JP5520632B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a liquid crystal display unit.

  An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine includes a main body side housing having an image forming portion for forming an image on a sheet based on image data, and a document reading portion housing provided to be openable / closable with respect to the main body side housing. In some cases, the body includes a body and a lid that can be opened and closed with respect to the document reading unit housing. The document reading unit housing includes a document reading unit that reads a document in order to generate image data, and a display unit that displays various types of information (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-209626 A

  A liquid crystal display is often used for the display unit described above. The contrast of the liquid crystal display is adjusted so that the user can easily view the display contents when the document reading unit housing is closed with respect to the main body housing (in the closed state). However, in the above-described image forming apparatus, the document reading unit housing is attached to the main body housing for reasons such as replacing a toner cartridge that stores toner supplied to the image forming unit or eliminating paper jams. In the open state, the display unit moves upward, and the display unit is arranged at an angle different from the angle at which the contrast is adjusted. Even in such a case, the display unit displays information necessary for replacing the toner cartridge and clearing the paper jam. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus described above, it is difficult for the user to see information displayed on the display unit when the document reading unit housing is in the open state.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of improving the visibility of display contents of a liquid crystal display unit regardless of the open / closed state of a document reading unit housing in which the liquid crystal display unit is arranged. .

  The present invention includes a main body side housing having an image forming unit for forming an image on an image forming medium based on image data, and a document reading unit that reads a document to generate the image data, A document reading unit casing that can be opened and closed on the top of the main body side casing, a lid that can be opened and closed on the top of the document reading unit casing, and a liquid crystal that can be arranged on the document reading unit casing A display unit; an open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the document reading unit housing with respect to the main body side housing; and whether the lid portion is in a first state with respect to the main body side housing. A state detection unit that detects the open state of the document reading unit housing by the open / close detection unit, and the state detection unit detects that the lid is in the first state; and When the closed state of the document reading unit casing is detected by the open / close detection unit, An image forming apparatus and a control section for controlling the liquid crystal display unit so as to vary the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit.

  The image forming apparatus includes an angle detection unit that detects an angle of the document reading unit housing with respect to the main body side housing when the document reading unit housing is in an open state with respect to the main body side housing. The control unit preferably controls the liquid crystal display unit to change the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit according to the angle detected by the angle detection unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the visibility of the display content of the liquid crystal display unit regardless of the open / closed state of the document reading unit housing in which the liquid crystal display unit is arranged.

1 is an external perspective view of a copier according to an embodiment of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the copier shown in FIG. 1 when a document reading unit housing is in an open state with respect to a main body housing. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the copier shown in FIG. 1 when the lid is open with respect to the document reading unit housing and the document reading unit housing is open with respect to the main body side housing. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a copier. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an angle detection part when a cover part will be in an open state with respect to a main body side housing | casing. It is a figure for demonstrating an angle detection part, when a cover part turns into a closed state with respect to a main body side housing | casing. It is a circuit diagram showing the outline of an angle detection part. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the copier when the document reading unit housing is open with respect to the main body housing. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a characteristic operation of the copier.

  Hereinafter, a copying machine 1 according to an embodiment of an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the copy machine 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a copier 1 according to an embodiment of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the copier 1 shown in FIG. 1 when the document reading unit housing 6 is open with respect to the main body housing 4. FIG. 3 shows the copying machine 1 shown in FIG. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the copier 1 includes a main body side housing 4 and an upper housing 5 (a document reading unit housing 6 and a lid 7).
The main body side housing 4 is provided with an image forming unit 40 (see FIG. 4) that forms an image on a sheet (image forming medium) based on image data. An upper cover 4 a is disposed on the upper part of the main body side housing 4 so as to be openable and closable. As shown in FIG. 2, when the upper cover 4a is opened, replacement of a toner cartridge (not shown) arranged in the main body side housing 4 and maintenance of the image forming unit 40 are performed. It becomes possible.

  The document reading unit housing 6 is disposed on the upper portion of the main body side housing 4 so as to be openable and closable, and a document reading unit 20 (see FIG. 4) for reading a document (not shown) for generating image data is disposed. . The document reading unit housing 6 is engaged at the lower rear end portion thereof with the upper rear end portion of the main body side housing 4 by the first engaging portion 6a (see FIG. 2). Further, the document reading unit housing 6 is engaged with the upper surface of the upper cover 4a on the lower surface thereof by the second engaging portion 6b (see FIG. 2). Therefore, when the document reading unit housing 6 is in a closed state (see FIG. 1) or an open state (see FIG. 2), the upper cover 4a is in a closed state in conjunction with opening / closing of the document reading unit housing 6. (See FIG. 1) or open state (see FIG. 2). Further, the document reading unit housing 6 includes an operation panel 6d arranged so as to project forward. An operation unit 50 including a plurality of keys and a liquid crystal display unit 100 are disposed on the operation panel 6d.

  The liquid crystal display unit 100 includes a liquid crystal display panel (not shown) in which a first electrode (not shown), a second electrode (not shown), and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) are stacked. ). Note that the order in which the first electrode, the second electrode, and the liquid crystal layer are stacked is not limited to the order described. When a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, liquid crystal molecules constituting the liquid crystal layer are aligned by an electric field generated based on the applied voltage. Therefore, the liquid crystal display unit 100 displays white when a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode. On the other hand, the liquid crystal display unit 100 displays black when no voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode. The liquid crystal display unit displays black when a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, and no voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode. May display white. The liquid crystal display unit may be a touch panel including a touch sensor.

  The lid 7 is disposed on the upper part of the document reading unit housing 6 so as to be opened and closed. The lid portion 7 is engaged at the lower rear end portion thereof with the upper rear end portion of the document reading portion housing 6 by the third engagement portion 6c (see FIG. 3). The lid 7 is in an open state or a closed state without being interlocked with the opening / closing of the document reading unit housing 6. 1 and 2 show a case where the lid 7 is in a closed state with respect to the document reading unit housing 6. FIG. Further, from the state where the lid 7 is closed with respect to the document reading unit housing 6 and the document reading unit housing 6 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4 (see FIG. 1), the document reading is performed. When the body case 6 transitions to the open state (see FIG. 2) with respect to the main body side housing 4, the lid portion 7 and the document housing portion 6 are prevented from being opened. A stopper (not shown) is disposed on the document reading unit housing 6.

  Next, the functional configuration of the copy machine 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the copy machine 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the angle detection unit 130 when the lid unit 7 is in an open state with respect to the main body side housing 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the angle detection unit 130 when the lid 7 is in a closed state with respect to the main body side housing 4. Here, FIG. 5 (A) and FIG. 6 (A) are front views, and FIG. 5 (B) and FIG. 6 (B) are side views. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating an outline of the angle detection unit 130. FIG. 8 is a right side view of the copier 1 when the document reading unit housing 6 is opened with respect to the main body housing 4.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the copier 1 includes a document transport unit 10, a document reading unit 20, a sheet transport unit 30, an image forming unit 40, an operation unit 50, a storage unit 60, and a control unit 70. The liquid crystal display unit 100, the open / close detection unit 110, the state detection unit 120, and the angle detection unit 130 are provided. The configuration of the liquid crystal display unit 100 is as described above. Further, the open / close detection unit 110 and the state detection unit 120 are conventionally arranged in a copying machine.

  The document transport unit 10 is an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and is disposed on the lid 7. The document transport unit 10 includes a document placement unit 11 (see FIG. 1) and a document stacking unit 12 (see FIG. 1). The documents placed on the document placement unit 11 are sequentially supplied one by one to a document reading surface (not shown) of the document reading unit 20 by a feed roller (not shown). The documents read by the document reading unit 20 are discharged to the outside of the lid unit 7 and stacked and stacked on the document stacking unit 12.

  The original reading unit 20 reads the original conveyed by the original conveying unit 10 and generates image data. The document reading unit 20 includes a contact glass (not shown) disposed on the upper surface of the document reading unit housing 6. The document reading unit 20 can also read a document placed on the upper surface of the contact glass.

  The paper transport unit 30 is placed on a paper stored in a paper feed cassette (not shown) arranged in the main body side housing 4 or a manual feed tray 31 arranged on the front surface of the main body side housing 4. The paper is supplied to the image forming unit 40. Further, the paper transport unit 30 discharges the paper on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 40 to the outside (upper part) of the main body side housing 4.

  The image forming unit 40 forms an image (toner image) on a sheet based on the image data using the toner contained in the toner cartridge described above. The image forming unit 40 directly or indirectly transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum (not shown) to the paper, and then heats and pressurizes the paper on which the toner image is transferred. The toner image is fixed on the paper.

  The operation unit 50 (the above-described key) is operated, for example, when inputting a number such as the number of copies to be printed or when executing printing.

  The storage unit 60 includes a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like. The storage unit 60 stores image data based on the document read by the document reading unit 20. The storage unit 60 stores a control program used in the copier 1, data used by the control program, and the like.

  The open / close detection unit 110 detects the open / closed state of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4. For example, when the upper cover is also closed in conjunction with the document reading unit housing 6 being closed, the open / close detection unit 110 is pressed by the upper cover 4a ( Anything that has a switch to be lowered) may be used. The open / close detection unit 110 detects that the upper cover 4a (document reading unit housing 6) is in a closed state based on the switch being lowered by the upper cover 4a. On the other hand, the open / close detection unit 110 detects that the upper cover 4a (document reading unit housing 6) is in an open state based on the switch being raised without being lowered by the upper cover 4a. To do. The open / close detection unit 110 outputs an open / close detection signal indicating that the document reading unit housing 6 is in an open state or a closed state in each case where the open state and the closed state of the document reading unit housing 6 are detected. Output for.

The state detection unit 120 detects whether or not the lid unit 7 is in the first state with respect to the main body side housing 4. Specifically, as shown in specific examples in FIGS. 5 and 6, the state detection unit 120 includes an optical sensor 122 and a blocking member 123.
The optical sensor 122 includes a light emitting element 122a disposed on a base 121 fixed to the lid portion 7, and a light receiving element 122b that receives light emitted from the light emitting element 122a. The light emitting element 122a is made of, for example, a laser diode or a light emitting diode. The light receiving element 122b is made of, for example, a photodiode. As shown in FIG. 7 as an example, one end of the light emitting element 122a is connected to the power source Vcc via the first resistor R1, and the other end of the light emitting element 122a is grounded. One end of the light receiving element 122b is connected to the power supply Vcc via the second resistor R2 and to the control unit 70. The other end of the light receiving element 122b is grounded.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the blocking member 123 blocks the optical path of light traveling from the light emitting element 122 a to the light receiving element 122 b when the lid portion 7 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4. It is arranged at the position to do. The blocking member 123 is coupled to the lid portion 7 at a fulcrum portion 123a disposed at the upper portion, and is suspended downward from the fulcrum portion 123a.

  Next, the operation of the state detection unit 120 will be described. When the lid 7 is in an open state with respect to the main body side housing 4 (see FIG. 2), as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the optical sensor 122 is shown in FIG. It moves upwards while drawing an arc-shaped locus from the state shown. In this case, the blocking member 123 remains suspended from the fulcrum portion 123a in the vertical direction. For this reason, the light emitted from the light emitting element 122a is not blocked by the blocking member 123 but is received by the light receiving element 122b. When light is received by the light receiving element 122b, a low signal is supplied from the power supply Vcc to the control unit. Thereby, the control unit 70 determines that the document reading unit housing 6 is in the first state.

  On the other hand, when the lid portion 7 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4 (see FIG. 1), the blocking member 123 is interposed between the optical sensors 122 as shown in FIGS. Is placed. That is, the blocking member 123 is suspended from the fulcrum part 123a in the vertical direction, and is disposed between the light emitting element 122a and the light receiving element 122b. For this reason, the light emitted from the light emitting element 122a is blocked by the blocking member 123 and is not received by the light receiving element 122b. When no light is received by the light receiving element 122b, a high signal is supplied from the power supply Vcc to the control unit 70. Thereby, the control unit 70 determines that the document reading unit housing 6 is not in the first state.

  Note that the state detection unit is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be a configuration in which the optical sensor is suspended from the fulcrum and the blocking member is fixed to the base.

The angle detection unit 130 detects an angle θ (see FIG. 8) of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4 when the document reading unit housing 6 is opened with respect to the main body side housing 4. To do. The angle detection unit 130 is disposed, for example, in the main body side housing 4 or the document reading unit housing 6.
The angle detection unit 130 moves when the document reading unit housing 6 moves relative to the main body housing 4 around the first engagement unit 6a (rotating shaft) shown in FIG. Any rotation detector that detects the rotation angle θ of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body housing 4 may be used.

The angle detection unit 130 includes, for example, a detection unit that protrudes upward from the main body side housing 4 and contacts the lower surface of the document reading unit housing 6 regardless of whether the document reading unit housing 6 is opened or closed. May be. In this case, the angle detection unit 130 detects the angle of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4 based on the protruding state of the detection portion (the length of the portion protruding from the main body side housing 4). When the length of the portion protruding from the main body side housing 4 in the detection unit is short, the angle of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4 is small, and the portion of the detection unit protruding from the main body side housing 4 is small. When the length is long, the angle of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body housing 4 becomes large.
The angle detection unit 130 outputs an angle detection signal indicating the detected angle to the control unit 70.

The control unit 70 controls the document conveying unit 10, the document reading unit 20, and the engine unit 3.
Further, the control unit 70 detects the open state of the document reading unit housing 6 by the open / close detection unit 110 and detects that the lid unit 7 is in the first state by the state detection unit 120 and the open / close detection. The liquid crystal display unit 100 is controlled so that the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 is different when the closed state of the document reading unit housing 6 is detected by the unit 110.

  As shown in Table 1, the control unit 70 detects the open state of the document reading unit housing 6 by the open / close detection unit 110 and detects that the lid unit 7 is in the first state by the state detection unit 120. In this case, for example, it is determined that the document reading unit housing 6 is open with respect to the main body side housing 4 because the toner cartridge disposed inside the main body side housing 4 has been replaced. To do. The control unit 70 improves the accuracy when determining that the document reading unit housing 6 is in the open state because the stopper 7 and the document reading unit housing 6 described above are disposed. it can.

  In addition, when the control unit 70 detects the closed state of the document reading unit housing 6 by the open / close detection unit 110 or detects that the lid unit 7 is not in the first state by the state detection unit 120, For example, each of the document reading unit housing 6 and the lid unit 7 is in contact with the main body side housing 4 because the document is being read using the document conveying unit 10 and the document reading unit 20. Judged to be in the closed state.

  Further, the control unit 70 detects the closed state of the document reading unit housing 6 by the open / close detection unit 110 and detects that the lid 7 is in the first state by the state detection unit 120. The document reading unit housing 6 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4 because the document is being placed on the contact glass disposed on the upper surface of the reading unit housing 6. It is determined that the lid portion 7 is in an open state with respect to the main body side housing 4.

  Further, the control unit 70 adjusts the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 in accordance with each state where the document reading unit housing 6 is opened or closed with respect to the main body housing 4. The contrast adjustment is adjustment of the ratio between the bright part and the dark part in the image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 100. When it is desired to increase the contrast, the liquid crystal display unit 100 increases the brightness of the bright part in the image displayed on the liquid crystal display part 100 and decreases the brightness of the dark part in the image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 100. Further, when it is desired to reduce the contrast, the liquid crystal display unit 100 decreases the brightness of the bright part in the image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 100 and increases the brightness of the dark part in the image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 100. Let

  When the contrast adjustment of the liquid crystal display unit 100 is performed, the control unit 70 adjusts the dynamic range of information included in a signal for causing the liquid crystal display unit 100 to display an image. When a signal including information with an adjusted dynamic range is input, the liquid crystal display unit 100 adjusts the contrast by controlling the alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules forming the liquid crystal layer based on the voltage of the signal. To do.

  When the document reading unit housing 6 is opened with respect to the main body side housing 4, the control unit 70 is compared with the case where the document reading unit housing 6 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4. Thus, control is performed to increase the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100, or control is performed to decrease the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100. The control unit 70 may determine whether to control to increase the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 or to control to decrease the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 according to the characteristics of the liquid crystal layer. That is, when the document reading unit housing 6 is in the open state, if the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 to increase the contrast, the user using the copier 1 can easily see the liquid crystal display unit 100. In some cases, the control unit 70 may perform control to increase the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100. On the other hand, if the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 to reduce the contrast when the document reading unit housing 6 is in the closed state, the user using the copier 1 can easily see the liquid crystal display unit 100. In some cases, the control unit 70 may perform control to reduce the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100.

  It should be noted that the storage unit 60 has an appropriate display of the liquid crystal display unit 100 when the user can easily view the liquid crystal display unit 100 when the document reading unit housing 6 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4. Contrast setting information (first setting information) may be stored in advance. Further, in the storage unit 60, when the document reading unit housing 6 is in an open state with respect to the main body side housing 4 (when the document reading unit housing 6 is moved to a position that is the limit of the open state). In addition, appropriate contrast setting information (second setting information) of the liquid crystal display unit 100 when the user can easily view the liquid crystal display unit 100 may be stored in advance. In this case, when the open / close detection unit 110 detects the closed state of the document reading unit housing 6, the control unit 70 reads the first setting information from the storage unit 60 and displays the liquid crystal display based on the first setting information. The liquid crystal display unit 100 is controlled so that the unit 100 has an appropriate contrast. Further, when the open / close detection unit 110 detects the open state of the document reading unit housing 6 and the state detection unit 120 detects that the lid unit 7 is in the first state, the control unit 70 detects the second state. Is read from the storage unit 60, and the liquid crystal display unit 100 is controlled based on the second setting information so that the liquid crystal display unit 100 has an appropriate contrast. Here, when the document reading unit housing 6 is in the open state, the document reading unit housing 6 is often moved to a position that is the limit of the open state. Therefore, the copier 1 can provide an appropriate contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 even when the document reading unit housing 6 is in the open state. Similarly, the copier 1 can provide an appropriate contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 even when the document reading unit housing 6 is closed.

  As described above, the control unit 70 detects the open state of the document reading unit housing 6 by the open / close detection unit 110 and detects that the lid unit 7 is in the first state by the state detection unit 120. The liquid crystal display unit 100 is controlled to change the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100. This is because the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 to change the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 after determining that the document reading unit housing 6 is surely opened.

Further, the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 to change the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 according to the angle θ detected by the angle detection unit 130.
In this case, the storage unit 60 includes setting information for the angle θ of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4 and appropriate contrast setting information of the liquid crystal display unit 100 when the user can easily view the liquid crystal display unit 100. A table in which (third setting information) is associated may be stored in advance. When the angle detection signal described above is supplied from the angle detection unit 130, the control unit 70 stores third setting information corresponding to information included in the angle detection signal (the angle θ of the document reading unit housing 6). The liquid crystal display unit 100 is controlled so as to obtain an appropriate contrast based on the third setting information.

  When the angle (detection angle) θ of the document reading unit 20 detected by the angle detection unit 130 is not included in the table stored in the storage unit 60, the control unit 70 is described in the table, for example. The angle closest to the detected angle θ is selected from the plurality of angles, the setting information corresponding to the selected angle is read from the storage unit 60, and the liquid crystal display unit 100 is appropriately set based on the read setting information. The liquid crystal display unit 100 may be controlled so that the contrast becomes high.

  As a specific example in this case, setting information (D1) when the angle of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4 is 20 °, and the setting information (D1) of the document reading unit housing 6 with respect to the main body side housing 4 are described. A case where the setting information (D2) when the angle is 40 ° is stored in advance in the storage unit 60 will be described. When the angle (detection angle) θ detected by the angle detection unit 130 is 35 °, the control unit 70 selects the angle 40 ° closest to the detection angle 35 ° from the plurality of angles described in the table. Then, the setting information (D2) corresponding to the selected angle of 40 ° is read from the storage unit 60, and the liquid crystal display unit 100 is controlled based on the read setting information (D2) so as to obtain an appropriate contrast.

Next, a characteristic operation of the copier 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the characteristic operation of the copier 1.
In step ST1, the control unit 70 detects the open state based on the open / closed detection signal supplied from the open / closed detection unit 110, and based on the difference between the supplied High signal and Low signal. Then, it is determined whether or not the state detection unit 120 detects the first state. When the open / close detection unit 110 detects the open state and the state detection unit 120 detects the first state (Yes), the process proceeds to step ST2. If the open / close detection unit 110 does not detect the open state, or the state detection unit 120 does not detect the first state (No), the process proceeds to step ST3.

  In step ST <b> 2, the control unit 70 determines that the document reading unit housing 6 is open with respect to the main body side housing 4, and sets the contrast when the document reading unit housing 6 is opened. Set as follows. That is, the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 so that the display content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 100 has an appropriate contrast that is easily visible to the user when the document reading unit housing 6 is opened. . After the process of step ST2, the entire process is terminated.

  In step ST <b> 3, the control unit 70 determines that the document reading unit housing 6 is closed with respect to the main body side housing 4, and sets the contrast when the document reading unit housing 6 is closed. Set as follows. That is, the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 so that the display content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 100 has an appropriate contrast that is easily visible to the user when the document reading unit housing 6 is closed. . After the process of step ST3, the process returns to step ST1.

As described above, according to the copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, the following effects are produced.
That is, according to the copier 1 of the present embodiment, the open / close detection unit 110 detects the open state of the document reading unit housing 6 and the state detection unit 120 detects that the lid unit 7 is in the first state. Since the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 is different between the case where the closed state of the document reading unit casing 6 is detected by the open / close detection unit 110, the document reading unit casing 6 in which the liquid crystal display unit 100 is disposed. Regardless of the open / closed state, the visibility of the display content of the liquid crystal display unit 100 can be improved.
Further, according to the copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 70 controls the liquid crystal display unit 100 using the open / close detection unit 110 and the state detection unit 120 that have been used conventionally. It is possible to avoid an increase in cost.

  Further, according to the copier 1 of the present embodiment, the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 100 is changed according to the angle detected by the angle detection unit 130, so the document reading unit housing 6 in which the liquid crystal display unit 100 is disposed. Depending on the open / closed state of the display, it is possible to make the display content of the liquid crystal display unit 100 more easily visible.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, It can implement with a various form.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the copying machine 1 described above. In other words, the image forming apparatus of the present invention may be a multi-function machine having a copy function, a facsimile function, a printer function, and a scanner function, or may be a facsimile or a printer.
The image forming medium on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to paper, and may be a film sheet such as an OHP (overhead projector) sheet.

  In the image forming apparatus, when the liquid crystal display unit is disposed on the lid, the control unit may perform the control described below. That is, the control unit detects that the cover unit is in the first state by the state detection unit, detects the closed state of the document reading unit housing by the open / close detection unit, and detects the cover unit by the state detection unit. The liquid crystal display unit is controlled to vary the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit when it is detected that the first state is not reached. According to such an image forming apparatus, it is possible to improve the visibility of the display content of the liquid crystal display unit regardless of the open / closed state of the lid part on which the liquid crystal display unit is disposed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Copy machine (image forming apparatus), 4 ... Main body side housing | casing, 4a ... Upper cover, 6 ... Document reading part housing | casing, 7 ... Cover part, 20 ... Document reading part, 90 ... Control part, 100 ... Liquid crystal display 110, opening / closing detection unit, 120 ... state detection unit, 130 ... angle detection unit

Claims (2)

A main body side housing having an image forming unit for forming an image on an image forming medium based on image data;
A document reading unit housing that has a document reading unit that reads a document to generate the image data, and is disposed to be openable and closable at an upper portion of the main body side housing;
A lid disposed to be openable and closable at an upper portion of the document reading unit housing;
A liquid crystal display unit disposed in the document reading unit housing;
An open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the document reading unit housing with respect to the main body side housing;
A state detector that detects whether or not the lid is open with respect to the body-side housing;
When the open / close detection unit detects the open state of the document reading unit housing and the state detection unit detects that the lid portion is open with respect to the main body side housing , It is determined that the document reading unit housing is open with respect to the main body side housing, and the liquid crystal display has a contrast that is easily visible to the user when the document reading unit housing is opened. And when the open / close detection unit detects the closed state of the document reading unit housing, it is determined that the document reading unit housing is closed with respect to the main body side housing. A control unit for controlling the liquid crystal display unit so as to have a contrast that is easily visible to the user when the document reading unit housing is in a closed state;
An image forming apparatus comprising: An angle detection unit that detects an angle of the document reading unit housing with respect to the main body side housing when the document reading unit housing is in an open state with respect to the main body side housing;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the liquid crystal display unit according to an angle detected by the angle detection unit so that the liquid crystal display unit has a contrast that is easily visible to a user.

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