Power Key Placement on Housing Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses face issues with the power key being inadvertently operated due to its indistinguishability from other keys, and the power key's location making it difficult to recognize its position, leading to inconvenient reboots and operational challenges.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a housing projection portion on the image reading portion with a power key positioned on its upper surface behind the touch panel display and within the breadth of the operation unit, enhancing visibility and recognition of the power key's importance, and arranging hardware keys in a line to prevent accidental operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the power key is arranged on the operation unit together with other operation keys, then the operation unit can be compact, but the power key becomes indistinguishable from other keys and is prone to accidental operation
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into an operation unit and a document pressing cover portion, with the power key specifically placed on the document pressing cover portion rather than the operation unit. This segmentation separates the power key from other operation keys, making it visually distinct and reducing the likelihood of accidental operation while maintaining overall device compactness.
2Reliability
If the power key is arranged spread in the lateral direction to avoid accidental operation, then accidental operation is reduced, but the power key cannot enter easily in the effective field of view of the user
Solution Approach 1:
The power key is placed on the document pressing cover portion, which has a different spatial relationship with the user than the operation unit. This location provides both visual prominence (entering the effective field of view) and functional separation from other keys, simultaneously improving recognition and preventing accidental operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus comprises an image reading portion, and an operation unit having at least a touch panel display is provided in a front side of the image reading portion. A housing of the image reading portion has a housing projection portion that is projected frontward as compared with a front surface of a document pressing cover, and a power key that is a hardware key is provided on an upper surface of the housing projection portion in a back side as compared with the touch panel display and within a range of a breadth of the operation unit. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the power key from being operated carelessly, and it becomes easy to recognize a position of the power key.