JP2008193507A - Electrical apparatus and display device included in electrical apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leakage of data and decrease in convenience by equipping an electrical apparatus with a detachable operation unit, and to perform some functions even when the operation unit is detached. <P>SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 has a liquid crystal display 10 which is detached from an image forming apparatus body 20 and has a portion or the whole of an input means. The liquid crystal display 10 has an operation unit memory 104 storing predetermined setting information, and the image forming apparatus body 20 has a body memory 201 which stores predetermined basic information in the image forming apparatus body 20 and a control unit 202 which allows processing of a function based upon the setting information and/or basic information to be performed in response to input operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric device such as a printer, a copier, or a multi-function peripheral equipped with an operation unit such as a touch panel and a display device, and more specifically, a part or all of the operation unit is configured to be detachable from the electric device main body. The present invention relates to an electrical device and a display device provided in the electrical device.

Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimiles, printers, and scanners, and multi-function machines that are integrated with these functions may be easily accessed and used by outsiders. Among them, it is easily damaged by economic damage and information leakage.
For this reason, there has been proposed an image forming apparatus that includes a liquid crystal display unit in which a part of the operation unit can be attached and removed and that can be used only when the liquid crystal display unit is attached to the apparatus main body (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-21155 A (page 1-2, FIG. 1)

However, according to the conventionally proposed image forming apparatus as described above, it is necessary for the user to attach the liquid crystal display unit every time it is used and to remove the liquid crystal display unit every time it is used, which is inconvenient for the user. It is.
For example, a liquid crystal display unit is indispensable for simply making a single copy, so it is very cumbersome and not practical.

Even if unauthorized use is prevented to some extent by introducing the above-described image forming apparatus, this alone is not sufficient in terms of safety.
For example, since the apparatus main body is provided with a memory for storing various setting information, facsimile destination information and file information in the scanner function may be leaked.
Specifically, when a device is disposed without erasing the memory data of the device body due to device update, etc., there is a high risk of memory data leaking in the process of disposal, and personal information is included in such data. Or confidential information is a very serious problem.

In addition, the durability of an image forming apparatus or the like is usually as short as about 5 years, and it is necessary to update the apparatus in a fast cycle.
Furthermore, each time the apparatus is updated, various setting information (facsimile destination information, printer settings, scan data storage destination, department management data, etc.) has to be re-registered from the beginning, and has to be learned again. In some cases, a registration error or an operation error may cause a disadvantage.

  The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the conventional techniques as described above, and by providing a detachable operation unit, it is possible to prevent leakage of data and a decrease in convenience, and the operation unit. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric device that can execute certain functions even when the electric device main body is separated from the electric device main body.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electric device according to the present invention includes, as described in claim 1, an electric device main body, and an operation unit that is detachable from the electronic device main body and has a part or all of input means. And the operation unit includes an operation unit memory for storing predetermined setting information, and the electric device main body stores a main body memory for storing predetermined basic information, and the setting information and / or the A control unit that requests execution of a function process based on basic information; and a function execution unit that executes a function process based on the setting information and / or the basic information in accordance with the execution request of the control unit. .

According to the electrical apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration, part or all of the input means is configured as a detachable operation unit, and an operation for storing various setting information such as facsimile destination information in this operation unit. The electronic device main body is provided with a main body memory for storing basic information for enabling basic functions such as a copy function.
For this reason, permission / inhibition of use can be controlled by attaching / detaching the operation unit, and unauthorized use can be prevented.

Also, by removing the operation unit, it becomes difficult to access the setting information, and leakage of personal information and the like can be prevented.
For example, when the device is discarded or at the end of work at the company, it is ensured that unauthorized use by a third party or leakage of setting information including personal information can be ensured by simply removing the operation unit and managing it before vacation. And can be effectively prevented.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an electrical device having excellent safety.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric device according to the second aspect, in the case where the operation unit having a part of the input unit and the electric device main body are separated, the control unit includes the electric device. In response to an input operation on the main body, a function process based on basic information stored in the main body memory is requested to be executed.

According to the electric device of the present invention having such a configuration, even when the operation unit is detached, a certain function (for example, copying) is based on the basic information stored in the main body memory of the electric device main body. (Function only) can be executed.
Accordingly, it is possible to provide an electrical device that is excellent not only in safety but also in convenience.

  Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric device according to the third aspect, the operation unit memory stores setting information stored by itself even when the operation unit and the electric device main body are separated. An information holding unit for holding, and when the operation unit is mounted on the electric device main body, the control unit requests execution of a function process based on setting information held by the information holding unit It is as.

According to the electric apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration, the contents of the operation unit memory can be held regardless of whether the operation unit is attached or detached.
Specifically, a nonvolatile memory or the like is employed as the operation unit memory so that the setting information is not erased even if the operation unit is removed and the power is turned off.
The reason for this configuration is that the original setting information can be used as it is by attaching the operation unit to the corresponding other electric device.
For this reason, even if the electrical equipment to be used changes due to user changes, equipment updates, or other reasons, the operation method and various setting information up to now can be used as they are by diverting the operation section. Can do.
Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an electrical device that is particularly excellent in operability and convenience.

  In addition, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the independent operation unit includes an input unit including a liquid crystal display device capable of touch input.

According to the electrical apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration, it can be applied to any electrical apparatus equipped with a liquid crystal display device such as a touch panel, and therefore, it is possible to realize and provide an electrical apparatus with excellent versatility. .
For example, it can be applied not only to image forming apparatuses but also to household appliances.
In addition, liquid crystal display devices such as touch panels are generally expensive. By making such a liquid crystal display device detachable, the liquid crystal display device can be used, shared, and reused, greatly reducing the cost of the main unit. It is also possible to do.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device that is detachable from an electric device and displays predetermined information, and an operation unit that stores predetermined setting information of the electric device. When the electronic device is equipped with a memory, setting information stored in the operation unit memory is output to the electric device.

As described above, the display device of the present invention can be provided as an input unit of the electric device separately and independently from the electric device main body.
Therefore, it is possible not only to provide the display device at low cost by individually producing the display device, but also to eliminate the need to install an operation mechanism for the corresponding electric device, and thus it is possible to reduce costs mutually.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a display device with excellent cost performance, and it is possible to achieve the same effect even in a corresponding electric device.

  As described above, according to the electric device of the present invention, since the detachable operation unit is provided, it is possible to provide high operability, convenience, and safety to the user.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Here, the following electrical apparatus (image forming apparatus) of the present embodiment is realized by processing, means, and functions executed by a computer in accordance with instructions of a program (software). The program sends a command to each component of the computer to perform predetermined processing and functions as shown below. That is, each processing / means in the electrical apparatus (image forming apparatus) of the present embodiment is realized by specific means in which a program and a computer cooperate.
Note that all or part of the program is provided by, for example, a magnetic disk, optical disk, semiconductor memory, or any other computer-readable recording medium, and the program read from the recording medium is installed in the computer and executed. The The program can also be loaded and executed directly on a computer through a communication line without using a recording medium.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operation unit showing the liquid crystal display attached / detached state in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment shown in these drawings, for example, a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, a scanner, or a complex machine of these is applicable.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a liquid crystal display 10 and an image forming apparatus main body 20, and the liquid crystal display 10 is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 20. Is provided.

[Liquid crystal display]
The liquid crystal display 10 corresponds to an operation unit described in the claims, and is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 20.
For example, the electrical device main body 20 is provided with a recess corresponding to the shape and size of the liquid crystal display 10 and is structured to be fixed to each other by fitting the respective uneven portions.
Moreover, the mechanism (it is equivalent to the connection parts 103 and 203) in the liquid crystal display 10 and the electric equipment main body 20 may be fixed by connecting each other.

The liquid crystal display 10 is mainly formed by the display operation unit 101, the control unit 102, the connection unit 103, and the operation unit memory 104.
In the present embodiment, the display operation unit 101 is configured by a touch panel type liquid crystal display device, and has both display means and input means. The user can execute processing of necessary functions by pressing and selecting an operation key, an operation button, or the like according to the guidance displayed on the touch panel of the display operation unit 101 (see FIG. 2).
In the present embodiment, functions and processes that can be operated at present are displayed by a display lamp or the like on the image forming apparatus main body 20 side (see a thick frame shown in FIG. 2).

In addition, in the example illustrated in FIG. 2, in addition to the touch panel buttons displayed on the liquid crystal display 10, predetermined operation buttons are left on the image forming apparatus main body 20 side (see FIG. 2). In this way, even when the liquid crystal display 10 is not attached to the image forming apparatus main body 20, only the basic functions (for example, the copy function) are used by operating the operation buttons remaining on the image forming apparatus main body 20 side. It becomes possible to do.
However, as shown in FIG. 4, all the buttons in the image forming apparatus may be configured integrally with the liquid crystal display 10 and detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 20 side. In this case, when the liquid crystal display 10 is removed, not all functions and processing of the image forming apparatus including the basic function (for example, copy function) can be executed. There is.

The control unit 102 mainly performs various controls on the liquid crystal display 10 alone.
For example, display control on the display operation unit 101 according to a predetermined input operation, extraction / reference of data in the operation unit memory 104, transmission of various execution command signals to the image forming apparatus main body 20, operation unit memory of various setting information Various controls such as storage in 104 are performed.
The connection unit 103 is generally a physical / electrical interface configured by a connector or the like, and inputs / outputs various signals in a state where the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 20, or Relay.
For example, based on a predetermined input operation, an execution command signal for each function, setting information in the operation unit memory 104, and the like are output to the image forming apparatus main body 20 via the connection unit 103.
Note that the connection unit 103 may be a connection via a communication line as well as a connection by a connector or the like, and may be a non-contact type interface by RFID or other wireless communication.

The operation unit memory 104 stores various setting information necessary to effectively execute the functions of the image forming apparatus 1, and generally employs a nonvolatile memory or the like.
The reason why the non-volatile memory is employed is that the contents of the setting information once stored are retained and used later regardless of whether the liquid crystal display 10 is attached or detached and whether the power is turned on or off.
The setting information corresponds to data including a lot of personal information such as address information necessary for executing the facsimile function or the Email function.
For this reason, the user can not only divert and continuously use the setting information but also can easily prevent leakage of important information and unauthorized use by storing the liquid crystal display 10 separately.

[Image forming device body]
The image forming apparatus main body 20 corresponds to an electric apparatus main body described in the claims. Specifically, each of the main body memory 201, the control unit 202, the connection unit 203, and the function execution unit 204 is included. It has a configuration with.
Unlike the operation unit memory 104 described above, the main body memory 201 stores basic information.
Here, the basic information is data required for the function execution unit 204 to execute the basic function. For example, in the copy function, the basic information is the minimum required to simply execute the copy. Functional information. By limiting the function information, it is possible to limit the application operation in the copy function as well as functions other than copying.
In this way, by limiting basic information in advance and storing it in the main body memory 201, certain functions can always be used even when the liquid crystal display 10 is not attached. And convenience can be secured together.

The main body memory 201 also stores a determination flag for determining whether or not the liquid crystal display 10 is attached. The determination flag may be in any format as long as it can determine whether or not the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted, such as presence / absence of bit information, inversion information such as 0/1.
Specifically, when the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted on or separated from the image forming apparatus main body 20, the control unit 202 detects these via the connection unit 203, and a determination flag corresponding to each state is stored in the main body memory 201. Will be stored.
Note that this determination flag is used to limit the execution of function processing. For example, when a determination flag indicating attachment is stored in the main body memory 201, the control unit 202 can use all functions. In other cases, the function execution unit 204 is controlled so that it can be used only for basic functions.

The control unit 202 mainly performs various controls in the image forming apparatus main body 20.
For example, in response to a predetermined processing request from the display operation unit 101, an execution request is issued to the function execution unit 204, and various functions are executed.
In the present embodiment, as described above, execution of various functions that can be executed by the function execution unit 204 is also limited according to the content of the determination flag.

The connection unit 203 is an interface between the liquid crystal display 10 and the image forming apparatus main body 20 and inputs / outputs various signals necessary for each other.
For example, an execution command signal for each function, setting information in the operation unit memory 104, and the like are input to the image forming apparatus main body 20 via the connection unit 203.
Further, the connection unit 203 has a role of detecting the attachment / detachment of the liquid crystal display 10, and when the connection unit 203 detects the attachment or separation of the liquid crystal display 10, these states are established in cooperation with the control unit 202. Is stored in the main body memory 201.
The connection unit 203 corresponds to the connection unit 103 described above, and the basic configuration is the same as that of the connection unit 103, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

The function execution unit 204 performs necessary output processing for each function in accordance with an execution request from the control unit 202 under the control of the control unit 202. This executes and implements various functions that the image forming apparatus 1 can provide, such as E-MAIL transmission / reception and image scanning.
Specifically, when the user presses an operation key or the like displayed on the display operation unit 101 of the liquid crystal display 10, an execution request regarding an arbitrary function is made, and a predetermined signal or command is output to the control unit 102. It will be.
Then, the control unit 102 outputs a necessary signal or command corresponding to the signal or the like to the function execution unit 204, and the function execution unit 204 that receives these signals or the like executes the corresponding function processing.

Next, an operation procedure in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
Here, the operation procedure (S1 to S6) when the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 20 will be described as the previous stage.
When the liquid crystal display 10 is not attached to the image forming apparatus main body 20, only the basic function (copy function) can be used by operating the operation buttons and the like remaining on the image forming apparatus main body 20 side. Thus, other functions except the basic function cannot be processed (see FIG. 2 (2)).

First, the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 20 (step S1).
Thereby, the connection part 103 of the liquid crystal display 10 and the connection part 203 of the image forming apparatus main body 20 are physically and electrically connected.
Next, discrimination processing of the mounted liquid crystal display 10 is performed (step S2).
Specifically, the control unit 202 and the control unit 102 mutually confirm via the connection units 203 and 103, and try to determine that the liquid crystal display 10 is correctly connected (step S3). Note that a predetermined determination flag indicating the determination result is stored in the main body memory 201 under the control of the control unit 202.

As a result of step S3, when a determination flag indicating “installed” is detected from the main body memory 201 (step S3: YES), for example, “Please please” is displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display 10 under the control of the control unit 102. "Wait" is displayed prompting the standby (step S4), and all functions are set in an active state (step S5).
As a result, the user uses not only the copy function as a basic function but also all other functions such as a printer function, a scanner function, a facsimile function, and an applied copy function as shown in FIG. (Step S6).

  On the other hand, as a result of step S3, when a determination flag indicating “installed” is not detected from the main body memory 201, or when a determination flag indicating “not mounted” is detected from the main memory 201 (step S3: NO) 2) Until the liquid crystal display 10 is correctly mounted, the prohibited state of functions other than copying is maintained as shown in FIG. 2B (step S7).

Next, the subsequent operation procedure (steps T1 to T3) according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The operation procedure shown here corresponds to a monitoring flow when the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted. Therefore, the flow after the prohibition is solved in step S5 described above will be described.

Here, the image forming apparatus 1 confirms again whether or not the liquid crystal display 10 is mounted (step T1). This is because in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the connection state between the liquid crystal display 10 and the image forming apparatus main body 20 is always monitored.
A specific monitoring method is the same as the above-described determination method, and a predetermined determination flag is stored in the main body memory 201 in accordance with the physical and electrical connections of the connection units 103 and 203, and the control unit 202. Is detected by detecting this.

As a result of step T1, when the determination flag indicating “installed” is not detected from the main body memory 201 or when the determination flag indicating “not mounted” is detected from the main memory 201 (step T1: NO), The control unit 202 prohibits functions other than copying (step T2).
On the other hand, when a determination flag indicating “attached” is detected from the main body memory 201 as a result of step T1 (step T1: YES), the control unit 202 determines that all the liquid crystal displays 10 have been removed. The function is maintained in an active state (a state where various operations are possible) (step T3).

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus (electrical device) 1 of the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display 10 having the operation unit is detachable.
A memory (operation unit memory 104) for storing various setting information is mounted on the liquid crystal display 10, and a memory (main body memory 201) for storing various basic information is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 20.
For this reason, by removing the liquid crystal display 10 from the image forming apparatus main body 20, not only unauthorized use can be restricted, but also setting information including personal information can be effectively protected, and security measures can be taken. It can be easily taken.

Even when the liquid crystal display 10 is removed, certain basic functions can be executed based on the basic information stored in the main body memory 201 of the image forming apparatus main body 20.
Furthermore, by making the liquid crystal display 10 detachable, the operation means can be diverted to inherit the operation method and setting information, and the operation mechanism can be omitted from the configuration of the image forming apparatus main body 20.
As described above, according to this embodiment, an image forming apparatus excellent in convenience, operability, safety, and versatility can be realized and provided at low cost.

Next, a display device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a relational diagram showing a display device according to another embodiment of the present invention and a plurality of electric devices to which the display device can be attached.
The display device 10a and the electric devices 20a to 20c according to the present embodiment have the same configuration as the liquid crystal display 10 and the image forming apparatus main body 20 according to the above-described embodiment.
However, the display device 10a according to the present embodiment does not belong only to the electric device 20a but can also be attached to and detached from the electric devices 20b and 20c, and can provide predetermined input means.
For this reason, for example, even when the electric device 20a is updated or changed to the electric device 20b or the electric device 20c for update or other reasons, the user attaches the display device 10a to each electric device to display the display device 10a. The various setting information stored in the operation unit memory 104a can be used continuously.

As described above, according to the display device 10a of the present embodiment, not only the same effect as that of the first embodiment is exhibited, but also by attaching the configuration independent of the electrical device, it is possible to attach one electrical device. It can be used not only as a device but also for other electric devices while maintaining the same operability, and the setting information held by itself can be provided to the corresponding electric device.
For this reason, it becomes possible to provide a display device, an electric device, and a combination thereof that further enhance versatility and expandability.

As mentioned above, although the preferred embodiment was shown and demonstrated about the electric equipment of this invention, the electric equipment concerning this invention is not limited only to embodiment mentioned above, A various change implementation is carried out in the scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.
For example, in the present embodiment, the target is an electric device equipped with a liquid crystal display such as a touch panel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, an electric device that uses mechanical operation keys, operation buttons, and the like as operation means. It is also possible.
As a result, the technology of the present invention can be widely applied.

  The present invention can be suitably used for various electric devices that require a liquid crystal display, such as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a scanner, and a multi-function machine that integrally includes these functions.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a first explanatory view showing a liquid crystal display attached / detached state in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a second explanatory diagram showing a liquid crystal display attached / detached state in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is the related figure which showed the display apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, and the some electric equipment which can mount this.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Liquid crystal display 10a Display apparatus 104, 104a Operation part memory 20 Image forming apparatus main body 20a, 20b, 20c Electric equipment 201 Main body memory

Claims (5)

An electric device main body, and an operation unit that is detachable from the electronic device main body and has a part or all of the input means,
The operation unit is
An operation unit memory for storing predetermined setting information is provided,
The electrical equipment body is
A main body memory for storing predetermined basic information;
A control unit that requests execution of a function based on the setting information and / or the basic information according to an input operation;
An electric device comprising: a function execution unit that executes a function process based on the setting information and / or the basic information in accordance with an execution request of the control unit. In the case where the operation unit having a part of the input means and the electric device main body are separated,
The controller is
The electrical device according to claim 1, wherein execution of a function process based on basic information stored in the body memory is requested in response to an input operation in the body of the electrical device. The operation unit memory includes information holding means for holding setting information stored by itself even when the operation unit and the electric device main body are separated from each other.
The controller is
3. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein when the operation unit is attached to the electric apparatus main body, a function process based on the setting information held by the information holding unit is requested to be executed. machine.   The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the independent operation unit includes an input unit including a liquid crystal display device capable of touch input. A display device that is detachable from an electric device and displays predetermined information,
An operation unit memory for storing predetermined setting information of the electric device;
A display device that outputs setting information stored in the operation unit memory to the electric device when the electric device is attached to the electric device.

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