JP2005084611A - Image forming apparatus and method for managing image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an error state by providing an image forming apparatus with a report function of diagnosis information relating to its own operating condition. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium, such as paper is equipped with an operating condition inspection/diagnosis means step S 20 which inspects and diagnoses the operating condition of the image forming apparatus and a diagnosis information output means step S 40 which outputs the diagnosis information including the result of the inspection of the operating condition by image formation to the medium at a predetermined output timing or the output timing meeting an output request. Then, the diagnosis information of the image forming apparatus is timely outputted and the occurrence of an error is effectively prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus management method.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, when an error occurs during printing, printing is stopped and printing the error content and a coping method on a discharged sheet due to the occurrence of the error (patent) Reference 1). There is also known an electronic device that detects an error or a warning and displays the detected state on a display unit and also displays information on a procedure for dealing with the displayed state on the display unit ( Patent Document 2). According to such a technique, when an error occurs, the situation and the coping method are taught together, so that the error state can be easily canceled.

JP-A-5-270111 JP-A-7-31670

  However, an image forming apparatus such as a printer is expected to immediately execute printing when there is a request to execute printing. For this purpose, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus is always in a normal operating state. Therefore, even if the error information and the coping method can be known after the error occurs, the requested work such as printing is interrupted. The same applies to the case where an error state and the coping method are displayed. Therefore, it is desired that an error state can be prevented in a printer or the like that is normally expected to operate normally.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus management method capable of preventing an error state by providing the image forming apparatus with a diagnostic information reporting function about its own operation status. To do. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a method for managing the image forming apparatus that can report their own diagnostic information at a preferred timing.

  The image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus management method of the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve at least a part of the above-described object.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium such as paper,
Operation status inspection / diagnosis means for inspecting and diagnosing the operation status of the image forming apparatus;
Diagnostic information output means for outputting diagnostic information including the inspection result of the operation status by image formation on the medium at a preset output timing or an output timing according to an output request;
It is a summary to provide.

  According to this image forming apparatus, the user of the image forming apparatus inspects and diagnoses the operation status, and outputs the diagnosis information as a result at a preset output timing or an output timing corresponding to the output request. Thus, the operation status of the image forming apparatus can be grasped in a timely manner, and if necessary, preventive measures and preparations can be made against occurrence of errors. As a result, problems such as errors in the image forming apparatus can be effectively prevented. Here, the preset output timing includes both the output timing set by the image forming apparatus itself and the output timing preset by the user. The output timing corresponding to the output request is an output timing generated by inputting an output request signal or the like when the user of the image forming apparatus desires to output. Since the output timing is set in advance, the user can surely obtain diagnostic information, and when the malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus by obtaining the diagnostic information in response to the output request, the operation status It is possible to check and take action.

  In the present image forming apparatus, the preset output timing in the diagnostic information output means is any of the usage period of the image forming apparatus, the remaining amount of the recording agent, the replacement history of consumables, and the output history to the medium. It is preferable that the usage information is set as a reference. By setting the output timing in advance based on these pieces of usage information, it is possible to grasp the operating status of the image forming apparatus at a preferable timing according to the usage status of the image forming apparatus and take preventive measures.

  Further, in the present image forming apparatus, the operation state inspection / diagnosis unit is a unit that inspects and diagnoses the operation state of the image forming apparatus prior to the preset output timing or the output timing corresponding to the output request. be able to. By doing so, diagnostic information about the latest operating status is output, so that accurate and reliable preventive measures are possible.

  In the present image forming apparatus, the operating state inspection / diagnosis unit is a unit that inspects and diagnoses the operating state of the image forming apparatus at regular intervals, and stores two or more pieces of diagnostic information including an operating state inspection result. Means can also be provided. By doing this, the operating status can be monitored by the operating status inspection / diagnostic means, and by storing a plurality of diagnostic information as monitoring results, a plurality of diagnostic information, that is, diagnostic history can be referred to as necessary. By doing so, the operating status can be grasped in more detail, and an appropriate countermeasure can be taken.

  In this image forming apparatus, the diagnostic information output unit may be a unit that outputs the diagnostic information stored in the storage unit immediately before the output timing. By obtaining the latest diagnostic information, it is possible to grasp the current state of the image forming apparatus without waste. In addition, since the diagnostic information is stored in advance, the diagnostic information can be obtained promptly when an output request is made. On the other hand, the diagnostic information output means is means for outputting diagnostic information including two or more operation status inspection results stored in the storage means at an output timing corresponding to the output request by forming an image on the medium. Can do. In this way, the diagnosis history can be referred to when necessary.

  Further, the diagnostic information output means outputs diagnostic information including the diagnostic contents regardless of the output timing when the operational status inspection / diagnosis means diagnoses that the operational status is highly troublesome. It can be a means. By doing so, it is possible to effectively prevent a sudden error.

  In these image forming apparatuses of the present invention, the operation state of the image forming apparatus inspected by the operation state inspection / diagnosis means can be a maintenance related state including replacement and cleaning of consumables. These maintenance-related situations are effective in preventing the occurrence of image forming errors in the image forming apparatus.

  These image forming apparatuses are provided with means for storing a method for dealing with a situation with a high fault condition when the fault of the operation situation is high, and the diagnostic information output means has a fault characteristic of the checked operating situation. The coping method can be used as a means for outputting together. In this way, various measures such as countermeasures and preventive measures can be taken promptly only by obtaining diagnostic information.

In addition, the management method of the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
An operation state inspection / diagnosis step in which an operation state inspection / diagnosis means provided in the image forming apparatus inspects and diagnoses the operation state of the image forming apparatus;
A diagnostic information output step of outputting diagnostic information including an inspection result of the operation status by image formation on the medium at a preset output timing or an output timing according to an output request;
It is a summary to provide. By doing so, it is possible to effectively prevent problems such as errors in the image forming apparatus.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing input / output of control signals in a controller 50 of the image forming apparatus 20 according to the embodiment. It is. FIG. 3 is a table illustrating usage information that is a reference for the output timing of the diagnosis report and the output timing that is set.

  The image forming apparatus 20 of the present embodiment is a color laser printer. The image forming apparatus 20 is configured as a full-color electrophotographic image forming apparatus that employs a single photoreceptor system and an intermediate transfer system. As illustrated in FIG. 1, cyan (C), magenta ( M), an exposure unit 22 that irradiates a laser on a charged photoreceptor 21 to form an image of each color separated into four colors of yellow (Y) and black (K) to form an electrostatic latent image; A developing unit 23 that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 21 as a toner image using the toner of each color supplied from the mounted toner cartridges 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K, and the photosensitive member 21. The toner image of each color developed above is transferred onto the transfer belt 24 so as to form a color toner image, and a transport unit 27 that transports the paper from the paper cassette 26 is transported. A secondary transfer unit 28 for transferring the color toner image formed on the transfer belt 24 to paper, a fixing unit 29 for fusing and fixing the color toner image transferred on the paper to the paper, and a developing unit 23. The movable connecting portion 30 is connected to the storage elements 33C, 33M, 33Y, and 33K attached to the toner cartridges 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K to read information on the toner color of the cartridge and the like. A storage element 40 that stores information and a failure history, an input unit 42 that can input predetermined information related to diagnosis and reports of the image forming apparatus 20, and a controller 50 that controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 20 are provided. . Further, the image forming apparatus 20 includes various sensors (not shown) that can detect the status of each unit such as the degree of toner contamination. In addition, a counter (not shown) for counting the number of printed sheets on various sizes of media is also provided. In the embodiment, the image forming apparatus adopting the single photoreceptor system and the intermediate transfer system has been described, but there is no problem even if other configurations such as a tandem system having a photoreceptor and a developing device for each color are used. There is no.

  The input unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 20 includes an input button for requesting a print output of a diagnostic report on the operation status of the image forming apparatus 20. When this input button is pressed, an output request signal for an operation status diagnosis report is input to the controller 50.

  The storage element 40 includes a memory cell that stores various usage information and a failure history, and a read / write control unit that controls reading and writing of data in the memory cell.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 50 is configured as a microprocessor including a CPU 51, a RAM 62, a mask ROM 63, and an EEPROM 71, and various sensors (for example, a toner contamination sensor and a temperature sensor) and other input signals ( For example, a diagnosis report output request signal by a user is input via a signal line, and based on these input signals, an exposure device drive control unit 64, a developer drive control unit 65, a primary transfer unit drive control unit 66, Via the secondary transfer unit drive control unit 67, the fixing unit drive control unit 68, the transport unit drive control unit 69, the movable connection unit drive control unit 70, etc., the exposure unit 22, the developing unit 23, the primary transfer unit 25, and the secondary transfer unit. Color laser such as unit 28, fixing unit 29, transport unit 27, movable connection 30 Diagnosis that controls the operation of each part of the printer 20 and writes various information such as usage information from various sensors and counters to the storage element 40 and reads out information from the storage element 40, as well as examination contents of operation status The writing of information to the EEPROM 71 and the reading of the information from the EEPROM 71 are controlled.

  The mask ROM 63 stores inspection items relating to the operation status of the image forming apparatus 20 whose main items are the maintenance status and cleaning status (contamination status) of each unit of the image forming apparatus 20. Examples of inspection items for such operating conditions include the remaining amount of recording agent (including the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge), the remaining amount of hard disk unit capacity, the life of the photosensitive unit, the life of the cleaning tape, the life of the transfer belt, Life, fixing unit life, transfer unit life, waste toner box free space, toner filter life, engine adjustment sensor contamination, exposure window contamination, charging wire contamination, transport unit contamination, feed roller contamination Contamination, contamination of the cleaning tape, humidity in the apparatus, temperature, presence or absence of foreign matter, presence or absence of abnormal noise, and the like can be mentioned.

  The mask ROM 63 has various programs for executing operation status diagnosis / report processing, etc., as well as the presence / absence of failure in the operation status corresponding to the inspection result of each inspection item, the failure level, and the failure level. Corresponding measures and preventive measures corresponding to are also stored. Further, the mask ROM 63 stores several output timings for inspecting the operation status of the image forming apparatus and printing out (reporting) the diagnosis result. As shown in FIG. 3, the output timing includes the usage period of the image forming apparatus 20, the remaining amount of the recording agent such as toner, the replacement history of consumables such as toner and photosensitive units, and the output history to a medium such as paper. Is set on the basis of any of the usage information or usage information obtained by combining two or more thereof. Note that two or more output timings can be set for one piece of usage information.

  Next, the operation status diagnosis / report processing of the image forming apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation status diagnosis / report process (hereinafter also simply referred to as diagnosis / report process) executed by the controller 50 in the image forming apparatus 20, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process, and FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a diagnosis report. In this diagnosis / report processing, the operation status in each part of the image forming apparatus 20 is inspected at a preset output timing and an output timing corresponding to the output request, and the inspection result is diagnosed, and further if necessary. The countermeasures and preventive measures can be printed out as a diagnostic report. In this diagnosis / report processing, the user can request the diagnosis report to be output in a timely manner, and the diagnosis report is periodically output according to the number of prints on paper (for example, equivalent to A41,000 sheets). It has come to be. Note that a program for executing the operation status diagnosis / report processing is stored in the mask ROM 63, and is executed by the CPU 51 at predetermined timings.

  In this diagnosis / report processing, first, it is determined whether or not there is a request for diagnosing and outputting the operation status (step S10). The output request signal is input to the controller 50 when the administrator of the image forming apparatus 20 presses a diagnosis report button provided in the input unit 32. When the controller 50 detects the output request signal, the controller 50 executes an operation state / diagnosis process (step S20). If the output request is not detected, a determination process is performed to determine whether or not the output timing is set in advance ( Step S30).

  The output timing determination process (step S30) is performed by the CPU 51 obtaining the number of prints by accessing the memory of the print number counter of the storage element 40 and determining whether the number of prints is set. . When it is determined that the output timing is set in advance, an operation state / diagnosis process is executed (step S20). If the output timing is not set in advance, the process is terminated. The output timing is not limited to that based on the usage information about the number of printed sheets, and can be set in advance on the basis of various types of usage information as described above. In response to an output request or in response to a preset output timing, the operation status is checked and diagnosed. Therefore, a diagnostic report that reflects the operating status at the time of output can be output. Measures will be included.

  In the operation status inspection / diagnosis processing (step S20), first, the status inspection processing is executed (step S100), and the CPU 51 acquires the inspection result for a predetermined inspection item. For obtaining predetermined inspection items, for example, the state inspection items to be inspected by the CPU 51 are sequentially read out from the mask ROM 63, and detection signals are sent to various sensors for the items to operate each part of the image forming apparatus 20. Information on the situation (for example, contamination status) is output to the CPU 51, information on the operation status (for example, the remaining amount of recording agent) is read from the storage element 40, or information on the operation status (for example, the number of printed sheets) is read from the EEPROM 71. This can be done by reading.

  Next, a diagnostic process for the acquired status inspection result is executed (step S110). In this diagnosis process (step S110), for each status inspection item, from the obtained test result, the operating status of the part is stored in the mask ROM 63 in advance and there is no obstacle defined for each item (good operating status). If there is a failure, and if there is a failure, it is further determined by determining which of the various levels of failure (including urgency).

  Further, it is determined whether or not there is a faulty condition inspection item of a certain level or more with respect to the diagnosis content obtained in this way (step S120), and when there is such a condition inspection item, a countermeasure or a preventive measure is taken. A process of searching and acquiring from the mask ROM 63 is executed (step S130), diagnostic information including the inspection result, diagnostic contents, countermeasures, and the like is stored in the EEPROM 71 (step S140), and this process ends. For example, when the remaining amount of toner is below a certain level, the replacement method and contact information of the toner unit corresponds to the corresponding device, the charging belt is contaminated with toner, and there is a problem in clear image formation. The cleaning method corresponds to the precautionary measure. Further, when there is no faulty item of a certain level or higher, diagnostic information including the test result and the diagnostic content, and in particular the information that no countermeasures and preventive measures are required at present is stored in the EEPROM 71 ( Step S140), the process is terminated.

  When the operation status inspection / diagnosis process (step S20) is thus completed, a process for printing out an operation status diagnosis report is executed (step S40). The output contents include diagnosis date and time, operation status inspection items, inspection results, diagnosis contents, contents of countermeasures and preventive measures, as well as a list of parts and units that have replacements or repairs, as required, in the figure of the image forming apparatus An image or the like in which a part requiring replacement or cleaning is indicated can be included. An example of the diagnostic report is shown in FIG.

  According to the image forming apparatus 20 of the above-described embodiment, the operation status of each unit is inspected and diagnosed in response to a diagnosis report output request or at a preset output timing, and the result is printed on a medium such as paper. By printing out, the user or administrator of the image forming apparatus 20 can easily grasp the state of the image forming apparatus 20, and if the diagnosis content is good, the stable operation state of the image forming apparatus 20 can be determined. On the other hand, if there is any obstacle, it is possible to take appropriate measures such as performing maintenance such as cleaning or ordering a replacement unit. As a result, stable use of the image forming apparatus 20 can be ensured, and the necessity of taking urgent countermeasures is reduced. Furthermore, since it is printed out on a medium such as paper, for example, it is possible to take immediate action on the spot even if a manual or the like is not at hand.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus 20 of the embodiment, the CPU 51 that executes Steps S10 and S30 in FIG. 4 corresponds to the output timing determination unit, and the CPU 51 that executes the operation state inspection / diagnosis process shown in FIG. Corresponding to inspection / diagnosis means, the exposure device 22, the developing device 23, the primary transfer Y-knit 25, the secondary transfer unit 28, the fixing unit 29, the transport unit 27, and the CPU 51 that executes step S40 in FIG. It corresponds to a report output means.

  In the image forming apparatus 20 according to the embodiment, the operation state is inspected / diagnosed according to the output request or according to the output timing. For example, the inspection / diagnosis is performed at a preset inspection timing. The obtained diagnostic information is stored in the EEPROM 71 or the like, and in response to an output request or in accordance with the set output timing, the stored diagnostic information that has not been output yet or the latest diagnostic information is read from the EEPROM 71 and output. You can also do it. In this embodiment, the inspection timing is set to be shorter than the output timing. An example of such processing is shown in FIGS.

  In the operation status inspection / diagnosis process shown in FIG. 7, first, it is determined whether or not the set inspection timing is reached (step S210), and if it is the inspection timing, the operation status is inspected and diagnosed (step S220). If it is not the inspection timing, the process is terminated. The inspection and diagnosis of the operating state are performed in the same manner as the procedure shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. Thus, every time the inspection timing arrives, diagnostic information is stored in the mask ROM 63. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, it is determined whether the operation status report processing is in response to the output request or at the set output timing (step S230 and step S240). The latest diagnostic information that has not been output is read and a diagnostic report is output (step S260).

  In this embodiment, since the examination timing is shorter than the output timing, a diagnostic report including a plurality of diagnostic information is output unless an output request is made more frequently than the output timing. By obtaining a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, it is possible to easily grasp the history of operating conditions. At any output timing, a plurality of diagnostic information accumulated within a certain period can be output at any time. By doing so, the diagnostic information can always be acquired as a diagnostic history, and the operating status can be grasped in detail. In addition, since diagnostic information is stored in advance, when an output request is made, a diagnostic report can be quickly printed out. It should be noted that, even when the diagnostic information has already been printed out, the diagnostic information for a certain past period can be printed out. Further, a request signal enabling such output may be input from the input unit 32 to the CPU 51 so that diagnostic information for a certain period in the past can be printed out if necessary. In this embodiment, the diagnosis information is output at a predetermined output timing. However, a highly urgent operating condition such as a failure having a high urgency or a serious failure at a predetermined inspection timing is inspected and diagnosed. When found by processing, it can be configured to output diagnostic information regardless of whether or not it is a predetermined output timing. By doing so, sudden troubles can be prevented and effectively dealt with.

  The image forming apparatus 20 of these embodiments is a color laser printer, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to other types of printers such as an ink jet printer, a copying apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, and the like. In these embodiments, the CPU 51 includes the EEPROM 71. However, the CPU 51 may be an EPROM or EPROM instead of the EEPROM. Furthermore. In these embodiments, the present invention has been described as the image forming apparatus 20, but may be a management method of the image forming apparatus.

  In these embodiments, the preset output timing can be changed by the user, for example. It is also effective to change the output timing based on the number of printed sheets to an output timing based on the remaining amount of toner depending on the use situation (for example, whether or not color printing is frequently used).

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram centering on a controller. A table for usage information that is the basis for the output timing of diagnostic reports. The flowchart of an operation condition diagnosis and report process. The flowchart which shows an example of a test | inspection / diagnosis process. It is a figure which shows an example of a diagnostic report. The flowchart which shows another example of an operation condition inspection / diagnosis process. The flowchart which shows another example of an operation condition diagnosis report process.

Explanation of symbols

20 image forming apparatus, 22 exposure unit, 23 developing unit, 25 primary transfer unit, 27 transport unit, 28 secondary transfer unit, 29 fixing unit, 30 movable connection unit, 40 storage element, 42 input unit, 50 controller, 51 CPU 62 RAM, 63 Mask ROM, 64 Exposure unit drive control unit, 65 Developer drive control unit, 66 Primary transfer unit drive control unit, 67 Secondary transfer unit drive control unit, 68 Fixing unit, 69 Transport unit drive control unit, 70 movable connection part drive control part, 71 EEPROM

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium such as paper,
Operation status inspection / diagnosis means for inspecting and diagnosing the operation status of the image forming apparatus;
Diagnostic information output means for outputting diagnostic information including the inspection result of the operation status by image formation on the medium at a preset output timing or an output timing according to an output request;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The preset output timing in the diagnostic information output means is based on usage information of any of the usage period of the image forming apparatus, the remaining amount of the recording material, the replacement history of consumables, and the output history to the medium. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is set.   The operation state inspection / diagnosis unit is a unit that inspects and diagnoses the operation state of the image forming apparatus prior to the preset output timing or output timing in response to an output request. Image forming apparatus.   The operating status inspection / diagnosis means is a means for inspecting and diagnosing the operating status of the image forming apparatus at regular intervals, and further comprises storage means for storing two or more pieces of diagnostic information including operating status inspection results. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The diagnostic information output means is means for outputting diagnostic information including the diagnostic contents regardless of the output timing when the operation status inspection / diagnosis means diagnoses that the operation status is highly troublesome. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the diagnostic information output unit is a unit that outputs the diagnostic information stored in the storage unit immediately before the output timing.   6. The apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the diagnostic information output means is means for outputting diagnostic information including two or more operation status inspection results stored in the storage means at the output timing.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating status of the image forming apparatus inspected by the operating status inspection / diagnostic unit is a maintenance related status including replacement and cleaning of consumables.   The image forming apparatus includes a means for storing a method for dealing with the highly troubled situation when the trouble of the working situation is high, and the diagnostic information output means is configured to check the trouble of the examined working situation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a means for outputting a coping method accordingly. An image forming apparatus management method, comprising:
An operation state inspection / diagnosis step in which an operation state inspection / diagnosis means provided in the image forming apparatus inspects and diagnoses the operation state of the image forming apparatus;
A diagnostic information output step of outputting diagnostic information including an inspection result of the operation status by image formation on the medium at a preset output timing or an output timing according to an output request;
A method comprising:

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