JP2004201230A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device allowing a physically disabled person who uses a wheelchair to easily set or take out a draft, or to read it. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming device comprises an image reading part 23 for reading an image of a draft, a device body part 22 having an image forming part for forming the image read by the image reading part 23 on a sheet, a first operating position P1 positioned over the device body part 22, and a movable supporting member 24 for move-freely supporting the image reading part 23 between the position P1 and the position P2 which goes down from the position P1 and projects in the pedetermined direction from the part 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that reads an image of a document and forms the image on a sheet, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including an image reading unit that facilitates setting and reading of a document.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, as the advancement of disabled persons into society has been increasing, attempts have been made in each product field to pursue ease of use so that users with various different physical conditions can be handled. Similar attempts have been made in the field of office equipment (OA equipment) including image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-119498, a disabled person or the like using a wheelchair can operate a copier by changing the angle of the operation panel of the copier or projecting the operation panel to the front of the main body of the copier. Copiers designed to facilitate copying have been proposed.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-119498 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the copying machine proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-119498, the operability is improved by moving the operation angle and arrangement position of the operation panel. The image reading section provided with the sheet feeding tray and the reading means of the optical system is fixed at the same position. For this reason, when a disabled person using a wheelchair operates the copying machine, the operation panel can be accessed, but there is a problem that it is difficult to set a document on a paper feed tray.
[0005]
In particular, in the “in-body discharge type copying machine” which has become mainstream in recent years, an image reading unit is disposed above a image forming unit with a certain space therebetween, and the space is used as a sheet discharging unit. As a result, the copier is made compact in the width direction. For this reason, there is a problem in that the image reading unit is located at a higher position and the document setting and reading operation cannot be performed at a lower position.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that allows a person with a disability or the like who uses a wheelchair to easily set, take out, or perform various reading operations on a document.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus that performs an operation of reading an image of a document, and an image that forms an image read by the image reading unit on a sheet. A first operating position located above the image forming unit and a second operating position descending from the first operating position and projecting in a predetermined direction from the image forming unit; A movable support member for movably supporting the image reading unit.
[0008]
According to the present invention, the image reading unit is configured to be movable via the movable support member from the first operation position for standing operation to the second operation position for operation while sitting on a chair. Therefore, when the vehicle is normally in the first operation position and is used by a disabled person such as a wheelchair, it can be appropriately moved to the second operation position.
[0009]
Further, in an image forming apparatus in which a discharge unit for discharging an image-formed sheet is provided in the apparatus main body, the discharge space is used to allow a space between the first operation position and the second operation position. Can move the image reading unit.
[0010]
Further, since the second operation position can be moved via the movable support member in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction in the image forming section or in a left or right direction parallel to the sheet conveying direction, the arrangement of the image forming apparatus can be improved. It can be moved to an optimal operation position according to the installation position and the posture of the user.
[0011]
Since the movable support member has the regulating means that can be stopped at a predetermined position between the first operation position and the second operation position, the original setting and reading operation is performed at a position optimal for the operation posture of the user. It can be performed. In addition, by setting the stationary position so as to avoid the sheet discharging section, the sheet on which the image is formed can be smoothly discharged without hindering the conveyance.
[0012]
Further, the image reading section has one end axially supported by the movable support member, and the other end can be tilted up and down, so that when the image reading section is lowered to the second operation position, the other end of the image reading section is raised. By rotating the sheet, it is easy to take out the sheets stacked on the discharge unit.
[0013]
Also, a plurality of discharge units for discharging the sheet on which the image of the document is formed are provided, and are distributed to predetermined discharge units according to the moving position of the image reading unit, so that a position not hindered by the stationary position of the image reading unit is provided. The sheet can be taken out by the discharging means.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0015]
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus 21 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a view from the front side for performing an operation, and FIG. 2 is a view from the side. is there. The image forming apparatus 21 includes an apparatus main body 22 having a built-in image forming section (not shown) and an image reading section 23 for setting and reading a document. Is mounted movably via a movable support member 24.
[0016]
In addition to the image forming section, the apparatus main body section 22 includes a plurality of sheet feeding sections 25 for feeding sheets of a predetermined size to the image forming section, and feeds out the sheets from the sheet feeding section 25 to form the image forming section. And a sheet conveying means 28 for conveying the sheet to the first discharging section 26 or the second discharging section 27. The first discharge section 26 is provided inside the body of the apparatus main body section 22, and the second discharge section 27 is provided so as to protrude from the side surface of the apparatus main body section 22. The paper is distributed to one of the first discharge unit 26 and the second discharge unit 27 and discharged. The distribution control is performed by a position detecting unit 30 of the image reading unit 23 provided on the movable support member 24 and an apparatus main body unit that determines a paper discharge direction by the distribution unit 29 based on a detection signal from the position detecting unit 30. The control is performed by control means (not shown) built in the control unit 22.
[0017]
The image reading section 23 can support both a fixed original reading mode for reading book-type originals and a moving original reading mode for reading originals one by one. In the reading mode, an image reading means of a common optical system is provided. The image reading unit 23 includes a box-shaped case 31 in which the image reading unit is accommodated, an operation panel 32 provided with touch keys, a liquid crystal monitor, and the like provided on the surface of the case 31. It is composed of a platen glass for reading a fixed document covering the upper surface, a paper feed tray 33 necessary for use in the moving document reading mode, and a paper feed unit 35 having a paper discharge tray 34 for discharging the read document. ing. A handle 36 for moving the entire image reading unit 23 is provided near the operation panel 32.
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the movable support member 24 includes a plurality of arms 37 for cantileverly supporting one end of the image reading unit 23 with respect to the apparatus main body 22. The two arms 37 are arranged in parallel in the direction of the front side A on which the operation panel 32 of the image reading unit 23 is provided and in the direction of the rear side B corresponding to the back side thereof. It is rotatably attached to one end of the apparatus main body 22 and the image reading unit 23 via a rotation shaft 38. In addition, one of the front-side A and rear-side B arms 37 is provided with a protruding regulating member (stopper 39) for stopping the arm 37 at a predetermined rotation angle when the arm 37 is rotated. ing. FIG. 1 shows a case where the image reading unit 23 is installed at a position (first operation position P1) where a document is set or read in a normal standing posture. When lowering the image reading section 23 from this state, the user grips the handle 36 provided at one end of the image reading section 23 and lowers it while applying a force in the right direction in FIG.
[0019]
FIG. 3 shows the image reading unit 23 at a low position where a document can be set or read from a first operation position P1 above the apparatus main body 22 in a state of being seated in a wheelchair or the like (a second position indicated by a chain line). This shows a state in which it is projected to the operation position P2). This projecting direction is the same as the sheet conveying direction, and is set to the left and right side directions of the apparatus main body 22. As described above, the image reading unit 23 has a structure in which the image reading unit 23 is rotatably connected to the apparatus main body 22 by the pair of arms 37 disposed in parallel, so that the image reading unit 23 is held horizontally. It can be moved up and down while sliding left and right. Further, by moving to the second operation position P2, the position is detected by the position detection means 30 including a sensor using light, magnetism, and the like, and a detection body 30a that approaches or contacts the sensor, The distribution means 29 is operated based on the detection signal. Then, the sheet on which the image has been formed is discharged to one of the first discharge unit 26 and the second discharge unit 27 by the distribution unit 29. By providing the distributing means 29, when the image reading unit 23 is at the first operation position P1, the image is discharged to the first discharge unit 26, and when the image reading unit 23 is moved to the second operation position P2, the second discharge unit The sheet can be ejected to the sheet 27 for easy removal. The arm 37 is provided with a transmission path for transferring image data read by the image reading unit 23 to an image forming unit in the apparatus main body 22.
[0020]
FIGS. 4 and 5 show an image forming apparatus 41 according to a second embodiment in which the image reading unit 23 is configured to be tiltable obliquely upward from a horizontal state with the rotation shaft 38a of the arm 37 as a fulcrum. The image forming apparatus 41 includes an apparatus main body 22 provided with an image forming unit similarly to the image forming apparatus 21 of the first embodiment, and an image reading unit 23 attached from the apparatus main body 22 via a plurality of arms 37. It is composed of The configurations of the apparatus main body 22, the arm 37, and the image reading unit 23 are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 21 of the first embodiment described above, but differ in the mounting structure of the image reading unit 23 to the arm 37. That is, one of the rotation shafts 38a on the front side and the rear side, which supports the image reading unit 23, is rotatably supported, while the other rotation shaft 38b has a groove provided at the lower end of the image reading unit 23. It is only fitted into 42 as it is from above. Therefore, in a normal state, the image reading unit 23 maintains a horizontal state, but by lifting the one not supported by the movable support member 24 (the left end of the image reading unit 23 in the figure) upward, the rotation axis It becomes rotatable around 38a. Therefore, the space below the image reading unit 23 can be set wider.
[0021]
With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the reading operation is performed at the second operation position P <b> 2 in which the image reading unit 23 is lowered to a state close to the upper surface of the first discharge unit 26. The image-formed sheet discharged to the first discharge unit 26 can be taken out. Further, since the apparatus includes the above-described position detection means 30, distribution means 29, and control means for the image reading section 23, it is also possible to distribute the paper to the first discharge section 26 and the second discharge section 27 and discharge the paper. .
[0022]
FIG. 6 shows a low position (indicated by a dashed-dotted line) where an image reading section 23 can be set or read while a document is set from a first operation position P1 above the apparatus main body section 22 while sitting in a wheelchair or the like. The image forming apparatus 51 according to the third embodiment has a configuration in which the operation panel 32 can be pulled out to the front (a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction in the apparatus main body 22) while sliding down the surface of the operation panel 32 to the operation position P2). This image forming apparatus 51 has the same configuration as the image forming apparatuses 21 and 41 of the first and second embodiments, but differs in the support position of the image reading unit 23 and the mounting position of the arm 37. That is, in the image forming apparatus 51 according to this embodiment, the support position of the arm 37 is set on the left and right side surfaces on the rear side of the image reading unit 23, and the support position of the apparatus main body 22 is also set on the rear side. Also, two arms 37 are arranged in parallel on each of the left and right sides of the image reading section 23 and the apparatus main body section 22, and are rotatably arranged at respective ends through a rotating shaft 38. With this configuration, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6, the image reading unit 23 can be lowered while maintaining a horizontal state in the direction of the operation panel 32. This lowered position is regulated by a stopper 39 provided on one of the arms 37. Therefore, the lowering position of the image reading unit 23 can be adjusted by appropriately setting the position of the stopper 39. When the image reading section 23 has moved to the second operation position P2 by the position detection means 30 provided on the movable support member 24, an image is formed by the position detection means 30 provided on the movable support member 24. The discharged sheet is distributed to one of the first discharge unit 26 and the second discharge unit 27 and discharged.
[0023]
FIG. 7 shows a configuration in which, in addition to the lowering operation of the image reading unit 23 in the image forming apparatus 51 of the third embodiment, the operation panel 32 protruding toward the front side of the apparatus main body 22 can be rotated upward. This is an image forming apparatus 61 according to a fourth embodiment. This rotating structure is realized by using one rotating shaft 38a supporting the image reading device 23 as a fulcrum and freeing the other rotating shaft 38b as in the image forming apparatus 41 of the second embodiment described above. Is done. With this configuration, it is easy to take out the discharged document when the image reading unit 23 is lowered.
[0024]
FIG. 8 shows an operation example when the user M in a wheelchair uses the image forming apparatus 51 in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8A, the user M advances to the front of the image forming apparatus 51 while riding on a wheelchair. At this time, the image reading unit 23 is at the first operation position P1 where the operation is performed in a normal standing state. Then, the user grips the handle 36 provided on the front surface of the image reading unit 23, slides it down while pulling it toward the user M, and stops at a predetermined position. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the image reading unit 23 moves to the second operation position P2 lower than the first operation position P1, the user M can copy the original while sitting in a wheelchair. The user can specify the copy size and the number of copies of the original from the set. In particular, since the drawer for the width T can be pulled out to the knee side of the user M with the descending operation of the image reading unit 23, the operation can be performed without reaching the hand.
[0025]
As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image reading section is configured to be able to move up and down with respect to the apparatus main body section having the image forming section. The operation of the image forming apparatus can be performed at an arbitrary stationary position between the sitting state and the sitting state.
[0026]
Further, when the image reading unit is lowered to the lowest position, the image reading unit protrudes in parallel from the apparatus main body as it is. The knee can be accommodated under the reading unit. Therefore, it is possible to set and read a document in an easy posture without reaching for the image reading unit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an elevating operation of an image reading unit in the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a front view of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an opening and closing operation of an image reading unit in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a third embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an opening and closing operation of an image reading unit in the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of use of the image forming apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
21, 41, 51, 61 Image forming apparatus 22 Apparatus main body section 23 Image reading section 24 Movable support member 26 First discharge section 27 Second discharge section 30 Position detecting means 32 Operation panel 37 Arm 39 Stopper P1 First operation position P2 Second operation position

Claims (8)

An image reading unit that performs an operation of reading an image of a document;
An image forming unit that forms an image read by the image reading unit on a sheet,
The image reading unit is moved between a first operation position located above the image forming unit and a second operation position which descends from the first operation position and projects in a predetermined direction from the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a movable supporting member movably supported. An image reading unit that performs an operation of reading an image of a document;
An image forming unit that forms an image read by the image reading unit on a sheet,
An image forming apparatus provided between the image reading unit and the image forming unit, and a discharge unit configured to discharge a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit;
Between a first operating position located above the image forming unit and a second operating position which descends from the first operating position toward the discharge unit and projects from the image forming unit in a predetermined direction; The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a movable support member that movably supports the image reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second operation position protrudes from the image forming unit in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of a sheet conveyed in the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second operation position protrudes from the image forming unit in a left-right direction parallel to a conveying direction of a sheet conveyed in the image forming unit. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a regulating unit that stops at a predetermined movement position while the movable support member moves from the first operation position to the second operation position. 4. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stationary position is set at a position where the discharge of the sheet from the discharge unit is not hindered. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one end of the image reading unit that is axially supported by the movable support member is a rotation axis, and the other end is rotatable in a vertical direction. A second discharging means provided separately from the discharging means,
Distributing means for distributing the sheet to any one of the second discharging means and the discharging means;
Position detection means for detecting the position of the image reading unit,
Control means for controlling the distributing means so as to discharge the sheet to the second discharging means when detecting that the image reading section has moved to the second operation position by the position detecting means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.

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