JP3605636B2 - Layout structure of personal computer peripheral device, housing for accommodating personal computer and storage medium reading device, and photo processing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a layout structure of a personal computer peripheral device, a housing for accommodating a personal computer and a storage medium reading device, and a photographic process including an exposure unit for exposing a photosensitive material based on digital image data stored in the storage medium. Equipment related.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With the recent development of digital technology and accompanying digital devices, the tide of digitization is also rushing in the photographic processing apparatus industry. As an example, instead of the conventional analog exposure method of exposing a photographic film original to a photosensitive material through an optical lens system, the photographic film original is read and digitized by a scanner, and based on this digital image data A digital exposure method of exposing a photosensitive material via an exposure head based on print data to be created has been adopted.
[0003]
In recent years, as personal computers have become cheaper and faster, there have been provided devices in which personal computers are used to perform control related to photographic processing and the like, and not only images of photographic film read by a scanner but also digital cameras. Images stored on storage media such as flash memory cards, PC cards, FDs (floppy disks), MOs (magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (photo CDs, etc.), DVDs, etc. Combined with easy handling of data, it is rapidly spreading.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the personal computer (including the display and the like) used in the above-mentioned conventional personal computer-controlled photo processing device is already manufactured, a desk and a rack for the personal computer are separately provided, and the personal computer main body and the photo processing device are used. A configuration in which communication is performed by electrically connecting the main body with a cable has to be adopted.
[0005]
In this case, in the case of a tower-type personal computer, it is common that the display is placed on a desk and the personal computer is placed on the floor, but a lab that provides print services in response to an order from a customer ( In a DPE shop), the operator has to lean over a large number of storage media provided by each customer one by one and replace it with a personal computer on the floor, resulting in a problem that the workability is very poor.
[0006]
On the other hand, in the case of a stand-alone personal computer, it is common to place the personal computer horizontally on a desk and mount a display on it. Although it is improved, the position of the display is increased, and the line of sight must be increased accordingly, causing a problem that the operator's physical fatigue increases.
[0007]
Needless to say, these problems can occur not only in the photographic processing apparatus but also in various personal computer operators who need to handle a large number of storage media.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can solve both the workability problem associated with frequent replacement of storage media and the visibility problem due to a change in the height position of the display. It is an object to provide a layout structure of a personal computer peripheral device, a housing for accommodating a personal computer and a storage medium reading device, and a photo processing device.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a personal computer according to the present invention is a personal computer having at least two or more storage medium reading devices externally attached to a personal computer main body. The thin housing is provided separately from the personal computer main body, and the at least two or more storage medium reading devices are provided side by side and side by side in an upper front area of the thin housing; A space for accommodating a keyboard is provided in a lower region of the front surface of the electronic device.
[0011]
According to the above configuration, as in the past, as compared with the case of placing the display on the upper surface of the PC, it is possible to clearly reduce the height position of the display. In addition, the operator can easily operate the storage medium reading device (change the storage medium) by arranging at least two or more storage medium reading devices facing the operator.
[0013]
In addition, when the keyboard is used, it can be pulled out from the space , and when the keyboard has been used, it can be stored in the space again. In this case, the storage medium reading device is arranged directly above the keyboard on the opposite side of the operator, and the operator can operate the keyboard and the storage medium reading device with minimal movement of the hand and eyes. When it is accommodated, a space in front is vacant, and another work can be performed using this space. Since this space is formed at a height sufficient to accommodate the keyboard, there is no concern that the position of the display is raised.
[0014]
Further, in the personal computer according to the invention, before Symbol storage medium reading device, FD, MO, reads one of the storage medium of the memory card, and more preferably a device for 3.5-inch bay.
[0015]
The storage medium reading device is classified into a device for reading a storage medium such as an FD, an MO, and a memory card (a 3.5-inch drive) and a device for reading a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD (a 5-inch drive). The latter is larger in both width and height than the former. Therefore, the minimum height position of the display can be obtained by using a 3.5-inch drive as the storage medium reading device for mounting the display.
[0016]
An application of the these configurations to photographic processing apparatus, the upper surface of the photograph processing apparatus main body, to form a flat surface, on the flat surface, placing the thin casing, on this, place the display This is a photographic processing device. In this case, by housing the pre Symbol PC to photographic processing apparatus body, or the wiring relationship is not exposed, or it is possible to hide the back of the photographic processing apparatus main body, and excellent aesthetic.
[0020]
Then, in these photographic processing apparatus, the upper surface of the pre-Symbol photographic processing apparatus main body is composed of the flat upper surface of the housing of the printer unit, a keyboard at the front region of the upper surface of the housing, input peripherals such as a mouse It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the thin housing is arranged leaving a space for arranging the thin housing .
[0021]
In this case, the operator operates the keyboard, mouse, and the like on the near side while editing the contents on the display screen, and performs image editing, input of correction conditions and exposure conditions, and the like. Further, a drive name is assigned to each storage medium reading device, and an operator can appropriately change the drive using a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, and execute a desired storage medium process.
[0022]
Further, in the photographic processing apparatus according to the present invention, prior Symbol storage medium reading device, reads FD, MO, one of the storage medium of the memory card, a device for 3.5-inch bay, moreover, the thin housing A storage medium reader for a 5-inch bay that reads a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD may be arranged on the side of the body .
[0023]
The intent of this arrangement is that the low volume (thin thickness) storage media reader (3.5 inch drive) is placed under the display because it contributes to lowering the height of the display, Bulk (thick) storage media readers (5 inch drives) are intended to be placed beside it. Since the bulky storage medium reading device is irrelevant to the height position of the display, when at least two or more devices are provided, it is preferable to arrange them vertically so as to effectively utilize the upper surface space of the main body of the photo processing device.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the photographic processing apparatus according to the present embodiment functionally includes a printer unit (exposure processing unit) on the upstream side with a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction) of the main body of the photographic processing apparatus as a boundary. A) and a processor section (development processing section) B on the downstream side.
[0025]
The printer unit A includes a magazine 2 that rotatably accommodates a roll of a long photosensitive material P and a photosensitive material P drawn out of the magazine 2 by a cutter 3 for a predetermined length. And a transport unit 4 for transporting the photosensitive material P received from the transport unit 4 in the sub-scanning direction while scanning and exposing the photosensitive material P from the transport unit 4. A control unit 10 for performing drive control.
[0026]
The exposure unit 5 includes an exposure head 6 that irradiates a laser beam having a wavelength corresponding to each of R, G, and B in the main scanning direction via a polygon mirror, and an exposure point 7 between the exposure head 6 and the exposure head 7. A total of two pairs of sub-scanning rollers arranged on the side and the downstream side, and a pair of feeding rollers for receiving the photosensitive material P from the transport unit 4 and delivering it to the pair of upstream sub-scanning rollers 8 9 is provided. The two pairs of sub-scanning rollers 8 and 8 and the feeding roller pair 9 both release the nipping posture by relatively moving slightly in the up-down direction and the nipping posture in which the photosensitive material is nipped. It is configured to be switchable between the release posture.
[0027]
The control unit 10 includes a CPU that is a main body of control and calculation, a ROM that stores various programs, a RAM that is used for reading and writing data, and various ports (mouse port, keyboard port, USB port) for connection with various peripheral devices. It comprises a personal computer having a port, a SCSI port, an IDE port, a serial port, a parallel port, and the like.
[0028]
The control unit 10 is connected to FD (floppy disk) drives 11,... And CD-ROM drives 12, 12, and reads digital image data stored in a storage medium such as FD or CD-ROM. Print data is created based on the digital image data, and the intensity of each wavelength light included in the beam of the exposure head 6 is controlled based on the print data. As a result, the exposure unit 5 can digitally expose the photosensitive material P based on the image information stored in the storage medium.
[0029]
In the case of the present embodiment, four FD drives 11 arranged horizontally are arranged side by side on the flat upper surface of the housing 1 of the printer unit A. More specifically, a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped work table 13 (the upper surface of the work table 13 and the upper surface of the housing 1 are continuous from the upper surface of the housing 1 and 1 is provided on the front side of the work table 13 (upper surface of the housing 1), and a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped first housing (thin housing) 14 Are arranged side by side on the front of the first housing 14, and four FD-shaped first storage sections (3.5-inch bays) 15 are provided side by side. It is a configuration equipped with.
[0030]
The width of the first housing 14 (the width in the longitudinal direction of the main body of the photo processing apparatus) is formed smaller than the width of the printer unit A (substantially the same as the width of the work table 13), and the right end thereof is a printer. The right side of the unit A is disposed substantially in contact with the right side of the processor unit B, which is taller than the printer unit A. A display 16 is provided to allow the operator to visually check various information related to the information.
[0031]
Are formed in the upper region of the front surface of the first housing 14, and a flat space 17 is formed in the lower region. The space portion 17 is connected to the work table 13 and normally includes a keyboard (not shown) and a pointing device (not shown) such as a mouse used on the work table 13 for use. 17 can be accommodated.
[0032]
Further, the first housing 14 is made narrower than the upper surface of the housing 1 of the printer unit A and is moved to the right side, so that the first housing 14 is adjacent to the left of the first housing 14 (the left area of the upper surface of the housing 1) 2), an empty space is formed. In the case of the present embodiment, two horizontally arranged CD-ROM drives 12 are vertically arranged in this empty space. More specifically, on the far side of the work table 13 (on the housing 1) and to the left of the first housing 14, it is bulkier and narrower than the first housing 14. A second housing 18 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is arranged, and two horizontally long second housing portions (5 inch bays) 19,... The configuration is such that the CD-ROM drive 12 is provided in the storage section 19.
[0033]
The processor unit B includes a developing unit 20 for developing the exposed photosensitive material P, a drying unit 23 for drying the developed photosensitive material P, and a sorting unit for sorting the dried photosensitive material P for each order. And a unit 25.
[0034]
The developing unit 20 is for developing, bleaching, fixing, and stabilizing the exposed photosensitive material. The inside of the developing unit 20 is a dark room in order to prevent exposure by stray light from the outside. Further, in the developing unit 20, processing tanks 21, such as a developing processing tank, a bleach-fixing processing tank, and a stabilizing processing tank, are arranged in order according to the conveying direction of the photosensitive material P. In order to sequentially transport the photosensitive material P at a predetermined speed, a transport unit 22 including a transport roller and a transport belt is provided.
[0035]
The drying unit 23 is for drying the developed photosensitive material P, and has a blower for blowing hot air against the conveyed photosensitive material. The upper part of the drying unit 23 projects upward from the apparatus, and the dried photosensitive material P is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 24 at the upper part of the apparatus.
[0036]
The sorting unit 25 includes a first belt conveyor 26 that conveys the photosensitive material P discharged to the outside through the discharge port 24 in the X direction, and a downstream end of the first belt conveyor 26 having an upstream end. A second belt conveyor 27 for transporting the photosensitive material P in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, and a plate facing the downstream end of the first belt conveyor 26 with the second belt conveyor 27 interposed therebetween. 28.
[0037]
According to the sorting unit 25, the photosensitive material P sequentially discharged through the discharge port 24 falls on the first belt conveyor 26, is conveyed in the X direction, and is further downstream of the first belt conveyor 26. The photosensitive material P that has protruded from the end comes into contact with the abutment plate 28 and falls into a limited fixed area of the second belt conveyor 27. At this time, the traveling of the second belt conveyor 27 is stopped, and photosensitive materials P,... Of the same order are sequentially stacked thereon. After a certain period of time has passed after a sensor (not shown) has detected the passage of the last photosensitive material P of one order, the second belt conveyor 27 runs and is stacked on the second belt conveyor 27. The photosensitive materials P move in the Y direction by a predetermined distance. Therefore, the photosensitive materials P,... Which have been subjected to the photographic processing in the apparatus are arranged in a line on the second belt conveyor 27 and sorted for each order.
[0038]
The photo processing apparatus according to the present embodiment has the above configuration. In this photo processing apparatus, the operator sets a storage medium received from a customer in each FD drive 11 and each CD-ROM drive 12, and changes the drive. By appropriately executing the processing, a large number of storage media can be processed in parallel to some extent.
[0039]
The conventional personal computer-controlled photo processing device employs an off-the-shelf personal computer body having only one FD drive and one CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive), and therefore can process a storage medium according to one order. During this time, the storage medium of another order cannot be processed, and as a result, the operator who has a large number of orders has a considerable work load. The device can solve this problem.
[0040]
In addition, an arbitrary combination is selected from a 3.5-inch drive as a horizontally arranged storage medium reading device, and an arbitrary combination is selected from a 5-inch drive as a vertically arranged storage medium reading device on the side thereof. By doing so, it is possible to effectively utilize the space and smoothly cope with a plurality of types of storage media received from each customer.
[0041]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0042]
In the above-described embodiment, four FD drives are employed as the 3.5-inch drive, and two CD-ROM drives are employed as the 5-inch drive. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Various drives (storage medium reading devices) can be arbitrarily selected. The number of drives arranged side by side may be at least two or more.
[0043]
In the above embodiment, the 5-inch drive is arranged on the left side of the 3.5-inch drive. However, the opposite, that is, the first housing 14 for housing the 3.5-inch drive is arranged on the left side, and the 5-inch drive is arranged on the left. The second housing 18 for housing the drive may be arranged on the right side.
[0044]
Further, a 5-inch drive is not completely excluded as a horizontally-arranged drive. Even in this case, the height position of the display can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, which is effective. However, the 3.5-inch drive is more preferable in that the height position of the display can be further lowered. Further, it is not essential to arrange a drive (two 5-inch drives in the above embodiment) beside the drives arranged side by side, and even if it is arranged, only one drive is arranged. Alternatively, there may be a plurality of units arranged vertically or horizontally, and these may be 3.5-inch drives.
[0045]
Further, the storage medium reading device is a concept including a device having not only a reading function but also a data writing function.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the storage medium reading devices are arranged side by side and side by side on the desk, and the display is arranged above the storage medium reading device. The workability can be improved, and the height position of the display can be lowered, so that physical fatigue given to the operator can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a photographic processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view including a partial cross section of the photographic processing apparatus of the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Control part, 11 ... FD drive, 12 ... CD-ROM drive, 13 ... Work table, 14 ... First housing, 15 ... First housing part, 16 ... Display, 17 ... Space part, 18 ... Second housing, 19: second housing section, A: printer section, B: processor section

Claims (7)

A personal computer provided with at least two or more storage medium reading devices externally attached to a personal computer main body, wherein a thin housing for mounting a display is provided separately from the personal computer main body, and a front surface of the thin housing is provided. The at least two storage medium reading devices are provided side by side and side by side in an upper area , and a space for accommodating a keyboard is provided in a lower area on a front surface of the thin housing. And a personal computer. The personal computer according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium reading device is a device for a 3.5-inch bay that reads a storage medium of one of an FD, an MO, and a memory card. A housing for accommodating at least two or more storage medium reading devices externally attached to a personal computer main body , wherein the at least two or more storage medium reading devices are arranged side by side and side by side in an upper front area. And a space for accommodating a keyboard is provided in a lower area on the front side, and a display is mounted on the upper surface . 3. A photographic processing apparatus comprising: the personal computer according to claim 1; and an exposure unit configured to expose a photosensitive material based on digital image data of a storage medium read by the storage medium reading apparatus. A photographic processing apparatus, wherein a flat surface is formed on the upper surface of the device, the thin case is arranged on the flat surface, and a display is placed on the thin case. 5. The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said personal computer main body is housed in a photographic processing apparatus main body. The upper surface of the photo processing device main body is formed of a flat upper surface of a housing of a printer unit, and a space for arranging input peripheral devices such as a keyboard and a mouse in a front region of the upper surface of the housing , The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the thin housing is disposed. The storage medium reading device is a device for a 3.5-inch bay that reads a storage medium of FD, MO, or memory card, and is provided with one of a CD-ROM and a DVD on a side of the thin housing. 7. The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a storage medium reading device for a 5-inch bay that reads the storage medium is arranged.

Images