JP2010134306A - Operation device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mechanism capable of confirming the abnormal fact that a push button is depressed long (or abnormality such as long depression of the push button) after the fact. <P>SOLUTION: An operation device 14 includes: a key group 22 comprising a plurality of keys; an input detection part 31 for detecting the key depression; a measuring part 32 for measuring a key depression time when detecting the key depression by the input detection part 31; a memory control part 34 that writes abnormality history information showing the occurrence of the abnormality of the key as a measurement target into a memory 24 when the measured value measured by the measuring part 32 reaches a previously set threshold. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating device and an image forming apparatus.

  The push button has a mechanism in which the contact is closed (turned on) when pressed and received from the outside, and the contact is opened (turned off) when the press is released. The operation method of the push button includes a case where the button is pressed instantaneously and a case where the button is continuously pressed (long press). Thus, a technique is known in which the content of subsequent processing is changed depending on the length of the pressing time when the push button is pressed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2006-169891 A JP 2007-74650 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism capable of confirming the fact that an abnormality in which a push button is kept pressed for a long time has occurred.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one push button, a measurement unit that measures a time during which the push button is kept pressed, a storage unit, and a measurement value of the measurement unit reach a preset threshold value. In this case, the present invention relates to an operating device having writing means for writing abnormality history information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the push button to the storage means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the operation device according to the first aspect, the writing means writes information including push button specifying information for specifying a push button in which an abnormality has occurred in the storage means as the abnormality history information. It is.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one push button operated by a user instructing image formation, a measuring unit that measures a time during which the push button is kept pressed, a storage unit, When the measured value reaches a preset threshold value, an operation device having a writing means for writing abnormality history information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the push button to the storage means, and the utilization using the operation device The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on an image forming condition specified by a person.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the threshold value is set under a condition that the time is shorter than the time until the image forming apparatus shifts to the power saving state.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, the abnormality history information is stored in an information storage unit on the image forming apparatus main body side.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the fact that an abnormality in which the push button is kept pressed for a long time (hereinafter also referred to as “long push button abnormality”) has occurred can be confirmed afterwards.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, even if the long-pressed state is released, the pushbutton that has continued to be in an abnormal long-pressed state can be identified afterwards.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a user who uses the image forming apparatus operates the push button, it is possible to confirm afterwards the fact that an abnormality has occurred in which the push button is kept pressed for a long time.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, before the image forming apparatus shifts to the power saving state, it is possible to determine whether or not the push button has been abnormally pressed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even when the operation device is removed from the image forming apparatus main body, if a long push abnormality of the push button occurs during operation of the operation device, the fact is stored as information. It can be confirmed later by means of the abnormality history information of the means.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various modifications and improvements have been made within the scope of deriving specific effects obtained by the constituent requirements of the invention and combinations thereof. Including form.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, as an example of an image forming apparatus, an image reading function for reading an image of an original, a copying function for copying an image of an original on a recording medium (paper), and a digital (FAX) function for transmitting and receiving facsimile data are combined. A case where the present invention is applied to a multifunction machine will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer apparatus, and a facsimile apparatus.

  In the illustrated image forming apparatus 1, a main control unit 2, a calculation unit 3, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 4, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 5, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 6, and display control. The unit 7, the reading control unit 8, the image formation control unit 9, the FAX I / F (interface) unit 10, the network I / F (interface) unit 11, and the operation device 14 are connected to a common bus 12. ing.

  The main control unit 2 controls the overall processing operation of the image forming apparatus 1 and is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The arithmetic unit performs arithmetic processing according to instructions from the main control unit 2. The RAM 4 is used for storing various information necessary for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The ROM 5 stores a program and the like for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The HDD 6 is used for storing image information.

  The display control unit 7 outputs an operation screen signal (operation screen signal) to the operation device 14 in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 2. The operation device 14 is operated by a user who instructs image formation. The operation device 14 is attached to the main body portion (machine main body) of the image forming apparatus 1 using, for example, screws. For this reason, when removing the operation device 14 from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, the screw fixing the operation device 14 is loosened. In addition, the electrical connection between the control system of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 and the operation device 14 is configured, for example, via a connector, a cable (harness), or the like.

  The reading control unit 8 controls the operation of the document reading unit 15 in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 2. The document reading unit 15 optically reads a document image. The image formation control unit 9 controls the operation of the image formation unit 16 in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 2. The image forming unit 16 forms (prints out) an image on a sheet serving as a recording medium based on, for example, an electrophotographic system.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the operating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated operation device 14 includes an operation device control unit 21, a key group 22, a touch panel 23, a memory 24, an LCD power supply 25, a backlit LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel 26, and a buzzer 27. It has a configuration with.

  The controller device 21 controls processing in the controller device 14. The operating device control unit 21 includes an input detection unit 31, a measurement unit 32, an abnormality detection unit 33, a memory control unit 34, an LCD power control unit 35, and a buzzer control unit 36.

  The key group 22 includes a plurality of keys. The “key” described here is one form of a push button. The push button is a mechanical operation button that is turned on when pressed and turned off when not pressed. In this specification, the term push button includes various keys and switches.

  The touch panel 23 is a pressure-sensitive coordinate input device. The memory 24 is configured using a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The memory 24 is provided as a storage means.

  The LCD power supply 25 supplies power to the backlight of the LCD panel 26. The LCD panel 26 is provided as a display panel for displaying an operation screen. An operation screen signal is input from the display control unit 7 to the LCD panel 26, and an operation screen is displayed on the LCD panel 26 in accordance with the operation screen signal. The buzzer 27 generates a warning sound.

  The input detector 31 detects a plurality of keys constituting the key group 22 and inputs from the touch panel 23. Among these, the input from the key is detected by receiving a key input signal generated by closing the contact of the key when the key is actually pressed. The key input signal is different for each key.

  When the input detection unit 31 detects the input (pressing) of any key, the measurement unit 32 timers the time during which the key is continuously pressed (hereinafter also referred to as “key pressing time”). It is to measure with. When any key is pressed, the measurement unit 32 uses that as a trigger (trigger) and starts measuring the key press time. The measured value (timer value) of the measuring unit 32 is reset to zero each time the pressed state of the measurement target key is released (released).

  The abnormality detection unit 33 detects the occurrence of a key abnormality based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 32. More specifically, the abnormality detection unit 33 detects the occurrence of a key abnormality when the key pressing time (measurement value) measured by the measurement unit 32 reaches a preset threshold value. The threshold applied to the key abnormality detection is stored in advance in the memory 24 and is read from there if necessary. The threshold value stored in the memory 24 may be changed according to a setting change instruction from the control system on the image forming apparatus 1 main body side.

  The memory control unit 34 writes information into the memory 24 and reads information stored in the memory 24. The information that the memory control unit 34 reads / writes from / to the memory 24 includes key abnormality history information. This abnormality history information is information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the key. The abnormality history information includes key specifying information for uniquely specifying the key for which the abnormality detecting unit 33 has detected an abnormality. The key specifying information corresponds to push button specifying information. For example, assuming that a key ID is assigned in a 1: 1 correspondence relationship with a plurality of keys, the key ID assigned to the key detected by the abnormality detection unit 33 corresponds to the push button specifying information. It becomes.

  The LCD power supply control unit 35 controls the backlight driving state (ON / OFF state) of the LCD panel 26 via the LCD power supply 25. The buzzer control unit 36 controls the drive state (on / off state) of the buzzer 27.

  FIG. 3 is an external view showing an example of an operation panel of the operation device. The illustrated operation panel 41 is roughly divided into a display area 42, a first key operation area 43, and a second key operation area 44. Each area is arranged in the order of the display area 42, the first key operation area 43, and the second key operation area 44 from the left side to the right side as viewed from the user operating the operation panel 41. Yes. The arrangement order of the areas 42, 42, and 44 is not limited to this.

  In the display area 42, a display unit 45 including the touch panel 23 and the LCD panel 26 described above is provided. Each of the first key operation area 43 and the second key operation area 44 is provided with a plurality of hardware keys (push buttons). Specifically, the first key operation area 43 is provided with a numeric keypad 46, an all clear key 47, a stop key 48, a start key 49, and the like. The all clear key 47 is an operation key for instructing cancellation of the processing setting contents. The stop key 48 is an operation key for instructing to stop the process. The start key 49 is an operation key for instructing the start of processing. The second key operation area 44 is provided with a plurality of one-touch input keys (001 to 030).

  In the image forming apparatus 1 including the operation device 14 having the above-described configuration, for example, when the user operates the operation panel 41 of the operation device 14, for example, the paper size, the copy magnification, the number of copies, and the color mode (black and white, color ) And the like are designated. Then, when the user presses the start button 49 after designating the image forming conditions, the image forming unit 16 forms an image on the sheet according to the image forming conditions. If the type of processing specified by the user using the operation device 14 is FAX processing, processing conditions such as a document image reading resolution and a FAX destination are specified. Then, the document reading unit 15 reads the image of the document according to the processing conditions specified by the user, and the FAX I / F unit 10 transmits the FAX data based on the reading result to the specified destination (FAX number).

  Here, when the user operates the operation panel 41 to specify processing conditions such as image forming conditions and FAX, to change processing conditions, or to stop processing, the first key operation area 43 or The user may press the hardware key provided in the second key operation area 44. When the user actually presses one of the hardware keys, for example, the start key 49, the input detection unit 31 detects that the start key 49 is pressed. At this time, the input detection unit 31 outputs an operation input signal notifying that the start key 49 has been pressed. Upon receiving the operation input signal, the main control unit 2 instructs the reading control unit 8 and the image formation control unit 9 to start processing, for example. The operation input signal is sent to the main control unit 2 through the bus 12.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the controller device. First, the controller device control unit 21 determines whether or not a hardware key on the operation panel 41 is pressed based on the detection result of the input detection unit 31 (step S1). When the input detection unit 31 detects pressing of the hardware key, the controller device 21 starts measuring time (key pressing time) by the measurement unit 32 using this as a trigger (step S2).

  Next, the controller control unit 21 determines whether or not the hardware key has been released (released) based on the detection result of the input detection unit 31 (step S3). And if the input detection part 31 stops detecting pressing of the hardware key which the measurement part 32 is measuring object, after resetting the measured value of the measurement part 32 to zero (step S4), the operating device control part 21 The process returns to step S1.

  On the other hand, when the input detection unit 31 continues to detect pressing of the hardware key, the abnormality detection unit 33 determines whether or not the measurement value of the measurement unit 32 is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value (step S5). ). At this time, if the measurement value of the measurement unit 32 is less than the threshold value, the controller device control unit 21 returns to the process of step S3.

  The threshold applied to the process of step S5 may be set as a fixed value or a variable value. As a specific setting condition, the threshold is set to, for example, 50 to 59 seconds in order to distinguish between a normal operation that the user intentionally presses for a long time and an abnormal operation caused by a long press that is not intended by the user. It is set in the condition of. The threshold value is set under a condition that the time is shorter than the time until the image forming apparatus 1 shifts to the power saving state. In the control system (for example, the main control unit 2) on the main body side of the image forming apparatus 1, when the operation of the machine is stopped and the instruction from the user is waited (hereinafter referred to as “standby state”), a power saving timer (not shown) When the measured value of the power saving timer reaches the specified time in the standby state, the power saving state is entered. In the power saving state, for example, measures such as turning off the power of the HDD 6 and turning off the backlight of the LCD panel are taken. If you have a function to change the setting time from 1 minute (60 seconds) to several hours in order to shift to the power saving state, the threshold is set under the condition that it is shorter than the shortest transition time (1 minute in this example) Set. As described above, when the threshold is set shorter than the transition time to the power saving state, the abnormality detection unit 33 determines whether or not the hardware key is pressed abnormally before the image forming apparatus 1 transitions to the power saving state. It will be.

  In step S5, when the measurement value of the measurement unit 32 is equal to or greater than the threshold value (when the measurement value reaches the threshold value), the abnormality detection unit 33 detects the occurrence of the hardware key abnormality and stores the detection result in the memory. The control unit 34 is notified (step S6). Then, in response to the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 33, the memory control unit 34 specifies the hardware key that actually detected the occurrence of abnormality as abnormality history information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the hardware key. Information including the specific information is written into the memory 24 (step S7). In this case, the memory control unit 34 functions as a writing unit.

  Note that the abnormality history information may include, for example, date and time information when a hardware key abnormality (long pressing abnormality) is detected in addition to the key specifying information. In addition, the controller control unit 21 transmits an error detection command including abnormality history information to the main control unit 2 through the bus 12, and the main control unit 2 receives the error detection command and the information storage unit on the image forming apparatus 1 main body side. (For example, abnormality history information may be stored in the HDD 6 or a non-volatile memory (not shown)).

  FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an example of processing performed by the controller device. Here, four keys (key A, key B, key C, key D) will be described as an example of hardware keys. First, when the key A is pressed, measurement of the pressing time is started. At that time, as shown in the figure, if another key B and key C are pressed during a period in which the key A is continuously pressed, that is, if a plurality of keys are pressed simultaneously, The device control unit 21 sets the key A first detected by the input detection unit 31 as a measurement target of the key press time, and thereafter the key B and the key C detected by the input detection unit 31 indicate the key press time. Control not to measure. The reason for adopting such a control method is that it is assumed that the measuring unit 32 has one timer used for measuring the key press time. If the measurement unit 32 includes a plurality of timers, a mechanism for individually measuring the key press time for each key may be employed.

  As described above, when the time Ta from when the key A is pressed until the pressed state is released (released) is less than a preset threshold Ter, without detecting the occurrence of a key abnormality, Wait for the next input operation. Further, when the key B is pressed in a state where all keys are not pressed, measurement of the pressing time is started. If the time Tb until the pressed state of the key B is released is less than the threshold value Ter, the next input operation is awaited without detecting the occurrence of a key abnormality. Thereafter, when the key D is pressed in a state where all the keys are not pressed, measurement of the pressing time is started. When the time Td equal to or greater than the threshold Ter has elapsed without releasing the pressed state of the key D, the abnormality detection unit 33 detects the abnormality of the key D.

  By the way, as a situation where the occurrence of a hardware key abnormality is detected, for example, when a user puts a thick book on the operation panel 41, the hardware key is pressed with the weight, and the pressed state is a threshold value. The case where it continued over the above time can be considered. In addition to this, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the normal state, the key top 51 of the hardware key protrudes from the cover 50 of the operation panel 41 by a specified amount. When the user presses the key top 51 and presses (turns on) the hardware key, as shown in FIG. 6B, the user tries to return to the normal state by the biasing force of a spring (not shown) built in the key. It is also conceivable that the key top 51 to be caught is caught in the opening portion of the cover 50 and the pressed state of the hardware key continues for a time equal to or greater than a threshold value.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the operating device concerning embodiment of this invention. It is an external view which shows an example of the operation panel of an operating device. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process performed with an operating device. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the process performed with an operating device. It is a figure explaining an example of the situation where key abnormality occurs.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Main control part, 6 ... HDD, 14 ... Operation apparatus, 16 ... Image formation part, 21 ... Operation apparatus control part, 24 ... Memory, 31 ... Input detection part, 32 ... Measurement part, 33 ... Abnormality detection unit 34 ... Memory control unit

Claims (5)

At least one push button;
Measuring means for measuring the time during which the push button is kept pressed;
Storage means;
An operation device comprising: a writing unit that writes, into the storage unit, abnormality history information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the push button when the measurement value of the measuring unit reaches a preset threshold value. The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the writing unit writes information including push button specifying information for specifying a push button in which an abnormality has occurred in the storage unit as the abnormality history information. At least one push button operated by a user instructing image formation, measurement means for measuring the time during which the push button is kept pressed, storage means, and a measurement value of the measurement means is set to a preset threshold value. An operating device having a writing means for writing abnormality history information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the push button to the storage means,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium based on an image forming condition designated by the user using the operation device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the threshold is set under a condition that the time is shorter than a time until the image forming apparatus shifts to a power saving state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a unit that stores the abnormality history information in an information storage unit on a main body side of the image forming apparatus.

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