JP2023128363A - Electronic apparatus, image forming apparatus, and method for determining abnormality in electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To facilitate identification of the source of generation of noise to reduce time and cost required for restoration of a normal state.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus has: at least one electrical part; an electrical part abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in the electrical part; an input abnormality determination unit that, based on an input signal input from the electrical part, determines an abnormality in the input signal; an abnormal value counting unit that counts the number of times of the abnormality in the input signal determined by the input abnormality determination unit; an operation information holding unit that holds operation information indicating the electrical part in operation; and a determination unit that, when the electrical part abnormality determination unit determines an abnormality in the electrical part, based on the number of times of the abnormality in the input signal counted by the abnormal value counting unit and the operation information held by the operation information holding unit, determines whether the cause of the occurrence of the abnormality determined by the electrical part abnormality determination unit is the electrical part for which the electrical part abnormality determination unit determines the abnormality or noise generated from the electrical part in operation indicated by the operation information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, an image forming apparatus, and an abnormality determination method for an electronic device.

Abnormalities in electronic devices equipped with various electrical components include abnormalities associated with breakdowns of electrical components and abnormalities associated with noise. Abnormalities associated with noise may occur, for example, due to power supply noise due to insufficient grounding. In this type of electronic equipment, the number of occurrences of an abnormality in a predetermined signal input from the electrical component is counted, and when an abnormality is detected in the electrical component, an error occurs in the electrical component based on the number of times the signal abnormality occurs. There is a known method for determining whether or not the cause of the abnormality is noise.

However, even if it is determined that the cause of an abnormality in an electrical component is noise, if the source of the noise is not identified, there is a risk that an abnormality in an electrical component that is actually normal may continue to be detected. When it is repeatedly determined that an abnormality in an electrical component is caused by noise, for example, a task is performed to identify the source of the noise. However, blindly attempting to identify the source of noise takes time and cost, and furthermore, there is a possibility that the source of noise cannot be identified. Furthermore, if the electronic device does not operate normally due to an abnormality in the electrical components and the source of the noise cannot be identified, the electronic device cannot be operated.

In view of the above problems, the present invention makes it easier to identify the source of the noise when it is determined that the occurrence of an abnormality in an electrical component is caused by noise, thereby reducing the time and cost required to restore the normal state. The aim is to reduce

In order to solve the above technical problem, an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes at least one electrical component, an abnormality determination section that determines an abnormality in the electrical component, and an electronic device based on an input signal input from the electrical component. an input abnormality determining section that determines whether the input signal is abnormal; an abnormal value counting section that counts the number of abnormalities of the input signal determined by the input abnormality determining section; and an operating information indicating the electrical component in operation. an operation information holding section to hold, and when the abnormality determining section determines that the electrical component is abnormal, the number of abnormalities of the input signal counted by the abnormal value counting section; Based on the operation information, whether the cause of the abnormality determined by the abnormality determination section is the electrical component whose abnormality was determined by the abnormality determination section, or whether noise is caused by the electrical component during operation indicated by the operation information. a determination unit that determines whether the

When it is determined that the occurrence of an abnormality in an electrical component is caused by noise, the source of the noise can be easily identified, and the time and cost required to restore the normal state can be reduced.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the CPU of FIG. 3, which functions as an abnormality determination device.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that an example in which the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus will be described below. However, the present invention is applicable to electronic equipment equipped with at least one electrical component.

Examples of electronic devices to which the present invention can be applied include home appliances such as air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and 3D printers, which require repair and maintenance by a service person when they break down. Further, examples of electronic devices to which the present invention can be applied include automobiles, drones, airplanes, etc., which are increasingly becoming electronic devices due to the spread of IoT (Internet of Things). Further, examples of electronic equipment to which the present invention can be applied include electronic medical equipment that requires accurate failure diagnosis because human life is involved, and management systems used in infrastructure equipment or manufacturing processes.

[Embodiment]
<Example of overall configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral (MFP) that has a copy function, a FAX function, a print function, a scanner function, and the like. Image forming apparatus 100 is an example of an electronic device. The image forming apparatus 100 may have a function of storing input images, a function of distributing input images, or the like. For example, the input image is a document read by a scanner function, an image input by a FAX function, or the like.

The image forming apparatus 100 can communicate with an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer), and can also operate according to instructions received from the external device. Note that in the embodiment, the image processed by the image forming apparatus 100 may include not only image data that includes an image but also text data that does not include an image.

The image forming apparatus 100 is a so-called electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 100 forms an electrostatic latent image by selectively exposing the surface of a charged photoreceptor, attaches toner to the formed electrostatic latent image, and transfers the attached toner to a recording medium such as paper. Transfer it to and fix it.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an operation panel 10, a start switch 20, a control board 30, a reading section 40, an engine control section 5, a printer section 6, and paper feed cassettes 7A and 7B. , a transport section 8 , and a power supply device 1 . Note that the control board 30, the engine control section 5, the printer section 6, the paper feed cassettes 7A and 7B, and the conveyance section 8 are provided inside the image forming apparatus 100, but the inside is not shown transparently in FIG. The current state is shown.

The operation panel 10 receives various inputs according to user operations, and displays various information on a display section (not shown). For example, the information displayed on the operation panel 10 is information indicating the operation for which the input has been accepted, information indicating the operating status of the image forming apparatus 100, information indicating the setting state of the image forming apparatus 100, or the like.

For example, the operation panel 10 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) having a touch panel function. Alternatively, the operation panel 10 may include an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display device having a touch panel function. Further, the operation panel 10 may include at least one of an operation section such as a hardware key and a display section such as a lamp, in addition to a display device having a touch panel function.

The startup switch 20 is a switch that powers on the image forming apparatus 100 . The image forming apparatus 100 is activated when the activation switch 20 is pressed while the power is off, and is turned off when the activation switch 20 is pressed during activation. Note that turning on/off the power of the image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to the operation of the startup switch 20, and may be performed based on a startup instruction or a termination instruction from an external device.

The control board 30 is equipped with a plurality of electronic components including a controller such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 100 . For example, electronic components mounted on the control board 30 control drawing, communication, input from the operation panel 10, and the like. For example, electronic components mounted on the control board 30 control the image forming apparatus 100 based on operations received on the operation panel 10 to perform copy operations and the like. Furthermore, electronic components mounted on the control board 30 may control the image forming apparatus 100 based on instructions received from an external device such as a PC. Further, the electronic components mounted on the control board 30 cause the image forming apparatus 100 to perform predetermined operations when the activation switch 20 is detected to be pressed or when an abnormality in the image forming apparatus 100 is detected. You can also have it executed.

Note that a semiconductor chip such as an SoC (System on Chip) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) may be mounted on the control board 30 instead of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Alternatively, an SoC or an FPGA may be mounted on the control board 30 along with the CPU. By mounting the SoC or FPGA on the control board 30, the size of the control board 30 can be reduced.

The reading unit 40 includes, for example, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 41 and a scanner unit 42. The ADF 41 sequentially conveys the documents placed on the ADF 41 to the scanner unit 42 and optically reads the documents to generate image data. The scanner unit 42 generates image data by optically reading a document placed on a transparent document table.

The engine control section 5 generates control signals for controlling the printer section 6 and the transport section 8 based on the image data generated by the reading section 40 . For example, the engine control unit 5 may have the form of a circuit board on which a circuit is mounted to generate a control signal based on image data.

The printer section 6 functions as an image forming section that forms images. The printer section 6 includes a photosensitive drum 61 , a charging section 62 , a writing unit 63 , a developing section 64 , a conveying belt 65 , and a fixing section 66 . The charging unit 62 charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 61. The writing unit 63 exposes the charged photoreceptor drum 61 to light based on the image data read by the reading section 40, and writes an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 61. The developing section 64 develops the latent image written on the photoreceptor drum 61 with toner. The conveyor belt 65 conveys a recording medium on which a toner image is to be formed. The fixing unit 66 fixes the toner on the recording medium to the recording medium to form a toner image on the recording medium.

The paper feed cassettes 7A and 7B store recording media such as paper on which toner images are not formed. For example, the paper feed cassettes 7A and 7B can store recording media of different sizes. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which two paper feed cassettes 7A and 7B are provided in the image forming apparatus 100, the number of paper feed cassettes may be one or three or more.

The transport unit 8 has various rollers and transports the recording medium stored in the paper feed cassette 7A or the paper feed cassette 7B to the printer unit 6. Note that arrow C in FIG. 1 indicates the conveyance direction of the recording medium. The power supply device 1 generates a plurality of types of DC voltages based on, for example, an AC power source such as a commercial power source, and supplies the generated DC voltages to each component of the image forming apparatus 100 .

The image forming apparatus 100 becomes operable for each function when the user operates a function switching key or the like on the operation panel 10 and selects a document box function, a copy function, a printer function, a facsimile function, or the like. The operation mode of the image forming apparatus 100 is the document box mode when the document box function is selected, and the operation mode is the copy mode when the copy function is selected. Further, the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 100 is a printer mode when a printer function is selected, and a facsimile mode when a facsimile function is selected.

An example of the image forming operation when the image forming apparatus 100 is set to the copy mode will be described below. Note that although an example will be described below in which the printer unit 6 forms an image using a monochrome electrophotographic method, the image may be formed using a color electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, or the like. Furthermore, the image forming method is not limited to these.

In the copy mode, the image forming apparatus 100 uses the reading unit 40 to read image information of each document to be copied, and generates image data. The image forming apparatus 100 uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 61 using the charging unit 62 in the dark. Next, the image forming apparatus 100 exposes the photoreceptor drum 61 to light irradiated from the writing unit 63 as indicated by the dotted arrow A in FIG. do. Arrow B in FIG. 1 indicates the rotation direction of the photoreceptor drum 61.

The image forming apparatus 100 operates the developing section 64 to visualize the electrostatic latent image using toner. As a result, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor drum 61. Next, the image forming apparatus 100 transfers the toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum 61 to a recording medium on the conveyor belt 65. Then, the image forming apparatus 100 heats and melts the toner forming the toner image on the recording medium using a heater or the like of the fixing unit 66, thereby fixing the toner image on the recording medium. Then, the image forming apparatus 100 discharges the recording medium on which the toner image is fixed.

Note that the operation panel 10 may be controlled by the control board 30 or may be controlled by a control circuit separate from the control board 30. In that case, the control circuit of the control board 30 and the control circuit of the operation panel 10 are connected to be able to communicate with each other. The control board 30 controls the entire image forming apparatus 100 including the operation panel 10.

<Example of hardware configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control board 30, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control section 5, an operation panel 10, and a network I/F (interface) 950.

For example, the control board 30 includes a CPU 32 which is a main part of the computer, a system MEM-P (memory) 902, an NB (north bridge) 903, and an SB (south bridge) 904. The control board 30 also includes an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 31, an MEC-C (local memory) 907 that is a storage unit, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 908, and an HD (Hard Disk) that is a storage unit. 909. The NB 903 and the ASIC 31 are connected through an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

The CPU 32 is a control unit that performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 100. NB903 connects CPU32, MEM-P902, SB904, and AGP bus 921. For example, the NB 903 includes a memory controller, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target that control reading and writing from and to the MEM-P 902.

MEM-P902 has ROM902a and RAM902b. The ROM 902a stores programs, data, etc. that realize each function of the image forming apparatus 100. The RAM 902b stores programs and data developed from the ROM 902a, and stores drawing data and the like during memory printing.

Note that the program stored in the RAM 902b may be transferred from a recording medium (not shown). The recording medium is a CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, or the like that is removably attached to an input/output interface (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 100. Programs and data are recorded on the recording medium as files in an installable or executable format.

SB904 connects NB903, PCI devices, and peripheral devices. The ASIC 31 is equipped with image processing hardware and has the role of a bridge that interconnects the AGP bus 921, the PCI bus 922, the HDD controller 908, and the MEM-C 907. For example, the ASIC 31 includes a PCI target, an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 31, and a memory controller that controls the MEM-C907. The ASIC 31 is also a PCI unit that transfers data via a PCI bus 922 between a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, etc., and the scanner section 42 and printer section 6. and has.

Note that the ASIC 31 may be connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) bus.

MEM-C907 is a local memory used as an image buffer and code buffer for copying. The HD 909 stores image data, font data used during printing, and forms. The HDD controller 908 controls data reading or writing to the HD 909 under the control of the CPU 32 . The AGP bus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphics processing. The AGP bus 921 can operate the graphics accelerator card at high speed by directly accessing the MEM-P 902 with high throughput.

An antenna 920a is connected to the short-range communication circuit 920. The near field communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The network I/F 950 performs data communication using a communication network. Network I/F 950 is an example of a communication interface that transmits information to the outside. Near field communication circuit 920 and network I/F 950 are electrically connected to ASIC 31 via PCI bus 922. The engine control section 5 includes a scanner section 42 and a printer section 6. The scanner section 42 or the printer section 6 may include image processing functions such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

The operation panel 10 has a panel display section 940a and an input panel 940b. The panel display section 940a includes a display function such as the current setting values of the image forming apparatus 100 and a selection screen, and a touch panel function that receives input from the user. The input panel 940b includes a numeric keypad that accepts set values for conditions related to image formation such as density setting conditions, a start key that accepts a copy start instruction, and the like.

<Example of functional configuration of image forming apparatus that functions as an abnormality determination device>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows an overview of the main functional units used to determine abnormality in the image forming apparatus 100. The CPU 32 mounted on the control board 30 controls the copy function, fax function, print function, scanner function, etc. of the image forming apparatus 100 and also functions as an abnormality determination device that determines an abnormality in the image forming apparatus 100.

The CPU 32 includes a signal input section 321, an input abnormality determination section 322, an abnormal value count section 323, an electrical component abnormality determination section 324, an operation information holding section 325, an electrical component interface section 326, and a control section 327. have The control unit 327 is an example of a factor determination unit. For example, the input abnormality determining section 322, the abnormal value counting section 323, the electrical component abnormality determining section 324, the operation information holding section 325, and the control section 327 may be realized by a control program executed by the CPU 32.

The signal input unit 321 receives various input signals from various parts such as electrical components installed in the image forming apparatus 100. For example, the signal input section 321 periodically monitors a detection signal from a sensor 67 included in the printer section 6, a detection signal from a motor lock detection circuit 81 included in the transport section 8, or a status signal from the ASIC 31 as an input signal. . In the following, it is assumed that the signal input section 321 receives various input signals that transition between high level and low level. Note that the number of input signals input to the signal input section 321 may be one. The signal input section 321 outputs the logic level of the monitored input signal to the input abnormality determination section 322.

The input abnormality determination unit 322 performs an input abnormality determination process that determines for each input signal whether or not the logic level of the input signal periodically received by the signal input unit 321 is abnormal. For example, when the expected value of the input signal is high level and a low level is input to the signal input unit 321, the input abnormality determination unit 322 determines whether an abnormal level of the input signal has occurred. Similarly, when the expected value of the input signal is low level and a high level is input to the signal input unit 321, the input abnormality determination unit 322 determines whether an abnormal level of the input signal has occurred.

The abnormal value counting section 323 performs an abnormal value counting process of counting the number of occurrences of an abnormality of the input signal determined by the input abnormality determining section 322 for each input signal. The electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 performs electrical component abnormality determination processing to determine the abnormality of various electrical components installed in the image forming apparatus 100. When the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 determines that various electrical components are abnormal, it outputs information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality and occurrence location information indicating the location where the abnormality has occurred in the image forming apparatus 100 to the control unit 327 . Note that the number of occurrences of an abnormality counted by the abnormal value counter 323 may be reset at a predetermined cycle.

The operation information holding unit 325 performs an operation information holding process to hold operation information indicating electrical components in operation. For example, the CPU 32 that executes a control program that operates the image forming apparatus 100 transmits operation information indicating whether or not an electrical component such as the motor 82 that is operated by the control program is operated (ON or OFF) every time the operating state changes. is stored in the motion information holding unit 325.

The electrical component interface section 326 transmits instructions from the control section 327 to the motor 82 included in the conveyance section 8, etc., the high-voltage power supply 11 included in the power supply device 1, the clutch 83, the solenoid 84, etc. included in the conveyance section 8, etc. Output to electrical equipment. The electrical component interface section 326 also receives operation information indicating the operating status of these electrical components from electrical components such as the motor 82, high-voltage power supply 11, clutch 83, and solenoid 84, and sends the received operation information to the control section 327. You can also output it.

When the electrical component abnormality determination section 324 determines that any of the electrical components is abnormal, the control section 327 stores the number of occurrences of abnormality for each input signal counted by the abnormal value counting section 323 and the number of occurrences of the abnormality for each input signal, and stores the number of occurrences in the operation information storage section 325. The factor determination process is performed based on the operation information of the electrical component. For example, the control unit 327 determines whether an abnormal input signal, which is an input signal whose count value by the abnormal value counting unit 323 is equal to or higher than a first threshold, is related to the location where the abnormality occurs.

If the abnormality input signal is related to the location where the abnormality has occurred, the control unit 327 determines that a failure or the like has occurred in the electrical component that has been determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324. If the abnormality input signal is not related to the location where the abnormality has occurred, the control unit 327 determines that the cause of the abnormality in the electrical component is noise, and the control unit 327 determines that the cause of the abnormality in the electrical component is noise, and stores the information in the operation information holding unit 325 when the abnormality in the electrical component occurs. It is determined that the electrical component indicated by the operation information is the source of noise.

As a result, if the abnormality input signal is not related to the electrical component determined by the electrical component abnormality determination section 324, the control section 327 not only determines that the abnormality determination factor is noise, but also determines the source of the noise. electrical equipment can be determined. That is, the control unit 327 can not only determine that the abnormality determining factor is noise, but also estimate the source of the noise.

Thereafter, the control unit 327 outputs alarm information prompting replacement of electrical components, etc., depending on whether the abnormality input signal is related to the location where the abnormality has occurred. For example, the alarm information is a message displayed on the display section of the operation panel 10 urging the user to call a serviceman. Alternatively, the alarm information is information such as the location where an abnormality has occurred, which is transmitted to a service base of the image forming apparatus 100 via the network interface 950.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the CPU 32 of FIG. 3, which functions as an abnormality determination device. That is, FIG. 4 shows an example of an abnormality determination method for the image forming apparatus 100. The flow shown in FIG. 4 is executed based on the fact that the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 in FIG. 3 determines that any of the electrical components installed in the image forming apparatus 100 is abnormal.

First, in step S10, the control unit 327 obtains the number of abnormal occurrences of each input signal from the abnormal value counting unit 323, and determines an input signal for which the number of abnormal occurrences is equal to or greater than a first threshold value to be an abnormal input signal. Next, in step S<b>20 , the control unit 327 obtains operational information indicating the electrical components that are operating when the abnormality of the image forming apparatus 100 is determined from the operational information holding unit 325 .

Next, in step S<b>30 , the control unit 327 determines whether the abnormality input signal is related to the electrical component that has been determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 . The control unit 327 executes step S40 when the abnormal input signal is related to the electrical component determined to be abnormal, and executes step S60 when the abnormal input signal is not related to the electrical component determined to be abnormal. .

In step S40, the control unit 327 determines that the cause of the abnormality in the electrical component is at least one of the abnormality occurrence location determined by the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 and the signal input to the abnormality occurrence location. . Next, in step S50, the control unit 327 outputs alarm information corresponding to the determined cause of the abnormality. For example, the control unit 327 outputs alarm information prompting replacement of the electrical component determined to be abnormal or a component such as a harness connected to the electrical component determined to be abnormal, and ends the flow shown in FIG. 4.

Based on the alarm information, the CPU 32 displays, for example, a message urging the user to call a service person on the display section of the operation panel 10. Note that the CPU 32 may transmit alarm information corresponding to the determined cause of the abnormality to a service base of the image forming apparatus 100 via the network interface 950 in FIG. 2 .

On the other hand, in step S60, the control unit 327 determines that the cause of the abnormality in the electrical component is noise. Next, in step S70, the control unit 327 determines that the electrical component that was operating when the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 determined that the electrical component is abnormal is the source of the noise. For example, the control unit 327 can determine the electrical component that is operating when the electrical component abnormality determining unit 324 determines that the electrical component is abnormal, based on the operating information held in the operating information holding unit 325.

Next, in step S80, the control unit 327 outputs alarm information corresponding to the electrical component that is the source of the noise determined in step S70, and ends the flow shown in FIG. 4. For example, alarm information corresponding to the electrical component that is the source of the noise may be information that prompts you to replace the electrical component that is the source of the noise, or prompts you to check the electrical component that is the source of the noise and the grounding status around the electrical component. It is information. Similar to step S50, alarm information corresponding to the electrical component that is the source of the noise may be displayed on the display section of the operation panel 10, and may be transmitted to the service base of the image forming apparatus 100 via the network interface 950. It's okay.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the electrical component abnormality determination section 324 determines that the electrical component is abnormal, the control section 327 calculates the number of abnormalities of the input signal counted by the abnormal value counting section 323 and the operation information holding section. The operation information held by H.325 is referred to. As a result, the control unit 327 determines whether the cause of the abnormality determination by the electrical component abnormality determining unit 324 is the electrical component determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determining unit 324, or whether it is due to the electrical component in operation indicated by the operation information. It can be determined whether it is noise. Therefore, the control unit 327 can not only determine that the abnormality determining factor is noise, but also determine the electrical component that is the source of the noise.

For example, the control unit 327 determines that if the abnormal input signal, which is an input signal whose count value by the abnormal value counting unit 323 is equal to or higher than the first threshold value, is related to the location where an abnormality occurs, the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 determines that an abnormality has occurred. It is determined that a failure has occurred in the electrical component. If the abnormality input signal is not related to the location where the abnormality has occurred, the control unit 327 determines that the cause of the abnormality in the electrical component is noise, and the control unit 327 determines that the cause of the abnormality in the electrical component is noise, and stores the information in the operation information holding unit 325 when the abnormality in the electrical component occurs. It is determined that the electrical component indicated by the operation information is the source of noise.

As a result, if it is determined that the occurrence of an abnormality in an electrical component is caused by noise, the source of the noise can be easily identified, and the time taken for the image forming apparatus 100 to return to a normal state can be determined. Cost can be reduced.

When the abnormality input signal is related to the location where the abnormality has occurred, the control unit 327 displays alarm information prompting replacement of the electrical component determined to be abnormal or a part such as a harness connected to the electrical component determined to be abnormal. section. Alternatively, the control unit 327 transmits the alarm information to a service base of the image forming apparatus 100 or the like via the network interface 950.

If the abnormality input signal is not related to the location where the abnormality has occurred, the control unit 327 prompts the user to replace the electrical component that is the source of the noise that was operating when the electrical component abnormality determination unit 324 determined that the electrical component was abnormal. Display alarm information on the display. Alternatively, the control unit 327 transmits the alarm information to a service base of the image forming apparatus 100 or the like via the network interface 950.

Thereby, the user of the image forming apparatus 100 who sees the alarm information displayed on the display unit can request maintenance such as repair to the service base. Alternatively, a service person or the like at a service base can directly check the alarm information via the network, go to the location where the image forming apparatus 100 is installed, and perform maintenance.

For example, a service person who performs maintenance does not have to blindly try to identify the source of the noise, which can reduce time and cost and restore the image forming apparatus 100 to a normal state.

Although the present invention has been described above based on each embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the above embodiments. These points can be changed without detracting from the gist of the present invention, and can be determined appropriately depending on the application thereof.

1 Power supply device 5 Engine control section 6 Printer section 7A, 7B Paper feed cassette 8 Transport section 10 Operation panel 20 Start switch 30 Control board 31 ASIC
32 CPUs
40 Reading section 41 ADF
42 Scanner section 67 Sensor 81 Motor lock detection circuit 82 Motor 83 Clutch 84 Solenoid 321 Signal input section 322 Input abnormality determination section 323 Abnormal value count section 324 Electrical component abnormality determination section 325 Operation information holding section 326 Electrical component interface section 327 Control section 100 Image forming device 950 network interface

Patent application 2020-138051 Specification

Claims (6)

at least one electrical component;
an electrical component abnormality determination unit that determines whether the electrical component is abnormal;
an input abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in the input signal based on the input signal input from the electrical component;
an abnormal value counting unit that counts the number of abnormalities in the input signal determined by the input abnormality determining unit;
an operation information holding unit that holds operation information indicating the electrical component in operation;
When the electrical component abnormality determining section determines that the electrical component is abnormal, the number of abnormalities of the input signal counted by the abnormal value counting section and the operation information held by the operation information holding section are used. , the cause of the abnormality determined by the electrical component abnormality determining section is the electrical component determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determining section, or noise caused by the electrical component in operation indicated by the operation information. An electronic device comprising: a determination unit that determines whether the The determination unit includes:
If the abnormal input signal, which is an input signal in which the number of abnormalities counted by the abnormal value counting unit is equal to or higher than a first threshold value, is related to the electrical component that has been determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determining unit, the abnormality determining that the cause of the occurrence is the electrical component that has been determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determination unit;
If the abnormality input signal is not related to the electrical component that has been determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determining section, it is determined that the cause of the abnormality is noise caused by the operating electrical component indicated by the operation information. The electronic device according to claim 1. It has a display section that displays information,
The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit displays alarm information corresponding to the determined cause of the abnormality on the display unit. It has a communication interface that sends information to the outside,
The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit starts the communication interface and transmits alarm information corresponding to the determined cause of the abnormality to the outside. an image forming section that forms an image;
at least one electrical component;
an electrical component abnormality determination unit that determines whether the electrical component is abnormal;
an input abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in the input signal based on the input signal input from the electrical component;
an abnormal value counting unit that counts the number of abnormalities in the input signal determined by the input abnormality determining unit;
an operation information holding unit that holds operation information indicating the electrical component in operation;
When the electrical component abnormality determination section determines that the electrical component is abnormal, the number of abnormalities of the input signal counted by the abnormal value counting section and the operation information held by the operation information storage section are determined. , the cause of the abnormality determined by the electrical component abnormality determination section is the electrical component determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determination section, or noise caused by the electrical component in operation indicated by the operation information. an image forming apparatus, comprising: a determination unit that determines whether the A method for determining an abnormality in an electronic device having at least one electrical component, the method comprising:
an electrical component abnormality determination process that determines whether the electrical component is abnormal;
an input abnormality determination process that determines an abnormality in the input signal based on the input signal input from the electrical component;
an abnormal value counting process that counts the number of abnormalities in the input signal determined by the input abnormality determination process;
an operation information retention process that retains operation information indicating the electrical component in operation;
When an abnormality of the electrical component is determined by the electrical component abnormality determination process, the number of abnormalities of the input signal counted by the abnormal value counting process and the operation information held by the operation information holding process are determined. , the cause of the occurrence of the abnormality determined by the electrical component abnormality determination process is the electrical component determined to be abnormal by the electrical component abnormality determination process, or is noise caused by the electrical component in operation as indicated by the operation information. A method for determining an abnormality in an electronic device.

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