JP2005244360A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus of which the operability is enhanced when information existing in a non-displayed part is searched or the like and decrease the time required for searching or the like by quickly displaying the information existing in the non-displayed part unable to be displayed on a display section of the image processing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image processing apparatus including a liquid crystal display section 28 (information display section) for displaying management information of an address list or the like is provided with: an index display means for displaying an index (slider 33 or the like) that indicates a relative position of a displayed part of the management information displayed in a displayed image of the liquid crystal display section 28 with respect to the entire management information; and an index moving means for moving the displayed image in a moving direction of the displayed index by the index display means when the index display means moves the displayed index. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of easily searching or referring to the contents of management information such as user registration information and address information displayed on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to the display screen of the display unit. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of easily and quickly searching and referring to the contents of the undisplayed portion of the management information that cannot be displayed.

In order to facilitate the input of the destination address, data such as a plurality of destination addresses are stored in the image processing apparatus such as a conventional facsimile apparatus or scanner apparatus having a function of transmitting the read image data to a predetermined terminal or the like. A storage device such as a memory to be registered (stored) in advance is provided. Accordingly, the operator can transmit from the address list read from the storage device and displayed on the predetermined display panel without inputting the transmission destination address of the image data read by the image processing device using the numeric keypad. The destination address can be searched and designated and input, thereby eliminating the troublesome work of keying in the destination address.
However, since the display screen (display area) of the display panel on which the address data is displayed is relatively small, all address data cannot be displayed at once if the number of registered addresses is large. For this reason, conventionally, the address data is divided into the number of address data (for example, 10) that can be displayed on the display screen frame of the display panel, and each divided address data is displayed (for example, registration number 1). 10), a plurality of address screens displaying the addresses of registration numbers 11 to 20 are provided, and the address screens are sequentially switched according to key operations such as a screen switching key. Address search and reference are possible.
On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that displays a plurality of pieces of functional information arranged in a matrix on a liquid crystal display unit. The operation panel of the image forming apparatus is provided with a slide key that slides the display content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit up and down. If the display content cannot be displayed all at once on the display panel, By operating the slide key, the display contents of the non-displayed part can be sequentially slid and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit.
JP-A-11-143301

However, in the conventional image processing apparatus described above, for example, if the transmission address to be searched is registered near the end of the address list (address data), the address to be searched for must be searched unless the screen switching key is operated many times. The address screen including it could not be displayed. In this case, the number of key operations increases rather than direct input of the transmission address using a numeric keypad, and not only complicated operation is required, but also the time for searching for an address is wasted. It is.
In addition, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 displays the contents of the undisplayed portion by sliding it up and down by two key operations of a mechanical upward slide key and a downward slide key. If the transmission address to be searched is registered near the end of the address list, the desired address is displayed if the slide key is pressed repeatedly or if the slide key is not pressed for a long time. There was a problem that could not be done.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to display information on a non-displayed part that cannot be displayed on the display unit among information displayed on the display unit of the image processing apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of improving the operability when searching for information in an undisplayed portion and reducing the time spent for searching by quickly displaying the information.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention cannot be displayed on the display screen by scrolling the display screen of the information display unit for displaying management information managed by the image processing apparatus in the vertical direction and / or the horizontal direction. In an image processing apparatus having a scroll function for displaying an undisplayed portion of the management information on the information display unit, an indicator of a relative position in the entire management information of the display portion of the management information displayed on the display screen is displayed. An image comprising: an index display means; and an index moving means for moving the display screen in the moving direction of the index display means when the index displayed by the index display means is moved. It is configured as a processing device.
In the case of an image processing apparatus such as a facsimile machine configured as described above, when the index is moved by an operator, information on a non-displayed portion that cannot be displayed on the information display unit becomes the moving speed of the index. Accordingly, since the information is continuously shifted and displayed on the information display portion, the information on the non-displayed portion can be retrieved immediately. As a result, it is possible to facilitate a search operation when searching for information on a non-displayed portion, and to shorten the time spent for searching.

In this case, it is desirable that the index display means is constituted by a touch panel capable of touch key input and displays the index on the screen of the touch panel. For example, if the index display unit is formed integrally with the touch panel type information display unit of the image processing apparatus, it is necessary to provide a switch for switching or scrolling the display screen on the operation panel of the image processing apparatus. Thus, the shape and arrangement of the operation panel can be simplified, and the operation panel can be reduced in size.
Further, the indicator display means may not be formed integrally with the information display unit, but may be provided near the outside of the frame of the information display unit, for example. In this case, the indicator display means may be configured by a touch panel or the like separated from the information display unit as long as it is in the vicinity of the information display unit outside the frame. By providing the index display means at a position close to the information display section without providing the index display means at a position away from the information display section, the operability of the index moving operation can be improved.
In this case, when the index display means displays the vertical index of the management information, it is preferable to provide the index display means along either the left or right side frame of the information display section. . In addition, when the index display means displays a horizontal index of the management information, it is desirable to provide the index display means along one of the upper and lower frames of the information display unit. The same applies to the case where the index display means is formed integrally with the information display section.
As the management information, user registration information or transmission destination address information registered in the image processing apparatus, various setting items related to image formation, preview images, and the like can be considered.

As described above, the present invention is displayed by the index display means for displaying the index of the relative position in the entire management information of the management information display portion such as address data displayed on the display screen, and the index display means. When the indicator is moved, an indicator moving means for moving the display screen in the direction of movement of the indicator display means is provided. Therefore, when the operator moves the indicator, the information display unit displays Information on undisplayed parts that cannot be displayed can be continuously shifted and displayed in the information display section in the direction of movement of the index, and the index can be moved at any speed, so continuous shift display Is also displayed at a free display speed in accordance with the moving speed of the index. As a result, information on the undisplayed portion can be quickly displayed. As a result, operations such as searching for information on the undisplayed portion can be simplified, and the time spent for searching can be shortened.
Further, the index display means is formed integrally with a touch panel type information display unit provided in the image processing apparatus or a touch panel capable of touch key input provided outside the frame of the information display unit. Therefore, there is no need to provide a mechanical switch or the like for switching or scrolling the display screen on the operation panel of the image processing apparatus, and the shape and arrangement of the operation panel can be simplified. The operation panel can be downsized.
Further, the index display means is provided not near the information display section but in the vicinity of the information display section. For example, the index display means displays a vertical index of the management information. In some cases, along either the left or right side frame of the information display unit, and when the index display means displays the horizontal index of the management information, the upper and lower sides of the information display unit. By providing along any of the frames, the operation of moving the index becomes easier.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral X according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a panel schematic diagram showing an operation display panel of the digital multi-function peripheral X, and FIG. 3 is an operation display. FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the procedure of address designation processing (including scroll processing) executed by the control unit.
First, a schematic configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral X (hereinafter abbreviated as “multi-function peripheral X”) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to an overall schematic diagram of FIG. 1 and a panel schematic diagram of FIG. FIG. 1A is a schematic side view of the multifunction machine X, and FIG. 1B is a front view taken along the line AA in FIG. The multifunction machine X according to the embodiment of the present invention has a facsimile function, a print function, and a push scanner function for transmitting the read image data to a terminal device such as a personal computer connected via a network such as a LAN. However, the multifunction machine X is merely an example of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the MFP X is roughly divided into an image reading device 20 that reads a document image, and an automatic document feeder 10 (hereinafter referred to as “ADF 10”) disposed above the image reading device 20. )), An image forming apparatus 16 disposed below the image reading apparatus 20, and a sheet feeding cassette 17 disposed further below the image forming apparatus 16.
The ADF 10 sequentially conveys the document S set on the document setting unit 11 one by one through a plurality of conveyance rollers R. The document S transported by the ADF 10 is transported in the sub-scanning direction through a predetermined reading position on the contact glass 26 and then transported to the document discharge unit 13. Since the ADF 10 also serves as a document cover that covers the contact glass 26, the surface 14 of the ADF 10 that covers the contact glass 26 reads in the main scanning direction in order to obtain stable reflected light from the document. It is white throughout the width.

  A contact glass 26 is disposed on the upper surface of the image reading device 20. Further, in the image reading device 20, an exposure device 21 for irradiating light to the document S moving in a sub-scanning direction at a predetermined reading position on the contact glass 26, and reflected light from the document S are contacted. A carriage 22 composed of a mirror or the like that receives light through the glass 26, light guide mirrors 23a and 23b that guides reflected light received by the carriage 22 to the optical lens 24, and the light guide mirrors 23a and 23b. Based on the optical lens 24 that condenses the guided reflected light, the CCD 25 that converts image information contained in the reflected light collected by the optical lens 24 into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal that is converted by the CCD 25. A microcomputer such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that performs image processing of the processed image data and comprehensively controls the multifunction machine X And a control unit 15 which includes a are arranged appropriately.

  The image forming apparatus 16 includes a photosensitive drum 161 carrying an electrostatic latent image, a charging device 162 for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum 161, and a toner attached to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 161. The developing device 163 for developing the toner image, the transfer device 164 for transferring the developed toner image onto the recording paper conveyed from the paper feeding cassette 17, the cleaning device 165 for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 161, and the toner image It is constituted by various known devices such as a fixing device 166 for fixing an image on the transferred recording paper.

On the front side surface of the image reading device 20, input setting or copy setting of a document image is input, or predetermined information is input or displayed when a transmission destination address of the read image data is specified. An operation display panel 29 is provided. The operation display panel 29 will be described in more detail below with reference to the panel schematic diagram of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the operation display panel 29 clears the numeric keypad 271, the start push button 272 for instructing the start of document reading, the document image reading setting, and the like, and interrupts the document image reading operation. Alternatively, the operation unit 27 having a stop / clear push button 273 for canceling, a liquid crystal display unit 28 (an example of an information display unit) that displays management information managed by the multifunction device X, and the management information are displayed. A vertical scroll bar 30 that scrolls the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 in the vertical direction and a left and right scroll bar 40 that scrolls the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 in the horizontal direction are provided. The management information is, for example, user registration information, transmission address information (address list), reading setting screen information when reading a document with the multifunction device X, or preview image information of the read document data. Say.

The liquid crystal display unit 28 is a liquid crystal display composed of a touch panel capable of touch key input. By pressing various touch keys (not shown) displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28, for example, a setting display screen for performing a reading setting of a document image, a facsimile function, a scanner function, etc. An address list to be referred to when transmitting to a terminal or the like is displayed.
As described above, for example, when the touch list on the liquid crystal display unit 28 is operated to display the address list on the liquid crystal display unit 28, usually, a large number of addresses are registered in the address list. Therefore, the entire address list cannot be displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, only a part of the address list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28, and the other part of the address list cannot be displayed on the display screen. In this case, conventionally, as described above, the display screen is switched or scrolled (slid) by repeatedly pressing the display changeover switch or the like to display the address list of the undisplayed portion. However, the multifunction machine X according to the present invention includes a slider 33 (an example of an index display unit) described later provided on the vertical scroll bar 30 and a slider 43 (an index display unit) described below provided on the left / right scroll bar 40. 1), the information on the undisplayed part that cannot be displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 can be quickly displayed. In this respect, the multifunction machine X is superior to the conventional one. Hereinafter, the vertical scroll bar 30 and the horizontal scroll bar 40 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The vertical scroll bar 30 and the horizontal scroll bar 40 are provided in the vicinity of the outside of the liquid crystal display unit 28. Specifically, the vertical scroll bar 30 is provided along the right side frame of the liquid crystal display unit 28. The left and right scroll bars 40 are provided along the lower frame of the liquid crystal display unit 28.
The up / down scroll bar 30 and the left / right scroll bar 40 are configured by a touch panel, similar to the liquid crystal display unit 28. On the touch panel, an up scroll key 31, a down scroll key 32, and a right scroll key. The scroll bar is configured by virtually displaying 41 and the left scroll key 42. The up / down and left / right scroll keys sequentially slide the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 by a predetermined width according to the number of operations of the scroll keys.
Further, the vertical scroll bar 30 and the left and right scroll bar 40 are indicators of relative positions in the entire address list of an address list display portion which is an example of the management information displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28. The upper and lower sliders 33 and 43 are provided. These sliders 33 and 43 are indices indicating the relative positions of the portion of the liquid crystal display unit 28 currently displayed on the display screen in the entire address list, and are controlled by the control unit 15 according to a predetermined program. It is embodied on each scroll bar by performing a scroll control process to be described later. The scroll bar represents the entire address list, and the width (size) of the slider represents the ratio of the portion displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28 to the entire address list.
Thus, unlike the conventional machine, this multifunction machine X is provided with the up and down scroll bar 30 and the left and right scroll bar 40 configured by a touch panel, and further, the slider 33 is connected to the up and down scroll bar 30 and the left and right scroll bar. Since the bar 40 is provided with the left and right sliders 43, for example, when the operator moves the sliders 33 and 43 in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction while pressing the sliders 33 and 43 with a finger, the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 is displayed. Since the slider is moved (slid) in the moving direction of the slider synchronously at the same speed as the moving speed of the slider, an undisplayed portion of the address list corresponding to the moved slider position is immediately displayed. As a result, it is possible to easily perform a search operation for information on an undisplayed portion, and it is possible to shorten the time spent for searching and the like.
In order to enable the movement of the sliders 33 and 43 as described above, the control unit 15 (see FIG. 1) for overall control of the entire multifunction machine X scrolls the display screen by operating the scroll key. In addition to the function of moving the slider 33 and 43, a scroll control function is also provided which has a function of moving the sliders 33 and 43 and displaying information corresponding to the moving position on the liquid crystal display unit 28. The scroll control function will be described later with reference to a flowchart.

Next, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the address designation process (scroll control executed by the scroll control function) executed by the control unit 15 (microcomputer) of the multifunction machine X using the flowchart of FIG. An example of the procedure (including processing) will be described. In the figure, S10, S20,... Indicate processing procedure (step) numbers. The process starts from step S10.
In this multifunction device X, a scanner function or a facsimile function is selected, and then a predetermined operation is performed on the operation display panel 29, whereby an address list in which transmission destination addresses for transmitting image data are registered is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit. When displayed on 28 (S10), the control unit 15 enables the scroll control function (S20), and executes the scroll control process in steps S30 to S60.
First, in step S30, it is determined whether or not there is an input from the up and down scroll keys 31 and 32. As described above, since the scroll bars 30 and 40 are composed of touch panels, the determination in step S30 is based on the current (current signal) generated when the operator presses either the scroll key 31 or 32. It is judged by detecting.
Here, if it is determined that there is a key input of the up and down scroll keys 31 and 32 (Yes side of S30), the control unit 15 causes the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 to move upward according to the key input. Alternatively, it is scrolled downward by a predetermined width (S31). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S70.

If it is determined in step S30 that there is no key input for the up / down scroll keys 31, 32, then in step S40, whether the left / right scroll keys 41, 42 are input is determined in step S30. The determination is made by the same method as the input determination of the keys 31 and 32.
Here, if it is determined that there is a key input of the left and right scroll keys 41 and 42 (Yes side of S40), the control unit 15 causes the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 to move leftward according to the key input. Alternatively, it is scrolled to the right by a predetermined width (S41), and then the process proceeds to step S70.

Subsequently, if it is determined in step S40 that there is no key input for the left and right scroll keys 41, 42, then in step S50, it is determined whether the upper and lower sliders 33 have been moved.
The slider 33 is moved by a method according to a method of moving a folder, an icon, or the like by “drag and drop” which is one of the operation functions of a mouse which is an input device such as a personal computer. Since such a moving method is well known, a detailed description thereof is omitted here. For example, while the operator continues to press the upper and lower sliders 33 with the finger, the finger is moved downward as it is (i.e., the above-described movement method). A change in the current value (change in the current signal) generated by the vertical scroll bar 30 by a series of operations of dragging the vertical slider 33 downward and releasing the finger after the movement (that is, dropping the vertical slider 33). The slider 33 displayed on the information display unit 28 is moved by the control unit 15 so as to follow.
At this time, the control unit 15 determines the direction in which the operator moves the finger, that is, the direction in which the slider 33 is moved, based on the change in the current signal. When the moving direction of the slider 33 is determined in this way, the control unit 15 moves the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 28 in the moving direction. The processing so far is the processing in step S50, and this processing corresponds to the index moving means.
If it is determined that the upper / lower slider 33 has been moved (Yes in S50), the control unit 15 displays the address list corresponding to the moving position of the upper / lower slider 33 on the liquid crystal display unit 28. (S51). For example, when the vertical slider 33 is at the uppermost end of the vertical scroll bar 30 as shown in FIG. 2, the operator moves the vertical slider 33 to the lowest end of the vertical scroll bar 30 (FIG. 3A). As shown in FIG. 3A, the address information registered at the end of the address list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S70. While the slider is moving, an address list corresponding to the slider 33 may be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28. Further, a display mode in which the address list corresponding to the slider 33 is not displayed until the movement stops may be used.

If the movement of the upper and lower sliders 33 is not confirmed in step S50, that is, if no current signal is detected on the touch panel corresponding to the upper and lower sliders 33, then whether or not the left and right sliders 43 have been moved in step S60. Is determined in the same manner as the determination method of the movement of the upper and lower sliders 33 in step S50.
If it is determined that the left / right slider 43 has been moved (Yes in S60), the control unit 15 displays the address list corresponding to the movement position of the left / right slider 43 on the liquid crystal display unit 28. (S61). For example, when the left and right slider 43 is at the left end of the left and right scroll bar 40 as shown in FIG. 3A, the left and right slider 43 is moved to the rightmost end (FIG. 3B by the operator). 3), the information of the undisplayed portion on the right end side of the address list is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S70. If the movement of the left / right slider 43 is not confirmed in step S60, the process proceeds to step S70.

When the process proceeds to step S70, it is determined whether or not a transmission destination address is specified from the address list, for example, whether or not one address item in the address list is pressed (selected) on the liquid crystal display unit 28. It is judged by. If it is determined that a destination address has been specified, the process ends after setting the destination address (Yes in S70). If it is determined that no address is specified, the process returns to step S30. An example of steps S30 to S70 is repeatedly performed.
As described above, the multifunction machine X is provided with the up / down slider 33 and the left / right slider 43 indicating the relative position of the display portion of the address list displayed on the liquid crystal display section 28 in the entire address list. Since the scroll control function described above is provided, it is possible to cause the liquid crystal display unit 28 to immediately display information on an undisplayed portion that cannot be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 28 by moving the slider. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate a search operation when searching for information on a non-displayed portion, and to reduce the time spent for searching.

  The present invention relates to a scanner device, a facsimile device, a printer device, a copying machine, or a multi-function peripheral (MFP) having a plurality of these functions, which allows a display unit such as a liquid crystal display to display management information such as user registration information and transmission destination address information. It can be used for an image processing apparatus such as.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital multifunction machine X according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a panel schematic diagram showing an operation display panel of the digital multi-function peripheral X. The schematic diagram which shows the liquid crystal display part and scroll bar of an operation display panel. The flowchart explaining an example of the procedure of the address designation | designated process (a scroll process is included) performed by a control part.

Explanation of symbols

X ... MFP 10 ... Automatic document feeder 15 ... Control unit 16 ... Image forming device 17 ... Paper feed cassette 20 ... Image reading device 27 ... Operation unit 28 ... Liquid crystal display unit 29 ... Operation display unit 30 ... Vertical scroll bar (index) Example of display means)
31 ... Up scroll key 32 ... Down scroll key 33 ... Up / down slider (an example of an index)
40. Left / right scroll bar (an example of index display means)
41 ... Left direction scroll key 42 ... Right direction scroll key 43 ... Left and right slider (an example of an index)

Claims (5)

The information display unit displays an undisplayed portion of the management information that cannot be displayed on the display screen by scrolling the display screen of the information display unit that displays management information managed by the image processing apparatus in the vertical direction and / or the horizontal direction. In an image processing apparatus having a scroll function to be displayed on a screen,
Index display means for displaying an index of a relative position in the entire management information of the display portion of the management information displayed on the display screen;
An index moving means for moving the display screen in the moving direction of the index display means when the index displayed by the index display means is moved;
An image processing apparatus comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index display unit includes a touch panel capable of inputting touch keys, and displays the index on a screen of the touch panel.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index display means is disposed in the vicinity of the information display unit outside the frame. The indicator display means for displaying an indicator in the vertical direction of the management information is provided along one of the left and right side frames of the information display unit,
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the index display means for displaying a left-right index of the management information is provided along one of the upper and lower frames of the information display unit.   The management information is any one or a plurality of user registration information or transmission destination address information registered in the image processing apparatus, various setting items related to image formation, or a preview image. The image processing apparatus described.

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