JP2008209679A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus designed such that soft keys displayed on each of a plurality of display parts are operable by touch panels fewer than the display parts. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 has an operating device 20 including a main operating section 21 that has a first display part 21a, and a sub-operating section 22 that has a second display part 22a smaller than the first display part 21a. In the image forming apparatus 1, the sub-operating section 22 has the touch panel 22 for operating the soft keys displayed on the first and second display parts 21a and 22a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an operation device including a main operation unit including a first display unit and a sub operation unit including a second display unit smaller than the first display unit.

  In recent years, an image forming apparatus such as a copier installed in an office has an operation unit including a liquid crystal screen serving as a display unit for displaying an operation menu screen and the like, and a touch panel for detecting a press on the liquid crystal screen. An operation device is provided, and an operator can use a desired function of the image forming apparatus by operating an operation menu displayed on the display unit.

  In order to improve the visibility, facilitate the operation, or respond to the increase in the operation menu based on the advancement of functions mounted on the image forming apparatus, the operation apparatus provided in the image forming apparatus is enlarged, or The operation device includes a plurality of operation units. Therefore, there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts provided in the operating device, an increase in manufacturing cost due to the expensive parts, or an increase in power consumption in the operating device.

  Patent Document 1 includes a first panel for displaying various types of information, a second panel that consumes less power than the first panel, and a panel controller that performs power control and partial function stop control for each panel. The panel controller, depending on the usage status of the device, the operation mode of each panel, the normal mode in which all functions can be used, the sleep mode in which some functions are stopped, and the power supply is cut off An electronic device in any one of the shutdown modes has been proposed, and power saving of the electronic device is achieved while suppressing a decrease in information display capability. The first panel and the second panel are configured in the same manner as the display unit described above.

JP 2005-153274 A

  By the way, power consumption by the touch panel provided in the operation unit is generated when an operation input from the operator is detected, and is about 250 mW necessary for A / D converting and outputting the detected operation input. However, considering the standby power of the CPU that waits for an operation input to the touch panel that does not know when it is present, and the power consumption required for switching that switches the detection axis performed by the CPU to detect the position coordinates of the received operation input, it becomes about 1 W, In an image forming apparatus having an operation device composed of a plurality of operation units, power consumption by the touch panel is large.

  The touch panel is usually arranged on the operation unit so as to be superimposed on the liquid crystal screen, but the technique described in Patent Document 1 relates to power saving of the display unit, and does not consider power saving for the touch panel. . In addition, the number of touch panels cannot be reduced.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of operating soft keys displayed on each of a plurality of provided display units with a touch panel smaller than the number of display units.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a first characteristic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a main operation unit including a first display unit as described in claim 1 of the claims, and An image forming apparatus having an operation device including a sub operation unit having a second display unit smaller than the first display unit, wherein a touch panel for operating soft keys displayed on the first display unit and the second display unit is provided. The sub-operation unit is provided.

  According to the above-described configuration, since the soft keys displayed on the first display unit and the second display unit can be operated by the touch panel provided in the sub operation unit, it is not necessary to provide the main operation unit with the touch panel, and the touch panel. The cost of parts can be reduced, and power consumption by the touch panel does not occur. Therefore, the parts cost of the operating device is reduced and the power consumption is also reduced.

  As described in the second aspect, the second characteristic configuration is that, in addition to the first characteristic configuration described above, the main operation unit and the sub operation unit are integrally configured.

  As described in the third aspect, the third feature configuration is provided with an operation switching unit that switches an operation target by the touch panel in addition to the first or second feature configuration described above.

  According to the above-described configuration, the operation target of the touch panel is switched by the operation switching unit. Therefore, both the soft key displayed on the first display unit and the soft key displayed on the second display unit are individually operated by the touch panel. Will be able to.

  In the fourth feature configuration, as described in claim 4, in addition to any of the first to third feature configurations described above, an operation target area by the touch panel is displayed on the first display section. The area display control unit is provided.

  According to the above-described configuration, since the operation target area by the touch panel is sectioned and displayed on the first display section by the area display control section, the operator can operate any of the soft keys displayed on the first display section with the touch panel. It becomes possible to recognize easily.

  In the fifth feature configuration, as described in claim 5, in addition to the fourth feature configuration described above, the region display control unit includes a region movement operation unit that performs a change operation on the operation target region. In the point.

  According to the above-described configuration, the operation target area of the touch panel partitioned and displayed on the first display unit by the area display control unit is moved by the area movement operation unit, and the soft keys included in the moved operation target area are operated by the touch panel. It becomes possible. Therefore, by operating the region movement operation unit, any soft key displayed on the first display unit can be operated with a touch panel having a size smaller than that of the first display unit.

  In addition to the fourth or fifth feature configuration described above, the sixth feature configuration is operated by the touch panel among the soft keys displayed in the operation target area, as described in the sixth aspect. In addition to changing the display mode of the soft key corresponding to the area, the display control unit includes a display control unit that executes a process assigned to the soft key based on a confirmation input operation.

  Since the soft keys displayed on the first display unit are operated by a touch panel arranged at a position different from the display position, the operator can recognize whether or not the selected soft key is correctly selected. difficult. According to the above configuration, since the display mode of the soft key corresponding to the area operated by the touch panel changes, the operator can know the presence or absence of an operation error by visually checking the display mode, and correct operation can be performed. On the other hand, a definite input operation can be performed. In response to the confirmation input, the process assigned to the soft key is executed by the display control unit. In other words, it is possible to prevent an operator input error and execute a target process.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of operating soft keys displayed on each of a plurality of provided display units with a touch panel smaller than the number of display units. It was.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using a copying machine which is an example of an image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine 1 includes a main body 2 that forms an image on a recording sheet and a finisher 3 that bundles the recording sheets on which the image is formed in a predetermined mode. The main body 2 includes an image reading unit 23 that reads an image from a document and generates image data, and an image forming unit 24 that performs predetermined processing on the read image data to form and output an image on a recording sheet. On the front side, there is provided a main operation unit 21 capable of performing all operation inputs relating to setting of various operation modes of the copying machine 1. Further, on the upper surface of the finisher 3, a sub operation unit 22 capable of basic setting of the copying machine 1 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the main operation unit 21 is provided with a first display unit 21a formed of a large-screen liquid crystal display and a plurality of hard keys 21b. As shown in FIG. The unit 22 includes a second display unit 22a that is smaller than the first display unit 21a, a touch panel 22b that is superimposed on the second display unit 22a, and a plurality of hard keys 22c. The operator can operate the soft keys displayed on the first display unit 21a and the second display unit 22a with the touch panel 22b.

  The second display unit 22a of the sub operation unit 22 displays an operation screen on which the basic settings of the copying machine 1 such as the paper size used for copying and the number of copies can be made. A pair of an upward triangle and a downward triangle is paired. The setting can be performed by pressing each of the two sets of soft keys. The hard key 22c includes a confirmation key 22d for confirming an operation input for the soft key, a cancel key 22e for canceling the operation input for the soft key, and a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a for an operation target by the touch panel 22b. And a switching key 22f for switching to one of the soft keys displayed on the second display portion 22a. The switch key 22f is configured as a dog, and is switched between “on” and “off” when pressed. When in the “on” state, the soft key displayed on the first display portion 21a is the operation target of the touch panel 22b. When in the “on” state, the soft key displayed on the first display portion 21a is the operation target of the touch panel 22b. It becomes.

  The first display unit 21a of the main operation unit 20 displays an operation screen on which a plurality of soft keys are arranged. Various operation modes of the copying machine 1 are displayed by the plurality of soft keys displayed on the operation screen. Settings can be made. When the operation target of the touch panel 22b is a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a, the hard key 21b includes an area movement key 21c used when changing the operation target area by the touch panel 22b, and a color at the time of image formation. A color mode selection key 21d for selecting a mode, a start key 21e for the copying machine 1 to start an image forming operation when pressed, a numeric key 21f used for inputting the number of copies, a clear key 21e for clearing the numeric input, etc. And a reset key 21h for resetting the set settings and a stop key 21i for stopping the image forming operation of the copying machine 1.

  Each unit included in the copying machine 1 is controlled by a control unit including a CPU, a ROM that stores a control program for each unit, a RAM that serves as a work area, and the like. Each control unit receives control data, image data, and the like via an internal bus. Are configured to be able to transmit and receive. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the main operation unit 21 and the sub operation unit 22 are operated by the operation display control unit 200, the image reading unit 23 is operated by the image reading control unit 230, and the image forming unit 24 is processed by the image forming control unit 240. The finisher 3 is controlled by a post-processing control unit 300 provided inside. Each control unit is centrally controlled by the operation display control unit 200. The main operation unit 21, the sub operation unit 22, and the operation display control unit 200 constitute the operation device 20 in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation display control unit 200 develops operation screen data including bitmap data generated by the CPU based on the screen data stored in the ROM in addition to the CPU, the ROM, and the RAM. Input I / F, which is an interface to the first VRAM / second VRAM, the hard keys 21b / 22c such as the area movement key 21c and the switching key 22f, and the touch panel 22b, and the first display unit 21a / second display unit 22a And an output I / F which is an interface.

  The CPU to which the operator's operation input is transmitted via the input I / F transmits the operation input to each part of the copying machine 1 and reads out image data corresponding to the operation input from the ROM, The operation screen data for the display unit 21a is expanded in the first VRAM, the operation screen data for the second display unit 22a is expanded in the second VRAM, and corresponds to the storage areas of the first VRAM and the second VRAM for storing the operation screen data. The operation screen is displayed in each area of the first display unit 21a and the second display unit 22a.

  The operation display control unit 200 includes a plurality of functional blocks formed by a CPU that executes a control program and the above-described components included in the operation display control unit 200. As main functional blocks according to the present invention, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation control unit 201 that detects an operation input to the hard keys 21b and 22c such as the area movement key 21c and the switching key 22f and the touch panel 22b, and the switch key 22f output from the operation control unit 201 are turned on. ”Or“ off ”state, an operation switching unit 205 that switches an operation target by the touch panel 22b, an area display control unit 203 that displays the operation target area by the touch panel 22b on the first display unit 21a, and a first display unit The hardware output from the operation control unit 201 is controlled while the power supply to the 21a and the second display unit 22a is controlled. Based on the operation input to 21b and 22c and the touch panel 22b, the corresponding operation screen is displayed on the first display unit 21a or the second display unit 22a, and the image reading unit 230 and the image forming unit 240 of the copier 1 are displayed. And a display control unit 202 that requests an operation corresponding to the post-processing unit 300. Furthermore, the area display control unit 203 includes an area moving operation unit that performs an operation for changing the operation target area of the touch panel 22b.

  The operation switching unit 205 switches the operation target of the touch panel 22b to the soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a when the switching key 22f is in the “on” state, and when the switching key 22f is in the “off” state. The operation target of the touch panel 22b is switched to a soft key displayed on the second display unit 21b.

  When the operation switching unit 205 switches the operation target of the touch panel 22b, the operation control unit 201 switches the coordinate information used for detecting the position of the soft key to that of the corresponding operation screen, and an operation is input based on the coordinate information. Detects which softkey is the one. Here, the coordinate information of the soft keys arranged on the operation screen is stored in the ROM and can be read out as necessary.

  When the operation target of the touch panel 22b is a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a, the area display control unit 203 reads the coordinate information of the operation target area stored in the RAM and displays the operation target area in a sectioned manner. Image data is generated and output to the display control unit 202, and when the operation target of the touch panel 22 b is a soft key displayed on the second display unit 22 a, the display control unit 202 is notified of the division display stop of the operation target region. Request.

  The area movement operation unit 204 operates the area movement key 21c that has been input when the operation target area of the touch panel 22b is displayed on the operation screen, in other words, when the switching key 22f is in the “on” state. The time is received from the operation control unit 201, the movement amount of the operation target region is derived from the operation time, the coordinate information of the operation target region stored in the RAM is updated based on the movement amount, and the region display control unit Image data for partition display of the operation target area based on the coordinate information updated to 203 is generated and output to the display control unit 202, thereby changing the display position of the operation target area.

  When the operation target of the touch panel 22b is a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a, the display control unit 202 stops the power supply to the second display unit 22a and operates as shown in FIG. The display of the screen is stopped, the image data for displaying the operation target area of the touch panel 22b output from the area display control unit 203 is sectioned and synthesized with the operation screen data developed in the first VRAM, and the synthesized image Based on the data, an operation screen on which the operation target area is displayed is displayed on the first display unit 21a. At this time, the operation target region displayed on the first display unit 21a by the display control unit 202 based on the image data of the operation target region output from the region display control unit 203 by operating the region movement key 21c is shown in FIG. As shown to b), the 1st display part 21a is moved by the operation input of the area | region movement key 21c.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6C, the display control unit 202 changes the display mode of the soft keys corresponding to the area operated by the touch panel 22b among the soft keys displayed in the operation target area. The process assigned to the soft key is executed based on the confirmation input operation by pressing the confirmation key 22d. FIG. 6C shows a state in which the area corresponding to the “aggregate” key on the touch panel 22b is operated and the display mode of the “aggregate” key displayed on the first display unit 21a is changed to the reverse display. In FIG. 6C, the soft keys arranged with dotted lines on the touch panel 22b are merely displayed for convenience in order to explain the area of the touch panel 22b corresponding to the operation target area. Since power supply to the second display portion 22a is stopped, these soft keys are not actually displayed.

  When the operation target of the touch panel 22b is a soft key displayed on the second display unit 22a, the display control unit 202 supplies power to the second display unit 21a and operates the second display unit 22a to display an operation screen. At the same time, upon receiving a request to stop the display of the operation target area from the area display control unit 203, an operation screen without the display of the operation target area is displayed on the first display unit 21a.

  6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C, the operation target area in the first display unit 21 a is partitioned and displayed by dotted lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation target area The operation target area is displayed in a convex or concave manner, the operation target area is displayed with sharp focus and the outside of the target area is displayed with soft focus, or the operation target area is lightly colored so that the soft key can be distinguished. Any display that can be discriminated is acceptable.

  Hereinafter, the operation for changing the operation target area of the touch panel 22b in the first display unit 21a will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the switching key 22f is “off” (S1), the display control unit 202 performs power supply to set the second display unit 22a in the “on” state (S2), and the area display control unit 203 is in the first display unit 21a. The operation target area of the touch panel 22b is not displayed (S3).

  When the switching key 22f is turned “ON” (S1), the display control unit 202 stops power feeding and sets the second display unit 22a to the “OFF” state (S4), and the area display control unit 203 is stored in the RAM. The coordinate information of the operation target area is read (S5), and the operation target area is displayed on the first display unit 21a via the display control unit 202 (S6).

  When the operation target region is displayed on the first display unit 21a (S6), when the region movement key 21c is operated by the operator (S7), the region movement operation unit 204 is detected by the operation detection processing unit 201. Based on the operation time of the area movement key 22f, the movement amount of the operation target area in the vertical and horizontal directions is derived (S8), the coordinate information of the operation target area stored in the RAM is updated (S9), and the area display control unit 203 changes the operation target area based on the coordinate information (S10).

  Another embodiment will be described below.

  In the above-described embodiment, the main operation unit 21 is configured not to include a touch panel. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The main operation unit 21 includes a touch panel. When the touch panel is set to be invalid in the image forming apparatus configured to be set to be invalid, a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21 a is displayed on the touch panel 22 b of the sub operation unit 22. The structure which operates may be sufficient. In this case, the number of parts of the touch panel cannot be reduced, but power consumption by the touch panel can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the main operation unit 21 and the sub operation unit 30 are provided in the copier 1 independently. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the main operation unit 21 and the sub operation unit 22 are provided. The structure comprised integrally may be sufficient. That is, the structure which can operate the soft key displayed on the 1st display part 21a and the 2nd display part 22a with a single touch panel may be sufficient.

  In the above-described embodiment, the region movement key 21c is arranged in the main operation unit 21. However, the area movement key 21c may be arranged in the sub operation unit 22, and may be arranged in both the main operation unit 21 and the sub operation unit 22. It may be configured to do so. That is, any configuration may be used as long as the region movement operation unit 204 can derive the movement amount of the operation target region based on the operation time of the region movement key 22f.

  In the above-described embodiment, the switching key 22f is arranged in the sub operation unit 22. However, the switching key 22f may be arranged in the main operation unit 21 and arranged in both the main operation unit 21 and the sub operation unit 22. It may be a configuration. That is, any configuration is possible as long as the operation switching unit 203 can detect that the switching key 22f has been pressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the operation target of the touch panel 22b is a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a, the second display unit 22a is stopped. However, the operation of the touch panel 22b on the first display unit 21a is performed. The operation screen displayed in the target area may be displayed on the second display unit 22a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, since the display mode of the selected soft key also changes in the second display unit 22a, the operator who operates the touch panel 22b to perform the selection operation displays the first display unit 21a. You can select the displayed soft keys without making a mistake.

  In the above-described embodiment, among the soft keys displayed in the operation target area, the display mode of the soft key corresponding to the area operated by the touch panel 22b is changed and assigned to the soft key based on the confirmation input operation. However, the main operation unit 21 and the sub operation unit 22 are arranged close to each other, and the operator who operates the touch panel 22b is displayed on the first display unit 21a. When the soft key can be easily visually recognized, it is not necessary to change the display mode.

  In the above embodiment, the touch panel 22b made of a transparent electrode group is provided on the upper surface of the second display portion 22a. However, the touch panel mounting form is not limited to this, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the touch panel 22b formed of a touch pad of the same size as the second display unit 22a may be installed around the lower side of the second display unit 22a.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sub operation unit 22 includes the enter key 22d and the cancel key 22e as the hard keys 22b. However, a part of the touch pad 30d that is the touch panel of the present invention is used as an area for these hard keys. It is good also as a structure. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9B, an “operation area” in which an operation can be input, an “validation area” that validates the selection, an “invalidation area” that invalidates the selection, etc. can be distinguished There is no difficulty in operating the touch panel 22b by superimposing the mask sheet on the touch panel 22b. When the operation target of the touch panel 22b is a soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a, the second display unit 22a is not stopped, but the operation target of the touch panel 22b is shown in FIG. 9C. The operation area corresponding to the area, the enter key 22d, and the cancel key 22e may be displayed on the second display unit 22a.

  In the above-described embodiment, the copying machine 1 is configured to include the main operation unit 21 and one sub operation unit 22, but the copying machine 1 may be configured to include a plurality of sub operation units 22. In this case, it is only necessary that the soft key displayed on the first display unit 21a can be operated by a touch panel provided in any of the plurality of sub-operation units 22.

  In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to the copying machine 1, but the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the copying machine, and a main operation unit provided with a first display unit, Any image forming apparatus may be used as long as the image forming apparatus has an operation device including a sub display unit having a second display unit smaller than the first display unit. That is, a FAX or a scanner provided with the operation device may be used.

  Each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the description. The specific configuration of each part is appropriately selected within the scope of the effects of the present invention. It goes without saying that changes can be designed. Furthermore, you may comprise combining the above-mentioned several embodiment suitably.

Explanatory drawing of the operation display controller External view of copier (A) is an external view of the main operation unit, and a block diagram of the copying machine. (B) is an external view of the sub operation unit. Block diagram of copier Block diagram of the operation display controller (A) is explanatory drawing of operation object area | region, (b) is explanatory drawing which concerns on change operation of operation object area | region, (c) is explanatory drawing which concerns on the change of the display mode of a soft key. Flowchart explaining operation of operation target area changing operation Explanatory drawing of the screen displayed on the 2nd display part which shows another embodiment (A) is the external view of the sub operation part which shows another embodiment, (b) is the external view of the touch panel of the sub operation part which shows another embodiment, (c) is the external view of the sub operation part which shows another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

21: Main operation unit 21a: First display unit 21c: Area movement key 22: Sub operation unit 22a: Second display unit 22b: Touch panel 22f: Switch key 200: Operation display control unit 201: Operation control unit 202: Display control unit 203: Area display control unit 204: Area movement operation unit 205: Operation switching unit

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus having an operation device including a main operation unit including a first display unit and a sub operation unit including a second display unit smaller than the first display unit,
An image forming apparatus comprising a touch panel for operating soft keys displayed on the first display unit and the second display unit in the sub operation unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main operation unit and the sub operation unit are integrally configured.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation switching unit that switches an operation target by the touch panel.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an area display control unit configured to display an operation target area by the touch panel on the first display unit. 5.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the area display control unit includes an area movement operation unit that changes the operation target area.   Among the soft keys displayed in the operation target area, the display mode of the soft key corresponding to the area operated by the touch panel is changed, and the process assigned to the soft key is executed based on the confirmation input operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display control unit.