JP2011228871A - Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of achieving simplified supporting structure of an operation panel and low cost while variously changing an attitude or a position of the operation panel.SOLUTION: The operation panel disposed outside space of an apparatus body is supported by a flexible shaft body so that the operation panel can be displaced to all directions. The flexible shaft body comprises: a hollow shaft body to be fixed on the operation panel at the end of the shaft body; and a coupling part disposed at the base end of the shaft body. The coupling part of the shaft body is connected to a high-rigidity fame via a connection part disposed on the outer surface of the apparatus body.

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus typified by a copying machine and a facsimile machine, and in particular, an operation panel support structure (hereinafter simply referred to as a panel support structure) for variously changing the attitude and position of the operation panel. .)

  A panel support structure capable of displacing the operation panel to a position that can be easily viewed by the user or a position where the operation panel can be easily operated is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. In this case, an operation panel composed of a touch panel and a numeric keypad is supported by a support arm fixed to the apparatus body so that the operation panel can be displaced to an arbitrary use position. The fixed end of the support arm is supported so as to be able to turn around a vertical axis with respect to the apparatus main body, and the operation panel is supported by the support arm so as to be able to rotate around the vertical axis. Therefore, the operation panel can be displaced about the two vertical axes with respect to the apparatus main body.

  The processing apparatus of Patent Document 2 discloses that an operation panel is supported by a guide surface provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body so as to be slidable back and forth. The operation panel has a standard use position that covers the entire guide surface, an auxiliary first use position that projects from the same position to the front of the apparatus body, and an auxiliary second that projects further forward from the same position. Can be slid to the use position. Since the guide surface is formed by a circular arc surface that is inclined downward toward the front of the apparatus main body, the operation panel in the second use position is lower than the operation panel in the standard use position. Furthermore, the operation surface of the operation panel can be raised. Therefore, even a user sitting in a wheelchair can easily operate the buttons on the operation panel and confirm the contents of the liquid crystal display unit.

  With respect to the panel support structure of the present invention, operation panel loading sections are provided at a plurality of locations on the apparatus main body so that the operation panel loading position can be selected according to the situation of the place where the apparatus main body is installed. Is disclosed in the recording apparatus of Patent Document 3. In this case, for example, a loading unit is provided on each of the front side and the other side surface of the apparatus main body, and when the operation panel is mounted on one of the loading units, the remaining loading unit is covered with a blindfold panel.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-347091 (paragraph number 0023, FIG. 1) JP 2006-026924 A (paragraph number 0019, FIG. 3) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-58188 (paragraph number 0018, FIG. 3)

  According to the panel support structure of Patent Document 1, the operation panel can be held at an arbitrary position within a range (180 degrees) in which the support arm rotates, and further, at an arbitrary rotation position, the operation panel can be freely moved around the vertical axis. Can be directed in the direction of However, the range in which the attitude of the operation panel can be changed is limited to the space on the front side of the aircraft, and the operation panel can only be changed around two vertical axes. The degree of freedom is low. For example, the operation panel cannot be tilted back and forth according to the height of the user. In the case of a user sitting in a wheelchair, even if the operation panel is displaced about two axes, it does not help to improve the operability and visibility of the operation panel. When changing the attitude of the operation panel, it is necessary to turn the support arm and change the attitude of the operation panel, so that a series of operations is troublesome.

  In that regard, according to the panel support structure of Patent Document 2, even a user sitting in a wheelchair can easily perform button operations on the operation panel and confirmation of the contents of the liquid crystal display unit. However, since the operation panel can only be slid back and forth along the arcuate guide surface, in order to improve the operability and visibility of the operation panel, the user moves to a position facing the operation panel. There are inconveniences that must be made.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of variously changing the attitude and position of an operation panel, and realizing simplification and cost reduction of the panel support structure.

  The image reading apparatus 2 according to the present invention includes an operation panel 9 disposed in a space outside the machine body, and a flexible shaft body 21 that supports the operation panel 9 so that the operation panel 9 can be displaced in all directions. The base end of the flexible shaft body 21 is connected to a connection portion 20 provided on the outer surface of the machine body.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the airframe includes a highly rigid frame 5 and a cover 6 that covers the outer surface of the frame 5. The connection unit 20 is configured based on the frame 5. The base end of the flexible shaft body 21 is coupled to the frame 5 via the connection portion 20.

  Connection portions 20 are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer surface of the machine body so that the flexible shaft body 21 can be selectively coupled to the plurality of connection portions 20 (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the flexible shaft body 21 includes a hollow shaft main body 30 whose one end is fixed to the operation panel 9, and a connecting portion 31 provided at the base end of the shaft main body 30. In a state where the connecting portion 31 is connected to one of the plurality of connecting portions 20, the remaining connecting portion 20 is covered with a shield 48 assembled to the connecting portion 20.

  The machine body and the operation panel 9 are electrically connected by the energization lead 42. The energization lead 42 is disposed inside the flexible shaft body 21. The energization lead 42 and the internal energization lead 43 disposed inside the machine body are connected by connectors 44 and 45.

  The connecting portion 20 is composed of a recess 23 that is recessed in the body and a male screw body 24 that is disposed inside the recess 23. The connecting portion 31 includes a flange body 33 that is fixed to the end of the shaft body 30 and a female screw body 34 that is rotatably supported by the flange body 33. The internal thread body 34 is screwed into the external thread body 24 to fix the flexible shaft body 21 to the machine body.

  An image formality apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes the above-described image reading apparatus.

  In the image reading apparatus 2 and the image shape forming apparatus 100 of the present invention, the operation panel 9 disposed in the space outside the machine body is supported by the flexible shaft body 21 connected to the connection portion 20 of the machine body, and the flexible shaft body 21 is supported. The operation panel 9 can be displaced by bending. As described above, according to the panel support structure using the flexible shaft body 21 as a support element, the posture and position of the operation panel 9 can be changed back and forth, left and right, and up and down simply by displacing the operation panel 9 or the flexible shaft body 21. Various changes can be easily made in all directions. Further, since the operation panel 9 is supported by the flexible shaft body 21 having a simple structure, the panel support structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional panel support structure.

  When the connecting portion 20 is configured based on the high-rigidity frame 5 and the base end of the flexible shaft 21 is coupled to the frame 5 via the connecting portion 20, the flexible shaft 21 is firmly attached to the high-rigidity frame 5. be able to. Therefore, when changing the position and orientation of the operation panel 9, the moment acting on the base end of the flexible shaft 21 can be received by the frame 5, and the flexible shaft 21 can be firmly supported. The position and posture can be changed accurately.

  If the flexible shaft body 21 can be selectively coupled to the plurality of connection portions 20, the coupling position of the flexible shaft body 21 is selected according to the spatial restriction of the installation place of the image forming apparatus 100. The support position of the operation panel 9 can be adapted to the installation location. When the installation environment is not limited, the support position of the operation panel 9 can be variously changed according to the user's preference and usability.

  According to the flexible shaft body 21 including the hollow shaft body 30 and the connecting portion 31 provided at the base end of the shaft body 30, the flexible shaft body 21 can be simply connected to the connecting portion 20 on the machine body side. Can be easily attached to the aircraft. Further, by covering the connecting portion 20 to which the connecting portion 31 of the flexible shaft 21 is not connected with the shielding body 48, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering and accumulating on the connecting portion 20, and the connecting portion 20 is further connected to the outer surface of the body. It is possible to eliminate the damage to the appearance of the aircraft due to exposure.

  When the current-carrying lead 42 for connecting the machine body and the operation panel 9 is arranged inside the flexible shaft body 21, the current-carrying lead 42 is avoided from being exposed on the outer surface of the flexible shaft body 21 and the operation panel 9. And the appearance of the panel support structure can be made simple and clean. Further, by disposing the current-carrying lead 42 inside the flexible shaft body 21, the current-carrying lead 42 is protected by the flexible shaft body 21, and it is possible to eliminate a problem that the current-carrying lead 42 is caught by other objects and damaged.

  The flange body 33 and the female threaded body 34 constitute the connecting portion 31. When the female threaded body 34 is screwed into the male threaded body 24 of the connecting portion 20 and the flexible shaft 21 is fixed to the machine body, the female threaded body 34 can be flexibly tightened. The shaft body 21 can be attached to and detached from the machine body more easily. Therefore, the mounting position of the flexible shaft 21 can be changed easily with less effort.

It is sectional drawing which shows the support structure of an operation panel. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus. It is a side view which shows the use condition of a panel support structure. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows another Example of the support structure of an operation panel.

(Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment in which an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a multifunction machine having a copy function and a facsimile function. In the present invention, “front / rear”, “left / right”, and “upper / lower” refer to the cross arrows shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. In FIG. 2, an image forming apparatus (multifunction machine) 100 includes a recording unit 1 and an image reading unit (image reading device) 2 disposed above the recording unit 1. A platen cover 3 that opens and closes a document reading surface and an automatic document reading unit (ADF) 4 that is provided on the platen cover 3 and sends a document to the image reading unit 2 are disposed on the upper surface of the image reading unit 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading unit 2 is formed by covering the outer surface of a highly rigid frame 5 with a cover body 6. Inside the image reading unit 2, a reading unit that reads a document, a carriage that supports the unit, A moving mechanism is incorporated.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes an operation panel arranged in a space outside the aircraft, specifically, above the front side of the aircraft. Inside the recording unit 1, there is provided a paper conveyance path from the paper feed cassette 10 to the paper discharge space 13 through the image recording device 11 and the fixing device 12. The machine of the image forming apparatus 100 is constituted by the recording unit 1, the image reading unit 2, a housing that houses the paper feed cassette 10, and the like.

  The operation panel 9 is configured by arranging a touch panel display 16 and a group of input buttons 17 on the front surface of a flat square box-shaped panel cover 15. The key structure including the input button 17 and the display 16 are assembled to a panel frame 18 provided on the inner surface of the panel cover 15. By operating the display 16 and the input button 17, it is possible to input copying conditions, facsimile conditions, etc., or to display input data.

  In order to displace the operation panel 9 in all directions of front, back, left, and right, a connecting portion 20 is provided on each of the right side of the front wall of the image reading unit 2 and on the left side wall and the front side of the right side wall. The operation panel 9 is supported by a flexible shaft body 21 attached to the connecting portion 20 on the side. Depending on the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 100, the flexible shaft 21 is selectively connected to any of the three connection portions 20 in total near the right end of the front wall of the image reading unit 2 and the front end of the left and right side walls. can do.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connection unit 20 is configured based on the frame 5 of the image reading unit 2. Specifically, a recess 23 formed in the cover body 6, a male screw body 24 fixed to the frame 5 facing the recess 23, an entrance / exit 25 penetrating the male screw body 24 inward and outward, and a recess in the protruding end of the male screw body 24. The connecting portion 20 is constituted by the formed connecting seat 26 or the like. The cross section of the recess 23 is circular. The entrance / exit 25 provided in the male screw body 24 is formed to be slightly larger than connectors 44 and 45 described later. This is because the connectors 44 and 45 are taken in and out of the entrance 25. An opening 27 having the same diameter as the entrance / exit 25 is also formed in the frame 5.

  The flexible shaft body 21 includes a hollow shaft body 30, a connecting portion 31 provided at the proximal end of the shaft body 30, and an attachment portion 32 provided at the distal end of the shaft body 30. The shaft body 30 comprises a double spiral cylinder in which a spring wire having a circular cross section is wound in a coil shape, and a spring wire having a triangular cross section is wound around the outer surface at the same pitch. It can be bent in all directions of left and right and up and down to maintain the bent state. The connecting portion 31 includes a flange body 33 that is fixed to the end of the shaft body 30 and a female screw body 34 that is rotatably supported by the flange body 33. A screw hole is formed in the inner surface of the female screw body 34. As shown in FIG. 1, the flange body 33 is joined to the connecting seat 26 of the external thread body 24, and the internal thread body 34 is screwed into the external thread body 24 in this state, whereby the flexible shaft body 21 is fixed to the frame 5 and It is integrated.

  The mounting portion 32 includes a cylindrical mounting shaft 36 that is fixed to the tip of the shaft body 30 and a nut 38 that is screwed into a screw shaft 37 at the upper end of the mounting shaft 36. In order to attach the mounting portion 32 to the operation panel 9, a clearance hole 39 for the mounting shaft 36 is formed in the lower wall of the panel cover 15, and the insertion hole 40 for the screw shaft 37 is formed in the panel frame 18 facing the clearance hole 39. Is forming. The flexible shaft 21 can be integrated with the operation panel 9 by screwing the nut 38 into the screw shaft 37 inserted into the insertion hole 40 and fastening the peripheral wall of the insertion hole 40 with the screw shaft 37 and the nut 38. .

  The machine body of the image forming apparatus 100 and the operation panel 9 are electrically connected via an energization lead 42 arranged inside the flexible shaft 21 and an internal energization lead 43 arranged inside the frame 5. Internal and external energization leads 42 and 43 are connected by connectors 44 and 45. The energization lead 42 is configured such that a power supply lead and a signal lead are arranged in one covered tube. The drive current can be supplied to the display 16 and the display lamp by the power supply lead, and the input signal input from the touch panel and the input button 17 is sent to the control unit by the signal lead, or the command signal from the control unit is output to the operation panel 9 it can.

  In order to prevent dust and foreign matter from entering the inside of the frame 5 from the connection portion 20 when not in use, the outer surface of the connection portion 20 provided near the front ends of the left and right side walls of the image reading portion 2 as shown in FIG. Is covered with a shield 48. The shield 48 is made of a plastic cap. A screw hole 49 to be screwed into the male screw body 24 is formed on the inner surface of the cap, and a cross groove 50 for inserting a screwdriver is formed on the outer end surface of the cap. is there. Note that the internal energization lead 43 described above can also be routed to the side of the connection portion 20 provided near the front ends of the left and right side walls of the image reading portion 2. When the shield 48 is screwed into the male screw body 24, the outer end surface of the cap is flush with the peripheral wall of the opening of the recess 23.

  According to the support structure of the operation panel 9 configured as described above, the posture and position of the operation panel 9 can be variously changed according to the use position and preference of the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the flexible shaft 21 is bent into an L shape, and the operation panel 9 is tilted somewhat backward, so that the operation panel 9 can be used in a high position. . In the case of a user sitting in a wheelchair, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 3, the flexible shaft 21 is bent so as to incline downward toward the user, and the operation surface of the operation panel 9 faces upward. By doing so, it is possible to easily input the copying conditions at a low position. If necessary, the operation panel 9 can be stored above the upper surface of the platen cover 3 by bending the flexible shaft 21 toward the upper surface side of the platen cover 3. Since the operation panel 9 is supported by the flexible shaft 21, the operation panel 9 has a structure for supporting the operation panel 9 in spite of having a higher degree of freedom in changing the position and posture of the operation panel 9 than the conventional operation panel support structure. Simplification and cost reduction can be realized.

  FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the support structure for the operation panel. There, the upper end of the flexible shaft 21 and the operation panel 9 are connected via a free stop structure, and the operation panel 9 can be rotated around the center axis 102 of the free stop structure. I was able to hold. The free stop structure includes an attachment shaft 36 inserted through the bracket 53, three disc springs 54 inserted through the screw shaft 37 of the attachment shaft 36, and plain washers 55 disposed at both ends of the disc springs 54. The nut 38 is screwed into the screw shaft 37.

  The disc spring 54 is tightened in a flat shape by a nut 38 screwed into the screw shaft 37 to generate a frictional resistance. As a result, the operation panel 9 can rotate around the central axis 102 only in a state where a force exceeding the frictional resistance is applied, and in an ordinary state, the operation panel 9 can keep an arbitrary rotational position by the frictional resistance of the disc spring 54. it can. The bracket 53 is fixed to the panel frame 18. Since others are the same as the previous embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the panel support structure configured as described above, after the flexible shaft 21 is bent and the position of the operation panel 9 is roughly determined, the operation panel 9 is rotated around the central axis 102 and directed toward the user. Can do. As described above, according to the panel support structure having the degree of freedom of rotation around the central shaft 102 in addition to the degree of freedom of the flexible shaft 21, an excessive bending force acts on the flexible shaft 21. Avoiding it can improve durability. In order to prevent the energization lead 42 from being excessively twisted, the rotation angle of the operation panel 9 around the center axis 102 is preferably 180 degrees or more and 360 degrees or less.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flexible shaft 21 is configured as a double spiral cylinder with a spring wire having a circular cross section and a spring wire having a triangular cross section. Any hollow flexible shaft that can be bent may be used. The energization lead 42 is not necessarily arranged inside the flexible shaft body 21 and can be arranged outside the flexible shaft body 21. For example, the energization lead 42 can be disposed along the outer surface of the flexible shaft body 21. The connecting portions 20 can be provided at two or more locations on the outer surface of the machine body, and the arrangement locations are not limited to the locations described in the above embodiments. The flexible shaft 21 does not need to support the lower surface of the operation panel 9, and the attachment portion 32 can be connected to the back surface or the upper surface of the operation panel 9.

  The connectors 44 and 45 can be omitted. In that case, the connector socket is fixed to the male screw body 24 side, the connector pin is fixed to the flange body 33 side, and the flexible shaft body 21 is fixed to the connection portion 20 in the state where the connector socket is fixed. The connector pins should be electrically connected. Further, contact terminals may be provided on the joint surfaces of the male screw body 24 and the flange body 33 in place of the connector socket and the connector pin. The shield 48 does not need to be screwed into the male screw body 24 and fixed. For example, the shield 48 can be press-fitted into the recess 23 to maintain the mounted state.

2 Image reading device (image reading unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Frame 6 Cover 9 Operation panel 20 Connection part 21 Flexible shaft body 23 Recessed part 24 Male screw body 25 Entrance / exit 30 Shaft body 31 Connection part 32 Mounting part 34 Female screw body 42 Current supply lead 100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (7)

An operation panel arranged in a space outside the aircraft,
A flexible shaft that supports the operation panel so that it can be displaced in all directions;
With
An image reading apparatus, wherein a base end of the flexible shaft is connected to a connecting portion provided on an outer surface of the machine body. The aircraft
A highly rigid frame,
A cover that covers the outer surface of the frame,
The connecting portion is configured based on the frame;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a base end of the flexible shaft body is coupled to the frame via the connection portion. The connecting portion is provided at a plurality of locations on the outer surface of the aircraft,
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible shaft body can be selectively connected to a plurality of the connection portions. The flexible shaft is
A hollow shaft body having one end fixed to the operation panel;
A connecting portion provided at a proximal end of the shaft body;
Including
The image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a state where the connecting portion is connected to one of the plurality of connecting portions, the remaining connecting portion is covered with a shield assembled to the connecting portion. The fuselage and the operation panel are electrically connected with an energization lead,
The energization lead is disposed inside the flexible shaft;
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energization lead and an internal energization lead disposed inside the machine body are connected by a connector. The connecting portion is a recess formed in the airframe;
A male screw body disposed inside the recess,
Consists of
A flange body fixed to an end of the shaft body;
An internally threaded body rotatably supported by the flange body;
Consists of
The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the female screw body is screwed into the male screw body, and the flexible shaft body is fixed to the machine body.   An image formability apparatus comprising the image reading apparatus according to claim 1.

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