JP2002031987A - Display device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device for an image forming device constituted so that information which a user wants to know can be displayed to be visually easily viewed. SOLUTION: This composite image forming device is equipped with any means among an original reading means 100 reading image information from an original, an image receiving means 110 receiving the image information from a terminal connected to a network, and a line image receiving means 120 receiving the image information from a telephone line; an image forming means 28 forming an image based on the image information obtained from the respective means; and a display part 8 displaying the state of the device. The image forming device is equipped with a display control part 101 changing the display state of the display part 8 to a visually easily discriminated state when the state of the image forming device is changed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display for displaying an operating state of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.
The present invention relates to a technique for visually changing a display unit in response to a change in an operation state of an apparatus main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various image forming apparatuses have aimed at improving the operability and visibility of a display panel, which is the core of a man-machine interface with a user, and improving the efficiency of the operation of the apparatus. Various technical proposals have been made.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-275290, when an image reading error or the like occurs, an error display for notifying the user of the error is made by changing the emission color of the reading light source of the image reading means. An apparatus has been proposed which eliminates the need for error display means.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-110033 discloses that the display luminance and resolution of a liquid crystal display are improved by sequentially emitting three primary colors of a backlight light source and realizing multicolor display with one pixel. The target technology is disclosed.

[0005] In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-323905, by providing a color converter for generating an I signal (white pixel signal) from an RGB signal, a conventional CRT signal can be used.
A technique regarding color conversion processing capable of taking advantage of the features of display means including pixels is disclosed.

[0006] In addition, many display panels of conventional image forming apparatuses mainly have a character display for displaying characters necessary for a user to operate the apparatus and characters indicating the operation status of the apparatus. . In such a character display panel, it is necessary to read the characters, and in many cases, the display panel is configured using a color liquid crystal.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-131727 discloses a printer having a function of displaying print contents on a display device, which performs color display without using an additional storage device, and further prints the print contents on the aforementioned display device. In addition, proposals have been made to improve the operability and maintainability by enabling error display, warning display, maintenance display and the like by changing the hue.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-313455, a color filter which can freely enter and exit between a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight is provided as an abnormality notifying means for notifying a user of an abnormality of the apparatus. There is described a display device in which a plurality of filters having mutually different color tones are overlapped with each other to display a warning or a warning on the same screen by operating the color filters.

[0009]

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-
In the case of JP-A-131727 and JP-A-Hei 05-313455, the displayed content is simply a color display of the process or state of the copier (waiting, printing, occurrence of trouble, etc.). It is not possible to obtain the detailed information necessary for the user in what operation state each step is and what the available functions are.

Particularly, in a multifunction peripheral connected to a network which has been increasing in recent years, although the apparatus is operating, it is unclear at what timing the user may interrupt the apparatus. To use
There was a problem that the user had to wait until the device stopped (inconvenient usability).

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a display device of an image forming apparatus capable of displaying information desired by a user in an easily viewable manner. .

[0012]

According to the present invention, means for achieving the above-mentioned object are constituted as follows.

(1) In a display apparatus of an image forming apparatus having at least a display unit for displaying a state of the apparatus, when a state of the image forming apparatus changes, a display state of the display unit is visually determined. A display control unit that changes the state to an easy state is provided.

According to this configuration, the display state of the display device, for example, a state in which the liquid crystal display state can be easily visually recognized in response to the change of the apparatus state (change of the operation state and operation state of the image forming apparatus). (Changes in hue, shading, etc.) makes it easier to intuitively grasp changes in the state of the apparatus, simplifies the configuration of the display unit, and eliminates the need to increase the area of the display unit.

(2) Document reading means for reading image information from a document, image receiving means for receiving image information from a terminal connected to a network, and line image receiving for receiving image information from a telephone line. , And a composite image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image based on image information obtained from each of the units.

According to this configuration, especially in the composite image forming apparatus connected to the network, the timing of interruption and waiting can be accurately grasped, and the usability is improved.

(3) The visual change in the display state is a change in backlight caused by liquid crystal display on the display unit.

According to this configuration, a change in the state of the device is displayed by a change in the backlight caused by the liquid crystal display on the display unit. Therefore, the configuration of the display unit can be simplified without using a complicated control circuit. Can be.

(4) The backlight of the display section is displayed by combining a plurality of single-color LEDs of a specific color or by using color LEDs that emit a plurality of colors, and the display section can express multiple colors. It is characterized by the following.

According to this structure, the backlight combines a plurality of single-color LEDs of a specific color or uses a color LED to perform multicolor expression on the display unit.
It is easy to manufacture without requiring new development.

(5) The backlight of the display section is displayed by combining a plurality of single-color EL elements of a specific color or by using color EL elements emitting a plurality of colors. It is characterized by being.

According to this configuration, since the backlight combines a plurality of single-color EL elements of a specific color or uses a color EL element to perform multicolor expression on the display unit, it does not require new development. , Making it easier.

(6) Characters displayed on the display section are changed based on information obtained by a change in the state of the image forming apparatus.

According to this configuration, the characters on the display section are changed using existing LEDs, EL elements, etc., so that the production is facilitated without new development.

(7) The display characters on the display section display different colors according to the color change of the backlight, and the different colors are complementary colors of the hue of the backlight.

According to this configuration, the display characters on the display unit are
Since different colors are displayed according to the color change of the backlight and the different colors are complementary colors of the hue of the backlight,
Even if the hue of the backlight is changed, the displayed characters can be easily recognized.

(8) The display characters on the display unit are black characters when the hue of the backlight is visually light.

According to this structure, when the hue of the backlight is visually light, the displayed characters on the display section are black characters, so that the contrast becomes clear and the visibility (visibility) of the characters is improved. improves.

(9) The characters displayed on the display section are white characters when the hue of the backlight is visually dark.

According to this configuration, when the hue of the backlight is visually dark, the characters displayed on the display section are outlined characters, so that the contrast becomes clear and the visibility (visibility) of the characters is improved. Is improved.

(10) The backlight of the display section is controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cells constituting the liquid crystal display of the display section in accordance with the change in the state of the image forming apparatus. Is characterized by changing a plurality of colors.

According to this configuration, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in accordance with the change in the state of the device, a plurality of colors of the backlight of the liquid crystal display can be selected. Therefore, the production becomes easy without requiring a complicated circuit configuration.

(11) By controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cells constituting the liquid crystal display of the display unit in response to the change in the state of the image forming apparatus, the character display on the display unit can be performed. Is changed.

According to this configuration, the character display of the liquid crystal display can be changed by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cells constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device. It is easy to manufacture without configuring a complicated circuit or the like.

(12) The control for changing the plurality of colors of the backlight of the display unit according to the ninth aspect and the change control for the character display according to the tenth aspect are simultaneously performed.

According to this configuration, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in accordance with the change of the state of the device, the backlight of the liquid crystal display unit is controlled by the plural colors. Since the selection and the change of the character display on the liquid crystal display portion are performed at the same time, the display state can be changed more variously by the combination thereof, and the visibility or perception of the liquid crystal display portion can be improved. .

(13) The hue of the backlight of the display section has a reference color, and the selected processing mode of the image forming apparatus is displayed by the reference color.

According to this configuration, the liquid crystal display state of the display section is visually changed in response to the change of the apparatus state, and the display content is changed, so that the display section is different from the case of the character display. Can be configured without complication,
Further, since it is not necessary to increase the area of the display unit, cost can be reduced.

That is, a plurality of colors of the backlight have a reference color, and the processing mode (copier (registered trademark), printer, FAX, scanner) of the selected device is indicated corresponding to the reference color. Since the processing mode of the apparatus can be intuitively recognized without interpreting the characters displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, the state of the apparatus can be immediately grasped, and the waste at the time of interruption work and waiting can be reduced.

(14) The hue of the backlight indicates the processing status in the selected processing mode of the image forming apparatus, and the hue is also changed and displayed during the processing. .

According to this configuration, a plurality of colors of the backlight are displayed for each processing state in the processing mode of the apparatus, so that not only the processing mode of the apparatus but also the processing state in the processing mode can be immediately recognized. For this reason, it is possible to more accurately determine whether to perform the interrupting operation or to perform the waiting, to improve the usability of the apparatus, and to increase the operation rate of the apparatus.

(15) When a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus, the backlight displays the same hue and warns regardless of the processing mode and processing state at that time.

According to this configuration, when a trouble occurs in the apparatus, the hue of the backlight is unified irrespective of the processing mode and the processing status, so that the occurrence of the trouble can be accurately grasped and promptly dealt with. be able to. Also,
It is possible to reduce the number of hues of the backlight,
The configuration can also be simplified.

(16) When a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus, the backlight displays a different hue according to its processing mode and processing status to warn.

According to this configuration, when a trouble occurs, the hue of the backlight is distinguished according to the processing mode and the processing status, so that the processing mode and the processing status that caused the trouble can be quickly recognized. The user who waited in front of the device does not respond to all, but the person who issued the job that actually caused the trouble can be made to recover from the trouble, improving the convenience. it can.

Further, it is possible to recognize a case where a similar trouble occurs again in a predetermined processing mode or processing state, so that it is possible to effectively take measures against the trouble.

(17) When a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus, the hue and display characters of the backlight are changed according to the contents of the trouble.

According to this configuration, when a trouble occurs in the apparatus, the hue and the display characters of the backlight are changed according to the contents of the trouble, thereby, for example, a paper jam, a shortage of recording paper, a toner shortage. Alternatively, the user level that can be dealt with can be recognized according to the content of the trouble such as a mechanical failure, so that the trouble can be appropriately dealt with.

(18) A plurality of display methods can be selectively applied to the display unit according to a change in the state of the image forming apparatus.

According to this configuration, the change in the apparatus state can be switched and displayed by a combination of a plurality of display methods, so that the display contents can be accurately displayed according to the apparatus state, and the discriminability can be improved. it can. In addition, operability is improved without performing complicated operations.

(19) The plurality of display methods are characterized by a change in a display shape or a change in a display area in the display section.

According to this configuration, since the display shape or the display area of the display section is changed, it is possible to easily find only necessary information to be noticed from various display contents. In addition, since various device states can be displayed on the display unit without performing complicated operations as needed, the visibility when frequently viewing the display panel, such as when setting conditions, is improved. Further, while the processing in each mode is being executed, another user can immediately recognize the situation in which the processing is being executed, which makes it easy to determine whether to interrupt the apparatus or perform the waiting processing.

(20) The plurality of display methods are characterized in that the display is a luminance or a luminance change of the backlight in the display section.

According to this configuration, since it is possible to combine the brightness of the backlight of the display unit, it is possible to accurately instruct the user which information in the display unit should be noticed. Therefore, even when a complicated function is set, as in the case of setting the conditions of the apparatus, even a novice can easily operate.

(21) The combination of the plurality of display states is characterized in that the hue or hue change of the backlight in the display section is changed into a moving image.

According to this configuration, since the hue of the backlight of the display unit can be transformed into a moving image, it is possible to instruct the user which information in the display unit should be noticed. In the case of performing complicated function settings such as the above condition setting, even a beginner can easily operate.

(22) The plurality of display methods may be combined with the display method according to any one of claims 19, 20, and 21 to express the state change of the image forming apparatus on the display unit. Features.

According to this configuration, various displays on the display unit
Since it is possible to combine or select the instruction form according to the instruction of the user, it is possible to provide a display unit according to the user's desire.

(23) The display area of the backlight of the display section is divided into a plurality of portions on the display section, and the operation state of each section of the image forming apparatus is displayed independently.

According to this configuration, the backlight area of the display section is divided into a plurality of portions, and the device state of each unit of the device can be individually determined independently, and various display states can be assumed. This is possible, and the configuration can be simplified since the display unit itself is configured as a single unit.

(24) The backlight of the display unit is displayed in color according to a change in the processing mode of the image forming apparatus, and it is visually determined whether or not the image forming apparatus is in use by the change in luminance. It is characterized by that.

According to this configuration, the liquid crystal display state of the display unit is visually changed in accordance with the change in the state of the image forming apparatus, and the display content is changed to display the change in the state of the apparatus in characters. Unlike the case, the configuration of the display unit can be simplified, and the display unit does not need to have a large area.

(25) The display control section has a plurality of background color light emitting circuits, and changes the luminance of the backlight according to each processing mode used in the image forming apparatus. .

According to this configuration, the change in the brightness of the display unit is
Since the change is performed by changing the backlight of the liquid crystal, the configuration can be simplified without using a complicated control circuit, and the change in the device state can be intuitively and intuitively determined by the change in luminance.

(26) Each of the processing modes is changed by changing the brightness of the backlight in accordance with an input from the operation unit of the image forming apparatus or a printing request from each terminal connected to the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by displaying by changing.

According to this configuration, the change of each processing mode of the liquid crystal display unit is obtained by an input from the operation unit of the device or a print request from each terminal device (computer, FAX, etc.) connected to the device. Based on the information provided,
Since the display can be performed by changing the luminance of the display unit, it can be realized by using existing functions without requiring new development.

(27) When the display unit is arranged for each processing mode of the composite image forming apparatus, the hue of the backlight is changed according to each processing mode, and the hue of the backlight is also changed according to the processing state. Is changed.

According to this configuration, unlike the case of character display, the liquid crystal display state of the display unit arranged for each processing mode of the apparatus is visually changed in response to the change of the apparatus state. Can be simplified, and the processing mode of the apparatus can be intuitively grasped.

(28) The difference in the hue of the backlight in each processing mode is determined so that the difference can be easily determined.
It is characterized in that a hue having a Lab level greatly different from the hue of the backlight is used.

According to this configuration, by using greatly different hues for each processing mode (copier, printer, facsimile, scanner), it is possible to immediately determine the operable processing mode of the composite image forming apparatus. it can.

(29) The hue of the backlight in each processing mode is determined by the La content of the hue depending on the processing content.
It changes with a hue approximating to the b level.

According to this configuration, the hue change according to the processing contents (ready state, standby state, execution state, etc.) in each processing mode is changed within the level approximated for each processing mode, so that the processing mode of the apparatus is immediately changed. Can be recognized, and it becomes easier to determine the processing mode than in the case of character display.

(30) When a trouble occurs in each of the processing modes and when the supply of the apparatus is replaced, the hue of the backlight is set to the same color in each of the processing modes as a warning hue.

According to this configuration, when a trouble occurs in the apparatus, the hue of the backlight is unified irrespective of the processing mode and the processing state, so that the trouble detection can be surely performed, and the trouble can be quickly recovered. It is also possible to reduce the number of hues of the backlight.

(31) In each processing mode, when one processing mode is operating, the backlight corresponding to the other processing mode is turned off.

According to this configuration, when one processing mode is in operation, the backlight in the other processing mode is turned off so that the mode in operation can be determined more easily and the power consumption can be reduced. It is possible to reduce and increase the energy saving degree.

(32) In each processing mode, while one processing mode is operating, a reservation processing in which another mode is possible;
The backlight of the hue of the interrupt processing is turned on.

According to this configuration, the operation state of the apparatus can be immediately recognized and operated by visually changing the display state in accordance with the state of the processing mode in which reservation is possible and interruptible. Processing mode information can be accurately grasped.

(33) The display state of the display section is visually changed according to the processing progress of the image forming apparatus, and the display content is changed.

According to this configuration, the display state (of the liquid crystal) on the display unit is visually changed in response to the change in the processing progress of the image forming apparatus, and the display content is changed, so that the character display is performed. Unlike the case (1), the configuration of the display unit can be simplified, the area of the display unit does not need to be large, and the visibility from a remote place is dramatically improved.

(34) The change of the display content of the display unit is characterized in that the character displayed on the display unit is changed based on information obtained by a change in the state of the image forming apparatus. .

According to this configuration, the display contents of the display unit can be changed by changing the characters displayed on the display unit based on the information obtained by the change of the device state. It can be realized by using.

(35) The display characters on the display unit display different colors in accordance with the color change of the backlight, and the different colors are complementary colors of the hue of the backlight.

According to this configuration, the display characters (of the liquid crystal) on the display unit are displayed in different colors according to the color change of the backlight, and the different colors are complementary colors of the hue of the backlight. Even when the hue of the light is changed, the visibility of the displayed characters is improved, and the usability can be improved.

(36) The display characters on the display section are characterized by black character display when the hue of the backlight is visually light.

According to this configuration, when the hue of the backlight is visually bright, the display characters on the liquid crystal display are black characters, so that the contrast is clear and the visibility of the display characters is improved. .

(37) The display characters on the display section are characterized by white characters when the hue of the backlight is visually dark.

According to this configuration, when the hue of the backlight is visually dark, the characters displayed on the liquid crystal display section are outlined characters, so that the contrast is clear and the visibility of the displayed characters is improved. I do.

(38) The plurality of colors of the backlight of the display section are selected by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cells constituting the liquid crystal display of the display section in accordance with the change of the device state. It is characterized by being performed.

According to this configuration, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device, a plurality of colors of the backlight of the liquid crystal display can be selected. Therefore, a complicated circuit or the like is not required, and the configuration can be simplified.

(39) The character display on the display section is changed by controlling an applied voltage to an electrode of a liquid crystal cell constituting a liquid crystal display of the display section in response to a change in the device state. It is characterized by.

According to this configuration, the character display on the liquid crystal display section is changed by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the device state. The configuration can be simplified without requiring a complicated circuit or the like.

(40) The selection of a plurality of colors of the backlight of the display unit and the change of the character display are realized by simultaneously executing the controls according to claims 38 and 39.

According to this configuration, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device, it is possible to select a plurality of colors of the backlight of the liquid crystal display. Then, the character display of the liquid crystal display section is changed at the same time, so that the content of the liquid crystal display can be diversified and more appropriate display can be performed.

(41) The plurality of colors of the backlight have reference colors, and according to the reference colors, the progress of the processing in each of the selected processing modes of the image forming apparatus is: It is displayed on the backlight.

According to this configuration, a plurality of colors of the backlight have a reference color, and the processing in each processing mode (copier, printer, FAX, scanner, etc.) of the selected apparatus is corresponding to the reference color. Since the progress status is indicated, the processing progress status of the apparatus can be intuitively grasped, and the display contents can be grasped more easily and quickly (compared with the case of reading the display characters). It is possible to accurately grasp the waiting time and the like.

(42) The display unit is capable of displaying the state of the image forming apparatus by a select function of an operation unit in addition to inputting each condition of the image forming apparatus.

According to this configuration, information other than the condition input of the apparatus (current processing progress, list of trouble occurrence locations, use of consumables, list of charging system, etc.) can be displayed on the display unit. In addition, not only can the user operating the apparatus recognize the state of the apparatus, but also if the user leaves the place, the user can recognize the state of the apparatus without performing complicated operations. It is easy to recognize what to do in case of trouble or possible interrupt processing.

(43) In the standby state in which the image forming apparatus is unused and its power is turned on, the backlight is turned off.

According to this configuration, when the apparatus is in the energy saving mode, turning off the backlight reduces power consumption and improves the energy saving effect.

(44) The backlight is turned off when the image forming apparatus is not operating and when there is no user around the apparatus.

According to this configuration, the light is turned off when the apparatus is not operating and when there is no user around the apparatus, so that the power consumption is reduced and the energy saving effect is improved.

(45) The backlight is turned on when it is detected that a user is approaching by a reflective sensor disposed on an exterior part of the image forming apparatus.

According to this configuration, the reflection type sensor disposed on the exterior part of the apparatus allows the user to approach or
Lights up when the user approaches to confirm and use the device status (confirmation etc. indicates when it comes to take out printing paper, usage purpose indicates printing request in copier mode and transmission request in FAX mode) By doing so, convenience is improved.

(46) The backlight is turned on by the FA
In the X mode, when the job of the received data is completed, the light is turned on to warn of the presence of the received data.

According to this configuration, in the facsimile mode, the light is turned on to warn of the presence of the received data when the job of the received data is completed, so that the job status can be easily and immediately recognized. , Convenience is improved.

(47) In the printer mode, the backlight is lit to notify the end of the job when the job requested for printing is completed in the printer mode.

According to this configuration, in the printer mode, when the job requested for printing is completed, the light is turned on to notify the end of the job, so that the job status can be easily and immediately recognized. Is improved.

[0109]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a small digital copying machine (hereinafter referred to as the multifunction printer). The multifunction printer has a substantially U-shape, and includes a scanner section 100 and an image forming section 20.
0, a sheet transport unit 300 and a control unit (not shown) for controlling the sheet transport unit 300 and the like. Although not shown, it is network-connected to various computers and facsimile transceivers via local wiring. I have.

First, the scanner section 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a scanner unit 100 constituting a document reading unit has a document table 7 made of transparent glass or the like on an upper surface, and a scanner optical system constituting an optical unit below the document table 7. 10 are provided. The scanner optical system 10 includes an exposure lamp 11 and a reflecting mirror 12.
1, 122, 123, an imaging lens 13, and a photoelectric conversion element (CCD) 14 are provided.

The exposure lamp 11 is a light source for scanning a document placed on the document table 7 with light. The reflecting mirrors 121, 122, and 123 guide the reflected light from the original to the imaging lens 13 and the CCD 14, for example, as indicated by a dashed line in the drawing.

The CCD 14 receives the reflected light imaged by the imaging lens 13 and generates image data of an electric signal corresponding to the reflected light. This image data is transmitted to a laser scanning unit, which will be described later, after a predetermined image processing is performed by the control unit.

The above description describes a method of reading image information in a document in the document fixing method.
A scanner unit having both the original moving system and the original fixing system may be used as the scanner unit 100 of the copying machine.

An operation panel having an LCD display section (display section) 8 for notifying the user of the status of the apparatus to the user and an operation key section 9 for providing a man-machine interface with the user are provided near the document table 7. 6 are provided. The technical contents of the LCD display unit 8 will be described later in detail.

Next, the image forming section 200 and the sheet conveying section 300 constituting the processing means will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit 200 includes a photoreceptor roller 28, a charging unit 29, a developing unit 30, a transfer charger 31 and a cleaning device 32, which are image forming units, and a laser scanning unit (LSU, not shown). ).

The photoreceptor roller 28 is a drum-shaped photoreceptor roller, and is driven to rotate at a predetermined process speed in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise). Charging unit 2
9 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor roller 28 to a predetermined potential. The LSU forms an electrostatic latent image on the charged surface of the photoreceptor roller 28 by exposing the surface of the photoreceptor roller 28 with laser light, in accordance with the image data generated by the scanner unit X.

The developing section 30 forms a toner image on the photosensitive roller 28 by developing the electrostatic latent image formed by the LSU with the developing roller 30a. The transfer charger 31 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive roller 28 to a sheet. The cleaning device 32 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor roller 28 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet.

In the image forming section 200, an image receiving means 110 for receiving image information from a terminal (not shown) such as a computer or a facsimile machine connected to a network (not shown), and a telephone line (not shown) Line image receiving means 120 for receiving image information from the printer (omitted).

The sheet conveying section 300 provided at the lowermost position
Are a main conveyance path F, a paper conveyance path N, a sub conveyance path S, a manual conveyance path M, a discharge conveyance path R, a fixed paper supply cassette 15, a manual paper tray 16, a pickup roller 18, and a paper supply roller 1.
9, 21, a registration roller 22, a fixing roller 23 as a fixing unit, a paper discharge roller 25, a paper discharge port 40, a discharge tray 39, and conveyance rollers 271, 272, 273, a pre-registration detection switch (not shown), a fixing paper detection A switch and a paper ejection detection switch.

The fixed paper feed cassette 15 is for storing sheets P to be printed. The configuration of the fixed sheet cassette 15 will be described later. The manual feed tray 16 is for feeding sheets P of a type that cannot be stored in the fixed paper feed cassette 15 or that is not desired to be stored.

The pickup roller 18 is provided at the tip of the fixed paper feed cassette 15 or the manual feed tray 16.
These are half-moon-shaped draw-in rollers that output sheets P from these trays 15 and 16. Note that the fixed paper cassette 15
The pickup roller 18 will be described later.

The paper feed roller 21 is a transport roller for feeding the sheet P taken out from the manual feed tray 16 to the main transport path F via the manual transport path M. Similarly, the sheet feeding roller 19 transfers the sheet P taken out from the fixed sheet feeding cassette 15 to the main conveyance path F via the sheet conveyance path N.
Send to

Further, the fixed sheet feeding cassette 15 and the manual feed tray 16 are provided with a sheet separating portion (not shown) for assisting the discharge of the sheet P. The sheet separating portion can be constituted by a roller and a friction sheet member or a reverse roller.

Further, the sheet feeding conveyance path N, the sub conveyance path S, and the manual conveyance path M join on the upstream side of the registration rollers 22 (the cassette side is the upstream side and the discharge side is the downstream side). In addition, a pre-registration detection switch is provided near the junction.

The pre-registration detection switch detects that the sheet P being conveyed toward the main conveyance path F has passed a predetermined position, and outputs a predetermined detection signal.

The registration roller 22 temporarily holds the sheet P conveyed from the main conveyance path F, and
It has a function to convey the sheet P to the transfer charger 31 with good timing in accordance with the rotation of the photoconductor roller 28 so that the upper toner image can be transferred onto the sheet P well.

In other words, the registration roller 22 is timed based on the detection signal output from the pre-registration detection switch so that the leading end of the toner image on the photosensitive roller 28 is pressed against the leading end of the printing range of the sheet P. Thus, the sheet P is conveyed.

The fixing roller 23 as a fixing unit is for fixing the toner image on the sheet P after printing by crushing the toner image on the sheet P at a high temperature and a high pressure.
A fixing paper detection switch (not shown) is configured to have a heater inside to raise the temperature to a predetermined fixing temperature and to sandwich the sheet P between the rollers by a predetermined pressing force.
Accordingly, it is detected that the sheet P has passed the fixing roller 23.

On the downstream side of the fixing roller 23, a branch point (junction point) between the main transport path F and the sub transport path S is provided. In addition, a guide member 41 for setting a sheet P conveyance path is provided at this branch point. Further, a discharge roller 2 for discharging the sheet P to the discharge tray 39 is provided near the discharge port 40 located at the end of the discharge conveyance path R.
5 are provided.

The paper discharge roller 25 and the guide member 4
1 is set so as to function as a double-sided printing mechanism together with the sub-transport path S. That is, in normal single-sided printing, the guide member 41 is rotated upward to open the space between the main transport path F and the paper discharge roller 25. As a result, the sheet P that has exited from the fixing roller 23 is conveyed to the discharge conveyance path R, and then placed on the discharge tray 39 by the discharge roller 25.

On the other hand, when printing is performed on both the front and back sides of the sheet P, when printing on one side of the sheet P is completed and the sheet P is conveyed from the main conveyance path F to the discharge conveyance path R,
The guide member 41 is rotated downward, and the space between the sub-transport path S and the paper discharge roller 25 is opened.

Thereafter, the paper discharge roller 25 rotates in the forward (positive) direction (paper discharge direction) until the rear end of the sheet P passes through the guide member 41, and then in the reverse direction while holding the sheet P. Rotate. As a result, the sheet P is conveyed from the rear end to the sub-conveyance path S, is conveyed again to the registration rollers 22 via the conveyance rollers 271 to 273, and is printed on the back surface. In the vicinity of the guide member 41, a detection switch (not shown) for detecting the guide member 41 for the sheet P is provided. Note that the multifunction peripheral has a FAX function, a scanner function, and a printer function in addition to the copier function, but a detailed description of the functions in each mode is omitted.

In the multifunction peripheral having the above-described configuration, in order to display information such as the operation state and operation state of the apparatus that the user wants to know in a visually easy-to-read manner, the above-described scanner unit 100 includes: A display control unit 101 having various arithmetic functions (CPU) and storage functions (ROM, RAM) is provided, and the display state of the LCD display unit 8 of the operation panel 6, that is,
For example, the hue and the shading of the backlight and the character liquid crystal are changed according to the state of the apparatus (operation state or operation state).

The display control unit 101 controls the backlight and the character liquid crystal of the LCD display unit 8 of the operation panel 6 which has been conventionally used, without newly providing a character display and operation buttons. The configuration is simpler than the case of displaying characters, and the LCD display unit 8 can be configured without requiring a space, so that the state of the device can be grasped at a glance from the outside. Note that the display control unit 101 may be provided in the above-described control unit.

As shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 2, the change of the backlight is achieved by a three-color LED connected to the CPU via a multiplexer (MPX), transistors (TR-Y1, Y2,...), And a resistor. (LED-Y1, Y2, @Y
m, LED-G1, G2, ΔGm, LED-O1, O
2, ─Om).

That is, in this embodiment, first, one pixel is composed of three colors (Yellow, Green, Orange), while the display controller 101 is made to input information (signal) relating to the operation state of the apparatus. According to the operation state, the display control unit 101 sends a Hig signal to each LED.
By outputting the h signal or the Low signal, the backlight is changed according to the state of the device at that time.

In this case, one pixel is controlled by a plurality of single-color LEDs. However, when a color LED capable of emitting a plurality of colors is used, one pixel can be controlled by a single LED. Circuit can be simplified.

The hue of the LCD display section 8 can be freely controlled by changing the hue of the backlight. However, it is necessary to control (change) only the hue of the character liquid crystal without changing the hue of the backlight. Thus, visibility or luminosity different from the change in the backlight can be secured.

However, if only the hue of the backlight or the character liquid crystal is changed, the characters may be difficult to see.
For example, when a dark color is displayed on a dark backlight color, not only is it difficult to see, but also the visibility or perception is reduced, and there is a concern that the operability of the device may be reduced. You.

That is, there is a limit in changing the hue of either the backlight or the character liquid crystal. Therefore, when the backlight color is changed, the hue of the character liquid crystal is also changed in accordance with the change. It is desirable that the hue of the backlight and the hue of the character liquid crystal be changed in a complementary color relationship, so that the visibility or luminosity of the LCD display section 8 can be improved.

Specifically, the complementary color relationship is as follows: when the hue of the backlight is visually light, black character display is performed as in the past, and only when the hue of the backlight is visually dark, The use of white characters makes it possible to clarify the contrast and maintain an easily viewable display state. For example, as shown in the display example of the operation panel in Table 1, when mixing the hue of the character liquid crystal with the hue of the backlight, the character color as shown in the table is used to improve the visibility or Can improve visibility.

[0143]

[Table 1]

The change (control) of the hue of the character liquid crystal can be easily realized by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cells constituting the liquid crystal by the display control unit 101. Therefore, when the backlight color is changed, the display controller 101 changes (adjusts) the character liquid crystal at the same time, so that the visibility or luminosity of the LCD display unit 8 can be significantly improved.

Next, the timing of actually changing the hue of the backlight and the type of the hue will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 showing the main processing procedure from when the apparatus is turned on.

First, when the power of the apparatus is turned on, STEP 1 is executed.
In step 01, pre-initialization processing of the apparatus is performed, and in step 10
At 2, each member is initialized. This STEP30
In step 103, it is determined whether or not the result of the initialization performed in step 2 has been completed normally. If the processing has been completed normally, the process proceeds to the normal route in step 111.

On the other hand, if the processing is abnormally terminated, the flow shifts to STEP 104 which is a quasi-normal route. In STEP 104, the cause of the abnormal termination is recognized, error processing (for example, notification of running out of toner to the user) is performed, and STEP1 is performed.
At step 05, it is determined whether or not all of the abnormally terminated error causes have been cleared, and a waiting process is performed until all of the errors have been cleared. When the error has been cleared, the process proceeds to STEP106, and the error recovery process (e.g. ), The process returns to STEP 103, and the loop processing is repeatedly performed until the error factor is removed.

In the case of shifting to the normal route, STEP11
In step 1, it is determined whether or not there is a copy request from the user. If there is a copy request, the process proceeds to STEP 121. Hereinafter, a case where there is no copy request will be described. If there is no copy request, it is determined in STEP 112 whether or not there is a request to shift to the energy saving mode (this includes the energy saving mode performed by the user's instruction and the energy saving mode due to the idle time of the apparatus). If there is a request to shift to the energy saving mode, an energy saving process relating to the energy saving mode is performed in STEP 117. If there is no request for the energy saving mode, the process proceeds to STEP 113. STEP
At 113, it is determined whether or not any error factor has occurred. If no error has occurred, STEP 113 is performed again.
By shifting to 111, ST will be used unless an error occurs.
The loop process from EP111 to STEP113 is performed. If an error has occurred, the process proceeds to STEP114.

At STEP 114, processing of the generated error is performed (including an instruction to the user). At STEP 115, it is determined whether or not the error has been cleared, and a loop process is performed until the error is cleared. At this point, the process proceeds to STEP116. In STEP 116,
After performing the initial setting etc. by error recovery, STEP11
By shifting to 1, the loop process related to waiting for a copy request from the user is repeated.

Regarding the processing related to the energy saving mode after STEP 117, first, the energy saving processing (stop of power supply to each part of the driving unit and the process unit in FIG. 1) is performed in STEP 117, and the energy saving mode is set by the loop processing in STEP 118. When a request to release is issued, the STE
By shifting to P119, the energy saving mode is ended, and after returning to the normal state, the process proceeds to STEP111, so that the loop process related to waiting for a copy request from the user is repeated.

If there is a copy request, STEP 121
Then, a pre-copy process (for example, stirring of the toner in the developing unit 30 in FIG. 1) is performed, and in STEP 122, it is determined whether the pre-copy process has been normally completed. (Details of the processing content are omitted, but those that can be dealt with by the user according to the content of the error will be instructed to the user, and if the problem cannot be dealt with by the user, the user will be notified of that, etc.) When the processing is completed, the process proceeds to STEP123.

In STEP 123, read preparation in the scanner optical system 10 of FIG.
Then, it is determined whether or not the reading preparation has been completed normally. If the reading preparation has not been completed normally, an error process is performed.

[0153] Step 125 and subsequent steps are steps in which the copying process is actually being executed. First, in step 125, the process of feeding the sheet P from the fixed sheet feeding cassette 15 or the like in FIG. Show, S
In STEP 126, an original image placed on the original platen 7 shown in FIG.
In STEP 127, the document image read in STEP 126 is printed on the sheet P.

In STEP 128, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the above-described copy processing. If an abnormality has occurred, error processing is performed. If the copy processing has been completed normally, the flow proceeds to STEP 129.

In step 129, it is determined whether or not there is another job.
By proceeding to 125, a loop process relating to copying is performed, but when all jobs have been completed, the process proceeds to STEP 111 to repeat the loop process waiting for a copy request from the user.

The above is the main processing procedure from the power-on to the start of the copy processing. FIGS. 3 to 5 show examples of the backlight colors (A to E) in each STEP. . Note that the mode transition state, the backlight hue, and the display character hue can be set to correspond, for example, as shown in Table 2.

[0157]

[Table 2]

First, the backlight color A is set in STEP 101 to STEP 101.
During the period during which the initial setting of each member is performed after the power is turned on during the period between steps 102 and 102, the backlight color B is set in STEPS 104 to 104.
5, and during the initial setting of STEPS 114 to 115 and during error processing in the copy waiting state, the backlight color C is during the error recovery in STEP 106 and STEP 116, and the backlight color D is STE.
The period during which the users P111 to P113 normally make a copy request before printing, and the backlight color E is STEP1
This is designated as a period during which processing according to the copy requests 21 to 129 is performed.

For example, the backlight color A after the power is turned on
To light blue, the backlight color B at the stage of performing error processing to red, the backlight color C at the stage of performing error recovery processing to yellow, and the backlight waiting for a copy request from the user. By setting the color D to a light-colored color and the backlight color E at the stage when copying actually started to dark green, the user can recognize the state of the apparatus only by recognizing the color of the backlight. Can be improved. The hue of the backlight color is not limited to this, and may be appropriately selected and set.

Next, a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, in order to perform a warm-up process by the user turning on the apparatus in STEP 201 in FIG. 6 (STEP 202), the process proceeds to STEP 221 in FIG. 7, and power is supplied to each member of the apparatus. Is initialized (STEP 222). After a while, S
Initialization of the scanner unit 100 (see FIG. 1) in STEP 223 and image forming unit 200 (see FIG. 1) in STEP 224
Initialization, STEP 225 FAX initialization, STE
Initialization of the control unit (including the display control unit 101) in P226, detection of the presence or absence of a sheet in the sheet conveyance path in STEP 227, and fixing unit (the fixing roller 23 in FIG. 1) in STEP 228
Each process of raising the temperature to the set temperature is performed in parallel.

Next, in STEP 229, it is detected whether or not a trouble has occurred during each of the above-described parallel processing. When the trouble is detected, in STEP 231 the backlight color of the LCD display section 8 of the operation panel 6 is detected. And a character string indicating the content of the trouble are displayed. In STEP 230, the parallel processing described above is repeated until it is detected that the initialization of each unit has been completed. The processing ends, and the apparatus enters a ready state (STEP 203 in FIG. 6).

After the state becomes ready in STEP 203, STEP 205, STEP 206, or STE
The flow shifts to P207, awaits an operation request for the apparatus or a change in state of the apparatus. First, when a power-off by the user is detected (STEP 206), the processing related to the power-off is completed, and the processing ends.

Next, in STEP 205, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the mode shifts to the energy saving mode in STEP 208 (power saving function for each member, but details are omitted). During execution of the energy saving mode, at the stage where the print request from the user is recognized (STEP 209), it is determined whether or not the fixing unit (the fixing roller 23 in FIG. 1) has reached the fixing temperature (STEP 210). If the temperature has not reached, the temperature of the fixing unit is raised by, for example, heating a heater unit in the fixing roller 23 in FIG.

When the temperature of the fixing unit reaches the set temperature,
The print request is accepted, the LCD display unit 8 of the operation panel 6 is turned on, various mode setting menus of the apparatus are displayed (STEP 211), and the process proceeds to STEP 241 of FIG. 8. The description of STEP 241 and subsequent steps will be described later.

Then, STEP 203 and STEP 205
When the user instructs a copier request or the like in the interrupt waiting state between the two, the operation according to STEP 207 is determined as to whether or not there is an operation request.
Proceed to 241. In STEP 241, the contents of the operation request according to the user's instruction are recognized, and a determination as to what kind of operation request has been made is made in STEP 242 to STEP 246.
It is done in.

When the content of the operation request is the copier mode,
Go to STEP247, if the scanner mode is set to STE
To P250, in the case of the printer mode, STEP252
The process proceeds to STEP 255 in the case of the FAX reception mode, and proceeds to STEP 257 in the case of the FAX transmission mode.

At STEP 247 in the copier mode,
The setting of the conditions is repeatedly performed until the setting of various conditions for performing copying is completed (STEP 248). When the setting of the conditions is completed, in STEP 249, processing of each member relating to the copier processing is performed, and the processing is terminated. In STEP 250 in the scanner mode, it is determined whether or not the processing unit for performing scanning is usable (for example, when the function not using the document table 7 in FIG. 1 is operating as in the printer mode, the printer mode and the scanner mode are not used). STEP 247 if scanning is possible.
Then, various kinds of processing relating to the scan mode are set, but if the scan is not possible, the fact that the scan mode is not possible is determined in STEP 251 by the LC of the operation panel 6.
The information is displayed on the D display unit 8, and the process ends.

In STEP 252 in the printer mode, the received print data is stored in the memory.
At 53, it is determined whether or not the printing conditions are set in the received data.
Prompts the terminal that has activated the printer mode to input the conditions, proceeds to STEP 249 when the printing conditions are set, and performs processing of each member related to the printer mode, that is, forms an image on a sheet and performs processing. To end.

In STEP 255 by facsimile reception, it is determined whether or not the image forming unit B shown in FIG. 1 for forming a received facsimile image can be used (in the case of facsimile reception, the content of the received facsimile is directly printed). (Because it is possible to temporarily store the received contents in the memory without printing (image formation) and print the received contents later) When the processing is completed and the processing is completed, on the other hand, if the FAX mode cannot be used, the FAX mode is switched to the memory reception mode in STEP 256, and then the processing proceeds to STEP 249, where the processing of each member related to FAX memory reception is performed and the processing is performed. Finally, if the fax is in the transmission mode in STEP 246, a communication unit (not shown in FIG. 1) for transmitting the fax in STEP 257. Etc. it is determined whether available, the process proceeds to use if STEP249, the process ends by performing the processing of each member concerning FAX transmission. On the other hand, when the fax transmission is not available, in step 258, the facsimile transmission is switched to the memory transmission mode, and then the operation proceeds to step 249, where F
The process for each member in the AX memory transmission mode is performed, and the process ends.

As described above, in order to be able to intuitively and intuitively grasp the contents of each operation of the device which is performed in a complex manner, the present embodiment employs the hue of the backlight of the LCD display unit 8. Is variable, and the user sets the color of the backlight of the LCD display unit 8 by setting the reference color (s) of the backlight in correspondence with each of the above-described processing modes (printer mode, copier mode, etc.). By recognizing, the operating state and operating state of the device can be immediately recognized.

That is, in this case, as shown in Table 1 above, the display character color of the liquid crystal is set to a complementary color relationship in correspondence with the reference color of the backlight, and the liquid crystal is changed in accordance with the change in the hue of the backlight. By changing the hue of the character,
The visibility (visibility) of characters is improved, making them easier to read.

By the way, in the case of a multifunction machine, for example, when the printer mode is operating, FAX transmission and FAX memory reception are also possible. In some cases, it is difficult to recognize characters, and there is a concern that the operability of the device may be reduced. However, in the present embodiment, such a problem is solved by the above-described measures. It is.

In Table 1, when the apparatus is in the energy saving mode in the standby state for a predetermined time, the backlight is turned off to further reduce the power consumption of the apparatus (energy saving).

Further, by changing the hue of the backlight in accordance with the processing steps in each processing mode (for example, distinction between printing and setting of conditions), not only the processing mode in operation but also the processing mode in The processing step (in which processing step in the processing mode it is) can be recognized by the hue of the backlight.

[0176] Regarding processing conditions that require immediate action, such as a sheet jam in the image forming unit 200 or the sheet conveying unit 300 in FIG. By setting the hue of the light to be the same in each processing mode, it is possible to easily determine the trouble, and to quickly take the measures.

When the hue of the backlight is made different for each processing mode for various troubles, it is possible to easily recognize in which processing mode the trouble has occurred. The user indirectly executing (operating) can actively cope with the trouble, and the burden on other users who are not executing the corresponding process can be eliminated.

In this regard, particularly in the case of a paper jam related to various troubles, the user needs to take action depending on the place where the paper jam has occurred, such as in a transport path, a paper feeding unit, or a paper discharging unit. Where they should be, and especially
In the case of a paper jam around the photosensitive roller, if the user is not accustomed to maintenance, it takes a long time to perform the treatment, and the operation rate of the apparatus is reduced.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when various troubles occur, the backlight hue of the LCD display unit 8 and the characters displayed on the liquid crystal are changed according to the trouble factor and the action level. Its visibility (visibility)
And improve the readability of the display contents, and for each cause of trouble, the user who executed the corresponding process can handle the trouble efficiently and effectively reduce the operation rate of the device. Can be suppressed.

Next, a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11A shows a configuration of an LCD display unit 8 of a conventional operation panel 6. In this case, each part in the LCD display unit 8 is integrally formed without being particularly divided. In the embodiment, the LCD display unit 8 is
The structure is divided as shown in FIG. Since the dotted frame in the figure is invisible, the user does not see the LCD display unit 8 as being divided.

As shown in FIG. 11 (B), not only the method of displaying various information in a concentrated manner as in the related art but also the method of FIG.
As shown in (C), the information may be displayed with a space between them (with a margin) so that the user can easily view the information.
FIG. 1 shows the state when the user sets the number of copies.
1 (D), unnecessary information in the operation panel is temporarily hidden, and only the contents related to the operation are displayed, so that when the user sets conditions, the information on the LCD display unit 8 is displayed. It is possible to clarify where to pay attention and to improve operability.

Next, a method of configuring a backlight when the LCD display section 8 is divided and displayed / configured as described above will be described below with reference to a backlight-related circuit diagram of FIG.

In the circuit of FIG. 10, as in the case of FIG.
Each pixel is composed of three colors, and each LE constituting the backlight
D (Yellow, Green, Orange) becomes C
Controlled by the PU, the hue of the backlight can be changed according to changes in the device state (changes in the operation state and the operation state).

Further, since a plurality of sets of LED control lines for each color are provided individually (for example, in the case of Yellow,
The LCD display unit 8 of the operation panel 6 can be divided into segments, and the backlight can be controlled for each segment. By controlling the division of the backlight in this manner, for example, a change in the temperature inside the device in a desired display state,
It is possible to easily change the hue and the luminance of the backlight displayed on the display of the remaining amount of the memory in the control unit.

In another example, the LCD display section 8 is configured as shown in FIG. In this case, the LCD display unit 8
Has a display area divided as in FIG. 11, but the display method of the divided area is different. For example, when setting the number of copies, conventionally, in order to indicate how many copies are set as shown in FIG.

However, in this example, since the LCD display section 8 is divided, the backlight itself of the area of interest is displayed differently from the other areas, so that the visibility or the visibility ( A display method with good visibility can be provided.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12B, a method of lowering the luminance of another region without changing the luminance of the region of interest, or conversely, as shown in FIG. By increasing only the luminance of the area to be operated, an effect of attracting the user's line of sight (improvement of attention) is generated.
Condition setting by the (operation key section 9) can be performed accurately.

In a different example, the LCD display unit 8
Are configured as shown in FIG.

In this case, as in FIGS. 11 and 12,
Although the display area is divided, the display method of the divided area is different. For example, when setting the number of copies, conventionally, in order to indicate the number of copies to be set as shown in FIG.

However, in this example, since the LCD display section 8 is divided, the backlight itself in the area of interest is made different from the other areas, so that the visibility or the visibility (visibility) is increased. ) Can be provided.

Specifically, only the hue of the region of interest is changed (+ α minutes) in FIG. 13B, and after the lapse of a predetermined time, only the hue of the region of interest is changed in FIG. Is further changed (for + B). FIGS. 13B and 13C
The display state according to is divided into several stages, so that the region to be noted can be displayed in a gradation (in a stepwise manner). It is also possible).

With such a display, an effect of attracting the user's line of sight appears (improvement of the degree of attention).
Condition setting by the (operation key section 9) can be performed accurately.

Further, the method shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C is combined with the method shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, or the user selects these display methods appropriately according to the use conditions and the like. By making it possible, the visibility (visibility) can be further improved.

As described above, various display states of the LCD display unit 8 can be realized. Further, each of the divided LCD display units 8 displays the state of the apparatus (the current processing progress status and the trouble occurrence location). By displaying the list, the status of use of consumables, and the list of billing systems, etc.), the user can grasp the state of the apparatus at a glance simply by looking at the LCD display unit 8.

For example, FIG. 14 shows a display example of the LCD display unit 8 in each processing mode (copy, fax, scanner, printer) in the image forming apparatus. Thus, the remaining amount of recording paper in the copy mode at that time,
In the fax mode, the remaining memory capacity, the size of the sent document,
Address display in scanner mode (used as e-mail),
In addition, the used tray in the printer mode and the remaining amount of paper in the tray can also be displayed in a normal display state of the LCD display unit 8.

Next, a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, a configuration in which the luminance of the backlight is changed in accordance with a change in the operation state and operation state of the device will be described with reference to the circuit diagram of FIG. Sensor 1 is
For example, a sensor that changes state when a person approaches, for example, when detecting that a person (operator) approaches the image forming apparatus, transmits a backlight ON signal to the CPU and responds accordingly. Then, the backlight color of the LCD display unit 8 of the operation panel 6 is changed.

The display color can be changed by controlling the lighting of the backlight of the LCD display unit 8. That is, the LCD display section 8 is composed of LEDs, and its lighting control is to select an LED to be turned on (select a display color corresponding to the operation state and operation state of the apparatus) by a signal output from the CPU to the IC 2. It is done by doing.

More specifically, LE2 is transmitted from IC2 to each LED via control circuits 1 to 8 having different resistance values.
ON and OFF of D1 to D8 and CPU to ICl
, The brightness of each of the LEDs 1 to 8 is adjusted. Control circuit 1 for ICL and IC2 signals
By outputting to # 8, the voltage level that matches the luminance selected by ICl is adjusted, and the LED selected by IC2 is lit with the above-mentioned adjusted luminance.

The brightness of the LED selected as described above is
As shown in Tables 1 and 2 in FIG.
It is obtained by controlling the FF. For example, in Table 1, input signal 1 is ON (1 = ON) and input signal 2 is OFF (0 = OF).
In the case of F), the luminance is adjusted by the output symbol I. In Table 2, for example, the input signal A is ON and the signal B is O
When the FF and the signal C are ON, the output is selected, and the signal is sent to the corresponding LED.

Next, the flow of each operation process will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to flowcharts in FIGS. First, the process of turning off the background color (backlight color) (transition to the energy saving mode) will be described with reference to FIG.
When the user turns on the power at 01, a warm-up process is performed at STEP 302. When the warm-up is completed, the process proceeds to STEP 303, and the device enters a ready state. Here, the luminance of the backlight is changed stepwise according to the ready stage, so that not only the processing mode in operation but also the processing process can be recognized by the luminance change of the backlight.

After a predetermined time has elapsed in STEP 304,
In STEP 305, it is determined whether or not a user is nearby. If a user is nearby, the lighting of the background color is continued (STEP 306). If the user is not nearby, the process shifts to the energy saving mode in STEP 307, and the background color is turned off (STEP 308). Thereby, the power consumption of the device can be further reduced. After turning off the processing mode, a predetermined time in STEP 304 is counted after the processing mode ends, and the processing in STEP 305 and the subsequent steps is performed in the same manner.

The lighting process of the background color will be described with reference to FIG. 17. After receiving an operation request in STEP 401,
If there is a user nearby, the user will be copier or F
Since it can be determined that AX transmission is intended, the CPU selects a control circuit suitable for each processing mode (STEP 4).
03), and energize the selected light emitting circuit (STEP 40).
4), light the background color (STEP 405), and then
It is determined whether the mode is the copier mode (STEP 40).
6) In the case of the copier mode, a process according to the content of the job request is performed (STEP 408). Note that ST
In EP406, if the mode is not the copier mode, it is determined whether the mode is the FAX transmission mode. If the mode is the FAX transmission mode, the process proceeds to STEP402.

In STEP 402, if there is no user nearby after receiving the operation request, the user can be expected to use the printer or receive a facsimile. After the processing), the background color is turned on (STEP 412).
~ STEP414). This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption of the device, as described above.

The job processing is performed as shown in FIG. That is, when an operation request is made in STEP 501, the lighting process of the background color in STEP 502 is performed. After the lighting process of the background color, in STEP 503, the processing is performed by recognizing the contents of the operation request by the user's instruction. When the operation requesting process is completed, a process of turning off the background color in STEP 504 is performed, and the process shifts to a standby state.

As described above, in this embodiment, the power consumption is reduced by the method of changing the luminance of the backlight and the efficient turning on and off of the backlight.
It is possible to increase the degree of energy saving. Further, when displaying the operation status of the multifunction peripheral, information that the user wants to know is displayed in a visually easy-to-view manner, so that a change in the state of the apparatus can be confirmed with a single eye, and user convenience is improved.

Next, a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, according to the change in the processing mode of the apparatus,
The method of changing the backlight is described in La in FIG.
This will be described below using a b-color model diagram. Note that La
The b color is formed by a component (L) for luminance or brightness, a component (a) in a range from green to red, and a component (b) in a range from blue to yellow.

First, an example in which different hues are set for each processing mode will be described. FIG. 19 illustrates an example in which each processing mode and trouble colors are assigned using a Lab color model diagram. Taking an example of a copier, a scanner, a printer, and a multifunction peripheral having a facsimile function, Cl in the figure is a cyan-based color and is assumed to be a copier function. Similarly, C2 is a purple color and has a scanner function.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a yellow-based color, which is used as a printer function.
Is a bright green color and has a FAX reception function, and C5 is a green color and has a FAX transmission function. When a trouble occurs, the color of C5 red is used.

The colors used are greatly different from each other in Lab coordinate values. When the user recognizes the color of the operation panel in consideration of the Lab coordinates without using a similar hue, the operation status of the apparatus is changed. Enables immediate recognition. Table 3 shows Lab coordinate values as an example.

[0211]

[Table 3]

In the above description, the processing mode and the change of the hue at the time of occurrence of a trouble have been described as an example. However, the hue is set within the coordinate values approximated to each state such as operation, operation reservation, and condition setting. The change allows the user to determine not a change in the processing mode but a change in the processing state.

Taking the copier mode as an example, the color is blue (L = 50) during operation. When the operation is reserved, the color is light blue or light blue (L = 100). When the conditions are set, by setting the color to dark blue (L = 20), changes are made in the same color system in accordance with the operation state, the processing mode and the operation state can be recognized, and usability can be improved. .

Regarding the processing status in each processing mode, it is necessary to take immediate action regardless of the operation state of the apparatus at that time, such as the sheet jam in the image forming unit 200 and the sheet conveying unit 300 in FIG. Regarding the processing situation,
The hue of the backlight is unified for each processing mode, and FIG.
By setting the red color of C5 shown in (1), it is possible to surely and promptly take measures against the trouble.

Further, as another example, the setting contents of the backlight color in each processing mode are shown in FIG. 20 and FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. As in the previous example, in recognizing various modes of the apparatus, the multifunction peripheral has a FAX function, a scanner function, and a printer function in addition to the copier function.

First, when the user turns on the apparatus in STEP 601, the apparatus is initialized in STEP 602, and when the processing is completed, the flow proceeds to STEP 603. STEP6
03, the device is in an idle state,
The process advances to step 604 to wait for a machine operation request or a change in the device state. If there is an operation request, the request content is distributed. If not, the operation request / state change is waited in the idle state.

The contents of the operation request according to the user's instruction are recognized, and the judgment of the contents of the operation request is made in STEP 605, ST
This is performed in EP609, and if the operation request is in the copier mode, the operation proceeds to STEP605, in the case of the scanner mode, the operation proceeds to STEP606, and in the case of the printer mode, the operation proceeds to STEP605.
To step 607, in the case of the FAX reception mode, STEP 608
To step 609 in the case of the fax transmission mode.
Proceed to. Requests that do not correspond are ignored and the process is terminated.

At STEP 611 in the copier mode,
It is determined whether a processing unit that performs copier is usable. If it can be used, the process proceeds to STEP 612. If it cannot be used, the process proceeds to STEP 617. First, a case in which it can be used will be described.

Steps for setting various conditions for copier
The process is repeated until completion is recognized in 312, and when various conditions are set, the backlight in another mode (scanner, printer, FAX) is turned off in STEP 614, and the request is in operation in S615. Then, the process proceeds to step S616 to perform processing of each member related to the copier processing, and ends the processing.

If the processing unit for performing the copier is not available in STEP 611, as an example, based on the matrix shown in Table 4, in STEP 617, the copier interrupt processing for the current job (for example, while the printer is in use) is performed. It is determined whether or not is possible. If possible, STEP 618
, The current job is temporarily interrupted to display a backlight color in which the copier processing can be interrupted, and processing of each member related to the copier processing is performed and the processing is terminated. If not possible,
In STEP 619, a backlight display in which the copy mode is not accepted is performed, and the process ends.

[0221]

[Table 4]

In STEP 620 in the scanner mode, it is determined whether or not the processing unit for performing scanning is usable (for example, when the function not using the document table 7 in FIG. 1 is operating as in the printer mode, the printer mode and the scanner mode are not used). If the scan is possible, the process proceeds to STEP 612 to set various processes related to the scan mode.
A backlight display in which the scan mode is not accepted is performed in EP621, and the process ends.

At STEP 622 in the printer mode, it is determined whether or not the processing unit for performing the printer is usable.
If printing is possible, various processings relating to the printer mode are set by proceeding to S612, but if printing is not possible,
In step S623, a backlight color display indicating that the printer data is spooled is performed. In step S624, the received print data is stored in the memory, and the processes related to the printer mode are performed, and the process ends.

In S625 by FAX reception, the received FA
It is determined whether or not the image forming unit 200 shown in FIG. 1 for printing X can be used (in the case of FAX security, the received FAX is temporarily stored in the memory without directly printing, and the received FAX stored later is stored in the memory. If it can be used, the process proceeds to step S612 to perform processing of each member related to FAX reception and terminate the process.

Conversely, if it cannot be used, STEP 626
In step S627, it is determined whether or not the memory reception is possible. In step S627, the backlight color display during the memory reception is performed. In step S628, the FAX mode is switched to the memory reception mode, and the process proceeds to step S616. Thus, processing of each member relating to FAX memory reception is performed, and the processing ends. If the memory reception is not possible, a backlight display indicating that the FAX reception mode is not accepted is performed, and the process ends.

Finally, in S630 by facsimile transmission, F
It is determined whether a communication unit (not shown in FIG. 1) for transmitting AX is available, and if it is available, the process proceeds to S612 to perform processing of each member related to FAX transmission and terminate the process. However, if it cannot be used, it is determined in S631 whether or not memory transmission is possible. If possible, a backlight color display during memory transmission is performed in S627, and S62.
After switching the facsimile mode to the memory transmission mode in step 8, the process proceeds to step S <b> 616, where processing of each member relating to facsimile memory transmission is performed, and the process ends. If the memory transmission is not possible, the backlight display in which the FAX transmission mode is not accepted is performed, and the process ends.

As described above, it is necessary to change the status of the operation panel according to the operation of the apparatus. Further, in the case of a multifunction machine, for example, if the printer mode is in operation,
Transmission and FAX memory reception are also possible. However, if such a situation is displayed on the LCD display unit 8, it becomes complicated to recognize the display characters in the liquid crystal of the LCD display unit 8 itself.

Therefore, as described above, the reference colors of the backlight corresponding to each processing mode (printer mode, copier mode, etc.) are set, and the hue is set as shown in Table 4, so that the user can display on the LCD. When the color of the unit 8 is recognized, the operation state of the device can be immediately recognized.
Also, if the device is operating in one processing mode,
By turning off the backlight in another mode, the power consumption of the device can be further reduced.

[0229]

The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

According to the first aspect, the display state of the display unit, for example, the liquid crystal display state is visually changed according to the change of the state of the apparatus (the image forming apparatus) (change of the operation state and operation state). (By changing the hue, shading, etc.), it becomes easier to intuitively grasp the change in the operation state of the device than in the case of character display, and the configuration of the display unit is simplified, and the area of the display unit is reduced. It is not necessary to take a large space, and the device can be made compact.

According to the second aspect, in the composite image forming apparatus connected to the network, in particular, the timing of interruption and the timing of waiting can be accurately grasped, and the occurrence of idle time can be reduced. Can be.

According to the third aspect, a change in the state of the device is displayed by a change in the backlight caused by the liquid crystal display on the display unit. Therefore, the configuration of the display unit is simplified without using a complicated control circuit. And cost can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect, since the backlight enables multi-color representation of the display section by combining a plurality of single-color LEDs of a specific color or using color LEDs, new development is required. Therefore, the production becomes easy and the cost can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect, the backlight enables a multi-color expression of the display section by combining a plurality of single-color EL elements of a specific color or by using color EL elements. , The production becomes easy, and the cost can be reduced.

According to the sixth aspect, since the characters of the display section are changed by using the existing LED, EL element, or the like, the production becomes easy without new development, and the cost can be reduced. .

According to claim 7, the characters displayed on the display unit are
Since different colors are displayed according to the color change of the backlight and the different colors are complementary colors of the hue of the backlight,
Even if the hue of the backlight is changed, the display characters can be easily recognized, and the visibility (visibility) of the display unit is improved.

According to the eighth aspect, when the hue of the backlight is visually light, the displayed characters on the display section are black characters, so that the contrast becomes clear and the visibility (visibility) of the characters is improved. Is improved.

According to the ninth aspect, when the hue of the backlight is visually dark, the characters displayed on the display section are outlined characters, so that the contrast becomes clear and the visibility of the characters (visibility) is improved. ) Is improved.

According to the tenth aspect, the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display is controlled in accordance with the change of the device state (operational state, operation state, etc.), whereby the liquid crystal display is controlled. Since a plurality of colors of the backlight of the container are selected, a complicated circuit configuration is not required, the production becomes easy, and the cost can be reduced.

According to the eleventh aspect, the character display of the liquid crystal display is changed by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device. Therefore, there is no need to configure a complicated circuit or the like, which facilitates manufacture and can reduce cost.

According to the twelfth aspect, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device, the backlight of the liquid crystal display section can be controlled by a plurality of colors. And the change of the character display on the liquid crystal display are performed at the same time, so that the visibility or perception of the liquid crystal display can be improved.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the liquid crystal display state of the display device is visually changed in response to the change in the state of the device, and the display content is changed, so that the change in the state of the device is newly displayed on the display device. Unlike the case where characters indicating the state are displayed, the size of the display unit can be improved without complicating the display unit, and it is not necessary to increase the area of the display unit, so that it is possible to realize compactness and cost reduction. And the usability is improved.

That is, a plurality of colors of the backlight have a reference color, and the processing mode (copier, printer, FAX, scanner) of the selected device is indicated corresponding to the reference color. Since the processing mode of the apparatus can be recognized without recognizing the display characters, the operating state (operating state) of the apparatus can be immediately recognized, and the work efficiency at the time of interruption work or the like can be improved.

According to the fourteenth aspect, a plurality of colors of the backlight are indicated for each processing status in the processing mode of the apparatus, so that not only the processing mode of the apparatus but also the operating status in the processing mode can be immediately recognized. In addition, it is possible to more accurately determine whether to perform an interrupting operation or perform a wait, to improve usability, and to increase the operation rate of the apparatus.

According to the fifteenth aspect, when a trouble occurs in the apparatus, the hue of the backlight is unified irrespective of the processing mode and the processing status, so that the occurrence of the trouble can be accurately grasped and promptly dealt with. In addition, the number of hues of the backlight can be reduced, the configuration can be simplified, and an emergency response can be ensured.

According to the sixteenth aspect, when a trouble occurs, the hue of the backlight is distinguished according to the processing mode and the processing status, so that the processing mode and the processing status which caused the trouble can be quickly recognized. Rather than responding to all users waiting in front of the device, it is also possible to have the person who issued the job that actually caused the trouble perform the trouble recovery work, eliminating waste, and Since it is possible to recognize a case where a similar trouble recurs in a specific processing mode or processing state, it is possible to effectively take measures against subsequent troubles, and as a result, it is possible to improve the operation rate of the apparatus.

According to the seventeenth aspect, when a trouble occurs in the apparatus, the hue and display characters of the backlight are changed according to the contents of the trouble, for example, a paper jam, a shortage of recording paper, a toner Since it is possible to recognize the user level that can be dealt with according to the content of the trouble such as disconnection or mechanical failure, a plurality of people can avoid wasting time dealing with the trouble, and can appropriately deal with the trouble, and Operating rate can be improved.

According to the eighteenth aspect, since the change in the state of the image forming apparatus can be switched by a combination of a plurality of display methods, the user can immediately recognize the state of the apparatus and perform a complicated operation. There is no need, and operability is improved.

According to the nineteenth aspect, since the display shape or display area of the display panel can be changed,
Only noticeable information can be easily found from a display panel on which various device states are displayed. In addition, since various device states can be displayed in the display unit as required (without performing complicated operations), visibility (visibility) when frequently viewing the display unit such as when setting conditions is improved. improves. Further, while the processing is being executed in each mode, other users can immediately recognize the situation, and it is easy and reliable to determine whether to interrupt the apparatus or to perform the waiting processing.

According to the twentieth aspect, since it is possible to combine the brightness of the backlight of the display unit, it is possible to make the user pay attention to which information in the display unit should be paid attention. Thus, even when performing complicated function settings, even a beginner can easily operate.

According to the twenty-first aspect, since the hue of the backlight of the display panel can be transformed into a moving image, it is possible to instruct the user which information in the display panel should be noticed. Even when setting complicated functions as in the case of the condition setting, even a novice can easily operate.

According to the twenty-second aspect, it is possible to combine or select various display / instruction forms of the display unit by user's instruction or the like (the number of options is increased), and to provide a display unit according to the user's request. be able to.

According to the twenty-third aspect, since the backlight area of the display panel is divided into a plurality of locations, the operation state of each unit of the apparatus can be instantaneously determined, and various display states can be set. In addition, since the display unit itself has a single structure, it is easy to manufacture and the cost can be reduced.

According to the twenty-fourth aspect, the liquid crystal display state of the display section is visually changed in response to the change of the apparatus state, and the display content is changed. Can be simplified, the area of the display unit does not need to be large, the device can be made compact, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, usability is improved by accurate display.

According to the twenty-fifth aspect, since the change in the brightness of the display section is performed by the change in the backlight of the liquid crystal, it can be realized without using a complicated control circuit, and the cost can be reduced. By making the luminance change possible in this manner, a change in the state of the device can be determined at a glance, and visibility (visibility) is significantly improved.

According to the twenty-sixth aspect, the change of each mode of the liquid crystal display unit is obtained by an input from the operation unit of the device or a print request from each terminal device (computer, FAX, etc.) connected to the device. This can be realized by changing the luminance of the display unit based on the obtained information, so that new development is not required, the configuration can be made using existing functions, and the cost can be reduced.

According to the twenty-seventh aspect, unlike the case where characters are displayed by visually changing the liquid crystal display state of the display device arranged for each processing mode of the apparatus in response to the state change of the image forming apparatus. The configuration of the display unit can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, there is no need to read the characters displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, and the processing mode of the apparatus can be intuitively grasped.
Is noticeably improved, and the operating state (operating state) of the apparatus can be immediately determined, and the usability is significantly improved.

According to the twenty-eighth aspect, by using greatly different hues for each processing mode (copier, printer, facsimile, scanner), the operable processing mode of the composite image forming apparatus is immediately determined. And the usability is significantly improved.

According to the twenty-ninth aspect, it is necessary to interpret display characters by changing the hue change according to the processing content (ready state, standby state, execution state, etc.) in each processing mode within a level that is approximated for each mode. Therefore, the processing mode of the apparatus can be immediately recognized, and the processing mode can be easily and reliably determined regardless of the processing content.

According to claim 30, when a trouble occurs in the apparatus, the hue of the backlight is unified irrespective of the processing mode and the processing state, so that the detection of the trouble can be surely performed and the prompt action can be taken. it can. Further, the number of hues of the backlight can be reduced, so that the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

According to the thirty-first aspect, when one processing mode is in operation, the backlight in the other mode is turned off, so that the operating mode can be determined more easily and reliably, and the power consumption can be reduced. It can reduce and improve the energy saving effect.

According to the thirty-second aspect, the operating state (operating state) of the apparatus can be immediately grasped by visually changing the liquid crystal display state in accordance with the state of the processing mode in which reservation and interruption are possible. It is possible to accurately grasp the information of the operation mode that can be operated. as a result,
There is no waste, and the operation rate of the device can be improved.

According to the thirty-third aspect, the liquid crystal display state of the display device is visually changed in response to the change in the state of the image forming apparatus, and the display content is changed. Since the structure of the display portion can be simplified and the display portion does not need to have a large area, cost can be reduced. In addition, the display state can be confirmed from a distant place, and the visibility (visibility) is dramatically improved.

According to the thirty-fourth aspect, the change of the display content of the display unit is performed based on the information obtained by the change of the device state.
Since this can be realized by changing the characters displayed on the display unit, existing functions can be used and costs can be reduced.

According to the thirty-fifth aspect, the (liquid crystal) of the display portion
Display characters are displayed in different colors according to the color change of the backlight, and the different colors are used as complementary colors of the hue of the backlight, so that even when the hue of the backlight is changed, the visibility of the display characters is improved. And the usability is also improved.

According to the thirty-sixth aspect, when the hue of the backlight is visually bright, the display characters on the liquid crystal display are black characters, so that the contrast becomes clear and the visibility of the character display (visual characteristics) is improved. Sensitivity) is improved.

According to the thirty-seventh aspect, when the hue of the backlight is visually dark, the characters displayed on the liquid crystal display portion are outlined characters, so that the contrast becomes clear.
The visibility (visibility) of character display is improved.

According to the thirty-eighth aspect, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device, a plurality of colors of the backlight of the opaque display portion are controlled. Is selected, there is no need to configure a complicated circuit or the like, and cost reduction can be realized.

According to the thirty-ninth aspect, the character display on the liquid crystal display section is changed by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the liquid crystal cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change of the device state. , There is no need to configure complicated circuits, etc.
Cost reduction can be realized.

According to the forty-third aspect, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes of the fatigued cell constituting the liquid crystal display in response to the change in the state of the device, a plurality of colors of the backlight of the liquid crystal display can be controlled. And the change of the character display on the liquid crystal display unit are performed at the same time, so that the content of the liquid crystal display can be diversified, more appropriate display can be performed, and usability is improved.

According to claim 41, the plurality of colors of the backlight have a reference color, and the processing in each processing mode (copier, printer, FAX, scanner) of the selected device corresponding to the reference color. Since the progress status is indicated, it is possible to recognize the progress of the device without recognizing the characters displayed on the liquid crystal display unit. Can be performed accurately, and usability is improved.

According to claim 42, information other than the input of the condition of the apparatus (current processing progress, list of trouble occurrence places, use of consumables, list of billing system, etc.) can be displayed on the display panel. Therefore, not only the user who operated the apparatus can recognize the state of the apparatus, but also when the user leaves the place, other users can easily recognize the state of the apparatus. Alternatively, possible interrupt processing or the like can be easily recognized, and the operation rate of the device can be improved.

According to Claim 43, when the apparatus is in the energy saving mode, the backlight is turned off, thereby reducing power consumption and improving the energy saving effect.

According to the forty-fourth aspect, by turning off the light when the apparatus is not operating and when there is no user around the apparatus, power consumption is reduced and the energy saving effect is improved.

According to the forty-fifth aspect, the reflection type sensor disposed on the exterior part of the apparatus allows the user to approach or check and use the state of the apparatus. Use refers to printing requests in copier mode and transmission requests in FAX mode, etc.)
By turning on the display unit when the user approaches, usability is improved.

According to the forty-sixth aspect, in the facsimile mode, when the received data job is completed, the light is turned on to warn of the presence of the received data, so that the job status can be easily and immediately recognized. , Convenience is improved.

According to the forty-seventh aspect, in the printer mode, when the job requested for printing is completed, the light is turned on to notify the end of the job, so that the job status can be easily and immediately recognized. The performance is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control circuit diagram of the backlight.

FIG. 3 is a part of a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure.

FIG. 4 is another part of the flowchart.

FIG. 5 is the remainder of the flowchart.

FIG. 6 is a part of a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is another part of the flowchart.

FIG. 8 is another part of the flowchart.

FIG. 9 is the remainder of the flowchart.

FIG. 10 is a control circuit diagram of a backlight of a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the display unit.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the display unit.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the display unit.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the display unit.

FIG. 15 is a control circuit diagram of a backlight of a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a part of a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure.

FIG. 17 is another part of the flowchart.

FIG. 18 is the remainder of the flowchart.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a Lab color for describing a backlight color of a display device of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a part of a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure.

FIG. 21 is the remainder of the flowchart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8-display unit 28-image forming unit 100-document reading unit 101-display control unit 110-image receiving unit 120-line image receiving unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Kawakami 22-22, Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Koji Sugito 22-22, Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Kondo 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Japan Inside Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Mariko Arai 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Sharp Corporation ( 72) Inventor Takashi Ide 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka, Japan (72) Inventor Kimiko Watanabe 22-22 Nagaikemachi, Nagano-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, Osaka, Japan (72) Inventor Kazuya Masuda 22-22, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi Inside Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Yoshinori Nakahira Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 22-22 Ikemachi Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Takahiro Kawakami 22-22 Nagaikecho Naganocho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture (72) Inventor Toshinori Tsujii 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture No. Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroki Eto 22-22 Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Inside (72) Inventor ▲ Souichi Yoshi ▼ mura 22-22 Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture No. Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Koichi Eto 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Sharp Corporation (72) Mitsuyuki Suzuki 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Sharp (72) Inventor Takashi Tsukamoto 22-22 Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka F-term (reference) 2C061 AP01 AP03 AP04 AP07 CQ22 CQ24 CQ27 CQ34 CQ41 2H027 DA29 DE02 ED30 EF01 EF15 EJ15 GA23 GA29 GA30 GA43 GA44 GA45 GA47 GA50 GA52 GA59 GB05 GB07 ZA07 5C062 AA02 AA05 AA29 A A30 AB17 AB22 AB25 AB38 AC05 AC58 AC68 AE15 AF10 AF15 BA00

Claims (47)

[Claims] 1. A display device of an image forming apparatus having at least a display unit for displaying a state of the apparatus, wherein the display state of the display unit is easily visually distinguished when the state of the image forming apparatus changes. A display device for an image forming apparatus, comprising a display control unit for changing a state. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus includes: a document reading unit configured to read image information from a document; an image receiving unit configured to receive image information from a terminal connected to a network; and a line image receiving unit configured to receive image information from a telephone line. The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit configured to form an image based on image information obtained from each of the units. Display device of the image forming apparatus. 3. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visual change in the display state is a change in backlight caused by a liquid crystal display on the display unit. 4. The backlight of the display unit is displayed by combining a plurality of single-color LEDs of a specific color or using color LEDs that emit a plurality of colors, and the display unit is capable of expressing multiple colors. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The backlight of the display section is displayed by combining a plurality of single-color EL elements of a specific color or using a color EL element emitting a plurality of colors, and the display section is capable of expressing multiple colors. A display device for an image forming apparatus, comprising: 6. The image according to claim 1, wherein display characters displayed on the display unit are changed based on information obtained by a change in a state of the image forming apparatus. Display of the forming device. 7. The display character according to claim 6, wherein the display characters of the display unit display different colors in accordance with the color change of the backlight, and the different colors are complementary colors of the hue of the backlight. Display device of the image forming apparatus. 8. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the display characters on the display unit are black characters when the hue of the backlight is visually light. 9. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the display characters of the display unit are white characters when the hue of the backlight is visually dark. . 10. A backlight of the display unit is controlled by controlling an applied voltage to an electrode of a liquid crystal cell constituting a liquid crystal display of the display unit in response to a change in a state of the image forming apparatus. 10. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of colors are changed. 11. A character display on the display unit is controlled by controlling a voltage applied to an electrode of a liquid crystal cell constituting a liquid crystal display of the display unit in response to a change in a state of the image forming apparatus. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein:
10. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 9. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control for changing the plurality of colors of the backlight of the display unit according to claim 9 and the control for changing the character display according to claim 10 are simultaneously performed. Display device. 13. The hue of the backlight of the display unit is
The display device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reference color, wherein the selected processing mode of the image forming apparatus is displayed according to the reference color. 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hue of the backlight represents a processing status in the selected processing mode of the image forming apparatus, and the hue is changed and displayed in the processing process. Item 14. A display device for an image forming apparatus according to Item 13. 15. The system according to claim 13, wherein when a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus, the backlight displays and warns the same hue regardless of the processing mode and processing state at that time. 15. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to 14. 16. The backlight according to claim 13, wherein when a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus, the backlight displays a different hue according to a processing mode and a processing state to warn the user. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to the above. 17. The image according to claim 13, wherein when a trouble occurs in the image forming apparatus, the hue and display characters of the backlight are changed according to the content of the trouble. Display of the forming device. 18. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of display methods can be selectively applied to the display unit according to a change in a state of the image forming device. 19. The display device according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of display methods include a change in a display shape and a change in a display area of the display unit. 20. The display device according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of display methods are a luminance or a luminance change of the backlight in the display unit. 21. A combination of the plurality of display states,
19. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the hue or hue change of the backlight in the display unit is changed into a moving image. 22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display methods are the same.
19. The display device of an image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein a change in state of the image forming apparatus is expressed on the display unit by combining the method according to claim 20 or claim 21. 23. The display area of the backlight of the display unit is divided into a plurality of locations on the display unit, and displays the operation status of each unit of the image forming apparatus independently. 23. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims to 22. 24. The backlight of the display section is displayed in color according to a change in the processing mode of the image forming apparatus, and whether or not the image forming apparatus is in use is visually determined based on the change in luminance. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 25. A display device according to claim 25, wherein said display control section has a plurality of background color light emitting circuits, and changes the luminance of said backlight in accordance with each processing mode used by said image forming apparatus. Item 25. A display device for an image forming apparatus according to item 24. 26. The method according to claim 27, wherein changing the processing mode includes changing the brightness of the backlight in response to an input from an operation unit of the image forming apparatus or a printing request from each terminal connected to the image forming apparatus. 26. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the display is performed by causing the display. 27. When the display section is arranged for each processing mode of the composite image forming apparatus, the hue of the backlight is changed according to each processing mode, and the hue of the backlight is also changed according to the processing state. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display device is changed. 28. The method according to claim 28, wherein the difference in hue of the backlight in each of the processing modes uses a hue having a Lab level that is largely different from the hue of the backlight so that the hue can be easily determined. 28. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to 27. 29. The display of the image forming apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the hue of the backlight in each of the processing modes changes with a hue close to the Lab level of the hue depending on the processing content. apparatus. 30. The backlight according to claim 27, wherein the hue of the backlight is the same color as the warning hue in each of the processing modes when a trouble occurs in each of the processing modes and when the supply of the apparatus is replaced. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. 31. The image according to claim 27, wherein in one of the processing modes, when one processing mode is operating, a backlight corresponding to another processing mode is turned off. Display of the forming device. 32. In each processing mode, while one processing mode is operating, the backlight of the hue of the reservation processing and the interruption processing in which another mode is possible is turned on. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. 33. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a display state of the display unit is visually changed and a display content is changed according to a processing progress of the image forming apparatus. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to the above. 34. The method according to claim 34, wherein changing the display content of the display unit changes a character displayed on the display unit based on information obtained by a change in state of the image forming apparatus. Item 34. The display device of the image forming device according to Item 33. 35. The display device according to claim 33, wherein a display character of the display unit displays a different color according to a color change of the backlight, and the different color is a complementary color of the hue of the backlight. 35. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to 34. 36. The image forming apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the display characters of the display unit are black character displays when the hue of the backlight is visually light. Display device. 37. The display of the image forming apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the display characters on the display unit are white character displays when the hue of the backlight is visually dark. apparatus. 38. A plurality of colors of a backlight of the display unit control an applied voltage applied to electrodes of a liquid crystal cell constituting a liquid crystal display of the display unit according to a change in an operation state of the device. 38. The display device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the display device is selected by the following. 39. A character display on the display unit changes by controlling an applied voltage to an electrode of a liquid crystal cell constituting a liquid crystal display of the display unit in response to a change in an operation state of the device. 38. The display device of an image forming apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the display device is operated. 40. The method according to claim 38, wherein the selection of a plurality of colors of the backlight of the display unit and the change of the character display are performed by simultaneously executing the control according to claim 38 and 39. 3. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 41. The plurality of colors of the backlight have a reference color, and the progress state of the processing in each of the selected processing modes of the image forming apparatus is determined according to the reference color. The display device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the display device is displayed on a backlight. 42. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is capable of displaying a state of the image forming apparatus by a selection function of an operation unit in addition to inputting each condition of the image forming apparatus. Display device of the image forming apparatus. 43. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight is turned off in a standby state in which the image forming apparatus is not used and its power is turned on. Device display device. 44. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight is turned off while the image forming apparatus is not operating and when there is no user around the apparatus. Display device. 45. The backlight according to claim 1, wherein the backlight is lit when a reflection type sensor disposed on an exterior part of the image forming apparatus detects that the user is approaching. 44. The display device of the image forming apparatus according to any one of 44. 46. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backlight is lit in a facsimile mode to warn of the presence of received data when a job of the received data is completed. Display device of the image forming apparatus. 47. The method according to claim 1, wherein the backlight is lit in a printer mode to notify a job end when a job requested to be printed is completed. Display device of the image forming apparatus.