JPH042524Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can arbitrarily define an image forming area when copying a document.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, there has been a device that is capable of controlling the image forming range by specifying the coordinates of a desired position on the document when only a partial area of the document is to be copied. , various proposals have been made. For example, after reading and storing the image of the original,
There is a high-resolution CHT display that allows you to move the cursor and specify coordinates, but this device uses a CRT and is expensive. Also, as a device that does not require a CRT,
As shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-38065, by using a tablet input device consisting of a tablet and a stylus pen and attaching the tablet to the machine body as a document mounting table, coordinates can be determined while a document is placed on the tablet. There are some that can be specified. However, in this device, since the tablet is used as the document mounting table, the optical scanning device that optically scans the document and its driving means are attached to the document holding part, which is attached to the body so that it can be opened and closed. It is bulky and heavy, making it very inconvenient to open and close the document holding part when placing or removing the document, and the impact when opening and closing increases, reducing durability.

(Purpose of the invention) In view of these circumstances, the present invention is capable of accurately specifying the image forming area based on the input coordinates from the tablet input device, and has improved operability and durability when placing and removing originals. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can improve performance.

(Structure of the invention) The image forming apparatus of the invention includes an optical scanning device that is disposed inside the body of which the upper surface is the document placement surface and optically scans the placed document, and an optical scanning device that is installed on the document holder attached to the top of the device. a tablet input device for inputting coordinates consisting of a tablet and a stylus pen;
Inverting means for converting an area surrounded by coordinates input by the tablet input device into an area with the front and back reversed;
and image control means for controlling the image forming range in accordance with the area signal from the reversing means.

(Example) Figures 1 and 2 show a digital copying machine equipped with the device of the present invention. In these figures, 1 is a machine body, and 2 is a machine body 1 that can be opened and closed via a hinge 3 at the upper end. This is the attached document holder. A contact glass 4 on which a document 5 is placed during copying is provided on the upper surface of the body 1, and a switch operation section 6 is provided in front of the contact glass 4. Various switches are provided for recording designated areas, erasing designated image areas, etc. Further, a transfer paper cassette 7 is removably attached to one side of the body 1, and a transfer paper receiver 8 is attached to the other side.

Reference numeral 11 is a tablet, and reference numeral 12 is a stylus pen, which constitute a tablet input device 10. This tablet input device 10 is
By pointing an arbitrary position on the tablet 11 with the stylus pen 12, the coordinates of that position are detected as an electrical signal. The tablet 11 is formed into a plate shape with a predetermined size suitable for the document, and is attached to the upper surface of the document holder 2, and the stylus pen 12 is attached to the upper side of the body 1 via a conductive wire 13. There is. In addition,
Document holder 2 around tablet 11 and body 1
Appropriate document positioning means such as edge frames and marks are provided around the contact glass 4 on the upper surface of the document.

Inside the fuselage, as schematically shown in Figure 3,
An optical scanning device 20 that optically scans the original 5, an image sensor 26 such as a CCD that detects the optically scanned original image, and a laser beam print 3
0 and a control unit (control device) 40 are provided. The optical scanning device 20 includes an exposure lamp 21 located below the contact glass 4, mirrors 22 to 24, and a lens 25, and is driven by a motor (not shown) to move light onto the original 5. By irradiating the light, the reflected light is sent to the image sensor 26 via the mirrors 22 to 24 and the lens 25, and is imaged on the image sensor 26. The laser beam printer 30 also includes a laser source 31 and a modulator 3.
2, a rotating polygon mirror 33, and a photoreceptor drum 34, the photoreceptor drum 34 is irradiated with a laser beam from the laser source 31 via the modulator 32 and the rotating polygon mirror 33, and is scanned by a laser beam. An image is formed on the body drum 34. A charging section 35, a developing section 36, a transfer section 37, etc. are arranged around the photosensitive drum 34, and an image is transferred from the transfer paper cassette 7 to the transfer paper 70 fed into the transfer section 37 by the paper feed roller 38. The image is transferred and sent to a fixing section 39.

The control unit 40 sets an image forming range based on the coordinate input signal input from the tablet input device 10, and within this image forming range, responds to the document image detection signal input from the image sensor 26. The image signal is output to the modulator 32 of the laser beam print 30 so that an image is formed on the photoreceptor drum 34.
For example, it is configured as shown in FIG. That is, this control unit 40 includes a control circuit 41 that controls a drive section 51 such as an optical scanning device and outputs an image signal to the modulator 32, and receives a coordinate detection signal from the tablet input device 10, which will be described later. A coordinate conversion circuit 42 that performs coordinate conversion, a memory 43 that receives the output of the coordinate conversion circuit 42 and stores a specified area, and converts the original image detection signal from the image sensor 26 into a binary value and sends it to the control circuit 41. A binarization circuit 44 is also provided. Further, 52 is a print switch, 53 is a designated area recording switch, and 54 is a print switch.
are designated area erase switches, and signals from these switches are input to the control circuit 41.

When using this image forming apparatus, first, as shown in FIG. 1, the document presser 2 is closed, and the document 5 is positioned and placed on the tablet 11 provided on the upper surface thereof with the image surface facing upward. In this state, by pressing the stylus pen 12 onto the image surface of the document, indicate each end of the area to be copied or erased, for example, at the four points T ₁ , T ₂ , T ₃ , as shown in FIG.
Indicate T ₄ . As a result, these four points T ₁ ~
The area surrounded by T ₄ becomes the specified area. Let the lengths of the x and y coordinates of the tablet 11 be X and Y, and let the coordinates of the designated points T ₁ to T ₄ be (x ₁ , y ₁ ) to (x ₄ , y ₄ ), These coordinates are converted by the coordinate conversion circuit 42 into M ₁ (x ₁ , U−y ₁ ) ~
The coordinates are transformed into M ₄ (x ₄ , Y-y ₄ ) and input into the memory 43, so that the memory 43 stores an area that is an inverted version of the designated area.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, open the document presser 2,
After positioning and placing the original 5 on the contact glass 4 with the image surface facing downward, the original holder is closed. In this case, since the document holder 2 is only provided with a relatively lightweight and flat tablet 11, opening and closing operations of the document holder are much easier than when the document holder is equipped with an optical scanning device.

Then, after operating the specified area recording switch 53 or the specified area erasing switch 54, by operating the print switch 52, the memory 4 is
3 and the output from the image sensor 26, an image is formed only in the area stored in the memory 43, or this area is erased and an image is formed only in another area. As such, the laser beam printer 30 is controlled by the control circuit 41. In this case, the original 5 when placed on the contact glass 4 is the same as the tablet 1.
1, but the specified area is also reversed when placed on memory 4.
3, the area where an image is formed or erased on the photosensitive drum 34 by the above control matches the designated area. The image thus obtained is transferred to the transfer paper 70, and only the requested area is copied.

In the above embodiment, the coordinate conversion circuit 42 is used to perform coordinate conversion processing in which the designated area is reversed, but such processing may also be performed within the memory 43 or the control circuit 41. can. Further, the tablet 11 may be attached to the lower surface of the document holder 2. In this case, the coordinate specifying operation may be performed by bringing the document into contact with the tablet with the document holder opened. In this case, there is no need for the coordinate conversion process of reversing the designated area.

(Effects of the invention) As described above, the present invention improves the convenience of the operator by allowing coordinates to be specified with the document set face up on the tablet.Moreover, by reversing the area, the specified area can be set during image formation. can be accurately copied or erased. Moreover, especially
Since the tablet is installed on the original holder and the optical scanning device is located inside the machine, opening and closing the original holder is easier than when the original holder is equipped with an optical scanning device. This has the effect of reducing the impact of

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the copying machine with the original holder closed, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the copying machine with the original holder opened, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the copying machine with the original holder opened. A schematic diagram of the internal mechanism, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control unit. 1... Machine body, 2... Original holder, 4... Contact glass, 10... Tablet input device, 11...
...Tablet, 12...Stylus pen, 20...
...Optical scanning device, 40... Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An optical scanning device that optically scans the placed document is placed inside the machine with the top surface as the document placement surface, and a tablet input device for coordinate input consisting of a tablet and a stylus pen is installed on the document holder attached to the top of the machine. and an inverting means for converting an area surrounded by coordinates input by the tablet input device into an area with the front and back reversed, and an image control means for controlling an image forming range according to an area signal from the inverting means. Features of the image forming device.