JP2008083606A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that improves extracting operability of ejected paper and improves both visibility and operability in an operation part. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus composed by arranging an image reading part 4 with the operation part 6 on a front side above an image forming part with paper ejecting space in between has a projection 6a formed by having a central part in the width direction of the operation part 6 of the image reading part stand out and has a recess 6b formed below the projection 6a. Furthermore, a liquid crystal display part 8 is provided on the projection 6a which is made to stand out above the operation part 6 of the image reading part 4. In addition, key operation parts 9 and 10 other than the liquid crystal display part 8 are arranged to the right and the left of the projection 6a which is made to stand out above the operation part 6 of the image reading part 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an image reading unit for reading an image is disposed above an image forming unit with a paper discharge space therebetween.

  An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine includes an image reading unit for reading an image disposed above the image forming unit with a paper discharge space therebetween, and the image forming apparatus includes a side surface of a main body. In recent years, since the sheet discharge tray does not pop out, the occupied floor area can be reduced.

  By the way, the image reading unit is provided with an operation unit on which a liquid crystal display unit, a key operation unit, and the like are arranged. However, the operation unit tends to be enlarged in consideration of operability and visibility. In particular, the smaller the size of the device, the more severely the size is limited. If the operation unit is made larger, removal of the discharged paper from the paper ejection space is hindered. Conversely, if the operation unit is made smaller, the visibility and operability deteriorate.

  Therefore, the operation unit is rotated or moved by using a complicated and expensive mechanism to obtain a space for taking out the discharged paper, or the operation unit is enlarged at the sacrifice of the take-out property of the discharged paper.

  Patent Document 1 proposes that an operation unit and an image reading unit are integrated in order to secure an in-cylinder space, and these are rotated around a rotation axis as needed to be pushed upward.

In Patent Documents 2 and 3, there is a proposal to improve the workability of taking out discharged paper by making the width of the operation display section smaller than the width of other display sections.
JP 2003-241460 A JP 2004-111282 A JP 2005-266522 A

  However, in the configuration proposed in Patent Document 1, there are problems such as rigidity of the image reading apparatus and a considerable amount of force to push the image reading apparatus upward, resulting in poor operability.

  Further, in the configurations proposed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the operability of taking out the discharged paper is improved by reducing the width of the operation display unit, but the visibility and operability of the operation display unit are sacrificed. There's a problem.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of improving both the ejectability of discharged paper and the visibility and operability of an operation unit. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which an image reading unit having an operation unit on the front side is disposed above the image forming unit with a discharge space therebetween. A central portion in the width direction of the operation portion of the unit is raised upward to form a convex portion, and a concave portion is formed below the convex portion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a liquid crystal display unit is provided on the convex portion of the operation unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, key operation units other than the liquid crystal display unit are arranged on the left and right sides of the convex portion of the operation unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which an image reading unit having an operation unit on the front side is disposed above the image forming unit with a discharge space therebetween, and the operation unit of the image reading unit is viewed from the front. It is characterized in that it can be expanded and contracted in the left-right direction.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4, wherein the operation portion is divided into a fixed portion and a movable portion, and the movable portion is slidably fitted to the fixed portion. .

  According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the fixing portion is provided with a liquid crystal display portion and a frequently used key operation portion.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the convex portion is formed by raising the central portion in the width direction of the operation portion of the image reading portion, the impact is given to the operation portion as compared with the conventional flat display portion. The visibility and operability of the operation unit can be improved without changing the size of the operation unit. In addition, since the concave portion is formed below the convex portion formed in the center in the width direction of the operation portion, the space for taking out the discharged paper discharged into the paper discharge space is enlarged by the concave portion, and the discharged paper is taken out from the paper discharge space. Sexuality is enhanced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the liquid crystal display unit is provided on the convex portion raised above the operation unit of the image reading unit, the visibility of the liquid crystal display unit is enhanced.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the key operation unit other than the liquid crystal display unit is arranged on the left and right of the convex portion raised above the operation unit of the image reading unit, while improving the visibility of the liquid crystal display unit, The operability of the key operation unit arranged on the left and right is improved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the operation unit of the image reading unit is configured to be extendable in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, when the discharged paper is taken out from the discharge space, the image reading unit is contracted to reduce the width in the left-right direction. And a space can be formed beside the space, and the space for taking out the discharged paper is expanded by that amount, and the take-out property of the discharged paper from the paper discharge space is improved. Since the operation unit can be extended and returned to the original width except when the discharged paper is taken out, high visibility and operability are ensured in the operation unit.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the operation unit can be easily moved in the left-right direction in front view as required by sliding the movable unit of the operation unit divided into the fixed unit and the movable unit with respect to the fixed unit. Can be expanded and contracted.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the liquid crystal display unit and the frequently used key operation unit are provided in the fixing unit of the operation unit, even when the operation unit is contracted by sliding the movable unit, The provided liquid crystal display unit and the frequently used key operation unit are not always exposed and hidden in the operation unit, and high visibility and operability are ensured in the operation unit.

[First invention]
Embodiments of the first invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a front view of a copying machine as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the copying machine, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an image reading unit of the copying machine.

  First, the basic configuration of the copying machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The copying machine 1 includes an image forming unit 2 at the bottom, and a sheet discharge space 3 above the image forming unit 2. An image reading unit 4 is provided.

  Here, the image reading unit 4 optically reads a document (not shown), and is arranged in the center in the width direction of the scanner bed 5 and its front side (side on which the user stands) as shown in FIG. An operation unit 6 and an opening / closing cover 7 are included. Although not shown, the scanner bed 5 includes a scanning optical system such as a light source, a mirror, and a lens, and a reading element such as a CCD that converts an image read by the scanning optical system into an electrical signal. .

  The image forming unit 2 forms an image on a sheet based on the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 4, and has an image carrier for forming a latent image on the surface thereof. A rotatable photosensitive drum as a body, a charger that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum to a predetermined potential, a developing device that develops a latent image formed on the photosensitive drum using toner, and the developing device In addition to various process devices such as a transfer device that transfers the developed toner image onto the paper, and a fixing device that fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper to the paper, a large number of papers can be stored at the appropriate timing. A sheet feeding unit for feeding the sheets one by one to the transfer unit is incorporated.

  Thus, the user opens the opening / closing cover 7 of the image reading unit 4, places the document on the contact glass provided on the upper surface of the scanner bed 5, closes the opening / closing cover 7, and operates the operation unit 6. When the copying operation is started, the document is read by the image reading unit 4.

  Then, in the image forming unit 2, an image is formed on the sheet based on the original image read by the image reading unit 4, and the sheet on which the image is formed is interposed between the image forming unit 2 and the image reading unit 4. It is discharged as a copy into the provided paper discharge space 3. That is, the sheet having the toner image fixed on the surface thereof by a fixing device (not shown) is discharged and stacked in the paper discharge space 3 by a paper discharge roller (not shown).

  By the way, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the central portion in the width direction of the operation unit 6 of the image reading unit 4 is raised upward to form a convex portion 6a, and a concave portion 6b is formed below the convex portion 6a. A liquid crystal display unit (LCD) 8 is provided on the projection 6a, and key operation units 9 and 10 other than the liquid crystal display unit 8 are arranged on the left and right sides of the projection 6a.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the convex portion 6a is formed by raising the central portion in the width direction of the operation unit 6 of the image reading unit 4, the operation unit is compared with the conventional planar display unit. 6 can be impacted, and the visibility and operability of the operation unit 6 can be improved without changing the size of the operation unit 6.

  Further, since the concave portion 6b is formed below the convex portion 6a formed at the center in the width direction of the operation portion 6, the space for taking out the discharged paper discharged into the paper discharge space 3 is enlarged by the concave portion 6b, and the discharge paper is discharged. The take-out property from the paper space 3 is improved.

  Further, since the liquid crystal display unit 8 is provided on the convex portion 6a raised above the operation unit 6, the visibility of the liquid crystal display unit 8 is enhanced, and the key operation units 9 other than the liquid crystal display unit 8 are provided on the left and right sides thereof. Since 10 is arranged, the operability of the key operation units 9 and 10 arranged on the left and right sides thereof is improved while improving the visibility of the liquid crystal display unit 8.

[Second invention]
Next, an embodiment of the second invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4 is a perspective view of the image reading unit with the operation unit in a fully open state, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the image reading unit with the operation unit in a half open state, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In this figure, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted below.

  The basic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the image forming apparatus according to the first invention (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and only the configuration of the operation unit 6 of the image reading unit 4 is different. ing.

  In other words, the present embodiment is characterized in that the operation unit 6 of the image reading unit 4 is configured to be extendable in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the operation unit 6 is divided into a left part and a right part 6A and a movable part 6B, and the movable part 6B is slidably fitted to the fixed part 6A. The fixed unit 6A is provided with a liquid crystal display unit 8 and a frequently used key operation unit 11, and the movable unit 6B is provided with a less frequently used key operation unit 12.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the movable portion 6B is fitted inside the fixed portion 6A so as to be slidable in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6), and a slit is formed on the bottom surface of the movable portion 6B. A guide groove 6c is formed along the left-right direction. A rib-like guide projection 6d is integrally provided along the left-right direction on the bottom surface of the fixed portion 6A. The guide projection 6d passes through the guide groove 6c formed on the bottom surface of the movable portion 6B. is doing. The liquid crystal display unit 8 is provided on the upper surface of the fixed unit 6A, and a substrate 13 for driving the liquid crystal display unit 8 is disposed below the liquid crystal display unit 8.

  Therefore, when necessary, the operation unit 6 of the image reading unit 4 can be expanded and contracted in the left-right direction in front view by sliding the movable unit 6B in the left-right direction along the guide projection 6d of the fixed unit 6A (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation unit 6 of the image reading unit 4 is configured to be able to expand and contract in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. Therefore, when taking out the discharged paper from the paper discharge space 3 shown in FIGS. 5 slides the movable part 6B of the operation part 6 in the arrow direction (lateral direction) in FIG. 5 and stores a part thereof in the fixed part 6A, thereby contracting the operation part 6 and reducing its lateral width. A space can be formed on the side. For this reason, the space for taking out the discharged paper is expanded by that amount, and the take-out property of the discharged paper from the paper discharge space 3 (see FIG. 1) is improved. Then, except when taking out the discharged paper, by sliding the movable portion 6B in the reverse direction, the operation portion 6 can be extended and returned to the original width as shown in FIG. And operability are ensured.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation unit 6 is moved as necessary by sliding the movable unit 6B of the operation unit 6 divided into the fixed unit 6A and the movable unit 6B with respect to the fixed unit 6A. It can be easily expanded and contracted in the left-right direction when viewed from the front.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the liquid crystal display unit 8 and the frequently used key operation unit 11 are provided in the fixed unit 6A of the operation unit 6, the movable unit 6B is slid as shown in FIG. Even in a contracted state, the liquid crystal display unit 8 provided on the fixing unit 6A and the frequently used key operation unit 11 are not always exposed and hidden in the operation unit 6, and the operation unit 6 has high visibility and operation. Sex is secured.

  Although the present invention has been described with respect to an embodiment in which the present invention is applied particularly to a copying machine, the present invention is not limited to a copying machine, but to other image forming apparatuses such as a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine in which a copying machine and a facsimile machine are combined. Of course, the same applies.

1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus (copier) according to the present invention. 1 is a side view of an image forming apparatus (copier) according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an image reading unit of the image forming apparatus (copier) according to the first invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an image reading unit in which an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the second invention is in a fully opened state. It is a perspective view of the image reading part in which the operation part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd invention is in a half open state. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Copying machine (image forming device)
2 Image forming section 3 Paper discharge space 4 Image reading section 5 Scanner bed 6 Operation section 6A Operation section fixed section 6B Operation section movable section 6a Operation section convex section 6b Operation section concave section 6c Movable section guide groove 6d Fixed section Guide projection 7 Open / close cover 8 Liquid crystal display unit 9-12 Key operation unit 13 Substrate

Claims (6)

In an image forming apparatus comprising an image reading unit having an operation unit on the front side and disposed above the image forming unit with a discharge space therebetween,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that a central portion in the width direction of the operation portion of the image reading portion is raised upward to form a convex portion, and a concave portion is formed below the convex portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid crystal display unit is provided on the convex portion of the operation unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein key operation units other than the liquid crystal display unit are arranged on the left and right sides of the convex portion of the operation unit. In an image forming apparatus comprising an image reading unit having an operation unit on the front side and disposed above the image forming unit with a discharge space therebetween,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the operation unit of the image reading unit is configured to be extendable in the left-right direction when viewed from the front.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation unit is divided into a fixed unit and a movable unit, and the movable unit is slidably fitted to the fixed unit.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the fixing unit is provided with a liquid crystal display unit and a frequently used key operation unit.

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