JPH07140872A - Operating part for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an operating part for an image forming device capable of preventing the occurrence of situations that one party disturls the action of the other party, the both collide and damage each other, etc., in accordance with the movement of the operating part and the opening/closing operations of a document cover, etc., in the image forming device provided with a movable operating part capable of projecting into the upper part of the document cover, etc. CONSTITUTION:In the image forming device having a CRT operating part 3 located on the side of an automatic document feeder 2 equipped on the top surface of an image forming device main body 1 and used as the document cover as well and projecting upward from the top surface of the automatic document feeder, a bracket 18 freely turnably supporting a shaft member 13 extending from the CRT operating part is provided and a turn range regulating mechanism is provided on the shaft member 13 and the bracket 18, to prevent the CRT operating member 3 from projecting into the opening path of the automatic document feeder 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus of a type in which an operating section composed of a CRT display is supported above a pressure plate so as to be able to move forward and backward. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic process such as a copying machine, a printer and a facsimile machine, in order to improve the operability, an operating section including a CRT display is projected above the upper surface of the apparatus. It has been proposed that the display device is arranged in such a state that the orientation and height of the display surface can be changed according to the usage conditions of the operator. By the way, a pressure plate for opening and closing the contact glass, an automatic document feeder (ADF) also serving as a pressure plate, etc. are pivotally supported on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable. If it is in a protruding state, it is expected that the opening and closing of the pressure plate or the like will be obstructed, or the two will collide and be damaged.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the external construction of a conventional copying machine having an operating section equipped with a CRT display. The contact glass (not shown) located on the upper surface of the body 1 of this copying machine is an automatic document feeder. It is opened and closed by 2. The automatic document feeder 2 is pivotally supported on the back side by a hinge (not shown) so as to be vertically openable and closable. Copier body 1
A CRT operating unit 3 is movably supported at the rear end of the upper surface of the CRT, and the CRT operating unit 3 is located above the automatic document feeder. Reference numeral 4 is a document placing portion of the automatic document feeder, and 5 is a paper feeding tray.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the construction for assembling the CRT operating section 3 to the copying machine main body 1, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the essential parts thereof. The CRT operation unit 3 includes a CRT display 1
0 has an operating portion main body 11 and a pipe-shaped operating portion supporting shaft member 13 extending downward from an end portion of a supporting member 12 extending horizontally from the bottom surface of the operating portion main body 11;
Can be attached to and detached from the main body of the copying machine by inserting and pulling it out into and from a support hole 15 provided in the inner portion of the upper surface of the main body of the copying machine. A harness 16 extending from the operation unit main body 11 is inserted into the shaft member 13 and led out to the outside from an opening at the lower end of the shaft member, and a connector 16a at the tip of the harness 16 is connected to a connector 17 on the device side. By doing so, electrical connection between the operation unit and the device body is realized. A bracket 18 is located below a box 15a (not shown in FIG. 12) having the hole 15, and the shaft member 13 inserted into the bracket 18 from above protrudes below the horizontal plate 19. Stop pin 20 in the hole at the bottom
The insertion prevents the dropout. Further, screw holes 21 are formed on the back surface of the shaft member 13 at predetermined intervals along the axial direction, and the screw members 21 are screwed into the screw holes 21 and the fixing holes 22 on the bracket side to screw the shaft members 13 into each other. The height of the (operation section main body 11) can be adjusted. The shaft member 13 has a stepped portion 13a, and the stepped portion 13a is positioned so as not to drop further by contacting the bearing portion 18a on the bracket 18 side. In this conventional device, the shaft member 13 is the bolt 2
Since the height is fixed by 3 and the rotation is prohibited, the operation portion main body 11 is swingably rotatable with respect to the support member 12 or is rotatably supported together with the support member 12. However, this type of operation unit 3 is
If the pressure plate or the like is opened when the pressure plate 1 or the automatic document feeder 2 is projected, the pressure plate or the like may be obstructed to open or close, or the two may collide with each other and be damaged. Is the street.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in an image forming apparatus having a movable operation portion capable of projecting upward such as a pressure plate, the operation portion is moved and the pressure plate is opened / closed. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation unit of an image forming apparatus that can prevent the occurrence of a situation in which one interferes with the operation of the other, or the two collide and are damaged.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is located on the side of an automatic document feeder which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus and above the upper surface of the automatic document feeder. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operating portion protruding in a direction is provided with a bracket for rotatably supporting a shaft member extending from the CRT operating portion, and the shaft member and the bracket are provided with a rotation range regulating mechanism. The CRT operation unit is prevented from protruding into the opening path of the automatic document feeder, and the automatic document feeder is located beside the automatic document feeder also serving as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body. In an image forming apparatus having a CRT operating section that projects above the upper surface of the paper apparatus, the CRT operating section cannot project into the opening path of the automatic document feeder when the automatic document feeder opens. As described above, it has a means for restricting the operation of the operation section, is located on the side of the automatic document feeder which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and protrudes above the upper surface of the automatic document feeder. In the image forming apparatus having the CRT operating section, a means for prohibiting the opening of the automatic document feeding apparatus when the CRT operating section projects into the opening path of the automatic document feeding apparatus is provided. In the image forming apparatus having a CRT operation portion which is located on the side of the automatic document feeder also serving as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus and protrudes above the upper surface of the automatic document feeder, The forming device has a function of discriminating between the automatic document feeding mode and the pressure plate mode. When the pressure plate mode is used, the CRT operating portion is prevented from protruding into the open path of the automatic document feeding device. A CRT operation unit provided with a means for controlling the work, located on the side of the automatic document feeder also serving as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body, and protruding above the upper surface of the automatic document feeder. In the image forming apparatus having the above, the image forming apparatus has a function of determining whether or not there is a document on the contact glass located on the upper surface, and when there is a document on the contact glass, the operation section automatically operates. A means for restricting the operation of the operation unit so as not to project into the open path of the document feeder is provided, and it is located on the side of the automatic document feeder which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body. In an image forming apparatus having a CRT operating section protruding above the upper surface of the automatic original feeding apparatus, when the CRT operating section protrudes into the open path of the automatic original feeding apparatus, the automatic original feeding Of equipment It is characterized in that it has means for retracting the operation section from the opening path in conjunction with the opening operation.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a main part configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 together, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and described. In this embodiment, a bearing 1 surrounding a hole on the upper surface of a bracket 18 supported on a horizontal plate 19 provided at a proper position on the back surface of the copying machine main body 1.
This is the same as the conventional example in that the shaft member 18 extending from the CRT operating portion 3 is rotatably supported by 8a (and the bearing of the horizontal plate), but the projection 30 is provided on the back surface of the shaft member. The structure in which the stopper projections 31 are arranged opposite to each other on the inner wall surfaces of the bracket 18a that face each other so that the projections 30 abut the stopper projections 31 when the shaft member is rotated and the rotation range is restricted is different. ing. Protrusion 3
0 and the stopper protrusion 31 constitute a rotation range regulation mechanism. In this embodiment, since the pipe-shaped shaft member 13 itself is rotatably supported by the bracket 18, the CRT operating portion 3 connected to the upper part of the shaft member is rotated. The rotation range of the protrusion 30 of the shaft member 1 is regulated by the stopper protrusion 31 on the fixed side.
It is possible to prevent the CRT operation unit 3 integrated with the unit 3 from protruding above the automatic document feeder 2 on the copying machine main body 1. In other words, by appropriately setting the positional relationship and shape of the protrusion 30 and the stopper protrusion 31, it becomes easy to regulate the rotation range of the CRT operating portion 3 to the left in FIG.

Next, FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is an explanatory view of the structure of a pressure plate portion. b) is a structural explanatory view of the shaft member, FIG. 3 (a) and
(b) is a structure and operation explanatory view of a shaft member locking mechanism. Note that FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are also referred to. In FIG. 2A, when the automatic document feeder 2 (or the pressure plate) that opens and closes the upper surface of the contact glass 35 provided on the upper surface of the device body 1 is closed, the lower surface of the automatic document feeder 2 contacts the lower surface of the automatic document feeder 2. A switch 37 is provided on the upper surface of the device in contact therewith, and ON / OFF signals of the switch associated with opening / closing of the automatic document feeder 2 are output to a controller (not shown). Grooves 38 are formed on the side surface of the shaft member 13 shown in FIG. 2B at predetermined intervals in the axial direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), a solenoid 40 is fixed to the main body of the device on the side of the shaft member 13 (and the CRT operating portion 3 located above it) supported by the bracket 18. A stopper piece 42 having a shape capable of protruding into each groove 38 is fixed to the tip of a rod 41 of the solenoid 40. The stopper piece 42 has a claw 42a at its tip, and when the rod 41 projects toward the shaft member side as shown in (b), it enters the groove 38 to restrict the rotation of the shaft member 13 and retreat as shown in (a). When this is done, the shaft member 13 is separated from the groove and rotation of the shaft member 13 is allowed. The stopper piece 42 is configured to move forward and backward through the opening provided on the side surface of the bracket 18 into the bracket.

A control signal for operating the solenoid 40 is output from the control unit (not shown), and the control unit operates the solenoid 40 when the automatic document feeder 2 is closed and the switch 37 is turned on, thereby stopping the stopper. The piece 42 is retracted and fitted into the groove 38 to free the shaft member 13 (FIG. 3 (a)). Therefore, the CRT supported on the shaft member
The operation unit 3 can be rotated over a wide range including the upper part (open path) of the automatic document feeder 2. On the other hand, since the switch 37 is turned off when the automatic document feeder 2 is opened, the stopper piece 42 protrudes into the groove 38 by the force of a spring (not shown) and regulates the rotatable range of the shaft member. (Fig. 3 (b)). When the rotation of the shaft member is restricted by the stopper piece 42, the pawl at the stopper tip relatively moves within the groove within the range of the circumferential length of each groove, thereby restricting the rotation range of the shaft member. However, this rotation range is set so that the CRT operating unit 3 fixed on the shaft member does not project into the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2.

Next, FIG. 4, FIG. 5 (a) (b) and FIG. 6 (a)
(b) is a perspective view of a main part of a third embodiment of the present invention and an operation explanatory view, and in this embodiment, also refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. In this embodiment, the switch 50 is provided on one inner wall of the bracket 18 (inner wall on the automatic document feeder side), and the switch 50 is turned on and off on the side surface of the shaft member 13.
By providing a projection 51 for F, the operation unit 3
Detects whether the document is protruding into the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2 and the control unit operates the automatic document feeder open / close lock mechanism to open the automatic document feeder according to the detection result. A characteristic is that it is configured to block. That is,
When the protrusion 51 faces the back side as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the operation section 3 does not project into the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2 as shown in FIG. When the switch 50 is turned to such an extent that it can be turned on, the state shifts to a state in which it protrudes into the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2 as shown in FIG. 6 (b).

FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of the structure of the automatic document feeder opening / closing lock mechanism, which is directly below the contact glass 35 of the apparatus main body 1 (end portion which does not interfere with an optical system not shown). An open / close lock mechanism including a solenoid 60, claws 61, 62, and the like is arranged in the. The claws 61 and 62 are hooks that are detachably attached to the pins 63 and 64 provided on the lower surface of the automatic document feeder 2, and are attached to the tip ends of rods 60a and 60b extending from a single or a plurality of solenoids 60. And is pivotally supported in the vertical direction. Also,
Abutting plates 65 and 66 are provided on the moving paths of the claws 61 and 62.
When the rods 60a and 60b are projected to the right in the drawing, the claws 61 and 62 abut against the abutting plates 65 and 66, and as shown in FIG. It is configured to be rotated upward by and engage with the pins 63 and 64 (automatic document feeder locked state). When the rods 60a and 60b are in the retracted state, the claws are disengaged from the pins as shown in FIG. 6 (a), and the automatic document feeder 2 can be opened.

The operation of retracting the rods 60a and 60b by the solenoid 60 shown in FIG. 6A is executed when the projection 51 is not pressing the switch 50 as shown in FIG. 5A. That is, at this time, since the operation unit 3 does not project (interfere) on the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2, there is no problem even if the automatic document feeder 2 is unlocked.
However, as shown in FIG.
While pressing, the operation unit 3 causes the automatic document feeder 2 to operate.
Since it interferes with the open / close path of the automatic document feeder 2
Need to be locked to prohibit opening. When the operation unit 3 in the state of FIG. 6B returns to the state of FIG. 6A again, the automatic document feeder 2 can be opened.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
It is a modified example of the second embodiment shown in (b), and uses an original document detection sensor (not shown) provided in the original document stacking unit 4 (see FIG. 10) of the automatic original document feeding apparatus 2 to This is an example of preventing interference with the automatic document feeder 2. That is, when the document detection sensor (photo sensor, limit switch, or the like) detects that the document is set, the machine enters the ADF mode (automatic document feeding mode), and it is detected that there is no document. In this case, the control program in the memory of the control unit is preset so that the pressure plate mode is set. When the document detection sensor detects the absence of a document, the pressure plate mode is entered. Therefore, the control unit turns off the solenoid 40 as shown in FIG. 3 (b) to cause the stopper piece 42 to project, and the shaft member 13 (operation unit). 3) Restrict the rotation.
Therefore, there is no risk of interference with the operation unit when the automatic document feeder is opened. Further, when the detection result that the document is present is obtained, the ADF mode is set,
The control unit turns on the solenoid 40 and retracts the stopper piece 42 as shown in FIG. 3 (a) to release the rotation restriction of the shaft member 13 (operation unit 3). Since the opening and closing of the pressure plate is not performed in principle in the ADF mode, there is no problem even if the operation unit 3 can be projected onto the automatic document feeder 2.

Next, the fifth embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the above-mentioned fourth embodiment. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that instead of the document detection sensor provided on the automatic document feeder 2 side. The presence / absence of a document on the contact glass is detected by a document presence / absence detection sensor (photo sensor) disposed in the optical system directly below the contact glass 35. If there is a document, the control unit is as shown in FIG. 3 (b). The stopper piece 42 is projected to the operating portion 3
Is prohibited from protruding above the automatic document feeder. On the other hand, if it is detected that there is no document, the control unit is
As shown in (a), the stopper piece 42 is retracted to release the rotation restriction of the operation portion 3.

Next, FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), FIG. 8 (a) and
(b) and FIG. 9 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
8A and 8B are views showing a configuration example of an automatic document feeder, FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are configuration diagrams of a mechanism for rotating a shaft member, and FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram. As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), when the automatic document feeder 2 pivotally supported on the apparatus main body 1 to close and open the contact glass 35 is closed, the lower end of the automatic document feeder 2 is closed. A first switch 70 is arranged on the upper surface of the device facing the parts, and the first switch 70 is turned off when it is closed as shown in FIG. 7 (a). On the other hand, when the switch 70 is opened as shown in FIG.
The N signal is output to the control unit. A protrusion 71 is provided on the side surface of the shaft member 13, and when the shaft member 13 is rotated toward the automatic document feeder 2, the protrusion 71 comes into contact with and can be pressed to a position (bracket inner wall). The second switch 72 is arranged. A gear 73 is concentrically integrated with the outer periphery of the shaft member 13 at an appropriate position, and an output gear 75 integrated with an output shaft of a motor 74 fixed to the main body of the device is constantly meshed with the gear 73. The electrical connections of the switches 70 and 72 and the motor 74 are as shown in the circuit diagram of FIG.

In the above construction, when the CRT operating section 3 fixed to the upper end of the shaft member 13 is retracted from above the automatic document feeder located on the left side as shown in FIG. 8 (b). Since the second switch 72 is OFF, opening and closing the automatic document feeder 2 turns ON the first switch 70,
Even if it is turned off, the motor 73 does not operate regardless of this. Moreover, in this case, even if the automatic document feeder 2 is opened, there is no risk of interfering with the operation unit 3. However, FIG.
As shown in (a), when the shaft member 13 is rotated toward the automatic document feeder and the second switch 72 is turned on, the CRT operating portion 3 located above the second switch 72 is mounted on the automatic document feeder. Since it projects into the opening / closing path 2, the automatic document feeder 2 cannot be opened unless the operation unit 3 is retracted outside the opening / closing path. When the second switch 72 is turned on, it is possible to operate the motor 74 by turning on the first switch 70. The case where the first switch 70 is turned on is shown in FIG. 7 (b). As shown, the automatic document feeder 2 is opened. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 8A, when the automatic document feeder 2 is closed and the first switch 70 is OFF as shown in FIG. 7A, the motor 74 does not operate. However, when the automatic document feeder 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the first switch 70 is turned on.
Therefore, the motor 74 starts rotating. The rotation direction of the motor 74 at this time is a direction in which the gear 73 and the shaft member are rotated in the direction of arrow A to retract the operation unit 3 from the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2.

When the operation unit 3 is retracted from the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2, and when the second switch 72 is OF
Timing of F (timing of separation of the protrusion 71)
The dimensions and the positional relationship of the respective parts are designed in advance so that and are matched with each other. When the operation part 3 retracts from the opening / closing path and there is no risk of interference, the motor is stopped and the A The rotation in the direction stops. If the shaft member 13 is rotated by the motor 74, the rotation resistance of the motor may limit the free rotation of the shaft member 13. However, the output shaft of the motor 74 and the gear 75 may be restricted. When a one-way clutch is provided between the shaft member 13 and the shaft member 13 so as to be freely rotatable in the direction opposite to the arrow A, while rotating the shaft member 13 in the direction A to retract the operation portion 3 from the opening / closing path, A manually operated switch (not shown) may be operated to operate the motor to rotate in the same direction.

Further, instead of the one-way clutch, a drive gear 75 is configured to be movable back and forth with respect to the gear 73 by a solenoid (not shown), and both switches 70, 72 are provided.
When both are turned on, both solenoids are operated by operating the solenoid.
The shaft members 13 may be freely rotatable by separating the two gears from each other while the gears 5 and 73 are meshed with each other so as to be rotatable in the direction A when both the switches 70 and 72 are not ON. Further, the motor 74 and the drive gear 7
A similar effect can be obtained even if the gear 73 and the motor 74 can be arbitrarily connected and disconnected by interposing a clutch (not shown) between them. In addition,
In all of the above-described embodiments, the operation section 3 is rotated about the shaft member 13 so as to be moved back and forth from the opening / closing path of the automatic document feeder 2, but the operation section 3 is slid laterally. The present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus of a moving type.

[0019]

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the pipe-shaped shaft member integrally extending downward from the CRT operating portion is rotatably supported in the hole of the bracket provided on the apparatus body side. At the same time, the relative rotation allowable range between the bracket inner wall and the side surface of the shaft member is restricted by stopper protrusions and protrusions, and the operation portion is prohibited from protruding into the opening / closing path of the adjacent automatic document feeder. Therefore, there is no interference between the two, and it is possible to move the operation unit and open / close the automatic document feeder without special caution. Next, in the second embodiment of the present invention, when the automatic document feeder is opened, the rotation of the shaft member is regulated or made free by the stopper piece that is moved by the solenoid interlocked with the opening / closing operation. When the paper device is closed, the shaft member can rotate, and when the paper device is open, the stopper piece can restrict the rotation of the shaft member and prevent the operating portion from protruding into the opening / closing path.

In the third embodiment, a mechanism is added which operates so as to prohibit or allow the opening of the sheet feeding device depending on whether or not the operating portion is located above the sheet feeding device. It is possible to prevent a situation in which it is accidentally opened when it is above the paper device. In the fourth embodiment, the pressure plate mode and the ADF are selected depending on whether or not a document is set in the paper feeding device.
Since the mode is automatically switched, it is possible to realize the configuration (the switch 37 is omitted) improved from the second embodiment, which is advantageous in cost. In the fifth embodiment, the stopper mechanism of the second embodiment is operated based on the presence / absence of a document on the contact glass, which is advantageous in terms of cost. In the sixth embodiment, the shaft member is rotated by operating the motor in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the paper feeding device. Therefore, when the paper feeding device is to be opened, the operation section is reliably operated. It means that they are evacuating from the opening and closing route.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a) and 2 (b) are explanatory views of a main part configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B are explanatory views of the configuration and operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an essential part of a third embodiment of the present invention.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are views for explaining part of the operation of the third embodiment.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are diagrams illustrating the configuration and operation of another portion of the third embodiment.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are views showing a partial configuration and operation of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are views for explaining the configuration and operation of another portion of the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit configuration of a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an external configuration explanatory diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus having a CRT operation unit.

11 is an explanatory diagram of a part of the configuration of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of part of FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 copy machine main body, 2 automatic document feeder, 3 CRT operation unit, 4 document placing unit, 5 paper feed tray, 10 CRT
Display, 11 operation section main body, 12 support member, 1
3 shaft members, 15 support holes, 15a box, 16
Harness, 16a connector, 17 connector, 18 bracket, 18a bearing, 19 horizontal plate, 30 protrusion,
31 stopper protrusion, 35 contact glass, 37
Switch, 38 groove, 40 solenoid, 42 stopper piece, 50 switch, 51 protrusion, 60 solenoid, 60a, 60b rod, 61, 62 claw, 63,
64-pin, 65, 66 butting plate, 70 first switch, 71 protrusion, 72 switch, 73 gear, 74
Motor, 75 gears,

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operating portion which is located on a side of an automatic document feeding device which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of an image forming apparatus main body and which projects upward from the upper surface of the automatic document feeding device. The apparatus is provided with a bracket for rotatably supporting a shaft member extending from the CRT operating portion, and the shaft member and the bracket are provided with a rotation range restricting mechanism to provide the above-mentioned C
An operation unit of an image forming apparatus, characterized in that the RT operation unit is prevented from protruding into the opening path of the automatic document feeder. 2. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operating portion which is located on a side of an automatic document feeding device which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming device and which protrudes above the upper face of the automatic document feeding device. The apparatus is provided with means for restricting the operation of the CRT operating unit so that the CRT operating unit cannot project into the opening path of the automatic document feeding device when the automatic document feeding device is opened. The operation unit of the image forming apparatus. 3. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operating portion which is located on a side of an automatic document feeding device which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming device and which projects upward from the upper surface of the automatic document feeding device. The operation unit of the image forming apparatus, further comprising means for prohibiting opening of the automatic document feeder when the CRT operating unit projects into the opening path of the automatic document feeder. . 4. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operating portion which is located on a side of an automatic document feeding device which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming device and which protrudes above the upper surface of the automatic document feeding device. In the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus has a function of discriminating between the automatic document feeding mode and the pressure plate mode. Further, when the pressure plate mode is used, the CRT operation unit cannot project into the open path of the automatic document feeding device. An operation unit of an image forming apparatus, comprising means for restricting the operation of the operation unit. 5. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operation unit which is located on a side of an automatic document feeding device which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus and which projects above the upper surface of the automatic document feeding device. In the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus has a function of determining whether or not there is a document on the contact glass located on the upper surface, and when there is a document on the contact glass, the operation unit causes the automatic document feeder to operate. An operation unit for an image forming apparatus, comprising means for restricting the operation of the operation unit so that it cannot project into the open path. 6. An image forming apparatus having a CRT operating portion which is located on a side of an automatic document feeding device which also functions as a pressure plate mounted on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming device and which projects upward from the upper face of the automatic document feeding device. The apparatus has means for retracting the operating section from the opening path in association with the opening operation of the automatic document feeding apparatus when the CRT operating section projects into the opening path of the automatic document feeding apparatus. An operation unit of an image forming apparatus characterized by the above.