JP2007028457A - Abnormal component specifying apparatus and image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an abnormal component specifying apparatus, capable of surely specifying abnormal components, and image reader capable of surely specifying abnormal components that cause no abnormality of the operation of the apparatus itself. <P>SOLUTION: The abnormal component specifying apparatus comprises an abnormality detection section 1181e which reads an image to generate an image signal representing that image and detects operational abnormalities, when operating an image reading section, constructed from a plurality of components, for applying predetermined signal processings on that image signal; and a component specification section 1182e which causes the image reading section to execute diagnostic operation for specifying a component that causes the operational abnormality, among the plurality of components, if the operational abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection section 1181e. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides an abnormal component identifying device that identifies a component that has caused an abnormal operation in a target device composed of a plurality of components, and a function that identifies the component that has caused the abnormal operation in itself. The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus.

  Scanners, facsimiles, digital copiers, and the like have built-in image reading devices that read images and generate image signals representing the read images. Conventionally, such image reading devices have been in operation of the devices. When an abnormality occurs, an error code indicating the content of the abnormality is output. Based on the experience from the error code, the service person registers the component parts that are considered to be abnormal, and identifies the abnormal parts by sequentially replacing the registered parts.

In addition, if the manufacturer of scanners, facsimiles, digital copiers, etc. appropriately checks the operation of the image reading device via the network, the manufacturer will notice an abnormal operation before the user notices the abnormal operation of the image reading device. A technique has been proposed in which a service person is dispatched when an operation abnormality is detected, and the service person identifies an abnormal part based on the detected operation abnormality (for example, Patent Documents). 1).
JP-A-11-184328

  By the way, among the operational abnormalities, there are operational abnormalities that occur less frequently and operational abnormalities that depend on the operating environment such as humidity and temperature during operation. Here, when the service person specifies an abnormal part as described above, it is necessary to reproduce the same operation abnormality as the operation abnormality when the error code is output for the confirmation of the abnormality. However, operation errors that occur less frequently or that depend on the operating environment may not always be reproducible when a service person identifies an abnormal part simply because it occurs once and an error code is output. In such a case, it is difficult to identify abnormal parts.

  Also, scanners, facsimiles, digital copiers, etc. are installed in places where the operating environment is not strictly managed, such as ordinary homes, shops, corporate offices, etc., and are often used frequently. In an image reading apparatus incorporated in a device, an operation abnormality depending on an operation environment or an operation abnormality with a low occurrence frequency is likely to occur. On the other hand, it is also considered that the image reading device is equipped with a function for identifying abnormal parts in the image reading device itself. However, the reproducibility as described above can be obtained from the installation environment of the device in which the image reading device is incorporated. It is often difficult to identify abnormal parts for low-level operational abnormalities.

  Up to this point, the image reading apparatus has been taken as an example, and the problems that occur when specifying abnormal parts have been described. However, it is difficult to specify abnormal parts for the above-described low-reproducibility operation abnormalities. The problem is a problem that arises in general for devices composed of a plurality of components.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an abnormal component identification device that can reliably identify an abnormal component, and an image reading device that can reliably identify an abnormal component that has caused an abnormal operation in itself. The purpose is to provide.

An abnormal component identifying device of the present invention that achieves the above object includes an abnormality detection unit that detects an operational abnormality during operation of a target device composed of a plurality of components,
A component identifying unit that, when an operation abnormality is detected by the abnormality detecting unit, causes the target device to execute a diagnostic operation for identifying a component that caused the operation abnormality among the plurality of component parts It is characterized by comprising.

  According to the abnormal component identification device of the present invention, when an abnormal operation occurs in the target device, the abnormal component is automatically identified. Therefore, the abnormal operation frequency, the abnormal operation depending on the operation environment, etc. Even when an operation abnormality with low reproducibility occurs, an abnormal part can be reliably identified.

Here, in the abnormal component identification device of the present invention, "the abnormality detection unit detects a plurality of types of operation abnormality as the operation abnormality,
It is preferable that the component specifying unit causes the target device to execute a diagnostic operation according to the type of operation abnormality detected by the abnormality detection unit among a plurality of diagnosis operations having different operation contents. It is a form.

  According to this preferred embodiment of the abnormal part specifying device, since the optimum part is specified according to the type of operation abnormality detected by the abnormality detection unit, the abnormal part can be specified more efficiently.

In addition, the abnormal part specifying device of the present invention has a form of “having a part display unit that indicates a component when the component specifying part has specified the component causing the operation abnormality”. Or
It may be in the form of “equipped with a component recording unit that records a component when the component that caused the abnormal operation is identified by the component identifying unit”, or
“The above-mentioned component specifying unit includes a notification unit that notifies a predetermined notification destination of a component via a communication line when the component causing the abnormal operation is specified”. May be.

  According to these forms, a person who replaces an abnormal part represented by a service person, for example, looks at the contents displayed on the part display unit or records the contents recorded on the part recording unit. The abnormal parts can be easily known by reading them out later or receiving the contents notified by the notification unit as the notification destination.

Further, an image reading apparatus of the present invention that achieves the above-described object is an image reading device constituted by a plurality of components that reads an image, generates an image signal representing the image, and performs predetermined signal processing on the image signal. And
An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormal operation during the operation of the image reading unit, and when the abnormal operation is detected by the abnormality detection unit, the image reading unit is caused by the cause of the abnormal operation among the plurality of components. And a component specifying unit that executes a diagnostic operation for specifying the component that has become.

  In the image reading apparatus of the present invention, elements equivalent to those of the above-described abnormal part specifying apparatus are incorporated, and by these elements, the image reading unit which is a main element related to image reading in the image reading apparatus. The abnormal parts are reliably identified.

  It should be noted that the image reading apparatus of the present invention is only shown in its basic form here, but this is only for avoiding duplication, and the image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described abnormal part specifying apparatus. Various forms corresponding to these forms are included.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably identify abnormal parts.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An image reading apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a box-shaped casing 11 and a cover 12 that covers the upper portion of the casing 11, and a surface of the casing 11 that contacts the cover 12 has a platen. Glass 11a is fitted. A white reference plate 12a for shading correction, which will be described later, is fitted on the surface of the cover 12 that contacts the housing 11. The cover 12 is engaged with a hinge (not shown) provided at the upper surface end of the housing 11 located on the back side in FIG.

  A support tray 12b for placing a document is attached to the top of the cover 12, and the cover 12 is provided with an auto feed mechanism 121 that draws the document placed on the support tray 12b. Yes. The document 10 drawn into the cover 12 by the auto feed mechanism 121 is transported along the transport route A and is read in the vicinity of the lowest point in FIG. It is discharged into a discharge space 12c secured below. The auto-feed mechanism 121 includes a drawing roller 121a for drawing the document 10 placed on the support tray 12b, a conveyance roller 121b for conveying the drawn document 10 along the conveyance route A, and discharging the document 10. A discharge roller 121c for discharging to the space 12c is also provided.

  In the case 11 shown in FIG. 1, when reading the document 10 conveyed by the above-described auto-feed mechanism 121 at a predetermined position and reading the document placed on the platen glass 11a, An image reading mechanism 110 having a first carriage 111, a second carriage 112, and the like that perform reading while being moved is provided.

  The image reading mechanism 110 reflects the light source 111a that irradiates light toward the platen glass 11a and the reflected light that is reflected back to the document 10 on the platen glass 11a in a direction substantially parallel to the platen glass 11a. The first carriage 111 having the first reflecting mirror 111b, the second reflecting mirror 112a that reflects the reflected light reflected by the first reflecting mirror 111b, and the second reflecting mirror that reflects the reflected light reflected by the second reflecting mirror 112a. And a second carriage 112 having three reflecting mirrors 112b. The first carriage 111 and the second carriage 112 are configured to reciprocate in the left-right direction (sub-scanning direction) in FIG. 1 by a stepping motor (not shown).

  The image reading mechanism 110 includes a lens 113 that converges the reflected light reflected by the third reflecting mirror 112b, and a CCD (charge coupled device) 114a provided for each color of R, G, and B in order from the top. 114b, 114c, a CCD drive circuit 114d for driving the CCDs 114a, 114b, 114c, and a CCD substrate 114e to which the CCD drive circuit 114d is mounted, and image signals output from the CCDs 114a, 114b, 114c. A reading signal processing board 118 that performs processing and outputs a processed image signal, a port 119 for connecting to the Internet, and a display unit 120 that indicates abnormal parts and the like to be described later are provided. A plurality of color CCDs 114a, 114b, 114c are arranged from the front side to the back side in FIG. 1 and attached to the CCD substrate 114e in three stages in the vertical direction. The display unit 120 corresponds to an example of a component display unit according to the present invention.

  Here, the light source 111a and the read signal processing board 118 are connected by a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to as FFC) 116, and light emission of the light source 111a is performed by a CPU 118e (see FIG. 2) is controlled by an instruction issued to the light source 111a via the FFC 116. The CCD unit 114 and the read signal processing board 118 are connected by a flexible printed cable (hereinafter referred to as an FPC) 117 in which a plurality of long signal lines are arranged in the width direction, and each color CCD 114a, 114b. , 114c and an instruction from the CPU 118e to the CCD drive circuit 114d are exchanged between the CCD unit 114 and the read signal processing board 118 via the FPC 117.

  In the image reading apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, with the configuration described above, the light from the light source 111a irradiates the document, and the reflected light from the document enters each color CCD 114a, 114b, 114c. From each of these color CCDs 114a, 114b, 114c, an image signal for each color corresponding to the incident light is input to the read signal processing board 118, and predetermined signal processing is performed on the read signal processing board 118.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the read signal processing board shown in FIG.

  The read signal processing board 118 shown in FIG. 2 includes a pattern generator circuit 118a, an analog front end 118b including a sample hold circuit 1181b, an output amplifier circuit 1182b, and an A / D conversion circuit 1183b, a shading correction circuit 1181c, and an output delay circuit. An ASIC 118c composed of 1182c, and an image processing circuit 118d that performs predetermined image processing relating to the color and gradation of the image on the image data of each color of R, G, and B created by performing processing such as shading correction by the ASIC 118c. The CPU 118e that gives instructions to these circuits, the ROM 118f that records predetermined signal data, and the like, and the EEPROM 118g that records various data.

  Here, the shading correction circuit 1181c included in the ASIC 118c includes a memory 1180c. In this embodiment, when the memory 1180c malfunctions in the image reading apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1), an error occurs. In addition, the read signal processing board 118 is used for a diagnosis process for diagnosing whether or not the abnormal part causing the error is present. The diagnostic processing using this memory 1180c will be described later.

  2 shows a state in which a communication board 119a is provided in a port 119 for connection to the Internet 150. Further, the image reading apparatus 1 is connected to a personal computer 160 connected to the Internet 150. A state in which communication is possible via the communication board 119a is also shown. Here, the Internet 150 corresponds to an example of a communication line according to the present invention, and the communication board 119a corresponds to an example of a notification unit according to the present invention.

  Further, FIG. 2 shows a CCD unit 114 in which each color CCD 114a, 114b, 114c and a CCD driving circuit 114d shown in FIG. 1 are arranged on a CCD substrate 114e, and the CCD unit 114 and the read signal processing substrate 118. Also shown are an FPC 117, a light source 111a, an FFC 116 that connects the light source 111a and the read signal processing board 118, and a display unit 120 that displays various information.

  Note that each circuit in the read signal processing board 118 shown in FIG. 2 is a well-known circuit, and therefore, detailed description of processing in those circuits is omitted.

  Here, the CPU 118e of the read signal processing board 118 detects an error in the image reading apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1), specifies an abnormal part that has caused the detected error, and stores information indicating the specified abnormal part. Processing related to abnormality diagnosis such as recording is performed. In the image reading apparatus 1, the CPU 118 e that performs such processing, the display unit 120 that displays information indicating the specified abnormal part, and an external device via the Internet for information indicating the specified abnormal part. The portion of the communication board 119a to which the above notification is made corresponds to an embodiment of the abnormal part specifying device of the present invention. Further, the combination of the CCD unit 114, the pattern generator circuit 118a, the analog front end 118b, the ASIC 118c, and the image processing circuit 118d is a device in the abnormal part specifying device of the present invention, and the image reading device of the present invention. This corresponds to an example that also serves as an image reading unit.

  Hereinafter, the image reading apparatus 1 will be described while focusing on one embodiment of the abnormal part specifying apparatus of the present invention. In the following description, the components shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the abnormal part specifying device of the present invention.

  In FIG. 3, together with the above-described EEPROM 118g and communication board 119a, an abnormality detection unit 1181e that detects an error in the image reading apparatus 1, a component identification unit 1182e that identifies the abnormal component that caused the detected error, and A component recording unit 1183e for recording information indicating the specified abnormal component is shown. Here, the functions of the abnormality detection unit 1181e, the component identification unit 1182e, and the component recording unit 1183e as functional blocks are played by the CPU 118e as hardware. The abnormality detection unit 1181e, the component identification unit 1182e, and the component recording unit 1183e correspond to examples of the abnormality detection unit, the component identification unit, and the component recording unit according to the present invention, respectively.

  The abnormality detection unit 1181e detects an error in the image reading apparatus 1 as described above. Then, an error code indicating the content of the detected error is issued. The error code issued by the abnormality detection unit 1181e is passed to the component identification unit 1182e, the display unit 120, and the communication board 119a. The display unit 120 displays the error code, and the communication board 119a notifies the error code to a predetermined notification destination via the Internet 150. Further, as will be described later, the component identification unit 1182e generates information indicating the abnormal component that caused the error indicated by the error code, and transmits the information to the recording unit 1183e, the display unit 120, and the communication board 119a. hand over. The recording unit 1183e records information indicating the abnormal part in the EEPROM 118g, the display unit 120 displays the information, and the communication board 119a notifies the information to a predetermined notification destination via the Internet 150.

  Here, in the present embodiment, among errors detected by the abnormality detection unit 1181e, errors in capturing image data into the read signal processing board 118, errors in auto gain control described later, and errors described later. An error in auto offset control is assumed to be a plurality of candidate abnormal parts. Therefore, for these errors, an abnormal part is specified in the part specifying unit 1182e. Here, the detection of the above three errors will be described first before specifying the abnormal part.

  First, detection of an error (AGC error) in auto gain control (AGC) will be described.

  This auto gain control is a process that is automatically executed when the image reading apparatus 1 is turned on together with an auto offset control described later, and is output from the ASIC 118c when the light source 111a irradiates the white reference plate 12a. This is a process of adjusting the gain in the output amplifier circuit 1182b that constitutes the analog front end 118b so that each of the R, G, and B image data has a predetermined target level.

  In this automatic gain control, first, image data acquired by the CCD unit 114 when the light source 111a illuminates the white reference plate 12a and obtained through the analog front end 118b is stored in the memory 1180c included in the shading correction circuit 1181c of the ASIC 118c. Is taken in. Then, the gain adjustment amount is calculated based on the level of the captured image data and the target level for gain adjustment. Then, the gain in the output amplifier circuit 1182b is adjusted by the calculated adjustment amount, and then image data when the light source 111a irradiates the white reference plate 12a is captured again. If the level of the captured image data does not fall within the predetermined range including the target level for gain adjustment, this time, the gain adjustment amount is calculated again based on the image data and the target level. Is done.

  The abnormality detection unit 1181e in FIG. 3 determines that an error has occurred when the level of the image data does not fall within a predetermined range including the target level for gain adjustment even if such processing is repeated a predetermined number of times. An AGC error is detected.

  Next, detection of an error (AOC error) in auto offset control (AOC) will be described.

  The auto offset control is an offset in the output amplifier circuit 1182b that constitutes the analog front end 118b so that each of the R, G, and B image data output from the ASIC 118c when the light source 111a is in the extinguished state has a predetermined target level. It is a process to adjust.

  In the offset control, the image data output from the analog front end 118b when the light source 111a is in the off state is taken into the memory 1180c. Then, an offset adjustment amount is calculated based on the level of the captured image data and the target level for offset adjustment. Then, the offset in the output amplifier circuit 1182b is adjusted by the calculated adjustment amount, and then the image data when the light source 111a is in the extinguished state is captured again. If the level of the captured image data does not fall within the predetermined range including the target level for offset adjustment, this time, the offset adjustment amount is calculated again based on the image data and the target level. Is done.

  The abnormality detection unit 1181e in FIG. 3 determines that an error has occurred when the level of the image data does not fall within a predetermined range including the target level for offset adjustment even if such processing is repeated a predetermined number of times. An AOC error is detected.

  Finally, detection of an error (image capturing error) in capturing image data into the read signal processing board 118 will be described.

  Detection of this image data take-in error is performed as follows using the opportunity of taking image data into the memory 1180c at the time of the above-described auto gain control and auto offset control performed when the power is turned on. In other words, the abnormality detection unit 1181e determines that an error has occurred when the capture of image data into the memory 1180c does not end even after a predetermined time has elapsed during auto gain control and auto offset control. Detect capture errors.

  When the abnormality detection unit 1181e detects various errors including these three errors, as described above, an error code indicating the content of the detected error is displayed as the component identification unit 1182e, the communication board 119a, and the display unit 120. Departure for.

  Here, the component identification unit 1182e basically sends the error code passed from the abnormality detection unit 1181e to the recording unit 1183e, the display unit 120, and the communication board 119a as information indicating the abnormal component. However, if the passed error code indicates the above three errors, as described above, there are a plurality of abnormal part candidates. Then, a later-described part number indicating the specified abnormal part is sent to the recording unit 1183e, the display unit 120, and the communication board 119a as information indicating the abnormal part.

  In this embodiment, as abnormal part candidates corresponding to the above three errors, the CCD unit 114, the FPC 117 that connects the CCD unit 114 and the read signal processing board 118, the read signal processing board 118, the light source 111a, and the light source Five components such as the FFC 116 connecting the 111a and the read signal processing board 118 are assumed. The component identifying unit 1182e causes the CCD unit 114, the pattern generator circuit 118a, the analog front end 118b, and the ASIC 118c to perform a diagnostic operation for identifying an abnormal component by performing various diagnostic processes as described below. The diagnosis result in each diagnosis process is represented by “0” if the result is normal, and is represented by “1” if the result is abnormal, and is secured in a part of the EEPROM 118g via the component recording unit 1183e. Is written in the recording area of the diagnostic result. Then, the component identification unit 1182e identifies an abnormal component based on the diagnosis result written in this recording area.

  Hereinafter, identification of abnormal parts in the part identification unit 1182e will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific flow of abnormal parts in the part specifying unit shown in FIG. In the following description, in addition to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the constituent elements shown in FIG.

  The process represented by this flowchart starts when the component identification unit 1182e receives an error code from the abnormality detection unit 1181e.

  When the process starts, it is determined in step S1 whether or not the error indicated by the received error code is an image capture error. If it is determined in step S1 that this error is not an image capture error (No determination in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2, and the error indicated by the received error code is either an AGC error or an AOC error. It is determined whether or not there is.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the error is an AGC error or an AOC error (Yes determination in step S2), the process proceeds to step S3, and the contents of the diagnosis result recording area secured in a part of the EEPROM 118g are displayed as " The recording unit 1183e is instructed to rewrite it to “0”. Next, in step S4, the first carriage 111 is instructed to move the white reference plate 12a downward. Thereafter, in step S5, the subroutine "light source-CCD diagnosis" is started.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the subroutine “light source-CCD diagnosis”.

  When this subroutine 'light source-CCD diagnosis' starts, first, in step S50, the light source 111a is instructed to be turned on, and then in step S51, the component identification unit 1181e waits for 100 msec. During this standby, image signals obtained from the 40 pixels at the center of each of the R, G, B color CCDs 114a, 114b, 114c are stored in the EEPROM 118g. When 100 msec elapses, in step S52, the image signal stored during the 100 msec is read from the EEPROM 118g, and the average value of the image signals obtained from the 40 pixels in the central portion of each CCD 114a, 114b, 114c is obtained for each color. Is calculated.

  Next, in step S53, it is determined whether or not all the average values for the respective colors are equal to or less than the light source threshold value A. In step S53, when it is determined that there is at least one average value that exceeds the threshold A among the average values for each color (No determination in step S53), the light source 111a and the FFC 116 (hereinafter, these are summarized). The light source system) is determined to be normal, and the process proceeds to step S54, where it is determined whether or not the average value for each color exceeds the light source check threshold A.

  If it is determined in step S54 that all the average values exceed the light source check threshold A (Yes determination in step S54), it is determined that there is no abnormality in the CCD unit 114, and the light source is determined in step S55. 111a is instructed to be turned off, and the process returns to the process represented by the flowchart of FIG. 4 (hereinafter referred to as the main routine), and proceeds to step S6 of the main routine.

  Here, if it is determined in step S53 of the subroutine “light source-CCD diagnosis” that all the average values for the respective colors are equal to or less than the threshold value A (Yes determination in step S53), it is determined that the light source system is abnormal. Then, the process proceeds to step S56, after the recording unit 1183e is instructed to write “1” indicating that there is an abnormality as a diagnostic result for the light source system in the recording area of the diagnostic result of the EEPROM 118g, The process proceeds to step S54.

  If it is determined in step S54 that at least one of the average values for each color is equal to or less than the threshold value A (No determination in step S53), it is determined that the CCD unit 114 is abnormal, and step Proceeding to S57, after instructing the recording unit 1183e to write “1” indicating that there is an abnormality as a diagnostic result for the CCD unit 114 in the recording region of the diagnostic result, the process proceeds to step S55 described above. move on.

  If “1” is not written as the diagnostic result of the light source system and the diagnostic result of the CCD unit 114 in this subroutine “light source-CCD diagnostic”, these diagnostic results are obtained in step S3 of the main routine of FIG. The recorded “0” indicating normality remains recorded.

  Here, returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued.

  In step S6, which is executed after the above-described subroutine "light source-CCD diagnosis" (step S5), a subroutine "FPC connection diagnosis" for performing connection diagnosis of the FPC 117 is started.

  Here, before describing the subroutine “FPC connection diagnosis”, details of the FPC 117 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a connector and an FPC provided in the CCD unit.

  The FPC 117 connects the CCD unit 114 and the read signal processing board 118 as described above, and the connector 117a attached to the end of the FPC 117 on the CCD unit 114 side has R, G, and B colors. The CCD 114a, 114b, 114c and the CCD driving circuit 114d are fitted into a connector 114f attached to a CCD substrate 114e. Note that the end portion of the FPC on the side of the read signal processing board 118 is directly connected to the read signal processing board 118 without undergoing connector fitting or the like.

  Among the plurality of signal lines arranged in the width direction of the FPC 117, signal lines excluding the first and second signal lines 1171 and 1172 located at both ends are connected to the analog of the read signal processing board 118 from the CCD unit 114. It is used to transmit an image signal to the front end 118b.

  On the other hand, the first and second signal lines 1171 and 1172 are used as dedicated lines for diagnosing whether or not the connector 117a of the FPC 117 is properly engaged with the connector 114f of the CCD unit 114.

  Inside the connector 114f of the CCD unit 114, two single-contact substrates 1141f having contacts only on one surface are attached so that the contacts of each other face each other. Further, inside the connector 117a of the FPC 117, a double contact board 117b having contacts on both the front and back surfaces is attached. When these two connectors are engaged with each other, the two contact boards 117b of the connector 117a of the FPC 117 are fitted between the two single contact boards 1141f of the connector 114f of the CCD unit 114, and the two contact boards 117b The contact and the contact of the single contact board 1141f come into contact with each other.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the FPC connector is normally fitted to the connector of the CCD unit, as viewed in the direction of the arrow X shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows that the contact board 117b is fitted between the two single contact boards 1141f, so that the contact 117b_1 of the both contact boards 117b and the contact 1141f_1 of the single contact board 1141f are in contact with each other. It is shown. Here, as described above, in the present embodiment, the first and second signal lines 1171 and 1172 located at both ends of the FPC 117 are properly fitted to the connector 114f of the CCD unit 114 with the connector 117a of the FPC 117. Used as a dedicated line for diagnosing whether or not. Then, the first contact 11411 on the upper single contact substrate 1141e in contact with the first contact 1171b on the double-sided contact substrate 117b connected to the first signal line 1171 and the second signal line 1172 are connected. The second contact 11412 on the upper single contact substrate 1141e in the drawing, which is in contact with the second contact 1172b on the double-sided contact substrate 117b, is short-circuited to each other by the short-circuit line 11413 for the diagnosis of the above-mentioned fit. ing. Thereby, in this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the component specifying unit 1182e, that is, the CPU 118e transmits a test signal to the first signal line 1171 of the FPC 117, and at that time, the test signal is the second signal. By determining whether or not the signal is received via the signal line 1172, it is diagnosed whether or not the electrical connection between the connector 117a of the FPC 117 and the connector 114f of the CCD unit 114 is normal.

  Next, a subroutine “FPC connection diagnosis” for performing connection diagnosis of the FPC 117, which is a diagnosis of whether or not the electrical connection between the connector 117a of the FPC 117 and the connector 114f of the CCD unit 114 is normal, will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the subroutine “FPC connection diagnosis”.

  In the following description, the components shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.

  When this subroutine 'FPC connection diagnosis' starts, first, in step S60, 'H' is asserted at the output port connected to the first signal line 1171 of the CPU 118e, and then in step S61, the component specifying unit 1181e. Wait 10 msec. When 10 msec elapses, it is determined in step S62 whether or not the signal level of the input port connected to the second signal line 1172 of the CPU 118e is 'H'.

  If it is determined in this step S62 that the signal level is 'H' (Yes determination in step S62), the process proceeds to step S63, where 'L' is asserted at the output port of the CPU 118e. In step S64, the component identification unit 1181e waits for 10 msec. When 10 msec elapses, it is determined in step S65 whether or not the signal level of the input port of the CPU 118e is 'L'. If it is determined in this step S65 that the signal level is 'L' (Yes determination in step S65), the recorded contents in the recording area of the diagnosis result of the EEPROM 118g are set to "0" indicating normality as shown in FIG. Returning to the main routine, the process proceeds to step S7 of the main routine.

  Here, if it is determined in step S62 that the signal level is not “H” (Yes determination in step S62), or if it is determined in step S65 that the signal level is not “L”, the FPC 117 After an instruction is given to the recording unit 1183e to write “1” indicating that there is an abnormality as a diagnosis result of the connection in the recording region of the diagnosis result, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

  In step S7, which is executed after the above-described subroutine "FPC connection diagnosis" (step S6 in FIG. 4), a subroutine "IPS diagnosis" for diagnosing the operation of the read signal processing board 118 is started.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the subroutine “IPS diagnosis”.

  When the subroutine “IPS diagnosis” starts, first, in step S70, the pattern generator circuit 118a is instructed to input a predetermined test pattern signal to the analog front end 118b. In step S71, the analog front end 118b and the AISC 118c are first subjected to predetermined signal processing on the test pattern signal in the analog front end 118b, and then the processed test pattern signal is converted to the shading correction circuit 1181c in the ASIC 118c. Is instructed to record in the memory 1180c included in the. At this time, from the CCD drive circuit 114d provided in the CCD unit 114, the processing in step S70 and step S71 is performed in synchronization with the same synchronization signal as when the image signal is taken in from the normal CCD unit 114. A synchronization signal is sent to the analog front end 118b and the ASIC 118c.

  Here, in the ROM 118f provided in the read signal processing board 118, a series of circuit operations from the conversion process for the test pattern signal to the recording in the memory 1180c is normally performed in the read signal processing board 118. In this case, an expected signal that will eventually be recorded in the memory 1180c is stored in advance. In step S72, it is determined whether or not the expected signal matches the processed test pattern signal recorded in the memory 1180c. If it is determined in step S72 that the two match (Yes determination in step S72), the process returns to the main routine of FIG. 4 while the recorded content of the recording area of the diagnosis result of the EEPROM 118g is set to “0” indicating normality. The process proceeds to step S8 of this main routine.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S72 that the two do not match (No determination in step S72), the recording unit writes “1” indicating that there is an abnormality as the diagnosis result of the IPS diagnosis in the diagnosis result recording area. An instruction is issued to 1183e (step S73), and then the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

  When the above subroutine “IPS diagnosis” (step S7 in FIG. 4) is completed, next, in step S8, an abnormal part is identified as follows from the diagnosis result recorded in the diagnosis result recording area of the EEPROM 118g at this time. Is done.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the diagnostic result recorded in the diagnostic result recording area of the EEPROM.

  The diagnosis result recording area 200 shown in FIG. 10 includes a light source system diagnosis result recording area 201, a CCD unit diagnosis result recording area, an FPC connection diagnosis diagnosis result recording area 203, and an IPS diagnosis. A result recording area 204 and a diagnostic result recording area 205 for image capture diagnosis are provided. In the example of FIG. 10, “1” indicating an abnormality is recorded in the recording area 201 of the light source system diagnosis result and the recording area of the CCD unit diagnosis result, and the FPC connection diagnosis diagnosis result recording area 203 and the IPS diagnosis. In the diagnosis result recording area 204, “0” indicating normal is recorded. In addition, in the recording area 205 of the diagnostic result of the image capture diagnosis, since the image capture diagnosis is not executed in steps S5 to S7, “0” recorded in step S3 is still recorded.

  In step S8 of the main routine, the component identification unit 1182e excludes the recorded contents of the diagnostic result recording area 205 of the image capturing diagnosis that has not been executed in steps S5 to S7 in the diagnostic result recording area 200. Based on the recorded contents as shown in FIG. 10, an abnormal part is specified with reference to a reference table shown in Table 1 below.

  In Table 1, each of the various combinations of the light source system diagnosis result, the CCD unit diagnosis result, the FPC connection diagnosis result, and the IPS diagnosis result, and up to two abnormal parts to be replaced are shown. It is associated. In the present embodiment, the reference table shown in Table 1 is stored in the ROM 118f, and the component specifying unit 1182e reads and references the reference table in the ROM 118f when specifying an abnormal component.

  For example, in the diagnosis result shown in FIG. 10, as described above, the diagnosis result of the light source system and the diagnosis result of the CCD unit are “1”, and the diagnosis result of the FPC connection diagnosis and the diagnosis result of the IPS diagnosis are “0”. . The combinations of these diagnosis results are shown in Table 1 as No. Corresponds to the combination of '2'. As a result, the light source 111a indicated by the part number “01” and the light source FFC 116 indicated by the part number “10” are specified as the abnormal parts.

  It should be noted that “No2” in Table 1 indicates that the recorded contents of both the light source system diagnosis result recording area 201 and the CCD section diagnosis result recording area are “1” indicating abnormality. As an abnormal part to be replaced, the CCD unit 114 is not mentioned, but only the light source 111a and the FFC 116 constituting the light source system are mentioned. This is because in the subroutine “light source-CCD diagnosis” shown in FIG. 5, if there is an abnormality in the light source system, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the CCD unit 114 as well as the light source system. This is because when both the recorded contents of the diagnostic result recording areas 201 and 202 in both CCD sections are “1”, there is a high probability that an abnormality has occurred only in the light source 111a and the FFC 116 constituting the light source system. Further, in the image reading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is empirically found that the FPC 117 and the read signal processing board (IPS) 118 are more likely to be abnormal than the light source system and the CCD unit 114. It has also been found that abnormality is likely to occur in the light source 111a. Therefore, in Table 1, the parts that are likely to cause an abnormality as described above are preferentially associated with the diagnosis results of No in the table as the abnormal parts to be replaced.

  As described above, when an abnormal part to be replaced is specified in step S8, in step S9, an instruction is issued to recording unit 1183e to store the part number representing the specified abnormal part in EEPROM 118g. . Further, in step S9, an instruction is given to the display unit 120 to display the part number, and an instruction is also given to the communication board 119a to notify the predetermined notification destination via the Internet. The main routine process is terminated.

  Next, a process when it is determined in step S1 that the error indicated by the received error code is an image capture error (No determination in step S1) will be described.

  In this case, the process proceeds to step S10, and the subroutine "image capture diagnosis" is started.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the subroutine “image capture diagnosis”.

  When this subroutine “image capture diagnosis” starts, first, in step S100, the synchronization signal generation unit 1181a provided in the pattern generator circuit 118a is used to internally synchronize a synchronization signal equivalent to the synchronization signal generated by the CCD drive circuit 114d. Generation as a signal is instructed to the pattern generator circuit 118a. The internal synchronization signal generated in step S100 is input to the analog front end 118b and the ASIC 118c.

  Next, in step S101, the pattern generator circuit 118a is instructed to input a predetermined test pattern signal to the analog front end 118b. In step S102, the analog front end 118b and the AISC 118c are first input to the analog front end 118b. At the end 118b, the test pattern signal is subjected to predetermined signal processing, and then the ASIC 118c is instructed to record the processed test pattern signal in the memory 1180c provided in the shading correction circuit 1181c. At this time, the processes in steps S101 and S102 are performed in synchronization with the internal synchronization signal.

  Here, the reason for using the internal synchronization signal in place of the synchronization signal generated by the CCD drive circuit 114d in the subroutine “image capture diagnosis” is that the image capture diagnosis performed in this subroutine is performed only on the read signal processing board 118. This is for diagnosing whether or not an abnormality has occurred in image capture as an internal operation, and it is necessary to operate the read signal processing board 118 separately from an external circuit such as the CCD drive circuit 114d.

  After step S102, in step S103, the component identification unit 1181e waits for 5 msec. When 5 msec has elapsed, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the reading of the image signal on the read signal processing board 118 has been completed. Whether or not the image signal has been captured is determined by whether or not any image data is recorded in the memory 1180c of the shading correction circuit 1181c. However, in this step S104, the contents of the image data recorded in the memory 1180c are not questioned, and only whether or not the image data is recorded is checked.

  If it is determined in step S104 that the image signal capturing has been completed (Yes determination in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the generation of the internal synchronization signal started in step S100 is performed. 4 is returned to the main routine of FIG. 4 while the recorded content of the diagnostic result recording area 205 (see FIG. 10) in the EEPROM 118g is set to “0” indicating normality, and the process returns to step S11 of this main routine. move on.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the image signal capture has not been completed (No determination in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105. In this step S105, an abnormality is detected as a diagnosis result for the image capture diagnosis. After an instruction is given to the recording unit 1183e to write “1” indicating that the image is present in the diagnostic result recording area 205 of the image capture diagnosis shown in FIG. 10, the process returns to the main routine of FIG. 4 through step S105. .

  In step S11, which is executed after the subroutine ‘image capture diagnosis’ (step S10), the same subroutine as the subroutine ‘FPC connection diagnosis’ executed in step S6 is started.

  When the subroutine “image capture diagnosis” (step S10) and the subroutine “FPC connection diagnosis” (step S11) are completed, the process proceeds to step S12. In these two diagnosis processes, the image capture diagnosis recording area 205 shown in FIG. From the diagnosis results recorded in the FPC connection diagnosis diagnosis result recording area 203, an abnormal part is identified as follows.

  In this step S12, when the diagnostic result of the image capture diagnosis is “1”, the read signal processing board 118 is specified as an abnormal part, and when the diagnostic result of the FPC connection diagnosis is “1”, the FPC 117. Is identified as an abnormal part, and if both the diagnostic result of the image capture diagnosis and the diagnostic result of the FPC connection diagnosis are “0”, the CCD unit 114 that is the upstream part of the FPC 117 is identified as the abnormal part. To do.

  As described above, when an abnormal part is specified in step S12, the process of the main routine is terminated through step S9.

  Next, a process (step S13) when it is determined in step S2 that the error indicated by the received error code is neither an AGC error nor an AOC error (No determination in step S2) will be described.

  In this case, the error indicated by the error code is not an error such as an image capturing error, an AGC error, or an AOC error that causes a plurality of abnormal parts as the cause of the error. You can know the abnormal parts directly. For this reason, in this embodiment, in this step S13, the component recording unit 1183e is instructed to store the error code itself as information indicating an abnormal component in the EEPROM 118g, and the processing of this main routine ends.

  In the above description, the image reading apparatus 1 that is an embodiment of the image reading apparatus of the present invention is illustrated as an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. May be one in which an example of an abnormal part specifying apparatus of the present invention is generally incorporated, or exists independently of an abnormality detection target apparatus, and the apparatus. It may be a device that detects an abnormality in and identifies the abnormal component that caused the abnormality.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an image reading apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a read signal processing board shown in FIG. 1. It is a functional block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the abnormal component identification device of this invention. It is a flowchart showing specification of the abnormal component in the component specific | specification part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart of a subroutine 'light source-CCD diagnosis'. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the connector with which the CCD part was equipped, and FPC. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the connector of the FPC is normally fitted to the connector of the CCD section as seen in the direction of the arrow X shown in FIG. 3. It is a flowchart of a subroutine 'FPC connection diagnosis'. It is a flowchart of a subroutine 'IPS diagnosis'. It is a figure which shows an example of the diagnostic result currently recorded on the recording area of the diagnostic result of EEPROM. It is a flowchart of a subroutine 'image capture diagnosis'.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reader 10 Original 11 Case 11a Platen glass 111 1st carriage 111a Light source 111b 1st reflective mirror 112 2nd carriage 112a 2nd reflective mirror 112b 3rd reflective mirror 113 Lens 114 CCD part 114a, 114b, 114c CCD
114d CCD drive circuit 114e CCD substrate 114f connector 1141f single contact substrate 114f_1 contact 11411 first contact 11412 second contact 11413 short-circuit line 116 flexible flat cable 117 flexible printed cable 1171 first signal line 1172 second signal line 117a connector 117b double contact board 117b_1 contact 1171b first contact 1172b second contact 118 CPU
118a Pattern generator circuit 1181a Sync signal generator 118b Analog front end 1181b Sample hold circuit 1182b Output amplifier circuit 1183b A / D converter circuit 118c ASIC
1180c Memory 1181c Shading correction circuit 1182c Output amplifier circuit 118d Image processing circuit 118e CPU
1181e Abnormality detection unit 1182e Component identification unit 1183e Recording unit 118f ROM
118g EEPROM
119 Port 119a Communication board 120 Display unit 12 Cover 12a White reference plate 12b Support tray 12c Discharge space 121 Auto feed mechanism 121a Pull-in roller 121b Transport roller 121c Discharge roller 150 Internet 160 Personal computer 200 Diagnostic result recording area 201 Light source system diagnosis result 202 Recording area of CCD unit diagnostic result 203 Recording area of diagnostic result of FPC connection diagnosis 204 Recording area of diagnostic result of IPS diagnosis 205 Recording area of diagnostic result of image capture diagnosis

Claims (6)

An anomaly detector that detects an anomaly in operation of the target device composed of a plurality of components;
A component identifying unit that, when an operation abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit, causes the target device to execute a diagnostic operation for identifying a component part that has caused the operation abnormality among the plurality of component parts And an abnormal part identifying device. The abnormality detection unit detects a plurality of types of operation abnormality as the operation abnormality,
The component specifying unit causes the target device to execute a diagnosis operation according to the type of operation abnormality detected by the abnormality detection unit among a plurality of diagnosis operations having different operation contents. The abnormal part identification device according to claim 1.   The abnormal part specifying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a part display unit that indicates a component when the component specifying unit specifies the component that caused the operation abnormality.   The abnormal part specifying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a part recording unit configured to record the constituent part when the part specifying part causing the abnormal operation is specified by the part specifying unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification unit configured to notify a predetermined notification destination of a component via a communication line when the component identification unit identifies the component causing the operation abnormality. Item 1. The abnormal part specifying device according to Item 1. An image reading unit composed of a plurality of components that reads an image, generates an image signal representing the image, and performs predetermined signal processing on the image signal;
An abnormality detection unit that detects an operational abnormality during operation of the image reading unit; and when the abnormal operation is detected by the abnormality detection unit, the image reading unit is caused to cause the abnormal operation among the plurality of components. An image reading apparatus, comprising: a component specifying unit that executes a diagnostic operation for specifying the component that has become.

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