JP2008290288A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of detecting abnormality of a mechanism part inside the processor without installing a sensor in each of diagnostic targets. <P>SOLUTION: The image processor 10 includes an image forming part for forming an image on printing paper and a transporting part for transporting the printing paper, and is characterized by including: a sound converting part 30 for converting sound inside the processor into an electric signal; a sound analyzing part 31 for analyzing the electric signal converted by the sound converting part 30 and obtaining a component for each frequency; and an outputting part 26 for outputting the component for each frequency obtained by the sound analyzing part 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly, to abnormality detection of an image processing apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions.

  Image processing apparatuses such as printers and copiers have processing steps such as image writing to a photoconductor, development, transfer, fixing, photoconductor cleaning, and paper discharge. In these steps, a gear is mainly used with a motor as a power source. Because a power transmission mechanism such as a belt is used, various sounds are generated during operation. Although these sounds are often felt as noises, they are also sounds for notifying abnormality of a power transmission mechanism including a power source (hereinafter simply referred to as a mechanism). For example, a sound that does not occur in a normal operation state may be generated due to uneven rotation of the motor, clogging of printing paper in the conveyance path, deformation of the mechanism member, and the like.

  Depending on the type of abnormal operation of the image processing apparatus, various sensors may detect and automatically stop and the user himself / herself can solve the problem. For example, this includes printing paper jams, forgetting to close open parts when removing jammed papers, and the like. However, when the mechanism is not properly meshed or when parts are deteriorated, it may continue to operate while generating an abnormal sound. If it is left unattended, it may suddenly stop and become unusable.

  As a conventional technique for detecting an abnormality in an image processing apparatus, there is an image forming apparatus that performs self-diagnosis of a conveyance path abnormality based on a predetermined criterion and notifies a remote diagnosis system using a telephone line or the like when an abnormality is detected. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

In this conventional image forming apparatus, the actual printing paper arrival time detected by a timing sensor installed in the conveyance path is compared with a preset time set for machine control to determine the conveyance quality. Therefore, since the deterioration state of the transport unit can be grasped in advance by the service center or the like before the machine is stopped due to a transport failure, it is possible to avoid the problem that the printing operation is interrupted due to a sudden machine stop.
JP 2000-307786 A

  However, the abnormality detection performed in Patent Document 1 uses a timing sensor installed in the conveyance path, so that the detection accuracy is high, but the target of abnormality detection is limited to only the conveyance path where the sensor is installed. There is.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of detecting an abnormality for a mechanism portion in the apparatus without installing a sensor for each detection target. To do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an image processing apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on a printing paper and a transport unit that transports the printing paper. A sound conversion unit that converts the sound signal into an electrical signal, a sound analysis unit that analyzes the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit, and an output unit that outputs a result of analysis by the sound analysis unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in an image processing apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on a print sheet and a transport unit that conveys the print sheet, the sound inside the image processing apparatus is converted into an electrical signal. A sound conversion unit, a sound analysis unit that analyzes an electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit, an output unit that outputs a result of analysis by the sound analysis unit, and a control unit that controls processing of the sound analysis unit and the output unit; , Provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the control unit sends the electric signal converted by the sound conversion unit to the sound analysis unit when the image is formed after the power is turned on to the image processing apparatus. Analysis is performed, and the output unit is controlled to output the result analyzed by the sound analysis unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, when the image is formed after the power is turned on to the image processing apparatus, the sound analysis unit converts the electric signal converted by the sound conversion unit and outputs the signal. It is controlled to output the result analyzed by the sound analysis unit to the unit.

  Further, the invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sound analysis unit analyzes the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit to obtain a component for each frequency, The output unit prints and outputs a component for each frequency obtained by the sound analysis unit on a print sheet.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the communication means for connecting to the communication network is provided, and the sound analysis unit receives the electric signal converted by the sound conversion unit. The component for every frequency is analyzed and the output part transmits the component for every frequency which the sound analysis part calculated | required to a predetermined other party using a communication means, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, the control unit is a sound analyzing unit for the electrical signal converted by the sound converting unit for a certain period of time after the output unit outputs. The analysis processing according to the above and the output processing of the analysis result by the output unit are stopped.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sound conversion unit converts sound into an electric signal using an omnidirectional microphone. To do.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect an abnormality for a mechanism portion in the apparatus without installing a sensor for each detection target.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an image processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photosensitive drum 15 is rotationally driven by the main motor 20 during the image forming operation, and is uniformly charged by a charger (not shown), and then an image to be printed is exposed by an exposure device (not shown) to form an electrostatic latent image. Is done. This electrostatic latent image is developed with toner 14 from the developing device 13 to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 15.

  On the other hand, the printing paper is fed from the paper feeding device 11 to the registration roller 12. This printing paper is sent out by the registration roller 12 with the toner image on the photosensitive drum 15 aligned with the leading edge, and the transfer device 16 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 15 to the printing paper. Then, the toner image is conveyed by the conveying belt 17 and fixed on the printing paper by the fixing roller 18 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 19.

  The image processing process in the image processing apparatus 10 has been described above. As described above, the main motor 20 and the photosensitive drum 15 and all other mechanical parts emit sound. Therefore, an observation microphone 22 is attached inside the image processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, and the observation microphone 22 observes sound in the image processing apparatus 10 and converts it into an electrical signal. Then, the electrical signal obtained by the observation microphone 22 is guided to the sound signal processing unit 21 and subjected to analysis processing such as a frequency component.

  The observation microphone 22 is preferably non-directional with little difference in sensitivity to sound from a specific direction. Also, the installation location is preferably a location that does not pick up only the sound from a specific mechanical component, and is installed away from the main motor 20, the photosensitive member drive unit, the cooling fan, and the like. A plurality of observation microphones may be installed depending on the size of the image processing apparatus and the arrangement of internal components. In this case, the sound signal processing unit 21 performs mixing (mixing) to form one sound signal. The conditions such as the installation of the observation microphone 22 as described above are set to be the same as the conditions when the sound spectrum in the apparatus described later is collected.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the sound signal processing unit 21. The sound signal processing unit 21 includes a sound conversion unit 30, a sound analysis unit 31, an output unit 26, a level determination unit 27, and a control unit 28.

  The sound converter 30 amplifies the weak electric signal obtained by the observation microphone 22 by the low frequency amplifier 23 and converts it into an analog electric signal having a predetermined voltage level (several hundred millivolts). The voltage level of the amplified electrical signal is determined by the level determination unit 27. If it is determined that the voltage level is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage level, it means that a louder sound than usual is generated inside the apparatus, and in this case, the control unit 28 is notified.

  The control unit 28 controls the start and stop of the analysis of the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit 30 and the output of the analysis result. The control unit 28 instructs the analysis of the electrical signal and the output of the analysis result when the notification from the level determination unit 27 is received, and the image formation is performed from the print engine control unit (not shown) of the image processing apparatus 10. This is the case when receiving a signal to do so. In particular, in the latter case, it is convenient to perform the analysis under the same conditions every time when the analysis is performed at the time of image formation of a few sheets after the power is turned on instead of analyzing each time the image is formed. For example, if it is the first sheet, it will be in the meaning of a start-up inspection, and if it is the thirty sheet, for example, it will be an analysis when the operation after power-on is stable, and the normal operation state will be analyzed. Also, once analyzed, it is necessary to stop the analysis and stop outputting unnecessary analysis results even if the sound pressure level inside the device increases. Therefore, although not shown, the control unit 28 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a timer for measuring time, and the like. Control of analysis of the electrical signal converted by the sound converter 30 and output of the analysis result is realized by the CPU executing a program recorded in the ROM.

  In the sound analysis unit 31, the A / D conversion unit 24 converts the electrical signal (low frequency analog signal) into a digital signal and passes it to the Fourier transform unit 25. The Fourier transform unit 25 obtains a component (sound pressure level) for each frequency from the digital signal using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform). This is generally called spectral analysis.

  The output unit 26 converts the obtained spectrum into a table format or a graph format, sends it to a print engine (not shown) of the image processing apparatus 10, prints it, and outputs it. Note that the same result as that printed may be transmitted by e-mail or facsimile to a service center in charge of maintenance of the image processing apparatus 10 using a telephone line or the Internet. Alternatively, even if a table or a graph is output by the image processing apparatus 10, the user of the image processing apparatus 10 may not be able to specifically deal with it. Therefore, maintenance is performed without performing output by the image processing apparatus 10. You may make it transmit only to the service center in charge. The selection of the output method of where and how to output may be recorded in the ROM of the control unit 28.

  Many image processing apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and multi-function machines in recent years are provided with a telephone line that can communicate with a service center in order to transmit values such as remote diagnosis and a printed sheet counter. A printer that receives print data using a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to the Internet is also common. If these communication means are used, the output unit 26 can transmit an e-mail or a facsimile to the service center.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a spectrum diagram of sound generated inside the image processing apparatus during normal operation. The vertical axis represents sound pressure level (db) and the horizontal axis represents frequency (Hz). Since the mechanical parts used differ depending on the model of the image processing apparatus, spectrum data (frequency and sound pressure level corresponding thereto) corresponding to the model to be used is prepared in advance. Note that the conditions such as the microphone arrangement at the time of spectrum acquisition during normal operation are the same as the conditions such as the arrangement of the observation microphone 22 in the image processing apparatus of the present embodiment. Although not shown, the sound pressure level that does not depend on the frequency before being decomposed into frequency components was 70 db. The level at which the above-described electrical signal analysis is started may be set with reference to a voltage level corresponding to the sound pressure level. The spectrum data corresponding to the model need only be prepared in the service center, and is not necessarily held by the image processing apparatus. The sound pressure level does not necessarily depend on the frequency (or the voltage corresponding to this sound pressure level). If only the level) is held, the operation abnormality analysis time can be determined, and the maintenance staff at the remote service center can diagnose the abnormality.

  The graph format output by the output unit 26 described above is the same format as the graph shown in FIG. At this time, if the spectrum at normal time and the analysis value are superimposed and displayed on a graph, it is easy to see which frequency component sound has increased or decreased. Further, the table format output by the output unit 26 is a table that expresses numerically the frequency (Hz) and the sound pressure level (db) corresponding to each bar graph of FIG. In this case as well, if it is arranged so that the normal values, the analysis values, and the difference between them can be listed, it is easy to understand which frequency component sound has increased or decreased.

  Various abnormalities can be seen from changes in the spectrum. For example, in the deterioration of the anti-vibration rubber that fixes the motor, components having relatively low frequencies such as a fundamental frequency of 42.78 Hz and harmonics of 85.56 Hz and 128.33 Hz caused by the rotational speed of the motor (for example, 42.78 rpm). Will increase. In addition, in the timing pulley having a rotation speed of 40 rpm and a tooth number of 30, when the meshing between the teeth and the belt becomes poor, high frequency components such as a fundamental frequency of 11999.99 Hz and harmonics such as 2399.98 Hz and 4799.96 Hz increase. To do. A person in charge of maintenance at the service center can diagnose in detail the abnormal state of the image processing apparatus in charge by inspecting the transmitted spectrum data.

Next, an operation relating to abnormality detection of the image processing apparatus in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation related to abnormality detection of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. When the image processing apparatus is powered on, measurement of the sound pressure level inside the apparatus using the observation microphone 22 starts (step 101). If the sound pressure level (actually the signal voltage after low-frequency amplification) is equal to or lower than a predetermined value set in advance (NO in step 102), the sound pressure level measurement is continued.

  If the sound pressure level is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (YES in step 102), the control unit 28 instructs the start of the analysis operation, the A / D conversion unit 24 performs A / D conversion (step 103), and the result is Fourier transformed. The unit 25 receives and Fourier transforms to calculate the sound pressure level for each frequency (step 104).

  Next, the result is edited into a table format or a graph format so that it can be easily printed out by the image processing apparatus or transmitted by e-mail or facsimile (step 105), and the edited result is output to the printed output or the service center or both. (Step 106). This editing and output is performed with reference to the output method recorded in the ROM by the output unit 26.

  After the output, the determination of the level determination unit 27 for the measurement result of the sound pressure level inside the apparatus is suspended for a while (step 107). This is to avoid continuing to print or transmit analysis results that seem to be abnormal after that. The resting time may be about 1 to 5 hours. The pause time is performed using an interval timer provided in the control unit 28, but a timer normally provided in the image processing apparatus may be used. In both cases, the pause time can be arbitrarily set by using a timer interrupt.

  The above description is an operation related to abnormality detection when the level determination unit 27 determines that the sound pressure level is equal to or higher than a predetermined sound pressure level, but the control unit 28 counts the image forming operation from the control unit of the print engine, The analysis operation may be performed when a predetermined number of times (for example, the first time or the 30th time) is reached.

  Further, even when an automatic document feeder (ADF) is mounted on the image processing apparatus, the present invention may be applied to an automatic document reader, and other finishers (post-processing devices) such as a sorter and a stepper. ) Can be similarly applied. If there is no extra space inside these cases and it is difficult to install the observation microphone, the observation microphone may be installed at a location on the back side of the apparatus that is not easily affected by sound from other than the apparatus.

It is principal part sectional drawing of the image processing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a sound signal processing unit 21. FIG. It is an example of a spectrum diagram of sound generated inside the image processing apparatus during normal operation. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement concerning abnormality detection of the image processing apparatus of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image processing apparatus 11 Paper feeding apparatus 12 Registration roller 13 Developing apparatus 14 Toner 15 Photoconductor drum 16 Transfer apparatus 17 Conveying belt 18 Fixing roller 19 Paper discharge tray 20 Main motor 21 Sound signal processing section 22 Microphone for observation 23 Low frequency amplification section 24 A / D conversion unit 25 Fourier transform unit 26 Output unit 27 Level determination unit 28 Control unit 30 Sound conversion unit 31 Sound analysis unit

Claims (8)

In an image processing apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on printing paper and a transport unit that transports the printing paper,
A sound conversion unit that converts sound inside the image processing device into an electrical signal;
A sound analysis unit for analyzing the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit;
An output unit for outputting the result of analysis by the sound analysis unit;
An image processing apparatus comprising: In an image processing apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on printing paper and a transport unit that transports the printing paper,
A sound conversion unit that converts sound inside the image processing device into an electrical signal;
A sound analysis unit for analyzing the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit;
An output unit for outputting the result of analysis by the sound analysis unit;
A control unit that controls processing of the sound analysis unit and the output unit;
An image processing apparatus comprising: The controller is
At the time of image formation after power-on to the image processing apparatus, the sound analysis unit analyzes the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit, and the output unit outputs the result of the analysis by the sound analysis unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image processing apparatus is controlled as follows. A level determination unit for determining the volume of sound based on the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit;
The controller is
Based on the determination result of the level determination unit, the electric signal converted by the sound conversion unit is analyzed by the sound analysis unit, and the output unit is controlled to output the analysis result of the sound analysis unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The sound analysis unit
Analyzing the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit to obtain a component for each frequency,
The output unit is
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a component for each frequency obtained by the sound analysis unit is printed out on the printing paper. Provide communication means to connect to the communication network,
The sound analysis unit
Analyzing the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit to obtain a component for each frequency,
The output unit is
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a component for each frequency obtained by the sound analysis unit is transmitted to a predetermined destination using the communication unit. The controller is
7. The analysis process by the sound analysis unit and the output process of the analysis result by the output unit for the electrical signal converted by the sound conversion unit for a certain period of time after the output by the output unit are stopped. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound conversion unit converts the sound into an electric signal using an omnidirectional microphone.

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