JP2008252421A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily adjust the speaker sound volume of a facsimile unit mounted on an image forming apparatus as an option device without adding new members or electric circuit. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 houses the facsimile unit 20 in a recessed part 15 formed in a housing 11 of a main body 10. The facsimile unit 20 has a speaker at a place embedded in the recessed part 15 and modular jacks 25a and 25b and a plurality of small holes 27 for sound transmission for outputting sound emitted by the speaker 23 on a surface exposed from the recessed part 15. A cover 26 for exposing only a selected one between the modular jacks 25a and 25b is mounted on the facsimile unit 20, and small holes 28 for sound volume adjustment are formed on the cover 26, overlapping the small holes 27 for sound transmission. By having the mounting position of the cover 26 adjusted to adjust the degree of deviation of the small holes 27 for sound transmission from the holes 28 for sound volume adjustment, the degree of opening of the small holes 27 for volume transmission can be adjusted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

In image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers, functions are often enhanced by combining various optional devices. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a digital copying machine in which a paper discharge device, a paper transport device, an automatic document feeder, and the like can be mounted as optional devices.
JP 2002-182441 A

  One of optional devices that can be combined with an image forming apparatus is a facsimile unit. The facsimile unit may be provided with a speaker for the purpose of operation guidance or the like. However, due to restrictions on the board mounting position, the speaker is stored in the back of the main body when the facsimile unit is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. As a result, it was difficult to hear the voice. If the basic setting level of the sound volume is increased so that the sound can be heard well, there is a problem that this time it becomes too loud. Whether it feels noisy or difficult to hear depends on the environment in which the image forming apparatus is placed. Therefore, there has been a demand for a mechanism that can easily adjust the speaker volume of the facsimile unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in an image forming apparatus in which a facsimile unit is mounted as an optional device, the speaker volume of the facsimile unit can be easily adjusted without adding a new member or electric circuit. The purpose is to.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus in which a facsimile unit is accommodated in a recess formed in a main body, wherein the facsimile unit is exposed from a speaker and the recess at a portion embedded in the recess. A plurality of modular jacks and a plurality of sound passage small holes for emitting sound emitted from the speaker to the outside, and a cover that exposes only the selected one of the modular jacks is attached to the main body or the facsimile unit, The cover is formed with a volume adjusting small hole that overlaps with the sound passing small hole, and the opening of the sound passing small hole can be adjusted by adjusting the mounting position of the cover.

  According to this configuration, since the opening degree of the sound passage small hole is adjusted by adjusting the mounting position of the existing cover, the speaker volume that can be heard outside the image forming apparatus can be adjusted with a simple operation. In addition, since no new members or electrical circuits are added, the implementation cost can be reduced.

  (2) According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the cover is provided at a position deeper than the outer surface of the casing of the main body.

  According to this configuration, even if the main body is pressed against the wall, it is possible to secure a path for sound from the speaker.

  (3) Further, according to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, a large number of the small holes for sound passage and the small holes for volume adjustment are formed in a matrix shape, and the hole diameter and the matrix arrangement pitch are equal. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, the opening degree of the sound passage small hole can be adjusted from fully open to fully closed by simply shifting the cover by the hole diameter of the small hole.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily adjust the speaker volume of a facsimile unit attached as an optional device to an image forming apparatus with a cost-effective mechanism.

  An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-8. 1 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the image forming apparatus, FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the facsimile unit, and show different states, and FIG. 5 is a chassis of the facsimile unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cover, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are partial cross-sectional views of portions where the chassis and the cover overlap, showing different states.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a digital copying machine, and includes a paper supply unit and a copying unit in a housing 11 of a main body 10. A paper discharge unit 12 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 10, a scanner unit 13 projects above the paper discharge unit 12 by a cantilever method, and an operation panel 14 is provided at the front end of the scanner unit 13.

  A concave portion 15 for accommodating the facsimile unit 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, only the entrance portion of the recess 15 appears.

  The facsimile unit 20 includes a chassis 21 (first chassis) used for attachment to the housing 11 and a chassis 22 (second chassis) attached to the chassis 21. The chassis 21 and 22 are both made of sheet metal. A speaker 23 is attached to the chassis 21. When the facsimile unit 20 is stored in the recess 15, the speaker 23 is buried in the recess 15, and the chassis 22 is positioned at the entrance of the recess 15.

  A modular jack for connecting a telephone modular cable is attached to the chassis 22 on the surface exposed from the recess 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the chassis 22 has three modular jack mounting holes 24, which are formed side by side. In this embodiment, the modular jack 25a, 25b is attached.

  Although there are two modular jacks 25a and 25b, there is a specification that only one of them needs to be used depending on the destination, and it may be necessary to match it. Therefore, a cover 26 that covers one modular jack (in this case, the modular jack 25a) is attached to the chassis 22. The cover 26 is made of sheet metal and is fixed with a screw (not shown) at a position in FIG. 3 where both the modular jacks 25a and 25b are exposed or a position in FIG. 4 where only the modular jack 25b is exposed. The chassis 22 is provided at a position retracted from the outer surface of the housing 11, and thus the cover 26 is also located at a position deeper than the outer surface of the housing 11.

  In the chassis 22, a large number of sound passing small holes 27 are formed in a matrix to allow the sound generated by the speakers 23 to come out of the housing 11. A large number of volume adjusting small holes 28 that overlap the sound passing small holes 27 are formed in the cover 26 in a matrix. The small holes for sound passage 27 and the small holes for volume adjustment 28 have the same hole diameter and matrix arrangement pitch.

  Two long holes 29a and 29b are formed in the cover 26 so as to be aligned vertically. Each of the long holes 29a and 29b is long in the vertical direction, one of which is used to pass the screw (not shown), and the other is engaged with a projection 30 (so-called “dough”) protruding from the chassis 22. Used for In the state of FIG. 3, the projection 30 is engaged with the long hole 29b, and the long hole 29a is used for passing a screw. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 30 is engaged with the elongated hole 29a, and the elongated hole 29b is used to pass a screw. Thus, since both the protrusion 30 and the screw are engaged, the cover 26 is kept vertical without being inclined.

  In the attached state of FIG. 3 and the attached state of FIG. 4, the cover 26 can be adjusted in the vertical direction as long as the screws are loosened. The opening degree of the sound passage small hole 27 can be adjusted by adjusting the mounting position of the cover 26 and adjusting the degree of displacement between the sound passage small hole 27 and the volume adjustment hole 28.

  In the state of FIG. 7, the volume adjusting small hole 28 is considerably displaced from the sound passing small hole 27, and the opening degree of the sound passing small hole 27 is small. For this reason, the sound volume of the speaker 23 is reduced. In the state of FIG. 8, the volume adjusting small hole 28 exactly matches the sound passing small hole 27, and the sound passing small hole 27 has the maximum opening. For this reason, the sound of the speaker 23 goes outside without being reduced in volume.

  Since the hole diameters of the sound passing small holes 27 and the volume adjusting small holes 28 are equal to the matrix arrangement pitch, the opening degree of the sound passing small holes 27 can be fully closed only by shifting the cover 26 by the small hole diameter. Can be adjusted up to. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the movement range of the cover 26 so much. Specifically, it is not necessary to increase the length of the long holes 29a and 29b so much.

  Since the cover 26 is provided at a position deeper than the outer surface of the housing 11, the passage of the sound of the speaker 23 is ensured even when the entrance side of the recess 15 is pressed against the wall. Therefore, the sound of the speaker 23 is not lost.

  Since the sound passage small hole 27 and the volume adjusting small hole 28 serve as air passages, the presence of these holes can improve the cooling efficiency of the facsimile unit 20 and thus the main body 10.

  In this embodiment, the cover 26 is attached to the facsimile unit 20, but a structure in which the cover 26 is attached to the housing 11 of the main body 10 may be employed.

  Other various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The present invention is widely applicable to an image forming apparatus to which a facsimile unit is attached as an optional device.

External perspective view of image forming apparatus Partial enlarged perspective view of image forming apparatus Perspective view of facsimile unit FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a facsimile unit showing a state different from FIG. Perspective view of the chassis of the facsimile unit Perspective view of cover Partial sectional view of the place where the chassis and cover overlap FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion where the chassis and the cover overlap, showing a state different from FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Main body 11 Housing | casing 20 Facsimile unit 21, 22 Chassis 23 Speaker 25a, 25b Modular jack 26 Cover 27 Sound passage small hole 28 Volume adjustment small hole

Claims (3)

In an image forming apparatus that stores a facsimile unit in a recess formed in a main body,
The facsimile unit has a speaker at a position buried in the recess, a plurality of modular jacks on a surface exposed from the recess, and a plurality of sound passage small holes for outputting sound emitted from the speaker to the outside. A cover for attaching only the selected one of the modular jacks to the facsimile unit is attached, and a volume adjusting small hole is formed in the cover so as to overlap the small hole for sound passage, thereby adjusting the mounting position of the cover. An image forming apparatus characterized in that an opening degree of a small hole for sound passage can be adjusted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover is provided at a location deeper than an outer surface of the casing of the main body. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound passing small holes and the volume adjusting small holes are each formed in a matrix shape, and the hole diameter and the matrix arrangement pitch are equal to each other.

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