IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING A FUNCTION OF PREDICTING DEVICE DETERIORATION BASED ON A PLURALITY OF TYPES OF OPERATION CONTROL INFORMATION

• US 20110206393A1
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitoshi Shimizu, Jun Yamane, Kohji Ue, Masahide Yamashita, Osamu Satoh, Shuji Hirai, Takenori Oku, Yasushi Nakazato
• Original Assignee: Hitoshi Shimizu, Jun Yamane, Kohji Ue, Masahide Yamashita, Osamu Satoh, Shuji Hirai, Takenori Oku, Yasushi Nakazato
• Inventors: NAKAZATO, Yasushi, Yamane, Jun, Shimizu, Hitoshi, Hirai, Shuji, Satoh, Osamu, Ue, Kohji, Yamashita, Masahide, Oku, Takenori
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/31
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0161 Generation of registration marks

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of types of operation control information of the image forming apparatus that indicate deterioration of a toner in the image forming apparatus or deterioration of a component of the image forming apparatus. An index value calculating unit calculates an index value indicating a state of the image forming apparatus based on the acquired operation control information. An abnormality judging unit judges whether the image forming apparatus abnormality has occurred and predicts an occurrence of a failure that requires maintenance of the image forming apparatus due to deterioration of the toner in the image forming apparatus or deterioration of the component of the image forming apparatus based on the index value.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of types of operation control information of the image forming apparatus, an index value calculating unit that calculates an index value indicating a state of the image forming apparatus based on the acquired operation control information;

an abnormality judging unit that judges whether the image forming apparatus abnormality has occurred and predicts an occurrence of a failure based on the index value; and

a surface state detecting unit that includes a light-emitting element that emits light toward a predetermined position on an image carrier surface carrying a toner image, and a light-receiving unit that receives light emitted from the light-emitting unit and reflected by the image carrier surface,

wherein the index value calculating unit uses detection data from the light-receiving unit as the operation control information of the image forming apparatus.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a homogeneousness judging unit that consecutively detects light reflected by a rotating image carrier surface for a predetermined period using the light-receiving unit and judges homogeneousness of detection data based on a group of consecutively acquired detection data,

wherein the index value calculating unit uses a judgment result from the homogeneousness judging unit as the operation control information of the image forming apparatus.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

a plurality of light-receiving units are disposed in differing positions in an axial direction of the image carrier,

the homogeneousness judging unit judges the homogeneousness of the detection data from each light-receiving unit, and

the index value calculating unit uses information on whether all results of the homogeneous judgment of the detection data from the light-receiving unit judged by the homogeneousness judging unit are homogeneous as the operation control information of the image forming apparatus.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a storing unit that stores the detection data from the light-receiving unit,

wherein the index value calculating unit compares first detection data with second detection data, the first detection data being acquired after an elapse of a predetermined period from when the detection data stored in the storing unit is acquired, the second detection data being stored in the storing unit, and uses a result of the comparison as the operation control information of the image forming apparatus.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light-receiving unit receives diffused reflection light diffused and reflected by the image carrier surface.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

an erase lamp that discharges a surface of the image carrier is used as the light-emitting unit.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a latent image forming unit that irradiates light onto the image carrier surface and forms a latent image is used as the light-emitting unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a toner density detecting unit that optically detects toner density of the toner image on the image carrier is used as the surface state detecting unit.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a detection pattern position detecting unit that detects the position of the detection pattern on the image carrier is used as the surface state detecting unit.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the index value calculating unit decides a calculation equation used to calculate the index value based on a pattern recognition algorithm.