JP2009061609A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a down time (stopping time) minimum by enabling maintenance of an HDD before the HDD fails due to vibration and shock. <P>SOLUTION: First, a vibration reference value of an HDD device (for example, vibration level whereat the HDD device may be turned defective) is set beforehand (S101), and a vibration detecting means is installed in, for example, a movable unit (S102). When vibration occurs, a vibration level of the generated vibration is detected by the vibration detecting means, and a vibration detection signal and the detected vibration level data are transmitted to a CPU (S104). A first vibration judging means compares the vibration level data with the vibration reference value set in step S101, thereby judging whether or not the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value. When the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value (S107, YES), a vibration warning notifying means displays warning information to an operation part (S109), and moreover notifies a device management center of the warning information (S110). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or MFP equipped with an HDD, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that detects vibration and impact on the HDD.

In an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Printer), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) is generally used as an external storage device for writing / reading information such as system management information and image image data.
The HDD is a high-capacity magnetic disk that records data by magnetism and is a precise device. Therefore, when external vibration or shock is applied to the HDD, the reliability may decrease and various problems may occur. There is.

The external vibration and impact on the HDD that occurs when the image forming apparatus is used on a daily basis may be caused by, for example, when the movable unit such as the paper feed tray is opened or closed when the image forming apparatus is replenished or jammed. And those generated when a peripheral unit such as a finisher, a large-capacity stacker, or a bookbinding machine is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus.
When such external vibration or shock to the HDD occurs, for example, during the operation (access) of the HDD, the head positioning for writing / reading data cannot be performed normally, and erroneous data writing to adjacent tracks is performed. May occur, and frequent data read retries may occur, especially when the vibration is strong, which may lead to damage to the head.

  In addition, even when the HDD is not operating, the occurrence of vibrations or impacts may lead to damage due to contact between the head and the platter (magnetic disk) or damage to the spindle motor that rotates the platter. In addition, when dust is generated inside the HDD due to impact and enters the gap between the head and the platter, it leads to a so-called head crash in which the head collides with the magnetic surface of the disk when the HDD is operated. There is a possibility.

  If the above-described problems occur in the HDD, user data information stored in the HDD may be lost. In the worst case, the HDD fails and needs to be replaced. Such HDD failure analysis and HDD replacement work is difficult for individual users to perform by themselves, so it is necessary to request specialized service personnel, and the user's printing work is suspended during this analysis / replacement work Problem arises.

By the way, as an HDD failure prediction system, an HDD internal state such as an HDD error rate (error rate), energization time, HDD temperature, etc. is detected, HDD failure is predicted from the detected information, HDD replacement time, etc. Is known (see Patent Document 1).
However, this system detects the degree of wear of the HDD and predicts failure, and sudden failure such as external vibration or shock to the HDD cannot be detected in advance. It will not be.

  Also, as a method of mitigating vibrations to the HDD, in order to improve the deterioration of the head positioning accuracy due to vibrations in the spindle motor thrust, conical, and translation modes due to disturbances such as vibration, the HDD base, cover, or PCB A magnetic disk drive is proposed that has an acceleration sensor on the (printed wiring board) to detect disturbances, calculates the mechanical system transfer characteristics parameters of each mode with a processor, and has a compensation circuit that cancels unwanted vibration in each mode. (See Patent Document 2).

However, the compensation circuit of this magnetic disk device reduces the head positioning error. When an impact that cannot be canceled out by the compensation circuit is applied to the HDD, the impact described above occurs due to the impact. In such a case, the operation of the HDD must still be stopped to maintain the HDD.
JP 2001-31375 A JP 2005-302246 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and its purpose is to enable maintenance of the HDD before the HDD provided in the image forming apparatus breaks down due to vibration and shock. This is to minimize HDD downtime (stop time) due to HDD maintenance.

The invention of claim 1 includes an external storage means, a vibration or impact detection means for detecting the vibration level or impact level of the external storage means, and a vibration for storing the vibration level or impact level detected by the vibration or impact detection means. Or an external storage vibration or impact information storage means for storing a predetermined vibration reference value or impact reference value of the external storage means, and the vibration or impact information storage. Vibration or impact determination means for determining whether the vibration level or impact level stored in the means exceeds the vibration reference value or impact reference value stored in the external storage vibration or impact information storage means. It is characterized by that.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the vibration reference value or the shock reference value is a predetermined value when the external storage unit is in operation and when it is not in operation. The vibration or shock determination means performs the above determination according to whether the external storage means is operating or not operating.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when the vibration or shock determination unit determines that the excess has occurred, the display unit displays the vibration or shock warning information (here, Display devices such as visible display and audible display are collectively referred to as display means).
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the vibration or shock determination means determines that the excess has occurred, vibration or shock warning information is transmitted to the device management center ( Here, the apparatus is characterized by comprising vibration or impact warning means for notifying external equipment and devices for managing the image forming apparatus to the device management center.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the external storage vibration or shock information storage means is a vibration reference value or shock in X / Y / Z triaxial directions. A reference value is stored, and the vibration or impact determination means performs the determination for each of the three axial directions.

  According to the present invention, the HDD provided in the image forming apparatus can be maintained before the HDD breaks down due to vibration or shock, and the downtime of the HDD due to the maintenance of the HDD is minimized. The operating rate of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
The image forming apparatus 103 is a microprocessor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 105 that executes data processing and commands to each part of the apparatus, and the CPU 105 temporarily stores data and data when executing data processing and programs. Memory 106 for storing the program, HDD device 107 corresponding to the external storage means of the present invention which is an external storage device for storing image image data for image formation, etc., and data input to the device and device status display are possible For example, an operation unit 108 corresponding to the display unit of the present invention that is a touch panel, an image forming unit 109 that prints on recording paper or the like based on image image data stored in the memory 106 or the HDD device 107, and a network. A memory that can send and receive data information and temporarily store data The data transmission / reception means 110, the vibration detection means 111 corresponding to the vibration or impact detection means of the present invention for detecting the acceleration by the vibration acceleration sensor and detecting the vibration level based on the acceleration, and the HDD device 107 in operation / In the external storage vibration information storage means of the present invention constituted by, for example, an NV-RAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) for presetting and storing specific information (for example, a vibration reference value described later) regarding non-operating vibration specification conditions Corresponding HDD vibration information storage means 112 and a movable part unit 116 which is an operable paper feed tray unit are provided. In addition, a peripheral device 117 such as a finisher, a large-capacity stacker, and a bookbinding machine can be connected (detached) to the image forming apparatus 103 as appropriate.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 103 according to the first embodiment executes a program stored in the memory 106 or the HDD device 107 by the CPU 105 and sets the vibration level detected by the vibration detection unit 111 to, for example, DRAM ( Vibration or impact determination according to the present invention as to whether or not the vibration level exceeds a predetermined vibration reference value stored in the HDD vibration information storage means 112. First vibration determination means 114a corresponding to the means, and based on the determination result, vibration warning notification means 115 displays vibration warning information on the operation unit 108, or to the device management center 101 described later via the network. Notify warning information.

  The units 105 to 117 are connected to be communicable via a system bus 120. Further, the image forming apparatus 103 can be connected to a network via a network I / F (interface) 102 to transmit / receive data to / from the device management center 101 that manages the image forming apparatus 103.

In order to detect strict vibration data for the HDD device 107, it is preferable to attach the vibration detection means 111 to the HDD device 107 itself (for example, a hard cover that protects the platter). When the HDD device 107 is replaced, it is uneconomical to remove the vibration detecting unit 111 from the HDD device 107 or to replace the vibration detecting unit 111 together with the HDD device 107.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the vibration detection unit 111 is attached to the image forming apparatus 103 or the peripheral device 117 or the movable unit 116 connected thereto, and vibration data for the HDD device 107 is indirectly detected.

2 is a schematic front view of the image forming apparatus 103 showing an example of an installation location of the vibration detection unit 111, FIG. 2A is an example in which the vibration detection unit 111 is installed in the movable unit 116, and FIG. 2B is a movable unit. An example in which the image forming apparatus is installed near the image forming apparatus main body 116 is shown.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the image forming apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment includes a movable unit (paper feed tray) 116 having a two-stage structure in the vicinity of the bottom thereof. It has a structure that can be pulled out toward you. A mounting portion (not shown) to which the vibration detecting means 111 can be attached and detached is formed inside each movable unit 116. When the vibration detecting means 111 is attached to the mounting portion, the vibration detecting means 111 is displayed in the image shown in FIG. Transmission / reception of signals to / from each unit in the forming apparatus 103 becomes possible.
The HDD device 107 displayed with a dotted line in the drawing is provided inside the bottom side of the image forming apparatus 103, and an operation unit 108 is formed on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 103.

The vibration detection means 111 is attached to each attachment portion formed on the movable unit 116, and detects the vibration caused by opening and closing each movable unit 116, and the vibration data is shown in FIG. Stored in the HDD vibration information storage means 112.
Therefore, in the illustrated example, the vibration of the movable unit 116 with respect to the HDD device 107 can be indirectly detected.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2B, a mounting portion (not shown) is formed in the main body of the image forming apparatus 103 between the HDD device 107 and the movable unit 116, and the vibration detection unit 111 is attached to this mounting portion. . In this case, the single vibration detection unit 111 can indirectly detect the vibration of the movable unit 116 with respect to the HDD device 107.

3 is a schematic front view of the image forming apparatus 103 to which the peripheral device 117 is connected, showing an example of the installation location of the vibration detector 111. FIG. 3A shows the vibration detector 111 in the peripheral device 117. FIG. 3B shows an example in which the image forming apparatus is installed in the vicinity of the peripheral device 117.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the peripheral device 117 is detachably connected to a connection portion (not shown) on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 103 shown in FIG.
The peripheral device 117 includes an attachment portion (not shown) to which the vibration detection means 111 can be attached and detached inside the vicinity of the connection portion with the image forming apparatus 103, and the vibration detection means 111 is attached to the attachment portion. . When the peripheral device 117 is connected to the image forming apparatus 103 with the vibration detecting means 111 attached to the attaching portion, the vibration detecting means 111 transmits and receives signals to each part in the image forming apparatus 103 shown in FIG. It is configured to be possible.

Therefore, when the vibration detecting unit 111 detects vibration generated when the peripheral device 117 is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus 103, the vibration data is transmitted via the system bus 120 under the control of the CPU 105 as shown in FIG. Can be stored in the HDD vibration information storage means 112 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the vibration detection unit 111 may be attached in the vicinity of the peripheral device 117 on the image forming apparatus main body side. In addition to the installation position of the vibration detection unit 111 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the vibration detection unit 111 may be installed at the position shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

  2 and 3 may be formed outside the image forming apparatus 203 (movable unit 216, peripheral device 217), and the impact detection unit 211 is previously attached at the time of factory shipment. Also good.

Next, processing of the image forming apparatus 103 when vibration occurs will be described according to the flowchart shown below, taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 as an example.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the image forming apparatus 103 when the user's processing and vibration generated when the movable unit 116 is opened and closed are detected.
First, a user sets and stores a vibration reference value of the HDD device 107 (for example, a vibration level at which a failure may occur in the HDD device 107) in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 from the operation unit 108 in advance (S101). As shown in FIG. 2, the vibration detecting means 111 is installed in the vicinity of the movable unit 116 or the main body side capable of detecting vibration generated when the movable unit 116 is opened and closed (S102).

When the user performs an opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 such as a paper feed tray for paper supply or jamming (S103), the vibration detecting means 111 detects the vibration level of the vibration generated at that time, and the vibration is detected. Is transmitted to the CPU 105 (S104).
When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, the vibration level data detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S105). The first vibration determination means 114a compares the vibration level data stored in the vibration information storage means 113 with the vibration reference value set in the HDD vibration information storage means 112 in step S101, and the vibration level is determined as vibration. It is determined whether or not the reference value is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S106).

When the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value (S107, YES), the CPU 105 notifies the vibration warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value (S108). The warning notifying unit 115 notifies and displays warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration reference value has occurred due to opening and closing of the movable unit 116 (S109), and further displays the warning information on the network I / F 102. To the device management center 101 (S110).
On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S107 (S107, NO), the process returns to step S103 again, and if the vibration due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 by the user is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S104), vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S105), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference value is repeated (S107).

  As described above, when the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 111 exceeds a preset vibration reference value, vibration that exceeds the vibration reference value is generated by opening and closing the movable unit 116. Since the warning information is displayed on the operation unit 108, the user can easily know that the vibration exceeding the vibration reference value has occurred and that the vibration is generated at the movable unit 116. Further, since the warning information is notified to the device management center 101, maintenance can be performed before or immediately after the HDD device 107 fails, and downtime of the HDD device 107 can be minimized. Can do. Furthermore, since the service personnel of the equipment management center 101 can know that vibration has occurred in the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116, in some cases, appropriately provide guidance to the user regarding the operation of the movable unit 116. be able to.

In step S101, the vibration reference value set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 differs depending on the installation position of the vibration detection unit 111. That is, when the vibration detection unit 111 is installed at a position close to the HDD device 107 between the vibration occurrence location and the HDD device 107, the vibration level detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is a value close to the vibration level received by the HDD device 107. However, if the vibration detection unit 111 is installed at a position close to the vibration generation location, the vibration detection unit 111 detects the vibration and then attenuates the vibration to reach the HDD device 107. The detected vibration level is larger than the vibration level received by the HDD device 107.
Therefore, an appropriate value acquired in advance by an experiment or the like according to the installation position of the vibration detection unit 111 is set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 as a vibration reference value.

In addition, the process of step S101 and step S102 may be performed by the user side, and may be previously performed at the time of factory shipment.
Further, in the processing of step S109 and step S110, warning information can be displayed only on one side, that is, only on the operation unit 108, or notified only to the device management center 101. In this case, the operation unit 108 sets a warning information notification destination (operation unit 108 / device management center 101).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the image forming apparatus 103 that detects the user's processing and vibration generated when the peripheral device 117 is attached / detached, taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 as an example.
First, the user previously sets and stores a vibration reference value of the HDD device 107 (for example, a vibration level at which the HDD device 107 may malfunction) from the operation unit 108 in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 (S201). As shown in FIG. 3, the peripheral device 117 is installed in the vicinity of the main body side capable of detecting vibrations generated when it is attached or detached (S202).

Here, when the user performs the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 117 in order to perform the jam processing (S203), the vibration detection unit 111 detects the vibration generated at that time, and notifies that the vibration has been detected. The detection signal and the detected vibration level data are transmitted to the CPU 105 (S204).
When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, the vibration level data detected by the vibration detection means 111 is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S205). The first vibration determination means 114a compares the vibration level data stored in the vibration information storage means 113 with the vibration reference value set in the HDD vibration information storage means 112 in step S201, and the vibration level is determined as vibration. It is determined whether or not the reference value is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S206).

  When the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value (S207, YES), the CPU 105 notifies the vibration warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value (S208). The warning notifying unit 115 notifies and displays warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration reference value has occurred due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117 (S209), and further displays the warning information on the network I / O. The device management center 101 is notified via F102 (S210).

  On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S207 (S207, NO), the process returns to step S203 again, and if the vibration due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 117 by the user is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S204), vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S205), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference value is repeated (S206).

  As described above, regarding the vibration due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117, when the vibration data exceeds the vibration reference value, warning information to that effect is displayed on the operation unit 108 and the device management center 101. Therefore, the maintenance can be performed before or immediately after the HDD device 107 fails, so that the downtime of the HDD device 107 can be minimized.

6 and 7 are flowcharts showing vibration detection processing when the HDD device 107 is operating / not operating.
Since the spindle motor or the like is not moving when the HDD device 107 is not writing / reading data, the HDD device 107 is unlikely to be damaged even if vibration occurs. Even with relatively weak vibrations, there is a high possibility of malfunctions such as erroneous data writing, reading retry, and contact between the head and the platter.
Therefore, even if vibrations of the same vibration level occur, a failure may occur when the HDD device 107 is operating, and a failure may not occur when the HDD device 107 is not operating. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, Different vibration reference values can be set during operation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing vibration detection processing when the HDD device 107 is not operating.
First, each vibration reference value when the user operates / not operates the HDD device 107 is preset and stored in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 (S301). In the configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable unit 116 is installed in the vicinity of the apparatus main body side capable of detecting vibrations generated when the movable unit 116 is opened or closed (S302).

When the image forming apparatus 103 shifts from the standby state to the energy saving mode, the CPU 105 performs a shutdown process on the HDD apparatus 107. After the shutdown process is completed, the power supply to the HDD apparatus 107 is cut off, and the HDD apparatus 107 enters the non-operating state. Transition is made (S304).
When the user performs an opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 such as a paper feed tray for paper supply or jamming (S305), the vibration detection means 111 detects the vibration level of the vibration generated at that time, and the vibration is detected. Is transmitted to the CPU 105 (S306).

When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, the vibration level data detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S307). The first vibration determination unit 114a compares the vibration level data stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 with the vibration reference value during non-operation set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in step S301. It is determined whether or not the vibration level exceeds a vibration reference value during non-operation, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S308).
At this time, the first vibration determination unit 114a reads the vibration reference value at the time of non-operation from the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 according to the fact that the HDD device 107 is not in operation, and detects the detected vibration level. Compare.

  When the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value at the time of non-operation (S309, YES), the CPU 105 notifies the vibration warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the vibration level has exceeded the vibration reference value ( (S310), the vibration warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 108 of warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration non-operating vibration reference value set by opening and closing the movable unit 116 is displayed (S311). Further, the warning information is notified to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S312).

  On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S309 (S309, NO), the process returns to step S305 again, and if the vibration due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 by the user is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S306), vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S307), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference value is repeated (S308).

3, that is, when vibration due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117 is detected, it is installed in the vicinity of the peripheral device 117 or the main body side capable of detecting the vibration generated when the peripheral device 117 is attached / detached (S303).
Here, when the HDD device 107 is not operating, when the user performs the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117 in order to perform jam processing (S313), the vibration detecting means 111 detects the vibration generated at that time and detects the vibration. The vibration detection signal for notifying that it has been performed and the detected vibration level data are transmitted to the CPU 105 (S314).

When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, the vibration level data detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S315). The first vibration determination means 114a compares the vibration level data stored in the vibration information storage means 113 with the vibration reference value set in the HDD vibration information storage means 112 in step S301, and the vibration level is It is determined whether or not the vibration reference value during non-operation is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S316).
At this time, the first vibration determination unit 114a reads the vibration reference value at the time of non-operation from the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 according to the fact that the HDD device 107 is not in operation, and the detected vibration level. Compare with the data.

  When the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value at the time of non-operation (S317, YES), the CPU 105 displays determination result information notifying that the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value at the time of non-operation. (S318), and the vibration warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 108 of warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration non-operating vibration reference value set by the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117 has occurred. And display the warning information to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S320).

  On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S317 (S317, NO), the process returns to step S913 again, and if the vibration due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 117 by the user is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S314), vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S315), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference value is repeated (S316).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing vibration detection processing during operation of the HDD device 107.
First, each vibration reference value when the user operates / not operates the HDD device 107 is preset and stored in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 (S401). In the configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable unit 116 is installed in the vicinity of the apparatus main body side capable of detecting vibrations generated when the movable unit 116 is opened or closed (S402).

  When the image forming apparatus 103 is on standby or in operation and the HDD apparatus 107 is in an operating state, or when the image forming apparatus 103 has shifted from the energy saving mode to a standby state and the HDD apparatus 107 has shifted to an operating state. (S404) When the user performs opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 such as a paper feed tray for paper replenishment or jam processing (S405), the vibration detection means 111 detects the vibration level of the vibration generated at that time. Then, a vibration detection signal for notifying that vibration has been detected and the detected vibration level data are transmitted to the CPU 105 (S406).

When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, the vibration level data detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S407). The first vibration determination unit 114a compares the vibration level data stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 with the vibration reference value during the operation set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in step S301. It is determined whether or not the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value during operation, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S408).
At this time, the first vibration determination means 114a reads the vibration reference value during operation from the HDD vibration information storage means 112 according to whether the HDD device 107 is operating or not operating, and detects the detected vibration level. Compare.

  When the detected vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value at the time of operation (S409, YES), the CPU 105 displays determination result information notifying that the vibration level has exceeded the vibration reference value at the time of vibration vibration notification means 115. (S410), the vibration warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 108 of warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration reference value set during operation by opening and closing the movable unit 116 is displayed. Then, the warning information is notified to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S412).

  On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S107 (S409, NO), the process returns to step S405 again, and if the vibration due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 by the user is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S406), vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S407), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference value is repeated (S408).

3, that is, when vibration due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117 is detected, it is installed in the vicinity of the peripheral device 117 or the main body side capable of detecting the vibration generated at the time of attaching / detaching (S403).
Here, when the HDD device 107 is in operation, when the user performs the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 117 to perform jam processing (S413), the vibration detection unit 111 detects the vibration generated at that time, and the vibration is detected. The vibration detection signal for notifying the fact and the detected vibration level data are transmitted to the CPU 105 (S414).

When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, the vibration level data detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S415). The first vibration determination unit 114a compares the vibration level data stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 with the vibration reference value set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in step S201, and the vibration level is It is determined whether or not the vibration reference value during operation is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S416).
At this time, the first vibration determination unit 114a reads the vibration reference value at the time of operation from the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in accordance with the operation of the HDD device 107, and the detected vibration level data and Compare.

  When the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value during operation (S417, YES), the CPU 105 notifies the vibration warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the vibration level exceeds the vibration reference value during operation. (S418), the vibration warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 108 of warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration reference value set during operation of the peripheral device 117 is attached and detached. (S419) Further, the warning information is notified to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S420).

  On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S417 (S417, NO), the process returns to step S913 again, and if the vibration due to the user attaching / detaching the peripheral device 117 is detected, the CPU The vibration detection signal is transmitted (S414), the vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S415), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference value is repeated (S416).

  As described above, different vibration reference values can be set when the HDD device 107 is operating and when it is not operating, and the vibration level of the vibration received during operation / non-operation and the set vibrations. Since it is possible to determine whether to notify the warning information by comparing with the reference value, it is possible to appropriately notify the user or the device management center 101.

(Second embodiment)
The vibration that the HDD device receives from the outside can be divided into three axial directions, the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the disk surface of the HDD device 107. For example, when the vibration in each direction is subjected to the vibration in the horizontal direction (XY direction), there is a high possibility that a problem that the head positioning control cannot be performed normally occurs. The vibration level received in the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) varies depending on physical mounting conditions (vertical mounting and horizontal mounting) of the HDD device mounted on the image forming apparatus. In order to detect the vibration level in each direction, the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment has three in the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the disk surface of the HDD device. A vibration detection unit configured by an X-direction vibration detection unit, a Y-direction vibration detection unit, and a Z-direction vibration detection unit for detecting axial vibrations is provided.
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the vibration in the triaxial direction detected by the vibration detecting unit is used instead of the first vibration determining unit 114a in the first embodiment. A level corresponding to the vibration or impact determination means of the present invention for determining whether any one or more of the vibration levels exceeds a predetermined vibration reference value stored in the HDD vibration information storage means 112. Second vibration determination means 114b is provided.
The other configurations are the same as those of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, and each part having the same name is described with the same reference numeral.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating vibration detection processing when the HDD device 107 is not operating in the image forming apparatus 103 according to the second embodiment.
First, in the structure of FIG. 2, the user presets and stores in the HDD vibration storage means 112 the vibration reference values when the HDD device 107 is operating / not operating (S501). Each vibration detecting means 111 in the three-axis directions of Z is installed in the vicinity of the movable unit 116 or the main body side capable of detecting vibrations generated when opening and closing the unit (S502).

  The image forming apparatus 103 shifts from the standby state to the energy saving mode, the CPU 105 performs a shutdown process on the HDD apparatus 107, the power supply to the HDD apparatus 107 is cut off after the shutdown process is completed, and the HDD apparatus 107 shifts to the non-operating state. (S504). When the HDD device 107 is not operating, the user performs an opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 such as a paper feed tray in order to replenish paper or perform jam processing (S505). The vibration detection unit 111 detects each vibration in the three-axis directions, and transmits a vibration detection signal and vibration level data notifying that the vibration has been detected to the CPU 105 (S506).

  When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, vibration level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S507). The second vibration determination means 114b uses the X / Y / Z vibration levels stored in the vibration information storage means 113 and the non-operating time set in the HDD vibration information storage means 112 in step S501. Compared with each vibration reference value, any one or more of the vibration levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions are vibration non-operating vibration reference values in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions. Is determined, and the CPU 105 is notified of the determination result (S508).

  When each vibration level exceeds any one of the vibration reference values during non-operation (S509, YES), the CPU 105 exceeds any one of the vibration reference values during non-operation. The vibration warning notifying unit 115 is notified of the determination result information for notifying the fact (S510), and the vibration warning notifying unit 115 generates the warning information indicating that the vibration exceeding the vibration reference value has occurred due to the opening / closing of the movable unit. Is displayed on the operation unit 108 together with the direction (S511), and the warning information is further notified to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S512).

  On the other hand, when the vibration level does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S509 (S509, NO), the process returns to step S505 again, and when the vibration due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 by the user is detected, the CPU detects the vibration. A signal is transmitted (S506), the vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S507), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference values is repeated (S508).

Further, in the structure shown in FIG. 3, when detecting vibration due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117, each vibration detecting means 111 in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions is generated when the peripheral device 117 is attached or detached. It is installed in the vicinity of the main body side that can detect the vibration (S503).
When the HDD device 103 is not in operation (S504), the peripheral device 117 is attached / detached (S513), and when vibration is generated, each vibration detection unit 111 detects each vibration in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions. Then, a vibration detection signal notifying that vibration has been detected is transmitted to the CPU 105 (S514). When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, each vibration level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the vibration detection means 111 is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S515).

  Next, the second vibration determination unit 114b performs the vibration levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 in step S515 and the non-operation set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in step S501. The X / Y / Z three-axis direction vibration reference values are compared with each other, and at least one of the three X / Y / Z three-axis direction vibration levels is X / Y / Z 3 It is determined whether or not any vibration reference value in the axial direction is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S516).

  When any one or more vibration levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions exceed any vibration reference value in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions (S517, YES), the CPU 105 Determination result information notifying that the vibration level in any of the three axis directions of X / Y / Z has exceeded the vibration reference value at the time of non-operation is notified to the vibration warning notification means 115 (S518), and the vibration warning notification means 115 The operation unit together with the direction of vibration that generated warning information indicating that vibration exceeding the vibration reference value in any of the three axial directions of X / Y / Z during non-operation occurred due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 117 The notification is sent to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S520).

  On the other hand, if the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S517 (S517, NO), the process returns to step S513 again, and if the vibration due to the user attaching / detaching the peripheral device 117 is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S514), data of each vibration level is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S515), and the process of comparing each vibration level with each vibration reference value is repeated (S516).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing vibration detection processing during the operation of the HDD device 107 in the image forming apparatus 103 according to the second embodiment.
First, in the structure of FIG. 2, the user presets and stores in the HDD vibration storage means 112 the vibration reference values when the HDD device 107 is in operation / non-operation (S601). Each vibration detecting means 111 in the three-axis directions of Z is installed in the vicinity of the movable unit 116 or the main body side capable of detecting vibration generated when opening and closing the movable unit 116 (S602).

  Whether the image forming apparatus 103 is on standby or in operation and the HDD apparatus 107 is in the operating state, or the image forming apparatus 103 shifts from the energy saving mode to the standby state, and the HDD apparatus 107 shifts to the operating state (S604). When the HDD device 107 is operated, the user performs opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 such as a paper feed tray in order to replenish paper or perform jam processing (S605), and when vibration occurs, the X / Y / Z of 3 Each vibration detection means 111 detects each vibration in the axial direction, and transmits a vibration detection signal and vibration level data notifying that the vibration has been detected to the CPU 105 (S606).

  When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, vibration level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the vibration detection unit 111 is stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 (S607). The second vibration determination unit 114b is configured to store the vibration levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 and the operation levels set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in step S501. Compared with the vibration reference value, any one or more of the vibration levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions exceed the vibration reference value in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial operations. It is determined whether or not the determination is made, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 105 (S608).

  When each vibration level exceeds any one of the vibration reference values during operation (S609, YES), the CPU 105 indicates that each vibration level exceeds any one of the vibration reference values during operation. The determination result information to be notified is notified to the vibration warning notification means 115 (S610), and the vibration warning notification means 115 generates the warning information indicating that the vibration exceeding the vibration reference value has occurred due to the opening / closing of the movable unit. At the same time, the operation unit 108 is notified and displayed (S611), and the warning information is further notified to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S612).

  On the other hand, when the vibration level does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S609 (S609, NO), the process returns to step S605 again, and when the vibration due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 116 by the user is detected, the CPU detects the vibration. A signal is transmitted (S606), the vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S607), and the process of comparing the vibration level data with the vibration reference values is repeated (S608).

In the structure shown in FIG. 3, when detecting vibration due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 117, the vibration detecting means 111 capable of detecting vibrations in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions is provided as the peripheral device 117 or It is installed in the vicinity of the main body that can detect the vibration generated during the attachment / detachment (S603).
When the HDD device 103 is in operation (S604), the peripheral device 117 is attached / detached (S613), and when vibration is generated, each vibration detection means 111 detects each vibration in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions. Then, a vibration detection signal notifying that the vibration has been detected is transmitted to the CPU 105 (S614). When the CPU 105 receives the vibration detection signal, each vibration level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the vibration detection means 111 is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S615).

  Next, the second vibration determination unit 114b performs the three vibration levels of X / Y / Z stored in the vibration information storage unit 113 in step S515, and the operation time set in the HDD vibration information storage unit 112 in step S501. The X / Y / Z triaxial vibration reference values are compared with each other, and at least one of the X / Y / Z triaxial vibration levels is X / Y / Z triaxial. It is determined whether or not any vibration reference value in the direction is exceeded, and the CPU 105 is notified of the determination result (S616).

  When the vibration level in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial directions exceeds the vibration reference value in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial directions (S617, YES), the CPU 105 determines that X / Y Determination result information notifying that the vibration level in any of the three axes directions of / Z has exceeded the vibration reference value during operation is notified to the vibration warning notification means 115 (S618), and the vibration warning notification means 115 Notifying the operation unit 108 together with the direction of the vibration that generated the warning information indicating that the vibration exceeding the vibration reference value in any of the three axial directions of X / Y / Z during operation is caused by the attaching / detaching operation of the device 117 The information is displayed (S619), and the warning information is notified to the device management center 101 via the network I / F 102 (S620).

  On the other hand, when the vibration level data does not exceed the vibration reference value in step S617 (S617, NO), the process returns to step S613 again, and when the vibration due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 117 by the user is detected, the CPU A vibration detection signal is transmitted (S614), each vibration level data is stored in the vibration information storage means 113 (S615), and the process of comparing each vibration level with each vibration reference value is repeated (S616).

  In the setting of the vibration reference value during operation and non-operation in steps S501 and S601, the vibration reference values in the three axis directions of X / Y / Z may be the same.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment has three levels of vibration levels in the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the disk surface of the HDD device 107. Because it has vibration detection means to detect each, it is possible to compare and determine the vibration level for each of the three directions of X / Y / Z, and in which direction the vibration has occurred in advance. Knowing how can perform efficient maintenance.

  In the above description, the movable unit 116 has been described as the paper feed tray in the first and second embodiments. However, the movable unit 116 may be a pressure plate that holds the document as a vibration source. Further, the HDD device 107 has been described as an external storage device for storing print image data and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and storage devices that may cause a failure such as a crash due to vibration, such as an optical disk or a magnetic disk. Anything is acceptable.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment.
The image forming apparatus 203 is, for example, a microprocessor, which is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 205 that executes data processing and commands to each unit of the apparatus, and temporarily executes data processing and data when the CPU 205 executes data processing and programs. Memory 206 for storing the program, HDD device 207 corresponding to the external storage means of the present invention which is an external storage device for storing image image data and the like for image formation, and data input to the device and device status display are possible For example, an operation unit 208 corresponding to the display unit of the present invention that is a touch panel, an image forming unit 209 that prints on recording paper or the like based on image image data stored in the memory 206 or the HDD device 207, and a network. A memory that can send and receive data information and temporarily store data The data transmission / reception means 210, the impact detection means 211 corresponding to the vibration or impact detection means of the present invention for detecting the acceleration by the impact acceleration sensor and detecting the impact level based on the acceleration, and the HDD device 207 during operation / External memory vibration or shock information storage according to the present invention configured by, for example, an NV-RAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) that preliminarily sets and stores specific information (for example, a shock reference value to be described later) regarding non-operating shock specification conditions HDD impact information storage means 212 corresponding to the means, and a movable unit 216 which is a movable paper feed tray unit. In addition, a peripheral device 217 such as a finisher, a large-capacity stacker, and a bookbinding machine can be connected (detached) to the image forming apparatus 203 as appropriate.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 203 according to the third embodiment executes a program stored in the memory 206 or the HDD device 207 by the CPU 205 to set the impact level of the impact detected by the impact detection unit 211 to, for example, DRAM ( Vibration or impact determination according to the present invention as to whether or not the impact level exceeds a predetermined impact reference value stored in the HDD impact information storage means 212. Based on the determination result, the impact warning notification unit 115 displays the impact warning information on the operation unit 208, or the device management center 201 described later via the network. Notify warning information.

  The units 205 to 217 are connected to be communicable via a system bus 220. The image forming apparatus 203 can be connected to a network via a network I / F (interface) 202 to transmit / receive data to / from the device management center 201 that manages the image forming apparatus 203.

In order to detect strict impact data for the HDD device 207, it is preferable to attach the impact detection means 211 to the HDD device 207 itself (for example, a hard cover that protects the platter). When the HDD device 207 is replaced, it is uneconomical to remove the impact detection unit 211 from the HDD device 207 or to replace the impact detection unit 211 together with the HDD device 207.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the impact detection unit 211 is attached to the image forming apparatus 203 or the peripheral device 217 or the movable unit 216 connected to the image forming apparatus 203 to indirectly detect impact data for the HDD device 207.

12 is a schematic front view of the image forming apparatus 203 showing an example of the installation location of the impact detection means 211. FIG. 12A is an example in which the impact detection means 211 is installed on the movable unit 216, and FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the image forming apparatus is installed near the image forming apparatus main body 216.
As shown in FIG. 12A, the image forming apparatus 203 according to the present embodiment includes a movable unit (paper feed tray) 116 having a two-stage structure near the bottom thereof. It has a structure that can be pulled out toward you. Each movable unit 216 has a mounting portion (not shown) to which the impact detection means 211 can be attached and detached. When the impact detection means 211 is attached to the mounting portion, the impact detection means 211 is displayed in the image shown in FIG. Transmission / reception of signals to / from each unit in the forming apparatus 203 becomes possible.
The HDD device 207 displayed with a dotted line in the figure is provided inside the bottom side of the image forming apparatus 203, and an operation unit 208 is formed on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 203.

The impact detection means 211 is attached to each attachment portion formed in the movable unit 216. When each movable unit 216 is opened and closed, the impact due to the opening and closing is detected, and the impact data is shown in FIG. The data is stored in the HDD impact information storage unit 212.
Therefore, in the illustrated example, the impact on the HDD device 207 for each movable unit 216 can be indirectly detected.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12B, a mounting portion (not shown) is formed in the main body of the image forming apparatus 203 between the HDD device 207 and the movable unit 216, and the impact detection unit 211 is mounted on this mounting portion. . In this case, the impact to each HDD unit 207 by each movable unit 216 can be indirectly detected by one impact detection unit 211.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view of the image forming apparatus 203 to which the peripheral device 217 is connected, showing an example of the installation location of the impact detector 211. FIG. 13A shows the impact detector 211 as a peripheral device 217. FIG. 13B shows an example in which the image forming apparatus is installed in the vicinity of the peripheral device 217.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13A, a peripheral device 217 is detachably connected to a connection portion (not shown) on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 203 shown in FIG.
The peripheral device 217 includes a mounting portion (not shown) to which the impact detection means 211 can be attached and detached inside the vicinity of the connection portion with the image forming apparatus 203, and the impact detection means 211 is attached to the mounting portion. . When the peripheral device 217 is connected to the image forming apparatus 203 with the shock detecting means 211 attached to the mounting portion, the shock detecting means 211 can transmit and receive signals to and from each part in the image forming apparatus 203 shown in FIG. It is configured to be possible.

Therefore, when the impact detection unit 211 detects an impact that occurs when the peripheral device 217 is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus 203, the impact data is transmitted via the system bus 120 under the control of the CPU 205 as shown in FIG. Can be stored in the HDD impact information storage means 212 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 13B, the impact detection unit 211 may be attached in the vicinity of the peripheral device 217 on the image forming apparatus main body side. In addition to the installation position of the impact detection means 211 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the impact detection means 211 may be installed at the position shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

  12 and 13 may be formed outside the image forming apparatus 203 (movable unit 216, peripheral device 217), and the impact detecting means 211 is previously attached at the time of factory shipment. Also good.

Next, processing of the image forming apparatus 203 when an impact occurs will be described according to the flowchart shown below, taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 as an example.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing of the image forming apparatus 203 when a user process and an impact generated when the movable unit 216 is opened and closed are detected.
First, the user previously sets and stores the shock reference value of the HDD device 207 (for example, the shock level at which the HDD device 207 may fail) in the HDD shock information storage unit 212 from the operation unit 208 (S701). As shown in FIG. 12, the impact detection means 211 is installed in the vicinity of the movable unit 216 or the main body side capable of detecting an impact generated when the movable unit 216 is opened or closed (S702).

When the user performs an opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 such as a paper feed tray for paper replenishment or jamming (S703), the impact detection means 211 detects the impact level of the impact generated at that time, and the impact is detected. Is transmitted to the CPU 205 (S704).
When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S705). The first impact determination means 214a compares the impact level data stored in the impact information storage means 213 with the impact reference value set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S701. It is determined whether or not the reference value is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S706).

When the impact level exceeds the impact reference value (S707, YES), the CPU 205 notifies the impact warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the impact level has exceeded the impact reference value (S708). The warning notifying means 115 notifies and displays warning information indicating that an impact exceeding the shock reference value has occurred due to opening / closing of the movable unit 216 (S709), and further displays the warning information in the network I / F 102. Is notified to the device management center 201 (S710).
On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S107 (S707, NO), the process returns to step S103 again, and if the impact due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 by the user is detected, the CPU An impact detection signal is transmitted (S704), impact level data is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S705), and the process of comparing the impact level data with the impact reference value is repeated (S707).

  As described above, when the impact detected by the impact detection unit 211 exceeds a preset impact reference value, an impact exceeding the impact reference value is generated by opening and closing the movable unit 216. Since the warning information is displayed on the operation unit 208, the user can easily know that an impact exceeding the impact reference value has occurred and that the impact is generated at the movable unit 216. Further, since the warning information is notified to the device management center 201, maintenance can be performed before or immediately after the HDD device 207 fails, and downtime of the HDD device 207 can be minimized. Can do. Furthermore, since the service worker of the equipment management center 201 can know that an impact has occurred in the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216, in some cases, the user appropriately provides guidance regarding the operation of the movable unit 216. be able to.

In step S <b> 701, the impact reference value set in the HDD impact information storage unit 212 differs depending on the installation position of the impact detection unit 211. That is, when the impact detection unit 211 is installed near the HDD device 207 between the impact occurrence location and the HDD device 207, the impact level detected by the impact detection unit 211 is a value close to the impact level received by the HDD device 207. However, when the impact detection unit 211 is installed at a position close to the location where the impact is generated, the impact detection unit 211 detects the impact, and then the impact is attenuated and reaches the HDD device 207. The detected impact level is larger than the impact level received by the HDD device 207.
Accordingly, an appropriate value acquired in advance by an experiment or the like according to the installation position of the impact detection unit 211 is set in the HDD impact information storage unit 212 as an impact reference value.

Note that the processing of step S701 and step S702 may be performed by the user or may be performed in advance at the time of factory shipment.
Further, in the processing of step S709 and step S710, warning information can be displayed only on one side, that is, only on the operation unit 208, or notified only to the device management center 201. In this case, the operation unit 208 sets a warning information notification destination (operation unit 208 / device management center 201).

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the image forming apparatus 203 that detects a user process and an impact generated when the peripheral device 217 is attached / detached, taking the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13 as an example.
First, the user sets and stores in advance the shock reference value of the HDD device 207 (for example, the shock level at which the HDD device 207 may fail) in the HDD shock information storage unit 212 from the operation unit 208 (S801). As shown in FIG. 13, the peripheral device 217 or the peripheral device 217 is installed in the vicinity of the main body side capable of detecting an impact generated when it is attached or detached (S802).

Here, when the user performs the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 for jamming processing (S803), the impact detection means 211 detects the impact generated at that time, and notifies that the impact has been detected. The detection signal and the detected impact level data are transmitted to the CPU 205 (S804).
When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S805). The first impact determination means 214a compares the impact level data stored in the impact information storage means 213 with the impact reference value set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S201, and the impact level is determined as impact. It is determined whether or not the reference value is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S806).

  When the impact level exceeds the impact reference value (S807, YES), the CPU 205 notifies the impact warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the impact level has exceeded the impact reference value (S808). The warning notifying means 115 notifies and displays warning information indicating that an impact exceeding the shock reference value has occurred due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 217 (S809), and further displays the warning information on the network I / O. Notification is made to the device management center 201 via F102 (S810).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S807 (S807, NO), the process returns to step S803 again, and when the impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 by the user is detected, the CPU An impact detection signal is transmitted (S804), impact level data is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S805), and the process of comparing the impact level data with the impact reference value is repeated (S806).

  As described above, regarding the impact caused by the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217, when the impact data exceeds the impact reference value, warning information to that effect is displayed on the operation unit 208 and the device management center 201. Therefore, maintenance can be performed before the HDD device 207 fails or immediately after the failure, so that downtime of the HDD device 207 can be minimized.

FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 are flowcharts showing impact detection processing when the HDD device 207 is operating / not operating.
The HDD device 207 is not likely to be damaged even if an impact occurs because the spindle motor or the like is not moving when the data is not being written / read, and when it is in operation, Even with a relatively weak impact, there is a high possibility of malfunctions such as erroneous data writing, reading retry, and contact between the head and the platter.
Therefore, even if an impact of the same impact level occurs, a malfunction may occur when the HDD device 207 is operating, and a malfunction may not occur when the HDD device 207 is not operating. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, Different shock reference values can be set during operation.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an impact detection process when the HDD device 207 is not operating.
First, the user presets and stores the respective shock reference values when the HDD device 207 is in operation / non-operation in the HDD impact information storage unit 212 (901). In the configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the movable unit 216 or the movable unit 216 is installed in the vicinity of the apparatus main body side capable of detecting an impact generated when the movable unit 216 is opened or closed (S902).

When the image forming apparatus 203 shifts from the standby state to the energy saving mode, the CPU 205 performs a shutdown process on the HDD apparatus 207. After the shutdown process is completed, the power supply to the HDD apparatus 207 is cut off, and the HDD apparatus 207 enters the non-operating state. The process proceeds (S904).
When the user performs an opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 such as a paper feed tray in order to supply paper or jam (S905), the impact detection means 211 detects the impact level of the impact generated at that time, and the impact is detected. Is transmitted to the CPU 205 (S906).

When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S907). The first impact determination means 214a compares the impact level data stored in the impact information storage means 213 with the non-operational impact reference value set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S901. It is determined whether or not the impact level exceeds the impact reference value at the time of non-operation, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S908).
At this time, in response to the fact that the HDD device 207 is not in operation, the first shock determination unit 214a reads the shock reference value at the time of non-operation from the HDD shock information storage unit 212, and detects the detected shock level. Compare.

  If the impact level exceeds the non-operating impact reference value (S909, YES), the CPU 205 notifies the impact warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the impact level has exceeded the impact reference value ( S910), the impact warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 208 of warning information indicating that an impact exceeding the non-operational impact reference value set by opening / closing the movable unit 216 is displayed and displayed (S911). Further, the warning information is notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S912).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S909 (NO in S909), the process returns to step S905 again, and if the impact due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 by the user is detected, the CPU An impact detection signal is transmitted (S906), impact level data is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S907), and the process of comparing the impact level data with the impact reference value is repeated (S908).

Further, in the case of detecting an impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 shown in FIG. 13, it is installed in the vicinity of the peripheral device 217 or the main body side capable of detecting the impact generated during the attachment / detachment (S903).
Here, when the HDD device 207 is not in operation, when the user performs the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 217 for jamming processing (S913), the impact detection means 211 detects the impact generated at that time, and the impact is detected. The impact detection signal for notifying that it has been performed and the detected impact level data are transmitted to the CPU 205 (914).

When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S915). The first impact determination means 214a compares the impact level data stored in the impact information storage means 213 with the impact reference value set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S901, and the impact level is determined as described above. It is determined whether or not the shock reference value at the time of non-operation is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S916).
At this time, in response to the fact that the HDD device 207 is not in operation, the first shock determination unit 214a reads the shock reference value at the time of non-operation from the HDD impact information storage unit 212, and determines the detected shock level. Compare with the data.

  When the impact level exceeds the non-operational impact reference value (S917, YES), the CPU 205 displays the determination result information notifying that the impact level has exceeded the non-operational impact reference value as the impact warning notification means 115. (S918), the impact warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 208 of warning information that an impact exceeding the non-operational impact reference value set by the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 217 has occurred. And display the warning information to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S920).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S917 (S917, NO), the process returns to step S913 again, and when the impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 by the user is detected, the CPU The impact detection signal is transmitted (S914), the impact level data is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S915), and the process of comparing the impact level data with the impact reference value is repeated (S916).

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing shock detection processing during operation of the HDD device 207.
First, the impact reference value when the user operates / not operates the HDD device 207 is preset and stored in the HDD impact information storage unit 212 (S1001). In the configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the movable unit 216 is installed in the vicinity of the apparatus main body side that can detect the impact generated when the movable unit 216 is opened or closed (S1002).

  When the image forming apparatus 203 is on standby or in operation and the HDD apparatus 207 is in an operating state, or when the image forming apparatus 203 has shifted from the energy saving mode to the standby state and the HDD apparatus 207 has shifted to the operating state. (S1004) When the user performs an opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 such as a paper feed tray for paper replenishment or jamming (S1005), the impact detection means 211 detects the impact level of the impact generated at that time. Then, the impact detection signal for notifying that the impact has been detected and the detected impact level data are transmitted to the CPU 205 (S1006).

When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1007). The first impact determination means 214a compares the impact level data stored in the impact information storage means 213 with the impact reference value during the operation set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S1001. It is determined whether or not the impact level exceeds the impact reference value during operation, and the CPU 205 is notified of the determination result (S1008).
At this time, the first shock determination unit 214a reads the shock reference value during operation from the HDD shock information storage unit 212 according to whether the HDD device 207 is in operation or not, and detects the detected shock level. Compare.

  When the detected impact level exceeds the shock reference value during operation (S1009, YES), the CPU 205 displays determination result information notifying that the shock level exceeds the shock reference value during operation as a shock warning notification means 115. (S1010), the impact warning notification means 115 notifies the operation unit 208 of warning information indicating that an impact exceeding the shock reference value during operation set by opening and closing the movable unit 216 is displayed. Then, the warning information is notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S1012).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S107 (S1009, NO), the process returns to step S1005 again, and if the impact due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 by the user is detected, the CPU The impact detection signal is transmitted (S1006), the impact level data is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1007), and the process of comparing the impact level data with the impact reference value is repeated (S1008).

Further, in the case of detecting the impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 shown in FIG. 13, it is installed in the vicinity of the peripheral device 217 or the main body side capable of detecting the impact generated during the attachment / detachment (S1003).
Here, when the HDD device 207 is in operation, when the user performs the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 for jamming processing (S1013), the impact detection means 211 detects the impact generated at that time, and the impact is detected. The impact detection signal for notifying the fact and the detected impact level data are transmitted to the CPU 205 (S1014).

When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1015). The first impact determination means 214a compares the impact level data stored in the impact information storage means 213 with the impact reference value set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S201, and the impact level is determined as described above. It is determined whether or not the shock reference value during operation is exceeded, and the CPU 205 is notified of the determination result (S1016).
At this time, the first impact determination means 214a reads the impact reference value at the time of operation from the HDD impact information storage means 212 in accordance with the operation of the HDD device 207, and detects the data of the detected impact level. Compare.

  When the shock level exceeds the shock reference value during operation (S1017, YES), the CPU 205 notifies the shock warning notification means 115 of determination result information notifying that the shock level exceeds the shock reference value during operation. In step S1018, the impact warning notifying unit 115 notifies the operation unit 208 of warning information indicating that an impact exceeding the impact reference value set during the operation of the peripheral device 217 is performed. (S1019) Further, the warning information is notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S1020).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S1017 (S1017, NO), the process returns to step S1013 again. When the impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 by the user is detected, the CPU The impact detection signal is transmitted (S1014), the impact level data is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1015), and the process of comparing the impact level data with the impact reference value is repeated (S1016).

  As described above, different shock reference values can be set when the HDD device 207 is in operation and when it is not in operation, the shock level of the shock received during operation / non-operation, and each set shock Since it is possible to determine whether to notify the warning information by comparing with the reference value, it is possible to appropriately notify the user or the device management center 201.

(Fourth embodiment)
The impact that the HDD device receives from the outside can be divided into three axial directions, the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the disk surface of the HDD device 207. For example, among these impacts in the respective directions, when a horizontal impact (XY direction) is received, there is a high possibility that a problem that the head positioning control cannot be performed normally occurs. The impact level received in such a horizontal direction (XY direction) and vertical direction (Z direction) varies depending on physical mounting conditions (vertical mounting and horizontal mounting) of the HDD device mounted on the image forming apparatus. In order to detect the impact level in each direction, the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment has three in the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the disk surface of the HDD device. There is provided an impact detection means composed of an X-direction impact detection means, a Y-direction impact detection means, and a Z-direction impact detection means for detecting axial impacts.
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the impact in the triaxial direction detected by the impact detection means instead of the first impact determination means 214a in the third embodiment. A level corresponding to the vibration or impact determination means of the present invention for determining whether any one or more of the impact levels exceeds a predetermined impact reference value stored in the HDD impact information storage means 212. A second impact determination means 214b is provided.
Other configurations are the same as those of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the components having the same names.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an impact detection process when the HDD device 207 is not operating in the image forming apparatus 203 according to the fourth embodiment.
First, in the structure of FIG. 12, the user presets and stores the respective shock reference values when the HDD device 207 is in operation / non-operation in the HDD shock storage means 112 (S1101). Each impact detection means 211 in the three Z-axis directions of Z is installed in the vicinity of the movable unit 216 or the main body side capable of detecting an impact generated when opening / closing the movable unit 216 (S1102).

  The image forming apparatus 203 shifts from the standby state to the energy saving mode, the CPU 205 performs a shutdown process on the HDD apparatus 207, the power supply to the HDD apparatus 207 is cut off after the shutdown process is completed, and the HDD apparatus 207 shifts to the non-operating state. (S1104). When the HDD device 207 is not in operation, the user performs opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 such as a paper feed tray in order to replenish paper or perform jam processing (S1105). The impact detection means 211 detects each impact in the three-axis directions, and transmits an impact detection signal and impact level data notifying that the impact has been detected to the CPU 205 (S1106).

  When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, it stores the impact level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the impact detection means 211 in the impact information storage means 213 (S1107). The second impact determination means 214b uses the X / Y / Z triaxial shock levels stored in the impact information storage means 213 and the non-operating time set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S1101. Compared with each impact reference value, any one or more of the impact levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions is at least one of the X / Y / Z triaxial direction impact reference values. Is determined, and the CPU 205 is notified of the determination result (S1108).

  When each of the shock levels exceeds any of the above-mentioned shock reference values during non-operation (S1109, YES), the CPU 205 exceeds any of the above-mentioned shock reference values during non-operation. The impact warning notification means 115 is notified of the determination result information for informing the effect (S1110), and the impact warning notification means 115 has received the warning information indicating that an impact exceeding the impact reference value has occurred due to the opening / closing of the movable unit. The notification is displayed on the operation unit 208 together with the direction (S1111), and the warning information is further notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S1112).

  On the other hand, when the impact level does not exceed the impact reference value in step S1109 (S1109, NO), the process returns to step S1105 again, and when the impact due to the opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 by the user is detected, the CPU detects the impact. A signal is transmitted (S1106), the data of each impact level is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1107), and the process of comparing each impact level data with each impact reference value is repeated (S1108).

Further, in the structure shown in FIG. 13, when detecting an impact due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 217, each impact detecting means 211 in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions is generated at the time of attaching / detaching the peripheral device 217. It is installed in the vicinity of the main body that can detect the impact (S1103).
When the HDD 103 is not in operation (S1104), the peripheral device 217 is attached / detached (S1113), and when an impact occurs, each impact detection means 211 detects each impact in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions. Then, an impact detection signal notifying that the impact has been detected is transmitted to the CPU 205 (S1114). When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, each impact level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1115).

  Next, the second impact determination means 214b uses the X / Y / Z triaxial impact levels stored in the impact information storage means 213 in step S1115 and the non-operation set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S1101. The X / Y / Z three-axis direction impact reference values are compared with each other, and any one or more of the X / Y / Z three-axis direction impact levels is X / Y / Z 3 It is determined whether or not any impact reference value in the axial direction is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S1116).

  When the impact level in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial directions exceeds the impact standard value in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial directions (S1117, YES), the CPU 205 determines that X / Y The determination result information notifying that the impact level in any of the three axes directions of / Z has exceeded the impact reference value at the time of non-operation is notified to the impact warning notification means 115 (S1118), and the impact warning notification means 115 Warning information indicating that an impact has occurred that has exceeded an impact reference value in any of the three axial directions of X / Y / Z during non-operation due to the attachment / detachment operation of the machine device 217 is notified to the operation unit 208 together with the direction of the impact that has occurred. The warning information is notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S1120).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S1117 (S1117, NO), the process returns to step S1113 again, and when the impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 by the user is detected, the CPU The impact detection signal is transmitted (S1114), the data of each impact level is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1115), and the process of comparing each impact level with each impact reference value is repeated (S1116).

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an impact detection process during the operation of the HDD device 207 in the image forming apparatus 203 according to the fourth embodiment.
First, in the structure of FIG. 12, the user presets and stores the respective shock reference values when the HDD device 207 is in operation / non-operation in the HDD shock storage means 112 (S1201). Each impact detecting means 211 in the three Z-axis directions of Z is installed in the vicinity of the movable unit 216 or the main body side capable of detecting an impact generated when opening / closing the movable unit 216 (S1202).

  Whether the image forming apparatus 203 is on standby or in operation and the HDD device 207 is in an operating state, or the image forming apparatus 203 shifts from the energy saving mode to a standby state, and the HDD device 207 shifts to an operating state (S1204). When the HDD device 207 is operated, the user performs opening / closing operation of the movable unit 216 such as a paper feed tray in order to replenish paper or perform jam processing (S1205), and when an impact occurs, X / Y / Z 3 Each impact detection means 211 detects each impact in the axial direction, and sends an impact detection signal and impact level data for notifying that the impact has been detected to the CPU 205 (S1206).

  When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, the impact level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1207). The second impact determination means 214b is configured to store each impact level in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions stored in the impact information storage means 213 and each of the operational shocks set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S1101. Compared with the impact reference value, any one or more of the impact levels in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions exceed the impact reference value in the X / Y / Z triaxial operation. It is determined whether or not the determination is made, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S1208).

  When each of the shock levels exceeds any one of the shock reference values during operation (S1209, YES), the CPU 205 indicates that each of the shock levels exceeds any one of the shock reference values during operation. The determination result information to be notified is notified to the impact warning notification means 115 (S1210), and the impact warning notification means 115 generates the warning information indicating that the impact exceeding the impact reference value has occurred due to the opening / closing of the movable unit. At the same time, the operation unit 208 is notified and displayed (S1211), and the warning information is further notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S1212).

  On the other hand, if the impact level does not exceed the impact reference value in step S1209 (NO in step S1209), the process returns to step S1205 again. A signal is transmitted (S1206), the data of each impact level is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1207), and the process of comparing each impact level data with each impact reference value is repeated (S1208).

In the structure shown in FIG. 13, when detecting an impact due to the attaching / detaching operation of the peripheral device 217, the impact detecting means 211 capable of detecting the impact in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions is provided as the peripheral device 217 or It is installed in the vicinity of the main body that can detect an impact generated during the attachment / detachment (S1203).
When the HDD device 103 is in operation (S1204), the peripheral device 217 is attached and detached (S1213), and when an impact occurs, each impact detection means 211 detects each impact in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions. Then, an impact detection signal notifying that the impact has been detected is transmitted to the CPU 205 (S1214). When the CPU 205 receives the impact detection signal, each impact level data in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions detected by the impact detection means 211 is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1215).

  Next, the second impact determination means 214b has the three X / Y / Z impact levels stored in the impact information storage means 213 in step S1115, and the operation time set in the HDD impact information storage means 212 in step S1101. The X / Y / Z triaxial directions are compared with each other, and any one or more of the X / Y / Z triaxial direction impact levels is X / Y / Z triaxial. It is determined whether or not any impact reference value in the direction is exceeded, and the determination result is notified to the CPU 205 (S1216).

  When the impact level in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial directions exceeds the impact standard value in any of the X / Y / Z triaxial directions (S1217, YES), the CPU 205 determines that X / Y The determination result information for notifying that the impact level in any of the three axes directions of / Z has exceeded the impact reference value during operation is sent to the impact warning notification means 115 (S1218). Notifying the operation unit 208 together with the direction of the impact that generated warning information indicating that an impact exceeding any of the impact reference values in any of the three axial directions of X / Y / Z during operation was caused by the attaching / detaching operation of the device 217. The information is displayed (S1219), and the warning information is notified to the device management center 201 via the network I / F 102 (S1220).

  On the other hand, if the impact level data does not exceed the impact reference value in step S1217 (S1217, NO), the process returns to step S1213 again, and if the impact due to the attachment / detachment operation of the peripheral device 217 by the user is detected, the CPU The impact detection signal is transmitted (S1214), the data of each impact level is stored in the impact information storage means 213 (S1215), and the process of comparing each impact level with each impact reference value is repeated (S1216).

  In the setting of the shock reference value during operation and non-operation in step S1101 and step S1201, the shock reference value in the X / Y / Z triaxial direction may be the same.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 203 according to the present embodiment has three levels of impact levels in the horizontal direction (XY direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) with respect to the disk surface of the HDD device 207. Because it has impact detection means to detect each, it is possible to compare and judge the impact level in each of the three directions of X / Y / Z, and in which direction the impact occurred in advance. Knowing how can perform efficient maintenance.

  In the above description, the movable unit 216 has been described as the paper feed tray in the third and fourth embodiments, but it may be a pressure plate that holds the document as an impact generation source. Further, the HDD device 107 has been described as an external storage device for storing print image data and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and storage devices that may cause a failure such as a crash due to vibration, such as an optical disk or a magnetic disk. Anything is acceptable.

1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus showing an example of an installation location of vibration detection means, FIG. 2A is an example in which vibration detection means is installed in a movable unit, and FIG. 2B is an image forming apparatus main body in the vicinity of the movable unit. It is a figure which shows the example installed. FIG. 3A is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus to which a peripheral device is connected, showing an example of an installation location of vibration detection means, FIG. 3A is an example in which vibration detection means is installed in the peripheral device, and FIG. 3B is a peripheral device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the image forming apparatus is installed in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus main body. It is a flowchart which shows a user's process and the process of an image forming apparatus when the vibration which arises at the time of opening and closing of a movable part unit is detected. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a user process and a process of the image forming apparatus that detects vibration generated when the peripheral device is attached or detached. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the vibration detection process at the time of the non-operation of HDD apparatus. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the vibration detection process at the time of operation | movement of HDD apparatus. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the vibration detection process at the time of non-operation of a HDD apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the vibration detection process at the time of operation | movement of HDD apparatus. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 12A is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus showing an example of an installation location of an impact detection unit, FIG. 12A is an example in which the impact detection unit is installed in a movable unit, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the example installed. FIG. 13A is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus to which a peripheral device is connected, showing an example of an installation location of the impact detection means, FIG. 13A is an example in which the impact detection means is installed in the peripheral device, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the image forming apparatus is installed in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus main body. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the image forming apparatus when a user process and an impact generated when the movable unit is opened and closed are detected. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a user process and a process of the image forming apparatus that detects an impact generated when the peripheral device is attached or detached. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the impact detection process at the time of the non-operation of HDD apparatus. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the impact detection process at the time of operation | movement of HDD apparatus. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the impact detection process at the time of non-operation of HDD apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the impact detection process at the time of operation | movement of HDD apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  101 ... Device management center, 102, 202 ... Network I / F, 103, 203 ... Image forming apparatus, 105, 205 ... CPU, 106, 206 ... Memory, 107, 207 ... HDD device 108, 208 ... operation unit 109, 209 ... image forming means 110, 210 ... data transmission / reception means 111 ... vibration detection means 112 ... HDD vibration information storage means 113 ... Vibration information storage means, 114a ... First vibration determination means, 114b ... Second vibration determination means, 115 ... Vibration warning notification means, 116, 216 ... Movable unit 117, 217 ... peripheral device, 120, 220 ... system bus, 211 ... impact detection means, 212 ... HDD impact information storage means, 213 ... impact information憶 means, 214a ... first impact judging means 214b ... second impact determination section, 215 ... impact warning notification means.

Claims (5)

External storage means, vibration or impact detection means for detecting the vibration level or impact level of the external storage means, and vibration or impact information storage means for storing the vibration level or impact level detected by the vibration or impact detection means An image forming apparatus comprising:
External storage vibration or impact information storage means for storing a predetermined vibration reference value or impact reference value of the external storage means, and a vibration level or impact level stored in the vibration or impact information storage means is the external storage vibration or An image forming apparatus comprising: a vibration reference value stored in a shock information storage unit or a vibration or shock determination unit that determines whether or not the vibration reference value is exceeded. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The vibration reference value or the impact reference value is a value determined in advance when the external storage means is operating and when not operating,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration or impact determination unit performs the determination according to whether the external storage unit is operating or not operating. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An image forming apparatus comprising: display means for displaying vibration or shock warning information when the vibration or shock determination means determines that the excess has occurred. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a vibration or impact warning means for notifying a device management center of vibration or impact warning information when the vibration or shock determination means determines that the excess has occurred. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The external storage vibration or shock information storage means stores vibration reference values or shock reference values in the X / Y / Z triaxial directions,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the vibration or impact determination unit performs the determination for each of the three axial directions.

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