JP4114315B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for executing an image data processing job such as a copy job, a scan job, a print job, or a FAX job.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, as an image processing apparatus that executes an image data processing job, for example, a so-called multifunction machine (hereinafter referred to as an “MF machine”) that provides a plurality of functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a printer function, a FAX function, etc. ”) Is popular. The MF machine connects to an image input unit (Image Input Terminal; hereinafter referred to as “IIT”) for scanning a paper document, a public line connection unit for FAX reception, a LAN (Local Area Network) for print data reception, and the like. It has a plurality of image input means such as a network connection unit. In addition, an image output unit (Image Output Terminal; hereinafter referred to as “IOT”) for printing on paper, a public line connection unit for FAX transmission, and a LAN for transmitting various input image data to a host computer It also has a plurality of image output means such as a network connection unit. Furthermore, there is also an image storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) for temporarily storing and storing input image data and providing various functions.
[0003]
In such an MF machine, various image input / output jobs can be provided to the user by combining any one of the plurality of image input means and any one of the plurality of image output means. Is possible. For example, a copy function by outputting image data scanned by IIT by IOT, a printer function by decomposing data such as PDL (Page Description Language) received via the network and outputting by IOT, an image scanned by IIT Various functions such as a FAX function for transmitting data via a public line can be provided.
[0004]
Accordingly, in the MF machine, there is an increasing possibility that a plurality of image input / output job provision requests from a user are concentrated at one time. However, since image input / output devices such as IIT / IOT can process only one image input / output job at the same time, if a plurality of image input / output jobs are concentrated at one time, the user may not be able to easily check the job completion status. It is done. This is because when multiple image input / output jobs are concentrated at one time, the job requested by the user is not immediately started and the job output is waited for, or the print output as the job processing result is a job requested by another user. This is because it is difficult to confirm the situation such as when the job requested by the user is completed due to a mixture of the print output and the paper discharge tray.
[0005]
Therefore, recently, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-289413, storage means for storing the execution status and completion status of an image processing job is provided to display a list of jobs being executed and execution completion. A control method for displaying a list of completed jobs has been proposed. In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-341212, a control method for storing a job execution history performed in the past and displaying it as necessary has been proposed. Each of these provides a function that enables the job status to be checked, so that the user can easily check when the job requested by the user has been completed.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the MF machine using the conventional control method described above, when an unexpected error occurs during the execution of a job, the following problems may occur.
[0007]
For example, when an unexpected power-off error occurs during the execution of a job, it is still impossible to check the history regarding the job being executed. This is because all information (execution status, etc.) related to the job being executed is lost due to the power-off error. Therefore, in such a case, whether the job requested by the user has ended abnormally without completing execution due to a power-off error, whether execution has not started yet, or has already been completed. It becomes impossible to make a judgment easily.
[0008]
In particular, in recent years, when an MF machine is used in a company or the like, a plurality of users across a plurality of departments often share a single MF machine. It is necessary to satisfy usage forms such as charging by grasping the usage frequency, or grasping energy saving trends for each user and setting management targets in order to comply with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 14001 or the like. Therefore, for MF machines, job history information stored in the MF machine is collected by an external tabulation device or tabulation software, and tabulated by department, tabulated by user, monochrome / color printing ratio, duplex printing It is required to provide information such as rate and N-up rate. Therefore, when information is lost during a job execution due to a power-off error during such information collection, the accuracy of billing information, department-by-department information, and user-by-user information will be reduced, resulting in increased damage loss. Can be considered.
[0010]
Unexpected errors that occur during job execution include power interruption errors such as the above-mentioned power interruption errors, such as a failure in the print output due to network disconnection or data transfer status. Some errors are not accompanied. In the case of such an error, information on the job being executed is not lost, and if the job execution history is saved, it can be analyzed to help identify the cause of the error.
[0011]
Actually, for example, in JP-A-6-89239, when an error occurs on a communication line, self-diagnosis of the error is performed, and communication trace information from the time of the error is collected and stored in a file. In this environment, a device that collects protocols in which communication errors have occurred and has been proposed to help identify the cause of errors has been proposed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-204718 discloses an apparatus that facilitates specifying the cause of an error when connecting a peripheral device by storing a history of device program execution parameters of the peripheral device of the computer system. Proposed.
[0012]
However, image processing apparatuses such as MF machines often generate errors depending on the use environment or installation environment. Moreover, it is usually required to identify the cause of the error occurrence at the installation location. Therefore, the image processing device can unattendedly collect information for identifying the cause of error occurrence without intervention by maintenance personnel, etc., and can quickly identify the cause of error occurrence from the collected information. It is hoped that this can be done.
[0013]
However, according to the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-89239, it is possible to collect information unattended, but this is intended to collect errors in the communication protocol. The cause of an error that occurs during output (for example, an error that occurs in the job processing sequence) cannot be specified. Moreover, because the protocol trace results are enormous, it takes a lot of effort to identify the location and cause of the error from among them, and it is possible to quickly identify the cause of the error occurrence. I can't say that. In the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-204718, since the execution parameters of the device program are stored, it is easy to identify the cause of the device abnormality when an error occurs, but there is no abnormality in the device settings Specifically, when there is a cause in the operation processing of a plurality of devices and the data itself handled by the device, the cause of the error cannot be specified, and thus it cannot be said that the cause of the error occurrence can be specified accurately.
[0014]
  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention relates to the data processed at the time of error occurrence and the operation of the software module that processes the data, and saves it as log information to identify the cause of the error occurrence. To provide an image processing apparatus capable of accurately collecting information and quickly identifying the cause of an error from the collected information.Objective.
[0017]
  The present invention is an image processing apparatus devised to achieve the above object, and image dataI / O job that performs at least one of input or outputUsing storage accumulating means for storing and accumulating data necessary for execution of data, and data stored and accumulated in the storage accumulating meansImage input / output jobThe job execution means for executingImage input / output jobError detection means for detecting an execution error ofWhile the job execution means is performing the image input / output job using the data in the storage storage means,The error detection means is an execution errorOccurrence ofIs detected,When the execution error occursProcessed by the job execution meansLog information includes information that identifies the processing part of the data and information that identifies the application that was processing the data when the execution error occurredLog extracting means for extracting.
[0018]
  According to the image processing apparatus having the above configuration, when the error detection unit detects an execution error, the log extraction unit performs processing of the data processed by the job execution unit at that time.IdentifyInformation andInformation that identifies the application that was processing the data when the execution error occurredAnd extract. Where the data processing partIdentifyExamples of the information include information such as a file name of data and an address of a processing part. Also applicationIdentifyThe information includes information such as the name of the application that was operating when the error occurred and the register value that identifies the status. In other words, the log extraction means includes information for specifying the processing part of the data that was being processed when the error occurred, and its processing environment.IdentifyExtract information. Therefore, if the extraction result by the log extracting means is stored in, for example, a non-volatile memory or transferred to an external device, the cause of the error occurrence can be identified based on the stored contents or the transferred contents.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
  [Description of Specific Example of Image Processing Apparatus]
[0021]
  First, the basic configuration of the image processing apparatus will be described. FIG.Specific example of image processing apparatusIt is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of.
[0022]
  Here is an exampleAn image processing apparatus to be described (hereinafter referred to as “this apparatus”) receives an operation instruction such as a job request from a user, displays an operation status of the apparatus, and the like. Control unit 2 that receives various image input / output job requests and controls the execution of a plurality of jobs, image input / output unit 3 that is required when executing an image input / output job, and execution of an image input / output job Job log management means 4 for managing the progress information and execution result information therein as job logs, image data input / output by the image input / output means 3, and job logs / logs managed by the job log management means 4 The storage unit 5 stores data and the like, and the system bus 6 interconnects them. In addition to the operation means 1, remote operation means 9 that operates on a computer device (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”) 8 is connected to this apparatus via a network 7 such as a LAN. Hereinafter, each of these means will be described in order.
[0023]
The operation means 1 is a part that controls the user interface, and includes a display screen and various operation buttons. Therefore, the user presses various operation buttons of the operation unit 1 to perform an image input / output job execution request to the apparatus, job status confirmation, device status display of each image input / output unit 3, and the like. Become. For example, if the copy function is realized, operation buttons include a numeric keypad for designating a copy magnification, the number of copies, etc., a paper tray selection button, a start button for starting a copy, and a process being executed temporarily. A stop button for stopping, a clear button for initializing all setting information, an interrupt button for executing an interrupt copy job, and the like are implemented. If a printer function or a facsimile function is to be realized, in addition to the above buttons, an offline button for temporarily stopping transmission / reception of image data to / from the network 7, a job being printed for operations such as paper replacement, etc. Pause button that pauses (this may be shared with the stop button), manual start button for fax-initiated transmission / reception, numeric keypad for entering a phone number May be shared).
[0024]
Also, the above buttons are mounted on the remote operation means 9 operating on the PC 8 as necessary. However, in this case, unlike the local operation means 1, not all buttons are configured by hardware, and are realized by a GUI (Graphical User Interface) function on the PC 8. By operating this GUI button, various designated job instructions are input into the apparatus via the network 7.
[0025]
The job control means 2 accepts a plurality of various image input / output jobs required by the user operating the operation means 1, 9, etc., performs the order control of these jobs and scheduling processing, It has a function of appropriately selecting and combining necessary resources from the input / output means 3 and issuing an instruction to execute the job to the image input / output means 3.
[0026]
Further, the job control unit 2 manages the lifetime of the received job (a period from the generation of the job to the disappearance), assigns an appropriate job state value within the lifetime of the job, and manages the state transition. . Job status values include “Creating”, “Pending”, “Processing”, “Paused”, “Terminating” , “Completed”, etc., and “Creating” while the operation means 1, 9 etc. are requesting the job to the job control means 2, the job control means 2 accepts the job and it is an image The period until the image input / output process is started by the input / output unit 3 is “Pending”, the period during which the image input / output process is performed by the image input / output unit 3 is “Processing”, and the period of “Processing” is operated. “Paused” is a period in which job execution is paused by pressing a stop button (pause button) such as means 1 and 9, and “Terminating” is a period in which job execution is forcibly terminated by pressing a cancel (cancel) button. , Job completed successfully / Assign “Completed” after the abnormal end.
[0027]
These job status values are displayed on the display panel of the operation unit 1 so that the current job status can be confirmed. Further, the image input / output means 3 such as the network control unit sends this value to the external device, so that the job status can be confirmed from the external device such as the operation means 9. Further, the job / log management means 4 described later also knows an appropriate job / log storage timing by referring to these job status values.
[0028]
Although not shown in detail, the image input / output unit 3 controls the IIT, scans paper document information, and inputs digital image data. The image input / output unit 3 is connected to a public line and transmits / receives FAX image data to / from a destination FAX apparatus 10. A FAX control unit that connects to a network 7 such as a LAN, a network control unit that transmits and receives PDL and image data files to and from the PC 8, and an external storage medium control that reads and writes image data and the like by connecting to an external storage medium such as MO and CD-RW Image storage for controlling the IOT control unit for controlling the IOT and printing the image data in the apparatus on paper, the secondary storage medium such as the storage means 5 and storing the image data input in the apparatus in the storage means 5 Control unit, decomposition control unit that performs decomposer / compression / decompression as necessary when input image data is PDL or compressed image data Preliminary compression / decompression controller, report generation unit configured to image data reduction for various with reference to the system data and user registration data such as print / send this information in the apparatus, and the like.
[0029]
These units are mounted as necessary in the product configuration of the apparatus. For example, when realizing the copy function, an IIT control unit and an IOT control unit (an image accumulation control unit and a compression / decompression control unit as necessary) are mounted as the image input / output unit 3. When realizing the printer function, a network control unit, a decompression control unit, and an IOT control unit (an image storage control unit and a compression / decompression control unit as necessary) are mounted as the image input / output unit 3. Furthermore, when the FAX function is realized, an IIT control unit, a FAX control unit, and an IOT control unit (an image accumulation control unit and a compression / decompression control unit as necessary) are mounted as the image input / output unit 3.
[0030]
The job log management unit 4 manages the progress and processing results of various image input / output jobs managed by the job control unit 2 as a job log, and saves or updates it in the storage unit 5 as necessary. have.
[0031]
Here, the contents of the job log managed by the job log management unit 4 will be described with a specific example. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of job log content information in the case of a print job performed by this apparatus.
[0032]
In the drawing, a value uniquely assigned for each job by the job control unit 2 is set in the “job identifier”. In “Job log update date and time”, the date and time when the job log was last updated by the job log management means 4 is set. In “End Date” and “End Time”, the date and time when the processing of the job is ended is set. In the “user name”, the user name of the user who made the execution request for the job is set. In the “data transmission protocol”, a printing protocol name used when transmitting / receiving processing target data (PDL) of the print job is set. In “color mode”, “paper size”, and “paper type”, the color mode at the time of printing of the print job and the size and type of the paper used for printing are set, respectively. In “number of pages” and “number of sheets”, the number of processed pages printed by the print job and the number of sheets used are set. In the “printing designation”, information about the processing contents of the print job, specifically, the presence / absence of N-up processing, single-sided / double-sided printing, and the like is set. In the “job processing state”, information about the end state of the job, specifically “normal end”, “abnormal end”, “shutdown”, and “forced end” is set. In the “processing state detailed information”, information supplementing the above-mentioned “job processing state” information, for example, the reason for abnormal termination / shutdown / forced termination, etc. is set. In the example shown in the figure, “The print job requested by the user name Taro.Yamada using the lpd protocol has completed the processing of single-sided printing up to the 6th page with 1up on A4 plain paper in black and white mode. The information “successfully completed at time 27 minutes and 7 seconds” indicates that the job log is retained and managed.
[0033]
In FIG. 1, the storage means 5 uses a nonvolatile memory such as an HDD or NVRAM (Nonvolatile Random Access Memory) as a storage medium, and is controlled by the image accumulation control unit and the job / log management means 4 constituting the image input / output means 3. Is done. When the image accumulation control unit controls, image data is read from and written to the storage unit 5. When the job / log management unit 4 controls, the job / log data is read / written from / to the storage unit 5.
[0034]
In the storage unit 5, independent areas are secured for image data and job log data. For example, in the case of an HDD, separate partitions for image data and job log data are constructed. NVRAM has an independent memory space. Further, the area for job log data is divided into two areas, an intermediate job log area and a processing result job log area. For example, in the case of an HDD, two intermediate job log directories and processing result job log directories are created in the job log data partition, and each is managed independently. .
[0035]
Next, an example of processing operation in the apparatus configured as described above, particularly an example of processing operation of job / log storage / update performed by the job / log management unit 4 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing operation of job / log storage / update.
[0036]
After the start of the apparatus, the job / log management unit 4 monitors the job status value of each job managed by the job control unit 2 and determines whether any job status transition has occurred in any job. It is constantly checked (step 101, the following step is abbreviated as “S”). If there is no job state transition, it is further checked whether or not a log update event issued by the image input / output means 3 has occurred (S102).
[0037]
Here, the log update event is generated by the image input / output unit 3 during job execution, and is generated when information to be recorded or updated in the job log is detected. For example, when the job log information including the items shown in FIG. 2 is updated, the IOT control unit constituting the image input / output unit 3 performs printing during a period during which a specific job is being printed. Information such as the paper size, color mode, paper type, print designation, etc. is detected. At that time, a log update event is issued and the detected contents are recorded in the job log. Request. Further, the IOT control unit issues a log update event every time the number of printed pages and the number of consumed print sheets increase. Similarly, for example, when the network control unit constituting the image input / output unit 3 receives print data (PDL) sent from the PC 8 or the like, information such as the user name of the job, the data transmission protocol, etc. Therefore, a log update event is issued at that time, and the job log management means 4 is requested to record the detected contents in the job log. For issuing and receiving the log update event, IPC (interprocessor communication) message communication realized by software may be used.
[0038]
In FIG. 3, if the result of the job state transition check (S101) detects that any kind of job state transition has occurred in any job, the job / log management unit 4 displays the job state value. Check out. If the job status value is “Creating” (S103), the job / log management unit 4 acquires the job identifier of the job from the job control unit 2 (S104), and the intermediate progress job in the storage unit 5 is obtained. After securing an area for recording the job progress log of the job from the log area (S105), the acquired job identifier is set in the “job identifier” field of the area.
[0039]
If the job status value is “Processing” (S106), the job / log management unit 4 performs an update process of the intermediate job / log (S107). This is a process of setting various information of the job as illustrated in FIG. 2 in the midway progress job log area reserved for the area when the “Creating” state is entered. For example, among the job log information shown in FIG. 2, “only job log update date and time” is set, and no other information is updated.
[0040]
At this time, the job in the “Processing” state is subjected to image input / output processing by the image input / output means 3. Therefore, a log update event occurs asynchronously from the image input / output unit 3. Since the job log management unit 4 detects the log update event by the above-described check (S102), the job log management unit 4 performs a process of further updating the intermediate progress job log updated in the above step (S107) (S108). . For example, when the log update event is generated from the IOT control unit, “color mode”, “paper size”, “paper type”, “page number”, “number of sheets” in the job log information of FIG. ”And“ print designation ”fields are updated to the latest information. When the log update event is generated from the network control unit, the “user name” and “data transmission protocol” fields are updated to the latest information in the job log information of FIG. When updating to the latest information, the update date is always set in the “Job log update date” field.
[0041]
Also, if the job status value is “Completed” as a result of the job status transition check (S109), the job log management means 4 displays information related to the end date and time in the job log, for example, as shown in FIG. In the job log information, the “end date” and “end time” fields are updated (S110). Further, the job / log management unit 4 inquires of the job control unit 2 about the end status of the completed job, and sets the values in the “job processing status” and “processing status detailed information” fields (S111). At this time, the job control unit 2 uses information such as “normal end”, “abnormal end”, or “forced end” as the end state of the job, and “end without problem” or “error end” as detailed information of the end state. , “End with warning”, “Cancel by user request”, “Cancel by operator request”, or “Abort by system judgment” are notified to the job / log management unit 4 respectively. Therefore, the job log management unit 4 updates the job log based on these pieces of information.
[0042]
Thereafter, the job / log management unit 4 secures an area for the job from the processing result job / log area in the storage unit 5 and copies all the information written in the intermediate progress job log to the secured area. At the same time, the intermediate progress job log area reserved for the job is discarded (S112). As a result of this processing, the intermediate job log of the job that has been started is stored in the intermediate job log area during the execution period of the job.
[0043]
At this time, for example, if a power-off error occurs during the job execution period, the processing contents that have been completed up to that point are still recorded in the midway progress job log. The intermediate progress job log remains in the intermediate progress job log area until the power is turned on next time. Therefore, if this remaining halfway job log is used, it is possible to restore job information up to immediately before power-off as a processing result job log at the time of initialization processing at the next power-on. This process is performed by an initialization process when the job / log management unit 4 is turned on.
[0044]
Here, a processing operation example of processing result job log recovery performed when the job / log management unit 4 is turned on (initialization processing) will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing operation when the job / log management means is initialized.
[0045]
When the power of the apparatus is turned on, the job log management unit 4 searches the storage unit 5 for the intermediate progress job log area (S201), and whether there is a remaining intermediate progress job log. Is checked (S202).
[0046]
As a result of this check, if there is a remaining halfway job log, if the job log content illustrated in FIG. 2 is present, the halfway job log has the following information: Become. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of content information of a remaining job log of a job whose power is cut off during execution. The figure shows “A print job submitted by a user named Hanako.Yamada using the SMB protocol is in color mode by 10:05:03 on September 19, 2000, and is the third page on one side of A4 plain paper in color mode. The printing process has been completed until the power is turned off during the subsequent process. "
[0047]
In this case, since the power was turned off before the job was completed, that is, before the job status value became “Completed”, the processing for updating the information related to the end date and time of the job log described above (see S110 to S112 in FIG. 3). Is not done. That is, no information is recorded in the “end date”, “end time”, “job processing state”, and “processing state detailed information” fields in FIG.
[0048]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the job log management unit 4 sets the value set in the “job log update date / time” field (2000/09/19 10:05:03 in the example of FIG. 5). Are copied to the “end date” and “end time” fields (S203), and the “job processing state” field has a value for representing information “shutdown”, and the “processing state detailed information” field has “ Information values for representing a message such as “abnormal termination due to system stop” are set (S204).
[0049]
As a result, the remaining job log shown in FIG. 5 has information as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of content information of a processing result job log generated based on the remaining job log.
[0050]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the job log management unit 4 secures an area for the job from the processing result job log area in the storage unit 5 and writes it in the remaining job log in the secured area. All the information is copied, and the intermediate job log area used by the remaining job log is discarded (S205). The job log management unit 4 repeats this process for all remaining job logs. In this way, information on jobs that ended abnormally during execution due to a power-off error is retained in the intermediate job log area as the remaining job log at the next power-on, and the information up to immediately before the power-off is based on that information. A processing result job log based on the processing content is generated.
[0051]
As is apparent from the above description, in the present apparatus, the progress of a job being executed is saved or updated as a job log in the progress job log area in the nonvolatile storage unit 5 at a predetermined timing. At the same time, when the job is completed, the job log saved in the progress job log area is moved to the processing result job log area, and an unexpected power failure error occurs during job execution. In the initialization process at the next power-on, all the jobs and logs in the midway progress job / log area are moved to the processing result job / log area. In other words, in this apparatus, the job log relating to the progress of job execution is stored in the intermediate job log area in the storage means 5, but since the storage means 5 is nonvolatile, an unexpected power-off error is generated. Even if an error occurs, the job log saved in the intermediate job log area will not be lost.
[0052]
Therefore, according to this device, when the power-off error is recovered or after recovery, the job log in the midway progress job log area is transferred to the processing result job log area, so that The execution history of the completed processing job also remains in the processing result job log area. In other words, by using this device, the user can refer to the job log in the processing result job log area to determine whether the requested job has ended normally, has ended abnormally, or has not yet completed. It becomes possible to easily and accurately determine whether the execution has been started.
[0053]
In addition, when transferring the job log in the midway progress job log area to the processing result job log area, this device stores information about the save or last update time of the job log and the power-off error. A message indicating an abnormal end due to the above is stored together in the processing result job log area. Therefore, referring to the job log in the processing result job log area, even if there is an abnormal termination in the middle of execution, it is an abnormal termination due to a power-off error, and when the abnormal termination occurred. Is clarified.
[0054]
In addition, for example, when a system for counting billing information, user-specific information, department-specific information, etc. is constructed using this apparatus, the contents of the image input / output job that was completed immediately before the power-off error is Even if the job is not completed, it is recorded as a job log, so there is no loss of job information due to a power-off error, the reliability of the aggregation results is increased, and damage loss is prevented from increasing. become able to.
[0055]
  In addition,hereIn the above description, the content information in the case of a print job has been described as an example of information to be described in the job log. However, other information, for example, “FAX transmission detected by a FAX control unit constituting a part of the image input / output unit 3 It is clear from the above description that even the information such as “original telephone number” can issue and receive the log update event. In other words, the job log log update event and the job log content information to be written are:In the contents of the explanation aboveThe present invention is not limited, and can be applied to a job performed by a copy job, a FAX job, and other image processing apparatuses other than a printer job.
[0056]
  [Description of embodiments of the present invention]
  next,Image processing apparatus according to the present inventionWill be described. However, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a printer apparatus that can execute only a print job, not an MF apparatus that can execute various jobs such as a copy job, a scan job, a print job, and a FAX job. An example will be described.
[0057]
  Here, first, the basic configuration of a printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG.Configuration example of image processing apparatus according to the present inventionFIG.
[0058]
The printer apparatus described in this embodiment is connected to a plurality of client apparatuses (not shown) such as PCs via a network 20 such as a LAN, and accepts a printer job issued from the client apparatus. This is a process executed. For this purpose, the printer apparatus includes a network interface unit 31, a system control unit 32, a memory management unit 33, a print processing management unit 34, an image data development processing unit 35, a recording output unit 36, and a recording output control unit. 37, an operation control unit 38, an operation panel 39, and a log information processing unit 40. Hereinafter, each of these parts will be described in order.
[0059]
The network interface unit 31 transmits / receives data via the network 20, and follows image data that is received data from client devices on the network 20 while being controlled by the network communication control unit 31 a in the network interface unit 31. A process of receiving code data or the like and passing the received data to the received data processing unit 31b in the network interface unit 31 is performed. Then, the reception data processing unit 31b stores the received reception data in a storage device 33c described later, or takes out image data from the storage device 33c and requests the print processing management unit 34 for print processing. As a protocol and a network OS used when the network interface unit 31 transmits and receives data, there are TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), NetWare developed by Novell, Inc., and the like.
[0060]
The system control unit 32 controls the operation of the entire printer apparatus. The system control unit 32 performs initialization processing when the power is turned on, and detects a hardware error in each part of the printer apparatus.
[0061]
The memory management unit 33 manages a ring buffer 33a, a page memory 33b, a storage device 33c, and an NVRAM 33d having a function of storing and holding various data. The ring buffer 33a is a data transmission / reception memory required when the network interface unit 31 operates. The page memory 33b is a page-unit memory used when an image data expansion processing unit 35, which will be described later, performs expansion processing to bitmap image data. The storage device 33c stores reception data received from the reception data processing unit 31b, log history information managed by the log information processing unit 40, and the like. The NVRAM 33d stores log information managed by the log information processing unit 40, setting information set from the operation panel 39, and the like. It is conceivable to use an HDD as the storage device 33c and a non-volatile SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) as the NVRAM 33d.
[0062]
The print processing management unit 34 performs operation control related to print output processing of image data received by the reception data processing unit 31b. For example, the print processing management unit 34 performs a scheduling process for printing out image data sequentially sent from client host devices on the network 20 in the order of arrival.
[0063]
The image data development processing unit 35 develops the image data received by the reception data processing unit 31b into bitmap image data that is a data format that can be printed out.
[0064]
The recording output unit 36 prints out the bitmap image data developed by the image data development processing unit 35 on recording paper, and performs printing output using a laser beam electrostatic recording method which is a well-known technique. Is.
[0065]
More specifically, the recording output control unit 37 performs operation control of the recording output unit 36, such as pausing and resuming processing operations in the recording output unit 36, and controlling the order of pages printed by the recording output unit. .
[0066]
The operation control unit 38 performs processing for notifying the print processing management unit 34 and the system control unit 32 of setting information instructed from the operation panel 39 operated by the user of the printer device or the client device on the network 20. .
[0067]
The log information processing unit 40 manages, as log information, information related to the print output result in the recording output unit 36, information related to an error that has occurred in the printer device, and further manages log history information. To do. For this purpose, the log information processing unit 40 includes an error information detection unit 41, a print information detection unit 42, a log information recording control unit 43, and a log processing information control unit 44.
[0068]
The error information detection unit 41 includes failure information related to the conveyance of the recording paper generated by the recording output unit 36, failure information related to the generation of bitmap image data generated by the image data development processing unit 35, and generated by the network communication control unit. Fault information related to the network to be received is received as a message from each part and detected.
[0069]
The print information detection unit 42 prints out information related to print output attributes such as the number of copies to be printed out by the recording output unit 36, color / monochrome, the user name instructing print output, the result of the print output, and the like. This is detected for each job.
[0070]
The log information recording control unit 43 stores the information detected by the error information detection unit 41 and the print information detection unit 42 in the NVRAM 33d or the storage device 33c as log information or log history information. Note that the log information recording control unit 43 also performs log storage control such that the oldest log is deleted when the number of records reaches a predetermined specified value.
[0071]
The log processing information control unit 44 performs a predetermined process as will be described in detail later, if necessary, based on the detection contents of the error information detection unit 41 and the print information detection unit 42. It is assumed that at least one type of processing performed by the log processing information control unit 44, preferably a plurality of types, is registered in advance in a state where it can be identified by a code number.
[0072]
Next, an example of a processing operation in the printer apparatus configured as described above, particularly an example of a log management processing operation performed by the log information processing unit 40 will be described.
[0073]
  First, a first processing operation example will be described. This processing operation exampleClaim 1This corresponds to the invention described in. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a first processing operation example when log management is performed.
[0074]
The log information processing unit 40 is configured to operate upon receiving processing request messages from other units including the system control unit 32, and is in a message waiting state in a steady state. When a processing request message from another unit is received in this state (S301), the log information processing unit 40 analyzes the received message (S302). Then, the error information detection unit 41 determines whether or not the analyzed message is an error detection message (S303). Since this determination may be performed using a known technique, the description thereof is omitted here.
[0075]
If the result of this determination is not an error detection message, the log information processing unit 40 performs processing according to the received message (S304), and returns to message waiting processing again. Examples of the process corresponding to the received message include a process for storing the result of a normally completed print output as log information, that is, a generally performed log recording process.
[0076]
On the other hand, if the analyzed message is an error detection message, in the log information processing unit 40, the print information detection unit 42 performs a print status confirmation process (S305). In other words, when any error occurrence is detected by the error information detection unit 41, the print information detection unit 42 is in the middle of performing data processing for printing in any of the printer apparatuses at that time. It is determined whether or not (S306).
[0077]
If the data is being processed, the print information detection unit 42 acquires the position information of the data being processed (S307). For example, if the development error occurs while the image data development processing unit 35 takes out the image data in the storage device 33c, performs the image development processing and stores it in the page memory 33b, the print information detection unit 42 The file name of the image data processed by the image data development processing unit 35 at the time of the error, the size of the processed part from the beginning, the information about the address of the processed part, etc. Information is acquired from the image data development processing unit 35 as information.
[0078]
Further, the print information detection unit 42 acquires application information being executed when an error occurs (S308). Here, application information refers to information related to the application that is being executed when an error occurs, that is, the application that was processing data when the error occurred. Specifically, the application name, the register value that specifies the execution state, etc. It means the information. For example, if an error occurs during execution of processing on received data by NetWare, the name of the application being executed when the error occurs is NetWare.
[0079]
Thereafter, in the log information processing unit 40, the log processing information control unit 44 generates log information based on the position information and application information of the data acquired by the print information detection unit 42, and the log information recording control unit 43 generates the log information. The recorded log information is stored in the NVRAM 33d (S309). At this time, the log information recording control unit 43 also stores the message analyzed by the error information detection unit 41 in the NVRAM 33d as log information related to the error (S310).
[0080]
Thereby, in the NVRAM 33d, the position information related to the data processing portion at the time of the error occurrence and the application information of the data are extracted and stored as log information. That is, information for specifying a processing portion of data processed at the time of occurrence of an error and information regarding the processing environment are extracted and stored in the NVRAM 33d.
[0081]
Therefore, if the log information stored and held in the NVRAM 33d is read out, the data to be processed at the time of error occurrence is read out from the storage device 33c, and these are compared and referred to, even if the read data is huge Then, it is possible to easily identify the location where the error occurred and its cause from the log information. In addition, since the log information includes application information, the log information can also be used to understand the data processing environment at the time of the error occurrence, even if there are causes of errors in the processing sequence of various data, The cause of the error can be accurately identified.
[0082]
For these reasons, in the printer apparatus that implements the first processing operation example described above, the data processed when an error occurs and the operation of the application (software module) that processes the data are extracted as log information. Thus, the information can be accurately collected for identifying the cause of the error occurrence, and the cause of the error occurrence can be quickly identified from the collected information.
[0083]
  Subsequently, a second processing operation example will be described. This processing operation exampleClaim 2This corresponds to the invention described in. Here, the description will focus on differences from the above-described first processing operation example. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a second processing operation example when log management is performed.
[0084]
Also in the second processing operation example described here, as in the case of the first processing operation example, if the received message is not an error detection message, the log information processing unit 40 performs processing according to the received message. (S401 to S404).
[0085]
However, when the received and analyzed message is an error detection message, unlike the case of the first processing operation example, the log information processing unit 40 analyzes the error detection message and identifies the error number. (S405). Here, the error number means a code number uniquely determined corresponding to the type of error. Such an error number is included in the error detection message and sent.
[0086]
When the error number is specified, the log processing information control unit 44 thereafter searches whether or not the content of the processing to be performed according to the error number is registered in advance (S406), and if there is a corresponding processing ( S407), processing corresponding to the error number is executed (S408). As the processing executed here, for example, when a certain type of error occurs, processing such as transferring log information extracted by the occurrence of the error to an external device can be considered. More specifically, for example, when a communication error occurs in the network interface unit 31, log information or the like extracted by the communication error is transferred to a client device that is a communication partner or provided on the network 20. For example, the data can be transferred to a data analysis device.
[0087]
Thereafter, the log information processing unit 40 performs a processing operation in the same procedure as in the first processing operation example for log information extraction or the like (S409 to S414).
[0088]
In this way, in the printer apparatus that implements the second processing operation example described above, in addition to the case of the first processing operation example, when the occurrence of an error is detected, the type of error is specified, and It has a function to execute processing corresponding to the type. Therefore, different processing can be applied to the log information including the location information related to the data processing part and the application information of the data depending on the type of error, so that adaptability to various error types can be secured. Appropriate responses can be made to such types of errors.
[0089]
  Next, a third processing operation example will be described. This processing operation exampleClaim 3This corresponds to the invention described in. Note that here also, the description will focus on the differences from the first or second processing operation example described above. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a third processing operation example when log management is performed.
[0090]
Also in the third processing operation example described here, as in the case of the first and second processing operation examples, if the received message is not an error detection message, the log information processing unit 40 The corresponding processing is performed (S501 to S504).
[0091]
However, when the received and analyzed message is an error processing registration request message, unlike the first or second processing operation example, the log information processing unit 40 analyzes the error processing registration request message. The error number is specified (S505).
[0092]
Here, the error processing registration request message is issued from the operation control unit 38 of the printer device or the client device on the network 20, and the contents of processing performed by the log processing information control unit 44 corresponding to the type of error. Are registered in the log processing information control unit 44 by the user or the like. Therefore, this error process registration request message includes an error number for specifying the type of error to be registered in addition to the contents of the process, and is sent from the operation control unit 38 or the client device. .
[0093]
After specifying the error number included in the error processing registration request message, the log processing information control unit 44 searches the processing table corresponding to the error number (S506). This processing table refers to a table that the log processing information control unit 44 has, and the correspondence relationship between error numbers and processing contents is registered.
[0094]
As a result of the search, if a region corresponding to the error number exists in the processing table (S507), the log processing information control unit 44 determines the processing contents included in the error processing registration request message within the region. (S508), a message indicating that the registration is completed is returned to the request source, that is, the operation control unit 38 or the client device that issued the error processing registration request message (S509). On the other hand, if the area corresponding to the error number does not exist in the processing table, the log processing information control unit 44 returns an error message to that effect to the request source (S510).
[0095]
As described above, in the printer apparatus that implements the above-described third processing operation example, when an error occurs, the user or the like arbitrarily sets the content of the processing to be performed corresponding to the error type. Will be able to. Therefore, the adaptability to various error types is further increased, and the flexibility of processing for error occurrence is also improved.
[0096]
  Next, a fourth processing operation example will be described. This processing operation exampleClaim 4This corresponds to the invention described in. Note that here, the description will focus on the differences from the above-described first to third processing operation examples. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a third processing operation example when log management is performed.
[0097]
Also in the fourth processing operation example described here, as in the first to third processing operation examples, if the received message is not an error detection message, the log information processing unit 40 The corresponding processing is performed (S601 to S604).
[0098]
However, when the received and analyzed message is an error processing selection request message, unlike the first to third processing operation examples, the log information processing unit 40 analyzes the error processing selection request message. Then, the error number is specified (S605).
[0099]
Here, the error processing selection request message is issued from the operation control unit 38 of the printer device or the client device on the network 20, and a plurality of processing contents are registered in the processing table of the log processing information control unit 44. In this case, the user or the like selects the processing contents to be performed by the log processing information control unit 44 from the plurality of processing contents. Therefore, the error processing selection request message includes an error number for specifying the error type and a processing content corresponding to the error number, and a flag indicating whether the processing content corresponding to the error number is executable (executability flag). Are sent from the operation control unit 38 or the client device.
[0100]
After specifying the error number included in the error processing selection request message, the log processing information control unit 44 searches the processing table corresponding to the error number (S606). This processing table is the same as that described in the third processing operation example, but in addition to the correspondence between the error number and the processing content, the presence / absence of an executable flag (or “1”) for each processing content. "Or" 0 ") is registered.
[0101]
As a result of the search, if the corresponding error number and the processing content corresponding to the error number exist in the processing table (S607), the log processing information control unit 44 sets the execution flag of the processing content to an executable state. Is changed or set (S608). A message to the effect that selection of processing contents has been completed is returned to the request source, that is, the operation control unit 38 or client device that issued the error processing selection request message (S609). On the other hand, if the corresponding error number and the processing content corresponding to the error number do not exist in the processing table, the log processing information control unit 44 returns an error message to that effect to the request source (S610).
[0102]
As described above, in the printer device that implements the above-described fourth processing operation example, when an error occurrence is detected, the user or the like arbitrarily selects the content of the processing to be performed corresponding to the type of error. Will be able to. Therefore, also in the case of this processing operation example, the adaptability to various error types is further increased, and the processing flexibility with respect to the occurrence of errors is also improved.
[0103]
Specifically, for example, regarding communication errors that occur in the network interface unit 31, as processing contents corresponding thereto, processing for broadcasting log information to the network 20 in conformity with TCP / IP, and log information for NetWare protocol In accordance with the above, when a process to be transferred to a data analysis device or the like provided on the network 20 is registered, it is possible to select which process to perform. As a result, even if error analysis is difficult in one process, it may be possible to perform error analysis by switching to the other process.
[0104]
  Next, a fifth processing operation example will be described. This processing operation exampleClaim 5This corresponds to the invention described in. Note that here, the description will focus on the differences from the above-described first to fourth processing operation examples. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a third processing operation example when log management is performed.
[0105]
Also in the fifth processing operation example described here, similarly to the first to fourth processing operation examples, if the received message is not an error detection message, the log information processing unit 40 sets the received message to the received message. The corresponding processing is performed (S701 to S704).
[0106]
However, when the received and analyzed message is a processing order change request message for error processing, unlike the first to fourth processing operation examples, the log information processing unit 40 changes the processing order of the error processing. The request message is analyzed to identify the error number (S705).
[0107]
Here, the processing order change request message for error processing is issued from the operation control unit 38 of the printer device or the client device on the network 20, and is assigned to one error number in the processing table of the log processing information control unit 44. When a plurality of processing contents are registered, the user or the like selects the execution order of the processing performed by the log processing information control unit 44 from the plurality of processing contents. Therefore, the processing order change request message for error processing includes the priority number information for each processing content in addition to the error number for specifying the error type and the processing content corresponding to the error number. It is assumed that it is sent from the control unit 38 or the client device.
[0108]
After specifying the error number included in the processing order change request message for error processing, the log processing information control unit 44 searches the processing table corresponding to the error number (S706). This processing table is the same as that described in the third processing operation example, but in addition to the correspondence between the error number and the processing content, priority information is registered for each processing content.
[0109]
As a result of the search, the corresponding error number exists in the processing table, and the selected processing content as described in the fourth processing operation example is included in the processing content corresponding to the error number. If there is (S707), the log processing information control unit 44 changes the execution order of the processing contents, that is, the priority information about the processing contents (S708). Thereafter, the log processing information control unit 44 determines whether or not there is another processing content for changing the execution order (S709), and if there is another, the steps (S707 to S709) described above for the processing content are performed again. repeat. However, if there is no other processing content that needs to be changed in order, the log processing information control unit 44 issued a request source message, that is, an error processing selection request message, indicating that registration in the processing table has been completed. A response is returned to the operation control unit 38 or the client device (S710).
[0110]
If the selected processing content does not exist in the processing table, the log processing information control unit 44 returns an error message to that effect to the request source (S711), and returns to the message waiting processing again. .
[0111]
As described above, in the printer apparatus that implements the fifth processing operation example described above, when an error occurrence is detected, it is possible to perform a plurality of processes corresponding to the type of error, and the plurality of processes. The user or the like can arbitrarily select the execution order of the processes. Therefore, even in the case of this processing operation example, the adaptability to various error types is further increased, and the flexibility of processing for error occurrence is also improved.
[0112]
Specifically, for example, when the network 20 includes a plurality of LANs connected via a router, log information broadcast to each LAN is sequentially performed under conditions suitable for each LAN while following a predetermined priority order. Will be able to do.
[0113]
  As is clear from the above description, the first to fifth processing operation examples described above are included.Embodiment of the present inventionIn this case, data processed when an error occurs and the operation of an application (software module) that processes the data are extracted and stored as log information. Therefore, even if the error occurrence depends on the usage environment and installation environment of the printer, and it is required to identify the cause of the error at the installation location, Information can be collected unattended and accurately without the need for maintenance personnel, etc., and the cause of error occurrence can be quickly identified from the information collected by maintenance personnel or the like, that is, with a small number of man-hours. In addition, because information about the application is also extracted and stored, even if there is a cause of an error in the operation processing of multiple devices or the data itself handled by the device, the cause of the error can be accurately identified. Become.
[0114]
  In addition, the first to fifth processing operation examples are included.Embodiment of the present inventionIn the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a printer is described as an example. However, any other image processing apparatus can be used as long as it can execute image data processing jobs such as copy jobs, scan jobs, and fax jobs. Needless to say, this is applicable.
[0115]
  Also,Embodiment of the present inventionThe log processing information control unit 44 uses the processing table to manage the contents of the processing corresponding to the error number, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the management of the processing contents does not depend on the method, and the same effect can be obtained even if the management is based on the error attribute, for example. further,Embodiment of the present inventionIn the above example, the processing contents are directly registered in the processing table. However, the same effect can be obtained even when only the execution parameters of the processing registered in advance are changed.
[0116]
  In addition, the content of the processing to be performed in response to the error occurrence isEmbodiment of the present inventionVarious things other than those described in the above are conceivable. For example, as processing corresponding to an error number, in addition to processing in the device related to the error that has occurred, processing outside the device such as notifying the client device that an error has occurred can be considered. In this case, since information is collected in an external device, it is preferable to note that the external device generates a signal that does not miss data. Furthermore, even if there is no dedicated tool such as an external device with an error analysis function, it is possible to collect and analyze failure information when an error occurs so that the processing corresponding to the error number It is also possible to print out the data that has been generated and the log information at the time of the error.
[0117]
In addition, when a network failure error is detected during processing, a process for storing the network packet information that causes the failure in addition to the occurrence time, the occurrence processing application, the source data (file), the location where the data is generated Can also be considered. In this way, not only the data received by the printer device but also the data being transferred over the network can be collected to identify the packet causing the failure. This is effective in analyzing the cause of a failure when a failure occurs in the print output due to the status.
[0118]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, even when an unexpected error occurs during the execution of a job, the error can be dealt with better than before. Become.
[0120]
  That is, for example, if an error occurs during job execution, the data that was processed when the error occurred, its processing part, and the application that processes this dataIdentifyBy extracting the information in association with each other, it is possible to accurately collect information for identifying the cause of the error occurrence, and further to quickly identify the cause of the error occurrence from the collected information. Moreover, the applicationIdentifySince information is also extracted, even if there is a cause of an error in the operation processing of a plurality of devices or the data itself handled by the device, the cause of the error can be accurately identified.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[Figure 1]Specific example of image processing apparatusIt is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of content information of a job log in the case of a print job.
3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing operation of job / log storage / update in the image processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing operation at the time of initialization of job / log management means in the image processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of content information of a remaining job log of a job whose power is cut off during execution.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of content information of a processing result job log generated based on a remaining job log.
[Fig. 7]Configuration example of image processing apparatus according to the present inventionFIG.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a first processing operation example when the image processing apparatus of FIG. 7 performs log management.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a second processing operation example when the image processing apparatus of FIG. 7 performs log management.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a third processing operation example when the image processing apparatus in FIG. 7 performs log management.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth processing operation example when the image processing apparatus in FIG. 7 performs log management;
12 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth processing operation example when the image processing apparatus in FIG. 7 performs log management.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,9 ... Operation means, 2 ... Job control means, 3 ... Image input / output means, 4 ... Job log management means, 5 ... Storage means, 31 ... Network interface part, 32 ... System control part, 33 ... Memory management part 34 ... Print processing management unit, 35 ... Image data development processing unit, 36 ... Recording output unit, 37 ... Recording output control unit, 38 ... Operation control unit, 39 ... Operation panel, 40 ... Log information processing unit, 41 ... Error Information detecting unit 42... Print information detecting unit 43... Log information recording control unit 44.

Claims (5)

Storage and storage means for storing and storing data necessary for execution of an image input / output job for performing at least one of input and output of image data;
Job execution means for executing the image input / output job using data stored and stored in the storage storage means;
Error detection means for detecting an execution error of the image input / output job in the job execution means;
While the job execution means is performing the image input / output job using the data in the storage storage means, if the error detection means detects the occurrence of an execution error, the job execution is performed when the execution error occurs. Log extraction means for extracting , as log information, information for identifying the processing part of the data processed by the means and information for identifying the application that was processing the data when the execution error occurred An image processing apparatus. When the error detection unit detects an execution error, the error detection unit includes a log information processing unit that identifies a type of the execution error and performs processing corresponding to the identified type on the extraction result by the log extraction unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a registration unit configured to register the content of processing performed by the log information processing unit for each type of execution error. When a plurality of processing contents are registered by the registration means for one type of execution error, a selection means is provided for selecting the processing contents to be performed by the log information processing means from the registered processing contents. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3. 4. A rank specifying means for specifying an execution order of registered processing contents when a plurality of processing contents are registered in the registration means for one type of execution error. Or the image processing apparatus of 4.

Images