Display device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a display system capable of obtaining a sufficient quantity of homogenous light by lighting display lamps which are disposed at a corner of a margin of a housing without increasing the size of a substrate on which a light source is mounted.SOLUTION: A display system 2 includes: an operation screen 21 that is attached to an apparatus and receives an apparatus operation instruction; and a plurality of display lamps 10 that report conditions of the apparatus. The display system further includes: a substrate 12 on which a light source 14 is mounted; a housing 20 that covers the substrate 12; lens members 13 forming light emitters of the display lamps 10; and light guide members 11 that guide light emanating from the light source 14 to the lens members 13. The housing 20 has: openings 22, which expose the lens members 13, in a region encompassing a corner formed of an edge of an upper surface 20a, on which the operation screen 21 is disposed, and a flank 20b. A connection surface on which the lens members 13 are connected to the light guide members 11 is orthogonal to an advancing direction of light emitted from the light guide members 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device and an image forming apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in devices having an image processing function such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP) or a laser printer (LP), a display device such as an operation panel having a touch panel function is attached in order to allow a user to select and operate a processing function and a setting menu.

[0003] As a display device, there is known one provided with a display lamp or the like for notifying a user of these when receiving a FAX document, when a trouble such as toner end or jam occurs, and the like.

[0004] The light emitting element serving as a light source of the display lamp is generally mounted on a circuit board built in a housing. In order to ensure a sufficient light emission amount of the display lamp, it is desirable to dispose the light emitting element near the display lamp. However, the disposition position of the display lamp may be at the edge of the housing in an operation panel or the like. Changing the size and arrangement of the substrate according to the position of the display lamp has a problem that it cannot be treated as a common part between operation panels of different shapes. Further, when the light emitting element is mounted on a substrate different from the main substrate, there is a problem that members such as a harness for connecting the substrates are required and the cost becomes high.

[0005] On the other hand, as a display lamp for displaying information, operation states, etc. of a device, there is known one that performs display by guiding the light of a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED) provided inside the housing to the outer surface of the housing using a light guide member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a device in which, even when the spacing between light-emitting parts is short due to the miniaturization and thinning of the housing, the lens light guide component can be guided only to the light-emitting part corresponding to the light-emitting part. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Incidentally, some indicator lamps are positioned at the corners between the top and side surfaces of the housing, and have light-emitting surfaces on both the top and side sides. When such light-emitting surfaces are present, there is a problem in that the appearance of the light guided from the light source becomes uneven.

[0008] Furthermore, in the case of indicator lamps installed in black or dark-colored housings, if a lens is used that blends seamlessly with the housing when not emitting light, there is a challenge in ensuring that light from the light source is distributed across the entire lens when illuminated, making the illumination visible from any angle.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a display device that can obtain a uniform and sufficient amount of light when illuminating indicator lamps located at the corners of the edges of the housing, without increasing the size of the substrate on which the light source is mounted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a display device that is attached to a device and comprises an operation screen for receiving operation instructions for the device, and a plurality of indicator lamps for indicating the status of the device, wherein the display device comprises a light source, a substrate on which the light source is mounted, a housing covering the substrate, a lens member constituting the light-emitting part of the indicator lamp, and a light guide member for guiding light from the light source to the lens member, wherein the housing has an opening that exposes the lens member in a portion including the corner formed by the edge of the upper surface on which the operation screen is provided and the side surface, and the connection surface to which the lens member and the light guide member are connected is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light emitted from the light guide member Furthermore, the normal vector at the center of the light-emitting surface of the light guide member passes through the center of the vertical cross-section of the portion of the lens member exposed from the housing. This is a characteristic feature. and do. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device that can obtain a uniform and sufficient amount of light when illuminating indicator lamps arranged at the corners of the edges of the housing without increasing the size of the substrate on which the light source is mounted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This figure illustrates the external appearance of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the external appearance of a display device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a display device according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the back. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 3. [Figure 5] This is a schematic side view illustrating the arrangement of the light source, light guide member, and lens member. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the arrangement of the light guide member and lens member. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram of an integrated configuration in which multiple light guide members and multiple lens members are combined. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the surface shape of the light-receiving surface of a lens component. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of light-shielding components. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The display device and image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified, added, altered, or deleted to the extent that a person skilled in the art can conceive of it. Any embodiment that achieves the function and effect of the present invention is included within the scope of the present invention.

[0014] [Image forming apparatus] FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is a multi-functional peripheral (MFP) equipped with functions such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine. However, it may be an image forming apparatus equipped with any one of these functions or any arbitrary combination thereof.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 1 includes an operation panel 2 as a display device according to the present invention described later, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 3 for feeding and conveying originals, a recording medium supply tray 5 for storing recording media to be stacked before image recording, an image forming unit 6 for recording an image on the recording medium, and a recording medium discharge tray 4 for discharging the recording medium on which the image has been recorded. Note that the image forming method of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not particularly limited, and it may be an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method.

[0016] In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1, the image forming unit 6 includes an image carrier, a transfer unit, and a fixing device. When the image forming (printing) operation is started, paper as a recording medium is supplied from the recording medium supply tray 5 to the image forming unit . An image is transferred to the image carrier in an image forming process from the image data of the print job, and the image is transferred to the paper conveyed through the conveyance path from the image carrier. The paper after transfer is conveyed to the fixing device, the toner of the image on the paper is fixed by the fixing device, and is discharged to the recording medium discharge tray 4.

[0017] 〔Display Device〕 FIG. 2 shows an external schematic view of an operation panel as an example of the display device according to the present invention. FIG. 2(A) is a top view of the operation panel, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view of the main part. Also, FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the inside of the housing of the operation panel seen from the back, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 3.

[0018] The display device according to this embodiment (hereinafter, also referred to as "operation panel 2") is attached to a device (for example, the image forming apparatus 1 in FIG. 1), and includes an operation screen 21 that receives operation instructions for the device, and a plurality of display lamps 10 that notify the state of the device. The operation screen 21 is, for example, a liquid crystal screen (touch panel).

[0019] The operation panel 2 includes a light source 14, a substrate 12 on which the light source 14 is mounted, a housing 20 that covers the substrate 12, a lens member 13 that constitutes the light emitting portion of the display lamp 10, and a light guide member 11 that guides the light from the light source 14 to the lens member 13.

[0020] The light source 14 is a point source, and examples thereof include a light emitting diode (LED) or the like. The light guide member 11 is a member that totally reflects the light incident from the light source 14 inside, guides the light along the arrangement direction, and emits the light to the outside from the emission surface. Examples thereof include a light pipe or the like.

[0021] The housing 20 of the operation panel 2 has an opening 22 that exposes the lens member 13 of the display lamp 10 at a portion including the corner formed by the edge of the upper surface 20a provided with the operation screen 21 and the side surface 20b continuous with the upper surface 20a.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2(B), a plurality of display lamps 10 are provided from the edge of the upper surface 20a to the side surface 20b of the housing 20, and are members that notify the user by lighting or blinking of the light source 14. In this embodiment, three display lamps 10 (10a, 10b, 10c) are provided, but the number of installed lamps is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected. In the example of FIG. 2, the three display lamps 10 are composed of a display lamp 10a that notifies the arrival of a FAX document, a display lamp 10b that notifies data input, and a display lamp 10c that notifies warnings, various abnormalities, and errors (for example, toner end, jam, etc.) to prompt confirmation of the state of the device. <00,00110>

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic side view illustrating the arrangement of the light source 14, the light guide member 11, and the lens member 13. Figures 6(A) and 6(B) are explanatory diagrams showing the portion from the light-emitting surface of the light guide member 11 to the light-emitting surface of the lens member 13.

[0024] As shown in Figure 6(A), in the operation panel 2, which is a display device of this embodiment, the connection surface 15 to which the lens member 13 and the light guide member 11 are connected is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the light emitted from the light guide member 11. The connecting surface 15 is a surface composed of the light-receiving surface 13a of the opposing lens member 13 and the light-emitting surface 11a of the light-guiding member 11.

[0025] As a result, for example, the normal N at the center of the emitting surface 11a of the light guide member 11 facing the lens member 13 passes through the center C of the vertical cross-section S of the portion of the lens member 13 exposed from the housing 20. The center C is, for example, the intersection of the vertical center line and the horizontal center line in the vertical cross-section S. The area of ​​the upper surface 13b and side surface 13c of the lens member 13 exposed from the housing 20 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the opening 22. In the example shown in Figure 5, there is no significant difference in area between the upper surface 13b and the side surface 13c of the lens member 13, and the corner formed by the upper surface 13b and the side surface 13c is rounded (R-shaped). This rounded portion includes the central part in a plan view of the external appearance of the lens member 13, including the upper surface 13b and the side surface 13c, which are exposed from the housing 20. In the example in Figure 5, the normal vector N at the center of the light-guiding member 11's emission surface 11a passes through this rounded portion.

[0026] Furthermore, in an embodiment in which the shape and area of ​​the upper surface 13b and the side surface 13c of the exposed lens member 13 are substantially the same, as shown in Figure 6(B), the normal N at the center of the emission surface 11a of the light guide member 11 facing the lens member 13 is a straight line that bisects the angle θ between the surface exposed from the upper surface (upper surface 13b) and the surface exposed from the side (side surface 13c) of the housing of the lens member.

[0027] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an integrated configuration of multiple light guide members 11 and multiple lens members 13. Figure 7(A) is a schematic view of the substrate 12, light guide members 11, and lens members 13 from above, and Figure 7(B) is a schematic diagram showing an example in which three lens members 13 are integrated.

[0028] As shown in Figure 7, the display device of this embodiment has a plurality of light sources 14 corresponding to a plurality of indicator lamps 10, a plurality of lens members 13, and a plurality of light guide members 11, and it is preferable that the plurality of lens members 13 and the plurality of light guide members 11 are connected to each other and integrated. The integrated lens member 13 and light guide member 11 are fixed in predetermined positions inside the housing 20 by a retaining member (not shown).

[0029] According to the display device of this embodiment, the light guide member 11 can guide the light from the light source 14 on the substrate 12 to the lens member 13 of the indicator lamp 10, which is arranged at the edge of the housing 20. Therefore, there is no need to change the size or arrangement of the substrate 12 to match the position of the indicator lamp 10, nor is there a need to prepare a separate substrate on which the light source 14 is mounted and connect it with a harness or the like. As a result, the substrate 12 can be miniaturized, reducing the number of components and achieving cost reduction. Furthermore, by changing the design of the light guide member 11, the substrate 12 can be made common with operation panels equipped with operation screens 21 of different sizes.

[0030] Furthermore, with the display device of this embodiment, there is no need to bring the lens member 13 and the light source 14 into close proximity, thus improving design flexibility. For example, the substrate 12 can be positioned at a distance from the side surface inside the housing 20, thus preventing external influences such as static electricity.

[0031] Furthermore, according to the display device of this embodiment, since the normal vector N at the center of the emission surface 11a of the light guide member 11 passes through the center C of the vertical cross-section of the portion of the lens member 13 exposed from the housing 20, light from the light source 14 is guided uniformly to the light-emitting surfaces on both the top and side sides, preventing unevenness in the appearance of the light. In other words, without increasing the size of the circuit board 12 on which the light source 14 is mounted, a uniform and sufficient amount of light can be obtained when the indicator lamps 10, which are located at the corners of the edges of the housing 20, are illuminated.

[0032] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the surface shape of the light-receiving surface 13a of the lens member 13. Figure 8(A) shows an example of an unprocessed smooth surface. On the other hand, Figures 8(B) to 8(E) show examples in which the surface of the light-receiving surface 13a of the lens member 13, which faces the light-emitting surface 11a of the light-guide member 11, is textured or uneven. By forming minute shapes like those shown in Figures 8(B) to 8(E) on the light-receiving surface 13a of the lens member 13, light can be diffused into the interior of the lens member 13, and the amount of light on the light-emitting surface can be made uniform. The processing methods are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 8(B) to (E), but can be selected as appropriate.

[0033] The light guide member 11 is preferably made of a colorless, translucent resin material. By using such a material, the light guide function can be achieved at a low cost. Furthermore, it can be made into a component that can be mass-produced by injection molding.

[0034] The lens component 13 is preferably made of a colored transparent resin material. For example, the color can be the same as that of the housing 20 so as not to be noticeable when not lit, or milky white, smoke, etc. can be selected as appropriate. If the housing 20 is black or a dark color close to black, for example, by constructing the lens member 13 from a transparent resin material, an appearance that is the same color as the housing can be obtained when it is not emitting light. Furthermore, similar to the light guide member 11, it can be made into a component that can be mass-produced at low cost. According to the display device of this embodiment, even when a lens member that is inconspicuous when not emitting light is used, it is possible to spread light from the light source across the entire lens when lit, so that the illumination can be seen from any angle.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, in the display device of this embodiment, the light source 14 is positioned so that its light-emitting surface does not face the light-receiving surface 13a and the light-emitting surface (the surface exposed from the housing 20) of the lens member 13. In Figure 5, D1 indicates the direction from which the light from the light source 14 is emitted, and D2 indicates the direction from which the light from the lens member 13 is emitted. In other words, light from the light source 14 does not directly enter the lens member 13, but only enters the lens member 13 through the light guide member 11. This configuration prevents problems such as other adjacent indicator lamps 10 illuminating due to leaked light, even if multiple indicator lamps 10 are provided.

[0036] As shown in Figure 7(A), the multiple light guide members 11 are integrated by connecting adjacent members. The unconnected portions are voids, and it is preferable to shield them from light so that light from other adjacent light guide members 11 does not enter.

[0037] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of light-shielding members. In the display device of this embodiment, which includes multiple light sources 14, multiple light guide members 11, and multiple lens members 13, it is preferable that light shielding members 17 are arranged between adjacent light guide members 11. By providing the light-shielding member 17, color transfer between adjacent light guide members 11 can be prevented, and only the indicator lamps 10 that should be lit among the multiple indicator lamps 10 can be illuminated.

[0038] In the example shown in Figure 9, of the three light guide members 11, a light-shielding member 17a, which is a partition made of ribs, is installed around the area where the two light guide members 11 on the right side of the figure are located. In addition, a light-shielding member 17b, which is a partition made of sheet metal, is installed in the gap to the right of the light guide member 11 on the left side of the figure. The material, shape, and placement of the light-shielding member 17 are not limited to the example shown in Figure 9, and can be selected as appropriate.

[0039] As shown in Figure 5, in the display device of this embodiment, the light source 14 is arranged near the edge of the substrate 12. The convex portion 19 extending from the light-receiving surface 11b of the light guide member 11 is in contact with the side surface of the edge of the substrate 12. The light guide member 11 is positioned such that its light-receiving surface 11b is located in the direction D1 of emission from the light source 14. The convex portion 19 supports the light guide member 11 on the side surface of the substrate 12, thereby preventing rattling and preventing light leakage from the light source 14. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Image forming apparatus 2. Display device (control panel) 10 Indicator lights 11. Light guide member (light pipe) 12 circuit boards 13 Lens components 14 Light source 15 Connection surface 17 Light-shielding material [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0041] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6327068

Claims

1. A display device that is attached to a device and comprises an operation screen for receiving operation instructions for the device, and a plurality of indicator lamps for indicating the status of the device, The device comprises a light source, a substrate on which the light source is mounted, a housing covering the substrate, a lens member constituting the light-emitting part of the indicator lamp, and a light guide member that guides light from the light source to the lens member. The housing has an opening that exposes the lens member in a portion including the corner formed by the edge of the upper surface on which the operation screen is provided and the side surface, A display device characterized in that the connection surface to which the lens member and the light guide member are connected is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light emitted from the light guide member, and the normal to the center of the emission surface of the light guide member passes through the center of the vertical cross-section of the portion of the lens member exposed from the housing.

2. The system comprises multiple light sources corresponding to multiple indicator lamps, multiple lens members, and multiple light guide members, The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of lens members and the plurality of light guide members are connected to each other and integrated.

3. The display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface of the light-receiving surface of the lens member facing the light-emitting surface of the light-guide member is subjected to a textured or uneven surface.

4. The light guide member is made of a colorless and light-transmitting resin material. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the lens member is made of a colored transparent resin material.

5. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the light source is arranged in a direction in which the light-emitting surface does not face the light-receiving surface and the light-emitting surface of the lens member.

6. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a plurality of the light guide members, wherein a light shielding member is disposed between adjacent light guide members.

7. The light source is disposed near the edge of the substrate, The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a convex portion extending from the light-receiving surface of the light guide member abuts against the side surface of the edge of the substrate.

8. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the aforementioned device is an image forming apparatus.

9. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a display device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images