JPH0258624B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a copying apparatus, and more particularly to a display apparatus for displaying the number of copies, etc.

Conventionally, the number of copies to be made in a copying apparatus has been set using a numeric keypad on an operation section of a display device. That is, to explain using FIG. 1, the operator inputs the set number of copies using the numeric keypad 1 on the operation unit, and the value is displayed on the 7-segment LED 2. Furthermore, when copying is started by energizing the copy start button 3, the display value on the 7-segment LED 2 is sequentially subtracted (exceptions may be added starting from zero), and when the display reaches zero, the copying starts. It was beginning to indicate completion. Note that 4 is a stop/clear button.

In this way, with conventional devices in which the set number of copies is entered using a numeric keypad and displayed on a 7-segment LED, the number of contacts is large due to the use of the numeric keypad, and the digital display makes it difficult to grasp the set number of copies intuitively. Another drawback is that the set number of copies is not displayed to the operator until copying is complete.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. By displaying the set number of copies using a display element array, the number of contact points is small and the set number of copies can be grasped intuitively. The present invention has realized a copying apparatus that can display the set number of copies at any time, and also allows easy setting of the number of copies.

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view showing one embodiment of the operation section of the copying machine according to the present invention. In the figure, 5 is a display element row, and the front elements 51 to 59 making up this display element row 5 are as follows:
The display elements 51 to 59 are composed of LEDs, liquid crystals, incandescent lamps, etc., and are arranged continuously in a straight line so as to display a bar graph. The display element rows used in recently used speedometers, thermometers, audio peak level meters, etc.
It is also possible to use this display element array 5 as is. Note that in this example, a display element array consisting of nine display elements is shown to simplify the explanation. 6 is a number engraved on the panel board.
They are provided corresponding to each of the display elements 51 to 59, and are consecutive numbers starting from 1. 7 is a copy number setting button, 8 is a copy start button, and 9 is a stop/clear button.

The electrical configuration of the above embodiment is shown in the connection diagram of FIG. In the figure, 11 is a control circuit in the display device, which receives a start signal S ₁ from the number of copies setting button 7,
A clear signal S ₂ from the stop/clear button 9, a copying signal S ₃ from a copying control device (not shown) that controls copying, etc. are input. 12 is an oscillator whose oscillation stop/start is controlled by the output _S4 of the control circuit 11, and its oscillation frequency is 1 to 10 Hz.
It is variable within the range of . 13 is a BCD up/down with asynchronous clear and preset functions.
In the down counter, switching between up counting and down counting is done by the output _S5 of the control circuit 11,
Clearing and presetting are performed by outputs _S6 and _S7 of control circuit 11. Also, this counter 13
The clock input to the oscillator 12 is provided from an OR gate GO which receives the output _S8 of the oscillator 12 and the count signal _S9 . Numeral 14 is a latch circuit that latches the output of the counter 13, provides a preset input to the counter 13, and outputs the value counted by the counter 13 to the copying control device 17. Reading is performed by the output pulse S11 of the control circuit ₁₁ . Ru. 1
A decoder 5 converts the output (BCD signal) of the counter 13 into a decimal signal, and only the output corresponding to the input BCD code becomes "H" level. G1 to G8 are OR gates, one input terminal is given the output of decoder 15 (corresponding to 1 to 8 in decimal signal), and the other input terminal is given the output of AND gates G11 to G18. There is. Furthermore, the output _S12 of the control circuit 11 is applied to one input terminal of the AND gates G11 to G17, and the output of the OR gates G2 to G8 is applied to the other input terminal. Also, regarding AND gate 18,
The output S12 of the control circuit ₁₁ and the output of the decoder 15 (corresponding to 9 in decimal signal) are applied to its input terminals. Then, the outputs of OR gates G1 to G8 and the output of decoder 15 (corresponding to 9 in decimal signal)
is given to the drive circuit 16 as a control signal for driving the display elements 51 to 59 in the display element row 5.

The operation of the embodiment apparatus configured in this way will be described next. First, when the control circuit 11 receives a signal (not shown) from the copying control device 17 indicating that warm-up, jam processing, transfer paper setting, etc. have been completed, the control circuit 11 sets the counter 13 to the up-count mode and causes the oscillator 12 to output. Let it start. As a result, the counter 13 counts up in a constant cycle, and the decoder 15 sequentially outputs 0 to 9. In this state, since the number of copies is not set, the output _S12 of the control circuit 11 is "L".
level, and the display elements 51 to 59 are sequentially lit in the above-mentioned constant cycle. FIG. 4a shows this state. Next, when the copy number setting button 7 is activated, the control circuit 11 immediately starts the oscillator 12.
oscillation is stopped and the counter 13 is changed to down count mode. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4b, the display element that was lit when the number of copies setting button 7 was energized (this will be explained below assuming that it was the display element 54)
The movement of the lighting position stops at (FIG. 4b). Therefore, the control circuit 11 sets the value counted by the counter 13 as the set number of copies to the latch circuit 1.
4, and controls the latch circuit 14 to output the set number of copies to the copy control device 17, and transmits a setting signal _S13 for setting the number of copies to the copy control device 17, and further,
Output _S12 to AND gates G11 to G18 is “H”
level. With this, OR gate G1~
The output of G4 becomes "H", and the display elements 51 to 54 are simultaneously turned on as shown in FIG. 4c. The number of lighting display elements 51 to 54 indicates the set number of copies. When the copy start button 8 is activated here, a series of copy operations are performed by the copy control device 17, and a count signal _S9 is sent from the copy control device 17 to the OR gate every time one copy cycle is completed.
It will be sent to GO. This count signal _S9 is directly input to the counter 13 as a signal _S10 and is counted down. Therefore, the count signal S ₉
Each time , the number of lighting display elements 51 to 54 decreases in the order of d, e, f, g in FIG. 4. Figure 4g
The state means that copying of all the set number of sheets has been completed, and at this time, the copying signal _S3 becomes "L". Therefore, the control circuit 11 supplies the initially set number of copies to the counter 13 as a preset input, and returns to the display state shown in FIG. 4c. In this state, if the copy start button 8 is activated again, the display operation that is exactly the same as the previous time will be repeated.

After the entire set number of copies have been completed and the state returns to the state shown in FIG. , the display in FIG. 4c and the set number of copies are reset to return to the state before the number of copies setting button 7 was activated (FIG. 4a).
The same applies when the copying operation control signal is not input within the waiting time after the number of copies setting button 7 is activated. Counting of this waiting time starts from the moment when copying conditions such as density, reduction, magnification, paper size, etc. are changed.
If you want to change the number of copies set during the waiting time,
When the number of copies setting button 7 is activated, the control circuit 11
However, the counter 13 is cleared and the display returns to the state shown in FIG. 4a. Also, if the stop/clear button 9 is activated during a copying operation, the control circuit 11 returns the display to the state shown in FIG. 4a when the copy cycle in progress at the time of activation is completed.

The present invention is configured such that the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 12 can be controlled by the control circuit 11. Then, the number of copies set once with the number of copies setting button 7 is reset by energizing the number of copies setting button 7 again, and the display elements 51 to 59 are sequentially lit in a lighting cycle that is longer than the previous lighting cycle. It's becoming like that. In this way, even if you fail to set the number of copies the first time because the lighting cycle is short, the lighting cycle will be longer the second time you activate the number of copies setting button, so you can easily set the correct number of copies. can. Therefore, it is convenient to be able to accommodate even slow operators.

In addition, in FIG. 4 d, e, f, and g, if the display element 54 that can independently display the set number of copies is lit in different ways (blinking, lighting in a different color, etc.), the set number of copies can always be displayed by the operator. can be informed.

Further, if an automatic inversion up/down counter different from the counter 13 of the above embodiment is used as the counter 13, the display element row 5 can be changed from the display element 51 to
Display element 52→...→Display element 59→Display element 58
→...→It is also possible to light up sequentially like the display element 51. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the display element row 5 before the copy number setting button 7 is activated.
If the lighting cycle is configured such that the number of lighting display elements among the display elements 51 to 59 increases (or may decrease) from a to i in FIG. 5 over time, the copy number setting button 7 The length of the lighting display element when energized directly indicates the set number of copies, making it possible to set the number of copies more intuitively.

Further, in the above embodiment, the count signal S ₉
Each time the display element 5 is
4, 53, ..., 51, but it is also possible to erase from the left side. In this way, there is no need to consider the above-mentioned different types of lighting. Further, although a linear shape is shown as the overall shape of the display element 5, it may be annular, or the display elements 51 to 59 may be arranged at regular intervals, or the display elements 51 to 59 themselves may be shaped like a straight line. The shape can also have the function of consecutive numbers as shown in FIG. In addition, the display elements 51 to
It is also possible to configure the light emission intensity and color of 59 to be continuously changed according to the arrangement order. Furthermore, if a dual-purpose button is used, which serves both as the copy number setting button 7 and the copy start button 8, it is convenient because the copying operation can be started at the same time as the set number of copies is set. Furthermore, if a button for decreasing the set number of copies is provided for changing the set number of copies, the change can be easily made.

It goes without saying that the various operations described above can be performed using a microcomputer.

As explained above, according to the present invention in which the set number of copies is displayed on the display element row, the number of contacts on the numeric keypad for setting the number of copies can be reduced to one (the number of copies setting button), and The practical effects are significant. Further, the set number of copies can be intuitively grasped as a ratio of the occupied area to the whole, and the number of copies can be easily set by simply pressing the number of copies setting button. Furthermore, the set number of copies can be displayed at all times if necessary, which is convenient for the operator.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the main parts of the operation section of a conventional copying apparatus, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the main parts of the operation section in an embodiment of the copying apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. A connection diagram showing the electrical configuration in the embodiment shown in the figure, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the circuit in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in another embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a display element in another embodiment. It is a shape diagram of a column. 5... display element row, 51-59... display element,
6...Continuous numbers, 7...Number of copies setting button, 8...
Copy start button, 9...Stop/clear button, 11...
...control circuit, 12...oscillator, 13...BCD・
Up/down counter, 14...Latch circuit, 15...Decoder, 16...Drive circuit,
17... Copy control device, G0 to G8... OR gate, G11 to G18... AND gate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A copying control device that controls copying; a copy start button that starts copying a set number of copies; a copy number setting button that sets the number of copies; a variable frequency oscillator; Each time the output pulse of the oscillator is input, the count value is counted up one by one, and when the count value is the maximum count value, the count value becomes the minimum count value, and the count value is the set number of copies when copying starts. a counter, a plurality of display elements arranged in order and in a row corresponding to each countable value of the counter, and the display element corresponding to the count value of the counter is turned on, and the other display elements are turned on. a display control circuit that turns off the light; and a display control circuit that starts oscillation of the oscillator at a first frequency when receiving a copy enable signal from the copy control device;
When the oscillator receives a signal indicating that the copy number setting button is operated while the oscillator is oscillating at a first frequency, the oscillation of the oscillator is stopped, and the copy number setting button is operated again before the copy start button is operated. When the signal is received, the oscillator starts oscillating at a second frequency smaller than the first frequency, and when the oscillator is oscillating at the second frequency, a signal indicating that the number of copies setting button is operated is transmitted. When receiving the signal, the oscillation of the oscillator is stopped, and when the oscillation of the oscillator is stopped when the copy number setting button is received, the copy control device simultaneously sets the content of the counter to the set number of copies. A copying machine comprising: a control circuit for controlling transmission to a copying machine;