JP5022608B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine.

Conventionally, when an error such as a paper jam occurs in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine, the display device sequentially displays a plurality of operations indicating a procedure for canceling the error. What is made to display as a moving image is known (for example, patent document 1). This image forming apparatus is provided with a frame advance key for moving a moving image one frame at a time, a pause key for pausing a moving image, an enlarged display key for enlarging a still image, and the like by an operator operating these keys. The desired screen can be displayed on the display device.
JP 2005-208335 A

  In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, if an operator operates the frame advance key, the pause key, the enlarged display key, or the like, a desired different screen different from the currently displayed screen is displayed on the display device. Although it can be displayed, the operator must perform troublesome operations such as stopping the key operation at the timing when the desired screen is displayed while checking the display screen. When the operation procedure is guided by playing a moving image on the display device, the display screen is sequentially changed, and switching to the screen desired by the operator is often a complicated operation. In addition, it is possible to provide many keys so that each screen associated with each key can be called. However, when the number of keys increases, it gives a complicated impression to the operator and makes it difficult to perform the operation. There is.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an operator can immediately switch a display screen to a desired screen with a simple operation without providing a large number of keys. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, display means for displaying an operation guide for an operator and an operation procedure composed of a plurality of screens as the operation guide are repeatedly reproduced in order at a predetermined speed. The display control means to be displayed on the display means, the frame advance key for inputting an instruction from the operator according to the first and second predetermined operation modes performed by the operator, and the operator According to the operation mode performed by the frame advance key , a display screen determining unit that determines a screen indicating an operation to be performed next by the operator as a desired screen, and each operation guided by the operation guidance are performed by the operator. and a determination means for determining whether or not a completed, the display screen determination unit, when the first operation mode in the frame advance key is performed by the operator, is completed by the determining means While determining the screen indicating the next operation of the operation that are cross as the desired screen, when made different second operating mode from the first operation mode, it is displayed at that time The next screen is determined as the desired screen, and the display control means is an image forming apparatus that causes the display means to display the desired screen determined by the display screen determining means.

In this configuration, the display screen determination unit determines the instruction input by the operator and the display screen indicated by the instruction according to the operation mode performed by the operator using the frame advance key , and the determined display screen is displayed. Since the display control means causes the display means to display, the operator inputs a plurality of different instructions corresponding to each operation mode to the frame advance key by changing the operation mode performed by the frame advance key. A corresponding screen can be displayed on the display means.

Among them, if the operator performs a first operation mode predetermined by the frame advance key , for example, a long time operation, a screen showing the next operation after the operation already completed by the operator as the display screen of the display means Is determined as a desired screen to be displayed by the display screen determining means, but if a second operation mode different from the first operation mode, for example, a short time operation is performed, the display screen of the display unit is The screen is determined as the desired screen to be displayed , and the display control means causes the display means to display the desired screen, so that the operator can display the operation to be performed next by a simple operation. Can be displayed on the display means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a frame return in which an instruction from the operator is input by the first and second operation modes performed by the operator. further comprising a key, the display screen determination unit, when the first operating state like in the frame rewind key is performed by the operator, determines the first screen of the operation procedure as the desired screen On the other hand, when a second operation mode different from the first operation mode is performed, the screen immediately before the screen displayed at that time is determined as the desired screen .

In this configuration, when the operator performs the first operation mode with the frame return key , for example, for a long time, the first screen of the operation procedure is determined by the determining unit as the display screen of the display unit . second operation mode, for example, by performing the short time operation, as the display screen of the display means, is determined as the previous screen desired should display screen, the display control unit, it displays a screen of these means Therefore, the operator can display the first screen on the display means without performing a complicated operation such as estimating the operation timing of the instruction input while looking at the display screen of the display means. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the operator inputs two different instructions corresponding to each operation mode to the frame advance key by changing the operation mode performed by the frame advance key. Therefore, the operator can immediately switch the display screen to a desired screen with a simple operation without providing a large number of keys.

In particular , the operator can easily perform the first operation mode on the frame advance key without performing a complicated operation such as estimating the timing of inputting an instruction while viewing the display screen of the display means. By the operation, a screen on which an operation to be performed next can be displayed can be immediately displayed on the display means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operator performs a complicated operation such as estimating the timing of inputting an instruction while viewing the display screen of the display means by performing the first operation mode on the frame return key . Even if it is not performed, the first screen can be immediately displayed on the display means by a simple operation .

  Hereinafter, a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic side view mainly showing a configuration of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction machine 1 includes a main body 200, a paper post-processing section 300 disposed on the paper carry-out side, for example, the left side of the main body 200, an operation section 400 for a user to input various operation commands and the like, The document reading unit 500 is disposed at the top of the unit 200, and the document feeding unit 600 is disposed at the top of the document reading unit 500.

  The operation unit 400 includes a display unit (display unit) 410 including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and the like, and an operation key unit 430 to which an operation instruction is input from an operator. The display unit 410 includes a touch panel unit that combines a touch panel and an LCD. The display unit 410 displays various operation screens and various instructions such as instructions for switching the operation to be displayed on the display unit 410 to another operation when the operator touches the display surface (displayed operation keys). It is possible to input an execution command for these functions. The operation key unit 430 includes a start key, a numeric keypad, and the like.

  The document feeding unit 60 includes a document placement unit 601, a paper feed roller 602, a document transport unit 603, and a document discharge unit 604, and the document reading unit 500 includes a scanner 501. The paper feed roller 602 feeds the required number of documents set on the document placement unit 601 one by one, and the document transport unit 603 sequentially transports the fed document to the reading position of the scanner 501. The scanner 501 sequentially reads images of the conveyed document, and the read document is discharged to the document discharge unit 604.

  The main body 200 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 201, a plurality of paper feed rollers 202, a transfer roller 203, a photosensitive drum 204, an exposure device 206, a developing device 207, a fixing roller 208, a discharge port 209, a discharge tray 210, and the like. Prepare.

  The photosensitive drum 204 is uniformly charged by a charging device (not shown) while rotating in the direction of the arrow. The exposure device 206 scans the photosensitive drum 204 with laser light modulated in accordance with the image data of the document read by the document reading unit 500, and forms an electrostatic latent image for each color on the drum surface. The developing device 207 supplies a black developer to the photosensitive drum 204 to form a toner image.

  On the other hand, the paper feed roller 202 draws the print paper from the paper feed cassette 201 in which the print paper is stored, and feeds the print paper to the transfer roller 203. The transfer roller 203 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 204 to the conveyed printing paper, and the fixing roller 208 heats and fixes the transferred toner image on the printing paper. Thereafter, the printing paper is carried into the paper post-processing unit 300 from the discharge port 209 of the main body unit 200. The printing paper is also discharged to the discharge tray 210 as necessary.

  The paper post-processing unit 300 includes a carry-in port 301, a print paper carrying unit 302, a carry-out port 303, a stack tray 304, and the like. The printing paper conveyance unit 302 sequentially conveys the printing paper carried into the carry-in port 301 from the discharge port 209 and finally discharges the printing paper from the carry-out port 303 to the stack tray 304. The stack tray 304 is configured to be movable up and down in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the number of print sheets stacked from the carry-out port 303.

  FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the MFP shown in FIG. The multifunction device 1 includes a scanner unit 11, an image processing unit 21, a printer unit 31, an operation unit 400, a control unit 51, a network I / F (interface) unit 71, and an HDD (hard disk drive) 74.

  The scanner unit 11 includes an exposure lamp 12 and a CCD (charge coupled device) 13 that constitute the scanner 501 shown in FIG. The scanner unit 11 irradiates the document with the exposure lamp 12 and receives the reflected light with the CCD 13, thereby reading an image from the document and outputting image data corresponding to the read image to the image processing unit 21.

  The image processing unit 21 includes a correction unit 22, an image processing unit 23, and an image memory 24. The image processing unit 21 processes the read image data by the correction unit 22 and the image processing unit 23 as necessary, and stores the processed image data in the image memory 24 or outputs the processed image data to the printer unit 31. The correction unit 22 performs predetermined correction processing such as level correction and γ correction on the read image data. The image processing unit 23 performs various types of processing such as image data compression or expansion processing and enlargement or reduction processing.

  The printer unit 31 is an image composed of a paper transport unit 32 composed of the paper feed cassette 201 and paper feed roller 202 shown in FIG. 1, the photoconductive drum 204, the exposure device 206 and the development device 207 shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus includes a forming unit 33, a transfer unit 34 including the transfer roller 203 shown in FIG. 1, and a fixing unit 35 including the fixing roller 208 shown in FIG. The printer unit 31 prints an image on recording paper using the document data read by the scanner unit 11. Specifically, the paper transport unit 32 transports the recording paper to the image forming unit 33, the image forming unit 33 forms a toner image corresponding to the image data, and the transfer unit 34 transfers the toner image to the recording paper. The fixing unit 35 fixes the toner image on the recording paper to form an image.

  The network I / F unit 71 uses a network interface (10 / 100Base-TX) or the like, and controls transmission / reception of various data to / from an external device via the LAN. The HDD 74 stores image data read by the scanner unit 11, an output format set for the image data, and the like.

  The operation unit 400 includes a display unit 410 and an operation key unit 430 shown in FIG. The operation key unit 430 includes a start key, a numeric keypad, and the like. The display unit 410 includes a frame advance key 411 and a frame return key 413 (these are instruction input means) and a pause key 412 by a touch panel function. The frame advance key (first instruction input unit) 411 receives an instruction to switch the display screen of the display unit 410 to the next screen. The pause key 412 accepts an instruction to pause the display screen of the display unit 410 to make a still image and an instruction to cancel the pause of the display screen. The frame return key (second instruction input unit) 413 receives an instruction to switch the display screen of the display unit 410 to the previous screen. The images of the frame advance key 411, the frame return key 413, and the pause key 412 are displayed on the display unit 410 by the display control unit 523.

  The control unit 51 includes a CPU 52 and a display image data storage unit 53. The CPU 52 controls the operation of the multifunction device 1. The display image data storage unit 53 stores various still image data and moving image data to be displayed on the display unit 410.

  The CPU 52 includes an operation control unit 521, an error detection unit 522, and a display control unit 523. The operation control unit 521 controls operation of each unit (the scanner unit 11, the image processing unit 21, the printer unit 31, etc.) of the multifunction machine 1. The error detection unit 522 detects an operation error of each unit during the operation of the multifunction device 1. The operation error is, for example, a paper conveyance path connecting the paper feed cassette 201 to the discharge tray 210, a paper jam in the document conveyance unit 603 of the document feeding unit 600, or a failure in the image forming unit 33, the transfer unit 34, or the like An abnormal stop, etc.

  The display control unit (display control means) 523 controls the operation of the display unit 410. The display control unit 523 displays an operation guidance screen for the operator. For example, when the operation error is detected by the error detection unit 522, the display control unit 523 reads out and reproduces necessary moving image data from the display image data storage unit 53, or performs a necessary operation from the display image data storage unit 53. Still image data is read, and a screen showing an operation procedure for canceling an operation error in animation, a guidance screen for receiving input of instructions for each function such as a copy function, and the like are displayed on the display unit 410.

  A display screen determination unit (display screen determination unit) 524 determines an instruction input from the operator according to an operation mode performed by the operator using the frame advance key 411 or the frame return key 413, and each determined instruction indicates The display screen on the display unit 410 is determined. For example, the display screen discriminating unit 524 has pressed the frame advance key 411 or the frame return key 413 by the operator in a predetermined operation mode, for example, for a short time (for example, less than 1 second) or for a long time (for example, It is determined whether the button has been pressed for 1 second to several seconds, an instruction from the operator is determined based on the determination result, and a screen to be displayed on the display unit 410 is determined based on the determined instruction. For example, the display screen discriminating unit 524, when (1) the frame advance key 411 is pressed for a short time, the screen next to the screen displayed at that time, (2) the frame advance key 411 is pressed for a long time. In the case of the operation procedure being displayed, the screen showing the next operation (operation to be performed next by the operator) of the operation already completed by the operator, and (3) the frame return key 413 is pressed for a short time. In the case where the screen is displayed, the screen immediately before the currently displayed screen is displayed. (4) When the frame return key 413 is pressed for a long time, the first screen (first screen) of the operating procedure being displayed. In this manner, the instruction from the operator and the display screen indicated by the instruction are determined.

  Whether the determination unit (determination unit) 525 has completed each operation that constitutes an operation procedure that is guided by the operator for releasing the operation error, based on signals from sensors provided in each unit of the multifunction device 1. Judge whether or not.

  Next, screen display control of the display unit 410 when an operation error occurs by the multifunction device 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing screen display control of the display unit 410 when an operation error occurs, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing that a copying operation is in progress, and FIG. 5 shows an operation procedure when a paper jam operation error occurs. It is a figure which shows the transition of a display screen.

  In the multifunction device 1, when the operation control unit 521 causes each unit to perform an operation based on an operation instruction or the like input from the operator by the operation unit 400, for example, the operation control unit 521 includes the scanner unit 11, the image When the processing unit 21 and the printer unit 31 are performing a copy operation, the display control unit 523 causes the display unit 410 to display a display screen indicating that the copy operation is being performed as illustrated in FIG. 4 (S1). Hereinafter, a case where a copy operation is performed will be described as an example.

  If the error detection unit 522 detects, for example, a paper jam operation error during the copying operation (YES in S2), the display control unit 523 eliminates the paper jam operation error from the display image data storage unit 53. The moving image data corresponding to the operation procedure necessary for this is read, and the data is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 410 (S3). At this time, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5 (1) to (8), each screen showing a series of operations for performing an operation procedure for eliminating a paper jam operation error is predetermined on the display unit 410. It is displayed by switching in order according to the speed, and animation is displayed in animation. The display control unit 523 displays an animation of opening the main body cover in (2) of FIG. 5, and displays an animation of how a sheet is taken out from the cassette in (5) and (6) of FIG. As a result, the operator can visually and intuitively understand the operation that must be performed to eliminate the operation error. The display control unit 523 repeats the display from (1) of FIG. 5 when the display of (8) of FIG. 5 is finished. As a result, the operator can easily grasp the first operation to the last operation necessary for clearing the paper jam by visually recognizing the display screen of the display unit 410. Yes.

  When the display control unit 523 displays the moving image display on the display unit 410, when the operator operates the frame advance key 411, the pause key 412, or the frame return key 413 (YES in S4), the display is performed. The control unit 523 performs the following processing.

  When the operator presses the frame advance key 411 (“frame advance key” in S5), the display screen determination unit 524 determines whether the operation of the operator is performed for a short time or a long time (S10). . When it is determined that the operator's operation is a short press (NO in S10), the display screen determination unit 524 determines that the screen next to the currently displayed screen is displayed on the display unit 410 (S11). ). The display control unit 523 reproduces the moving image data from the determined screen and causes the display unit 410 to display the determined screen (S8). For example, when the display control unit 523 displays the screen shown in FIG. 5 (5) on the display unit 410 and the operator presses the frame advance key 411 for a short time, the display control unit 523 (6) in FIG. ) Is displayed on the display unit 410.

  On the other hand, when the display screen determination unit 524 determines that the operator's operation is pressed for a long time (YES in S10), the operation that has already been completed by the operator is determined based on the determination result by the determination unit 525, A screen showing the next operation after the completed operation is determined as a screen to be displayed on the display unit 410 (S12). The display control unit 523 reproduces the moving image data from the determined screen and causes the display unit 410 to display the determined screen (S8). For example, when the display control unit 523 displays the screen shown in (7) of FIG. 5 on the display unit 410, the operator presses the frame advance key 411 for a long time, and at this time, Completion of the operation indicated by the guide (FIG. 5) of “1. Open the main body cover and remove paper if there is paper” displayed on the display unit 410, that is, the operation for the operator to open the main body cover and remove the paper. Is determined by the determination unit 525, the display control unit 523 causes the display unit 410 to display the screen of FIG. 5 (4) indicating the next operation after the completed operation.

  When the operator presses the frame return key 413 (“frame return key” in S5), the display screen determination unit 524 determines whether the operation of the operator is performed for a short time or for a long time ( S6). If the operator's operation is determined to be pressed for a short time (NO in S6), the display screen determination unit 524 specifies the screen immediately before the currently displayed screen as a screen to be displayed on the display unit 410. (S13). The display control unit 523 reproduces the moving image data from the determined screen and causes the display unit 410 to display the determined screen (S8). For example, when the display control unit 523 displays the screen shown in FIG. 5 (5) on the display unit 410 and the operator presses the frame return key 413 for a short time, the display control unit 523 (4) of FIG. ) Is displayed on the display unit 410.

  On the other hand, when the display screen determination unit 524 determines that the operation of the operator is pressed for a long time (YES in S6), the first screen (first screen) of the operation procedure being displayed is displayed on the display unit 410. It is determined as a screen to be displayed (S7). The display control unit 523 reproduces the moving image data from the determined screen and causes the display unit 410 to display the determined screen (S8). For example, the display control unit 523 displays the screen shown in (7) of FIG. 5 on the display unit 410, and if the operator presses the frame return key 411 for a long time, the display control unit 523 of FIG. The first screen shown in FIG.

  When the operator presses the pause key 412 (“pause key” in S5), the display control unit 523 displays the screen displayed at that time as a still image in which the display unit 410 is paused. (S14). For example, when the display control unit 523 is displaying the screen shown in FIG. 5 (5) on the display unit 410 and the operator presses the pause key 412, the display control unit 523 The screen shown in FIG. 5 (5) being displayed is temporarily stopped and displayed on the display unit 410. As described above, when the display control unit 523 pauses the display of the display unit 410 and the operator presses the pause key 412 again (YES in S15), the display control unit 523 The reproduction of the moving image data of the operation procedure is restarted from the stopped screen (S16). If the pause key 412 is not pressed again by the operator (NO in S15), the display control unit 523 assumes that all the operations necessary to resolve the operation error to be solved by this operation procedure are completed. Until the determination unit 525 determines (YES in S17), when the determination unit 525 determines that all the operations are completed (NO in S17), the display control unit 523 ends the process.

  The reproduction of the moving image data of the operation procedure by the display control unit 523 is continued until the determination unit 525 determines that all operations necessary for eliminating the operation error to be solved by this operation procedure are completed (YES in S9). When the determination unit 525 determines that all the operations have been completed (NO in S9), the display control unit 523 ends the process. That is, the display control unit 523 ends the moving image display of the operation procedure on the display unit 410.

  As a result, the operator can input an instruction to switch to a different display screen corresponding to whether the pressing is performed for a short time or a long time with the frame advance key 411 or the frame return key 413. When performing an operation according to the operation guide displayed on the display unit 410, the display unit 410 can display the display unit 410 with a simple operation without performing a complicated operation such as estimating the timing of inputting an instruction while viewing the display screen. The screen can be immediately switched to the desired screen. In addition, even if the number of keys to be displayed on the display unit 410 is not increased, many instructions can be received from the operator, and the display control unit 523 can display a screen according to each instruction on the display unit 410.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. In the above embodiment, the display unit 410 includes the frame advance key 411 and the frame return key 413, and the display control unit 523 is displayed on the display unit 410 in response to pressing of these keys for a short time or for a long time. Although control is performed to change the screen to be displayed, the operation mode is not limited to short time pressing or long time pressing, and the keys provided on the display unit 410 are not limited to the frame advance key 411 and the frame return key 413. Furthermore, the number of keys provided on the display unit 410 is not limited to two. For example, instead of the frame advance key 411 and the frame return key 413, a single key is displayed on the display unit 410, and the operation mode of this single key (for example, the length of the pressing time continued by one pressing, The screen displayed on the display unit 410 by the display control unit 523 may be changed according to the number of times the key is pressed within a certain time.

  In the above embodiment, when the frame advance key 411 is pressed for a long time by the operator, the display control unit 523 causes the display unit 410 to display a screen indicating the next operation after the already completed operation. When the operator presses the frame return key 413 for a long time, the display control unit 523 causes the display unit 410 to display the first screen that performs the operation procedure. The screen to be switched according to the operation mode of the frame 411 or the frame return key 413 is not limited to the above screen, and the display control unit 523 changes the display screen to another screen according to the operation mode of the frame advance key 411 or the frame return key 413. You may make it switch to a screen.

  The present invention can be further modified in various ways. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the screen display control in the case where the display control unit 523 causes the display unit 410 to display an operation procedure for eliminating a paper jam operation error has been described as an example. Of course, the operation procedure for eliminating the abnormal stop due to the failure of the image forming unit 33 and the transfer unit 34 may be screen display control when the display control unit 523 displays the display unit 410 on the screen. Is not limited to the operation procedure for eliminating the operation error, and the display control unit 523 performs an operation procedure for guiding other operations (for example, how to replenish the paper in the paper cassette) on the display unit 410. It is also applicable to the case where

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure and process of the multifunctional device 1 are shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 5, these are only examples, and the meaning which limits the structure and process of the multifunctional device 1 which concerns on this invention to these. is not.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is described as the multifunction machine 1, but the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the multifunction machine.

1 is a schematic side view mainly showing a configuration of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the multifunction machine shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the screen display control of the display part at the time of operation error generation | occurrence | production. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen which shows during copying operation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing transition of a display screen showing an operation procedure when a paper jam operation error occurs.

1 MFP 410 Display Unit 411 Frame Advance Key 412 Pause Key 413 Frame Return Key 430 Operation Key Unit 521 Operation Control Unit 523 Display Control Unit 524 Display Screen Discrimination Unit 525 Determination Unit

Claims (2)

Display means for displaying operation guidance for the operator;
As the operation guidance, a display control means for displaying on the display means an operation procedure composed of a plurality of screens by repeatedly reproducing each screen in order at a predetermined speed;
In accordance with predetermined first and second operation modes performed by the operator, a frame advance key for inputting an instruction from the operator;
Display screen determining means for determining, as a desired screen, a screen indicating an operation to be performed next by the operator according to an operation mode performed by the operator using the frame advance key ;
A judgment means for judging whether or not each operation guided by the operation guidance has been completed by an operator;
The display screen determination unit, when the first operation mode in the frame advance key by the operator is performed, a screen indicating the next operation of the operation completion is determined by the determining means of the desired On the other hand, when a second operation mode different from the first operation mode is performed, a screen next to the screen displayed at that time is determined as the desired screen .
The display control means is an image forming apparatus for causing the display means to display a desired screen determined by the display screen determining means. According to the first and second operation modes performed by the operator, further comprising a frame return key for inputting an instruction from the operator,
The display screen determination unit, when the first operating state like in the frame rewind key is performed by the operator, while determining the first second screen of the operation procedure as the desired screen, the first 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a second operation mode different from the first operation mode is performed, a screen immediately before the screen displayed at that time is determined as the desired screen. .

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