JPH08265474A - Image copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain an image copying device capable of quickly attaining the collection and correspondence of user's dissatisfaction. CONSTITUTION: When a human detecting device 15 detects a human, a voice from a microphone is recorded by a recorder 12. When 'user's dissatisfied word' such as 'Oho !' and 'Heck !' registered in a keyword table 131 is detected by a speech recognizing device 13, a control device 21 stores dissatisfaction generation time and event history such as operation on an operation panel 14, the temperature of a heater and the feeding/carrying state of paper in a dissatisfaction history storing part. The contents of dissatisfaction are sorted based upon the dissatisfaction history and each corresponding counterplane is adopted. In the case of 'dissatisfaction due to a device error' for instance, the statistics of dissatisfaction are collected, a caution message for the use of a device generating errors frequently is outputted and recorded in service history and a message for demanding service man's service is outputted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image copying apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for copying and outputting an image such as a copy, a printer, a scanner, a fax or the like, which makes it easy to recognize the dissatisfaction of a customer or the like. The present invention relates to an image copying apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Image copying apparatuses including various types of OA equipment such as copying machines and fax machines are widely used in offices and the like.
When investigating a specific problem or dissatisfaction that occurs when a user uses these image copying devices, a method such as a complaint report or an interview from the user is used.

[0003]

However, in order to investigate the problems caused by this method and user dissatisfaction,
It took a lot of time and effort. Therefore, the solution to the problem cannot be reflected in the device until the next version of the product or the next new product is waited for, and the user's dissatisfaction cannot be collected or dealt with quickly.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image copying apparatus capable of quickly collecting and handling user complaints.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided image reading means for reading an image from an image recording medium such as paper, and image writing means for writing the image read by the image reading means. An operation means for instructing the content of the image writing by the image writing means and the reading of the image by the image reading means, a display means for displaying the content of the instruction of the operation part, and a voice for converting into an electrical voice signal. A voice input means for inputting the voice, a voice recognition means for recognizing the voice included in the voice signal input from the voice input means as words, and a recognized voice holding means for holding the voice recognized by the voice recognition means. It is provided in an image copying apparatus to achieve the above object. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image copying apparatus according to the first aspect, the image reading apparatus, the image writing section, and the operation recording section for recording the content of the operation by the operating section are further provided in the image copying apparatus. In order to achieve the above purpose. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the image copying apparatus according to the first or second aspect further includes a recording means for recording the voice input from the voice input means to achieve the above object.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the image copying apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, an external interface means for connecting to an external device, and the external interface means are provided. The above object can be achieved by further comprising communication means for communicating with another device through the interface means. In the image copying apparatus according to claim 5, in the image copying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the user is dissatisfied with the sound recognized by the sound recognition means. The object is achieved by further comprising dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting the occurrence of. According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the image copying apparatus according to the second aspect, the dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting occurrence of user's dissatisfaction from the voice recognized by the voice recognition means, and the dissatisfaction detecting means for dissatisfaction. When the occurrence of is detected, the dissatisfaction operation instruction detecting means for detecting whether or not the same operation content as that before and after the dissatisfaction detection recorded in the operation recording means is instructed by the operation means, and the dissatisfaction operation instruction. The above-mentioned object is achieved by further comprising: a warning means for outputting a warning message when the detection means detects that the same operation content as before and after the dissatisfaction detection is instructed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the image copying apparatus according to the fourth aspect further includes a dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting occurrence of user's dissatisfaction from the voice recognized by the voice recognizing means, The communication means achieves the above-mentioned object by communicating the record of the occurrence of dissatisfaction recorded in the operation recording means when the occurrence of dissatisfaction is detected by the dissatisfaction detecting means. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image copying apparatus according to the fourth aspect, a dissatisfaction detecting unit that detects occurrence of user dissatisfaction based on the voice recognized by the voice recognizing unit, and a dissatisfaction detecting unit dissatisfied. When the occurrence of is detected, the dissatisfaction operation instruction detecting means for detecting whether or not the same operation content as that before and after the dissatisfaction detection recorded in the operation recording means is instructed by the operation means, and the dissatisfaction operation instruction. The detecting means further comprises a caution means for outputting a caution message when detecting that the same content as the operation content before and after the dissatisfaction detection is instructed, and the communication means is provided with the dissatisfaction detecting means. When the occurrence is detected, the record of the dissatisfaction occurrence recorded in the operation recording unit, the operation contents before and after the dissatisfaction detection, and the caution message are communicated to achieve the above object. To. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image copying apparatus according to the sixth or eighth aspect, an occurrence frequency detecting means for detecting an occurrence frequency for each error type from the dissatisfaction detected by the dissatisfaction detecting means is further provided. The caution means achieves the above object by changing the caution message according to the occurrence frequency detected by the occurrence frequency detection means.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the image copying apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of an image copying apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the image copying apparatus includes a microphone 11, a recording device 12, a voice recognition device 13, an operation panel 14, a human detection device 15, a timer 16, a reading device 17, a writing device 18, and an image processing device 19. The external interface 20 and the control device 21 are connected to each other via a bus line 22 such as a data bus.

The microphone 11 is adapted to convert a sound wave into an electric signal (voice signal). . Recording device 12
Records an audio signal, but is equipped with a silent state detection device (not shown), and if no audio is detected, nothing is recorded. Further, the recording device 12 records the time supplied from the timer 16 at the same time as recording the audio signal. The voice recognition device 13 is adapted to detect a word from a voice signal converted into an electric signal by the microphone 11. The voice recognition device 13 is provided with a keyword table 131, and in this keyword table, the words "Ah!""Check!"
"Are,""Baka,""Mou,""Konoyaro,""Uso,""Why," and other noun-related noun groups "sort,""stack,""copy,""paper,""paperjam." Words such as "jam" are registered. Speech recognition device 1
3 detects whether the words registered in the keyword table 13 are uttered by the user and the uttered voice.

The operation panel 14 is provided with an image display section 142 such as an LCD or an LED, and a keyboard 141 having ten buttons, a copy button, a cancel button, and other input buttons necessary for operating the copying machine. The human detection device 15 detects that a human is near the copying machine. The human detection device 15 includes, for example, a light emitting element that outputs infrared light and a light receiving element that detects reflected light thereof, and an infrared sensor that detects human movement based on a change in infrared light received by the light receiving element can be used. Is. The timer 16 measures time and provides time information to each device.

The reading device 17 is provided with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) as a device for reading an image, and reads necessary image data from an image recording medium such as paper. The writing device 18 writes an image on a medium such as paper by using an image forming mechanism such as an electrophotographic engine, a dot matrix engine, an inkjet, a pen plotter, and an electrostatic plotter. The image processing device 19 adds the image read by the reading device 17 to
Various image processes such as scaling, rotation, color conversion, edge enhancement, etc. are performed. External interface 2
Reference numeral 0 is an interface for connecting to an external device, to which a telephone line 201 and a LAN (local area network) I / F 202 are connected. LANI /
The F201 includes Ethernet, token ring, serial port, parallel port, and the like.

The control device 21 controls each of these devices 11-2.
It controls 0 as a whole. The control device 21
The dissatisfaction history list 211, the countermeasure list 212, and the service history list 213 are provided. The control device 21 includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), a ROM (read only memory) storing various programs and data, a working area, and a RAM (random access) used as each list 211, 212, 213. ·memory)
It is realized by a microcomputer provided with.

Next, the operation of the embodiment thus constructed will be described. (1) Operation as a copier The operation as a copier is as follows. That is, the user uses the operation panel 14 to instruct the number of copies, the size of the copy source document and the paper to be copied, and the copy method such as scaling or rotation. The control device 21 controls the operation panel 14, interprets the copying method input by the user, issues appropriate commands to the reading device 17, the image processing device 19, and the writing device 18, and realizes the copying operation. .

(2) Dissatisfaction Collection Operation FIG. 2 shows details of the dissatisfaction collection operation. First,
The control device 21 determines whether or not an event has occurred (step 11), and when the event has occurred (Y), records the event in the event history (step 12).
That is, the control device 21 controls operations performed on the operation panel 14, messages displayed on the operation panel 14, opening / closing of the cover, temperature of the heater, paper feeding / conveying status, detected human position and number, and the like. The recorded event history of the event is held together with the time stamp. Next, the control device 21 determines whether or not there is a record 30 minutes or more before in the recorded event history (step 13). Then, since the control device 21 does not need to permanently save the old history, the control device 21 deletes the event that has passed 30 minutes or more (step 14).

On the other hand, the human detection device 15 monitors whether or not the human has approached the image copying device, and when the human comes close, the control device 21 is notified that the human is near (step 15). When a human approaches (step 15;
Y), the control device 21 activates the microphone 11, the voice recognition device 13, and the recording device 12 (step 16).
When the person does not operate the image copying apparatus and moves away from the image copying apparatus, the activation of the microphone 11, the voice recognition device 13, and the recording device 12 is stopped. On the other hand, when the user starts operating the image copying apparatus, the control device 21 operates according to the user's instruction. During this time, the microphone 11
Keeps sending voice to the voice recognition device 13 and the recording device 12.

In the voice recognition device 13, the keyword table 13
When a "word to be emitted when the user feels dissatisfied" such as "check!" Or "sort" registered in 1 is detected (step 17; Y), the word is transmitted to the control device 21.
The control device 21 moves the time and the event history up to that point from the event history storage unit to the dissatisfaction history storage unit and stores them (step 18). The time recorded here is the "dissatisfaction occurrence time". Then, the control device 21
Sets the voice recognition device 13 to recognize all words by continuing voice recognition for 10 seconds (step 19). As a result, the voice recognition device 13 recognizes the words for 10 seconds from “when dissatisfaction occurs”, and recognizes the words for 10 seconds.
Send to The control device 21 stores this word together with the history stored in the dissatisfaction history storage unit in step 18 (step 20).

Next, the control device 21 judges whether or not 20 seconds have passed since there were no human beings, and if not, it returns to step 17 (step 21; N),
After detecting dissatisfaction, collect all events until the user finishes using the copier. That is, all the events are after dissatisfaction until the copying machine is not performing the copying operation, the operation panel 14 is not operated, and the state where the user cannot detect near the apparatus continues for 20 seconds or more. Recorded as a process. However, if the above conditions are met due to a paper jam condition or cover open condition, etc., the user only takes time to recover the error, and it is unlikely that the copying operation has been completed, so event collection will continue. It Next, the control device 21 analyzes the dissatisfaction record stored in the dissatisfaction record storage unit, determines whether the device is in an error state (step 22), and when it is in an error state, shifts to step 17 (; Y), if not in an error state, move to step 11 (; N).

(3) Investigation / Classification of Causes of Dissatisfaction Next, the determination of whether or not the error state is made and the classification of the error performed by the control device 21 will be described. If there is an error due to an external factor such as a cover open within 3 seconds before the dissatisfaction occurs, and the copy operation performed by the user after error recovery is considered to be the continuation of the one before the dissatisfaction occurred. , The dissatisfaction is classified as “complaint due to error due to external factor”. If an error such as a paper jam occurs due to the device itself within 3 seconds before the dissatisfaction occurs, and the copying operation performed by the user after error recovery is considered to be the continuation of the one before the dissatisfaction occurred. , The dissatisfaction is classified as “dissatisfaction due to device error”.

If a paper-out error occurs within 3 seconds before the dissatisfaction occurs, and the copying operation performed by the user after the error recovery is considered to be the continuation of the one before the dissatisfaction occurs, the error occurs. Dissatisfaction is classified as "dissatisfaction without paper". After the dissatisfaction occurs, if the copying operation is immediately terminated or canceled, and the subsequent copying operation is different from the copying operation before the dissatisfaction occurred, the dissatisfaction is "complaint due to operation error".
Is classified as. Dissatisfactions that could not be classified into these "dissatisfactions" are classified into "other dissatisfactions".

(4) Generation of Countermeasures With respect to each dissatisfaction collected in the operation of the dissatisfaction collection in (2) and classified in (3), the control unit 21 generates the following respective countermeasures. For "complaint due to error due to external factors",
Record as a part of the service history of the device without taking any special measures.

For "dissatisfaction due to device error", statistics are taken as an error of the device, and when a specific device often causes an error, using that device,
Issue a caution message, record it in the service history, and issue a message prompting service by a service person. For example, when copying using the ADF, if the 10th sheet often causes a paper jam, the user will be prompted with a caution message when starting copying with the ADF: "The 10th sheet is easily jammed. Do you want to execute it? "Is displayed on the LCD display device and the user is asked to confirm. If you actually get a paper jam,
A message such as "ADF seems to be out of order. We recommend calling a service person" is displayed.

As for "dissatisfaction due to lack of paper", the caution message when the remaining amount of paper is low is changed to something more conspicuous than the current one. In this, several types of caution messages for "no paper" are set in advance,
By default, the softest message is used: the red light flashes when the paper runs low. However, if "paper-less dissatisfaction" occurs frequently, a more prominent message is used: the lamp flashes and an alarm sounds once when the copying process to start using the paper is started. Become. Furthermore, if the dissatisfaction continues, a more prominent message, that is, when copying using paper with a low remaining amount, the lamp blinks and the message "The paper is running out" is displayed on the LCD display device. Every time you make a copy, you will get an alarm, and you will use.

"Dissatisfaction due to operation error" is collected by combining "wrong setting" and "original setting". Then, it detects "incorrect settings" that occur frequently, and when such settings are selected, immediately before executing the copy operation, a message prompting you to confirm whether or not the incorrect settings have been made is issued. . For example, if you get dissatisfied if you specify "Stack" or neither "Sort" nor "Stack" when making multiple copies in the ADF, you do not have to "Sort" multiple copies from the ADF. When selected with, an alarm sounds immediately before the copying operation starts,
A confirmation message "Does sorting not necessary?" Is displayed on the LCD.

(5) Propagation of Dissatisfaction History and Countermeasures The countermeasures generated as described above will be more convenient for the user if they are adopted by other devices. Therefore, the external interface 20
Can be communicated with other devices to exchange remedies for changed complaints between the devices. Control device 2
1 communicates with a predetermined partner via the external interface 20 according to a predetermined schedule. The schedule may have a pattern of periodic communication, a pattern of occasional communication when information is accumulated to some extent, or a pattern of not performing voluntary communication and doing nothing until another device calls for communication. Communication paths include public telephone lines, private telephones, and networks. The communication partner is determined in advance by setting it from the operation panel 14 or the like, by broadcasting on the network, or by searching for a specific service registered in the name service of the network system.

FIG. 3 shows a network to which a plurality of image copying apparatuses are connected. In this network, the image copying device A, the image copying device B, and the image copying device C are the devices of this embodiment. Then, the image copying apparatus A is set as a server of the apparatus group, and communicates with the image copying apparatus B and the image copying apparatus C on a regular basis. On the other hand, the image copying apparatus B and the image copying apparatus C are set as clients and do not spontaneously communicate with each other. Device X, device Y, device Z
Is a device connected to another network.

Next, the operation in which the image copying apparatus A, which is a server, communicates with the image copying apparatuses B and C will be described. The image copying apparatus A starts communication with the image copying apparatus B at the determined time. Then, the dissatisfaction history collected since the time of the previous communication and the countermeasure currently used are transmitted to the image copying apparatus B, and the dissatisfaction history of the image copying apparatus C obtained through the previous communication with the image copying apparatus C and the countermeasure are taken. To the image copying apparatus B and request the image copying apparatus B to send back the same information and service history. The image copying apparatus B sends to the image copying apparatus A the dissatisfaction history, countermeasures, and service history of the image copying apparatus B since the last communication. The image copying apparatus A that has received the information ends the communication with the image copying apparatus B.

Next, the image copying apparatus A is the image copying apparatus C.
And the dissatisfaction history of the image copying apparatus A since the last communication and the countermeasure, and the dissatisfaction history since the last communication and the countermeasure obtained from the image copying apparatus B to the image copying apparatus C. Request to send back the same information and service history. When the communication is not frequently performed, after the communication is completed, the communication with the image copying apparatus B is performed again, and the information obtained from the image copying apparatus C is sent to the image copying apparatus B to make the information of each apparatus uniform.

(6) Comparison of Dissatisfaction History and Countermeasures Each device that has obtained information from another device compares its own dissatisfaction occurrence frequency with other devices according to the type of dissatisfaction. Then, the following processing is performed depending on the type of dissatisfaction. When it is found that the "complaint due to an error due to an external factor" is particularly likely to occur by myself, the fact can be recorded in the service history so that the service person can deal with it.

If the frequency of occurrence of "dissatisfaction due to device error" is found to be prone to occur in one device error and less likely to occur in another device, then a copying operation using that device is selected. If so, display a message recommending that you use a machine that is not prone to error. For example, when the ADF jam frequently occurs in the image copying apparatus C, but does not occur at all in the image copying apparatus B,
"The ADF seems to be out of order.
Is good, so we recommend that you use Image Copier B. We also recommend that you call a service person to check this device. Message is displayed, and it is recorded in the service history that errors frequently occur, especially in the ADF.

When it is found that "dissatisfaction due to lack of paper" is likely to occur in the own device and is unlikely to occur in another device,
When a message prompting you to add paper is displayed, a message recommending that you increase the paper capacity of the device is displayed. For example,
When the paper in the input tray is low, the message “The paper is low. It is recommended to add a large paper feed unit to reduce the paper out error” is displayed and Record in the service history that units should be added.

The frequency information of "dissatisfaction due to operation error" is added to the frequency information of dissatisfaction generated by oneself, and is referred to when selecting a countermeasure. This allows the "experience" of another device
However, it can be utilized in other devices, and the user interface can be improved as a whole.

(7) Recovery of dissatisfaction and countermeasures Each device has a complaint history, recording of dissatisfaction sounds, and countermeasures, and in the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 3, it becomes a server. Since the device (image copying device A) holds the information of all the devices, the serviceman goes to the place where such a device is located and collects complaint records and voice recordings and countermeasures, network, Alternatively, they can be collected by communicating with the device using a public telephone line. By collecting dissatisfaction history and countermeasures from many devices and processing them statistically, user dissatisfaction can be fed back to statistics, and humans can investigate dissatisfaction history and recorded complaint voice. As a result, the user's opinion can be obtained more accurately. Also, when a service person or sales person visits the customer, by checking the complaint history and the service history in advance, it is possible to know what kind of dissatisfaction the customer usually has with the device. You can repair defects in the equipment or recommend additional options.

As described above, according to the image copying apparatus of the present embodiment, the error history and the dissatisfaction history remain, and the service person or the sales person can refer to these histories. This is useful as a reference material for investigating areas where problems are likely to occur, repairing them before they really break, or recommending optional items that the user may find useful. Moreover, since the voice can be recorded as it is by the recording device 12, it is possible to check that the voice is not recognized. Therefore, the user's dissatisfaction that does not appear on the surface can be recorded by voice, and by examining this, it can be used as a material for deeper understanding of the user's desire and making a better device.

Since it is network compatible, it is possible to cooperate with other devices. Therefore, it is possible to reduce troubles to the user by exchanging error histories among a plurality of devices and recommending the use of another machine when one's faulty function is likely to be used. Further, even if the user is dissatisfied with an interview or the like, it is not always possible to hear the exact dissatisfaction due to the stereotype of the user. For example, if the user thinks the copying machine is a jam, the user will not complain even if the jam is a little. However, the moment when dissatisfaction occurs in voice recognition can be detected.

Further, by detecting the dissatisfaction, checking the cause, and issuing a message for preventing the recurrence, it is possible to reduce the dissatisfaction of the user. In addition, by operating one image copying apparatus as a server, when a service person collects information, the information of all the apparatuses can be collected by checking the apparatus. In addition, the communication cost between the devices can be reduced by considering the arrangement of the servers. Also, by exchanging the dissatisfaction detection information with another device, the scope of investigation can be expanded and the reliability of the information can be improved. Further, by checking the occurrence frequency for each type of error and changing the caution message, the cause of user dissatisfaction can be removed early.

[0036]

According to the image copying apparatus of the present invention, voice input means for converting voice into an electric voice signal and inputting the voice signal,
Since the voice recognition means for recognizing the voice included in the voice signal input from the voice input means as a word and the recognized voice holding means for holding the voice recognized by the voice recognition means are provided, the user's dissatisfaction can be collected and dealt with. Can be achieved quickly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image copying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the dissatisfaction collecting operation in the image copying apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram showing a network to which a plurality of image copying apparatuses are connected.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Microphone 12 Recording Device 13 Voice Recognition Device 14 Operation Panel 15 Human Detecting Device 16 Timer 17 Reading Device 18 Writing Device 19 Image Processing Device 20 External Interface 21 Control Device 22 Bus Line

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An image reading unit for reading an image from an image recording medium such as paper, an image writing unit for writing the image read by the image reading unit, an image writing by the image writing unit and the image reading. Operation means for instructing the content of image reading by means, display means for displaying the instruction content of the operation part, voice input means for converting voice into an electrical voice signal and inputting it, and from this voice input means An image copying apparatus comprising: a voice recognition unit that recognizes a voice included in an input voice signal as a word; and a recognition voice holding unit that holds the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit. 2. The image reading means, the image writing means,
The image copying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation recording unit that records the content of the operation by the operation unit. 3. A recording means for recording the voice input from the voice input means is provided.
An image copying apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2. 4. An external interface means for connecting to an external device, and a communication means for communicating with another device through the external interface means. An image copying apparatus according to claim 1. 5. The dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting occurrence of dissatisfaction of the user from the voice recognized by the voice recognizing means is provided, and any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided. The image copying apparatus described in the item. 6. A dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting the occurrence of dissatisfaction of the user from the voice recognized by the voice recognizing means, and when the occurrence of dissatisfaction is detected by the dissatisfaction detecting means,
A dissatisfied operation instruction detection unit that detects whether or not the same operation content as that before and after the dissatisfaction detection recorded in the operation recording unit is instructed by the operation unit; When it is detected that the same content as the operation content is instructed,
The image copying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a caution unit that outputs a caution message. 7. A dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting occurrence of dissatisfaction of the user from the voice recognized by the voice recognizing means, wherein the communication means is operable to detect the dissatisfaction when the dissatisfaction detecting means detects the occurrence of dissatisfaction. The image copying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein communication of recording of dissatisfaction occurrence recorded in the operation recording means is performed. 8. A dissatisfaction detecting means for detecting occurrence of dissatisfaction of the user from the voice recognized by the voice recognizing means, and when the dissatisfaction occurrence is detected by the dissatisfaction detecting means,
A dissatisfied operation instruction detection unit that detects whether or not the same operation content as that before and after the dissatisfaction detection recorded in the operation recording unit is instructed by the operation unit; When it is detected that the same content as the operation content is instructed,
And a communication unit that outputs a caution message, wherein the communication unit records the dissatisfaction occurrence recorded in the operation recording unit when the dissatisfaction detection unit detects the dissatisfaction occurrence, and the operation before and after the dissatisfaction detection. The image copying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the content and the caution message are communicated. 9. An occurrence frequency detecting means for detecting the occurrence frequency for each type of error from the dissatisfaction detected by the dissatisfaction detecting means, wherein the caution means is responsive to the occurrence frequency detected by the occurrence frequency detecting means. 9. The image copying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the caution message is changed.