Image forming apparatus

Abstract

The control panel can be installed without any problems, regardless of size. [Solution] An image forming apparatus 1 for printing an image on a sheet, comprising an operation panel 2 attached to a main body 1a. The main body 1a is provided with a number (1) of mounting parts 28 according to the size of the main body 1a. The operation panel 2 has a number (2) of fixing members 27 according to the size of the operation panel 2. The operation panel 2 is attached to the main body 1a by fixing the fixing members 27 to the mounting parts 28.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a configuration in which an operation panel can be replaced.

Background Art

[0002] An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium includes an operation panel having a display for displaying the progress of the image forming operation and setting screens for various conditions. The operation panel (display) tends to increase in size in response to improvements in visibility and an increase in the amount of information to be displayed. In addition, image forming apparatuses of different sizes are prepared according to the usage environment, but there is a desire to provide an equivalent operation panel (display) for image forming apparatuses of any size. In Patent Document 1, a technique has been proposed in which a plurality of operation panels of different sizes can be attached according to the installation space of the image forming apparatus.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a configuration in which a plurality of operation panels of different sizes can be attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus by replacement, there is a possibility that an operation panel larger than the standard size cannot be attached. Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can attach an operation panel without any trouble regardless of the size.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for printing an image on a sheet, comprising an operation panel attached to a main body, the main body being provided with a number of mounting parts corresponding to the size of the main body, the operation panel having a number of fixing members corresponding to the size of the operation panel, and the operation panel being attached to the main body by the fixing members being fixed to the mounting parts. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to install the control panel without any problems, regardless of its size. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Diagram of the image forming system. [Figure 2] System configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] Diagram illustrating the configuration of the control panel. [Figure 4] Configuration diagram of the control panel. [Figure 5] System configuration diagram of the control panel. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram showing how the control panel is fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] A side view of the control panel attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing how the control panel is fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 9] A view of the control panel from the back, showing the control panel in its installed state. [Figure 10] A view of the control panel from the back, showing the control panel in its installed state. [Figure 11] A view of the control panel from the back, showing the control panel in its installed state. [Figure 12] A view of the control panel from the back, showing the control panel in its installed state. [Figure 13] An explanatory diagram of a modified mounting configuration for the control panel. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. However, unless otherwise specifically stated, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to those components alone.

[0009] (Image forming apparatus) Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image forming system according to this embodiment. The image forming system 1000 comprises an image forming apparatus 1 that forms an image on a recording medium sheet S, and a reader 14 that is an image reading device. The reader 14 optically reads an image of a document placed on a glass surface (not shown) and converts it into image data. The image forming system 1000 can optionally be fitted with a processing device 16 that performs processing such as stapling, punching, and binding on the sheet S on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 1.

[0010] The image forming apparatus 1 is equipped with a seesaw-type or tactile-type main power switch 121 for switching the main power on and off. The image forming apparatus 1 is equipped with an operation panel 2 as a user interface having an input interface and an output interface. Details of the operation panel 2 will be described later, but the user can use the operation panel 2 to make settings related to image forming, such as the number of images to be formed and the size of the sheet S, and settings related to image reading, such as the size of the original document. The operation panel 2 is equipped with a status display unit 24 that informs the user of the status of the image forming apparatus 1 (job execution, error occurrence such as jam).

[0011] The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 15 for forming an image on a sheet S. The image forming unit 15 includes photosensitive drums 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150K, chargers 151Y, 151M, 151C, 151K, and developing units 152Y, 152M, 152C, 152K. Further, the image forming unit 15 includes primary transfer rollers 153Y, 153M, 153C, 153K, a laser scanner unit 154, an intermediate transfer belt 155, a secondary transfer roller 156, and the like.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 1 includes sheet cassettes 19a and 19b for storing the sheet S. Sheets are fed one by one from either of the sheet cassettes 19a and 19b and conveyed to a secondary transfer unit constituted by the intermediate transfer belt 155 and the secondary transfer roller 156.

[0013] Regarding the operation of the image forming unit 15, the case of forming an image on the photosensitive drum 150Y will be described. A yellow (Y) image is formed on the photosensitive drum 150Y. The photosensitive drum 150Y is a drum-shaped photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer on its surface. The charger 151Y uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 150Y. The laser scanner unit 154 irradiates the uniformly charged surface of the photosensitive drum 150Y with laser light according to the image data of the document read by the reader 14 or the image data transmitted via a network from an external device (not shown). Thereby, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 150Y.

[0014] The developing unit 152Y attaches yellow toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 150Y to form a yellow toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 150Y. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 150Y is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 155 by applying a primary transfer bias to the primary transfer roller 153Y.

[0015] In the same process, a magenta toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 150M, a cyan toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 150C, and a black toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 150K. By applying a primary transfer bias to the primary transfer rollers 153M, 153C, and 153K, these toner images are transferred onto the yellow toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 155 in a superimposed manner. As a result, a full-color toner image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 155. The intermediate transfer belt 155 conveys the carried full-color toner image to the secondary transfer unit by moving in a circular motion.

[0016] In the secondary transfer unit, by applying a secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer roller 156, the full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 155 is transferred onto the sheet S. The sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 13. The fixing device 13 fixes the toner image onto the sheet S by performing, for example, heating and pressing processes.

[0017] The sheet S onto which the toner image has been fixed is conveyed to the processing device 16. The processing device 16 discharges the sheet S to the paper discharge area 160. When the user specifies a process such as stapling, punching, or binding, the processing device 16 performs the specified process on the sheet S and then discharges the sheet S to the discharge tray 161a by the paper discharge roller 18. When the user does not specify a process or when the processing device 16 is not provided, the sheet S is discharged from the fixing device 13 to the discharge tray 161b in the paper discharge area 160.

[0018] Figure 2 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main control unit 10 for controlling the image forming operation as described above. The main control unit 10 is an information processing device including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, a memory 101, and a timer 102. The storage unit 11, the power supply unit 12, the fixing device 13, the reader 14, the image forming unit 15, the operation panel <NO VALUE>, etc. are connected to the main control unit 10. Further, an optional device, the processing device 16, can be connected to the main control unit 10. The CPU 100 of the main control unit 10 controls the operations of the connected units.

[0019] The memory unit 11 stores various programs 110 related to the control of the image forming apparatus 1, as well as various display images, image data, etc. The various programs 110 stored in the memory unit 11 are a group of software for the main control unit 10 to perform various processing. The display images stored in the memory unit 11 are display images (image data), etc., to be displayed on the operation panel 2.

[0020] The CPU 100 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading and executing the program 110 stored in the memory unit 11. The CPU 100 reads display images (image data) from the memory unit 11 for display on the operation panel 2 and transmits them to the operation panel 2. The operation panel 2 displays a display image corresponding to the image data acquired from the CPU 100. The memory 101 is the main memory used by the CPU 100 when executing the program 110, and is used for temporary data storage, etc.

[0021] The CPU 100 controls the operation of the reader 14, image forming unit 15, processing unit 16, etc., connected to the main control unit 10 by executing the program 110 stored in the storage unit 11 using the memory 101 as a working area. This allows for the formation of an image on the sheet S. For example, the CPU 100 controls the reader 14 to generate image data read from the original document. The CPU 100 then stores the generated image data in the storage unit 11. Subsequently, the CPU 100 transfers the image data stored in the storage unit 11 to the image forming unit 15 and executes the image forming process described above.

[0022] Timer 102 is used to time various processes performed by the main control unit 10. For example, the main control unit 10 makes a decision to switch the image forming apparatus 1 from standby mode to a low-power sleep mode based on the count value of Timer 102. Power supply unit 12 converts the power supplied from the commercial power supply via the outlet plug into power used by each device and supplies it. (Power mode)

[0023] The image forming apparatus 1 can be set to two power modes: a standby mode (first power mode) in standby mode, and a sleep mode (second power mode) which consumes less power than the standby mode. The power mode is switched by the main control unit 10 (CPU 100).

[0024] In standby mode, the power supply unit 12 supplies power to the main control unit 10. Subsequently, the power supply unit 12 can supply power to the reader 14, image forming unit 15, fuser 13, processing unit 16, and operation panel 2 based on the control of the main control unit 10. Even in standby mode, the power supply unit 12 can supply power only to the necessary components in response to instructions from the main control unit 10. For example, when the user instructs the system to read an image from a document, the power supply unit 12 supplies power to the reader 14 but not to the image forming unit 15, fuser 13, and processing unit 16.

[0025] When the image forming apparatus 1 is not in use, the power mode switches from standby mode to sleep mode. When the image forming apparatus 1 is not in use, for example, when the image forming apparatus 1 has not been used for a certain period of time or longer. The power mode also switches from standby mode to sleep mode if the user instructs to switch to sleep mode via the operation panel 2. When the power mode switches to sleep mode, the power supply unit 12, under the control of the main unit control unit 10, stops supplying power to the reader 14, image forming unit 15, fuser 13, processing unit 16, and operation panel 2, which were receiving power in standby mode.

[0026] When the image forming apparatus 1 detects user input in sleep mode, its power mode switches from sleep mode to standby mode. For example, the power mode switches from sleep mode to standby mode when the control panel 2 receives a wake-up instruction from sleep mode, or when the control panel 2 is pulled out from its retracted state to the exposed state.

[0027] (Control panel) Figures 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams of the configuration of the control panel 2. Multiple types of control panels 2 of different sizes can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The control panels 2 in this embodiment are control panel 2a in Figure 3 and control panel 2b in Figure 4. These control panels 2a and 2b can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1 interchangeably. Note that the number of control panels 2 that can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to two, but may be more. In any case, multiple types of control panels 2 of different sizes can be attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 interchangeably.

[0028] The operation panel 2a in Figure 3 will now be described. The operation panel 2a has a display 21 capable of displaying images and a touch panel 22 that accepts touch operations from the user. The user can make various settings by operating the software keys (input section, buttons) displayed on the display 21 with their finger. The display 21 is the output interface, and the touch panel 22 is the input interface.

[0029] The display 21 is a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The touch panel 22 is placed on top of the display 21 and accepts user operation instructions by detecting operations on the display 21. The display 21 displays images by passing through the touch panel 22. In this embodiment, the display 21 and the touch panel 22 are made of separate components, but a touch panel display that combines the functions of both the display 21 and the touch panel 22 may also be used.

[0030] As described above, the status display unit 24 of the control panel 2 indicates whether the image forming apparatus 1 is executing a job or if an error has occurred. The status display unit 24 has multiple illuminated parts, such as red and green. The illuminated parts are, for example, LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes). The status of the image forming apparatus 1 is communicated to the user by the color and pattern of the illuminated parts. The status display unit 24 is also an example of an output interface.

[0031] The operation panel 2b in Figure 4 will now be described. The operation panel 2b has the same configuration as the operation panel 2a, but with the addition of a key operation input section 25 for the user to set the image forming apparatus 1 and issue job commands. The key operation input section 25 is a hardware key located in an area of ​​the operation panel 2 other than the display 21. The key operation input section 25 is also an example of an input interface.

[0032] The key operation input section 25 has a start key for starting a job on the image forming apparatus 1, a numeric keypad, a power saving key for instructing the transition to power saving mode, and is an operation panel for users who prefer to operate using hardware keys. In addition, the operation panel 2b differs from the operation panel 2a in the components for connecting to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, the control panel 2 can also be configured as shown in Figure 3, with a larger display 21, resulting in a larger overall size.

[0033] Figure 5 is a system configuration diagram of the operation panel 2. The operation panel 2 includes a panel control unit 20 which has a CPU 200, ROM (Read Only Memory) 201, RAM (Random Access Memory) 202, and a timer 203. The timer 203 is used to time various processes performed by the panel control unit 20. The panel control unit 20 is connected to a touch panel control unit 220, an interface (IF) unit 26, a display 21, a speaker unit 23, a status display unit 24, and a key operation input unit 25. The IF unit 26 controls communication with the main unit control unit 10. The panel control unit 20 transmits input information received by the touch panel 22 to the main unit control unit 10 via the IF unit 26. The panel control unit 20 also receives instructions from the main unit control unit 10 via the IF unit 26 to display images on the display 21, output sound from the speaker unit 23, and control the illumination of the status display unit 24. The touch panel control unit 220 is connected to the touch panel 22.

[0034] The CPU 200 controls the operation of the control panel 2 by executing a control program stored in the ROM 201. The RAM 202 provides a workspace for the CPU 200 when it performs processing and stores temporary data, etc. By executing the control program, the CPU 200 controls the touch panel control unit 220, the IF unit 26, the display 21, the speaker unit 23, the status display unit 24, and the key operation input unit 25.

[0035] ROM201 also stores control-related information. In addition to the control program for the operation panel 2, ROM201 stores identification information for the operation panel 2 and information related to the connection with the image forming apparatus 1. Control-related information includes information on the establishment of the connection with the image forming apparatus 1 and information obtained from the image forming apparatus 1. Information obtained from the image forming apparatus 1 includes information on the status of the image forming apparatus 1, such as standby mode, sleep mode, and error detection, as well as count information such as the number of printed pages.

[0036] The display 21 is a display unit capable of displaying information pre-stored in the ROM 201 or information received from the main unit control unit 10. The CPU 200 can switch the image output to the display 21 between an image stored in the operation panel 2 (ROM 201) and an image acquired from the main unit control unit 10.

[0037] The touch panel control unit 220 controls the operation of the touch panel 22 under the control of the CPU 200. The touch panel 22 detects the position of the user's touch operation. The speaker unit 23 outputs warning sounds, etc., under the control of the CPU 200. The status display unit 24 lights up its indicator lights in response to a lighting request from the CPU 100 to notify that the image forming apparatus 1 is executing a job or that an error has occurred.

[0038] (Mounting configuration of the control panel) Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration for fixing the operation panel 2 to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. Figure 7 is a side view of the operation panel 2 attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. In Figure 6, the relatively small operation panel 2a shown in Figure 3, which does not have a key operation input section 25, is attached.

[0039] The operation panel 2a is fitted with a fixing member 27 for fixing it to the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1. The main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a mounting portion 28 for attaching the fixing member 27. The operation panel 2a is attached to the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 by fixing the fixing member 27 to the mounting portion 28 with screws 31. In this embodiment, the fixing member 27 is configured to be tiltable. Therefore, the display surface of the display 21 of the operation panel 2a can be angled relative to the main body 1a, as shown in Figure 7. Note that there may be other methods for attaching the fixing member 27 to the main body 1a.

[0040] In this embodiment, the mounting portion 28 is provided on the main body 1a above the paper discharge roller 18 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. Except when the operation panel 2 is being replaced, the mounting portion 28 and the fixing member 27 are covered by a cover (not shown) so that they are not visible to the user.

[0041] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration for fixing an operation panel 2b, which is relatively larger than the operation panel 2a, to the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1. The operation panel 2b has two fixing members 27 attached to it for fixing to the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1. The main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with two mounting parts 28 for attaching the two fixing members 27. One of the fixing members 27 is fixed to the mounting part 28 by a screw 31, and the other is fixed to the mounting part 28 by insertion.

[0042] When fixed by screws 31, the fixing member 27 is provided with a hole 32 through which the screw 31 passes, and the mounting portion 28 is provided with a screw hole 33 into which the screw 31 is fastened. In Figure 8, since there are two holes 32 and a screw hole 33, the fixing member 27 is fixed to the mounting portion 28 by two screws 31. When fixed by insert, for example, the fixing member 27 is provided with a locking device 34, and the mounting portion 28 is provided with a locking portion 35. The locking portion 35 has a hole into which the locking device 34 is inserted and a portion that locks the inserted locking device 34. The fixing member 27 is fixed to the mounting portion 28 by the locking device 34 being locked into the locking portion 35. The locking device 34 is locked into the locking portion 35 by moving in the positive direction of the Y axis after being inserted into the hole of the locking portion 35.

[0043] Similar to the case in Figure 6, in this embodiment, two mounting parts 28 are provided on the main body 1a above the paper discharge roller 18 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. Except when the operation panel 2 is being replaced, the mounting parts 28 and the fixing member 27 are covered by a cover (not shown) so that they are not visible to the user.

[0044] As explained in Figures 6 and 8, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to accommodate operation panels 2 of different sizes. The size of operation panel 2 differs between operation panel 2a and operation panel 2b due to the presence or absence of a key input section 25. In addition, the size of operation panel 2 may also differ due to differences in the size of the display 21, for example. For example, a small operation panel 2 has a display 21 of about 5 inches, while a large operation panel 2 has a display 21 of 10.1 inches or larger.

[0045] Figure 9 shows the small control panel 2 installed, viewed from the back. As explained in Figure 6, the small control panel 2 is fixed to the mounting portion 28 on the image forming apparatus 1 side by a single fixing member 27. In this case, all fixing members 27 overlap the mounting portion 28. In this embodiment, overlap means that the fixing members 27 overlap at least a part of the mounting portion 28 and cover it. When viewed from the fixing member 27 side, at least a part of the mounting portion 28 is hidden.

[0046] Figure 10 shows the large control panel 2 installed, viewed from the back. As explained in Figure 8, the large control panel 2 is fixed to two mounting parts 28 on the image forming apparatus 1 by two fixing members 27. The image forming apparatus 1 has sufficient space to accommodate the two mounting parts 28. In this case, all fixing members 27 overlap all mounting parts 28.

[0047] Figure 11 shows a view of the back of the control panel 2, with the large control panel 2 attached to the small image forming apparatus 1. In this case, the large control panel 2 has two fixing members 27, but the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with only one mounting portion 28. As a result, one fixing member 27 overlaps the mounting portion 28, while the other fixing member 27 does not overlap the mounting portion 28.

[0048] The fixing members 27 that overlap the mounting portion 28 are fixed to the mounting portion 28 (the main body of the image forming apparatus 1) by screws 31. The fixing members 27 that do not overlap the mounting portion 28 are folded because there is no corresponding mounting portion 28 for them. Note that the fixing members 27 that do not overlap the mounting portion 28 are not fixed and may be removed from the operation panel 2.

[0049] Figure 12 shows a view of the back of the control panel 2, with a small control panel attached to the large image forming apparatus 1. In this case, the small control panel 2 has one fixing member 27, and the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with two mounting parts 28. For this reason, the fixing member 27 burlaps onto one of the mounting parts 28.

[0050] In the above configuration, for example, the configuration in Figure 9 is assumed to be the state in which a standard-sized operation panel 2 is installed. When replacing the operation panel 2 from the state in Figure 9 with a larger size operation panel 2, the configuration becomes as shown in Figure 11. Even in this case, the operation panel 2 is fixed to the mounting part 28 provided on the image forming apparatus 1a by one of the two fixing members 27. Also, for example, the configuration in Figure 10 is assumed to be the state in which a standard-sized operation panel 2 is installed. When replacing the operation panel 2 from the state in Figure 10 with a smaller size operation panel 2, the configuration becomes as shown in Figure 12. In this case, the operation panel 2 is fixed to one of the two mounting parts 28 provided on the image forming apparatus 1a by one fixing member 27.

[0051] The control panel 2 is provided with a number of fixing members 27 corresponding to its size. The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a number of mounting parts 28 corresponding to the size of the main body 1a. When a standard-sized control panel 2 is attached to the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1, the number of fixing members 27 on the control panel 2 is the same as the number of mounting parts 28 on the main body 1a. Therefore, the fixing members 27 and mounting parts 28 are fixed in a one-to-one correspondence. When the size of the control panel 2 is larger than the size of the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1, the number of fixing members 27 on the control panel 2 is greater than the number of mounting parts 28 on the main body 1a. Therefore, fixing members 27 are fixed to all of the mounting parts 28, and some fixing members 27 remain unfixed. When the size of the control panel is smaller than the size of the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1, the number of fixing members 27 on the control panel 2 is less than the number of mounting parts 28 on the main body 1a. Therefore, all fixing members 27 are fixed to the mounting parts 28, and some mounting parts 28 remain unfixed.

[0052] In other words, as explained above, even when a non-standard-sized control panel 2 is attached to the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1, at least one fixing member 27 overlaps the mounting portion 28. Therefore, the user can easily replace the control panel 2 with one of a different size.

[0053] In the above explanation, the size of the display 21 of the control panel 2 was described as 5 inches for the small version and 10.1 inches for the large version, but the size of the display 21 is not limited to these and may be other sizes. Also, the tilt function of the control panel 2 is not a mandatory function.

[0054] (modified version) Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram of a modified mounting configuration of the control panel 2. When a large control panel 2 is attached to a small image forming apparatus 1, as shown in Figure 11, one of the fixing members 27 will no longer overlap the mounting portion 28. In this case, the fixing of the control panel 2 becomes unstable.

[0055] In Figure 13, even in this case, the auxiliary member 29 can stabilize the fixing of the operation panel 2. By using the auxiliary member 29, the two fixing members 27 of the operation panel 2 can be fixed to the image forming apparatus 1. The auxiliary member 29 is fixed to the main body 1a, and the operation panel 2 is fixed to the auxiliary member 29. The auxiliary member 29 has a plurality of second mounting parts 30 for attaching the fixing members 27 of the operation panel 2. The second mounting parts 30 have a mounting part to which the fixing member 27 is fixed by a screw 31 and a mounting part to which the fixing member 27 is locked.

[0056] The fixing member 27 is fixed to the mounting portion 28 of the main body 1a via a second mounting portion 30 to which the fixing member 27 is fixed by a screw 31. The fixing member 27 is locked to the second mounting portion 30 to which the fixing member 27 is locked. As a result, the operation panel 2 is fixed to the main body 1a by a screw 31 on one of the fixing members 27 and to the auxiliary member 29 on the other of the fixing members 27.

[0057] Even if the number of mounting parts 28 provided on the image forming apparatus 1 is less than the number of fixing members 27 on the operation panel 2, the fixing members 27 can be firmly fixed to the image forming apparatus 1 by using the auxiliary members 29. Even with this configuration, the user can easily replace the operation panel 2 with one of a different size.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for printing an image onto a sheet, It is equipped with a control panel that can be attached to the main unit, The main body is provided with a number of mounting parts corresponding to the size of the main body. The control panel has a number of fixing members corresponding to the size of the control panel. The control panel is characterized in that it is attached to the main body by the fixing member being fixed to the mounting portion. Image forming apparatus.

2. When the number of fixing members of the control panel is greater than the number of mounting portions of the main body, the fixing members are fixed to all of the mounting portions, and some fixing members remain unfixed to the mounting portions. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The auxiliary member has a plurality of second mounting portions that can fix the aforementioned fixing member, When the number of fixing members for the control panel is greater than the number of mounting portions for the main body, the auxiliary member is fixed to the mounting portion, and the fixing member is fixed to the second mounting portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

4. When the number of fixing members of the control panel is less than the number of mounting portions of the main body, all of the fixing members are fixed to the mounting portions, and some mounting portions remain unfixed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

5. When the number of fixing members of the control panel is the same as the number of mounting portions of the main body, the fixing members and the mounting portions are fixed in a one-to-one correspondence. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The fixing member is characterized by being fixed to the mounting portion by screws. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The fixing member has a locking device that engages with the mounting portion, The mounting portion is characterized by having a locking portion for locking the locking device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The fixing member comprises a first fixing member fixed to the mounting portion by screws and a second fixing member that engages with the mounting portion. When the main body is provided with one mounting portion, the first fixing member is fixed to the mounting portion by the screw, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The fixing member comprises a first fixing member fixed to the mounting portion by screws and a second fixing member that engages with the mounting portion. When the main body is provided with two mounting portions, the first fixing member is fixed to one mounting portion by the screw, and the second fixing member is locked to the other mounting portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The auxiliary member includes a second mounting portion that can fix the first fixing member and a third mounting portion that can lock the second fixing member. When one mounting portion is provided on the main body, the first fixing member is fixed to the mounting portion via the second mounting portion by the screw, and the second fixing member is locked to the third mounting portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.

Images