JP7472492B2 - Fault prediction device and electronic device equipped with said fault prediction device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a failure prediction device and an electronic device equipped with the failure prediction device.

Conventionally, there are known electronic devices such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and multifunction peripherals (MFPs) that are equipped with a failure prediction device that predicts failures of consumables and other parts before they occur and notifies the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-25060 A

However, the failure prediction device shown in Patent Document 1 only notifies the user of the electronic device when a consumable part (a specified part) will fail, and does not have a function to encourage the user to proactively replace the specified part. As a result, some users leave the specified part without replacing it even when notified that the specified part will fail. Many such users believe that it is more cost-effective to use the specified part until the end of its lifespan and then replace it.

However, if a certain part breaks down due to its lifespan, the electronic device may no longer function properly. When this happens, the administrator of the electronic device must call a service technician to restore the electronic device to a normal state. As a result, the user cannot use the electronic device until the service technician has completed the restoration work, and suffers the disadvantage of losing the opportunity to use the device.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a failure prediction device and electronic device that can proactively encourage a user to replace a specified part before the specified part reaches the end of its life and the electronic device breaks down.

A failure prediction device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a failure prediction unit that predicts a failure time of a specific part provided in an electronic device, a reward determination unit that determines a reward to be granted to a user when the user replaces the specific part before the failure time of the specific part predicted by the failure prediction unit, a display unit that displays information, a display control unit that causes the display unit to display on the display unit the failure time of the specific part predicted by the failure prediction unit and the reward determined by the reward determination unit in association with each other, and a reward granting unit that executes a predetermined process to grant the user the reward determined by the reward determination unit at the time of replacement when the specific part is replaced.

An electronic device according to another aspect of the present invention is equipped with the above-mentioned failure prediction device.

The present invention provides a failure prediction device and electronic device that can proactively encourage a user to replace consumables before a specific part reaches the end of its life and the electronic device breaks down.

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a function selection screen displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a warning screen 36 displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a failure prediction list details screen displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a failure prediction list details screen displayed on the touch panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.
<<Embodiment>>

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 1 according to the present invention is, for example, a copying machine, and has an image forming device main body 2 and an image reading device 3 attached to the image forming device main body 2.

The image reading device 3 optically reads the document image and transmits the image data to the image forming device main body 2. The image forming device main body 2 is configured to print the image data transmitted from the image reading device 3 on a sheet (a recording material such as paper or an overhead projector sheet).

Specifically, the image forming device main body 2 has a paper feed section 4, an operation section 5, an image forming section 6, a fixing section 7, a paper discharge section 8, a conveying section 9, a sensor group 10, and a controller 20.

The paper feed unit 4 has a paper feed cassette that stores sheets stacked in a bundle, and a paper feed roller that supplies the sheets in the paper feed cassette to the image forming unit 6.

The operation unit 5 has operation keys (not shown) and a touch panel 5a. The operation unit 5 detects the operation of the operation keys and the touch panel 5a and outputs the detection signal to the controller 20.

The image forming unit 6 forms a toner image on a sheet by electrophotography. The image forming unit 6 includes a photosensitive drum, a charger, a developer, a transfer roller, and other components arranged around the photosensitive drum. The image forming unit 6 transfers the toner image onto a sheet supplied from the paper feed unit 4 based on the image data read by the image reading device 3.

The fixing unit 7 has a fixing roller heated by a heating means and a pressure roller pressed against the fixing roller. The fixing unit 7 fixes the toner image carried on the sheet to the sheet by passing the sheet through the nip between the fixing roller and the pressure roller (both not shown).

The paper discharge unit 8 has multiple paper discharge rollers, and the sheets supplied from the fixing unit 7 are discharged onto a sheet discharge tray by the multiple paper discharge rollers. The sheet discharge tray is provided, for example, so as to protrude from the side of the image forming device main body 2.

The transport unit 9 has multiple transport rollers arranged in the sheet transport path between the paper feed unit 4 and the paper discharge unit 8, and transports the sheet from the paper feed unit 4 to the paper discharge unit 8 using the multiple transport rollers.

The sensor group 10 has a number of sheet detection sensors 10a arranged at intervals along the sheet transport path, and a part detection sensor 10b that detects consumable parts.

The network interface unit 11 is composed of a communication module such as a LAN board. The network interface unit 11 transmits and receives data between the mobile terminal 16 and the reward granting server 17 described later via the LAN or the Internet.

The controller 20 is composed of a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, and RAM.

The controller 20 has functional units such as a failure prediction unit 21, a wear level calculation unit 22, a reward determination unit 23, a display control unit 24, and a reward granting unit 25. The processing by each of these functional units is realized by the cooperation of software and hardware, with the CPU of the controller 20 executing a program stored in the ROM.

The wear degree calculation unit 22 reads a list of consumable parts stored in advance in ROM and calculates the wear degree of each consumable part included in the list of consumable parts (not shown). In this embodiment, a paper feed roller, a fixing roller, a photosensitive drum, and multiple transport rollers are listed as examples of consumable parts. These consumable parts have a configuration in which a cylindrical drum or roller is rotated to send a sheet downstream in the transport direction, and wear progresses as the outer circumferential surface rubs against the sheet. The wear degree calculation unit 22 calculates this wear amount as a percentage (%) based on the wear amount at the end of its life.

Specifically, the wear degree calculation unit 22 calculates the carry ratio (=K1/K2) between the theoretical carry amount K1 of the sheet and the actual carry amount K2 of the sheet, and calculates the wear degree (%) of each consumable part corresponding to the calculated carry ratio. The relationship between the carry ratio and the wear degree (%) of each consumable part is stored in advance as correlation data in the ROM. The theoretical carry amount K1 of the sheet may be calculated, for example, based on the number of pulses given to the motor driving each consumable part within a predetermined period. The actual carry amount K2 of the sheet may be calculated based on a detection signal from a sheet detection sensor 10a arranged on the sheet conveying path. In this embodiment, the wear amount of the consumable part is calculated as a percentage, but this is not limited to this, and it may be calculated, for example, as an absolute amount or a ratio. The wear amount of the consumable part may be directly detected by a separately provided optical sensor or the like, and the wear degree may be calculated based on the detected wear amount.

The failure prediction unit 21 predicts the failure date of each consumable part based on, for example, the degree of wear of each consumable part calculated by the wear degree calculation unit 22 and the usage history of each consumable part (for example, frequency of use, total usage time, etc.). Note that in this embodiment, the failure date is predicted as an example of the failure time, but this is not limited to this, and the day may also be added to predict the time. Furthermore, the failure time may span a certain range, for example, from December 12th to December 14th.

The reward determination unit 23 calculates reward points (an example of a reward) to be awarded to the user of the image forming device 1 for each consumable part listed in the consumable part list, based on the predicted failure date predicted by the failure prediction unit 21. Specifically, if the failure date predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 for each consumable part is within one month (an example of a specified period) from the current time, the reward determination unit 23 calculates the reward points based on the following formula (1).

Reward points = Part price x (100 - wear level (%)) ÷ 100... (1)

On the other hand, the reward determination unit 23 sets the reward points to 0 for each consumable part if the failure date predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 is not within one month from the present time (if it is after the day after one month has passed).
In addition, when a consumable part is replaced with a new part, the predicted failure time is usually more than one month later, so the reward points for that consumable part calculated by the reward determination unit 23 will be 0.

The display control unit 24 controls the display content of the touch panel 5a. When the image forming device 1 is turned on, the display control unit 24 displays a function selection screen 30 (see FIG. 2) on the touch panel 5a.

The function selection screen 30 includes a copy button 31, a send button 32, a box button 33, an application launch button 34, and an application launch button 35. The copy button 31 is a button for causing the image forming device 1 to execute a copying process (scanning and printing), and the send button 32 is a button for sending scan data to an email address selected by the user. The box button 33 saves the scanned image in a box (BOX) set in the image forming device 1. The application launch button 34 is a button for launching, for example, a translation application for scanned text based on an OCR function. The application launch button 35 is a button for launching, for example, an application for uploading scan data to a storage server on the Internet. The user can operate each of the buttons 31 to 35 with their fingers to cause the image forming device 1 to execute the function assigned to each of them.

When the display control unit 24 detects that the copy button 31 has been pressed on the function selection screen 30, it determines whether or not there is a consumable part whose failure date predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 is within one month from the present time (an example of a predetermined period), and if it determines that there is, it displays a warning screen 36 (see FIG. 3) on the touch panel 5a, whereas if it determines that there is no consumable part, it maintains the display of the function selection screen 30 (see FIG. 2) without displaying the warning screen 36. Note that when the copy button 31 is pressed, the image forming device 1 executes the copy process in parallel regardless of whether or not the warning screen 36 has been displayed on the touch panel 5a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the warning screen 36 includes a message 36a notifying the user of the date of failure within one month from the current time and prompting the user to confirm the details, a details button 37 for displaying details regarding the failure of the consumable part, and a close button 38 for closing the warning screen 36.

When the display control unit 24 detects that the details button 37 is pressed on the warning screen 36,
The failure prediction list details screen 40 (see FIG. 4) is displayed on the touch panel 5a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the failure prediction list details screen 40 displays a failure list table 41 that associates the name of each consumable part with the predicted failure date, degree of wear, and current compensation.

The failure list table 41 is composed of four columns of data 42 to 45 arranged from the left side of the screen of the touch panel 5a to the right side of the screen. The first column of data 42 is a list of consumable parts, the second column of data 43 is the failure date of each consumable part predicted by the failure prediction unit 21, the third column of data 44 is the degree of wear of each consumable part calculated by the wear degree calculation unit 22, and the fourth column of data 45 is the current reward points calculated for each consumable part by the reward determination unit 23.

As mentioned above, reward points are calculated only for consumable parts whose predicted failure date will occur within one month from the current time. In the example of FIG. 4, the current date is September 1, 2019, as displayed in the upper right corner of the failure prediction list details screen 40, so reward points are calculated for consumable parts whose predicted failure date is one month from now, on or before October 1, 2019 (only the fuser roller in the example of FIG. 4), and reward points are determined to be "none" for other consumable parts (the paper feed roller, photoconductor drum, transport roller A, and transport roller B in the example of FIG. 4).

Figure 5 shows the failure prediction list details screen 40 for September 20, 2019, 20 days after the state in Figure 4. In this example, in addition to the fuser roller, a paper feed roller has been added as a consumable part whose predicted failure date will be within one month from the current time. In terms of the degree of wear, the fuser roller's wear has progressed from 75% to 90%, and the paper feed roller's wear has progressed from 70% to 75%, but the wear levels of the other parts have not changed. The way in which the wear level changes is one example, and will vary depending on the material and usage conditions of each consumable part.

The reward granting unit 25 (see FIG. 1) determines whether each consumable part has been replaced with a new part based on a signal from the part detection sensor 10b that detects each consumable part, and if it determines that the part has been replaced, generates reward data that associates the current reward point information corresponding to the consumable part with user identification information assigned to the user of the image forming device 1 (an example of a predetermined process). The user identification information is composed of, for example, a user ID or a user password, and is stored in a memory unit (not shown) of the image forming device 1. The part detection sensor 10b may be a communication sensor capable of communicating with consumable parts.

The reward granting unit 25 executes a process (an example of a predetermined process) of converting the generated reward data into barcode image data and transmitting it to the user's mobile device 16 and the reward granting server 17 via the network interface unit 11. The barcode image data transmitted to the mobile device 16 is saved in a predetermined folder by the user. The barcode image data transmitted to the reward granting server 17 is stored in the memory unit 17a within the reward granting server 17. The reward granting server 17 is connected to a cash register 18 of a store that sells consumable parts via a communication line such as a LAN.

[How to use reward points]
Next, an example of how to use the reward points transmitted to the user's mobile terminal 16 will be described. When the user uses the reward points, the user presents the barcode image stored in the mobile terminal 16 at the cash register 18 of the store selling the consumable parts, and the cashier at the cash register 18 reads the information of the barcode image data with a barcode reader, and the read information is transmitted from the barcode reader to the reward granting server 17. This information includes user identification information, which is the source information of the barcode image data, and reward point information.

The reward-granting server 17 performs user authentication by comparing the user identification information included in the information received from the barcode reader with the identification information stored in the memory unit 17a of the reward-granting server 17, and if the user authentication is successful, it reads the reward point information linked to the user identification information and calculates the discount amount for the consumable parts based on the read reward points. As an example, in this embodiment, the discount amount is set to 1 yen per 1 Pt of reward points. The reward-granting server 17 transmits the calculated discount amount to the cash register 18, and the cash register 18 presents the amount minus the discount amount and performs accounting for the purchase price of the consumable parts.

However, the manner in which reward points are used is not limited to this. For example, the reward granting server 17 may be linked to an online banking system to transfer an amount corresponding to the reward points to the user's account.

As described above, the failure prediction device 100 (see FIG. 1) of this embodiment includes a failure prediction unit 21 that predicts the failure time of a consumable part provided in the image forming device 1, a reward determination unit 23 that determines a reward to be given to the user when the user replaces the consumable part before the failure time of the consumable part predicted by the failure prediction unit 21, a touch panel 5a that displays information, a display control unit 24 that causes the touch panel 5a to display, in association with the failure time of the consumable part predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 and the reward determined by the reward determination unit 23, and a reward granting unit 25 that executes a predetermined process to grant the user the reward points determined by the reward determination unit 23 at the time of replacement when the consumable part is replaced.

According to this configuration, the touch panel 5a displays a failure list table 41 that associates the failure time of the consumable part predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 with the remuneration determined by the remuneration determination unit 23. Therefore, by looking at the failure list table 41, the user can easily recognize the remuneration when the consumable part is replaced before the predicted failure date.

This makes it possible to motivate the user to replace the consumable parts before they reach the end of their life and break down. This makes it possible to shorten the downtime of the image forming device 1 (the period during which the image forming device 1 cannot be used) and to make more effective use of the image forming device 1, compared to calling a service technician to replace the consumable parts after they reach the end of their life and break down.

The remuneration determination unit 23 is configured to determine that if the failure time of the consumable part predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 is not within one month (within a specified period) from the current time, there will be no remuneration for the consumable part.

This configuration makes it possible to prevent unnecessary replacement of consumable parts by offering a replacement fee when the consumable part still has plenty of life left. This allows consumable parts to be used effectively up until just before the end of their life (one month before in the above embodiment).

When the failure date predicted by the failure prediction unit 21 is within one month from the current time, the reward determination unit 23 determines the reward points so that the longer the period from the current time to the predicted failure time, the greater the reward points (see formula (1) above).

According to this configuration, the more reward points a user receives the sooner the consumable parts are replaced, the more incentive the user will receive to replace the consumable parts early, reducing the likelihood that the consumable parts will be left unattended until they break down.

[Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the reward determination unit 23 transmits the current reward points to the mobile terminal 16 and the reward granting server 17 when it is determined that the consumable parts have been replaced with new parts, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, when it is determined that the consumable parts have been replaced with new parts, the reward determination unit 23 may simply execute a process (predetermined process) of printing the current reward point information and the identification information (symbols, characters, figures, etc.) for authorized users issued by the manufacturer of the image forming device 1 on a sheet. This sheet serves as a kind of discount coupon, and the sales clerk who receives this sheet can manually apply a discount according to the reward points written on the sheet at the time of cashier settlement after checking the identification information for authorized users printed on the sheet.

In the above embodiment, the failure prediction unit 21 predicts the failure date of the consumable parts taking into account the frequency of use of the image forming device 1. For example, if the image forming device 1 is left unused for a certain period of time, the failure prediction unit 21 calculates the predicted failure date of the image forming device 1 by extending the period of time. Therefore, it is unlikely that the predicted failure date will be earlier than the current date, but depending on the accuracy of the prediction algorithm in the failure prediction unit 21, the predicted failure date may be earlier than the current date. In this way, if the predicted failure date has passed, the reward points by the reward determination unit 23 may be restored to a predetermined level (for example, about 1/5 to 1/10 of the reward points for the part price in formula (1)). This makes it possible to strongly urge the user to replace the consumable parts in a situation where the probability of the failure of the consumable parts is extremely high, thereby reducing the downtime of the image forming device 1 caused by the failure of the consumable parts.

In the above embodiment, the image forming device 1 is described as an example of an electronic device, but the electronic device is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a mobile phone or a personal computer.

In the above embodiment, the touch panel 5a of the image forming device 1 is also used as the display unit of the failure prediction device 100, but this is not limited to the above. A dedicated display unit may be provided for the failure prediction device 100 in addition to the touch panel 5a of the image forming device 1.

As described above, the present invention is useful for a failure prediction device and an electronic device equipped with the failure prediction device.

1: Image forming device (electronic device)
5a: Touch panel (display unit)
20: Controller 21: Failure prediction unit 22: Wear level calculation unit 23: Reward determination unit 24: Display control unit 25: Reward granting unit 30: Function selection screen 40: Failure prediction list detail screen 41: Failure list table 100: Failure prediction device

Claims (5)

a failure prediction unit that predicts a time when a predetermined part provided in the image forming apparatus will fail;
a reward determination unit that determines a reward to be given to the user when the user replaces the specified part before the failure time of the specified part predicted by the failure prediction unit;
A display unit for displaying information;
a display control unit that determines whether or not there is a target part that is the specified part and whose failure time predicted by the failure prediction unit is within a specified period from the current time, and when it is determined that the target part exists, causes the display unit to display information on the target part, the predicted failure time for the target part, and the remuneration determined for the target part in association with each other;
a reward granting unit that, when the specified part is replaced, generates reward data that associates information about a reward determined for the replaced specified part with information that identifies the user who replaced the specified part , and transmits the reward data to a terminal of the user and a specified server . 2. The failure prediction device according to claim 1,
The reward granting unit transmits the reward data to the server capable of communicating with a cash register of a store that sells the specified part. 3. The failure prediction device according to claim 1 ,
The failure prediction device, wherein the reward determination unit is configured to determine that the reward corresponding to the specified part is none if the failure time of the specified part predicted by the failure prediction unit is not within a specified period from the current time. 4. The failure prediction device according to claim 3 ,
The failure prediction device, wherein the reward determination unit is configured to determine the reward such that, if the failure time of the specified part predicted by the failure prediction unit is within the specified period from the current time, the reward increases as the period from the current time to the predicted failure time is longer. 3. An image forming apparatus comprising the failure prediction device according to claim 1 .