JP2005308864A - Display device and picture forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device in which distortion is hard to occur in an LCD even when an LCD cover, covering the LCD, is pressed and whose robustness is ensured, and a picture forming apparatus equipped with the same. <P>SOLUTION: The picture forming apparatus has the LCD 13 to display information, the LCD cover 14 to cover the LCD 13 and expose a part thereof in a rectangular shape, an operating part substrate 12 to control the LCD 13 and an LCD frame 15 to be attached on the operating part substrate 12 and to support the LCD 13. The LCD cover 14 surrounds the LCD frame 15 and is partly in contact with the operating part substrate 12 side. The LCD frame 15 is constructed in such a way that height of its end part in the longitudinal direction with respect to the operating part substrate 12 is higher than that of its center part. The LCD frame 15 and the LCD cover 14 have gaps in their end parts in the longitudinal direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a key for inputting an operation by an operator, a display device for displaying a message for the operation, and an image forming apparatus using the same, such as a copying machine and a facsimile machine.

  Conventionally, in an operation panel having a display unit used for a copying machine, a facsimile machine, etc., an LCD (liquid crystal display panel) display unit is directly attached to a transparent member as a window as described in JP-A-8-18246. After that, there are some which are attached to the cover side which is the exterior of the operation panel.

  In addition, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-152135, there is one in which an LCD display unit is fixed to a control board side in a state of being attached to a frame member, and the control board is attached to a cover member serving as an exterior.

JP-A-8-18246 JP-A-9-152135

  In the above-mentioned apparatus, when the LCD display unit is directly attached to the transparent member that becomes the window and then attached to the cover side that becomes the exterior of the operation panel, the operator strongly presses the transparent member that becomes the window and its surroundings. In this case, the distortion of the transparent member is directly transmitted to the LCD.

  In such a case, the LCD itself may be distorted to change the twist angle of the liquid crystal of the LCD, thereby preventing correct display. This is an LCD that can operate only on a transparent substrate, such as a so-called COG (chip-on-glass) LCD in which an LCD control (driver) chip is mounted on an LCD transparent substrate (generally glass is used). It is remarkable when using it.

  In addition, when the LCD display unit is fixed to the control board in a state where it is attached to the frame member, and the control board is attached to the cover member as an exterior, the LCD and the exterior cover are separated and use a lot of space. And the device tends to be large. Further, when the outer cover is pushed, it is necessary to endure with the strength of only the outer cover, and it may be difficult to secure the strength around the LCD.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device in which the display member is hardly distorted even when a window member serving as a cover of the display member is pressed, and the strength can be secured. An image forming apparatus is provided.

  Representative means in the present invention for solving the above problems are a display member for displaying information, a window member covering the display member and exposed in a substantially rectangular shape, and for controlling the display member. A frame member mounted on the substrate and supporting the display member, and the window member surrounds the frame member and partly contacts the substrate side, and the frame member Is characterized in that the height with respect to the substrate is higher at the end in the longitudinal direction than at the center, and the frame member and the window member have a gap at the end in the longitudinal direction.

  In the present invention, the window member is in contact with the substrate, the longitudinal end portion of the frame member is higher than the central portion, and the frame member and the window member are configured to have a gap at the longitudinal end portion. Even if the window member is pushed, the display member is hardly distorted and the strength is secured. Therefore, even if an LCD is used as the display member, accurate display is possible.

  Next, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with respect to an image forming apparatus including the display device.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. 1 is an exploded explanatory view showing a component configuration around the operation unit, FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view of the vicinity of the display unit as viewed from the front and right of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 3 is an operation cover around the display unit. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the outer shape of the LCD cover, and FIG. 5 is an overall view showing a state in which the scanner unit is opened in the image recording apparatus. FIG.

{Overall configuration of image forming apparatus}
First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be schematically described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is a facsimile apparatus including an ink jet recording unit, and usually uses a regular cut sheet as a recording sheet, and a plurality of sheets are stacked and stored in the auto sheet feeder 1.

  Only one sheet of recording sheets stored and stacked in the auto sheet feeder 1 is separated and conveyed by a feeding roller (not shown) and a separation pad (not shown). Thereafter, it is nipped and conveyed to the recording unit 2.

  In the recording unit 2, recording is performed by a recording head (not shown), and the recording sheet is discharged to a discharge tray 3 by a discharge roller (not shown) positioned downstream of the recording head. The recording head in this embodiment forms an ink image on a recording sheet by discharging ink from the discharge port at the tip of the nozzle by the pressure of film boiling generated in the ink by the heat generated by the electrothermal conversion element provided in the nozzle. It is. Note that the recording unit of the present embodiment is capable of recording a color image by mounting ink tanks 2a for each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

  On the other hand, a reading unit 5 that is rotatable about a rotation shaft 4 is provided at the upper part of the apparatus. The reading unit 5 in the present embodiment is a flatbed scanner, and a contact image sensor (not shown) is supported by a carriage (not shown) and can move along the sub-scanning direction. The image sensor includes a light source (not shown), a lens, and a photoelectric conversion element, and moves to a back surface of a contact glass (not shown) serving as a document placement table while maintaining a certain distance. Accordingly, the read image is transmitted to the main body image processing unit (control unit) by a flexible cable or the like.

  The recording unit 2 and the reading unit 5 are controlled by an electrical unit 6 provided inside the apparatus. Various operations are performed from the operation unit 7 at the front of the apparatus, and information such as operation status is displayed on the display unit 8 as a display device.

{Display device}
Next, the configuration of the display unit 8 as a display device will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, 11 is an operation cover, and 12 is an operation unit substrate that controls the operation unit 7 and the display unit 8. The operation unit substrate 12 is fastened to the operation cover 11 with a stop screw (not shown).

  In FIG. 2, 12a is an LCD connector, and 12b is an electrical component. Reference numeral 13 denotes an LCD which is a display member formed using a glass substrate, 13a denotes a double-sided tape 13 for bonding the LCD 13, and 13b denotes a flexible cable directly attached to the LCD 13.

  In FIG. 3, 13 c is a display unit which is an information display area of the LCD 13, and 13 d is an LCD driver chip disposed outside the display unit of the LCD 13.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 14 denotes an LCD cover that covers the LCD 13 and serves as a window member that is exposed in a substantially rectangular shape, and reference numeral 14 a denotes an abutting portion for abutting the longitudinal end of the LCD cover 14 against the operation unit substrate 12. 14b is an outer peripheral frame portion on the exterior end of the LCD cover 14 in the longitudinal direction, and 14c is a transparent window portion exposed to the outside from the operation cover.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes an LCD frame that is a frame member that supports the LCD 13, 15 a is an abutting boss that is an abutting part that abuts against the operation unit substrate 12 of the LCD frame 15, and 15 b is a longitudinal end of the LCD frame 15. The outer peripheral frame portion 15c is a snap fit claw, and 15d is a space formed between the LCD frame 15 and the operation unit substrate 12.

  The outer periphery of the LCD cover 14 extends in the direction of the operation unit substrate 12 so that static electricity is less likely to fly to the conductive portion of the internal LCD 13 even when an electrostatically charged object approaches the transparent window portion 14c. Abutting portions 14 a against the operation portion substrate 12 are provided at the longitudinal ends of the LCD cover 14. By doing so, the LCD cover 14 receives an external force from the operation part substrate 12 at the end in the longitudinal direction, and the center part in the longitudinal direction is bent by a predetermined amount to withstand.

  The LCD frame 15 is positioned inside the LCD cover 14, and can be easily attached and detached by hooking the snap-fit claw 15c through a hole (not shown) of the operation unit board 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the LCD frame 15 has an H-shaped cross section. The LCD frame 15 has a snap-fit claw 15c disposed at the end in the longitudinal direction and a display surface direction. Only the abutting bosses 15a provided at the four corners are in contact with the operation unit substrate 12. In this way, even when the operation unit substrate 12 is warped, the LCD frame 15 itself is hardly subjected to mechanical stress.

  Further, the LCD frame 15 is configured such that the height with respect to the operation unit substrate 12 is higher in the longitudinal direction than the center part, and the exterior side outer peripheral frame portion 15b at the longitudinal direction end of the LCD frame 15 is formed on the LCD cover 14. It has a height having a predetermined small gap (0.3 to 0.5 mm) from the outer peripheral frame portion 14b at the end in the longitudinal direction. By doing so, the outer peripheral frame portion 15b and the outer peripheral side outer peripheral frame portion 14b come into contact with each other in a state where the LCD cover 14 is bent to a predetermined amount by an external force, and the outer amount of the LCD cover 14 is regulated to a predetermined amount. Overall deformation can be reduced.

  For this reason, the resistance when a large external force that may damage the operation cover 11 is applied is improved. Further, until the outer peripheral frame portion 15b and the outer outer peripheral frame portion 14b come into contact with each other, mechanical stress is hardly applied to the LCD frame 15 itself, so that the external force (for example, up to about 20 N) in normal use is displayed on the LCD 13. The effect is less likely to come out.

  The LCD 13 is bonded to the LCD frame 15 with a double-sided tape 13a only on the back surface of the LCD driver chip 13d arranged outside the display area. By doing so, the display unit 13c that is weak against distortion does not receive all of the stress applied to the LCD frame 15, so that it is difficult for the LCD 13 itself to generate distortion that prevents desired display. Note that the bonding may include at least the back surface portion of the LCD driver chip 13d and bond the outside portion of the display portion.

  Since the LCD frame 15 has an H-shaped cross section, a space 15 d is formed between the LCD 13 and the operation unit substrate 12, that is, on the opposite side of the LCD frame 15 to the LCD 13 attachment surface. By doing so, the LCD 13 can be disposed at a position close to the transparent window portion 14c and visibility is improved. In addition, the LCD connection connector 12a in the space 15d, the electrical component 12b such as a capacitor used for radiation noise countermeasures, and the like. Can arrange the flexible cable 13b, and can effectively use the limited mounting area of the operation unit substrate 12.

  As described above, since the space 15d is located in the LCD cover 14, static electricity from the outside is difficult to fly, and it is suitable for disposing components that are sensitive to static electricity.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a display device that displays information on the LCD 13 is used as an image forming apparatus has been described. If it is, it can use suitably.

FIG. 5 is an exploded explanatory view showing a component configuration around the operation unit. 3 is a perspective explanatory view of the vicinity of the display unit as viewed from the front and right of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view of the vicinity of the display unit as viewed from the front, above, and right of the image forming apparatus without an operation cover and an LCD cover. It is explanatory drawing which shows the external shape of a LCD cover. It is a whole perspective explanatory view showing a state where a scanner unit is opened in the image recording apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Auto sheet feeder 2 ... Recording part 2a ... Ink tank 3 ... Discharge tray 4 ... Rotating shaft 5 ... Reading part 6 ... Electrical equipment part 7 ... Operation part 8 ... Display part
11… Operation cover
12… Operation board
12a ... LCD connector
12b ... Electric parts
13 ... LCD
13a ... Double-sided tape
13b ... Flexible cable
13c ... Display section
13d LCD driver chip
14… LCD cover
14a ... Butting part
14b ... Outer frame
14c ... Transparent window
15 ... LCD frame
15a… butting boss
15b ... Outer frame
15c ... snap fit nails
15d ... space

Claims (6)

A display member for displaying information;
A window member covering the display member and exposed in a substantially rectangular shape;
A substrate for attaching the display member;
A frame member mounted on the substrate and supporting the display member;
Have
The window member surrounds the frame member and partly contacts the substrate side;
The frame member is configured such that the height with respect to the substrate is higher at the longitudinal end than at the center,
The frame member and the window member have a gap at an end portion in the longitudinal direction. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the frame member has a shape capable of forming a space between the display member and the substrate. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the frame member has an abutting portion that abuts against the substrate at an end portion in a longitudinal direction. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the frame member is attached to the substrate by a snap fit. The display means is an LCD, the display control chip is disposed outside the display area opposite to the display surface of the display means, and the display area including at least the display control chip is adhered to the frame member. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is attached to the frame member. In an image forming apparatus that conveys a sheet to form an image,
A recording unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for displaying predetermined information;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

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