JP2008310008A - Electronic device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display section of an electronic device to be visually recognized even in a dark environment. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus (electronic device) 1 has a light emission display section 50 that is arranged on an upper surface of a casing 10 and displays a character string such as "FFF" or the like, showing a model name. The light emission display section 50 comprises a light guide body 51 made of a transparent member and a light sources 52 for emitting light to the light guide body 51. The light guide body 51 is formed by integrally molding a plate section 51a formed in a substantially flat shape, a light guide section 51b for guiding the light emitted from the light sources 52 to the plate section 51a, and a light emission exposure section 51c formed on the upper surface of the plate section 51a so as to display the character string. The plate section 51a has a tapered cross section where the thickness is reduced according to the difference from the light source 52. A reflective film 51d is disposed on the lower surface of the plate section 51a. Part of the light guided to the plate section 51a is reflected upward by the tapered lower surface and emitted from the light emission exposure section 51c, and the light emission exposure section 51c looks like emitting light from the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus and an image forming apparatus having a light-emitting display portion that shows a mark or the like in a casing so as to be visible from outside.

  For example, in an electronic apparatus such as an image forming apparatus, a display unit is provided on a housing so that a user can visually recognize a mark such as a character, figure, or logotype indicating the product number, model name, manufacturer name, etc. There is something. As the display unit, for example, there is a display by a method such as engraving on a housing, printing, sticking of a sticker, etc. In this case, it is difficult to visually recognize if the surrounding is dark. In addition, when the display unit is shown by a method such as printing, sticking, etc., the display unit may be damaged or missing due to rubbing or aging, etc. There may be a problem.

  Here, in Patent Document 1, a light transmission region formed so as to show a figure or a character shape is provided in a housing made of a highly light-transmissive member, and light from a light source disposed inside the lower housing is provided. A structure of a light emitting display portion of an electronic device that emits light through a light transmission region is shown. However, in this structure, the surface of the part other than the light transmission region that becomes a figure or a character must be covered by performing light-shielding printing or the like so as not to transmit light, so that the configuration is complicated and the manufacturing cost increases. is there. In addition, in the case where the casing forms a part of a frame to which each member of the device is fixed or a monocoque structure of the device, for example, it is necessary to satisfy requirements such as strength and rigidity. Therefore, there are cases where the entire housing itself or most of the housing itself cannot be formed of such a highly light-transmissive member.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, the front panel of an electronic device is formed of a light guide, and character displays and designs for operation buttons and the like that are operably arranged on the front panel are printed on the back surface of the front panel. A structure in which a large number of symbols and the like can be easily illuminated with a number of light sources is shown. However, in this structure, what is displayed externally so as to be visible is only printed on the back surface. For example, when the display unit is to be more conspicuous, the illumination is brightened by increasing the number of light sources. There is a need to.

Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which, in a liquid crystal display device, a color that transmits light is printed on a diffusion film that uniformizes light emitted from a light guide plate toward a liquid crystal panel, and characters and the like are displayed by a backlight. It is shown. However, this structure is unique to the liquid crystal display device, and is not applicable to a display unit that can display a mark or the like with another simple configuration.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-98614 JP 2004-326901 A JP 2007-52364 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic apparatus and an image forming apparatus having a simple configuration in which a display unit can be visually recognized even when the surrounding environment is dark.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an electronic apparatus in which a light-emitting display portion visible from the outside is provided in a housing, and the light-emitting display portion is substantially made up of a light source and a translucent material. Between the plate portion formed in a flat plate shape, and between the plate portion and the light source, it is integrally connected to the plate portion, and the light incident from the light source is reflected on the inner surface thereof. A light guide portion that guides light to the plate portion, and is formed on one side of the plate portion so as to be formed integrally with the plate portion so as to show a mark relating to the electronic device and exposed to the outside from the housing. A light-emitting exposed portion that emits part of the light guided from the light source to the outside of the housing, and the plate portion has a tapered cross-section that decreases in thickness as the distance from the light source increases. Thus, the light incident on the light guide unit from the light source is reflected on the inner surface of the plate unit. Isa is efficiency to the light emitting exposed portion well those that are configured to be guided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a reflective film is provided on a surface of the plate portion opposite to the surface on which the light emission exposure portion is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, in the light guide portion of the light emitting display portion, the portion facing the light source is formed to be recessed with respect to the light incident direction. The incident part is formed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the light emitting display unit according to the third aspect and the housing, the recording paper is taken into the housing one by one, and the recording paper on which the image is formed is disposed in the housing. A transport mechanism that discharges to the outside, and an image forming unit that is housed in the housing and forms an image on the recording paper taken into the housing by the transport mechanism using digital image data input from the outside It is equipped with.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since a part of the light guided from the light source is emitted from the light emission exposed portion, the mark concerning the electronic device seems to emit light from the outside, so that the surrounding environment is Even when it is dark, the light-emitting display portion can be visually recognized. The texture of the electronic device can be enhanced while using a simple configuration. Since the plate portion is formed to have a tapered cross section, the light is efficiently guided to the light emission exposed portion, and the light emission exposed portion can be more easily used without using a large number of light sources or a bright light source. Bright and visible from outside. Further, since the plate portion has a substantially flat plate shape having a tapered cross section, the plate portion can be disposed along the outer surface of the housing, and the electronic apparatus can be miniaturized.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the light emission exposed portion appears to emit light more brightly by providing the reflective film, it is not necessary to use a bright light source or a large number of light sources. . Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the electronic device can be reduced, and the power consumption of the light emitting unit can be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the light emitted from the light source is incident on the light guide from the incident part, more light emitted from the light source is incident on the inside of the light guide, and the light emission exposed part is further As shown above, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the power consumption can be reduced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus, even in a dark environment, a mark relating to the image forming apparatus can be shown to be visible from the outside. Since the light emission exposed portion appears to emit light from the outside, the texture of the image forming apparatus can be enhanced while using a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus which is an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus (electronic device) 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed tray 2 loaded with the recording paper P, a transport mechanism 3 for transporting the recording paper P held in the paper feed tray 2, and an image on the recording paper P transported by the transport mechanism 3. An image forming unit 4 that forms the image, a paper discharge tray 5 on which the recording paper P on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit 4 is discharged and deposited, and a housing 10 that houses the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4. And a control unit (not shown) configured by an electronic circuit or the like for controlling the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4. The image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called inkjet printer, and is used by being connected to an external device such as an external personal computer, and can form an image on the recording paper P using digital image data input from the external device. It is configured. Note that the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to form an image by, for example, a thermal transfer method or an electrophotographic method.

  The transport mechanism 3 discharges the first transport mechanism 3 a that transports the recording paper P held on the paper feed tray 2 to an image forming position by the image forming unit 4 and the recording paper on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 4. The second transport mechanism 3b transports to the tray 5, and a feed motor 30 for driving the first transport mechanism 3a and the second transport mechanism 3b.

  The image forming unit 4 drives the ink cartridge 40 filled with ink, a carriage 41 that reciprocates in the main scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction A of the recording paper P while supporting the ink cartridge 40, and the carriage 41. The carriage drive motor 42 and the like are configured. A print head 43 that ejects ink onto the recording paper P is provided on the lower surface of the ink cartridge 40. The carriage 41 is supported so as to be reciprocally movable by a shaft 44 disposed substantially parallel to the main scanning direction, and is moved by being driven by a carriage drive motor 42. The output of the carriage drive motor 42 is transmitted to the carriage 41 via a belt or the like.

  The first transport mechanism 3 a is provided on the upstream side of the print roller 43 and the pickup roller 31 that sends the recording paper P placed on the paper feed tray 2 to the inside of the housing 10, and is sent by the pickup roller 31. The paper feeding roller 32 sends out the recording paper P to the print head 43 side, the pressing roller 33 presses the recording paper P against the paper feeding roller 32, and the like. The second transport mechanism 3b includes a paper discharge roller 38 that transports the recording paper P on which an image is formed to the paper discharge tray 5, a star wheel 39 that presses the recording paper P against the paper discharge roller 38, and the like. Yes.

  A tray storage portion 15 is provided at the lower front portion of the housing 10 so as to open forward larger than the width of the recording paper P. The paper discharge tray 5 is arranged in the tray storage portion 15 so as to be slid forward and pulled out. When forming an image, the image forming apparatus 1 slides the paper discharge tray 5 and arranges it at a use position as indicated by a solid line in FIG. It is comprised so that it can be received and supported by. On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 1 is not used, the paper discharge tray 5 is accommodated in the tray storage portion 15 and disposed at a storage position as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It is comprised so that it may be in the state which does not protrude outside from the front surface of. Thereby, the image forming apparatus 1 can be stored compactly.

  In this embodiment, the housing 10 includes an upper cover 10a that covers the upper surface and the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1, and a lower cover 10b on which the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4 are installed together with a frame (not shown). ing. On the upper surface of the upper cover 10a, an access cover 21 pivotally supported by the upper cover 10a is provided so as to be opened and closed. Further, on the upper surface of the housing 10, for example, operation keys 20 for performing operations such as starting and stopping of printing are disposed. The image forming apparatus 1 discharges ink from the print head 43 in synchronization with the drive of the feed motor 30 and the carriage drive motor 42 based on control by the control unit, and conveys the recording paper P inside the housing 10. An image is formed on the recording paper P, and the recording paper P on which the image is formed is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 5.

  Here, the light emitting display unit 50 is provided on the upper surface of the upper cover 10a of the housing 10 so as to be visible from the outside. The light emitting display unit 50 is configured to indicate characters such as “FFF” which is the model name of the image forming apparatus 1 on the outside of the housing 10.

  3 and 4A and 4B show the light emitting display unit 50. FIG. The light emitting display unit 50 is, for example, a light guide 51 formed of a translucent material such as colorless acrylic resin, and a light emitting diode or the like disposed on a circuit board (not shown), for example. The light source 52 etc. which radiate | emit direct light are comprised. The light guide 51 includes a plate portion 51a formed in a substantially flat plate shape, a light guide portion 51b provided between the plate portion 51a and the light source 52, and an upper surface of the plate portion 51a such as “FFF”. The light emission exposure part 51c formed in the convex shape in the shape which shows a character is integrally formed. In the present embodiment, the light guide part 51b extends in a plane substantially parallel to the plate part 51a, and three light sources 52 are arranged in one end part of the light guide part 51b. That is, the light emitting display unit 50 is configured to be substantially flat and thin as a whole, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced in size.

  The plate portion 51a has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and has a tapered cross section whose thickness decreases as the distance from the light source 52 increases, as shown in FIG. A reflective film 51d by, for example, white silk printing is provided on the lower surface (indicated by shading in FIG. 3) of the plate portion 51a opposite to the upper surface on which the light emission exposed portion 51c is provided.

  The light guide 51b is formed so as to have a tapered shape toward the light source 52 when viewed from both the upper side and the side from the end surface on the light source 52 side of the plate portion 51a. As shown in the figure, the three portions of the light guide 51b that face each light source 52 are arc-shaped notches formed so as to be recessed with respect to the incident direction of light from the light source 52, respectively. An incident portion 51e is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting display unit 50 is configured such that, for example, the light emitting exposed portion 51c is fitted into a hole (not shown) formed in the upper cover 10a in accordance with the convex shape of the light emitting exposed portion 51c. And disposed substantially horizontally above the inside of the housing 10. In other words, the light emitting display unit 50 is arranged so that the portion of the light emission exposed portion 51 c is visible from the outside of the housing 10.

  The light source 52 is configured to always emit light when the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is on, for example. A part of the light emitted from the light source 52 enters the light guide 51 from the cylindrical surface of the incident part 51e. In the present embodiment, the light incident from the light source 52 is more incident on the light guide 51 by providing the incident portion 51e that is recessed in the light incident direction. The incident light passes through the light guide 51b and is guided to the plate 51a. Inside the light guide part 51b, light is reflected at the interface with the outside, and most of the incident light is guided to the plate part 51a without light leakage. The light guided to the plate portion 51a is reflected by the tapered interface with the outside of the lower surface of the plate portion 51a and guided upward. A part of this light is emitted to the outside from the upper part or side part of the light emission exposed part 51c. Thus, part of the light emitted from the light source 52 and guided is emitted from the light emission exposed portion 51 c to the outside of the housing 10, so that the light emission exposed portion 51 c emits light from the outside of the housing 10. looks like. At this time, since the reflection film 51d is provided, the reflection film 51d can be seen when the light emission exposure part 51c is viewed from the outside. Therefore, the light emission exposure is compared with the case where the reflection film 51d is not provided. The part 51c appears to emit light more brightly.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the light emitting display unit 50 having a simple configuration is provided, and the character string indicated by the light emitting exposure unit 51c is configured to appear to emit light, so that the surrounding environment is dark. Also, the light emitting display unit 50 can be made visible, and the texture of the image forming apparatus 1 can be enhanced. Since the plate portion 51a has a tapered cross section, the light is efficiently guided to the light emission exposed portion 51c, and the light emission exposed portion 51c can be more easily used without using many light sources 52 or bright light sources 52. You can make it look bright. In addition, since the reflective film 51d is provided or the light from the light source 52 is incident from the concave incident portion 51e, the light emission exposed portion 51c appears to emit light more brightly. Accordingly, since the light emission exposed portion 51c can be caused to emit light clearly without using a bright and expensive light source or a large number of light sources, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the light emitting display portion 50 can be reduced. It becomes possible to reduce the power consumption.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible suitably in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, the light-emitting display unit is not limited to the model name indicated by characters, but may be configured to indicate various marks such as manufacturer names, logotypes, figures, and the like as the light-emitting exposed part. . Further, the material of the light guide, the shape of the light guide, and the like are not limited to those described above, and may be appropriately changed according to the arrangement of each member in the housing. Furthermore, the light emission exposure part may be formed so as to be recessed from the plate part. The reflective film may be, for example, other colors such as yellow or silver, and may be provided on the plate portion by attaching a seal, for example, in addition to printing. The present invention is not limited to an image forming apparatus, and can be applied as a structure of a light emitting display unit provided in a housing of various electronic devices.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of the image forming apparatus. The perspective view which shows the light emission display part of the said apparatus. (A) is a top view of the said light emission display part, (b) is the side view.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image forming device (electronic equipment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Conveyance mechanism 4 Image formation part 10 Case 50 Light emission display part 51a Plate part 51b Light guide part 51c Light emission exposure part 51d Reflective film 51e Incident part 52 Light source

Claims (4)

An electronic device in which a light-emitting display unit visible from the outside is provided in a housing,
The light emitting display unit
A light source;
A plate portion formed in a substantially flat shape by a translucent material;
A light guide unit that is integrally connected to the plate unit between the plate unit and the light source, and reflects light incident from the light source on the inner surface thereof and guides the light to the plate unit. When,
One of the lights guided from the light source is formed on one surface of the plate part so as to be integrally formed with the plate part so as to show a mark relating to the electronic device, and is exposed to the outside from the housing. A light-emitting exposed part that emits the part to the outside of the housing,
The plate portion has a tapered cross section whose thickness decreases as the distance from the light source increases, so that light incident on the light guide portion from the light source is reflected by the inner surface of the plate portion. An electronic apparatus configured to be efficiently guided to the light emission exposed portion.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reflection film is provided on a surface of the plate portion opposite to a surface on which the light emission exposure portion is provided.   The incident part formed so that it may be dented with respect to the incident direction of light is formed in the site | part which faces the said light source among the light guide parts of the said light emission display part. Item 3. The electronic device according to Item 2. The light emitting display unit according to claim 3;
A transport mechanism that is housed inside the housing, takes recording paper one by one into the housing, and discharges the recording paper on which an image is formed to the outside of the housing;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to form an image using digital image data input from outside on a recording sheet housed in the housing and taken into the housing by a transport mechanism.

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