JPH01158463A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent forgetting to confirm a display and to improve operability by adjacently arranging an input key for starting and a display part so that they can be continuously and integrally viewed. CONSTITUTION:The stating key 5 and the display part 9 are adjacently arranged without a gap by forming them in a rectangles whose widths are nearly same and putting the sides which are nearly same widths together as of they look one rectangle as a whole so that a key top 5a and a display part cover 9a can be continuously and integrally viewed. Therefore, an operator can simultaneously view the starting key 5 and the display part 9 with little turning of his eyes. Thus, the operator is prevented from forgetting to confirm the mode of a variable magnification, the size of sheet and the number of copies before operating the starting key 5, so that the operability of a copying machine can be improved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an electronic device, and particularly to an electronic device that includes an input key for starting the electronic device and a display section that displays information related to the operation of the electronic device, such as the operating mode. This relates to electronic equipment.

[Prior Art] As an electronic device of this type, for example, a copying machine is provided with a start key, which is an input key for starting the copying machine, on its operating section, and also has variable magnification of reduction or enlargement as the operation mode of the copying machine. A display section is provided to display the mode, paper size to be used, number of copies, etc. In conventional electronic devices in which the operating section is provided with a startup key and a display section that displays information regarding the operation of the electronic device, such as the operating mode, the startup key and the display section are provided separately and separately.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When operating an electronic device such as the one described above, the operator first looks at the display on the display and checks whether the operating mode, etc. matches what the operator intends. If it is different, change it by operating the λ key for mode setting, etc., and then press the start key to start up the electronic device.

However, in this case, if the activation key and the display are separated, the operator has to move his/her line of sight six times in order to see both, which is troublesome. Also, when operating in a hurry, it is easy to forget to look at the display and forget to check the operating mode, etc., and operate the start key without checking, in which case the operation may be in a different operating mode than the one intended by the operator. This often resulted in wasted time and energy.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to solve this problem, according to the present invention, an input key for starting the electronic device and a display section for displaying information regarding the operation of the electronic device such as the operation mode are provided. In this electronic device, a structure is adopted in which the activation input key and the display section are disposed adjacent to each other so that they can be seen continuously and integrally.

[Function] With this structure, the activation input key and the display are visible as one unit, and the operator can see both at the same time without moving his/her line of sight, so there is no need to search separately to see both. There's no need for it, and that hassle is gone. Furthermore, since the operator can see the display on the display when looking at the startup input key, it is possible to prevent the operator from forgetting to check the operating mode, etc.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall appearance of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The function of this copying machine is exactly the same as that of a conventional general copying machine, and it copies the image of a document (not shown) set under a document cover 1 onto copy paper (not shown) stored in a paper cassette 2. The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3. The operation of the copying machine is performed according to the operator's power from an operation panel 4 provided on the top surface of the main body.

The operation panel 4 includes operation input keys such as a start key 5 for starting the copying machine, a stop key 6 for stopping the operation, a reset key 7 for resetting the machine, and an operation mode for changing, for example, enlarging or reducing. A mode setting key group 8 including a numeric keypad for setting the double mode, the size of paper to be used, the number of copies, etc. is provided. The operation panel 4 also has a display section 9 for displaying various information regarding the operation of the copying machine, such as its operation mode.
is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), the display unit 9 is configured to display, for example, a variable magnification mode of reduction or enlargement such as from A3 to A4 or A4 to A3, and a paper size such as A3 or A4 as an operation mode. The size and number of copies shall be displayed.

Here, as a point related to the present invention, in this embodiment, FIG. 2 (A
) and (B), the display section 9 and the activation key 5 are disposed adjacent to each other without any gap so that they can be seen as one continuous unit.

To explain the details of the display section 9 and the activation key 5, first, the display section 9 is an LED display device that displays the variable magnification mode, paper size, and number of copies, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B). It consists of three display units 9b and a display cover 98 made of a transparent material that covers and protects the display units 9b. As shown in FIG. 3, which is a sectional view of the vicinity of the display unit 9, each display unit 9b is mounted on a printed circuit board 11 that mounts and supports the electronic circuit of the copying machine, and the display unit The cover 9a is fitted into a hole 10a formed in the exterior cover 10 of the operation panel 4 and fixed.

On the other hand, the activation key 5 consists of a key top 5a and tactile switches 5b, 5b mounted on a printed circuit board 11, as shown in FIG. 4, which is a sectional view of the periphery thereof. The key top 5a is loosely fitted into the hole 10a of the exterior cover 10, and supported on the tact switches 5b, 5b so as to be movable in the vertical direction in the figure as shown by the arrows. is biased upward. By pressing down the key top 5a, the key top 5a depresses the tact switches 5b, 5b to operate them, and the keys are operated manually.

In the activation key 5 and the display section 9, the key top 5a and the display section cover 9a are formed into a rectangular shape with approximately the same width, so that the key top 5a and the display section cover 9a are continuously visible as one unit. They are arranged adjacent to each other without any gaps so that they look like one rectangle as a whole.

The control of the display section 9 is carried out by a CPU comprising a microprocessor or the like, which controls the entire copying machine and is indicated by the reference numeral 12 in FIG. The CPU 12 variably sets the variable magnification mode, paper size, number of copies, etc., as described above, in accordance with key input by a mode setting key group 8 including a numeric keypad, and displays the set variable magnification mode, paper size, and number of copies on the display section 9.
to be displayed. Then, the CPU 12 drives each mechanism of the copying machine in response to the input of the start key 5 to perform copying in the variable magnification mode, paper size, and number of copies set above.

According to this embodiment as described above, the activation key 5 is activated as described above.
Since the display unit 9 and the display unit 9 are arranged adjacent to each other so that they can be seen continuously and integrally, the operator can see the activation key 5 and the display unit 9 at the same time without moving his/her line of sight. You don't have to move your line of sight to search for both separately, and that hassle is eliminated.

Further, according to this embodiment, when the operator looks at the activation key 5 while trying to operate the activation key 5, the display on the display section 9 is visible at the same time. This prevents you from forgetting to check the mode, paper size, and number of copies.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the operability of the copying machine can be significantly improved.

By the way, in the above structure, the overall shape of the activation key 5 and the display section 9 that can be seen integrally is not limited to a rectangle, but may be an oval or a circle as shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) as modified examples. You can also do it. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(C), even though the overall shape is almost the same rectangle, the display part 9 and the activation key 5
It is also conceivable that the shapes are different, for example, a combination of a pentagon and a triangle to form a rectangle as a whole. As described above, the shapes of the activation key 5 and the display section 9, as well as the overall shape of both, can be variously prepared and are, of course, not particularly limited.

It goes without saying that the display contents of the display section 9 are not limited to those described above, and various other information regarding the operation of the copying machine can be displayed.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the above-described structure regarding the activation key and the display section can be applied not only to copying machines but also to various other electronic devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, an electronic device is provided with an input key for starting an electronic device, and a display unit that displays information regarding the operation of the electronic device, such as the operating mode. The device adopts a structure in which the startup input key and the display section are placed adjacent to each other so that they can be seen as one continuous unit, so that the operator hardly has to look at the startup input key and the display section. It is possible to view the screen at the same time without moving the screen, and it is also possible to prevent forgetting to check the display on the display before operating the startup input key, which has the excellent effect of significantly improving operability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 2 (A) and (B) respectively show the structure of the activation key and display section provided on the operation panel of the copying machine. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the area around the display section, and 4 is a plan view showing the display state.
The figure is a sectional view of the vicinity of the activation key, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the control system related to the activation key and the display, and Figures 6 (A) to (C) each show a different modification of the activation key and the display. FIG. 4...Operation panel 5...Start key 5a...
Key top 5b...Tact switch 8...Mode setting key group 9...Display section 9a...Display section cover 9b
...Display unit 10...Exterior cover 11...
Printed circuit board 12-CP U2-22 Fig. 2 (A) Fig. 3 f sum l Fig. 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an electronic device that includes an input key for starting the electronic device and a display section that displays information related to the operation of the electronic device such as an operation mode, the starting input key and the display section are continuously and integrally visible. An electronic device characterized in that the electronic devices are arranged adjacent to each other so as to be adjacent to each other.