This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-184518 filed on Sep. 26, 2017 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-184519 filed on Sep. 26, 2017.
The present invention relates to a sound emitting device, an image forming apparatus and an electronic apparatus.
Speakers may be mounted in electronic apparatuses such as image forming apparatuses in order to provide various notifications or information to users.
Units for performing various notifications to users are provided in the electronic apparatuses such as the image forming apparatuses.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a sound emitting device comprising: a speaker that is provided at a back surface of a user interface device; a support body that supports the user interface device; a horn portion that is provided in the support body; and a space portion that is a space formed inside the support body and extending from a sound emission region of the speaker to the horn portion.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:
100: image forming apparatus, 110: user interface device, 111: support body, 112: horn portion, 113: touch screen, 114: upper surface, 121: speaker portion, 122: sound passage space, 123: reflective member, 124: member, 125: member, 1251: first movable member, 1252: second movable member, 10: image forming apparatus, 11: body, 12: stand, 20: user interface device, 21: touch screen, 22: support portion, 23: display device, 231: light source, 232: support body, 233: posture changing body, 234: optical system, 235: adjustment mechanism, 236: shutter, 237: liquid crystal lens, 238: controller
The user interface device 110 is shaped like a plate with a predetermined thickness. The user interface device 110 is provided with a touch screen 113 on its front surface side. The user interface device 110 is supported on a body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 by a columnar support body 111. A horn portion 112 having an opening portion facing the front is provided in the support body 111. Inside the user interface device 110, a not-shown speaker is disposed in a state in which a sound emission surface of the speaker faces the back. Sound emitted from the speaker is passed through an inside space of the support body 111 and then radiated from the horn portion 112 toward the front surface side of the image forming apparatus 100. The horn portion 112 is disposed at a position unable to be hidden by the user interface device 110 when seen from the user on the front surface side. Specifically, the horn portion 112 is disposed at a position under the user interface device 110 but above an upper surface 114 that is a housing surface of an uppermost portion of the image forming apparatus 100. An example of a sound emitting device according to the invention is constituted by the user interface device 110, the support body 111 and the speaker. A sound emission controller that controls sound emission of the sound emitting device is materialized by the controller provided internally in the image forming apparatus 100.
The support body 111 is provided with a reflective member 123 in the sound passage space portion 122 so that the reflective member 123 can reflect the sound emitted from the speaker 121 in a direction where the horn portion 112 is located.
The support body 111 has a structure in which the sound passage space portion 122 inside the support body 111 is not exposed to the outside space of the support body 111 even when the posture or position of the user interface device 110 changes. Specifically, the support body 111 is provided with members 124 and 125 by which any gap that may be generated among plural members forming the sound passage space portion 122 when the posture or position of the user interface device 110 changes can be closed with respect to the outside space of the support body 111. Of them, the member 125 is disposed on the front surface side, and the member 124 is disposed on the back surface side. The member 125 serves as a movable member that moves following the change of the posture or position of the user interface device 110 so that the gap that may be generated among the plural members forming the sound passage space portion 122 when the posture or position of the user interface device 110 changes can be closed with respect to the outside space of the support body 111 by the movable member.
Further, the first movable member 1251 and the second movable member 1252 are at least partially shaped like an arc when viewed from a vertical direction. Thus, when the user interface device 110 is turned (rotated) leftward/rightward, the first movable member 1251 and the second movable member 1252 can be prevented from interfering with any other member to thereby impede the rotation of the user interface device 110. The arc portion slides inside the support body 111 in a horizontal direction in accordance with the leftward/rightward rotation of the user interface device 110. On this occasion, the arc portion follows the change of the posture or position of the user interface device 110 so as to prevent the sound passage space portion 122 inside the support body 111 from communicating with the outside space.
According to the aforementioned first exemplary embodiment, the inside space of the support body 111 is utilized as the sound passage space portion 122 and a portion of the horn portion 112. When the horn portion 112 is made to carry directivity in this manner, sound is not transmitted to an unspecified large number of people but the sound whose sound pressure has been enhanced can be delivered to the user on the front surface side of the image forming apparatus 100 even if the sound is small.
The exemplary embodiment of the invention is not limited to the aforementioned first exemplary embodiment. For example, the exemplary embodiment of the invention may be any of the following modes. In addition, these modes may be combined with one another by using these modes together or replacing these modes partially if necessary.
(1) The horn portion may be formed not into a so-called cone shape but into any shape if the shape is widened from the back surface side toward the front surface side. The horn portion may be formed into a shape which is widened stepwise toward the front surface, as illustrated in
(2) The electronic apparatus according to the invention is not limited to the electrophotographic printer. Any apparatus may be used as the electronic apparatus according to the invention as long as the apparatus is provided with a speaker a user interface device, a support body and a sound emission controller. For example, any of a scanner, a facsimile apparatus, a washing machine, a television receiver etc. may correspond to the electronic apparatus according to the invention.
A second exemplary embodiment and a third exemplary embodiment will be described below in modes in each of which the image forming apparatus provided with the sound emitting device according to the invention is further provided with a display device byway of example. Description about the sound emitting device will be omitted in the second exemplary embodiment and the third exemplary embodiment.
The user interface device 20 is supported on a stand 12 by a columnar support portion 22. The stand 12 is provided on a body 11 of the image forming apparatus 10. The user interface device 20 is provided with a touch screen 21 (second display device) on the front surface side, and provided with a display device 23 on the back surface side. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the posture of the posture changing body 233 is changed by the user, a projection direction of the image is adjusted. In addition, when a circular dial of the adjustment mechanism 235 is rotated by the user, an opening range of a shutter 236 provided inside the dial is changed to a range of, for example, ϕ5 to ϕ16 (mm) in accordance with the rotation (
As illustrated in
A predetermined color image formed by the light emitted from the light source 231 is projected onto an object 30 such as a ceiling. The color of the image on this occasion which, for example, means an error is projected onto any object such as a wall or a ceiling through the optical system including a notification lens etc. Even when the user seeing the color of the image is at a distant place, the user can know that an error has occurred in the image forming apparatus 10.
Incidentally, the light source 231 can be also lit, for example, in a blinking state or at a certain time interval by control of the controller 238 or may notify the user of the state of the image forming apparatus 10 by such a lighting pattern. In addition, different color light sources may be provided so that notification varying from one color to another can be performed by light emitted from one of the light sources.
According to the second exemplary embodiment, the light source or the liquid crystal lens can be driven by only the electric signal. Accordingly, no mechanism for controlling rotation, movement etc. of the light source 231 has to be provided in the display device 23. In addition, even without provision of any complicated large-scale mechanism structure, the projection direction or the projection range of the image can be changed.
The third exemplary embodiment is the same in configuration as the second exemplary embodiment except the structure of a display device 23. As illustrated in
As to, of the plural liquid crystal lenses 237a to 237e, one liquid crystal lens not projecting an image, a controller 238 can make control to extremely increase a refractive index of an entire liquid crystal region of the liquid crystal lens to thereby prevent the liquid crystal lens from projecting the image. In an example of
Incidentally, the light source 231 can be also lit, for example, in a blinking state or at a certain time interval by control of the controller 238 or may notify the user of the state of the image forming apparatus 10 by such a lighting pattern. In addition, different color light sources may be provided so that notification varying from one color to another can be performed by light emitted by one of the light sources. In addition, different color optical filters may be provided for the liquid crystal lenses respectively so that an image can be projected through one of the liquid crystal lenses to thereby perform notification varying from one color to another.
According to the third exemplary embodiment, the light source or each of the liquid crystal lenses can be driven by only the electric signal. No mechanism for controlling rotation, movement, etc. of the light source 231 has to be provided in the display device 23. In addition, a projection direction of an image can be changed by only the electric signal. Incidentally, the second exemplary embodiment and the third exemplary embodiment may be combined. That is, the light source 231 and the plural liquid crystal lenses 237a to 237e according to the third exemplary embodiment may be mounted into the posture changing body 233 according to the second exemplary embodiment. With this configuration, a change of the posture of the posture changing body 233 and blockage of light in the liquid crystal lenses 237a to 237e may be used together to change the projection direction of the image.
The exemplary embodiments of the invention are not limited to the aforementioned exemplary embodiments. For example, the exemplary embodiments of the invention may be the following modes. In addition, these modes may be combined with one another by using these modes together or replacing these modes partially if necessary.
The second exemplary embodiment and the third exemplary embodiment are examples in each of which a monochromatic image is projected. However, for example, any of images of characters, signs, figures etc. may be projected. For example, a character board in which a hole indicating a character etc. is formed may be disposed between the light source and each liquid crystal lens, and light emitted from the light source may be passed through only the hole of the character etc. so that an image meaning the character etc. can be projected. In addition, a liquid crystal panel may be disposed between the light source and the liquid crystal lens in advance, and the controller 238 may control the liquid crystal panel to generate a light-transmitted state and a light-blocked state in each of liquid crystal cells. In this case, the character etc. can be represented by light transmitted through the liquid crystal cells in the light-transmitted state. Thus, the user is notified, for example, of information such as the number of copies to be printed, that changes each time.
The controller 238 may operate together with a sensor detecting an environment surrounding the image forming apparatus 10 to thereby adjust luminance (projection luminance of an image) of light emitted from the light source or a projection direction of the image. For example, assume that the controller 238 operates together with a human sensor such as a pyroelectric sensor. When the user approaches the image forming apparatus 10 in this case, the controller 238 detecting the approach of the user through the human sensor can reduce the projection luminance of the image or project the image toward a range where the user can see easily.
Further, in the third exemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 may be provided with a blockage portion that blocks, of the plural optical systems projecting an image in different directions respectively, at least one optical system in accordance with the environment surrounding the image forming apparatus 10. For example, assume that the controller 238 operates together with a human sensor such as a pyroelectric sensor. When the user is in front of the image forming apparatus 10 in this case, only the optical system that can project the image onto a range where the user can easily see from the front position can be driven while the other optical systems projecting the image onto other ranges are blocked (optical paths to be connected to the image in the optical systems are blocked). Thus, only the necessary image can be projected. The blockage portion may be implemented by extremely increasing each of refractive indices of entire liquid crystal regions of the liquid crystal lenses not projecting the image to thereby set the liquid crystal lenses at a blocked state in which the liquid crystal lenses cannot project the image, as described in the third exemplary embodiment. Alternatively, the blockage portion may be configured to include a member movable between a position where the member blocks an optical path and a position where the member does not block the optical path in each of the optical systems.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2017-184518 | Sep 2017 | JP | national |
2017-184519 | Sep 2017 | JP | national |