Apparatus management system, image formation apparatus, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

To identify a cause with a high probability for a jam occurring in an image formation apparatus and to notify a user or maintenance service provider of countermeasures for the cause of the jam at a proper timing before a service call occurs.SOLUTION: An apparatus management system comprises: an engine control unit 110 that detects a conveyance failure of a sheet S in an image formation apparatus 100; a computation unit 310 that determines a cause of the conveyance failure on the basis of information acquired from the image formation apparatus 100; a display unit 402 that displays information relating to the determined cause; and a computation unit 310 that determines whether or not to display the information relating to the cause on the display unit 402. The computation unit 310 determines whether or not to display the information relating to the cause on the display unit 402 on the basis of an occurrence rate, which is the number of conveyance failures occurring per unit time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device management system, an image forming device, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, in the market for image forming devices, such as laser printers, there has been an increase in the number of times that service providers enter into maintenance contracts or pay-as-you-go contracts (e.g., contracts in which fees are charged based on the number of pages printed) with users. Under these contracts, service costs are included in the print unit price, making it important to reduce unnecessary dispatches to users' sites and streamline troubleshooting. One method for streamlining troubleshooting is for maintenance providers to address sheet transport issues (hereinafter referred to as "jams"). When jams frequently occur at users' sites, the causes of jams vary widely. For this reason, even when jams can be resolved remotely, such as when they are due to the user's misuse of the printer, maintenance providers are forced to dispatch a service provider to investigate the cause, resulting in unnecessary service dispatches. To address this issue, a conventional technology has been proposed, for example, in Patent Document 1, that allows users to address frequent jams themselves without the need for a maintenance provider. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 1,147,9427 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional technology, whether to notify the display unit of a solution is determined for each sheet storage compartment when the number of jammed sheets per printed sheet exceeds a predetermined threshold. Therefore, even if the number of jammed sheets per day exceeds a predetermined number, if jams occur across multiple storage compartments, the threshold may not be exceeded. In such cases, there is a problem in that the solution cannot be notified to the user. Users tend to become dissatisfied when a large number of jams occur in a single day, and this dissatisfaction may lead to a service call. When a service call is made, the maintenance company is forced to respond even when a jam is the cause, leading to issues such as increased dispatch and service costs.

[0005] Furthermore, in the conventional technology, when there are multiple solutions to be reported, all possible solutions are reported, which means that although the user may be able to eliminate the cause of the jam by implementing all of the solutions reported, it takes time and effort to find the true cause of the jam.

[0006] The present invention has been made under these circumstances, and aims to identify the most likely cause of a jam that has occurred in an image forming apparatus, and notify a user or a maintenance company of how to deal with the cause of the jam at an appropriate timing before a service call is made. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

[0008] (1) An apparatus management system for managing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a detection means for detecting a recording material transport failure in the image forming apparatus; a cause determination means for determining the cause of the transport failure detected by the detection means based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; a display means for displaying information related to the cause determined by the cause determination means; and a display determination means for determining whether or not to display the information related to the cause on the display means, wherein the display determination means determines whether or not to display the information related to the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time.

[0009] (2) An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, comprising: a detection means that detects a transport failure of the recording material; a cause determination means that determines the cause of the transport failure detected by the detection means; a display means that displays information about the cause determined by the cause determination means; and a display determination means that determines whether or not to display the information about the cause on the display means, wherein the display determination means determines whether or not to display the information about the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time.

[0010] (3) An information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device, comprising: a cause determination means for determining the cause of a transport failure in the image forming device based on information acquired from the image forming device; and a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information regarding the cause on a display means, wherein the display determination means determines whether or not to display the information regarding the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, when a jam occurs in an image forming device, the likely cause can be identified, and the user or a maintenance company can be notified of how to deal with the cause of the jam at an appropriate time before a service call is made. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] Schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to Examples 1 to 3. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the mechanism leading to jams in Examples 1 to 3. [Figure 3] Flowchart showing jam cause determination and display determination processing in the first and second embodiments [Figure 4] Graph showing the output of the media detection device of Examples 1 to 3 calculated [Figure 5] Flowchart showing jam cause determination or selection and display determination processing in the first and second embodiments [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a device management system according to first to third embodiments. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the cause of one jam according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] Flowchart showing a process for selecting a likely cause of jam in the second embodiment [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the cause of jamming and displaying the result of the process according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0013] The following describes an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention and an external notification system (device management system) that operates in communication with the image forming apparatus 100. Here, an electrophotographic color laser printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be used as an example of the image forming apparatus 100, and the description will be made with reference to the drawings. Note that although the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a printer, the present invention is not limited to this and may also be applied to a copier, inkjet printer, etc.

[0014] [Overview of Image Forming Apparatus 100] First, the schematic configuration of image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Image forming apparatus 100 is an apparatus that forms images using an electrophotographic method, and includes four photosensitive drums 101Y, 101M, 101C, and 101K as an image forming unit (image forming means) that form toner images of four colors: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Note that the letters Y, M, C, and K representing colors may be omitted except when describing components of specific colors. Furthermore, the image forming unit of image forming apparatus 100 includes an intermediate transfer belt 102, a primary transfer roller 106, and a secondary transfer roller 105.

[0015] The intermediate transfer belt 102 is an endless belt that comes into contact with the four photosensitive drums 101 and onto which the toner images formed on the four photosensitive drums 101 are transferred. The primary transfer rollers 106 form a nip portion between the inner periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 102 and the photosensitive drums 101, and transfer the toner images onto the intermediate transfer belt 102 by generating a potential difference between the photosensitive drums 101 and the intermediate transfer belt 102 (primary transfer). The secondary transfer roller 105 forms a nip portion (secondary transfer portion) with the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 102, and transfers the images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 102 onto a sheet S serving as a recording material (secondary transfer).

[0016] When an image forming operation is started in the image forming apparatus 100, a laser scanner 103 irradiates a photosensitive drum 101, which is charged to a constant potential, with light corresponding to an image signal, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 101. Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner stored in a developer cartridge 104, thereby forming a toner image (visible image) on the photosensitive drum 101. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 101 is then primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer belt 102, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 102 is transported by the intermediate transfer belt 102 to a secondary transfer unit.

[0017] In parallel with this toner image formation operation, sheets S are fed one by one from a sheet S storage 14. The sheets S are transported to a secondary transfer section formed by the nip between the intermediate transfer belt 102 and the secondary transfer roller 105 by registration rollers 32 and registration roller rollers 33, which perform skew correction. Here, the sheet S needs to be aligned in the conveying direction with respect to the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 102, so the conveying speed of the registration rollers 32 is controlled to align the sheet S. Then, in the secondary transfer section, a voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 105, thereby transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 102 to the sheet S. The sheet S with the transferred toner image is then transported to a fuser 40, where it is heated and pressurized to fix the toner image to the sheet S. The fuser 40 includes a fixing film 41, a pressure roller 42, and a heater 43. After fixing, the sheet S is discharged by a pair of discharge rollers 107 to a discharge section 108 at the top of the device. In addition, multiple conveying rollers (not shown in Figure 1) are also installed on the conveying path along which the sheet S is conveyed, and these conveying rollers, feed roller 12, registration roller 32, and discharge roller pair 107 function as conveying means for conveying the sheet S.

[0018] The image forming apparatus 100 has an engine control unit 110. As shown in Fig. 6, which will be described later, the engine control unit 110 has a CPU 111, a ROM 112, and a RAM 113. The CPU 111 controls the image forming apparatus 100 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 112, while using the RAM 113 as a temporary work area. The ROM 112 also stores various parameters and the like.

[0019] A media detection device 96 and a microphone 97 serving as a sound collection unit are provided upstream of the registration rollers 32 in the conveyance direction of the sheet S. The media detection device 96 and the microphone 97 are arranged on either side of the conveyance path. The media detection device 96 detects physical characteristics of the conveyed sheet S, such as basis weight and surface texture. The microphone 97 collects operational sounds generated within the image forming apparatus 100, converts them into electrical signals, and transmits them to the engine control unit 110. Alternatively, the media detection device 96 may function as a transmitter and the microphone 97 as a receiver to determine the occurrence of a conveyance error such as a double feed. For example, the media detection device 96 functions as a transmitter, transmitting ultrasonic waves, which are received by the microphone 97 as a receiver. When a recording sheet S is being conveyed along the conveyance path, the microphone 97 receives the ultrasonic waves via the recording sheet S. The CPU 111, described later, can determine whether a double feed is occurring, for example, in the paper feed unit, based on the signal received by the microphone 97. The image forming apparatus 100 also has an environmental sensor 98 serving as an environmental detection unit for detecting the temperature and humidity within the image forming apparatus 100. The pickup roller 11, feed roller 12, and separation roller 13 in FIG. 1 will be described later.

[0020] [Equipment Management System] Next, an image forming apparatus 100 to which a first embodiment is applied and an apparatus management system including a server and the like that communicates with the image forming apparatus 100 and operates will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. Jams that occur in the image forming apparatus 100 can have various causes, and the jam can be resolved by identifying the cause of each jam and reporting information based on the cause. Various methods have been proposed for identifying the cause of a jam. In the first embodiment, as an example, a jam caused by different types of sheets loaded in the storage cabinet 14 will be used to describe a means for displaying and determining information based on the cause of the jam, which is a feature of the present invention.

[0021] [Explanation of the mechanism that leads to jams when sheets are mixed in storage bin 14] First, using Figure 2, we will explain the operation of stacking different types of sheets together in the storage case 14 and then feeding the sheets. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the storage case 14 and the vicinity of the paper feed unit. Figure 2(a) shows the state in which sheets are stacked together and stored in the storage case 14, (b) shows the state just before paper feeding begins, Figure 2(c) shows the state in the middle of sheet feeding, and (d) shows the state just before a jam occurs after more sheets have been fed from (c).

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2(a), in the first embodiment, sheets are mixed and stacked in the storage 14, and then fed. Fig. 2(a) shows a state in which a user has stacked several tens of sheets S of a different type, namely, sheets SA (e.g., plain paper 1), on top of sheets SB (e.g., plain paper 2). This state in which sheets SA and SB of different types exist in the same storage 14 is called "mixed stacking."

[0023] Here, we will explain sheets SA and SB. The two types of sheets have the same fixing temperature control mode, which is set as for plain paper, at which the temperature at which toner is fixed in the fixing device 40 of the image forming apparatus 100, and in that sense they are classified into the same category of "plain paper." However, there are differences in the detailed physical properties of the sheets, such as the basis weight and surface properties, and in that sense, sheets SA and SB are different types. To indicate this, the numbers 1 and 2 are given, such as "plain paper 1" and "plain paper 2." The basis weight of a sheet is the mass per unit area of ​​the sheet, expressed in [g / m 2 ] is expressed as

[0024] Next, the operation up to just before the start of paper feeding will be described using Figure 2(b). When image forming apparatus 100 starts a print operation, first pickup roller 11 descends in the direction of arrow Da shown in Figure 2(b). Then, lift-up plate 17 rotates in the direction of arrow Db shown in Figure 2(b) to lift up sheets SA and SB, and sheet SA comes into contact with pickup roller 11. This determines the paper feeding position, and the operation of lift-up plate 17 stops.

[0025] Then, the pickup roller 11 starts picking up the sheet S (sheet SA) stacked on the top surface of the storage case 14, and the sheet is transported by the feed roller 12 to the image forming unit. Here, if the coefficient of friction μ between the sheets SA and the sheets SB is small, the following occurs when a certain number of sheets SA are fed and only about 10 sheets SA remain. Because the coefficient of friction μ between the sheets SA and the sheets SB is small, the conveying force of the pickup roller 11 conveys all of the 10 sheets SA to the nip between the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13, and a stack of sheets ST of about 10 sheets is removed together. The sheet stack ST indicates a stack of about 10 sheets. This state is shown in FIG. 2(c). That is, all of the remaining sheets SA are transported and removed by the distance x from the leading edge of the sheets SB stacked in the storage case 14 to the nip between the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13.

[0026] In this state, the thickness of the sheet stack ST causes the nip formed by the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13 to separate. If sheets S continue to be fed in this state, the separation roller 13 will no longer be able to perform its intended function of separating the sheets and handling them one by one. As a result, sheet S2, which is fed after the preceding sheet S1, will be pulled out, and the leading edge of sheet S2 may stop at a position y ahead of the nip formed by the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13. The position y ahead is a position y downstream in the conveyance direction. This state is shown in Figure 2(d).

[0027] When the pickup operation is started from this state, the sheet interval defined by the rear end of the preceding sheet S1 and the front end of the succeeding sheet S2 becomes narrower (smaller) by an amount y that is not intended in the design. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 determines that the image formation process is difficult because the sheet interval between the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet has become smaller than the allowable value, stops the printing operation, and notifies the user that a paper jam has occurred. As described above, when sheets are mixed in the storage 14 and then fed, if the coefficient of friction μ between different types of sheets is small, a jam may occur.

[0028] [Description of the flow for determining the cause of a jam from information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100 by the cause determination unit] In the first embodiment, the cause determination unit as a cause determination means determines that the cause of the jam is mixed loading in the analysis of step (hereinafter referred to as S) 504 shown in Fig. 3. A mixed loading index value is used for this determination, and if the mixed loading index value exceeds a certain threshold value, it is determined that mixed loading has occurred. The flow of this determination will be explained with reference to Fig. 4. The specific configuration that functions as the cause determination unit will be described later with reference to Fig. 6.

[0029] In the first embodiment, whenever a jam occurs, the process shown in Fig. 3 starts. After that, in S504 in Fig. 3, the cause of the jam is analyzed by the cause determination unit for each jam that occurs. Some causes of jams can be identified through analysis, while others cannot be identified even after analysis. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that only mixed loading can be identified as the cause of a jam through analysis.

[0030] When a jam occurs and the processing of FIG. 3 is started, the cause determination unit acquires information accumulated in the image forming apparatus 100 in S502. In S503, the cause determination unit determines whether there is one or more pieces of jam information. If the cause determination unit determines that there is no jam information in S503, it ends the processing, and if it determines that there is one or more pieces of jam information, it proceeds to S504. In S504, the cause determination unit starts analyzing the jam. In S505, the cause determination unit determines whether or not notification is necessary based on the results of the analysis in S504. If the cause determination unit determines that notification is necessary in S504, it proceeds to S506, where it displays a method for dealing with the cause on the display unit 402 (see FIG. 6) as a display unit, and then it terminates the processing. Here, the "method for dealing with the cause" refers to a method for dealing with the cause of the jam, that is, a method for removing the factors that caused the jam. For example, if the jam is caused by mixed loading, the solution is to avoid mixed loading, that is, to stack only one type of sheet S in the storage 14. If the cause determination unit determines in S505 that no notification is necessary, the process ends without displaying any information on the display unit 402. Each process will be described in detail below.

[0031] In S502, the cause determination unit acquires data necessary for calculating the above-mentioned mixed loading index value from the image forming apparatus 100. Specifically, the media detection device 96 provided near the registration rollers 32 acquires basis weight data for each sheet S to be printed. The cause determination unit uses the acquired data (e.g., basis weight data) to calculate a moving average of the variance values ​​for a predetermined number of sheets. Here, the moving average calculated based on the basis weight data is defined as the mixed loading index value X. Similarly, the cause determination unit also acquires surface property data for each sheet S to be printed using the media detection device 96, and uses this data to calculate a moving average of the variance values ​​for the predetermined number of sheets. Here, the moving average calculated based on the surface property data is defined as the mixed loading index value Y. Note that, although data obtained by detecting the sheet S using the media detection device 96 is used in FIG. 3, this is not limiting. For example, the mixed load index value X and the mixed load index value Y may be obtained based on the data of the sheet S input by the user from the operation display unit 122 described later and a table that associates the sheet S with basis weight data, surface property data, etc., which is stored in advance in the ROM 112.

[0032] When two types of sheets S are mixed in one storage 14, the physical property values ​​of the sheets transition to different physical property values ​​at the mixed boundary. Therefore, by obtaining a moving average as the mixed index value, at least one of the mixed index value X and the mixed index value Y temporarily changes significantly. In the first embodiment, two types of sheets with different basis weights are mixed, and the transition of the mixed index value X at this time is shown in FIG. 4. Here, in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the page count (number of sheets) and the vertical axis represents the mixed index value X.

[0033] The cause determination unit determines whether the state is a mixed state based on the amount of change in the mixed load index value X. In the first embodiment, in order to distinguish between whether the state is a mixed state or not, the following definitions are made: a fixed threshold value is XT1, a page count at the mixed load boundary is K1, and the mixed load index value X at the page count K1 at the mixed load boundary is XT2. K1 The difference between the mixed index value X of the previous sheet and the mixed index value X of the previous sheet, that is, the amount of change, is defined as Δ. When the amount of change Δ of the mixed index value X exceeds a threshold value XT1 (XT1<Δ=X K1+1 -XK1 ), the page count K1 is set as the mixed boundary, and it is determined that the mixed state exists. K1+1 is the mixed load index value at page count K1+1, which is the next page count after page count K1. In the case of FIG. 4, the page count up to page count K1 corresponds to sheet SA in FIG. 2, and page count K1+1 and onwards correspond to sheet SB in FIG. 2. The threshold value (XT1) of mixed load index value X and the threshold value of mixed load index value Y may be determined based on, for example, the physical property value of sheet SA or the physical property value of sheet SB, whichever has the greater variation. For example, the threshold value may be set to a value two to three times the variation.

[0034] If the cause determination unit subsequently determines that the sheet is in a mixed state, the section a where a jam may occur due to mixed stacking is set to the first 10 sheets including the page count K1, i.e., K1-10≦a≦K1. Note that although the section a is set to the value of the first 10 sheets including the page count K1 here, this is not limited to this. As described in FIG. 2(d) , the number of sheets in the sheet stack ST that are brought to the nip portion between the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13 varies depending on the type of sheet. Therefore, the setting of 10 sheets is not limited to this. For example, the value corresponding to 10 sheets may be changed depending on the type of sheet S. If a jam subsequently occurs in the section a where a jam may occur, the cause determination unit determines that the jam is caused by mixed stacking.

[0035] 3 is performed when it is determined that there is one or more jam information items, that is, when a transport failure of the sheet S has occurred one or more times, as shown in S503. Here, a transport failure of the sheet S also includes, for example, a misprint state in which the image forming operation is not completed in time and the sheet is discharged blank.

[0036] [Explanation of the flow to determine whether to display information based on the cause on the display] Details of the determination flow by the display determination unit as the display determination means in S505 shown in Fig. 3 will be described using Fig. 5. Note that a specific configuration functioning as the display determination unit will be described later with reference to Fig. 6. When the display determination process starts, in S202 the display determination unit determines whether the frequency of jams per unit time (first occurrence rate) in the most recent fixed period is equal to or greater than a first threshold. That is, the display determination unit calculates the number of jams (number of times) that have occurred from the previous determination time to the current determination time, and determines whether the calculated number of jams is equal to or greater than a fixed number per unit time (first threshold).

[0037] In the first embodiment, the unit time is set to one day, and the first threshold for the number of jams is set to three. The reason for determining the occurrence rate per unit time is that whether a user becomes dissatisfied with a jam and calls for service tends to be determined not only by the number of jams per number of sheets printed by the image forming apparatus 100, but also by the number of jams per unit time. The display determination unit defines the jam occurrence rate based on time and determines whether it is equal to or greater than the first threshold. Note that S202 can also be said to determine whether it exceeds the user's daily tolerance limit.

[0038] If the display determination unit determines in S202 that the frequency of jams per unit time is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the process proceeds to S204. In S204, the display determination unit determines whether the cause of the jam has been identified in the analysis process shown in S504 of FIG. 3. If the display determination unit determines in S204 that the cause of the jam has been identified, the process proceeds to S205. In S205, the display determination unit decides to display and notify the cause of the jam identified in S504 of FIG. 3 and a solution based on that cause on the display unit 402 of the maintenance management computer 400, which will be described later, and then ends the process. In this flow, the display determination unit reaches a determination result of "notification required."

[0039] If the display determination unit determines in S204 that the cause of the jam has not been identified through the analysis shown in S504 in Fig. 3, the process proceeds to S206. In S206, the display determination unit determines not to display the cause of the jam or a solution based on that cause, and ends the process. In this flow, the display determination unit reaches a determination result that "notification is unnecessary."

[0040] If the display determination unit determines in S202 that the jam frequency is less than the first threshold, it proceeds to S203. In S203, the display determination unit determines whether the jam frequency (second occurrence rate) per number of prints (per number of sheets passed) during the transport (passage) of the most recent Xs sheets S exceeds the second threshold. In the first embodiment, the most recent Xs sheets are set to 500 sheets, and the number of times of the second threshold is set to 1. If the display determination unit determines in S203 that the jam frequency is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it proceeds to S204. That is, the display determination unit performs the same processing as when the jam frequency per unit time is equal to or greater than the first threshold in S202. If the display determination unit determines in S203 that the jam frequency per number of sheets passed is less than the second threshold, it proceeds to S206, determines not to display the cause of the jam or a solution based on that cause, and ends the processing. In this flow, the display determination unit reaches a determination result of "notification not required." The first threshold value and the second threshold value may be determined as follows. For example, the server 300 may collect and store in a database the number of service calls made in the past, and determine the first threshold value and the second threshold value based on the number of service calls made in a predetermined period.

[0041] In this way, in the first embodiment, the processes of S202 (determination based on the frequency of jams per unit time) and S203 (determination based on the frequency of jams per number of sheets passed) are provided. This makes it possible to determine whether to notify the cause of jams and a remedy based on that cause, taking into account the number of jams per number of printed sheets and the number of jams per unit time. In other words, it is possible to determine whether to notify the cause of jams and a remedy based on that cause, not only based on the conventional jam occurrence rate, but also based on whether the jam occurrence rate exceeds the user's daily tolerance limit.

[0042] Note that if the number of sheets printed is extremely high, for example, 5,000 sheets printed per day, and a jam occurs only once per day, the conditions of S202 and S203 will not be met. In such a situation, in the first embodiment, the cause of the jam and a solution based on that cause will not be displayed. However, if a jam occurs once a day every day, it may lead to a service call. In such a case, a time-based condition is added, for example, that if a jam occurs four or more times in three days, it will be determined that a notification will be displayed on the display unit 402. This makes it possible to identify the cause of the jam and display a solution based on that cause before a service call is made, even for users who print an extremely large number of sheets.

[0043] [Explanation of the route by which the identified cause of the jam is reported to the user or maintenance company] Next, referring to FIG. 6, a route for notifying a user or a maintenance company of the identified cause of a jam when the display is performed in S506 of FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a fault diagnosis system or image forming system serving as an apparatus management system including the image forming apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, a host computer 200 (computer), the image forming apparatus 100, a server 300 serving as an information processing apparatus, and a maintenance management computer 400 serving as a monitoring tool are configured to be able to communicate with each other, for example, via a network. The control unit 201 of the host computer 200 includes a CPU serving as a processor and executes control programs stored in a storage device (not shown) to perform various processes. The operation display unit 202 includes a display, keyboard, mouse, etc., and provides a user interface. For example, the control unit 201 transmits a print job including image data to the image forming apparatus 100 in response to a user operation on the operation display unit 202, causing the image forming apparatus 100 to form an image based on the image data.

[0044] The video controller 121 of the image forming apparatus 100 performs communication processing with the host computer 200, the server 300, and a maintenance management computer 400 managed by a dealer. When the video controller 121 receives a print job from the host computer 200, it controls image formation based on the print job by the printer engine 123. The operation display unit 122 includes an operation panel, operation buttons, etc., and provides a user interface. The printer engine 123 has an engine control unit 110 including a CPU 111, which is a processor, a ROM 112, and a RAM 113. The ROM 112 is a nonvolatile memory that holds and stores control programs and various data. Note that a rewritable nonvolatile memory can be used instead of the ROM 112. The RAM 113 is a volatile memory that stores temporary data. The CPU 111 executes a control program stored in the ROM 112 to control the feed motor 91, intermediate transfer belt motor 92, photosensitive drum motor 93, development motor 94, and fixing motor 95 via an IO port 124 to form an image on a sheet S.

[0045] The feed motor 91 is a drive source for the pickup roller 11, the feed roller 12, and the registration roller 32. The intermediate transfer belt motor 92 is a drive source for the intermediate transfer belt 102. The photosensitive drum motor 93 is a drive source for each photosensitive drum 101. The development motor 94 is a drive source for the development rollers of each development cartridge 104. The fixing motor 95 is a drive source for the pressure roller 42 of the fixing unit 30. These drive sources function as drive means.

[0046] The transport sensor 90 is provided on the transport path of the sheet S fed from the storage 14. The detection result of the transport sensor 90 is used for controlling the transport of the sheet S and for determining whether a jam has occurred, which is the source of the jam information in FIG. 3. The engine control unit 110 functions as a detection unit that detects whether a jam has occurred. The media detection device 96, microphone 97, and environment sensor 98 are as described above.

[0047] The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 includes one or more processors (CPUs) and executes control programs stored in the storage device 320 to perform various processes described below. The storage device 320 includes any volatile and non-volatile storage device. The storage device 320 stores not only the programs executed by the calculation unit 310 but also data used by the calculation unit 310 in various processes. In the first embodiment, the storage device 320 is a component of the server 300, but some or all of the data described below as being stored in the storage device 320 may be stored in an external device accessible by the server 300 via a network.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, when analysis is initiated within server 300, server 300 communicates with video controller 121, acquires information accumulated in image forming apparatus 100, and performs analysis (S502). If one or more jams have occurred between the previous analysis and the current analysis (YES in S503), analysis (S504) begins. The reason analysis is not performed unless there is one or more jams is to prevent unnecessary analysis. After the analysis, if it is determined that information based on the cause of the jam should be reported (NO in S505), the cause of the jam identified in S504 and a solution based on that cause are displayed and reported on display unit 402 of maintenance management computer 400 so that the cause and a solution based on that cause can be referenced (S506). That is, calculation unit 310 of server 300 functions as the cause determination unit and display determination unit described above.

[0049] The maintenance management computer 400 receives information about the cause of the jam in the device and how to deal with it, which makes it possible to instruct the user from a remote location how to resolve the improper state of the device, to provide a worn-out regularly replaced unit, or to visit the user's site to repair the malfunctioning part.

[0050] The information displayed on the display unit 402 may be only the cause of the jam, for example, "It is highly likely that the jam is caused by mixed stacking" in the first embodiment. Also, it may be only the solution, for example, "It is recommended that all sheets in the sheet storage container be stacked with the same type of sheets," in the first embodiment. Furthermore, it may be both the cause of the jam and the solution, for example, "It is highly likely that the jam is caused by mixed stacking, so it is recommended that all sheets in the sheet storage container be stacked with the same type of sheets," in the first embodiment.

[0051] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when a jam or the like occurs in the image forming apparatus 100, it is possible to identify the likely cause and notify the maintenance company of a solution at an appropriate timing just before a service call is made. If the identified cause is mixed loading caused by a user operation, the maintenance company can instruct the user to stop the mixed loading state by remote instruction, for example, by telephone, without dispatching a service company, thereby allowing the user to remove the cause of the jam. Since it is possible to reduce the number of service calls by the maintenance company, it is possible to significantly reduce service costs.

[0052] Furthermore, by using the display determination unit to make the determination, it is not necessary to notify the user or the maintenance company of the cause of the jam and how to deal with it for each jam that does not occur frequently, which can prevent the user or the maintenance company from feeling bothered. Note that in the first embodiment, in order to perform advanced statistical processing, the cause determination unit identifies the cause of the jam on the server 300, and the display determination unit also determines whether to notify information based on the cause on the server 300. However, these causes may be identified and determined by the video controller 121 or the CPU 111 in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0053] 3, the information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100 includes one or more of the following information: conveyance information of the sheet S, output information of each motor, sound information, operation information of each unit, temperature and humidity environment information, and printing information. By performing a cause analysis based on this information, the calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can identify causes other than mixed loading.

[0054] The conveyance information of the sheet S is, for example, timing information based on the detection results of a conveyance sensor 90 provided on the conveyance path of the sheet S, which detects the leading and trailing ends of the sheet S. Based on the detection results of the conveyance sensor 90, the engine control unit 110 determines that a jam has occurred if the sheet S arrives later than expected or does not arrive at all. Furthermore, based on the timing information, the calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can determine the cause of the jam, for example, whether the position of the trailing end regulating plate of the storage case 14 is not appropriate for the sheet S.

[0055] The output information of each motor is, for example, torque information of each motor. As described in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 100 has each motor and acquires torque information of each motor. The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can determine the cause of the jam, for example, that a specific roller is not installed, based on the torque information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100. The sound information is information collected by the microphone 97. The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can, for example, identify which unit is generating the abnormal sound based on the sound information, and can determine the cause of the jam due to an abnormality in the unit.

[0056] The operation information of each unit is, for example, information about the opening and closing of a door of the image forming apparatus 100, which is information based on the detection results of a sensor that detects the door. It is also, for example, information about the insertion and removal of the removable developer cartridge 104, which is information based on the detection results of a sensor that detects the insertion and removal. The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can use this information as an auxiliary means to determine the cause of a jam. The temperature and humidity environment information is information based on the detection results of the environmental sensor 98. The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can, for example, determine whether a jam has occurred due to curling of the sheet S that has absorbed moisture. The printing information is information such as the print rate that is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100 when a user performs a printing operation. The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 can, for example, determine whether a jam has occurred due to curling of the sheet S after the fixing process in the fixing unit 40, which occurs due to differences in the print rate.

[0057] The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 may accumulate information from the image forming apparatus 100 and display the cause of the jam and / or a solution to remove the cause on the display unit 402, for example, once a day, or may display the information in real time. When the calculation unit 310 displays information in real time on the display unit 402 as the first display means, it may also display a solution to remove the jam on the operation display unit 122 as the second display means. By displaying the solution on the operation display unit 122, it is possible to prompt the user, for example, to remove the jammed sheet S.

[0058] Furthermore, the server 300 as an information processing device capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 100 may include a cause determination means and a display determination means, and may determine whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means based on the occurrence rate, which is the number of times conveyance failures occur per unit time. The server 300 may function as a device management system, or may function as a part of the device management system as described above.

[0059] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to identify the likely cause of a jam that has occurred in an image forming apparatus, and notify the user or a maintenance company of how to deal with the cause of the jam at an appropriate timing before a service call is made. [Example]

[0060] In the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the cause determination unit determined the cause of a single jam (mixed loading), but in the second embodiment, a case will be described in which multiple cause determination units each determine the cause of a jam. Portions that overlap with the description of the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] [Explanation of the flow for determining the cause of jam from information acquired by multiple cause determination units from the image forming apparatus 100] In the second embodiment, the cause determination unit is configured to be able to determine that a jam occurs due to the roller life of the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13, in addition to the "mixed loading" that was determined as the cause of the jam in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the device management system has two cause determination units, that is, a mixed loading cause determination unit as a first cause determination means, and a roller life cause determination unit as a second cause determination means.

[0062] A case where a jam occurs due to roller life will now be explained. As the total number of prints made by image forming apparatus 100 increases (the number of prints increases), the surfaces of feed roller 12 and separation roller 13 become more worn, and the conveying force decreases. This causes slippage between the conveyed sheet S and feed roller 12 and separation roller 13, making it difficult to convey sheet S a predetermined distance, which causes a jam. Engine control unit 110 manages the total number of prints made since feed roller 12 and separation roller 13 were new, the total number of rotations and total distance traveled by feed roller 12 and separation roller 13, and other information, and determines the roller life based on this information.

[0063] The processing in FIG. 3 is also executed in the second embodiment. When the analysis by the cause determination unit is started in S504 shown in FIG. 3, the cause determination unit starts the processing in FIG. 7. In S302, the mixed loading cause determination unit determines whether or not it is highly likely that the cause of the jam is due to the user mixing sheets S. As shown in FIG. 7, first, as in the first embodiment, the mixed loading cause determination unit analyzes whether or not the cause of the jam is due to the user mixing sheets S. If the mixed loading cause determination unit determines in S302 that "it is highly likely that the cause of the jam is due to mixing sheets S," it advances the processing to S303.

[0064] Here, as explained in FIG. 4, the cause of contaminated loading determination unit determines that the cause of the jam is likely to be contaminated loading when the amount of change in the contaminated loading index value X or the contaminated loading index value Y is greater than the threshold value. In S303, the cause of contaminated loading determination unit stores "contaminated loading" in the memory unit as the cause of the jam. In S302, if the cause of contaminated loading determination unit determines that the cause of the jam is unlikely to be contaminated loading, the process proceeds to S304. Here, as explained in FIG. 4, the cause of contaminated loading determination unit determines that the cause of the jam is unlikely to be contaminated loading when the amount of change in the contaminated loading index value X or the contaminated loading index value Y is equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0065] In S304, the roller life cause determination unit determines whether or not the cause of the jam is likely to be due to the feed roller 12 and separation roller 13 having reached the end of their lifespan. If the roller life cause determination unit determines in S304 that "the cause of the jam is likely to be due to the roller lifespan," the process proceeds to S305. In S305, the roller life cause determination unit stores "roller lifespan" in the memory unit as the cause of the jam, and ends the process. If the roller life cause determination unit determines in S304 that the cause of the jam is unlikely to be due to the roller lifespan, the process ends.

[0066] For example, the roller life cause determination unit determines that the roller is likely to have reached the end of its life if the number of prints, the number of rotations, or the travel distance described above is greater than a predetermined threshold, and determines that the roller is unlikely to have reached the end of its life if the number is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold can be set to a maximum value at which the feed roller 12 and the separation roller 13 can transport sheets without causing slippage or the like. As a result, the cause determination unit finally stores "mixed loading" and "roller life" as the causes of the jam, and the analysis by the cause determination unit is completed.

[0067] [Explanation of the flow in which the Cause Selection Unit selects the most probable cause from among the causes determined by the Cause Determination Unit] Next, a flow in which the cause selection unit, as a selection means, selects a cause with a high probability from among the causes determined by the cause determination unit in the analysis of S504 in Fig. 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the analysis by the cause determination unit in S504 shown in Fig. 3, if there are multiple cause determination units, the selection by the cause selection unit is made after the analyses by the multiple cause determination units in Fig. 7 described above.

[0068] 8, when the cause selection unit starts selection, the cause selection unit determines in S402 whether the cause of the jam is related to the lifespan of a part or unit. If the cause selection unit determines in S402 that the cause of the jam is related to the lifespan of a part or unit, the process proceeds to S403. For example, if, after the process of FIG. 7, the information "mixed load" and "roller lifespan," or only "roller lifespan" is stored in the storage unit, the cause selection unit proceeds to S403.

[0069] In S403, the cause selection unit selects only causes related to lifespan as the cause of the jam and terminates the process. In the second embodiment, of the jam causes "roller lifespan" and "mixed loading" stored in the memory unit by the cause determination unit, "roller lifespan" is related to the lifespan of a part or unit. Therefore, the cause selection unit selects only "roller lifespan" and terminates the process. In S402, if the cause selection unit determines that the cause of the jam is not related to the lifespan of a part or unit, it terminates the process. For example, after the process of FIG. 7, if only information about "mixed loading" is stored in the memory unit or if nothing is stored, the process terminates. The calculation unit 310 of the server 300 functions as the cause determination unit and display determination unit described above. Furthermore, the calculation unit 310 of the server 300 functions as the cause selection unit, and the storage device 320 functions as the memory unit.

[0070] 8 has been selected, similarly to the first embodiment, if the display determination unit shown in FIG. 3 determines that information based on the cause of the jam should be notified (S505), the process proceeds to S504. In S506, the display determination unit notifies the user by displaying the cause of the jam selected by the cause selection unit and a countermeasure based on that cause on the display unit 402 of the maintenance management computer 400. In the second embodiment, the display unit 402 notifies the user that the cause of the jam is the end of the roller life and that replacement of the feed roller 12 and separation roller 13 is recommended.

[0071] (Reasons for prioritizing things related to lifespan) Here, the reason why a jam is preferentially selected when the cause of the jam is related to the lifespan of a part or unit will be explained. When the cause of the jam is likely to be related to the lifespan, this can be reported first and addressed, thereby preventing erroneous determination of the cause of the jam. When the cause is related to the lifespan, for example, when the jam is caused by a roller's lifespan, uneven wear of the roller causes the conveyance of the sheet S to become unstable, resulting in large variations in the conveyance data of the sheet S. If the analysis in S504 is performed using data in a state where the conveyance variation of the sheet S is large, i.e., unintended data, there is a high possibility of misjudging the cause of the jam. To avoid this, in the second embodiment, causes related to the lifespan are preferentially selected, and a notification is displayed on the display unit 402 to prompt the user to eliminate causes related to the lifespan first.

[0072] As described above, according to the second embodiment, when a jam or the like occurs in the image forming apparatus 100, the most likely cause is selected from multiple causes. Then, it becomes possible to notify the user or a maintenance company of how to deal with the cause of the jam at an appropriate timing before a service call is made.

[0073] In the second embodiment, to prevent erroneous determination of the cause of the jam, priority is given to information based on the cause of the jam related to the lifespan of a part or unit when it is reported to the display unit 402; however, this is not limiting. The display determination unit may also prioritize and report to the display unit 402 causes of jams caused by the user, such as mixed loading or incorrect setting of a width restriction plate of the sheets S provided in a sheet storage cabinet. This has the effect of reducing the frequency of jams until the maintenance company is dispatched, by first reporting causes that the user can easily handle by remote instruction, since it takes time for the maintenance company to be dispatched.

[0074] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the cause selection unit selects the cause of the jam and reports the selected cause, but this is not limited to this. When multiple causes are identified by multiple cause determination units, the display determination unit may notify all of them by displaying them on the display unit 402 without having the cause selection unit select them. This has the effect of enabling a maintenance company to resolve multiple causes of jams in a single dispatch.

[0075] In addition, when the display determination unit displays multiple pieces of information based on the cause of the jam on the display unit 402, the display determination unit may display and notify the information in order of likelihood in order to clarify the order of instructions to the maintenance management company. Furthermore, the display determination unit may display only one of the most likely possibilities on the display unit 402 in order to provide accurate instructions to a maintenance company. Furthermore, the display determination unit may display and notify on the display unit 402 an order of how easily a maintenance company can handle the problems, in order to improve the work efficiency of the maintenance company. Furthermore, the cause determination unit may identify the likely cause of the jam not only based on the information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100, but also by checking against a database of past service information from a maintenance company.

[0076] As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to identify the likely cause of a jam that has occurred in an image forming apparatus, and notify the user or a maintenance company of how to deal with the cause of the jam at an appropriate timing before a service call is made. [Example]

[0077] In the first embodiment, an example was shown in which analysis was performed within the server 300 and the results were displayed and reported on the display unit 402 of the maintenance management computer 400. In the third embodiment, a case will be described in which analysis is performed as needed within the image forming apparatus 100, and when a jam occurs, the results are displayed on the operation display unit 122 as a display means within the image forming apparatus 100 together with a method for clearing the jam. Here, the "jam clearing method" refers to a method for removing the jammed sheet S stopped on the conveyance path from the image forming apparatus 100. Portions that overlap with the description of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0078] [Description of the flow for determining the cause of a jam from information acquired from the image forming apparatus 100 by the cause determination unit] As shown in FIG. 9, when the print operation of the image forming apparatus 100 is started, the processing from S102 onwards is started. In S102, the cause determination unit acquires information from the image forming apparatus 100. In S103, the cause determination unit determines whether a jam has occurred one or more times during the print operation. If the cause determination unit determines that a jam has occurred one or more times in S103, the processing proceeds to S104. In S104, the cause determination unit starts analysis. In the third embodiment, the CPU 111 in the image forming apparatus 100 starts the analysis. That is, the CPU 111 functions as the cause determination unit. For example, the CPU 111 determines that the cause of the jam is mixed loading, as in the first embodiment.

[0079] In S105, the display determination unit determines whether or not notification of information based on the cause of the jam is necessary, using information about the number of jams accumulated in image forming apparatus 100. If the display determination unit determines in S105 that notification is necessary, the process proceeds to S106. If the display determination unit determines in S105 that notification is not necessary, the process proceeds to S107.

[0080] In S106, the display determination unit displays and notifies the cause of the jam identified in S104 and a method of dealing with the cause on the operation display unit 122 in the image forming apparatus 100, and the process proceeds to S107. The cause of the jam is notified on the operation display unit 122 in the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, if the cause is due to a user operation such as mixed loading or a mistake in setting a sheet width regulating plate provided in a sheet storage cabinet, the user can eliminate the cause themselves and prevent subsequent jams from occurring.

[0081] Thereafter, the cause of the jam and a method of dealing with the jam based on the cause are displayed on operation display unit 122, and in S107 the display determination unit displays a method of dealing with the jam on operation display unit 122. The method of dealing with the jam includes information on the location where the jam occurred within image forming apparatus 100, and information on the attachment and detachment operations of units required to clear the jam. In the third embodiment, CPU 111 functions as the display determination unit.

[0082] In S108, the user performs jam clearance. In S109, image forming apparatus 100 determines whether jam clearance is complete by determining whether any jammed sheets remain in image forming apparatus 100, whether the unit operated by the user to clear the jam is properly installed, etc. If image forming apparatus 100 determines in S109 that jam clearance is complete, it resumes the print operation. If image forming apparatus 100 determines in S109 that jam clearance is not complete, the process returns to S108.

[0083] As described above, according to the third embodiment, when jams frequently occur in the image forming apparatus 100, it is possible to identify the likely cause and immediately notify the user of a remedy. For example, if the cause of the jam is a mixed load, the user can resolve the mixed load by following a remedy such as "We recommend that all sheets in the sheet storage cabinet be stacked with the same type of sheet" displayed on the operation display unit 122 of the image forming apparatus 100. This allows the user to resolve the cause of the jam themselves. Since the cause of the jam and a remedy based on that cause can be communicated to the user before a service call is made, it is possible to reduce the number of service calls by a maintenance company, thereby significantly reducing service costs. The image forming apparatus 100 may perform the processes of FIGS. 7 and 8 in the second embodiment.

[0084] As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to identify the likely cause of a jam that has occurred in an image forming apparatus, and notify the user or a maintenance company of how to deal with the cause of the jam at an appropriate timing before a service call is made.

[0085] <Other embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0086] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) An apparatus management system for managing an image forming apparatus, a detecting means for detecting a recording material conveyance failure in the image forming apparatus; a cause determination unit that determines the cause of the conveyance failure detected by the detection unit based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; a display means for displaying information about the cause determined by the cause determination means; a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means; Equipped with The device management system is characterized in that the display determination means determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time. (Configuration 2) A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 2. The device management system according to configuration 1, further comprising a selection unit that selects at least one cause from among a plurality of causes of the transport failure determined by the plurality of cause determination units. (Configuration 3) One of the plurality of cause determination units determines that the cause is the end of the life of a part or unit of the image forming apparatus, The device management system according to configuration 2, wherein the selection means selects the lifespan of the part or the unit as the cause when the one cause determination means determines that the cause is the lifespan of the part or the unit. (Configuration 4) One of the plurality of cause determination means determines that the cause is caused by the user, 3. The device management system according to claim 2, wherein the selection means selects the user-caused cause as the cause when the one cause determination means determines that the cause is the user-caused cause. (Configuration 5) A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 2. The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the display determination means causes the display means to display all of the information relating to the plurality of causes of the transport failure determined by the plurality of cause determination means. (Configuration 6) the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material, a conveying unit that conveys the recording material, a driving unit that drives the conveying unit, a sound collecting unit, and an environment detecting unit that detects temperature and humidity; 6. The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the information acquired from the image forming device includes one or more of transport information of the recording material transported by the transport means, information of the drive means, information of the sound collected by the sound collecting means, operation information of the image forming means, information detected by the environment detecting means, and printing information. (Configuration 7) When the incidence rate is the first incidence rate, The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the display determination means determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means based on a second occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per most recent number of prints. (Configuration 8) The device management system of configuration 7, wherein the display determination means determines to cause the display means to display information regarding the cause when the first occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the first occurrence rate is less than the first threshold and the second occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold. (Configuration 9) a server connected to the image forming apparatus and having the cause determination means and the display determination means; a monitoring tool having the display means and capable of referring to information on the server; 9. The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, comprising: (Configuration 10) 10. The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, further comprising a computer connected to the image forming device. (Configuration 11) The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 8 and 10, wherein the image forming device has the display means. (Configuration 12) When the display means is a first display means, the image forming device has a second display means, The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that when the display determination means determines that the display should be made, the display determination means causes the second display means to display a processing method for removing the recording material that has failed to be conveyed outside the image forming device, and causes the first display means to display information regarding the cause. (Configuration 13) 13. The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, wherein the information regarding the cause is the cause of the transport failure determined by the cause determination means and / or a countermeasure for eliminating the cause of the transport failure. (Configuration 14) An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, a detection means for detecting a recording material conveyance failure; a cause determination unit that determines the cause of the transport failure detected by the detection unit; a display means for displaying information about the cause determined by the cause determination means; a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means; Equipped with The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the display determination means determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time. (Configuration 15) A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 15. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 14, further comprising a selection unit that selects at least one cause from among a plurality of causes of the conveyance failure determined by the plurality of cause determination units. (Configuration 16) One of the plurality of cause determination units determines that the cause is the end of the life of a part or unit of the image forming apparatus, The image forming apparatus according to configuration 15, wherein the selection means selects the life of the part or the unit as the cause when the one cause determination means determines that the cause is the life of the part or the unit. (Configuration 17) One of the plurality of cause determination means determines that the cause is caused by the user, 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the selection means selects the user-caused cause as the cause when the one cause determination means determines that the cause is the user-caused cause. (Configuration 18) A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 15. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 14, wherein the display determination means causes the display means to display all of the information relating to the plurality of causes of the conveyance failure determined by the plurality of cause determination means. (Configuration 19) an image forming means for forming an image on a recording material; a conveying means for conveying a recording material; a driving means for driving the conveying means; a sound collecting means; An environment detection means for detecting temperature and humidity; Equipped with The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 14 to 18, wherein the cause determination unit determines the cause of the transport failure based on one or more of transport information of the recording material transported by the transport unit, information about the drive unit, sound information collected by the sound collection unit, operation information about the image forming unit, information detected by the environment detection unit, and printing information. (Configuration 20) When the incidence rate is the first incidence rate, The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 14 to 19, wherein the display determination means determines whether or not to display information regarding the cause on the display means based on a second occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per most recent number of prints. (Configuration 21) The image forming apparatus of configuration 20 is characterized in that the display determination means determines to cause the display means to display information regarding the cause when the first occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the first occurrence rate is less than the first threshold and the second occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold. (Configuration 22) The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 14 to 21, characterized in that when the display determination means determines that the display should be displayed, the display determination means displays both a processing method for removing the recording material that has experienced a transport failure outside the image forming apparatus and information regarding the cause of the failure on the display means. (Configuration 23) The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 14 to 22, wherein the information regarding the cause is the cause of the conveying failure determined by the cause determination means and / or a countermeasure for eliminating the cause of the conveying failure. (Configuration 24) An information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device, a cause determination unit that determines a cause of a conveyance failure of the image forming apparatus based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information about the cause on a display means; Equipped with The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the display determination means determines whether or not to display the information regarding the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 100 Image forming device 110 Engine control unit 201 Control Unit 310 Arithmetic unit 402 Display section

Claims

1. An apparatus management system for managing an image forming apparatus, a detecting means for detecting a recording material conveyance failure in the image forming apparatus; a cause determination unit that determines the cause of the conveyance failure detected by the detection unit based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; a display means for displaying information about the cause determined by the cause determination means; a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means; Equipped with The device management system is characterized in that the display determination means determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time.

2. A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 2. The device management system according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit for selecting at least one cause from a plurality of causes of the transport failure determined by the plurality of cause determination units.

3. One of the plurality of cause determination units determines that the cause is the end of the life of a part or unit of the image forming apparatus, 3. The device management system according to claim 2, wherein the selection means selects the lifespan of the part or the unit as the cause when the one cause determination means determines that the cause is the lifespan of the part or the unit.

4. One of the plurality of cause determination means determines that the cause is caused by a user, 3. The device management system according to claim 2, wherein the selection means selects the user-caused cause as the cause when the one cause determination means determines that the cause is the user-caused cause.

5. A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 2. The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the display determining means causes the display means to display all of the information relating to the plurality of causes of the transport failure determined by the plurality of cause determining means.

6. the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material, a conveying unit that conveys the recording material, a driving unit that drives the conveying unit, a sound collecting unit, and an environment detecting unit that detects temperature and humidity; 2. The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the information acquired from the image forming device includes one or more of the following information: transport information of the recording material transported by the transport means, information of the drive means, information of the sound collected by the sound collecting means, operation information of the image forming means, information detected by the environment detecting means, and printing information.

7. When the incidence rate is a first incidence rate, 2. The apparatus management system according to claim 1, wherein the display determination unit determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display unit based on a second occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per most recent number of prints.

8. 8. The device management system according to claim 7, wherein the display determination means determines to cause the display means to display information regarding the cause when the first occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the first occurrence rate is less than the first threshold and the second occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold.

9. a server connected to the image forming apparatus and having the cause determination means and the display determination means; a monitoring tool having the display means and capable of referring to information on the server; The device management system of claim 1 , further comprising:

10. 2. The apparatus management system according to claim 1, further comprising a computer connected to the image forming apparatus.

11. 2. The apparatus management system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has the display means.

12. When the display means is a first display means, the image forming device has a second display means, The device management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the display determination means determines that the display should be made on the display means, the display determination means causes the second display means to display a processing method for removing the recording material that has experienced a transport failure outside the image forming device, and causes the first display means to display information regarding the cause.

13. 13. The device management system according to claim 1 or claim 12, wherein the information regarding the cause is the cause of the transport failure determined by the cause determination means and / or a countermeasure for eliminating the cause of the transport failure.

14. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, a detection means for detecting a recording material conveyance failure; a cause determination unit that determines the cause of the transport failure detected by the detection unit; a display means for displaying information about the cause determined by the cause determination means; a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means; Equipped with The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the display determination means determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time.

15. A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a selection unit for selecting at least one cause from a plurality of causes of the conveyance failure determined by the plurality of cause determination units.

16. One of the plurality of cause determination units determines that the cause is the end of the life of a part or unit of the image forming apparatus, 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the selection unit selects the life of the part or the unit as the cause when the one cause determination unit determines that the cause is the life of the part or the unit.

17. One of the plurality of cause determination means determines that the cause is caused by a user, 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the selection unit selects the user-caused cause as the cause when the one cause determination unit determines that the cause is the user-caused cause.

18. A plurality of the cause determination means are provided, 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display determining unit causes the display unit to display all of the information relating to the plurality of causes of the conveyance failure determined by the plurality of cause determining units.

19. an image forming means for forming an image on a recording material; a conveying means for conveying a recording material; a driving means for driving the conveying means; a sound collecting means; an environment detection means for detecting temperature and humidity; Equipped with The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the cause determination unit determines the cause of the transport failure based on one or more of the following information: transport information of the recording material transported by the transport unit, information of the drive unit, sound information collected by the sound collection unit, operation information of the image forming unit, information detected by the environment detection unit, and printing information.

20. When the incidence rate is a first incidence rate, 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display determination unit determines whether or not to display information about the cause on the display unit based on a second occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per most recent number of prints.

21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the display determination means determines to cause the display means to display information regarding the cause when the first occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the first occurrence rate is less than the first threshold and the second occurrence rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold.

22. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, when the display determination means determines that the display should be displayed, the display determination means displays both a processing method for removing the recording material that has experienced a transport failure outside the image forming apparatus and information regarding the cause on the display means.

23. 23. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the information regarding the cause is the cause of the transport failure determined by the cause determination unit and / or a method of resolving the cause of the transport failure.

24. An information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device, a cause determination unit that determines a cause of a conveyance failure of the image forming apparatus based on information acquired from the image forming apparatus; a display determination means for determining whether or not to display information about the cause on a display means; Equipped with The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the display determination means determines whether or not to display the information regarding the cause on the display means based on an occurrence rate, which is the number of times the transport failure occurs per unit time.

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