JP2017151179A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that has reduced a possibility of wrong operation.SOLUTION: A compound machine 10 comprises: a main power switch 23; a sub power switch 41; an operation part 13; and a display control part 21. The main power switch 23 is turned on to supply a power to parts of the compound machine 10. The sub power switch 41 is provided separately from the main power switch 23. The sub power switch 41 is turned off to stop part of supply of power to stop part of functions of the compound machine 10. The operation part 13 includes an operation panel 31 that displays information from the compound machine 10 and receives an input of a condition for image formation to the compound machine 10, and a plate-like operation board 33 in which the operation panel 31 is embedded. The display control part 21 controls the operation panel 31 to display information as to whether the sub power switch 41 is turned on or turned off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus typified by a multifunction peripheral or the like, after an image of a document is read by an image reading unit, light is irradiated on the photoconductor provided in the image forming unit based on the read image, An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface. After that, a developer such as charged toner is supplied onto the formed electrostatic latent image to form a visible image, and then transferred to a fed sheet, fixed, and discharged outside the apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus, power is supplied from the outside of the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus side through an outlet or the like. The image forming apparatus is provided with a main power switch that supplies power to each unit of the image forming apparatus. Technologies relating to the power switch are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-220559 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-242200 (Patent Document 2).

JP-A-11-220559 JP-A-2005-242200

  The image forming apparatus supplies power to each unit of the image forming apparatus by turning on the main power switch. That is, the main power switch is turned on to enable a plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus.

  Some image forming apparatuses are provided with a sub power switch in addition to the main power switch. The sub power switch is for turning off the power supply to stop part of the functions of the image forming apparatus. For example, it is used when it is required to stop the copy function while the printer function and the facsimile function are operated from the viewpoint of power saving.

  Here, for a user who is unfamiliar with the operation, the main power switch and the sub power switch may be mistakenly recognized, and for example, the main power switch may be turned off instead of the sub power switch when returning home. . In this case, the facsimile function, which is a function of the image forming apparatus, does not operate, and a problem arises that nighttime facsimile communication cannot be performed. With the technologies disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is difficult to cope with such a case.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the risk of erroneous operation is reduced.

  In one aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus has a plurality of functions related to image formation. The image forming apparatus includes a main power switch, a sub power switch, an operation unit, and a display control unit. The main power switch supplies power to each part of the image forming apparatus by turning it on. The sub power switch is provided separately from the main power switch. When the sub power switch is turned off, the power supply is partially stopped so as to stop a part of the functions of the image forming apparatus. The operation unit includes an operation panel that displays information from the image forming apparatus and inputs conditions relating to image formation to the image forming apparatus, and a plate-shaped operation panel in which the operation panel is embedded. The display control unit controls the operation panel to display information about whether the sub power switch is on or off.

  According to such an image forming apparatus, the display control unit displays information on whether the sub power switch is on or off on the operation panel. Then, it can be easily recognized visually whether the sub power switch is in the on state or the off state. Therefore, even a user who is unfamiliar with the operation can reduce the possibility of erroneous operation.

1 is a schematic view showing a part of the appearance of a multifunction peripheral when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the multifunction peripheral. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the multifunction machine illustrated in FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the operation part vicinity from the front. It is the figure which looked at the operation part vicinity at the time of a sub power switch being an ON state from the diagonal direction. It is the figure which looked at the operation part vicinity at the time of a sub power switch being an OFF state from the diagonal direction. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of an operation panel.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, a configuration of a multifunction peripheral when the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the multifunction peripheral will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a part of the external appearance of a multifunction peripheral when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the multifunction peripheral. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the multifunction peripheral illustrated in FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the multifunction machine 10 includes a control unit 12, an operation unit 13, an image reading unit 14, a paper setting unit 19, an image forming unit 15, a main power switch 23, and a sub power switch. A power switch 41, a hard disk 16, a facsimile communication unit 17, and a network interface unit 18 for connecting to the network 25 are provided.

  The control unit 12 controls the entire multifunction machine 10. The control unit 12 includes a display control unit 21 that controls display contents of an operation panel 31 to be described later. The operation unit 13 informs the user of information from the multifunction device 10 side and allows the user to input image forming conditions such as the number of copies to be printed and gradation. The image reading unit 14 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 22 that automatically conveys a set document to the reading unit. The image reading unit 14 reads image data of a document. The paper setting unit 19 includes a manual tray 28 for manually setting paper and a paper feed cassette 29 that can store a plurality of sheets. In the paper setting unit 19, paper supplied to the image forming unit 15 is set. The image forming unit 15 forms an image based on the read image data and image data transmitted via the network 25. When the main power switch 23 is turned on, the main power switch 23 supplies power to each part of the multifunction device 10, that is, the entire multifunction device 10. The main electric switch 23 is turned off to stop the supply of electric power to each unit of the multifunction machine 10. For example, the main power switch 23 is provided in the vicinity of a power supply board (not shown). When the sub power switch 41 is turned off, the supply of power is partially stopped so as to stop a part of the functions of the multifunction machine 10. Specifically, when the sub power switch 41 is turned off, the copy function cannot be used, but the printer function and the facsimile function can be used. When the sub power switch 41 is turned on, not only a printer function and a facsimile function but also a copy function can be used. By turning off the sub power switch 41, it is possible to save power in the multifunction machine 10, such as saving energy consumption during standby time. The hard disk 16 stores transmitted image data, input image forming conditions, and the like. The facsimile communication unit 17 is connected to the public line 24 and performs facsimile transmission and facsimile reception.

  The multi-function device 10 includes a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) for writing and reading image data, but illustration and description thereof are omitted. In addition, arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of data regarding control signals, control, and images.

  The multifunction machine 10 operates as a copying machine by forming an image in the image forming unit 15 using the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 14. In addition, the multifunction machine 10 forms an image in the image forming unit 15 and prints it on a sheet using image data transmitted from the computers 26a, 26b, and 26c connected to the network 25 through the network interface unit 18. It operates as a printer. That is, the image forming unit 15 operates as a printing unit that prints the requested image. In addition, the multifunction machine 10 forms an image in the image forming unit 15 via the DRAM using the image data transmitted from the public line 24 through the facsimile communication unit 17, and the image reading unit 14 reads the image. By transmitting the image data of the original document to the public line 24 through the facsimile communication unit 17, the facsimile apparatus operates. The multifunction machine 10 has a plurality of functions related to image formation, such as a copy function, a printer function, and a facsimile function, regarding image processing. Further, each function has functions that can be set in detail.

  The image forming system 27 including the multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the multifunction machine 10 having the above-described configuration and a plurality of computers 26 a, 26 b, and 26 c connected to the multifunction machine 10 via the network 25. Prepare. In this embodiment, three computers 26a to 26c are shown. Each of the computers 26 a to 26 c can make a print request to the multifunction machine 10 via the network 25 and perform printing.

  Next, a specific configuration of the multifunction machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The multifunction machine 10 includes a main body housing 11a and a connection housing 11b. The main body housing 11a has a cubic box shape, in which the image forming unit 15 and the paper feed cassette 29 are accommodated. The connection casing 11b is formed along the right side and the rear side above the main body casing 11a. The connecting casing 11b has a connecting plane 11d that is a vertical plane located slightly behind the main body front face 11c of the main casing 11a. The connection housing 11b has a standing wall 11e formed so as to surround the right side and the rear of the upper surface 11f of the main body housing 11a. And the connection housing | casing 11b mounts and supports the image reading part 14 in the upper part.

  A discharge port (not shown) through which a sheet on which an image is formed is discharged is formed in the right standing wall 11e of the connection housing 11b. The sheet discharged from the discharge port is discharged to the in-body discharge unit 20 surrounded by the upper surface 11f of the main body casing 11a, the standing wall 11e of the connection casing 11b, and the image reading unit 14. The upper surface 11f is an inclined surface in which the side of the standing wall 11e is inclined downward, and the left side is a horizontal surface. The discharged sheets are aligned and stacked toward the standing wall 11e by their own weight.

  The operation unit 13 is disposed over the connection plane 11 d on the front surface of the image reading unit 14, and a part of the left side protrudes above the in-cylinder discharge unit 20. A main power switch 23 is provided near the center of the connecting plane 11d. The main electron microscope switch 23 is a circular button, is urged forward, and is always located on substantially the same plane as the connecting plane 11d. Each time the main power switch 23 is depressed, the main power is turned on or off.

  Next, the configuration of the operation unit 13 provided in the multifunction machine 10 will be described in more detail. FIG. 3 is a view of the vicinity of the operation unit 13 as viewed from the front. 4 and 5 are views of the vicinity of the operation unit 13 seen from an oblique direction. Note that the front here refers to the case of viewing from the so-called front side of the multifunction machine 10.

  1 to 5, the operation unit 13 includes an operation panel 31, a numeric keypad 32, and an operation panel 33. The operation panel 31 is a so-called touch panel that displays information from the multifunction device 10 and causes the multifunction device 10 to input conditions relating to image formation. The numeric keypad 32 is mainly composed of hard keys for inputting numerical values and symbols by pressing. The numeric keypad 32 is provided on the side of the operation panel 33. The operation panel 33 has a so-called plate shape, has a predetermined thickness, and has an operation panel 31 embedded therein. The operation panel 33 is configured to be able to change its angle with respect to the multifunction machine 10.

  The sub power switch 41 is composed of a cylindrical member. The sub power switch 41 is provided at a position in the same field of view as the operation panel 31 when operating the operation panel 31. Specifically, the sub power switch 41 is provided in the vicinity of the operation panel 31, in this case, on the upper side of the operation panel 31 with the top 42 facing the front.

  An arc-shaped cutout 34 is provided on the upper side of the operation panel 33 along the side surface of the columnar sub power switch 41. The cutout 34 is provided in a range that does not reach the area where the operation panel 31 is provided. The sub power switch 41 is configured such that a part thereof is accommodated in the arc-shaped cutout 34. Specifically, the sub power switch 41 is configured to accommodate about half of the arc surface appearing on the side surface 43 of the sub power switch 41.

The sub-power supply switch 41 (in FIGS. 4 and 5, substantially perpendicular to the control panel 33) the direction indicated by the arrow D ₁ by being pressed, together with changing the height of the apex 42, on state And off state can be switched. That is, the sub power switch 41 maintains visually different forms in height between the on state and the off state. 4 is a diagram illustrating an on state of the sub power switch 41, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an off state of the sub power switch 41.

  When the sub power switch 41 is in the ON state, the height of the top portion 42 is configured to be the same as the surface of the operation panel 31. On the other hand, when the sub power switch 41 is in the OFF state, the height of the top portion 42 is configured to be different from that of the operation panel 31. Specifically, when the sub power switch 41 is in an off state, the height of the top 42 is higher than that of the operation panel 31, that is, a position close to the eyes of the user.

  Here, the display control unit 21 controls the operation panel 31 to display information on whether the sub power switch 41 is on or off. When the sub power switch 41 is on, the display control unit 21 displays on the operation panel 31 that the sub power switch 41 is on.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display on the operation panel 31 in this case. Referring to FIG. 6, a message 35 “Sub power switch is on” is displayed on a part of the lower side of operation panel 31. The display control unit 21 controls the operation panel 31 to display a message “The sub power switch is in the off state” when the sub power switch 41 is in the off state.

  According to the MFP 10 having such a configuration, the display control unit 21 displays information on whether the sub power switch 41 is in an on state or an off state on the operation panel 31. Then, it is possible to easily recognize visually whether the sub power switch 41 is in an on state or an off state. Therefore, even a user who is unfamiliar with the operation can reduce the possibility of erroneous operation.

  In this case, since the sub power switch 41 is visually different between the on state and the off state, the state of the sub power switch 41 is visually confirmed and whether it is in the on state or the off state together with the display on the operation panel 31. Can be easily confirmed.

  In this case, since the sub power switch 41 is provided at a position that falls within the same field of view as the operation panel 31 when operating the operation panel 31, the user can easily grasp the position of the sub power switch 41. it can.

  Further, in this case, the notch 34 is provided in the operation panel 33, and the sub power switch 41 is partly accommodated in the notch 34. Therefore, the space for providing the operation unit 13 and the sub power switch 41 is compact. Can be.

  In this case, since the sub power switch 41 is provided above the operation panel 31, the visibility of the sub power switch 41 is further increased.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the sub power switch 41 is a cylindrical shape. However, the shape is not limited to this, and the shape of the sub power switch 41 may be a prism shape. Other shapes may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the height of the top 42 is configured to be the same as the surface of the operation panel 31 when the sub power switch 41 is in the on state. Instead, the height of the top portion 42 may be configured to be lower than the surface of the operation panel 31. That is, the top 42 may be recessed from the operation panel 31 when the sub power switch 41 is on. Further, the configuration of the sub power switch 41 in the on state and in the off state may be reversed.

  In the above embodiment, the sub power switch 41 is provided on the upper side of the operation panel 31. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be provided on the lower side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the display control unit 21 displays information about whether the sub power switch 41 is on or off in the message 35. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Information may be displayed on the operation panel 31 as an image, or information may be displayed as both a character and an image.

  In the above embodiment, the notch 34 is provided in the operation panel 33 and a part of the sub power switch 41 is accommodated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the notch 34 is provided in the operation panel 33. The sub power switch 41 may be accommodated in the notch 34 provided in the operation panel 33.

  In the above embodiment, whether or not the copy function is activated depending on whether the sub power switch 41 is on or off is not limited to this. The function may be activated or not.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive in any aspect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is particularly effectively used when a reduction in the risk of erroneous operation is required.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 MFP, 11a Main body case, 11b Connection case, 11c Front surface, 11d Connection plane, 11e Standing wall, 11f Upper surface, 12 Control part, 13 Operation part, 14 Image reading part, 15 Image formation part, 16 Hard disk, 17 Facsimile communication unit, 18 Network interface unit, 19 Paper set unit, 20 In-cylinder discharge unit, 21 Display control unit, 22 ADF, 23 Main power switch, 24 Public line, 25 Network, 26a, 26b, 26c Computer, 27 Image formation System, 28 Bypass tray, 29 Paper cassette, 31 Operation panel, 32 Numeric keypad, 33 Operation panel, 34 Notch, 35 Message, 41 Sub power switch, 42 Top, 43 Sides.

Claims (7)

An image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions related to image formation,
A main power switch for supplying power to each part of the image forming apparatus by turning it on;
A sub-power switch that is provided separately from the main power switch and that partially stops the supply of power so as to stop a part of the functions of the image forming apparatus by turning off the main power switch;
An operation panel for displaying information from the image forming apparatus and inputting conditions relating to image formation to the image forming apparatus; and an operation unit including a plate-shaped operation panel in which the operation panel is embedded;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a display control unit that controls to display information on whether the sub power switch is in an on state or an off state on the operation panel. The sub power switch is visually different between an on state and an off state,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub power switch is provided at a position that falls within the same visual field as the operation panel when the operation panel is operated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sub power switch has a columnar shape, and is configured to change a height of a top portion of the sub power switch and switch between an on state and an off state when pressed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sub power switch is configured such that the top portion has a height different from that of the operation panel when the sub power switch is in an off state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sub power switch is provided on an upper side of the operation panel. The operation panel is provided with a notch,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of the sub power switch is accommodated in the notch. The sub power switch is cylindrical.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the notch has an arc shape along a side surface of the columnar sub power switch.

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