Image forming apparatus, information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of accurately estimating a failure cause.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of components for forming an image on a sheet; an in-machine data memory 211 in which in-machine data indicating a state inside the apparatus is accumulated in association with a maintenance work flag indicating whether or not maintenance work is performed when the in-machine data is acquired; and a CPU 201 that excludes the in-machine data acquired during the maintenance work on the basis of the maintenance work flag from the in-machine data accumulated in the in-machine data memory 211 and estimates a component which is a failure cause on the basis of remaining in-machine data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for estimating the cause of a failure in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a multifunction peripheral, a printer, or a facsimile machine.

Background Art

[0002] When a failure occurs in an image forming apparatus, it is repaired by a customer engineer (hereinafter referred to as "CE") who goes to the installation location of the image forming apparatus. The time required to accurately identify the cause of the failure and complete the countermeasures varies depending on the ability of the CE. Therefore, there is a variation in the time required for the CE to repair the image forming apparatus. In order to shorten the repair time, a technique has been proposed to estimate the cause of the failure based on the in-machine data representing the state of the image forming apparatus and notify the necessary processing (Patent Document 1). The in-machine data is information indicating the state inside the apparatus, such as the detection value of a sensor provided in the image forming apparatus and error occurrence information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When an image forming apparatus is in an irregular state that differs from its normal operating conditions, it may not be possible to accurately estimate the cause of failure using the acquired in-machine data. For example, if in-machine data obtained while a CE (Computer Engineer) is performing maintenance work is used, the cause of failure may not be accurately estimated. During repairs, a CE may temporarily attach parts from another aircraft to the target aircraft to check its operation in order to identify the cause of failure. In this case, the in-machine data obtained from the target aircraft will be related to the temporarily attached parts from another aircraft, rather than the data related to the parts originally installed on the target aircraft. Data related to the temporarily attached parts from another aircraft may behave differently from the data that would normally be obtained from the target aircraft. Such discrepancies in data can make it impossible to accurately estimate the cause of failure. For example, the image forming apparatus may estimate that the faulty part is functioning normally, or estimate that a normally functioning part is the cause of failure.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can accurately estimate the cause of a failure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device that communicates with the image forming apparatus that forms an image on the sheet of the present invention communicates with the error related to the error that occurred in the image forming apparatus. Information The means for obtaining, and the means for obtaining The system includes a determination means for determining the location of a malfunction in the image forming apparatus based on error information obtained by removing error information related to errors that occurred during maintenance work on the image forming apparatus from the error information. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the cause of failure can be accurately estimated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] Configuration diagram of the control unit. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating the process of accumulating in-flight data. [Figure 4]Diagram explaining the error display. [Figure 5] (a) and (b) are illustrative diagrams of in-flight data used to estimate the cause of a malfunction. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the process of estimating the cause of a failure. [Figure 7] (a) and (b) are illustrative diagrams of in-flight data used to estimate other causes of failure. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the process of estimating the cause of a failure. [Figure 9] Configuration diagram of the failure cause estimation system. [Figure 10] Configuration diagram of the control device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but these examples are just examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these examples.

[0010] (Configuration of an image forming apparatus) Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is a four-color full-color printer using an electrophotographic method. The image forming apparatus 100 in Figure 1 may be combined with other devices as appropriate to be configured as a copier, a multifunction printer, or a facsimile machine.

[0011] The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on a sheet S based on a print signal acquired from an external device. The sheet S is a printable recording medium, such as plain paper, coated paper, OHT, or a label. The image forming apparatus 100 converts the acquired print signal into an image signal separated into four colors: yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The image forming apparatus 100 charges multiple photoreceptors corresponding to each color to a predetermined potential and exposes the charged photoreceptors based on the image signal of each color to form an electrostatic latent image of the color corresponding to each photoreceptor. The image forming apparatus 100 develops the electrostatic latent image with toner of the corresponding color to form a toner image on each photoreceptor and transfers the toner image from each photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer medium by superimposing it. The image forming apparatus 100 transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer medium to the sheet S in one go. The image forming apparatus 100 performs a thermal fixing process on the sheet S on which the toner image has been transferred and discharges the finished product outside the machine.

[0012] To perform the image forming process described above, the image forming apparatus 100 includes components such as image forming units Pa to Pd, an intermediate transfer belt 7 which is an intermediate transfer body, and a fuser 13. The image forming apparatus 100 is a tandem intermediate transfer system in which the image forming units Pa to Pd are arranged along the intermediate transfer belt 7. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is an endless belt provided on an intermediate transfer belt frame (not shown) and stretched by a plurality of rollers including a drive roller 18, a tension roller 17, and a secondary transfer inner roller 8. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is conveyed (rotated) in the R7 direction by the drive roller 18. The image forming units Pa to Pd each form toner images of different colors. In this embodiment, the image forming unit Pa forms a yellow (Y) toner image. The image forming unit Pb forms a magenta (M) toner image. The image forming unit Pc forms a cyan (C) toner image. The image forming unit Pd forms a black (K) toner image.

[0013] The image forming units Pa to Pd only differ in the color of the toner used and perform the same operations with the same configuration. Below, the image forming unit Pa that forms a yellow toner image will be described, and the descriptions of the image forming units Pb to Pd will be omitted. Also, in the following descriptions, when it is not necessary to distinguish colors, the a to d at the end of the reference numerals will be omitted.

[0014] The image forming unit Pa has a configuration in which a charging device 2a, an exposure device 3a, a developing device 10a, a primary transfer unit T1a, and a drum cleaner 6a are arranged around a photosensitive drum 1a which is a photoreceptor.

[0015] The photosensitive drum 1a has a photosensitive layer formed on a grounded cylindrical conductor base tube and is rotationally driven clockwise in the drawing around the drum axis. The charging device 2a is in the shape of a roller with an elastic layer formed around a conductive central axis. The charging device 2a is biased toward the photosensitive drum 1a and rotates passively while forming a nip with the photosensitive drum 1a. At this time, the charging device 2a uniformly charges the surface (photosensitive layer) of the photosensitive drum 1a to a predetermined potential by applying a charging bias from a charging high-voltage power source to the central axis.

[0016] The exposure device 3a is a laser scanner that scans and exposes the laser light emitted from a laser light emitting element in the drum axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1a via a polygon mirror and an fθ optical system. The laser light modulated by a drive signal generated based on an image signal is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 1a. As a result, a potential drop occurs in the portion of the surface of the photosensitive drum 1a where the laser light is exposed, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1a.

[0017] The developing device 10a includes a stirring and conveying section filled with a two-component developer composed of a magnetic carrier and a non-magnetic toner, a developing sleeve, and a regulating member disposed at a predetermined gap from the developing sleeve. The developing sleeve is configured by providing a conductive member around a fixed magnet roller. The developer is stirred and conveyed within the stirring and conveying section, whereby the toner is charged to a predetermined charge. The charged developer is carried on the developing sleeve by the magnetic force of the magnet roller and the rotation of the developing sleeve, and is adjusted to a predetermined thickness by the regulating member. The developer adjusted to a predetermined thickness on the developing sleeve is supplied to the photosensitive drum 1a.

[0018] The supply of the developer to the photosensitive drum 1a is performed by applying a developing bias from a developing high-voltage power source to the developing sleeve. By applying the developing bias to the developing sleeve, the toner moves from the developing sleeve to the photosensitive drum 1a due to the electromagnetic force generated by the potential difference between the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1a and the developing bias. The toner that has moved to the photosensitive drum 1a adheres to the electrostatic latent image and develops the electrostatic latent image as a toner image. In this embodiment, a negatively charged toner is used.

[0019] Note that yellow toner is repeatedly supplied from the toner bottle Ta, which is a replenishing container for the developer, to the stirring and conveying section of the developing device 10a. Thereby, the amount of toner (toner concentration) in the developing device 10a is stabilized at a predetermined reference amount. Therefore, the developing device 10a can stabilize the amount of toner adhered to the photosensitive drum 1a. Similarly, magenta toner is supplied to the developing device 10b from the toner bottle Tb. Cyan toner is supplied to the developing device 10c from the toner bottle Tc. Black toner is supplied to the developing device 10d from the toner bottle Td. In this embodiment, a two-component developer is described as an example, but the developer may be a one-component developer composed only of a magnetic toner or a non-magnetic toner. Even in the case of a one-component developer, toner is supplied to the developing device 10 from the toner bottle T, and the amount of toner (toner concentration) accommodated is stabilized at a predetermined reference amount.

[0020] The primary transfer section T1a is equipped with a primary transfer roller positioned opposite the photosensitive drum 1a, with the intermediate transfer belt 7 in between. When the primary transfer roller is biased toward the photosensitive drum 1a, a primary transfer nip is formed between the photosensitive drum 1a and the intermediate transfer belt 7. By applying a primary transfer bias with the opposite polarity to the toner to the primary transfer roller, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1a is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 7. Any toner that remains on the photosensitive drum 1a without being transferred is recovered by the drum cleaner 6a. The photosensitive drum 1a from which the remaining toner has been recovered by the drum cleaner 6a is used again for image formation.

[0021] The image forming units Pb to Pd form toner images of the corresponding colors on the photosensitive drums 1b to 1d by the same process as in the image forming unit Pa. A magenta toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1b. A cyan toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1c. A black toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1d. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is rotated at approximately the same surface speed as the photosensitive drums 1a to 1d. The toner images of each color formed in the image forming units Pa to Pd are aligned and superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 7 according to the rotation speed of the intermediate transfer belt 7.

[0022] The image forming apparatus 100 is equipped with a paper feed cassette 60, a pair of paper feed rollers 61, a pair of registration rollers 62, and an outer secondary transfer roller 9 along the transport path on which the sheet S is transported, in order to feed the sheet S on which the image is formed. The outer secondary transfer roller 9 and the inner secondary transfer roller 8 form a secondary transfer section T2. ​​The paper feed cassette 60 stores the sheet S inside. The sheet S is frictionally separated by the pair of paper feed rollers 61 in accordance with the timing of image formation by the image forming section Pa~Pd, and fed and transported one sheet at a time to the transport path. The sheet S is transported to the pair of registration rollers 62 via the transport path. After correcting the skew of the sheet S, the pair of registration rollers 62 adjusts the timing and transports the sheet S to the secondary transfer section T2.

[0023] In the secondary transfer section T2, the secondary transfer outer roller 9 is biased toward the secondary transfer inner roller 8 with the intermediate transfer belt 7 in between, forming a secondary transfer nip between it and the intermediate transfer belt 7, and rotates in a driven manner. The sheet S supplied to the secondary transfer section T2 is gripped and conveyed by the secondary transfer nip. At this time, a secondary transfer bias with the opposite polarity to the toner is applied to the secondary transfer outer roller 9, so that the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 7 is transferred onto the sheet S. Toner that remains on the intermediate transfer belt 7 without being transferred is collected by a belt cleaner 11 positioned opposite the tension roller 17 via the intermediate transfer belt 7. The intermediate transfer belt 7 from which the remaining toner has been collected by the belt cleaner 11 is used again for image formation.

[0024] The sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported to the fuser unit 13 by the secondary transfer outer roller 9. The fuser unit 13 is equipped with a pair of rollers containing heaters and melts and fixes the toner image on the sheet S by thermal compression. Multicolor toner images develop color during the melting and fixing process, resulting in a full-color image. The fuser unit 13 is equipped with a heater that serves as a heat source and is controlled to maintain an optimal temperature (fixing temperature) at all times. The sheet S with the fixed full-color image is discharged onto the output tray 63 as the output product.

[0025] In the case of double-sided image formation, a sheet S with an image printed on one side is inverted by the inversion transport mechanism 70 and transported to the register roller pair 62. By inversion, the sheet S is transported from the register roller pair 62 to the secondary transfer section T2, where an image is formed on the other side. In this way, the image forming apparatus 100 can form an image on a sheet based on a print signal.

[0026] (Control Unit) Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 200 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 209, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 210. The control unit 200 also includes an intermediate transfer belt control unit 202 connected to the CPU 201, a rotation detection unit 205, a toner density detection unit 208, and an in-machine data memory 211. An operation unit 212 is connected to the CPU 201. An intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 that rotates the intermediate transfer belt 7 is connected to the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202. A rotation detection sensor 204 that detects the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 7 is connected to the rotation detection unit 205. A toner density detection sensor 207 that detects the density of the toner contained in the developer unit 10 is connected to the toner density detection unit 208.

[0027] The CPU 201 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 by executing computer programs stored in the ROM 209. The RAM 210 is work memory used by the CPU 201 when it performs processing. The CPU 201 controls each component of the image forming apparatus 100 by executing computer programs. For example, the CPU 201 controls the components to transfer and fix a full-color toner image based on a print signal onto the sheet S, thereby forming a full-color image on the sheet S.

[0028] The in-machine data memory 211 is a storage device that stores in-machine data of the image forming apparatus 100. The in-machine data is data that indicates the state of the image forming apparatus 100, such as counter values ​​indicating the operating status, date and time, sensor detection values, and error occurrence information.

[0029] The intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is a drive source that drives the drive roller 18. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is rotated by the drive of the drive roller 18. The intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is driven by current supplied from the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202 under the control of the CPU 201, thereby rotating the intermediate transfer belt 7. If the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 fails and the drive load (drive load of the drive roller 18 and intermediate transfer belt 7) becomes larger than a predetermined load amount and it becomes unable to rotate, it sends an abnormality detection signal to the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202. The abnormality detection signal is sent from the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202 to the CPU 201.

[0030] When the CPU 201 receives an abnormality detection signal from the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202, it determines that a malfunction has occurred and displays an error on the operation unit 212. At the same time, the CPU 201 stores the error detail code, which is pre-assigned according to the type of error, the date and time the error occurred, and a counter value indicating the operating status of the image forming apparatus 100 as in-machine data in the in-machine data memory 211.

[0031] In this embodiment, the rotation detection sensor 204 is a photosensor that detects the rotation state of the intermediate transfer belt 7. However, the rotation detection sensor 204 is not limited to a photosensor; any detection device capable of detecting that the intermediate transfer belt 7 is rotating may be used. The rotation detection sensor 204 detects that the intermediate transfer belt 7 is rotating and transmits a detection signal to the rotation detection unit 205. The rotation detection unit 205 transmits the detection result obtained from the rotation detection sensor 204 to the CPU 201.

[0032] The CPU 201 transmits a drive signal to the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202 and acquires the detection result of the rotation detection sensor 204 while the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is driving the intermediate transfer belt 7. If the CPU 201 determines that a malfunction has occurred and displays an error on the operation unit 212 when the detection result of the rotation detection sensor 204 indicates that the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 7 has not been detected while the CPU 201 is transmitting the drive signal to the intermediate transfer belt control unit 202. At the same time, the CPU 201 stores in the in-machine data memory 211 a detailed code that has been pre-assigned according to the type of error, the date and time the error occurred, and a counter value indicating the operating status of the image forming apparatus 100 as in-machine data.

[0033] The toner density detection sensor 207 outputs a signal (detection signal) indicating a permeability that changes based on the amount of toner contained in the developer unit 10. The toner density detection sensor 207 is not limited to a sensor that outputs a signal indicating a permeability that changes based on the amount of toner contained in the developer unit 10; any configuration that can detect the amount of toner contained in the developer unit 10 is acceptable. The toner density detection sensor 207 transmits the detection signal to the toner density detection unit 208.

[0034] The toner density detection unit 208 transmits the detection signal acquired from the toner density detection sensor 207 to the A / D converter 206 of the CPU 201. The A / D converter 206 takes in the detection signal transmitted from the toner density detection unit 208 in chronological order and performs A / D conversion on the acquired detection signal.

[0035] The CPU 201 uses calculation formulas pre-stored in the ROM 209 and detection signals converted by the A / D converter 206 to perform calculations to detect the toner density in the developer unit 10. The CPU 201 determines whether the detected toner density has reached a preset target value. If it has not reached the target value, the CPU 201 drives the toner bottle T to replenish toner in the developer unit 10. The CPU 201 also stores in-machine data in the in-machine data memory 211 at a predetermined preset timing. The in-machine data stored here includes the date and time the detection result of the toner density detection sensor 207 was acquired, a counter value indicating the operating status of the image forming apparatus 100 at the time of acquisition, and the detection result of the toner density detection sensor 207. The timing for storing in-machine data in the in-machine data memory 211 is preset considering both the storage capacity of the in-machine data memory 211 and the interval at which the status is to be monitored.

[0036] The CPU 201 determines that a malfunction has occurred if the detected amount of toner in the developer unit 10 deviates from a preset range. Furthermore, the CPU 201 also determines that a malfunction has occurred if the amount of change in the detected amount of toner in the developer unit 10 within a preset period exceeds a preset threshold. When the CPU 201 determines that a malfunction has occurred, it displays an error on the operation unit 212. At the same time, the CPU 201 stores the detailed code, which is assigned in advance according to the type of error, the date and time the error occurred, and a counter value indicating the operating status of the image forming apparatus 100 as in-machine data in the in-machine data memory 211.

[0037] The operation unit 212 is a user interface having an input interface and an output interface. The input interface is a key button, a touch panel, etc. The output interface is a display, a speaker, etc. The operation unit 212 displays images on the display under the control of the CPU 201. For example, the operation unit 212 displays an error on the display under the control of the CPU 201. The CE can instruct the start of maintenance work on the image forming apparatus 100 via the input interface of the operation unit 212. When the operation unit 212 is instructed to start maintenance work via the input interface, it notifies the CPU 201 of the start of maintenance work.

[0038] The CPU 201 determines when to start maintenance work based on the notification from the control unit 212. When the CPU 201 determines when to start maintenance work, it switches to maintenance mode. While in maintenance mode, when the CPU 201 stores in-flight data in the in-flight data memory 211, it stores a maintenance work flag along with the in-flight data to indicate that the data is being used for maintenance work. The maintenance work flag is used in the estimation of the cause of failure described later to determine whether the in-flight data stored in the in-flight data memory 211 is data being used for maintenance work.

[0039] The CE can instruct the completion of maintenance work on the image forming apparatus 100 via the operation unit 212. When the operation unit 212 is instructed to complete the maintenance work, it notifies the CPU 201 of the completion of the maintenance work. The CPU 201 determines that the maintenance work is complete based on the notification from the operation unit 212. When the CPU 201 determines that the maintenance work is complete, it switches the operating mode from maintenance mode to normal mode.

[0040] Furthermore, the determination of whether maintenance work is being performed is not limited to input from the operation unit 212. Any method that allows for the determination of whether maintenance work is being performed is acceptable. For example, the CPU 201 may switch the operating mode to maintenance mode based on communication from a tablet terminal held by the CE. Alternatively, the CPU 201 may switch the operating mode to maintenance mode based on the detection result of a sensor (not shown) provided on the image forming apparatus 100, such as detecting the open state of the door of the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, the sensor detects the state of a component whose state changes during maintenance inspection of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0041] (Accumulation of in-flight data) Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of accumulating in-flight data. In-flight data is accumulated at predetermined timings for each type of data. For example, in-flight data related to errors, specifically error detail codes indicating the nature of the error, the date and time of the error, and the total number of printed pages at the time of the error, are accumulated at the time the error occurs. In-flight data related to sensor detection values ​​are accumulated at predetermined accumulation intervals. These predetermined accumulation intervals may be defined in terms of time, or they may be defined in terms of the total number of printed pages or the number of times a print job has been executed.

[0042] If the data accumulation interval is too long, the accuracy of estimating the cause of failure may decrease due to insufficient data. If the data accumulation interval is too short, the amount of data will increase, requiring a large amount of memory, which will lead to increased costs. For this reason, it is desirable that the data accumulation interval be as long as possible while ensuring the accuracy of estimating the cause of failure. In this embodiment, the detection value of the toner concentration detection sensor 207 is accumulated on a daily basis.

[0043] When the CPU 201 acquires in-machine data, it determines whether the operating mode of the image forming apparatus 100 has switched to maintenance mode (S101). The transition to maintenance mode is performed based on instructions from the control unit 212 or detection results from sensors, as described above. If the operating mode is maintenance mode (S101:Y), the CPU 201 sets the maintenance work flag to "1" (S102). If the operating mode is not maintenance mode (S101:N), the CPU 201 sets the maintenance work flag to "0" (S103). The CPU 201 stores the set maintenance work flag in the in-machine data memory 211, linked to the acquired in-machine data (S104). With this, the CPU 201 terminates the in-machine data storage process.

[0044] (Error message) Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the error display shown on the display of the operation unit 212 when an error is detected. The error display includes the error detail code 401, the detected error content 402, and the cause of the error 403.

[0045] Error detail code "0010001" indicates an error that occurs when the rotation detection sensor 204 cannot detect the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 7, even though the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is being driven. Error detail code "0010002" indicates an error that occurs when the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 transmits an abnormality detection signal. The intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 transmits an abnormality detection signal when the drive load exceeds a preset threshold.

[0046] The following three main causes of failure are possible when error detail code "0010001" occurs: 1. The rotation detection sensor 204 is faulty and cannot detect the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 7. 2. The intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is faulty and the intermediate transfer belt 7 does not rotate. 3. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is faulty and does not rotate even when the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is driven. The following two main causes of failure are possible when error detail code "0010002" occurs: 1. The intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is faulty and the intermediate transfer belt 7 does not rotate. 2. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is faulty and does not rotate even when the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 is driven.

[0047] The relationship between the cause of failure and the occurrence of errors will be explained with a specific example. For example, if the drive load becomes heavy due to a failure of the intermediate transfer belt 7, the rotation detection sensor 204 will detect rotation if the intermediate transfer belt 7 is barely rotating, but the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 will detect an abnormality detection signal. As a result, the error with error detail code "0010001" will not occur, but the error with error detail code "0010002" may occur.

[0048] As another example, if the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 fails and the driving force can no longer be transmitted to the intermediate transfer belt 7, the driving load on the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 will actually decrease. Therefore, error detail code "0010002" will not occur. However, because the intermediate transfer belt 7 will stop rotating, error detail code "0010001" will occur.

[0049] The state of the malfunction may change when the relevant part is driven. Therefore, the errors that occur in the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 and the intermediate transfer belt 7 may change if they continue to operate.

[0050] (Estimated cause of failure) Figure 5 is an example of in-machine data used to estimate the cause of a failure. Here, the in-machine data used includes the date and time of the error (501), the total number of pages printed by the image forming apparatus 100 at the time of the error (502), and the error detail code (401) of the error that occurred. A maintenance work flag (503) is associated with the in-machine data.

[0051] In estimating the cause of a failure using in-flight data, the cause of the failure is estimated based on the history of errors that have occurred in the past. For example, if an error with error detail code "0010001" occurs, focusing on the error with error detail code "0010001" alone, the cause of the failure is either the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203, the intermediate transfer belt 7, or the rotation detection sensor 204. However, by referring not only to the error with error detail code "0010001" that occurred immediately before, but also to the history of past errors, the cause of the failure can be narrowed down. The cause of the error with error detail code "0010002" is either the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 or the intermediate transfer belt 7. Therefore, if it is known that the error with error detail code "0010002" has occurred in the past, it can be estimated that the rotation detection sensor 204 is not faulty, unless the failure has occurred twice.

[0052] In the in-machine data illustrated in Figure 5(a), if the maintenance work flag 503 is not considered, an error with error detail code "0010002" occurs, leading to the assumption that either the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 or the intermediate transfer belt 7 is malfunctioning. However, in reality, the error with error detail code "0010002" occurs during maintenance work. Therefore, it is possible that the error is caused by irregular operation. For example, the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 may be test-driven while the intermediate transfer belt 7 is not rotating due to disassembly of the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, the error with error detail code "0010002" may occur even though neither the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 nor the intermediate transfer belt 7 is malfunctioning. For this reason, if the cause of failure is estimated without considering the maintenance work flag, the cause of failure may be incorrectly estimated.

[0053] In this embodiment, we focus on the maintenance work flag 503 and exclude the in-machine data acquired during maintenance mode (in-machine data where the maintenance work flag 503 is "1"), and estimate the cause of the failure based on the remaining in-machine data. In the example in Figure 5(b), by excluding the in-machine data from maintenance mode from the example in Figure 5(a), only the error with error detail code "0010001" is observed. In this case, it is estimated that either the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203, the intermediate transfer belt 7, or the rotation detection sensor 204 has failed.

[0054] As described above, excluding in-aircraft data acquired during maintenance work when estimating the cause of failure may change the results of the failure cause estimation. By excluding in-aircraft data acquired during maintenance work, the failure cause estimation is performed while excluding in-aircraft data under irregular conditions, thus preventing a decrease in the accuracy of the failure cause estimation.

[0055] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process for estimating the cause of a failure. Here, we will explain the case of estimating the cause of a failure related to the driving and rotation detection of the intermediate transfer belt 7. The failure cause estimation process is performed, for example, by instructions from the operation unit 212. Alternatively, the failure cause estimation process may be performed automatically at predetermined intervals, such as every set of hours or every time printing is performed. In the case of automatic execution, the execution results may be stored in the in-machine data memory 211.

[0056] The CPU 201 reads multiple in-flight data stored in the in-flight data memory 211 (S201). The in-flight data read by the CPU 201 here is, for example, the multiple in-flight data shown in Figure 5(a). The CPU 201 determines whether the read in-flight data includes data acquired in maintenance mode (S202). The CPU 201 checks the maintenance work flag 503 associated with the in-flight data, and if the maintenance work flag 503 is "1", it determines that the in-flight data was acquired in maintenance mode. If the maintenance work flag 503 is "0", the CPU 201 determines that the in-flight data was not acquired in maintenance mode.

[0057] If the read in-flight data includes data acquired in maintenance mode (S202:Y), the CPU 201 excludes the in-flight data acquired in maintenance mode (S203). By excluding the in-flight data acquired in maintenance mode, the in-flight data shown in Figure 5(b) is obtained. The CPU 201 determines whether or not an error (abnormality) has occurred from the in-flight data from which the data acquired in maintenance mode has been excluded (S204). If the read in-flight data does not include data acquired in maintenance mode (S202:N), the CPU 201 determines whether or not an error (abnormality) has occurred from the in-flight data obtained in the S201 process without excluding any data (S204).

[0058] Here, the CPU 201 determines whether an error with error detail code "0010002" has occurred in the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 within a predetermined period. The predetermined period is the range of in-machine data used to estimate the cause of the failure, and is defined, for example, by the number of days or the total number of printed pages. If the predetermined period is too long, it may include past resolved errors, and if the predetermined period is too short, the amount of data may be insufficient, potentially reducing the accuracy of the failure cause estimation. For this reason, the predetermined period is set in advance to an appropriate period according to the error content. In this embodiment, the predetermined period is set to a period in which the total number of printed pages is 1000 or less.

[0059] If an error with error detail code "0010002" occurs in the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 within a predetermined period (S204:Y), the CPU 201 estimates the cause of the failure (S205). In this embodiment, the CPU 201 estimates the cause of the failure to be either the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 or the intermediate transfer belt 7. If no error with error detail code "0010002" occurs in the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203 within a predetermined period (S204:N), the CPU 201 estimates the cause of the failure (S206). In this embodiment, the CPU 201 estimates the cause of the failure to be one of the intermediate transfer belt drive unit 203, the intermediate transfer belt 7, or the rotation detection sensor 204.

[0060] The CPU 201, having estimated the cause of the failure, displays the cause of the failure and the corrective action on the display of the operation unit 212 based on the estimated result (S207). Specifically, the CPU 201 displays the faulty component and instructions for replacing that component. This completes the failure cause estimation process.

[0061] Figure 7 is an example of in-machine data used to estimate other causes of failure. In Figure 7, the cause of failure is estimated based on sensor detection values. Here, the in-machine data used is the date and time 701 when the detection value of the toner density detection sensor 207 was acquired, the total number of pages printed by the image forming apparatus 100 at the time the detection value of the toner density detection sensor 207 was acquired 502, and the detection value of the toner density detection sensor 207 702. A maintenance work flag 503 is associated with the in-machine data.

[0062] The toner concentration detection and toner replenishment operations within the developer unit 10 will now be described. When toner in the developer unit 10 is consumed by image formation, the detection value 702 of the toner concentration detection sensor 207 changes according to the amount consumed. The CPU 201 determines the decrease in the amount of toner in the developer unit 10 based on the detection value 702 of the toner concentration detection sensor 207. When the amount of toner in the developer unit 10 decreases below a predetermined threshold, the CPU 201 drives the toner bottle T to replenish toner to the developer unit 10. Through these toner concentration detection and toner replenishment operations within the developer unit 10, the detection value 702 of the amount of toner in the developer unit 10 detected by the toner concentration detection sensor 207 is controlled to remain within a predetermined range. In this embodiment, the detection value 702 of the amount of toner in the developer unit 10 detected by the toner concentration detection sensor 207 is controlled to remain within the range of 900 to 1100.

[0063] In the failure cause estimation process, it is determined whether the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning by checking whether the detected value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 falls within the range of 900 to 1100. In the example in Figure 7(a), if the maintenance work flag 503 is not considered, the maximum value of the detected value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 is "1158", which exceeds the range of 900 to 1100. Therefore, in this case, it is estimated that the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning.

[0064] However, in reality, the detection value 702 for "1158" occurred during maintenance work, and it is possible that the error was caused by irregular operation. For example, it is possible that printing was performed with the developer unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 100 replaced with the developer unit of another image forming apparatus, and the detection value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 was obtained. During maintenance work on the image forming apparatus 100, if an abnormality occurs, the CE often replaces parts to isolate the cause of the failure. If the sensor detection value obtained after a part has been replaced is used, the detection value linked to a different part may be used, and it may not be possible to correctly estimate the cause of the failure.

[0065] Focusing on the maintenance work flag 503, and excluding the in-machine data for maintenance mode as shown in Figure 7(b), the detected value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 becomes a value between 993 and 1005. This falls within the range of 900 to 1100, suggesting that the developer unit 10 is not malfunctioning. As described above, by excluding the in-machine data acquired during maintenance work, it becomes possible to correctly estimate the malfunction of the developer unit 10.

[0066] Figure 8 is a flowchart representing the process for estimating the cause of a malfunction. This process estimates whether or not the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning based on the detection value 702 from the toner density detection sensor 207. The malfunction estimation process is performed, for example, by instruction from the operation unit 212. Alternatively, the malfunction estimation process may be performed automatically at predetermined intervals, such as every set of hours or after each print run. In the case of automatic execution, the results may be stored in the in-machine data memory 211.

[0067] The CPU 201 reads multiple in-flight data stored in the in-flight data memory 211 (S301). The in-flight data read by the CPU 201 here is, for example, the multiple in-flight data shown in Figure 7(a). The CPU 201 determines whether the read in-flight data includes data acquired in maintenance mode (S302). The CPU 201 checks the maintenance work flag 503 associated with the in-flight data, and if the maintenance work flag 503 is "1", it determines that the in-flight data was acquired in maintenance mode. If the maintenance work flag 503 is "0", the CPU 201 determines that the in-flight data was not acquired in maintenance mode.

[0068] If the read in-flight data includes data acquired in maintenance mode (S302:Y), the CPU 201 excludes the in-flight data acquired in maintenance mode (S303). By excluding the in-flight data acquired in maintenance mode, the in-flight data shown in Figure 7(b) is obtained. The CPU 201 determines whether or not an error (abnormality) has occurred from the in-flight data from which the data acquired in maintenance mode has been excluded (S304). If the read in-flight data does not include data acquired in maintenance mode (S302:N), the CPU 201 determines whether or not an error (abnormality) has occurred from the in-flight data obtained in the S301 process without excluding any in-flight data (S304).

[0069] Here, the CPU 201 determines the occurrence of an abnormality by determining whether the detected value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 within a predetermined period is within a predetermined range (900 to 1100). The predetermined period is the data range of the in-machine data used to estimate the cause of the failure, and is defined, for example, by the number of days or the total number of printed pages. If the predetermined period is too long, it may include past resolved errors, and if the predetermined period is too short, the amount of data may be insufficient, potentially reducing the accuracy of estimating the cause of the failure. For this reason, the predetermined period is set in advance to an appropriate period according to the type of error. In this embodiment, one week is set as the predetermined period.

[0070] If there is in-machine data in which the detected value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 within a predetermined period is not within the range of 900 to 1100, the CPU 201 determines that an abnormality has occurred (S304:Y). In this case, the CPU 201 estimates that the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning (S305). If the detected value 702 of the toner density detection sensor 207 within a predetermined period is within the range of 900 to 1100, the CPU 201 determines that no abnormality has occurred (S304:N). In this case, the CPU 201 estimates that the developer unit 10 is not malfunctioning (S306).

[0071] The CPU 201, having estimated the cause of the failure, displays the cause of the failure and the corrective action on the display of the operation unit 212 based on the estimated result (S307). Specifically, if the CPU 201 estimates that the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning, it displays that the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning and instructs the user to replace the developer unit 10. If the CPU 201 estimates that the developer unit 10 is not malfunctioning, it displays a message indicating that the developer unit 10 is operating normally. This completes the process of estimating whether or not the developer unit 10 is malfunctioning.

[0072] (modified version) In the example above, in-flight data is stored in the in-flight data memory 211, and the cause of the failure is estimated based on the stored in-flight data. These processes are performed within the image forming apparatus 100. This example describes a case where these processes are performed by an information processing device located outside the image forming apparatus 100. Here, we describe a case where the processing is performed by an information processing device connected to the image forming apparatus 100 via a network.

[0073] Figure 9 is a diagram of the configuration of a failure cause estimation system that estimates the cause of failure of the image forming apparatus 100 using an external information processing device. The failure cause estimation system 900 comprises one or more image forming apparatuses 901 and 902, a server 903, and a management device 904. In this case, two image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 are provided in the failure cause estimation system 900. The image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 are configured with a network interface added to the image forming apparatus 100, and they create deliverables by forming images on a sheet S. The server 903 and the management device 904 function as information processing devices that estimate the cause of failure based on in-machine data.

[0074] The image forming apparatuses 901 and 902, the server 903, and the management device 904 can communicate with each other via a network. Here, the network is the internet 905. The network may also be a telecommunications line such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network). The failure cause estimation system 900 collects in-machine data from the image forming apparatuses 901 and 902, and estimates the cause of failure for each image forming apparatus 901 and 902 based on the collected in-machine data.

[0075] The image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 each store in-machine data associated with maintenance work flags 503 in their internal data memory 211 through the process shown in Figure 3. The image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 each periodically transmit the stored in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 to the server 903.

[0076] Server 903 stores the in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 acquired from each of the image forming apparatuses 901 and 902, for each apparatus that acquired the data. For example, Server 903 stores the acquired in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 with identification information to identify the source. Alternatively, Server 903 prepares separate storage areas for each of the image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 in advance, and stores the acquired in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 in the corresponding storage area. In response to a request from Management Device 904, Server 903 transmits the stored in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 to Management Device 904.

[0077] Figure 10 is a configuration diagram of the management device 904. The management device 904 comprises a CPU 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, network interface (I / F) 1004, and operation unit 1006. The CPU 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, and network I / F 1004 are communicated together via a system bus 1005.

[0078] The CPU 1001 controls the operation of the entire management device 904. The memory 1002 stores the startup program for the CPU 1001 and the data necessary for the execution of the startup program. The storage 1003 is a storage device with a larger capacity than the memory 1002, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage 1003 stores control programs and the like that executed by the CPU 1001.

[0079] The CPU 1001 executes a startup program stored in memory 1002 when the management device 904 is started. The startup program is a program that deploys the control program stored in storage 1003 to memory 1002. The CPU 1001 executes the control program deployed in memory 1002 and performs various controls. The CPU 1001 also communicates with other devices such as the server 903 via the internet 905 using the network interface 1004. The operation unit 1006 has the same functions as the operation unit 212. The operation unit 1006 notifies the CPU 1001 to start estimating the cause of failure. The operation unit 1006 also displays the result of the failure cause estimation under the control of the CPU 1001.

[0080] The CPU 1001 performs the processes shown in Figures 6 and 8 to estimate the cause of the failure. When the CPU 1001 receives an instruction from the operation unit 1006 to start estimating the cause of the failure, it obtains in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 for the image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 from the server 903. The instruction to start estimating the cause of the failure includes information indicating which image forming apparatus the process is for. This information is, for example, identification information for the image forming apparatus. The CPU 1001 obtains in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 from the server 903 according to this information.

[0081] The CPU 1001 analyzes the acquired in-machine data and maintenance work flags 503 to estimate the cause of failure in the image forming apparatuses 901 and 902. If the estimation results indicate that action is necessary, the CPU 1001 displays the action details to the operation unit 1006. In this way, the failure cause estimation system 900 can estimate the cause of failure in the image forming apparatuses 901 and 902 under management and notify the CE to perform maintenance work.

[0082] The management device 904 may determine whether or not the in-machine data is data from maintenance work. For example, a device other than the image forming apparatus 100, such as an unillustrated tablet terminal owned by the CE, transmits information about the maintenance work, the start and end times of the maintenance work, the total number of printed pages at the start and end of the maintenance work, and the details of the work to the server 903. The management device 904 obtains the maintenance work information along with the in-machine data from the server 903 and determines whether or not the in-machine data is data from maintenance work in progress by comparing the time or total number of printed pages of each piece of information. The management device 904 associates a maintenance work flag 503 corresponding to the determination result with the in-machine data and uses it for the failure cause estimation process.

[0083] As described above, in this embodiment, the cause of failure is estimated by excluding in-machine data collected during maintenance work. This allows for the exclusion of irregular data from the data necessary for estimating the cause of failure. This makes it possible to accurately estimate the cause of failure.

Claims

1. An information processing device that communicates with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, An acquisition means for acquiring error information related to an error that occurred in the image forming apparatus, The present invention is characterized by having a determination means for determining the location of a malfunction in the image forming apparatus based on determination error information obtained by removing maintenance error information related to errors that occurred during maintenance work on the image forming apparatus from the error information obtained by the acquisition means, Information processing device.

2. The device further comprises receiving means for receiving maintenance information relating to the maintenance work, The determination means is characterized by determining the error information during maintenance work based on the maintenance information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The error information is characterized by including information on the date and time when the error occurred. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The error information is characterized by including information on the cumulative number of pages printed by the image forming apparatus at the time the error occurred. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The maintenance information is characterized by including information on the date and time the maintenance work was performed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

6. The device further comprises a display for displaying the results of the fault location determination, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The determination means is characterized in that if the error information includes identification information indicating that the error occurred during the maintenance work, it determines that the error information is an error that occurred during the maintenance work. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, A storage means for storing error information relating to an error that occurred in the image forming apparatus, The device is characterized by having a determination means for determining the location of a malfunction in the image forming apparatus based on determination error information obtained by removing maintenance error information related to errors that occurred during maintenance work on the image forming apparatus from the error information stored in the storage means. Image forming apparatus.

9. The device further comprises receiving means for receiving maintenance information relating to the maintenance work, The determination means is characterized by determining the error information during maintenance work based on the maintenance information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The error information is characterized by including information on the date and time when the error occurred. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

11. The error information is characterized by including information on the cumulative number of pages printed by the image forming apparatus at the time the error occurred. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

12. The maintenance information is characterized by including start instruction information for instructing the start of the maintenance work and end instruction information for instructing the end of the maintenance work. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.

13. The device further comprises a display for displaying the results of the fault location determination, The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

14. The determination means is characterized in that if the error information includes identification information indicating that the error occurred during the maintenance work, it determines that the error information is an error information that occurred during the maintenance work. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

Images