JP2010054830A - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method, capable of preventing erroneous information from being acquired, on the replacement date of consumables, etc. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming method includes: a replacement detection step (S03) for detecting that the consumables constituting the image forming apparatus are replaced; a temporary information storage step (S04) for storing the replacement record information of the consumables in a storage part, as temporary information for showing that the replacement is temporary, when it is detected that the consumables are replaced by the replacement detection step; and a formal information storage step (S09) for storing the temporary information in the storage part, as formal information for showing that the replacement is established, when a prescribed condition is satisfied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for appropriately grasping the replacement date and time of each part in order to create a maintenance plan for a product composed of a plurality of parts.

  Image forming apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles use replacement parts such as a photosensitive drum and toner. Conventionally, the replacement time of these replacement parts has been determined based on the experience and intuition of the serviceman. For this reason, there is a problem that the prediction accuracy of the replacement time is low.

Therefore, information regarding the degree of wear of each replacement part of the image forming apparatus is transmitted to an external service center using an external communication unit provided in the image forming apparatus. The service center estimates the replacement time of each replacement part based on the transmitted information and creates a product maintenance plan (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP-A-7-246758 JP-A-11-179971

  However, in the techniques described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, when the user temporarily removes the consumable item and attaches the consumable item again, incorrect replacement information may be employed.

For example, when a toner empty alarm is issued, a small amount of toner may remain in the cartridge. Then, if the cartridge is shaken and then set again, printing may be possible. At this time, the image forming apparatus may determine that a new cartridge has been set and immediately update the information such as the replacement date.The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method capable of preventing the acquisition of incorrect information regarding the date and time of replacement of goods.

  The present invention for solving the above-described problems is an image forming apparatus that forms an image and exchanges information with an external apparatus, and detects that a consumable part constituting the image forming apparatus has been replaced. When the replacement detection unit and the replacement detection unit detect that the consumable has been replaced, the replacement result information of the consumable is stored in the storage unit as temporary information indicating that the replacement is temporary. And a formal information storage unit that stores the temporary information in the storage unit as formal information indicating that the exchange has been confirmed when a predetermined condition is established.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming method of an image forming apparatus that forms an image and exchanges information with an external apparatus, and detects replacement of consumables constituting the image forming apparatus. And when the replacement detection step detects that the consumable has been replaced, the replacement result information of the consumable is temporarily stored in the storage unit as temporary information indicating that the replacement is temporary. An image forming method comprising: an information storage step; and a formal information storage step for storing the temporary information as formal information indicating that the exchange has been confirmed when a predetermined condition is established.

  According to the image forming apparatus and the image forming method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the acquisition of erroneous information on the replacement date and time of consumables.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking an image forming apparatus (MFP: Multi Function Periphera 1) 201 as an example.
The MFP 201 not only scans and reads and copies an image at a specified resolution and paper size, but also functions of various office devices such as an image receiving function by FAX, an image receiving function by e-mail, and a print image receiving function by a network. It is a digital multi-function machine that can be used in a comprehensive manner.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic shape of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

The MFP 201 is provided with an operation panel 9 including a printing unit 1, a paper tray 3, a scanning unit 5, an auto feed unit 7, and an LCD 8.
The print unit 1 outputs image information as an output image called hard copy or printout, for example. The paper tray 3 supplies an output medium, which is paper of an arbitrary size used for image output, to the printing unit 1. The scan unit 5 captures image information as image data from a document. The auto-feed unit 7 sends the document that has been read from the reading position to the discharge position, and guides the next document to the reading position. The operation panel 9 is an instruction input unit for instructing the operation of the MFP 201 such as the start of image formation in the print unit 1 and the start of reading of image information of a document by the scan unit 5. The operation panel 9 is provided with an LCD 8 for inputting instructions and displaying information to the operator.
Further, the MFP 201 can be connected to a network or communication line (not shown) and receive image data by FAX, Email, or the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the copy function of the MFP 201.
The MFP 201 includes a control unit 10, a photosensitive drum 102, a charger 103, a scanning exposure unit 104, a developing unit 105, a transfer charger 106, a peeling charger 107, a cleaner 108, a paper feeding unit 109, a paper transport unit 110, a fixing device 111, A paper discharge unit 112 and a paper discharge tray 114 are provided.

  The photosensitive drum 102 rotates in the sub-scanning direction that is the circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum 102. A charger 103 is disposed near the periphery of the photosensitive drum 102. The charger 103 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 102. The scanning exposure unit 104 emits / lights-off according to the image signal while scanning the semiconductor laser in the scanning exposure unit 104. Laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser becomes light scanned in the main scanning direction, which is the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 102, by a deflector such as a polygon mirror. Laser light is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 102 by an optical system such as a lens. When the charged photosensitive drum 102 is irradiated with laser light, the potential of the irradiated portion is lowered and an electrostatic latent image is formed.

  The developing device 105 applies a developer to the photosensitive drum 102 to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 102. On the other hand, a sheet tray 3 is provided at the bottom of the MFP 201. The paper feed roller 115 separates the paper 130 in the paper tray 3 one by one and sends it to the paper feed unit 109. The paper supply unit 109 supplies the paper 130 to the transfer position of the photosensitive drum 102. The transfer charger 106 transfers the toner image onto the supplied paper 130. The peeling charger 107 peels the paper 130 from the photosensitive drum 102.

The sheet 130 to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed by the sheet conveying unit 110. The fixing device 111 fixes the toner image on the paper 130. The paper discharge unit 112 discharges the paper 130 on which an image is printed on the paper discharge tray 114.
Further, after the transfer of the toner image to the paper 130 is completed, the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 102 is removed by the cleaner 108. The photosensitive drum 102 returns to the initial state and enters a standby state for the next image formation.
By repeating the above process operation, the image forming operation is continuously performed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the MFP 201.
The MFP 201 includes a control unit 10, a ROM 11, a RAM 12, a network control unit 17, and an internal storage device (HDD) 19, in addition to the above-described print unit 1, paper tray 3, scan unit 5, LCD 8, and operation panel 9. These units are connected via a system bus.

The control unit 10 controls the above-described hardware units connected via the system bus. The ROM 11 stores various control programs necessary for the MFP 201 to operate. The RAM 12 is a buffer memory that temporarily stores data generated when the control program is executed.
The network control unit 17 is an interface for transferring information via a network such as the Internet. The HDD 19 is a non-volatile storage medium installed inside the MFP 201. The HDD 19 records history information related to component replacement.

  FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing an overview of a maintenance method using the MFP according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Based on one service center 203, a plurality of service personnel 202 perform maintenance of a plurality of MFPs 201 installed under a plurality of users.

  Conventional maintenance methods include preventive maintenance (PM) and emergency maintenance (EM). In the PM, the service person 202 visits the maintenance target MFP 201 at a regular timing set for each MFP, and performs consumable replacement, cleaning, and operation check of the MFP 201. Further, in the case of an EM, when a failure occurs accidentally, a service call from the user is received and the MFP 201 is repaired.

  At the end of the work, the service person 202 transmits maintenance history data to the maintenance planning system 200 provided in the service center 203 via the network control unit 17 of the MFP 201. For the MFP 201 having no communication function, the service person 202 returns to the service center 203 and then inputs maintenance history data to the maintenance planning system 200 from a work record compiled as a maintenance work report. These maintenance history data are stored in the storage means 205.

In addition, when the set regular communication time (for example, 10:00 every day) is reached, the MFP 201 communicates data relating to the usage status to the maintenance planning system 200. Data relating to these usage conditions is stored in the storage unit 205.
In the maintenance planning system 200, the failure history analysis unit 204 calculates a failure rate distribution using the Weibull distribution for each consumable based on the past maintenance history data, and performs failure prediction based on the failure rate distribution. . The maintenance planning unit 206 calculates a next visit time and a list of consumables to be replaced at that time from the data regarding the usage state of the MFP 201 collected via the network control unit 17.

  By the way, regarding consumables such as toner, it is considered desirable for the user to be able to replace the consumables independently of the service person 202 in order to prevent the failure and to maintain the reliability of the MFP 201 by shortening the failure time. For this reason, a mechanism is designed so that the user can easily replace a specified consumable, and the maintenance history data indicating that the consumable has been replaced is automatically detected and maintenance is performed. Automatically transmitted to the planning system 200.

  However, when the MFP 201 is configured in this way, it is necessary to prevent erroneous data from being transmitted to the maintenance planning system 200. This is because the user who performs the replacement work is not necessarily an expert unlike the service person 202, and there is no guarantee that the replacement will be performed reliably in a situation where replacement is assumed. Further, when erroneous maintenance history data is transmitted, the accuracy of the maintenance plan created by the maintenance planning system 200 is lowered, and the reliability between the service center 203 and the MFP 201 is lowered.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a schematic processing procedure when the user performs toner replacement. This process is realized by the control unit 10 of the MFP 201 executing the corresponding program.

  When the MFP 201 detects toner empty, in step S01, the control unit 10 displays a toner empty warning on the LCD 8 of the operation panel 9 and prompts the user to replace the toner empty. The administrator may be notified of toner empty by using a notification means by e-mail.

  In step S02, it waits for the user to replace the toner. When the user takes out an empty cartridge and sets a new cartridge, the MFP 201 automatically detects that the toner has been replaced. In step S03, it is checked whether or not toner replacement has been detected. If Yes in step S03, that is, if the MFP 201 detects toner replacement, the replacement history information table 30 stored in the HDD 19 is updated in step S04.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents of the exchange history information table 30.

  The replacement history information table 30 includes “current date”, “cumulative counter value”, “consumable replacement flag”, “consumable replacement determination method”, “consumable replacement reference value”, “consumable replacement date”, “ “Consumable replacement counter value”, “Consumable temporary replacement date”, and “Consumable temporary replacement counter value” are provided. Note that the “consumable replacement flag” to “consumable provisional replacement counter value” are provided for each consumable.

  The “current date” stores the current year, month, date and time. In “cumulative counter value”, the cumulative value of the counter value, which is the number of times the MFP 201 has copied, is recorded. The counter value represents the number of sheets output in A4 size, where A4 copy / print is 1 and A3 copy / print is 2.

  The “consumable replacement flag” is a flag indicating that the consumable has been replaced, but the replacement is in a temporary state. That is, the flag is turned on when the exchange is not yet confirmed, and the flag is turned off when the exchange is confirmed. “Consumable item replacement determination method” indicates a condition used to confirm replacement of a consumable item. For example, when “0”, a counter value is used as a conditional expression for determination. When “1”, date is used as a conditional expression for determination. The “consumables replacement reference value” represents a threshold value for confirming replacement of consumables.

  In the “consumable item replacement date”, a fixed value of the date when the consumable item is replaced is stored. The “consumable replacement counter value” stores a fixed value of the counter value when the consumable is replaced. “Consumable provisional replacement date” stores the date when the user replaced the consumable. The “consumable provisional replacement counter value” stores a counter value when the user replaces the consumable.

  In the replacement history information table 30 of FIG. 6, past history information related to the replacement of consumables is recorded, although not shown.

  Returning to FIG. 5, in step S04, the control unit 10 sets the “consumable replacement flag” for the corresponding consumable in the replacement history information table 30 to “ON”. Then, the current date and the current counter value of the MFP 201 are stored in “consumable provisional replacement date” and “consumable provisional replacement counter value”, respectively.

  In step S05, it is checked whether there is an image forming job currently being executed. If Yes in step S05, that is, if there is an image forming job currently being executed, the image forming job is executed in step S06, and the process proceeds to step S07. If No in step S05, that is, if there is no image forming job currently being executed, the subsequent processing is terminated without executing.

  In step S07, it is checked whether the corresponding consumable is being temporarily replaced. If Yes in step S07, that is, if the “consumable replacement flag” for the corresponding consumable in the replacement history information table 30 is “ON”, in step S08, a predetermined value for confirming the replacement of the consumable Check if the condition is met.

  For example, if the “consumable replacement replacement determination method” is “0”, whether or not (“cumulative counter value” − “counter value during consumable replacement”) exceeds the counter value of “consumable replacement reference value” Check out. When “Consumable replacement replacement method” is “1”, it is checked whether (“Current date” − “Consumable provisional replacement date”) exceeds the “Consumable replacement reference value” date.

  If Yes in step S08, that is, if a predetermined condition is satisfied, the temporary exchange information is updated to formal information in step S09. In other words, set “Consumables replacement flag” to “OFF” and copy “Consumables temporary replacement date” and “Consumables temporary replacement counter value” to “Consumables replacement date” and “Consumables replacement counter value” respectively. To do. In step S 10, “consumable replacement date” and “consumable replacement counter value” are transmitted to the maintenance planning system 200 of the service center 203 together with information for identifying the corresponding consumable.

  Here, in the case of No in step S05, that is, when there is no image forming job that is currently being executed, the processing after step S07 is not executed because the subsequent processing is terminated without being executed. The processing after step S07 is subsequently executed when the image forming job is executed in a normal state where no abnormality has occurred.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a schematic processing procedure when an image forming job is executed in a normal state in which no abnormality has occurred.

  When an image forming job is generated, the image forming job is executed in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S17.

  In step S17, it is checked whether or not the corresponding consumable is being temporarily replaced. If Yes in step S17, that is, if the “consumable replacement flag” for the corresponding consumable in the replacement history information table 30 is “ON”, in step S18, a predetermined value for confirming the replacement of the consumable Check if the condition is met. Since the process of step S18 is the same as the process of step S08, the description thereof is omitted.

  If Yes in step S18, that is, if a predetermined condition is satisfied, the provisional exchange information is updated to formal information in step S19. Since the process of step S19 is the same as the process of step S09, the description thereof is omitted.

  In step S 10, “consumable replacement date” and “consumable replacement counter value” are transmitted to the maintenance planning system 200 of the service center 203 together with information for identifying the corresponding consumable.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The present embodiment is a modification of the above-described first embodiment, and the basic system configuration is the same. Hereinafter, the same parts as those already described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the MFP 201 includes a cartridge in which the photosensitive drum 102, the charging device 103, the cleaner 108, the developing device 105, and the like are unitized, and the cartridge is detachable from the main body. Yes.

  In such a cartridge in which various parts are integrated, if any one of the parts constituting the cartridge is broken, it needs to be replaced. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cartridge is handled as one part.

  Incidentally, unlike the first embodiment, the MFP 201 does not have means for detecting the life of the cartridge. Therefore, the MFP 201 downloads “cartridge replacement date” information stored in the storage unit 205 of the maintenance planning system 200 as additional information during regular communication, and displays a cartridge replacement message on the operation panel 9 provided in the MFP 201. To do. Subsequent cartridge replacement procedures by the user are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The cartridge is easy to attach and detach, and can be replaced by the user. Consumables that can be easily replaced can be replaced by the user as much as possible from the viewpoint of cost and efficiency of maintenance work. preferable.

  Thus, the service person 202 does not visit the consumables that can be replaced on the user side, but the user performs the replacement work, and the service person 202 visits the consumables that are difficult to replace on the user side. The maintenance work efficiency can be improved, and the maintenance plan accuracy can be maintained.

  According to the embodiment described above, even when the user temporarily removes the consumable item and attaches the consumable item again, it is possible to prevent erroneous replacement information from being adopted.

  For example, when a toner empty alarm is issued, a small amount of toner may remain in the cartridge. Then, if the cartridge is shaken and then set again, printing may be possible. At this time, the MFP 201 determines that a new cartridge has been set and immediately updates information such as the replacement date and time, and may transmit incorrect replacement information to the maintenance planning system 200.

  According to the present embodiment, when the print counter is counted more than a certain number of times or when a certain period of time has passed, the toner cartridge has been normally replaced, and the provisional replacement date and time has been changed. Date and time. Then, when the official replacement date is updated, the information is transmitted to the service center 203.

  Thus, the maintenance planning system 200 can calculate the expected date correctly by calculating the next scheduled replacement date based on the correct replacement information, and the maintenance plan accuracy can be expected to be improved.

  According to this implementation procedure, if toner empty is detected again before the predetermined number of times is reached, the user can be prompted to replace it again, and that point in time can be set again as a temporary replacement date.

  In the present embodiment, toner replacement has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to replacement of consumables other than toner.

  Even if the MFP 201 does not have a function for detecting the life or consumption state of the consumable, it can be dealt with by acquiring information on the life or consumption of the consumable from the service center.

  In this embodiment, the maintenance method using the MFP 201 and the maintenance planning system 200 is used. However, the MFP 201 may have the function of the maintenance planning system 200 without using the maintenance planning system 200.

  Further, various methods may be applied to estimate the life of each consumable. In the present embodiment, life estimation is performed based on the failure rate distribution using the Weibull distribution, but a method other than the Weibull distribution may be used. Further, the life may be directly calculated from the past failure history information by calculation.

The present invention can also be applied to apparatuses other than the image forming apparatus.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic shape of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applicable. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a copy function of the MFP. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an MFP. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an overview of a maintenance method using an MFP according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a schematic processing procedure when toner replacement is performed by a user. The figure which shows the content of the exchange log | history information table. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a schematic processing procedure when an image forming job is executed in a normal state where no abnormality has occurred.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Print part, 3 ... Paper tray, 5 ... Scan part, 9 ... Operation panel, 10 ... Control part, 17 ... Network control part, 30 ... Replacement history information table, 200 ... Maintenance plan system, 202 ... Serviceman, 203 ... service center, 204 ... failure history analysis means, 206 ... maintenance planning means.

Claims (18)

An image forming apparatus that forms an image and exchanges information with an external device,
An exchange detection unit for detecting that the consumables constituting the image forming apparatus have been exchanged;
When the replacement detection unit detects that the consumable has been replaced, the temporary information storage unit stores the replacement result information of the consumable in the storage unit as temporary information indicating that the replacement is temporary When,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a formal information storage unit that stores the temporary information in the storage unit as formal information indicating that the exchange has been confirmed when a predetermined condition is satisfied.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the replacement record information includes at least a replacement date of the consumable and a count value of the image forming apparatus at the time of replacement. The predetermined condition is:
A predetermined time has elapsed since the date detected by the replacement detection unit, or the current count value is established when a predetermined number or more of count values are added to the count value at the time of replacement. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a history information storage unit that stores the replacement result information from the past as history information in the storage unit. A life prediction unit for predicting the life of the consumables based on the history information;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display unit that displays a life prediction result. A consumption state detection unit for detecting a consumption state of the consumables;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a display unit that displays the consumption state.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the replacement result information that is the formal information to a maintenance plan creating apparatus that creates a maintenance plan for the image forming apparatus. The maintenance plan creation device predicts the life of the consumables,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A receiving unit that receives a life prediction result of the consumables from the maintenance plan creation device;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a display unit that displays the received life prediction result.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the consumable includes a cartridge in which a plurality of consumables each having a different function are integrated into a unit. An image forming method of an image forming apparatus that forms an image and exchanges information with an external device,
A replacement detection step of detecting that the consumables constituting the image forming apparatus have been replaced;
When the replacement detection step detects that the consumable has been replaced, the temporary information storage step stores the replacement result information of the consumable in the storage unit as temporary information indicating that the replacement is temporary. When,
An image forming method, comprising: a formal information storage step of storing, in the storage unit, formal information indicating that the exchange has been confirmed when a predetermined condition is established.   The image forming method according to claim 10, wherein the replacement result information includes at least a replacement date of the consumable and a count value of the image forming apparatus at the time of replacement. The predetermined condition is:
A predetermined time has elapsed from the date detected by the replacement detection step, or the current count value is established when a predetermined number or more of count values are added to the count value at the time of replacement. The image forming method according to claim 11.   The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising a history information storage step of storing the replacement result information from the past as history information in the storage unit. A life prediction step for predicting the life of the consumables based on the history information;
The image forming method according to claim 13, further comprising a display step of displaying a life prediction result. A consumption state detection step for detecting a consumption state of the consumables;
The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising a display step of displaying the consumption state.   The image forming method according to claim 10, further comprising a transmission step of transmitting the replacement result information, which is the formal information, to a maintenance plan creation device that creates a maintenance plan for the image forming apparatus. The maintenance plan creation device predicts the life of the consumables,
The image forming step includes
Receiving a life prediction result of the consumables from the maintenance plan creation device;
The image forming method according to claim 16, further comprising a display step of displaying the received life prediction result.   The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the consumable includes a cartridge in which a plurality of consumables each having a different function are integrated into a unit.

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