Image Forming Apparatus Predictive Maintenance Data Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses face challenges in predicting component failures and consumable life due to limited data collection during normal operation, leading to increased data volume and processing load, which hinders productivity and prediction accuracy.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a detection unit, determination unit, storage unit, preprocessing unit, and accumulation unit that generates and processes data to predict the state of operating parts, reducing data size and communication load while maintaining prediction accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If data is sequentially obtained from the image forming apparatus to improve prediction accuracy, then the amount of data accumulated becomes very large, but this increases the processing load and data storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary information from sequential sensor data by using a determination unit that identifies when operational states change. Instead of accumulating all sequential data, the system extracts and stores only the essential state transition information, thereby maintaining prediction accuracy while significantly reducing data volume and processing load.
2Device complexity
If data compression technologies are used to reduce the amount of data to be accumulated and communicated, then the processing load is reduced, but the information included in the data is also reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing determination processing before data accumulation. The determination unit预先 identifies and flags data points that represent state transitions before they are accumulated. This preliminary identification ensures that only information-containing data is stored, preventing information loss while minimizing data volume from the outset.
3Measurement precision
If all sequential sensor data is transmitted to external devices via network, then comprehensive data is available for analysis, but the amount of data transmitted becomes very large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential state transition information from the sequential sensor data using the determination unit. By identifying and transmitting only these critical data points rather than all sequential data, the system maintains data completeness for prediction purposes while dramatically reducing the transmission volume between the image forming apparatus and external devices.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an operating part configured to form an image, a detection unit configured to detect a status of the operating part to generate sequential data which is updated sequentially, a determination unit configured to determine whether the sequential data satisfies a predetermined condition or not, a storage unit configured to store the number of times of determination of whether the sequential data satisfies the predetermined condition or not, a preprocessing unit, and an accumulation unit. The preprocessing unit is configured to generate data, having a data size smaller than that of the sequential data, to be used for predicting a state of the operating part. Further, the accumulation unit is configured to accumulate the data based on the sequential data which is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition by the determination unit.