JPH03162057A - Remote management equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize a customer service such as trouble countermeasure with fast response by providing an exclusive time zone in response to the call mode from a terminal equipment and inhibiting dialing in the mode with low priority and allowing dialing at any time in the mode with high priority. CONSTITUTION:When plural terminal equipments receive calls simultaneously from plural terminal equipments, since the transmission with high urgency such as transmission of fault information is received with higher priority, a control means 3 is provided so as to offer ease of communication with a center equipment 4 for a communication with higher priority in response to the content of transmission of each terminal equipment 1. Thus, dialing in the occurrence of a fault with high urgency is sent to the center equipment with priority and the customer service such as trouble countermeasure with fast response is realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a remote management device for managing terminal devices that require field service such as copying machines and vending machines at a remote location using communication lines. .

(Example) Conventional technology Image forming apparatuses such as copying machines require periodic maintenance due to factors such as deterioration of photoreceptors and internal contamination due to scattering and adhesion of toner, necessitating so-called field service. In addition to regular maintenance, when a copying machine malfunctions or abnormalities occur, such as poor images due to noise such as paper jams, background rashes, or deterioration of the photoreceptor, the user calls the service company and the service company sends a service representative. They sent a team to perform maintenance.

Normally, maintenance of copying machines is carried out by a specialized service company, and the service company not only performs maintenance but also manages copying fees.

Furthermore, equipment such as vending machines that sell products such as drinks and cigarettes, air conditioning equipment, and refrigeration showcases are also managed by manufacturers or service companies, similar to copying machines. In particular, some vending machines have their products and equipment managed by specialized vendor companies, and in such cases, service personnel routinely patrol the equipment and perform management tasks such as checking for out-of-stock products and consumables, and collecting payments. ing. For equipment that requires such field service, a service company is required to centrally manage the equipment and terminal devices and quickly respond to abnormalities.

A conventional technique for centrally managing terminal setup at a central device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 12652/1983. This is done by transmitting the copy data from each of the multiple generations of copiers for each department in use to the central device, which is the management unit.
The total number of copies for each department and copying machine is added up and stored, and the stored data can be displayed or printed as needed.

Furthermore, failure information such as paper jam, and maintenance information such as paper shortage and developer shortage are also transmitted to the management device and displayed.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the conventional management device disclosed in the above-mentioned publication cannot distinguish between a call made when an abnormality occurs, which is considered to have a high priority, and a scheduled call, which has a relatively low priority. Therefore, if a plurality of terminals make calls at the same time, there may be cases where the center equipment "I5" cannot receive the transmission of highly urgent abnormalities, which is inconvenient.

(2) Means for Solving the Problems The remote management device according to the present invention is equipped with multiple terminals; when there are transmissions from multiple terminals at the same time, the remote management device can handle highly urgent transmissions such as transmission of abnormality information. In order to enable preferential reception, a control means is provided so that communication with a higher degree of acceptance becomes easier to communicate with the center translator according to the transmission content of each terminal.

(E) By using the means described in L, calls for highly urgent abnormalities g and l can be sent to the center device on a priority basis, and customer service such as troubleshooting with quick response can be realized. .

(F) Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on drawings showing examples thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of a centralized management system using a remote management device according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a copying machine as a terminal device, and in addition to the copying machine, the terminal device may include an image forming device such as a laser printer,
All equipment that requires field service can be considered, such as vending machines, air conditioning equipment, and refrigeration showcases. Copy machine 1
An interface (hereinafter referred to as 1/F) circuit 2 is provided inside.

The 1/F circuit 2 controls the interface between the copying machine 1 and the communication unit 3, and is connected to the communication unit 3 via a transmission line 5. Here, the data format and control method flowing through the transmission line 5 can be various methods such as a serial method, a parallel method, and a competition control method. The communication unit 3 identifies and controls the copying machine 1, sends and receives data to and from the copying machine 1, temporarily stores data from the copying machine 1, and controls the copying machine 1.
Management of the situation, which will be described later, controls the transmission of data to the center device 4, sends and receives data to and from the center device 4, and manages the call timing of the center device 4, etc.

The center device 4 connects the communication unit 3 with a public telephone line, a dedicated line, or a local area network (LAN).
Execution and communication of application software that manages the copier l by receiving data transmitted from the copier l via the communication unit 3. Exchanges data with Unit 3.

In this embodiment, the communication unit 3 is separately placed outside the copying machine 1, but it may be provided inside the copying machine I. In addition, the communication unit 3 is designed to reduce the cost.
Although only calls can be made from the center device 4, a configuration may also be adopted in which calls can be received from the center device 4.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the I/F circuit, and in the figure, 7, 7... are sensors that obtain data such as necessary voltage, current, temperature, status, and number of copies inside the copying machine. If the data obtained from the sensors 7, 7, . . . is an analog value, it is given to an A/D converter 8, 8, . . . and converted into a digital value. In addition, if the copying machine 1 itself holds data such as the number of copies, A/D conversion 1s, s, etc.
The data indicating the number of copies instead of ... is sent to the data receiving section 9.
given to.

Note that a level converter that converts the level of data may be used instead of the A/D converters 8, 8, . . . .

The A/D conversion data 8.8... or the data obtained by the data receiving section 9 are stored in the buffer section 10, and the data required for transmission from the copying machine 1 is J11. or key 2 from communication unit 3
At 1'T, the data is transmitted to the communication unit 3 via the data exchange section l1. Also, sensor 7, 7... A/D conversion gain 8,
8... The data receiving section 9, the buzzer section 10, and the data transfer section 11 are controlled by the control section 12, and the timing of each data is controlled. In addition, the I/F circuit 2 includes a power supply section 1.
The necessary power is supplied from 3. In addition, power supply section 1
3 may be shared with the power supply inside the copying machine 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the communication unit,
The data transmitted to the communication unit 3 via the transmission path 5 is stored in the buffer section 15 via the data exchange section 14 unidirectionally. The data stored in the buffer section l5 is given to a central control section 16 using, for example, a microprocessor, where it is subjected to subsequent primary processing.

In addition, the central control unit 16 sends the line number of the preset data transmission destination (for example, the center device 4) to NCU (Ne
twork Control υnit network control device) 2
0 and connects the communication line 6 of that line number,
Data is exchanged via the modem 19 and communication line 6.

The central control unit 16 includes a program for controlling the communication unit 3, a memory unit 17 for storing data such as time data for regular reporting and line numbers sent to the NCU 20, and a central control unit 16 for storing data such as a line number to be sent to the NCU 20 when replacing parts and testing communications. An input unit 30 for transmitting information to the user as well as a clock device 18 are connected. Further, a power supply section 21 that supplies power to the communication unit 3 is provided.

The central control unit 16 operates based on a program given in advance and instructions from the center device 4, and normally sends and receives data to and from the copying machine l via the data transfer unit 14 and the buffer unit 15, and processes the data. analysis processing and monitoring of the copying machine 1. In addition, when abnormal data is transmitted from the copying machine 1 and when the time stored in the memory section 17 and the time on the clock device 18 match, the central control device l6
sends the set data destination number to the NCU 20,
The communication line 6 is connected, the modem 19 and the communication line 6 are connected, and data is exchanged with the center device 4 via the modem 19 and the communication line 6.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of a center device which is a remote management device of the present invention. modem 22 for sending and receiving data and a ROM for storing data and programs;
A storage unit 24 including RAM and auxiliary storage, a monitor 25 for displaying images and data, a printer 26 for printing necessary information, a keyboard 27 for inputting data, and a monitor 2
It is configured by connecting a mouse 28 for specifying a position on the screen. The data given to the central processing unit 23 is as described below.
(See FIG. 8) The data is sent to the transmission/reception processing section 231, text buffer section 232, received text processing section 233, and file storage section 234 for processing. In addition, input processing section 2
Data in the file storage section 234 is sent to the data display section 236 in response to a data registration and display request command from 35.
It is processed so that it can be displayed on the monitor 25.

Next, the functions of the I/F circuit 2, communication unit 3, and center device 4 will be described in detail. The I/F circuit 2 has a function of providing data necessary for managing the copying machine 1 to the center equipment N4 via the communication unit 3, and the data collected by the I/F circuit 2 is, for example, In the case of
Temperature of main parts such as heat roller temperature, paper jam by position,
There is information such as failure information such as out of toner (developer), out of paper, and abnormal voltage, power on/off, and information on the copier during copying. Of these data, the number of copies by size and the voltage and temperature of the main parts are measured every time the copying machine 1 operates and are temporarily stored in the puffer section 10, and the data is stored in the communication unit 3.
The communication unit 3 is configured to constantly monitor the failure tn information and the copying machine information, which are transferred via the data exchange section 11 in response to a request from the communication unit 3. Note that when the amount of data to be transmitted from the transmission line 5 is large, the data may be transmitted by time division in order to reduce the number of lines on the transmission line 5. Table 1 shows an example of the structure of signals on the transmission path 5 between the I/F circuit 2 and the communication unit 3. and a 4-bit select signal and a 4-bit status signal.

Table 1 and Table 2 below show an example of the relationship between the state of the select signal and the data. Copies are made by size according to the set and reset (=1, O) of each bit SO-83 of the select signal. An 8-bit data signal Da containing data such as the number of sheets, exposure voltage, developing bias voltage, heat roller temperature, failure mode, etc.
It is output as tag-Data7.

FIG. 5 of Table 2 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the select signal and the output timing of data. The state of the select signal S O-S3 is monitored,
Data corresponding to the states of the select signals SO-S3 are always output as data signals DataO-7. When a failure occurs in the copying machine 1, the Trouble signal is immediately turned on, a failure mode number (trouble code) indicating the details of the failure is set in a failure register (not shown) of the buffer section 10, and the failure mode number is sent from the communication unit 3. request (select signals S3, S2, St, So = 111
Prepare for 0). Also, during the copy operation, the CopyRDY signal is turned off, and the communication unit 3 is notified that the measurement data detected by the sensors 7, 7, . . . during this period is not guaranteed.

The communication unit 3 constantly monitors the copying machine 1 and
Performs primary processing of data sent from.

One-time processing includes, for example, management of the number of copies by size, management of maximum/minimum values of voltage and temperature of main parts, and calculation of average values. Further, constant monitoring items include items such as power on/off, monitoring during copying, and monitoring of failure status.

Normally, the communication unit 3 switches the select signal at the timing when the copier 1 becomes ready (CopyRDY signal on) with the power on, and reads measured data such as the number of copies by size and the voltage and temperature of the main parts. There is.

When the Trouble signal is set, the select signal is switched, the failure mode number (trouble code) is read, and the details of the failure are determined. For example, failure details are classified into predetermined levels (major failure, medium failure, minor failure, etc.), and in the case of a major failure, a call is immediately made to the center device 4 to notify that a major failure has occurred in the copier l. let them know that you are Further, in the case of a medium failure, the center device 4 is notified when the failure reaches a predetermined number of times, and in the case of a minor failure, it is transmitted as data during regular communication.

Further, in each call such as major failure, medium failure, small failure, scheduled call, etc., a limit may be set on the call time and control may be performed based on the call priority. For example, in the case of a major failure, calls can be made without any restrictions, in the case of a medium failure, calls can be made when the minute digit of the time of the call is a multiple of 2, and in the case of a minor failure, calls can be made. The control is such that a call can be made at a time that is a multiple of 3, and other calls such as scheduled calls can be made when a time that is a multiple of 5 arrives. In this case, if two or more communications occur at the same time, some terminals will not be able to communicate with the center equipment. 2 if
If you control the transmission to be made every multiple of minutes, in the case of a minor failure, every multiple of 3 minutes, and in the case of scheduled transmission, etc., every multiple of 5 minutes, it will inevitably be easier to send a message than a major failure, which has a higher priority. It will now be sent to the center device.

When the Power signal is turned off, the number of copies of each size that has been read up to that point is temporarily stored in the memory unit 17, and if the copying machine does not have a memory backup function, the subsequent data and the saved data are added to create new read data. shall be.

The communication unit 3 has a function of transmitting the number of copies by size and measurement data of the copying machine 1 to the center device value 4, and the following five types of call timings to the center device 4 are set.

(1) Power ON call: When the communication unit 3 is set to PowerONL (2) Scheduled call: At a set time (usually once/1
(3) Failure occurrence call: When a failure that requires reporting occurs and it has been repaired. (4) Parts replacement call: A service person replaces the part,
When instructing to make a call (5) Communication test call: Communication test. Normally, when the switch is pressed, the call destination is only the predetermined center device 4, but in this embodiment, a total of three call destinations are set in consideration of holidays, late night, and other closing times. It is now possible to do so. It is also possible to change the calling destination and the time of scheduled calling based on instructions from the center device 4.

In consideration of the case where a failure occurs during data transmission to the center device 4, the call destinations are assigned priorities, and the communication unit 3 transmits data in descending order of priority. Next, each call origination timing will be explained in detail.

The Power ON call is a call made to match the sequence with the center device 4 when the power of the communication unit 3 is turned on. After transmitting the current state of the copying machine 1, the communication unit 3 receives the center device number, regular call origination time, and current time from the center device 4, and writes them into its own memory section 17.

The scheduled call is a call for transmitting the data of the copying machine 1 collected by the communication unit 3 at a predetermined time or at a time specified by communication from the center device 4.

After completing the regular call, the communication unit 3 clears its own number of copies by size and measurement data, and if there is return data, sets the contents in the memory section 17.

The failure call is a call to immediately report to the center device 4 when the copying machine 1 is in a major failure or a medium failure occurs the number of times that a report is required, and a call is made when the problem is recovered. It is. In this case, a trouble code indicating the details of the failure will be sent. Furthermore, even when the failure is recovered, the failure recovery message is sent along with the trouble code.

The parts replacement call is a call made when a serviceman notifies the center device 4 when a part of the copying machine 1 that requires recording (for example, a photosensitive drum, developer, waste toner bottle, etc.) is replaced. . A communication test call is a call made during a test required during system maintenance or inspection.

A communication test call is also made when the communication unit 3 is installed, and the center device number, scheduled call special time, and current time are received from the center device 4 and written into the memory section 17.

In this way, by adopting a method in which part of the information necessary for the processing of the communication unit 3 is received from the center device 4, the effort of setting information in the communication unit 3 can be reduced. Furthermore, in order to receive the scheduled call origination time from the center device 4,
It becomes easy to change the scheduled call origination time. Also, consistency can be maintained with respect to the I12m time using the center device 4 as a reference.

Parts replacement calls and communication test calls are made using the input unit 3 provided in the paper passing unit 3, regardless of communication with the I/F circuit 2.
0 is operated by a service person or operator to initiate a call.

In the communication unit 3, when the call condition is set, the lEk also transfers the number of the called destination with a high priority to the NCU 20 and requests a line connection. When the line is connected, data is transmitted to the center device 4 via the modem I9. When this is completed, data is transmitted in the same manner to each call destination in order of priority.

There are many communication procedures between the communication unit 3 and the center device 4, but here, a contention method and no procedure based on JIS C6326 is adopted.

Note that if the communication line is faulty, or if there is an error or line disconnection during communication, the message will be retransmitted up to three times.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a message of data sent from the communication unit 3 to the center device 4. Messages are sent in bytes, and the numbers in the diagram indicate byte numbers. The first byte STX indicates the beginning of the data. The communication mode of the second byte indicates the content of the call,
Numbers 1 to 5 are assigned from Power ON call to communication test call. No. 7-8.25-26.63
~64. 70 to 71 bytes "@A to @D" indicate the meaning of the data in each block, where @A is the number of copies, @B is measurement data, @C is trouble information, and @D is parts. Shows exchange information. The 4 bytes of data following @A and @B have been totaled up to that point. The number of copies per size and the maximum, minimum, and average values of each measurement data. The 1-byte number following @C indicates the occurrence/recovery of a trouble, and is 1 in the case of occurrence and O in the case of recovery. The following 4 bytes are the trouble code of the trouble that has occurred/recovered. Here, the failure details include exposure voltage abnormality, developing bias voltage abnormality, heat roller temperature abnormality, paper jam abnormality, and scanning device abnormality. The 4 bytes following @D are a 4-digit number representing the part code when replacing the part. Note that @C and the trouble code, and @D and the parts code, are transmitted when the communication mode is a fault occurrence call or a parts replacement call, respectively, and are not transmitted in other communication modes. ETX indicates the end of data.

If there is an instruction from the center device 4, the instruction data is transmitted from the center device @4 after detecting ETX from the communication unit 3. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a message of instruction data sent from the center device to the communication unit. Here, in the communication mode of the second byte, the code transmitted by the communication unit 3 is retransmitted as is. The 15-digit number following @R indicates the number of the center device 4, and is transmitted even if there is no change. The data following @S is data that specifies the scheduled calling time of the communication unit 3 during communication, and the day of the week code is O if it is the same as the previous specification, 8 if it is every day, and 9 if scheduled transmission is not required.
Specify. If you wish to request scheduled transmission once a week, please select 1.
Specify the day of the week with a number from ~7. Hours and minutes are specified using two digits each in 24-hour notation. The data following @T is data indicating the current time. Since the current time may differ between the communication unit 3 and the center device 4, the center device 4 always sends back these data for time adjustment when the communication mode is Power ON call origination. It is also possible to add @U, @V, etc. as the returned data and transmit a terminal control code to carry out remote maintenance of the copying machine 1 and to transmit failure diagnosis information to a service person.

Next, the center device 4 will be explained in detail.

The center device 4 is installed at a field service company,
Line control, transmission control, storage and update processing of data sent via the communication line 6 by calls from each communication unit 3, storage and update processing in memory, various display processing and display based on stored data, It has functions such as information registration of users who have installed the communication unit 3 and the copying machine 1, registration processing of data on the model used and parts used, and input/output control. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the grooves of the central processing section of the center device 4. As shown in FIG. The transmission/reception processing unit 231
The communication unit 2 detects communication from the communication unit 3 by an interrupt from the modem 22, performs line control and transmission control, and stores received text such as measurement data from the modem 22 in the received text buffer section 232. The received text processing section 233 checks the contents of the received text buffer section 232 in the main processing, and if there is received text, analyzes the contents and stores the data in the file storage section 234. The data display section 236, which is a display control means, reads the contents of the received text stored in the file storage section 234 in response to data registration and display requests, processes it according to the purpose, and displays the data on the monitor 25. .

The transmission/reception processing unit 231 monitors the status of the modem 22, checks received data for errors, and performs ACK and NA response accordingly.
K transmission, sequence control, download data transmission, etc., and sends the received text to the reception text buffer section 2.
It is set to 32.

The received text processing unit 233 is divided into received data preprocessing and received data update processing. In the received data preprocessing, after confirming the occurrence of the received text, a format check is performed on this text, and if there are no errors, the data is passed to the next stage. The received data update process extracts the data necessary for the update from the data from the previous stage, converts the update date data, copy number data, trouble data, measurement data, and parts replacement data into a type that corresponds to the file record, and then saves it to the file. Write.

In addition, the received text processing unit 233 has a buffer that stores four lists: a replacement list, a failure list, a usage rate list, and a prediction list. ), but each terminal code (number) that is currently out of order is stored in the fault list.

Further, the usage rate list and the prediction list are obtained by calculating usage rates based on the received data, and are sorted and stored in descending order of usage rate. Data display section 23
6 performs the following l2 in accordance with the data display instruction from the operator using the keyboard 27 and operating the mouse 28.
The data is processed so that a screen consisting of different types of display screens is displayed on the monitor 25. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a list structure of display contents on the data display section. Note that if a trouble occurrence is received no matter which screen is displayed, the trouble occurrence is immediately displayed on the screen. Additionally, if the menu screen is displayed, parts replacement announcements are also made.

a. Menu display: Select processing content b. ppc selection: Select the terminal to display the PPC status C: Replacement time announcement: Display the usage rate of parts d.
Copy charge display: Calculate and display the copy charge e. P
PC status display: Displays the latest PPC status f. PPC performance history display: Displays the history of measurement data g. PPC failure history display: Display trouble history h. PP
C Display replacement history 2 Display parts replacement history i. Display the number of PPC copies. Display the number of copies by size every two days.j. User registration: registration/change/deletion of user information k. Model Registration2 Registration/Change/Deletion of Model InformationI. Terminal Registration: Registration, Change, and Deletion of Terminal Information Among these display screens, the bi display screen indicated by a double frame can further display user information, model information, and terminal information. In addition, the mouse 28 can be used for data display instructions for ai, for the convenience of the operator. That is, by moving the force-sol with the mouse 28 to the area where each piece of information is displayed and clicking, a display instruction can be given. Taking instructions tl'l
L can also be done with mouse 28. However, it is necessary to input the data of j-k twice at t11, and the keyboard 27 is used.

Next, detailed processing of each display content will be explained.

15 to 38 are diagrams showing the screen structure of the monitor processed by the data display section.

The menu display is finally displayed as shown in FIG. 15 when the center device 4 is started by turning on the power and when the user continues exiting each display screen by returning.

Here, "Failure Search", "rPPC Selection", "Replacement Timing Announcement", "Copy Charge Management", "User Registration", "
Seven menus such as "Model Registration" and "Terminal Registration" are displayed, and an icon is selected using the mouse 28 to select a process. If there is a terminal that is currently out of order, the "Failure Search" icon will blink to notify you of this, as shown in FIG.

Additionally, if there is a terminal that requires a part replacement, a "Replacement Waiting Announcement" icon will flash to notify you of this.

I) The PC selection menu is rp in the menu display.
It is displayed when you select "PC Selection" and when you turn after calling "RPPC Status Display" from the PPC Selection Menu. Here, the terminal number, user name, and model name of the copying machine I are displayed (FIG. 17), and the copying machine to be processed is selected on the PPC status display. In addition, this will be displayed for copying machines that are out of order or that require parts replacement (
18, 19). In particular, if a failure occurs, this information will also be displayed at the bottom right of the screen. Also, as mentioned above, by moving the cursor indicated by a mortar arrow with the mouse 28 to the terminal, user, or model in the upper column and clicking, terminal information, user information, or model information can be displayed in a window ( Figure 20).

The replacement time announcement is displayed when "Replacement time announcement" is selected in the menu display and when the RPPC status display is called from the replacement time announcement and then returned. Here, the photosensitive drum, which is a replacement part,
The developer displays the usage rate of waste toner bottles in the order of copying machines with the highest usage rate (FIG. 30). If you select prediction here, you can display diagrams (Figures 31 and 32) in which the next replacement date is predicted based on the current usage rate and number of copies.

The copy charge display is displayed when "Copy charge management" is selected in the menu display, and the copy charge for the past year is calculated for each month and displayed for each copying machine (Figure 34).
. An invoice is then issued based on the displayed information. Here, the settlement of accounts sets the calculation date range for each month's copying charges, calculates the copying charges (Figure 35), and prints out the invoice for the copying charges.

The PPC status display is displayed when "Status Monitor" is selected in the PPC selection menu display or replacement time announcement display, when "Failure Search" is selected during a failure in the menu display, and the PPC performance history display and PPC replacement history display described later. , is displayed when "Return" is selected in the PPc number display (Fig. 21). Here, the maximum, minimum, and average values based on measurement data such as the number of copies, failure status, exposure voltage, developing bias voltage, and heat roller temperature, as well as the usage rate of replacement parts such as the photosensitive drum, developer, and waste toner bottle are displayed.

Also, if the maximum value or minimum value of the measured data exceeds the appropriate range, the measured data is displayed in red. Furthermore, when the replacement part usage rate exceeds 100%, the replacement part is displayed in red. Note that the display order of the copying machines here is such that when called up from "Failure Search", the malfunctioning copying machines are sorted and displayed in the order of the terminal number in the failure list. This allows quick failure search.

Also, when called from "Replacement Announcement", all copiers are displayed in descending order of usage rate.

Furthermore, when called from "rppc selection", terminal numbers are displayed in ascending order. On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in the copying machine during "rppc status monitor", the location of the occurrence will be displayed in the failure status and information indicating the occurrence of the failure will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen (Figure 33).
. Here, a case is shown in which a fixing abnormality occurs due to an abnormality in the heat roller temperature, but this is also displayed in the case of other failures such as a scanner abnormality.

PPC status history display is rMEN in PPC status display
Select UJ to display the submenu (Figure 22),
rppc performance history” is displayed.

Here, changes in the average values of the exposure voltage, the developing bias voltage, and the heat roller temperature are displayed using weeks, months, and years as time axes (FIG. 23). In addition, the changes in the maximum and minimum values of the measured data showing each performance are summarized by week, month, and year.
It is displayed as a ¥ axis (Figure 24).

PPC failure history display is rMEN in PPC status selection.
Select UJ and display the submenu (Figure 22),
rppc failure history” is displayed.

Here, the month when the failure occurred, the details of the abnormality, and the exposure voltage at that time,
The developing bias voltage, heat roller temperature, and reception time are displayed (FIG. 25). Also, any of these measurement data that exceeds the appropriate range is displayed in red.

PPC exchange history display also displays a submenu,
rppc exchange history” is displayed.

Here, the date on which replacement parts such as the photosensitive drum, developer, waste toner bottle, etc. were replaced, and the parts usage rate at that time are displayed (FIG. 26).

The number of PPC copies can be displayed by similarly displaying the submenu and selecting "RPPC number of copies". Here, we show changes in the number of copies by day, size, and week.
The month and year are displayed as a time axis (Figures 27 to 29).

User registration is displayed when "User registration" is selected in the menu display, and here the user name, phone number,
Register, change, and delete user information such as postal code and address (Figure 36).

Model registration is displayed when "Model registration" is selected on the menu display, and the model name, exposure voltage, appropriate range of developing bias voltage and heat roller temperature, photosensitive drum, developer, replacement of waste toner bottle, number of copies, etc. Register, change, and delete information (Figure 37).

Terminal registration is displayed when "Terminal registration" is selected on the menu display, and the terminal number, model name, serial number, unit number, etc.
- Register, change, and delete terminal information such as user name (No. 38)
figure).

On the other hand, the numerical value displayed on the data display section 236 is calculated by the following calculation.

Drum usage rate = 1 (total number of copies) - (total number of copies when replacing the drum) 1 / (number of copies when replacing the drum) x 100 (%) In addition, the developer usage rate and waste toner bottle usage rate are based on the drum usage rate. Calculated by Further, the copying fee is calculated based on, for example, a basic fee and a number-of-sheets fee for each number of sheets.

Further, the file storage unit 234 stores the following seven data files. Data files can be roughly divided into terminal common information and terminal individual information, and the terminal common information includes the following four files.

(i) rpc terminal information file (2) PPC user information file (3) PPC charge data file (4) PPC model information file Additionally, the terminal individual information includes the following three files.

(1) PPC data file (2) PPC parts replacement history file (3) PPC failure history file PPC terminal information file is registered, changed, and changed by terminal registration.
This is a file that stores deleted data, and manages the correspondence between terminal numbers, model names, serial numbers, and user names.

Records in this file are sorted by terminal number. Sorting is done at registration time and the file is updated.

The PPC user information file is a file that stores data registered, changed, and deleted through user registration, and manages user names, postal codes, addresses, and telephone numbers. Records in this file are sorted by username. Sorting is done at registration time and the file is updated.

The PPC charge data file manages the number of copies by size and the copy charge for each month for each copying machine.

The PPC model information file can be registered, updated, and
This file stores deleted data, and manages the appropriate range of exposure voltage, developing bias voltage, and heat roller temperature for each model, as well as the number of replacement copies for the photosensitive drum, developer, and waste toner bottle.

The PPC data file manages various data sent from the communication unit 3, such as the number of copies, exposure voltage, developing bias voltage, heat roller temperature, and trouble status. Here, 365 (36
6) Manage daily scheduled call data and record the latest transmitted data. In addition, the final number of copies,
Cumulative number of copies, total number of copies when replacing photosensitive drum,
Record the total number of copies made when replacing the developer and the total number of copies made when replacing the waste toner bottle.

The PPC parts replacement history file manages the number of copies at the time of parts replacement and the number of copies at the time of replacement.

The PPC deceased team history file is dated 11th, the day the failure occurred.
Manage exposure voltage, developing bias voltage, and heat roller temperature. This file is added each time an error occurs.

Next, the processing contents of the center device 4 will be explained.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the transmission/reception processing section of the central processing section. First, the status of the modem 22 is monitored to check whether there is an incoming call from the communication unit 3 (step #101), and if there is no incoming call, the process is terminated, and if there is an incoming call, the received data is sent to the receive text buffer unit 232.
Performs received data storage processing to be stored in (Step @10
3).

Next, determine whether there is a reception error (step #104)
. Here, a reception error is determined by a parity check and whether or not A, B, C, and D following @ indicating the data interval of the message shown in FIG. 6 have been normally received in that order. If there is a reception error, the data should be sent again from the communication unit 3 (NAK that sends the NAK signal to the communication unit 3)
Transmission processing is performed (step #106), and if there is no reception error, the communication unit 3 has successfully received the data. ACK transmission processing is performed to transmit an ACK signal indicating that the received message has been received (step $1: 105).

Next, it is determined whether or not to transmit the instruction data shown in FIG. 7 when setting the time, that is, whether there is data transmitted from the center unit @ 4 to the communication unit 3, and if there is transmitted data, data transmission processing is performed. (Step #1 0 7), and if there is no data to be transmitted, skip Step #]07 and determine whether the process has ended normally (Step #108).

Here, it is determined whether or not the communication has ended normally based on whether or not the line was disconnected during the communication. If the process ends normally, a normal line disconnection operation is performed to reset an abnormal disconnection flag (not shown) (step #109), and if it does not terminate normally, an abnormal line disconnection process is performed (step #11O).

Next, it is confirmed by a predetermined flag that the line has actually been disconnected (step $111), and the presence or absence of free space in the received text buffer section 232 is checked (steps $1, 1, 2).
. When the received text buffer unit 232 is full, a receive buffer wait process is performed to prohibit automatic call response (step $113), and the process ends.

Next, the processing contents of the received text processing section 233 are shown in FIG.
This will be explained based on the flowcharts shown in a) and (b).

First, it is determined whether the received text is stored in the received text buffer section 232 (step $201), and if it is stored, a received data extraction process is performed to read it (step @202). , the received text is checked by the 7-year-old to determine whether there is an error (step #203). If there is no error in the received text, the communication mode, communication unit code, and date are set (step #204), and the type of call is determined in steps #205 to #209.

In the case of a Power ON call, initial processing is performed to clear the current day's files (step #210), and the process ends. In the case of a test call, test file reception data (not shown) is stored (step #211), and the process ends.

For scheduled calls and parts replacement calls, step #220
The copy number memory for each terminal and size is updated, and the total number of copies is calculated (step #221). Then, calculate the usage rate of each of the above-mentioned parts (step #222
), determine whether the usage rate has reached 100% or more (
Step #223). When the usage rate reaches 100% or more, the part is registered in the list of parts requiring replacement for each terminal (step #224).

Next, create a list of usage rates for each part (Step #2
5) The prediction list is edited based on the prediction list (step 92 2 6). The predicted list is created by examining the predicted usage status of each replacement part after one week or one month from actual data. Next, the measurement data memory is updated based on the received data (step #227), and it is determined whether the called mode is part replacement (step #2 2 8).
. When in the parts replacement mode, the parts usage rate is calculated (step #229), it is determined whether the usage rate is less than 100% (step @230), and if it is less than 100%, the part is replaced. Therefore, it is deleted from the replacement list (step #231). Then, the current cumulative number of copies is set (Step #2 3 2), and the total number of copies during the part usage period is registered based on the cumulative number of copies set in the PPC replacement history file for each component (Step #233).
),finish.

If the mode is not for parts replacement in step #228, then it is determined whether or not the mode is for failure call (step #234), and if it is a failure call, the process ends, and if not, it is determined by size. Write the number of copies and measurement data memory to the PPC data file of the day (step $
E2 3 5), end.

On the other hand, if the call is made in step #207, a failure has occurred/
Determine whether it is a recovery (step #240), and if it is a failure recovery, delete the failure status from the failure list (step #240).
24l), proceed to step #220. In addition, when a failure occurs, the terminal number and terminal code are registered in the failure list (step #242), the terminal code and date and time are registered in the failure history file for each terminal (step #243), and step #
Proceed to 220.

Next, the processing contents of the data display section 236 are shown in FIG. 14(a).
This will be explained based on the flowcharts shown in ~(h). First, initial processing is performed to clear all internal memories such as video RAM (not shown) (step #300), and the menu screen shown in FIG. 15 is displayed (step #30).
1) Next, it is determined whether there is a failure list, that is, whether there is a copying machine that is currently out of order (Step #302), and if there is a failure list, click the failure search icon on the menu screen as shown in Figure 16. Execute the failure blink process to link (step @3 0 3). Next, it is determined whether there is a replacement list, that is, whether there are any parts whose current usage rate exceeds 10 oz (step #304), and if there is, a replacement replacement blinking process is performed to link the replacement time announcement icon on the menu screen. Execute (step @3 0
5). Then, the presence or absence of input by clicking the mouse 28 is determined in step #306, and the next step #307~
At step #313. Determine which menu is selected.

If it is determined in step #307 that failure search has been selected, the process proceeds to step #450 shown in FIG. 14(e), where the terminal numbers are arranged in the order of the failure list as shown in FIG. 33, and the process proceeds to step #334, which will be described later. .

When ppcc selection is selected in step #308, the 17th
The terminal list shown in the figure is displayed (step #315),
It is determined whether there is an input using the mouse 28 (step #3
16) If there is no failure list, the presence or absence of a failure list is determined in step #317, and if there is a failure list, a blinking display indicating that the failure is occurring is performed as shown in FIG. 19 (step #318).
, return to step #316. If there is no failure list, the process similarly returns to step #3l6. Note that the input and failure list detection processing in steps #316 to #318 described above will be referred to as A processing hereinafter.

If there is an input in step #3l6, it is next determined whether or not it is a return, and if it is a return, step #301
If it is not return, it is determined whether or not to scroll up/down (step #320), and if scroll up/down is selected, up/down scroll processing is performed in step #314, and then to step #316. return. Next, in step #32l, the cursor is moved to the user display using the mouse 28, it is checked whether or not the user display has been selected, and if it is the user display, its contents are displayed in a window as shown in FIG. Clear the window by clicking 28 (step #323, step #
3 2 8), return to step #316. Similarly, when the model is displayed (step #324), the contents are displayed in a window (step #325), and the next click erases the window (steps #323 and 328), and the process returns to step #316. Also, when displaying on a terminal (step #3 2 6), display the selection window (step #327), perform A processing, and then left/
Determine whether or not it is a right scroll, and if it is a left/right scroll, erase the window (step #331), move the cursor to the corresponding terminal (step #332), and perform step #
Return to 316. If it is not left/right scrolling, the process returns to step #329. In addition, the above step #32l
The user, model, and terminal display processing from step #332 to step #332 is hereinafter referred to as B processing.

Next, the selection of the status monitor is determined (step #333).
, if it has not been selected, the process returns to step #3l6, and if it has been selected, a status monitor screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 21 or FIG. 33 (step #3 3 4).

Then, A and B processes are performed in steps #335 and #336. When the B process, that is, displaying the user, model, or terminal, is completed, the process returns to step #335. If no display is selected in the B process, the next terminal is displayed in step #337. It is determined whether or not the next terminal has been selected. If the next terminal is selected, the next terminal is displayed in step #338, and the process returns to step #335. If not selected, it is determined in step #339 whether or not the previous terminal has been selected; if it has been selected, the previous terminal is displayed in step #340, and the process proceeds to step #3.
Return to 35. If not selected, it is determined whether or not return has been selected (step #341), and if it has been selected, the process returns to step #315 to display the terminal list. If RETURN is not selected, it is determined whether MENU is selected (step #342), and if MENU is selected, the submenu screen shown in FIG. 22 is displayed in a window (step #343). ). If MENU is not selected, the process returns to step #335. When the submenu is displayed in the window, step #344
Input waiting and failure list are detected in process A, and mouse 2
When the input is made by clicking 8, the window display is cleared (step #345), and it is determined which submenu has been selected in steps #346, #353, #354, and #355. Step # when no selection is made from the menu
Return to 343.

When performance history is selected in step #346, PPC
23. Refer to the data file. The PPC performance history screen shown in the figure is displayed, and the A process is performed in step #348, and the B process is performed in step #349. When the window display ends in process B, the process returns to process A in step #348.

If process B is not selected, it is determined in step #350, step #351, and step #356 whether return, display, time axis or target change, or left/right scroll has been selected, and it is determined whether any of them has been selected. If so, return to step #348. When return is selected in step #350, the process returns to step #334 to display the status monitor screen, and when change is selected in step #351, for example, the changes in exposure voltage shown in FIGS. 23 to 24 are displayed. Display the screen for changing graphs, etc. (step #352)
, return to step #348. When the left/right cursor is selected in step #356, the date cursor is moved to the left/right (step #357), and the process returns to step #348.

When failure history is selected in step #353, PP
The failure history screen shown in the 25th block is displayed by referring to the C failure history file (step #358), the A process (step #359) and the B process (step @360) are performed, and the window is displayed in the B process. Once cleared, step #3
Return to 59. If process B is not selected, the selection of return or upward/downward scrolling is determined (step #36).
1. Step @3 6 2) When scrolling up/down is selected, scroll up/down in step #363, when nothing is selected, when return is selected, and scrolling up/down ends. If so, step #3
Return to 34.

Similarly, when the exchange history is selected in step #354, the screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 26, and the selection of up/down scrolling is determined (steps #364 to #368). If scroll up/down is not selected, selection of replacement product name is determined (step #370);
A product name window is displayed (step #371), A processing is performed, and the corresponding product name is input (step #372).
It is displayed (step #373). If the answer in step #370 is No, or if step #373 and step #369 are completed, the process returns to step #365.

Further, when the number of copies is selected in step #355, the total number of copies shown in FIG. 27 is displayed in step #374, and the process from input A processing to selection of left/right scrolling is similarly determined (steps #374 to Step #378
), the selection of changing the time axis and changing the size is determined in steps #380 and #381, and in the case of changing the time axis, the selected time axis is displayed in a window (step #385), and step #386 After processing A,
A change screen is displayed (step #387). In addition, in the case of changing the size, the selected size name is displayed in a window as shown in Fig. 28 (step #382), and after processing A in step #386, the screen after the change is displayed as shown in Fig. 29. (Step $384).

On the other hand, if the replacement time announcement is selected in step #309, the terminal numbers are arranged in descending order of usage based on the usage rate list (step #388), and the replacement time announcement screen shown in FIG. 30 is displayed. Process A is then performed (step #390), and it is determined in steps #391 to #396 whether return, upward/downward scrolling, status monitor, or prediction is selected, and if return is selected, step #301 is performed. In the case of upward/downward scrolling, after upward/downward scrolling (step $394), the process returns to step #390. In the case of status monitor, return to step #334, and in the case of prediction, return to step #334.
The forecast period window shown in the figure is displayed (step $
3 9 7), after the A process (step #398), calculate the predicted value based on the actual data (step @3 9 9
), the predicted data is displayed (step #401). If the above selection is not made and step #400 is completed, the process returns to step #390.

When copy charge management is selected in step #310, the current month's copy is retrieved from the PPC data file in step #400. The data on the number of copies is loaded, a list of charges for each copying machine as shown in FIG. 34 is displayed, and after A processing, that is, input processing (step #403), step #404, step #406, step #409 In step #413, step #415, and step #416, it is determined which of left/right scroll, display month change, settlement of accounts, print, B process, and return has been selected.

When left/right scroll is selected, it is executed (step #405) and the process returns to step #4o3. When the display month change is selected, a window will be displayed for January to February, select the display month (Step @407), display the charge data for the corresponding month (Step #408),
Return to step #4o3. When settlement is selected, the settlement month and its period are displayed in a window as shown in Figure 35, and the settlement date is specified (step #41).
0). Then, the charge calculation for the specified period is performed (step #411), and it is saved in the PPc charge data file (step #4 1 2), and the process returns to step #403. If printing is selected, the printer 26 performs printing processing (step #4l4), and the process returns to step 403. Further, if the window display of the B process is finished in step #415, or if return is not selected in step #416, the process returns to step #403. Furthermore, when return is selected, the display returns to the menu screen in step #301.

When user registration or model registration is selected in step #31l or step #312, data is loaded from the PPC user information file or PPC model information file (steps #4 1 7), and the data is loaded as shown in FIG. 36 or 37. A list is displayed as shown in (Step #4 1 8). Then f & of A processing (step #4 1 9), step #420, step #422, step #424,
Step #428, Step #430 and Step #4
31, it is determined whether the cursor key, change, delete, add, B process, or return is selected, and when the cursor key is selected, scroll up/down (step #4
21) If change is selected, input the change data (step #4 2 3). When deletion is selected, it is determined whether the terminal has already been registered (step #
425) If it is not registered, an error message is displayed in the window (step #426), and if it is registered, deletion processing is performed (step #427).

If addition is selected, additional data is input (step #429), and if process B is selected or the above process is completed, the process returns to step #419. When return is selected, data is loaded into the PPC user information file or PPC model information file (step #432).
, returns to the menu screen in step #3o1, and if no selection is made, returns to step #419.

Finally, when terminal registration is selected in step #313, operations substantially similar to steps #417 to #432 described above are performed in steps #433 to #447. That is, in step #434, a list of copiers registered as terminals is displayed as shown in FIG. 38 based on the data in the PPC terminal information file, and in step #447, the processed data is saved in the PPC terminal information file. However, when deleting, the terminal registration is not determined, and the data is not transferred to PPC.
The difference from the above step is that the terminal information is sorted in order of terminal number in step #446 before being saved in the terminal information file.

Next, a modification of this embodiment will be explained. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the structure of a modified example, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the data message transmitted from the communication unit to the center device at that time. In this example, one communication unit 3
A plurality of copying machines 1', 1', etc. are connected to '.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, a four-digit terminal number (code) is attached to the message sent from the communication unit 3' to the center device 4, followed by the data of that terminal. Other arrangements and operations are substantially the same as those in the previous embodiment, so explanations will be omitted.

Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. Although the above embodiment has been described using a copying machine as the terminal device, in this embodiment, a vending machine is used as the terminal device. Note that the structure will be the same as that shown in FIG. 1 or 10 if the copying machine 1 or 1'' is replaced with a vending machine, so a description thereof will be omitted.

For example, if we take a vending machine that sells drinks such as juice and coffee in paper cups, malfunction information includes coffee grounds, out of raw materials such as juice ingredients, out of cups, out of raw materials such as out of carbon dioxide, and in drainage buckets. There are abnormalities such as full capacity, coin mechanism abnormality, etc., and replenishment information includes the usage rate of raw materials such as juice and coffee. 39 to 42 are diagrams showing examples of displays by the data display section of other embodiments.

FIG. 39 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 17 of the first embodiment, and shows the screen when the vending machine selection is selected from the menu screen. Here, the terminal number, user name, and model name of the vending machine are displayed, and the vending machine to be processed is selected using the mouse 28. At this time, the vending machine that is out of order based on the failure information and the vending machine that has requested side pay based on the side pay information will display this fact in the failure/replacement information column.

FIG. 40 corresponds to FIG. 30 and is a diagram showing an expense screen for replenishment time announcement, which is displayed when replenishment time announcement is selected from the menu screen. Here, the vending machines with the highest usage rate of supplies such as juice raw materials and coffee grounds are displayed in descending order of usage rate. Also here is the 41st
If prediction is selected as shown in the figure, the future usage rate one week or one month later can be predicted from the current usage rate and usage amount, and the next replenishment date can be predicted.

FIG. 42 is a diagram showing a display screen of the vending machine failure history, and corresponds to FIG. 25. Here, the date and time of occurrence of the abnormality and its details are displayed for each vending machine.

Note that although the above two embodiments have been described using a copying machine and a vending machine as terminal devices, the present invention is not limited to these, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to all equipment that requires field service.

(G) By using the above-mentioned methods, calls when an emergency occurs can be sent preferentially to the center equipment, and customer services such as troubleshooting with a quick response can be realized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of a centralized management system using a remote management device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an I/F
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the communication unit, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of the center device which is the remote management device of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is the block diagram showing the structure of the communication unit. A timing chart showing the relationship between signal status and data output timing, Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a message of data sent from the communication unit to the center device, and Figure 7 is instruction data sent from the center device to the communication unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the message of vI of the central processing unit of the center device.
9 is a block diagram showing a list of display contents.
Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a modified example, and Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a message of data sent from the communication unit to the center device in the modified example. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the transmission/reception processing section; FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the received text processing section;
Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the data display section.
FIGS. 15 to 38 are diagrams showing display screens, and FIGS. 39 to 42 are diagrams showing display screens of the remote management device of other embodiments. 1... Copying machine (vending machine), 2... Interface circuit, 3... Communication unit, 4... Center device,
233... Received text processing section, 235... Input processing section, 236... Data display section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Connected to a plurality of terminal devices through a communication line, receiving a plurality of pieces of information including abnormality information indicating an abnormality from each terminal device, and selectively displaying the received information on a display screen. In a remote management device that performs multiple management processes for each terminal device, dedicated time slots are set up according to the mode of calls from the terminal device, and calls are prohibited in modes with low priority and prohibited in modes with high priority. A remote management device characterized by being equipped with a control means that allows a call to be made at any time. 2. The remote management device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is an image forming device that forms an image on paper. 3. The remote management device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is a vending device that automatically sells products in exchange for consideration.