JPH09298019A - Key device and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a change of state before and after an operation of a key device by the use of an optical fiber and to lessen the number of part items in the periphery of an operation part. SOLUTION: An operating key 52 is supported, in an operating key link 56 formed thereunder, in a vertically movable manner between ribs 54 of a device case 3. A printed circuit board 32 is equipped with a push switch 36 and a light emitting diode 38. A swing link 48 one end of which stands opposite to the push switch 36 is connected to the operating key link 56, and when the operating key is operated, the push switch 36 is pressedly operated via the swing link 48. An optical fiber 62 is disposed in a deflected state between the operating key 52 and the light emitting diode 38. One end of the optical fiber 62 is exposed in a top surface of the operating key 52 and a lighting condition of the light emitting diode 38 is displayed. The operating key 52 is energized in the returning direction by elastic force of the optical fiber 62.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key device capable of displaying a change of a state before and after an operation by a lighting state, and a printer provided with the key device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an operation key provided in a printer, a touch operation key capable of alternately switching on / off a predetermined function by a touch operation is known.
This type of touch operation key is generally provided with a biasing member such as a spring inside or on the back side thereof, and is always held at a predetermined initial position by the biasing member. Then, during the touch operation, the operation portion is moved against the urging force of the urging member, and when the hand is released from the operation portion, the operation portion returns to the initial position again. .

Further, among the touch operation keys of this kind,
It is known that the on / off state of the function assigned to the key is switched before and after the operation by turning on / off a light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as an LED) arranged in the operation portion. .

[0004]

However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, the LE and the spring for holding the operation key at the initial position at a position where the operation of the operation portion is not hindered.
The electric circuits around D, the LED, and the like must be arranged so that they function properly, and there is a drawback that the structure becomes large-scaled and the structure tends to be complicated.

Further, when an LED is arranged in the operating portion, or when a switch is directly connected to the operating portion near the operating portion, a harness or the like is provided between the LED or switch and the control device. When connected, LED lighting control and switch status monitoring are performed. It is said that external electromagnetic waves invade the control device or electromagnetic waves leak to the outside from the electrical circuits around this harness, LEDs, and switches. There was also a problem.

The present invention has been made in order to solve these various problems, and its purpose is to be able to display a change in the state before and after an operation by a lighting state, and to reduce the number of parts around the operation part. An object of the present invention is to provide a key device that has a simple structure and is unlikely to cause intrusion or leakage of electromagnetic waves, and a printer equipped with the key device.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention can move to either of the first and second positions on the apparatus main body as described in claim 1. Key device having an operating member disposed on the operating member, and an optical fiber having one end disposed in the vicinity of the light source on the apparatus main body side and lit and displayed on the operating member by light guided from the one end to the other end. In the above, the other end side of the optical fiber is connected to the operation member, and a part apart from the connecting part by a predetermined distance to the one end side is held by the optical fiber holding part on the apparatus main body side, The operation member is attached to the first position by an elastic force caused by the bending of the optical fiber, the elastic member being disposed so as to be elastically bent between the connecting portion and the holding portion. It is characterized by being energized.

In the key device of the present invention, the operating member is
It is a member directly operated by the user and may be any movable part such as a push type or a slide type, but in any case, it is always held in the first position and moved to the second position only during the operation. To do. Further, the optical fiber can hold the operating member in the first position by urging the operating member at least by the elastic force associated with the bending of the optical fiber. Although the specific thickness and length are not specified, By appropriately selecting the material, structure, thickness, length, etc., it is possible to generate the desired elastic force according to the weight of the operating member during operation.

Further, the optical fiber holding portion is a member that holds the optical fiber at a predetermined position and defines the range in which the optical fiber bends as described above with the operating member. If the optical fiber holding part is arranged at a position where the distance from the operating member is reduced when the optical fiber holding part is moved from the first position to the second position, due to the elastic force caused by the bending of the optical fiber, The operating member can be biased to the first position.

According to the key device configured as described above,
Since the optical fiber for performing lighting display on the operating member also functions as a biasing member for biasing the operating member to the first position, it is necessary to dispose a biasing member such as a spring separately from the optical fiber. It has a simple structure with few parts around the operation part.

Since the light from the light source is guided by the optical fiber to perform lighting display, the electric circuit around the light source is
It can be placed at any position away from the operating member,
It is easy to arrange an electric circuit around the light source in a relatively large space to take countermeasures against electromagnetic interference, and thus, the movement of the movable structure of the operating member is not hindered. Moreover, since there is no electric circuit around the light source around the operation member, electromagnetic interference is not caused even if no special measures are taken.

In the above structure, the light source is a light source that is switched on / off in accordance with the operating state of the operating member.
Something that changes color and brightness, something that blinks, etc.
Any of these may be used, or the lights may be constantly lit to simply indicate the position of the operating member.

By the way, if the operation of the operating member is transmitted to some switch, the state of the switch can be monitored by the control device. However, the electric circuit around the switch must also be provided with measures against the intrusion and leakage of electromagnetic waves. If it is necessary to consider, if the switch is arranged near the operating member and is directly connected to the switch,
The structure in the vicinity of the operating member may become large-scale.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable portion which is disposed on the substrate on which the electric component is disposed and which can be moved to either an on position or an off position, and the position of the movable portion. It is preferable to include a switch whose ON / OFF state is switched by the above, and a motion transmission mechanism which transmits the motion of the operation member to operate the movable part of the switch.

The motion transmitting mechanism may be any mechanism that transmits the motion of the operating member to a switch located away from the operating member in conjunction with the movement of the operating member, and specifically, a large number of links. It can be configured by using a link mechanism composed of parts, a gear mechanism composed of a large number of gears, a wire mechanism in which a wire is inserted through a tube or stretched around a pulley.

According to such a printing apparatus, since the motion of the operation member is transmitted to the switch by the motion transmitting mechanism, it is not necessary to dispose the switch in the vicinity of the cover. The degree of freedom of
Therefore, it is easy to arrange a board on which electric parts around the switch are arranged in a relatively large space to take measures against electromagnetic interference, and thereby, the movement of the movable structure of the operating member is not hindered. Moreover, since there is no electric circuit around the switch around the operating member, electromagnetic interference is not caused even if no special measures are taken.

The switch has a mechanical structure having a movable portion that can be moved to either the ON position or the OFF position as described above, and also corresponds to a change in the interruption state of the optical path like a photo interrupter. There is also a non-contact type switch in which the ON / OFF state is switched to either of them, or the ON / OFF state is switched to any of them by capturing a magnetic change or the like. It can be used as a key device.

Furthermore, the operation member is provided on the main body of the apparatus with the first,
Although various concrete structures can be considered for disposing the movable member in any of the second positions, for example, as described in claim 3, the operation member is moved by a rib formed on the apparatus main body side. It is expected that the structure of the operating member becomes simpler and the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the structure in which a part of the operating member itself is a movable part if it is supported.

A key device characterized in that Also, regarding the lighting display structure using the optical fiber, various concrete structures can be considered. For example, as described in claim 4, the operation member has an opening whose front surface side has a diameter smaller than that of the optical fiber, and The back side has a through hole that is an opening that is substantially the same as or larger in diameter than the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is inserted into the through hole from the back side to connect the optical fiber and the operating member. In addition, if it has a structure in which the end of the optical fiber is exposed from the surface side opening of the through hole, since it is possible to perform lighting display on the end face of the optical fiber that is directly exposed, the structure is simple,
The light emitted from the optical fiber can be effectively used. Further, in particular, by making the surface side of the operating member an opening having a diameter smaller than that of the optical fiber, the urging force of the optical fiber can be received by the operating member without using a special fixing means.

In addition to exposing the end portion of the optical fiber, it is possible to enclose the end portion of the optical fiber inside a member that transmits light to some extent (for example, semitransparent). The through hole may be a stepped hole or a tapered hole. The key device as described above can be adopted in various devices. To give an example, the key device is a printer provided with the key device according to the present invention.
It is conceivable to provide a control unit that alternately switches between the print data reception standby state and the reception cutoff state in accordance with the operation of the operation member.

In such a printer, for example, by turning on the light in the standby state for receiving print data and turning off the light in the receiving cutoff state, the lighting display on the operation member of the key device is checked to see the data receiving state of the printer. Can be determined. Further, in particular, around the operation member, an optical fiber having both a function of guiding light for lighting display and a function of a biasing member is arranged, and light emitting elements, springs, etc. are individually arranged. Therefore, it has a simple structure in which the number of parts around the operation member is small, which contributes to downsizing of the vicinity of the operation panel of the printer. Moreover, since no electric circuit or the like for lighting display is provided around the operating member, electromagnetic interference with various peripheral devices is less likely to occur.

Although various more specific configurations can be considered for such a printer, for example, as described in claim 6, it has an ink jet recording head for ejecting ink droplets onto a printing medium to perform printing. When the printing mechanism is provided, it is possible to configure an excellent ink jet printer that can display the data reception state on the operating member in a lighted state and has a simple structure with a small number of parts around the operating member and that does not easily cause electromagnetic interference.

[0023]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The illustrated specific example is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the specific device illustrated below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet printer 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as printer 1) is provided in a device case 3 and an opening of the device case 3, and is rotated about a rotation shaft 5. A cover 7 that can be opened and closed is provided. Further, the printing mechanism 10, the control device 30, the operation transmission mechanism 40, and the like are housed inside the device case 3, and the device case 3
An operation key 52 is arranged on the operation panel surface 3a on the upper surface of the.

The printing mechanism 10 includes a conveying roller 12 which is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and a pressure roller 1 arranged to apply a pressing force to the conveying roller 12.
4, a discharge roller 16 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), a spur roller 18 that is arranged to apply a pressing force to the discharge roller 16, and a reciprocating movement with respect to a main shaft 21 that spans the width direction of the apparatus main body. A carriage 22 that is movably arranged, is mounted on the carriage 22, and is supplied to a recording head 26 and a recording head 26 that perform recording by ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet that is conveyed along a guide surface 24 by a sheet conveying mechanism. It is composed of a replaceable ink cartridge 28 and the like in which the corresponding ink is stored.

Further, the control device 30 includes the printed wiring board 3
The printed wiring board 32 is composed of various electric components arranged on the wiring 2, and a connector 34 into which a connection cable C for connecting to an external device can be inserted, and a movable portion 3.
6a and 37a are arranged downward, push switches 36 and 37 which are normally in an off state and are turned on only during a pressing operation, and a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as a light emitting diode) for displaying various operation modes by turning on / off. , LEDs) 38, 39, etc. are also collectively arranged.

Further, the motion transmitting mechanism 40 is rotatably supported around an extension piece 42 extending integrally from the cover 7 and a support shaft 44a, and the extension piece 42 contacts when the cover 7 is opened and closed. The rotating member 44 that rotates together with the contact, and the rotating member 4
4, a coil spring 45 provided to hold the rotating position of the No. 4, a cover link 46 whose upper end in the drawing is rotatably connected to the rotating member 44, and an elongated hole 46a at the lower end of the cover link 46 in the drawing. On the other hand, the left end in the drawing is rotatably and slidably connected, and can swing about the convex portion 48a, and the shared swing link 48 that presses the movable portion 36a of the push switch 36 in accordance with the swing, and the device. A link support member 49 that is integrally formed to project inside the case 3 and supports the shared swing link 48 so as to swing is provided. The first motion transmission path from the cover 7 to the push switch 36 (first
Motion transmission mechanism).

Of these, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotating member 44 includes a support shaft 44a rotatably supported by a support structure (not shown) on the apparatus body side, and a lever protruding from the support shaft 44a. It comprises 44b, 44c and a crank portion 44d in which a part of the support shaft 44a is bent, and a cover link 46 is connected to the crank portion 44d. Further, the crank portion 44d is also connected to an urging unit having one end connected to a support structure (not shown) on the apparatus main body side, for example, the other end side of the coil spring 45.

As shown in FIG. 3, the link support member 49 includes a pair of arch-shaped engaging pieces 49a, and a plate-like supporting piece 49b provided between the engaging pieces 49a. Reinforcing ribs 4 formed in a shape orthogonal to the plate-shaped support piece 49b
9c, and the convex portion 48 of the shared rocking link 48.
When a is fitted between the pair of locking pieces 49a against the elasticity thereof, the upper end of the plate-like support piece 49b has the common swing link 4a.
By making contact with the lower surface side of 8, the common swing link 48
Is swingably supported.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the motion transmitting mechanism 40 is integrally molded and extends from the operation key 52, and is supported by a rib 54 projecting from the device case 3 so as to be movable only in the vertical direction. The common right swing end of the shared rocking link 48 is rotatably and slidably connected to the elongated hole 56a at the lower end of the operation key link 56 shown in FIG. Switch 36
To form a second motion transmission path (second motion transmission mechanism).

An optical fiber 62 is arranged between the operation key 52 and the LED 38. The optical fiber 62 is a thick one having a relatively strong strength that elastically bends, and the lower end side of the optical fiber 62 in the drawing is inserted into an optical fiber holding member 64 fixed to the apparatus main body side, and the end face is It is held in a state of facing the LED 38. On the other hand, the upper end side of the optical fiber 62 in the figure is inserted into a through hole 52a formed in the operation key 52, as shown in FIG. The through hole 52a is an opening having a diameter smaller than that of the optical fiber 62 on the front surface side of the operation key 52 and an opening having a diameter substantially the same as or larger than that of the optical fiber 62 on the back surface side. The optical fiber 62 inserted in 52a is held in a state where the end face is exposed from the front surface side opening of the through hole 52a. As a result, the optical fiber 62 can guide the light from the LED 38 from the lower end to the upper end in the drawing, and the light can perform lighting display on the operation key 52.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber 62 is arranged so as to be bent between the operation key 52 and the optical fiber holding member 64, and the operation key 52 is provided.
Is urged upward in the drawing by the elastic force generated by the bending of the optical fiber 62, and in this state, it is held in the position shown by abutting against a part (not shown) on the apparatus main body side. Therefore, the operation key 52 is always held in a state where it can be pressed without using a separate member such as a spring.

In addition, behind the motion transmitting mechanism 40, a motion transmitting mechanism 70 of a different system from the motion transmitting mechanism 40 is also arranged. The operation transmission mechanism 70 includes an operation key link 72 extending from another operation key (not shown), and a swing link 7 for pressing the push switch 37 with swing.
4 and a link support member 76 that swingably supports the swing link 74, and the function of guiding the light for lighting and displaying on the other operation key from the LED 39, and the other operation. An optical fiber 78 that has two functions of urging the key upward (partly not shown)
And these form an operation transmission path from the other operation key to the push switch 37.

As shown in FIG. 5, the common swing link 48 of the motion transmitting mechanism 40 is bent at a position closer to the printed wiring board 32 than the link supporting member 49 when viewed from above, and this bending causes the common swing link 48 to bend. , Is in a state of going under the swing link 74 of the motion transmitting mechanism 70. Therefore, the push switch 36 disposed immediately below the push switch 37 can be contacted without being affected by the position where the link support member 49 is disposed. Further, the operation key link 72 of the motion transmitting mechanism 70 is also bent near the intermediate portion. Therefore, even though the common swing link 48 and the swing link 74 are arranged adjacent to each other at a slight interval, the operation keys for operating the respective motion transmission mechanisms can be arranged at appropriate intervals for easy operation. Has become.

Next, the operation of the motion transmitting mechanism 40 will be described. First, when the cover 7 is closed, the motion transmission mechanism 40 is in the state shown in FIG. In this state, the rotating member 44 is in contact with a part (not shown) on the main body side and cannot rotate counterclockwise in the figure anymore. On the other hand, in this state, the coil spring 45 has a predetermined amount. Only, and urges the rotating member 44 in the direction to rotate it counterclockwise in the drawing. Therefore, the rotating member 44 is in a state in which the rotating position is held so as not to move from the position shown in the figure with a slight external force.

When the cover 7 is opened, the cover 7 rotates about the rotation shaft 5 in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, and at this time, the extension piece 42 of the cover 7 rotates the rotation member 44. The lever 44b. Then, when the cover 7 further rotates counterclockwise in the drawing, the rotating member 44 is pushed by the extending piece 42, so that the rotating member 44 rotates clockwise in the drawing against the biasing force of the coil spring 45. Be moved.

When the rotating member 44 starts rotating, the coil spring 45 is gradually extended until it reaches a predetermined rotating position, and at the time when the rotating member 44 reaches the predetermined rotating position, the coil spring 45.
Is in the most stretched state. Then, when it exceeds the predetermined rotation position, the coil spring 45 urges the rotation member 44 in the direction to rotate the rotation member 44 clockwise, and the rotation member 44 is pressed against the extension piece 42 of the cover 7. It is rotated clockwise in the figure without being rotated. Then, as a result, the motion transmission mechanism 40 enters the state shown in FIG.

In the state shown in FIG. 6, the rotating member 44.
Is in a state in which it abuts against a part (not shown) on the main body side and cannot rotate in the clockwise direction in the figure any more. On the other hand, in this state, the coil spring 45 is extended by a predetermined amount, and the rotating member 44 is It is urged in the direction to rotate clockwise in the drawing. Therefore, the rotating member 44 is in a state in which the rotating position is held so as not to move from the position shown in the figure with a slight external force.

With the rotation of the rotating member 44 as described above, the cover link 46 connected to the rotating member 44 moves upward, and accordingly, the cover link 46 is inserted into the elongated hole 46a on the lower end side in the drawing. The connected shared swing link 48 swings clockwise in the drawing. The slot 46a of the cover link 46 has a play on the lower side.
Is provided in order to absorb a large amount of movement of the shared swing link 48 and operate the shared swing link 48 by an appropriate amount. Then, as the shared swing link 48 swings, the upper surface of the shared swing link 48 presses the movable portion 36 a of the push switch 36.

At this time, the right end side of the shared swing link 48 in the drawing is connected to the operation key link 56 as shown in FIG. 1, but is connected to the lower side of the slot 56a with play. Therefore, even if the shared swing link 48 swings clockwise in the figure, the right end side of the shared swing link 48 in the figure only moves within the play of the slot 56a, and the operation key link 56 follows. It never works.

In this way, when the cover 7 is opened as shown in FIG. 6 and then the cover 7 is closed, the cover 7 is rotated clockwise around the rotation shaft 5 in the drawing. Then, the extending piece 42 of the cover 7 abuts the lever 44c of the rotating member 44 at this time. When the cover 7 further rotates clockwise in the drawing, the rotating member 44 is pushed by the extension piece 42, and the rotating member 44 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing against the biasing force of the coil spring 45. Be moved.

Similarly to the opening operation, the rotating member 44 first gradually extends the coil spring 45, and is pulled by the coil spring 45 from the time when the coil spring 45 exceeds the predetermined rotating position, and the extending piece 42 of the cover 7 is extended. It rotates counterclockwise in the figure without being pushed by. In this way, the extending piece 42 only temporarily contacts the rotating member 44 during the opening operation and the closing operation of the cover 7, and no extra load is applied in the open state and the closed state.

Now, with the rotation of the rotating member 44, the cover link 46 connected to the rotating member 44 moves downward,
The shared swing link 48 whose left end side in the figure is lifted by the cover link 46 swings counterclockwise in the figure. Further, the movable portion 36a of the push switch 36 pressed by the shared swing link 48 returns to the initial position.

Therefore, the movable portion 36a of the push switch 36 is pressed at the same time when the cover 7 is opened, and is kept pressed until the cover 7 is closed. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 1, when the operation key 52 is pressed, the optical fiber 62 elastically deforms to increase its deflection, while the operation key link 56 extended from the operation key 52 is moved downward. Move to. with this,
The shared swing link 48 connected to the elongated hole 56a on the lower end side of the operation key link 56 swings clockwise in the figure, and the upper surface of the shared swing link 48 presses the movable portion 36a of the push switch 36. .

At this time, the left end of the shared swing link 48 in the drawing is connected to the cover link 46, but the long hole 4
Since it is connected with play on the upper side of 6a,
Even if the shared swing link 48 swings clockwise in the figure, the left end side of the shared swing link 48 shown in the figure moves within the play of the slot 46a, and the cover link 46 does not follow. .

When the pressing operation on the operation key 52 is stopped, the operation key 52 is moved upward by the elastic force of the optical fiber 62. Along with that, the operation key link 56 moves upward, and the common swing link 4 whose right end side in the drawing is pushed down by the operation key link 56.
8 swings clockwise in the drawing. Further, the movable portion 36a of the push switch 36 pressed by the shared swing link 48 returns to the initial position.

Therefore, the movable portion 36a of the push switch 36 is held in the pressed state while the operation key 52 is being pressed. The operation key 52 is assigned a function of alternately switching between a print data reception standby state (hereinafter, also referred to as an online state) and a reception cutoff state (hereinafter, also referred to as an offline state) according to an operation. When the key 52 is operated, the control device 30 performs predetermined control.

Next, a schematic structure of the control device 30 and a control process executed by the control device 30 will be described. The control device 30 is a CPU that controls the overall operation of each unit of the printer 1.
81, a ROM 82 for storing control programs and the like, a RAM 83 for temporarily storing data required during control processing, an EPROM 84 for storing and holding operation modes and the like that can be arbitrarily set by the user even in a power-off state The output signal from the push switch 36 and the print data from the host computer are input to the CPU 81 via the input interface circuit 85, while the CP
Various control signals output from U81 are supplied to dedicated drive circuits 87,
88, etc. to output / turn off the LED 38.
Alternatively, operation control of the printing mechanism 10 is performed. As will be described below, the control device 30 includes means for monitoring the state of the push switch 36, control means for switching between online and offline states, and control means for performing cover opening processing and cover closing processing.

In addition to the various devices shown in FIG. 7, various devices whose operations are controlled by the CPU 81 are connected to the printer 1. The details of these are directly related to the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, illustration and description are omitted. In the control device 30 configured as described above, the switch process of the push switch 36 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is regularly executed at a predetermined cycle.

When the switching process is started, it is first checked whether or not the output signal of the push switch 36 is switched from the low level L to the high level H (S).
102). Here, the low level L is switched to the high level H when the push switch 36 is newly pressed, and if the push switch 36 is already held in the pressed state, the output signal is If the output signal is held at the high level H and is not pressed, the output signal is held at the low level L.

When the push switch 36 is newly pressed (S102: YES), it is subsequently checked whether or not the online flag is on (S1).
04). The online flag is a flag that is set to ON when the print data from the host computer can be received, and set to OFF when the print data from the host computer cannot be received. Only when the online flag is ON ( S104: YES), offline processing is performed (S106). The specific items of the offline processing may be appropriately determined according to the type and function of the printer, but in the printer 1, the processing of outputting a signal indicating that data cannot be received to the external device, the printing mechanism 10 A series of processes such as a process of stopping the operation of each part of the above, a process of turning off the LED 38, and the like are executed, and thereafter, until the online state is brought again, data cannot be received from the external device. By turning off the LED 38, the lighting display indicating the online state on the operation key 52 disappears via the optical fiber 62, so that the user can determine that the offline state is set.

Then, it is checked whether the output signal of the push switch 36 is switched from the high level H to the low level L (S108). Here, the high level H is switched to the low level L when the push operation of the push switch 36 is released, and if the push switch 36 is still held in the push operation state, the output signal is It is held at high level H.

When the output signal of the push switch 36 does not switch from the high level H to the low level L (S1
08: NO), the process of counting up the value of the time counter t is repeated until the predetermined time T is exceeded (S1).
10, S112). The value of the time counter t is the predetermined time T
If it exceeds (S112: YES), it means that the cover 7 is in an open state or the operation key 52 is continuously pressed, and normally it can be considered that the cover 7 is opened. .

Then, subsequently, the cover opening process corresponding to the cover opening is executed (S114). The specific items of the cover opening process may be appropriately determined according to the type and function of the printer. In the printer 1, a process of moving the carriage 22 to a predetermined position where the ink cartridge 28 can be replaced, etc. Is done. Until the movement of the carriage 22 is completed, a process of generating an alarm sound may be executed together. Normally, when the cover is opened, the process of going offline is also executed.
In the case of this printer 1, since the offline processing has already been completed in S106, only the processing that is not included in the offline processing may be executed as the cover opening processing.

When the cover opening process is completed in this way, the online flag is set to OFF (S116), and this process ends. In the processes of S108 to S112, when the high level H is switched to the low level L before the predetermined time T is exceeded (S108: YES), the operation key 52 is touch-operated or the cover 7 is opened for a moment. It is either closed after being closed, and normally, it may be considered that the operation key 52 is touch-operated.

Then, subsequently, it is checked whether or not the online flag is turned on (S120),
If the online flag is on (S12
(0: YES), since the offline process has already been performed in S106, the process proceeds to S116, the online flag is set to OFF, and the present process is terminated. That is, when the operation key 52 is touched in S102 from the online state (S108: YES), the offline process (S106) turns off the online flag (S116), and the offline state is stored.

On the other hand, when the operation key 52 is touched from the off-line state in S102, the online flag is turned off from the beginning (S120: NO), so the online process is performed (S122). The specific items of the online processing may be appropriately determined according to the type and function of the printer, but in the printer 1, the process of outputting a signal indicating that data can be received to the external device, the printing mechanism Processing for releasing the operation stop of each part of 10, LED3
A series of processes such as the process of turning on 8 are executed, and thereafter,
Data can be received from an external device and a printing operation can be performed until the offline state is set again. In addition, LED
By the lighting process of 38, a lighting display indicating the online state on the operation key 52 is displayed via the optical fiber 62, so that the user can determine that the online state is set.

When the online processing is completed in this way, the online flag is set to ON (S124), and this processing ends. Now, in S102, when the output signal of the push switch 36 does not switch from the low level L to the high level H, that is, the pressed or non-pressed state of the push switch 36 is held, or the high level H changes to the low level L. When switched (S
102: NO), the process branches to the following process.

In this case, subsequently, it is checked whether or not the output signal of the push switch 36 is switched from the high level H to the low level L (S130). Here, when the high level H is not switched to the low level L (S130: NO), this is the push switch 3
This is a case where there is no change in No. 6, and this process is terminated and the process returns to the main process of the control device 30.

In the processing of S130, when the high level H is switched to the low level L (S130: YE
S) In the case where the push switch 36 has already been pressed, and the pressing operation is released, the cover 7 that has been opened for a while is closed, or the operation key 52 that has been pressed for a while. Either the pressing operation has been stopped, and normally it can be considered that the cover 7 is closed.

Then, subsequently, the cover closing process is performed (S132). The specific items of the cover closing process may be appropriately determined according to the type and function of the printer, but it is confirmed whether the ink cartridge 28 has been replaced, and the head for which the ink cartridge has been replaced is checked. Then, as is well known, a process of sucking ink with a pump can be considered. When the cover closing process is completed, this process ends. In the printer 1, since the offline process is performed when the cover is opened, the printer 1 is already in the offline state when the cover is closed. However, this offline state is maintained even after the cover close process unless the operation key 52 is operated. It If necessary, the processes included in the online process may be executed together as the cover closing process.

As described above, according to the ink jet printer 1, the optical fiber 62 having the function of performing the lighting display on the operation key 52 urges the operation key 52 upward and holds it at the initial position. Since it also has a function, it is not necessary to separately provide a biasing member such as a spring, and the structure is simple with a small number of parts around the operation key 52.

In addition, the printed wiring board 32 of the control device 30
The push switch 36, the LED 38, and the like are collectively arranged on the upper side, and the movements of the operation keys 52 and the cover 7 are transmitted to the push switch 36 via a link mechanism, and further,
The light of the LED 38 is transmitted through the optical fiber 62 to the operation key 5
Since it can be displayed on the display 2, it is not necessary to dispose electrical parts in the vicinity of the operation key 52, and wiring using various harnesses or the like is unnecessary. Further, as a result, it is possible to prevent malfunction due to intrusion of an external electromagnetic wave and leakage of the electromagnetic wave to the outside only by providing an electromagnetic wave shield measure around the control device 30.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the specific examples, various specific configurations of the present invention are possible other than the specific examples described above. For example, in the above specific example,
Although the example in which the online / offline state is switched according to the operation of the operation key 52 has been shown, the key device of the present invention can be adopted for any operation key to which other functions are assigned. .

Further, the key device of the present invention is most characterized in that one optical fiber has both the function of guiding light and the function of urging the operating member. For example, it interlocks with the operating member. The specific configuration of the switch and the specific configuration of the operation transmission mechanism are not limited to those described in the above specific examples. Further, what is interlocked with the operation member is not limited to the electric switch, and even if only the mechanical structure in which the engagement is released in conjunction with the operation key is used, the key device of the present invention Can be adopted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an internal structure of an ink jet printer using a partial cross section.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a rotating member.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing a shared swing link and a link support member.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view near an operation key.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a part of two motion transmission mechanisms.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an operation position of the operation transmission mechanism when the cover is opened.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a switch process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Printer, 3 ... Device case, 5 ... Rotating shaft, 7 ... Cover, 10 ... Printing mechanism, 22 ...
Carriage, 26 ... Recording head, 28 ... Ink cartridge, 30 ... Control device, 36, 37 ...
Push switch, 38, 39 ... LED, 40 ...
-Motion transmission mechanism, 42 ... extension piece, 44 ... rotating member, 45 ... coil spring, 46 ... cover link, 46a ... elongated hole, 48 ... shared swing link ,
49 ... Link support member, 52 ... Operation key, 52
a ... through hole, 54 ... rib, 56 ... operation key link, 56a ... elongated hole, 62 ... optical fiber, 6
4 ... Optical fiber holding member.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An operating member movably arranged on the apparatus main body to one of a first position and a second position, one end of which is arranged in the vicinity of a light source on the apparatus main body side, and the other end of In a key device provided with an optical fiber that lights up and displays on the operation member by light guided to an end, the other end side of the optical fiber is connected to the operation member, and the one end side from the connection part. A portion separated by a predetermined distance is held by the optical fiber holding portion on the side of the apparatus main body, and at least the connection portion and the holding portion are arranged so as to be elastically bent, A key device, wherein the operating member is biased to a first position by an elastic force caused by the bending of the optical fiber. 2. The key device according to claim 1, further comprising a movable portion which is arranged on a substrate on which electric parts are arranged and which can be moved to either an on position or an off position. A key device comprising: a switch whose on / off state is switched depending on a position; and a motion transmission mechanism which transmits a motion of the operation member to operate a movable part of the switch. 3. The key device according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is movably supported by a rib formed on the device body side. 4. The key device according to claim 1, wherein the operation member has an opening having a diameter smaller than that of the optical fiber on the front surface side and the optical fiber on the back surface side. It has a through hole that is substantially the same or has a larger diameter than that, and inserts the optical fiber from the back surface side into the through hole to connect the optical fiber and the operating member, and A key device characterized in that an end of an optical fiber is exposed from a front side opening. 5. A printer comprising the key device according to claim 1, wherein a print data reception standby state and a reception cutoff state alternate with the operation of the operation member. A printer provided with a control means for switching to. 6. The printer according to claim 5, further comprising a printing mechanism having an ink jet recording head that ejects ink droplets onto a print medium to perform printing.