JP2021099422A - Image forming apparatus, life prediction method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus, a life prediction method, and a program that can prevent the occurrence of an image defect due to an excessive replacement or a delay in replacement of a unit.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: a lubricant application mechanism 1322 that supplies a lubricant onto an image carrier (photoreceptor 131b); a reading unit that reads an image formed on a sheet or an intermediate transfer belt; and a control unit. The control unit comprises: a first calculation unit that calculates a first remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 based on use history information on the lubricant application mechanism 1322, a second calculation unit that executes image streak determination based on an image read by the reading unit and calculates a second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 based on image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination, and a prediction unit that compares the first remaining life calculated by the first calculation unit with the second remaining life calculated by the second calculation unit, and based on a shorter one of the remaining lives, predicts the remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a life prediction method and a program.

Conventionally, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor drum is developed with toner to form a toner image, the formed toner image is transferred to paper, and the transferred toner image is heat-fixed to form paper. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on the image is known.

In a photoconductor drum unit provided with a mechanism for applying a lubricant to the photoconductor drum, the life of the unit is reached when the lubricant is used up and exhausted. For example, if the remaining amount of the lubricant can be directly detected by resistance detection or the like, the life of the unit can be determined, but since toner, lubricant shavings, etc. are accumulated in the cleaning unit, It is difficult to directly detect the remaining amount of lubricant.

Therefore, the rotation speed or rotation speed of the lubricant roller (lubricant application mechanism) that applies the solid lubricant to the surface of the rotating body (photoreceptor drum) is detected, and the lubricant is based on the detected rotation speed or rotation speed. A configuration for determining the remaining amount is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-107591

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the remaining amount of the lubricant can be estimated from the usage history (sliding distance) of the lubricant application mechanism, but disturbance (print coverage, temperature and humidity) and internal disturbance (print coverage, temperature and humidity) and internal disturbance ( Due to the influence of the hardness and density of the lubricant, the consumption rate of the lubricant varies, so that there is a problem that the estimation accuracy is low.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, a life prediction method, and a program capable of suppressing the occurrence of image defects due to excessive unit replacement or replacement delay.

The invention according to claim 1 has been made in order to achieve the above object.
In the image forming apparatus
A lubricant application mechanism that supplies lubricant onto the image carrier,
A reader that reads an image formed on paper or an intermediate transfer belt,
Control unit and
With
The control unit
A first calculation unit that calculates the first remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism, and a first calculation unit.
A second image streak determination is executed based on the image read by the reading unit, and the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism is calculated based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination. Calculation part and
The first remaining life calculated by the first calculation unit is compared with the second remaining life calculated by the second calculation unit, and the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is predicted based on the shorter remaining life. Prediction department and
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 2 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The control unit estimates the depletion state of the lubricant based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism, and controls the execution frequency of the image streak determination based on the estimated depletion state. To do.

The invention according to claim 3 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
The control unit is characterized in that the depletion state of the lubricant is estimated by using the depletion occurrence probability density distribution calculated based on the replacement record of the lubricant application mechanism collected via the network.

The invention according to claim 4 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.
When the probability density function related to the occurrence of depletion of the lubricant is F (x) and the sliding distance of the lubricant application mechanism at the present time is L, the control unit uses the following equation (1) to perform ΔL from the present time. It is characterized by calculating the depletion occurrence probability up to the later stage and estimating the depletion state of the lubricant based on the calculated depletion occurrence probability.

The invention according to claim 5 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The reading unit reads a gradation pattern having a predetermined density formed on the paper or the intermediate transfer belt.
The second calculation unit is characterized in that the image streak determination is executed based on the density of the gradation pattern of a predetermined density read by the reading unit or the distribution in the main scanning direction of the luminance.

The invention according to claim 6 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The second calculation unit is characterized in that the second remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is calculated by regression analysis of the image streak determination history information.

The invention according to claim 7 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The second calculation unit is characterized in that the second remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is calculated by time-series analysis of the image streak determination history information.

The invention according to claim 8 is
A method for predicting the life of an image forming apparatus including a lubricant applying mechanism for supplying a lubricant on an image carrier and a reading unit for reading an image formed on paper or an intermediate transfer belt.
The first calculation step of calculating the first remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism based on the usage history information of the lubricant coating mechanism, and
A second image streak determination is executed based on the image read by the reading unit, and the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism is calculated based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination. Calculation process and
The first remaining life calculated in the first calculation step is compared with the second remaining life calculated in the second calculation step, and the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is predicted based on the shorter remaining life. Prediction process and
including.

The invention according to claim 9 is
A computer of an image forming apparatus including a lubricant applying mechanism for supplying a lubricant on an image carrier and a reading unit for reading an image formed on paper or an intermediate transfer belt.
The first calculation unit, which calculates the first remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism,
A second image streak determination is executed based on the image read by the reading unit, and the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism is calculated based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination. Calculation unit,
The first remaining life calculated by the first calculation unit is compared with the second remaining life calculated by the second calculation unit, and the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is predicted based on the shorter remaining life. Prediction department,
It is a program to function as.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image defects due to excessive unit replacement or replacement delay.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the control structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cleaning part. It is a figure which shows an example of the probability density distribution data of the occurrence of depletion. It is a figure which shows an example of the density profile data in the main scanning direction of a scanned image. It is a figure which shows an example which linearly approximated the transition of the streak detection level in the past predetermined period. It is a figure which shows an example of the method of estimating the depletion state using the probability density distribution data of the occurrence of depletion. It is a figure which shows an example of the depletion occurrence probability when a certain life ratio is reached. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the life ratio and the execution frequency of image streak determination.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment forms an image of image data read from a document on paper and outputs it, or forms a sheet of paper based on image data received from an external device such as a PC (not shown) via LAN. It is a multi-purpose machine that forms an image and outputs it.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body portion 10 and an option portion 20 connected to a rear stage of the main body portion 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 10 includes a control unit 11, a document reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a storage unit 14, an operation unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication unit 17. And is configured with.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like. In response to the operation signal input from the operation unit 15 or the instruction signal received by the communication unit 17, the CPU reads various processing programs stored in the ROM, expands them into the RAM, and expands the various programs into the RAM. The operation of the image forming apparatus 1 is comprehensively controlled by the cooperation of.

The document scanning unit 12 scans and exposes an image of a document placed on a platen or an automatic document feeder (ADF: Auto Document Feeder) by the optical system of a scanning exposure apparatus, and reads the reflected light by a line image sensor. As a result, an image signal is obtained. This image signal is input to the control unit 11 as image data after being subjected to processing such as A / D conversion, shading correction, and compression. The image data input to the control unit 11 is not limited to the image data read by the document reading unit 12, and may be, for example, received from an external device (not shown) via the communication unit 17.

The image forming unit 13 forms an image composed of four colors of C, M, Y, and K on the paper according to the pixel values of the four colors of each pixel of the image-processed original image.
The image forming unit 13 includes four writing units 131, an intermediate transfer belt 132, a secondary transfer roller 133, a fixing unit 134, and the like.

The four writing units 131 are arranged in series (tandem) along the belt surface of the intermediate transfer belt 132 to form images of each color of C, M, Y, and K. Each writing unit 131 has the same configuration except that the color of the image to be formed is different, and the optical scanning unit 131a, the photoconductor (image carrier) 131b, the developing unit 131c, the charging unit 131d, the cleaning unit 131e, and the primary unit 131. It is configured to include a transfer roller 131f.

At the time of image formation, each writing unit 131 charges the photoconductor 131b by the charging unit 131d, and then scans the photoconductor 131b with the luminous flux emitted by the optical scanning unit 131a based on the original image to obtain an electrostatic latent image. To form. When a coloring material such as toner is supplied by the developing unit 131c for development, an image is formed on the photoconductor 131b.
The images formed on the photoconductors 131b of the four writing units 131 are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 132 by the respective primary transfer rollers 131f and transferred (primary transfer). As a result, an image composed of each color is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 132. The intermediate transfer belt 132 is wound around a plurality of rollers to rotate. After the primary transfer, the cleaning unit 131e removes the coloring material remaining on the photoconductor 131b.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the cleaning unit 131e.
The cleaning unit 131e employs a blade cleaning method in which a flat plate-shaped cleaning blade 1311 made of an elastic body (for example, polyurethane rubber) is brought into contact with the photoconductor 131b, and residual toner or paper remaining on the photoconductor 131b after the primary transfer is adopted. Remove residues such as powder.
Further, the cleaning unit 131e includes a lubricant application mechanism 1322 including a brush roller 1322a and a lubricant rod 1322b.
The lubricant application mechanism 1322 is installed on the upstream side of the photoconductor 131b in the rotation direction with respect to the cleaning blade 1311, and the lubricant scraped from the lubricant rod 1322b is applied onto the photoconductor 131b and transferred by the primary transfer roller 131f. Later, the residue remaining on the photoconductor 131b is recovered.

The brush roller 1322a is a roll-shaped brush member installed so as to come into contact with both the lubricant rod 1322b and the photoconductor 131b. The lubricant powder scraped from the lubricant rod 1322b is conveyed to the photoconductor 131b, and the photoconductor 131b is transported. Lubricant powder is supplied to 131b. Further, the brush roller 1322a collects the residue remaining on the photoconductor 131b after the transfer by the primary transfer roller 131f. When the lubricant powder is supplied to the photoconductor 131b, the brush roller 1322a also plays a role of spreading and applying the lubricant powder on the photoconductor 131b due to the contact pressure with the photoconductor 131b.

The lubricant rod 1322b is a solidified powdery lubricant that can be applied to the surface of the photoconductor 131b and reduces the surface energy of the photoconductor 131b to reduce the adhesive force between the toner and the photoconductor 131b. Selected from possible materials (eg zinc stearate). The lubricant rod 1322b is used after being formed into a shape that can be scraped off by a brush roller 1322a by melting and molding the material or compressing the particles of the material. The lubricant powder supplied to the surface of the photoconductor 131b is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 131b by a cleaning blade 1311 installed downstream of the brush roller 1322a to form a film. The film formed of zinc stearate has high releasability (that is, high pure water contact angle) and a low coefficient of friction, so that it has good transferability and cleanability, and the wear of the photoconductor 41 is suppressed for a long time. Life can be extended.

The image forming unit 13 feeds paper from the paper feed tray 135 at the timing when the image on the rotating intermediate transfer belt 132 reaches the position of the secondary transfer roller 133. The secondary transfer roller 133 constitutes one of a plurality of rollers in which one pair of rollers presses against the intermediate transfer belt 132 and the other winds the intermediate transfer belt 132. When the image is transferred (secondary transfer) from the intermediate transfer belt 132 onto the paper by pressure welding of the secondary transfer roller 133, the paper is conveyed to the fixing portion 134, subjected to the fixing process, and then conveyed to the option portion 20. The fixing process is a process of heating and pressurizing the paper with a fixing roller to fix the image on the paper. When forming an image on both sides of the paper, the paper is conveyed to the reversing path 136 to invert the paper surface, and then the paper is fed again to the position of the secondary transfer roller 133.

The storage unit 14 is a non-volatile storage means composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and stores various programs, various setting data, and the like readable and writable from the control unit 11.

The operation unit 15 includes a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 16 and various hard keys arranged around the screen of the display unit 16, and receives operation input by the user. When the button displayed on the screen is pressed with a finger, a touch pen, or the like, the operation unit 15 detects the XY coordinates of the pressed force point with a voltage value and controls the operation signal associated with the detected position. Output to unit 11. The touch panel is not limited to the pressure-sensitive type, and may be, for example, an electrostatic type or an optical type. Further, when the hard key is pressed, the operation unit 15 outputs an operation signal associated with the pressed key to the control unit 11. The user can operate the operation unit 15 to perform image formation-related settings such as image quality setting, magnification setting, application setting, output setting, and paper setting, paper transport instruction, and stop operation of the device.

The display unit 16 is composed of a color liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various information to the user. The display unit 16 displays an operation screen or the like (various setting screens, various buttons, operating status of each function, etc.) according to a display control signal input from the control unit 11.

The communication unit 17 is an interface for connecting the image forming apparatus 1 to the communication network. The communication unit 17 has a communication IC, a communication connector, and the like, and under the control of the control unit 11, transmits and receives various information to and from an external device connected to the communication network using a predetermined communication protocol. Further, the communication unit 17 can also input / output various information via USB.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the option unit 20 includes a pair of image reading units (reading units) 21 and a spectrocolorimeter 22.

In the image reading unit 21, the back side image reading unit 21a for reading the back surface of the paper and the front side image reading unit 21b for reading the front surface of the paper are arranged at different positions from each other at a distance in the paper transport direction. It is configured to read both sides in one pass. The image reading unit 21 scans both sides of the paper and optically reads the images on both sides of the paper.

The spectrophotometer 22 is arranged downstream of the surface side image reading unit 21b in the transport direction, and spectrally measures the color of each color patch of the image formed by the image forming unit 13 to acquire color measurement data. To do.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 11 functions as a first calculation unit that calculates the remaining life (first remaining life) of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 based on the usage history information (sliding distance) of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322. To do.
Specifically, the control unit 11 refers to the probability density distribution data (see FIG. 4) of the occurrence of the lubricant life (depletion) with respect to the sliding distance of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322, and uses the “average + 3σ sliding distance”. The remaining life sliding distance (number of prints) is calculated by subtracting the current sliding distance from the defined life sliding distance (lifetime sliding distance-current sliding distance).

As the probability density distribution data, known experimental data may be used, or replacement record data of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 of the market-installed machine collected via the network may be used.
In addition, a machine learning model in which the replacement record data (especially the sliding distance at the time of replacement) of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 of the market-installed machine is input to the disturbance (print coverage, temperature and humidity) due to the variation in the scraping speed of the lubricant By analyzing the data, the accuracy of the probability density distribution data may be improved.

Further, the control unit 11 executes the image streak determination based on the image read by the image reading unit 21, and is based on the image streak determination history information (transition of the streak detection level) related to the executed image streak determination. It functions as a second calculation unit for calculating the remaining life (second remaining life) of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322.
Specifically, first, the control unit 11 causes the image reading unit 21 to read a reference image (for example, an image that outputs a full-face halftone (tone pattern of a predetermined density)) formed on the paper by the image forming unit 13. , The density data in the sub-scanning direction of the scanned image (see FIG. 5A) is averaged to obtain the density profile data in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 5B). Reference numeral A1 in FIG. 5A is an example of an image streak. Next, the control unit 11 inputs the width W1 and the density difference H1 in the main scanning direction of the portion corresponding to the image streak (see reference numerals E1 in FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C) into the default visibility function. By outputting the detection level of the image streak, the image streak determination for detecting the level of the image streak in the main scanning direction is executed. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 11 linearly approximates the transition of the streak detection level in the past predetermined period (reference numeral L1 in the figure), and leaves the number of prints until the predetermined quality limit threshold value S1 is reached. Calculated as life. That is, the control unit 11 calculates the remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 by regression analysis (linear approximation) of the image streak determination history information (transition of the streak detection level).

The second remaining life calculation method is not limited to the method using the above linear approximation (regression analysis), but a method using a time series analysis model (time series analysis) with the X-axis as the date and time is adopted. You may. Here, as the time series analysis model, the type does not matter, and examples thereof include an autoregressive model and a moving average model.

Further, the control unit 11 functions as a prediction unit that compares the first remaining life and the second remaining life and predicts the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 based on the shorter remaining life.

Further, the control unit 11 estimates the lubricant depletion state based on the usage history information (sliding distance) of the lubricant application mechanism 1322, and controls the execution frequency of the image streak determination based on the estimated depletion state. To do.
Specifically, first, the control unit 11 refers to the probability density distribution data (see FIG. 4) of the occurrence of the lubricant life (depletion) with respect to the sliding distance of the lubricant application mechanism 1322, and relates to the occurrence of the depletion of the lubricant. When the probability density function is F (x) and the current sliding distance of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 is L, the depletion occurrence probability from the present time to after ΔL is calculated using the following equation (1), and the calculation is performed. The lubricant depletion state is estimated based on the depletion occurrence probability (see FIG. 7).

FIG. 8 shows an example of the probability of occurrence of depletion when a certain life ratio is reached. Further, FIG. 9 shows an example of the relationship between the life ratio and the execution frequency of the image streak determination.
As shown in FIG. 8, the larger the life ratio to the average life, the higher the probability of depletion occurring. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, as the probability of occurrence of depletion increases, the frequency of execution of the image streak determination can be increased to reduce the omission of detection at the end of the service life. In FIG. 9, when the life ratio is "1.3 or more", the execution frequency is "standard" because the life is almost certainly reached without performing the image streak judgment. Is predictable.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 that supplies the lubricant on the image carrier (photoreceptor 131b) and the image formed on the paper or the intermediate transfer belt 132. A reading unit (image reading unit 21) for reading the image and a control unit 11 are provided. Further, the control unit 11 has a first calculation unit that calculates the first remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism 1322, and an image streak based on the image read by the reading unit. A second calculation unit that executes the determination and calculates the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination, and a second calculation unit calculated by the first calculation unit. It is provided with a prediction unit that compares the 1 remaining life with the second remaining life calculated by the second calculation unit and predicts the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 based on the shorter remaining life.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the life of the photoconductor drum unit can be detected with high accuracy, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image defects due to excessive unit replacement or replacement delay.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 estimates the lubricant depletion state based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism 1322, and based on the estimated depletion state. Controls the execution frequency of image streak judgment.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the higher the probability of occurrence of depletion, the higher the frequency of execution of the image streak determination, and thus it is possible to reduce the omission of detection of the end of life.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 uses the depletion occurrence probability density distribution calculated based on the replacement record of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 collected via the network. Estimate the lubricant depletion state.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the accuracy of the depletion occurrence probability density distribution can be improved, so that the depletion state of the lubricant can be estimated more accurately, and the service life can be more reliably performed. It is possible to reduce the omission of detection of arrival.

したがって、本実施形態に係る画像形成装置１によれば、枯渇発生確率密度分布の精度向上を図ることができるので、より精度よく潤滑剤の枯渇状態を推定することが可能となり、より確実に寿命到達の検知漏れを低減することができる。 Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 sets the probability density function related to the occurrence of lubricant depletion as F (x) and the current sliding distance of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 as L. Then, the depletion occurrence probability from the present time to after ΔL is calculated using the following equation (1), and the depletion state of the lubricant is estimated based on the calculated depletion occurrence probability.

Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the accuracy of the depletion occurrence probability density distribution can be improved, so that the depletion state of the lubricant can be estimated more accurately, and the service life can be more reliably performed. It is possible to reduce the omission of detection of arrival.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the reading unit reads the gradation pattern of a predetermined density formed on the paper or the intermediate transfer belt 132, and the second calculation unit is read by the reading unit. Image streak determination is executed based on the density of the gradation pattern of a predetermined density or the distribution of the brightness in the main scanning direction.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the image streak determination can be easily executed without adding a new configuration, so that the lubricant is applied while preventing the apparatus from becoming large in size and increasing in cost. The remaining life of the mechanism 1322 can be calculated.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the second calculation unit calculates the second remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 by the regression analysis of the image streak determination history information.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 can be calculated accurately by using a simple calculation method, so that an image due to excessive unit replacement or replacement delay can be calculated. The occurrence of defects can be suppressed.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the second calculation unit calculates the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism 1322 by time-series analysis of the image streak determination history information.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism 1322 can be calculated accurately by using a simple calculation method, so that an image due to excessive unit replacement or replacement delay can be calculated. The occurrence of defects can be suppressed.

Although the specific description has been given above based on the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be changed without departing from the gist thereof.

For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration of reading the image formed on the paper by the image reading unit 21 is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a line sensor may be installed in the vicinity of the intermediate transfer belt, and a configuration for reading an image formed on the intermediate transfer belt may be adopted instead of the image formed on the paper.

In the above embodiment, the image streak determination is executed based on the main scanning direction distribution (density profile data in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 6)) of the density of the gradation pattern of the predetermined density read by the image reading unit 21. However, it is not limited to this. For example, instead of the density main scanning direction distribution, the image streak determination may be executed based on the brightness main scanning direction distribution.

In addition, the detailed configuration of each device constituting the image forming apparatus and the detailed operation of each device can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Image forming device 10 Main body 11 Control unit (1st calculation unit, 2nd calculation unit, prediction unit)
12 Document reading unit 13 Image forming unit 131 Writing unit 131a Optical scanning unit 131b Photoreceptor (image carrier)
131c Developing unit 131d Charging unit 131e Cleaning unit 1311 Cleaning blade 1322 Lubricant application mechanism 1322a Brush roller 1322b Lubricant rod 131f Primary transfer roller 132 Intermediate transfer belt 133 Secondary transfer roller 134 Fixing unit 14 Storage unit 15 Operation unit 16 Display unit 17 Communication unit 20 Option unit 21 Image reader (reading unit)
22 Spectrophotometer

Claims (9)

A lubricant application mechanism that supplies lubricant onto the image carrier,
A reader that reads an image formed on paper or an intermediate transfer belt,
Control unit and
With
The control unit
A first calculation unit that calculates the first remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism, and a first calculation unit.
A second image streak determination is executed based on the image read by the reading unit, and the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism is calculated based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination. Calculation part and
The first remaining life calculated by the first calculation unit is compared with the second remaining life calculated by the second calculation unit, and the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is predicted based on the shorter remaining life. Prediction department and
An image forming apparatus comprising. The control unit estimates the depletion state of the lubricant based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism, and controls the execution frequency of the image streak determination based on the estimated depletion state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The claim is characterized in that the control unit estimates the depletion state of the lubricant by using the depletion occurrence probability density distribution calculated based on the replacement record of the lubricant application mechanism collected via the network. Item 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 2. When the probability density function related to the occurrence of depletion of the lubricant is F (x) and the sliding distance of the lubricant application mechanism at the present time is L, the control unit uses the following equation (1) to perform ΔL from the present time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the depletion occurrence probability up to the latter is calculated, and the depletion state of the lubricant is estimated based on the calculated depletion occurrence probability.

The reading unit reads a gradation pattern having a predetermined density formed on the paper or the intermediate transfer belt.
The second calculation unit is characterized in that the image streak determination is executed based on the density of the gradation pattern of a predetermined density read by the reading unit or the distribution of the brightness in the main scanning direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the following items. The image forming according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second calculation unit calculates the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism by regression analysis of the image streak determination history information. apparatus. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second calculation unit calculates the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism by time-series analysis of the image streak determination history information. Forming device. A method for predicting the life of an image forming apparatus including a lubricant applying mechanism for supplying a lubricant on an image carrier and a reading unit for reading an image formed on paper or an intermediate transfer belt.
The first calculation step of calculating the first remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism based on the usage history information of the lubricant coating mechanism, and
A second image streak determination is executed based on the image read by the reading unit, and the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism is calculated based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination. Calculation process and
The first remaining life calculated in the first calculation step is compared with the second remaining life calculated in the second calculation step, and the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is predicted based on the shorter remaining life. Prediction process and
Lifespan prediction methods including. A computer of an image forming apparatus including a lubricant applying mechanism for supplying a lubricant on an image carrier and a reading unit for reading an image formed on paper or an intermediate transfer belt.
The first calculation unit, which calculates the first remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism based on the usage history information of the lubricant application mechanism,
A second image streak determination is executed based on the image read by the reading unit, and the second remaining life of the lubricant application mechanism is calculated based on the image streak determination history information related to the executed image streak determination. Calculation unit,
The first remaining life calculated by the first calculation unit is compared with the second remaining life calculated by the second calculation unit, and the remaining life of the lubricant coating mechanism is predicted based on the shorter remaining life. Prediction department,
A program to function as.

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