JP2000307786A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an image forming device that maintains a job efficiency and effectively utilizes resources by grasping a deterioration state of the device before the device is stopped. SOLUTION: A comparison discrimination means 23 compares a deterioration decision setting time T' that is subtracted from a setting time T by a very small time ΔT with a real carrying time (t) and decides the result. A control section 21 conducts this comparison and discrimination for a prescribed number of times (N), counts number of times (n) of occurrence of t>=T' and allows a display means 25 to display warning information or transmits the information to a remote diagnostic system 27 through the use of a telephone line 26 or the like if the number of times (n) exceeds a preset decision number of times (m).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, a scanner, and a multifunction peripheral thereof, and further includes a peripheral device such as a large-capacity sheet feeding device and a sheet post-processing device. In particular, the present invention relates to quality control technology for transporting print paper (including the paper feed of a paper feed unit) in a transport path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an image forming apparatus, an actual printing paper arrival time t detected by a timing sensor provided on a printing paper conveyance path and a set time T preset for machine control are determined. Compare and judge the transport quality,
In the case of conveyance failure, machine stop control is performed, and a display such as a print paper stop position is displayed on a display unit.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of the conventional paper transport control, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the conventional paper transport control. Here, T is a preset time, TK is a set time from the start to the arrival at the feed sensor, TM is a set time from the start to the intermediate feed sensor, TR is a set time from the start to the registration sensor, Tr
Indicates a set time from the start to the start of rotation of the registration roller, and TH indicates a set time from the start to the arrival at the sheet discharge sensor. Also, t indicates the actual required time (measured value) corresponding to T.

[0004] In FIG. 8, a paper feed sensor detects a required time tK.
(The time required until the paper feed sensor; the same applies hereinafter) is detected (S
1) If tK ≦ TK (GO in S2), set time TK
The process proceeds to the next step S3, assuming that the sheet has passed through. If tK ≦ TK is not satisfied (NG in S2), it is determined that the paper is not fed (transport failure; jam) (S4), and the machine is stopped.

Similarly, when the intermediate feed sensor takes the required time tM
Is detected (S3), and tM ≦ TM is determined (S5). Then, in the same manner as above, if the actual transport time is within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S6.
7). In step S6, the registration sensor detects tR, and determines tR ≦ TR (S8). If so, the process proceeds to step S9; otherwise, no paper is fed (S1
0). In step S9, similarly, t
H is detected and tH ≦ TH is determined (S11). If so, the process proceeds to the next step; otherwise, no paper is fed (S12).

[0006]

As the transport units (paper feed roller unit, intermediate feed roller unit, registration roller unit, etc.) deteriorate over time, the transport performance also deteriorates. For example, the deterioration with the lapse of time will be described using a paper feed roller unit as an example.

The paper feed roller unit is composed of a paper feed roller and an electromagnetic clutch which turns on and off the rotation from a drive mechanism in response to a paper feed start and stop signal. Is reduced, the paper conveyance speed tends to be delayed, and the switching time of the electromagnetic clutch due to a decrease in the frictional resistance value of the clutch transmission sliding surface tends to be extended (delayed). These two phenomena combine to cause the deterioration of the feed roller unit over time. In the case of a system that directly drives the transfer rollers, such as a stepping motor, instead of the electromagnetic clutch, the transfer delay (deterioration of the unit)
The cause is narrowed down to almost the wear of the paper feed roller.

Due to the deterioration over time, the transport time (required time) tK of the paper in the paper feed roller unit becomes longer (slower) with time, and the transport performance deteriorates. When the time exceeds the preset time TK, it is determined that the paper is not fed (jam), and the machine is stopped.

As described above, in the related art, since the deterioration of the conveyance performance is detected only when the paper is in a conveyance failure (non-feeding in FIG. 8), the machine is suddenly stopped, so that the operation of the user is difficult. There is a problem of hindrance. In addition, the call for service unit exchange to the service area became sudden,
It may not be possible to deal with it immediately.

Conventionally, a machine which has reached a specified service life and the number of sheets has to be replaced uniformly with a replacement unit and parts. Therefore, it is necessary to replace a machine which does not need to be replaced, which is disadvantageous to customers. This was not desirable from the viewpoint of effective utilization of resources (environmental problems). As described above, since a sudden machine stoppage and a call for a service area occur, or even a unit or part whose life has not reached its end is replaced, it is difficult to maintain the reliability of the customer.

[0011] Similarly, it has been difficult to make advance preparations and plans for service areas, and to minimize inventory of replacement units and parts. Further, in order to know the quality information of the machine, it was necessary to prepare a measuring instrument separately and measure various characteristics each time, and it was difficult to obtain the quality information of many machines on the market. .

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and by grasping the state of deterioration of a machine in advance before stopping the machine, it is possible to maintain business efficiency and effectively use resources. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to an actual printing paper arrival time t detected by a timing sensor provided on a printing paper conveyance path, and a machine. An image forming apparatus that determines a transport quality by comparing a preset time T set for control, performs a machine stop control when a transport failure occurs, and displays a print paper stop position on a display unit. , The deterioration determination set time T ′ obtained by subtracting the set time T by the minute time ΔT.
And a comparing and judging means for comparing and judging the above-mentioned t, and performing this comparison judging a predetermined number of times (N) to count the number of times (n) such that t ≧ T ′, and the number of times (n) is set in advance. When the number of determinations (m) is exceeded, warning information is displayed on the display unit,
Or, a control means for transmitting the result to a remote diagnosis system using a telephone line or the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved.
The present invention according to claim 1, further comprising an internal memory, wherein the actual print paper arrival time t is stored as a data log,
In addition, control for appropriately reading out the self-diagnosis information is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system comprising:
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that, in claim 1, control is performed such that warning information is displayed as a marking for a unit or component that causes the warning information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved.
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that control for displaying warning information in a graphical display is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising:
The invention described in claim 1 comprises an image forming apparatus main body on which an image is actually formed, and peripheral devices such as a large capacity paper feeder, an automatic document feeder, a paper post-processing device, and an additional tray. In addition, the transfer quality of the peripheral device is also determined.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance system of the image forming apparatus. In the paper transport path from the paper feed tray 1 to the paper output unit, the paper 2 is transported in order from the upstream side in the transport direction.
Paper feed roller 3, intermediate feed roller 5, registration roller 8,
A transfer / separation unit 10, a fixing unit 11, a front discharge roller 13, and a rear discharge roller 15 are provided. Also, a paper feed sensor 4, an intermediate feed sensor 6, a registration sensor 7, and a front discharge sensor 1 for detecting the arrival time t of the paper
2. A post-discharge sensor 14 is arranged near each roller and roller. Further, facing the transfer / separation unit 10, there is an image forming unit 9 composed of a photoconductor, a charging device, and a developing device.

Next, the paper transport operation will be described. When the paper feed roller 3 rotates in response to the paper feed start signal, only one sheet of paper is separated and conveyed toward the intermediate feed roller 5. The paper feed sensor 4 detects when the leading edge of the paper 2 passes,
Emit a signal (0 → 1).

The arrival time t of the sheet 2 passing through the intermediate feed roller 5 is detected by the intermediate feed sensor 6 and the registration sensor 7. Further, the intermediate feed roller 5 is stopped by detecting the leading edge of the sheet by the registration sensor 7. Usually, the timing is set to a timing at which the leading end of the sheet 2 slightly hits the stopped registration roller 8 and stops.

The registered paper 2 is conveyed again by the registration roller 8 which has started to rotate in response to the registration roller rotation start signal, passes through the process of the transfer / separation unit 10 and the fixing unit 11, and is transferred to the front paper ejection roller 13. Be guided. At this time, the arrival time t is detected by the front paper ejection sensor 12 and then reaches the rear paper ejection roller 15, and the arrival time t is detected by the rear paper ejection sensor 14.

Conventionally, the control for judging whether or not the sheet conveyance is good or bad from the relationship between the arrival time t detected by each sensor and the set time T is as shown in FIG. In the present invention, new processing steps A, B, and C are added based on the conventional control as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. With the control unit 21 as the center, the timing sensor 2
2, a comparison / determination unit 23, a memory 24, and a display unit 25 are provided. Further, a remote diagnosis system 27 is connected to the control unit 21 through a telephone line 26.

Here, the control section 21 controls the entire control. The timing sensor 22 is a general term for the sensors 4, 6, 7, 12, and 14 shown in FIG. Comparison judgment means 2
No. 3 compares and determines a deterioration determination set time T ′ and t described later. The memory 24 stores the timing t detected by the timing sensor 22 as a data log.

This storage is performed automatically for each set number of sheets or manually at any time (at the time of manufacture, installation, use of a predetermined number of sheets, maintenance, etc.). Then, it can be appropriately searched as self-diagnosis information (during maintenance or remote diagnosis using a telephone line). The display unit 25 displays the state before the conveyance failure as warning information. This warning information is also transmitted to the remote diagnosis system 27.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart of the sheet transport control of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the sheet transport control of the present invention. In both figures, T and t have the same meaning as in the conventional example. In the present invention, a small time Δ
A deterioration determination time T ′ reduced by T is newly set.
For example, for TK, T′K is T′K = TK−ΔTK
Becomes Others are the same. The minute time ΔT can be set according to the determined tendency of the deterioration of the unit or component. If it is set a little larger, deterioration from an earlier stage is detected, and if it is set a little smaller, quality information immediately before the unit or part goes down can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the contents of the flowchart of FIG. 4 will be described. The contents of steps S1 to S12 are the same as in the conventional example shown in FIG. In the present invention, in order to obtain unit deterioration information, the deterioration determination / warning flow is provided at three locations (A, B, and C) of the sheet feeding roller unit, the intermediate feed roller unit, and the registration roller unit. Constitution,
Since the operation is the same, a description will be given taking the paper feed roller unit as an example.

The information on the leading edge arrival time tK of the paper 2 detected and measured by the paper feed sensor 4 is simultaneously input to a newly set deterioration determination / warning flow A together with the conventional jam determination flow. .

Next, the contents of A will be described. tK and T'K are compared and determined a predetermined number of times N (times). That is, tK and T'K
Is measured N (times), and each is compared and determined. And t
The number of times n (times) when K ≧ T′K is satisfied is counted (A
-1). If n = 0 (GO at A-2), the counter is reset (A-3) and this is repeated. If n
If ≧ 1 (NG in A-2), a warning is displayed as an output (A-4).

The display method of this warning is as follows: (1) Display on the operation panel (display means 25 in FIG. 2) of the machine (to be understood by the user). (2) The service technician in the service area displays the information on the operation panel using the self-diagnosis function at the time of the visit (to prevent the user from knowing). (3) Remote diagnostic system 2 using telephone line 26 or the like
7 is displayed on the CRT of the system. Etc. can be appropriately selected. With this warning information, the service section can easily and accurately grasp the quality state of the machine.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first display example of the operation panel, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second display example of the operation panel.
In the example of FIG. 5, the screen of the operation panel (corresponding to the display means 25 of FIG. 2) 31 displays the machine number. , Cumulative number and date, and a marking unit 32 after the replacement unit name.
Is provided. In this case, a black circle is marked on the registration roller unit, and it can be seen at a glance that the registration roller 8 is a unit requiring a long life.

In the example of FIG. 6, instead of the marking, a time-dependent deterioration graph, a unit name, and the number of remaining lives are displayed. TK is a preset time from the start of sheet feeding until the leading edge of the sheet 2 reaches the sheet feeding sensor 4, and tK is the actual measurement time. The measurement data of tK is automatically recorded when the number reaches the preset number. For example, every 50K sheets or 1
For example, every 00K sheets.

Here, when a graph is displayed to search for quality information, as shown in FIG. 6, an actual measurement point x for every 100K sheets is connected to an N-tK (number-conveyance time) graph 33, as shown in FIG. Along with the actual measurement curve (solid line), a predicted curve (broken line) obtained by extending the curve is displayed. The prediction curve (broken line)
Mx (K sheets) of the replacement unit and the preset time TK is the estimated life number of the replacement unit, and the cumulative number at the time of the search is No.
Then, the number of remaining lives Nx is obtained by Nx = Mx-No.

This calculation is automatically performed by a program installed in advance, and the number of remaining lives is displayed on the operation panel 31 so that it can be recognized at a glance. The CRT screen of the remote diagnosis system 27 may be used instead of the operation panel 31 in FIGS.

Needless to say, the contents of the inventions described above can be applied not only to the image forming apparatus main body but also to peripheral devices of the image forming apparatus such as a large-capacity sheet feeding tray, an ADF, a sheet post-processing apparatus, and an additional tray.

[0036]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to grasp in advance the state of deterioration of the transport unit before the machine stops due to a transport failure. Can be avoided. Also,
If the judgment result of the transport quality is good, it can be understood that it is not necessary to replace the unit and parts, so that the unit and parts can be used for the whole life, not only for the benefit of the customer but also for saving resources. Can be achieved. Therefore,
It is possible to secure the reliability of the machine and improve the trust of the printing company and the machine manufacturer. Further, since the degree of mechanical deterioration can be objectively grasped and displayed, communication between the user and the maintenance department can be performed smoothly. Further, the maintenance department can reduce the number of calls caused by sudden machine stoppages and can make a maintenance plan.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the future down time of the machine can be predicted. In addition, since the time-dependent information on deterioration can be easily obtained as actual living market information, it should be provided as important quality information for the development and design of the next model by feeding it back to the development and setting department. Can be.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by displaying the warning information as a marking display, it is possible to recognize at a glance which unit or component is issuing the warning.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the degree of deterioration (change in quality) of units and parts can be easily grasped by displaying the warning information as a graphic display, and the remaining number of remaining parts can be displayed until the down time. Can be recognized at a glance.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the present invention can be applied not only to the image forming apparatus main body but also to peripheral devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance system of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart of the sheet conveyance control of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of sheet transport control of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first display example of an operation panel.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second display example of the operation panel.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of a conventional paper transport control.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a conventional sheet conveyance control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Control part 22 Timing sensor 23 Comparison determination means 24 Memory 25 Display means 26 Telephone line 27 Remote diagnosis system

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03G 21/00 510 G03G 21/00 510 H04M 11/00 301 H04M 11/00 301 F-term (Reference) 2H027 DA38 DA41 DC03 DC14 DE07 EJ13 EJ15 GB07 GB08 HA06 HB17 3F048 AA02 AA04 AA05 AA08 AB01 BA06 BA08 BB05 BC00 BC01 BC02 EA01 5C062 AA05 AB23 AB32.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An actual printing paper arrival time t detected by a timing sensor installed on a printing paper conveyance path;
Image formation for comparing conveyance quality with a set time T set in advance for machine control, performing machine stop control in the case of conveyance failure, and displaying a print paper stop position on a display unit, etc. A comparing and judging means for judging the set time T ′ for the deterioration judgment, which is reduced by the minute time ΔT from the set time T, with the above-mentioned t; Count the number (n) that satisfies ≧ T ′, and if the number (n) exceeds a predetermined number of determinations (m), display warning information on the display unit or perform remote diagnosis using a telephone line or the like. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a control unit that transmits a signal to a system. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an internal memory is provided, and control is performed to store the actual printing paper arrival time t as a data log and to appropriately read out the time as self-diagnosis information. 2. The image forming apparatus according to 1. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the warning information is controlled so as to display a marking on a unit or a component that causes the warning information. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control for displaying warning information in a graphical display is performed. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an image forming apparatus main body on which an image is actually formed, and peripheral devices such as a large-capacity sheet feeding device, an automatic document feeding device, a sheet post-processing device, and an additional tray. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer quality of the peripheral device is also determined.