Equipment management system, equipment management method and program

Abstract

An equipment management system, an equipment management method, and a program are provided that can improve the reliability of lifespan determination. [Solution] The device management system 2 includes an acquisition processing unit 171 and an output processing unit 172. The acquisition processing unit 171 acquires management data used for lifespan management of target parts of an electrical device (image processing device 10). The output processing unit 172 outputs the management data. The management data includes history information related to the operation history or usage history of the electrical device (image processing device 10) and temperature information related to the ambient temperature of the electrical device (image processing device 10).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device management system, a device management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As a related technology, there is known an equipment management system that can calculate the remaining life (hours) of target parts (life-span parts) mounted on a printed circuit board in order to enable recycling of the printed circuit board built into an image processing device (copier) etc. (See, for example, Patent Document 1.) This equipment management system includes at least one printed circuit board having a calculation device and non-volatile storage means, and stores information on the life-span parts mounted on the printed circuit board in the non-volatile storage means.

[0003] This equipment management system, for example, collects discarded image processing devices from the market and determines whether or not target parts mounted on the printed circuit boards of the image processing devices need to be replaced (whether or not they can be recycled).As an example, the equipment management system compares the number of times a key switch, which is a target part, has been used with a predetermined number of times to determine whether or not it needs to be replaced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-31610 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the lifespan of the target part (lifespan part) varies greatly depending on, for example, the environment in which the image processing device is used, and the configuration related to the related technology does not reflect the influence of the environment, which may reduce the reliability of the lifespan determination.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a device management system, a device management method, and a program that can improve the reliability of lifespan determination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device management system including an acquisition processor and an output processor. The acquisition processor acquires management data used for lifespan management of target components of electrical devices. The output processor outputs the management data. The management data includes history information relating to an operation history or usage history of the electrical devices and temperature information relating to an ambient temperature of the electrical devices.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device management method including an acquisition process and an output process. The acquisition process acquires management data used for lifespan management of target components of an electrical device. The output process outputs the management data. The management data includes history information relating to an operation history or usage history of the electrical device and temperature information relating to an ambient temperature of the electrical device.

[0009] A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing one or more processors to execute an acquisition process and an output process. The acquisition process acquires management data used for lifespan management of target parts of electrical equipment. The output process outputs the management data. The management data includes history information related to the operation history or usage history of the electrical equipment and temperature information related to the ambient temperature of the electrical equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device management system, a device management method, and a program that can improve the reliability of lifespan determination. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of the image processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the device management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a table showing monitoring targets for each target part used in the device management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the device management system according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following description will discuss preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) [1] Overall configuration of image processing device First, the overall configuration of an image processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] The image processing device 10 according to this embodiment is, for example, a multifunction peripheral having multiple functions, such as a scanning function for acquiring image data from an original, a printing function for forming an image based on the image data, a facsimile function, and a copying function. The image processing device 10 may be a printer, scanner, facsimile machine, copier, etc., as long as it has an image processing function including at least one of the function for forming an image and the function for acquiring image data.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing device 10 includes an automatic document feeder 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a paper feeder 14, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, a control unit 17, a nonvolatile memory 18, a communication unit 19, and a temperature sensor 20. The automatic document feeder 11 is an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), and is therefore referred to as "ADF" in FIG. 1 and also as "ADF 11" in the following description. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the image processing device 10 includes a main body 101. The ADF 11, the image reading unit 12, the image forming unit 13, the paper feeder 14, the display unit 15, the operation unit 16, the control unit 17, the nonvolatile memory 18, the communication unit 19, and the temperature sensor 20 are provided in the main body 101.

[0016] The ADF 11 transports a document whose image is to be read by the image reading unit 12. The ADF 11 includes a document setting unit, a plurality of transport rollers, a document holder, a paper discharge unit, and the like.

[0017] The image reading unit 12 reads an image from a document and outputs image data corresponding to the read image. The image reading unit 12 includes a document table, a light source, a plurality of mirrors, an optical lens, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and the like.

[0018] Image forming unit 13 forms an image on a sheet by electrophotography based on image data output from image reading unit 12. Image forming unit 13 also forms an image on a sheet based on image data input from an information processing device external to image processing device 10, such as a personal computer. Image forming unit 13 has four image forming units corresponding to four colors, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), an optical scanning device, an intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer roller, a fixing device, etc. Image forming unit 13 may also be configured to form an image on a sheet by an image forming method other than electrophotography, such as an inkjet method.

[0019] The image forming unit 13 forms an image on a sheet using toner as a developer. When the image forming unit 13 forms an image using an inkjet method, ink (another example of a developer) is supplied instead of toner. The toner supplied to the image forming unit 13 includes toner of multiple colors, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). After the image is formed in the image forming unit 13, the sheet is discharged (supplied) to an extension device or the like for post-processing.

[0020] The paper feed unit 14 supplies sheets to the image forming unit 13. The paper feed unit 14 has a paper feed cassette, a manual feed tray, a sheet transport path, a plurality of transport rollers, etc. The image forming unit 13 forms an image on the sheets supplied from the paper feed unit 14. The sheets supplied to the image forming unit 13 are, for example, paper, but are not limited to paper and may be, for example, a resin film, etc.

[0021] The display unit 15 is a user interface for presenting (displaying) information to the user in the image processing device 10. The display unit 15 displays various types of information in response to control instructions from the control unit 17. In the present embodiment, as an example, the display unit 15 includes a liquid crystal display, and displays a display screen including various types of information on the liquid crystal display.

[0022] The operation unit 16 is, for example, a user interface for accepting operation inputs by the user on the display screen displayed on the display unit 15. The operation unit 16 accepts various operations by the user, for example, by outputting electrical signals in response to the user's operations. In this embodiment, as an example, the operation unit 16 has a switch, a touch panel, or the like.

[0023] Furthermore, the image processing device 10 may include, in addition to or instead of the display unit 15 and the operation unit 16, an audio output unit, an audio input unit, and the like, as a user interface.

[0024] The control unit 17 mainly comprises a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories, and performs overall control of the image processing device 10. In the image processing device 10, the one or more processors execute programs to realize the functions of the control unit 17. In this embodiment, as an example, the control unit 17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0025] The program may be pre-recorded in one or more memories, provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium readable by a computer system, such as a memory card or an optical disk. The one or more processors are composed of one or more electronic circuits including semiconductor integrated circuits. Furthermore, the computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. The control unit 17 may be a control unit provided separately from the main control unit that comprehensively controls the image processing device 10.

[0026] Nonvolatile memory 18 includes one or more storage areas, and stores in advance information such as control programs for causing control unit 17 to execute various processes. Nonvolatile memory 18 is, for example, an EEPRPM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, registered trademark), which is a memory element that retains stored data even when power is not supplied. Nonvolatile memory 18 can be rewritten at any time.

[0027] The communication unit 19 is an interface that executes data communication between the image processing device 10 and an external device 21 (see FIG. 3) connected via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). In this embodiment, the communication unit 19 is configured to be able to communicate at least bidirectionally with the external device 21.

[0028] The temperature sensor 20 is a sensor for detecting (measuring) the ambient temperature of the image processing device 10. The temperature sensor 20 outputs the measurement value to the control unit 17 constantly or intermittently while the image processing device 10 is powered on (power-on period).

[0029] The image processing device 10 according to this embodiment includes a circuit board (printed circuit board) on which various electrical components (including electronic components) including a nonvolatile memory 18 are mounted. The circuit board is built into the main body 101 and is removable from the main body 101. In this embodiment, the circuit board includes, in addition to the nonvolatile memory 18, a CPU constituting the control unit 17, and various electrical components such as capacitors, fuses, resistors, coils, and transistors.

[0030] [2] Equipment management system Next, the configuration of a device management system 2 according to this embodiment for managing electrical devices will be described with reference to Figures 1, 3, and 4. Here, the electrical devices managed by the device management system 2 include an image processing device 10. In this embodiment, the device management system 2 manages a plurality of image processing devices 10. In other words, the image processing device 10 is an example of an electrical device managed by the device management system 2.

[0031] In recent years, there has been a growing global trend to use electrical devices for longer periods of time, and the image processing device 10 is no exception. Conventionally, the operating time of a newly purchased electrical device can be confirmed by checking the electrical device's log, etc., but the lifespan of each electrical component contained in electrical devices collected from the market for disposal is not determined, and the collected electrical devices are generally discarded together with the electrical components. In contrast, if the extent to which each electrical component has been used could be determined, electrical components that have not yet reached their preset lifespan could be reused, contributing to a reduction in environmental impact.

[0032] Among the electrical components used in the image processing device 10, electrical components with set life spans (life span components) include, for example, capacitors, fuses, connectors, motors, clutches, etc. The device management system 2 according to this embodiment treats these life span components as target components and manages the usage status of the target components in the electrical device (image processing device 10).

[0033] Meanwhile, a related technology is known in which an equipment management system is capable of calculating the remaining life (hours) of target parts (life-span parts) mounted on a printed circuit board in order to enable recycling of the printed circuit board built into an image processing device (copier), etc. This equipment management system includes at least one printed circuit board having a calculation device and nonvolatile storage means, and stores information on the life-span parts mounted on the printed circuit board in the nonvolatile storage means.

[0034] This equipment management system, for example, collects discarded image processing devices from the market and determines whether or not target parts mounted on the printed circuit boards of the image processing devices need to be replaced (whether or not they can be recycled).As an example, the equipment management system compares the number of times a key switch, which is a target part, has been used with a predetermined number of times to determine whether or not it needs to be replaced.

[0035] However, the lifespan of the target part (lifespan part) varies greatly depending on, for example, the environment in which the image processing device is used, and the configuration related to the related technology does not reflect the influence of the environment, which may reduce the reliability of the lifespan determination.

[0036] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a device management system, a device management method, and a program that can improve the reliability of lifespan determination are realized by the configuration described below.

[0037] 1, the device management system 2 includes an acquisition processing unit 171, an output processing unit 172, and a determination processing unit 173. In this embodiment, the device management system 2 includes the image processing device 10, and the acquisition processing unit 171, the output processing unit 172, and the determination processing unit 173 are implemented in the control unit 17 of the image processing device 10 as one function of the control unit 17.

[0038] In this embodiment, the device management system 2 also includes an external device 21 separate from the electrical device (image processing device 10) to be managed, as shown in FIG. 3 . The external device 21 is configured to be able to communicate with the image processing device 10 (its communication unit 19). The external device 21 is primarily configured as a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories, and is realized by an information processing device external to the image processing device 10, such as a server device, cloud computing, or a personal computer. The external device 21 is configured to be able to communicate bidirectionally with the communication unit 19 of the image processing device 10 via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN.

[0039] The acquisition processing unit 171 executes an acquisition process to acquire management data D1 (see FIG. 3) used for lifespan management of target parts of the electric device (image processing device 10). The "management data" here refers to data used for managing the lifespan of target parts (life-span parts) of the electric device (image processing device 10) to be managed, and includes, for example, identification information (e.g., part name, etc.) for identifying each target part, and history information related to the operation history or usage history of the electric device (image processing device 10).

[0040] In this embodiment, in particular, the electrical device (image processing device 10) has a plurality of target components. The acquisition processing unit 171 acquires management data D1 for each target component. Specifically, in the device management system 2 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of electrical components including "capacitor 1," "fuse 1," "connector 1," "motor 1," and "clutch 1" are treated as target components. The acquisition processing unit 171 monitors the monitoring targets defined for each target component and acquires their history as history information.

[0041] For example, in the case of "Fuse 1," the number of times the power is turned on / off for the target component (Fuse 1) is set as a monitoring target in order to use the "number of inrush currents" as a factor for determining the lifespan, and therefore, each time the number of times the power is turned on / off increases, the acquisition processing unit 171 acquires management data D1 whose history information includes the measurement value at that time.

[0042] Furthermore, in the case of "connector 1," the number of connections to the destination of the target component (connector 1) is set as a monitoring target so that "the number of insertions and removals" is used as a determining factor for lifespan, and therefore, each time the number of monitoring targets (number of connections) increases, the acquisition processing unit 171 acquires management data D1 whose history information includes the measurement value at that time. Furthermore, in the case of "motor 1" and "clutch 1" used in the image reading unit 12 or the image forming unit 13, the number of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming unit 13 (number of prints) or the number of documents on which images are read by the image reading unit 12 (number of scans) is set as a monitoring target so that "driving time" is used as a determining factor for lifespan, and therefore, each time the number of monitoring targets increases, the acquisition processing unit 171 acquires management data D1 whose history information includes the measurement value at that time.

[0043] In this embodiment, the acquisition processing unit 171 is one function of the control unit 17 of the image processing device 10, and therefore the monitoring of these monitoring targets, that is, the acquisition of the management data D1 including the history information, is performed as a software process.

[0044] The output processing unit 172 executes an output process to output the management data D1. The output processing unit 172 can output the management data D1 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 171 in various forms. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the output processing unit 172 also has a function to output the determination result of the determination processing unit 173.

[0045] Here, the output processing unit 172 outputs the management data D1 for each target part. That is, the management data D1 acquired individually by the acquisition processing unit 171 for each of the multiple target parts included in the electrical device (image processing device 10) is also output by the output processing unit 172, distinguished for each target part. Specifically, the management data D1 including the history information for each of the target parts such as "capacitor 1," "fuse 1," "connector 1," "motor 1," and "clutch 1" is output individually from the output processing unit 172.

[0046] As a result, even if the electrical device (image processing device 10) includes multiple target parts, the management data D1 is acquired and output for each target part, making it possible to determine the lifespan of each of the multiple target parts using the management data D1.

[0047] The determination processing unit 173 executes a lifespan determination process to determine the lifespan of the target part based on the management data D1. Specifically, the determination processing unit 173 compares a threshold value predetermined for each target part with the history information (measurement value) included in the management data D1, and performs lifespan determination based on the comparison result. For example, if the history information (measurement value) is equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination processing unit 173 determines that the target part has reached its lifespan and that the target part cannot be reused. On the other hand, if the history information (measurement value) is less than the threshold, the determination processing unit 173 determines that the target part has not reached its lifespan and that the target part can be reused.

[0048] As an example, if the predetermined threshold for "Motor 1" is "10000" (times), and if the measurement value is "5670" (times), as shown in Fig. 4, the determination processing unit 173 determines that the target part (Motor 1) has not reached the end of its life and determines that the target part can be reused. On the other hand, if the predetermined threshold for "Clutch 1" is "5000" (times), and if the measurement value is "5670" (times), as shown in Fig. 4, the determination processing unit 173 determines that the target part (Clutch 1) has reached the end of its life and determines that the target part cannot be reused.

[0049] By providing such a determination processing unit 173, the lifespan of the target parts is determined automatically, and it is possible to reduce the effort required for a "person" such as a serviceman to manage the target parts.

[0050] The determination processing unit 173 may also detect signs of a failure of the target component from, for example, the management data D1. The determination processing unit 173 may analyze the management data D1 using, for example, machine learning, that is, by using a trained model.

[0051] In this embodiment, the management data D1 includes history information related to the operation history or usage history of the electric device (image processing device 10) and temperature information related to the ambient temperature of the electric device (image processing device 10). That is, the management data D1 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 171 includes not only the history information as described above but also temperature information. The temperature information is, for example, the ambient temperature of the image processing device 10 identified from the output of the temperature sensor 20.

[0052] The temperature information is information relating to the ambient temperature of the electrical device (image processing device 10) at least when the history information is updated. However, without being limited to this, the temperature information may be the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20 constantly or intermittently while the image processing device 10 is powered on (power-on period), or may be a representative value of the ambient temperature (for example, an average value, a mode value, a median value, a minimum value, a maximum value, etc.).

[0053] For example, the lifespan of a target part (a part with a limited life span) such as a "capacitor 1" (an electrical component) follows Arrhenius' law. Therefore, the lower the ambient temperature, the longer the lifespan of the target part. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, for "capacitor 1," the internal temperature is set as a monitoring target, so that the "ambient temperature" is used as a lifespan determination factor. In this embodiment, the management data D1 includes temperature information related to the ambient temperature of the electrical device (image processing device 10) in addition to historical information. Therefore, the influence of the ambient temperature can be reflected in the lifespan determination of the target part. In other words, whether the lifespan determination of the target part is performed by the determination processing unit 173 or a person such as a service technician, the reliability of the lifespan determination can be improved by performing the lifespan determination based on the management data D1 including temperature information.

[0054] In particular, image processing devices 10 are installed in various facilities such as offices, schools, public facilities, and stores. Therefore, even for the same model of image processing device 10, the environments in which they are used are extremely diverse, and the lifespan of target parts also varies greatly depending on the environment in which the image processing device 10 is used. According to the device management system 2 of this embodiment, temperature information related to the ambient temperature of the electrical device (image processing device 10), which greatly affects the lifespan of the target parts, can be used to determine the lifespan of the target parts, thereby significantly improving the reliability of the lifespan determination.

[0055] More specifically, in this embodiment, the output processing unit 172 outputs the management data D1 to the nonvolatile memory 18 included in the electrical device (image processing device 10) and writes the management data D1 to the nonvolatile memory 18. In other words, the output processing unit 172 outputs the management data D1 by writing the management data D1 to the nonvolatile memory 18 included in the circuit board of the image processing device 10. This makes it possible to retrieve the management data D1 from the nonvolatile memory 18, for example, even after the electrical device (image processing device 10) has been collected, by operating the image processing device 10 in a specific mode such as a service mode. The management data D1 read from the nonvolatile memory 18 may be displayed on the display unit 15, or may be formed (printed) as an image by the image forming unit 13, for example.

[0056] Furthermore, the output processing unit 172 outputs the management data D1 to the communication unit 19 of the electric device (image processing device 10), and transmits the management data D1 from the communication unit 19 to the external device 21. That is, in this embodiment, the output processing unit 172 can output the management data D1 by writing the management data D1 to the nonvolatile memory 18 and also by transmitting the management data D1 to the external device 21. This makes it possible to read the management data D1 from the external device 21 even when the electric device (image processing device 10) is damaged and the management data D1 cannot be read from the nonvolatile memory 18. The management data D1 read from the external device 21 may be displayed on a display unit of the external device 21, or may be formed (printed) as an image by the image forming unit 13 of the image processing device 10, for example.

[0057] Here, the output processing unit 172 periodically or irregularly transmits the management data D1 from the communication unit 19 to the external device 21. In this embodiment, the output processing unit 172 transmits the management data D1 from the communication unit 19 to the external device 21 each time a specific event occurs. The "specific event" here refers to, for example, an event that may occur intermittently or an event that may affect the management data D1. Examples of events that may occur intermittently include, for example, every 5,000 printed sheets and every 5,000 scanned times. Examples of events that may affect the management data D1 include plugging or unplugging a network cable, possible damage to the image processing device 10 during a service call, and possible malfunction of the image processing device 10 during a jam.

[0058] In this way, by limiting the timing of transmission of the management data D1 to when a specific event occurs, it is possible to avoid capacity or communication congestion in the external device 21.

[0059] [3] Equipment management method Next, a device management method executed by the device management system 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 5. The (device management) program according to this embodiment is a computer program for causing one or more processors, such as the control unit 17, to execute the device management method. Here, steps S1, S2, etc. in the flowchart shown in Figure 5 each represent the number of a processing procedure (step) executed by the device management system 2.

[0060] <Step S1> In step S1, the acquisition processing unit 171 of the control unit 17 executes acquisition of management data D1 including history information and temperature information (acquisition process). At this time, the acquisition processing unit 171 acquires the management data D1 for each target part.

[0061] <Step S2> In step S2, the output processing unit 172 of the control unit 17 outputs the management data D1 to the nonvolatile memory 18 and writes the management data D1 to the nonvolatile memory 18 (output processing). At this time, the output processing unit 172 writes the management data D1 for each target part.

[0062] <Steps S3 and S4> In step S3, the output processing unit 172 of the control unit 17 determines whether a specific event has occurred. If a specific event has occurred (S3: Yes), in step S4, the output processing unit 172 outputs the management data D1 to the communication unit 19 and executes transmission of the management data D1 to the external device 21 (output processing). At this time, the output processing unit 172 transmits the management data D1 for each target component. On the other hand, if a specific event has not occurred (S3: No), the output processing unit 172 skips step S4 and proceeds to step S5.

[0063] <Steps S5 and S6> In step S5, the determination processing unit 173 of the control unit 17 executes a lifespan determination (determination process) of the target part based on the management data D1 stored in the nonvolatile memory 18. In the subsequent step S6, the output processing unit 172 outputs the result of the lifespan determination by an appropriate method.

[0064] The procedure described above is merely an example, and the order of the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 may be changed as appropriate.

[0065] [4] Variation The multiple components included in the device management system 2 may be distributed across multiple housings. For example, one of the acquisition processing unit 171 and the output processing unit 172 may be provided separately.

[0066] Furthermore, it is not essential that the device management system 2 includes the determination processing unit 173, and the determination processing unit 173 can be omitted as appropriate. In this case, the device management system 2 performs the process up to outputting the management data D1, and a person such as a serviceman may determine the lifespan using the management data D1, for example.

[0067] In the first embodiment, the electrical device to be managed by the device management system 2 is the image processing device 10, but this is not limiting. That is, the device management system 2 may manage electrical devices other than the image processing device 10.

[0068] [Appendix to the invention] The following will provide an outline of the invention extracted from the above-described embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be selected and combined as desired.

[0069] <Appendix 1> an acquisition processing unit that acquires management data used for lifespan management of target parts of electrical equipment; an output processing unit that outputs the management data, The management data includes history information relating to an operation history or a usage history of the electrical device, and temperature information relating to an ambient temperature of the electrical device. Equipment management system.

[0070] <Appendix 2> the electrical device includes a plurality of the target components, the acquisition processing unit acquires the management data for each of the target parts, the output processing unit outputs the management data for each of the target parts. 1. An equipment management system as described in Appendix 1.

[0071] <Appendix 3> the output processing unit outputs the management data to a nonvolatile memory included in the electrical device and writes the management data to the nonvolatile memory; 3. The device management system of claim 1 or 2.

[0072] <Appendix 4> the output processing unit outputs the management data to a communication unit of the electrical device, and transmits the management data from the communication unit to an external device. 4. The device management system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

[0073] <Appendix 5> the output processing unit causes the communication unit to transmit the management data to the external device every time a specific event occurs; 10. The equipment management system described in Appendix 4.

[0074] <Appendix 6> further comprising a determination processing unit that determines the lifespan of the target part based on the management data. 6. The device management system according to any one of appendices 1 to 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 2. Equipment Management System 10 Image processing equipment (electrical equipment) 19 Communications Department 21 External equipment 171 Acquisition processing unit 172 Output Processing Unit 173 Judgment processing unit D1 Management data

Claims

1. an acquisition processing unit that acquires management data used for lifespan management of target parts of electrical equipment; an output processing unit that outputs the management data, The management data includes history information relating to an operation history or a usage history of the electrical device, and temperature information relating to an ambient temperature of the electrical device. Equipment management system.

2. the electrical device includes a plurality of the target components, the acquisition processing unit acquires the management data for each of the target parts, the output processing unit outputs the management data for each of the target parts. The device management system according to claim 1 .

3. the output processing unit outputs the management data to a nonvolatile memory included in the electrical device and writes the management data to the nonvolatile memory; The device management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the output processing unit outputs the management data to a communication unit of the electrical device, and transmits the management data from the communication unit to an external device. The device management system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the output processing unit causes the communication unit to transmit the management data to the external device every time a specific event occurs; The device management system according to claim 4 .

6. further comprising a determination processing unit that determines the lifespan of the target part based on the management data. The device management system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. An acquisition process for acquiring management data used for lifespan management of target parts of electrical equipment; an output process for outputting the management data, The management data includes history information relating to an operation history or a usage history of the electrical device, and temperature information relating to an ambient temperature of the electrical device. Equipment management method.

8. An acquisition process for acquiring management data used for lifespan management of target parts of electrical equipment; and an output process for outputting the management data, The management data includes history information relating to an operation history or a usage history of the electrical device, and temperature information relating to an ambient temperature of the electrical device. program.

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