JP2007203498A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation panel of which the inclination angle can be readily adjusted so as to make it easy to see for anyone. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus 1 is equipped with the rectangular-shaped operation panel 20. The image forming apparatus 1 comprises the operation panel 20 rotatably supported by an operation panel support section 23 via a rotary shaft 22 extended in the right-and-left direction, a push-up member 30 for supporting the operation panel 20 by upwardly pushing it, and a drive mechanism for the push-up member 30. The drive mechanism has a screw type direct acting mechanism having a screw hole 30b formed on the push-up member 30 and a screw shaft 32 to be screwed into the screw hole 30b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique of an image forming apparatus including an operation panel in front.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus having an operation panel in front is known. For example, the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes an operation panel fixed substantially horizontally in front of the apparatus, and various buttons, a liquid crystal display device, and the like for operating the image forming apparatus are arranged on the operation panel. It is installed.
JP 2005-331770 A

However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, since the operation panel is fixed, depending on the user, the operation panel may be difficult to see from the height of the eyes, and may be difficult to operate.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an operation panel that can easily adjust the inclination angle so that anyone can easily see it.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

That is, in claim 1,
An operation panel rotatably supported on the apparatus body via a rotation shaft;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a push-up member that pushes up and supports the operation panel from below; and a drive mechanism for the push-up member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus, wherein the drive mechanism includes a screw hole formed in the push-up member and a screw shaft screwed into the screw hole.

In claim 3, the push-up member is a cam,
The cam provides an image forming apparatus that is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body.

  The rotation center of the operation panel is provided on the front side of the operation panel.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus, wherein the driving mechanism is driven manually.

  As the effects of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to the first aspect, the angle of the operation panel can be easily changed to a user's desired angle.

  According to the second aspect, it is possible to easily finely adjust the angle of the operation panel.

  According to the third aspect, the tilt angle of the operation panel can be adjusted to various angles by rotating the push-up plate.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, even if a large force is applied to the operation panel carelessly, the angle of the operation panel is not easily changed.

  In claim 5, a complicated mechanism is not required, and the price of the apparatus can be reduced.

Next, embodiments of the invention will be described.
The present embodiment is an example in which the operation panel angle adjustment mechanism of the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the operation panel angle adjusting mechanism of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the operation panel angle adjusting mechanism of the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the operation panel angle adjusting mechanism of the second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the operation panel angle adjusting mechanism of the third embodiment.

First, an outline of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction machine having an electrophotographic copying machine and a facsimile function. A reading unit 3 is arranged on the upper part of the apparatus 1. In addition, a recording unit 4 for making a copy of the document is disposed below the recording unit 4, and a sheet feeding cassette unit 5 for feeding recording paper to the recording unit 4 is disposed adjacent to the recording unit 4. . An operation panel 20 is provided in front of the reading unit 3.

  The paper feed cassette unit 5 is configured to be capable of arranging a plurality of paper feed cassettes, and is configured to be able to supply recording paper from the paper feed cassette selected for paper feed toward the recording unit 4. The recording unit 4 is also provided with a manual feed tray (not shown).

  The recording unit 4 is configured as an apparatus having a function of forming an image on recording paper using an electrophotographic method. Image information obtained by reading the document by the reading unit 3 or image information received by the facsimile function is recorded on a recording sheet by the recording unit 4 based on the image information, and the recording sheet after image recording is recorded on the recording sheet discharge table 7. Discharged.

  The reading unit 3 is provided with a contact glass as a flatbed scanner (FBS) disposed on the upper part of the frame of the scanning device and a means for reading an original while moving inside the frame of the scanning device. A document pressing member 10 that presses the document set on the contact glass is provided in correspondence with the FBS function. The reading unit 3 also functions as a sheet feed type scanner, and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 11 and its discharge table 12 are provided on the upper surface of the document pressing member 10. The ADF 11 is provided at the upper left end of the reading unit 3, and reads a document set on the document tray 13 by a scanning device while conveying the document through a document conveyance path provided inside the ADF 11.

An operation panel 20 for performing operation control and various settings of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided in front of the reading unit 3. The operation panel 20 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is provided with various buttons and a liquid crystal display device for operating the image forming apparatus and making detailed settings for image formation.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the tilt angle of the operation panel 20 can be adjusted. For example, by changing the tilt angle of the upper surface of the operation panel 20 so as to approach the vertical, It can be adjusted so that it is easy to see for those who use it.

A tilt angle adjusting mechanism of the operation panel 20 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a rotation shaft 22 is provided in the left-right direction on the front side of the operation panel 20 in the front-rear direction and in the left-right direction. It is pivotally supported by operation panel support portions 23 and 23 (see FIG. 1) extending forward from both left and right ends. The operation panel 20 rotates around the rotation shaft 22. The operation panel support parts 23 and 23 constitute a part of the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, the apparatus main body refers to a configuration excluding the operation panel 20 in the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The operation panel 20 has a rotation shaft 22 serving as a rotation fulcrum in front of the center of gravity of the operation panel 20. For this reason, the rear end portion of the operation panel 20 tends to rotate downward due to its own weight, but since the rear end portion is placed on a push-up member 30 described later, the rear end portion is prevented from moving downward. It is in.

A push-up member 30 for pushing up the operation panel 20 and adjusting the tilt angle of the operation panel 20 is provided below the back side of the operation panel 20.
The push-up member 30 is a horizontal plate-like member, and the front part thereof has an upper surface formed in an arc shape, and this part is in contact with the back surface of the operation panel 20 as a contact part 30a.
The rear side of the push-up member 30 is fitted into a groove-shaped guide 40 (FIG. 3) formed in the vertical direction inside the front of the reading unit 3. The guide 40 guides the push-up member 30 so as to be movable only in the vertical direction while stopping the horizontal rotation of the push-up member 30.

A drive mechanism for the push-up member 30 will be described.
A vertical shaft hole 30b having a thread groove is formed in the push-up member 30, and a shaft member 32 having a screw portion is screwed into the vertical shaft hole 30b. Then, by the rotation of the shaft member 32, the push-up member 30 in which the vertical shaft hole 30 b is formed is linearly guided along the shaft member 32.
Here, since the horizontal rotation of the push-up member 30 is prevented by the guide 40, when the screw portion of the shaft member 32 rotates, the push-up member 30 is screwed with the screw portion and the vertical shaft hole 30b. Moves along the axial direction of the shaft member 32, that is, moves up and down along the guide 40. That is, the push-up member 30 is configured to move vertically by a screw type linear motion mechanism.
A shaft member 35 is disposed in parallel with the shaft member 32. The shaft members 32 and 35 are pivotally supported on the upper and lower wall portions of the guide 40. The shaft member 32 and the shaft member 35 can be interlocked with each other through meshing between a gear 32 a fixed to the shaft member 32 and a gear 35 a fixed to the shaft member 35.

The operation means of the drive mechanism of the push-up member 30 will be described.
An adjustment knob 35b is fixed to the lower end portion of the shaft member 35. When the user manually turns the adjustment knob 35b, the shaft member 32 rotates in conjunction with the shaft member 35. That is, the drive input portion of the drive mechanism of the push-up member 30 is an adjustment knob 35b that is a manual operation means.

When the adjustment knob 35b is turned in the direction in which the push-up member 30 is raised, the push-up member 30 pushes up the operation panel 20 from below. As a result, the operation panel 20 rotates around the rotation shaft 22 and the panel surface rises. The operation panel 20 is pushed by the contact portion 30a of the push-up member 30 and rotates while sliding smoothly on the arc-shaped contact portion 30a.
When the adjustment knob 35b is turned in the direction in which the push-up member 30 is lowered, the operation panel 20 is tilted by its own weight as the push-up member 30 is lowered.
FIG. 1A shows a state where the operation panel 20 is tilted most horizontally, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the operation panel 20 is raised most vertically.

As described above, the user can adjust the inclination angle of the operation panel 20 to an arbitrary angle within a predetermined range by turning the adjustment knob 35b. In this adjustment mechanism, since the push-up member 30 is moved up and down by the screw type linear movement mechanism, the angle of the operation panel 20 can be easily finely adjusted.
Further, the operation panel 20 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the center of rotation of the operation panel 20 is in front of the center portion in the front-rear direction of the operation panel 20. The inclination angle of 20 is difficult to change.
Further, since the adjustment knob 35b is manually turned, the mechanism is simple and the apparatus can be made inexpensive. In addition, it can replace with the structure which rotates the shaft member 32 manually using the adjustment knob 35b, and can also be set as the structure which rotates the shaft member 32 with a motor etc. FIG.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, the entire configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 excluding the angle adjustment mechanism of the operation panel 20 is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the angle adjustment mechanism of the operation panel 20. In the present adjusting mechanism, a push-up member 50 that rotates around a horizontal axis (shaft member 52) is used as a member that presses the operation panel 20 to change the tilt angle of the operation panel 20.
The push-up member 50 is substantially oval when viewed from the side, and the outer peripheral edge of the push-up member 50 is in contact with the back surface of the operation panel 20.
A shaft member 52 is attached to the push-up member 50 at a position deviated from the center to one shaft end side on the long axis so as not to be relatively rotatable. The push-up member 50 is configured as a cam having the operation panel 20 as a driven body. Further, the shaft member 52 extends in the left-right direction from the push-up member 50, and both ends thereof are pivotally supported by an operation panel support portion (corresponding to the operation panel support portion 23 of the first embodiment).

One end of the shaft member 52 extends laterally from the operation panel support portion, and an adjustment knob (not shown) is provided directly or indirectly via a speed reduction mechanism at the one end portion.
By turning the adjustment knob, the push-up member 50 rotates and pushes up the operation panel 20. As a result, the operation panel 20 rotates around the rotation shaft 22, and the panel surface rises or falls. The adjustment mechanism includes a lock mechanism (not shown) so that the operation panel 20 is fixed at the adjusted inclination angle.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The present embodiment is an example in which the shape of the push-up plate 50 in the second embodiment is different. Since the mechanism for driving the push-up plate and the entire configuration of the other image forming apparatus 1 are the same as those of the second embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the angle adjustment mechanism of the operation panel 20. The push-up member 60 of the adjustment mechanism has a regular hexagonal shape in a side view and is in contact with the back surface of the operation panel 20.
The shaft member 62, which is the rotation shaft of the push-up member 60, is provided at a position deviated to one side from the center position of the regular hexagon. The push-up member 60 is configured as a cam having the operation panel 20 as a follower. Further, the shaft member 62 extends in the left-right direction from the push-up member 60, and both ends thereof are pivotally supported by the operation panel support portion (corresponding to the operation panel support portion 23 of the first embodiment).

One end of the shaft member 62 extends laterally from the operation panel support portion, and an adjustment knob (not shown) is provided directly or indirectly via a speed reduction mechanism at the one end portion.
As the shaft member 62 rotates, the push-up member 60 rotates as shown to push up the operation panel 20. As a result, the operation panel 20 rotates around the rotation shaft 22 and the panel surface rises. As in the second embodiment, the adjustment mechanism includes a lock mechanism (not shown) so that the operation panel 20 is fixed at the adjusted inclination angle.

  The angle adjustment mechanism of the operation panel according to the second embodiment and the third embodiment is an example in which the operation panel 20 is pushed up by the rotating push-up members 50 and 60, respectively. The configuration is not limited. The push-up member may be configured as a cam, and the rising state of the operation panel 20 can be set appropriately by appropriately combining the shape of the push-up member and the position of the rotation shaft.

  Further, in the second and third embodiments, it is assumed that the shaft members 52 and 62 are manually rotated by the adjustment knob. Instead, the shaft members 52 and 62 may be rotated by a motor or the like. it can. The manual rotation method has a simple structure and can be made inexpensively.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. It should be noted that the operation panel angle adjusting mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above, and can be easily configured based on the idea that characterizes the present invention. . In the present application, an example in which the angle adjustment mechanism of the operation panel of the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral has been shown. However, the present invention can be generally applied to various image forming apparatuses such as a printer dedicated machine.

  The angle adjustment mechanism of the operation panel according to the present invention can be applied to various image forming apparatuses such as a digital multi-function peripheral and a printer dedicated machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an operation panel angle adjustment mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the operation panel angle adjustment mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view of an operation panel angle adjustment mechanism according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view of an operation panel angle adjustment mechanism according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 20 Operation panel 30 Push-up member 32 Shaft member 35 Shaft member 50 Push-up member 52 Shaft member 60 Push-up member 62 Shaft member

Claims (5)

An operation panel rotatably supported on the apparatus body via a rotation shaft;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a push-up member that pushes up and supports the operation panel from below; and a drive mechanism for the push-up member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism includes a screw hole formed in the push-up member and a screw shaft screwed into the screw hole. The push-up member is a cam;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cam is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotation center of the operation panel is on a front side of the operation panel.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism is driven manually.

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