JP2007312318A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device equipped with a main operation indicating unit and an auxiliary operation indicating unit and capable of moving the auxiliary operation indicating unit from a previously installed position. <P>SOLUTION: A main display/operating unit 5 and a sub display 6 are equipped to indicate/operate the various information of the image forming device while correlating mutually or individually and respectively. The sub display 6 can be moved by removing the same from the position installed on the image forming device previously whereby the information of the image forming device can be grasped through the sub display 6 even if a user is not in the neighborhood of the image forming device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, a copying machine, and a FAX, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a plurality of operation display units.

  As function requirements for image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printer multifunction machines are diversified, the amount of information displayed on the monitor panel, including data being processed and the state of the image forming apparatus, has increased. In such an image forming apparatus, it is inevitably required to display a large amount of information at the same time as an interface that is directly touched or viewed by a user who is a user of the apparatus on the front operation panel unit.

  As a solution, for example, it is conceivable to increase the amount of information that can be displayed on one screen by increasing the resolution of the operation panel. As conventional techniques for solving such problems, the inventions disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. Patent Document 1 discloses an invention that includes two display panels, displays the operation status on each screen, and prevents the erroneous operation in advance so that the apparatus can be operated smoothly. .

Further, Patent Document 2 includes a display unit that displays an operation state / printing operation state of the image forming apparatus, so that a target file can be selected from a plurality of files generated in the district and arbitrarily printed. In addition, an invention relating to an image forming apparatus excellent in usability is disclosed in which print information is displayed on an operation screen when an accumulated file is printed, and an operator can grasp a print status.
JP 2004-005212 A JP-A-10-304110

  As described above, increasing the resolution of the operation panel or increasing the amount of information displayed on one screen is one of the solutions, but there is a limit to the information that can be transmitted on one screen, and the display is complicated. turn into. Therefore, it becomes a system that is difficult to use for first-time users and those who are not good at operating machines. In addition, when the resolution is increased, the size of characters displayed on the screen is reduced, which makes it difficult for the elderly and blind people to see. Further, the operation panel arranged on the front surface of the image forming apparatus needs to move to the front of the apparatus in order for the user to know the apparatus state.

  In view of such a problem, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that includes a main operation display unit and a sub operation display unit, and the sub operation display unit can move from a previously installed position. It is aimed.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a main operation display unit and a sub operation display unit, and the main operation display unit and the sub operation display unit are associated with each other or each of them. An image forming apparatus that operates and displays information independently, wherein the sub-operation display unit is detachable from an installation position previously installed in the image forming apparatus.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the sub-operation display means is a wireless communication means for operating and displaying information by wireless communication when the sub-operation display means is detached from the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by having.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the assistant chief display section has an operation status display means for displaying an operation status of the image forming apparatus.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the operation status display means is a warning display means for warning an abnormal situation related to the operation of the image forming apparatus.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the operation status display means is a usability state display means for displaying a state relating to whether or not the image forming apparatus is usable. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the operation status display means is a usage status display means for displaying whether or not the image forming apparatus is in use.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the operation status display means is an energy saving state display means for displaying whether the image forming apparatus is in an energy saving state.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the sub operation display means displays in detail the information relating to the operation status displayed by the operation status display means. The detailed display operation means is provided, and when the detailed display operation means is operated, information is displayed on the main operation display section or the sub operation display section.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, information displayed on the sub-operation display unit is an external connection connected to the main operation display unit or the image forming apparatus. It can be set from the device.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the information that can be set for the image forming apparatus from the main operation display unit or an external device is character information and a method for displaying the character. It is characterized by.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the sub-operation display unit that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body allows the image forming apparatus to be smaller than a general one-screen image forming apparatus or an image forming apparatus having a small operation display screen. Information can be provided to many users.

Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this embodiment is not limited to what is described below, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a control unit 2, a reading unit 3, a FAX unit 4, a main display / operation unit 5, a sub display 6, a power supply unit 7, And an image forming unit 8. The control unit 2 includes a CPU 21, an ASIC 22, a main memory 23, an HDD 24, an I / O controller 25, and a USB controller 26. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can be connected to an external device such as the PC 9 via a network.

  The control unit 2 performs various controls of the entire image forming apparatus 1, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 is configured as a main control unit. An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 22 is an integrated circuit for a specific application, and the ASIC 22 and the main memory 23, the HDD 24, the I / O controller 25, the USB controller 26, and the like can be connected to each other. These functional units are configured to be controlled. In the present embodiment, the ASIC 22 and each functional unit are connected by a PCI bus.

  The main memory 23 stores various data of the image forming apparatus 1, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) that records information such as a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus 1 and applications, and a predetermined application. When a program is started, information such as an image signal used for executing the program is temporarily recorded, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a storage area that is a work area for reading and writing information is used. Composed.

  The HDD 24 is a storage unit that records and stores various data related to the image forming apparatus 1. An I / O (Input Output) controller 25 is a controller related to input / output of data to / from the image forming apparatus 1 (control unit 2). In this embodiment, the I / O (Input Output) controller 25 can be connected to a PC 9 which is an external device via a network. It is in a state. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller 26 is a controller related to USB connection, which is one of connection means between the control unit 2 or the image forming apparatus 1 and an external device, and the sub-display 6 is connected in the present embodiment.

  Further, the reading unit 3 reads a document image set on a document placing table or an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) of the image forming apparatus 1 as image data. The FAX unit 4 receives image data transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1 such as G3 / G4, and encodes an original image read by the image forming apparatus 1 while suppressing redundancy and transmits the image data as image data. It has a transmission / reception function.

The main display / operation unit 5 displays various information of the image forming apparatus 1 and performs operations related to the information, and is configured by a liquid crystal touch panel, for example.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the main display / operation unit 5 of the present embodiment.

  The main display / operation unit 5 of this embodiment includes a liquid crystal touch panel 51, a numeric keypad 52, a clear / stop key 53, a print key 54, a preheat key 55, a reset key 56, and an initial setting key 57. A key for setting a mode, which will be described later, a message indicating the state of the image forming apparatus 1, and the like are displayed.

  The test key 59 is an operation key for instructing printing for confirmation to print out only one copy regardless of the preset number of prints and confirm the print result. The main display / operation unit 5 is also provided with operation keys 58 for switching between a copy function, an accumulated copy function, and a printer function.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of display on the liquid crystal touch panel 51 of the main display / operation unit 5.
When the user touches a key displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 51, the key indicating the selected function is inverted in black. In addition, when you need to specify the details of the function, for example, when entering the scaling value when using the scaling function, touch the key in the panel to display the detailed function setting screen. The Thus, since the liquid crystal touch panel 51 uses a dot display, it is possible to graphically perform an optimal display at that time.

  In Fig. 3, the upper left is a message area that displays messages such as "Ready to copy" and "Please wait". The right is the copy number display area that displays the set number of sheets, and the transfer paper is automatically selected. Automatic paper selection key to perform, sort key to specify processing to arrange copies one by one in page order, stack key to specify processing to sort copies by page, staple key to specify processing to bind sorted items one by one , The same magnification key for setting the magnification to the same magnification, the scaling key for setting the enlargement / reduction magnification, the duplex key for setting the duplex mode, the editing key for setting the binding margin mode, and the cover for setting the cover / interleaf mode. / Interleaf key, connected mode key that prints out a large number of printing operations divided into multiple via the digital copier network It is made. In addition, a paper feed tray state corresponding to the number of paper feed trays is displayed, and keys for manually setting the paper feed tray are displayed for the number of paper feed trays.

  Further, the sub display 6 also has substantially the same configuration as the main display / operation unit 5. In the present embodiment, the main display / operation unit 5 and the sub-display 6 display the same information, display information related to each other, and further display unique independent information. Is possible. At this time, the sub-display 6 and the image forming apparatus 1 are connected via a USB controller, and can exchange information with each other. As will be described in detail later, the connection between the sub-display 6 and the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to wired / wireless, and the interface to be connected is not limited to the USB type.

  The power supply unit 7 controls a power supply that supplies power to the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, power control in the energy saving mode state described later is also performed. The image forming unit 8 includes various document image data read by the reading unit 3, document image data received by the FAX unit 4, and document image data transmitted from the PC 9 that is an external device via a network. The image data is converted into data that can be output by the image forming apparatus 1 and printed out. The PC 9 is one of external devices connected to the image forming apparatus 1 and transmits and receives various information to and from the image forming apparatus 1 via a network. In general, a plurality of PCs 9 transmit image data to one image forming apparatus 1 via a network and cause the image forming apparatus 1 to output the image data.

  At the time of image formation by the image forming apparatus 1, for example, after receiving image data of a document image read by the reading unit 3, received data received by the FAX unit 4, data output from an external device such as the PC 9, etc. The image is controlled by the control unit 2 and output from the image forming unit 8. The operation status of the image forming apparatus 1 is displayed on the main display / operation unit 5. At this time, the display information is simultaneously output to the sub-display 6 via the USB controller 26 mutually connected to the ASIC 22 via the PCI bus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the appearance of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main display 11, a sub display unit 12, and a support column 13.

  The main display 11 corresponds to the display / operation unit 5 in FIG. That is, the main display 11 displays and operates various data of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The sub display unit 12 corresponds to the sub display 6 in FIG. The sub display unit 12 has substantially the same configuration as the main display 11 described above, and displays and operates various data of the image forming apparatus 1. The information displayed on the main display 11 and the sub display unit 12 may be the same information, may be information related to each other, or may be separate and independent information.

  The support column 13 fixes the above-described sub display unit 12 to the image forming apparatus 1 main body. Further, for example, the sub-display unit 12 is configured to be extendable and retractable so as to change the height at which the sub-display unit 12 is disposed, or is configured to be rotatable in the horizontal direction so as to change the orientation of the display screen. Even when the user is not in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 201 main body, that is, when the information displayed on the main display 11 is not in a position where the user can visually recognize and operate the column, The arrangement position of the fixed sub display unit 12 can be freely changed.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, by providing the sub display unit in addition to the main display, a large amount of information can be displayed at a time, and the sub display can be detached. It can be arranged so that the screen (display) can be seen even from the beginning, making it easier to grasp the information of the image forming apparatus. In addition, since the contents displayed on the sub-display can be selected / changed, the user can customize the specifications according to the use situation, and the convenience is improved.

FIG. 5 is an external view schematically showing an example of the sub display unit 12 of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 5, the sub display unit 12 of the present embodiment includes a display unit 121, LEDs 122, 123, 124, 125, a switch 126, a column unit 13, and a USB cable 14.

  The display unit 121 displays various data of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as with the main display / operation unit 5 described above. The LEDs 122, 123, 124, and 125 notify the user of information relating to the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 and the current state by turning on and blinking the LEDs.

  The LED 122 has a function of notifying the operating state of the image forming apparatus 1 and is configured by, for example, a data in lamp. In the present exemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off when the image forming apparatus 1 is on standby or in the energy saving mode, flashes when the image forming apparatus 1 is in use, and the image forming apparatus 1 is in use and is in a warning state. Lights when in

  The LED 123 has a function of notifying the operable state of the image forming apparatus 1 and is composed of, for example, a standby lamp. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off when the image forming apparatus 1 is in use, warning, or in the energy saving mode, and is turned on when the user is in a usable state.

  The LED 124 has a function of notifying the operable state of the image forming apparatus 1 and is constituted by, for example, a standby lamp. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off when the image forming apparatus 1 is in a normal operation, on standby, in an energy saving mode, or the like, and is turned on when, for example, a warning state such as out of paper or paper jam occurs.

  Further, the LED 125 has a function of notifying the energy saving mode state of the image forming apparatus 1 and is configured by, for example, a sleep lamp. In the present exemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off when the image forming apparatus 1 is on standby, in operation, or while a warning is being displayed.

  The switch 126 is a switch for displaying the operating status in more detail when the user is notified of the operating status of the image forming apparatus 1 such as the above-described LEDs 122, 123, 124, and 125 are lit or blinking. The detailed information may be displayed on either the main display / operation unit 5 as the main operation display unit or the sub display 6 (sub display unit 12) as the sub operation display unit, or It is good also as displaying on both display parts.

  Note that the shapes and arrangement positions of the LEDs 122, 123, 124, 125 and the switch 126 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 3, as long as the user can grasp information on various states of the image forming apparatus. .

  As described with reference to FIG. 4, the support column 13 changes and moves the arrangement position of the sub display unit 12 installed in advance in the image forming apparatus 1. The USB cable 14 is a cable for connecting the image forming apparatus 1 and the sub display unit 12 by wire. In this embodiment, a USB cable that supports USB connection is used. However, the present invention is not limited to the USB format as long as the image forming apparatus 1 and the sub display unit 12 can be connected. However, in the case of the USB connection type, it is possible to supply power from the power source through the USB cable, which makes it possible to eliminate the need for the power source for the sub display unit.

  Further, as described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, information displayed on the main display and the sub display only needs to be associated with each other. For example, the USB format is not a wired USB cable. A wireless type such as a wireless USB 127 as shown in FIG. 6 may be used. In this case, the operation / display of information on the main display on the main body side of the image forming apparatus 1 and the sub display unit removed from the main body is performed by wireless communication or the like.

  7 and 8 are diagrams showing display examples of information displayed on the display unit of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a case where the information displayed on the display is divided and displayed for each region. FIG. 8 shows a case where the size of the character information which is one of the information displayed on the display is enlarged.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the operation display unit 121 of the display unit 12 of the present embodiment can be divided and displayed with different information. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the character information displayed on the display unit 12 can be enlarged and displayed so as to use the entire operation display unit 121. For example, the main display / operation unit 5 that is the main operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1, the sub display 6 that is the sub operation display unit, It can be set and changed as appropriate by the interface application software of the PC 9 which is an external device connected via the network.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, at least one screen sub-display is provided in addition to the main display, and the sub-display is configured to be movable from the image forming apparatus. Therefore, in combination with the main display, more information than usual can be transmitted to the user at the same time. For example, the sub display unit can be moved even if the user is at his / her seat away from the image forming apparatus. The situation of the image forming apparatus can be ascertained from any position within a certain range. Even when the sub-display unit is detached from the image forming apparatus, the status of the image forming apparatus can be grasped in the same manner as long as wireless communication is possible.

  In addition, since the sub display unit is provided with means for displaying the operation status of the image forming apparatus constituted by LEDs or the like, the user can visually grasp the status of the image forming apparatus. In addition, by providing multiple LEDs and multiple colors for each operating status, it is possible to accurately grasp the status of the image forming apparatus even when there are multiple users at positions away from the image forming apparatus. Can be made.

  Various statuses can be conveyed to the user by the LEDs that are provided in the sub-display unit of the present embodiment and display the operating status of the image forming apparatus. For example, in the case of an alarm lamp in which the LED indicates a warning state of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to notify a plurality of users who are at remote positions mainly of warning situations such as out of paper or paper jam. In addition, in the case where the LED is a standby lamp that displays the usable state of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus can be used even by a plurality of users at remote positions. Further, in the case of a data in lamp that indicates that the image forming apparatus is currently in use, the plurality of users at remote positions can grasp that the LED is in use. . Further, when the LED is a sleep lamp that displays the energy saving state of the image forming apparatus, it can be recognized by a plurality of users at remote positions that the image forming apparatus has shifted to the energy saving state.

  Further, a switch including a detailed display button or the like is provided in the vicinity of the LED having the above functions. Therefore, the state of the image forming apparatus that is grasped by the user by the LED can be displayed in more detail on the sub display by operating the switch. As a result, the user can immediately grasp the state of the image forming apparatus.

  Further, information to be displayed on the sub display unit can be selected, and character information, a display method, and the like can be selected. Therefore, it is possible to display and operate information in a form desired by the user, such as selecting information that the user wants to display or changing the character size according to the usage environment of the image forming apparatus. Will improve.

  The present embodiment can be applied not only to an image forming apparatus but also to an information processing apparatus and a home appliance.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a main display / operation unit 5. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a liquid crystal touch panel 51. FIG. 1 is an external view schematically showing an image forming apparatus of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the sub display unit of the wired format of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the sub display unit of the radio | wireless format of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the sub display unit of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of the sub display unit of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Control part 3 Reading part 4 FAX part 5 Main display / operation part 6 Sub display 7 Power supply unit 8 Image forming part 9 PC
21 CPU
22 ASIC
23 Main memory 24 HDD
25 I / O controller 26 USB controller

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus comprising a main operation display unit and a sub operation display unit, wherein the main operation display unit and the sub operation display unit are operated in association with each other or independently and display information.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the sub-operation display unit is detachable from an installation position previously installed in the image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub-operation display unit includes a wireless communication unit that performs operation and display of the information by wireless communication when the sub-operation display unit is detached from the image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the secondary supervisor display unit includes an operation status display unit that displays an operation status of the image forming apparatus.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation status display means is a warning display means for warning an abnormal situation related to the operation of the image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation status display unit is a usability state display unit that displays a state relating to whether or not the image forming apparatus is usable.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation status display unit is a use state display unit that displays whether or not the image forming apparatus is in use.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation status display means is an energy saving state display means for displaying whether or not the image forming apparatus is in an energy saving state. The sub-operation display means has a detailed display operation means for displaying in detail information relating to the operation status displayed by the operation status display means,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is displayed on the main operation display unit or the sub operation display unit when the detail display operation unit is operated.   The information displayed on the sub operation display unit can be set from the main operation display unit or an external device connected to the image forming apparatus. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the information that can be set for the image forming apparatus from the main operation display unit or the external device is character information and a method for displaying the character.

Images