Image forming device

Abstract

The image forming apparatus provides an image forming apparatus that can prevent malfunction of the operation panel. [Solution] The image forming device comprises a housing that houses an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, an operation panel that is rotatable on the edge of the top surface of the housing so that the operation surface that accepts user operations is tilted vertically, and a short-range wireless communication unit that is provided on the top surface of the housing and communicates wirelessly with a mobile terminal, and the short-range wireless communication unit is provided on the top surface of the housing in an area that prevents the mobile terminal from coming into contact with the operation panel when the mobile terminal is brought close to the short-range wireless communication unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus equipped with an operation panel has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the operation panel is provided with a short-range wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with a mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-51618 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when communication is performed between the mobile terminal and the short-range wireless communication unit, the mobile terminal may touch the operation keys on the operation panel, causing a malfunction.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent malfunction of an operation panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image forming device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a housing that houses an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, an operation panel that is rotatably arranged on the edge of the top surface of the housing so that the operation surface that accepts user operations is tilted vertically, and a short-range wireless communication unit that is arranged on the top surface of the housing and communicates wirelessly with a mobile terminal, the short-range wireless communication unit being arranged on the top surface of the housing in an area where the mobile terminal does not come into contact with the operation panel when the mobile terminal is brought close to the short-range wireless communication unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the image forming apparatus has an advantage of being able to prevent malfunction of the operation panel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion B in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure of a main body portion shown as part A of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, hereinafter, identical or corresponding components will be designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments and modifications described below are merely examples of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and modifications. Various modifications other than these embodiments and modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept of the present disclosure.

[0010] An image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIGS. 1 to 3 are diagrams illustrating an example of the image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram of the image forming apparatus 100 viewed from the front to the back. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the image forming apparatus 100 viewed from the top to the bottom. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the image forming apparatus 100 viewed from the left side to the right side.

[0011] When viewing image forming apparatus 100 from the front to the back, the left side in the horizontal direction is defined as the left direction, and the right side is defined as the right direction. Furthermore, when viewing image forming apparatus 100 from the front to the back, the bottom side is defined as the downward direction, and the opposite side is defined as the upward direction. Furthermore, when viewing image forming apparatus 100 from the front to the back, the front side in the depth direction is defined as the front, and the back side is defined as the rear.

[0012] Image forming apparatus 100 is a laser color printer that forms multicolor and monochrome images on paper. Image forming apparatus 100 can print images on paper based on image data read from a document by document reading device 90 or image data received from an external source. Note that in this embodiment, a laser color printer will be used as an example of image forming apparatus 100, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0013] 1, the image forming apparatus 100 is configured to include a main body unit including a document reading device 90, a document placing table 92, and an image forming unit 110, and an automatic document feeder 120. The main body unit is housed inside a housing 20.

[0014] Image forming unit 110 prints an image on paper based on, for example, image data read from an original by original reading device 90 or image data received from an external source. As will be described in detail later, image forming unit 110 includes an exposure unit 1, a developing unit 2, a photosensitive drum 3, a cleaner unit 4, a charger 5, an intermediate transfer belt unit 6, a fixing unit 7, a paper feed cassette 81, and a paper output tray 82.

[0015] A paper output tray 82 and a hollow interior 82a provided above the paper output tray 82 are provided above the image forming unit 110, and paper sheets with printed images are output onto the paper output tray 82. The paper sheets output onto the paper output tray 82 are accumulated in the hollow interior 82a. The user can insert their hand into the hollow interior 82a to remove the paper sheets accumulated in the hollow interior 82a.

[0016] At the top of the cavity interior 82a, there are provided a document reading device 90 and a document table 92 including transparent glass. Also, above the document table 92, there is attached an automatic document feeder 120.

[0017] An operation panel 30 is provided on the front side of the housing 20, on the edge of the front end of the housing top surface 20a, which is the top surface of the housing 20. The operation panel 30 is a so-called tilt-type operation panel, which is provided so as to be rotatable so that the operation surface 30a, which receives user operations, is tilted in the vertical direction.

[0018] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper part of the housing 20 is composed of a document reading device 90 having a document placing table 92 on its upper surface, and a protrusion 91 that protrudes forward from the document reading device 90.

[0019] 2, the upper surface of document table 92 provided on document reading device 90 is flush with protrusion upper surface 91a, which is the upper surface of protrusion 91, and the upper surface of document table 92 and protrusion upper surface 91a form housing upper surface 20a. Automatic document feeder 120 is disposed on document table 92, and document table 92 is covered by automatic document feeder 120. Meanwhile, operation panel 30, near-field wireless communication unit 31, and recess 32 are provided on protrusion upper surface 91a.

[0020] The near field wireless communication unit 31 performs contactless data communication between the image forming apparatus 100 and a portable terminal 40 (see FIG. 2) carried by a user, and is, for example, a communication unit using NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. For ease of explanation, in FIG. 2, only the outline of the portable terminal 40 is shown by a dashed line. For example, the user can establish communication between the portable terminal 40 and the image forming apparatus 100 by bringing the portable terminal 40 close to the near field wireless communication unit 31 or placing the portable terminal 40 on the near field wireless communication unit 31. Then, the portable terminal 40 can transmit image data and the like to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0021] The positional relationship between operation panel 30 and short-range wireless communication unit 31 will be specifically described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in image forming apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 2.

[0022] The operation panel 30 is provided on the right side of the front edge of the protruding portion upper surface 91a so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 30b extending along the front edge of the protruding portion upper surface 91a. The operation panel 30 is configured so that the operation surface 30a can be tilted in the vertical direction by rotating the operation panel 30.

[0023] Meanwhile, the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided on the protruding portion upper surface 91a in an area where the portable terminal 40 will not come into contact with the operation panel 30 when the user brings the portable terminal 40 close to the short-range wireless communication unit 31. It is preferable that no operation buttons or the like other than those on the operation panel 30 are provided near the area where the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided forward of the document placing table 92.

[0024] More specifically, the near field communication unit 31 is provided at the center in the left-right direction of the protruding portion upper surface 91a, and within a range from the front end of the protruding portion upper surface 91a toward the depth direction, where the operation panel 30 is placed (within a range of α in FIG. 4). The depth direction dimension of the protruding portion upper surface 91a is set to a dimension that allows the mobile terminal 40 held by the user to be placed thereon.

[0025] As described above, the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided in a range where the portable terminal 40 does not come into contact with the operation panel 30, and therefore it is possible to prevent the portable terminal 40 from accidentally hitting the operation panel 30 and causing a malfunction when the portable terminal 40 is brought close to the short-range wireless communication unit 31. Furthermore, since the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided in front of the document placing table 92, it is possible to prevent the portable terminal 40 placed on the short-range wireless communication unit 31 from getting in the way when placing a document on the document placing table 92.

[0026] Furthermore, since the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided on the left side of the operation panel 30, the user can operate the operation panel 30 with his right hand while bringing the mobile terminal 40 close to the short-range wireless communication unit 31 with his left hand, thereby improving the user operability of the image forming device 100.

[0027] Furthermore, since the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is located in the center of the left-right direction of the upper surface 91a of the protrusion, depending on the design specifications of the image forming device 100, the operation panel 30 can be configured to be located on the left side of the upper surface 91a of the protrusion, i.e., on the left side of the short-range wireless communication unit 31.

[0028] Furthermore, the near-field wireless communication unit 31 is provided within the range in which the operation panel 30 is disposed in the depth direction of the protruding portion upper surface 91a. Therefore, when the user views the operation panel 30 and the near-field wireless communication unit 31 together, the range of movement of the user's line of sight can be reduced. Therefore, when operating the operation panel 30 and the near-field wireless communication unit 31 simultaneously, the user's visibility can be improved.

[0029] 3, the angle of inclination of the protrusion upper surface 91a on which the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided with respect to the horizontal plane is smaller than the angle of inclination of the operation surface 30a of the operation panel 30 with respect to the horizontal plane when an operation is received from the user. Furthermore, the angle of inclination of the protrusion upper surface 91a with respect to the horizontal plane is set at an angle such that the mobile terminal 40 does not slide down when placed on the protrusion upper surface 91a.

[0030] In this way, since the near field communication unit 31 is provided on the protruding portion upper surface 91a, not on the operation panel 30, the tilt angle of the area where the near field communication unit 31 is provided does not change in accordance with the change in the tilt angle of the operation surface 30a of the operation panel 30. Furthermore, the tilt angle of the protruding portion upper surface 91a is smaller than the tilt angle of the operation surface 30a of the operation panel 30 when accepting an operation from the user. In particular, the tilt angle of the protruding portion upper surface 91a is set at an angle that prevents the mobile terminal 40 from sliding down the slope when placed on it.

[0031] Therefore, the user can operate the operation panel 30 by tilting the operation surface 30a of the operation panel 30 to a desired angle while placing the mobile terminal 40 in the area where the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided.

[0032] 1 and 4, the area on the protruding portion upper surface 91a where the short-range wireless communication unit 31 is provided is above the cavity interior 82a and is not in contact with components that generate high heat, such as the fixing unit 7 (see FIG. 5, which will be described later). Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 100, it is possible to prevent the short-range wireless communication unit 31 from breaking down due to heat.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 , a recess 32 is provided between the operation panel 30 and the near-field wireless communication unit 31. An IC (contactless) card reader may be disposed in the recess 32. In this case, an IC card can be placed in the recess 32 and read. The recess 32 holds the IC card so that it does not slip off. Even if an IC card reader is not provided, the recess 32 provides a predetermined distance between the operation panel 30 and the near-field wireless communication unit 31. By using the recess 32 as a guide, the user can prevent the mobile terminal 40 from being brought closer to the operation panel 30 than necessary. The user can also align the mobile terminal 40 using the recess 32 as a reference and place the mobile terminal 40 in an appropriate position on the near-field wireless communication unit 31. When the placed mobile terminal 40 overlaps the recess 32, a gap is created between the mobile terminal 40 and the protruding portion upper surface 91 a, making it easier to lift the mobile terminal 40.

[0034] Next, the internal structure of the main body of image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the main body shown as part A of image forming apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 2.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 includes an original reading device 90, an original placing table 92, and an image forming section 110.

[0036] The document reading device 90 reads image data from a document that has been transported or placed on a document placing table 92. The image forming unit 110 prints an image on paper based on the image data read by the document reading device 90.

[0037] The image forming section 110 includes an exposure unit 1, a developing device 2, a photosensitive drum 3, a cleaner unit 4, a charger 5, an intermediate transfer belt unit 6, a fixing unit 7, a paper feed cassette 81, and a paper discharge tray .

[0038] The image data handled by the image forming apparatus 100 corresponds to a color image using the colors cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). Therefore, the developing device 2, the photosensitive drum 3, the cleaner unit 4, and the charger 5 are each provided to form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors.

[0039] The charger 5 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 to a predetermined potential. The charger 5 may be a charger type, a contact type, or a brush type charger.

[0040] The exposure unit 1 is configured as a laser scanning unit (LSU) equipped with a laser emission section, a reflecting mirror, etc. The exposure unit 1 includes a polygon mirror that scans the laser beam, and optical members such as lenses or mirrors that guide the laser light reflected by the polygon mirror to the photosensitive drum 3. The exposure unit 1 exposes the charged photosensitive drum 3 to light in accordance with image data, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 in accordance with the image data.

[0041] The developing unit 2 visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 3 with toner. A toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 3 by visualizing the image with toner. The developing unit 2 includes a developing tank 2a, which contains toner. The developing unit 2 is configured to supply the toner contained in the developing tank 2a to the photosensitive drum 3. Each developing tank 2a is connected to a respective toner cartridge 8, which contains toner, via a toner supply pipe (not shown). A toner cartridge 8 is provided for each of the four colors of toner.

[0042] The cleaner unit 4 removes and collects the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after development and image transfer.

[0043] An intermediate transfer belt unit 6 is disposed above the photosensitive drum 3. The intermediate transfer belt unit 6 includes an intermediate transfer belt 61, an intermediate transfer belt drive roller 62, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, four intermediate transfer rollers 64, and an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65. The four intermediate transfer rollers 64 are provided corresponding to the colors K, Y, M, and C, respectively.

[0044] The intermediate transfer belt driving roller 62, the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, and the four intermediate transfer rollers 64 each stretch the intermediate transfer belt 61 and rotate it.

[0045] The intermediate transfer roller 64 applies a transfer bias for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 61 and presses the photosensitive drum 3 .

[0046] The intermediate transfer belt 61 is provided so as to come into contact with each photosensitive drum 3. The toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 3 are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 61 in order, superimposed on top of each other, to form a color toner image (multicolor toner image) on the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is formed in an endless shape using, for example, a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm.

[0047] The toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 61 by an intermediate transfer roller 64 that is in contact with the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 61. A high-voltage transfer bias (a high voltage with a polarity (+) opposite to the charged polarity (-) of the toner) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 64 in order to transfer the toner image. The intermediate transfer roller 64 is a roller based on a metal (e.g., stainless steel) shaft with a diameter of 8 mm to 10 mm, the surface of which is covered with a conductive elastic material (e.g., EPDM, urethane foam, etc.). This conductive elastic material allows a high voltage to be applied uniformly to the intermediate transfer belt 61.

[0048] The electrostatic latent images visualized on each photosensitive drum 3 according to each hue are layered on the intermediate transfer belt 61 and transferred onto the paper by the transfer roller 10 arranged at the contact position between the paper and the intermediate transfer belt 61.

[0049] At this time, the intermediate transfer belt 61 and the transfer roller 10 are pressed together at a predetermined nip, and a voltage is applied to the transfer roller 10 to transfer the toner onto the paper (a high voltage of the opposite polarity (+) to the toner's charged polarity (-)).

[0050] Furthermore, as described above, toner that has adhered to the intermediate transfer belt 61 by coming into contact with the photosensitive drum 3, or toner that remains on the intermediate transfer belt 61 without being transferred onto paper by the transfer roller 10, can cause toner color mixing in the next process, so it is removed and collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65.

[0051] The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65 includes, for example, a cleaning blade as a cleaning member that comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 61. The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 61 opposite to the surface that comes into contact with the cleaning blade is supported by an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63.

[0052] The paper feed cassette 81 is a tray for storing paper sheets used for printing images, and is provided below the exposure unit 1 of the image forming section 110.

[0053] The image forming unit 110 is further provided with a paper discharge tray 82. The paper discharge tray 82 collects printed sheets of paper face down.

[0054] The image forming unit 110 is also provided with a paper transport path S for sending paper from the paper feed cassette 81 to the paper discharge tray 82 via the transfer roller 10 and the fixing unit 7. Along the paper transport path S from the paper feed cassette 81 to the paper discharge tray 82, pickup rollers 11a and 11b, a plurality of transport rollers 12a to 12d, a registration roller 13, the transfer roller 10, the fixing unit 7, etc. are arranged.

[0055] Conveying rollers 12a to 12d are small rollers that assist in the transport of paper, and a plurality of them are provided along paper transport path S. Pickup roller 11a is provided near the end of paper feed cassette 81, and picks up paper one sheet at a time from paper feed cassette 81 and supplies it to paper transport path S.

[0056] The registration rollers 13 temporarily hold the paper being transported in the paper transport path S. The registration rollers 13 transport the paper to the transfer rollers 10 at a timing that aligns the leading edge of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 61 with the leading edge of the paper.

[0057] The fixing unit 7 includes a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72, which rotate while sandwiching the paper between them. The heat roller 71 is set to a predetermined fixing temperature based on a signal from a temperature detector (not shown). The heat roller 71, together with the pressure roller 72, thermally and compresses the toner onto the paper. This allows the fixing unit 7 to melt, mix, and press the multicolor toner image transferred onto the paper, thereby thermally fixing it to the paper. The fixing unit 7 is also provided with an external heating belt 73 for externally heating the heat roller 71. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 20 Case 20a Top of the housing 30 Operation Panel 30a Operation surface 30b Rotation axis 31 Near Field Wireless Communication Department 32 recess 40 Mobile Devices 81 Paper cassette 82 Paper output tray 82a Inside the cave 90 Document reader 91 Protrusion 91a Top surface of protrusion 92 Document stand 100 Image forming device 110 Image forming unit 120 Automatic document feeder

Claims

1. a housing that houses an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; an operation panel provided on an edge of the top surface of the housing so as to be rotatable such that an operation surface for receiving user operations is inclined in the vertical direction; a short-range wireless communication unit provided on the top surface of the housing for wirelessly communicating with a mobile terminal; Equipped with The near field communication unit is provided on the top surface of the housing in a range where the mobile terminal does not come into contact with the operation panel when the mobile terminal is brought close to the near field communication unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a recess is formed on the top surface of the housing between the operation panel and the short-range wireless communication unit.

3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle of inclination of the area on the top surface of the housing where the near field communication unit is provided with respect to the horizontal plane is smaller than an angle of inclination of the operation panel with respect to the horizontal plane when an operation is received from the user.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the short-range wireless communication unit is provided at a central position in the left-right direction of the housing when the housing is viewed from the front to the rear.

Images