JP2002041202A - Display device for user interface - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device in which a prompt operation is made possible and an improvement of operationality can be contrived without retyping even if a complicated input is entered on a pop-up window because the display of already deployed pop-up window is minimized, transferred to a background screen or a shortcut without erasing it when a different user is registered through an interrupt mode while the pop-up window is being displayed. SOLUTION: In the display device for a user interface with a display control means to display pop-up window, this particular invention is to provide the display device for the user interface which is featured to show the display of the pop-up window on a corner of a screen as each display character like its icon or message when a recording device enters the interrupt mode while the pop-up window is being displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a display screen for displaying a plurality of options, and displays a detailed item of the selected option by selecting at least one of the plurality of options. The present invention relates to a display device for a user interface for displaying a display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, recording apparatuses such as copying machines have come to utilize advanced control technology and data processing technology by introducing a computer, so that available functions have been diversified. Many and various operations are required for setting the conditions. For operators,
Since there are many types of operations to be learned and the operations are complicated, mistakes in operation procedures and erroneous operations are likely to occur. Therefore, a console panel is employed to make the operation of the operator as easy as possible. Further, with the diversification of console panels, liquid crystal panels using pop-up screens have been widely used.

[0003] The console panel is provided with operation means such as various key switches for operation selection and numeric keys.
Furthermore, display lamps and indicators for displaying selection, setting status, and operation guidance messages by key operation are provided. Conventional user interfaces are mainly composed of console panels on which keys, LEDs, and liquid crystal displays are arranged, and include, for example, a backlit type and a type with a message display. The backlit type console panel is designed to be readable by selectively illuminating a display board on which a fixed message is arranged at a predetermined position in advance with a lamp or the like from behind, and has a message display. The console panel is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display element, and displays various messages as needed without increasing the display area. Which of these console panels is adopted is determined for each copier in consideration of the complexity of the system configuration of the copier, operability, and the like.

FIG. 48 shows an example of a console panel used in a copying machine. On the console panel 701, a new display plate 702 is disposed at an upper portion thereof, and the contents of each panel portion (703 to 708) are displayed in characters. One switch 709 and two display lamps 710 are arranged on the sorter panel 703 among them.
A sorting mode (a stack mode and a collation mode) when a sorter is connected can be selected. The function selection panel 704 includes switches 71 for editing, correcting, and checking images.
1, a switch 712 for storing in the job memory, a switch 713 for taking a page copying function, a erasing function, a binding function, and various other copying modes, and a switch 714 for taking a screen copy, and a switch 714 for these switches. A display lamp 715 for displaying the presence or absence of selection is arranged.

A display lamp 715 indicating the type (color) of the color developer is provided at the top of the panel 705 for monochromatic color emphasis.
And four switches 716 are provided in the rest.
To 719 and an indicator lamp 710 for indicating which of these switches 716 to 719 has been set. These are a marking color switch 716, a partial color conversion switch 717, a continuous shooting color synthesis switch 718, and a single color switch 719. On the copy density panel 706, there are arranged a display lamp 710 indicating which of the five levels of copy density has been selected, and shift keys 720 and 721 for selecting one of these copy densities. When the upper shift key 720 is pressed, the copy density is set in a direction to decrease the copy density, and when the lower shift key 721 is pressed, the copy density is set in a direction to increase the copy density. Copy density panel 706
An automatic density adjusting switch 723 is arranged below the automatic density adjusting switch 723, and the automatic density display lamp 722 is turned on by the operation thereof, thereby setting an automatic density adjusting mode. The magnification and paper selection panel 707
A portion for setting and displaying a magnification is arranged on the left side, and a portion for selecting a sheet is arranged on the right side. In the part for setting and displaying the magnification, shift keys 724 and 725 for setting an arbitrary magnification and a magnification display section 723 are arranged, and next to them, a fixed magnification key 726 for selecting a predetermined fixed magnification and its fixed magnification key 726. Magnification indicator 727 and indicator lamp 71
0 is arranged. In a portion for selecting a copy sheet, eight types of display plates 728 indicating the sheet size or the type of the sheet, and shift keys 729 and 730 for selecting one of them are arranged.

[0006] On the left side of the eight types of display boards 728,
An indicator lamp 710 indicating which paper size or paper is selected is arranged. Further, below the magnification / paper selection panel 707, an automatic paper / magnification selection switch 731 for selecting a preset combination of magnification and paper size is arranged. On a display panel 708 located on the right side of the magnification / paper selection panel 707, a handle 732 and a liquid crystal display 733 of the copier are arranged. 732
Displays the selection state of the supply tray and the place where a paper jam has occurred by lighting a lamp.The liquid crystal display unit 733 displays various messages with sentences containing kanji, and allows you to select functions and set execution conditions. Do.

Further, various keys or buttons are arranged below the display panel 708. These are an all clear button 734 for returning the copying machine to the basic state, that is, the priority mode, a numeric keypad 735 used for setting the number of copies, and for inputting numerical values for specifying the contents of diagnosis when diagnosing the copying machine. , An interrupt button 736 that is used when continuous copying is being performed and another emergency copy needs to be performed.When interrupting copying, setting the number of copies, or setting a sorter bin. When used as a clear button for the stop clear button 737,
A start button 738 for starting a copy operation, a selection key 739 for moving a cursor to a message displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 733, a setting key 740 for setting a position designated by the cursor, and the like. The console panel described above is arranged so that an area for basic operations such as selection of paper and setting of copy density is separated from an area for applied operations such as function selection and monochromatic color emphasis. In addition, by displaying a sentence mixed with Kanji and Kana on the liquid crystal display unit 733 to assist the application operation, it is devised to reduce the occurrence of errors in the panel operation as much as possible.

In the case of a copying machine, there are a great number of combinations of those having various functions in a main body machine, those equipped with a sorter, an automatic document feeder, a paper tray, an IC card device and the like as additional devices. Become. Naturally, the functions that can be used differ depending on these combinations, so the number of switches for selecting functions arranged on the console panel and the processing in the device accompanying the operation also differ, and the corresponding indicator lamps Also, the arrangement and the number of the indicators are different. For this reason, it is necessary to change the configuration of the console panel by determining the arrangement and size of switches and indicators according to the scale of the copying machine.

[0009] Recording devices such as copiers occupy a large weight in offices, but in a situation where office space costs are soaring, office space can be efficiently used. For use, there is a strong demand for a compact recording device such as a copying machine to reduce the occupied area. However, as described above, in the console panel, when the number of functions increases, the number of switches and indicators to be mounted increases for selection and setting of execution conditions, so that a large space is required. There is a problem that it cannot be secured. Therefore, in the case where a copier or the like is to be multifunctional and more compact, there is a problem that the miniaturization of the console panel is limited because the multifunction and the compactness are contradictory. Further, if the operability is enhanced by making the apparatus compact and multifunctional, the mounting position is limited to a position in front of the apparatus in view of the operability of the console panel. Therefore, conversely, if space is limited, switches and indicators etc. must be reduced, but in that case, there are no choice but to use a small number of switches and indicators in combination, and operation and display become complicated. turn into. In addition, if the number of switches, indicators, and the like is not reduced as much as possible in a limited space, the switches, indicators, and the like must be densely arranged or small in size. As a result, there is a problem that the density of the display characters on the display increases, and the display on the console panel becomes complicated.

Therefore, rather than adopting this kind of console panel as a user interface, a CRT
A recording device that employs a display and sets the selection area of the CRT screen by key operation to select functions and set execution conditions and minimize the number of keys has been proposed separately. However, even when a CRT display is used, the amount of information increases to provide information that supports multiple functions. . When a CRT display having a compact size is employed, it is difficult to provide all necessary information on one screen, not only because of the problem of display density, but also because it is necessary to provide a screen that is easy for the user to see and understand. The above-mentioned proposal solves such a problem by adopting a split screen display method. However, when the screen is divided and each display is changed and displayed so as to perform each setting on each screen, the screen is changed. Since the number of switching operations increases, it is important to perform switching quickly. The other. As described above, the multi-functionality naturally increases the number of options and accordingly the number of divided screens, which also limits the rapid display of necessary screens when necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and makes effective use of a display screen for displaying a plurality of options and a pop-up screen for expanding detailed items of the options, and further eliminates the display of the pop-up screen. It is intended to improve the operability when performing the operation.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention
As shown in FIG. 1, in a recording apparatus in which a plurality of screens 03 are switched and displayed using a display 02 on a user interface 01 and a function selection and an execution condition are input and set by a key input means 04, a specific option 05 on the screen is displayed. Pop-up screen 06 is provided to expand the detail items. Pop-up screen 06
The user interface display device that lowers the brightness of the original screen being displayed on the condition that the option 05 having the option 05 is selected and overwrites the pop-up screen 06, and stops the recording operation during continuous recording to perform another An interrupt mode for executing a recording operation is provided, and by selecting at least one of the plurality of options, the selected option is selected in an area including an area in which at least a part of the plurality of options is displayed. A display erasure control for displaying a pop-up screen for expanding the detailed items and for displaying the pop-up screen on condition that the recording apparatus has entered the interrupt mode while displaying the pop-up screen for expanding the detailed items of options. It is characterized by having means.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, to solve the above-mentioned problem, the recording operation during continuous recording is stopped to perform another recording operation. Used for a recording apparatus having an interrupt mode to execute, a display screen for displaying a plurality of options, and selecting at least one of the plurality of options causes at least a part of the plurality of options to be selected. A user interface display device having display control means for displaying a pop-up screen for expanding a detailed item of the selected option in an area including a displayed area,
Displaying a pop-up screen that expands the details of the option and, when the recording device enters the interrupt mode, characterizing the display of the pop-up screen at the end of the display screen with icons, messages, etc. A display device for a user interface characterized by the following.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by selecting at least one of the plurality of options, the selected option is set in an area including an area in which at least a part of the plurality of options is displayed. Since a pop-up screen is displayed that expands the detailed items, the display screen can be used effectively. Also, when the pop-up screen is displayed, the pop-up screen is automatically displayed on the display screen on the condition that the recording operation during continuous recording is stopped and an interrupt mode is executed to execute another recording operation. Since each display character such as an icon and a message is displayed at the end, the operability when characterizing the display of the pop-up screen once expanded when the different operators record by the interrupt mode can be improved. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of options are displayed in a recording apparatus having an interrupt mode in which the recording operation is stopped during continuous recording and another recording operation is executed. Display screen, and selecting at least one of the plurality of options causes a detailed item of the selected option to be displayed in an area including an area in which at least a part of the plurality of options is displayed. A display device for a user interface having display control means for displaying a pop-up screen for expanding
A pop-up screen that expands the details of the options is displayed, and when the recording device enters the interrupt mode, the display of the pop-up screen is hidden behind a display screen that displays the plurality of options. And a display device for a user interface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the pop-up screen is displayed, the automatic recording operation is stopped on the condition that the recording operation is stopped during the continuous recording and an interrupt mode for executing another recording operation is entered. Because the display of the pop-up screen is hidden behind the display screen that displays the multiple options, the interrupt mode is used to hide the display of the pop-up screen once expanded when recording by different operators. Operability can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the present invention is used in a recording apparatus having an interrupt mode for stopping a recording operation during continuous recording and executing another recording operation, and an input state of a screen thereof. And has a display screen for displaying a plurality of options and a shortcut key that can be started from the input state according to a user's instruction. By selecting at least one of the plurality of options, A display device for a user interface having display control means for displaying a pop-up screen for expanding a detailed item of the selected option in an area including an area in which at least a part of the plurality of options is displayed, Displays a pop-up screen that expands details and automatically displays when the recorder enters interrupt mode. There is provided a display device for a user interface and registers the Yotokattoki.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the pop-up screen is displayed, the automatic recording operation is stopped on the condition that the recording operation is stopped during the continuous recording and an interrupt mode for executing another recording operation is entered. Because the shortcut key is used, even if a different operator performs an erroneous operation by the interrupt mode, the original input screen can be easily and reliably selected by re-operating the shortcut key, thereby improving operability. Can be

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the display device for a user interface according to the third aspect, wherein a shortcut time, a copy condition, and the like are displayed on a shortcut key. Is what you do.

According to the invention of claim 4, for example,
When the same function is registered in the shortcut key, it is possible to make a determination based on the time when the shortcut is made, so that a user's operation error can be prevented and a quick operation can be performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a pop-up screen for expanding the detailed items of the options is displayed, and when the recording apparatus enters the interrupt mode, the pop-up screen is displayed. The display device further includes a display erasure control unit that redisplays the pop-up screen when the recording device has completed the job in the interrupt mode after converting the display characters such as icons and messages into display characters at the end of the display screen. 3. A display device for a user interface according to any one of items 1 to 2.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the interrupt mode is entered, the display of the pop-up screen is displayed at the end of the display screen by displaying characters such as icons and messages, or hidden on the back screen of the display screen. Thereafter, when the recording apparatus finishes the job in the interrupt mode, the pop-up screen is automatically redisplayed, so that a user's operation error can be prevented and quick operation can be performed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a pop-up screen for expanding the detailed items of the option is displayed, and the recording device enters the interrupt mode, and any input is made on the pop-up screen. The display device for a user interface according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pop-up screen is changed when there is any input, and the pop-up screen is deleted when there is no input on the pop-up screen. To provide.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, only when there is any input on the pop-up screen, the icon is displayed, the screen is moved to the back screen, and the shortcut is made. Therefore, when a complicated input is performed on the pop-up screen, However, quick operation can be performed without re-inputting.

[0025]

〔Example〕

In this embodiment, a copying machine will be described as an example of a recording device. Prior to the description, a table of contents for the description of the present embodiment is shown. In the following description, (I) to (II)
The section explaining the outline of the overall configuration of the copying machine to which the present invention is applied, and the section explaining the embodiment of the present invention in the configuration is (III). (I) Outline of device (I-1) Device configuration (I-2) Function and characteristics of system (I-3) System configuration (I-4) Serial communication method (I-5) State division (II) Specific (II-1) Optical system (II-2) Belt rotation (II-3) Paper transport system (II-4) Automatic document feeder (II-5) Sorter (III) User interface (U / I (III-1) Outline of user interface configuration (III-2) Control system configuration (III-3) Pop-up screen display (III-4) Display screen configuration (III-5) Key / LED board and display display circuit (III-6) Pop-up screen display at interrupt

(I) Overview of Apparatus (I-1) Apparatus Configuration FIG. 2 shows an example of the overall configuration of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied. The copying machine to which the present invention is applied is one in which some additional devices can be provided to the base machine 1. The base machine 1, which is a basic configuration, has a platen glass 2 on which an original is placed. Are arranged, and the respective devices of the optical system 3 and the marking system 5 are arranged below it. On the other hand, an upper tray 6-1, a middle tray 6-2, and a lower tray 6-3 are attached to the base machine 1, and each of these paper feed trays can be pulled out to the front.
This improves the operability and saves the space for disposing the copying machine, and realizes a copying machine having a clean design that does not protrude from the base machine 1. In addition, inverters 9 and 10 and a duplex tray 11 are arranged in a paper transport system 7 for transporting the paper in the paper feed tray. Further, a user interface 12 composed of a CRT display is mounted on the base machine 1, and a DADF (duplex auto document feeder: automatic duplex document feeder) 13 is mounted on the platen glass 2. The user interface 12 is of a stand type, on which a card device can be attached.

Next, additional devices of the base machine 1 will be described. Instead of DADF13, RDH (recycled document handler: a device that returns originals to the original feed state and automatically repeats document feeding) 15 or normal ADF (automatic document feeder: automatic document feeder), editor pad (coordinate input device) It is also possible to attach either the attached platen or the platen cover. Also, the paper transport system 7
MSI (multi-sheet inserter: manual feed tray) 16 and HCF (high capacity feeder: large capacity tray) 17 can be attached to the supply side of One sorter 19 can be provided. When the DADF 13 is arranged, the simple catch tray 20 or the sorter 19 can be attached.
When RDH15 is installed, one set of copied
Offset Catch Tray 21, which stacks pairs alternately, Finisher that staples each set copied
22 can be attached, and a folder 23 having a paper folding function can be attached.

(I-2) Function and Features of System (A) Function The present invention fully automates the operation from the entrance to the exit of the copying operation while providing various functions corresponding to the needs of the user. The feature of 12 is that the selection of functions, the selection of execution conditions, and the display of other menus and the like are performed on a CRT display, so that anyone can easily operate it. Its main features are:
By switching the display screen on the CRT display,
Classify into basic copy, application copy, and specialty copy modes, display menus such as function selection and execution condition settings in each mode, and select and specify functions by moving the screen cascade by key input. Or input of execution condition data. The functions of the copying machine to which the present invention is applied include a main function, an automatic function, an additional function, a display function, a diagnostic function, and the like. Key features include:
Paper sizes of A6 to A2 and B6 to B3 can be used, as well as standard sizes, and have a three-stage built-in tray as described above. Further, it is possible to adjust the fixed magnification in seven steps, arbitrary magnification adjustment in increments of 1%, and fine adjustment in increments of 0.15% between 99% and 101%. Further, there are a density selection function in a fixed 7-step and a photo mode, a double-sided function, a left and right independent binding margin setting function in a range of 1 mm to 16 mm, a billing function, and the like.

In the automatic function, paper selection automatically performed in accordance with the document size, magnification selection performed in the paper designation state, density control, start in fuser ready after power-on, clear performed after a fixed time after copying is completed And power save functions. Additional functions include composite copy, interrupt, preheat mode, clear the set number, clear all to auto mode, information explaining the function, P key for using the IC card, Maxim Lock original return to limit the set number, Full job recovery using DADF, purge to eject paper other than jammed parts, full copy without bleeding, editor for partial copy and partial deletion of documents, job program to call and process jobs one by one, copy blank paper There is a slip sheet inserted one by one between them, and a middle eraser / frame eraser used for a book. The display function uses a CRT display etc. to provide the operator with information on jam display, paper remaining amount display, toner remaining amount display, collected toner full display, fuser warm-up wait time display, inconsistency in function selection and machine status. There are functions such as message display. The diagnostic functions include NVRAM initialization, input check, output check, history files such as the number of jams and the number of paper feeds, adjustment of initial values used for process codes around marking and photosensitive material belts, and registration gate on timing. There are functions such as adjustment and configuration setting. Furthermore, as an option, MSI, H
CF, second deve color (red, blue, green, brown), editor, etc. can be equipped as appropriate.

(B) Features The whole system of the present invention having the above functions has the following features. (B) Achieving power saving A 1.5kVA high-speed, high-performance copier has been realized. Therefore, the control method for achieving 1.5 kVA in each operation mode is determined, and the power distribution by function for setting the target value is determined. In addition, an energy system table is created for determining the energy transfer path, and management and verification by the energy system are performed. (B) Cost reduction In-house production of high-priced parts, technical improvement and standardization,
The art material life has been improved from the hardware side, and the toner consumption has been reduced to reduce the art material cost. (C) Improving reliability 100 k
They are realizing CV no menincinance.

(D) Achieving high image quality In this apparatus, a method is employed in which toner particles are made fine by using microcarriers made of ferrite, and development is performed by using a repulsive magnetic field. As the photoreceptor, a high-sensitivity panchromatic organic light-sensitive material belt formed by applying an organic light-sensitive material in multiple layers is adopted, and a halftone can be expressed by a victoral mode utilizing a set point.
With these things, generation copy improvement,
The black point has been reduced to achieve unprecedented high image quality. (E) Improved operability A full-automatic mode that executes copying in a predetermined mode by operating the start key just by setting the original and inputting the number of copies, and a screen divided into basic copy, applied copy, and specialized copy The user can select various mode settings including a copy mode setting according to the user's request. These user interfaces are performed by a CRT display and a few keys and LEDs arranged in correspondence with the screen around the CRT display, and the mode can be set by an easy-to-read display menu and simple operations. Also,
By preliminarily storing the copy mode and its execution conditions in a non-volatile memory or an IC card, it is possible to automate a predetermined operation.

(C) Example of Differentiation The function of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied can be controlled by a program stored in an IC card.
Therefore, by changing the program stored in the IC card for each card, it is possible to differentiate the use of the copying machine. This will be described with some easy-to-understand examples. As an example of FIG. 1, a multi-purpose building is provided with a copier shared by a plurality of companies, or a copier shared by different departments even within one company or factory. The case will be described. The latter joint use is
This is necessary for budget management, and in the past, use control of each department was performed using a device such as a copy riser.
This copier includes an IC card device, a DADF 13, a sorter 19, a user interface 12,
It is assumed that the copying machine has a relatively sophisticated system configuration including the supply trays (6-1 to 6-3) and the duplex tray 11. Some co-users include DADF13 and sorter19
For some people or departments, some require no additional equipment. If a plurality of persons or departments having different usage modes try to determine the cost burden of the copying machine solely from their own copy volumes, those who only make low-volume copies will be required to make copies with various additional devices. This would oppose the introduction of the copier, making it difficult to coordinate with people or departments that want to use the copier to a high degree.

In such a case, an IC card is prepared according to the use of each person or each section, and the basic cost is increased for the person or section who desires advanced functions, and more What is necessary is just to be able to utilize the function. For example, the owner of the most sophisticated IC card operates the copying machine with the IC card set in the IC card device, thereby obtaining the DADF 13, the sorter 19, the supply trays (6-1 to 6-3) and the duplex tray. 11 can be used freely and office efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, those who do not need to sort copy paper can save costs by setting an IC card that lacks a sorting program and using only the catch tray 20. As an example of FIG. 2, a case will be described in which a copy agency runs a self-copy service shop with an IC card. In the store, a plurality of copying machines are arranged, and an IC card device 22 is attached to each of them. The customer requests an IC card according to the service mode, sets it in a desired copying machine, and makes a copy by self-service. Customers who are unfamiliar with copying machines can request an IC card equipped with a program for displaying operation explanations as a program, and by setting this, it is possible to display various operation information on the UI 12 so that copying work can be executed without fail it can. Whether the DADF 13 can be used, whether multi-color recording can be performed, and the like can be determined by the IC card to be lent, and the type of use can be limited, so that customers who are charged can be managed. Furthermore, since the actual copy operation such as the number of copies and the size of the used copy paper can be written on the IC card, billing becomes easy, and detailed services such as discounting copy fees to regular customers become possible. .

As an example of FIG. 3, a service using an IC card storing a program for a specific user will be described. For example, at a patent office, when examining patent publications reduced by photoengraving, there is a job of making copies at a relatively large enlargement ratio of 200% because it is necessary to make the same copy as the original size. Also, when creating the side to submit to the government office,
In order to respond to the request, an operation of reducing or enlarging the original surface in small steps is performed. In addition, in the department that copies the resident's card such as the city hall or the ward office, copy the image information of the places that are not covered by the request and the image information of the places that should be kept secret in order to protect personal privacy And make an abstract. As described above, some users (users) request to use the copying machine in a special use mode. If the functions of the copying machine are set so as to satisfy all the requirements, the console panel becomes complicated and the ROM inside the copying machine becomes large. Therefore, by preparing an IC card for each specific user and setting the IC card, a copying machine having a function most suitable for the user can be realized. For example, in the case of a patent office, by purchasing a dedicated IC card, a fixed magnification of 200% can be easily selected in addition to the usual several kinds of reduced magnifications. In addition, it is possible to set the reduction ratio in a range that requires fine adjustment, for example, in increments of 1%. In addition, the resident card issuance department can indicate the type of resident card and the fields and items to be deleted on the display such as the liquid crystal display by operating keys such as numeric keys, and then the start button is pressed. By pressing, only the desired range of the original is copied, or only the necessary portion is edited and recorded.

(I-3) Configuration of Electric Control System of Copying Machine FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a subsystem of the copying machine to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 shows the hardware configuration of a CPU. As shown in FIG. 3, the copying machine system to which the present invention is applied includes a SQMGR subsystem 32, a CHM subsystem 33, an IMM subsystem 34, and a marking subsystem 3 on a main board 31.
4 subsystems consisting of 5 and the surrounding U / I subsystem 36, INPUT subsystem 37, OUTPUT subsystem 3
8, consisting of OPT subsystem 39 and IEL subsystem 40
It consists of nine subsystems with one subsystem. In contrast to the SQMGR subsystem 32, the CHM subsystem 33 and the IMM subsystem 34 are executed together with the SQMGR subsystem 32 by software under the main CPU 41 shown in FIG. Are connected by an interface (solid line). However, since the other subsystems are executed by software under a CPU separate from the main CPU 41, they are connected by a serial communication interface (shown by dotted lines). Next, these subsystems will be described briefly. SQMG
The R subsystem 32 receives the copy mode setting information from the U / I subsystem 36 and issues a work instruction to each subsystem while synchronizing between the subsystems so that the copy operation can be performed efficiently. In addition, it is a sequence manager that constantly monitors the status of each subsystem and performs a quick status determination process when an abnormality occurs. The CHM subsystem 33 controls paper storage trays, duplex trays, manual feed trays, copy paper feed control,
This is a subsystem that controls a copy sheet purging operation. The IMM subsystem 34 is a subsystem that performs panel division on the photosensitive belt, control of running / stopping of the photosensitive belt, control of the main motor, and other controls around the photosensitive belt.

The marking subsystem 35 is a subsystem that controls the potential of the corotron, the exposure lamp, the developing device, the potential of the photosensitive material belt, and the toner density. U / I subsystem 36
Is a subsystem that performs all control of the user interface, display of machine status, job management such as determination of copy mode, and job recovery. INPUT subsystem 3
7 is for automatic document feed (DADF) and semi-automatic document feed (SAD
F), large size (A2) document feed (LDC), computer form document feed (CFF), automatic two-sheet feed (2-UP) control, automatic repetitive document feed (RDH) control, document This is a subsystem that detects the size. OU
The TPUT subsystem 37 is a subsystem that controls a sorter and a finisher, outputs a copy in each mode of stacking and non-sorting, and performs binding output. The OPT subsystem 39 is used for scanning, lens movement, shutter, PIS / NON-P
It is a subsystem that controls the IS and moves the carriage in the LDC mode. The IEL subsystem 40 is a subsystem that erases unnecessary images on the photosensitive material belt, erases the leading and trailing edges of the images, and erases images according to the edit mode. The above system consists of seven parts shown in FIG.
It is configured with a CPU as a core, and can flexibly cope with a combination of the base machine 1 and additional devices surrounding the base machine. Here, the main CPU 41 is provided on the main board of the bate machine 1 and includes software of the SQMGR subsystem 32, the CHM subsystem 31, and the IMM subsystem 34, and is connected to each of the CPUs 42 to 47 via the serial bus 53. . These CPUs 42 to 47 correspond one-to-one with each subsystem connected by the serial communication interface shown in FIG. In the serial communication, the main CPU 41 and each other CPU 42
Between ~ 47.

For signals that require strict timing mechanically and cannot be synchronized with the timing of serial communication, an interrupt port (INT terminal signal) is provided in each CPU and a hot port different from the serial bus 53 is provided. Interrupted by line. That is, for example, when a copy operation is performed at a process speed of 64 cpm (A4LEF) and 309 mm / sec and the control accuracy of the register is set to ± 1 mm, a job that cannot be processed in the communication cycle of 100 msec as described above occurs. A hotline is required to guarantee the execution of such a job. Accordingly, in this copier, a system configuration corresponding to each of these additional devices can be adopted for software in response to the fact that various additional devices can be attached. One of the reasons for adopting such a configuration is that (i) if operation control programs for all of these additional devices are prepared in the base machine 1, the memory capacity required for this is enormous. It depends. Also, (ii) when a new additional device is developed in the future or the current additional device is improved, these ROMs (read only memories) in the base machine 1 need not be replaced or added without replacement. This is because the additional device can be used.

For this reason, the base machine 1 has a basic storage area for controlling the basic part of the copying machine and an additional storage area for storing a program taken together with the function information of the present invention from an IC card. DA is added to the additional storage area.
Various programs such as a control program for the DF 13 and a control program for the user interface 12 are stored. Then, when an IC card is set in the IC card device 22 with a predetermined additional device attached to the base machine 1, a program necessary for a copying operation is read out through the user interface 12 and loaded into the additional storage device. Has become. The loaded program controls the copying operation in cooperation with the program written in the basic storage area or with a priority over this program. The memory used here is a nonvolatile memory composed of a random access memory backed up by a battery. Of course, other storage media such as an IC card, a magnetic card, and a floppy (registered trademark) disk can be used as the nonvolatile memory. In this copier, in order to reduce the burden on the operator, the setting of image density and magnification can be preset, and the preset values are stored in a non-volatile memory. ing.

(I-4) Serial Communication System FIG. 5 shows a transfer data structure and transmission timing of serial communication, and FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a mutual communication interval in one communication cycle. Main CPU 41 and each CPU (42
To 47), the data amount as shown in FIG. 5A is allocated. In (a), for example, in the case of a user interface, the transmission data TX from the main CPU 41 is 7 bytes, the reception data RX is 15 bytes, and the transmission timing Ti to the next slave, that is, the optical CPU 45 ((c) in FIG. ) Indicates 26 mS. According to this example, the total communication amount is 86 bytes, and a communication speed of 9600 BPS has a period of about 100 ms. The data length is composed of a header, a command, and data as shown in FIG. When the transmission and reception at the maximum data length according to (a) is targeted, the entire communication cycle is as shown in FIG. Here, from the communication speed of 9600 BPS,
The time required for transmission of one byte is 1.2 ms, the time from the end of reception of the slave to the start of transmission is 1 ms, and as a result, 100 ms is one communication cycle.

(I-5) State Division FIG. 7 shows the state division of the main system.
The state division divides the state after the power ON from the copy operation and the state after the end of the copy operation into several parts, decides the job to be performed in each state, and shifts to the next state if all the jobs in each state are not completed In order to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the control by not doing it, flags are determined for each state,
Each subsystem knows which state the main system is in by referring to this flag, and determines what to do. Each subsystem is also divided into states, and a flag is similarly determined for each state, and the main system refers to this flag to grasp and manage the state of each subsystem. First, when the power is turned on, a processor initialization state is established, and it is determined whether the mode is the diagnostic mode or the user mode (copy mode). The diagnostic mode is a mode used by a service person for correction and the like, and performs various tests based on the conditions set in the NVM. In the initialization state in the user mode, the initialization is performed according to the contents of the NVM. For example, the carriage is set at the home position, the lens is set at the position of 100% magnification, and an initialization command is issued to each subsystem. When the initialization ends, the state transits to standby.

Standby is a state until all subsystems have completed the initial setting and the start button is pressed. Then, the Colt lamp is turned on and the fuser idles for a predetermined time, and when the fuser reaches a predetermined control temperature, the U / I displays a message "Copy is possible" with a message. This standby state is several tens of times at the first power ON.
The time is on the order of seconds. The setup is in the preparation state for the copy that was started by pressing the start button,
The main motor and sorter motor are driven to adjust the constants such as VDDP of the photosensitive belt. ADF motor is O
N, the first document feed starts, the first document reaches the registration gate, the document size is detected, and APMS
In the mode, the tray and magnification are determined, and the ADF original is laid on the platen. Then, the second document of the ADF is sent out to the registration gate, and a transition is made to cycle-up.
Cycle-up is a state where the belt is divided into several pitches and panel management is performed, and the first panel reaches the get park point. That is, the pitch is determined according to the copy mode, and the optical subsystem is informed of the magnification and the lens is moved. Then, the copy mode is notified to the CHM subsystem and the IMM subsystem. When the magnification set is recognized, the scan length is determined based on the magnification and the paper size, and the optical subsystem is notified. Then, the copy mode is notified to the marking subsystem, and when the start of the marking subsystem is completed, the IMM subsystem checks the panel L / E determined by the pitch, and finds the first copy panel,
When you reach the get park point, you become a get park ready and enter the cycle.

The cycle is a state where the copying operation is being performed, and the ADC (A
utomatic Density Control), AE (Automatic Exposur)
e) Repeat the copy operation while performing DDP control and the like. When R / L = count, the document is exchanged, and when this is performed for a predetermined number of documents, a coincidence signal is output and the cycle starts. Cycle down
Carriage scan, paper feed, etc. are completed, and copying operation is completed.This is a state where each corotron, developing machine, etc. are turned off and the panel next to the last used panel is stopped at the stop park position. To ensure that only certain panels are used and do not cause fatigue.
From this cycle down, the system returns to the normal standby mode. However, in the case of the restart in which the start key is pressed again when copying in the platen mode, the process returns to the setup. If a cycle-down factor such as a jam occurs even from setup and cycle-up, the state transitions to cycle-down. Purging is a state in which a jam has occurred, and when the cause jam sheet is removed, other sheets are automatically discharged. Normally, when a jam occurs, the state transitions from any state to cycle down → standby → purge.
Then, a transition is made to standby or set-up by the purge end, but if a jam occurs again, a transition is made to cycle down. The belt-down occurs when a jam occurs on the tray side from the tacking point. In a state where the belt drive is stopped by releasing the belt clutch, the paper before the belt can be discharged. In the hard down, the 24V power supply is cut off in a state where the interlock is opened and a dangerous state occurs, or a machine clock failure occurs and the control becomes impossible. Then, when these belt down and hard down factors are removed, a transition is made to standby.

(II-1) Optical System FIG. 8A is a schematic side view of the optical system, FIG.
(C) is the XX direction side surface of (b). The scanning exposure apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment employs a PIS (precession imaging system) system for exposing an image on a photosensitive material at a speed higher than the moving speed of the photosensitive material belt 4, and a scanning system B shown in FIG. Are fixed, and a system in which the scanning system A in FIG. 1 can be moved independently is adopted. That is, the scanning system A shown in FIG. 1 is a carriage having the exposure lamp 102 and the mirror 103 shown in FIG.
The carriage 101 includes a carriage 101 shown in FIG. 2 having a mirror 106 shown in FIG. 2 and a mirror 107 shown in FIG. 2 and scans a document placed on the platen glass 2. On the other hand, the scanning system B shown in FIG. 2 includes a carriage 109 shown in FIG. 3 having a mirror 110 shown in FIG. 4 and a mirror 111 shown in FIG. 5, and a carriage 112 shown in FIG. Also, mirror 107 in FIG. 3 and mirror 1 in FIG.
A lens 108 is arranged on the optical axis 10 and is moved by a lens motor according to the magnification, but is fixed during scanning exposure.

The scanning system A in FIG. 1 and the scanning system B in FIG. 2 are driven by a carriage motor 114 which is a DC servo motor. Transmission shafts 116 and 117 are disposed on both sides of an output shaft 115 of the carriage motor 114, and a timing belt 119a is provided between a timing pulley 115a fixed to the output shaft 115 and timing pulleys 116a and 117a fixed to the transmission shafts 116 and 117. ,
119b is installed. Further, a capstan pulley 116b is fixed to the transmission shaft 116, and a wire cable 12 shown in FIG.
1a is stretched in a cross shape, the carriage 101 of FIG. 1 is fixed to the wire cable 121a, and the wire cable 121a is wound around a reduction pulley 122a provided on the carriage 105 of FIG. Carriage motor 11
4 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.
01 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow at the speed V1, and the carriage 105 in FIG. 2 moves in the same direction at the speed V1 / 2. Also, a timing pulley 117 fixed to the transmission shaft 117
A timing belt 119c is stretched between b and the timing pulley 123a of the transmission shaft 123 disposed opposite thereto, and between the capstan pulley 123b of the transmission shaft 123 and the driven roller 120c disposed opposite thereto. To the wire cable 12 of FIG.
1b is stretched. 4 is fixed to the wire cable 121b, and the wire cable 121b is connected to the reduction pulley 1 provided on the carriage 109 in FIG.
When the carriage motor 114 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG.
3 and the carriage 109 moves in the same direction at a speed V2 / 2.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The PIS clutch 117 is provided with a PIS clutch 125 (electromagnetic clutch) for transmitting the rotation of the timing pulley 117a to the timing pulley 117b. Of the transmission shaft 1
It is transmitted to 17,123. Further, when the PIS clutch 125 is energized and released, the rotation of the rotating shaft 115 is not transmitted to the transmission shafts 117 and 123. FIG.
As shown in (c), an engagement protrusion 126a is provided on a side surface of the timing pulley 116a, and the LDC lock solenoid 127 is provided.
When the switch is turned on, the engagement piece 126b is engaged with the engagement protrusion 126a, thereby fixing the transmission shaft 116, that is, fixing the scanning system A in FIG. Further, an engagement protrusion 130a is provided on the side surface of the timing pulley 123a, and the engagement piece 130a is turned on by turning on the PIS lock solenoid 131.
The transmission shaft 123 is fixed, that is, the scanning system B shown in FIG. 2 is fixed, and the PIS lock switch 132 is turned on.

In the scanning exposure apparatus configured as described above, the PIS (precession imaging system) mode and the NON-PIS mode are selected by the engagement and release of the PIS clutch 125. In the PIS mode, for example, when the magnification is 65% or more, the PIS clutch 125 is engaged to move the scanning system B in FIG. , Scanning speed of optical system V1
Is relatively faster than the process speed VP to increase the number of copies per unit time. At this time, if the magnification is M, V1 = VP × 3.5 / (3.5M−1), and M = 1, VP =
If 308.9 mm / s, V1 = 432.5 mm / s. V2 is determined by the diameter of the timing pulleys 117b and 123a, and V2 = (1/3
~ 1/4) V1. On the other hand, in the NON-PIS mode, in order to prevent an increase in the speed of the scanning system and an increase in illumination power at the time of reduction and to suppress power consumption, for example,
In the case of less than 64%, the PIS clutch 125 is released and the PIS lock solenoid is turned on, so that FIG.
Scanning is performed with the scanning system B fixed and the exposure point fixed, thereby avoiding an increase in the load on the driving system and the illumination power of the original, and contributing to the realization of 1.5 KVA. The lens 108 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the lens slidably mounted on a support shaft 136 fixed to a lens carriage 135 disposed below the platen glass 2. The lens 108 is connected to a lens motor Z137 by a wire (not shown), and the lens mode Z137 rotates to move the lens 108 in the Z direction (and the vertical direction) along the support shaft 136 to change the magnification.
The lens carriage 135 is slidably mounted on the support shaft 139 on the base side, and is connected to the lens motor X140 by a wire (not shown).
The magnification is changed by moving the lens carriage 135 in the X direction (and lateral direction) along the support shaft 139 by the rotation of the X140. These lens motors 137 and 140 are four-phase stepping motors. When the lens carriage 135 moves,
The small gear 142 provided on the lens carriage 135 rotates along the cloud-shaped surface of the lens cam 143, whereby the large gear 144 rotates and moves the mounting base 146 of the scanning system in FIG. Accordingly, the distance between the lens 108 and the scanning system B in FIG. 2 can be set for a predetermined magnification by rotating the lens motor X140.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A lens shutter 147 is provided on one side surface of the shutter 8 by a link mechanism 148 so that the lens shutter 147 can be opened and closed.
Is opened, and closed when the image scan is completed.
The purpose of blocking light by the lens shutter 147 is to form a DDP patch and an ADC patch on the belt photosensitive material and to prevent the image from being erased when the scanning system B in FIG. 2 returns in the PIS mode. FIG. 10 shows a block configuration showing an outline of a subsystem of the optical system. optical
The CPU 45 is connected to the main CPU 41 by serial communication and a hot line, and controls each carriage, lens, and the like in order to form a latent image on a photosensitive material in a copy mode transmitted from the main CPU 41. The control power supply 152 consists of a logic power supply (5 V), an analog power supply (± 15 V), a solenoid, and a clutch power supply (24 V).
53 is composed of 38V. The carriage sensor 155 is arranged so as to correspond to the registration position of the mirror 101 in FIG. 1, and outputs a signal when the actuator attached to the scanning system A in FIG. This signal is sent to the optical CPU 45 to determine the position or timing for performing registration, or to determine the home position P when the scanning system A returns in FIG. A home sensor 156a in FIG. 1 and a home sensor 156b in FIG. 2 are provided to detect the position of the carriage. The home sensor 156a in FIG. It detects the position of the scanning system A in FIG. 1 and outputs a signal. Also,
The home sensor 156b in FIG. 2 detects the position of the scanning system in FIG. 2 and outputs a signal.

The rotary encoder 157 is of a type that outputs A-phase and B-phase pulse signals that are 90 ° out of phase in accordance with the rotation angle of the carriage motor 114.
The shaft pitch of the timing pulley of the scanning system in FIG. 1 is designed to be 0.1571 mm / pulse at 200 pulses / rotation. The power-magnifying solenoid 159 moves the power-magnifying lens (not shown) in the vertical direction under the control of the CPU 45, and checks the movement of the power-magnifying lens by the on / off operation of the power-magnifying switch 161. The lens home sensors 161 and 162 are sensors that detect the home positions of the lens X motor 140 and the lens Z motor 137. LDC
The lock solenoid 127 fixes the scanning system A in FIG. 1 at a predetermined position under the control of the CPU 45.
It is confirmed by the lock switch 129. The PIS lock solenoid 131 fixes the scanning system B shown in FIG. 2 when the PIS clutch 125 is released in the NON-PIS mode. PI
The S clutch 125 is of a type in which the clutch is released when energized and the clutch is engaged when not energized, and contributes to 1.5 KVA by reducing the power consumption in the PIS mode.

FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) show the control of the scan cycle of the optical system. This control scans the scanning system A of FIG. 1 at a specified magnification and scan length. Fires when a signal is received. From the scan length data received from the main, an image scan count, which is the count number of the encoder clock from the interruption of the registration sensor to the end of the scan, is calculated. First, after setting the reference clock data corresponding to the magnification, the carriage motor is moved in the scanning direction (C
W) to perform acceleration control during scanning (step). Next, in a step, a PLL (phase control) mode is set, and if there is an interrupt signal for turning off the registration sensor in the step, an image scan is started. Release the PLL mode, set the speed mode, and set the carriage motor in the return direction (CCW).
Rotate to. Next, in step CW to CCW
It is determined whether or not there is an interruption to the (reverse rotation signal), and if so, acceleration control at the time of return is performed (step). The deceleration control is performed (step), and if there is a reverse rotation signal again, the carriage motor is stopped (step). Also, as shown in (b), a count number for turning on (opening) the shutter is set, and the shutter is opened when the clock number of the encoder is equal to or greater than the shutter on count, and the clock number of the encoder is greater than the shutter off count. If so, the shutter is closed and the image scan ends.

(II-2) Belt rotation The belt rotation consists of an imaging system and a marking system. The imaging system is managed by the IMM subsystem 34, and writes and deletes a latent image. The marking system is managed by the marking subsystem 35,
Exposure, surface potential detection, development, transfer, etc. are performed. In the present invention, the IMM subsystem 34 and the marking subsystem 35 cooperate with each other in order to achieve high-speed copying and high image quality by performing panel management and patch formation on the belt as described below. are doing. FIG. 12 shows an outline of the belt periphery. An organic photosensitive material belt 4 is disposed in the base machine 1. The organic photosensitive material belt is coated on multiple layers such as a charge generation layer and a transfer layer to form the photosensitive material.Therefore, it has a greater degree of freedom than a photosensitive drum that deposits Se to form a photosensitive material. Therefore, the cost can be reduced, and the space around the belt can be increased, thereby facilitating the layout. On the other hand, the belt expands and contracts, and the diameter of the roll also changes due to the temperature difference.Therefore, a belt hole is provided at a fixed distance from the belt seam, this is detected, and a pulse corresponding to the rotation speed of the main motor is detected. Is generated by an encoder to form a machine clock, and the machine clock for one round is constantly counted, so that the pitch signal serving as a reference for starting the carriage and the timing of the registration gate are corrected in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the belt. The organic photosensitive material belt 4 in this device has a length of 1 m or more, and A4
Although 4 sheets of A3 size and 3 sheets of A3 size are placed on it, the belt has seams, so it is possible to make copies of panels that do not always control the panel (image forming area formed on the belt). Absent. Therefore, the position of the panel is determined based on the belt hole provided at a fixed distance from the seam, the number of panels (the number of pitches) to be placed on the belt is determined according to the copy mode specified by the user, and the paper size. A signal is issued when the panel that first makes a copy by pressing a button comes to the position of the get park near the roll 201, so that a copy can be made from here.

The organic photosensitive material belt 4 is uniformly charged by a charge corotron (charger) 211, and is driven clockwise at a constant speed. When the first panel comes a fixed time before the register (exposed portion) 231, a pitch signal is output, and the timing of carriage scanning and paper feed is set based on this pitch signal. The surface of the belt charged by the charge corotron 211 is exposed at location 2
It is exposed at 31. A light image of a document placed on the platen glass 2 arranged on the upper surface of the base machine 1 is incident on the exposure location 231. For this, the exposure lamp 10
2 and a plurality of mirrors 101 to 113 and an optical lens 108 for transmitting the reflected light of the document surface irradiated by the mirror 2 are arranged, and the mirror 101 is scanned for reading the document. The mirrors 110, 111 and 113 are shown in FIG.
The scanning optical system is composed of PIS (Precession Image
The scanning optical system shown in Fig. 2 is scanned in the direction opposite to the belt movement direction so that the copying speed can be increased without increasing the process speed. To increase the relative speed,
A maximum of 64 sheets / min (CPM) is achieved.

An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original is formed on the organic photosensitive material belt 4 by the image information exposed in a slit shape at the exposure portion 231. Then, after performing unnecessary images and erasing between images and side erasing with an IEL (inter-image lamp) 215, the electrostatic latent image is usually developed by a developing device 216 for black toner or a developing device 217 for color toner. Thus, a toner image is created. The toner image moves with the rotation of the organic photosensitive material belt 4 and passes near a pre-transfer corotron (transfer device) 218 and a transfer corotron 220. The pre-transfer corotron 218 is usually for weakening the electrical adhesion of the toner by applying an alternating current to facilitate the movement of the toner. In addition, since the belt is formed of a transparent material, the belt is illuminated with light from the back by a pre-transfer lamp 225 (also used for erasing) before transfer, further weakening the electrical adhesion of the toner, and the transfer is performed. Make it easier.

On the other hand, the copy paper accommodated in the supply tray of the base machine 1 or the copy paper which is manually fed along the manual feed tray 16 is sent out by a feed roll, guided to the conveyance path 501, and fed to the organic photosensitive material. It passes between the belt 4 and the transfer corotron 220. The paper feed is basically performed by LEF (Long Edge Feed), and the registration gate is opened and closed so that the leading edge of the paper and the exposure start position coincide at the tacking point, and the toner image is transferred onto the copy paper. Then, the paper and the photosensitive material belt 4 are peeled off by the detack corotron 221 and the strip finger 222, and the copy paper after the transfer passes between the heat roll 232 and the pressure roll 233 and is thermally fixed.
The paper is discharged onto a discharge tray (not shown) passing between the transport rolls 234 and 235.

The photosensitive material belt 4 from which the copy paper has been peeled is easily cleaned by the pre-clean corotron 224, unnecessary charges are erased by light irradiation from the back by the lamp 225, and unnecessary toner, dust, etc. are removed by the blade 226. Is scraped off. A patch is formed between images on the belt 4 by the patch generator 212, and the electrostatic potential of the patch portion is detected by the ESV sensor 214 for density adjustment. The belt 4 is provided with a hole as described above, and the belt speed is detected by the belt hole sensor 213 to detect the belt speed and control the process speed. The ADC (Auto Density Control) sensor 219 compares the amount of reflected light from the toner on the patch with the amount of reflected light when there is no toner to detect the degree of toner adhesion, and the pop sensor 223 removes the paper. It has detected that it has been wrapped around the belt without the need. FIG. 13 shows how the panel is divided on the photosensitive material belt 4. The belt 4 has a seam portion 251 so that an image is not placed on the belt portion. A belt hole 252 is provided at a position at a fixed distance l from the seam portion.
Is 70 mm. 253 and 254 are the first and last panels when the photosensitive material belt surface is divided into N pitches. B is the panel interval, C is the panel length, and D is the panel pitch length. Is 289.5 mm, 386 mm for three-pitch division, and 579 mm for two-pitch division.

The seam 251 is connected to the LE (Lead Edg) of the panel 253.
A = B / 2 so as to be at the center between e) and TE (Tail Edge) of panel 254. Note that although the LE of the panel needs to match the LE of the paper, the TE does not necessarily match, and matches the maximum paper TE applicable to the panel. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an outline of functions of the IMM subsystem. An overview of the functions of the IMM subsystem 34 is to perform serial communication with the IEL subsystem 40 via a bus line, send an interrupt signal via a hot line to perform high-precision control, manage image formation, and Three
5. The control signal is sent to the CHM subsystem 33 to control the belt.

The main motor is controlled by detecting holes opened in the organic photosensitive material belt 4, and the panel formation position is determined to perform panel management. In a low-temperature environment, the fuser is rotated idle to maintain the fixing roll at a predetermined temperature so that quick copying can be performed. Then, when the start key is pressed, the system enters the setup state, adjusts the constants such as VDDP before copying, and when the copy cycle starts, erases the edges of the image at the leading and trailing edges based on the document size. Form an image area. Further, a patch for toner density adjustment is formed by forming a patch in the inter-image area. Further, when a hard-down factor such as a jam factor or a belt failure is detected, the belt is stopped or the machine is stopped by communicating with the sequence manager. Next, input / output signals and operations of the IMM subsystem will be described. The detection signals of the toner in the black toner bottle 261 and the color toner bottle 262 are input, and the remaining amount of the toner is detected. From the optical registration sensor 155, an optical registration signal serving as a reference for a PG request signal, a bias request signal, and an ADC request signal output from the IMM subsystem to the marking subsystem is input.

The original size is input from the platen original size sensors S6 to S10, and the IEL215
Is determined. Belt Hall sensor
213 receives the belt hole signal and outputs the main motor 2
The process speed is controlled by 64 and 265 to correct for variations in the time the belt makes one revolution.
Two main motors are provided so that they can be operated at an efficient operating point, the power of the motor can be efficiently output according to the state of the load, and the power is effectively used.
The regenerative braking by the motor is performed to improve the stop position accuracy. In addition, the motor can perform reverse rotation driving. This is because if cleaning is performed by bringing the blade into close contact with the photosensitive material belt, paper dust and toner residue accumulate on the front side of the blade, and this is removed. The belt drive by the motor is performed via the belt clutch 267, and only the belt can be selectively stopped. A pulse is generated from the encoder in synchronization with the rotation of the motor, and the pulse is used as a machine clock to obtain a machine clock corresponding to the belt speed.

If a hole cannot be detected for a predetermined time by the belt hole sensor 213 or the size of the hole has changed, this is transmitted from the IMM to the sequence manager and the machine is stopped. Also,
The IMM subsystem communicates serially with the IEL subsystem 40 and sends interrupt signals through the hotline.
It sends out patch signals and IEL black band signals. I
Unnecessary images are erased with the EL image signal, and the IEL subsystem 40 defines the shape and area of the patch area formed by the patch generator 212 with the ADC patch signal, and adjusts the charge amount to adjust the electrostatic potential. Is adjusted to a constant potential of 500-600V. IEL black band signal blade 226
In order to prevent the belt 4 from being damaged, a black band is formed between images at predetermined intervals and toner adheres to the belt 4 so as to act as a kind of lubricant. When the number is extremely small, the belt 4 is prevented from being damaged even in the case of copying.

In addition, the IMM operates with the marking subsystem 35
Communicates by hot line, and sends a patch formation request signal, a bias request signal, and an ADC request signal based on the optical registration signal. In response, the marking subsystem 35 drives the patch generator 212 to form a patch, drives the ESV sensor 214 to detect an electrostatic potential, and drives the developing machines 216 and 217 to form a toner image. are doing. Further, it controls the drive of the pre-transfer corotron 218, the transfer corotron 220, and the detack corotron 221. A pitch reset signal is transmitted from the IMM, and the carriage is started based on this signal. Further, a detection signal as to whether or not the color developing unit is mounted is input to detect whether the toner of the developing unit is black or color. A registration gate trigger signal is sent from the IMM to the CHM subsystem 33 to control so that the leading edge of the image coincides with the sheet at the tacking point, and when it is necessary to correct the opening timing of the registration gate, the correction amount is set. Calculated and sent. Further, the toner scraped off by the blade 226 is collected in a collected toner bottle 268, and a detection signal of the amount of toner in the bottle is input to the IMM, and an alarm is issued when the amount exceeds a predetermined amount.

Further, the IMM drives the fan motor 263 to prevent an abnormal temperature rise, so that the environmental temperature is within the allowable temperature range and a copy of stable image quality can be obtained. Figure
15 shows a timing chart. The reference time for control is the position of the optical registration sensor. After a predetermined time (T1) of the optical registration sensor ON / OFF signal
IEL is turned off. That is, the front end is turned on until T1, and the front end is erased after T2. In this manner, the image is formed by the IEL image signal, and the leading edge of the sheet at the tacking point and the leading edge of the image are matched by controlling the timing of the registration gate. After completion of image formation, an ADC patch signal is generated by a patch generator request signal (after T5 from the reference time), and a patch is formed on the inter image. After the patch is formed, a bias request signal is issued (after T6) to perform development, and then an ADC request signal is issued (after T7) to detect toner density. Further, a black band is formed in the inter image by the black band signal. AE (Au
During exposure, the IEL image signal is not turned ON / OFF.

(II-3) Paper transport system In FIG. 16, an upper tray 6-1, a middle tray 6-2, a lower tray 6-3, and a duplex tray 11 are provided in the base machine as paper trays. A high-capacity tray (HCF) 17 and a manual feed tray (MSI) 16 are provided on the side, and each tray is appropriately equipped with a no-paper sensor, a size sensor, a clutch, and the like. Here, the no-paper sensor is a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a copy sheet in the supply tray, and the size sensor is a sensor for determining the size of the copy sheet stored in the tray. The clutch is a component for controlling on / off of driving of each paper feed roll. As described above, by allowing copy paper of the same size to be set in a plurality of supply trays, when one copy tray runs out of copy paper, copy paper of the same size is automatically fed from another supply tray. .

The copy paper is fed by a dedicated feed motor, and a step motor is used as the feed motor. Whether or not the copy sheet is normally fed is detected by the feed sensor. Then, a gate solenoid is used for registration for aligning the leading edge of the copy sheet once sent. The gate solenoid is different from a normal solenoid of this type in that the gate is opened at the time of energization so that the copy sheet is passed. Therefore, in a standby state in which no copy paper arrives, power is not supplied to the gate solenoid, and the gate is kept open to reduce power consumption. Then, just before the copy paper arrives, the gate solenoid is energized,
The gate closes to prevent passage. Thereafter, when the conveyance of the copy sheet is restarted at a predetermined timing, the power supply is stopped and the gate is opened. By performing such control, the position of the gate is less likely to fluctuate when the leading edge of the copy sheet is blocked from passing. Can be done accurately.

When copying is performed again in the duplex mode in which copying is performed on both sides of a sheet or in the combining mode in which copying is performed a plurality of times on the same side, the sheet is guided to a transport path stacked on the duplex tray 11. In the case of the duplex mode, the sheets are stacked directly on the duplex tray 11 from the transport path. Be guided. A gate 503 is provided at a branch point between the paper discharge outlet 502 to the sorter or the like from the transport path 501 and the duplex tray 11 side. Gates 505 and 506 for switching are provided, and a discharge outlet 502 is provided with a gate 507 and is inverted by a triroll inverter 9 so that the copied surface can be discharged with its surface facing up.

In the upper tray and the middle tray, the number of sheets is
About 500 sheets, A3-B5, Regaloo, Letter, Special B4, 11 × 17
Is a tray that can accommodate the same paper size. And FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, a tray motor 551 is provided, and the tray 552 is inclined when the number of sheets is reduced. Three paper size sensors to detect paper size
553 to 555, no paper sensor 55 that detects running out of paper
6. Equipped with a surface control sensor 557 used for adjusting the tray height. There is also an emergency switch 558 for preventing the tray from rising too high. The lower tray is a tray capable of storing about 1100 sheets and storing the same sheet size as the upper tray and the middle tray.

In FIG. 16, a duplex tray is a tray which can hold about 50 sheets and can store the same sheet size as each of the above-mentioned trays. This is a tray for temporarily storing the copied paper when performing alternate copying.
A feed roll 507 and a gate 505 are disposed on the entrance-side transport path of the duplex tray 11, and the gate 505 controls switching of paper transport according to the combination mode and the duplex mode. For example, in the case of the double-sided mode, the sheet conveyed from above is guided to the feed roll 509 side by the gate 505, and in the case of the combination mode, the sheet conveyed from the top is temporarily combined by the gates 505 and 506 in the combination mode. After that, when it is turned over, it is guided by the gate 506 to the feed roll 510 and the duplex tray 11 side. To store paper in the duplex tray 11 and let it fall freely to the specified edge position,
Generally, a tray inclination angle of about 17 ° to 20 ° is required. However, in the present invention, since the duplex tray 11 is stored in a small space in order to make the apparatus compact, an inclination angle of up to 8 ° can be obtained. Therefore, the side guide 561 is provided on the duplex tray 11 as shown in FIG.
And an end guide 562 are provided. In the control of the side guide and the end guide, when the sheet size is determined, the sheet is stopped at a position corresponding to the sheet size.

The large capacity tray (HCF) is a supply tray capable of storing thousands of copy sheets. For example, it is often appropriate for a customer who does not need to make a copy by enlarging or reducing a document or a customer having a small copy amount to purchase the base machine alone. On the other hand, a customer who makes a large number of copies or a customer who requires a complicated copy operation often needs a duplex tray or a large capacity tray. As a means to fulfill these various requirements, this copier system has a structure that allows each additional device to be easily attached and detached, and provides an independent CPU (central processing unit) for some of the additional devices. Then, distributed control is performed by a plurality of CPUs. This not only has the advantage that the product desired by the customer is easily obtained, but also the possibility of installing a new additional device teaches the customer the possibility of a new copying operation. Purchasing this copier system in giving a boost to the evolution of office clerical work will add greater appeal.

The manual feed tray (MSI) 16 is a tray capable of accommodating about 50 sheets and sheet sizes A2F to A6F. In particular, a large size sheet which cannot be accommodated in another tray can be used. . In this type of conventional manual feed tray, manual feed is performed one by one. Therefore, it is only necessary to preferentially send out copy sheets from the manual feed tray when manual feed is performed, and the operator does not need to select the manual feed tray itself. On the other hand, the manual feed tray 16 of the present invention can simultaneously set a plurality of copy sheets. Therefore, if the feeding from the manual feed tray 16 is performed with the set of copy sheets, the feed may be started when a plurality of copy sheets are set. In order to prevent such a situation, the manual tray 16 is selected.

In the present invention, the nujar roll 51 is placed on the tray.
3. The compactness is achieved by adopting a configuration in which the feed roll 512 and the take away roll 511 are integrally attached. After the leading edge of the paper is nipped by the take-away roll 511, the feed-out sensor detects the leading edge and pauses it to perform pre-registration to adjust the transfer position and absorb variations in paper feeding in the feeder section are doing. The fed sheet is fed to the transfer position of the photosensitive material belt 4 via the aligner 515.

(II-4) Automatic Document Feeder (DADF) In FIG. 19, the DADF 13 is mounted on the platen glass 2 of the base machine 1. This DADF13 contains the manuscript
A document tray 602 on which a 601 is placed is provided. A delivery paddle 603 is arranged on the document sending side of the document tray 602, so that the documents 601 are sent out one by one. The fed document 601 is conveyed to an arc-shaped conveyance path 609 by the driving roller 605 and its driven roller 606 in FIG. 1 and the driving roller 607 and its driven roller 608 in FIG. Further, the arc-shaped conveyance path 609 joins with the manual conveyance path 610 and is connected to the horizontal conveyance path 611. At the exit of the arc-shaped conveyance path 609, the driving roller 612 and its driven roller 613 of FIG. Is provided. The drive roller 612 in FIG. 3 is vertically movable by a solenoid (not shown), and is configured to be able to contact and separate from the driven roller 613. A stop gate 615 that is rotated by a drive motor (not shown) is provided in the horizontal transport path 611, and a reversing transport path 616 is connected from the horizontal transport path 611 to an arc-shaped transport path 609. The drive roller 617 of FIG. 4 is provided in the reversing conveyance path 616. Further, a belt driving roller 619 is provided on the platen glass 2 so as to face the exit of the horizontal conveyance path 611, and the belt 621 stretched between the driven rollers 620 can be rotated forward and backward. At the exit of this belt transport section,
The drive roller 622 of FIG. 6 is disposed in the manual feed path 610.

Two drive rollers 623 are provided in the front-rear direction of the base machine 1 (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface), so that two originals of the same size can be simultaneously fed.
Incidentally, 625 is a delivery paddle 603 by the drive roller 626 in FIG.
Is a cleaning tape for cleaning the surface.
Next, the photo sensors S1 to S12 will be described with reference to FIG. S1 is a no-paper sensor that detects the presence or absence of the document 601 on the document tray 602, S2 is a takeaway sensor that detects the passage of the document, S3 and S4 are feed sensors provided before and after the manual feed path 610, and S5 is a skew. Roller 62
7, a registration sensor that corrects the oblique feeding of the original and detects whether the original is at a predetermined position at the stop gate 615,
S6 to S10 are paper size sensors for detecting the size of the document, S11 is a discharge sensor for detecting whether or not the document is discharged, and S12 is an end sensor for detecting the end of the cleaning tape 625. Next, the operation of the DADF 13 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. (A) is a platen mode, in which a document 601 is placed on the platen 2 and exposed.

(B) is a simplex mode in which a document 601 is stacked on a document tray 602 such that the side of FIG. When the start button is pressed, first, the driving roller 605 in FIG. 1 and the driving roller 607 in FIG. 2 rotate. However, the driving roller 612 in FIG. 3 moves upward and separates from the driven roller 613, and the stop gate 615 lowers. To shut off the horizontal transport path 611. As a result, the document 601 passes through the arc-shaped conveyance path 609 and is pressed against the stop gate 615 (-). At the position of this stop gate 615, the skew roller 6
With 27, the original is corrected so that its end is perpendicular to the horizontal transport path 611, and the original size is detected by the sensors S6 to S10. Next, the drive roller 612 of FIG. 3 moves downward to come into contact with the driven roller 613, and the stop gate 615 rises to open the horizontal transport path 611, and the drive roller 612 of FIG. Drive rollers 62
2 is rotated, and the original is sent to a predetermined position on the platen 2 with the surface to be copied facing down, exposed, and then ejected.
The same operation is performed when a single original is sent from the manual feed path 610. In addition to the function of sending originals one by one, a function of simultaneously sending two originals of the same size (2-UP), a large original It has a function to send paper (LDC) and a computer form feeder (CCF) to send continuous paper for computers.

(C) is a duplex mode,
The step of exposing one side of the document is the same as the above-mentioned steps (1) to (4) except that the belt driving roller 61
9, the drive roller 612 in FIG. 3 moves upward and separates from the driven roller 613, and the stop gate 615 descends to shut off the horizontal transport path 611. Accordingly, the document is conveyed to the reversing conveyance path 616, and is further pressed against the stop gate 615 by the driving roller 617 in FIG. 4 and the driving roller 607 in FIG. Then
While the drive roller 612 in FIG. 3 moves downward to come into contact with the driven roller 613, the stop gate 615 rises and the horizontal transport path 6
Open 11 and drive roller 612 and belt drive roller 619 in FIG.
Then, the drive roller 622 shown in FIG. 5 is rotated, and the original is sent to a predetermined position on the platen 2 with the back side down, and is exposed.
When the exposure on both sides is completed, the belt drive roller 619 is again rotated in the reverse direction, is again conveyed to the reversing conveyance path 616, and is similarly discharged on the platen 2 by the drive roller 622 in FIG. Therefore, the discharged originals are stacked in the order in which they are first stacked on the original tray 602 with the side of FIG.

(II-5) Sorter In FIG. 22, the sorter 19 is provided with a sorter body 6 on a movable carriage 651.
It has 52 and 20 bins 653. In the sorter main body 652, a belt driving roller 656 for driving the transport belt 655 and its driven roller 657 are provided, and a chain 6
A chain drive sprocket 660 for driving the 59 and a driven sprocket 661 thereof are provided. The belt drive roller 656 and the chain drive sprocket 660 are driven by one sorter motor 658. A paper inlet 662, a paper outlet 663, and a switching gate 665 driven by a solenoid (not shown) are provided above the transport belt 655. An indexer 666 for switching and supplying copy paper to each bin is attached to the chain 659. As shown in FIG. 23, the rotation of the drive shaft 671 of the sorter motor 658 is transmitted to the pulley 673 via the timing belt 672. The rotation of the pulley 673 is transmitted to the belt drive roller 656 and to the chain drive sprocket 660 via the gear device 674.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIG.
(A) shows the non-sort mode, and the switching gate 665 is for feeding the copy sheet to the uppermost discharge tray at the non-sort position. (B) indicates a sort mode, in which the switching gate 665 is switched to the sort position, the odd-numbered sheets are conveyed from the top to the lower bin to the odd-numbered bin, and the even-numbered sheets are shifted from the bottom. It is conveyed to an even-numbered bin toward the upper bin. This reduces the sorting time. (C) and (d) show the stack mode,
(C) shows an example in which four copies of four documents are copied for each document, and (d) shows a case where the maximum number of sheets stored per bin is exceeded. They are stored in bottles.

(III) User Interface (U / I) (III-1) Outline of Configuration of User Interface FIG. 25 shows an attached state of a user interface using a display, and FIG. 26 shows an appearance of a user interface using a display. It is shown. (A) Characteristics of Mounting Position The present invention is characterized in that a stand-type display is adopted as the user interface instead of using the conventional console panel as described above. When a display is adopted, the user interface 12 can be mounted three-dimensionally above the copying machine main body (base machine) 1 as shown in FIG. 25A, and in particular, the user interface 12 is copied as shown in FIG. By arranging the copying machine in the right rear corner of the machine body 1, the size of the copying machine can be designed without considering the user interface 12, and the apparatus can be made compact. In a copier, the height of the platen, that is, the height of the apparatus is designed to be a waist high enough to set a document, and this height regulates the height of the apparatus.

As described above, the conventional console panel is mounted on the same upper surface as this height, and the operation unit and the display unit for selecting functions and setting execution conditions are arranged at a considerable distance from the eyes. become. In this regard, in the user interface 12 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 25 (c), the position is higher than the platen, that is, close to the eye level, so that it is easy to see and the position is forward, not downward, to the operator, and It will be on the right side and will be easy to operate. In addition, by making the mounting height of the display close to the eye level, the lower side can be effectively used as a mounting space for the control board of the user interface and the card device 24. Therefore, a structural change for mounting the card device 24 is not required, and the card device 24 can be additionally provided without changing the appearance at all. At the same time, the mounting position and height of the display can be easily viewed. Further, the display may be fixed at a predetermined angle, but it is needless to say that the angle may be changed.

As described above, when the display is used for the user interface, unlike the conventional console panel which is mounted flat on the front side of the platen, the front can be easily changed.
By making the screen of the display slightly upward in accordance with the operator's eyes as shown in FIG. 25 (c) and facing leftward as shown in FIG. A good user interface 12 can be provided. By adopting such a configuration, especially in a compact device,
An operator can operate a document set and a user interface without moving at the center of the apparatus.

(B) Features on Screen On the other hand, even when a display is adopted, a large amount of information is required to provide information corresponding to multi-functionality. However, it has the aspect that it is difficult to respond to compactness. When a display having a compact size is adopted, providing all necessary information on one screen is not only a problem of display density, but also easy for an operator to see.
It is also difficult to provide an easy-to-understand screen. Therefore, when a display is adopted for the user interface with the proposition of compactness, it is necessary to adopt a display having a compact size in view of the balance, and to devise display control in the display. In the present invention, the display takes advantage of the advantage that various display modes and display controls can be adopted as compared with the LED and liquid crystal display used in the console panel, and it is easy to understand even in a compact size. Various ideas have been devised for display.

For example, in the user interface of the present invention, the display screen is switched according to each copy mode of the basic copy, the advanced copy, and the specialty copy, and a menu such as function selection and execution condition setting is displayed in each mode. At the same time, a cascade (cursor) on the screen is moved by key input to specify an option or to input execution condition data. Depending on the menu options, the detailed items are displayed in a pop-up display (overlapping display or window display) to expand the display contents. As a result, even if there are many selectable functions and setting conditions, the display screen can be refreshed and operability can be improved.

As described above, according to the present invention, the screen division configuration,
By devising techniques such as area division on each screen, brightness adjustment, gray display, and other display modes, the operation unit is simplified by combining operation keys and LEDs, and display control and display contents of the display are simplified. In addition, the present invention solves the problem of diversifying and simplifying operation inputs and realizing both compactness and multifunctionality of the device. FIG. 26 shows the appearance of a user interface configured using a CRT display based on such a concept. In this example, the key / LED is
The board is placed. In the selection mode screen as a screen configuration, the screen is divided into a plurality of regions, a selection region is provided as one of the regions, and the selection region is vertically divided so that each function can be individually selected and set as a cascade region. I have to. Therefore, on the key / LED board,
A cascade key 319-1 to 319-5 for cascade selection setting is arranged below the selection area of the vertically divided screen, and a mode selection key for switching the selection mode screen.
308-310, other keys (302-304, 306, 307, 315-3
18) and LEDs (305, 311 to 314) are arranged on the right side. Since the number of keys and LEDs is reduced as described above and they are arranged beside and below the CRT display 301, the size only needs to be slightly larger than that of the CRT display 301, and a compact user interface can be provided. .

(III-2) Configuration of Control System FIG. 27 shows a main CPU connected to a U / I CPU by serial communication.
FIG. 28 shows the hardware configuration of the user interface, and FIG. 29 shows the software configuration of the user interface.

(A) Hardware Configuration As shown in FIG. 27, the main CPU 41 includes a ROM 323, an NVRAM (non-volatile memory) 324, an interface 321 for exchanging data with a base machine, and data exchange with an additional device (OPTION). It has an interface 322 for sending and receiving, and the bus is connected to the communication control circuit 327 via the bus arbiter 326,
U / I on serial communication line through communication control circuit 327
The CPU 46 is configured to communicate with other CPUs. The ROM 323 stores a program including subsystems such as the sequence manager, the imaging module, and the copy handling module described above. The bus arbiter 326 has a system RAM 325, and transmits data sent from the main CPU 41 to another CPU and other data.
The ROM 328 holds data received from the CPU so that the main CPU 41 can send and receive data asynchronously with the timing of serial communication.The ROM 328 is a communication program for transmitting and receiving data on the serial communication line by the communication control circuit 327. Is stored. Note that the main CPU 41 may be configured to perform all functions related to the bus arbiter 326 and the communication control circuit 327 related to communication. The subsystem of the sequence manager in the main CPU 41 monitors the status of each subsystem by serial communication, and when a copy mode signal is received from the user interface, the subsystem controls each subsystem so that copying can be efficiently performed at a predetermined timing. Give work instructions.

The user interface system provided with the U / I CPU 46 basically includes a CRT board 331, a CRT display 301, and a key / LED board 333 as hardware as shown in FIG. The CRT board 331 includes a U / I CPU 46 for controlling the entire system, a CRT controller 335 for controlling the CRT display 301, and a keyboard / display controller 336 for controlling the key / LED board 333.
Further, a program memory (ROM) 337 for storing each of the above-described programs as a memory, a frame memory (ROM) 338 for storing frame data, and a part thereof is configured as a non-volatile memory for storing tables, display control data, and the like. 339 used as work area, 2 sets of V-RAM
(Video RAM) 340 and a character generator 342 RAM.

Data is transmitted and received between the main CPU 41 and the U / I CPU 46 of the CRT board 331 via a driver 344 and a receiver 343 via a serial communication line. TXD is C
RXD is a transmission signal from the RT board 331, and RXD is a reception signal to the CRT board 331. For the clock generator 346, for example, a crystal oscillator of 11.0592 MHz is used, and this is divided into 1/12 inside the U / I CPU 46 to generate a basic frequency of 0.9216 MHz. In the communication of the U / I CPU 46, the transfer clock is set by performing a frequency (programmable) for 1 to 256 minutes using an internal timer. Therefore, the basic frequency of 0.9216MHz is determined by the program to divide by 1/3,
When divided by 32, the transfer clock becomes 9600 Hz (the transmission bit rate is 9600 BPS).

The U / I CPU 46 receives a machine status signal from the main CPU 41 and inputs a key / LED board 333 operation signal from the keyboard / display controller 336 to switch the screen to be displayed on the CRT display 301. , Setting a copy mode, and generating a memory to be displayed on the CRT display 301. When the start key 318 is operated in the input processing of the operation signal of the key / LED board 333, the copy mode at that time is checked, and if there is no inconsistency, the copy mode is transmitted to the main CPU 41 and the copy mode is inconsistent. If there is, a process of generating a J code message and displaying it on the CRT display 301 is performed. CR
In the display processing of the T display 301, a code of the character generator is set corresponding to the display screen, and the code is written in the V-RAM 340. The frame memory 338 stores information for setting the code of the character generator. When the code is written to V-RAM340, C
Under the control of the RT controller 335, dot data of the character generator 342 is read out in synchronization with the raster address, converted into serial data by the parallel / direct conversion circuit 355, and displayed on the CRT display 301.

This is to check for runaway, and the CPU for U / I
It is reset when 46 reads a specific address, for example, any one of the data areas 7000 to 77FF. Therefore, 15
By creating a program to read this specific address within 0mS, if the U / I CPU 46 runs away, the specific address will not be read even after 150mS or more, and the watchdog timer (WDT) 345 will be reset. Therefore, the processing for the runaway U / I CPU 46 is performed.

Keyboard / Display Controller 33
6 is a counter 347 that divides the output of the clock generator 346 input to the U / I CPU 46 into 1/4 and inputs a clock of 2.7648 MHz, and further divides it into 1/27 by the prescaler. The key / LED scan time of 4.98mS is created by setting to 102kHz. If the scan time is too long, it takes a long time for input detection.Therefore, there is a problem that the input data is not taken in when the key operation time by the operator is short. This will increase the slept. Therefore, it is necessary to select an optimal scan time in consideration of these situations.

(B) Software Configuration As shown in FIG. 29, the software configuration of the user interface includes a monitor having I / O management, task management, and communication protocol functions, and a key input management and screen output management functions. And a job controller having functions such as job management and control, selection determination, and mode determination. Here, when a predetermined number of copies are to be made, one job is a period from the start of the copy operation to the completion of the predetermined number of copies and termination.

As described above, the software is divided and configured, and the editing control of the screen and the conversion processing of the key input are performed by the video controller.
Software can be designed regardless of the display device and keyboard. Therefore, for example, even when the display is replaced with a console panel, it is only necessary to change the design of the video controller according to the console panel without changing the job controller at all. In other words, the video controller may be provided between the display device or the keyboard and the job controller, pass the logical key to the job controller, and reflect the interface command received from the job controller on the display device or the keyboard. Such software division is possible by using logical keys and interface commands.By controlling the video controller with the interface command from the job controller, the job controller can manage the job without being aware of the screen at all. , Making software construction easier. Therefore, regarding key input, the video controller processes the physical information of the key, the job controller recognizes the mode, checks the key reception condition, and controls the job.

In the screen display, the job controller controls the screen based on the machine state information and the selection mode information and issues an interface command to the video controller. The video controller executes the command to edit and draw the screen. . The key change detection unit 362 and other blocks that process, generate, and control other data are shown in fixed program units (modules), and these constituent units are summarized for convenience of description. Of course, some of them may be configured with a plurality of modules, or may be configured with a plurality of modules collectively.

"Video controller" key change detector 36
Reference numeral 2 denotes a function for performing a double-press check and detecting a continuous key press state with respect to the physical key information passed from the monitor by the physical key table 361. The key conversion unit 363 converts the currently pressed physical key detected as described above into a logical key (logical information), and checks the key reception condition of the logical key (current key) in the job. Ask the controller. The conversion table 364 is referred to by the key conversion unit 363 at the time of conversion from the physical key to the logical key. For example, even if the cascade key is the same physical key, the logical information differs depending on the screen, so the display control The conversion from the physical key to the logical key is controlled by the display screen information of the data 367.

The screen switching unit 368 receives a key reception signal and a logical key from the job controller, or receives a logical key from the key conversion unit 363 directly in the video controller, and the logical key calls the basic copy screen or the application copy screen. Alternatively, if the key is a simple screen switching key for expanding a pop-up screen by moving the cascade, and has no mode update or state update, the display control data 367 is updated to the display screen number to the screen number. Therefore, the screen switching unit 368 stores a logical key for developing the pop-up screen as a table, and displays the pop-up screen to be expanded when the logical key is operated and no other key is input within 750 msec. The control data 367 is updated. This processing is performed in order to prevent the pop-up screen from being expanded one by one in the process of selecting a certain option by temporarily operating the cascade key to select the option to expand the pop-up screen. Is what you do.

Therefore, even if a logical key for expanding the pop-up screen is input within 750 msec, another key input is ignored as a temporary key input. Also, in the case of updating a state such as occurrence of a jam, updating a cascade or other copy mode, or updating a message or count value, the display control unit 369 receives an interface command from the job controller, analyzes the received command, and performs display control. The data 367 is updated. Display control data 3
67 includes data for controlling the display of each screen, such as the screen number to be displayed and display variable information in the screen.
Reference numeral 370 denotes a hierarchically structured database having a basic frame of each screen, display data of each frame, and a reference address of variable data among display data (an address of the display control data 367 storing display variable information). Dialog editor
Reference numeral 366 denotes the basic frame of the screen to be displayed based on the screen number displayed by the display control data 367, the display data is read from the dialog data 370, and the display data is determined according to the display variable information of the display control data 367 for the variable data. To edit the screen and draw and develop the display screen in the V-RAM 365.

The "job controller" key management unit 14
This is to check whether or not the logical key is in a receivable state with reference to the state table 371. If the logical key is receivable, the key information is determined on condition that no other key information is input until 750 msec elapses thereafter. Send to key control unit 375. The key control unit 375 performs a key reception process to update the copy mode 378, issue a mode check and a copy execution command, grasp the machine state, and pass display control information to the display management unit 377 to perform display control. Is what you do. In copy mode 378,
Each copy setting information of the basic copy, the application copy, and the specialty copy is set. The display management unit 377 issues an interface command to the video controller based on the processing result of the key management unit 14 or the key control unit 375, and activates an interface routine (display control unit 369). The state management unit 372 updates the state table 371 for key reception by determining a change in the state from the key reception state, the occurrence of a jam or failure, the state information of the machine such as the opening of the interlock, and the like.

Then, the key acceptance condition is checked based on the state information. Job control section
Reference numeral 376 denotes management for issuing a command for machine control in response to the operation information of the machine after the operation of the start key and performing a copy operation for one document. The command control unit 373 notifies the state management unit 372 and the job control unit 376 of the status of the received command transmitted from the main unit, and receives a command for execution from the job control unit 376 during job execution. Send to

Therefore, when the start key is operated and the key control 375 sets a command corresponding to the copy mode in the transmission buffer 380 to execute the copy operation, the command of the operating state of the machine is sequentially stored in the reception buffer 379. Received. Command control section 373
By notifying this command to the job control unit 376, a command for executing the next copy is issued each time copying is completed one by one until a predetermined number of copies are completed and a command for stopping the machine is issued. . During the copy operation, if a jam occurrence command is received,
State management unit 372 through command control unit 373
And updates the state table 371 and simultaneously issues a jam screen control interface command from the display management unit 377 to the video controller through the key control unit 375.

[Interface command] By employing a configuration in which an interface command is issued from the job controller to control the video controller, the job controller and the video controller can be independently designed, and the display can be easily changed to the console by changing the video controller. It can be changed to a panel or another input / output means. Interface commands include registration commands such as No. for trays, paper size, orientation, device name and presence / absence for additional devices, presence / absence for second development, and color.Normal setting commands include cascade, cascade, set number, and binding. There are margins.

There are also box setting and coordinate display as editing setting commands. Call setting values, registered numerical values and the like as job setting commands. Normal messages, state display, maid display, residual toner display, and collected toner display as display commands. Mode commands, such as "no paper display", include jam, clear jam, change information, preheat, interrupt, return, and change. Further, there are a display control command, a machine operation state command, an initialize command, a diagnostic command, and the like. The display controller 369 of the video controller analyzes these cummonds and updates the display controller data 367. For example, with the registration command, the initial setting of each screen is performed. With the normal setting command, the setting status of the cascade in the normal setting screen, the elimination of unnecessary cascades, the display of the set number (set count), and the display of the binding margin are performed. The conversion command turns on / off the display of the mode screen and the LED (not shown).

In the operation of the cascade key as described above, when the cascade key is switched from on to off, when the cascade key is continuously pressed for 750 msec, and when the cascade key is further continuously pressed and 125 msec elapses, the corresponding operation is triggered. If the key is accepted, move one rank. If the destination is incapable of accepting the mode, one rank is skipped and the next key is selected. In this operation, when the cascade is up, a logical code corresponding to the cascade is passed to the job controller as a key reception, and is fed back as display data from the job controller to the video controller.

[Table] FIG. 30 shows an example of a table prepared in the job controller. According to the present invention, various tables are provided for key management and copy mode generation in the user interface as described above. In particular, when the present invention is applied to a high-speed copying machine that operates copying at a process speed of 64 cpm and 309 mm / sec,
The user interface is connected to the sequence manager (SQMGR subsystem) that controls and controls the machine by serial communication, and the machine state information is transferred only at a predetermined communication timing. Operation cannot be directly connected. For that purpose, it is necessary to generate various states and perform key reception management, and a table is used.

As described above, the job controller processes the user's request using the logical key, prepares various tables to provide the user with input setting information and machine information, and processes these information. I have. The state table 371 is one of them, and is used to manage the reception of keys as described above. FIG. 30A shows the table configuration. The state information includes job state, machine state, run case, con state, state case, and mode information.

The job state indicates the state of the job controller. As shown in FIG. 10B, a normal job (1st job), an interrupt job (2nd job),
In addition, the job is completed (COMPLETE) or running (IN
COMPLETE) or duplex mode (S / S, D /
(S, S / D, D / D), and in the mode (S / D, D / D) that uses the duplex tray, whether the job is completed or running Manages information. For example, when the original is set on the platen and the set number of copies is executed 5 times, the INCOMPLETE is performed during the execution of the 5 copies, that is, until the execution of the 5 copies is completed. COMPLETE.

The machine state is information to be remembered when the state of the machine is received from the main unit as shown in FIG. 30C. PROGRESS), a state where the copy cycle is about to stop (SOFTDOWN COI
N), abnormal stop such as jam or belt cut (SOFTDOWNP
AUSE), automatic paper ejection after jam (PURGE),
There is information on whether the machine is stopped (STAND-BY), the purge is executed by a start command (PURGE STAND-BY), or the machine is stopped due to a jam (JAM). Accordingly, the relationship with the machine operation is that when the start key is operated from the standby, the progress is made, and when the operation is normally ended after passing through the soft-down coin, the operation again becomes the standby. However, if a jam occurs in the middle, a soft down pause occurs, and if the jam stops, the jam occurs. If it is necessary to discharge the sheet, the purge standby mode is set. If the sheet is discharged, the purge is started.

The run case is one of the key management-specific states created by the state management unit. The run case is machine state information. In the platen mode, whether the start key has not been pressed or pressed, and information on job complete or incomplete in purge standby. In the present invention,
Since there is communication with the main body, the reception of keys changes depending on the communication with the communication. A table corresponding to a key is provided in each state such as a job state, a run case, and a state case, and a search is made from the table to determine whether or not a job can be accepted.

The state is a state created by state management, and is ready (RDY), wait (WAI).
T), J code, caution, U code, and jam information. In the state case, it has a J code number. The displayed messages and priorities differ depending on the state. The mode information has information such as auto start, power save, and edit input. Key management is performed based on each of the above state information.

FIG. 30D shows the structure of the copy mode table 378. The copy mode table 378 is composed of body transmission information of bytes 0 to 12, FEATURE RECOVERY information of bytes 13 to 24, and job status of bytes 25 and 26. . In addition to the above,
The command control unit 373 has a U code table,
It has jam status information, a caution table, and the like. The U code table is generated from the information sent from the main unit when an abnormality occurs in the machine. To determine if the U code is acceptable. The caution table has information such as an interlock opened, a tray removed, and a state of no paper.

(C) Process Flow Next, an example of a process corresponding to the operation by the operator and the state of the machine will be described. First, when the power is turned on and initialized, the key table is sent from the key management unit 374 to the screen switching unit 368 on condition that there is no key input in the state table 371 in the initial state. In the video controller, in response to this instruction, the screen switching unit 368 sets the display screen of the display control data 367 as the initial screen. Display control data 3
If the initial screen is the basic copy screen in 67, the dialog editing unit 366 reads a frame of the basic copy from the dialog data 370. In this frame, the address of the display control data 367 is shown for each area, so the dialog editing unit 366 reads and edits the display control data 367 based on this address, and draws a basic copy screen in the V-RAM 365. . At the same time, the LED of the basic copy is turned on. Here, when the mode selection key of the application copy or the specialty copy of the keyboard is operated, the key management unit 374 checks the key reception condition, and similarly, the screen switching unit.
Issue the screen instruction corresponding to 368. If the initial screen is set to the fully automatic screen in the display control data 367, the fully automatic screen is drawn. This setting is performed in the diagnostic mode.

When the cascade key is operated by the operator and the physical key table 361 is updated in the display state of these screens, the key change detection unit 361 detects it and converts it into a logical key by the key conversion unit 363. The conversion of the cascade key to the logical key differs depending on the screen,
The reference position of the conversion table 364 is controlled based on the screen information of the display control data 367, and the conversion into the logical key is performed. For example,
When the cascade key 19-3 is operated in FIG. 26,
If the screen is a basic copy screen, it is converted to a double-sided copy cascade logical key, while if it is an application copy screen, it is converted to a color cascade logical key.

In the key management unit 374, the state table 371
It is determined whether or not it is in a state where it can be accepted now. In this case, acceptance is permitted under the condition of a cascade key on the selection mode screen, and this key is sent to the key control unit 375 and further to the state management unit 372 from here. Key control section 3
At 75, the copy mode 378 is updated from this key, and the cascade display information is passed to the display management unit 377. The display management unit 377 generates an interface command and issues it to the display control unit 369. The display control unit 369 receives the interface command and updates the cascade setting information of the display control data 367. Thereafter, this content is reflected on the screen by the dialog editing unit 366 as described above. When each selection mode screen is switched in this way and each cascade is set, the setting state is displayed on the display, and the copy mode 378 and the state table 371 of the job controller are updated.

When the start key is operated, the key control unit 375 checks the copy mode 378 and issues a copy execution command. This copy execution command is issued by setting it in the transmission buffer 380 and transmitted to the main CPU via a serial communication line by the monitor. If the mode settings are inconsistent, the display management unit 377 generates and issues a display control interface command to control the message.

When the copy execution command is issued, the job control unit 376 manages the copy operation for each copy. For example, when the machine starts the copy operation and the machine status command is received every moment in the reception buffer 379,
The command control unit 373 analyzes this and notifies the state management unit 372 and the job control unit 376. The job control unit 376 receives a machine state command and issues commands necessary for machine operation up to a set number of copies for each copy. This is the command control section 373
Is set in the transmission buffer 380 through On the other hand, the state management unit 372 updates the state table 371 according to the machine state command. Therefore, in this state, the key management unit 374 cannot accept the mode selection key, the cascade key, and the like.

When a jam occurs during copying and a jam occurrence command is received from the machine, the information is transferred to the job control unit 376 and the state management unit 372 through the command control unit 373. As a result, the state table 371 is updated in a jam occurrence state, and the job is suspended. The key control unit 375 recognizes the occurrence position of the jam and passes the information to the display management unit 377. The display management unit 377 adds a parameter of the jam zone. Generate and issue commands.
Then, the display control unit 369 processes this command and updates the display control data 367 to the contents of the jam screen display, thereby lowering the screen brightness by one rank and overwriting the screen representing the jam zone. The jam screen appears on the display.

In the machine state command, the key control unit 375 recognizes the remaining amount of toner, the state of the collection bottle, the out of paper, the opening of the interlock, etc.
A message area, a maintenance information area, a count section, and the like are controlled through 77. The diagnostic mode is shifted by a special operation of simultaneously operating the all clear key when the power is turned on, for example. This mode also
It is recognized in the key control unit 375 through the key management unit 374. Then, a diag command is issued through the display management unit 377 to control the diag screen. In this mode, a specific area of the display control data 367 can be registered and set, and cannot be set in a normal mode other than the diagnostic mode. For example, a setting for displaying a fully automatic screen but not displaying the fully automatic screen is one of them.

(III-3) Pop-Up Screen Display A pop-up display is a close-up of the selected mode as an extension of the currently displayed screen when there are many choices and sentences that cannot be displayed on the screen. The part of the screen being displayed is overwritten with a close-up window in a specific mode.
The pop-up open is canceled on condition that a certain period of time, for example, 750 msec, elapses after selecting a pop-up target mode, and when a cascade key is further operated before the elapse of 750 msec. This is to avoid wasting the processing of responding to the transient mode selection as in other mode determinations. With such a pop-up opening, a mode can be selected on the pop-up window by the cascade key corresponding to the portion, while the mode of the portion hidden by the pop-up window cannot be changed by the cascade key.

[0115] In the pop-up close, after "close" (close key) on the pop-up window is selected and a predetermined time elapses, for example, 500 msec, a screen change key, an auto clear key, and other keys outside the pop-up window (including the cake cake) are operated. This is performed when the operation is performed, when the apparatus enters the preheating mode, when the apparatus enters the interrupt mode, or the like. Therefore, when the screen is changed and the screen returns to the original screen, the previous popup is closed. In addition,
When the pop-up is closed by operating the close key, it is displayed that the pop-up is closed in a cascade, and input of another key is not accepted.

(A) Screen Data In the present invention, a screen database is basically stored in a ROM as dialog data 370 as shown in FIG. 29 without preparing a screen corresponding to the combination, and its variables are displayed. By having the control data 367 in the RAM, a specific display block can be changed and edited with data of one screen. FIG. 31A shows the configuration of the memory space for dialog data, which has a structure in which eight 32 kbyte chips are used and accessed using a page (Page Number) and an absolute address (AbsoluteAdtdess). Then, as shown, a part of page 0 is used as a jump table, and by pointing to the storage address of the data of each screen (frame), it can be accessed by the screen number (frame No. and pop-up No.). As shown in (b), the basic data structure consists of an ID that indicates what data, a page and an absolute address, and those with a top display position (Screen Position) and those without a top display position. For example, message data (Messag
e Variable), numerical data such as set count (Numeri
c Variable), shape data with fixed display contents (Figu
re Variable), variable data (Elementary Variable) whose contents change depending on the mounting status of the device, and blink data (Blink Va) for blinking the removed tray and the like.
riable), cascade data that can be set in advance (Preset
table Variable), basic frame data, pop-up frame data, and the like.

The overall data structure of the dialog data is as follows:
As shown in (c), jump table JT, frame F
1, F2,..., Composed of constituent frames such as a basic frame BF and pop-up frame PF that constitute each frame, an object reference OR, and object data OD in which specific display data are stored. , And the others are pointers in a hierarchical structure (tree structure) as shown by arrows.
Then, all screen data is prepared in the configuration frame, and all display data corresponding to each screen is prepared as a pair of the object reference OR and the object data OD. To control each screen, reference information (Test Variable) is used. For example, in the case of the data in the setting state display area that is displayed on / off, on data and off data are prepared in the object reference OR and the object data OD, and which of the two is used is the display control data of the address indicated by the reference information. It depends on the setting of 367. That is, the reference information (Test
Variable) indicates a reference address of the display control data 367, and the display control unit 369 (FIG. 29) may set data to the reference address according to the copy mode or the mounting state of the additional device. Therefore, the same applies to display control depending on whether a sorter or the like is mounted.

Next, each data structure will be described in detail. The jump table JT includes a page and an absolute address corresponding to each frame, and points to the start address of the corresponding frame F1, F2,.... Frames F1, F2, ...
... are a basic copy screen, an application copy screen, a specialized copy screen, a review screen, an information screen, a jam screen, and the like. Each frame has "Possibilities" information indicating the number of data at the beginning of the frame, and is followed by "I
"D" and the data address point to the start address of each constituent frame including the basic frame and the pop-up frame. For example, in the case of the basic copy screen,
The constituent frames include a basic frame BF without a pop-up, a pop-up frame with a magnification, and a pop-up frame PF with a copy density. Basic frame BF,
Similarly, the constituent frames such as the pop-up frame PF have “Possibilities” information at the beginning, followed by “ID”
And the data address point to the head address of all object reference ORs constituting the frame, and have a head display device (Screen Position). The object reference OR is "Posibili
ties "information, reference information (Test Variable) containing the address of the display control data 367, maximum display area information (Max Height & Width), and" ID "corresponding to each object data OD. Followed by data address, display mode data (Rev / Gray) such as reverse or gray, and constant (Constant) data. For example, in the example of message data, assuming that there are k message data, the object reference OR has data from constants “0” to “k”, each of which points to the object data OD of the corresponding message data. . Therefore, if the character string of the object data of the constant "0" pointed to by the object reference OR is "copyable" and that of the constant "1" is "copied." Display control data of the address indicated by the reference information
By writing “0” from the display control unit 369 to 367, “copying is possible” can be displayed, and by writing “1”, “copying.” Can be displayed. Thus the object reference
In the OR, for example, message data is divided into an upper message and a lower message, and all data are prepared for each. The dialog editing unit 366 selects the object data OD based on the reference information in the object reference OR and processes the pointed object data OD to read out, for example, the character “can be copied” and finally read the character. Write to V-RAM.

When the object data OD is numerical data, only one line is used, so that height information (Height) is used.
But not the data width (number of tiles, Width), Gothic,
Data specifying a font such as Mincho font, display attribute data such as reverse, and reference information (Test Var.) Follow. Numerical values to be displayed, such as a count value and a magnification value, are written in the display control data 367 at the address specified by the reference information. Similarly, in the case of gray scale, the size (Height, Width) and level (off “00”, level 1 “0”) of the area
1 ", level 2" 10 ", ...). As described above, the dialog data includes data of various characteristics, and the data is classified and shown on the basic copy screen as shown in FIG.

In the basic copy screen shown in (a), as described above, the setting state display area and the data EV (Elementary Variable) of the cascade name of the sorter are data displayed on / off. Therefore, in the case of such data, as shown in (e), the reference data is a pair of on and off (blank) by the constants “1” and “0”. Therefore, the display control data of the address specified by the reference information (Test Variable) is “1” or “0”.
Is written, if "1", for example, "sorter" is displayed, and if "0", it is blank.

FIG. 17F shows an example of a data structure applied to a fixed cascade without any change. In the basic copy screen shown in FIG. Applicable data CV (Cascade
Variable). In this data, the object reference OR has a reference with a frame (ON) and no frame (OFF) for each cascade as a series of data. Then, a cascade number indicating that there is a frame is written in the display control data of the address specified by the reference information (Test Variable). Therefore, in the case of this data,
Only data with a frame (ON) is selected for a cascade for which a frame is specified in the display control data, and data without a frame (OFF) is selected for other cascades. As described above, when there is a frame, a frame (shadow) that gives a three-dimensional effect is displayed on the right side and the lower side, and the background is displayed with high brightness,
If there is no frame, the background is displayed in gray gradation. (G) shows an example of a data structure applied to blink such as a tray. In the basic copy screen shown in (d), data BL (Blink) applied to the display area of the tray excluding manual feed is used. Variable). In this data, when the blink control data is set in the display control data of the address specified by the reference information (TestVariable), the head display position (Screen Position) and size (Height, Widt)
Set the area specified by h) to blink. That is, this data is set for all areas to be blinked. FIG. 11H shows an example of a data structure applied to a cascade in which the setting can be changed in advance. On the basic copy screen shown in FIG. (Pres
ettable Cascade Variable). In this data,
Reference information and "ID" for controlling a cascade with a frame
And the address of the group (Group of Figures) that has the reference information of each cascade, and then the reference information (Tech Rep Variabl) corresponding to each cascade position
e) and the top display position (Screen Position). The reference information for each cascade (Tech Rep V
The option is set in the display control data indicated by (ariable).

(I) to (m) show specification examples of display control data. Display control unit 36
9 sets display control data. For example, when the cascade of the job memory is set to a value other than the default on the professional copy screen, the display control unit 369 writes “1” to the address AOC of the display control data 367. Therefore,
When the basic copy screen is displayed, the cascade name of “Job memory” is displayed in the setting status display area. FIG. 32 is a view for explaining the screen editing process. FIG. 32A shows the flow of the process, and FIG. 32B shows an example of the module configuration.

As described above, in the present invention, the V-RAM
When a part of the screen is changed, only that part is rewritten, but when there are many changes on the screen, the V-RAM is switched after expanding the data to the back V-RAM. This eliminates flickering when changing the display screen. Therefore, in the screen editing process, FIG.
First, it is necessary to determine whether or not the rewriting process is for one screen. The screen is edited and developed according to the setting contents of the frame No., the pop-up No., and the display control data as described above. Therefore, when the frame number or pop-up number is changed, the screen is naturally rewritten and the back V-RAM is used. However, when the all clear key is operated, all the cascades are reset to the default. As a result, each cascade moves, so that the changed contents are increased and the back V-RAM is used. Therefore, it is first determined whether the process uses the back V-RAM or rewrites a part of the front V-RAM (step).

In the case of screen rewriting processing, dialog initialization is performed. In this process, the start address of dialog data is obtained from the frame number and pop-up number, and a dialog read pointer is set (step). Then, a check process is performed for each block from the configuration information group by the number of “Possibility”, and it is checked whether the item is a fixed item or a variable item (step,). In the case of YES (in the case of a fixed item), after performing a screen gray check, a read process is started and output to the back V-RAM to expand the display data (step to). If NO (in the case of a variable item), the configuration information and reference information (Test Var
iable) address in the update table,
When the registration of all variable items is completed, an EOF (end of file) code is set in the update table (step to).

When the above processes (1) to (4) are performed by the number of "Possiblity", the update table is updated to the EOF code by one.
Each block is checked, and the same processing as above is performed (steps). The screen rewriting process is performed as described above. If the determination is NO, the next partial rewriting is performed. In the partial rewriting process, the update data table is checked, the changed dialog data of the variable item is read, the display block data is created, and the table V-RAM is output.

(III-4) Configuration of Display Screen In the user interface of the present invention, the configuration of the key / LED board is simplified by maximizing the use of the CRT display. Among them, in order to make the screen simple and easy to see, and to effectively perform the selection setting, confirmation, and message transmission functions, the division of the screen is devised. The screen includes a selection mode screen for selecting the copy mode, a review screen for checking the setting status of the copy mode, a fully automatic screen for executing the copy in the standard mode, and a multifunctional copy mode. It is composed of an information screen that provides a screen, a jam screen that appropriately displays the position of a jam when it occurs, and the like. In addition, the selection mode screen has many functions and is complicated on one screen, and some of the functions include not only functions that are used in general but also specialized functions. Into three parts. The divided screens can be selected and switched by using the mode selection keys 308 to 310 as appropriate, and a desired function can be selectively set on each screen. Furthermore, the screen is divided into a selection area, a setting state display area of another mode, a message area, and the like, so that information can be accurately transmitted to the user according to the operation state.

According to the present invention, among the various screens, a pop-up screen for developing detailed items is provided for an item for which all information cannot be displayed at a time on the selection mode screen or the information screen, for example. When an option is selected or its key code is input, the original screen is simplified by overwriting the pop-up screen so that the screen configuration is easy to understand. In addition, for an option having a pop-up screen, identification information is added using, for example, an icon (pictogram), thereby displaying to the operator that there is a pop-up screen on the screen. It is also possible to add a recognition algorithm and to easily determine whether or not there is a pop-up screen. Similarly to the pop-up screen, when a jam occurs, the jam screen is overwritten on the screen at that time.

FIG. 33 shows an example of a basic copy screen and its pop-up screen. FIG. 34 shows an example of a pop-up screen with an application copy screen. FIG. 35 shows an example of a professional copy screen and its pop-up screen. Shows an example of an information screen, and FIG. 3 shows an example of a jam screen. As the selection mode screen, three screens of a basic copy, an application copy, and a specialty copy shown in FIGS. 33 to 35 are selected, and are displayed on the CRT display by operating the mode selection keys 308 to 310. Of these screens, the most commonly used functions are classified and grouped into the basic copy screen.The next most frequently used functions are identified and grouped into the application copy screen. The specialized copy screen is a grouping of special specialized functions. Each selection mode screen is divided into a message area A basically composed of two lines from the top, a setting state display area B composed of three lines, and a selection area C composed of nine lines.

In the message area A, a J code message when there is inconsistency in copy execution conditions, a U code message when there is a hardware failure that requires contacting a service person, and a C code message that calls for various precautions to the operator Are displayed. Among them, the J code message has a check table of combination of copy execution conditions according to the setting contents of each cascade, and when the start key 318 is operated, the table is checked by referring to the table and issued when there is a conflict in the copy mode. It is. In the setting state display area B, a selection state of another mode, for example, a selection state of an applied copy and a specialized copy with respect to a basic copy screen is displayed. In this display of the selected state, when the state of the cascade of the selection area C is other than the default (lower stage), this cascade is displayed. In the selection area C, the cascade name is displayed in the upper row, the bottom area of each cascade area is a default area, and the area above it is a non-default area, and individual cascade keys are operated in five cascade areas. You can choose to.

Therefore, when the selection operation is not performed, the default area is selected, and the default state becomes the fully automatic copy mode. The selection area is selected and set by the lower cascade keys 319-1 to 319-5 corresponding to the vertically divided cascade area. The right side of the message area A is used as a count section for displaying a set count and a maid count, and the lower row of the set state display area B is used as a maintenance information section for filling a toner bottle, replenishing toner, and the like. The contents of the cascade area of each selection mode screen will be described below.

(A) Basic Copy Screen The basic copy screen consists of a cascade of “paper tray”, “reduction / enlargement”, “double-sided copy”, “copy density”, and “sorter” as shown in FIG. Become. In the “paper tray”, automatic is the default, and in this case, a tray containing paper of the same size as the document size is automatically selected. By operating the cascade key, one of the manual tray, large capacity tray, upper tray, middle tray, and lower tray can be selected using an area other than the default area. As shown, the size, type, and icon (pictogram) of each sheet are displayed in the column of each tray so that the sheets stored therein can be easily identified. There is a setting for feeding paper in the longitudinal direction and a setting for feeding paper in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

As for “reduction / enlargement”, the same magnification is set as a default, and automatic, fixed / arbitrary can be selected by operating the cascade key. In the automatic mode, the magnification is automatically set according to the selected paper size, and copying is performed. Magnification (line magnification) can be set arbitrarily in 1% increments from 50% to 200%.
When any is selected, the contents to be set
Displayed by the pop-up screen shown in 33 (b), 50.7
%, 70%, 81%, 100%, 121%, 141%, 200% You can select a fixed magnification consisting of 7 steps,
An arbitrary magnification that continuously changes by 1% can be selected and set. This pop-up screen is obtained by developing numerical selection information as detailed items of fixed magnification options and developing numerical input information as detailed items of arbitrary magnification options.

The "double-sided copy" is one-sided by default, and other than the default, two-sided-> one-sided, two-sided-> two-sided, one-sided-> two-sided can be selected in relation to the original document-> copy. For example, double-sided → single-sided is for performing single-sided copying on a double-sided original, and single-sided → double-sided is for performing single-sided copying of a single-sided original. When making double-sided copy, the copy paper whose copy has been made on the first side is first stored in a duplex tray. Next, copy paper is sent out again from the duplex tray, and copying is performed on the back surface.

As the "copy density", automatic is the default, and seven levels of density can be set other than the default, and seven levels of density can also be set in the photograph mode. The setting of this content is performed by a pop-up screen shown in FIG. This pop-up screen develops not only the density level selection information as detailed items of the copy density option but also the presence or absence of a related photo copy. "Sorter" has a default copy receiver, and you can select a collation or stack other than the default. Collating is a mode in which copy sheets are sorted into each bin of the sorter, and stack mode is a mode in which copy sheets are sequentially stacked. As shown in the figure, the option having a pop-up screen is additionally displayed with an intermediately-painted icon as identification information.

(B) Application Copy Screen The application copy screen consists of a cascade of “special original”, “margin”, “color”, “interleaf”, and “discharge surface” as shown in FIG. . The "special manuscript" is a two-cutter function (2-UP) that copies two manuscripts of the same size on one sheet in a cascade other than the default. Copy function (CFF; computer form feeder),
A function (LDC) for copying a large original such as A2 / B3 can be selected, and the latter two functions are developed on the pop-up screens shown in FIGS. 34 (b) and (c).

Since these pop-up screens are also functions closely related to the paper tray, the detailed items of the options are also developed. Thus, not only the functions related to the options but also the related functions are displayed. By expanding the detailed items together, it is possible to select and set related functions on one screen while maintaining consistency with related options, thereby improving operability and reducing inconsistent selection settings and mistakes. The operation efficiency is improved little.

"Binding margin" is for setting a "binding margin" in the range of 1 mm to 16 mm at the right end or the left end of the copy, and setting the right binding, the left binding, and the length of the binding margin other than the default. The detailed items are developed on a pop-up screen shown in FIGS. 34 (d) and (e). This pop-up screen is obtained by adding icons in order to reduce errors in recognizing the detailed items and expanding the numerical value input information by frame display. "Color" is black by default, and you can select red other than the default. "Interleaf"
Is a function that inserts a blank sheet in the middle during OHP copying, and can be selected other than the default. The “discharge surface” can be selected other than the default so as to forcibly specify one of the front surface and the back surface and discharge the paper.

(C) Specialized Copy Screen The specialized copy screen is composed of a cascade of “job memory”, “edit / combine”, “fine adjustment of the same size”, and “border erase” as shown in FIG. "Job memory" is a page program that uses a card, in which a plurality of jobs are registered, called up, and automatically copied by pressing the start key. Registration and calling can be selected other than the default, and detailed items are developed on the pop-up screens shown in FIGS. 35 (b) and (c).

“Editing / combining” can select an editing function and a combining function other than the default. The editing function is a function for inputting data for editing using an editor or the like, and is developed in a pop-up screen shown in FIG. 35D, and further shown in FIGS. 35E to 35J. The details of each function of area designation, marking color, extraction / deletion, partial photograph, and partial color are developed and selectable on the pop-up screen. As for the partial color, only the designated area is copied with one color, and the remaining part is copied with black.
The partial photo copies the photo to the specified area, and the partial deletion does not copy the specified area. As for the marking color, when an area to be marked is specified, as an example, a light color is superimposed and recorded on the area to obtain an effect as if marking was performed.

The synthesizing function is a function for making one copy from two originals using a duplex tray.
Expanded by the pop-up screen shown in 35 (k),
The combining function includes sheet combining and parallel combining. Sheet combining is a function for recording both the original shown in FIG. 1 and the original shown in FIG. 2 on a single sheet of paper so that the original shown in FIG. 1 and the original shown in FIG. 2 can be copied in different colors. It is possible. On the other hand, the parallel composition is a function of creating a composite copy on one sheet of paper in a state where the entire document in FIG. 2 is attached to the entire document in FIG. "1x fine adjustment" is 99% ~ 10
This function is set in 0.15% steps at 1% magnification. This function can be selected from other than the default.
It is developed by the pop-up screen shown in (1).

The “erase” means that the image information in the peripheral portion of the original is not copied, and a “frame” is set around the image information.
The standard of 5 mm is set as the default, and the user can select any size from the pop-up screen shown in FIG.
In the pop-up screen that is expanded on the professional copy screen, as shown in the figure, the selection of functions is specialized and complicated, so icons are added, and detailed items of related functions are also expanded. We make full use of display techniques.

(D) Information Screen The information screen is a screen for providing an explanation screen such as how to make a copy in each copy mode as shown in FIG. 36A, and is displayed by operating the information key 302. By inputting the information code displayed on this screen from the numeric keypad, an explanation screen is displayed as a pop-up screen as shown in FIGS. This pop-up screen is different from the development of the detailed items of the options adopted in the setting mode screen, and a so-called index is used as an option,
The detailed contents are developed by text.

(E) Jam screen As shown in FIGS. 37 (a) and 37 (b), the jam screen is displayed so as to be superimposed on the screen displayed during execution of the copy, and the brightness of the original screen is reduced by one rank. The contents of the jam display are sharpened by dropping them one by one. The feature of this jam screen is that the inside is expressed in black in accordance with the image of the main body, a picture of a door handle is added, and a message of opening the door is added.

(F) Other Configuration Screens FIG. 38 shows an example of a review screen and a fully automatic screen. The review screen displays the status of the Coby mode selected on each of the three divided selection mode screens, and sets the cascade of each selection mode screen as shown in FIG. The status is displayed on one screen.
On this review screen, the selection items, ie, the cascade name and the currently selected mode, ie, the choices, are displayed. If the selected mode is the default, for example, gray-back, and if not, the normal brightness is displayed. The display with the background is adopted. In this way, by distinguishing between the default state and the non-default state, the non-default cascade (option) changed from the fully automatic mode is particularly prominently displayed. In addition, the screen configuration is divided into each copy mode of basic copy, advanced copy, and specialty copy and displayed in three levels. This display position is made to correspond to the position of the mode selection key. , The switching from the review screen to each mode screen is easily understood. This display allows the operator to confirm the setting state of each cascade, thereby improving operability and reducing copy errors.

The fully automatic screen is a screen as shown in FIG. 38 (b).
6 is operated (released) or the all clear key 316
Is displayed when is operated, and all of the cascades of the selection mode screens are selected as defaults. On this screen, a document is set on the platen as instructed, the number of copies is set using the numeric keypad, and the start key 318 is pressed. Then, a sheet of the same size as the document is selected and the set number of copies is executed.

(G) Screen Change The screen change is triggered by the conditions shown in FIG. First, power is turned on and initialization (initial)
Is completed, the basic copy screen is displayed if there is no instruction to shift to the diagnostic mode. This basic copy screen is displayed by further operating the all clear key, the basic copy mode selection key, and the preheat key during the preheat screen.The advanced copy screen, specialized copy screen, and review screen are displayed by pressing the respective mode selection keys. The display is switched by operation. The start key is accepted only on these screens, and the copy operation can be executed. On the specialty copy screen, when an edit or a job program is selected, the screen changes to the input screen, and upon completion of the input, returns to the original specialty copy screen. Further, from these screens, the operation of the information key and the input of the code shift to the information screen, and the operation of the preheating key (power save key) shifts to the preheating screen. And
If a jam has occurred, the jam screen is displayed in an overlapped manner on the selection mode screen at the time of the copy execution. The burn-in prevention screen is shifted by the operation of the timer when there is no key input even if a predetermined time elapses with any of the above screens, and returns to the original screen by key operation.

(H) Display Mode FIG. 40 shows an example of the type of screen layout. The present invention simplifies the information of one screen by dividing the image into a plurality of screens and switching and displaying the information as described above, thereby simplifying the information of one screen. Classified into screen layout. That is, (a) shows the layout of the selection mode screen, and (b)
A layout of a review screen, a fully automatic screen, an edit input screen, a job program screen, etc., and a layout (c) of a preheating screen, a burn-in prevention screen, an information screen, a diagnostic screen, etc.

In the present invention, the display mode is changed according to the display area of these layouts, the input setting state thereof, and the like, thereby forming a screen with an accent that is easy to see and understand. For example, in the layout selection mode screen shown in FIG. 40A, the message area (including the count area), the setting state display area (including the maintenance information area), and the selection area are divided as described above. , The display mode of each area is changed. For example, in the message area including the counting section, the background is black and high-luminance display of only the character string of the message is performed, and the same expression as that of the back lid type console panel is adopted. In the setting state display area, the background is displayed in a mesh pattern, that is, dots are displayed at a certain uniform density, and the display portion of the cascade name is highlighted (the characters are dark and the background is bright).
I have to. That is, this display is a representation of each cascade name in a card image. Further, the lower one line of the setting state display area is used as a maintenance information area such as toner bottle fullness and toner replenishment. Since this information has a different characteristic from the setting state display information, the difference is clearly shown. To enable confirmation, the same display mode as that of the message area is adopted. In the selection area, the surrounding area is displayed in a mesh, and the entire cascade display area is displayed in gray with low brightness, and options and cascade names are highlighted. Further, in addition to this display, the background of the set option area is displayed as a high-brightness display (reversed display). For example, in the basic copy screen, the tray options that have run out of paper due to the cascade of paper trays are displayed with black background. Characters are displayed in high brightness.

The fully automatic screen shown in FIG.
In this screen, the background of the display area is displayed in a dark mesh, the area displaying each operation instruction such as "document setting" is displayed in a bright mesh, and the border is bordered. Clarity is improved to make it easier to see. As described above, it is needless to say that the display modes of the background can be freely changed and combined appropriately. In particular,
Bright background (normal brightness with paper white)
The border of an area such as a gray scale display with reduced display or brightness, a display with a predetermined light and dark dot density, etc., is visually trimmed as shown to give a three-dimensional effect to the image of the card. . As described above, by performing the border display while changing the display mode of the background of each area, the display contents of each area can be clearly distinguished for the operator, and an easy-to-view screen is provided. Also, in the display of characters, reverse display or blink display is performed so that the user can be alerted to a characteristic feature for each display information.

In addition to devising the back in the character string and the change in the luminance of the character as described above, the present invention is to add an icon (pictogram) to the other character strings of options and cascade names. Another feature is that a display mode characterized by an image is adopted. For example, on the basic copy screen, the cascade names “reduced / enlarged”, “double-sided copy”, “copy density”, and “sorter” are added to the head, and the “paper tray” option is used to select the lower, middle, and upper tiers. That is what is added after the paper size. This icon conveys information to the user visually from another aspect, that is, the fact that the accent of the information is diminished only by the character string, that is, an image, and is necessary to be more accurate and intuitive than the character string depending on the content of the information. There is a great merit in that important information can be transmitted to the user.

(III-5) Key / LED Board and Display Display Circuit (A) Key / LED Board As shown in FIG. 26, the user interface is composed of a CRT display and a key / LED board. In particular, since it is configured to display options and set them using the screen of the CRT display, the key / L
We are trying to minimize the number of keys and LEDs on the ED board. That is, as explained earlier,
In order to make effective use of the CRT display, the screen to be displayed on the CRT display is divided, and the area is divided on each screen so that the display contents are organized and an easy-to-view screen is devised. For example, the selection mode screen is
The basic copy, the application copy, and the specialty copy are divided and displayed in three parts. Further, the selection area of each screen is divided into five cascade areas, and the function selection setting is performed in each cascade area.

A function can be selected and set by eight keys of mode selection keys 308 to 310 for screen switching and cascade keys 319-1 to 319-5 for selection of each cascade area. I have. Therefore, when one of the basic copy screen, the advanced copy screen, and the specialty copy screen is selected by operating the mode selection keys 308 to 310, thereafter, except for the operation of the cascade keys 319-1 to 319-5, numerical input by the ten keys 307 is performed. All the functions can be selected and the copy by the desired function can be executed. The cascade keys 319-1 to 319-5 are used to select and set functions by moving the setting cursor up and down in each cascade area.
An upward movement key and a downward movement key are paired.

As described above, since both sides of the selection mode are selected from the three by the mode selection keys 308 to 310 and only one of them is displayed, the screen is selected by any of the mode selection keys 308 to 310. The LEDs 311 to 313 are used to indicate whether the user is present. That is, when the screen of the selection mode is displayed by operating the mode selection keys 308 to 310, the LEDs 311 to 31 corresponding to the mode selection keys 308 to 310 are displayed.
3 lights up. When many functions are provided, it is not easy for the user to learn all the functions and make full use of them. Therefore, the information key 302 is used to provide a screen for explaining how to make a copy in each copy mode. This information function is executed as follows. First, when the information key 302 is operated, a list of information codes is displayed on an information index screen as shown in FIG. When the information code specified on this screen is selected and input using the numeric keypad 307, the screen shifts to an information pop-up screen corresponding to the code, where a copy mode explanation screen is displayed.

As described above, the selection mode screen is
The screen is divided into three screens, and various functions defined on the three screens are selected and set. Therefore, it is also required to be able to confirm the entire setting state including the other screens. Therefore,
The review key 303 is used to confirm such a setting state of the entire screen. The review key 303 is a key for displaying a review screen, and when this key is operated,
A review screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 33 (b), which shows the settings for all the screens of the basic copy, the application copy, and the specialty copy.

The dual language key 304 is a key for switching the language of the display screen. With internationalization, users using various different languages often share devices. Even in such an environment, display data and font memory are prepared in, for example, two languages, Japanese and English, in order to eliminate language obstacles.
By switching the display data and the font memory by the operation of, the display screen can be output by freely switching between Japanese and English. It should be noted that not only two languages but also multiple languages can be easily
The language may be switched in a predetermined order by the operation of 4, or a Japanese dialect may be added.

A preheating key 306 is used to set a preheating mode in order to save power consumption in the non-use state and to enable a quick transition from the non-use state to the copy operation.
By operating the preheating key 306, switching between the preheating mode and the fully automatic mode is performed. Therefore, the LED 305 is used to indicate which of the states is in. The all clear key 316 is used to clear the copier, that is, to set a full automatic mode in which each of the selection mode screens is set to a default, and displays the full automatic screen. This is the content of a screen that informs the operator that the current copy mode is a fully automatic mode, as shown in FIG.

An interrupt key 315 is used when continuous copying is being performed and another emergency copy needs to be made. When the interrupt processing is completed, the process returns to the original copying operation. Is also released. The LED 314 indicates whether the interrupt key 315 is in an interrupted state or a released state.
The stop key 317 is used to stop the copying operation in the middle, to set the number of copies, and to set the sorter bin. The start key 318 is operated when the function selection and its execution conditions are completed and the copy operation is started.

FIG. 41 (a) shows an example of a setting map for keyboard scanning, and FIG. 41 (B) shows an example of a setting map for LED scanning. The keys / LEDs are controlled by the keyboard / display controller 336 as described above.
A scan time of 4.98 msec is created and processed from the clock of kHz. In this scan, as shown in FIG. 41A, eight scans from “0” to “7” are defined as one cycle, and each scan is performed. It consists of 1-byte data from "0" to "7", and generates the physical table described above. Similarly, the on / off control of the LED is controlled by a scan map as shown in FIG.

(B) Display FIG. 42 shows the display timing, FIG. 43 shows an example of V-RAM address correspondence, and FIG. 44 shows the correspondence between the V-RAM address and the CRT display position in FIG. 45 illustrates a read circuit of the character generator, and FIG. 46 illustrates an example of correspondence between dot patterns, data, and scan addresses.
The CRT display 301 has, for example, a 9-inch size, and has a display color of paper white and a non-glare surface treatment. Using a screen of this size, the total number of dots in a display area of 160 mm (H) x 110 mm (V)
If 480 x 240, dot pitch 0.33mm x 0.46mm, and tile (character) dot composition is 8 x 16, the number of tiles will be 60
It becomes × 15. Therefore, if you display kanji and kana at 16 dots x 16 dots and alphanumeric characters and symbols at 8 dots x 16 dots,
Kanji and Kana can display 30x15 characters using two tiles.

In addition, the normal luminance, gray 1,
Designation is made with four gradations of gray 2 and black level, and display such as reverse or blink is also performed. The input signal timing for such a display is as follows, assuming that the dot frequency fd is 10 MHz and 480 × 240.
As shown in FIG. 42, 64 μS is set to 48 μS in the cycle of the horizontal synchronization signal.
During the period of the vertical synchronization signal of 16.90 ms, the video data is processed for 15.36 ms.

The clock generation circuit 353 includes the parallel / direct conversion circuit 3
The counter 354 generates a clock having the frequency of the dot output from the counter 55, and the counter 354 divides the frequency into the reading cycle of the parallel dot data read from the character generator 342. Accordingly, a plurality of bits of dot data are input from the character generator 342 to the parallel / direct conversion circuit 355 in accordance with the output clock of the counter 354, and are sent to the attribute adding circuit 356 as serial data. Attribute addition circuit 356 is CRT
A blanking signal is input from the controller 335, and the video signal is controlled according to the attribute data only during the display period. The one-shot circuit 348 generates an interrupt signal for the U / I CPU 46 with a vertical synchronization blanking signal of the blanking signals output from the CRT controller 335.

The video data written to the V-RAM 340 is composed of 16 bits per tile.
The bits represent the character generator code, and the remaining four bits represent the attributes. Therefore, the V-RAM 340 stores the code of the character generator in the lower 8 bits of the RAM-L in correspondence with the address of the CRT screen.
The upper 4 bits and the 4 bits of the attribute are written in the RAM-H, and these are stored for two screens.

As shown in FIG. 43, the address of the V-RAM 340 is independently managed by the U / I CPU 46 and the CRT controller 335, and the writing of video data to the V-RAM 340 is performed by the U / I
The display on the CRT display 301 is performed by the CRT controller 335. For example, from CRT controller 335 to V
-Looking at the address of RAM 340, it becomes as shown in FIG.
Codes and attributes of the character generator are written at addresses “0”, “1”,... Respectively.

Therefore, the CRT controller 335 reads out the data “D0 → D7” (L side) and “D0 → D4” (H side) of the corresponding addresses in synchronization with the display timing by the circuit shown in FIG. By generating an address “RA” and accessing the character generator, the scan line data “D0 → D7” of each tile is converted into a parallel / direct conversion circuit 355.
Output to For example, the dot pattern of the kanji character "Wealth"
Although it can be represented as shown in FIG. 46, as described above, since the kanji is composed of two tiles, first, the output “D0 →” in which the left half is a tile corresponding to the scan address “A0 → A3” D7 ”, followed by the output“ D0 →
“D7” is the output of the character generator 341.

Note that a 4-bit attribute is also read in accordance with the output of this tile. FIG. 47 shows an example of the configuration of a video signal control circuit according to the attribute data. As shown in the figure, attribute control of video data and attribute data of a reverse signal is logically processed by an EXOR circuit, and when the reverse signal is on (high level), the video data is inverted. If the blink signal is on by processing, the blink signal is turned on / off by a clock, and the signal level may be changed by the gray signal.

As described above with reference to the selection mode screen, the background is changed in order to clearly display the divided area or to clearly display the attention area such as the position of the cascade.
As the method, gray display and reverse display by controlling display attributes are used. Further, for example, as shown in FIG.
Generated by the dot pattern of the tile. That is, the background of the display area of “document set”, “number of copies”, and “start” in FIG. 38B and the background outside the display area are changed by changing the dot density of the tile.

The video signal displayed on the CRT screen as described above is switched between the V-RAM of FIG. 1 and the V-RAM of FIG. 2 by dynamically changing the start address of the CRT controller 335. Is selected and displayed. For this purpose, the U / I CPU 46 is provided with a port for inputting a blanking start signal and a display period signal, and a port for outputting a display permission signal. Then, in the U / I CPU 46, the CR
An interrupt occurs at the falling edge at the start of the blanking period of T, and the CRT display state is recognized by the display period signal. The display permission signal instructs display permission and prohibition on the CRT.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the pop-up screen overwrites some options on the copy mode setting screen, the description of the information screen, and the display of the jam screen. However, the present invention may be applied to the development of other items, May be switched to the original screen instead of overwritten and displayed, or a multi-window type display may be performed. In addition, the pop-up screen is closed when a special key input or transition to a specific mode is performed, but when the pop-up screen is expanded, the operator may be confused by the operation and the next operation may be delayed, If the key input is not performed within a certain time after the pop-up screen is developed, the pop-up screen may be automatically closed.

(III-6) Display of Pop-Up Screen at Interruption The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to screens. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

(A) First Invention In the first embodiment (Claim 1), when the interrupt mode is entered, the display of the pop-up screen is converted into display characters such as icons and messages at the end of the display screen. This is a description of the display device, and the processing procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, a copying operation is performed, and an enlargement / reduction key (FIG. 54) is pressed (S20). Pop-up screen (Fig. 5
5) is displayed (S21). Next, when the interrupt mode is not selected (S22), normal copying is performed in S28. If the interrupt mode has been selected (S22), S2
Then, the pop-up screen is changed to display characters such as icons and messages at the left end (FIG. 56) (S2).
3). The display state returns to the state of the initial screen. Then, an interrupt job is performed (S24). The interrupt job ends (S25). The user selects the characterized pop-up screen (left end in FIG. 56) (S2
6). The pop-up screen is redisplayed (FIG. 5).
5). Return to the first job. Then, the job ends.

(B) Second Invention In the second embodiment (claim 2), when entering the interrupt mode, the display of the pop-up screen is hidden on the back screen of the display screen displaying a plurality of options. The processing procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a copy operation is performed, and an enlargement / reduction key (FIG. 54) is pressed (S30).

A pop-up screen (FIG. 55) is displayed (S31). Next, when the interrupt mode is not selected (S32), normal copying is performed in S38. If the interrupt mode is selected (S32), the process proceeds to S33, where the display of the pop-up screen is hidden on the back screen of the display screen displaying the plurality of options (FIG. 57) (S33). The display state returns to the state of the initial screen. Then, an interrupt job is performed (S34). The interrupt job ends (S3
5). The user selects a pop-up screen hidden on the back screen (FIG. 57) (S36). The redisplay of the pop-up screen is performed (FIG. 55). Return to the first job.
Then, the job ends.

(C) Third Invention A third embodiment (claim 3) describes a display device that automatically registers as a shortcut key when entering an interrupt mode. This will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, a copying operation is performed, and an enlargement / reduction key (FIG. 54) is pressed (S40). Pop-up screen (Fig. 5
5) is displayed (S41). Next, when the interrupt mode is not selected (S42), normal copying is performed in S48. If the interrupt mode has been selected (S42), S4
Proceeding to 3, the display of the pop-up screen is automatically registered as a shortcut key (FIG. 58) (S43). The display state returns to the state of the initial screen. Then, an interrupt job is performed (S44). The interruption job ends (S4
5). The user selects a screen registered in the shortcut key (FIG. 58) (S46). The redisplay of the pop-up screen is performed (FIG. 55). Return to the first job. Then, the job ends.

(D) Fourth Invention In a fourth embodiment (claim 4), when entering the interrupt mode, when entering the interrupt mode, the shortcut key is used to set the shortcut time and copy conditions. This is for describing a display device for displaying, and will be described with reference to FIG. 59. For example, even if the same magnification change function is registered as a shot cut, the shortcut 1 '00 .0
Since 7.27 and shortcut 1 '00 .07.30 are displayed, it is possible to determine from the difference in date. Furthermore, the same date (shortcut 1 '00.
07.30 and shortcut 2 '00 .07.30)
In the case of, the shortcut 3 '00 .07.30 positively displays the copy condition of the magnification change of 222%, so that the copy condition (222%)
Shortcut keys can be specified.
Further, the copy condition may be always displayed.

(E) Fifth Invention According to a fifth embodiment (claim 5), when the interrupt mode is entered, the display of the pop-up screen is converted into display characters such as icons and messages at the end of the display screen. This is a description of a display device that automatically redisplays the display state, and the processing procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. First, a copy operation is performed, and an enlargement / reduction key (FIG. 5)
4) is pressed (S50). A pop-up screen (FIG. 55) is displayed (S51). Next, when the interrupt mode is not selected (S52), normal copying is performed in S58. If the interrupt mode is selected (S52), the process proceeds to S53, where the pop-up screen is displayed on the right end as display characters such as icons and messages (FIG. 56) (S53).
The display state returns to the state of the initial screen. Then, an interrupt job is performed (S54). The interrupt job ends (S55). The pop-up screen is automatically displayed (S5
6). The pop-up screen is redisplayed (FIG. 5).
5). Return to the first job. Then, the job ends.

(D) Sixth Invention According to a sixth embodiment (claim 6), when the recording apparatus enters the interrupt mode, and when there is any input on the pop-up screen, the screen is changed. When there is no display device, the display device is characterized in that the screen is erased, and the processing procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, a copying operation is performed, and an enlargement / reduction key (FIG. 54) is pressed (S60). Pop-up screen (Fig. 5
5) is displayed (S61). If there is an input on the pop-up screen, the process proceeds to S63, and it is determined whether or not the mode is the interrupt mode. If no interrupt mode is selected,
In S69, normal copying is performed. The job ends. If the interrupt mode has been selected, the process proceeds to S64, where the pop-up screen is displayed on the right end as display characters such as icons and messages (FIG. 56) (S64). The display state is
Return to the initial screen. Then, an interrupt job is performed (S65). The interrupt job ends (S6
6). The pop-up screen is automatically redisplayed (FIG. 55) (S67). Return to the first job (S6
8). The job ends.

If there is no input on the pop-up screen, S7
The process proceeds to 0, and it is determined whether or not the mode is the interrupt mode.
If the interrupt mode is not selected, normal copying is performed in S75. The job ends. When the interruption mode is selected, the process proceeds to S71, for example, the pop-up screen is deleted (S71). The display state returns to the state of the initial screen. Then, an interrupt job is performed (S72). The interrupt job ends (S73). The process returns to the first job (S74). The job ends. Furthermore, when any input is made on the pop-up screen, the shortcut key can display the shortcut time, copy conditions, and the like.

[0181]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the pop-up screen is displayed, the recording operation during the continuous recording is stopped and the interruption mode for executing another recording operation is set. The pop-up screen display is automatically deleted on the condition that it has been entered, so if different operators record due to the interrupt mode, the pop-up screen display that has been expanded will not be deleted, but it will be iconified and the back screen will be displayed. In this case, even if a complicated input is performed on the pop-up screen, a quick operation can be performed without re-input, and the operability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a display device for a user interface according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a CPU.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a transfer data configuration and transmission timing of serial communication.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a mutual communication interval in one communication cycle.

FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram of a processor.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a scanning exposure apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a lens driving system.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control system configuration of an optical system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the optical system.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a marking system.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining panel division on a photosensitive material belt.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an outline of functions of a marking system.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a timing chart of a marking system control sequence.

FIG. 16 is a side view for explaining a sheet transport system.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a paper tray.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a duplex tray.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the automatic document feeder.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of sensors.

FIG. 21 is a view for explaining the operation of automatic document feeding.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing a configuration of a sorter.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a drive system of a sorter.

FIG. 24 is a view for explaining the operation of the sorter.

FIG. 25 is a view showing an attached state of a user interface using a display.

FIG. 26 is a view showing the appearance of a user interface using a display.

FIG. 27 shows a main unit connected to a U / I CPU by serial communication.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship with a CPU.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a user interface.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a software configuration of a user interface.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a table prepared in the job controller.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a configuration example of screen data.

FIG. 32 is a view for explaining screen editing processing.

FIG. 33 is a view showing an example of a basic copy screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 34 is a view showing an example of an application copy screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 35 is a view showing an example of a professional copy screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of an information screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 37 is a view showing an example of a jam screen.

FIG. 38 is a view showing an example of a review screen and a fully automatic screen.

FIG. 39 is a view for explaining screen switching control.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of the type of screen layout.

FIG. 41A shows an example of a keyboard scan setting map.

FIG. 41B is a diagram showing an example of a setting map for LED scanning.

FIG. 42 is a view showing display timing.

FIG. 43 is a diagram showing an example of address correspondence of a V-RAM;

FIG. 44 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the address of the V-RAM in FIG. 1 and the CRT display position.

FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating a reading circuit of the character generator.

FIG. 46 is a view showing an example of correspondence between dot patterns, data, and scan addresses.

FIG. 47 is a view showing a configuration example of a video signal control circuit according to attribute data.

FIG. 48 is a view showing an example of a conventional user interface using a console panel.

FIG. 49 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 1;

FIG. 50 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 2;

FIG. 51 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 3;

FIG. 52 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 4;

FIG. 53 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 5;

FIG. 54 is an initial screen of a display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 55 is a pop-up screen of the display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 56 is an iconized screen of the display unit of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 1).

FIG. 57 shows a back screen of the pop-up screen of the display unit of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 2).

FIG. 58 shows a shortcut screen of the pop-up screen of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 3).

FIG. 59 shows a shortcut screen of the pop-up screen of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 4).

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 user interface 2 display 3 screen 4 key input means 5 choice 6 pop-up screen

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission Date] October 2, 2000 (2000.10.
2)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Brief description of drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a display device for a user interface according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a CPU.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a transfer data configuration and transmission timing of serial communication.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a mutual communication interval in one communication cycle.

FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram of a processor.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a scanning exposure apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a lens driving system.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control system configuration of an optical system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the optical system.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a marking system.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining panel division on a photosensitive material belt.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an outline of functions of a marking system.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a timing chart of a marking system control sequence.

FIG. 16 is a side view for explaining a sheet transport system.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a paper tray.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a duplex tray.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the automatic document feeder.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of sensors.

FIG. 21 is a view for explaining the operation of automatic document feeding.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing a configuration of a sorter.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a drive system of a sorter.

FIG. 24 is a view for explaining the operation of the sorter.

FIG. 25 is a view showing an attached state of a user interface using a display.

FIG. 26 is a view showing the appearance of a user interface using a display.

FIG. 27 shows a main unit connected to a U / I CPU by serial communication.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship with a CPU.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a user interface.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a software configuration of a user interface.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a table prepared in the job controller.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a configuration example of screen data.

FIG. 32 is a view for explaining screen editing processing.

FIG. 33 is a view showing an example of a basic copy screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 34 is a view showing an example of an application copy screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 35 is a view showing an example of a professional copy screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of an information screen and its pop-up screen.

FIG. 37 is a view showing an example of a jam screen.

FIG. 38 is a view showing an example of a review screen and a fully automatic screen.

FIG. 39 is a view for explaining screen switching control.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of the type of screen layout.

FIG. 41A shows an example of a keyboard scan setting map. (B) The figure which shows the example of the setting map of LED scan.

FIG. 42 is a view showing display timing.

FIG. 43 is a diagram showing an example of address correspondence of a V-RAM;

FIG. 44 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the address of the V-RAM in FIG. 1 and the CRT display position.

FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating a reading circuit of the character generator.

FIG. 46 is a view showing an example of correspondence between dot patterns, data, and scan addresses.

FIG. 47 is a view showing a configuration example of a video signal control circuit according to attribute data.

FIG. 48 is a view showing an example of a conventional user interface using a console panel.

FIG. 49 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 1;

FIG. 50 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 2;

FIG. 51 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 3;

FIG. 52 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 4;

FIG. 53 is a flowchart of the invention of FIG. 5;

FIG. 54 is an initial screen of a display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 55 is a pop-up screen of the display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 56 is an iconized screen of the display unit of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 1).

FIG. 57 shows a back screen of the pop-up screen of the display unit of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 2).

FIG. 58 shows a shortcut screen of the pop-up screen of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 3).

FIG. 59 shows a shortcut screen of the pop-up screen of the present invention (the invention of FIG. 4).

[Description of Signs] 1 User Interface 2 Display 3 Screen 4 Key Input Means 5 Options 6 Pop-up Screen

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AP04 AQ06 CQ04 CQ05 CQ12 CQ24 CQ29 CQ34 2H027 EE02 EE10 FA09 FA35 FA37 FC03 GA15 GA23 GA45 GA47 GA52 GA53 GA54 GA56 GB14 GB18 5E501 AA15 BA03 BA05 CA03 CA05 CB02 EB11 EB11 FA04 FA05 FA08 FA10 FA25 FA42 FA46 FA47 FA48 FB25 FB28 FB34

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus having an interrupt mode for stopping a recording operation during continuous recording and executing another recording operation, the display apparatus having a display screen for displaying a plurality of options,
By selecting at least one of the plurality of options, a pop-up screen is displayed that expands detailed items of the selected option in an area including an area in which at least a part of the plurality of options is displayed. A display device for a user interface having display control means for displaying a pop-up screen that expands the details of the options, and displaying the pop-up screen when the recording device enters an interrupt mode. A display device for a user interface, wherein a display character of each part such as an icon and a message is converted into a display character. 2. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording apparatus has an interrupt mode for interrupting the recording operation during continuous recording and executing another recording operation, and has a display screen for displaying a plurality of options.
By selecting at least one of the plurality of options, a pop-up screen is displayed that expands detailed items of the selected option in an area including an area in which at least a part of the plurality of options is displayed. A display device for a user interface having a display control means for displaying a pop-up screen for expanding a detailed item of the option, and displaying the pop-up screen when the recording device enters an interrupt mode. A display device for a user interface, wherein the display device is hidden on a back screen of a display screen for displaying a screen. 3. A recording apparatus having an interruption mode for stopping a recording operation during a continuous recording and executing another recording operation, retains an input state of a screen of the recording apparatus, and inputs the input state according to a user's instruction. It has a shortcut key that can be started from a state and a display screen that displays a plurality of options, and at least one of the plurality of options is displayed by selecting at least one of the plurality of options. A display device for a user interface having a display control means for displaying a pop-up screen for expanding a detailed item of the selected option in an area including a region where the selected option is displayed. Also, when the recording device enters the interrupt mode, it is automatically registered as a shortcut key. Display device for user interface. 4. The display device for a user interface according to claim 3, wherein a shortcut time, a copy condition, and the like are displayed on a shortcut key. 5. Displaying a pop-up screen for expanding the detailed items of the options, and displaying the pop-up screen at the end of the display screen with icons, messages, etc., when the recording apparatus enters an interrupt mode. Display characterization,
3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for redisplaying the pop-up screen when the recording apparatus has completed the job in the interrupt mode after hiding it on the back screen of the display screen. Display device for user interface. 6. A pop-up screen for expanding a detailed item of the option, and when the recording device enters an interrupt mode and there is any input on the pop-up screen, the pop-up screen is changed. If there is no input on the pop-up screen,
No. 1 characterized by deleting the pop-up screen
6. The display device for a user interface according to any one of items 5 to 5.