Image forming apparatus and control method for the same

• US 20060209341A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Motoyama, Eiichi, Watanabe, Masao, Hombo, Tsunao, Yaginuma, Masatoshi, Sakai, Akihiko, Kitahara, Toshihiko, Into, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,355,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00

Abstract

The image forming apparatus includes, even when an abnormality of operation occurs in any of a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in a plurality of operations for an image formation is assigned and which autonomously executes the assigned operation, each of the modules can autonomously perform a particular operation for eliminating an abnormality of operation at a module in which an abnormality occurs. When detecting the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs based on operation abnormality generation condition information in each of the modules stored in the shared data module, the plurality of modules provided in the image forming apparatus each perform an operation (a particular operation) for eliminating the abnormality of operation in accordance with the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs and the contents of the abnormality of operation. Of the plurality of modules, a module which finally performs the particular operation notifies the occurrence of abnormality of operation to a controller module.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus in which an image is formed by a plurality of operations, comprising:

a plurality of modules each of which autonomously performs an assigned operation in the plurality of operations, the assigned operation assigned to each of said plurality of modules; and

a shared data storing device for updatably storing at least operation condition information of each of the plurality of modules, the operation condition information being shared by the plurality of modules to be availably connected,

wherein the plurality of modules performs the assigned operation by referring to the operation condition information stored in said shared data storing device;

wherein in a case where each of the plurality of modules detects an occurrence of abnormality of operation based on the operation condition information stored in the shared data storing device, each of the plurality of modules performs a particular operation for eliminating the occurrence of abnormality different from the assigned operation in the module in which the abnormality occurs; and

wherein a module in said plurality of modules which finally performs the particular operation notifies the occurrence of abnormality of operation to the outside.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of modules each determine the particular operation in accordance with a type of the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs and the contents of the occurred abnormality of operation.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of modules each judge whether or not each of the plurality of modules is a module which executes the last particular operation, after executing the particular operation.

4. An image forming apparatus in which an image is formed by a plurality of operations, comprising:

a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in the plurality of operations is assigned, and which autonomously performs the assigned operation, the each of the modules performing the assigned operation based on received operation condition information while transmitting/receiving operation condition information to/from at least one corresponding module,

wherein when an abnormality of operation occurs in any of the plurality of modules, the module in which an abnormality of operation occurs notifies all the corresponding modules of the occurrence of abnormality of operation,

wherein the modules in which the abnormality of operation occurs and all the modules notified of the occurrence of abnormality of operation each perform a particular operation for eliminating an abnormality of operation at the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs; and

wherein a module in said plurality of modules which finally performs the particular operation notifies the occurrence of abnormality of operation to the outside.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of modules respectively determine the particular operation in accordance with a type of the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs, and the contents of the occurred abnormality of operation.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of modules respectively judge whether or not each of the plurality of modules is a module which executes the last particular operation, after executing the particular operation.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the occurrence of abnormality of operation is concurrently notified to all the corresponding modules from the modules in which the abnormality of operation occurs.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the occurrence of abnormality of operation is sequentially notified to all the corresponding modules from the modules in which the abnormality of operation occurs.

9. A control method for an image forming apparatus in which an image is formed by a plurality of operations, the image forming apparatus including a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in the plurality of operations is assigned, and which autonomously performs the assigned operation;

and a shared data storing device for updatably storing at least operation condition information of each of the plurality of modules, the operation condition information being shared by the plurality of modules to be availably connected, the control method comprising the steps of;

causing each of the plurality of modules to perform a particular operation for eliminating the occurrence of abnormality different from the assigned operation in the module in which the abnormality occurs in a case where each of the plurality of modules detects an occurrence of abnormality of operation based on the operation condition information stored in the shared data storing device; and

causing a module in said plurality of modules which finally performs the particular operation to notify the occurrence of abnormality of operation to the outside.

10. A control method for the image forming apparatus, comprising a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in the plurality of operations is assigned, and which autonomously performs the assigned operation, the each of the modules performing the assigned operation based on received operation condition information while transmitting/receiving operation condition information to/from at least one corresponding module, the control method comprising:

a step of notifying the occurrence of abnormality of operation from the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs to all the corresponding modules when the abnormality of operation occurs in any of the plurality of modules;

a step of performing a particular operation for eliminating an abnormality of operation at the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs by the modules in which the abnormality of operation occurs and all the modules notified of the occurrence of abnormality of operation; and

a step of notifying the occurrence of abnormality of operation to the outside by the module of the plurality of modules, which finally performs the particular operation.