JP7081376B2 - Information processing equipment, information processing system and failure diagnosis method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and a failure diagnosis method.

Whenever an abnormality such as a streak or a stain is found on the printed matter output from the image forming device, the serviceman goes to the customer and searches for the cause of the failure in the device while looking at the abnormal image to find the abnormality. We provide a service to take measures to eliminate it. However, when abnormal images occur frequently, the service cost increases accordingly, which is a disadvantage for both the provider of the image forming apparatus and the customer who uses the image forming apparatus. Therefore, in recent years, a failure diagnosis system has been devised to verify the cause of the abnormality by using the log information of the image forming apparatus itself, the usage status, and the information of the abnormal image (printed matter itself, scanned image, etc.). There is. This failure diagnosis system enables service personnel to take measures without going to the site or even if they go there, in a short time. In addition, the serviceman has become able to respond abnormally to a certain extent simply by giving an instruction to the user (customer) from a remote location or looking at the service manual.

As such a failure diagnosis system, in order to provide a maintenance service that meets different needs for each user, a predetermined countermeasure method is provided according to diagnostic information such as a defective image pattern and status information of an image forming apparatus. A system for notifying a user in a form selectable via a communication line is disclosed. (See Patent Document 1)

However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, there is a premise that the processing for the failure is always performed by the notified countermeasure method, and there is a problem that the processing based on the user's judgment standard or the judgment of the necessity of the processing is not reflected at all. There is.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and a failure diagnosis method capable of visually determining whether or not an abnormality in image formation is acceptable or not by a user. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention has one or more abnormal parts of the target image data, which is the image data obtained by reading the image forming object formed by the image forming apparatus by the image reading apparatus. The abnormality specifying unit that specifies the abnormal image unit, the limit sample specifying unit that specifies the image data of the limit sample corresponding to the abnormal image type that is the type of abnormality of the abnormal image unit, and the target image data are limited. A display control unit that is displayed on the display unit together with the image data of the limit sample specified by the sample identification unit, and a permissible confirmation unit that confirms whether or not the abnormal image unit is permissible according to an operation input to the operation unit. It is characterized by including the abnormal image unit confirmed to be unacceptable by the permissible confirmation unit, a method for dealing with the abnormality in the abnormal image unit, and a result display control unit for displaying on the display unit. ..

According to the present invention, the user can visually determine whether or not to allow an abnormality in image formation.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the functional block of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of failure diagnosis processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal image type limited screen. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of an abnormal image detection process (visual inspection) among the failure diagnosis processes of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the abnormality image detection process (automatic detection) in the failure diagnosis process of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the limit sample comparison process in the failure diagnosis process of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a limit sample comparison screen. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the diagnosis result display processing in the failure diagnosis processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a determination result display screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog box for displaying the details of the cause unit. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog box for displaying details of the coping method.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the information processing apparatus, the information processing system, and the failure diagnosis method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the components in the following embodiments include those easily conceived by those skilled in the art, substantially the same, and so-called equivalent ranges. Is included. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, changes and combinations of components can be made without departing from the gist of the following embodiments.

(Overall configuration of information processing system)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the embodiment. The overall configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes image forming devices 10a and 10b, an information processing device 20, and a server 30, and can communicate data with each other via a network 2. It has become. The network 2 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, or the like. The network 2 may include a plurality of networks, or may include a mixture of wired and wireless networks.

The image forming apparatus 10a and 10b are MFPs (multifunction peripherals) having at least two functions of a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. The information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes two image forming devices (10a, 10b), but the present invention is not limited to this, and one or three or more image forming devices are included. May be included. Further, the image forming apparatus 10a and 10b are simply referred to as "image forming apparatus 10" when indicating an arbitrary image forming apparatus or generically.

The information processing apparatus 20 is an apparatus that performs failure diagnosis processing using scanned image data (target image data) of a test chart image formed (printed) by the image forming apparatus 10. The information processing device 20 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 20 will be described as being a PC. Further, the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes one information processing device 20, but is not limited to this, and may include a plurality of information processing devices 20. ..

The server 30 is a device that stores scan image data of a test chart image-formed by the image forming apparatus 10, information indicating a failure diagnosis result using the scanned image data, and the like. The server 30 is composed of, for example, a workstation or the like. The information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes one server 30, but is not limited to this, and may include a plurality of servers 30.

(Hardware configuration of image forming device)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 501, an operation display unit 502, a scanner unit 503, an image processing unit 504, a printer unit 505, a fax I / F 506, and the like. It is equipped with a communication I / F 507.

The controller 501 controls the entire image forming apparatus 10, drawing processing, communication processing, input processing from the operation display unit 502, and the like. The controller 501 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501a and a memory 501b. include.

The CPU 501a is an arithmetic unit that controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 10. The memory 501b includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area of the CPU 501a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing firmware and the like, and a non-volatile storage device such as an auxiliary storage device. The memory 501b is shown in FIG. 2 so as to be included in the controller 501, but in the case of an auxiliary storage device, it may be installed outside the controller 501.

The operation display unit 502 is, for example, a touch panel or the like, and is a device that receives an input to the controller 501 (operation function) and displays a state or the like of the image forming apparatus 10 (display function).

The scanner unit 503 is a device that realizes a scanner function of reading as image data from the paper placed on the image forming apparatus 10 according to a command from the controller 501.

The image processing unit 504 receives a command from the controller 501 for scanned image data read by the scanner unit 503, print job data received via the communication I / F 507, image data held inside the image forming apparatus 10, and the like. It is a device that performs various image processing and the like. The image processing unit 504 is composed of, for example, an ASIC for image processing (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or the like.

The printer unit 505 is a device that outputs printed matter by print job data received via the communication I / F 507 in accordance with a command from the controller 501.

The fax I / F 506 is an interface for transmitting / receiving data between an external device and the image forming apparatus 10 by a fax function.

The communication I / F 507 is an interface for communicating data with the outside using the network 2. The communication I / F 507 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) corresponding to TCP (Transmission Protocol) / IP (Internet Protocol).

The hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and it is not necessary to include all the constituent devices, or it may be provided with other constituent devices.

(Hardware configuration of information processing equipment)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 20 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 601, a main storage device 602, an input device 603, an output device 604, an auxiliary storage device 605, and a communication I / F 606. , Each device is capable of data communication with each other via the bus 609.

The CPU 601 is an arithmetic unit that controls the operation of the entire information processing device 20. The main storage device 602 is a volatile storage device used as a work area of the CPU 601.

The input device 603 is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. For example, when the information processing device 20 is a tablet terminal or a smartphone, the operation function for receiving the operation input of the touch panel corresponds to the input device 603. The output device 604 is, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminence) display, or the like.

The auxiliary storage device 605 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory, and various data such as condition data and image data received from the image forming device 10. It is also a storage for storing programs and the like.

The communication I / F 606 is an interface for communicating data with the outside using the network 2. The communication I / F606 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) corresponding to TCP / IP.

The hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and it is not necessary to include all the constituent devices, or it may be provided with other constituent devices.

(Configuration and operation of functional blocks of information processing system)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the functional block of the information processing system according to the embodiment. The configuration and operation of the functional block of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 10 of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a chart output command acquisition unit 101 (acquisition unit), a detection target data transmission unit 102, a communication unit 111, and an operation unit. It has 112, a display control unit 113, a display unit 114, a storage unit 115, an image forming unit 116, and a scanner unit 117 (image reading device).

The chart output command acquisition unit 101 is a functional unit that acquires a command for outputting (printing) a test chart for detecting an abnormal image from the information processing device 20 via the communication unit 111 in the failure diagnosis process described later. Is.

The detection target data transmission unit 102 is a functional unit that transmits the scanned image data obtained by scanning the test chart by the scanner unit 117 and the condition data of the image forming device 10 to the information processing device 20 via the communication unit 111. Here, the condition data is information indicating the operating state and the setting state of the image forming apparatus 10, such as the operation log of the image forming apparatus 10, the correction information of the color of the image, the number of outputs, and the information of the parts. The scanned image data and condition data transmitted to the information processing apparatus 20 may be collectively referred to as "detection target data".

The communication unit 111 is a functional unit that transmits / receives data to / from an external device (for example, an information processing device 20 and a server 30). The communication unit 111 is realized by the communication I / F 507 shown in FIG. 2 and the CPU 501a executing a program.

The operation unit 112 is a functional unit that receives an operation input from the user. The operation unit 112 is realized by the operation function of the operation display unit 502 shown in FIG.

The display control unit 113 is a functional unit that controls the display of the display unit 114.

The display unit 114 is a functional unit that displays operation buttons, various notification information, setting information, and the like under the control of the display control unit 113. The display unit 114 is realized by the display function of the operation display unit 502 shown in FIG.

The storage unit 115 is a functional unit that stores image data read by the scanner unit 117, various setting information, and the like. The storage unit 115 is realized by the memory 501b shown in FIG.

The image forming unit 116 is a functional unit that outputs printed matter based on print job data or the like. The image forming unit 116 is realized by the printer unit 505 shown in FIG.

The scanner unit 117 is a functional unit that reads as image data from the paper placed on the image forming apparatus 10. The scanner unit 117 is realized by the scanner unit 503 shown in FIG.

The chart output command acquisition unit 101, the detection target data transmission unit 102, and the display control unit 113 described above are realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 501a shown in FIG. Note that part or all of the chart output command acquisition unit 101, the detection target data transmission unit 102, and the display control unit 113 is not a software program, but a hardware circuit such as FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC. It may be realized.

It should be noted that each functional unit of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4 conceptually shows the function, and is not limited to such a configuration. For example, in the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of functional units illustrated as independent functional units may be configured as one function. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4, the function of one functional unit may be divided into a plurality of parts and configured as a plurality of functional units.

As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing apparatus 20 of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an abnormality type setting unit 201, a chart output command unit 202, a detection target data acquisition unit 203, and an abnormality identification unit 204. , Feature amount setting unit 205, limit sample identification unit 206, determination unit 207, tolerance confirmation unit 208, color coding control unit 209 (an example of result display control unit), and diagnosis result control unit 210 (result display control unit). An example), a communication unit 211, an operation unit 212, a display control unit 213, a display unit 214, and a storage unit 215.

The anomalous type setting unit 201 is a functional unit that sets an abnormal image type limitedly selected by an operation via the operation unit 212 by the user as an abnormal image type desired to be detected by the user. The abnormal type setting unit 201 may be capable of setting the priority order of the abnormal image type to be detected. The information of the abnormal image type set by the abnormal type setting unit 201 is stored in, for example, the storage unit 215.

The chart output command unit 202 issues a command for outputting (printing) a test chart for detecting an abnormality of an abnormal image type set by the abnormality type setting unit 201 in the failure diagnosis process described later to the communication unit 211. It is a functional unit that transmits to the image forming apparatus 10 via the image forming apparatus 10.

The detection target data acquisition unit 203 is a functional unit that acquires the detection target data in the image forming apparatus 10 from the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 211. The detection target data acquisition unit 203 stores, for example, the acquired detection target data in the storage unit 215.

The abnormality specifying unit 204 is a functional unit that identifies a portion (abnormal image unit) of the scanned image data included in the detection target data that is considered to be abnormal for the abnormal image type set by the abnormal type setting unit 201.

In the case of visual (manual) detection, the user selects and operates an area determined by visual inspection on the scanned image data displayed on the display unit 214 via the operation unit 212. Then, the abnormality specifying unit 204 identifies the area selected by the operation (drag operation or the like) by the user via the operation unit 212 as the abnormality image unit. In the case of automatic detection, the abnormality specifying unit 204 automatically identifies a portion of the scanned image data where an abnormality is considered to occur as an abnormality image unit. Here, the visual (manual) detection means that a region (abnormal image portion) that is determined to have an abnormality by the user's visual inspection is selected in the scanned image data, and the feature in the selected region is selected. This is a detection mode in which the amount is manually input. On the other hand, automatic detection automatically identifies a part (abnormal image part) in the scanned image data where an abnormality is considered to have occurred by the abnormality specifying part 204, and determines the feature amount in the specified abnormal image part. This is a detection mode that is automatically calculated. Here, the feature amount is the shape (streak band, spot, indefinite, etc.), size (width in the vertical and horizontal directions, diameter of spot, etc.), density (dark or light, pixel) in the image area of interest. Qualitative content (type) and quantitative characteristics that characterize abnormal image parts such as (value, etc.), periodicity (presence or absence of periodicity, pitch when periodicity, etc.), and color plate (plate with abnormality). A numerical value.

The visual detection and the automatic detection may be fixed in advance to any of the detection modes according to the specifications of the information processing system 1, or may be switched to either of the detection modes.

The feature amount setting unit 205 is a functional unit for setting the feature amount in the abnormal image unit specified by the abnormality specifying unit 204.

In the case of visual detection, the user confirms the information (RGB pixel value, vertical / horizontal width, etc.) of the specified abnormal image unit, and inputs the feature amount via the operation unit 212 based on the information. The feature amount setting unit 205 sets the feature amount input by the operation via the operation unit 212 by the user as the feature amount in the abnormal image unit. In the case of automatic detection, the feature amount setting unit 205 calculates the feature amount based on the information of the specified abnormal image unit, and sets the calculated feature amount as the feature amount in the abnormal image unit.

In the case of visual detection, the feature amount is input from the information of the abnormal image unit selected by the user, but the feature amount is not limited to this, and the information of the abnormal image unit selected by the user is used. The feature amount may be automatically calculated by the feature amount setting unit 205.

The limit sample specifying unit 206 identifies an abnormal image type corresponding to the feature amount set by the feature amount setting unit 205, and obtains image data of the limit sample corresponding to the abnormal image type and indicating the degree of abnormality stepwise. It is a functional part to specify. The limit sample specifying unit 206 reads out the image data of the specified limit sample and the feature amount of the image data from the storage unit 215. The image data of the limit sample specified by the limit sample specifying unit 206 and the image data are stored in the image forming apparatus 10, and the limit sample specifying unit 206 has the specified limit sample image data and its features. The amount may be received from the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 211.

In the determination unit 207, which stage (rank) of the image data of the limit sample indicating the degree of abnormality specified by the limit sample identification unit 206 is close to the scanned image data which is the actual image. It is a functional unit that determines. Further, the determination unit 207 determines between which rank and which rank the scanned image data corresponds to.

The permissible confirmation unit 208 is a functional unit that confirms whether or not the scanned image data, which is a real image, is permissible based on the result of the user's operation of selecting whether or not the permissible is possible via the operation unit 212. That is, it is left to the user to determine whether or not the scanned image data is acceptable as normal image data for the target abnormal image type.

The color-coded control unit 209 is a functional unit that controls the abnormal image unit in the scanned image data confirmed to be unacceptable by the permissible confirmation unit 208 so as to be color-coded and displayed by a marker or the like for each cause unit.

The diagnosis result control unit 210 is based on the condition data acquired by the detection target data acquisition unit 203, the feature amount set by the feature amount setting unit 205, and the like, for each abnormal image unit (abnormal image type and cause of abnormality). It is a functional part that controls to display a list of countermeasures corresponding to each part (cause part). The diagnosis result control unit 210 may display the list according to the priority order of the abnormal image types set by the abnormal type setting unit 201, for example. Alternatively, the diagnosis result control unit 210 may, for example, reoccur an abnormality in the cause part that has been dealt with once, if the time has not passed since the previous action, or if the condition data indicates that the part of the cause part has a margin of life. If it is presumed that there is, it is judged that it is unlikely to be the cause of the abnormality that occurred, the importance of the coping method is weighted, and the list is displayed in descending order of weighted importance. May be.

The communication unit 211 is a functional unit that transmits / receives data to / from an external device (for example, an image forming apparatus 10 and a server 30). The communication unit 211 is realized by the communication I / F 606 shown in FIG. 3 and the CPU 601 executing a program.

The operation unit 212 is a functional unit that receives an operation input from the user. The operation unit 212 is realized by the input device 603 shown in FIG.

The display control unit 213 is a functional unit that controls the display of the output device 604.

The display unit 214 is a functional unit that displays various screens, various information, and the like under the control of the display control unit 213. The display unit 214 is realized by the output device 604 shown in FIG.

The storage unit 215 is a functional unit that stores detection target data, various setting information, and the like. The storage unit 215 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 605 shown in FIG.

The above-mentioned abnormality type setting unit 201, chart output command unit 202, detection target data acquisition unit 203, abnormality identification unit 204, feature amount setting unit 205, limit sample identification unit 206, determination unit 207, tolerance confirmation unit 208, color coding control unit. 209, the diagnosis result control unit 210, and the display control unit 213 are realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 601 shown in FIG. The abnormality type setting unit 201, the chart output command unit 202, the detection target data acquisition unit 203, the abnormality identification unit 204, the feature amount setting unit 205, the limit sample identification unit 206, the determination unit 207, the tolerance confirmation unit 208, and the color coding control unit. 209, a part or all of the diagnosis result control unit 210, and the display control unit 213 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as FPGA or ASIC instead of a program which is software.

It should be noted that each functional unit of the information processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4 conceptually shows a function, and is not limited to such a configuration. For example, in the information processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of functional units illustrated as independent functional units may be configured as one function. On the other hand, in the information processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4, the function of one functional unit may be divided into a plurality of parts and configured as a plurality of functional units.

(Flow of information processing system failure diagnosis processing)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of failure diagnosis processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal image type limited screen. The flow of the failure diagnosis process of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 (further, FIGS. 7 to 14 described later).

<Step S11>
First, the information processing apparatus 20 prompts the image forming apparatus 10 to select whether or not it is necessary to limit the abnormal image type, which is an abnormal type, for the failure diagnosis. When the limitation of the abnormal image type is selected by the operation via the operation unit 212 by the user (step S11: Yes), the process proceeds to step S12, and when the limitation is not selected (step S11: No), the process proceeds to step S13. ..

<Step S12>
When the limitation of the abnormal image type is selected by the operation via the operation unit 212 by the user, the display control unit 213 of the information processing apparatus 20 displays, for example, the abnormal image type limitation screen as shown in FIG. 6 on the display unit 214. To display. The user confirms the abnormal image type limiting screen, and performs an operation of limiting the abnormal image type desired to be detected via the operation unit 212. The abnormality type setting unit 201 of the information processing apparatus 20 sets the abnormality image type limitedly selected by the operation via the operation unit 212 by the user as the abnormality image type desired to be detected by the user. For example, on the abnormal image type limitation screen shown in FIG. 6, the user clicks the icon of the abnormal image type desired to be detected to select the abnormal image type, and presses the "Limit abnormal image type" button to select the abnormal image type. The setting unit 201 sets the selected abnormal image type. As a result, the chart output command unit 202, which will be described later, sends a command to output a test chart corresponding to the set abnormal image type, and the abnormality identification unit 204 sends an abnormality and an eye for the set abnormal image type. The part to be (abnormal image part) will be specified. Further, by limiting the abnormal image types by the user in this way, it is possible to reduce the complexity of the information presented about the abnormality, and it is possible to display only the information about the abnormality desired by the user. Further, when the "Do not limit abnormal image type" button is pressed on the abnormal image type limitation screen, the abnormal image type setting unit 201 does not limit any abnormal image type and detects all abnormal image types. Set as.

As described above, the abnormal type setting unit 201 may be capable of setting the priority order of the abnormal image type to be detected. As a result, in the list display of the coping method corresponding to each abnormal image type and the cause part (cause part) of the abnormality by the diagnosis result control unit 210 described later, it becomes possible to display in order of priority.

The abnormal type setting unit 201 stores the set abnormal image type and information on the priority order thereof in the storage unit 215.

For example, in the abnormal image type limited screen shown in FIG. 6, as abnormal image types, "streak band", "white streak band / white spot", "dirt (spots, etc.)", "unevenness / light density", and "others" It is possible to limit each of them. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the user may be able to set and operate a priority order as to which of the limited abnormal image types is preferentially detected. In the example shown in FIG. 6, "priority 1" indicating the first priority is set for the abnormal image type of "streak band", and the second priority is shown for the abnormal image type of "dirt (spots, etc.)". "Priority 2" is set, and "Priority 3" indicating the third priority is set for the abnormal image type of "unevenness / light density". As a specific priority setting operation method, for example, the priority may be set according to a limited order by clicking the icon of each abnormal image type. The abnormal image type shown on the abnormal image type limiting screen of FIG. 6 is an example, and is not limited to these, and other abnormal image types may be capable of limited operation.

Then, the process proceeds to step S13.

<Step S13>
The chart output command unit 202 of the information processing apparatus 20 outputs (prints) a command for outputting (printing) a test chart for detecting an abnormality of an abnormal image type set by the abnormality type setting unit 201 via the communication unit 211. It is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10. The chart output command acquisition unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 10 acquires a command for outputting (printing) a test chart for detecting an abnormal image from the information processing apparatus 20 via the communication unit 111. Then, the image forming unit 116 of the image forming apparatus 10 prints a test chart for detecting an abnormality of the abnormal image type set by the abnormal type setting unit 201 according to the command acquired by the chart output command acquiring unit 101. Output. In this way, by using the test chart according to the abnormal image type, it becomes easy to detect the abnormality (identify the abnormal image portion). The test chart is not limited to a chart corresponding to an abnormal image type, and may be a fixed test chart (for example, a test chart corresponding to any abnormal image type). Then, the process proceeds to step S14.

<Step S14>
The scanner unit 117 of the image forming apparatus 10 reads (scans) the test chart printed out by the image forming unit 116 as image data (scanned image data). Specifically, for example, the test chart printed out by the image forming unit 116 by the user is placed on the contact glass, and the scanner unit 117 reads the test chart by the operation via the operation unit 112 by the user. You just have to do it. Alternatively, the reading operation by the scanner unit 117 may be executed according to the scanning operation command from the information processing device 20. Further, the scanner unit 117 is installed after the transport path of the paper printed out by the image forming section 116, and the paper on which the test chart is printed out is read as it is on the transport path. There may be. Then, the process proceeds to step S15.

<Step S15>
The detection target data transmission unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 10 uses the scanned image data obtained by reading the test chart by the scanner unit 117 and the condition data of the image forming apparatus 10 as detection target data, and is an information processing apparatus via the communication unit 111. Send to 20. As a specific method for transmitting and receiving detection target data between the image forming apparatus 10 and the information processing apparatus 20, "scan to mail" in which the image data read by the scanner unit 117 is transmitted by e-mail to a specified address. , Or a method of receiving image data read on the image forming apparatus 10 side by the function of an application (including the function of the detection target data acquisition unit 203) possessed by the information processing apparatus 20 side, etc. Can be mentioned.

The display control unit 213 of the information processing apparatus 20 causes the display unit 214 to display the scanned image data among the detection target data received via the communication unit 211. Then, the process proceeds to step S16.

<Step S16>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of an abnormal image detection process (visual inspection) among the failure diagnosis processes of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the abnormality image detection process (automatic detection) in the failure diagnosis process of the information processing system according to the embodiment. The details of the abnormality image detection process in step S16 of FIG. 5 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

In step S16, a process of detecting whether or not there is a portion (abnormal image unit) in which an abnormal image exists in the scanned image data acquired by the detection target data acquisition unit 203 is performed. In the detection of the abnormal image portion here, the portion considered to be abnormal (abnormal image portion) in the scanned image data is specified, and the feature amount of the abnormal image portion is set, and as described above, visually (as described above). There are detection modes for manual) detection and automatic detection. The operation in each detection mode will be described below. First, visual detection will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

<< Step S161 >>
The abnormality specifying unit 204 of the information processing apparatus 20 operates (drag operation) by the user via the operation unit 212 for each abnormality image type set by the abnormality type setting unit 201 in the scanned image data displayed on the display unit 214. Etc.) to specify the area selected by (etc.) as an abnormal image unit. The abnormality specifying unit 204 stores the specified abnormality image unit information (coordinate information in the scanned image data, etc.) in the storage unit 215. Then, the process proceeds to step S162.

<< Step S162 >>
The user confirms the information (RGB pixel value, vertical / horizontal width, etc.) of the specified abnormal image unit, and inputs the feature amount via the operation unit 212 based on the information. The feature amount setting unit 205 of the information processing apparatus 20 sets the feature amount input by the operation via the operation unit 212 by the user as the feature amount in the abnormal image unit. The feature amount setting unit 205 associates the set feature amount with the abnormal image unit and stores it in the storage unit 215. Then, the process proceeds to step S163.

<< Step S163 >>
When the user completes the selection of one abnormal image unit and the input of the feature amount, and then selects the other abnormal image unit and inputs the feature amount (step S163: No), the user returns to step S161 and returns to all the abnormalities. When the selection of the image unit and the input of the feature amount are completed (step S163: Yes), the detection process of the abnormal image by visual detection is completed.

By the abnormal image detection process by visual detection as described above, the user (or customer engineer) can qualitatively observe the abnormal image and select it flexibly.

Next, automatic detection will be described with reference to FIG.

<< Step S161a >>
The abnormality specifying unit 204 of the information processing apparatus 20 automatically identifies a portion of the scanned image data where an abnormality is considered to occur for each abnormal image type set by the abnormal type setting unit 201 as an abnormal image unit. do. The abnormality specifying unit 204 stores the specified abnormality image unit information (coordinate information in the scanned image data, etc.) in the storage unit 215. Then, the process proceeds to step S162a.

<< Step S162a >>
The feature amount setting unit 205 of the information processing apparatus 20 calculates the feature amount based on the information of the abnormality image unit specified by the abnormality identification unit 204, and sets the calculated feature amount as the feature amount in the abnormality image unit. The feature amount setting unit 205 associates the set feature amount with the abnormal image unit and stores it in the storage unit 215. This completes the abnormal image detection process by automatic detection.

By the abnormality image detection process by automatic detection as described above, it is possible to detect an abnormality that cannot be confirmed qualitatively, and it is possible to obtain a highly accurate numerical result.

After the processing for detecting the abnormal image by the visual detection and the automatic detection shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is completed, the process proceeds to step S17 in FIG.

<Step S17>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the limit sample comparison process in the failure diagnosis process of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a limit sample comparison screen. The details of the limit sample comparison process in step S17 of FIG. 5 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

<< Step S171 >>
The limit sample specifying unit 206 of the information processing apparatus 20 specifies an abnormal image type corresponding to the feature amount set by the feature amount setting unit 205, and a limit indicating the degree of abnormality corresponding to the abnormal image type stepwise. Identify the image data of the sample. The limit sample specifying unit 206 reads out the image data of the specified limit sample and the feature amount of the image data from the storage unit 215. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the display control unit 213 displays the scanned image data on the limit sample comparison screen displayed on the display unit 214, and displays the image data of the limit sample read by the limit sample identification unit 206. Is displayed. In this way, the user (or customer engineer) can display the image data of the limit sample together with the scanned image data which is the actual image, and further display the image data of the limit sample showing the degree of abnormality stepwise. Makes it easier to determine whether or not the abnormal image unit, which will be described later, is acceptable. In this case, OK / NG as an evaluation is assigned to each rank of the image data of the limit sample indicating the degree of gradual abnormality, and the display control unit 213 NG which limit sample image data is OK. Display it so that it is clear. In the example of the limit sample comparison screen shown in FIG. 10, as the limit sample image data including the character "aiueo", the image data showing the degree of abnormality of ranks 1 to 5 (No. 1 to No. 5) stepwise is used. It is displayed. Further, among the image data of the limit sample showing the degree of gradual abnormality, the image data of ranks 1 and 2 are shown to be evaluated as NG, and the image data of ranks 3 to 5 are evaluated as OK. It is shown that there is. Then, at the end of step S173, the process proceeds to step S174.

<< Step S172 >>
In parallel with the process of step S171, the determination unit 207 of the information processing apparatus 20 determines that the scan image data, which is a real image, is abnormal, in which the scan image data is specified by the limit sample identification unit 206 based on the feature amount of the abnormal image unit. It is determined which stage (rank) of the image data of the limit sample indicating the degree is close to. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the display control unit 213 displays the scan image data, which is an actual image, on the limit sample comparison screen displayed on the display unit 214 so that it can be easily compared with the limit sample image data. Information indicating which rank of the scan image data is close to the image data of the limit sample is displayed. In the example of the limit sample comparison screen shown in FIG. 10, the display control unit 213 displays "closest limit sample: 3" as information indicating which rank of the limit sample image data is close to. ..

Further, the determination unit 207 determines which rank and which rank the scanned image data corresponds to based on the feature amount of the abnormal image unit. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the display control unit 213 displays information indicating which rank and which rank the scanned image data corresponds to on the limit sample comparison screen. In the example of the limit sample comparison screen shown in FIG. 10, the display control unit 213 displays "between rank 3 and rank 4" as information indicating which rank and which rank the scanned image data corresponds to. ing.

The determination unit 207 determines which stage (rank) of the image data of the limit sample indicating the degree of abnormality is close to, and corresponds to between which rank and which rank. It is not limited to performing both determinations, and at least one determination may be performed. In this way, by making at least one of the determinations and displaying the determination result, it becomes easy for the user (or the customer engineer) to determine whether or not the abnormal image unit is acceptable. Then, the process proceeds to step S173.

<< Step S173 >>
By displaying the image data of the limit sample in step S171 and displaying the rank close to the scanned image data in step S172, the user determines whether or not the printing state of the abnormal image portion of the scanned image data is acceptable. Become. In order to display auxiliary information for this determination, the determination unit 207 further determines whether it is recommended that the abnormal image unit of the scanned image data is allowed or not allowed. .. Specifically, the determination unit 207 determines that it is recommended that the scanned image data be allowed when the evaluation is close to the image data of the limit sample of OK, and the evaluation is the image data of the limit sample of NG. If it is close, it is judged that it is recommended that it is not allowed. Then, the display control unit 213 recommends whether the abnormal image unit of the scanned image data should be allowed or not as the above-mentioned auxiliary information based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 207. I do. In the example of the limit sample comparison screen shown in FIG. 10, a case where it is determined by the determination unit 207 that it is recommended to allow the scanned image data is shown, and the display control unit 213 overlaps with the "acceptable" button and "is" The "Recommended" mark is displayed. As a result, the user (or the customer engineer) can refer to the recommended display, and even if he / she is not accustomed to the image evaluation, it becomes easy to judge whether or not the image abnormality portion is acceptable. Then, in accordance with the end of step S171, the process proceeds to step S174.

<< Step S174 >>
The user selects whether or not the print state of the abnormal image portion of the scanned image data is acceptable based on the contents displayed in steps S171 to S173. Specifically, when the user determines that the print state of the abnormal image portion of the scanned image data is acceptable on the limit sample comparison screen, the user presses the "acceptable" button. In this case, it is assumed that there is no work to deal with the abnormal image portion. On the other hand, when the user determines that the print state of the abnormal image portion of the scanned image data is unacceptable, the user presses the "unacceptable" button. In this case, the user confirms the cause of the abnormality and the target method for the abnormal image unit, and takes actual measures. The permissible confirmation unit 208 of the information processing apparatus 20 determines whether or not the print state of the abnormal image unit of the scanned image data, which is the actual image, is permissible based on the result of the user's operation of selecting whether or not the permissibility is possible via the operation unit 212. Confirm. The permissible confirmation unit 208 stores information on whether or not the abnormal image unit is permissible in association with the information of the abnormal image unit stored in the storage unit 215. Then, the process proceeds to step S175. The notation of the button is not limited to "acceptable" and "unacceptable", and any notation to the same effect may be used. For example, the notation such as "do not deal with", "to deal with", or "OK", "NG" may be used.

<< Step S175 >>
When the "acceptable" button or the "unacceptable" button is pressed by the user on the limit sample comparison screen, the display control unit 213 is for comparing other abnormal image units as shown in FIG. Display a button and a button for selecting whether to end the comparison. When the "to compare next abnormal image" button is pressed by the user in order to continuously compare other abnormal image units (step S175: No), the process returns to step S171 and step S172. On the other hand, when the "end confirmation" button is pressed by the user to end the comparison with the limit sample of all the abnormal image portions (step S175: Yes), the limit sample comparison process is ended.

After the limit sample comparison process shown in FIG. 9 is completed, the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG.

<Step S18>
In step S17, when it is confirmed by the permissible confirmation unit 208 that the print state is acceptable for all the abnormal image parts (step S18: Yes), the failure diagnosis process is terminated and the print state of any of the abnormal image parts is changed. If it is confirmed that it is unacceptable (step S18: No), the process proceeds to step S19.

<Step S19>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the diagnosis result display processing in the failure diagnosis processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a determination result display screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog box for displaying the details of the cause unit. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog box for displaying details of the coping method. The details of the diagnosis result display process in step S19 of FIG. 5 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.

<< Step S191 >>
The color-coded control unit 209 of the information processing apparatus 20 instructs the display control unit 213 to color-code the abnormal image unit in the scanned image data confirmed by the permissible confirmation unit 208 as unacceptable by a marker or the like for each cause unit. do. The display control unit 213 receives an instruction from the color-coded control unit 209, and on the diagnosis result display screen displayed on the display unit 214, displays the scan image data in a color-coded manner for each abnormal image unit and for each cause unit by a marker or the like. Let me.

On the diagnosis result display screen shown in FIG. 12, the abnormal image portion in which the abnormal image type is "streak" is color-coded with a black marker on the scanned image data, and the abnormal image type is "pochi". Is color-coded by a red marker (enclosed line), and is color-coded by a blue marker (enclosed line) in the abnormal image portion where the abnormal image type is "meteor".

It should be noted that the display is color-coded by a marker or the like for each cause, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, at least one of the abnormal image part, the cause part, the cause of the cause part, or the abnormal image type. It may be displayed in different colors depending on which one is used. This makes it easy to visually understand the abnormal image portion, and makes it easy to associate the cause of the abnormality with the coping method. Then, the process proceeds to step S192.

<< Step S192 >>
The diagnosis result control unit 210 of the information processing apparatus 20 is based on the condition data acquired by the detection target data acquisition unit 203, the feature amount set by the feature amount setting unit 205, and the like, for each abnormal image unit (abnormal image). The display control unit 213 is instructed to display a list of countermeasures corresponding to the species and the cause part (cause part) of the abnormality. Upon receiving an instruction from the diagnosis result control unit 210, the display control unit 213 displays a list of the above-mentioned countermeasures on the diagnosis result display screen displayed on the display unit 214. As a result, the abnormal image portion is visually easy to understand, and it becomes easy to associate the cause of the abnormality with the coping method. Further, since the coping method of the abnormal image portion is derived from the condition data, the feature amount, and the like, a highly accurate method can be selected as the coping method for the abnormal image portion.

The diagnosis result control unit 210 may display the list according to the priority order of the abnormal image types set by the abnormal type setting unit 201, for example. Alternatively, the diagnosis result control unit 210 may, for example, reoccur an abnormality in the cause part that has been dealt with once, if the time has not passed since the previous action, or if the condition data indicates that the part of the cause part has a margin of life. If it is presumed that there is, it is judged that it is unlikely to be the cause of the abnormality that occurred, the importance of the coping method is weighted, and the list is displayed in descending order of weighted importance. May be. In this way, by displaying the list in descending order of priority or importance, it is possible to perform work from the action with the highest priority.

On the diagnosis result display screen shown in FIG. 12, as a list of countermeasures corresponding to each abnormal image portion, for example, the abnormal image type is "development", the cause portion is "development", the cause is "toner drop", and the countermeasures are The list of "Adjustment / Paper" is displayed in association with the marker color "Blue". In addition, a list in which the abnormal image type is "Pochi", the cause is "PCU" (Photoconductor Unit), the cause is "photoconductor stain", and the countermeasure is "replacement" is displayed in association with the marker color "red". Has been done. In this way, the list also includes the marker information that is displayed in different colors in the abnormal image section, so the display configuration makes it easy to associate the abnormal image section with the list information. ing. Then, the process proceeds to step S193.

<< Step S193 >>
The user confirms the abnormal image portion displayed on the diagnosis result display screen and the list of countermeasures, and determines whether or not the cause portion of the abnormal image portion or the detailed information of the countermeasures should be displayed. When displaying the detailed information of the cause part or the remedy (step S193: Yes), the process proceeds to step S194, and when the detailed information is not displayed (step S193: No), the diagnosis result display process is terminated.

<< Step S194 >>
When the user wants to confirm the abnormal image part on the diagnosis result display screen and confirm the details of the cause part of the abnormal image part of interest, the user presses the "details" button arranged near the display of the cause part and presses the operation unit 212. Click through. The diagnosis result control unit 210 instructs the display control unit 213 to display a screen showing detailed information of the cause unit corresponding to the click-operated "details" button. The display control unit 213 receives an instruction from the diagnosis result control unit 210 and causes the display unit 214 to display a screen showing detailed information of the cause unit.

On the diagnosis result display screen shown in FIG. 12, when the "details" button corresponding to the cause part of "development" is pressed, the diagnosis result control unit 210 provides detailed information of the cause part as shown in FIG. 13, for example. Display the screen shown. On the screen showing the detailed information shown in FIG. 13, information for explaining the details of the component information, the cost, and the handling time of the developing unit is displayed.

Further, when the user wants to confirm the abnormal image part on the diagnosis result display screen and confirm the details of the coping method for the abnormal image part of interest, he / she operates the "details" button arranged near the display of the coping method. Click operation via unit 212. The diagnosis result control unit 210 instructs the display control unit 213 to display a screen showing detailed information of the coping method corresponding to the click-operated "details" button. The display control unit 213 receives an instruction from the diagnosis result control unit 210 and causes the display unit 214 to display a screen showing detailed information of the coping method.

On the diagnosis result display screen shown in FIG. 12, when the "details" button corresponding to the coping method of "adjustment / paper passing" is pressed, the diagnosis result control unit 210 has, for example, the coping method as shown in FIG. Display a screen showing detailed information. On the screen showing the detailed information shown in FIG. 14, information showing a specific coping procedure of the coping method of "adjustment / paper passing" is displayed.

By displaying the component information, the handling time, the handling procedure, and the like as detailed information in this way, the user (or the customer engineer) can easily select the handling method according to the purpose.

The display of the detailed information of the cause unit or the coping method described above is intended to be displayed on the display unit 214 of the information processing apparatus 20, but is not limited to this. For example, the detailed information may be displayed on the display unit 114 (operation display unit 502) of the image forming apparatus 10, may be transmitted to a designated e-mail address, may be transmitted to the server 30, and may be transmitted to the tablet. It may be displayed on the browser screen or application screen of the terminal or smartphone. Of these, when the e-mail is sent to the designated e-mail address or the server 30, it is possible to notify a specialized customer engineer or the like even with a specific coping method that cannot be dealt with only by the user.

Further, there may be a plurality of coping methods corresponding to one abnormal image unit or one cause unit. In this case, if it is possible to display the detailed information of the plurality of coping methods, the user can freely select from the detailed information of the plurality of coping methods. Further, in this case, the image data indicating an abnormality that has occurred when the image forming apparatus of the same type as the image forming apparatus 10 has been used in the same manner in the past, and the information of the countermeasure result are transmitted to the server 30 or the like. It is also possible to recommend the same countermeasures for those that have been accumulated and confirmed that the same phenomenon (feature amount) was obtained when comparing the past image data with the above-mentioned scanned image data. can.

Further, in the flow shown in FIG. 5, the limit sample comparison process of step S17 is performed, and then the diagnosis result display process of step S19 is performed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the diagnosis result display of step S19 is performed. The processing may be performed independently, that is, all the abnormal image portions identified in step S16 may be subject to the diagnosis result display processing.

This completes the diagnosis result display process.

After the diagnosis result display process shown in FIG. 11 is completed, the process proceeds to step S20 in FIG.

<Step S20>
The user (or customer engineer) takes corrective action (action) according to the detailed information (diagnosis result) of the corrective action method for the cause of the cause portion corresponding to the displayed abnormal image portion. As a result, the failure diagnosis process of the information processing system 1 is completed.

As described above, in the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the printed test chart is read by the scanner unit 117 to generate scanned image data, the abnormal image type of the abnormal image unit is specified, and the abnormal image is concerned. The image data of the seed limit sample is displayed together with the scanned image data. Then, the user can select whether or not the print state is acceptable for each abnormal image unit. As a result, instead of dealing with all the parts judged to be abnormal (abnormal image part), by displaying the scanned image data and the limit sample image data, whether or not it is permissible for each abnormal image part is determined. It can be done visually by the user.

Further, in the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the abnormal image unit is displayed in different colors according to the cause of the abnormality (or by the abnormal image unit, the cause, the abnormal image type, etc.), and the abnormality is displayed. The cause of the problem and the remedy are to be displayed. As a result, the abnormal image part can be recognized in an easy-to-understand manner because it is displayed in different colors according to the cause part, etc. Become.

In the above embodiment, the information processing device 20 has been described as a PC, but as described above, it may be a tablet terminal or a smartphone. Further, when the operation display unit 502 of the image forming apparatus 10 is provided with a unique CPU or the like, the operation display unit 502 can be applied as the information processing device 20. Here, when the information processing apparatus 20 is the above-mentioned various information devices, supplementary items and advantages of each configuration will be described.

First, as described in the above-described embodiment, when the information processing device 20 is a PC, it usually includes an output device 604 (display unit 214) which is a display device that is easy for the user to see, so that the scanned image is scanned. You can see many images and information such as data at once. In addition, it is easy to perform various operations described in the above-described embodiment and the operability is high.

When the information processing device 20 is a tablet terminal or a smartphone, data may be transmitted / received to / from the image forming device 10 by wireless communication or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Further, when the image forming apparatus 10 prints out a test chart and reads it by the scanner unit 117 to generate scanned image data, the image forming apparatus 10 registers necessary data such as the scanned image data and condition data in a QR (Quick Response) code (registered). It may be converted into (trademark), displayed on the display unit 114, and read by the information processing apparatus 20. Further, since the information processing device 20 which is a tablet terminal or a smartphone is smaller than the display screen on the PC, in the limit sample comparison processing, for example, only the image data of the limit sample having the rank closest to the rank of the scanned image data is displayed. It should be done. Further, in the diagnosis result display processing, for example, the information processing apparatus 20 does not display a plurality of abnormal image units at once for the abnormal image unit to be color-coded, but enlarges and displays one abnormal image unit and sequentially. It suffices to be able to display other abnormal image parts. Further, the information processing apparatus 20 may, for example, be able to scroll the list display of the coping method and limit the number of lists that can be displayed at one time. As described above, when the information processing apparatus 20 is a tablet terminal or a smartphone, many users are relatively accustomed to the operation, so that the information processing apparatus 20 can be operated simultaneously with the image forming apparatus 10.

Further, when the information processing device 20 is assumed to be the operation display unit 502 of the image forming device 10, the image forming device 10 and the information processing device 20 can be considered as an integrated device, so that the network 2 can be considered as described above. It is not necessary to send and receive the detection target data via the image forming apparatus 10, and the image forming apparatus 10 can perform everything from the print output of the test chart to the diagnosis result display processing. Further, since the information processing device 20 which is the operation display unit 502 is smaller than the display screen on the PC, in the limit sample comparison processing, for example, only some image data of the limit sample having a rank close to the rank of the scanned image data is available. Should be displayed. Further, in the diagnosis result display processing, for example, the information processing apparatus 20 may be able to scroll the list display of the coping method and limit the number of lists that can be displayed at one time. As described above, when the information processing apparatus 20 is the operation display unit 502 of the image forming apparatus 10, the failure diagnosis process can be completed on the image forming apparatus 10, and no other apparatus is required.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when at least one of the functional units of the information processing system 1 is realized by executing a program, the program is provided by being incorporated in a ROM or the like in advance. Further, the program executed by the information processing system 1 according to the above-described embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a CD-ROM (Computer Disc Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), or a CD-. It may be configured to be stored and provided in a computer-readable storage medium such as an R (Compact Disk-File) or a DVD (Digital Versaille Disc). Further, the program executed by the information processing system 1 of the above-described embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading via the network. Further, the program executed by the information processing system 1 of the above-described embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the program executed by the information processing system 1 of the above-described embodiment has a module configuration including at least one of the above-mentioned functional units, and the actual hardware includes a CPU (CPU 501a, 601). By reading a program from the above-mentioned storage device (for example, memory 501b, auxiliary storage device 605) and executing the program, each of the above-mentioned functional units is loaded and generated on the main storage device.

1 Information processing system 2 Network 10, 10a, 10b Image forming device 20 Information processing device 30 Server 101 Chart output command acquisition unit 102 Detection target data transmission unit 111 Communication unit 112 Operation unit 113 Display control unit 114 Display unit 115 Storage unit 116 Image Forming unit 117 Scanner unit 201 Abnormal type setting unit 202 Chart output command unit 203 Detection target data acquisition unit 204 Abnormality identification unit 205 Feature quantity setting unit 206 Limit sample identification unit 207 Judgment unit 208 Allowance confirmation unit 209 Color coding control unit 210 Diagnosis result control Unit 211 Communication unit 212 Operation unit 213 Display control unit 214 Display unit 215 Storage unit 501 Controller 501a CPU
501b Memory 502 Operation display unit 503 Scanner unit 504 Image processing unit 505 Printer unit 506 Fax I / F
507 Communication I / F
601 CPU
602 Main storage device 603 Input device 604 Output device 605 Auxiliary storage device 606 Communication I / F
609 bus

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-043867

Claims (17)

An abnormality specifying part that identifies one or more abnormal image parts that are abnormal parts of target image data, which is image data obtained by reading an image forming object formed by an image forming device by an image reading device.
A limit sample specifying unit that specifies image data of a limit sample corresponding to an abnormal image type that is an abnormality type of the abnormal image unit, and a limit sample specifying unit.
A display control unit that displays the target image data on the display unit together with the image data of the limit sample specified by the limit sample identification unit.
A permissible confirmation unit that confirms whether or not the abnormal image unit is permissible according to the operation input to the operation unit, and
A result display control unit that displays on the display unit the abnormal image unit confirmed to be unacceptable by the permissible confirmation unit, the coping method for the abnormality in the abnormal image unit, and the result display control unit.
Information processing device equipped with. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a feature amount setting unit that calculates and sets a feature amount based on the information of the abnormality image unit specified by the abnormality identification unit. The abnormality specifying unit identifies a region on the target image data selected by an operation input to the operation unit as the abnormality image unit.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a feature amount setting unit that sets what is input as a feature amount of the abnormal image unit as a feature amount of the abnormal image unit by an operation input to the operation unit. The limit sample specifying unit identifies the image data of the limit sample in a manner in which the degree of abnormality is ranked in stages.
The information processing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the display control unit displays the image data of the limit sample classified by the rank on the display unit, respectively. Judgment as to which rank of the image data of the limit sample is close to the target image data based on the feature amount of the abnormal image unit, or between which rank and the image data of the limit sample of which rank. Further provided with a determination unit for determining at least one of the determinations as to whether or not it corresponds to
The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit displays the result of the determination unit on the display unit. The display control unit makes the display unit display that it recommends whether the abnormal image unit of the target image data should be allowed or not, based on the determination result of the determination unit. Item 5. The information processing apparatus according to Item 5. The result display control unit is
A color-coded control unit that displays each abnormal image unit in the target image data in a color-coded manner according to at least one of the cause unit, the cause, the abnormal image unit, or the type of abnormality.
A diagnosis result control unit that displays a list of the countermeasures corresponding to each abnormality image unit, and
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Further, an acquisition unit for acquiring the condition data of the image forming apparatus is provided.
The seventh aspect of claim 7, wherein the diagnosis result control unit lists at least the cause of the abnormality and the coping method for each abnormality image unit based on the condition data and the feature amount of the abnormality image unit. Information processing equipment. The information processing device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the diagnosis result control unit displays component information, a coping time, and a coping procedure for the causal part of the corresponding abnormal image unit as the coping method. Any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the diagnosis result control unit includes color information of the abnormal image unit corresponding to the coping method, which is color-coded and displayed by the color-coding control unit, in the list of the coping methods to be displayed. The information processing device according to paragraph 1. Further, an abnormality type setting unit for setting an abnormality image type, which is an abnormality type of the abnormality image unit for the abnormality identification unit to specify in the target image data, according to an operation input to the operation unit is provided.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the abnormality specifying unit identifies the abnormal image unit for each abnormal image type in the target image data. The abnormal type setting unit sets the abnormal image type and sets the priority order for each abnormal image type.
The information processing device according to claim 11, wherein the diagnosis result control unit displays a list of the countermeasures corresponding to each abnormality image unit according to the priority order. The diagnosis result control unit is at least one of the time since the previous abnormality occurred in the cause unit of the abnormality image unit, the condition data of the image forming apparatus, and the life of the component of the cause unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, which lists and displays the countermeasures corresponding to each of the abnormal image units in the order of importance based on the above. The abnormality specifying unit is any one of claims 1 to 13 for specifying the abnormal image unit corresponding to the abnormal image type from the target image data based on the image forming product corresponding to the specific abnormal image type. The information processing device described in. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, which is realized by the image forming apparatus. An information processing system including an image forming apparatus for forming an image and an information processing apparatus for performing a failure diagnosis of the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus is
An image forming unit that forms an image of a predetermined chart and outputs an image forming object,
A transmission unit that transmits target image data, which is image data obtained by reading the image forming object by an image reading device, to the information processing device.
Equipped with
The information processing device is
An abnormality specifying unit that identifies one or more abnormal image units that are abnormal parts of the target image data received from the transmitting unit, and
A limit sample specifying unit that specifies image data of a limit sample corresponding to an abnormal image type that is an abnormality type of the abnormal image unit, and a limit sample specifying unit.
A display control unit that displays the target image data on the display unit together with the image data of the limit sample specified by the limit sample identification unit.
A permissible confirmation unit that confirms whether or not the abnormal image unit is permissible according to the operation input to the operation unit, and
A result display control unit that displays on the display unit the abnormal image unit confirmed to be unacceptable by the permissible confirmation unit, the coping method for the abnormality in the abnormal image unit, and the result display control unit.
Information processing system equipped with. An abnormality specifying step for identifying one or more abnormal image portions, which are abnormal parts of target image data, which is image data obtained by reading an image forming object formed by an image forming apparatus by an image reading apparatus.
A limit sample specifying step for specifying image data of a limit sample corresponding to an abnormal image type which is an abnormality type of the abnormal image unit, and
A display control step for displaying the target image data on the display unit together with the specified image data of the limit sample.
A permissible confirmation step for confirming whether or not the abnormal image unit is permissible according to the operation input to the operation unit, and
A result display control step for displaying the abnormal image unit confirmed to be unacceptable, a method for dealing with the abnormality in the abnormal image unit, and a result display control step.
Failure diagnosis method with.

Images