JP2017161769A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to select an attachment position of an operating part of an image forming apparatus from two arrangement patterns.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises an operating part 2 for an operator to perform operating instructions on the exterior of a top face of an apparatus body 1. The operating part 2 includes a tilt mechanism 4 for angle adjustment with which the angle of the operating part 2 can be adjusted on a rotation shaft 3. At a rear attachment position, the operating part 2 can be arranged not to project from the front of the apparatus body 1 in every state within an angle adjustable range and have the entire size of the machine to be minimum while being directed to the top face. At a front attachment position, the operating part 2 projects from the front of the apparatus body 1, the angle adjustable range can be extended compared with a case of the rear attachment position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an operation unit capable of adjusting an angle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and multifunction machines are often mounted with an operation unit fixed in an upward direction. However, in consideration of the visibility and operability of a wheelchair user or the like, there are cases in which the operation surface of the operation unit is easier to use when the operation surface is sideways. For this reason, a technique for making it easy to check and operate the display unit of the operation unit by providing a tilt mechanism capable of adjusting the angle of the operation unit is already known. That is, it is possible to match the orientation of the operation unit to the height of the user and to prevent the indoor lighting from being reflected on the display unit.

  However, in an image forming apparatus provided with an operation unit capable of adjusting the angle, there is little protrusion of the operation unit from the contact glass surface in order to ensure ease of use of the scanner. For this reason, the movable range of the operation unit is confined to a position that does not hinder the ease of taking out the paper from the paper discharge space or the opening / closing operation of the front cover. Further, if the operation unit protrudes from the outer shape of the apparatus main body, the machine size increases. Since these things increase the transportation cost, many things are required, such as the attitude of the operation unit not to increase the machine size.

  For this reason, when a large operation unit is attached to the image forming apparatus so that the angle can be adjusted, the restrictions as described above reduce the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the operation unit and the position of the rotation shaft, and limit the movable range of the operation unit. There are many cases. In order to enable a wide range of angle adjustments, there is a problem that a complicated mechanism or mechanism is required and costs increase.

  In Patent Document 1, for the purpose of improving the visibility of the presence / absence of paper in the in-cylinder discharge space, a set unit to which an operation unit can be attached is provided on the upper side and the lower side of the in-cylinder discharge space. An image forming apparatus configured to be detachable at two positions is disclosed.

  However, since the unitized operation unit and the main body need to be wirelessly connected, and it is necessary to provide each set unit with a structure for holding an independent operation unit, the problem of cost increase can be solved. Absent. Further, the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 is not provided with an angle adjustment function of the operation unit. When an angle adjustment function is to be added, it is necessary to provide a more complicated set portion structure, which is also a costly factor.

  The present invention realizes downsizing and cost reduction of an apparatus in an image forming apparatus provided with an operation unit capable of adjusting an angle, without requiring additional parts and a complicated structure, and eliminating the waste of the arrangement space of the operation unit. For the purpose. It is another object of the present invention to make it possible to select the installation position of the operation unit with respect to the apparatus main body and the angle adjustment range according to the user's preference without deteriorating the appearance.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is provided so that the positional relationship between the holding member of the operation unit and the small cover can be changed with respect to the apparatus main body in the front and back direction of the operation unit, and the mounting position of the operation unit is selectively changed. It is possible to make it possible.

  According to the present invention, the mounting position of the operation unit can be selected from two patterns by arranging it so that it can be mounted on the apparatus body even when the positional relationship between the holding member of the operation unit and the cover of the exterior is switched. Therefore, the image forming apparatus provided with the operation unit capable of adjusting the angle can be reduced in size and price, and the installation position of the operation unit and the angle adjustment range can be selected according to the user's preference.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance when arrange | positioning an operation part to the front side, and when arrange | positioning to a rear side, (a) is rear side attachment, (b) is the figure attached front side. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the angle adjustment range and apparatus main body in the state which has arranged the operation part in the rear side attachment position. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the angle adjustment range and apparatus main body in the state which has arranged the operation part in the front side attachment position. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of an operation part holding member and a small cover, (a) is a rear side attachment, (b) is the figure attached to the front side. It is a figure which shows an apparatus internal structure (attachment part of an operation part holding member). It is a figure which shows the small cover attaching part of the exterior cover around an operation part. It is a figure which shows the winding of an operation part connection cable, (a) is rear side attachment, (b) is the figure attached front side.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present invention has the following characteristics when the angle-adjustable operation unit is attached to the image forming apparatus.
In short, the mounting position of the operation unit can be selected from two patterns by adopting a configuration that allows it to be mounted on the apparatus body even when the positional relationship between the holding member of the operation unit and the small cover of the exterior is switched. Is a feature.
The features of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 2 on the top surface exterior of the apparatus main body 1 for an operator to give an operation instruction. The operation unit 2 includes an angle adjusting tilt mechanism 4 that can adjust the angle about the rotation shaft 3. In the figure, reference numeral 2 a denotes an operation surface of the operation unit 2.

  FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the mounting state of the operation unit 2 in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A illustrates a state in which the operation unit 2 is arranged at the rear mounting position, and FIG. The state arranged at the front mounting position is shown.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the angle adjustment range at the rear mounting position of the operation unit 2 and the apparatus main body 1. In the rear mounting position in FIG. 3, the operation unit 2 does not protrude from the front surface of the apparatus main body 1 in any state in which the angle can be adjusted, and the size of the entire machine is minimized when facing the top surface direction. Can be placed. That is, when the image forming apparatus is transported, the transportation cost can be reduced by arranging the image forming apparatus so that the machine size is reduced. Further, when the image forming apparatus is installed, the user can select a preferred arrangement of the operation unit (small installation space or large angle adjustment range). They can be realized at low cost without the addition of complicated mechanisms, structures, and special adjustment parts.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing the positional relationship between the angle adjustment range of the operation unit and the apparatus main body 1 at the front mounting position of the operation unit 2. In the front mounting position of FIG. 4, the operation unit 2 protrudes from the front surface of the apparatus main body 1, and the range in which the angle can be adjusted can be expanded as compared with the case of the rear mounting position.

  The position of the rotary shaft 3 of the operation unit 2 has a certain angle adjustment range even at the rear mounting position (FIG. 3). In order to prevent the position of the operation unit 2 from becoming too high when the operation surface 2a of the operation unit 2 faces the side surface (or front surface) of the apparatus main body 1 at the front mounting position (FIG. 4). It is arranged near the center of the back surface of the part 2.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the arrangement of the holding member 5 and the small cover 6 of the operation unit 2 at the front mounting position and the rear mounting position of the operation unit 2.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus main body even in a state where the holding member 5 and the small cover 6 of the operation unit 2 are replaced and arranged in the front and back direction of the operation unit 2 (the operation surface 2 a side is the front). 1 can be fixed to each other. By doing in this way, the attachment position of the operation part 2 can be changed. Also, with this configuration, complicated shapes such as the tilt mechanism 4 configuring the operation unit 2 and the components of the apparatus main body 1 below the exposure mechanism 2 can be prevented from being exposed to the appearance. Furthermore, by arranging the small cover 6 at a position that is not conspicuous when the operation unit 2 is operated, the mounting position of the operation unit can be changed without deteriorating the design. That is, the attachment position of the operation unit 2 can be selected and changed without requiring a complicated connection structure with the apparatus main body 1.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the support member mounting shape portion 7 of the operation portion 2 in the structure inside the apparatus main body 1. The structure inside the apparatus main body 1 is provided with a shape in which the holding member 5 of the operation unit 2 can be attached at two front and rear positions. Therefore, the holding member 5 of the operation unit 2 can be arranged at any attachment position before or after the operation body 2 is provided in the structure of the apparatus main body 1.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a mounting shape of the small cover 6 provided on the exterior covers 8 and 9 of the apparatus main body 1 around the operation unit 2. The exterior covers 8 and 9 around the operation unit 2 are arranged corresponding to the attachment positions of the two holding members 5 so that the inside of the apparatus main body 1 on the side where the holding member 5 of the operation unit 2 is not attached is not exposed. The small cover 6 can be fixed. Although not shown in the drawings, it is provided with a shape such as a screw fastening portion or a snap fit structure.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing the winding of the connection cable 10 at the front mounting position and the rear mounting position of the operation unit 2. As shown in FIG. 8, the length of the connection cable 10 for connecting the operation unit 2 is a length that can correspond to any operation unit mounting position where a longer cable is required. Then, the surplus portion remaining at the other mounting position can be stored in the cable storage space 11 provided inside the holding member 5. This makes it possible to correspond to each operation unit mounting position.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and many modifications can be made by those having ordinary knowledge in the art within the technical idea of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Device main body 2: Operation part 2a: Operation surface 3: Rotating shaft 4: Tilt mechanism 5: Holding member 6: Small cover 7: Support member attachment shape part 8: Exterior cover 9: Exterior cover 10: Connection cable 11: Cable storage space

JP 2007-316438 A

Claims (4)

  An image forming system characterized in that the positional relationship between the holding member of the operation unit and the cover can be fixed to the main body of the apparatus by changing the front and back directions of the operation unit so that the mounting position of the operation unit can be selected and changed. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tilt mechanism capable of adjusting an angle of an operation surface of the operation unit.   The operation unit can be arranged without projecting to the outside of the apparatus main body at the operation unit mounting position before and after the angle adjustment range of the operation unit and the size of the apparatus main body change. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus main body includes a space that can store an extra length of a cable connecting the holding member to the operation unit. 5.