Expansion unit and image forming apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides an expansion unit and an image forming apparatus that allow functional units, which are located in front of or behind the control unit, to be attached to the control unit without increasing the size of the control unit itself. [Solution] The non-contact sensor unit 60, which is an extension unit attached to the operation panel 50, which is the operating section of the main body of the device, comprises a first intermediate member 62, which is a first member attached to the left side of the operation panel 50, and a second intermediate member 63, which is a second member attached to the right side of the operation panel 50. The non-contact sensor unit 6 is attached to the first intermediate member 62 and the second intermediate member 63, is positioned on the rear side of the operation panel, and includes a non-contact sensor 61 as a functional unit that extends the functionality of the operation panel 50.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an expansion unit and an image forming apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an expansion unit attached to an operation unit of a device main body is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus in which a numeric keypad device as the above expansion unit is attached to an attachment portion provided on the right side surface of an operation unit.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There has been a problem in attaching a functional unit that expands the function of an operation unit disposed on the front side or the rear side of the operation unit to the operation unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an expansion unit attached to an operation unit of a device main body, comprising a first member attached to an attachment portion provided on the left side surface of the operation unit, a second member attached to an attachment portion provided on the right side surface of the operation unit, and a functional unit attached to the first member and the second member, disposed on the front side or the rear side of the operation unit, and expanding the function of the operation unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, a functional unit disposed on the front side or the rear side of an operation unit can be attached to the operation unit without increasing the size of the operation unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] Perspective view of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 2]A perspective view showing the control panel with a non-contact sensor unit attached. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the mounting of the contact sensor to the control panel in this embodiment. [Figure 4] A schematic perspective view showing the bottom of the control panel. [Figure 5] This figure shows an embodiment in which a non-contact sensor is placed on the front side of the control panel. [Figure 6] This figure shows an embodiment in which a non-contact sensor is attached to the rear of the control panel and a light-shielding member is attached to the front of the control panel. [Figure 7] This figure shows an embodiment in which a keypad device is attached to the first intermediate member and an IC card reader is attached to the second intermediate member. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the insertion hole and the positioning hole of the intermediate member in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. [Figure 9] This figure illustrates a modified example of the intermediate member shown in the embodiment in Figure 7. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art will readily be able to modify or alter the present invention within the scope of the claims to create other embodiments, and such modifications and alterations are included within the scope of these claims. The following description is an example of the best mode in this invention and does not limit the scope of these claims.

[0009] First, an image forming apparatus equipped with an operation panel 50, which is an operation unit to which an expansion unit according to the present invention can be attached, will be described. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a copier in which an image reading device 2 is positioned on top of the main body 3 of the image forming apparatus. The main body 3 of the image forming apparatus includes a recording paper storage section 5 that houses recording paper as a recording medium on which an image is formed, and an image forming section (image making section) as an image forming means.

[0010] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 1 has an operation panel 50 on its front (the front where the user normally performs operations) which is an input device for the user to perform various input operations related to the image forming operation and for which information related to the image forming operation is displayed. The operation panel 50 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 50a and its tilt angle can be changed. For example, if the operation screen displayed on the display unit 51 of the operation panel 50 is difficult to see, such as for wheelchair users or due to sunlight reflection, the operation panel 50 can be rotated to raise it (for example, it can be tilted to 45° relative to the horizontal).

[0011] The image forming unit includes, for example, an exposure unit as an exposure means, a plurality of photosensitive drums, a developing device that uses four colors of toner: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), a transfer belt as an intermediate transfer body, a secondary transfer unit, a fixing unit, etc. Based on the scanned image of the original read by the image reading device 2 or print data transmitted from an external device such as a PC (personal computer), the image forming unit creates an image, for example, as follows: Based on the print data, the image forming unit exposes each color of photosensitive drum with the exposure unit to form an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum, and then develops the image by supplying toner onto the latent image on each photosensitive drum with the developing unit for each color of the developing device. The image forming unit can also form a color image by first transferring the toner images on each color of photosensitive drum to the transfer belt, then transferring them to recording paper as a recording medium in the secondary transfer unit, and finally fixing the toner images on the recording paper by heating and pressurizing them in the fixing unit. The recording paper on which the image has been formed is discharged into the output tray 19 on the top surface of the image forming apparatus body 3.

[0012] The control panel 50 has a display unit such as an LCD or CRT, and a touch panel mounted on top of the display unit. The touch panel is a capacitive or pressure-sensitive contact sensor that detects the position of touch when the user's finger touches the contact-sensing surface, and detects the touch operation on the control screen displayed on the display unit.

[0013] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for contactless operation of touch panels and buttons on control panels touched by many users, in order to avoid contact with viruses and bacteria that cause infectious diseases. To meet this demand, image forming apparatuses can be optionally equipped with a contactless sensor unit that has a contactless sensor to detect contactless operation of the control panel by the user.

[0014] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the operation panel 50 with the non-contact sensor unit 60, which is an expansion unit, attached to it. The non-contact sensor unit 60 has a non-contact sensor 61 as a functional unit, and the non-contact sensor 61 is located on the rear side (+Y direction) of the operation panel 50. The non-contact sensor 61 consists of an optical unit in which an infrared-emitting element that emits infrared light and a photodetector that receives infrared light are arranged in an array. The spatial area above the display surface 51a of the display unit 51, which displays the operation screen, at a predetermined distance from the display surface, serves as the detection surface 61a for detecting non-contact operations on the user's operation screen. When the user's finger enters this detection surface 61a, the diffusely reflected infrared light from the infrared-emitting element reflected from the finger is received by multiple photodetectors. Based on the amount of infrared light received by each photodetector, the position of the fingertip is detected, and a non-contact operation on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 51 is detected.

[0015] Conventional non-contact sensors have two scanning optical paths: one for infrared light emitted in the front-to-back direction of the control panel, and another for infrared light emitted in the left-to-right direction of the control panel. Furthermore, conventional non-contact sensors have arrays of light-emitting elements on one side of the display unit and arrays of light-receiving elements on the other side. The position of the finger is detected based on the position of the light-receiving element that stops receiving light when the light from the light-emitting element is blocked by a finger entering the detection surface of the non-contact sensor. As a result, conventional non-contact sensors consist of a frame that surrounds the display unit of the control panel, which can make it difficult to operate the edges of the control screen, posing a problem in terms of usability. There is also the problem of the appearance being compromised.

[0016] On the one hand, the non-contact sensor 61 of this embodiment has only a one-axis scanning optical path for the infrared ray scanning optical path irradiated from the back side of the operation panel 50 in the vertical direction (front-rear direction, Y direction in the figure) of the display unit. Further, it receives the infrared rays diffusely reflected from the finger of the user who has entered the detection surface to the rear side of the operation panel 50 with a light receiving element and detects the position of the fingertip. Therefore, the non-contact sensor 61 of this embodiment may be arranged only on the rear side of the operation panel 50, and the operability at the edge of the operation screen can be improved compared with the conventional non-contact sensor surrounding the display unit 51. Also, the appearance is not impaired.

[0017] Generally, the operation panel 50 is provided with attachment portions on the right side surface and the left side surface for attaching a numeric keypad device or a card reader for reading an IC card. In order to attach the non-contact sensor 61 arranged on the rear side of the operation panel 50 to the operation panel 50, if an attachment portion is also provided on the rear side surface of the operation panel 50, the operation panel 50 will become larger. Also, it is conceivable to attach the non-contact sensor 61 to a portion located on the rear side of the operation panel 50 of the image forming apparatus main body. However, when the operation panel 50 is rotated to change the tilt angle of the operation panel, the relationship between the detection surface 61a of the non-contact sensor 61 and the display surface 51a may change, and there is a possibility that the non-contact operation of the user cannot be detected by the non-contact sensor 61. Therefore, in this embodiment, the non-contact sensor 61 can be attached to the operation panel 50 as follows.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the attachment of the non-contact sensor 61 to the operation panel 50 in this embodiment. The non-contact sensor unit 60, which is an extended unit of this embodiment, includes a first intermediate member 62 as a first member for attaching the non-contact sensor 61 to the operation panel 50, and a second intermediate member 63 as a second member. The first intermediate member 62 and the second intermediate member 63 have the same structure. Insertion holes 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b as functional unit attachment portions are provided on the front side surface and the rear side surface of each intermediate member 62, 63, respectively.

[0019] The insertion hole 62b provided on the rear side surface of the first intermediate member 62 is an elongated hole that is long in the left-right direction and serves as a secondary reference for the attachment of the non-contact sensor 61. The insertion hole 63a provided on the rear side surface of the second intermediate member 63 is a round hole and serves as the primary reference for the attachment of the non-contact sensor 61.

[0020] On the other hand, the insertion hole 62a provided on the front side surface of the first intermediate member 62 is a round hole and serves as the primary reference for attachment, and the insertion hole 63b provided on the front side surface of the second intermediate member 63 is an elongated hole that is long in the left and right directions and serves as a secondary reference for attachment.

[0021] On the left side surface and the right side surface of the operation panel 50, there are provided attachment structure parts 52 which are attachment parts. The attachment structure part 52 has positioning holes 52a provided on both sides in the front-rear direction of the side surface and a rectangular opening 52b. In the opening 52b, a pair of lock pins 52c are provided.

[0022] Each of the intermediate members 62, 63 has a pair of positioning pins 62c, 63c that are inserted into the positioning holes 52a of the attachment structure part 52. Between these positioning pins 62c, 63c, there are provided insertion parts 62d, 63d that are inserted into the rectangular opening 52b of the attachment structure part 52. On these insertion parts 62d, 63d, there are provided a pair of engagement members 62e, 63e that have claw parts protruding upward at the tips.

[0023] As described above, the first intermediate member 62 and the second intermediate member 63 have the same structure. After reversing the first intermediate member 62 left and right and then reversing it up and down, the first intermediate member 62 can be used as the second intermediate member 63.

[0024] By inserting the positioning pins 62c and 63c of each intermediate member 62 and 63 into the positioning holes 52a of the operation panel 50, each intermediate member 62 and 63 is positioned on the operation panel 50. Furthermore, as the insertion portions 62d and 63d of each intermediate member 62 and 63 are inserted, the claws at the tips of the engaging members 62e and 63e provided on the insertion portions 62d and 63d come into contact with the lock pin 52c of the opening 52b. If the insertion portions 62d and 63d are further inserted into the opening 52b from this state, the engaging members 62e and 63e undergo elastic deformation, and the lock pin 52c overcomes the claws. As a result, the engaging members 62e and 63e engage with the lock pin 52c, and each intermediate member 62 and 63 is attached to the operation panel 50.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3(b), the non-contact sensor 61 is attached to the operation panel 50 by being attached to intermediate members 62 and 63 which are attached to the operation panel 50. As shown in Figure 3(b), insertion pins 61b are provided on both sides of the non-contact sensor 61 in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction). The non-contact sensor 61 is attached by inserting these insertion pins 61b into the insertion holes 63a of the second intermediate member 63 and the insertion holes 62a of the first intermediate member 62.

[0026] Alternatively, the non-contact sensor 61 may be securely attached to the intermediate member by configuring it as follows: an engaging member extending forward is provided directly below the insertion pin 61b of the non-contact sensor 61. The engaging member is then inserted into an opening provided directly below the insertion holes on the front and rear sides of each intermediate member 62, 63, and the engaging member is engaged with a locking pin provided in the opening to attach the non-contact sensor 61 to the intermediate members 62, 63.

[0027] Then, the USB terminal 61c of the non-contact sensor 61 is plugged into the USB port 53 located at the bottom of the operation panel 50 shown in Figure 4. This enables communication with the panel control unit and other components that control the operation panel 50, as well as power supply to the non-contact sensor 61.

[0028] In this embodiment, each intermediate member 62, 63 is provided with a round insertion hole 62a on one side in the front-to-back direction (Y direction in the figure) that serves as the primary mounting reference, and an elongated insertion hole 62b on the other side that serves as a secondary mounting reference in the left-to-right direction. When the first intermediate member 62 is attached to the operation panel 50, the elongated insertion hole 62b is located on the front side and the round insertion hole 62a is located on the rear side. On the other hand, the second intermediate member 63 is the opposite of the first intermediate member 62, with a round insertion hole 63a on the front side and an elongated insertion hole 63b on the rear side. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, the non-contact sensor 61 can also be attached to the front of the operation panel 50 by inserting the insertion pin 61b of the non-contact sensor 61 into the insertion hole on the front side of each intermediate member 62, 63.

[0029] The control panel 50 is generally used in common across multiple models, and depending on the model, there may not be enough space to place the non-contact sensor 61 on the rear side of the control panel 50. Even in such cases, in this embodiment, the non-contact sensor 61 can be mounted on the front side of the control panel 50 to extend the functionality of the control panel 50 and enable contactless operation.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, it is also possible to attach a non-contact sensor 61 to the rear of the operation panel 50 and a functional unit to the front of the operation panel 50. The functional unit attached to the front as shown in Figure 6 is a light-shielding member 64 that blocks infrared rays emitted from the non-contact sensor 61.

[0031] As described above, the non-contact sensor 61, which is attached to the rear of the operation panel 50, receives diffusely reflected infrared light from the operating finger (indicator) that has entered the detection surface 61a (see Figure 2) using multiple light-receiving elements, and detects the position of the operating finger based on the amount of infrared light received by each light-receiving element. Therefore, if a highly reflective object (for example, a plastic card such as an employee ID card) is in front of the operation panel 50, the light-receiving elements may receive infrared light reflected from that highly reflective object, potentially leading to false detection.

[0032] By attaching the light-shielding member 64 to the front of the control panel 50, it is possible to prevent infrared light from the light-emitting element from irradiating a highly reflective object even if that object is located in front of the control panel 50. This suppresses false detections by the non-contact sensor 61.

[0033] Furthermore, each intermediate member 62, 63 may have an expansion unit mounting section to which an expansion unit, such as a numeric keypad or an IC card reader, which is located on the right or left side of the operation panel 50, can be attached.

[0034] Figure 7(a) illustrates the attachment of the IC card reader 65 to the second intermediate member 63. Figure 7(b) illustrates the attachment of the keypad device 66 to the first intermediate member 62. Figure 7(c) is a schematic diagram of the operation panel 50 to which the contactless sensor 61, IC card reader 65, and keypad device 66 are attached.

[0035] The extension unit mounting sections provided on the intermediate members 62 and 63 have the same structure as the mounting structure 52 of the operation panel 50 (see Figure 3). That is, the functional unit mounting section has positioning holes provided on both sides in the front-rear direction and a rectangular opening, and a pair of locking pins are provided in the opening.

[0036] As shown in Figure 7(a), the positioning pin 65a of the IC card reader 65 is inserted into the positioning hole of the second intermediate member 63, and the insertion portion 65b is inserted into the opening of the second intermediate member 63. Then, a pair of engaging members 65c provided on the insertion portion 65b engage with the locking pin of the second intermediate member 63, thereby mounting the IC card reader 65 to the right side of the operation panel 50 via the second intermediate member 63.

[0037] As shown in Figure 7(b), the positioning pin 66a of the keypad device 66 is inserted into the positioning hole of the first intermediate member 62, and the insertion portion 66b is inserted into the opening of the first intermediate member 62. Then, a pair of engaging members 66c provided on the insertion portion 66b engage with the locking pin of the first intermediate member 62, thereby attaching the keypad device 66 to the left side of the operation panel 50 via the first intermediate member 62.

[0038] As shown in Figure 7, the intermediate member has an insertion hole 63a into which the insertion pin 61b of the non-contact sensor 61 is inserted, located below the positioning hole 63d into which the positioning pin 65a of the IC card reader 65 is inserted, as shown in Figure 8. Figure 8(b) is an enlarged schematic perspective view of the rear end of the second intermediate member 63. Although Figure 8 shows the second intermediate member 63, the same applies to the first intermediate member 62. Furthermore, on the front side of each intermediate member, an insertion hole 63b is provided below the positioning hole 63d into which the positioning pin 65a of the IC card reader 65 is inserted.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, the intermediate member may be made longer in the left-right direction (X direction), and the insertion hole 63a and the positioning hole 63f may be provided at the same position in the up-down direction (Z direction). In the configuration shown in Figure 9, the intermediate members 62 and 63 are longer in the left-right direction compared to the configuration shown in Figure 8, but the vertical lengths of the intermediate members 62 and 63 and the vertical length of the non-contact sensor 61 can be shortened compared to the configuration shown in Figure 8.

[0040] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. In the above description, the present invention was applied to a non-contact sensor unit which is an expansion unit attached to the operation panel of an image forming apparatus, but it is not limited to a non-contact sensor unit. Furthermore, the operation unit to which the expansion unit of the present invention is attached is not limited to the operation panel of an image forming apparatus, but may also be a tablet, an operation panel of a home appliance, an operation panel of a machine tool, etc.

[0041] The above is just one example; each of the following embodiments produces its own unique effects. (Aspect 1) An extension unit such as a non-contact sensor unit 60 attached to an operating section such as an operating panel 50 of the main body of the device comprises a first member such as a first intermediate member 62 attached to a mounting section such as a mounting structure 52 provided on the left side of the operating section, a second member such as a second intermediate member 63 attached to a mounting section such as a mounting structure provided on the right side of the operating section, and a functional unit such as a non-contact sensor 61 attached to the first member and the second member, positioned on the front or rear side of the operating section, and extending the functions of the operating section. Expansion units that can be attached to the control panel 50 or other control section include keypads and card readers for reading IC cards. Generally, mounting sections for keypads and card readers are provided on the right and left sides of the control section. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for contactless operation of touch panels and buttons on control units that are touched by many users, in order to avoid contact with viruses and bacteria that cause infectious diseases. To meet this demand, it is desirable to be able to attach a contactless sensor to the control unit as an option to detect contactless operation by the user. It is preferable to place the contactless sensor on the back of the control unit so as not to interfere with operation. To attach functional units, such as contactless units, that need to be positioned on the front or rear of the control unit, mounting points for these expansion units must also be provided on the front and rear sides of the control unit. However, this presents challenges such as increasing the size of the control unit itself and raising its cost. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, a first member and a second member are attached to a mounting portion provided on the left side and a mounting portion provided on the right side of the operating unit, respectively, so that a functional unit located on the front or rear side of the operating unit can be attached to the operating unit via the first member and the second member. This allows functional units located on the front or rear of the control unit to be attached to the control unit without requiring mounting points on the front or rear sides of the control unit, thereby suppressing an increase in the size of the control unit.

[0042] (Aspect 2) In embodiment 1, the functional unit is a non-contact sensor 61 that detects non-contact operations on an operating unit such as an operating panel 50. According to this, by attaching the non-contact sensor 61 to the control unit, the control unit can be operated without touching the touch panel or buttons on the control unit. This addresses the need for contactless operation of the touch panel and buttons on the control unit, which are touched by an unspecified number of users.

[0043] (Aspect 3) In embodiment 1 or 2, the first member, such as the first intermediate member 62, and the second member, such as the second intermediate member 63, have the same structure. According to this, as described in the embodiment, a first member such as the first intermediate member 62 can be used as a second member such as the second intermediate member 63, or a second member can be used as a first member.

[0044] (Aspect 4) In embodiment 3, the first members, such as the first intermediate member 62, and the second members, such as the second intermediate member 63, are attached to an operating unit such as an operating panel 50, and are provided with functional unit mounting portions, such as insertion holes, on the front and rear sides, respectively, to which functional units such as non-contact sensors 61 can be attached. According to this, as explained using Figures 5 and 6, a functional unit can be attached to both the front and rear sides of the operating section of the control panel 50 via a first member such as a first intermediate member 62 and a second member such as a second intermediate member 63.

[0045] (Appendix 5) In any of embodiments 1 to 4, the first member, such as the first intermediate member 62, and the second member, such as the second intermediate member 63, have an expansion unit mounting section to which an expansion unit such as a keypad device 66 or an IC card reader 65 can be attached, which is located on the left or right side of the operating section such as the operating panel 50. According to this, as explained in Figure 7 and other diagrams, expansion units such as a keypad 66 or an IC card reader 65, which are located on the left or right side of the operating unit such as the operating panel 50, can be attached to the operating unit via first members such as the first intermediate member 62 or second members such as the second intermediate member 63.

[0046] (Aspect 6) In an image forming apparatus having an operating section such as an operation panel 50, an expansion unit such as a non-contact sensor unit 60, according to any of embodiments 1 to 5, is attached to the operating section. According to this, without enlarging the control panel 50 or other control units, expansion units can be placed on the rear or front of the control panel 50 or other control units. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Image forming apparatus 3: Image forming apparatus main unit 5: Recording paper storage section 19: Paper output tray 50: Control Panel 51: Display section 51a:Display surface 52: Mounting structure 52a: Positioning hole 52b: Opening 52c: Lock pin 53: USB port 60: Non-contact sensor unit 61: Non-contact sensor 61a: Detection surface 61b: Plug pin 61c: USB port 62: First intermediate member 62a: Insertion hole for round hole 62b: Insertion hole for elongated hole 62c: Positioning pin 62d: Insertion part 62e: Engaging member 63: Second intermediate member 63a: Insertion hole for round hole 63b: Insertion hole for elongated slot 63c: Positioning pin 63d: Insertion part 63e: Engaging member 63f: Positioning hole 64: Light-shielding material 65: IC card reader 65a: Positioning pin 65b: Insertion part 65c: Engaging member 66: Keypad device 66a: Positioning pin 66b: Insertion part 66c: Engaging member [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0048] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-94078

Claims

1. In an expansion unit attached to the control panel of the main unit of the device, A first member is attached to a mounting portion provided on the left side of the operating section, A second member is attached to a mounting portion provided on the right side of the operating section, An expansion unit characterized by comprising a functional unit attached to the first member and the second member, positioned in front of or behind the operating section, and extending the functions of the operating section.

2. In the expansion unit according to claim 1, The functional unit is an extension unit characterized by being a non-contact sensor that detects non-contact operations on the operating unit.

3. In the expansion unit according to claim 1, An expansion unit characterized in that the first member and the second member have the same structure.

4. In the expansion unit according to claim 3, The expansion unit is characterized in that the first member and the second member, when attached to the operating section, are provided with a function unit mounting section on the front and rear sides, respectively, to which the function unit can be attached.

5. In the expansion unit according to claim 1, The first member and the second member are characterized by having mounting portions to which an expansion unit, which is positioned to the left or right side of the operating section, can be attached.

6. In an image forming apparatus having an operating unit, An image forming apparatus characterized in that the expansion unit described in claim 1 is attached to the operating section.

Images