Printing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a printing device. The printing device uses a recording material to perform printing, and comprises: an electrostatic touch panel; a conveying operation unit including a mechanical key for operating the conveying position of a printing medium to be printed, wherein a panel setting surface provided with the electrostatic touch panel is different from a conveying operation unit setting surface provided with the conveying operation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a printing device. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a user interface for performing various inputs through an operation unit such as a button. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for adjusting the visibility of an operation unit by making the operation unit emit light or not emit light.

[0003] There is a problem that operability may be deteriorated if the positional relationship between components of the user interface is not taken into consideration.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-120329 Summary of the invention

[0005] The printing device used to achieve the above-mentioned purpose is a printing device that uses recording materials to implement printing, and the printing device comprises: an electrostatic touch panel; a conveying operation unit, which includes a mechanical key for operating the conveying position of the printing medium to be printed, and the panel setting surface on which the electrostatic touch panel is provided is a surface different from the conveying operation unit setting surface on which the conveying operation unit is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the structure of a printing device.

[0007] Figure 2 A diagram showing the appearance of a printing device.

[0008] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the appearance of the UI part.

[0009] Figure 4 A diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a screen.

[0010] Figure 5 A diagram showing an example of a basic screen.

[0011] Figure 6 A diagram showing an example of a screen.

[0012] Figure 7 A diagram showing an example of a screen.

[0013] Figure 8 It is a side view of the UI part.

[0014] Fig. 9 A diagram showing an example of a screen.

[0015] Fig.10 A diagram showing an example of a screen.

[0016] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing the appearance of the UI part.

[0017] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing the appearance of the UI part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.

[0019] (1) Structure of printing device:

[0020] (2) Configuration to improve operability:

[0021] (3) Other implementation methods:

[0022] (1) Structure of printing device:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the structure of a printing device 1 involved in an embodiment of the present invention. The printing device 1 includes a processor 10, a non-volatile memory 20, a UI (user interface) unit 30, a communication unit 40, and a printing unit 50. The processor 10 includes a CPU, ROM, or RAM, etc., which are not shown in the figure, and can control each unit of the printing device 1 by executing various programs recorded in the non-volatile memory 20. In addition, the processor 10 can be composed of a single chip or a plurality of chips, and can also be composed as a SoC together with various functional blocks that operate the printing device. In addition, for example, an ASIC can be used instead of a CPU, and a structure in which the CPU and the ASIC work together can also be used.

[0024] The nonvolatile memory 20 stores programs (not shown) executed by the processor 10, setting data, image data, etc. The setting data is data indicating settings when various processes are executed in the printing device 1. The image data is data for causing the UI unit 30 to display a screen as a user interface.

[0025] The UI unit 30 is a device that accepts user input or outputs various information to the user. In the present embodiment, the UI unit 30 has an operation unit including an electrostatic touch panel and a mechanical key. The electrostatic touch panel has a display panel that displays various information and an electrostatic touch operation detection unit overlapping the display panel. The touch operation detection unit is provided with a plurality of electrodes, and detects the touch operation according to the change in electrostatic capacitance between the electrodes caused by the user's touch. The mechanical key detects whether an operation has been performed on it by contacting and separating the two electrodes that constitute it. The UI unit 30 displays various information on the display panel of the UI unit 30 according to the control of the processor 10. In the present embodiment, the processor 10 can control the UI unit 30 and accept the user's input to the soft keys provided in the electrostatic touch panel and the mechanical keys provided in the UI unit 30. The processor 10 performs processing corresponding to the input content.

[0026] The communication unit 40 includes an interface circuit for communicating with various removable memories installed in the printing device 1 and devices connected to the printing device 1 by wire or wirelessly. The processor 10 can obtain a file recorded on a device connected via the communication unit 40 as a print target.

[0027] The printing unit 50 includes an actuator, a sensor, a drive circuit, a mechanical component, etc. for performing printing on a printing medium by inkjet method. In the present embodiment, the printing device 1 includes a storage unit (not shown) for storing the cloth in a roll form, and the cloth is pulled out by a conveying mechanism (not shown) so as to be conveyed along a predetermined conveying path. The printing unit 50 can perform printing by recording the recording material on the cloth that has reached the printing position during the conveying process.

[0028] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a printing device 1 according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the printing device 1 according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing, and a printing unit 50 and the like are provided inside the housing. In the present embodiment, x, y, and z axes are defined in directions parallel to the sides of the rectangular parallelepiped. Figure 2 In the figure, the upper right oblique side is the positive direction of the x-axis, the upper left oblique side is the positive direction of the y-axis, and the upper side is the positive direction of the z-axis. In the printing device 1, a discharge port for a cloth as a printing medium M is provided at the center of a surface having the largest surface and parallel to the xz plane. The printed printing medium M is discharged from the discharge port. When viewed from the discharge port, a UI unit 30 is provided at the upper portion on the positive direction side of the x-axis. In the present embodiment, the UI unit 30 is mounted on the printing device 1 in such a manner that the UI unit 30 is inclined relative to the surface of the housing of the printing device 1.

[0029] Figure 3 30 is a diagram showing the appearance of the UI unit 30. The UI unit 30 includes an electrostatic touch panel 30a, a home page operation unit 30b, a power operation unit 30c, and a conveying operation unit 30d. The power operation unit 30c is a mechanical key that changes the power state of the printing device 1. In the present embodiment, the power state is on or off. Therefore, when the power of the printing device 1 is off, when the user presses the power operation unit 30c, the power state is changed to on, so that the processor 10 executes the startup sequence. When the startup sequence ends, various functions can be executed in the printing device 1. When the power of the printing device 1 is on, when the user presses the power operation unit 30c, the processor 10 executes the shutdown sequence. When the shutdown sequence ends, the power state is changed to off.

[0030] The homepage operation unit 30b is a mechanical key for switching from a screen other than the basic screen to the basic screen. In the present embodiment, the basic screen is a screen that is displayed as the first screen that can be operated after the printing device 1 is activated. That is, when the activation sequence of the printing device 1 ends, the processor 10 causes the electrostatic touch panel 30a to display the basic screen based on the image data recorded in the nonvolatile memory 20. Although various screens are displayed on the electrostatic touch panel 30a by the user's operation, when the user performs a press operation on the homepage operation unit 30b in the state where a screen other than the basic screen is displayed, the processor 10 causes the electrostatic touch panel 30a to display the basic screen.

[0031] The conveying operation unit 30d includes a mechanical key for operating the conveying position of the print medium to be printed. In the present embodiment, the conveying operation unit 30d includes a forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1 and a reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2. The forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1 includes a mechanical key for conveying the medium in the forward direction, which is one of the conveying directions of the print medium. The reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2 includes a mechanical key for conveying the medium in the direction opposite to the forward direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, the direction in which the print medium is conveyed (the conveying direction toward the discharge port) when printing is performed on the print medium becomes the forward direction. When the user performs a push-in operation on the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1, the processor 10 controls the conveying mechanism (not shown) and conveys the print medium in the forward direction at a conveying amount corresponding to the period during which the push-in operation is performed. When the user pushes the reverse direction conveyance operation unit 30d2, the processor 10 controls the conveyance mechanism (not shown) to convey the print medium in the reverse direction by a conveyance amount corresponding to the period during which the push operation is performed.

[0032] In this embodiment, the homepage operation unit 30b, the power operation unit 30c, the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2 are respectively composed of a mechanical key, that is, a button. Of course, each operation unit can also include multiple mechanical keys and other objects such as text, braille, etc.

[0033] The user stands at a position where he can visually check the electrostatic touch panel 30a, and performs touch operations on the electrostatic touch panel 30a and each operation unit. When the user stands at a position where he can visually check the UI unit 30 to use the printing device 1, the left and right directions as seen by the user are Figure 2 In addition, the front-to-back direction as seen by the user is parallel to the x-direction shown in FIG. Figure 2 The y-direction is shown parallel.

[0034] As described above, the UI unit 30 is installed in a manner inclined relative to the surface of the housing of the printing device 1. Therefore, the surface of the electrostatic touch panel 30a in the UI unit 30 is not parallel to either the xz plane or the yz plane. That is, although the long side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a is parallel to the left-right direction and the x direction as seen from the user, the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a is not parallel to either the z direction or the y direction. In this embodiment, one side of the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a ( Figure 3 The positive direction of the y' axis shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as the depth direction. That is, the direction which is the back side when viewed from the user using the printing device 1 and is parallel to the surface of the electrostatic touch panel 30a is referred to as the depth direction. The direction opposite to the depth direction is the front direction.

[0035] In this embodiment, the processor 10 causes the electrostatic touch panel 30a to display various screens according to the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 20. In this embodiment, a plurality of screens form a hierarchical structure, and the screen of the topmost layer is a basic screen. When the user performs a touch operation on the operation unit set in the basic screen, the lower layer screen corresponding to the operation unit is displayed. There may be multiple screens in the layered screens below the second layer.

[0036] Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hierarchical structure of the screen in this embodiment. Figure 4 In the diagram, the top layer is shown on the left, the second layer is shown on the right of the top layer, and the third layer is shown on the right of the second layer. Of course, there may be layers below the third layer. Figure 4In the embodiment, a part of a plurality of screens is shown in detail. In the present embodiment, each screen has an operation unit and an information display unit. The operation unit is a part including soft keys that can be operated by the user, and is set with various information displayed and an area where the detection of the touch operation performed by the user is effective, namely, the soft keys. Although various information is displayed in the information display unit, no soft keys are included.

[0037] exist Figure 4 In the example, the content of each screen is shown using the text in the rectangle. Figure 4 As shown, the basic screen according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit and an information display unit, and the operation unit includes a fixed operation unit and a detail setting unit. The information display unit includes, for example, a print availability display unit and an environment information display unit. The print availability display unit indicates whether printing can be performed in the printing device 1, and the environment information display unit displays environment information such as temperature and humidity detected by a sensor (not shown) provided in the printing device 1.

[0038] The fixed operation unit is an operation unit that is shared by a plurality of screens and displayed at a fixed position. The detail setting unit may be different for each of the plurality of screens. Figure 5 is an example of a basic screen displayed on the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 5 In the example shown, the soft keys on the electrostatic touch panel 30a are colored gray. In this embodiment, the fixed operation unit 31a is composed of a plurality of soft keys, and they are displayed side by side along the upper edge of the displayable area of ​​the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 5 The dashed line shown indicates the boundary of the displayable area, but in the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the boundary is not clearly shown.

[0039] The fixed operation unit 31a is an operation unit that displays a screen for instructing and confirming detailed settings in the printing device 1, and is displayed on all screens in the present embodiment. Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , an example in which six fixed operation units 31 a exist is shown. The transition target achieved by the fixed operation unit 31 a is not limited. Figure 4 , Figure 5 In the illustrated example, there are a menu button for displaying a selection list that causes a transition to a setting screen for various functions, a transport unit cleaning button for displaying a screen for executing instructions related to cleaning of the transport unit, and the like.

[0040] In the detail setting section, a portion of items for which parameters can be set in the printing device 1 is displayed in a selectable manner. Figure 5In the example shown, a medium setting unit 32 for transitioning to a screen for making settings related to the printing medium is included. In addition, in this embodiment, a recording material setting unit 33 is included in the basic screen, and the recording material setting unit 33 displays the remaining amount information of the recording material and is used to transition to a screen for making settings related to the recording material.

[0041] The remaining amount information of the recording material is displayed using a bar graph composed of a rectangle representing the capacity of the ink tank and a rectangle representing the remaining amount. That is, these rectangles are displayed for each color of the recording material, and are constructed in a manner that allows the relative relationship between the capacity of the ink tank and the remaining amount to be known. The processor 10 obtains the remaining amount of the recording material in the ink tank for each color of the recording material using a sensor not shown in the figure. Based on the obtained remaining amount, the processor 10 displays the remaining amount information of each color of the recording material at a predetermined position on the basic screen. In addition, Figure 5 In the example shown, information indicating a failure, such as an icon indicating that the recording medium cannot be used or an icon indicating a warning, is superimposed on the remaining amount information of each color of the recording medium.

[0042] When a touch operation is performed on each operating unit, the processor 10 identifies the operating unit on which the touch operation is performed and identifies the screen that has established a corresponding relationship with the identified operating unit. The processor 10 refers to the nonvolatile memory 20 and controls the electrostatic touch panel 30a based on the image data used to generate the identified screen, and displays the screen.

[0043] Figure 6 for, in Figure 5 This is an example of a recording material setting screen displayed when the user performs a touch operation on the recording material setting unit 33 in the basic screen shown. Figure 6 The recording material setting screen shown is also Figure 5 Similarly, in the example shown, the soft keys on the electrostatic touch panel 30a are colored gray, and the boundaries of the displayable area are shown by dotted lines. Figure 4 As shown, it includes an operation unit and an information display unit.

[0044] The information display section of the recording material setting screen includes a recording material detail display section that displays the remaining amount information of each color of the recording material displayed on the basic screen. Figure 5In the same manner, information indicating the remaining amount of each color of recording material is displayed. In addition, icons indicating a bad condition, etc., are displayed in a corresponding manner for the remaining amount information of each color of recording material. In addition, the status of each color can also be displayed in more detail than the basic screen in the recording material detail display section.

[0045] The operation section of the recording material setting screen includes a fixed operation section 31a, a return operation section 34, a maintenance operation section 35a as the screen operation section 35, and a detail confirmation section 35b. As described above, the fixed operation section 31a is the same as the fixed operation section 31a of the basic screen. The return operation section 34 is a soft key for changing the displayed screen to the original screen. The return operation section 34 is an operation section for returning to the screen displayed before the screen is changed to the current screen. Figure 6 The recording material setting screen shown is an operation unit for returning to the basic screen. The return operation unit 34 is displayed in all layers below the second layer.

[0046] The maintenance operation unit 35a is an operation unit for instructing the start of maintenance of the mechanism for recording recording material on the printing medium. When the user performs a touch operation on the maintenance operation unit 35a, the processor 10 performs maintenance such as cleaning of the nozzle for ejecting the recording material. Of course, in the printing device 1 that can instruct the details of maintenance, the screen can also be changed to the screen for instructing the details of maintenance according to the touch operation on the maintenance operation unit 35a.

[0047] The detail confirmation unit 35b is an operation unit for instructing a transition to a screen for confirming in detail the remaining amount of each color of recording material, the state of a mechanism for ejecting recording material, etc. When the user performs a touch operation on the detail confirmation unit 35b, the processor 10 obtains detailed information such as the remaining amount information of each color of recording material, the defective state of each recording material, etc., and displays them on the screen after the transition.

[0048] As described above, in the present embodiment, the processor 10 can cause the electrostatic touch panel 30 a to display one of the screens defined to have a hierarchical structure, and perform screen transition according to the user's input.

[0049] In this embodiment, as described above, the user can perform various operations through the operation unit of the mechanical keys and soft keys provided on the UI unit 30. These operation units are as follows: Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , there are many such operating units, and they are used to indicate various contents. Therefore, if the positional relationship between different types of operating units and the positional relationship between the operating units and their surrounding objects are not considered, the operability will be deteriorated.

[0050] For example, when the printing device 1 is normally used, the user usually does not operate the power operating unit 30c. However, if there is no consideration of the positional relationship between the power operating unit 30c and other operating units, the user may touch the power operating unit 30c by mistake, thereby causing the power state of the printing device 1 to change. Therefore, in this embodiment, various situations are taken into consideration to avoid deterioration of the operability of the operating unit.

[0051] (2) Configuration to improve operability:

[0052] In this embodiment, when the UI unit 30 is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the display panel surface of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the home operation unit 30b is closer to the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the power operation unit 30c. Figure 3 In the x-y' plane shown in FIG. 1 , the home operation unit 30b is closer to the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the power operation unit 30c. Figure 5 As shown, the distance L1 between the home operation unit 30b and the electrostatic touch panel 30a is shorter than the distance L2 between the power operation unit 30c and the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0053] In addition, the distance between the operating parts can be evaluated using various indicators, for example, it can be evaluated by the shortest distance. In addition, in the present embodiment, the distance between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the operating part is the distance between the edge of the electrostatic touch panel 30a that can be visually confirmed on the UI part 30 and the edge of the operating part. In the present embodiment, the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the homepage operating part 30b, and the power operating part 30c are rectangular or substantially rectangular, and the sides are parallel to the x direction or the y' direction. Therefore, the distance between them is the distance in the x direction or the y' direction.

[0054] In addition, in the present embodiment, the homepage operation unit 30b is closer to the operation unit on the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the power operation unit 30c. Specifically, the distance between the recording material setting unit 33, which is the operation unit closest to the homepage operation unit 30b among the operation units on the electrostatic touch panel 30a, and the homepage operation unit 30b is set as the distance L3. In addition, the distance between the fixed operation unit 31a at the left end, which is the operation unit closest to the power operation unit 30c among the operation units on the electrostatic touch panel 30a, and the power operation unit 30c is set as the distance L4. In this case, the distance L3<the distance L4.

[0055] In addition, in the present embodiment, the homepage operation unit 30b is closer to the displayable area of ​​the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the power operation unit 30c. Specifically, the distance between the lower edge of the displayable area of ​​the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the homepage operation unit 30b is set to distance L5. In addition, the distance between the left edge of the displayable area on the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c is distance L4. In this case, distance L5 < distance L4.

[0056] In this embodiment, since the home operation unit 30b is closer to the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the power operation unit 30c, it is easy to perform the operation of moving the finger back and forth between the soft key on the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the home operation unit 30b. The home operation unit 30b is an operation unit for switching a screen other than the basic screen displayed on the electrostatic touch panel 30a to the basic screen. Therefore, it is easier for the user to move the finger between the home operation unit 30b and the electrostatic touch panel 30a than to move the finger between the power operation unit 30c and the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, the user can easily input while moving the finger between the home operation unit 30b and the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0057] When the user is performing various inputs on the UI unit 30, the possibility of turning off the power of the printing device 1 is low. Therefore, by configuring the power operation unit 30c at a position farther from the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the home page operation unit 30b, the possibility of the user accidentally operating the power operation unit 30c during the use of the printing device 1 is low. In addition, the power operation unit 30c is located further back than the home page operation unit 30b when viewed from the user. Therefore, the power operation unit 30c is configured at a position farther from the user than the home page operation unit 30b. Therefore, the possibility of the user accidentally operating the power operation unit 30c during the use of the printing device 1 is low.

[0058] In addition, the homepage operation unit 30b is an operation unit for switching the screen to the basic screen. Therefore, when the operation on the homepage operation unit 30b is performed, it is highly likely that the user wants to operate the soft keys on the basic screen after switching, confirm the information on the basic screen, etc. If the homepage operation unit 30b is closer to the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the power operation unit 30c, the user can easily operate while including both the homepage operation unit 30b and the electrostatic touch panel 30a in the field of vision. Therefore, even without multiple line of sight movements, it is possible to operate the soft keys on the basic screen in the electrostatic touch panel 30a, or confirm the information on the basic screen. Therefore, it is possible to provide an easy-to-operate user interface.

[0059] In addition, in the present embodiment, the fixed operation unit 31a is displayed along the upper side of the displayable area in all screens on the electrostatic touch panel 30a. That is, the fixed operation unit 31a is also displayed in screens other than the basic screen. Therefore, after the user has just operated the homepage operation unit 30b, it is less likely that the user will operate the fixed operation unit 31a that is also displayed before the screen transition caused by the operation on the fixed operation unit 31a.

[0060] Therefore, in the present embodiment, among all the operation parts displayed on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the fixed operation part 31a is arranged at the farthest position when viewed from the home operation part 30b (in the depth direction). According to this structure, the operation part to be operated immediately after the home operation part 30b is operated and the information to be confirmed immediately after the home operation part 30b is operated can be arranged relatively near the home operation part 30b. Therefore, it is easy to perform the operation and confirm the information immediately after the home operation part 30b is operated.

[0061] In addition, the distance L1 between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the homepage operation unit 30b is smaller than the width W1 of the mechanical key of the homepage operation unit 30b. In addition, in the present embodiment, the width W1 is the length of the mechanical key of the homepage operation unit 30b in the depth direction, but the length of the mechanical key in the depth direction is the same as the length in the left-right direction. The width of the mechanical key of the homepage operation unit 30b is set to be slightly larger than the area touched by the fingertip so that the homepage operation unit 30b can be operated by the fingertip of one finger of the user.

[0062] Therefore, when the distance L1 between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the home operation unit 30b is smaller than the width W1 of the mechanical key of the home operation unit 30b, the distance L1 between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the home operation unit 30b becomes a distance of the same degree as the width of the fingertip. Therefore, after the operation on the home operation unit 30b, the finger can be moved to the electrostatic touch panel 30a by moving the finger a distance of the same degree as the width of the fingertip. Therefore, the touch operation on the electrostatic touch panel 30a can be achieved by moving the finger only a short movement distance. Therefore, the operation using the soft keys on the home operation unit 30b and the electrostatic touch panel 30a can be easily performed.

[0063] In addition, the distance L2 between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c is greater than the width W1 of the mechanical key of the homepage operation unit 30b. Therefore, after the touch operation on the electrostatic touch panel 30a is performed, in order to perform the touch operation on the power operation unit 30c, it is necessary to move the finger at least over a distance longer than the width of the fingertip. That is, the user can touch the power operation unit 30c only if the finger moves from the electrostatic touch panel 30a to a certain extent. Therefore, the possibility of the user accidentally performing a wrong operation on the power operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0064] In addition, in the present embodiment, the light source Ls that illuminates the electrostatic touch panel 30a from the back is located at the end of the electrostatic touch panel 30a on the home page operation unit 30b side. Figure 6 In the figure, the position of the light source Ls is schematically shown by a dotted rectangle. In the present embodiment, the electrostatic touch panel 30a is an edge-lit liquid crystal display device. The light source Ls is arranged on one side of the display panel of the electrostatic touch panel 30a inside the UI unit 30, and illuminates the entire surface of the display panel through a light guide plate or the like. In the present embodiment, the light source Ls is located at the end of the homepage operation unit 30b side of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. That is, Figure 6 In the embodiment, it is arranged at the lower end of the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0065] The light source Ls is a light source for illuminating the entire surface of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, and is also provided with a reflector plate for directing light to the back surface. Therefore, a certain degree of space is required around the light source Ls. On the other hand, since the homepage operation unit 30b includes mechanical keys, a mechanism for constituting the mechanical keys, a circuit for detecting the on / off state of the mechanical keys, etc. need to be provided, which requires a certain degree of space.

[0066] As described above, in order to arrange the light source Ls and the home page operation unit 30b inside the UI unit 30, spaces corresponding to the respective mechanisms are required. When the light source Ls and the home page operation unit 30b are arranged in different directions when viewed from the electrostatic touch panel 30a, for example, the upper side and the lower side, respective spaces are required in different directions. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the light source Ls and the home page operation unit 30b are arranged in the same direction when viewed from the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the light source Ls and the home page operation unit 30b can be arranged in a state where they share the space required by each other. As a result, the space occupied by the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the home page operation unit 30b can be reduced, so that the UI unit 30 can be made compact.

[0067] In addition, in the present embodiment, the remaining amount information in the basic screen is displayed at a position closer to the home operation unit 30b than the power operation unit 30c in the screen. Figure 5 In the example shown, the remaining amount information is displayed in the recording material setting portion 33, and the distance between the power operation portion 30c and the recording material setting portion 33 is a distance L6. The distance between the home operation portion 30b and the recording material setting portion 33 is a distance L3. In addition, the distance L6 between the power operation portion 30c and the recording material setting portion 33 is the shortest distance between the two, and the distance L3 between the home operation portion 30b and the recording material setting portion 33 is the shortest distance between the two.

[0068] The home operation unit 30b is an operation unit for switching a screen other than the basic screen to the basic screen. Therefore, after operating the home operation unit 30b, it is highly likely that the user intends to confirm the information in the basic screen. In the case where the remaining amount information is closer to the home operation unit 30b than the power operation unit 30c, the remaining amount information can be confirmed with less eye movement just after performing a touch operation while visually confirming the home operation unit 30b than just after performing a touch operation while visually confirming the power operation unit 30c.

[0069] In addition, the basic screen includes a plurality of soft keys, and the remaining amount information includes a soft key, and the soft key included in the remaining amount information is closest to the homepage operation unit 30b among all the soft keys displayed on the basic screen. That is, the recording material setting unit 33 on the basic screen shows the remaining amount information of each color by a rectangle showing the remaining amount of each color of the recording material. Since the recording material setting unit 33 is also a soft key that accepts a touch operation for switching to a screen for performing settings related to the recording material, the recording material setting unit 33 showing the remaining amount information includes a soft key.

[0070] exist Figure 5 The basic screen shown in FIG. 1 includes, in addition to the recording material setting section 33, operation sections such as the medium setting section 32 that are touched by the user, and these operation sections are colored gray. These operation sections are soft keys for instructing the transition to the lower-level layered screen. Figure 5 As shown, the operation unit (soft key) closest to the home page operation unit 30 b is the recording material setting unit 33 .

[0071] The homepage operation unit 30b is an operation unit for switching a screen other than the basic screen to the basic screen. Therefore, after operating the homepage operation unit 30b, it is highly likely that the user intends to operate the operation unit in the basic screen. Among the operation units, when the recording material setting unit 33 is closest to the homepage operation unit 30b, just after the touch operation is performed on the homepage operation unit 30b, the touch operation on the recording material setting unit 33 can be performed by moving a shorter distance than other operation units. Therefore, the user can easily perform the touch operation on the recording material setting unit 33 just after the touch operation is performed on the homepage operation unit 30b.

[0072] In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, the distance L3 from the homepage operation section 30b to the operation section on the basic screen, i.e., the recording material setting section 33, which is at the shortest distance, is shorter than the distance L4 from the power operation section 30c to the operation section on the basic screen, i.e., the fixed operation section 31a at the left end, which is at the shortest distance. Therefore, just after the touch operation is performed on the homepage operation section 30b, the operation section on the basic screen can be touched by moving only a shorter distance than just after the touch operation is performed on the power operation section 30c. Therefore, it is easy for the user to operate the operation section on the basic screen just after the touch operation is performed on the homepage operation section 30b, and the possibility of erroneous operation of the power operation section 30c just after the operation is performed on the basic screen is reduced.

[0073] In this embodiment, even in the screen of the lower layer than the basic screen, the configuration of the operation unit is carefully considered. Figure 6 As shown, the recording material setting screen displayed by the touch operation on the recording material setting section 33 includes a return operation section 34 and an in-screen operation section 35. The return operation section 34 includes a soft key for changing the displayed screen to the original screen, and the in-screen operation section 35 includes soft keys other than the return operation section 34. In addition, in the present embodiment, the in-screen operation section 35 includes a maintenance operation section 35a and a detail confirmation section 35b.

[0074] Figure 6This is an example of a screen of a lower layer than the basic screen. In the present embodiment, the return operation unit 34 is displayed at the same position in all screens of the layers below the second layer. In the present embodiment, the return operation unit 34 is not displayed on the basic screen. Therefore, when a screen other than the basic screen is set as the first screen and the basic screen is set as the second screen, the return operation unit 34 is displayed on the first screen, but not on the second screen. In the present embodiment, since the basic screen is the screen of the highest layer, if a structure is set so that the return operation unit 34 is not displayed in the basic screen, it is possible to effectively use the screen without configuring a useless operation unit in the basic screen.

[0075] Furthermore, as described above, the fixed operation unit 31a is displayed at the same position in all screens including the basic screen. Therefore, the user can perform an instruction to execute a predetermined function listed as the fixed operation unit 31a regardless of the layer of the screen. The in-screen operation unit 35 is an operation unit for performing different instructions according to the screens below the second layer, and the display position of the in-screen operation unit 35 in different screens may be different.

[0076] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, the homepage operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are sandwiched between the on-screen operation unit 35. Figure 6 In FIG. 1 , a straight line Lo extending from the center of the home operation unit 30b to the center of the return operation unit 34 is shown by a single-dot chain line. The straight line Lo passes through the maintenance operation unit 35a, which is one of the on-screen operation units 35. Since the operation units are in such a positional relationship, the home operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are arranged so as to sandwich the on-screen operation unit 35.

[0077] In addition, the straight line used to determine whether the homepage operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are sandwiched between the on-screen operation unit 35 is not limited to a straight line passing through the center of the operation unit, but may be a straight line passing through any position of the operation unit, such as the end. In the case where a straight line passing through any position of the two operation units passes through another operation unit existing between the two operation units, it can be said that the two operation units are sandwiched between the other operation units (this is the same for any operation unit). In addition, whether the two operation units are sandwiched between the other operation units may also be determined in a specific direction, such as Figure 6 The y' direction or the x direction is determined as shown. For example, if Figure 6 In the example shown, in the y′ direction, the home operation unit 30 b and the return operation unit 34 sandwich the on-screen operation unit 35 .

[0078] The home operation unit 30b is an operation unit for returning to the basic screen from a screen other than the basic screen, and the return operation unit 34 is an operation unit for returning to the screen displayed before the transition to the screen currently being displayed. In this way, both the home operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 have the function of switching the screen to return to the original screen, that is, the screen just before or the initial screen. Therefore, the functions of the home operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are similar functions. On the other hand, the in-screen operation unit 35 such as the maintenance operation unit 35a is an operation unit that can be accompanied by the transition of the screen, but is operated by the user who selects a specific function, such as wanting to select a certain function.

[0079] As shown in the present embodiment, in the case where the homepage operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are separated by the in-screen operation unit 35, when viewed from the in-screen operation unit 35, the homepage operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are present on opposite sides. Therefore, the homepage operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 having similar functions are not adjacent to each other. If the operation units having similar functions are adjacent, it is easy for the user to make an erroneous operation of intending to operate one but performing an operation on the other. However, according to the present embodiment, the possibility that the user who intends to perform a touch operation on one of the operation units having similar functions mistakenly performs a touch operation on the other operation unit can be reduced. In particular, in the case where the user is accustomed to the operation of the UI unit 30, since it can be understood that the positions of the homepage operation unit 30b and the return operation unit 34 are obviously different, the possibility of erroneous operation can be reduced.

[0080] In addition, in the present embodiment, the return operation unit 34 is displayed in the upper portion of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, and the home operation unit 30b is arranged closer to the front side than the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, the return operation unit 34 and the home operation unit 30b are located on opposite sides of each other when viewed from the center of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, the possibility that a user who intends to perform a touch operation on one of the operation units having similar functions mistakenly performs a touch operation on the other operation unit can be reduced.

[0081] In addition, the screen in the present embodiment also includes a screen in which the home operation unit 30 b and the power operation unit 30 c are sandwiched between the on-screen operation unit 35 . Figure 7 30a. Figure 6 The maintenance operation unit 35a shown in FIG. 1 is displayed by touching the maintenance operation unit 35a. Figure 5In the illustrated example, the soft keys on the electrostatic touch panel 30a are colored gray, and the boundaries of the displayable area are indicated by dotted lines. The maintenance screen also includes a touch-operable operation portion and a non-touch-operable information display portion.

[0082] The information display section of the maintenance screen displays text of the screen description (maintenance and care of the printer), temperature, humidity, and other information. The operation section of the maintenance screen includes a fixed operation section 31a, a return operation section 34, and an in-screen operation section 35. The in-screen operation section 35 is an operation section for inputting execution instructions for the maintenance of the printing device 1, for example, including an operation section for executing an execution instruction for "print head nozzle inspection" or an execution instruction for "maintenance parts replacement". The fixed operation section 31a and the return operation section 34 are respectively connected to each other. Figure 5 The fixed operation unit 31a of the basic screen shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that of FIG. 1 , and the return operation unit 34 is the same as that of FIG. Figure 6 The return operation unit 34 of the recording material setting screen shown is the same.

[0083] exist Figure 7 In the maintenance screen shown in FIG. 1 , a straight line Lo extending from the center of the home operation unit 30b to the center of the power operation unit 30c is shown by a single-dot chain line. Figure 7 As shown, the straight line Lo passes through at least one of the in-screen operation units 35. Therefore, the homepage operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c are sandwiched between the in-screen operation unit 35. According to this structure, when viewed from the in-screen operation unit 35, the homepage operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c exist in opposite directions. In addition, the homepage operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c both include mechanical keys and are provided outside the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0084] Therefore, in Figure 7 In the illustrated structure, the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c are not adjacent to each other. This structure can reduce the possibility that a user who intends to perform a touch operation on one of the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c will mistakenly perform a touch operation on the other operation unit.

[0085] The home operation unit 30b may be frequently operated during the use of the printing device 1, but the power operation unit 30c is less likely to be operated during the use of the printing device 1. When the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c are arranged close to each other, the possibility of mistakenly performing a touch operation on the power operation unit 30c when performing a touch operation on the home operation unit 30b increases. However, if the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c are configured with the on-screen operation unit 35 sandwiched therebetween as in the present embodiment, the possibility of erroneous operation on the power operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0086] In addition, the screen in this embodiment includes a screen in which the home page operation unit 30b and the screen operation unit 35 are located at the same position in the long side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 6 , Figure 7 In any of the screens shown, when the home operation unit 30b is virtually moved in the y' direction perpendicular to the x direction which is the long side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, it overlaps with the on-screen operation unit 35. Figure 5 In the basic screen shown, however, in the case where the operating unit displayed on the basic screen (for example, the recording material setting unit 33) is regarded as an in-screen operating unit different from the return operating unit 34, the home page operating unit 30b and the in-screen operating unit are in the same position in the long side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0087] As described above, when the home page operation unit 30b and the on-screen operation unit 35 are located at the same position in the long-side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the finger can be moved between the home page operation unit 30b and the on-screen operation unit 35 by moving the finger only in the short-side direction instead of in the long-side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, it is easy to perform a touch operation on the on-screen operation unit 35 immediately after performing a touch operation on the home page operation unit 30b, or to perform a touch operation on the home page operation unit 30b immediately after performing a touch operation on the on-screen operation unit 35.

[0088] In addition, in the present embodiment, the power operation unit 30c is located further back than the on-screen operation unit 35 in the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a when viewed from the user using the printing device. Figures 5 to 7 As shown in the figure, in the y' direction which is the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the power operation unit 30c is located further back than the in-screen operation unit 35. That is, in the y' direction, the back side of the power operation unit 30c is located further back than the back side of the in-screen operation unit 35. Therefore, the power operation unit 30c is located farther away from the in-screen operation unit 35 when viewed from the user using the printing device 1, so that the possibility of erroneous operation of the power operation unit 30c during the operation of the in-screen operation unit 35 can be reduced.

[0089] In addition, in the screen of this embodiment, for example, Figures 5 to 7 There are various operation units as shown in FIG. 30 . The power operation unit 30 c in this embodiment is as shown in FIG. Figures 5 to 7As shown in FIG. 1 , the power operation unit 30c is located further back than all the operation units displayed on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the power operation unit 30c is located at the innermost side among all the operation units displayed on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, the power operation unit 30c is located at the farthest position from the user who uses the printing device 1 among all the operation units of the UI unit 30. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation of the power operation unit 30c during the operation of the operation units other than the power operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0090] In addition, in this embodiment, the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c, which are mechanical keys, are sandwiched between the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 7 When a straight line Lo extending from the home operation unit 30b to the power operation unit 30c is assumed as a single-dot chain line shown in FIG. 1 , the straight line Lo passes through the electrostatic touch panel 30a in the x-y' plane. According to this structure, it is possible to set a structure in which the electrostatic touch panel 30a exists between the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c. Therefore, the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c can be configured separately, thereby reducing the possibility of the power operation unit 30c being erroneously operated when the home operation unit 30b is touched. In addition, the possibility of the home operation unit 30b being erroneously operated when the power operation unit 30c is touched can be reduced.

[0091] In addition, in this embodiment, the homepage operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c are separated by the remaining amount information displayed on the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the remaining amount information is included in the recording material setting section 33 displayed on the basic screen, and the recording material setting section 33 is arranged at the lower left of the basic screen. Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, the remaining amount information is sandwiched between the home page operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c. According to this structure, the home page operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c can be configured separately, so that the possibility of the power operation unit 30c being erroneously operated when the home page operation unit 30b is touched can be reduced. In addition, the possibility of the home page operation unit 30b being erroneously operated when the power operation unit 30c is touched can be reduced.

[0092] In addition, in the present embodiment, the mechanical key of the homepage operation unit 30b is smaller than the mechanical key of the power supply operation unit 30c. According to this structure, the power supply operation unit 30c can be made more conspicuous than the homepage operation unit 30b. Since the power supply operation unit 30c is a mechanical key for switching the power supply of the printing device 1 from the off state to the on state, it is preferably a key that is easily recognizable when viewed from the user. If the mechanical key of the homepage operation unit 30b is set to be smaller than the mechanical key of the power supply operation unit 30c, the power supply operation unit 30c can be set to be a key that is easier to recognize and more obvious than the homepage operation unit 30b. In addition, even if the power supply operation unit 30c is larger than the homepage operation unit 30b and becomes an easily recognizable mechanical key, in the present embodiment, the power supply operation unit 30c is arranged at the innermost part of the operation unit, and the homepage operation unit 30b is arranged at the frontmost part of the operation unit. Therefore, the possibility that the user performs a touch operation on the power supply operation unit 30c due to an erroneous operation can be reduced.

[0093] In addition, in the present embodiment, the panel installation surface Sp on which the electrostatic touch panel 30a is installed is a surface different from the power supply operation unit installation surface So on which the power supply operation unit 30c is installed. Figure 3 , the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So are indicated by arrow marks. The panel installation surface Sp is a surface provided with an opening Spo among the multiple surfaces constituting the outer surface of the UI unit 30, and the opening Spo is used for the user to visually confirm the display panel of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. The power operation unit installation surface So is a surface on which the mechanical keys of the power operation unit 30c are installed among the multiple surfaces constituting the outer surface of the UI unit 30.

[0094] In this embodiment, if Figure 3 As shown, the outer shape of the panel setting surface Sp is a rectangle. In addition, the panel setting surface Sp is a plane parallel to the x-y' plane. On the other hand, the outer shape of the power operation part setting surface So is a rectangle. In addition, the power operation part setting surface So is also a plane parallel to the x-y' plane. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation part setting surface So are parallel. However, in the direction perpendicular to the x-y' plane (referred to as the height direction), the position of the panel setting surface Sp is different from the position of the power operation part setting surface So. That is, when the UI part 30 is observed from the user, a height difference is formed in the height direction, and the panel setting surface Sp exists at a position higher than the power operation part setting surface So (close to the user).

[0095] As described above, in the present embodiment, the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So are adjacent in the x direction with the height difference as the boundary. Moreover, since there is a height difference at the boundary between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So, these surfaces are different surfaces. In this way, when the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So are different surfaces, it is clear that the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So are arranged in a discontinuous manner when viewed from the user.

[0096] Furthermore, in the case where the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So are different surfaces, it is difficult to move a finger from one surface to another. For example, since the finger touches the boundary of the surface, or the user can easily recognize the movement of the finger between discontinuous surfaces by visually confirming the boundary, it becomes difficult to move the finger from one surface to another. Therefore, the possibility of intentionally operating the operating unit provided on the panel setting surface Sp but mistakenly operating the operating unit provided on the power operation unit setting surface So is reduced. Furthermore, the possibility of intentionally operating the operating unit provided on the power operation unit setting surface So but mistakenly operating the operating unit provided on the panel setting surface Sp is reduced.

[0097] In addition, in this embodiment, there is a height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So that is greater than the stroke of the mechanical key of the home operation unit 30b. That is, the height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So is greater than the stroke of the mechanical key of the home operation unit 30b.

[0098] The stroke of the mechanical key is the moving distance of the mechanical key in the pressing direction between the state where the mechanical key is not operated and the state where the maximum operation is performed in the pressing direction. Therefore, when the mechanical key is operated, the moving distance of the user's finger in the height direction is less than the stroke. Therefore, when the user's finger moves in the pressing direction of the mechanical key to a degree exceeding the stroke of the mechanical key, the user can recognize that an operation different from the pressing operation of the mechanical key is being performed. Therefore, the possibility that the user inadvertently moves the finger beyond the height difference to the power operating unit setting surface So and performs erroneous operations on other operating units can be reduced when the user's finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp after operating the homepage operating unit 30b.

[0099] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, there is a height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So that is greater than the stroke of the mechanical key of the power operation unit 30c. That is, the height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So is greater than the stroke of the mechanical key of the power operation unit 30c. Moreover, when the user's finger moves in the pressing direction of the mechanical key to a degree exceeding the stroke of the mechanical key, the user can be aware that an operation different from the pressing operation of the mechanical key is being performed. Therefore, the possibility that the user inadvertently moves the finger beyond the height difference to the panel setting surface Sp and performs a wrong operation on other operating parts from a state where the finger is present around the power operation unit setting surface So after operating the power operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0100] In this embodiment, the height difference between the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface Sb of the home operation unit 30b when the mechanical keys are not operated is smaller than the height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So. Figure 8 1 is a side view showing a state where the left side of the UI portion 30 (where the power operation portion 30c is provided) is viewed along a direction parallel to the xy' plane. Figure 8 In the figure, the state in which each operation unit is not operated is shown. In this embodiment, the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a is located at a lower position in the height direction than the panel installation surface Sp. The homepage operation unit 30b has a rectangular shape, and the surface touched by the finger when the mechanical key is not operated is located at the highest position in the height direction. Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the surface of each mechanical key is configured to be slightly higher than the installation surface in a non-operated state.

[0101] Therefore, the height difference between the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface Sb of the home page operation unit 30b in a state where the mechanical keys are not operated is Figure 8 The height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the power supply operation unit installation surface So is Δop. Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, Δab<Δop. According to this configuration, the user can move the finger back and forth between the home operation unit 30b and the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a simply by moving the finger in the height direction by a distance smaller than the height difference Δop.

[0102] Then, when the finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp (for example, around the homepage operation unit 30b and the operation unit on the screen), the user can only move the finger by the height difference Δop over the height difference Δab between the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface Sb of the homepage operation unit 30b to reach the power operation unit 30c. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation in which the user accidentally performs a touch operation on the power operation unit 30c while the finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp can be reduced.

[0103] In addition, in the present embodiment, the height difference Δab between the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface Sb of the home operation unit 30b in a state where the mechanical keys are not operated is smaller than the height difference Δac between the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface Sc of the power operation unit 30c in a state where the mechanical keys are not operated. According to this structure, the possibility of a user accidentally performing a touch operation on the power operation unit 30c can be reduced. Specifically, when a finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp (for example, around the home operation unit 30b or the operation unit on the screen), even if the user moves the finger by a distance equivalent to the height difference Δab, the finger cannot reach the power operation unit 30c. That is, the user can only reach the power operation unit 30c by changing the position of the finger in the height direction by at least a distance equivalent to the height difference Δac. Therefore, the possibility of a user accidentally performing a touch operation on the power operation unit 30c from a state where the finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp can be reduced.

[0104] In addition, in the present embodiment, the surface Sc of the power operation unit 30c when the mechanical key is not operated is located at a lower position than the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the panel setting surface Sp. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the user performs a touch operation on the power operation unit 30c, the user needs to move the finger to a position farther than the height of the operation unit on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a or the homepage operation unit 30b set on the panel setting surface Sp. Therefore, the possibility that the user who is operating the operation unit on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a or the homepage operation unit 30b set on the panel setting surface Sp performs a touch operation on the power operation unit 30c due to an erroneous operation can be reduced.

[0105] In addition, in this embodiment, there is a height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So in the central area between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c. That is, for example, in this embodiment, Figure 5When the UI unit 30 is observed in a direction perpendicular to the x-y' plane, the height difference as the boundary B between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So exists near the center between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c. According to this structure, it is possible to configure in such a manner that the height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So exists at a position that is not close to both the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c. As a result, when the user moves the finger between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So, the finger is less likely to be caught by the height difference.

[0106] In addition, the central area where the height difference is located can be any area including the center between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c. For example, the central area when the area between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c is divided into three equal parts is the central area. Of course, dividing into three equal parts is just an example, and the two central areas of the area obtained by dividing into four equal parts, the central area of ​​the area obtained by dividing into five equal parts, etc. can also be the central area. In addition, Figure 5 In the figure, the area Z separated by the dot-dashed line is the central area.

[0107] In addition, in this embodiment, the home page operation unit 30b is closer to the electrostatic touch panel 30a than the height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the power supply operation unit installation surface So. Figure 5 As shown, the distance L1 from the home page operation unit 30b to the electrostatic touch panel 30a is smaller than the distance L7 from the home page operation unit 30b to the boundary B. Since the height difference is the boundary between the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So, the power operation unit 30c is located on the opposite side of the home page operation unit 30b across the boundary in the x direction.

[0108] Therefore, according to the structure in which the distance L1 is smaller than the distance L7, the home page operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c can be arranged far from each other, and the home page operation unit 30b can be arranged near the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, it is easy for the user to move the finger between the home page operation unit 30b and the electrostatic touch panel 30a and operate the operation unit. In addition, the possibility of erroneous operation in which the user mistakenly operates the power operation unit 30c when the finger is near the home page operation unit 30b or the electrostatic touch panel 30a can be reduced.

[0109] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the home operation unit 30b is considered to be located in the first direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operation unit 30c is considered to be located in the second direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal directions, or opposite directions. In addition, in the present embodiment, the first direction and the second direction are directions along the orthogonal axes parallel to the sides of the rectangular screen of the electrostatic touch panel, that is, the x-axis and the y'-axis.

[0110] Specifically, if Figure 5 In the example shown, since the home operation unit 30b is located in the negative direction of the y' axis when viewed from the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the negative direction of the y' axis is the first direction. Since the power operation unit 30c is located in the negative direction of the x-axis direction when viewed from the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the negative direction of the x-axis direction is the second direction. Moreover, since the y' axis and the x-axis are orthogonal to each other, the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal directions. According to this structure, it is possible to prevent the home operation unit 30b and the power operation unit 30c from being arranged in the same direction when viewed from the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0111] Therefore, the possibility of the power operation unit 30c being erroneously operated during the touch operation on the home operation unit 30b can be reduced. In addition, the possibility of the home operation unit 30b being erroneously operated during the touch operation on the power operation unit 30c can be reduced. In addition, the first direction and the second direction can be opposite directions as long as they are different directions. Even if the first direction and the second direction are opposite directions, the possibility of the power operation unit 30c being erroneously operated during the touch operation on the home operation unit 30b can be reduced. In addition, the possibility of the home operation unit 30b being erroneously operated during the touch operation on the power operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0112] In addition, in the present embodiment, the first direction is the direction in front of the user who uses the printing device 1. Therefore, the home page operation unit 30b can be arranged at a position close to the user, so that the user can easily operate the home page operation unit 30b. The second direction is the left direction of the user who uses the printing device 1. Since there are many right-handed people statistically, if the second direction is set to the left direction when viewed from the user, the power supply operation unit 30c is present in a direction that is difficult for many people to touch with their dominant hand. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation of the power supply operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0113] In addition, in the present embodiment, the height difference between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operating unit 30c extends in the first direction. In the present embodiment, the first direction is the front direction of the user using the printing device 1, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction and is the left and right direction of the user. Therefore, by having a height difference extending along the first direction, a height difference extending in a direction that cuts off the second direction from the electrostatic touch panel 30a toward the power operating unit 30c can be formed. Therefore, the user can clearly understand the difference between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the power operating unit 30c.

[0114] In addition, the recording material setting unit 33 including the remaining amount information displayed on the basic screen is located in the basic screen at the position closest to the first direction among all the soft keys displayed on the basic screen. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the recording material setting unit 33 is arranged at the position closest to the front side in the y' direction among all the soft keys. According to this structure, the recording material setting unit 33 can be arranged at a position in the basic screen that is easiest for the user to operate.

[0115] In addition, the recording material setting unit 33 including the remaining amount information displayed on the basic screen exists in the basic screen at the second direction side among all the soft keys displayed on the basic screen. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the recording material setting unit 33 is arranged at the left side of all the soft keys in the x direction. In the present embodiment, the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1, the reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2, etc. are arranged on the left side of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, and no operation unit is arranged on the right side of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, by arranging the recording material setting unit 33 on the left side of the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, it is possible to reduce the moving distance of the user's finger required when implementing the recording material setting unit 33, the homepage operation unit 30b, the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1, the reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2, etc.

[0116] In addition, in this embodiment, the panel installation surface Sp on which the electrostatic touch panel 30a is installed is a different surface from the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf on which the conveying operation unit 30d is installed. In addition, in this embodiment, the power supply operation unit installation surface So and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf are the same surface. Figure 3As shown, the panel setting surface Sp is a rectangular plane parallel to the x-y' plane. The outer shape of the conveying operation part setting surface Sf is also rectangular, and is a plane parallel to the x-y' plane. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the panel setting surface Sp and the conveying operation part setting surface Sf are parallel. However, in the direction perpendicular to the x-y' plane (referred to as the height direction), the position of the panel setting surface Sp and the position of the conveying operation part setting surface Sf are different. That is, when the UI part 30 is observed from the user, a height difference is formed in the height direction, and the panel setting surface Sp exists at a higher position (closer to the user) than the conveying operation part setting surface Sf.

[0117] As described above, in this embodiment, the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf are adjacent in the x direction with the height difference as the boundary. Moreover, since there is a height difference at the boundary between the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf, these surfaces are different surfaces. In this way, when the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf are different surfaces, when viewed from the user, it is clear that the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf are arranged in a discontinuous manner.

[0118] In addition, when the panel setting surface Sp and the conveying operation part setting surface Sf are different surfaces, it is difficult to move a finger from one surface to another surface. For example, since the finger touches the boundary of the surface, or the user can easily recognize the movement of the finger between discontinuous surfaces by visually confirming the boundary by the user, it becomes difficult to move the finger from one surface to another surface. Therefore, the possibility of misoperating the operating part set on the conveying operation part setting surface Sf while intending to operate the operating part set on the panel setting surface Sp is reduced. In addition, the possibility of misoperating the operating part set on the panel setting surface Sp while intending to operate the operating part set on the conveying operation part setting surface Sf is reduced. In addition, since in the present embodiment, the power supply operation part setting surface So and the conveying operation part setting surface Sf are the same surface, the power supply operation part 30c and the conveying operation part 30d can be set on the same surface, so that these operation parts can be effectively configured on the UI part 30.

[0119] In addition, in this embodiment, the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2 included in the conveying operation unit 30d are arranged side by side in the conveying direction of the printing medium. Figure 2As shown, the print medium M is discharged from the center of the surface of the housing of the printing device 1 where the UI unit 30 is provided. Since the user stands at a position where the UI unit 30 can be visually confirmed and operates the UI unit 30, the print medium M is discharged while being transported toward the near side when viewed from the user using the printing device 1. Therefore, if the transport direction during discharge, that is, the forward direction, is regarded as the near side when viewed from the user, the reverse direction of the transport direction can be regarded as the back side when viewed from the user.

[0120] In the present embodiment, the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1 is a mechanical key for conveying the print medium M in the forward direction, which is the discharge direction of the print medium M that has been printed, and is arranged closer to the front side than the reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2. The reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2 is a mechanical key for conveying the print medium M in the reverse direction, and is arranged closer to the back side than the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1. Therefore, the mechanical key for conveying the print medium M to the near front side is arranged at the near front side, and the mechanical key for conveying the print medium M to the back side is arranged at the back side.

[0121] According to this structure, when the user wants to move the print medium M to the front side, he only needs to perform a touch operation on the mechanical key on the front side, and when he wants to transport it to the back side, he only needs to perform a touch operation on the mechanical key on the back side. Therefore, compared with the case where the forward direction transport operation unit 30d1 and the reverse direction transport operation unit 30d2 are arranged opposite to each other in the y' direction, which is different from the configuration of the present embodiment, the user can perform the operation more intuitively. In addition, since the print medium M is in a sheet shape, it is difficult to strictly determine the transport direction. Therefore, the transport direction can also be defined in a state where it is projected onto a specific plane, such as the x-y' plane.

[0122] In addition, the forward direction conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse direction conveying operation unit 30d2 are located at the same position in the left-right direction of the user using the printing device. Figure 3 In the x direction shown, therefore, when the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 are at the same position in the left-right direction, they are arranged side by side along the y' direction. Specifically, the mechanical keys included in the conveying operation unit 30d and the mechanical keys included in the power supply operation unit 30c are arranged side by side in one row.

[0123] In the present embodiment, the conveying direction of the print medium M is the direction along the y' direction, that is, the front direction and the depth direction. Therefore, when the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 are at the same position in the left-right direction, these operation units are arranged side by side along the conveying direction. Therefore, compared with the case where the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 are at different positions in the left-right direction, the user can perform the operation more intuitively.

[0124] In addition, in the present embodiment, the interval between the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 is narrower than the interval between the conveying operation unit 30d and the power supply operation unit 30c. According to this structure, it becomes easy for the user to intuitively understand that the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 belonging to the conveying operation unit 30d are operation units with a paired function. In addition, the possibility that the user who intends to operate the conveying operation unit 30d mistakenly operates the power supply operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0125] In addition, in this embodiment, if Figure 8 As shown, the height difference between the surface of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface of the conveying operation unit 30d in a state where the mechanical key is not operated is set to Δdc. In this case, the height difference Δdc is greater than the height difference Δab between the surface of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface of the homepage operation unit 30b, which is a mechanical key provided on the panel installation surface Sp, in a state where it is not operated. According to this structure, the possibility of an erroneous operation in which the user accidentally performs a touch operation on the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced.

[0126] Specifically, when the finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp (for example, around the homepage operation portion 30b or the operation portion on the screen), even if the user moves the finger by a distance corresponding to the height difference Δab, the finger cannot reach the conveying operation portion 30d. That is, the user can reach the conveying operation portion 30d only if the user changes the position of the finger in the height direction by a distance corresponding to the height difference Δdc. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation in which the user inadvertently performs a touch operation on the conveying operation portion 30d while the finger is present around the panel setting surface Sp can be reduced.

[0127] In addition, in the present embodiment, the power operating unit 30c is located in the center or in a position further inside than the center in the depth direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a when viewed from the user using the printing device. In the present embodiment, the power operating unit 30c is located in a position further inside than the center (center in the depth direction) of the electrostatic touch panel 30a in the depth direction (short side direction, y' direction) of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. According to this structure, the power operating unit 30c can be configured farther away from the user, thereby reducing the possibility of erroneous operation of the power operating unit 30c. In addition, even if the power operating unit 30c is present in the center in the depth direction, by configuring most of the other operating units near the front side of the user, the possibility of erroneous operation of the power operating unit 30c can be reduced.

[0128] In addition, the conveying operation unit 30d is located in the center or closer to the front side than the center in the depth direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a when viewed from the user using the printing device. In the present embodiment, the conveying operation unit 30d is located in the depth direction (short side direction, y' direction) of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and is closer to the front side than the center (center in the depth direction) of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. According to this structure, the conveying operation unit 30d can be arranged near the user so that the user can easily operate the conveying operation unit 30d. In addition, the possibility of erroneous operation of other operating units such as the power supply operation unit 30c when operating the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced. In addition, even if the conveying operation unit 30d is present in the center in the depth direction, since the conveying operation unit 30d is not far from the user, the conveying operation unit 30d can be easily operated.

[0129] In addition, in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the print medium, the conveying operation unit 30d and the print medium are located on the same side of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , in the UI unit 30, the conveying operation unit 30d is located on the left side (the negative side of the x-axis) when viewed from the user. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the conveying operation unit 30d is located on the left side of the UI unit 30. Therefore, when viewed from the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the conveying operation unit 30d and the printing medium M are located on the same side. Therefore, by viewing the left side, the user can capture the printing medium M in the field of vision and perform operations on the conveying operation unit 30d while the conveying operation unit 30d is included in the same field of vision. Therefore, it is not necessary to check the conveying status of the printing medium M every time the conveying operation unit 30d is operated, so that the printing medium M can be easily conveyed.

[0130] In addition, in the present embodiment, there is a height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf that is larger than the stroke of the mechanical key of the conveying operation unit 30d. That is, the height difference Δop between the panel setting surface Sp and the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf is larger than the stroke of the mechanical key of the conveying operation unit 30d. When the user's finger moves in the pressing direction of the mechanical key to a degree exceeding the stroke of the mechanical key, the user can recognize that an operation different from the pressing operation of the mechanical key is being performed. Therefore, the possibility that the user accidentally moves the finger beyond the height difference to the panel setting surface Sp and performs an erroneous operation on other operating parts in a state where the finger is present around the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf after the operation of the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced.

[0131] In addition, in this embodiment, if Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the height difference Δdc between the surface Sa of the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the surface Sd of the conveying operation unit 30d in a state where the mechanical key is not operated is smaller than the height difference Δop between the panel setting surface Sp and the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf. In this structure, after the conveying operation unit 30d is operated, in order to operate the operation unit on the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the user needs to make the movement amount of the finger after the operation of the conveying operation unit 30d greater than the height difference Δdc and exceed the height difference Δop. According to this structure, the possibility of erroneous operation in which the user accidentally performs a touch operation on the operation unit of the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a while the finger is present around the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced.

[0132] In this embodiment, the height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf exists in the central area between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the conveying operation unit 30d. Figure 5 When the UI unit 30 is observed in a direction perpendicular to the x-y' plane, the height difference as the boundary B between the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf exists near the center between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the conveying operation unit 30d. According to this structure, it is possible to configure in such a manner that the height difference between the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf exists at a position that is not close to both the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the conveying operation unit 30d. As a result, when the user moves the finger between the panel installation surface Sp and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf, the finger can be prevented from being caught by the height difference.

[0133] In addition, the central area where the height difference exists can be any area including the center between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the conveying operation unit 30d. For example, the central area when the area between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the conveying operation unit 30d is divided into three equal parts is the central area. Of course, dividing into three equal parts is just an example, and the two central areas of the area obtained by dividing into four equal parts, the central area of ​​the area obtained by dividing into five equal parts, etc. can also be the central area. In addition, Figure 5 The region Z sandwiched by the dashed lines in the figure is the central region. However, as described above, the region Z is not limited to the central region when the area between the electrostatic touch panel 30a and the transport operation unit 30d is divided into three equal parts.

[0134] In addition, the screen of the present embodiment includes a screen in which the transport operation unit 30d and the screen operation unit 35 are located at the same position in the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Figure 6 , Figure 7 In any of the screens shown, when the transport operation unit 30d is virtually moved in the x direction perpendicular to the y' direction which is the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, it overlaps with the in-screen operation unit 35. Figure 5 In the basic screen shown, however, when the operation unit displayed in the basic screen is regarded as an on-screen operation unit different from the return operation unit 34, the transport operation unit 30d and the on-screen operation unit are located at the same position in the short side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a.

[0135] As described above, when the transport operation unit 30d and the on-screen operation unit 35 are at the same position in the short-side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a, the finger can be moved between the transport operation unit 30d and the on-screen operation unit 35 by moving the finger only in the long-side direction instead of in the short-side direction of the electrostatic touch panel 30a. Therefore, it is easy to perform a touch operation on the on-screen operation unit 35 immediately after the transport operation unit 30d is touched, and it is easy to perform a touch operation on the transport operation unit 30d immediately after the on-screen operation unit 35 is touched.

[0136] (3) Other implementation methods:

[0137] The above embodiment is an example for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can also be adopted. The printing device can also be a printing device that prints on a printing medium other than cloth such as paper. In addition, the size of the printing device can be smaller than the above embodiment, or larger than it. The printing device can also be a device having functions other than a printing device, such as a multifunction machine that can perform at least one of a fax function, a scanning function, a copying function, etc. In addition, the form of the UI unit 30 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the outer shape of the UI unit 30 can be a shape different from that of the above embodiment, and the panel setting surface Sp can also be in a different direction from that of the above embodiment, such as parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0138] In addition, the display method of the operation unit is an example, and various methods may be adopted. For example, a structure may be as follows, that is, a plurality of soft keys are included in the basic screen, a soft key is included in the remaining amount information, and the soft key included in the remaining amount information is a structure that is closest to the power operation unit 30c among all the soft keys displayed on the basic screen. As such a structure, for example, Fig. 9 That kind of structure. Fig. 9 In the example shown, the recording material setting unit 33 is displayed at the upper leftmost portion of the basic screen. Therefore, the recording material setting unit 33, which is a soft key including remaining amount information, is closest to the power operation unit 30c among all the soft keys.

[0139] According to this configuration, after the user visually checks and operates the power operation unit 30c, the user can check the remaining amount information by moving the line of sight less in the basic screen displayed immediately after the printing device 1 is started. In addition, after the user visually checks and operates the power operation unit 30c, the user can perform a touch operation on the recording material setting unit 33 after moving the finger less in the basic screen displayed immediately after the printing device 1 is started.

[0140] In the above-mentioned printing device 1, the power operation unit 30c and the return operation unit 34 may be configured to sandwich the on-screen operation unit 35. Such a configuration may be achieved, for example, by Fig.10 The screen shown in the figure is realized. Fig.10 In the screen shown, the return operation unit 34 is arranged on the upper right side of the screen. Figure 7 However, due to Fig. 9 The fixed operation unit 31a shown is an operation unit other than the return operation unit 34, and therefore can also be considered as the on-screen operation unit 35. Fig.10 It is recorded as the on-screen operation unit 35.

[0141] In such Fig.10 In the example shown, the power operation unit 30c and the return operation unit 34 are separated by the screen operation unit 35. That is, the straight line Lo indicated by the single-point dashed line extending from the center of the power operation unit 30c to the center of the return operation unit 34 passes through the screen operation unit 35. The return operation unit 34 is an operation unit for returning to the screen displayed before the transition to the screen currently being displayed. In a user interface that performs various instructions while transitioning multiple screens of a hierarchical structure, such a return operation unit 34 may be frequently touched and operated.

[0142] In the case where the power operation unit 30c and the return operation unit 34 are sandwiched between the on-screen operation unit 35 as shown in the present embodiment, the power operation unit 30c and the return operation unit 34 are located on opposite sides when viewed from the on-screen operation unit 35. Therefore, the power operation unit 30c and the return operation unit 34 are not adjacent to each other, but can be arranged separately from the return operation unit 34. According to this structure, the possibility that a user who intends to perform a touch operation on the return operation unit 34 that can be frequently touched may mistakenly operate the power operation unit 30c can be reduced.

[0143] In addition, Fig.10 In the example shown, the conveying operation unit 30d and the return operation unit 34 are sandwiched between the in-screen operation unit 35. That is, the straight lines Lf1 and Lf2 indicated by the double-dashed lines extending from the center of the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 and the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 constituting the conveying operation unit 30d to the center of the return operation unit 34 pass through the in-screen operation unit 35. The return operation unit 34 is an operation unit for returning to the screen displayed before the transition to the screen currently being displayed. In a user interface that performs various instructions while transitioning multiple screens of a hierarchical structure, such a return operation unit 34 may be frequently touched and operated. The conveying operation unit 30d is an operation unit for conveying the printing medium M. In the case of printing, for example, in the middle of printing a certain image, the conveying operation unit 30d is less likely to be operated.

[0144] When the conveying operation unit 30d and the return operation unit 34 sandwich the on-screen operation unit 35 as in the present embodiment, the conveying operation unit 30d and the return operation unit 34 are located on opposite sides when viewed from the on-screen operation unit 35. Therefore, the conveying operation unit 30d and the return operation unit 34 are not adjacent to each other, but can be arranged separately from the return operation unit 34. According to this structure, the possibility that a user who intends to perform a touch operation on the return operation unit 34 that can be frequently touched may mistakenly operate the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced.

[0145] In addition, the braille characters can also be associated with the mechanical keys of the printing device 1. Figure 8 As shown, the power operation unit 30c may also include a Braille character 30c1 that displays the function of the mechanical key of the power operation unit 30c. In this case, a structure may be adopted in which a height difference Δop greater than the height Hc of the Braille character exists between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So. In addition, the height Hc of the Braille character 30c1 is the distance in the height direction from the power operation unit setting surface So to the top of the Braille character 30c1.

[0146] According to this structure, the finger of the user who has just operated the power operation unit 30c based on the braille 30c1 is located at a position lower than the panel setting surface Sp, which is the vertex in the height direction of the height difference Δop. Therefore, in order to move the finger to the panel setting surface Sp side, the user needs to exceed the height difference greater than the height of the braille between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation that the user inadvertently moves the finger from the state where the finger is around the power operation unit 30c to the panel setting surface Sp and inadvertently performs a touch operation on the operation unit of the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a can be reduced.

[0147] In addition, the transport operation unit 30d may include Braille 30d3 that indicates the function of the mechanical keys of the transport operation unit 30d, and a height difference Δop greater than the height Hd of the Braille 30d3 may exist between the panel setting surface Sp and the transport operation unit setting surface Sf.

[0148] According to this structure, the finger of the user who has just operated the forward conveying operation unit 30d1 or the reverse conveying operation unit 30d2 based on the braille 30d3 is located at a position lower than the panel setting surface Sp, which is the vertex in the height direction of the height difference Δop. Therefore, in order to move the finger to the panel setting surface Sp side, the user needs to exceed the height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the power supply operation unit setting surface So. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation that the user accidentally performs a touch operation on the operation unit of the screen of the electrostatic touch panel 30a while the finger is around the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced.

[0149] In addition, the panel installation surface Sp and the power operation unit installation surface So may not be parallel. In addition, the panel installation surface Sp and the conveyance operation unit installation surface Sf may not be parallel. Fig.11 This is an example of a structure in which the power supply operation unit setting surface So and the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf are the same and these setting surfaces are different from the panel setting surface Sp. Fig.11 In the diagram, the symbols of the operation part, etc. are the same as Figure 3The examples shown are the same.

[0150] exist Fig.11 In the embodiment, the UI unit 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the panel installation surface Sp is installed in a state of being inclined relative to the surface of the housing of the printing device 1. The panel installation surface Sp is parallel to the xy' plane. Figure 3 The embodiment shown is the same. Fig.11 In the figure, the power operation unit installation surface So and the conveyance operation unit installation surface Sf are side surfaces located on the left side in the left-right direction (x direction) when viewed from the user.

[0151] According to such a structure, the panel setting surface Sp can be made orthogonal to the power operation unit setting surface So and the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf. Therefore, in the process of operating the operation unit on the panel setting surface Sp side (the operation unit on the homepage operation unit 30b or the electrostatic touch panel 30a), the possibility of erroneous operation on the power operation unit 30c or the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced. In addition, in the process of operating the power operation unit 30c or the conveying operation unit 30d, the possibility of erroneous operation on the operation unit on the panel setting surface Sp side can be reduced.

[0152] Fig.12 This is also an example of a structure in which the power operation unit installation surface So and the conveyance operation unit installation surface Sf are the same, and these installation surfaces are different from the panel installation surface Sp. Fig.12 In the diagram, the symbols of the operation part, etc. are the same as Figure 3 The examples shown are the same. Fig.12 In FIG. 1 , the UI unit 30 is composed of a polyhedron protruding from the housing of the printing device 1. Fig.12 In the example shown, the panel setting surface Sp is also Figure 3 The x-y' planes are shown parallel. Fig.12 The power operation unit installation surface So and the conveying operation unit installation surface Sf are surfaces (xz plane) facing the user in the housing of the printing device 1. The power operation unit 30c and the conveying operation unit 30d are formed near the polyhedron where the electrostatic touch panel 30a is installed.

[0153] According to such a structure, the panel setting surface Sp and the power operation unit setting surface So and the conveying operation unit setting surface Sf are clearly different surfaces when viewed from the user. Therefore, in the process of operating the operation unit on the panel setting surface Sp side (the homepage operation unit 30b or the operation unit on the electrostatic touch panel 30a), the possibility of erroneous operation on the power operation unit 30c or the conveying operation unit 30d can be reduced. In addition, in the process of operating the power operation unit 30c or the conveying operation unit 30d, the possibility of erroneous operation on the operation unit on the panel setting surface Sp side can be reduced.

[0154] The printing device may be any printing device that uses a recording material to print. That is, the printing device may be any printing device that uses an operation unit and a user interface such as an electrostatic touch panel to perform various inputs and records the recording material on a medium. The recording material is not limited to ink as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be a toner, and various substances that can form an image on a medium may also be the recording material. The printing method is also not limited, and various methods such as an electrophotographic method, a transfer method, and a sublimation method may be used.

[0155] The electrostatic touch panel is an interface that can implement input through contact with the user's finger or the like, and has a display that can display images. The displayed image is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can also be displayed in various ways. That is, the configuration of the soft keys and the parts that function as soft keys, the parts that do not function as soft keys but display information, etc. are not limited. In addition, the screen determines where and what kind of soft keys are configured on a server located remotely, and creates image data, and in the printing device, only the image data sent from the server can be displayed on the display. In this case, it can also be set as follows, that is, the printing device sends information such as where the user touched and which key the user operated to the server, and the server creates image data based on the information.

[0156] In addition, the same or identical screen may be displayed in a variety of ways. For example, it may be a structure in which the screen displayed as the basic screen is different according to settings, etc. In addition, although the touch panel is preferably an electrostatic type, it may also be in other ways. In addition, the screen displayed on the touch panel may also be an arbitrary screen. Therefore, it may also be a structure in which the remaining amount information of the recording material is not included in the basic screen.

[0157] The home page operation unit is an operation unit including a mechanical key for changing the screen displayed on the electrostatic touch panel to a basic screen including the remaining amount information of the recording material. That is, although the home page operation unit is a key for changing the screen displayed on the electrostatic touch panel, it is not a soft key formed by the electrostatic touch panel, but a mechanical key provided at a position different from the electrostatic touch panel.

[0158] The remaining amount information of the recording material is information indicating the remaining amount of the recording material that can be used in the printing device. The information indicating the remaining amount can also be in various forms, and is not limited to the method of using a bar graph to indicate the remaining amount of the recording material of each color as in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the remaining amount of the recording material of each color can be indicated by a numerical value, or by an average value of the remaining amount, or by a representative indication of the remaining amount of a specific color, and various other methods can be used. As specific colors, for example, the color with the smallest remaining amount, a predetermined number of colors arranged in order of the remaining amount from the smallest to the largest, and a color with a high frequency of use can be listed.

[0159] The basic screen only needs to be a screen containing the remaining amount information of the recording material. In a structure in which a plurality of screens displayed on the electrostatic touch panel form a hierarchical structure and the screens can be switched by transitioning from the upper layer to the lower layer, it is preferred that the basic screen is the screen of the uppermost layer. In addition, the basic screen may also be the screen that is displayed first in a structure in which a plurality of screens can be displayed on the electrostatic touch panel, such as the screen that is displayed first after the power is turned on, the screen that is displayed first after returning from a sleep state, etc. Of course, these structures are examples, and the basic screen can display more detailed information and implement detailed settings in the screen set from the basic screen, or it can be a screen of a layer lower than the uppermost layer.

[0160] The mechanical key can be any device that detects the input to the key by the user according to the movement of the movable part, and can be implemented in various ways such as buttons composed of various switches such as touch switches. In addition, the homepage operation part can be any device that includes mechanical keys, or it can be a part other than mechanical keys. The same is true for other operation parts. In addition, the size of the key such as the mechanical key can be determined in various ways, and can also be, for example, the size of the diameter such as the diameter and the radius, the area, the size in a specific direction, etc.

[0161] The soft key is not a key whose action of the movable part becomes the detection object, as long as it is a key that is turned on and off according to a phenomenon different from the action of the movable part. That is, when a specific input is accepted by detecting an arbitrary range of the electrostatic touch panel, the range functions as a key, and it is a soft key. In the soft key, any information associated with the key can be displayed or not. In addition, the operating part including the soft key can be any part that includes the soft key, or it can be a part that includes information other than the soft key. The same is true for other operating parts.

[0162] The power operating unit is an operating unit that includes a mechanical key that changes the power state of the printing device. That is, the printing device can operate in multiple power states, and the user can change it from a certain power state to another power state by operating the power operating unit. The number of power states can be two or more, and when the number of power states is two, the power states are on and off. When the number of power states is three, the power states can be, for example, three states of on, off, and sleep. That is, the mechanical key that changes the power state of the printing device can be a mechanical key that only has the function of changing the printing device from the on state to the sleep state, or it can be a mechanical key that has the function of changing the printing device between the on state and the sleep state. However, it is desirable to have a mechanical key that at least has the function of changing the power state of the printing device from the on state to a state that consumes less power than the on state.

[0163] The homepage operation unit only needs to be in the following situation, that is, for a state closer to the electrostatic touch panel than the power operation unit, the operability becomes good by realizing the state compared with the case where the state is not realized. For example, by making the homepage operation unit closer to the electrostatic touch panel than the power operation unit, it is easier to move the finger to the electrostatic touch panel just after the operation than the power operation unit. Therefore, it is possible to make the homepage operation unit easier to implement the operation of the electrostatic touch panel just after the operation than the power operation unit. In this way, as long as the operability is high because the homepage operation unit is closer to the electrostatic touch panel than the power operation unit, it is easy to move the finger to the electrostatic touch panel just after the operation, the relationship between the homepage operation unit, the power operation unit, and the electrostatic touch panel is an arbitrary relationship.

[0164] In addition, for example, by making the power operation unit farther away from the electrostatic touch panel than the home operation unit, it is easier for the home operation unit to move the finger to the electrostatic touch panel just after the operation than the power operation unit. Therefore, the possibility of erroneous operation that the user accidentally touches the mechanical key after operating the electrostatic touch panel is lower in the power operation unit than in the home operation unit. An erroneous operation of the power operation unit causes an unexpected change in the power state, and since if the power state changes during normal use, printing cannot be performed in most cases, the adverse effects caused by the erroneous operation are greater than those caused by an erroneous operation of the home operation unit. In this way, if the power operation unit is farther away from the electrostatic touch panel than the home operation unit and is in a state where it is easy to prevent erroneous operations with a large impact, the relationship between the home operation unit, the power operation unit, and the electrostatic touch panel is an arbitrary relationship.

[0165] As described above, the relationship between the home page operation unit, the power operation unit, and the electrostatic touch panel only needs to be such that the operability becomes good. Whether the home page operation unit is in a state closer to the electrostatic touch panel than the power operation unit can also be evaluated using various indicators. That is, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the evaluation can be performed using the shortest distance between each operation unit and the electrostatic touch panel, or it can be evaluated by other indicators. For example, it can also be evaluated by the distance between the center of gravity of each operation unit and the center of gravity of the electrostatic touch panel. In addition, it can also be evaluated by a predetermined axis, such as an orthogonal axis for determining the coordinates on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel, and the distance along the direction parallel to the front-back direction, left-right direction, etc. when observed from the user. In addition, for example, it can also be evaluated by the distance between the position of the finger when operating the mechanical key of each operation unit and the position of the finger when operating the soft key of the electrostatic touch panel.

[0166] In addition, the distance between the operating parts can also be evaluated using various indicators. That is, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, it can be evaluated using the shortest distance between the operating parts, and it can also be evaluated using the distance between the centers of gravity of the operating parts. In addition, it can also be evaluated by a predetermined axis, such as an orthogonal axis for determining the coordinates on the screen of the electrostatic touch panel, along the distance parallel to the front-back direction, left-right direction, etc. when observed from the user. In addition, for example, it can also be evaluated by the distance between the positions of the fingers when operating the mechanical keys of the operating parts.

[0167] The width of the operating portion may also be the width in any direction. If it is a rectangular or substantially rectangular mechanical key, it may also be the width in any direction along the side. If it is a polygonal or circular mechanical key, the length of the diameter or the like passing through the center may be the width.

[0168] The return operation unit only needs to be an operation unit that includes a soft key that changes the screen displayed on the electrostatic touch panel to the original screen. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the soft key of the return operation unit is a soft key for changing to the previous screen, that is, changing the layer to which the screen belongs only one layer to the upper layer. However, the soft key of the return operation unit is not limited to such a soft key, for example, it can be a soft key that indicates a change to a lower layer, or a soft key that indicates a change to an upper or lower layer of more than two layers, or a combination thereof. In addition, it can also be a soft key for changing to a specific screen displayed in the past, such as a soft key for changing to a basic screen.

[0169] In the printing device, an electrostatic touch panel and an operating unit are provided as user interfaces. Since the electrostatic touch panel and the operating unit are interfaces with a certain size, a surface wider than the electrostatic touch panel and the operating unit is required in order to be provided on the printing device. In this way, the surface on which the electrostatic touch panel or the operating unit is provided is the installation surface. The installation surface can be any surface on which the electrostatic touch panel or the operating unit is provided, and can be either a surface of a housing provided by the printing device or a surface of a structure installed on the housing as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0170] The setting surface can be either a plane or a curved surface. The setting surfaces are distinguished from each other based on whether they can be counted as a continuous part. For example, in the case where the edge or edge constituting the boundary of the surface exists in a polyhedron, the parts distinguished by the boundary are different surfaces. Therefore, planes can be distinguished from each other by whether the position and orientation of the surface are consistent. Although if it is a curved surface, it is considered to be the same surface in the case of a series of surfaces that are judged to be continuous with smoothly changing curved surfaces, but if there are boundaries such as edges or edges, the surfaces divided by the boundaries are different surfaces. In addition, in the case of adjacent surfaces divided by boundaries such as grooves, even if it becomes a continuous state such as overlapping with other surfaces if one surface is extended, if there is a boundary, it can be regarded as different surfaces.

[0171] The height difference is formed, for example, at the boundary of two adjacent surfaces by making the positions of the surfaces different. In this case, the distance between the surfaces in a specific direction (for example, a direction perpendicular to the surface) is equivalent to the size of the height difference. The stroke of a mechanical key can be an indicator for evaluating the distance between a state in which the mechanical key is not operated and a state in which the movable part has moved to the maximum extent. The indicator can be, for example, an indicator obtained by measuring the difference between the two states, an indicator indicating the difference in design between the two states, or a variety of indicators.

[0172] Braille can be any text that can be read by visually impaired people through touch, and the setting position, form, and information represented are not limited. For example, the Braille of each operating part can be set around the mechanical keys of each operating part, or it can be set on the mechanical keys. In the case where an object protruding in the shape of an arrow mark is formed corresponding to the key of the conveying operating part, these are also included in the Braille. In addition, in addition to the Braille, it is also possible to set a concave and convex on the power operating part setting surface So. Even in these cases, by setting a structure in which a height difference Δop that is larger than the height of the Braille or the concave and convex exists between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operating part setting surface So, the user desires to adopt a method that requires exceeding the height difference between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operating part setting surface So in order to move the finger to the side of the panel setting surface Sp. As a result, the visually impaired and the like can also clearly distinguish between the panel setting surface Sp and the power operating part setting surface So.

[0173] Regarding the structure in which the homepage operation unit is located in the first direction of the electrostatic touch panel and the power operation unit is located in the second direction of the electrostatic touch panel, and the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal or opposite directions, it is sufficient as long as the homepage operation unit and the power operation unit are not present in a close area due to the structure. Thus, it is sufficient as long as the situation in which one of the homepage operation unit and the power operation unit is operated by mistake after the other is operated can be prevented.

[0174] Therefore, the first direction and the second direction can be defined as long as they are determined to be on the same side when the electrostatic touch panel is used as a reference. In addition to the structure in which the first direction and the second direction are defined as directions along the orthogonal axes parallel to the sides of the rectangular screen of the electrostatic touch panel as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the definition of such directions can also be defined by various methods. For example, a definition based on the user's viewpoint can also be performed. In addition, a point on the electrostatic touch panel can be used as a reference, and the direction from the reference toward the homepage operation unit can be defined as the first direction, and the direction from the reference toward the power supply operation unit can be defined as the second direction.

[0175] Explanation of symbols

[0176] 1…printing device; 10…processor; 20…non-volatile memory; 30…UI unit; 30a…electrostatic touch panel; 30b…home page operation unit; 30c…power operation unit; 30c1…braille; 30d…conveying operation unit; 30d1…forward direction conveying operation unit; 30d2…reverse direction conveying operation unit; 30d3…braille; 31a…fixing operation unit; 32…medium setting unit; 33…recording material setting unit; 34…return operation unit; 35…on-screen operation unit; 35a…maintenance operation unit; 35b…detail confirmation unit; 40…communication unit; 50…printing unit.

Claims

1. A printing device for printing using a recording material, comprising: Electrostatic touch panel; A conveyance operation unit, which is a mechanical key for instructing the processor to operate a conveyance position of a printing medium for printing; a power operating unit including a mechanical key for changing the power state of the printing device, The panel installation surface on which the electrostatic touch panel is installed is a surface different from the transport operation unit installation surface on which the transport operation unit is installed. The transport operation unit is located at a center of the electrostatic touch panel or below the center in a vertical direction of characters displayed on the electrostatic touch panel. The power operation unit installation surface on which the power operation unit is installed is the same surface as the transportation operation unit installation surface.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The conveying operation unit further includes a forward conveying operation unit and a reverse conveying operation unit, wherein the forward conveying operation unit includes a mechanical key for conveying the printing medium in a forward direction, which is one direction of conveying the printing medium, and the reverse conveying operation unit includes a mechanical key for conveying the printing medium in a direction opposite to the forward direction. The forward direction conveying operation unit and the reverse direction conveying operation unit are arranged side by side in a conveying direction of the printing medium.

3. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The conveying operation unit further includes a forward conveying operation unit and a reverse conveying operation unit, wherein the forward conveying operation unit includes a mechanical key for conveying the printing medium in a forward direction, which is one direction of conveying the printing medium, and the reverse conveying operation unit includes a mechanical key for conveying the printing medium in a direction opposite to the forward direction. The forward direction conveying operation unit and the reverse direction conveying operation unit are located at the same position in the left-right direction of a user using the printing apparatus.

4. The printing device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein: The interval between the forward direction conveying operation portion and the reverse direction conveying operation portion is narrower than the interval between the conveying operation portion and the power supply operation portion.

5. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: There is a height difference between the panel installation surface and the power operation unit installation surface that is larger than the stroke of the mechanical key of the power operation unit.

6. The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The mechanical keys included in the transport operation unit and the mechanical keys included in the power operation unit are arranged in a row.

7. The printing device according to claim 4, wherein: The power operation unit is located at a center portion or a position further back than a center portion in a depth direction of the electrostatic touch panel viewed from a user using the printing device.

8. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The transport operation unit and the print medium are located on the same side of the electrostatic touch panel in a direction orthogonal to a transport direction of the print medium.

9. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: A height difference between the surface of the electrostatic touch panel and the surface of the mechanical key of the transport operation unit when not operated is greater than a height difference between the surface of the electrostatic touch panel and the surface of the mechanical key provided on the panel installation surface when not operated.

10. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: There is a height difference between the panel installation surface and the transport operation unit installation surface that is larger than the stroke of the mechanical key of the transport operation unit.

11. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The transport operation unit includes a Braille indicating the function of the mechanical keys of the transport operation unit. There is a height difference between the panel installation surface and the transport operation unit installation surface that is greater than the height of the Braille characters.

12. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The panel installation surface and the conveying operation unit installation surface are not parallel.

13. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: A height difference between a surface of the electrostatic touch panel and a surface of the mechanical key of the transport operation unit in a state where no operation is performed is smaller than a height difference between a surface where the panel is installed and a surface where the transport operation unit is installed.

14. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: A height difference between the panel installation surface and the transport operation unit installation surface exists in a central region between the electrostatic touch panel and the transport operation unit.

15. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The screen displayed on the electrostatic touch panel includes a return operation unit and an in-screen operation unit, the return operation unit includes a soft key for changing the displayed screen to the original screen, and the in-screen operation unit includes soft keys other than the return operation unit. The conveyance operation unit and the return operation unit sandwich the on-screen operation unit.

16. The printing device according to claim 15, wherein: The transport operation unit and the on-screen operation unit are located at the same position in a short-side direction of the electrostatic touch panel.

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