ink jet printer, and an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction copying machine having an image reading section such as an image scanner connected thereto.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of an example of a conventional laser beam printer in a desktop form, and FIG.
10 is a front view showing only the operation unit of the printer.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, an operation unit 2 of a printer 1 includes an operation part 3 having a plurality of operation keys such as “online”, “paper feed selection”, and “operation mode”, and a liquid crystal panel 41 and an LED 42. And a display unit 4 using the same.

The operation unit 2 is located at the upper part of the front of the apparatus. Below the operation unit 2, there are a front door 5 and paper feed cassettes 6 and 7. On the right side of the apparatus, there is a manual paper feed unit 8, on the upper side there is a face-down paper discharge unit 9, and on the left side there is a face-up paper discharge tray 10.

[0005] The printer 1 is installed on a desk 51. This form is called “desktop type”.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view of a "pedestal" form in which an external paper feeder is added to the printer 1 of FIG. The printer 1 is mounted on a paper feed pedestal 52. Examples of the type of the paper feed pedestal 52 include a large-capacity paper feed deck and a multi-stage cassette (for example, two-stage).

FIG. 13 is an external perspective view of the printer 1 of FIG. 10 combined with a reader unit 61 as an image reading device.

The reader unit 6 is placed on the top plate 72 of the rack 71.
1. The printer 1 is mounted on the bottom plate 73, respectively.
A gap (space) is intentionally provided between the lower surface of the top plate 72 and the upper surface of the printer 1 for taking out the face-down output paper of the printer 1.

What is connected for communication with the printer 1 is a reader 61, a computer device (not shown), a telephone line, and the like.

This embodiment is a multifunction machine used as a copier when the reader 61 is used, and as a normal printer when outputting to a computer.

As described above, there are various “tailoring” for one printer, and depending on the tailoring, the mounting form of the printer is different such as “desktop”, “on pedestal”, “on rack bottom plate”. is there.

[0012]

However, the above conventional example has the following problems.

That is, the height of the printer main body from the floor surface varies depending on the tailoring and mounting form of the printer 1. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 14, the position P of the eyes of the user (user), the relative positional relationship between the manual range and the operation unit 2 of the printer are different from each other.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the display unit of the operation unit 2 in FIG. Behind the liquid crystal display section 41, there is an operation section board 21 and a flexible cable 22
Are connected by

When the tailoring of the printer 1 is of the "desktop" type, the angle .theta.a between the line a connecting the user's viewpoint Pa and the display unit 41 and the normal N of the display unit display surface is small, and the liquid crystal display The visibility of the part is good. Sectional view 14
The operability of each operation key (not shown) is also good.

However, when the printer 1 is mounted on a bottom plate 73 (FIG. 13) of a rack as a multifunction machine, the positions of the printer 1 and the operation unit 2 move significantly below the viewpoint P. In FIG. 14, the viewpoint P is moved relatively upward and is illustrated as a viewpoint Pb. The angle θb between the line of sight b connecting the viewpoint Pb and the liquid crystal display unit 41 becomes large, exceeding the permissible viewing angle of the liquid crystal display unit 41, and the display characters cannot be read.

As for the operability of a key unit (not shown), the characters indicating the contents of the key itself and the keys printed around the key unit are difficult to read, and the operability is greatly deteriorated.

FIG. 15 shows a case where a line c, which is a bisector, is set between the line a and the line b, and the angle of the display surface is set perpendicular to the line c. FIG.
15 is a right side view of the printer having the operation unit shown in FIG. 15 and shows two mounting forms (desktop and multifunction peripheral) at the same time.

The aim is to keep the angles θa and θb with respect to the two viewpoints Pa and Pb both within allowable ranges. However, for example, the height of the printer display unit 41 from the bottom of the printer is 610 mm, the height of the desk is 700 mm, and the height of the rack bottom plate is 70 mm.
In the case of, the display section height Ya from the floor surface G at the time of the desktop
Is 1310 mm, and the height Yb of the multifunction peripheral is 680 mm. Further, when the condition that the height of the human viewpoint is 1500 mm and the distance between the viewpoint and the display unit 41 is 400 mm or more (because it is difficult to focus when the distance is too short), (θ
a + θb) is 48 °, and when equally divided, θa = θb
= 24 °.

At present, a liquid crystal display is widely used as the display section 41, but its standard is about ± 20 °, and the above-mentioned value exceeds the standard, so that it is out of an allowable range. Further, even if the performance of the liquid crystal display is improved and the standard is widened, the flatness of the character cannot be avoided by obliquely viewing the display.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to improve the operability of the printer operation unit 2 even if the mounting mode and height of the printer 1 are changed by tailoring the apparatus. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device excellent in operability for maintaining the visibility of the display unit 4 in a suitable manner.

[0022]

Therefore, in the present invention, the object is achieved by providing an image forming apparatus according to any one of the following items (1) to (3). is there.

(1) An image forming apparatus having an operation section and a display section, wherein the operation section and / or the display section can be arranged arbitrarily with respect to the apparatus main body.

(2) The operation unit and / or the display unit
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus can be set at an arbitrary angle with respect to the apparatus main body.

(3) The operation unit and / or the display unit
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to be movable with respect to the apparatus main body.

(4) The operation unit and / or the display unit
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an angle of the image forming apparatus can be arbitrarily set when the image forming apparatus is attached to the apparatus main body.

(5) The image forming apparatus as described in (1) above, wherein the position of the operation section and / or the display section can be arbitrarily set when the operation section is mounted on the apparatus main body.

(6) An operation unit comprising the operation unit and the display unit is provided, and a part of the operation unit can be set to an arbitrary angle with respect to the operation unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1, wherein

(7) The image forming apparatus according to (6), wherein a part of the operation unit is a liquid crystal display unit.

[0030]

According to the structure of the present invention as described above, the operation unit and / or
Alternatively, the display unit can be arbitrarily arranged with respect to the apparatus main body, so that the operability of the printer operation unit, particularly the visibility of the display unit, can be suitably maintained.

[0031]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
A plurality of embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the drawings of the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the same (corresponding) components as those in FIGS. Duplicate description is omitted.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 and 2 are display sectional views of an operation unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

An operation unit 2 is attached to the upper side of the front surface of the printer 1 and has a cross section taken by the liquid crystal display unit 41 of the display unit 4 as in FIG. 3 (FIG. 11) are arranged in parallel on the display unit 4 when viewed from the front, and are not shown in the figure.

The operation unit 2 is rotatable with respect to the printer main body 1 about the hinge 23 as a center of rotation. Arrow S indicates the rotation direction.

FIG. 1 shows a setting in the "desktop" mode as shown in FIG. 10, for example, in which the display unit 4 and the operation part 2 face forward. FIG. 2 is a diagram in which, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 13, when the position of the printer is lower than the viewpoint of a human in a multi-function machine tailoring, the display unit and the operation part are set to be directed upward as compared with FIG. It is an example.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the direction (angle) of the operation unit 2 can be freely set. Thereby, the orientation of the operation unit 2 can be set according to the height of the printer 1 and according to the user's convenience.
Excellent operability (in particular, visibility of the liquid crystal display unit 41) can be provided.

The following is an example of a method of fixing the operation unit 2.

One is to set and hold the orientation of the operation unit 2 in multiple stages using a ratchet or the like in a "click method".

The other is a "release fixing method" in which the operation unit 2 is made movable by loosening a screw or the like, and after setting the direction, the screw is tightened to fix the operation unit 2.

The operating portion can be made movable when the lever is released by using a lever and a spring. When the lever is returned, the operating portion 2 can be urged by a spring force or held by clicking.

In the "brake method", a brake is provided in the movable direction of the operation unit 2, and the strength is set so that it moves with difficulty when setting the direction and does not move during normal operation. Various types of these mechanisms are known, and description thereof is omitted. It goes without saying that a mechanism other than the above mechanism may be used.

(Example 2) FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a main part of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

While the operation unit 2 is movable with respect to the apparatus main body 1 in the first embodiment, the second embodiment has an arbitrary orientation (angle) when the operation unit 2 is mounted on the main body 1. It can be set to.

FIG. 3 shows a setting in, for example, a "desktop" mode, and FIG. 4 shows a setting in, for example, "multifunction machine tailoring". The operation unit 2 is fixedly connected to the main body 1 using screws 81.

In the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4, the angle can be set only in two steps, but the angle can be set (adjusted) continuously in FIG.
Shown in In this example, the lower part of the operation unit 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that it can be placed in an arbitrary direction (the direction of arrow T) with respect to the main body 1. Similarly, screw 81 is used for connection, and screw hole 82 on the main body side is an elongated hole, and the orientation can be set within that range.

In the example of FIG. 5, the outer shape of the operation unit 2 is cylindrical. However, the operation unit 2 may be rotatable by using a hinge serving as a center of rotation, and may be fixed by screws from the side surface of the operation unit (see FIG. 5). Is omitted).

The effects of the first and second embodiments will be described. The first embodiment has a movable mechanism of the operation unit.
This has the effect that the direction of the operation unit can be easily changed at any time.

The second embodiment does not have a movable mechanism, and is therefore more cost effective than the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of a desktop type image forming apparatus showing a third embodiment of the present invention. The printer 1 is mounted on a desk 51, and an image scanner 61 for inputting an image is mounted beside the printer 1.

The separation-type multifunction machine has the advantage that there is a degree of freedom in the installation form and that it can be added (for example, an additional scanner is added to the printer).

As described above, as a case where the printer and the scanner are arranged side by side, in addition to the case where the scanner is added to the desktop printer and formed naturally, the rack form (the scanner and the printer are vertically arranged) is intentionally avoided. The case is conceivable.

For example, considering the operability of a wheelchair user, if the height of the scanner 61 is high, inconvenience occurs in the work of placing a document. For this reason, I purchased a separate MFP,
By placing both on the desk 51, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problem.

In such a horizontal arrangement, the operation unit 2 of the printer 1 considers which position is desirable.
Some people may determine that the operation unit 62 adjacent to the operation unit 62 of the scanner 61 is more convenient. Also, in the example of the wheelchair user described above, each operation unit 2 is located within the visible range and the reachable range. Without 62, it would be meaningless.

In view of such a background, it is desirable that the setting of the operation unit 2 of the printer 1 can be arbitrarily changed according to the use situation and demand of the user.

In FIG. 6, the operation unit 2 of the printer 1
It is arranged below the printer main body 1 instead of the 2D (dummy operation unit described later) position on the upper side of the front surface in a normal state. As a result, the heights of the document table 63 and the operation unit 62 of the scanner 61 and the operation unit 2 of the printer 1 are substantially the same, and it is possible to respond to the above-mentioned user's request.

FIG. 7 is a right side view of the printer 1 shown in FIG. The operation unit 2 is attached to the front surface (left side in the figure) of the sheet cassette 7.

Therefore, when pulling out the sheet cassette 7, the operation section 2 is also pulled out together. The electrical connection between the operation unit 2 and the main body 1 may be either a connection that is disconnected at the time of drawing out using a connector or a cable that uses a long cable according to the amount of drawing out (the electric connecting part is not shown). Do).

At the position of the normal operation section 2 (upper side of the front),
A dummy operation unit 2D is provided. This dummy operation unit 2D
Has the same outer shape as the operation unit 2 and does not include an operation key, a display unit, and an electric board.

When the printer 1 is used in the form of a rack, the operation unit 2 arranged in front of the sheet cassette 7 in FIG. 7 is arranged in the usual upper position on the front surface, and the dummy operation unit 2D is not used. It is.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of the position of the operation unit 2. In the above-described example, the operation unit 2 is provided on the front surface of the sheet cassette 7. However, in this example, the operation unit 2 can be arranged above the sheet cassettes 6 and 7.
The dummy operation unit 2D and the operation unit 2 have the same shape, and the arrangement of the operation unit 2 can be selected by exchanging. This example
This is advantageous in terms of the cost of the electrical connection portion as compared with the above-described example.

As described above, the arrangement position of the operation unit 2 is
It does not matter whether the position is a business trip from the ordinary printer main body 1 or the built-in position.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a display portion of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The liquid crystal display 41 as a part of the operation unit 2 is configured to be rotatable. The hinge 43 can be rotated in the direction of arrow U about the rotation center.

In the first and second embodiments, the display unit 4
The example in which the direction of the entire operation unit unit 2 including the operation part and the operation part is changed has been described. In this example, the setting of the angle of only the liquid crystal display unit 41 which is a part thereof is changed. This is based on the fact that the permissible viewing angle of the liquid crystal display unit 41 is narrow, while the orientation of the surface of the operation part (operation key unit) and the LED display unit have a wide permissible range.

Assuming that the orientation of the surface M of the operation part is two, that is, a desktop printer and a rack type printer,
The angle may be set to an angle perpendicular to the line of sight between the two lines of sight, as described with reference to FIG. Then, only the liquid crystal display section 41 may be set to an optimum angle according to each mode.

Note that reference numeral 411 in the figure denotes a character display area of the liquid crystal display unit 41. 41 indicated by a solid line is the setting at the time of the desktop, and the one indicated by the two-dot chain line is the setting at the time of the rack configuration. The method for setting the angle of the liquid crystal display section 41 is not limited to the above-described movable method such as the rotation method, but may be a method other than the movable method such as detaching and changing the direction.

In this embodiment, since only the liquid crystal display section 41 is movable, the movable mechanism section is smaller in size than the entire operation section unit 2 is movable, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

In the case of changing the angle setting of the entire operation unit, the external shape of the unit may be subject to design restrictions in order to make the setting changeable, but in this example, the above-mentioned restrictions do not occur. Has advantages.

When the movable mechanism of the liquid crystal display section 41 shown in this embodiment is incorporated in the operation section unit 2 whose arrangement can be changed as described in the third embodiment, the liquid crystal display 41 is moved at the position of each operation section. The direction of the display unit 41 can be adjusted to an optimum angle, and it is possible to further improve operability and visibility.

Further, in this embodiment, the configuration in which the angle setting can be changed only in the liquid crystal display section 41 has been described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a part of the operation unit 2 such as a configuration in which the display unit including the LED can be changed in configuration and a configuration in which the setting can be changed in addition to a part of the operation keys. However, any configuration may be used as long as it can be set to an arbitrary angle with respect to the operation unit 2.

[0071]

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the operation section and / or the display section can be arbitrarily arranged with respect to the apparatus main body. Even if the mounting form or the height changes, the setting of the orientation and position of the operation unit / display unit can be changed accordingly, so that the operability of the printer operation unit, particularly the visibility of the display unit, can be suitably maintained. The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a display unit of an operation unit according to a first embodiment (at the time of a desktop).

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a display unit of the operation unit according to the first embodiment (at the time of a low printer position).

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a display unit of the operation unit according to the second embodiment (at the time of desktop).

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a display unit of the operation unit according to the second embodiment (at the time of tailoring a multifunction peripheral)

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a display unit of an operation unit according to the second embodiment (continuous angle setting type).

FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of a desktop-type apparatus according to a third embodiment (separable MFP).

FIG. 7 is a right view of a printer according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another example of the printer according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a display unit of an operation unit according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of one example of a conventional laser beam printer (desktop form).

11 is a front view of the operation unit of the printer in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view of a printer (pedestal form).

FIG. 13 is an external perspective view of the printer (in a rack form).

14 is a sectional view of a display unit of the operation unit in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a display unit of another conventional operation unit.

16 is a right side view of the printer having the operation unit shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Operation part (operation part unit) 2D dummy operation part 4 Display part 23 Hinge (of operation part unit) 41 Liquid crystal display part 43 Hinge (of liquid crystal display part) 51 Desk 61 Reader, image scanner 71 Rack a, b P, Pa, Pb perspective

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having an operation section and a display section, wherein the operation section and / or the display section can be arbitrarily arranged with respect to the apparatus main body. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation section and / or the display section can be set at an arbitrary angle with respect to the apparatus main body. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation unit and / or the display unit is movable with respect to the apparatus main body. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an angle of the operation unit and / or the display unit can be arbitrarily set when the operation unit and the display unit are attached to the apparatus main body. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the operation section and / or the display section can be set arbitrarily when the operation section is attached to the apparatus main body. 6. An operation unit comprising the operation unit and the display unit, wherein a part of the operation unit can be set at an arbitrary angle with respect to the operation unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a part of the operation unit is a liquid crystal display unit.