JP2005148414A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of speedily displaying various functions and items mounted on the image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A detection part 70 is fitted to one end part 61b of a shaft 61. The detection part 70 is for detecting the movement quantity (rotation quantity) and moving speed (rotating speed) of a moving part 60 in an arrow-H direction and principally comprises, at one end part 61b of the shaft, a pulse plate 71 rotating integrally with the shaft 61 and a sensor 72 detecting pulses of the pulse plate 71. The sensor 72 is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and detects the pulses of the pulse plate 71 and sends its signal to a control part 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an auxiliary operation unit such as a foot switch.

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses configured as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a complex machine thereof have been manufactured with a model provided with a foot switch for starting printing. In an image forming apparatus provided with such a foot switch, the user has a lot of documents, etc., so that both hands cannot be used freely, or the size of the document on the platen is large. When it is difficult for the user to operate the print start button, such as when the print start button is hidden, it is possible to start printing simply by depressing the foot switch. Even if the document is thick or uneven, the user can press down the foot switch while holding down the document with both hands to stabilize the document position on the document table during printing. Printing can be performed. In this case, since the user can press the document against the document table with both hands, the gap between the document table and the document is eliminated, and the entry of extraneous external light from the gap is prevented, and a stable image can be obtained.

  As such a conventional image forming apparatus provided with a foot switch for starting printing, there are apparatuses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as having a foot switch for starting printing on the front plate of the main body of the image forming apparatus and the bottom plate at the lower part of the left and right side surfaces. In this image forming apparatus, the operability at the time of printing is improved by the user operating a foot switch at a location according to the convenience of the user depending on the occasion of printing.

  Further, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has been proposed as including a document detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a document on a document table, in addition to a foot switch for starting printing. In this image forming apparatus, when the document detection unit detects that there is no document on the document table, the printing process is not started even when the foot switch is depressed. In this case, a message indicating that there is no document is also displayed on a display unit such as a display panel.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 also discloses an apparatus that starts the image forming apparatus by shifting from the normal copy mode, which performs the same operation as when the print start button is pressed, to the continuous copy mode by depressing the foot switch several times. Has been. In this continuous copy mode, printing of a document is started only by placing the document on the document table without depressing the foot switch. At this time, by providing a certain amount of time (hereinafter referred to as a copy operation delay time) from when the document on the document table is detected by the document detection means to when printing is started, the document on the document table is given to the user. It is easy to stabilize the position. The copy operation delay time can be set for each user from a display unit such as a display panel.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-45718 JP-A-5-72838

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses are equipped with various functions, and a large number of products using a large display panel are also sold for the display section. It is almost impossible to display all of these items displayed on the display unit at once. In order to display the above functions and items, many of the products currently on sale perform operations such as switching the screen or scrolling, and display or select or confirm the desired functions or items on the display unit. This is the current situation.

  Therefore, there is a problem that it takes much time to display a desired function or item unless the user is familiar. In particular, this problem becomes even more pronounced in situations where both hands are closed and the foot switch must be used as described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of quickly displaying various functions and items mounted on the image forming apparatus. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 can be operated by a stepping operation for performing input related to operation of the main operation unit and image forming apparatus for performing input related to operation of the image forming apparatus. In an image forming apparatus including a sub-operation unit and a display unit that displays operation details, the sub-operation unit includes a stepping amount detection unit that detects a stepping amount, and the display unit includes a stepping amount detection unit. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the amount of movement of a display item displayed on an operation unit is changed in accordance with a detection result. An example of the sub operation unit is a foot switch.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main operation unit for performing input relating to operation of the image forming apparatus, a sub operation unit capable of being operated by a stepping operation for performing input relating to operation of the image forming apparatus, and operation contents. In the image forming apparatus including the display unit for displaying the step, the sub operation unit includes a stepping speed detection unit that detects a stepping speed, and the display unit is operated according to a detection result of the stepping speed detection unit. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus characterized in that the moving speed of the display items displayed on the screen is changed.

  According to the present invention, the sub-operation unit that can be operated by the stepping operation is provided with the stepping amount detection unit that detects the stepping amount, and the display items displayed on the operation unit according to the detection result of the stepping amount detection unit are displayed. Since the amount of movement is changed, even if both hands are blocked, you can quickly move and display the function or item you want to display, or move it slowly to display it. Convenient to.

  Further, according to the present invention, the sub-operation unit that can be operated by the stepping operation is provided with the stepping speed detection unit that detects the stepping speed, and the display displayed on the operation unit according to the detection result of the stepping speed detection unit Since the movement speed of the item has been changed, even when both hands are blocked, you can quickly move and display the function or item you want to display or move it slowly. So it is very convenient.

  Embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiments and examples are examples embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus A according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a main part in a control system of the image forming apparatus A according to the present embodiment, and FIG. Is an external perspective view of the foot switch X, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the inside of the stepping amount detection unit, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the screen of the display unit is switched, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the movement of display items FIG.

  First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus A according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus A starts a printing process of a document on the document table 22 by a stepping operation, switches a screen displayed on a display unit to be described later, or scrolls displayed items. This is a multifunction machine having a copy function and a printer function, which includes a foot switch X as an example of a sub-operation unit.

  Here, the foot switch X provided in the image forming apparatus A is connected to the image forming apparatus A with a dedicated cable (FIG. 1), but the foot switch is directly provided at the lower part on the image forming apparatus main body side or the like. The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus. Further, the image forming apparatus A mentioned in the present embodiment relates to a monochrome developing apparatus, but it goes without saying that it may relate to color development.

  The image forming apparatus A includes a sheet feeding unit for mounting a plurality of cassettes 5 below, a duplex unit 6 is disposed above the sheet feeding unit, and an image forming unit 7 is disposed above the unit. A fixing device 20 for fixing toner to a sheet such as transfer paper is provided beside the image forming unit 7, and a scanner 8 for reading an image and an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) 9 are mounted on the fixing device 20. ing. When the document is placed directly, the ADF is opened and the document is placed on the document table.

  A display operation unit 3 (main operation unit, display unit 3a) such as a liquid crystal touch panel is disposed on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus A, and the user operates the display operation unit 3 to display on the display unit 3a. Various functions such as the image quality mode, paper size, magnification, density, sheet processing (stapling processing, punching processing, etc.) are selected, and then the printing process is started by pressing the printing machine. The display / operation unit 3 displays various types of information on the display unit 3a, such as display of the set number of sheets, printing status, and error content (paper jam status, serviceman call, etc.). In this embodiment, the operation unit and the display unit are integrated. However, the operation unit and the display unit may be separate.

  The image forming unit 7 is provided with an image forming unit 15 in which a charging device 12, a developing device 13, and a cleaning device 14 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 11, and is opposed to the photosensitive drum 11 below. A transfer device 16 is arranged. The photosensitive drum 11 has a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of 84 mm, for example, and is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. The charging device 12 charges the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 11 to several hundred volts by corona discharge. On the downstream side of the charging device 12 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 in the rotational direction, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is exposed by an exposure device 18 including an LED array head and a Selfoc lens to form an electrostatic latent image. Is done. Image data used for controlling the light emission output of the exposure device 18 is input from the image processing unit 4.

  The outline of the printing process performed in the image forming apparatus A will be described below.

  After the document placed on the document table is scanned by the scanner 8 as a light source, the reflected light of the document enters a CCD 10 (Charge-Coupled Device; a device that converts an image signal into an electrical signal) via a mirror. Here, the image data is A / D converted and input to the image processing unit 4 as digital image data (original image data) and temporarily stored, and predetermined image processing is performed on the original image data. Thereafter, when the original image data after image processing is input to the exposure apparatus control means 19, the exposure apparatus control means 19 controls the exposure apparatus 18 so that exposure is performed according to the input original image data. To do.

  In the developing device 13, the developing roller rotates so that the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the developing roller comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 11, and a charged toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. The toner image is conveyed in the transfer device 16 in a state where the sheet conveyed from one of the cassettes 5 is sandwiched between the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer belt 17 that moves at the same speed as the peripheral speed. While being charged, the toner image is transferred onto the sheet. Further, a cleaning device 14 is disposed on the downstream side of the transfer device 16, and toner and other deposits remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 are removed. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred by the transfer device 16 is conveyed to a fixing device 20 provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. Note that the transfer device 16 of the image forming apparatus A employs a transfer belt, but this can be replaced with a transfer roller.

  The fixing device 20 includes a fixing roller 1 and a pressure roller 2 provided with a pressure mechanism facing the fixing roller 1. The toner image adhering to the sheet conveyed from the transfer device 16 by the transfer belt or the transfer roller is caused by the heat of the fixing roller 1 while the sheet passes between the fixing roller 1 and the pressure roller 2. The image is melted and fixed, and the sheet is pressed against the fixing roller 1 by the pressure roller 2 to be fixed on the sheet. The sheet on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 20 is then sent to the sheet processing apparatus B side, subjected to predetermined processing, and then discharged from a predetermined sheet discharge port. Although not shown, the sheet processing apparatus B includes a stapling processing unit S that performs stapling processing on a sheet or a sheet bundle on which an image is formed and a punch processing unit P that performs punching processing.

  Next, the internal configuration of the foot switch X according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 and 4 are given as an example of a cross-sectional view of the foot switch X. FIG.

  The foot switch X is mainly configured by a base 50, a moving unit 60, and a spring B that urges the moving unit 60 in the direction of arrow G in FIG.

  The base 50 has a substantially flat plate shape and is provided with standing portions 51a and 51b having holes 52a and 52b at both ends on one end side, respectively. Moreover, the moving part 60 is also substantially flat and has a shaft 62 provided integrally with the moving part 60 on one end side. Both end portions 61 a and 61 b of the shaft 62 are inserted into the holes 52 a and 52 b, respectively, and the moving portion 60 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the base portion 50 around the shaft 61. As described above, the moving part 60 is biased by the spring B in the direction away from the base part 50.

  A detection unit 70 is attached to one end 61 b of the shaft 61. The detection unit 70 is for detecting a movement amount (rotation amount) and a movement speed (rotation speed) of the moving unit 60 in the direction of arrow H, and rotates integrally with the shaft 61 at one end portion 61b of the shaft. And a sensor 72 that detects a pulse of the pulse plate 71 (see FIG. 4). The sensor 72 is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, detects a pulse of the pulse plate 71, and transmits the signal to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 can calculate the stepping amount of the moving unit 60 (the amount moved by the moving unit 60) according to how many pulses the sensor 72 detects. Further, the stepping speed (the moving speed of the moving unit 60 at the time of stepping) can be calculated by the number of pulses detected by the sensor 72 and the timer 31 of the control unit 30.

  Here, the configuration of the main part in the control system of the image forming apparatus A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The entire image forming apparatus A is controlled by a control unit 30 including a CPU, a semiconductor memory, and the like. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 30 includes a foot switch X, a display operation unit 3, an image forming unit 7, an image processing unit 4, a staple processing unit S, a punch processing unit P, and the like on a predetermined bus. Data signals can be transmitted and received between each device and the control unit 30.

  Therefore, the setting of each function installed in the image forming apparatus A is input by the display operation unit 3 as the main operation unit or the foot switch X as the sub operation unit, and the control unit 30 controls each device according to the input items. To do. Here, each function includes various functions such as density setting, paper feed stage selection setting, magnification setting, aggregate printing setting, image quality mode selection setting, stapling processing setting, punching processing setting, and the like mounted on the image forming apparatus A. It is a function. That is, when each function is set by the operation unit, the control unit 30 should print with the set contents of each device such as the image forming unit 7, the image processing unit 4, the staple processing unit S, and the punch control unit P. Control.

  Further, the control unit 30 stores the relationship between the number of pulses of the pulse plate 71 and the stepping amount of the moving unit 60 as table data in a ROM or the like (not shown), and the stepping amount is determined by a signal from the sensor 72. Can be calculated. In addition, since the control unit 30 has a timer 31 for measuring time, the stepping speed of the moving unit 60 is determined from the relationship between the stepping amount by the detection signal from the sensor 72 and the time measured by the timer 31. Can be calculated.

  In the present embodiment, the setting of each function can be performed by the display switch 3 and also by the foot switch X. For example, when the foot switch X is depressed once, the screen displayed on the display unit 3a is switched.

  5A to 5D are diagrams showing the switching states. FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D are screens showing tab C, tab D, tab E, and tab F, respectively. It is switched every time the foot switch X is depressed. At this time, the switching speed of this screen is changed according to the stepping speed of the foot switch. For example, when the stepping speed is fast, the screen switching speed is also increased, and when the stepping speed is slow, the screen switching control is performed by the control unit 30 so as to slow the screen switching speed.

  Further, the screen switching amount is changed in accordance with the stepping amount of the foot switch X. For example, when the stepping amount is small, the screen switches from the tab C screen to the tab D screen one step at a time, whereas when the stepping amount increases, the tab B screen is skipped from the tab C screen and the E tab Control to switch to the screen (switch by one skip), or switch to the F screen by skipping the tab D and tab E screens from the tab C screen (switching by two skips) if the amount of stepping is large. The screen switching control is performed by the unit 30.

  Therefore, the user can quickly select a function even in a situation where both hands are blocked. When the selection of the function is completed, the selected function is confirmed by pressing a start key (not shown) provided on the operation display unit 3. If you want to select another function, press the foot switch X again to display another function. Stopping the foot switch X selects another function and press the start key. The other function is confirmed. When selecting a plurality of functions, it is performed by repeating such an operation. After the necessary functions are selected, printing is started by pressing the start key. That is, when the function selected with the start key is continuously confirmed and the start key is pressed, the printing operation is performed with the selected function, for example, variable magnification, copy density, duplex, paper feed cassette, etc. specified. Will be started. Even when both hands are closed, if the start key is only pressed, it is possible to press it using an elbow instead of a finger. The start key may be a foot switch. That is, a foot switch dedicated to the print start start key may be provided separately from the foot switch X described above. In this case, the function is selected with the foot switch X, and the confirmation of the function and the start of printing are instructed by depressing the foot switch (not shown).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the scrolling status of functions displayed on a certain screen (for example, tab C screen). Although only three functions A, B, and C are displayed because of the size of the screen, the screen scrolls up when the up key 3f is pressed, and scrolls down when the down key 3g is pressed. At this time, the scroll speed may be increased by increasing the stepping speed of the foot switch X, and the scrolling speed may be decreased by decreasing the stepping speed.

  Further, if the stepping amount of the foot switch X is increased, scrolling can be performed by skipping one line, and if the pressing amount is further increased, scrolling can be performed by skipping two lines. The stepping amount can be set in any number of steps by determining the pulse width of the pulse plate. The same applies to the setting of the depression speed.

  Further, the normal printing operation start command and the display item of the display unit described above may be switched depending on the number of times the foot switch X is stepped on a plurality of times. Further, the user may be able to input and set the number of times of depression at that time. Also, a special foot switch may be used so that the type of command can be changed depending on where the foot switch is stepped on.

1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus A according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram of a main part in the control system of the image forming apparatus A according to the present embodiment. 1 is an external perspective view of a foot switch X. FIG. The figure which shows the inside of the depression amount detection part. The figure which shows a mode that the screen of a display part switches. It is a figure for demonstrating that a display item moves.

Explanation of symbols

3 ... Display operation unit 3a ... Display unit 4 ... Image processing unit 7 ... Image forming unit 30 ... Control unit 31 ... Timer 71 ... Pulse plate 72 ... Sensor X ... Foot switch

Claims (2)

Image forming apparatus including a main operation unit for performing input relating to operation of the image forming apparatus, a sub operation unit capable of being operated by a stepping operation for performing input relating to operation of the image forming apparatus, and a display unit for displaying operation contents In the device
The sub-operation unit has a depression amount detection unit that detects a depression amount,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the display unit changes a moving amount of a display item displayed on the operation unit according to a detection result of the stepping amount detection unit. Image forming apparatus including a main operation unit for performing input relating to operation of the image forming apparatus, a sub operation unit capable of being operated by a stepping operation for performing input relating to operation of the image forming apparatus, and a display unit for displaying operation contents In the device
The sub-operation unit has a stepping speed detection unit that detects a stepping speed,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the display unit changes a moving speed of a display item displayed on the operation unit in accordance with a detection result of the stepping speed detecting unit.

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