JP2010107587A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus with an easily found position of an outside connection terminal for a user. <P>SOLUTION: The outside connection terminal 104 is provided in a position that is in close proximity to a display screen 103. Thus, the outside connection terminal 104 is easily seen by the user and the position of the outside connection terminal 104 is easily found by the user since the outside connection terminal 104 can be provided in a position that is in close proximity to the display screen 103 which is confirmed by the user such as when operating the image forming apparatus 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a display unit having a display screen.

  There is known an image forming apparatus in which a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, which is an example of an external connection terminal, is provided on a side surface of a housing that houses an image forming unit (for example, Patent Document 1 below). In this type of image forming apparatus, it is possible to perform operations such as reading image data from a USB memory or the like connected to a USB port and forming an image on a recording sheet based on the image data.

JP 2003-276276 A

  However, in the conventional technology as described above, depending on the user, the position of the external connection terminal such as the USB port in the housing is not known, and it may take time to search for the external connection terminal. In particular, in the configuration as described in Patent Document 1, the external connection terminal is provided at a position away from the operation panel having the operation keys and the display screen. For the user who checks the display screen, the position of the external connection terminal is more difficult to understand.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the position of an external connection terminal can be easily understood by a user.

  An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms an image on recording paper based on image data, a housing that houses the image forming unit, and a display that is attached to the housing and has a display screen. And an external connection terminal is provided at a position close to the display screen.

  According to such a configuration, since the external connection terminal is provided at a position close to the display screen, the position of the external connection terminal is easily understood by the user. In other words, since the external connection terminal is provided at a position close to the display screen that the user confirms when operating the image forming apparatus, the external connection terminal can easily be seen by the user, and the user can easily access the external connection terminal. Can be found in.

  The image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the external connection terminal is formed on a side surface of the casing closest to the display screen.

  According to such a configuration, since the external connection terminal is formed on the side surface of the housing closest to the display screen, the external connection terminal can be easily entered by the user's eyes, and the user can further understand the position of the external connection terminal. Cheap.

  An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the display unit is held by a casing attached to the casing, and the external connection terminals are formed on a side surface of the casing. .

  According to such a structure, an external connection terminal can be provided in the position closer to a display screen by forming an external connection terminal in the side surface of the casing holding a display part. Therefore, the display unit and the external connection terminal are integrally recognized as constituting the same unit, and the external connection terminal is easily entered by the user's eyes, so that the user can more easily understand the position of the external connection terminal.

  The image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the external connection terminal is provided at a position facing the central portion of the display screen.

  According to such a configuration, since the external connection terminal is provided at a position facing the central portion of the display screen, the position of the external connection terminal can be made easier to understand. Further, when an image that visually indicates the relative position of the external connection terminal is displayed on the display screen, the image is displayed at the end of the display screen by displaying the image at the center of the display screen. Compared to the case, since the image can be displayed larger, the position of the external connection terminal can be made easier to understand.

  An image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a display control unit that controls display on the display screen, and the display control unit displays an image visually indicating a relative position of the external connection terminal on the display screen. Control for displaying is performed.

  According to such a configuration, an image that visually indicates the relative position of the external connection terminal is displayed on the display screen. Based on the display, the user can quickly find the external connection terminal, The position of the external connection terminal is easier to understand.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a display control board provided with the display control unit, the external connection terminal is connected to the display control board, and the display control board includes the external control terminal. An image processing unit that performs image processing on image data input from the connection terminal is provided.

  According to such a configuration, image processing on image data input from the external connection terminal can be performed on the display control board. Since the external connection terminal is provided at a position close to the display screen, the distance between the external connection terminal and the display control board is relatively short, so that image processing for image data input from the external connection terminal is performed on the display control board. Thus, noise generated in the image data can be suppressed.

  According to the present invention, since the external connection terminal is provided at a position close to the display screen that the user confirms when operating the image forming apparatus, the position of the external connection terminal is easily understood by the user.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is a copying machine including a document feeder (ADF) 2, a document reading unit 3, an image forming unit 4, and a paper feeding unit 5.

  The ADF 2 includes a document tray 2a, and one document can be placed on the document tray 2a, or two or more documents can be placed in a stacked state. The ADF 2 feeds the originals placed on the original tray 2a one by one by the pickup roller 2b and the separating means (a pair of separating roller and retard roller) 2c. The document sent out by the ADF 2 is transported on the transport path 2g by a plurality of transport rollers 2d, 2e, and 2f, and an image on one side or both sides is read in the middle of the transport path 2g, and then a document discharge tray by the discharge roller 2h 2i are discharged sequentially.

  The document reading unit 3 includes a first scanner 3a for reading an image of a document. When reading the document supplied to the document reading unit 3 by the ADF 2, the first scanner 3a is stationary in the stationary reading region 3b, and the first surface of the document (at the reading point A located in the middle of the conveyance path 2g ( Read the image on the front side. In this image forming apparatus 1, by placing a document on a glass plate 3d provided above the document reading unit 3, the image of the first surface of the document is moved while the first scanner 3a is moved in the movable reading region 3c. Can also be read. The first surface of the document refers to the upper surface on the document tray 2a or the lower surface on the glass plate 3d.

  The ADF 2 is provided with a second scanner 2k provided in the middle of the conveyance path 2g, and when performing double-sided reading, the second scanner 2k lowers the original on the document tray 2a at the reading point B. An image on the second surface (back surface) which is the side surface is read. That is, the second scanner 2k constitutes a back surface reading unit for reading an image on the surface (second surface) opposite to the surface (first surface) of the document read by the first scanner 3a of the document reading unit 3. is doing. However, the ADF 2 may be configured not to include the second scanner 2k. In this case, the ADF 2 may be provided with a mechanism for turning the document upside down so that both sides of the document are sequentially read by the first scanner 3a.

  The image forming unit 4 includes a photosensitive drum 4a, a charger 4b, an optical writing unit 4c, a developing unit 4d, a transfer unit 4e, and a fixing unit 4f, and forms an image on the recording paper P by an electrophotographic method. A photoconductor is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 4a. During image formation, the surface of the photoconductor drum 4a that is rotationally driven is uniformly charged by the charger 4b. The optical writing unit 4c outputs light from an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) or a laser light source based on image data of a document read by the first scanner 3a or the second scanner 2k. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4a uniformly charged by the charger 4b by exposure with light output from the optical writing unit 4c.

  A toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4a on which the electrostatic latent image has been formed by adhering the toner supplied from the developing device 4d, and this toner image is formed on the recording paper P using the transfer device 4e. Transcribed. The recording paper P to which the toner image has been transferred is subjected to a heat treatment and a pressure treatment by the fixing device 4f, and is then discharged from the discharge roller 4g onto the discharge tray 4h.

  The paper supply unit 5 includes a recording paper cassette 6 for storing the recording paper P. The recording paper P is stored in a stacked state on a support plate 9 provided in the recording paper cassette 6. Can be done. The support plate 9 is rotatable around a support shaft 9a provided at one end thereof, and the end opposite to the support shaft 9a is biased upward by a compression spring 9b. The uppermost recording paper P is pressed against the paper feed roller 21. In this state, when the paper feed roller 21 is driven to rotate, the recording paper P stored in the recording paper cassette 6 is separated by the paper feed roller 21 and a separation pad (not shown), respectively, and the conveyance path 12. One by one.

  The transport path 12 is provided with one or a plurality of transport rollers 13. The recording paper P sent out one by one from the recording paper cassette 6 is transported in the transport path 12 by the transport roller 13 and is sent to the image forming unit 4. Then, the recording paper P is temporarily stopped by the registration roller 14 immediately before the photosensitive drum 4a, and is sent out in accordance with the timing at which the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 4a is transferred.

  The document reading unit 3, the image forming unit 4, and the paper feeding unit 5 as described above are accommodated in a housing 1a, and the glass plate 3d is formed on the upper surface of the housing 1a. The ADF 2 is attached so as to be openable and closable with respect to the upper surface of the housing 1a. Therefore, when the original placed on the glass plate 3d is read by the first scanner 3a, the ADF 2 is closed so that the original can be sandwiched between the ADF 2 and the glass plate 3d.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of the upper surface of the housing 1a. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a part of the upper portion of the housing 1a. In the present embodiment, the user side who operates the image forming apparatus 1 with respect to the image forming apparatus 1 will be described as the front side, and the opposite side to the user will be described as the back side.

  An operation display panel 100 is provided in a region where the ADF 2 is not opposed to the upper surface of the housing 1a. The operation display panel 100 has a configuration in which an operation unit 101 for a user to perform an operation and a display unit 102 for performing display for the user are integrally formed. The operation unit 101 has a plurality of operation keys that are operated by being pressed by the user. The display part 102 consists of a liquid crystal display, for example, The display screen 103 is formed in the upper surface of the housing 1a. The display screen 103 of the display unit 102 is formed in, for example, a rectangular shape, and in this example, the long side of the display screen 103 formed in a rectangular shape is arranged so as to extend in parallel to the front edge of the upper surface of the housing 1a. ing.

  The display unit 102 may be of a touch panel type that displays various information on the display screen 103 and can input by touching the display screen 103. However, the operation unit 101 and the display unit 102 are not limited to be integrally formed, and the operation unit 101 and the display unit 102 may be separately provided.

  In this example, the operation display panel 100 is formed at the front end portion on the upper surface of the housing 1a. The display screen 103 of the display unit 102 has the front long side close to the front edge of the upper surface of the housing 1a, and the front surface 1b of the housing 1a constitutes the side surface closest to the display screen 103 in the housing 1a. . That is, among the four sides forming the outer periphery of the display screen 103, the distance between the front long side and the front surface of the housing 1a facing the long side is the other side and the side surface of the housing 1a facing the each side. And shorter than the distance.

  In the present embodiment, the external connection terminal 104 is formed on the upper portion of the front surface 1b that is the side surface closest to the display screen 103 in the housing 1a. More specifically, the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position facing the center of the display screen 103 on the front surface 1 b, that is, a position facing the center of the long side on the front side of the display screen 103. The external connection terminal 104 is a terminal for inputting data from the outside or outputting data to the outside. In this example, the external connection terminal 104 constitutes a USB port. However, the external connection terminal 104 is not limited to a USB port, and may constitute another port such as a PS / 2 port or a LAN port.

  In the present embodiment, the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position close to the display screen 103 in the housing 1a with the above configuration, so that the position of the external connection terminal 104 can be easily understood by the user. That is, since the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position close to the display screen 103 that the user confirms when operating the image forming apparatus 1, the external connection terminal 104 can easily be seen by the user, and the user can The connection terminal 104 can be easily found.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the external connection terminal 104 is formed on the side surface (front surface) of the housing 1a closest to the display screen 103 provided on the upper surface of the housing 1a. The position of the external connection terminal 104 is easier to understand for the user.

  However, the external connection terminal 104 is not limited to the front surface 1b of the housing 1a, and may be provided on a side surface other than the front surface 1b. For example, when the display screen 103 is provided closer to the left side or the right side than the front surface 1b of the housing 1a, the external connection terminal 104 may be provided on the left side or the right side of the housing 1a. Good. Further, the external connection terminal 104 is provided not only on the side surface of the housing 1a but also at other positions such as the upper surface of the housing 1a as long as the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position close to the display screen 103 in the housing 1a. Also good. Normally, the display screen 103 is not provided in the vicinity of the back surface of the housing 1a. Therefore, the external connection terminals 104 are not formed on the back surface of the housing 1a.

  The display screen 103 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and can be formed in various shapes such as a square shape, a trapezoidal shape, and an elliptical shape. In this case, the external connection terminal 104 may be provided on the side surface closest to the display screen 103 in the housing 1 a, that is, the side surface closest to the outer periphery of the display screen 103.

  In the present embodiment, a mode (external input / output mode) in which data is input or output via the external connection terminal 104 can be selected by operating the operation display panel 100 and selecting a mode. Yes. FIG. 2 shows a display example of the display screen 103 when the external input / output mode is selected. In this display example, an arrow 105 as an image visually indicating the relative position of the external connection terminal 104 is displayed on the display screen 103 together with a message for instructing the user to connect the USB to the external connection terminal 104.

  The arrow 105 indicates the relative position of the external connection terminal 104 with respect to the arrow 105. In this example, the position facing the external connection terminal 104 on the display screen 103, that is, the center in the left-right direction of the display screen 103, An arrow 105 pointing to is displayed. As described above, since the image (arrow 105) visually showing the relative position of the external connection terminal 104 is displayed on the display screen 103, the user can quickly find the external connection terminal 104 based on the display. The position of the external connection terminal 104 is easier for the user to understand.

  In the present embodiment, since the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position facing the center of the display screen 103, an image (arrow 105) that visually indicates the relative position of the external connection terminal 104 is displayed on the display screen 103. Can be displayed at the center of the screen. Thereby, compared with the case where the image is displayed at the end of the display screen 103, the image can be displayed larger, so that the position of the external connection terminal 104 can be displayed more easily. However, the image displayed on the display screen 103 is not limited to the arrow 105 and may be another image.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 of FIG. In the present embodiment, a display control board 200, a document reading control board 300, and an image formation control board 400 are provided in the housing 1 a of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The document reading control board 300 is a board for controlling a document reading operation. Image data of the first surface of the document read by the first scanner 3a of the document reading unit 3 is input to the document reading control board 300, and image processing is performed on the image data by the document reading control board 300. It has become.

  The image forming control board 400 is a main board that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1, and controls the image forming operation on the recording paper P and also controls the operations of other units such as the paper feeding unit 5. The image data of the second side of the document read by the second scanner 2k of the ADF 2 is input to the image formation control board 400, and image processing is performed on the image data by the image formation control board 400. .

  The image data of the first surface of the document that has been subjected to image processing by the document reading control board 300 is sent to the image formation control board 400, and the image formation control board 400 controls the operation of the image forming unit 4. Then, an image based on the image data of the first surface is formed on the recording paper P. In the case of double-sided reading using the ADF 2, the image formation control board 400 controls the operation of the image forming unit 4 based on the image data of the second side of the document that has been subjected to image processing by the image formation control board 400. As a result, an image based on the image data of the second surface is formed on the recording paper P.

  However, the image data of the first surface of the document read by the first scanner 3a is input to the image formation control board 400, and the image processing is performed by the image formation control board 400. Such a configuration may be adopted. Further, the image data of the second side of the document read by the second scanner 2k may be input to the document reading control board 300, and image processing may be performed by the document reading control board 300.

  The display control board 200 is provided so as to face the back side of the operation display panel 100. On the display control board 200, various electric components such as the external connection terminal 104 described above are mounted in addition to the CPU constituting the display control unit 201 and the image processing unit 202. The display control unit 201 controls display on the display screen 103 of the display unit 102, and displays various images such as an image (arrow 105) that visually indicates the relative position of the external connection terminal 104 as described above. Control for displaying on the screen 103 is performed.

  The image processing unit 202 performs image processing on image data input / output from / to the USB via the external connection terminal 104. That is, when image data is input from the USB via the external connection terminal 104, the image processing unit 202 performs image processing on the image data, and the image data after the image processing is displayed on the image formation control board 400. Is input. Based on the image data input to the image formation control board 400, the image formation control board 400 controls the operation of the image forming unit 4 to form an image based on the image data on the recording paper P. it can.

  Note that image data input to the image forming control board 400 is stored in a memory (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 or transmitted to another apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus 1. Is also possible. Further, the image processing unit 202 processes the image data of the original read by the first scanner 3 a or the second scanner 2 k or the image data received from another device connected to the image forming apparatus 1. It is also possible to store in USB via the external connection terminal 104.

  Examples of the image processing performed on the image data in the display control board 200, the document reading control board 300, or the image formation control board 400 include A / D conversion, display / printing / transmission processing, and the like. it can.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, image processing on image data input from the external connection terminal 104 can be performed on the display control board 200. In particular, since the external connection terminal 104 is mounted on the display control board 200, noise generated in the image data is effectively obtained by performing image processing on the image data input from the external connection terminal 104 in the display control board 200. Can be suppressed.

  However, the external connection terminal 104 is not limited to the configuration mounted on the display control board 200 but may be configured to be connected to the display control board 200 via wiring. Even in such a configuration, since the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position close to the display screen 103, the distance between the external connection terminal 104 and the display control board 200 is also relatively short. Can be suppressed.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an operation display panel 110 provided in an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The operation display panel 110 is partitioned by a casing 111, and the casing 111 is attached to the housing 1a. The casing 111 may be fixed to the housing 1a, or may be attached to be displaceable via a hinge or the like. The operation display panel 110 is attached to the upper end of the housing 1a, and more preferably to the front end portion of the upper portion of the housing 1a. In the operation display panel 110, with respect to the same configuration as that of the operation display panel 100 according to the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings and description thereof will be omitted.

  The casing 111 is formed in a rectangular shape larger than the display screen 102 in plan view, and holds the operation unit 101 and the display unit 102. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration in which only the display unit 102 is held by the casing 111 may be used.

  In this example, the external connection terminal 104 is formed on the front surface of the casing 111. More specifically, the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position facing the center of the display screen 103 on the front surface of the casing 111, that is, a position facing the center of the long side on the front side of the display screen 103. However, the external connection terminal 104 may be formed not only on the front surface of the casing 111 but also on the other side surface of the casing 111 as long as the external connection terminal 104 is formed on the side surface of the casing 111 close to the display screen 103. .

  In the present embodiment, with the configuration as described above, the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position close to the display screen 103 that the user confirms when operating the image forming apparatus 1. It is easy for the user to see and the user can easily find the external connection terminal 104. In particular, by forming the external connection terminal 104 on the side surface of the casing 111 that holds the display unit 102, the external connection terminal 104 can be provided at a position closer to the display screen 103. Therefore, since the display unit 102 and the external connection terminal 104 are integrally recognized as constituting the same unit, and the external connection terminal 104 is easily entered by the user's eyes, the position of the external connection terminal 104 is more easily understood by the user. .

  The display control board 200 is provided at a position facing the back side of the display screen 103 in the casing 111. In addition to the CPU that constitutes the display control unit 201 and the image processing unit 202, the display control board 200 is described above. Various electrical components such as the external connection terminal 104 are mounted. As described above, if the external connection terminal 104 is mounted on the display control board 200, noise generated in the image data by performing image processing on the image data input from the external connection terminal 104 in the display control board 200. Can be effectively suppressed.

  However, the external connection terminal 104 is not limited to the configuration mounted on the display control board 200 but may be configured to be connected to the display control board 200 via wiring. Even in such a configuration, since the external connection terminal 104 is provided at a position close to the display screen 103, the distance between the external connection terminal 104 and the display control board 200 is also relatively short. Can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment as well, an image visually indicating the relative position of the external connection terminal 104 can be displayed on the display screen 103 under the control of the display control unit 201, and the effect obtained by such a configuration Is as described above.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a copying machine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the present invention is not limited to such an image forming apparatus such as a printer that does not include the document reading unit 3. It is also applicable to.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the top view which showed a part of upper surface of a housing. It is the front view which showed a part of upper part of a housing. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the operation display panel provided in the image forming apparatus which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 1a Housing 1b Front surface 4 Image forming part 100 Operation display panel 101 Operation part 102 Display part 103 Display screen 104 External connection terminal 105 Arrow 110 Operation display panel 111 Casing 200 Display control board 201 Display control part 202 Image processing part

Claims (6)

An image forming unit that forms an image on recording paper based on the image data;
A housing for housing the image forming unit;
A display unit attached to the housing and having a display screen;
An image forming apparatus, wherein an external connection terminal is provided at a position close to the display screen.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external connection terminal is formed on a side surface of the casing closest to the display screen. The display unit is held by a casing attached to the housing,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external connection terminal is formed on a side surface of the casing.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external connection terminal is provided at a position facing a central portion of the display screen. A display control unit for controlling display on the display screen;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit performs control for displaying an image visually indicating a relative position of the external connection terminal on the display screen. . A display control board provided with the display control unit;
The external connection terminal is connected to the display control board,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control board is provided with an image processing unit that performs image processing on image data input from the external connection terminal.

Images