Image forming apparatus and diagnostic system increasing frequency of acquiring diagnostic data

An image forming apparatus diagnostic system comprising:

• a diagnostic server;
• and
• an image forming apparatus that sends diagnostic data or sensor data to the diagnostic server and comprises:
• an image former that executes image forming processing to form an image on a sheet;
• a primary controller;
• a secondary controller that controls the image former, wherein the primary controller instructs the secondary controller to execute the image forming processing;
• a sensor that detects a state of at least a unit of the image forming apparatus and transmits sensor data indicating the state to the secondary controller;
• a first transmission path for duplex communication between the secondary controller and the primary controller;
• and
• a second transmission path different from the first transmission path, wherein
• the secondary controller:
• generates, from the sensor data, diagnostic data for failure diagnostics or life prediction relating to the image forming apparatus, transmits data other than the diagnostic data to the primary controller via the first transmission path, and transmits the diagnostic data to the diagnostic server, without relaying via the primary controller, via the second transmission path, or
• transmits data other than the sensor data to the primary controller via the first transmission path, and transmits the sensor data to the diagnostic server, without relaying via the primary controller, via the second transmission path.

An image forming apparatus diagnostic system comprising:

• a diagnostic server;
• a parent diagnostic server;
• and
• an image forming apparatus that sends diagnostic data or sensor data to the diagnostic server and comprises:
• an image former that executes image forming processing to form an image on a sheet;
• a primary controller;
• a secondary controller that controls the image former, wherein the primary controller instructs the secondary controller to execute the image forming processing;
• a sensor that detects a state of at least a unit of the image forming apparatus and transmits sensor data indicating the state to the secondary controller;
• a first transmission path for duplex communication between the secondary controller and the primary controller;
• and
• a second transmission path different from the first transmission path, wherein
• the secondary controller:
• generates, from the sensor data, diagnostic data for failure diagnostics or life prediction relating to the image forming apparatus, transmits data other than the diagnostic data to the primary controller via the first transmission path, and transmits the diagnostic data to the diagnostic server, without relaying via the primary controller, via the second transmission path, or
• transmits data other than the sensor data to the primary controller via the first transmission path, and transmits the sensor data to the diagnostic server, without relaying via the primary controller, via the second transmission path,
• the secondary controller compresses the sensor data to obtain compressed sensor data, and attaches identification data to the sensor data and the compressed sensor data,
• the identification data indicates a correspondence between the sensor data and the compressed sensor data, and
• the image forming apparatus further comprises:
• a first transceiver that sends the compressed sensor data with the identification data to the parent diagnostic server via the primary controller, and
• a second transceiver that sends the sensor data with the identification data as the diagnostic data to the diagnostic server, wherein
• the diagnostic server:
• receives the diagnostic data from the image forming apparatus;
• refers to the diagnostic data to generate a diagnostics result of failure diagnostics and lifespan diagnostics of the image forming apparatus using a diagnostics method;
• attaches, to the diagnostics result, the identification data attached to the sensor data;
• and
• sends the diagnostics result with the identification data to the parent diagnostic server, and
• the parent diagnostic server:
• receives the compressed sensor data with the identification data from the image forming apparatus;
• receives the diagnostics result with the identification data from the diagnostic server;
• refers to the compressed sensor data and the diagnostics result to generate an analysis result;
• and
• sends the analysis result to the diagnostic server, and
• upon receiving the analysis result from the parent diagnostic server, the diagnostic server updates the diagnostics method based on the analysis result.