JP2005242564A - Management device, network system, communication interval control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a management device allowing acquisition of more detailed operation information about an image forming device by increasing communication frequency to the specific image forming device without increasing a communication load on the management deice side or traffic of a network. <P>SOLUTION: Environment 303 of an intranet wherein a plurality of copying machines 100 and a PC 300 are connected to each other via a LAN 301, and a host machine 200 are connected to each other via the Internet 302. When a CPU 202 of the host machine 200 receives notification of an abnormal state from the copying machine, the CPU 202 instructs the copying machine in the abnormal state to perform periodic operation information notification at a communication interval α shorter than an initial communication interval β until reaching a communication interval restoration date, and instructs the copying machine not in the abnormal state to perform the periodic operation information notification at a communication interval γ longer than the initial communication interval β until reaching the communication interval restoration date. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a management apparatus, a network system, a communication interval control method, and a program that are applied when managing the operation status of a plurality of image forming apparatuses.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a form in which copying and printing are performed by constructing a system that uses an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like and performs communication via the LAN. In such a system, a management host machine is installed to manage a plurality of image forming apparatuses. The host machine collects operation information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to the LAN at predetermined time intervals, and can grasp in real time what state the image forming apparatus is currently in. Also, by collecting notifications of failures that have occurred in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to deal with the failures (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-297462 A

  By the way, when a failure occurs in the image forming apparatus in the above system, it is desirable that the host machine side can grasp the operating state of the image forming apparatus in as much detail as possible for a certain period. For this purpose, it is necessary to collect the operation information more finely by reducing the predetermined time interval when collecting the operation information of the image forming apparatus. However, simply shortening the time interval when collecting the operation information is not preferable because it leads to an increase in network traffic and a communication load on the host machine side.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain more detailed operation information of an image forming apparatus by increasing the frequency of communication with a specific image forming apparatus without increasing the network traffic or the communication load on the management apparatus side. The present invention provides a management apparatus, a network system, a communication interval control method, and a program that can be performed.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the management device of the present invention is a management device that manages a plurality of managed devices, and a communication unit that exchanges information with the plurality of managed devices; When a managed device that has entered the specified state occurs, the communication interval for sending and receiving information to and from the managed device that has reached the specific state is increased, and the managed device that has reached the specific state Control means for delaying a communication interval when information is exchanged with a predetermined managed device other than the above.

  In the management device according to the present invention, the control unit may be configured to set a communication interval for periodically exchanging information with the managed device in the specific state, which is shorter than a current communication interval. And the communication interval for periodically exchanging information with a predetermined managed device other than the managed device in the specific state is longer than the current communication interval. The communication interval is changed to 2.

  In the management apparatus of the present invention, the control means until the communication interval return date / time is reached, which is a date / time for returning the changed communication interval to the communication interval before the change for the managed device in the specific state. An instruction is given to perform communication at the first communication interval, and the predetermined managed device other than the managed device in the specific state is sent at the second communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. It is characterized by issuing an instruction to perform communication.

  In addition, the management device of the present invention includes storage means for storing the communication priority set for each of the plurality of managed devices, and the control means is the predetermined device other than the managed device in the specific state. As the managed device, a managed device having a low communication priority stored in the storage means is selected.

  In the management device of the present invention, the number of managed devices to be changed to the second communication interval is equal to the increase in communication frequency of the managed device to be changed to the first communication interval. The number of devices that can be canceled at least by the decrease in the communication frequency of the managed device to be changed to the interval is characterized.

  In the management apparatus of the present invention, the managed apparatus is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and the specific state is a state in which a failure has occurred in a mechanism of the image forming apparatus, and the image It includes a state in which a paper jam has occurred in the forming apparatus, and a state in which the image forming apparatus is newly installed.

  In order to achieve the above object, a network system according to the present invention is characterized in that any one of the management devices and a plurality of managed devices are communicably connected via a network.

  Further, according to the present invention, the management device manages the plurality of managed devices via the Internet, and the cumulative number of images formed from the plurality of image forming devices to the management device and the operation of the mechanism of the image forming device. The operation information indicating the counter value such as the number of times may be periodically transmitted by e-mail, and the abnormal state information indicating the occurrence of a failure or frequent paper jams may be transmitted by e-mail irregularly.

  Further, according to the present invention, the storage unit of the management apparatus stores the communication priority set for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses and the operation information from the plurality of image forming apparatuses to the management apparatus periodically. The communication interval at the time of transmission and the communication interval return date and time may be stored in association with the identification numbers of the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

  According to the present invention, the communication interval when transferring information to and from a managed device that has entered a specific state is advanced, and a predetermined managed device other than the managed device that has entered a specific state Since the communication interval when transferring information between them is delayed, it is possible to obtain more detailed information on the managed device in a specific state, and to prevent an increase in the communication load of the management device it can.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the communication interval when periodically exchanging information with the managed device in a specific state is changed to the first communication interval shorter than the current communication interval. In order to change the communication interval when periodically exchanging information with a predetermined managed device other than the managed device in a specific state to a second communication interval longer than the current communication interval Similarly to the above, it is possible to obtain more detailed information on the managed device in a specific state, and to prevent an increase in the communication load of the management device.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the managed device in a specific state is communicated at the first communication interval until reaching the communication interval return date and time that is the date and time for returning the changed communication interval to the communication interval before the change. In order to instruct the predetermined managed device other than the managed device in a specific state to perform communication at the second communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. It is possible to obtain more detailed information about the operation of the managed device, and identify the location and cause of the managed device, identify the trend of occurrence of the specific status, It can be used for recovery. In addition, an increase in the communication load of the management apparatus can be prevented.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a communication device is selected to select a managed device with a low communication priority as a predetermined managed device other than the managed device in a specific state, that is, a managed device that delays the communication interval. Communication between the managed device and the management device that slows down the interval will not be hindered.

  According to the present invention, the number of managed devices to be changed to the second communication interval is changed to the second communication interval by an increase in the communication frequency of the managed device to be changed to the first communication interval. Since the number of managed devices is the number that can be canceled at least by the decrease in the communication frequency, the communication load on the management device can be kept from increasing.

  Further, according to the present invention, the managed apparatus is an image forming apparatus, and the specific state is a state in which a failure has occurred in the mechanism of the image forming apparatus, a state in which a paper jam has occurred in the image forming apparatus, an image Since the image forming apparatus includes a newly installed state, the operation information of the image forming apparatus in which the mechanism has failed, the image forming apparatus in which the paper jam has occurred, or the newly installed image forming apparatus is obtained more finely. This makes it possible to identify the location and cause of the failure of the image forming apparatus, grasp the tendency of occurrence of the failure, and recover from the failure.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the network system has a configuration in which any one of the management devices and a plurality of managed devices are communicably connected via a network, so network traffic and communication on the management device side By increasing the frequency of communication with a specific image forming apparatus without increasing the load, it becomes possible to acquire more detailed operating information of the specific image forming apparatus, and finely control the operating state of the image forming apparatus. It is possible to grasp and take appropriate measures.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship in the intranet between a digital copying machine (hereinafter abbreviated as copying machine) and a host machine according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, a plurality of copiers 100 that are managed devices, a host machine 200 that is a management device, and a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a PC) 300 that a general user uses for business or the like are mutually connected via a LAN 301. It is connected to the. The plurality of copying machines are denoted by the same reference numeral 100 for convenience, and the number of copying machines 100 and PCs 300 connected to the LAN 301 is arbitrary.

  The host machine 200 and the copying machine 100 communicate with each other regularly at a predetermined time interval (hereinafter referred to as an initial communication interval) via the LAN 301, and operating information (described later) of the copying machine 100 is transferred from the copying machine 100 to the host machine. 200 is notified. Further, when a specific event such as a hardware failure or frequent occurrence of jam (paper jam) occurs in the copying machine 100 (hereinafter, this state is referred to as an abnormal state), the contents of the event are immediately transferred from the copying machine 100 to the host machine. 200 is notified. Furthermore, when a certain copying machine 100 falls into an abnormal state, the host machine 200 communicates with the copying machine 100 at a communication interval shorter than the initial communication interval, so that the host machine 200 can operate information on the copying machine 100. Is used for disaster recovery.

  However, if the communication interval between the host machine 200 and the copying machine 100 in an abnormal state is simply shortened, the processing load on the host machine 200 increases. Therefore, while the host machine 200 communicates with the copying machine 100 that has entered an abnormal state at an interval shorter than the initial communication interval, the communication interval with another copying machine 100 that is not in an abnormal state is also increased beyond the initial communication interval. This prevents an increase in the processing load on the host machine 200.

  As a communication mode between the host machine 200 and the copying machine 100, a communication mode for exchanging MIB (Management Information Base) via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), or via SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). There are communication forms for exchanging electronic mail. In the present embodiment, the case where the latter communication mode is used will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship between the copying machine 100 and the host machine 200 via the Internet.

  In FIG. 2, an intranet environment 300 is configured by connecting a copier 100 and a PC 300 to each other via a LAN 301. Further, a network system is configured by connecting the plurality of intranet environments 303 and the host machine 200 to each other via the Internet 302. Further, the host machine 200 and the copying machine 100 take a communication form in which e-mail is exchanged via, for example, SMTP. Note that the same reference numeral 303 is attached to the plurality of intranet environments for convenience.

  The manner of communication between the host machine 200 and the copying machine 100 is the same as that described with reference to FIG. However, since each copying machine 100 existing in a plurality of intranet environments 303 and one host machine 200 communicate with each other, the number of copying machines 100 as communication partners viewed from the host machine 200 side is shown in FIG. Compared to the case of 1, the number is much larger (for example, tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands). Therefore, it is more important to prevent an increase in the communication load of the host machine 200 by the communication method described above (the communication interval is changed between the copying machine 100 in an abnormal state and the copying machine 100 in an abnormal state). Become.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 180 of the copying machine 100.

  3, the control unit 180 of the copying machine 100 includes a system bus 181, an image bus 182, a ROM 183, a RAM 184, a storage memory 185, a CPU 186, an I / O control unit 187, an operation unit 188, a LAN I / F unit 189, a line. An I / F unit 190, an image processing unit 191, and a digital I / F unit 193 are provided. The copying machine 100 also includes a reader unit 196 that reads an image from a document and a printer 197 that forms an image on a sheet.

  Each component of the control unit 180 is connected to the system bus 181 and the image bus 182. The ROM 183 stores a control program for the copying machine 100 and is executed by the CPU 186. The RAM 184 includes a work memory area for executing the control program and an image memory area for temporarily storing image data. The storage memory 185 is a nonvolatile memory, and stores various operation mode settings, counter values, operation logs, and the like that need to be retained even after the copier 100 is restarted.

  The LAN I / F unit 189 is an interface unit for connecting to the LAN, and communicates with the host machine 200 via the LAN. The line I / F unit 190 is connected to an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), which is a WAN (Wide Area Network), or a public telephone network, and is controlled by a communication control program in the ROM 183, and ISDN I / F, modem, NCU (NCU) Data is transmitted / received to / from a device such as a remote host machine 200 via the Network Control Unit). The operation unit 188 includes a display unit and a key input unit, and these are controlled by the CPU 186. The operator gives various setting instructions and operation / stop instructions regarding document reading by the scanner of the reader unit 196 and print output of the printer unit 197 via the key input unit of the operation unit 188.

  The above devices (ROM 183 to line I / F unit 190) are arranged on the system bus 181. The I / O control unit 197 is a bus bridge for connecting a system bus 181 that transmits and receives signals and an image bus 182 that transfers image data at high speed.

  The following devices are arranged on the image bus 182. The digital I / F unit 193 connects the reader unit 196 or the printer unit 197 and the control unit 180, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data. Information detected by various sensors (not shown) arranged at various locations in the reader unit 196 and the printer unit 197 is sent to the system bus 181 via the digital I / F unit 193 and the I / O control unit 197. Is done. The image processing unit 191 corrects / processes / edits input image data from the reader unit 196 and output image data to the printer unit 197.

  The CPU 186 reads a counter value, an operation log, and the like in the storage memory 185 at an initial communication interval according to a control program executed by the CPU 186 and processes it into e-mail data, and the host machine 200 via the LAN I / F unit 189. Send to. The initial communication interval and e-mail transmission destination address at this time are stored in advance in the storage memory 185.

  When the CPU 186 receives information detected by the various sensors sent to the system bus 181 and recognizes that the copier 100 has entered an abnormal state, the CPU 186 indicates information indicating that the copier 100 has entered an abnormal state and a counter value. Similarly, the operation log and the like are processed into e-mail data and transmitted to the host machine 200. Further, when receiving an instruction to change a communication interval, which will be described later, from the host machine 200, the CPU 186 stores the contents of the instruction in the storage memory 185, and at the same time reaches a predetermined date and time (hereinafter referred to as communication interval return date and time). The e-mail is transmitted at the communication interval after the change.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the host machine 200.

  In FIG. 4, the host machine 200 is composed of, for example, a personal computer, and incorporates a system bus 201, a CPU 202, a ROM 203, a RAM 204, a LAN I / F unit 205, a display control unit 206, an input control unit 208, and a storage device 211. And a display 207, a keyboard 209, and a mouse 210 connected to the computer main body.

  The CPU 202 controls the entire host machine 200 and executes the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 to 11 based on the control program stored in the storage device 211. The ROM 203 is a read-only memory for storing a boot program necessary for system startup. A RAM 204 is a working memory used when the CPU 202 executes a control program. A LAN I / F unit 205 communicates with the copying machine 100 via the LAN, and receives operation information (described later) notified from the copying machine 100 or information indicating an abnormal state.

  A display control unit 206 displays communication contents with the copier 100 on the display 207. The input control unit 208 receives input from the keyboard 209 / mouse 210 by an operator who manages the host machine 200. The storage device 211 is composed of a magnetic disk or the like, and stores the control program executed by the CPU 202, a communication management table 500 described later, operation information notified from the copying machine 100, and the like.

  The host machine 200 constantly receives notification of periodic operation information transmitted from the copying machine 100 and notification of information indicating an irregular state of the copying machine 100 on an irregular basis.

  The operation information periodically notified from the copying machine 100 to the host machine 200 includes various counter values, jam histories, and operation logs, which will be described later, and is monthly for customers who own the copying machine 100. It is used to calculate a periodic maintenance fee to be charged or to centrally monitor the copying machine 100 in an abnormal state. The host machine 200 sequentially stores this operation information in the storage device 211. On the other hand, the operator determines the amount charged to the customer by referring to the operation information stored in the storage device 211 as appropriate through the display 207.

  The information indicating the abnormal state of the copying machine 100 that is irregularly notified from the copying machine 100 to the host machine 200 includes error / alarm information such as a hardware failure or jam that has occurred in the copying machine 100 in addition to operation information. It is included. The host machine 200 sequentially stores information indicating the abnormal state in the storage device 211 and displays it on the display 207 to notify the operator that the copier 100 is in an abnormal state. On the other hand, the operator determines the state of the copying machine 100 from the display content on the display 207, and instructs the service person to perform trouble recovery work on the copying machine 100 as necessary, or sends consumables such as toner to the customer. Or

  When the host machine 200 receives a notification of an irregular abnormal state from the copying machine 100, the host machine 200 periodically notifies the copying machine 100 in the abnormal state at a communication interval shorter than the initial communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. An instruction is issued to notify proper operation information. This instruction makes it possible to obtain more detailed information on the operation of the copier 100 thereafter, which is very useful for identifying the location and cause of the failure of the copier 100, grasping the occurrence tendency, and recovering from the failure. .

  At the same time, the host machine 200 instructs another copying machine 100 that is not in an abnormal state to periodically notify operation information at a communication interval longer than the initial communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. This instruction prevents an increase in processing load on the host machine 200. A method of selecting the copy machine 100 to which these instructions are sent will be described later.

  The information content that the copying machine 100 notifies the host machine 200 regularly or irregularly in the present embodiment includes the following (not shown). Each information is actually expressed in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format, further encrypted, and notified from the copying machine 100 to the host machine 200 as e-mail data.

  The copying machine ID is a number assigned to the copying machine side in advance to uniquely identify each copying machine 100. The data transmission date / time is the date / time when the electronic mail is transmitted from the copying machine 100 to the host machine 200. The communication type is an identifier indicating whether this notification is regular or irregular. The total counter is the total number of prints obtained by summing the number of prints in the copying machine 100, and the total jam counter is the total number of jams that have occurred in the copying machine 100.

  The error / alarm information includes an error / alarm code indicating the content of the error / alarm that has occurred in the copying machine 100, and the date and time of occurrence. When the copying machine 100 periodically notifies the information, the error / alarm code and the occurrence date / time are omitted. The jam history (1) is information relating to a jam that has recently occurred in the copying machine 100, and there are jam histories (2) to (20) as information relating to, for example, the past nineteen jams arranged in order of date of occurrence. Each jam history includes a jam code indicating a location where the jam has occurred, the date and time of the occurrence, and a total counter at the time when the jam occurred.

  The counter information is the value of various charging counters held in the copying machine 100, and the counter value according to the toner type (C (cyan) / M (magenta) / Y (yellow) / K (black)). Counter for each toner, counter for each cassette which is a counter value corresponding to the type of the paper feed cassette, and counter information corresponding to the mode type (color copy / monochrome copy / single side copy / double side copy / print, etc.). A counter for each mode, a counter for each sheet that is counter information corresponding to the type of sheet, and a scan counter that is the number of times the document is scanned by the copying machine 100 are included.

  The firmware version is a control software version of the copying machine 100. The mechanical counter is an operation counter value of various mechanical parts held in the copying machine 100. When the copying machine 100 is an electrophotographic system, the rotational speed of the photosensitive drum, the number of times the exposure lamp is turned on, the copying machine 100 The number of times the paper has passed through the paper feed / discharge rollers, the number of operations of the post-processing device attached to the copying machine 100 (for example, the Z-folder that folds the paper on which image formation has been completed), etc. (1), counter (2)... The operation log is a user operation log held in the copying machine 100 at the time of making this notification, a debug log generated by the control software, or the like.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the communication management table 500.

  In FIG. 5, a communication management table 500 is held in the storage device 211 of the host machine 200 and is used for managing the communication status between the host machine 200 and the plurality of copying machines 100. The host machine 200 adjusts the communication interval with the copier 100 while referring to the communication management table 500 in order to prevent an increase in communication load on the host machine 200. A specific adjustment method will be described later.

  The communication management table 500 shows the contents when all the copying machines 100 are communicating with the host machine 200 at the initial communication interval. The copying machine ID 501 is a number assigned to the copying machine in advance to uniquely identify each copying machine 100, and is the same as the copying machine ID described above. In this embodiment, “Copying machine A”, “Copying machine B”,... Are described as the values of the copying machine ID 501. A number that can be uniquely identified is stored.

  The priority 502 indicates a communication priority for each copying machine. For example, any one of five levels of levels 1 to 5 (communication priority ranking: 1> 2> 3> 4> 5) is an individual copying machine. Set for each ID 501. The operator who manages the host machine 200 registers the copying machine ID 501 in the communication management table 500 by operating the keyboard 209 and the mouse 210 when the copying machine 100 is newly installed at the customer. The operator also sets the priority 502 at the same time. The priority 502 to be set is determined by the operator based on the model of the copying machine 100, the operation rate prediction of the copying machine 100, customer information, and the like.

  The communication interval 503 is a communication time interval when the copying machine 100 periodically notifies the host machine 200 of operation information. In the present embodiment, “α”, “β”, and “γ” are described as the values of the communication interval 503, but this is merely for convenience, and a numerical value such as 3600 (seconds) is actually used. Stored. The communication interval return date and time 504 is the date and time when the host machine 200 instructs the copier 100 to change the communication interval at the same time, and is the date and time when the changed communication interval is returned to the initial communication interval. .

  The definition of the communication interval is as follows. The initial communication interval between the copying machine 100 and the host machine 200 is β, the communication interval instructed by the host machine 200 to the copying machine 100 that is in an abnormal state is α, and is not in an abnormal state to prevent an increase in processing load on the host machine 200. The communication interval instructed by the host machine 200 to the copying machine 100 is γ.

  In this embodiment, since α is a value that is 1/2 of β, the copying machine 100 with the communication interval α notifies the host machine 200 of operation information at a communication frequency twice that of the copying machine 100 with the initial communication interval β. As a result, the communication load applied to the host machine 200 increases. On the other hand, since γ is twice the value of β, the copying machine 100 with the communication interval γ notifies the host machine 200 of operation information at a communication frequency that is 1/2 times that of the copying machine 100 with the initial communication interval β. Thus, the communication load applied to the host machine 200 is reduced.

  In order to prevent an increase in communication load on the host machine 200 while changing the communication interval of the copying machine 100 in an abnormal state to α, the communication frequency from all the copying machines 100 to the host machine 200 should be kept from increasing. is required. That is, the increase in the communication frequency of the copying machine 100 whose communication interval is changed from β to α can be adjusted so as to be at least canceled by the decrease in the communication frequency of the copying machine 100 whose communication interval is changed from β to γ. is necessary.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, when changing the communication interval of one copying machine 100 from β to α, an example of changing the communication interval of two copying machines 100 to γ at the same time is assumed. It should be noted that as the two copying machines 100 that change the communication interval at this time to γ, those that match the following search conditions are searched in order from the top in the communication management table 500.

・ Copying machine with current communication interval β ・ Copying machine with priority 502 or lower of copying machine for changing communication interval to α ・ Copying machine with lowest priority as possible Next, the network system of the present embodiment having the above configuration The operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  6A and 6B are diagrams showing the transition of the contents of the communication management table when a certain copying machine falls into an abnormal state. FIG. 6A is a communication management table when a failure occurs in the copying machine A. FIG. Is a communication management table when a failure occurs in the copying machine F, and (c) is a communication management table when the current time has passed the communication interval return date and time of the copying machine A.

  In FIG. 6, when all the copying machines 100 are communicating with the host machine 200 at the initial communication interval β (the communication management table is the state 500 in FIG. 5), the copying machine A falls into an abnormal state. The machine 200 instructs the copying machine A to perform communication at “2003/12/25 19:35” 24 hours after the current time and the communication interval return date and time is α.

  Since the priority of the copying machine A is 1, two copying machines (copying machines F and G) having the lowest priority of 5 and the communication interval β are selected from the head of the communication management table 500 of FIG. Then, the communication interval γ and the communication interval return date and time are instructed to perform communication at “2003/12/25 19:35” 24 hours after the current time. The state in which this instruction content is reflected in the communication management table is 520 in FIG.

  Reference numeral 530 in FIG. 6B indicates the state of the communication management table when the copying machine F further enters an abnormal state. The host machine 200 instructs the copier F to perform communication at “2003/12/26 09:14” after the communication interval is α and the communication interval return date is 24 hours after the current time. On the other hand, since the communication interval of the copying machine F is γ until just before the failure, in order to keep the communication frequency from all the copying machines 100 to the host machine 200 constant, the communication interval of the three copying machines 100 is set to γ. It is necessary to change to.

  Therefore, since the priority of the copying machine F is 5, the three copying machines with the lowest priority of 5 and the communication interval β from the top of the communication management table 500 in FIG. 5 (copying machines H, I, J ) Select and instruct the copiers H, I, and J to communicate at “2003/12/26 09:14” 24 hours after the current time and the communication interval return date and time is γ. To do.

  Reference numeral 540 in FIG. 6C indicates the state of the communication management table when the current time has passed the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” of the copying machine A. The host machine 200 constantly monitors the contents of the communication management table 500 according to the processing flow of FIGS. When the current time has passed the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” of the copying machine A, the communication interval of the copying machine A in the communication management table 500 is returned to the initial communication interval β, and The communication interval return date and time is updated to NULL.

  Further, in response to returning the communication interval of the copying machine A to the initial communication interval β, the communication interval of the two copiers whose current communication interval is γ is also returned to the initial communication interval β, and communication is performed. The interval return date is updated to NULL. At this time, the two copiers are selected from the top of the communication management table 500 in order of the communication interval return date and time. Therefore, as a result, the copier G and the copier H are selected.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a part of a communication sequence between the copying machine 100 and the host machine 200 before and after reaching the state of the communication management table 520.

  Hereinafter, the processing flow of both the copying machine 100 and the host machine 200 will be described with reference to this communication sequence diagram.

  In FIG. 7, the copying machine A periodically notifies the host machine 200 of the above-described operation information (device information) at each initial communication interval β (steps S601 and S603). Similarly, the copying machine F also periodically notifies the host machine 200 of the above-described operation information (device information) at each initial communication interval β (steps S602 and S604).

  Thereafter, when some trouble occurs in the copying machine A and enters an abnormal state (step S605), the copying machine A notifies the host machine 200 that the trouble has occurred (step S606). The host machine 200 that has received this failure occurrence notification performs load balance determination processing (FIGS. 8 and 9), which will be described later, and selects a target copier whose communication interval is to be adjusted from all the copiers 100 managed. (Step S607). Then, in order to shorten the communication interval of the copier A that has entered an abnormal state, the host machine 200 periodically notifies the operation information at the communication interval α until the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached. An instruction is issued to the copying machine A (step S608).

  On the other hand, in order to increase the communication interval of the copying machine F that is not in an abnormal state, the host machine 200 periodically notifies the operation information at the communication interval γ until the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached. An instruction is issued to the copying machine F (step S609). The host machine 200 issues an instruction similar to the instruction issued to the copying machine F to the copying machine G, but is not particularly shown in this communication sequence diagram.

  Receiving the above instruction from the host machine 200, the copying machine A thereafter periodically notifies the host machine 200 of operation information at the communication interval α until the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached. (Step S610, Step S612). When the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached, the copier A performs its own operation so as to periodically notify the host machine 200 of operation information at the initial communication interval β. Switching (step S614, step S616).

  Further, the copier F that has received the above instruction from the host machine 200 also periodically notifies the operation information at the communication interval γ until the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached. (Step S611, Step S613). When the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached, the copying machine F performs its own operation so as to periodically notify the host machine 200 of operation information at the initial communication interval β. Switching (step S615, step S617).

  8 and 9 are flowcharts illustrating the load balance determination process of the host machine 200. FIG.

  In the load balance determination process, in order to prevent an increase in the communication load on the host machine 200, when a copying machine that has entered an abnormal state occurs, copying that extends (slows down) the communication interval among the copying machines that are not in the abnormal state. This is a process of searching for and selecting a machine.

  Hereinafter, the load balance determination processing procedure for adjusting the communication load applied to the host machine 200 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9 taking the communication sequence of FIG. 7 as an example.

  8 and 9, in the load balance determination process (step S607), first, the CPU 202 of the host machine 200 calculates the communication interval return date T and sets the date “2003/12/25 19:35”. Obtain (step S701). This date and time is calculated by adding a specified time (for example, 24 hours in the present embodiment) preset in the host machine 200 to the current time.

  Subsequently, the CPU 202 searches the communication management table 500 of FIG. 5 to acquire the communication interval 503 of the copying machine (x) that has notified the occurrence of the failure, and updates the communication interval return date and time 504 to T (step) S702). That is, the initial communication interval β of the copying machine A is acquired, and the communication interval return date is updated to “2003/12/25 19:35”. Then, the CPU 202 determines whether or not the communication interval 503 acquired in step S702 is α (step S703).

  If the acquired notification interval is α, that is, if the copier (x) that has notified the occurrence of a failure is a copier that has already entered an abnormal state, the CPU 202 directly exits the load balance determination process. (Step S711). Thereafter, the CPU 202 instructs only the copying machine (x) that has updated the communication management table 500 to perform periodic operation information notification at the communication interval α until the communication interval return date / time T is reached. The copier (x) that has received this instruction has already made a notification at the communication interval α, and therefore substantially only updates the communication interval return date and time.

  On the other hand, if the acquired notification interval is not α, the CPU 202 updates the communication interval 503 of the copying machine (x) in the communication management table 500 to α (step S704). That is, the communication interval of the copying machine A is updated to α. Subsequently, the CPU 202 initializes the loop counter i with 1 (step S705) and sets the copying machine (i) that changes the communication interval to γ for the purpose of keeping the frequency of communication with the host machine 200 from increasing. One unit is searched (selected) from the communication management table 500 (step S706). The search condition at this time is as described above (priority of copying machine (x) ≧ priority of copying machine (i) and communication interval of copying machine (i) = β).

  If the copying machine (i) that matches the search condition can be searched (YES in step S707), the CPU 202 sets the communication interval 503 of the copying machine (i) in the communication management table 500 to γ, and the communication interval return date and time. 504 is updated to T (step S708). That is, the communication interval of the copying machine F is updated to γ, and the communication interval return date is updated to “2003/12/25 19:35”. Then, the CPU 202 repeats the same processing as described above while incrementing the loop counter i (step S709). Thereby, the CPU 202 selects the copier G following the copier F, and updates the communication interval to γ and the communication interval return date and time to “2003/12/25 19:35”.

  When the selected copying machine (i) reaches the specified number N (YES in step S710), the load balance determination process is exited (step S711). In other words, taking the communication sequence of FIG. 7 as an example, the prescribed number N (the number of copiers that simultaneously changes the communication interval from γ when the communication interval of one copier is changed from β to α) is 2. When the two copying machines F and G are selected, the load balance determination process is exited.

  Thereafter, the CPU 202 periodically notifies operation information at the communication intervals α and γ until the communication interval return date and time T is reached, to the copying machine (x) and copying machine (i) that have updated the communication management table 500. Give instructions to do. That is, the copying machine A is instructed to notify the operation information at the communication interval α until the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached, and the copying machine F and the copying machine G are instructed. Instructs to notify the operation information at the communication interval γ until the communication interval return date and time “2003/12/25 19:35” is reached.

  If the search for the copying machine (i) that matches the search condition cannot be performed before reaching the specified number N during the loop (NO in step S707), the load balance determination process is exited at that time. (Step S711).

  10 and 11 are flowcharts showing the communication management table monitoring process of the host machine 200. FIG.

  The communication management table monitoring process is periodically executed by the host machine 200, and the communication interval and communication interval of the copier 100 whose current time has passed the communication interval return date and time in the communication management table 500 of FIG. The return date is constantly updated.

  The communication management table monitoring processing procedure will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11 taking the communication management table 540 of FIG. 6C as an example.

  10 and 11, in the communication management table monitoring process (step S800), first, the CPU 202 of the host machine 200 searches the communication management table 500 for a search condition (communication interval is α and the current time is returned to the communication interval). One copy machine that matches (date and time has passed) is searched (step S801). This search process is repeated while copying machines matching the above search conditions can be searched (step S802), and the communication management table monitoring process is exited when search is no longer possible (step S810).

  If a copy machine that matches the search conditions can be searched, the CPU 202 subsequently sets the communication interval α of the copy machine (that is, the copy machine A) in the communication management table 500 as the initial communication interval β and the communication interval return date / time as NULL. (Step S803). Subsequently, the CPU 202 initializes the loop counter i with 1 (step S804), and the communication interval is changed from γ to the initial communication interval in response to the return of the communication interval from α to the initial communication interval β in step S803. One copy machine (i) to be returned to β is searched from the communication management table 500 (step S805). When searching for the copier (i), the communication management table is searched from the top in order of oldest communication interval return date.

  When the copying machine (i) that matches the search condition can be searched, the CPU 202 updates the communication interval 503 of the copying machine (i) in the communication management table 500 to β and the communication interval return date and time 504 to NULL ( Step S807). Then, the CPU 202 repeats the same process as described above while incrementing the loop counter i (step S808). However, when the selected copying machine (i) reaches the specified number N (YES in step S809), the process exits the loop and returns to step S801. Taking the communication management table 540 of FIG. 6 (c) as an example, the prescribed number N is 2. Therefore, two copiers, the copier G and the copier H, are selected, their communication interval is β, and the communication interval is returned. When the date is updated to NULL, the process exits the loop and returns to step S801.

  In the middle of the loop, if the search for the copying machine (i) that matches the search condition cannot be performed before reaching the specified number N (NO in step S806), the loop is exited at that point and step S801 is executed. Return to.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in an environment where the operation status of a plurality of copying machines is monitored from a host machine via a network, the host machine can detect a copying machine that has entered an abnormal state. Instructs to periodically perform operation information notification at a communication interval shorter than the initial communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. This makes it possible to obtain more detailed information on the operation of the copier thereafter, which is very useful for identifying the location and cause of the failure of the copier, understanding the tendency of the failure, and recovering from the failure. be able to.

  At the same time, the host machine instructs a copying machine that is not in an abnormal state to periodically notify operation information at a communication interval longer than the initial communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. As a result, an increase in the communication load of the host machine can be prevented.

  In other words, without increasing the network traffic or communication load on the host machine side, increasing the frequency of communication with a specific copier (falling into an abnormal state such as failure or frequent jams) More detailed operation information of the copier can be acquired, and the operation status of the copier can be grasped in detail and appropriate measures can be taken (for example, instructing a service person to perform fault recovery work or maintenance work). It becomes.

[Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, when the communication interval of one copier that has entered an abnormal state is changed to a communication interval α that is shorter than the initial communication interval β, the communication interval of two copiers that are not in an abnormal state is changed to the initial communication interval. Although an example of changing to a communication interval γ longer than β has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of copiers to be changed to a communication interval γ longer than the initial communication interval β is greater than the initial communication interval β. It is sufficient that the increase in the communication frequency of the copying machine changed to the short communication interval α is at least cancelable by the decrease in the communication frequency of the copying machine changed to the communication interval γ longer than the initial communication interval β.

  In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the communication interval α is set to a value that is ½ of the initial communication interval β, and the communication interval γ is set to a value that is twice the initial communication interval β. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the communication interval α may be a value 1 / N of the initial communication interval β, and the communication interval γ may be a value N times the initial communication interval β (N ≧ 3). In this case, the number of copiers to be changed to the communication interval γ is larger than in the case of the above embodiment (two) (the increase in communication frequency can be canceled out by the decrease in communication frequency).

  In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the communication interval of the copying machine is changed to a communication interval α shorter than the initial communication interval β when the copying machine enters an abnormal state (such as hardware failure or frequent jams). The present invention is not limited to this, and when a copying machine is newly installed and connected to the network, the communication interval of the copying machine is set to the initial communication interval in order to observe the operation status after the copying machine is installed. The communication interval α may be shorter than β.

  In the above embodiment, the image forming method of the copying machine is not particularly mentioned, but the present invention is not limited to a specific image forming method, and various image forming methods such as an electrophotographic method and an ink jet method are used. Applicable.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which a managed device is a copying machine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to application only to a copying machine, and can be applied to other devices such as a multifunction machine and a printer. It is.

  The present invention supplies a software program (flowcharts in FIGS. 8 to 11) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments to a computer or CPU, and the computer or CPU reads and executes the supplied program. Can be achieved.

  In this case, the program is directly supplied from a storage medium storing the program, or downloaded from another computer or database (not shown) connected to the Internet, a commercial network, a local area network, or the like. Supplied.

  The form of the program may be in the form of object code, program code executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to an OS (operating system), and the like.

  The present invention also supplies a computer or CPU with a storage medium storing a software program that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the computer or CPU reads and executes the program stored in the storage medium. Can also be achieved.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for storing the program code, for example, ROM, RAM, NV-RAM, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk (registered trademark), magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, MO, CD-R, CD -RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, etc.

  The function of the above-described embodiment is not only by executing the program code read from the computer, but the OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code. Can also be realized.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be achieved by downloading a software program for realizing the above-described embodiment from a database on a network or a homepage by a communication program, and reading and executing this program.

  The above program can also be supplied by connecting to a homepage on the Internet using a browser of a client computer and downloading the computer program itself or a compressed file including an automatic installation function from the homepage to a storage medium such as a hard disk. .

  The above program distributes a storage medium such as a CD-ROM stored after encrypting the program code to the user, and provides a key for decrypting the encryption from the homepage via the Internet to the user who has cleared a predetermined condition. It can also be provided by downloading the information and using the key information to execute the encrypted program code and install it on the computer.

  The functions of the embodiments described above can also be realized by dividing the program code into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different home page. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer also constitutes the present invention.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiment are obtained by writing a program read from a storage medium into a function expansion board inserted in a computer or a memory provided in a function expansion unit connected to the computer, and It can also be realized by the CPU or MPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit executing part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship in the intranet between a copying machine and a host machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship between a copying machine and a host machine via the Internet. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of a copying machine. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a host machine. It is a figure which shows the structure of a communication management table. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing transition of the contents of a communication management table when a copying machine enters an abnormal state, where (a) is a communication management table when a failure occurs in the copying machine A, and (b) is a copying machine F. (C) is a communication management table when the current time has passed the communication interval return date and time of the copier A. It is a figure which shows a part of communication sequence between a copying machine and a host machine. It is a flowchart which shows the load balance judgment process of a host machine. It is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the communication management table monitoring process of a host machine. It is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100 copier (supports managed devices)
200 Host machine (supports management devices)
202 CPU (corresponding to control means)
205 LAN I / F (corresponding to communication means)
301 Internet (supports network)
302 Intranet (supports network)
500 Communication management table (corresponding to storage means)

Claims (9)

A management device that manages a plurality of managed devices,
Communication means for exchanging information with the plurality of managed devices;
When a managed device that has entered a specific state occurs, the communication interval for sending and receiving information to and from the managed device that has entered the specific state is increased, and the managed device that has entered the specific state A management device comprising: a control unit that delays a communication interval when information is exchanged with a predetermined managed device other than the device.   The control means changes the communication interval when periodically exchanging information with the managed device in the specific state to a first communication interval shorter than the current communication interval, and Changing the communication interval when periodically exchanging information with a predetermined managed device other than the managed device in a specific state to a second communication interval longer than the current communication interval. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The control means communicates with the managed device in the specific state at the first communication interval until reaching a communication interval return date and time that is a date and time for returning the changed communication interval to the communication interval before the change. Instructing the predetermined managed device other than the managed device in the specific state to communicate at the second communication interval until the communication interval return date and time is reached. The management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: Storage means for storing communication priorities set for each of the plurality of managed devices,
The control unit selects a managed device having a low communication priority stored in the storage unit as the predetermined managed device other than the managed device in the specific state. The management apparatus according to 1.   The number of managed devices to be changed to the second communication interval is the communication of managed devices in which the increase in the communication frequency of the managed device to be changed to the first communication interval is changed to the second communication interval. 3. The management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number is a number that can be canceled at least by the decrease in frequency. The managed device is an image forming device that forms an image on paper,
The specific state includes a state where a failure has occurred in the mechanism of the image forming apparatus, a state where a paper jam has occurred in the image forming apparatus, and a state where the image forming apparatus is newly installed. The management apparatus according to claim 1.   7. A network system, wherein the management device according to claim 1 and a plurality of managed devices are communicably connected via a network. A management device communication interval control method for managing a plurality of managed devices,
When a managed device that has entered a specific state occurs, the communication interval when sending and receiving information to and from the managed device that has entered the specific state is advanced, and the managed device that has entered the specific state A communication interval control method characterized by delaying a communication interval when exchanging information with a predetermined managed device other than the device. A program that causes a computer to execute a communication interval control method for a management device that manages a plurality of managed devices,
When a communication module that exchanges information with the plurality of managed devices and a managed device that is in a specific state occurs, information is exchanged between the managed device that is in the specific state And a control module for delaying the communication interval when exchanging information with a predetermined managed device other than the managed device in the specific state. A featured program.

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