JPH10198235A - Method and device for controlling copying device and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide proper maintenance service corresponding to individual users by changing the threshold value of the risk judgement of a copying means based on the informing frequency of jam from users in the past. SOLUTION: When the jam is caused, the counter value of the number of copying sheets obtained at that time and this time are recorded on a jam storage table by a communication controller 101. Thereafter, when the frequency of the jam recorded on a jam recording table arrives at a prescribed value, the data content thereof is transmitted to a host computer 104. By the computer 104, an accumulated jam curve is obtained based on the stored data after the storage of this jam data is finished and prescribed filter processing is executed based on the obtained accumulated jam curve. Then, the present risk is judged based on the content of a filter processing result. When the risk is judged, the reference of the risk judgement is changed according to the informing frequency with respect to the jam of the copying device 100 from users in the past.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for managing a copying machine having a jam diagnosis prediction function for judging the degree of risk based on jam occurrence information from a copying machine (copying means) for performing copying control, and the copying thereof. The present invention relates to a device management method and a storage medium used for the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a management apparatus of a copying apparatus having a jam diagnosis / prediction function, occurrence of a jam in the copying apparatus is detected, and a counter value at that time and a jam code representing the type of the jam are stored as jam information. By calculating the cumulative jam curve from the information and performing FIR filter processing, it is known whether the number of jam occurrences of the copying apparatus is increasing or decreasing, and the degree of risk is determined. Have been.

[0003]

However, in the conventional management apparatus for a copying apparatus having a function of predicting jam diagnosis, a certain value is used when judging the degree of risk from the obtained tendency information of jam occurrence. The value is set as a value and the determination is made based on whether or not the value exceeds the set threshold value. Therefore, there is a case where the dissatisfaction degree with respect to the jam occurrence frequency felt by the user does not correspond to the threshold value of the risk degree determination. Further, since the degree of dissatisfaction differs depending on the user even with the same frequency of occurrence of jam, there is a problem that it is necessary to individually set a threshold value for determining the degree of danger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and a first object of the present invention is to perform an optimum risk determination process for jam occurrence. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for managing a copying apparatus which can be used.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a method for managing a copying apparatus and a storage medium capable of smoothly controlling the apparatus according to the present invention.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing a copying apparatus, comprising the steps of: detecting a jam occurrence in a copying means for performing copying; A copy operation number detecting step of detecting the number of copy operations of the means, a jam code representing a type of the jam that has occurred at the time of the jam occurrence, and a jam information storing step of storing a value of the latest copy operation number;
A first calculating step for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored in the jam information storing step; and performing a predetermined filtering process based on the accumulated jam curve obtained in the first calculating step. A second calculation step for obtaining a result, a risk determination step for determining a current risk level from the contents of the filter processing result obtained in the second calculation step, and a risk level determined in the risk determination step Is output, and the risk determining step changes a risk determining criterion based on a frequency of a report from a past user to a jam in the copying unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing a copying apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of copying means are managed by the managing means. Step, a communication control step of monitoring a state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, and a first communication for communicating between the communication control means for executing the communication control step and the copying means. And a second communication step of communicating between the communication control means and the management means. The jam information storage step, the first calculation step, and the second calculation step are performed by the management means. And the risk determination step and the risk output step are performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a copying apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the managing means is a host computer. And

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing a copying apparatus, comprising the steps of:
A copying operation number detecting step for detecting the number of copying operations of the copying means, a jam code indicating the type of jam that occurred at the time of the occurrence of the jam, and a jam information storing step of storing the latest value of the number of copying operations; A first operation step of obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored in the information storage step, and performing a predetermined filter process based on the accumulated jam curve obtained in the first operation step, Second to seek
Calculating step, a risk determining step of determining the current risk from the contents of the filter processing result obtained by the second calculating step, and a risk of outputting the risk determined by the risk determining step An output step, wherein the risk determination step performs the risk determination using the initial machine performance of the copying unit at the time of factory shipment as a threshold value.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing a copying apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein a plurality of copying means are managed by the managing means. Step, a communication control step of monitoring a state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, and a first communication for communicating between the communication control means for executing the communication control step and the copying means. And a second communication step of communicating between the communication control means and the management means. The jam information storage step, the first calculation step, and the second calculation step are performed by the management means. And the risk determination step and the risk output step are performed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a copying apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the managing means is a host computer. And

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for managing a copy equipment value, comprising the steps of: detecting occurrence of a jam in a copying means for performing copying; Copying operation number detecting means for detecting the number of operation times, jam information storage means for storing a jam code indicating the type of jam that has occurred at the time of the occurrence of the jam, and the latest value of the number of copying operations; First calculating means for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the obtained data, and second calculating means for performing a predetermined filtering process based on the accumulated jam curve obtained by the first calculating means and obtaining a result of the filtering process Means, risk determining means for determining the current risk from the contents of the filter processing result obtained by the second calculating means, and risk determining means for determining the current risk. And a risk output means for outputting and the risk, the risk determination means may vary the criteria of risk judged by the frequency of reports from past user against jamming in the copying unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying apparatus management apparatus for managing a plurality of copying units, wherein the managing unit manages a plurality of copying units. Communication control means for monitoring the state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, first communication means for communicating between the communication control means and the copying means, the communication control means and the management means And a second communication means for communicating between the risk information and the jam information storage means, the first calculation means, the second calculation means, the risk determination means, and the risk degree. Output means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the ninth aspect, wherein the jam detecting means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Device).

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the tenth aspect, wherein the jam information storage means is a random access memory (RAM). ).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the copying operation number detecting means includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processing device).

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the first arithmetic means is C.
It is a PU (Central Processing Unit).

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copier management apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein the second arithmetic means is C.
It is a PU (Central Processing Unit).

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying apparatus management apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the risk determining means is C.
It is a PU (Central Processing Unit).

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copier management apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the risk output means is C.
It is a PU (Central Processing Unit).

According to another aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the first object, the management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the management means is a host computer. And

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the first communication means is a dedicated serial communication. And the second communication means is performed through a public telephone line.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management apparatus for a copying machine, comprising: a jam occurrence detecting means for detecting occurrence of a jam in a copying means for performing copy control; Copying operation number detecting means for detecting the number of operation times, jam information storage means for storing a jam code indicating the type of jam that has occurred at the time of the occurrence of the jam, and the latest value of the number of copying operations; First calculating means for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the obtained data, and second calculating means for performing a predetermined filtering process based on the accumulated jam curve obtained by the first calculating means and obtaining a result of the filtering process Means, risk determining means for determining the current risk from the contents of the filter processing result obtained by the second calculating means, and A risk output unit that outputs a cut-off risk, wherein the risk determination unit performs the risk determination using the initial machine performance of the copying unit at the time of factory shipment as a threshold. .

In order to achieve the first object, a management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to claim 19 is the management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to claim 18, wherein: Communication control means for monitoring the state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, first communication means for communicating between the communication control means and the copying means, the communication control means and the management means And a second communication means for communicating between the risk information and the jam information storage means, the first calculation means, the second calculation means, the risk determination means, and the risk degree. Output means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the jam detecting means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Device).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the jam information storage means is a RAM (random access memory). ).

In order to achieve the first object, a copying apparatus management apparatus according to claim 22 is the copying apparatus management apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the copying operation number detecting means includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processing device).

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus, wherein the first arithmetic means includes a central processing unit (CPU). Processing device).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a copying machine management apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the second arithmetic means includes a central processing unit (CPU). Processing device).

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described first aspect, the risk determining means may include a central processing unit (CPU). Device).

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described first aspect, the risk output means may include a central processing unit (CPU). Device).

According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the first object, the management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to the nineteenth aspect is characterized in that the management means is a host computer. And

According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, in order to attain the first object, the first aspect of the present invention relates to a copying apparatus management apparatus, wherein the first communication means is a dedicated serial communication. And the second communication means is performed through a public telephone line.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium for a copying apparatus having a jam diagnosis prediction function using a managing means for managing copying means for performing copy control. A storage medium for storing a control program for controlling, wherein a jam occurrence detecting module for detecting occurrence of a jam of the copying means, a copy operation number detecting module for detecting the number of copying operations of the copying means, And a jam information storage module for storing a jam code representing the type of jam that has occurred and a value of the latest number of copying operations, and a first operation for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored by the jam information storage module. Module and a predetermined filter process based on the cumulative jam curve determined by the first arithmetic module. There second obtaining the filtering result
Arithmetic module, a risk determining module for determining the current risk from the contents of the filtering result obtained by the second calculating module, and a risk for outputting the risk determined by the risk determining module And storing a program having an output module, wherein the risk determination module changes a risk determination criterion according to a frequency of reports of jams in the copying unit from past users.

In order to achieve the second object, the storage medium according to claim 30 is a storage medium according to claim 29, wherein the management module manages a plurality of copy means for performing copy control by the management means. A communication control module for monitoring a state of the copying unit and transmitting data to the management unit; a first communication module for communicating between the communication control unit for executing the communication control module and the copying unit; And a second communication module that communicates between the communication control unit and the management unit, wherein the jam information storage module, the first calculation module, the second calculation module, and the A risk determination module and the risk output module are executed.

In order to achieve the second object, a storage medium according to claim 31 is the storage medium according to claim 29 or 30, wherein the management means is a host computer.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium for a copying apparatus having a jam diagnosis predicting function using a managing means for managing copying means for performing copy control. A storage medium for storing a control program for controlling, wherein a jam occurrence detecting module for detecting occurrence of a jam of the copying means, a copy operation number detecting module for detecting the number of copying operations of the copying means, And a jam information storage module for storing a jam code representing the type of jam that has occurred and the latest value of the number of copying operations, and a first operation for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored by the jam information storage module. Module and a predetermined filter process based on the cumulative jam curve determined by the first arithmetic module. There second obtaining the filtering result
Arithmetic module, a risk determining module for determining the current risk from the contents of the filtering result obtained by the second calculating module, and a risk for outputting the risk determined by the risk determining module And a program having an output module, wherein the risk determination module performs the risk determination using the initial machine performance of the copying means at the time of factory shipment as a threshold value.

In order to achieve the second object, the storage medium according to claim 33 is a storage medium according to claim 32, wherein the management module manages a plurality of copy means for performing copy control by the management means. A communication control module for monitoring a state of the copying unit and transmitting data to the management unit; a first communication module for communicating between the communication control unit for executing the communication control module and the copying unit; And a second communication module that communicates between the communication control unit and the management unit, wherein the jam information storage module, the first calculation module, the second calculation module, and the A risk determination module and the risk output module are executed.

In order to achieve the second object, a storage medium according to claim 34 is the storage medium according to claim 32 or 33, wherein the management means is a host computer.

[0040]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a copying system having a management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a copying apparatus (copying means) for copying a specified number of documents. And 101, a communication control unit which is connected to the copying apparatus 100 and transmits and receives data. A public line 102 is a communication line, and a modem 103 is capable of transmitting and receiving digital data through the public line 102. A host computer 104 stores and calculates data obtained from the copying apparatus 100.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric circuit of the copying apparatus 100. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which controls the entire copying apparatus 100. A random access memory (RAM) 201 is used as a working area for the CPU 200 and a storage area for control data. 202 is RO
M (read only memory) for storing a control program. 203 and 204 are the first and second
The I / O is for performing sensor check and motor drive. 205, a third I / O for communicating with the communication control apparatus 101;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a software configuration of the copying apparatus 100. In the figure, reference numeral 300 denotes a real-time monitor for managing a plurality of tasks simultaneously. A paper transport task 301 is a task for controlling a sheet of paper (copy paper) from paper supply to paper discharge. 30
Reference numeral 2 denotes a sequence control task that manages the entire copying apparatus 100. A communication task 303 is a task for communicating with the communication control apparatus 101.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a paper transport unit provided inside the copying apparatus 100. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 400 denotes a copy sheet to be transported, 401 denotes a drive motor, and a transport roller is driven to rotate. Then, the copy paper 400 is transported in the direction of the arrow.
402 and 403 are first and second sensors for detecting the position of the copy sheet 400.

Next, the jam detection processing operation of the copying apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a jam detection processing routine of the copying apparatus 100. The jam detection processing routine shown in FIG.
CPU according to the control program stored in CPU 202
200.

When conveying the copy sheet 400, first,
In step S501, the drive motor 401 is turned on. Next, in step S502, a first timer for monitoring the first sensor 402 is started, and in a next step S503, a second timer for monitoring the second sensor 403 is started. Then, in step S504, is the first sensor 402 turned on (ON) within the time specified by the first timer (copy paper 400
Is detected) or not. If the first sensor 402 is turned on within the time specified by the first timer, it is determined in step S505 whether the time of the first timer has expired. If the first timer has not expired, the process proceeds to step S504.
Return to If the first timer has expired in step S505, it is determined that the jam has occurred, and the process jumps to the jam processing routine.

In step S504, the first
Within the time specified by the timer of the first sensor 402
If is not turned on, it is determined in step S506 whether or not the second sensor 403 has been turned off (OFF) within the time specified by the second timer. If the second sensor 403 is turned off within the time specified by the second timer, it is determined in step S507 whether the second timer has timed out. If the second timer has not timed out, the process proceeds to step S506.
Return to the second timer within the time specified by the second timer again.
It is determined whether or not the sensor 403 is turned off. Also,
If the second timer has timed out in step S507, it is determined that a delay jam has occurred, and the process jumps to a jam processing routine. If the second sensor 403 does not turn off within the time specified by the second timer in step S506, the drive motor 401 is turned off (OFF) in step S508, and the processing operation ends.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a jam code. As shown in FIG. 6, the jam code is composed of a factor 601 and a sensor number 602. (Delay or dwell) 601 is shown.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the communication control apparatus 101. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 700 denotes a CPU (central processing unit) for controlling the entire communication control apparatus 101;
01 is a first RAM (random access memory), C
This is a working area necessary for the PU 700 to operate. Reference numeral 702 denotes a ROM (Read Only Memory),
A program for instructing the operation of the PU 700 is stored. 703 is a first serial interface (I /
O) is for performing communication with a modem 706 to be described later. Reference numeral 704 denotes a second RAM (random access memory) for storing jam information and various copy number counter values, and is backed up by a battery. 705, a second serial interface (I / O) for communicating with the copying apparatus 100; A modem 706 enables transmission and reception of digital data through the public line 102. 70
Reference numeral 7 denotes a timer IC (integrated circuit) for managing time.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 708 denotes an example of a communication command between the copying apparatus 100 and the communication control apparatus 101. ID represents the type of command, length represents the data length, and sum is a bit for detecting a communication error. The communication command of the example shown here includes a count pulse (ID = 01) at the time of paper ejection, a jam (ID =
02) is data transmitted from the copying apparatus 100 to the communication control apparatus 101 when each occurs on the copy control apparatus 101 side. On the communication control apparatus 101 side, the number of copies (the number of copies) can be found by counting the count pulse (ID = 01) at the time of paper ejection, and the jam (ID = 02)
In the case of, the type of jam can be known from the jam code.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a software configuration of the communication control apparatus 101. In the figure, reference numeral 800 denotes a real-time monitor for managing a plurality of tasks simultaneously. A state monitoring task 801 constantly monitors the state of the copying apparatus 100. 802 is a modem control task.
The modem 706 is controlled to enable transmission and reception. A transmission task 803 is for transmitting data to the host computer 104.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the status monitoring task 801 of the communication control apparatus 101. The state monitoring processing routine shown in FIG. 9 is executed by CPU 700 according to a control program stored in ROM 702.

First, in step S901, the copying apparatus 100
It is determined whether or not a jam has occurred. If a jam has occurred, the counter value at that time is obtained in step S902, and the current time is obtained in the next step S903. Next, in step S904, step S902 is performed.
Then, the counter value and the current time acquired in step S903 are recorded in the jam recording table.
Thereafter, in step S905, it is determined whether or not the number of jams recorded in the jam recording table has reached a specified value. If the number of jams recorded in the jam recording table has reached the specified value, the transmission task 803 is activated in step S906, and a call is made to the host computer 104 to transmit the data recorded in the jam recording table. After transmitting the content, the process returns to step S901.
Also, when the number of jams recorded in the jam recording table does not reach the specified value in step S905, the process returns to step S901.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents recorded in the jam recording table. As shown in FIG.
Each time a jam occurs, “Jam code, counter value, date,
"Time" is recorded as one record.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the transmission task 803 of the communication control apparatus 101. The data transmission processing routine shown in FIG. 11 is executed by CPU 700 according to a control program stored in ROM 702.

When transmitting data, the main transmission task 8
In step S1101, the host computer 104 is called. Next, step S11
At 02, it is determined whether or not the connection has been normally made. If the connection is successful, step S110
The password is checked in step 3 and the next step S110
At 4, it is determined whether or not the check is OK (Check OK). If the check is OK, step S1105
Transmits the contents recorded in the jam recording table to the host computer 104. After completing this data transmission,
After performing the line disconnection processing in step S1106, this processing operation ends. If the check is not OK in step S1104, the process proceeds to step S1105.
Is skipped and the process proceeds to step S1106 to perform a line disconnection process, and then the present processing operation ends.

On the other hand, if the connection is not normally established in step S1102, 1 is added to the retry counter in step S1107, and then the process proceeds to step S110.
At 8, it is determined whether the number of retries is 5 or less. If the number of retries is 5 or less, step S1
After waiting (waiting) for a predetermined time in step 109, the process returns to step S1101. If the number of retries is not less than 5 in step S1108, the process ends without performing any processing.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the host computer 104. In the figure, 1200 is a CPU.
The (central processing unit) controls the entire host computer 104. A RAM (random access memory) 1201 stores programs and data necessary for the CPU 1200 to perform data processing. 1202 is a hard disk (Hard Dis)
In step k), the received data is stored, and all the jam data is stored here. Reference numeral 1203 denotes a keyboard (Ke) for the operator to give various instructions.
y Board). Reference numeral 1204 denotes a display device (C) for the host computer 104 to output information.
RT Display). 1205 is a modem and 1
Port for sending and receiving data to and from
ial Port).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing of the host computer 104. The processing routine shown in FIG. 13 is executed by CPU 1200 according to a control program stored in RAM 1201.

Normally, the host computer 104 waits for an incoming signal from the modem 103.
At 1301, it is determined whether there is an incoming signal from the modem 103 or not. If there is an incoming signal from the modem 103, a password check is performed in step S1302, and in the next step S1303, it is determined whether the check is OK (Check OK). If the check is OK, jam data is received in step S1304. After the completion of the data reception, step S13
After performing the line disconnection processing in step 05, the next step S1306
To store the jam data in the hard disk 1202.

After the completion of the storage of the jam data, step S
At 1307, a diagnosis based on the jam data is performed, and at the next step S1308, it is determined whether or not the result of the diagnosis based on the jam data at the step S130 has reached the warning level. And if the warning level has been reached,
In step S1309, after warning information is displayed on the display device 1204 to notify the operator, the operation proceeds to step S1309.
It returns to 1301. If the result of the diagnosis based on the jam data has not reached the warning level in step S1308, the process returns to step S1301. On the other hand, if the check is not OK in step S1303, a line disconnection process is performed in step S1310, and the process returns to step S1301.

Next, the jam diagnosis processing method will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, step S1
At 401, the jam data from the Assist obtained by the present system is stored in a hard disk 120 as a storage device.
2 is stored. The jam data at this time is composed of four data of date, time, jam code and counter value in a format as shown in FIG. 15, and is stored in the hard disk 1202 for each model.

Next, at step S1402,
Based on the jam data input in 1401,
As shown in FIG. 16, a cumulative jam curve is created for each jam code, with the horizontal axis representing the counter value and the vertical axis representing the cumulative jam count. Next, at step S1403,
Filter processing is performed on the accumulated jam curve created in 1402 using an FIR filter (finite impulse filter) in order to extract and emphasize specific components of data. FIG. 17 shows a state of processing of a circle portion when the length of the FIR filter is 5000 sheets. In the figure, assuming that the filter output value of the past 5000 sheets with respect to point A is point A ', point A' is calculated by the following equation (1).

D1 × R1 + D2 × R2 +... Di × Ri +. This is the filter output value.

The point A 'is calculated while shifting the point A to the right every 100 points on the cumulative jam curve, and a filter output graph is created with the horizontal axis as the counter value and the vertical axis as the filter output value. I do.

Next, at step S1404, step S1404 is performed.
Fuzzy processing is performed on the filter output graph obtained in 1403 to calculate the individual risk. This is shown in FIG. In the figure, in order to obtain the individual risk, a membership function is created with the horizontal axis representing the filter value and the vertical axis representing the risk. In this example, the safety level is set to 0 and the danger value is set to 1, so that the danger level can be expressed between 0 and 1. Using this membership function, an arithmetic process is performed on the filter output graph, and an individual risk graph is calculated with the horizontal axis representing the counter value and the vertical axis representing the risk. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the filter value for the counter value Cx is Fx, and the risk is Sx. The processing of steps S1403 and S1404 is performed by using FIR filters (3000,500
0, 10000, 20000) to calculate each individual risk degree graph.

Next, at step S1405, as shown in FIG. 19, each individual risk is weighted and subjected to arithmetic processing to calculate one risk graph. In the example shown in FIG. 19, the weight is calculated by the following equation (2).

Sx = 0.2Sx1 + 0.3Sx2 + 0.3Sx3 + 0.2Sx4 (2) Here, the coefficients (0.2, 0.3, 0.
3, 0.2) is a temporary value, and it is actually necessary to find an appropriate value based on operation data.

Next, in step S 1406,
The risk is determined using the risk graph as shown in FIG. 20 obtained in 1405. Here, the type of alarm is set to three types of red, yellow, and blue, and the determination is performed using each membership function. This is shown in FIG. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the degree of risk, and the vertical axis represents the degree of coincidence with each alarm. FIG. 21 shows that when the risk level at this time is St, the yellow level is Yt and the red level is Rt. If the degree of risk St exceeds a preset “user visit” level, a “user visit” message is output. Next, step S1
In step 407, the result of the determination of the degree of risk in step S1406 is displayed on the display device 1204, and the processing operation ends. At this time, the threshold value St for the risk determination
By providing a plurality of, it is possible to recognize a user who has a potential danger with caution.

Step S1408 in FIG. 14 indicates that when maintenance (maintenance) of the copying apparatus 100 is performed, it is necessary to change the filter processing after the maintenance. When the maintenance of the copying apparatus 100 is performed, the calculation is performed using only the existing filter values after that point. If the number of effective filters is small, the threshold value of the risk determination is increased in order to prevent the reliability of the risk determination from lowering due to the decrease in the number of filters. The fact that the number of failures is generally small immediately after the maintenance of the copying apparatus 100 is also one of the reasons for performing the processing in step S1408.

Step S1409 in FIG. 14 is based on data 1410 of the past report frequency from the user.
This indicates that the threshold value of the risk determination is corrected according to the result. This is shown in FIG. FIG. 7A shows a case where the notification frequency is high, and FIG. 7B shows a case where the notification frequency is low. If the frequency of past reports from users is high, reset the "user visit" level to a lower value. If the frequency of past reports from the user is low, the “user visit” level is reset to a high value. In this way, by optimizing the threshold value of the risk determination in step S1406, it is possible to determine the jam risk more appropriately, and it is possible to perform a maintenance service according to each user.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the configuration of the copying system having the copying apparatus management apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, the drawings of the first embodiment may be used as needed. Will be explained.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a jam diagnosis process in a copying system having a copying apparatus management apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Step S2308 corresponds to steps S14301 to S140 in FIG. 14 of the first embodiment described above.
8, the description is omitted, and the processing steps unique to the present embodiment will be described.

Step S2309 in FIG. 23 indicates that the membership function of the degree of match is corrected based on the false report / unreport data 2310 in accordance with the result. This is shown in FIG. FIG. 7A shows a case where there is a false report, and FIG. Here, the false report indicates that although the result of the risk determination in step S2306 is "user visit", no abnormality is found in the copying apparatus 100 when actually visiting. In addition, a miss report refers to a case in which a user has been notified of a maintenance request even though a warning of "user visit" has not been issued yet. The false alarm / unreport data 2310 is input from the keyboard 1203 of the host computer 104 to the host computer 104, and the threshold is optimized by feeding back the risk determination processing in step S2306. If a false alarm occurs, the membership function is corrected so that the "user visit" is not output unless the risk becomes higher. Further, when a false alarm occurs, the membership function is corrected so that the output of “user visit” is made at the current risk level. As a result, false reports / unreports are reduced, and more appropriate determination of the jam risk can be performed.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a storage medium used for the management apparatus of the copying apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 25, a storage medium storing a control program for controlling a management apparatus of a copying apparatus having a jam diagnosis prediction function using a host computer includes at least a “jam occurrence detection module” and a “copying operation”. Frequency detection module, jam information storage module, first arithmetic module, second
Program of each module of "calculation module", "risk determination module", "risk output module", "management module", "communication control module", "first communication module", and "second communication module" Just store the code.

Here, the “jam occurrence detection module”
Is a program module for detecting occurrence of a jam in the copying apparatus 100 that performs copy control. The “copying operation number detection module” is a program module for detecting the number of copying operations of the copying apparatus 100.
The "jam information storage module" is a program module for storing a jam code indicating the type of jam that occurred at the time of the occurrence of the jam and the value of the latest copy operation count. The “first operation module” is a program module for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on data stored by the jam information storage module. The “second operation module”
FIR filter (finite impulse filter) based on the cumulative jam curve obtained by the first arithmetic module
This is a program module for performing processing and obtaining the FIR filter processing result. The “risk determination module” is used to determine the degree of risk using the initial machine performance of the copying apparatus 100 at the factory shipment as a threshold value, or to report (report) the frequency of a jam in the copying apparatus 100 from a past user. Is a program module for determining the degree of danger. The “danger level output module” is a program module for outputting the risk level determined by the risk level determination module. The “management module” is a program module for managing the copying apparatus 100 by the host computer 104. The “communication control module” is a program module for monitoring the state of the copying apparatus 100 and transmitting data to the host computer 104.
The “first communication module” is a program module for communicating between the copying apparatus 100 and the communication control apparatus 101. Further, "second communication module"
Is a program module for communicating between the communication control device 101 and the host computer 104.
The jam information storage module, the first arithmetic module, the second arithmetic module, the risk determining module, and the risk output module are executed by the host computer 104.

[0077]

As described above in detail, according to the method and apparatus for managing a copying apparatus of the present invention, the threshold value for determining the degree of danger of the copying means is changed according to the frequency of reports (reports) of jams from the past users. By doing so, it is possible to make an optimal risk determination for the occurrence of a jam, and it is possible to provide an appropriate maintenance service corresponding to each user.

Further, according to the method and apparatus for managing a copying apparatus of the present invention, the risk of jam occurrence is determined using the initial performance of the copying means as a threshold value, and the result is used to obtain the factory default performance. With the goal of maintaining the maintenance, it is possible to provide an appropriate maintenance service corresponding to each user.

Further, according to the storage medium of the present invention, there is an effect that the above-described management apparatus of the copying apparatus can be smoothly controlled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a copying system including a management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of the copying apparatus in the same system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a software configuration of the copying apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a copy sheet transport unit of the copying apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a jam detection processing routine of the copying apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a jam code in the copying apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of a communication control device in the same system.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a software configuration of the communication control device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a status monitoring task of the communication control device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing contents of a jam recording table in the communication control device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a communication task of the communication control device.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a host computer in the same system.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a process in the host computer.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a jam diagnosis process in the host computer.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of jam data in the system.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a cumulative jam curve in the system.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a state of a filter process in the system.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a state of an individual risk calculating process in the same system.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a state of a process of weighting individual risks in the same system.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a risk graph in the system.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a state of determining a degree of risk in the same system.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing how the threshold value for determining the degree of danger is corrected in the same system.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a jam diagnosis process in a copying system having a copying apparatus management device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing correction of a membership function in the system.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing each module of a program stored in a storage medium of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Copier 101 Communication controller 102 Public line 103 Modem 104 Host computer 200 CPU 201 RAM 202 ROM 203 First I / O 204 Second I / O 205 Third I / O 300 Real-time monitor 301 Copy paper transport task 302 Sequence control task 303 Communication task 400 Copy paper 401 Motor 402 First sensor 403 Second sensor 700 CPU 701 First RAM 702 ROM 703 First I / O 704 Second RAM 705 Second I / O 706 Modem 800 Real time monitor 801 Status monitoring task 802 Modem control task 803 Transmission task 1200 CPU 1201 RAM 1202 Hard disk 1203 Keyboard 1204 Display 1205 Serial Rupoto

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Ino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Shinichi Nakamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside the corporation

Claims (34)

[Claims] 1. A jam occurrence detecting step for detecting occurrence of a jam in a copying means for performing copying, a copying operation number detecting step for detecting a number of copying operations of the copying means, A jam information storing step of storing the jam code to be represented and the value of the latest number of copying operations; a first calculating step of obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored in the jam information storing step; A second calculating step of performing a predetermined filtering process based on the accumulated jam curve obtained in the step to obtain the filtering process result; and a current risk degree from the contents of the filtering process result obtained in the second calculating step. And a risk output step for outputting the risk determined in the risk determination step. The method of managing a copying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the risk determining step includes changing a risk determining criterion based on a frequency of a past user reporting a jam in the copying unit. 2. A management step of managing a plurality of copying means by a management means, a communication control step of monitoring a state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, and a communication for executing the communication control step. A first communication step for communicating between control means and the copying means; and a second communication step for communicating between the communication control means and the management means, wherein the jam information is transmitted by the management means. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising executing a storage step, said first calculation step, said second calculation step, said risk determination step, and said risk output step. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said management means is a host computer. 4. A jam occurrence detecting step for detecting the occurrence of a jam in the copying means for performing copying, a copying operation number detecting step for detecting the number of copying operations of the copying means, and a type of the jam occurring at the time of the occurrence of the jam. A jam information storing step of storing the jam code to be represented and the latest value of the number of copying operations; a first calculating step of obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored in the jam information storing step; A second calculating step of performing a predetermined filtering process based on the cumulative jam curve obtained in the step to obtain the filtering process result; and a current risk degree based on the content of the filtering process result obtained in the second calculating step. And a risk output step for outputting the risk determined in the risk determination step. And a risk determination step, wherein the risk determination step performs the risk determination using the initial machine performance of the copying means at the time of factory shipment as a threshold value. 5. A management step of managing a plurality of copying means by a management means, a communication control step of monitoring a state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, and a communication for executing the communication control step. A first communication step for communicating between control means and the copying means; and a second communication step for communicating between the communication control means and the management means, wherein the jam information is transmitted by the management means. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the storing step, the first calculating step, the second calculating step, the risk determining step, and the risk outputting step are executed. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said managing means is a host computer. 7. A jam occurrence detecting means for detecting occurrence of a jam in a copying means for performing copying, a copying operation number detecting means for detecting a number of copying operations of said copying means, and a type of the jam occurring at the time of the occurrence of the jam. Jam information storage means for storing the jam code to be represented and the latest value of the number of times of copying operation; first calculation means for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored by the jam information storage means; Means for performing a predetermined filtering process based on the accumulated jam curve obtained by the means to obtain the result of the filtering, and a current risk degree based on the content of the filtering result obtained by the second calculating means. And a danger output unit that outputs the danger determined by the danger determination unit, wherein the danger determination unit A management apparatus for a copying apparatus, wherein a criterion for determining a degree of danger is changed according to a frequency of a user reporting a jam in the copying unit. 8. A management means for managing a plurality of copying means,
Communication control means for monitoring the state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, first communication means for communicating between the communication control means and the copying means, the communication control means and the management means And a second communication means for communicating between the risk information and the jam information storage means, the first calculation means, the second calculation means, the risk determination means, and the risk degree. 8. The management apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an output unit. 9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said jam detection means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). 10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said jam information storage means is a RAM (random access memory). 11. The copying operation frequency detecting means includes a CPU
8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is a central processing unit.
A management device for the copying apparatus described in the above. 12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first arithmetic means is a central processing unit (CPU). 13. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said second arithmetic means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). 14. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said risk determining means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). 15. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said risk output means is a central processing unit (CPU). 16. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said management means is a host computer. 17. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said first communication means is performed by dedicated serial communication, and said second communication means is performed through a public telephone line. 18. A jam detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a jam in the copying means for performing the copy control, a copying operation number detecting means for detecting the number of copying operations of the copying means, and a type of the jam occurring at the time of the occurrence of the jam. Jam information storage means for storing a jam code representing the following and the latest value of the number of times of copying operation; first arithmetic means for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on data stored by the jam information storage means; A second calculating means for performing a predetermined filtering process on the basis of the accumulated jam curve obtained by the calculating means to obtain a result of the filtering process; Risk determining means for determining the degree, and a risk output means for outputting the risk determined by the risk determining means, the risk determining means, A management apparatus for a copying apparatus, wherein the risk is determined by using the initial machine performance of the copying unit at the time of factory shipment as a threshold value. 19. A management means for managing a plurality of copying means, a communication control means for monitoring a state of the copying means and transmitting data to the management means, and communicating between the communication control means and the copying means. And a second communication unit that communicates between the communication control unit and the management unit, wherein the management unit includes the jam information storage unit, the first calculation unit, 19. The management apparatus for a copying apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising: said second calculation means, said risk degree determination means, and said risk degree output means. 20. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said jam detecting means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). 21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said jam information storage means is a RAM (random access memory). 22. The copy operation number detecting means includes a CPU
2. A central processing unit.
9. A management device for a copying apparatus according to claim 8. 23. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said first arithmetic means is a central processing unit (CPU). 24. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said second arithmetic means is a central processing unit (CPU). 25. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said risk determining means is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). 26. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said risk output means is a central processing unit (CPU). 27. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said managing means is a host computer. 28. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said first communication means is performed by dedicated serial communication, and said second communication means is performed through a public telephone line. 29. A storage medium for storing a control program for controlling a management device of a copying apparatus having a jam diagnosis prediction function using a management means for managing copying means for performing copy control, wherein the control program includes: A jam occurrence detection module for detecting the occurrence of a jam, a copy operation number detection module for detecting the number of copy operations of the copying means, a jam code indicating the type of the jam that occurred at the time of the jam, and a value of the latest copy operation number Information storage module for storing the accumulated jam curve, a first operation module for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored by the jam information storage module, and a cumulative jam curve obtained by the first operation module. A second operation module for performing a predetermined filter process to obtain a result of the filter process; A program having a risk determination module for determining the current risk from the contents of the filter processing result obtained by the arithmetic module and a risk output module for outputting the risk determined by the risk determination module is stored. The storage medium, wherein the danger determination module changes a danger determination criterion according to a frequency of a past user reporting a jam in the copying unit. 30. A management module for managing a plurality of copy units for performing copy control by a management unit, a communication control module for monitoring a state of the copy unit and transmitting data to the management unit, and executing the communication control module. And a second communication module for communicating between the communication control means and the management means, and a first communication module for communicating between the communication control means and the copying means. The jam information storage module and the first
30. The storage medium according to claim 29, wherein the storage module executes the calculation module, the second calculation module, the risk determination module, and the risk output module. 31. The storage medium according to claim 29, wherein said management means is a host computer. 32. A storage medium for storing a control program for controlling a management apparatus of a copying apparatus having a jam diagnosis prediction function using a management means for managing copying means for performing copy control, wherein the control program includes: A jam occurrence detection module for detecting the occurrence of a jam, a copy operation number detection module for detecting the number of copy operations of the copying means, a jam code indicating the type of the jam that occurred at the time of the jam, and a value of the latest copy operation number Information storage module for storing the accumulated jam curve, a first operation module for obtaining an accumulated jam curve based on the data stored by the jam information storage module, and a cumulative jam curve obtained by the first operation module. A second operation module for performing a predetermined filter process to obtain a result of the filter process; A program having a risk determination module for determining the current risk from the contents of the filter processing result obtained by the arithmetic module and a risk output module for outputting the risk determined by the risk determination module is stored. The storage medium, wherein the risk determination module performs the risk determination using the initial machine performance of the copying unit at the time of factory shipment as a threshold value. 33. A management module for managing a plurality of copy units for performing copy control by a management unit, a communication control module for monitoring a state of the copy unit and transmitting data to the management unit, and executing the communication control module. And a second communication module for communicating between the communication control means and the management means, and a first communication module for communicating between the communication control means and the copying means. The jam information storage module and the first
33. The storage medium according to claim 32, wherein the storage module executes the calculation module, the second calculation module, the risk determination module, and the risk output module. 34. The storage medium according to claim 32, wherein said management means is a host computer.