JP2005149385A - Equipment operating device, image processor, program and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance operability by informing an operator of the name and the functions, etc. of a key by voice by pressing the key once. <P>SOLUTION: A voice data storage means 8 stores voice data indicating names and functions, etc. of each key of a touch panel 5. A time-setting means 7 sets the maximum standby time after the key is pushed first until it is pushed the second time. When a key selection detection means 4 detects that the key has been depressed, the voice data corresponding to the key is read from the voice data storage means 8 and outputted as voice from a voice output means 9. Together with this, an operation panel oscillation means 12 makes a part of the touch panel 5 oscillate by oscillation time, an oscillation frequency and oscillation waveform set by an oscillation time setting means 10, an oscillation frequency setting means 11 and an oscillation waveform setting means 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a device operating device capable of notifying an operator of names and functions of keys displayed on the touch panel of the device, an image processing device using the device operating device, a program used in these devices, and a recording It relates to the medium.

In conventional image forming apparatuses represented by copying machines and printers, in order to know what function each key of the operation unit has, it has not been understood unless an instruction manual is read. However, in recent years, the functions of image forming apparatuses have become multi-functional and complicated in setting. For this reason, the number of keys is increased and it is difficult to know the function of each key from the instruction manual.
Also, conventionally, when a template with numbers that can be identified by the visually impaired is placed corresponding to each key on the operation panel, touching the number with a finger plays a voice guide explaining the corresponding key. If the function is desired, a device operating device has been proposed in which the device is operated by pressing the key (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, since this device once touches the number on the template and confirms the function and then presses an actual key, there are problems such as taking time and preparing a template.
JP 2003-067119 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to enable an operator to know information related to the function of a key by pressing the key of the operation unit once.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the device operating device having a touch panel in which a plurality of keys are displayed and an operator touches and selects one of them to determine the operation of the device, information on the function of each key is shown. Audio data storage means for storing audio data, key selection detection means for detecting that a key has been selected, and corresponding audio data is read out from the audio data storage means when it is detected that a key has been selected. And an audio output means for converting and outputting the data.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein vibration means for vibrating a part of the touch panel when it is detected that a key has been selected, a vibration waveform, a vibration time, and a vibration frequency when vibrating. And setting means for setting all or any of the above.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the key is pressed for the first time, the corresponding voice data is read from the voice data storage means and output as voice from the voice output means. When the same key is pressed, the original function of that key is executed. When a different key is pressed for the second time, the corresponding voice data is read out from the voice data storage means and output as voice from the voice output means. Features.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, there is provided time setting means for setting a maximum waiting time from when the key is pressed for the first time until the key is pressed for the second time. Features.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 4, the standby time that can be set by the time setting means can be arbitrarily set from about 0 second to about 60 seconds.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 4 or 5, the maximum waiting time can be set individually for each key.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein when the time from when the key is pressed for the first time until it is pressed for the second time exceeds the maximum waiting time, The first key selection detection information is canceled.

  The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 7, when the key selection detection information is canceled, the operator is notified by a warning sound.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 8, the operator himself can select whether or not to notify the operator of the release of the key selection detection information.

  The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the operator himself can select whether or not to output sound from the sound output means.

  The invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 10, when the operator selects not to output sound from the sound output means, the function is executed by pressing the key for the first time.

  The invention described in claim 12 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 2, the operator can set the time for vibrating a part of the touch panel by the vibration time setting means.

  A thirteenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the twelfth aspect of the invention, the vibration time that can be set by the vibration time setting means can be arbitrarily set from about 0 second to about 60 seconds.

  The invention described in claim 14 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 2, the operator himself / herself can set the frequency for vibrating a part of the touch panel by the vibration frequency setting means.

  A fifteenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the fifteenth aspect of the invention, the vibration frequency that can be set by the vibration frequency setting means can be set arbitrarily from about 0 Hz to about 100 Hz.

  In the invention described in claim 16, in the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to select whether the maximum standby time set by the time setting means is stored in a storage device built in the device or in an external storage device. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 17 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein all or any of the vibration waveform, vibration time and vibration frequency set by the setting means is stored in a storage device built in the device or external storage. The apparatus operating device according to claim 2, wherein the device operating device can be selected to be stored in the device.

  The invention described in claim 18 is the invention described in claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the external storage device is detachably attached to the device.

  In the invention described in claim 19, in the invention described in claim 16, the maximum waiting time stored in the built-in storage device or the external storage device is protected by the password, and is stored only when the password match is confirmed. The setting contents can be changed.

  According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, in the invention of the seventeenth aspect, all or any of the vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency stored in the built-in storage device or the external storage device is protected by a password. The stored setting contents can be changed only when a match is confirmed.

  According to a twenty-first aspect of the invention, in the invention of the nineteenth or twentieth aspect, it is possible to select whether each password is set as an individual password or all set as the same password.

  A twenty-second aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the invention of any one of the nineteenth to twenty-first aspects, the password is composed of a combination of up to 10 alphanumeric characters.

  The invention described in claim 23 is the invention described in claim 4, wherein the vibration waveform that can be set by the setting means is a sine wave, a rectangular wave, a triangular wave, or a combination of these waveforms.

  The invention described in claim 24 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 23, the vibration waveform that can be set by the setting means is set by the setting means.

  The invention according to claim 25 is the invention according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the vibration frequency of the set vibration waveform is set by a setting means and is a single frequency or a combination of a plurality of frequencies. To do.

  The invention described in claim 26 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 2, all or any of the vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency by the setting means can be set individually for each key.

  A twenty-seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that the apparatus operating device according to any one of the first to twenty-sixth aspects is provided.

  The invention according to claim 28 is a program used in a device operating device having a touch panel in which a plurality of keys are displayed and an operator touches and selects one of them to determine the operation of the device. A key selection detection process for detecting whether or not a key has been selected, and a voice output process for reading voice data relating to the function of the corresponding key from the voice data storage means when it is detected that the key has been selected, converting the voice data into a voice, and outputting the voice. Is executed by a computer.

  According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-eighth aspect, a vibration process for vibrating a part of the touch panel when it is detected that a key has been selected, a vibration waveform at the time of vibration, a vibration time, a vibration A setting process for setting all or one of the frequencies is executed by a computer.

  The invention described in claim 30 is characterized in that the program described in claim 28 or 29 is recorded.

  According to the present invention, operability can be improved by notifying the operator of the name, function, and the like of the key by pressing the key once.

  The present invention stores voice data indicating information including the name, function, etc. of each key, and outputs the voice of the corresponding voice data when the key is selected.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the CPU 1 controls the apparatus by a control program stored in the ROM 2. The RAM 3 temporarily stores data processed by the CPU 1. The CPU 1 stores and reads data in the RAM 3 as necessary. The key selection detection means 4 detects whether or not a key on the touch panel 5 in the operation unit has been pressed, and sends information on the selected key to the CPU 1.

  The voice data storage means 8 stores voice data indicating names and functions corresponding to the keys. The CPU 1 reads voice data such as names and functions corresponding to the keys from the voice data storage means 8 based on the sent key information, and sends them to the voice output means 9 for output as voice.

  The time setting means 7 sets the maximum waiting time from when the key is pressed for the first time until the key is pressed for the second time. It is assumed that the maximum standby time that can be set can be arbitrarily set in advance by the operator from 0 to 60 seconds. The LCD 6 is disposed below the touch panel 5 and displays a plurality of keys by graphics. The CPU 1 determines which of the keys displayed on the LCD 6 is selected from the coordinate data in the horizontal and vertical directions of the touch panel 5.

  Further, when detecting that the key is pressed, the CPU 1 detects the vibration time set by the vibration time setting means 10, the vibration frequency set by the vibration frequency setting means 11, and the vibration set by the vibration waveform setting means 15. The operation panel vibration means 12 is controlled by the waveform. It is assumed that the vibration time that can be set can be arbitrarily set in advance by the operator from 0 seconds to 60 seconds. Further, the vibration frequency that can be set can be arbitrarily set by the operator in advance from 0 Hz to 100 Hz.

  An example of the waveform set by the vibration waveform setting means 15 is shown in FIG. 5A is an example of a sine wave, FIG. 5B is an example of a rectangular wave, FIG. 5C is an example of a triangular wave, FIG. 5D is the same waveform, and an example in which the frequency changes midway. 5 (e) is a combination example of a plurality of types of waveforms having the same frequency, and FIG. 5 (f) is a combination example of a plurality of types of waveforms and frequencies.

  The maximum standby time set by the time setting means 7, the vibration time set by the vibration time setting means 10, the vibration frequency set by the vibration frequency setting means 11, and the vibration waveform set by the vibration waveform setting means 15 are image It can be stored in the storage device 13 or the external storage device 14 built in the forming apparatus. It is assumed that the setting of each individual or group can be changed by replacing the external storage device 14. In addition, the maximum standby time, vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency can be set for each key.

  Further, the set maximum standby time, vibration time, vibration frequency, and vibration waveform are protected by a password, and the stored setting contents can be changed only when the password match is confirmed. The password is a combination of up to 10 alphanumeric characters, and it is possible to select whether to set an individual password or to set the same password for each.

2 and 3 are flowcharts showing the process from key selection detection to function execution according to the present invention.
In step S1 (hereinafter, step abbreviated), it is detected whether or not a key on the touch panel 5 is pressed (selected). If the key is pressed, the process proceeds to S2. In S2, if the voice output is present due to the preset voice output presence / absence, the corresponding voice data is read out from the voice data storage means 8, converted into voice by the voice output means and output (S3). ). If there is no audio output, the original function of the key is executed (S10). In S4, key selection detection is performed again. If key selection is detected, the process proceeds to S5 to determine whether or not the same key has been selected. If the same key has been selected, the original function of the key is executed (S10), and if a different key has been selected, the process returns to S3, and audio output corresponding to the selected key is executed.

If no key selection is detected in S4, the process moves to S6 and the time is counted. In S7, the time counted in S6 and the standby time set in advance by the time setting means 7 are compared. If the count value has not reached the set value, the process returns to S4, and if the count value has reached the set value, the key information is released. Do.
In S8, according to the preset notification / non-notification of cancellation of key information, in the case of notification, the operator is notified by a warning sound (S9), and in the case of non-notification, the process returns to S1 and waits for key selection.

In the present embodiment, the function of the key selection detection unit 4 and the function of the time setting unit 7 are described as separate functional blocks. However, these functions may be included in the CPU 1.
In this embodiment, the ROM 2 and the audio data storage unit 8 are described as separate functional blocks. However, these functions may be a single functional block.

  When the key selection is detected, the vibration waveform and vibration frequency preset by the vibration waveform setting means 15 and the vibration frequency setting means 11 are set in the vibration frequency setting means 11 (S10, S11), and the operation panel vibration means 12 is An operation of vibrating a part of the touch panel with the vibration waveform and the vibration frequency is started (S12). Then, the vibration time is counted (S13), the counted time is compared with the time preset by the vibration time setting means 10, and if the count value has not reached the set value, the process returns to S13. The operation of the panel vibration means 12 is stopped (S15).

  In this embodiment, the time setting means 7, the vibration time setting means 10 and the vibration waveform setting means 15 are described as separate functional blocks, but these functions may be a single functional block. Further, the operation panel vibration means 12 may be installed so as to vibrate the touch panel, or a dedicated vibration pad or the like may be provided on the operation panel surface.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing password setting according to the present invention.
In S16, an individual password is set for each of the maximum standby time set by the time setting means 7, the vibration time set by the vibration time setting means 10, the vibration frequency set by the vibration frequency setting means 11, or all of them. Select whether to set the same password. When the same password is set for all items, a common password is input (S17) and the setting is completed. When setting each individual password, the password is input for each item (S18, 19, 20), and the setting is completed.

  According to this embodiment, by pressing a key once, the name and function of the key can be notified to the operator by voice, so that the operator can correctly know the function of the key and improve operability. Can be made. Further, it is possible to know more clearly that the key has been pressed by vibrating a part of the touch panel with the set vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency.

  The program for the CPU 1 to execute the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 to 4 constitutes a program according to the present invention. The recording medium for recording the program constitutes a computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention. As this recording medium, a semiconductor storage device, an optical and / or magnetic storage device, or the like can be used. By using such a program and recording medium in a system having a configuration different from that of the above-described embodiment and causing the CPU to execute the program, substantially the same effect as the present invention can be obtained.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the apparatus operating device by the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of an apparatus operating device. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of an apparatus operating device. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of a password setting. It is a wave form diagram which shows the vibration waveform which can be set.

Explanation of symbols

1 CPU
2 ROM
3 RAM
4 Key selection detection means 5 Touch panel 6 LCD
7 Time setting means 8 Audio data storage means 9 Audio output means 10 Vibration time setting means 11 Vibration frequency setting means 12 Operation panel vibration means 13 Built-in storage device 14 External storage device 15 Vibration waveform setting means

Claims (30)

In a device operating device having a touch panel that displays a plurality of keys and determines the operation of the device by an operator touching and selecting one of them,
Audio data storage means for storing audio data indicating information on the function of each key;
A key selection detecting means for detecting that a key has been selected;
An apparatus operating device, comprising: audio output means for reading out corresponding audio data from the audio data storage means when it is detected that a key has been selected, and converting the sound data into sound and outputting the sound. Vibration means for vibrating a part of the touch panel when it is detected that the key is selected;
The apparatus operating device according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting all or any of a vibration waveform, a vibration time, and a vibration frequency at the time of the vibration.   When the key is pressed for the first time, the corresponding voice data is read from the voice data storage means and output as voice from the voice output means. When the same key is pressed for the second time, the original function of the key is executed. 3. The apparatus operation according to claim 1, wherein when a different key is pressed for the second time, the corresponding voice data is read from the voice data storage means and output as voice from the voice output means. apparatus.   4. The apparatus operating device according to claim 1, further comprising time setting means for setting a maximum waiting time from when the key is pressed for the first time until the key is pressed for the second time. .   5. The apparatus operating device according to claim 4, wherein the standby time that can be set by the time setting means can be arbitrarily set from about 0 second to about 60 seconds.   6. The apparatus operating device according to claim 4, wherein the maximum standby time can be set for each key individually.   7. The key selection detection information for the first time is canceled when the time from when the key is pressed for the first time until the second time is pressed exceeds the maximum waiting time. The apparatus operating device according to claim 1.   8. The apparatus operating device according to claim 7, wherein when releasing the key selection detection information, the operator is notified by a warning sound.   9. The apparatus operating device according to claim 8, wherein the operator can select whether or not to notify the operator of the release of the key selection detection information.   2. The apparatus operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operator can select whether or not to output sound from the sound output means.   11. The apparatus operating device according to claim 10, wherein when the operator selects not to output sound from the sound output means, the function is executed by pressing a key for the first time.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 2, wherein the operator himself / herself can set a time for vibrating a part of the touch panel by the vibration time setting means.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 12, wherein the vibration time that can be set by the vibration time setting means can be arbitrarily set from about 0 seconds to about 60 seconds.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 2, wherein an operator himself / herself can set a frequency for vibrating a part of the touch panel by the vibration frequency setting means.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 14, wherein the vibration frequency that can be set by the vibration frequency setting means can be arbitrarily set from about 0 Hz to about 100 Hz.   5. The device operating device according to claim 4, wherein the maximum standby time set by the time setting means can be selected to be stored in a storage device built in the device or in an external storage device.   3. The apparatus can select whether to store all or any of the vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency set by the setting means in a storage device built in the device or in an external storage device. The device operating device described.   The device operating device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the external storage device is detachably attached to the device.   17. The maximum waiting time saved in the built-in storage device or external storage device is protected by a password, and the saved setting content can be changed only when the password match is confirmed. Equipment operation device.   All or any of the vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency stored in the built-in storage device or external storage device is protected by a password, and the setting contents stored only when the password match is confirmed. 18. The device operating device according to claim 17, wherein the device operating device can be changed.   21. The device operating device according to claim 19, wherein each of the passwords can be selected to set an individual password or to set all the same passwords.   The apparatus operating device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the password is composed of a combination of up to 10 alphanumeric characters.   5. The apparatus operating device according to claim 4, wherein the vibration waveform that can be set by the setting means is a sine wave, a rectangular wave, a triangular wave, or a combination of these waveforms.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 23, wherein a vibration time of the set vibration waveform is set by the setting means.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the set vibration frequency of the vibration waveform is set by the setting means and is a single frequency or a combination of a plurality of frequencies.   The apparatus operating device according to claim 2, wherein all or any of the vibration waveform, vibration time, and vibration frequency by the setting means can be set individually for each key.   27. An image processing apparatus comprising the device operating device according to claim 1. A program used in a device operating device having a touch panel that displays a plurality of keys and determines an operation of the device by an operator touching and selecting one of them,
A key selection detection process for detecting whether or not a key has been selected;
A program that causes a computer to execute voice output processing that reads voice data related to the function of a corresponding key from voice data storage means when it is detected that a key has been selected, converts the voice data into voice, and outputs the voice. Vibration processing for vibrating a part of the touch panel when it is detected that the key is selected;
30. The program according to claim 28, causing a computer to execute setting processing for setting all or any of a vibration waveform, a vibration time, and a vibration frequency when the vibration is performed.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 28 or 29 is recorded.

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