Image forming device, diagnosis method of image forming device, and program

Abstract

To provide a system of properly determining propriety of image diagnosis and preferably performing image diagnosis, in an image forming device which, for example, includes a function of performing image diagnosis.SOLUTION: An image forming device includes: image diagnosis means for forming an image on a printing medium, and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the printing medium; recording medium for recording the result of the image diagnosis; setting means for setting execution time for executing the image diagnoses means; and control means. In the case where the image diagnosis cannot be executed at the execution time, the control means determines whether there is a sign of image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there is no sign, it does not execute the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there is a sign, it executes image diagnosis set by the image diagnosis means at the timing when the image diagnosis becomes executable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, systems have been developed that can use a sensor to read printed matter output from an image forming device, apply image processing to the image data obtained from the reading, and then compare the resulting data with the original print data to detect printing abnormalities such as smudges, blank spaces, and skewing.

[0003] In addition, there are devices that perform maintenance to improve printing quality when non-printing time continues or printing processing continues for a long period of time in order to prevent printing abnormalities. Patent Document 1 proposes an image forming device in which the user sets the execution timing, rather than performing a maintenance operation when the power is turned on, and performs maintenance of the ink head nozzles when the execution timing is reached at the current time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-132860 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above conventional technology, maintenance and image diagnosis are performed when the current time reaches the execution timing, so that these processes cannot be performed when the device is OFF at the specified time. In other words, maintenance and image diagnosis are performed only when the device is ON when the current time reaches the execution timing. However, if normal printing is performed without performing image diagnosis because the device is OFF, consumables such as paper and ink will be wasted if an abnormality occurs in image formation. On the other hand, if all image diagnosis is stopped when image diagnosis cannot be performed at a specified execution timing, there is a problem that productivity will be reduced. In addition, even if image diagnosis can be performed, it is not necessary to perform image diagnosis when it is clearly determined to be normal, so it is also desired to determine whether image diagnosis is necessary.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a mechanism for appropriately determining whether or not image diagnosis is necessary and performing image diagnosis in an image forming device equipped with a function for performing image diagnosis. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a printing medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the printing medium, a recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis, a setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis, and a control means for determining whether or not there are signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means if the image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, and for not performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there are no signs, and for performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis can be performed if there are signs.

[0008] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a printing medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the printing medium, a recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis, a setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis, an acquisition means for acquiring device information of the image forming apparatus, an operation setting means for setting, as a diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform a diagnosis using the device information when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform a diagnosis using the device status when the execution time arrives, or to perform the image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform it when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, and a control means for performing a diagnosis in accordance with the setting of the operation setting means.

[0009] In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a printing medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the printing medium, a recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis, a setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis, and a control means for determining whether or not there are any signs of image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when the execution time arrives, and if there are no signs, not performing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

[0010] In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a printing medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the printing medium, a recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis, a setting means for setting the execution time for performing the image diagnosis, and a control means for, when receiving an instruction to perform image diagnosis, determining whether or not there are signs of image abnormalities in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, not performing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having an image diagnosis function, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not image diagnosis is required and to appropriately perform image diagnosis. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the UI for an image diagnosis screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a UI for an image diagnosis result screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the timing of image diagnosis in one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether to perform image diagnosis in one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of image diagnosis according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of the UI of an image diagnosis environment setting screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether to perform image diagnosis in one embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether to perform image diagnosis in one embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether to perform image diagnosis in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <Example 1> Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0014] The external controller in this embodiment may also be called an image processing controller, a digital front end, a print server, a DFE, etc. The image forming apparatus may also be called a multifunction device, a multifunction peripheral, or an MFP.

[0015] The system configuration of an image forming system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus 101 and an external controller 102. The image forming apparatus 101 and the external controller 102 are communicatively connected via an internal LAN 105 and a video cable 106. The external controller 102 is communicatively connected to a PC 103 via an external LAN 104, and a print instruction is sent from the PC 103 to the external controller 102.

[0016] A printer driver having a function of converting print data into a print description language that can be processed by the external controller 102 is installed in the PC 103. A user who performs printing can issue a print instruction from various applications via the printer driver. The printer driver transmits print data to the external controller 102 based on the print instruction from the user. When the external controller 102 receives a print instruction from the PC 103, it performs data analysis and rasterization processing, and inputs the print data to the image forming apparatus 101 to issue a print instruction. The external controller 102 inputs the print data to the image forming apparatus 101 via the internal LAN 105, and inputs the rasterized image data via a video cable 106.

[0017] Next, a description will be given of the image forming apparatus 101. The image forming apparatus 101 is configured to include a printing device 107, an inserter 108, a diagnostic device 109, a large-capacity stacker 110, and a finisher 111. Each device constituting the image forming apparatus 101 has a different function, and is configured to enable complex printing processes such as bookbinding.

[0018] The printing device 107 forms an image using toner on paper conveyed from a paper feed unit located at the bottom of the printing device 107. Although paper is used as an example here, other print media may be used.

[0019] The configuration and operating principle of this printing device 107 are as follows: A light beam such as a laser beam modulated in accordance with image data is reflected by a rotating polygon mirror such as a polygon mirror and irradiated onto a photosensitive drum as scanning light.

[0020] The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum by this laser light is developed with toner. The toner image is then transferred to a sheet of paper attached to a transfer drum. This series of image formation processes is carried out in sequence for the Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) toners to form a full-color image on the sheet of paper. The sheet of paper on which the full-color image has been formed on the transfer drum is transported to a fixing unit. The fixing unit includes rollers, belts, etc., and has a heat source such as a halogen heater built into the rollers, and uses heat and pressure to melt the toner on the sheet of paper to which the toner image has been transferred, and fix it to the sheet of paper. The inserter 108 is a device for inserting an insertion sheet, and can insert an insertion sheet at any position in the group of sheets printed by the printing device 107 and transported.

[0021] The diagnostic device 109 is a device that prints a test chart for image diagnosis on paper, reads the test chart image printed on the paper, and diagnoses the state of the image forming device using the read image data. The paper printed for image diagnosis is discharged separately from normal printed matter. In this specification, image diagnosis performed by printing a test chart image may be referred to as image diagnosis with printing, or simply as image diagnosis.

[0022] The large-capacity stacker 110 is a device capable of stacking a large amount of printed paper. The finisher 111 is a device that performs finishing processing on the printed and transported paper. The finisher 111 can perform finishing processing such as stapling, punching, and saddle stitching depending on the settings. After finishing processing, the paper is discharged to a paper output tray.

[0023] In the image forming system of this embodiment, an external controller 102 is connected to an image forming apparatus 101, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which an external controller 102 is connected. That is, the image forming apparatus 101 may be connected to an external LAN 104, and print data that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 101 may be transmitted from a PC 103. In this case, data analysis and rasterization processing are performed in the image forming apparatus 101, and print processing is executed.

[0024] Next, the system configuration of the image forming apparatus 101, the external controller 102, and the PC 103 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the configuration of the printing device 107 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The printing device 107 of the image forming apparatus 101 includes a communication I / F 217, a LAN I / F 218, a video I / F 220, a HDD 221, a CPU 222, a memory 223, an operation unit 224, and a display 225. Furthermore, the printing device 107 of the image forming apparatus 101 includes a document exposure unit 226, a laser exposure unit 227, an image creation unit 228, a fixing unit 229, and a paper feed unit 230. Each of the components is connected via a system bus 231.

[0025] The communication I / F 217 is connected to the inserter 108, the diagnostic device 109, the large-capacity stacker 110, and the finisher 111 via a communication cable 255, and performs communication for controlling each of the devices. The LAN I / F 218 is connected to the external controller 102 via the internal LAN 105, and performs communication of print data, etc. The video I / F 220 is connected to the external controller 102 via a video cable 106, and performs communication of rasterized image data, etc.

[0026] The HDD 221 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The CPU 222 comprehensively controls image processing and printing based on the programs and the like stored in the HDD 221. The memory 223 stores programs and image data required when the CPU 222 performs various processes, and operates as a work area.

[0027] An operation unit 224 receives various setting inputs and operation instructions from the user. The display 225 displays setting information of the image processing device, the processing status of a print job, etc. The document exposure unit 226 performs processing to read a document when using the copy function or the scan function. The document data is read by shining an exposure lamp on the document placed by the user and taking an image with a CCD camera.

[0028] The laser exposure unit 227 is a device that performs primary charging and laser exposure to irradiate the photosensitive drum with laser light in order to transfer a toner image. In the laser exposure unit 227, first, primary charging is performed to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum to a uniform negative potential. Next, the laser driver irradiates the photosensitive drum with laser light while adjusting the reflection angle with a polygon mirror. This neutralizes the negative charge of the irradiated area, and an electrostatic latent image is formed. The image creation unit 228 is a device for transferring toner to paper, and includes a developing unit, a transfer unit, a toner supply unit, etc., and transfers the toner on the photosensitive drum to paper.

[0029] In the developing unit, negatively charged toner from a developing cylinder is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum to make it visible. In the transfer unit, a positive potential is applied to the primary transfer roller to transfer the toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum to the transfer belt, performing primary transfer. Next, a positive potential is applied to the secondary transfer roller to transfer the toner on the transfer belt to paper, performing secondary transfer. The fixing unit 229 is a device for melting and fixing the toner on the paper to the paper using heat and pressure, and includes a heater, a fixing belt, and a pressure belt. The paper feed unit 230 is a device for feeding paper, and controls the paper feeding and transport operations using rollers and various sensors.

[0030] Next, the configuration of the inserter 108 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The inserter 108 of the image forming apparatus 101 includes a communication I / F 232, a CPU 233, a memory 234, and a paper feed control unit 235. Each component is connected via a system bus 236. The communication I / F 232 is connected to the printing device 107 via a communication cable 255, and performs communication required for control. The CPU 233 performs various controls required for paper feeding according to a control program stored in the memory 234. The memory 234 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. The paper feed control unit 235 controls the rollers and sensors based on instructions from the CPU 222, and controls the paper feed unit of the inserter and the feeding and transport of paper transported from the printing device 107.

[0031] Next, the configuration of the diagnostic device 109 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The diagnostic device 109 of the image forming apparatus 101 includes a communication I / F 237, a CPU 238, a memory 239, an imaging unit 240, a display unit 241, an operation unit 242, and a HDD 256. Each of the components is connected via a system bus 243. The communication I / F 237 is connected to the printing device 107 via a communication cable 255, and performs communication required for control.

[0032] The CPU 238 performs various controls necessary for image diagnosis according to a control program stored in the memory 239. The memory 239 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. Information on the diagnostic device 109 may be saved and read by, for example, a configuration in which the diagnostic device 109 has a LAN I / F and communicates with the external controller 102 via an internal LAN.

[0033] The photographing unit 240 photographs the conveyed paper based on an instruction from the CPU 238. The CPU 238 analyzes the image photographed by the photographing unit 240 to diagnose the state of the device. The display unit 241 displays the results of image diagnosis, a setting screen, and the like. The operation unit 242 is operated by a user and receives instructions such as changing the settings of the diagnostic device 109 and viewing the results of the execution. The HDD 256 stores the history of the results of image diagnosis and the settings. If the diagnostic device 109 does not have the HDD 256, the reference image, the history of the results of image diagnosis, and the settings may be stored in the HDD 221 of the printing device 107 and read out from the HDD 221 to the memory 239.

[0034] Next, the configuration of the large-capacity stacker 110 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The large-capacity stacker 110 of the image forming apparatus 101 includes a communication I / F 244, a CPU 245, a memory 246, and a paper discharge control unit 247, and each of the components is connected via a system bus 248. The communication I / F 244 is connected to the printing apparatus 107 via a communication cable 255, and performs communication required for control. The CPU 245 performs various controls required for paper discharge according to a control program stored in the memory 246. The memory 246 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. The paper discharge control unit 247 controls the transport of the transported paper to a stack tray, an escape tray, or a subsequent finisher 111 based on an instruction from the CPU 245.

[0035] Next, the configuration of the finisher 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The finisher 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 includes a communication I / F 249, a CPU 250, a memory 251, a paper discharge control unit 252, and a finishing processing unit 253. Each component is connected via a system bus 254. The communication I / F 249 is connected to the printing device 107 via a communication cable 255, and performs communication required for control. The CPU 250 performs various controls required for finishing and paper discharge according to a control program stored in the memory 251. The memory 251 is a storage device in which the control program is saved. The paper discharge control unit 252 controls paper transport and paper discharge based on instructions from the CPU 250. The finishing processing unit 253 controls finishing processes such as stapling, punching, and saddle stitching based on instructions from the CPU 250.

[0036] Next, the configuration of the external controller 102 will be described. The external controller 102 includes a CPU 208, a memory 209, a HDD 210, a keyboard 211, a display 212, a LAN I / F 213, a LAN I / F 214, and a video I / F 215. Each of the components is connected via a system bus 216. The CPU 208 comprehensively executes processes such as receiving print data from the PC 103, RIP processing, and sending a print job to the image forming apparatus 101, based on the programs and data stored in the HDD 210.

[0037] The memory 209 stores programs and data required for the CPU 208 to perform various processes, and operates as a work area. The HDD 210 stores programs and data required for operations such as printing. The keyboard 211 is a device for inputting operation instructions for the external controller 102. The display 212 displays information such as the application executed by the external controller 102 by video signals of still images and moving images. The LAN I / F 213 is connected to the PC 103 via the external LAN 104, and communicates with the PC 103 to send print instructions and the like. The LAN I / F 214 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 via the internal LAN 105, and communicates print jobs and the like as print instructions. The video I / F 215 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 via the video cable 106, and communicates rasterized image data and the like.

[0038] Next, the configuration of the PC 103 will be described. The PC 103 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a HDD 203, a keyboard 204, a display 205, and a LAN I / F 206, and each device is connected via a system bus 207. The CPU 201 creates print data and executes print instructions based on a document processing program stored in the HDD 203. The CPU 201 also comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 207.

[0039] The memory 202 stores programs and data required when the CPU 201 performs various processes, and operates as a work area. The HDD 203 stores programs and data required for operations such as printing. The keyboard 204 is a device for inputting operation instructions for the PC 103. The display 205 displays information such as applications executed by the PC 103 using video signals of still images and moving images. The LAN I / F 206 is connected to the external LAN 104, and performs communication such as print instructions.

[0040] In the above description, the external controller 102 and the image forming apparatus 101 are connected by the internal LAN 105 and the video cable 106, but any other configuration is acceptable as long as necessary data can be transmitted and received, and for example, a connection configuration using only a video cable is also acceptable. Furthermore, the memories (202, 209, 223, 234, 239, 246, 251) and the HDDs (203, 210, 221, 256) may be any storage device that can store data and programs. For example, they may be replaced by volatile RAM, non-volatile ROM, built-in HDD, external HDD, USB memory, or the like.

[0041] Next, paper transport in the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Reference numeral 107 denotes a printing apparatus that forms an image to be printed on paper. Various types of paper can be stored in the paper feed deck 301 and the paper feed deck 302. Information on the paper stored in each paper feed deck (paper size, paper type) can be set by the operation unit 224 of the printing apparatus 107.

[0042] Each paper feed deck can separate only the topmost sheet of the stacked sheets and transport it to the paper transport path 303. The developing stations 304 to 307 form toner images using color toners of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black), respectively, to form a color image. The toner images formed here are primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 308. The intermediate transfer belt 308 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3. Then, at the secondary transfer position 309, the toner image primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 308 is transferred to the paper transported from the paper transport path 303.

[0043] Display 225 displays information for the printing status and settings of image forming apparatus 101. Fixing unit 311 fixes the toner image onto paper. Fixing unit 311 includes a pressure roller and a heating roller, and fixes the toner image onto the paper by passing the paper between the rollers and melting and pressing the toner. The paper that has passed through fixing unit 311 is transported to paper transport path 315 via paper transport path 312.

[0044] Depending on the type of paper, further melting and pressing may be required for fixing. In this case, after passing through the fixing unit 311, the paper is transported to the second fixing unit 313 via the upper paper transport path 314. After the paper is subjected to additional melting and pressing in the second fixing unit 313, it is transported to the paper transport path 314 to the paper transport path 315. If the image formation mode is double-sided, the paper is transported to the paper inversion path 316. After being inverted in the paper inversion path 316, the paper is transported to the double-sided transport path 317. An image is transferred to the second side of the paper at the secondary transfer position 309.

[0045] The inserter 108 inserts the insertion paper. The inserter 108 has an inserter tray 321, and merges the insertion paper fed to the inserter tray 321 with the transport path via a paper transport path 322. This makes it possible to insert the insertion paper at any position in a series of papers transported from the printing device 107 and transport them to a subsequent device.

[0046] The paper that has passed through the inserter 108 is transported to the diagnostic device 109. Cameras 331 and 332 are arranged facing each other on a paper transport path 333 inside the diagnostic device 109. Camera 331 is a camera for reading the upper surface of the paper, and camera 332 is a camera for reading the lower surface of the paper. When the paper transported on the paper transport path 333 reaches a predetermined position, the diagnostic device 109 can read an image of the paper using cameras 331 and 332 and perform image diagnosis to diagnose the condition of the printing device 107. The display unit 241 displays the results of the image diagnosis performed by the diagnostic device 109, etc.

[0047] Large-capacity stacker 110 is a large-capacity stacker capable of stacking a large amount of paper. Large-capacity stacker 110 has a stack tray 341 as a tray for stacking paper determined to be normal paper (printed matter). Paper that has passed through diagnostic device 109 is transported to large-capacity stacker 110 via paper transport path 344. The paper passes from paper transport path 344 through paper transport path 345 and is stacked on stack tray 341.

[0048] Furthermore, the stacker 340 has an escape tray 346 as a paper discharge tray. The escape tray 346 is a paper discharge tray used to discharge paper for image diagnosis output by the diagnostic device 109 for image diagnosis. When paper is discharged to the escape tray 346, the paper is transported from a paper transport path 344 to the escape tray 346 via a paper transport path 347. When the paper is transported to the finisher 111 at the rear stage of the large-capacity stacker 110, the paper is transported via a paper transport path 348.

[0049] The inversion unit 349 is for inverting the paper. This inversion unit 349 is used when the paper is loaded onto the stack tray 341. When loading the paper onto the stack tray 341, the paper is inverted once by the inversion unit 349 so that the orientation of the input paper is the same as the orientation of the paper at the time of output. When transporting the paper to the escape tray 346 or the subsequent finisher 111, the paper is discharged as is without being turned over when loaded, so the inversion operation is not performed by the inversion unit 349.

[0050] The finisher 111 is a device that performs finishing processing on the transported paper in accordance with the function specified by the user. Specifically, the finisher 111 has finishing functions such as stapling (one or two places), punching (two or three holes), and saddle stitching. The finisher 111 includes a paper output tray 351 and a paper output tray 352. Paper is output to the paper output tray 351 or the paper output tray 352 via a paper transport path 353 or a paper transport path 354. However, if the paper passes through the paper transport path 353, finishing processing such as stapling cannot be performed.

[0051] When finishing processing such as stapling is performed, the sheets are fed via a paper transport path 354, and a processing section 355 executes a finishing function designated by the user, and outputs the sheets to a paper output tray 352. The paper output tray 351 and the paper output tray 352 can be raised and lowered, and it is also possible to operate to lower the paper output tray 351 and load the sheets that have been subjected to finishing processing in the processing section 355 onto the paper output tray 351. When saddle stitch binding is designated, the sheets are stapled in the center in a saddle stitch processing section 356, folded in half, and output to a saddle stitch binding tray 358 via a paper transport path 357. The saddle stitch binding tray 358 is configured as a belt conveyor, and the saddle stitched bundle loaded on the saddle stitch binding tray 358 is configured to be transported to the left side.

[0052] Next, a display screen related to image diagnosis in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The screen related to image diagnosis is displayed on the display unit 241. The screen related to image diagnosis may be configured to be displayed on the display 225 of the printing device 107 or the display 212 of the external controller 102. Settings selected on the display screen related to image diagnosis are stored in the HDD 256 of the diagnostic device 109.

[0053] FIG. 4(A) is an example of a screen displaying the history of the execution results of image diagnosis. The execution history screen 400 of image diagnosis includes an image diagnosis execution history area 401, a detail confirmation button 402, an execution time setting button 403, and a close button 404. The image diagnosis execution history area 401 displays the results of the execution of image diagnosis in a list. The result of image diagnosis includes a trigger indicating the execution of image diagnosis, the type of image diagnosis executed, the execution time of image diagnosis, and the image diagnosis result. In addition, a detail confirmation button 402 for confirming the details of the execution result of image diagnosis is also displayed. The execution time setting button 403 is a button for displaying a screen for setting the execution time of image diagnosis by a timer, and when operated, transitions to an execution time setting screen 410. When the close button 404 is operated, the image diagnosis result screen 500 is closed and the display is switched to the screen before the transition.

[0054] FIG. 4B is an example of a screen for setting the execution time of image diagnosis by a timer. The execution time setting screen 410 includes an execution time setting area 411 for each day of the week, a day of the week selection button 412, a time setting field 413, a diagnosis item setting button 414, an environment setting button 415, an OK button 416, and a cancel button 417. In the execution time setting area 411 for each day of the week, a day of the week selection button 412 for each day of the week and a time setting field 413 corresponding to each day of the week are arranged. Here, when a day of the week selection button 412 is selected, it becomes possible to set a time in the time setting field 413 for that day. In the time setting field 413, it is possible to set a time by accepting input of numbers from a keyboard or an operation unit. If the time is not set, "--:--" is displayed, and image diagnosis by a timer is not performed on that day of the week.

[0055] The diagnosis item setting button 414 displays an image diagnosis setting screen (not shown) for setting items for image diagnosis. When the diagnosis item setting button 414 is operated, an image diagnosis setting screen is displayed, and it is possible to set diagnostic items to be diagnosed, such as positional deviation, stains (streaks), and stains (dots). The environment setting button 415 displays a screen for accepting settings related to image diagnosis by timer. The OK button 416 is a button for instructing to confirm the image diagnosis execution time set in the time setting field 413. When the OK button 416 is operated, the setting contents are saved, and the screen transitions to the execution history screen 400 of the image diagnosis before the transition. The cancel button 417 is a button for instructing to cancel the setting of the execution time setting screen 410. When the cancel button 417 is operated, the changes made to the time setting field 413 are discarded, and the screen transitions to the execution history screen 400 of the image diagnosis before the transition.

[0056] In this embodiment, an example of a setting screen for setting the time to perform image diagnosis once a day for each day of the week is shown, but the setting of image diagnosis by timer is not limited to this. For example, it is acceptable to accept a setting to perform at a specified time or a setting to perform multiple times a day.

[0057] 5A and 5B are examples of screens that display the results of image diagnosis in this embodiment. The results of image diagnosis are displayed on the display unit 241, but may also be configured to be displayed on the display 225 of the printing device 107 or the display 212 of the external controller 102.

[0058] When the detail confirmation button 402 of the image diagnosis execution history in FIG. 4(A) is operated, the execution results of the corresponding examination are displayed as shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B). 5A shows an image diagnosis result screen 500 when the result of the image diagnosis performed by printing and reading a test chart is normal. The image diagnosis result screen 500 includes a diagnosis date and time 501, a result column 502 for each diagnosis item, an image diagnosis result column 503, and a close button 504.

[0059] The diagnosis date and time 501 displays the date and time when the image diagnosis was performed and the result was confirmed. The result column for each diagnosis item 502 displays the detailed diagnosis result of each diagnosis item that is the target of the image diagnosis. Each diagnosis item corresponds to the set item, for example, when the image diagnosis target can be set individually. Here, the result of each diagnosis item is displayed in more detail, and the result is displayed as "normal", "abnormal", "automatic repair", or "-" indicating that it is not the target of diagnosis. The image diagnosis result column 503 is a column that displays the result of the image diagnosis based on the result column for each diagnosis item 502. Here, a message is displayed as a specific wording so that the user can easily understand. When the close button 504 is operated, the image diagnosis result screen 500 is closed and the display is switched to the screen before the transition.

[0060] The image diagnosis result screen 510 in Fig. 5(B) is an example of a screen showing the results of performing a simple diagnosis without printing a test chart. The results of the simple diagnosis for each diagnosis item are displayed in the result column for each diagnosis item 512, and the image diagnosis result column 513 displays information on the decision to perform a simple diagnosis without printing a test chart based on the results of previous diagnoses and the usage status. Although the simple diagnosis is not an image diagnosis, it is added to the execution history of the image diagnosis as a record of the diagnosis.

[0061] Next, the execution process of image diagnosis by a timer will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. The process described below is realized by the CPU 238 of the diagnosis device 109 reading out a control program stored in the HDD 256 into the memory 239 and executing it. In the following, the step numbers of each process included in the flowchart are indicated by numbers beginning with "S". The same applies to the subsequent flowcharts.

[0062] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for determining the execution timing of image diagnosis in this embodiment. First, when the CPU 238 of the diagnostic device 109 starts the operation of the control program, it starts the execution timing determination process. In S601, the CPU 238 reads out the setting of the execution time of image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, develops it on the memory 239, and proceeds to S602. In S602, the CPU 238 reads out the execution history of the image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, develops it on the memory 239, and proceeds to S603.

[0063] In S603, the CPU 238 determines whether or not there is a history of image diagnosis by a timer for the current date in the image diagnosis execution history acquired in S602. If there is no history of image diagnosis by a timer for the current date, the process proceeds to S604, and if there is a history, the process ends this flowchart.

[0064] In S604, the CPU 238 acquires the current time of the diagnostic device 109, and proceeds to S605. The time acquired here may be the time managed by the diagnostic device 109, or the time managed by the printing device 107 or the external controller 102. In this embodiment, the process is set to execute image diagnosis by a timer once a day for each day of the week, but the process is not limited to this. For example, the process may be set to determine the execution timing at each specified time, or to execute multiple times a day.

[0065] In S605, the execution time for the corresponding day is compared with the current time based on the execution time setting obtained in S601 and the current time obtained in S604, and it is determined whether the current time has passed the execution time. If it is determined that the current time has passed the execution time, the process proceeds to S606, and if it is determined that the current time has not passed the execution time, the process returns to S604. In S606, the CPU 238 executes a process of determining whether or not to perform image diagnosis. The process of determining whether or not to perform image diagnosis will be described in detail later. When the process of determining whether or not to perform image diagnosis ends, the process of determining the execution timing ends.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a flowchart for executing the image diagnosis execution determination process of S606 in Fig. 6 in this example. Note that this series of processes is realized by the CPU 238 of the diagnostic device 109 reading out a control program stored in the HDD 256 into the memory 239 and executing it.

[0067] In S701, the CPU 238 acquires the current operating state of the printing device 107 and judges whether or not it is in a state in which image diagnosis involving printing can be performed. The operating state of the printing device 107 includes, for example, states such as waiting, printing, fault occurring, and end state. To confirm whether or not it is in a state in which image diagnosis involving printing can be performed, it judges whether or not it is in a waiting state in which printing processing can be started. If it is judged to be in a state in which it is possible to perform image diagnosis, the process proceeds to S706, and if it is judged to be in a state in which it is not possible to perform image diagnosis, the process proceeds to S702.

[0068] In S702, the CPU 238 acquires the execution history of image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, and acquires device information managed by the printing device 107 from the printing device 107 and stores it in the memory 239. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S703. The device information acquired here includes counter information indicating the number of printed sheets, the history of printed jobs, and maintenance history information regarding replacement of consumables and parts.

[0069] In S703, the CPU 238 judges whether or not there is a result indicating a sign of abnormality in the image diagnosis result recorded in the execution history of the image diagnosis acquired in S702. When there is a sign of abnormality in the image diagnosis result, it means that although the previous image diagnosis did not diagnose an abnormality, any parameter in the image quality exceeds a predetermined threshold, indicating that an abnormality is approaching. The arbitrary parameter is, for example, positional deviation, stains (streaks), the number and degree of stains (dots), the ratio of matching pixels between the read image and the correct image at the time of the previous image diagnosis, etc.

[0070] The judgment of such a sign of an abnormality can be made under any condition set according to the specifications of the printing device 107, and there is no intention to limit the present invention to such conditions. Also, here, the judgment is made based on the execution history, but the judgment may be made based on the most recent image diagnosis in the execution history, or the judgment may be made based on the execution history executed within a predetermined period. If it is determined that there is a sign (Yes), proceed to S704, and if it is determined that there is no sign (No), proceed to S707.

[0071] In S704, the CPU 238 again acquires the current operating status from the printing device 107 to check whether the operating status of the printing device 107 has changed, and the process proceeds to S705. In S705, the CPU 238 determines whether the operating state acquired in S704 is a state in which image diagnosis involving printing can be performed. If it is determined that the operating state is a state in which image diagnosis involving printing can be performed, the process proceeds to S706, and if it is determined that image diagnosis cannot be performed, the process returns to S704.

[0072] In S706, the CPU 238 executes image diagnosis processing. Details of the image diagnosis processing will be described later with reference to Fig. 8. When the image diagnosis processing is completed, this flowchart ends. In S707, the CPU 238 performs a simple diagnosis of the printing device 107 based on the image diagnosis execution history acquired in S702 and the device information of the printing device 107. The result of the simple diagnosis is temporarily stored in the memory 239, and the process proceeds to S708.

[0073] In S708, the CPU 238 additionally records the result of the simplified diagnosis temporarily stored in the memory 239 in S707 in the execution history of the image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, and ends this flowchart. Here, the execution result is recorded in the execution history of the image diagnosis, and may be displayed on the display unit 241, the display 225 of the printing device 107, or the display 212 of the external controller 102.

[0074] Fig. 8 is a flowchart for executing the image diagnosis process of S706 in Fig. 7 in this embodiment. This series of processes is realized by the CPU 238 of the diagnostic device 109 reading a control program from the HDD 256 into the memory 239 and executing it.

[0075] In S801, the CPU 238 instructs the CPU 222 of the printing device 107 to output a test chart. The output instruction here is determined based on the diagnostic items set on the image diagnosis setting screen, or the diagnostic items when it is determined in S706 that image diagnosis is to be automatically executed. For example, if the diagnostic items are set for each color designation of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black), an instruction is given to print a separate test chart for each color designation. The image data to be output as the test chart may be data stored in the HDD 221 of the printing device 107, or data stored in the HDD 256 of the diagnostic device 109 may be sent together with the print instruction. When a response to start outputting the test chart is received from the CPU 222 of the printing device 107, the process proceeds to S802.

[0076] In S802, the CPU 238 instructs the image reading sensor to read the sheet in accordance with the timing of conveying the sheet on which the test chart is output. Since the number of test charts varies depending on the setting of the diagnosis items, the CPU 238 executes the reading process for the number of test charts instructed to be output in S801. After recording the results of the reading in the HDD 256, the process proceeds to S803.

[0077] In S803, the CPU 238 judges whether or not an abnormality exists in the image of the test chart read in S802. Here, the presence / absence of an image abnormality may be judged in the same manner for all images read in S802. When outputting a test chart according to the setting of the diagnostic items, the cause of the image abnormality to be judged for each test chart may be determined, and the presence / absence of an image abnormality corresponding to the test chart may be judged. If it is judged that an image abnormality exists (Yes), the process proceeds to S804, and if it is judged that an image abnormality does not exist (No), the process proceeds to S812.

[0078] In S804, the CPU 238 determines the type of image abnormality from the read image determined to have an image abnormality in S803. Here, the determination of the type of image abnormality is a process of determining whether or not each of image abnormalities, such as misalignment, vertical streaks, horizontal streaks, and stains (dots), has occurred. The type of image abnormality can be determined by determining whether or not the characteristics of each abnormality have occurred in the read image.

[0079] The image abnormality may be determined by comparing the image read in S802 with a reference image of the test chart stored in the HDD 256 of the diagnostic device 109 and judging the difference. Also, the read images with image abnormalities may be judged one by one, or multiple read images may be judged together. As the result of the judgment of the type of image abnormality, whether an abnormality exists or normal is recorded for each type of image abnormality. Once the type of image abnormality has been judged, proceed to S805.

[0080] In S805, the CPU 238 executes a process of extracting a feature amount corresponding to the type of image abnormality from the read image. For example, if the type of image abnormality is vertical streaks, the feature amount extracted here is the streak position, streak width, streak number, streak period, etc. After the feature amount extraction is completed, the feature amount is stored in the memory 239, and the process proceeds to S806.

[0081] In S806, the CPU 238 determines whether or not a possibly periodic image abnormality has occurred based on the type of image abnormality determined in S804 and the feature amount extracted in S805. An example of a possibly periodic image abnormality is when streaks appear at regular intervals on paper due to dirt adhering to a roller. If a possibly periodic image abnormality has occurred, the process proceeds to S807, and if not, the process proceeds to S808.

[0082] In S807, the CPU 238 performs periodicity analysis based on the type of image abnormality determined in S804 and the feature amount extracted in S805. Here, for example, if the type of image abnormality is vertical streaks, the positions and number of streaks that have occurred are read out as feature amounts, and the occurrence interval is analyzed as the streak occurrence period. If the analysis of the streak occurrence period shows periodicity, the occurrence interval is stored in the memory 239 as the analysis result, and the process proceeds to S808.

[0083] In S808, the CPU 238 executes a process of identifying the cause of the image anomaly based on the type of image anomaly determined in S804, the feature amount extracted in S805, and, if there is periodicity, the result of the analysis of the periodicity in S807. Here, for example, the cause of the image anomaly can be identified by selecting the corresponding cause from a correspondence table of the analyzed feature amount and the cause for each type of image anomaly. If the cause of the image anomaly is identified as a result of the process of identifying the cause of the image anomaly, the cause is stored in the memory 239 and the process proceeds to S809.

[0084] In S809, the CPU 238 reads out the cause of the problem identified in S808, and determines a policy for dealing with the cause of the problem. The cause of the problem and its policy are stored in a correspondence table, for example, and a policy for dealing with the cause of the problem is selected and determined. As a policy for dealing with the problem, for example, a policy for part replacement, part cleaning, or automatic repair may be determined according to the cause of the problem. After the policy for dealing with the problem is determined, the process proceeds to S810.

[0085] In S810, the CPU 238 determines whether or not an automatic restoration item is included in the response policy determined in S812. If an automatic restoration cause is included, the process proceeds to S811, and if not, the process proceeds to S812. In S811, the CPU 238 determines the content of the automatic repair to be executed as an automatic repair item of the response policy determined in S809. Then, the CPU 238 instructs the CPU 222 of the printing device 107 to execute the automatic repair. Thereafter, when the CPU 238 receives a notification of completion of execution of the automatic repair from the CPU 222 of the printing device 107, the CPU 238 records completion in the automatic repair item of the response policy stored in the memory 239, and proceeds to S812.

[0086] In S812, the CPU 238 performs a process of displaying the results of the image diagnosis on the display unit 241. Here, if no image abnormality occurs, the diagnosis result is determined to be normal. If an image abnormality occurs, the result is determined for each diagnosis item. Depending on the image abnormality type determination, the diagnosis items in which no abnormality occurs are determined to be normal, and the items in which an abnormality occurs are determined to have an abnormality. Also, if an abnormality is determined to exist and automatic repair is performed, it is determined that automatic repair has been performed. Then, on the image diagnosis result screen, if an abnormality exists in a diagnosis item, the diagnosis result and the cause are displayed as abnormal, if automatic repair is performed, the items that have been automatically repaired are displayed, and if only the diagnosis items are normal, the diagnosis result is displayed as normal. After the image diagnosis result screen is displayed on the display unit 241, this flowchart ends.

[0087] According to the above embodiment, when an image abnormality occurs as a result of image diagnosis, the user can identify the cause of the image abnormality by the cause of the image abnormality. This allows the user to automatically solve the problem when an image abnormality occurs, and to execute the cause identification process only for the necessary image abnormality problem.

[0088] In this embodiment, the CPU 238 of the diagnostic device 109 executes the control program for image diagnosis. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an image read by the diagnostic device 109 may be transmitted to the printing device 107, the external controller 102, or the PC 103, and the control program may be executed in the device of the transmission destination.

[0089] <Example 2> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The first embodiment described above deals with a process when image diagnosis cannot be performed at the set execution time in image diagnosis using a timer. This embodiment describes an example in which the operation when the set execution time is reached in image diagnosis using a timer is switched according to settings.

[0090] 9 is an example of an environment setting screen for image diagnosis in this embodiment, which is displayed on the display unit 241 of the diagnostic device 109. This environment setting screen for image diagnosis may be displayed on the display 225 of the printing device 107 or the display 212 of the external controller 102. Settings selected on the environment setting screen for image diagnosis are stored in the HDD 256 of the diagnostic device 109.

[0091] Fig. 9 is an example of a screen displayed for setting the environment for image diagnosis. When the environment setting button 415 is selected on the execution time setting screen 410 in Fig. 4(B), the screen transitions to an environment setting screen 900 for image diagnosis. The environment setting screen 900 includes a timer execution setting 901 for image diagnosis, an OK button 902, and a cancel button 903. The timer execution setting 901 is an item for setting the diagnostic operation of image diagnosis by a timer. At the set time, the operation can be set from one of three options: "Perform diagnosis using device information if image diagnosis cannot be performed", "Perform diagnosis using device information when the execution time arrives", and "Perform image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform image diagnosis if image diagnosis cannot be performed".

[0092] These three options are displayed as a toggle, and the selected option is highlighted. Here, an example of the screen is shown in which the option "Perform diagnosis using information and status when execution time is reached" has been selected. The OK button 902 is a button for issuing an instruction to finalize the timer execution settings set in the timer execution settings 901. Operating the OK button 902 saves the settings and transitions to the execution time setting screen 410 before the transition. Operating the cancel button 903 discards the changes made to the timer execution settings 901 and transitions to the execution time setting screen 410 before the transition.

[0093] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the process of determining whether to perform image diagnosis in S606 in Fig. 6 in this embodiment. The same step numbers are used for the processes described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. This series of processes is realized by the CPU 238 on the diagnostic device 109 reading a control program from the HDD 256 to the memory 239 and executing it.

[0094] In S1001, the CPU 238 acquires the timer execution setting recorded in the HDD 256, records it in the memory 239, and proceeds to S1002. In S1002, the CPU 238 determines whether the state of the timer execution setting read in S1001 is "perform diagnosis using device information when execution time arrives." If Yes, proceed to S702, and if No, proceed to S701. In S701, the process is executed and judged in the same manner as in S701 in Fig. 7 of the first embodiment. If the judgement result shows that the program is executable, the process proceeds to S706, and if it is judged that the program is not executable, the process proceeds to S1003.

[0095] In S1003, the CPU 238 determines whether the state of the timer execution setting read out in S1001 is "execute as soon as image diagnosis becomes possible." If Yes, proceed to S704, and if No, proceed to S702. The subsequent processing of S702 to S708 is the same as that of S702 to S708 in FIG.

[0096] According to this embodiment, when the image diagnosis based on the timer is executed, it is possible to determine whether or not to execute the image diagnosis accompanied by printing. This allows the image diagnosis accompanied by printing to be executed when necessary depending on the state and usage of the printing device, so that the device state can be diagnosed while reducing printing for image diagnosis.

[0097] <Example 3> In the following, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first and second embodiments described above, the process when the image diagnosis cannot be performed at the set execution time in the image diagnosis by the timer is described. In this embodiment, it is determined whether to perform the image diagnosis involving printing based on the execution history of the image diagnosis. In this embodiment, the image diagnosis does not necessarily have to be started at the execution time of the timer. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the process of determining whether to perform the image diagnosis in this embodiment. This series of processes is realized by the CPU 238 on the diagnostic device 109 reading the control program from the HDD 256 to the memory 239 and executing it.

[0098] The flowchart in Fig. 11 starts with an instruction for image diagnosis. The instruction for image diagnosis may be given when the execution time is reached according to the execution time setting of a timer, or the operator may operate the instruction for image diagnosis. Also, it may be the process in S606 in Fig. 6. In S1102, the CPU 238 acquires the execution history of image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, and acquires device information managed by the printing device 107 from the printing device 107 and stores it in the memory 239. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1103. The device information acquired here includes counter information indicating the number of printed sheets, the history of printed jobs, and maintenance history information regarding replacement of consumables and parts.

[0099] In S1103, the CPU 238 judges whether or not there is a result indicating the presence of a sign in the image diagnosis results recorded in the execution history of the image diagnosis acquired in S1102. Here, the judgment is made based on the execution history, but the judgment may be made based on the most recent image diagnosis in the execution history, or the judgment may be made based on the execution history executed within a predetermined period. If it is judged that there is a sign (Yes), the process proceeds to S1104, and if it is judged that there is no sign (No), the process proceeds to S1107.

[0100] In S1106, the CPU 238 executes image diagnosis processing. Details of the image diagnosis processing are as described in Fig. 8. When the image diagnosis processing is completed, this flowchart ends. In S1107, the CPU 238 performs a simple diagnosis of the printing device 107 based on the image diagnosis execution history acquired in S1102 and the device information of the printing device 107. After temporarily storing the results of the simple diagnosis in the memory 239, the process proceeds to S1108.

[0101] In S1108, the CPU 238 additionally records the result of the simplified diagnosis temporarily stored in the memory 239 in S707 in the execution history of the image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, and ends this flowchart. Here, the execution result is recorded in the execution history of the image diagnosis, and may be displayed on the display unit 241, the display 225 of the printing device 107, or the display 212 of the external controller 102.

[0102] According to this embodiment, when performing image diagnosis, it is determined whether or not to perform image diagnosis involving printing. As a result, image diagnosis involving printing is performed when necessary depending on the state and usage of the printing device, so that it is possible to diagnose the device state while reducing printing for image diagnosis.

[0103] <Example 4> In the following, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above first to third embodiments, when there is a sign in the image diagnosis result recorded in the execution history of the image diagnosis, the image diagnosis accompanied by printing is performed. In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not to perform the image diagnosis accompanied by printing based on the device information managed by the printing device 107. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for processing the determination of the image diagnosis in this embodiment. The determination in S1103 in FIG. 11 is different from that in the third embodiment. This series of processes is realized by the CPU 238 on the diagnosis device 109 reading the control program from the HDD 256 to the memory 239 and executing it.

[0104] The flowchart in Fig. 12 starts with an instruction for image diagnosis. The instruction for image diagnosis may be given when the execution time is reached according to the execution time setting, or the operator may operate the instruction for image diagnosis. Also, this may be a substitute for the process in S606 in Fig. 6 or S707 and S708 in Fig. 7.

[0105] In S1202, the CPU 238 acquires the execution history of image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, and acquires device information managed by the printing device 107 from the printing device 107 and stores it in the memory 239. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1203. The device information acquired here includes counter information indicating the number of printed sheets, the history of printed jobs, and maintenance history information regarding replacement of consumables and parts.

[0106] In S1203, the CPU 238 determines whether to perform image diagnosis accompanied by printing based on the device information and the execution history of image diagnosis acquired in S1202. When image diagnosis accompanied by printing is performed, the following cases are exemplified. If there is no execution history of image diagnosis after parts replacement or maintenance work is performed, image diagnosis involving printing is performed. If the number of sheets printed since the previous image diagnosis exceeds the threshold, image diagnosis accompanied by printing is performed. If image diagnosis involving printing was not performed in the previous diagnosis and there is no history of image diagnosis involving printing thereafter, image diagnosis involving printing is performed.

[0107] If it is determined based on the device information and the execution history of image diagnosis that image diagnosis involving printing is to be performed (Yes), the process proceeds to S1204, and if not (No), the process proceeds to S1207.

[0108] In S1206, the CPU 238 executes image diagnosis processing. Details of the image diagnosis processing are as described in Fig. 8. When the image diagnosis processing is completed, this flowchart ends. In S1207, the CPU 238 performs a simple diagnosis of the printing device 107 based on the execution history of the image diagnosis acquired in S1202 and the device information of the printing device 107. After temporarily storing the result of the simple diagnosis in the memory 239, the process proceeds to S1208.

[0109] In S1208, the CPU 238 additionally records the result of the simplified diagnosis temporarily stored in the memory 239 in S1207 in the execution history of the image diagnosis stored in the HDD 256, and ends this flowchart. Here, the execution result is recorded in the execution history of the image diagnosis, and may be displayed on the display unit 241, the display 225 of the printing device 107, or the display 212 of the external controller 102.

[0110] According to this embodiment, when performing image diagnosis, it is determined whether or not to perform image diagnosis involving printing based on the device information and the execution history of image diagnosis. As a result, image diagnosis involving printing is performed when necessary depending on the state and usage of the printing device, so that the device state can be diagnosed while reducing printing for image diagnosis. Although the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 4 have been described so far, the present invention is not limited to being realized individually for each of the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, it is also possible to realize a form in which at least one feature of the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 4 is arbitrarily combined.

[0111] <Other examples> The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0112] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

[0113] The disclosure of this specification includes the following image forming apparatus, diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, and program. (Item 1) an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; a control means for determining whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when the image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, and not performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is no sign, and performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis becomes executable if there is the sign; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Item 2) The image forming apparatus according to item 1, characterized in that, when image diagnosis can be performed at the execution time, the control means determines whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there is no sign, does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there is a sign, performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means. (Item 3) The image forming apparatus according to item 1 or 2, wherein, when the control means receives an instruction to perform image diagnosis, the control means determines whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there is no sign, the image diagnosis is not performed by the image diagnosis means, and if there is the sign, the image diagnosis is performed by the image diagnosis means. (Item 4) The image forming apparatus further includes an acquisition unit for acquiring device information of the image forming apparatus, The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the control means, if there is no sign, executes a simplified diagnosis based on the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means and the apparatus information. (Item 5) If there is no sign, the control means If there is no record of image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means after replacement of parts or maintenance work is performed, If the number of pages printed since the last diagnostic has exceeded the threshold, and When the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means was not performed in the previous diagnosis and there is no record of the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means thereafter, In at least one of the above cases, an image diagnosis is performed by the image diagnosis means, and in none of the above cases, a simplified diagnosis is performed based on the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means and the device information. (Item 6) an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; An acquisition unit for acquiring device information of the image forming device; an operation setting means for setting, as the diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform diagnosis using device information when image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform diagnosis using device status when the execution time arrives, or to perform image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform image diagnosis when image diagnosis cannot be performed; a control means for executing a diagnosis in accordance with the setting of the operation setting means; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Item 7) an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; a control means for determining whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when the execution time arrives, and not executing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is no sign, and executing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is the sign; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Item 8) an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; a control means for determining whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when an instruction to perform image diagnosis is received, and not performing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is no sign, and performing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is the sign; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Item 9) A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image diagnosis means for performing image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis; and a control means, A diagnostic method for an image forming device, wherein, when an image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis becomes available. (Item 10) A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis; operation setting means for setting, as a diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform diagnosis using device information when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform diagnosis using the device status when the execution time arrives, or to perform image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform image diagnosis when the image diagnosis cannot be performed; and control means, A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, wherein the control means executes a diagnosis in accordance with the setting of the operation setting means. (Item 11) A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing an image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis; and a control means, A diagnostic method for an image forming device, wherein, when the execution time arrives, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means. (Item 12) A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus including an image diagnostic means for performing image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium, a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis, and a control means, comprising: A diagnostic method for an image forming device, wherein, when the control means receives an instruction to perform image diagnosis, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means. (Item 13) A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, the diagnostic method comprising: an image diagnosis means for performing an image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; and a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis, the program comprising: The computer, A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which, when an image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, functions as a control means for not performing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and for performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis can be performed if there are any signs. (Item 14) A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, the diagnostic method comprising: image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis; and operation setting means for setting, as a diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform a diagnosis using device information when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform a diagnosis using a device status when the execution time arrives, or to perform the image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform it when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, The computer, A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which causes the operation setting means to function as control means for executing a diagnosis in accordance with settings made by the operation setting means. (Item 15) A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, the diagnostic method comprising: an image diagnosis means for performing an image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; and a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis, the program comprising: The computer includes: A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which, when the execution time arrives, determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, functions as a control means for not executing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, functions as a control means for executing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means. (Item 16) A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus including an image diagnostic means for performing image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium, and a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis, the program comprising: The computer includes: A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which, when an instruction to perform image diagnosis is received, determines whether or not there are any signs of image abnormalities in the results of image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, functions as a control means not to perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, to perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 101: image forming device, 107: printing device, 109: diagnostic device, 238: CPU, 241: display unit, 242: operation unit

Claims

1. an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; a control means for determining whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when the image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, and not performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is no sign, and performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis becomes executable if there is the sign; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when image diagnosis can be performed at the execution time, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the control means receives an instruction to perform image diagnosis, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, the control means does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, the control means performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

4. The image forming apparatus further includes an acquisition unit for acquiring device information of the image forming apparatus, 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means, if there is no sign of a malfunction, executes a simplified diagnosis based on the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means and the apparatus information.

5. If there is no sign, the control means If there is no record of image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means after replacement of parts or maintenance work is performed, If the number of pages printed since the last diagnostic has exceeded the threshold, and When the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means was not performed in the previous diagnosis and there is no record of the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means thereafter, 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in at least one of the above cases, image diagnosis is performed by the image diagnosis means, and, in none of the above cases, a simplified diagnosis is performed based on the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means and the apparatus information.

6. an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; An acquisition unit for acquiring device information of an image forming device; an operation setting means for setting, as the diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform diagnosis using device information when image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform diagnosis using device information when the execution time arrives, or to perform image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform image diagnosis when image diagnosis cannot be performed; a control means for executing a diagnosis in accordance with the setting of the operation setting means; An image forming apparatus comprising:

7. an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; a control means for determining whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when the execution time arrives, and not executing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is no sign, and executing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is the sign; An image forming apparatus comprising:

8. an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium to perform image diagnosis; A recording means for recording the results of the image diagnosis; A setting means for setting a time for performing the image diagnosis; a control means for determining whether or not there is a sign of an image abnormality in the result of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means when an instruction to perform the image diagnosis is received, and not performing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is no sign, and performing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means if there is the sign; An image forming apparatus comprising:

9. A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing an image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis; and a control means, A diagnostic method for an image forming device, wherein, when an image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis becomes available.

10. A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis; operation setting means for setting, as a diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform diagnosis using device information when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform diagnosis using the device status when the execution time arrives, or to perform image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform image diagnosis when the image diagnosis cannot be performed; and control means, A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, wherein the control means executes a diagnosis in accordance with the setting of the operation setting means.

11. A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing an image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis; and a control means, A diagnostic method for an image forming device, wherein, when the execution time arrives, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

12. A diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus including an image diagnostic means for performing image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium, a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis, and a control means, comprising: A diagnostic method for an image forming device, wherein, when the control means receives an instruction to perform image diagnosis, the control means determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, does not perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, performs image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

13. A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, the diagnostic method comprising: an image diagnosis means for performing an image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; and a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis, the program comprising: The computer, A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which, when an image diagnosis cannot be performed at the execution time, determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, functions as a control means for not performing the image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and for performing the set image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means at a timing when the image diagnosis can be performed if there are any signs.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, the diagnostic method comprising: image diagnosis means for forming an image on a print medium and performing image diagnosis by reading the image formed on the print medium; recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; setting means for setting an execution time for performing the image diagnosis; and operation setting means for setting, as a diagnostic operation at the execution time, whether to perform a diagnosis using device information when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, to perform a diagnosis using a device status when the execution time arrives, or to perform the image diagnosis as soon as it becomes possible to perform it when the image diagnosis cannot be performed, The computer, A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which causes the operation setting means to function as control means for executing a diagnosis in accordance with settings made by the operation setting means.

15. A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, the diagnostic method comprising: an image diagnosis means for performing an image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium; a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis; and a setting means for setting an execution time for executing the image diagnosis, the program comprising: The computer includes: A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which, when the execution time arrives, determines whether or not there are any signs of an image abnormality in the results of the image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, functions as a control means for not executing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, functions as a control means for executing image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

16. A program for causing a computer to execute a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus including an image diagnostic means for performing image diagnosis by forming an image on a print medium and reading the image formed on the print medium, and a recording means for recording a result of the image diagnosis, the program comprising: The computer includes: A program for executing a diagnostic method for an image forming apparatus, which, when an instruction to perform image diagnosis is received, determines whether or not there are any signs of image abnormalities in the results of image diagnosis recorded in the recording means, and if there are no signs, functions as a control means not to perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means, and if there are signs, to perform image diagnosis by the image diagnosis means.

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