Dual Communicator Failover for Image Forming Apparatus Data Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face issues with transmitting consumable component information over networks, as failures in communication networks result in incomplete data transmission, with no mechanism to handle untransmitted information.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs dual communicators to transmit usage and state information to a management server, switching to an alternate communicator if the primary fails, ensuring complete data transmission once the failure is resolved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single communicator is used to transmit information about the image forming apparatus, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of information transmission deteriorates when network failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The communication function is segmented into multiple independent communicators (first communicator and second communicator) that can operate on different networks. This segmentation allows the system to transmit information through alternative paths when one communicator fails, thereby improving transmission reliability without requiring a completely redundant complex system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the network parameter by switching between different networks (Intranet and Internet) based on the operational status of each communicator. When the first communicator fails on the Intranet, the system transitions to use the second communicator on the Internet, effectively changing the network parameter to maintain information transmission reliability.
2Loss of information
If information is transmitted only when the primary communicator is functional, then the loss of information is minimized, but the productivity of the management system deteriorates due to delayed information availability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by attempting to transmit information through the first communicator before failing over to the second communicator. This preliminary attempt ensures that information is transmitted through the preferred network path when available, minimizing information loss while maintaining productivity through automated failover capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms to monitor the transmission status and automatically switch between communicators based on network conditions. This feedback-driven approach ensures that information is transmitted completely without manual intervention, balancing information completeness with management system efficiency.
3Reliability
If dual communicators are implemented for failover capability, then the reliability of information transmission is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Both the first and second communicators are designed with universal functionality to transmit the same types of information (operation information, error information, log data) about the image forming apparatus. This multi-functionality allows either communicator to handle any transmission task, improving reliability without requiring complex specialized configurations for each communicator.
Data Source
AI summary
Provide an image forming apparatus including a controller, a communicator that communicates with a management server, and an image former that forms an image. The communicator includes a first communicator and a second communicator, and the controller transmits first information about a use of the image forming apparatus and second information about a state of the image forming apparatus to the management server via the first communicator, and transmits either one of the first information or the second information to the management server via the second communicator if a failure occurs in the first communicator, and transmits the other information via the first communicator if the failure occurring in the first communicator is resolved.