Image-Forming Apparatus Jam Detection Using Dual Rates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatus maintenance systems fail to efficiently notify users or dealers of the cause of frequent jams, leading to unnecessary service dispatches and increased costs due to dissatisfaction and time-consuming troubleshooting.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus management system that includes a detecting unit to identify conveyance failures, a cause discriminating unit to specify the jam cause based on occurrence rates, and a display unit to notify users or dealers only when the jam is likely to occur, using a first occurrence rate per unit time and a second occurrence rate per number of printed sheets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If notification is made based only on jam occurrence per storage threshold, then individual storage monitoring is achieved, but frequent jams across multiple storages are missed leading to user dissatisfaction and unnecessary service calls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines jam occurrence data from multiple sheet storages into a total jam count, and merges two different measurement dimensions (jams per storage and total jams per day) to comprehensively assess whether notification should be made, preventing missed detections that would lead to user dissatisfaction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension of measurement by considering both the number of storages with jams and the total number of jams per day, transforming the single-dimension threshold check into a multi-dimensional assessment that captures frequent jams across multiple storages
2Loss of information
If all possible countermeasures are notified to the user, then complete troubleshooting information is provided, but it takes excessive time and effort for the user to identify the true cause of the jam
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and presents only the most likely cause of the jam based on analyzed data, rather than displaying all possible countermeasures. This selective extraction helps users quickly identify and address the true cause without being overwhelmed by unnecessary information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different notification strategies based on the specific situation - when a high-likelihood cause is identified, only that specific countermeasure is notified; when multiple causes are possible, appropriate combinations are notified. This localized quality approach optimizes information delivery based on the specific jam scenario
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus management system for managing an image forming apparatus includes a detecting unit for detecting conveyance failure of a recording material the image forming apparatus; a cause discriminating unit for discriminating a cause of the conveyance failure on the basis of information acquired from the image forming apparatus; a display unit for displaying information on the cause discriminated by the cause discriminating unit; and a display discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not the information on the cause is displayed on the display unit. The display discriminating unit discriminates whether or not the information on the cause is displayed on the display unit, on the basis of a first occurrence rate which is a number of times of the conveyance failure occurred per unit time and a second occurrence rate which is a number of times of the conveyance failure per number of printed sheets.