JPH0470676A - Information collection system for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily manage an image forming device from a remote place by performing the electrical connection of a transmission means which transmits every kind of information to the image forming device by a connection means provided at the image forming device in advance. CONSTITUTION:The electrical connection of a communication unit 80 which transmits every kind of information of a copying machine main body 1 to the copying machine main body 1 is performed by the IC socket 63 of memory 611 on a printed circuit board 64 for main control provided at the copying machine main body 1 in advance. Therefore, on-line connection for an electronic copying machine not designed to perform the on-line connection can be performed, and every kind of information can be received with an external device 91 via the connection unit 80. In such a way, it is possible to easily collect error information and every kind of information with respect to the working status of consumable goods, etc., at the remote place without visiting the installation place of the image forming device, and to easily manage the image forming device at the remote place.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an information collection system for an image forming apparatus, which collects usage status, error information, etc. of an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine. .

(Prior Art) In recent years, with the remarkable progress and spread of electronic devices, how to efficiently manage them has become a problem.

For example, in image forming devices such as electronic copying machines, error information such as paper jams that occur during operation, and various information such as the usage status of consumables such as paper and toner are collected by maintenance personnel on a regular basis or by on-call users. For example, if a serious error occurs and repairs are required, special tools and replacement parts will be required after visiting the site, resulting in double work. This was extremely inefficient.

Recently, in order to solve the above problem, a method of collecting the above various information online has been considered, but in order to realize this, it is necessary to enable online connection from the stage of developing and designing the electronic copying machine. It needs to be designed as such.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, most of the image forming apparatuses already in operation are not designed to enable online connection, so even if an information collection system is constructed,
It was not possible to take advantage of this, and it was not possible to improve the efficiency of maintenance and management. Furthermore, if you try to connect a conventional image forming apparatus online, you will have to newly design, manufacture, and replace the main control unit of the image forming apparatus, which is very expensive. There was a problem with putting it away.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention enables image forming apparatuses that are not designed to be connected online to be connected online without significantly increasing costs, and eliminates errors without having to go to the location where the image forming apparatus is installed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information collection system for an image forming apparatus that can easily collect various information such as information and usage status of consumables from a remote location.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) An information collection system for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming means for forming an image on an image carrier and an image forming operation of the image forming means. An image forming apparatus having a removable control means, a connection means for removably connecting the control means, and an image forming apparatus connected to the connection means of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus being connected to the connection means of the image forming apparatus, and providing various information under the usage conditions of the image forming apparatus. and a receiving device that receives the information transmitted by the transmitting means.

(Function) The image forming apparatus is designed to enable online connection by electrically connecting the transmitting means for transmitting various information and the image forming apparatus using a connecting means provided in advance in the image forming apparatus. This enables online connection of image forming apparatuses that do not have a large number of devices, without significantly increasing costs, and allows the receiving apparatus to receive various information such as error information and the usage status of consumables via a transmitting means. The above various information can be obtained from a remote location, and the image forming apparatus can be easily managed from a remote location.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 schematically shows an image forming apparatus, such as an electronic copying machine, to which the present invention is applied.

That is, this electronic copying machine is composed of a copying machine main body 1 and an automatic document feeder 28 which is provided on the top surface of the copying machine main body 1 so as to be openable and closable and automatically feeds originals.

The copying machine main body 1 receives the copying device 3 and the paper transfer material discharged from the discharging section of the copying device 3 as necessary, and performs multiple copying or double-sided copying on the paper, either in the same state or with both front and back sides. and a multiple double-sided copying unit 27 which is guided again to the paper feed section of the copying device 3 in an inverted state.

A document table (transparent glass) 2 that supports a document is fixed to the top surface of the copying device 3. An automatic document feeder 28 is provided so as to be able to open and close freely so as to cover the document table 2, and the document is automatically conveyed to the exposure position on the document table 2 by the automatic document feeder 28. ing.

The automatic document feeder 28 includes a document feeder 281 on which documents are set, and a document feeder 28 that is provided with a reversing conveyance section that takes out the documents set on the document feeder 281 one by one and turns the documents over. □, a transport section 283 as a document table cover that transports the taken out original to the document table 2, and a paper discharge tray 284 provided on this transport section 283 and from which the original after copying is ejected.

Inside the paper feed section 28□, a take-out roller 28a takes out the original set on the document feed table 281, and a pair of transport rollers 28b and 28c transports the taken out paper to the transport section 283.
, 28d, and a reversing conveyance path 28e as a reversing conveyance section to which a document set on the document table 2 and on which one side has been copied is guided, and conveyance rollers 28f, 28g, and 28h arranged along this reversing conveyance path 28e. is provided.

Further, the conveyance section 283 is provided with a belt 28i that conveys the original supplied from the paper feed section 282 to the set position (exposure position) of the document table 2. This belt 28i is wrapped around rollers 28j and 28k. Then, the belt 28i discharges the copied original onto the paper ejection tray 284, and conveys the original to the reversing conveyance path 28e of the paper feed section 282 after copying of one side of the original is completed. The conveyance path 28e operates to convey the reversed original to the set position on the document table 2 again.

A document placed on the document table 2 by the automatic document feeder 28 or the operator is exposed to an exposure lamp 4, mirrors 5, 6 .
By moving an optical system consisting of 7 along the lower surface of the document table 2, exposure scanning is performed. In this case, mirror 6.7 moves at half the speed of mirror 5 so as to keep the optical path length constant. The light reflected from the original by the scanning of the optical system, that is, the light reflected from the original by the light irradiation of the exposure lamp 4, is reflected by the mirrors 5, 6.7, passes through the variable magnification lens block 8, and then passes through the mirror. 9s, 92.93 and guided to the photoreceptor drum 10, so that the original image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10.

The photosensitive drum 10 is rotated in the direction of arrow C in the figure, and the surface thereof is first charged by the charger 11, and then the original image is exposed to slit light to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface. This electrostatic latent image is transferred to the developing devices 12a, 12
A visible image is created by adhering toner by b. The developing units 12a and 12b each develop the latent image using, for example, black toner or red toner, and are selected by an operation panel (not shown).

On the other hand, the paper is fed from the manual paper feed section 13a provided in the upper paper feed cassette 130, the lower paper feed cassette 132, the large capacity paper feed cassette 133, or the upper paper feed cassette 13 selected by the operation panel, and is fed to the feed roller. 141,1
42, 143, 144 and roller pairs 151, 152,
153, one sheet at a time, passes through paper guide paths 161, 16□, 163, and is transferred to a pair of registration rollers 17.
and is supplied to the transfer section by this pair of registration rollers 17.

The paper sent to the transfer section is brought into close contact with the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10 at the transfer charger 18, so that the charger 1
8, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred. The transferred paper is electrostatically peeled off from the photoreceptor drum 10 by the action of a peeling charger 19, and is conveyed by a conveyor belt 20 to a fixing roller 21 as a fixing device provided at the end thereof. Sent. Then, by passing through this, the transferred image is fixed. After this fixation, the paper is discharged to a tray 24 outside the main body 1 by a pair of delivery rollers 22 and 23.

After the transfer, residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is removed by a cleaner 25, and the photosensitive drum 10 returns to its initial state.

Note that when double-sided copying or multiple double-sided copying is performed, the sheets after transfer are sorted and guided to a multiple double-sided copying unit 27 by a gate 26.

The multiple duplex copying unit 27 is capable of duplex copying on one sheet of paper or multiple duplex copying on the same side of one sheet of paper. It is provided in the unit 27.

The multiple double-sided copying unit 27 is provided with a conveyance path 27b that guides the sheets taken in by the gate 26 to the stacking section 27a. - La pairs 27c, 27d, 27e,
27f is provided.

Further, the stacking section 27a is provided with a take-out roller 27g for taking out the sheets stored therein.

This take-out roller 27g is movable in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure depending on the thickness (number of sheets) of the stored sheets. Furthermore, a length guide 51 is provided in the stacking section 27a so as to be movable according to the length of the stored sheets (size with respect to the transport direction), and a length guide 51 is provided to press the stored sheets against the width guide 52. Accordingly, side aligning rollers 53, 53 are provided for aligning the sheets.

The sheets taken out from the stacking section 27a by the take-out roller 27g are guided to the control gate 27i via a separation roller pair 27h that separates the sheets one by one and sends them out. When performing multiple copying, the control gate 27i is rotated in the direction of the arrow M shown in the figure, and guides the paper as it is to the pair of registration rollers 17 via the pair of conveyance rollers 27j and the conveyance path 27k. There is. When double-sided copying is to be performed, the state shown in the figure is first established, and the paper is guided to the reversing section 27m via a pair of transport rollers 2711. When the paper is stored in the reversing section 27m, the control gate 271 is further rotated in the direction of arrow T in the figure, and the paper sent by the transport roller pair 2M is transferred to the registration roller pair 17 via the transport roller pair 27j and the transport path 27k. It is designed to be guided with the front and back reversed.

In addition, 55. . . is a passage detection switch that detects the passage of paper, and each of these passage detection switches 55, . . .
・Paper jam detection is now possible. In addition, passage detection switches 55 are provided at various locations. . . . In addition, there are provided a limit, a switch, and a switch for detecting the initial position of the optical system, respectively, and a switch (none of which are shown) for detecting an abnormality in the operation of the main motor.

1 and 2 schematically show an information collection system for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. That is,
A main control section 60 of the copying machine main body 1 controls the overall operation, and a memory 61, an input/output interface 62, etc. are connected to this main control section 60. The main control unit 60 is mainly composed of a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, and operates according to a program stored in the memory 61.

The memory 61 includes, for example, a ROM 611 and a nonvolatile RAM 612. The ROM 611 stores programs for operating the microcomputer and data necessary for various processes, but in order to cope with program changes, it is usually
As shown in A), it is attached to a main control printed wiring board 64 via an IC socket 63 so that it can be easily removed and replaced.

The RAM 612 also contains the number of copies and the exposure lamp 4.
Various adjustment values such as the exposure voltage of the electronic copying machine, error information that has occurred inside the electronic copying machine, etc. are stored, and these are information unique to the electronic copying machine.

Therefore, when a printed wiring board (not shown) on which the RAM 612 is mounted breaks down and the entire printed wiring board is replaced, it is necessary to remove the RAM 612 from the failed printed wiring board and install it on a new printed wiring board.

Therefore, like the ROM 611, the RAM 612 is also mounted on the printed wiring board using an IC socket (not shown) for easy replacement.

The input/output interface 62 includes a passage detection switch 5.
5. . . . various detection switches 71, a drive control unit 73 that controls the main motor 72 as a drive source for the photosensitive drum 10, etc., an exposure control unit 74 that controls the exposure of the exposure lamp 4, and a counter that counts the number of copies. 75 and an operation panel 76 are connected thereto.

Note that a common path line is used for address designation and data input/output lines for the memory 61 and the input/output interface 62.

On the other hand, the communication control section 81 of the communication unit (transmission means) 80
is electrically connected to the copying machine main body 1 via an IC socket 63 for mounting a ROM 611, as shown in FIG. 3(B). That is, a connection terminal 65 to which a communication control unit 81 is connected is attached to the IC socket 63, and the ROM 611 is connected to the IC socket 63 via this connection terminal 65.
is installed. Thereby, the communication control section 81 is connected to the main control section 60 of the copying machine main body 1 via the connection terminal 65 and the IC socket 63, and the ROM 61
1 can perform exactly the same functions and operations as in the case without the connection terminal 65 (the case shown in FIG. 3A). Further, a timer 82, a pattern generator 83, a communication interface 84, and the like are connected to the communication control unit 81. The communication unit 80 is configured to be detachable from the copying machine main body 1 as shown in FIG.

By the way, various types of information necessary for the information collection system include, for example, the number of copies to be made, the signals from each detection switch when an error such as a paper jam occurs, and various adjustment data. Since a pass line is connected to each of the 63 bins, the communication control unit 81 can read these data via the nonvolatile RAM 612 and the input/output interface 62.

A modem 85 is connected to the communication interface 84 . The modulator/demodulator 85 modulates various data and other information sent from the communication interface 84 into an audio signal in a data format suitable for transfer, and further transmits the data to a line (public line) via a network control unit 86 according to the transmission format. 90, and the network control unit 86 from the line 90.
It demodulates the data received via the communication interface 84 and sends it to the communication control unit 81 via the communication interface 84. The network control unit 86 is used to switch between using the line for telephone calls and data communication, detecting incoming signals, automatic dialing, and the like.

The timer 82 not only measures time necessary for various processes performed by the communication control unit 81, but also has a clock function, and transmits various data and information at a set time, for example, in the middle of the night when the line is not used for telephone calls. It is used for processing such as

The pattern generator 83 receives code data from the communication control unit 81, converts it into a character pattern that is corresponding image data, and sends the code data to the communication interface 8.
This is what is output to 4.

This makes it possible to handle cases where the data transfer destination is a device that handles image data, such as a facsimile machine.

The external device (receiving device) 91 receives and manages data from the communication unit 80.

This external device 91 basically includes a network control section 92, a modem 93, and a processing device 94.

The modulator/demodulator 93 demodulates the data received from the line 90 via the network control unit 92 and outputs it to the processing device 94, and also modulates the data from the processing device 94 into an audio signal.
It is output to the line 90 via the network control section 92.

The processing device 94 converts the data received from the modem 93 into
For example, it may be stored in a storage device 945 such as a floppy disk, or it may be stored in a display device 942 such as a CRT display.
or a printing device 943 such as a printer.
It is used for printing. In addition, the processing device 94
is equipped with an input device 944 such as a keyboard, and can, for example, request the communication unit 80 to transfer various data from the external device 91 side, or input the contents of the non-volatile RAM 612 in the copier main body 1, for example. Exposure lamp 4
It is also possible to rewrite the adjustment value of the exposure voltage.

In this way, the copying machine main body 1 is provided in advance with an electrical connection between the communication unit 80, which serves as a transmission means for transmitting various information such as error information of the copying machine main body 1 and usage status of consumables, and the copying machine main body 1. By using the IC socket 63 for the memory IC on the main control printed wiring board 64, electronic copiers that are not designed to be able to connect online can be connected online without much increase in cost. Connection can be made so that the various information described above can be received by the external device 91 via the communication unit 80.

This allows you to obtain various information on the usage status of the electronic copying machine, such as error information and usage status of consumables, while being away from the electronic copying machine.
Before going to the site, it is possible to understand to some extent the usage status and malfunction status of the equipment, reducing the time and effort required for maintenance. In some cases, changing the adjustment value can be done simply from the external device 91 side, eliminating the need to even go to the site.

Furthermore, if a plurality of electronic copying machines are managed using the location where the external device 91 is installed as a center, even more efficient operation becomes possible.

In the embodiment described above, the memory (R
Although the case where the IC socket 63 for IC (OM) IC is used has been described, the present invention is not limited to this.
In short, other connection means may be used as long as they are provided in the copying machine main body 1 in advance. For example, RAM
An IC socket for mounting an IC or an IC socket for mounting a microcomputer IC may be used.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, even an image forming apparatus that is already in operation and which is not designed to enable online connection can be connected online without much increase in cost. By enabling connectivity, various information such as error information and usage status of consumables can be easily collected from a remote location without having to go to the location where the image forming device is installed, making it easier to manage the image forming device in a remote location. An information collection system for an image forming apparatus can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating means for connecting the communication unit to the main control printed wiring board of the electronic copying machine, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the electronic copying machine. 1... Copying machine main body, 60... Main control unit, 61...
Memory section, 611...ROM, 612...Nonvolatile RAM. 62... Input/output interface, 63... IC socket, 64... Main control printed wiring board, 8o...
- Communication unit (transmission means), 81... communication control section,
91...External device (receiving device). (A) Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue (B) Go to Figure 3.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) Image formation having an image forming means for forming an image on an image carrier, a detachable control means for controlling the image forming operation of the image forming means, and a connecting means for detachably connecting the control means. a transmitting means connected to the connecting means of the image forming apparatus and transmitting various information under usage conditions of the image forming apparatus; and a receiving apparatus receiving information transmitted by the transmitting means. An information collection system for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that: (2) The information gathering system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means is a control integrated circuit that controls an image forming operation of the image forming means. (3) The information collection system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a control integrated circuit can also be connected to the connecting means at the same time. (4) The information collection system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the connecting means is a socket into which a control integrated circuit is mounted.