Sheet transportation device
First Claim
1. A sheet transportation device having a sheet transportation system constituted by a plurality of units, the plurality of units each comprising:
- a plurality of components including an actuator and an action device to be actuated or brought in a varied state by the actuator;
a sensor for sensing a state of a predetermined component;
knowledge storage means storing therein knowledge information on a parameter model in which the components are represented on the basis of cause-effect relations between physical parameters thereof and knowledge information on operation of a predetermined actuator;
sequence execution means for executing a control sequence to perform a sheet transportation operation in association with the other units of the sheet transportation system;
means for monitoring an output of the sensor and judging a fault on the basis of the output of the sensor; and
self-diagnosis and repair means for determining a cause of the fault and formulating a repair plan on the basis of the knowledge information stored in the knowledge storage means in response to the judgment of the fault, and autonomously performing a fault repairing operation in the unit independently of the other units.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sheet transportation device for use in an image forming apparatus is provided which has self-diagnosis and self-repair functions. The sheet transportation device has a sheet transportation system including a plurality of units (8). A control sequence for a sheet transportation operation is applied from a system body (10) to the respective units (8). The units (8) each execute the control sequence to perform the sheet transportation operation. The units (8) are each constructed so as to perform an autonomous operation. This construction allows the respective units to autonomously perform self-diagnosis and repair operations. The fault diagnosis and repair operations are performed in parallel to the sheet transportation control. Therefore, the sheet transportation device can flexibly adapt itself to an external influence such as a change in the use environment and a malfunction due to a time-related change such as the aging of components thereof. Thus, the sheet transportation device ensures a highly reliable operation and yet requires less labor for the maintenance and inspection.
11 Citations
6 Claims
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1. A sheet transportation device having a sheet transportation system constituted by a plurality of units, the plurality of units each comprising:
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a plurality of components including an actuator and an action device to be actuated or brought in a varied state by the actuator; a sensor for sensing a state of a predetermined component; knowledge storage means storing therein knowledge information on a parameter model in which the components are represented on the basis of cause-effect relations between physical parameters thereof and knowledge information on operation of a predetermined actuator; sequence execution means for executing a control sequence to perform a sheet transportation operation in association with the other units of the sheet transportation system; means for monitoring an output of the sensor and judging a fault on the basis of the output of the sensor; and self-diagnosis and repair means for determining a cause of the fault and formulating a repair plan on the basis of the knowledge information stored in the knowledge storage means in response to the judgment of the fault, and autonomously performing a fault repairing operation in the unit independently of the other units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification