JPH0971025A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can rewrite freely a fault display at the time of generation of fault and also infer the cause of fault. SOLUTION: A fault display received from a host device 101 is registered in a nonvolatile memory 107 by a state control section 106 through a circuit control section 103 and an analysis section 105, and a display content is called from the nonvolatile memory 107 by the state control section 106 at the time of generation of fault and displayed on a display device 109. Also an inference information is registered in the nonvolatile memory 107, and a fault site is inferred from the inference information and an information from a sensing section 108 and displayed on.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer having a trouble display function, and more particularly to a printer having a paper feed path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various types of printers that display the details of a failure when a failure occurs. However, if the display content is to be changed, the system builder must request the manufacturer to change the display content. As in the technology described in Japanese Patent Publication, when a failure occurs, the failure factor is displayed in a manner closely related to the user's work, even though the failure factor directly from the failure detection unit is displayed. The current situation is that there are none.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned prior art, for example, in a printer having a feeding path for feeding a sheet out of a hopper, only for displaying a faulty portion,
If the user is unfamiliar and uses a non-standard paper, and a jam occurs in the paper transport path, only the "paper jam" is displayed, and the "paper fraud" that is the cause cannot be displayed. However, there was a problem that the user continued to use the non-standard paper. The purpose of the present invention is to allow the system builder to rewrite the fault display as desired.
It is possible to infer the cause of failure such as the location of the failure,
It is to provide a printer that can display a fault that truly stands on the side of the user.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a means for inputting a trouble indication such as "paper size illegal jam" prepared by a system builder to a printer (such as 104 in FIG. 1). And means for storing (Fig. 1
107), paper jam (jam), and failure of print head in print unit (108 in FIG. 1, 1)
12) and the like, the failure display information can be registered and changed, the current failure status of the printer is judged based on the information from the detection means, and the corresponding failure display registered in advance by the system builder is displayed. In a printer configured to be transmitted to and displayed by the means (109 in FIG. 1), a means (FIG. 1) for receiving inference information given by a system builder for inferring a faulty part with a predetermined feature amount. Of 10
4, 105, etc.) and means for storing the inference information (FIG. 1).
No. 107) is provided, the failure site is inferred using the information from the failure detection means and the inference information, and a failure display including designation of the failure site is performed based on the inference result.

[0005]

In the present invention, since the fault information prepared by the system builder is registered and displayed when a fault occurs, and the contents of the fault display can be changed by the system builder, the fault display more suited to the user's actual usage can be displayed. It is possible. Further, since the display content at the time of failure can be set from the host apparatus while online connected to the host apparatus, it is possible to change the display at the time of failure according to the work to be performed.
In addition, when it is thought that the location of failure is diverse,
A membership function is calculated which has features such as the sheet thickness given by the system builder, the user's skill level, and the total device usage time.
y Since it is inferred and displayed, more detailed fault display can be performed. Even when it does not cause a failure but a warning is required, the system builder can change the failure information to allow a warning to be displayed according to the user's actual usage.

[0006]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The printing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a printer 102 and a host device 101. The printer 102 includes a line control unit 10 that controls transmission / reception of data transmitted from the higher-level device 101 via the signal line 120.
3, the data from the line control unit 103 to the signal line 121
An analysis unit 105 that receives the print data via a signal line 124 and an input unit 104 that is used to input various information to the printer 102. Printing section 111
The detection unit 10 that receives information from the print control unit 110 that transmits a control signal to the printer through the signal line 128, the sensor group 112 that detects paper detection, head movement detection, memory abnormality, and the like.
8 is provided. Further, a control command is received via the signal line 122, information from the input unit 104 is received via the signal line 124 via the signal line 123, and information from the detection unit 108 is received via the signal line 127. The present situation is judged from the signal line 125, the non-volatile memory 107 recorded in the format including the display registration area 410, the work order 420, etc. is read and written via the signal line 125 and is displayed via the signal line 126. The state control unit 106 that instructs the unit 109 to display characters is provided.

Next, the input display of the failure display wording in this embodiment will be described. In addition, the input display device of the present embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 3, an input unit 104 including a display unit 109 and a numeric keypad is provided. In addition, the trouble display input procedure and the wording displayed on the display unit 109 in this embodiment are as shown in FIG. The system builder uses the input unit 10
4 is operated to set the failure display registration mode, the state control unit 106 receives the above operation and displays "SHOUGAI CODE NEW RYOK" on the display device 109 (item 1 in FIG. 4). Therefore, a fault code indicating a specific fault is input via the input means 104 (item number 2 in FIG. 4). When the fault code is input, the state control unit 106 displays the existing fault (item number 3 in FIG. 4). Next, the system builder inputs a failure display that the user can easily understand (item 4 in FIG. 4).
In response to the trouble display input, the state control unit 106 registers the trouble display having the trouble code at the head in the corresponding display code matrix of the display registration area 410 of the nonvolatile memory 107. At the same time, the system builder registers information (worknote 420) indicating which column of the corresponding display registration area 410 is to be displayed when a failure occurs. Similarly, from the higher-level device 101, the registration display start command 501 for failure display, the failure code 502, the failure display 503, and the registration column number 504 shown in FIG.
When data is transmitted to the printer 102 in the order of the work order information 505, the state control unit 106 that has received the transmission data via the line control unit 103 and the analysis unit 105 causes the non-volatile memory 107 to receive a predetermined area (fault code 502). , The transmission data is written in the area indicated by the registered column number 504).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of the printer 102 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the first hopper 601, the second hopper 602 that stores paper, the sensors 615 and 616 that detect the presence or absence of paper in the hopper, the motors 620 and 621 that feed paper from the hopper, and the pickup roller 64.
0, 641, a motor 622 for vertical conveyance, a sensor 613 for detecting a sheet in the vertical conveyance path, a horizontal conveyance path motor 623,
There are sensors 611 and 610 for detecting the paper in the lateral conveyance path and a printing unit 111, which are connected to the detection unit 108. Note that reference numeral 660 indicates a transport path. When printing is normally carried out from the hopper 601, the printer drives the motor 621 after checking the presence / absence of paper with the sensor 615, and then the sensor 612.
After confirming the feeding of the paper from the hopper with the vertical transport motor 6
22 is driven to vertically convey the paper. When the sheet passes through the sensor 613, the lateral conveyance path motor 623 is driven. Sensor 6
When the paper passes through 11, the printing unit 11 moves and the sensor 61
This device prints until 0 is no paper
When the jam is generated between the sensors 613 and 611 and covered with 0 to 652, the upper cover 651, the middle cover 650, and the lower cover 652 are opened according to the occurrence site, and the residual paper is taken out. Note that, for convenience of description below, the conveyance path covered by the lower cover 652 is part A (63).
0), the conveyance path covered by the middle cover 650 is part B (63
1), the conveying path covered by the upper cover 651 is a portion C (63
2). When the user sets a paper having a thin paper thickness outside the regulation in the hopper, as a result, the bending rigidity of the paper is insufficient, and the paper is crushed at the curved portion D (840) and cannot be conveyed. Therefore, the state control unit 106 cannot detect the sheet by the sensor 613 within the specified time, so that the “613 sensor jam” is detected.
Is displayed. The system builder, who finds that many failures have occurred due to the user's erroneous operation, registers to display "KAMIA TUFF" when the sensor 613 does not detect the paper within the specified time. Needless to say, the method of inputting the failure display may be another method (for example, an IC card, a magnetic medium, etc.). Further, if the user uses the wrong paper, "Kamiya Tsusei" is displayed, so that the user can confirm whether or not the wrong paper is used, and the same error can be prevented. Similarly, when the sensor 615 detects that the amount of paper in the hopper 601 is low, it is easier to display "Ox Denpyou Hokukyu" than a warning display such as "Kamihanokoiwazuka". Furthermore, it goes without saying that the system builder can change the warning display such as "low toner level", "ink ribbon is thin", or "paper is running out", which does not cause any trouble. In the present embodiment, such a specific display enables the user to perform work more smoothly. That is, the system builder can change the display content of the failure display, and the failure display can be performed according to the actual usage.

(Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, in addition to the function of arbitrarily changing the fault display by the system builder as in the above-described embodiment, more detailed fault display can be made from one fault detection. Indicates a printer that can. 1 and 6 showing the first embodiment will be used in the following description. In this embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment,
Under the control of the state control unit 106, a membership function that displays the estimation result as a failure targeting only a predetermined feature amount can be registered and changed in the non-volatile memory 107 from the input unit 104 and the host device 101. To configure.
Further, when a failure occurs, based on the calculation result of the membership function, the failure part having the highest certainty factor (A to C in FIG. 6).
Section, 630-632). That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the feature amount is τ, the failure site is A
(630 in FIG. 6), the certainty factor is φ (τ), and the failure site is B
(631 in FIG. 6), the certainty factor is φ (τ), and the failure site is C
A membership function having a certainty factor (632 in FIG. 6) as φ (τ) is given. As a result, when the feature amount is α, φ (α)> φ (α) = φ (α), so the printer displays that the faulty part is A.
When the feature amount is β, φ (β)> φ (β)> φ (β), and therefore the printer displays that the faulty part is A.
When the feature amount is δ, φ (δ)> φ (δ)> φ (δ), and therefore the printer displays that the faulty part is C.
Inference process is added.

Here, the process of estimating the faulty part in this embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8. First, the system builder pre-determines where the jam occurred in the A, B, and C parts, and the system builder told the printer based on his experience so far that the paper thickness and the use of the pickup roller were factors of the jam. Membership function with time and paper length as features, and display when the failure area is known
("Sita Cover Wojo Jyokyo", "Naka Cover Ajo Jyokyo", "Wecover Wo Ake Jyokyo") is registered. Jam occurs when the paper is fed from the hopper 1,
If the pick-up roller usage time, paper length, and paper thickness at that time are 4800 h, 210 mm, and 0.05 mm, respectively, the certainty factor that the faulty part is the A part is 0 + 0.13 + 0 = 0.13 B part. The certainty factor is 0.15 + 0 + 0.14 = 0.29 C part The certainty factor is 0.21 + 0 + 0.36 = 0.57, and the faulty part has the highest certainty factor C part (63 in FIG. 6).
Since it is estimated that there is a problem in 2), "Wa cover cover is displayed" is displayed. Note that, in FIG. 8, (a) is the failure certainty factor at each part due to the roller usage time, (b) is the failure certainty factor at each part depending on the sheet length, and (c) is the failure certainty factor at each part depending on the sheet thickness. Are shown respectively.

[0011]

According to the present invention, means for inputting a fault display prepared by a system builder, represented by a switch, a fault detection unit for detecting a fault occurrence, and a current printer based on information from the fault detection unit Correspondence between the fault status and the fault display registered by the system builder, the fault display can be instructed to the display unit, and the state control unit and the display unit can display the fault based on the command from the state control unit It is possible that the display contents at the time of failure can be directly input from the host device to the status control unit online without using the input means provided, and it is estimated that there are various indirect causes at the time of failure occurrence. At this time, since it is possible to infer and display the failure site by calculating a certainty factor by calculating a membership function having the sheet thickness, the user's skill level, the total usage time of the device, etc. as the feature amount, System builders is possible to construct a printing system in line with the actual situation of the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a format of a failure display stored in a nonvolatile memory according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an input display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a fault display input procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data stream and the like sent from a higher-level device in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a membership function in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a membership function according to each feature amount used in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 101: host device, 102: printer, 103: line control unit, 104: input unit, 105: analysis unit, 106: state control unit, 107: non-volatile memory, 108: detection unit, 1
09: display device, 110: print control unit, 111: print unit, 112: sensor group, 120 to 128: signal lines.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Input / display means and means for detecting paper jams in the transport path and printhead failures in the printing section,
The fault display information is provided with a unit for receiving the input fault display information and a unit for storing the fault display information, the fault display information stored in the storage unit is registered and changed, and the fault display information and the fault display information are stored. In a printer configured to display a failure in association with each other, means for receiving inference information for inferring a failure site with a predetermined feature amount, and means for storing the inference information are provided. A printer configured to infer a faulty part using inference information and information from the fault detecting means, and perform a fault display including designation of the faulty part based on the inference result.