JP2012010137A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus for allowing a user to visually recognize various information concerning operation states even from a remote place by light sources arranged in an existing operation display part.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 includes an operation display part 5, where multiple LEDs (light sources) L1-L4 are arranged, on the upper part of an apparatus body 1A. The image forming apparatus 1 is configured to allow light from the LEDs L1-L4 arranged in the operation display part 5 to be emitted over the upper surface and front surfaces of the apparatus body 1A and also to transmit various information concerning the operation states of the image forming apparatus 1 by at least the combinations of numbers and arrangement of the LEDs L1-L4 to be turned-on, turned-off, and flickered. Besides, the operation display part 5 is arranged so as to be erectable or projectable with respect to the apparatus body 1A. The amount of light toward the front of the LEDs L1-L4 is allowed to be larger than the amount of light toward another direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an operation display unit in which a plurality of light sources are arranged on an upper part of an apparatus main body.

  An operation display unit is provided at the top of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine that combines these functions to form an image by electrophotography, and the user is provided in the operation display unit. While confirming the contents displayed on the display unit, the operation unit is operated to input various commands such as print start, number of prints, and magnification.

  By the way, for example, in a multi-function peripheral, a plurality of light sources such as LEDs are arranged on the operation display section, and various information relating to the operation state of the apparatus such as facsimile reception and paper jam is indicated by the light source on / off / flashing and lighting color. There are some which are notified to the user, but various proposals have been made to provide various information regarding the operating state of the apparatus to a user far away from the apparatus.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a document feeding unit in which an LED and a light transmission unit that covers the LED and extends from the upper surface of the apparatus housing to the side surface are provided on the document status display unit disposed in the apparatus housing. A feeding apparatus has been proposed, and according to this, both a healthy person and a disabled person can easily visually check the feeding state of the document.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an operation display unit provided with an indicator lamp that informs a user that an incoming call has been received, a position where the display content is easily visible when the user operates the multifunction device, and the multifunction device main body. A configuration has been proposed in which the indicator lamp is attached to the MFP body so that the position of the indicator lamp can be easily changed from a location away from the MFP. According to this, it is possible to notify a user who is far away from the multifunction peripheral that there is an incoming call.

  In Patent Document 3, in order to be able to know the operating state at a glance even from a distant place, a light-emitting display unit is placed at the upper part of the copying apparatus main body, with the copying apparatus installation center as the center. A configuration has been proposed in which installation is possible from a range of 180 degrees or more. Specifically, a configuration is adopted in which a lamp support base configured to support a lamp is installed at a position higher than the upper surface of the copying apparatus main body by a support bar.

  In Patent Document 4, in the configuration proposed in Patent Document 3, two kinds of lamps having different colors are provided on the display unit, one of the lamps is used for copying and a preheating state is displayed, and the other lamp is used for copying. A configuration has been proposed in which display and abnormality display are performed, and in particular, a preheating state display is performed by blinking one of the lamps.

JP 2005-051559 A JP 2007-104730 A JP-A-8-297440 JP-A-9-269705

  However, the document status display unit in the invention described in Patent Document 1 displays only the document feeding status, and displays various information such as displaying an error or printing and prompting the user to replenish paper. Does not provide.

  Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, since the configuration in which the position of the operation display unit is changed by tightening the bolts is adopted, the operation of changing the position of the operation display unit is not easy, and the operation is not easy for the user. There is a problem of forcing a heavy burden.

  Furthermore, in the invention described in Patent Document 3, a configuration in which the display unit is installed at a position higher than the upper surface portion of the copying apparatus main body by the support rod is employed. In addition to standing up high and interfering with work, there is a problem that the display section becomes obstructive and appearance quality is deteriorated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that allows a user to visually recognize various types of information related to operating states from a distance by using a light source provided in an existing operation display unit. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus including an operation display unit in which a plurality of light sources are arranged in an upper part of the apparatus main body, and the light from the light source arranged in the operation display unit receives the light. The apparatus is configured to emit light across a plurality of surfaces of the apparatus main body, and various types of information regarding the operation state are transmitted by a combination of at least the number of light sources that are turned on / off / flashing and the arrangement thereof.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the operation display unit is provided so as to be able to stand up or protrude from the apparatus main body.

  A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the first or second aspect of the invention, various types of information relating to the operating state are transmitted also by the emission color and light amount of the light source.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the amount of light directed toward the front of the light source is made larger than the amount of light directed toward the other direction.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4, characterized in that the lens that covers the front surface of the operation display unit is composed of a member having a higher light transmittance or a transparent member than a lens that covers the other surface. To do.

  A sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the invention of any one of the third to fifth aspects, the light amount of the light source is variable.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of light sources are arranged on the operation display unit, and various types of information regarding the operation state of the image forming apparatus are transmitted by a combination of at least the number of light sources to be turned on / off / flashing and the arrangement, Since the light from the light source is configured to be emitted across multiple surfaces of the main body of the device, the user can visually recognize various information regarding the operating state of the image forming apparatus from a distance by using the light source provided on the existing operation display unit. can do.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, by allowing the operation display unit to stand up or protrude from the apparatus main body, the user can easily visually recognize the light from the light source even from a position far away from the image forming apparatus. Various types of information regarding the operating state of the image forming apparatus can be obtained.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since various information related to the operation state of the image forming apparatus is transmitted also by the light emission color and the light amount of the light source, the number of information that can be transmitted is increased and the convenience of the user is increased. Can be increased.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the amount of light traveling forward from the light source is made larger than the amount of light traveling in the other direction, so that it becomes easier for the user to visually recognize various information related to the operation state of the image forming apparatus from a distance. Further, for example, by suppressing the amount of light that is directed upward from the light source, it is possible to obtain an appropriate amount of light that is easy on the eyes of the user who is standing near the image forming apparatus.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by configuring the lens covering the front surface of the operation display unit with a member having a higher light transmittance than the lens covering the other surface or a transparent member, the amount of light directed forward from the light source is changed. It can be made larger than the amount of light going in the direction.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the light quantity of the light source can be adjusted appropriately and optimally according to the size of the office where the image forming apparatus is installed.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. (A), (b) is a sectional side view which shows the use condition of the operation display part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the display pattern (lighting-on / off / blinking) of the light source with respect to the various information regarding the operation state of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIGS. 2A and 2B are side sectional views showing a use state of an operation display unit, and FIG. 3 is a light source for various information related to the operation state of the image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the display pattern (lighting / extinguishing / flashing).

  The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having both a copying function, a printing function, and a facsimile function, and an automatic document reader 2 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1A. A paper discharge tray 3 that opens forward is provided below the automatic document reading device 2 of the apparatus main body 1A, and a paper feed cassette 4 that can be pulled out to the front is provided below the apparatus main body 1A. Is provided. Note that a plurality of sheets as recording materials are accommodated in the sheet feeding cassette 4 in a stacked state.

  Although not shown, various process devices such as a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a fixing device are accommodated in the apparatus main body 1A.

  By the way, an operation display unit 5 is provided in the center of the front end of the apparatus main body 1A in the width direction. The operation display unit 5 includes an operation unit 6 having a plurality of operation buttons such as a numeric keypad, a display unit 7 that displays various information on a liquid crystal display, and four LEDs L1, L2, and L3 that are light sources arranged in the width direction. , L4.

  The operation display unit 5 is configured as a unit including the operation unit 6, the display unit 7 and the LEDs L1 to L4, and the LEDs L1 to L4 mounted on the substrate 8 are accommodated in the housing 5A. ing. In the present embodiment, the operation display unit 5 is rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 1A by a shaft 9 that is inserted in the lower part of the front end of the housing 5A in the width direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2).

  Thus, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an opening 5a is formed at the upper corner of the front end facing the LEDs L1 to L4 of the housing 5A so as to straddle the upper surface and the front surface of the housing 5A. The opening 5a is fitted with a lens 10 that is bent substantially at right angles along the upper surface and the front surface of the housing 5A. Accordingly, light is emitted from each of the LEDs L1 to L4 across the upper surface and the front surface of the apparatus main body 1A. That is, light from each of the LEDs L <b> 1 to L <b> 4 passes through the upper surface portion 10 a and the front surface portion 10 b of the lens 10 and is emitted upward and forward, respectively. In this case, in this embodiment, the amount of light going forward from each of the LEDs L1 to L4 is made larger than the amount of light going upward. Specifically, the light transmittance of the front surface portion 10b of the lens 10 is set larger than the light transmittance of the upper surface portion 10a. For example, the entire lens 10 is made of a transparent member, and the upper surface portion 10a This is realized by applying a texture or the like to the inner surface. Alternatively, the upper surface portion 10a and the front surface portion 10b of the lens 10 may be configured by separate members, and the front surface portion 10b may be configured by a member having a high light transmittance or a transparent member.

  In this embodiment, the LEDs L1 to L4 are turned on / off / flashed, and information regarding the operating state of the image forming apparatus 1 is transmitted to the user by a combination of the number of LEDs L1 to L4 to be turned on / off / flashing and the arrangement thereof. Like to do. Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of patterns of lighting, extinguishing, and blinking of the LEDs L1 to L4 for various information related to the operation state of the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 3, “●” indicates lighting, “◯” indicates extinguishing, and “◎” indicates blinking.

  In the present embodiment, the state in which the image forming apparatus 1 is operating is displayed by a combination of lighting and blinking of the LEDs L1 to L4. In this case, the number of blinks is one for easy identification. In addition, when the number of lighting is the same and it is identified by the lighting position, the lighting is performed at two or more positions so as not to cause misidentification. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the “standby” state of the apparatus is that the LED L1 is blinking, the “fax receiving” LED L1 is lit, and the L2 is blinking, so “printing is in progress” Two LEDs L1 and L2 are lit and L3 is blinking, so that “LED during fax / scan transmission” lights three LEDs L1 to L3, and L4 blinks to display the respective operation states. .

  On the other hand, the state in which the image forming apparatus 1 is stopped due to the occurrence of a trouble is displayed by a combination of turning on and off the LEDs L1 to L4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, “JAM” is lit by two LEDs L1 and L2, “paper supply” is lit by two LEDs L1 and L4, and “FAX transmission error” is three LEDs L1 to L3. “Service man call” is displayed by lighting all the LEDs L1 to L4. In this case, “JAM” and {paper supply} have the same number of lights, but the lighting positions are different. In this way, the number of lightings is made common to states with high similarity and occurrence frequency so that the display can be easily understood.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of LEDs L <b> 1 to L <b> 4 are arranged on the operation display unit 5, and at least the number of LEDs L <b> 1 to L <b> 4 that are turned on / off / flashing and a combination of the arrangements Since various types of information are transmitted and the light from the LEDs L1 to L4 is emitted across a plurality of surfaces of the apparatus main body 1A, the user can use the LEDs L1 to L4 provided on the existing operation display unit 5 to display images. Various types of information regarding the operating state of the forming apparatus 1 can be viewed from a distance.

  When it is necessary to transmit information regarding the operation state to a user far away from the image forming apparatus 1, the operation display unit 5 in the horizontal state is centered on the axis 9 as shown in FIG. 2, and most of the light from each of the LEDs L <b> 1 to L <b> 4 is emitted forward, so that the user is far away from the image forming apparatus 1. Various information relating to the operating state of the image forming apparatus 1 can be obtained by easily visually recognizing the light from the LEDs L1 to L4 even from the position. In the present embodiment, the operation display unit 5 is erected as necessary. However, the same effect can be obtained by projecting the operation display unit 5 from the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1A.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by setting the light transmittance of the front surface portion 10b of the lens to be larger than the light transmittance of the upper surface portion 10a, the light amount directed forward from each of the LEDs L1 to L4 is more than the light amount directed upward. Since the size is increased, it becomes easier for the user to visually recognize various information related to the operation state of the image forming apparatus 1 from a distance. Then, by suppressing the amount of light that goes upward from each of the LEDs L1 to L4, it is possible to secure an appropriate amount of light that is gentle to the eyes of the user who is standing near the image forming apparatus 1 and is working.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the LEDs L1 to L4 are turned on / off / flashed, and information regarding the operating state of the image forming apparatus 1 is transmitted to the user by a combination of the number of LEDs L1 to L4 to be turned on / off / flashing and the arrangement thereof. However, if various types of information regarding the operation state of the image forming apparatus 1 are transmitted also by the light emission colors and light amounts of the LEDs L1 to L4, the number of information that can be transmitted can be increased and user convenience can be increased. Can be increased.

  If the light amounts of the LEDs L1 to L4 are made variable, the light amounts of the LEDs L1 to L4 can be adjusted appropriately and optimally according to the size of the office where the image forming apparatus 1 is installed.

  In the above, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a multifunction machine has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other arbitrary image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile as a single unit. Of course.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 1A Apparatus main body 2 Automatic document reader 3 Paper discharge tray 4 Paper feed cassette 5 Operation display part 5A Operation display part housing 5a Housing opening 6 Operation part 7 Display part 8 Substrate 9 Axis 10 Lens 10a Lens Upper surface portion 10b Front surface portion of lens L1 to L4 LED (light source)

Claims (6)

In the image forming apparatus provided with an operation display unit in which the plurality of light sources are arranged on the upper part of the apparatus body
The light from the light source arranged on the operation display unit is configured to be emitted across a plurality of surfaces of the apparatus main body, and at least relates to the operation state by a combination of the number of light sources to be turned on / off / flashing and the arrangement. An image forming apparatus characterized by transmitting various information.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation display unit is provided so as to be able to stand up or protrude from the apparatus main body.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein various types of information relating to an operation state are transmitted also by an emission color and a light amount of the light source.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the amount of light toward the front of the light source is greater than the amount of light toward the other direction.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lens that covers the front surface of the operation display unit is formed of a member having a higher light transmittance than a lens that covers the other surface or a transparent member. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the light amount of the light source is variable.

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