JP2005149391A - Equipment-specific data transmission/reception system and equipment-specific data transmission/reception module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately select cable connection access or radio connection access in transmission/reception of equipment-specific data. <P>SOLUTION: An equipment-specific data transmission/reception module 70 disposed in equipment comprises: a cable connection side input/output part including contact terminals 72 and a cable interface 74; a radio connection side input/output part including an antenna 76 and a radio interface 78; a dual port memory 80 accessible to both cable connection side and radio connection side, and a selection circuit 82 for selecting the access. The dual port memory 80 can communicate by cable connection access with a nonvolatile memory holding equipment-specific data, and can communicate by radio connection access with an external radio transmitter/receiver. The selection circuit 82 selects the cable connection access or radio connection access according to an equipment power ON/OFF detection signal 84 and a radio signal detection signal 86 from the antenna 76. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a device-specific data transmission / reception system and a device-specific data transmission / reception module, and more particularly to a device-specific data transmission / reception system and device for transmitting / receiving device-specific data related to the use conditions or use status of devices to / from an external wireless transmission / reception device. The present invention relates to a unique data transmission / reception module.

  Non-volatile memory for storing device-specific data in the device to trace device-specific data related to the use conditions and usage status of devices such as image processing devices or consumables that can be attached to and removed from the device. A non-volatile memory (NVM) is provided. In addition, it is necessary to turn on the device to read / write device-specific data to / from the non-volatile memory, and the device-specific data cannot be read when the circuit board on which the non-volatile memory is mounted is damaged. In order to reduce, a memory module with a wireless function is used together with a nonvolatile module. Here, the memory module with a wireless function is a circuit module including an antenna, a wireless interface, and a memory, and is sometimes called an RFID (Radio Frequency Identity) chip with an antenna.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the RFID chip 60 with an antenna is attached to the toner cartridge 50, using the copying machine 20 as an example. The copier 20 includes a control board 30 to which power is supplied from a power source 22. The control board 30 is equipped with a CPU 32, a nonvolatile memory 34 for holding device-specific data, and a coupler 40 via an RFID ASIC 38. The system bus 36 is connected to be communicable with each other. The coupler 40 is a transmission / reception circuit having an antenna, and can communicate with the RFID chip 60 with an antenna attached to the toner cartridge 50 by radio. With such a configuration, when the power of the copying machine 20 is on, device-specific data such as the usage conditions of the copying machine 20 and the usage status of the toner cartridge 50 can be written and stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 each time. In addition, device-specific data can be transferred to the RFID chip 60 with an antenna by using wireless transmission / reception between the coupler 40 and the RFID chip 60 with an antenna. If the RFID chip 60 with an antenna is accessed using an external wireless transmission / reception device, the device-specific data held by the RFID chip 60 with an antenna can be read even when the power supply 22 of the copying machine 20 is OFF. You can also rewrite the data.

  However, as is apparent from FIG. 6, when the copier 20 is used, radio transmission / reception is performed between the coupler 40 and the RFID chip 60 with the antenna inside the apparatus, so that radio interference occurs due to the radio signal. There is a fear. In some cases, approval of the Radio Law may be required. In particular, in the case of a device that targets the global market, it is necessary to check each country's Radio Law and take action accordingly.

  In order to avoid this, it is conceivable to use a so-called wired / wireless shared memory or contact / non-contact shared memory that has not only a wireless transmission / reception function but also a wired data transfer in combination with a nonvolatile memory. For example, when the device is in operation, device-specific data is exchanged between the non-volatile memory and the wired / wireless shared memory via wired connection. When the device is not supplied with power due to packaging, etc., wired / wireless connection is possible. If the device-specific data is communicated between the shared memory and the external wireless transmission / reception device, no radio waves are generated inside the device.

  In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses that a contact-type contact pin is provided in a non-contact type IC card to achieve contact / non-contact common use. Patent Document 2 discloses a composite IC card having a contact type and a non-contact type interface and an IC module for the composite IC card, and prohibits the operation by the non-contact type interface when driven by the contact type interface. A technique is described in which operation by a contact type interface is prohibited when driven by a non-contact type interface.

JP-A-10-105669 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-272822

  When the wired / wireless shared memory is used together with the non-volatile memory, an access to the non-volatile memory by wired connection and an access to the external transmission / reception device by wireless connection are possible. Therefore, it is necessary to select these two-way accesses accurately so that the latest device-specific data is held in the wired / wireless shared memory and the nonvolatile memory.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 merely describes providing a contact type contact pin in a non-contact type IC card. Moreover, in patent document 2, in order to prevent the exceptional accident in an IC card, when one of a contact type interface or a non-contact type interface operate | moves, the other operation | movement is only prohibited.

  As described above, the conventional technology is insufficient to accurately perform the bi-directional access selection required when the wired / wireless shared memory is used together with the nonvolatile memory.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a device-specific data transmission / reception system and a device-specific data transmission / reception module that can solve the problems of the prior art and can accurately select access in two directions of wired connection and wireless connection. It is.

  In order to achieve the above object, a device-specific data transmission / reception system according to the present invention is a device-specific data that is attached to a device and transmits / receives device-specific data related to use conditions or use status of the device to / from an external wireless transmission / reception device. A transmission / reception system that reads and writes the device-specific data when the device is turned on, and stores the device-specific data when the device is turned off, via a contact terminal A device-specific data module that transmits / receives the device-specific data to / from the non-volatile memory and transmits / receives the device-specific data to / from the external wireless transmission / reception device via an antenna. The data module is a dual port capable of wired connection access by the contact terminal and wireless connection access by the antenna. And a dual-port memory selection means for selecting access to the device based on the power on / off of the device and the presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna, Selecting means for selecting wireless connection access.

  In addition, when the wireless signal from the antenna is detected during the wired connection access by the contact terminal, the selection unit may switch to the wireless connection access by the antenna after the wired connection access by the contact terminal is completed. preferable.

  Further, it is preferable that the selection unit switches to wired connection access by the contact terminal after the wireless connection access by the antenna is completed when the power of the device is turned on during the wireless connection access by the antenna.

  In addition, the device-specific data transmission / reception module according to the present invention is mounted on a part that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the device, and relates to a use condition or a use situation of the device with the main body of the device via a contact terminal of the attachment / detachment unit. A device-specific data transmission / reception module that transmits / receives device-specific data and transmits / receives the device-specific data to / from an external wireless transmission / reception device via an antenna, wherein the wired connection access by the contact terminal and the wireless by the antenna A dual port memory capable of connection access; and a selection means for selecting access to the dual port memory when the device specific data transmission / reception module is connected to the main body of the device via the contact terminal. The contact terminal based on ON / OFF of the power source of the device and presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna Characterized in that it has a selection unit for selecting a wireless connection access by wired connection access or the antenna with the.

  With at least one of the above-described configurations, the device-specific data transmission / reception system transmits / receives device-specific data between the nonvolatile memory holding the device-specific data and the nonvolatile memory via the contact terminal, and via the antenna. A device-specific data module that transmits / receives device-specific data to / from an external wireless transmission / reception device. The device-specific data module has a dual port memory capable of two-way access, that is, wired connection access using a contact terminal and wireless connection access using an antenna. The access selection of the dual port memory is performed based on ON / OFF of the power supply of the device and presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna. That is, the wired connection access to the dual port memory is always made after the device is turned on, and the wireless connection access is made only when a reception signal from the antenna is received. Therefore, it is possible to accurately select the access in the two directions of the wired connection and the wireless connection based on monitoring ON / OFF of the power source of the device and presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna. For example, device-specific data can be read from and written to the dual port memory and the non-volatile memory based on the latest access.

  Further, according to at least one of the above-described configurations, when a wireless signal from the antenna is detected during wired connection access, the wireless connection access is immediately switched upon completion of the wired connection access. Further, when the power of the device is turned on during the wireless connection access, the wireless connection access is immediately switched to the wired connection access as soon as the wireless connection access is completed. Therefore, it is possible to accurately select the access in the two directions of wired connection and wireless connection. For example, device-specific data can be read from and written to the dual port memory and the non-volatile memory based on the latest access.

  Further, according to at least one of the above configurations, the device-specific data transmission / reception module having a dual port memory capable of wired connection access using a contact terminal and wireless connection access using an antenna is mounted on a detachable component of the device body. . When the device specific data module is connected to the main body of the device via the contact terminal, transmission / reception selection of the dual port memory is performed. In other words, when the part is separated from the device body, the dual port memory only has wireless connection access via the antenna and there is no need to select access, but when the component is attached to the device, the power supply of the device The access is selected based on ON / OFF and the presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna. There is a wired connection access to the dual port memory only after the device is turned on, and there is a wireless connection access only when a reception signal from the antenna is received. Therefore, it is possible to accurately select the access in the two directions of the wired connection and the wireless connection based on monitoring ON / OFF of the power source of the device and presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna. For example, device-specific data can be read from and written to the dual port memory and the non-volatile memory based on the latest access.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, a device to which the device-specific data transmission / reception system according to the present invention is applied will be described as a copying machine. However, an image processing device other than a copying machine, such as a printer or a facsimile device, may be used. In addition to the image processing apparatus, a control device having a nonvolatile memory for storing device-specific data may be used.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a copying machine 20 in which a device-specific data transmission / reception system 10 is mounted. The copying machine 20 includes a power supply 22, a control board 30, and a device specific data transmission / reception module 70. The control board 30 is provided with a CPU 32, a nonvolatile memory 34 for storing device-specific data, and an asynchronous serial communication circuit (UART) 42, which are connected to each other via a system bus 36. The UART 42 and the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 are connected to each other by a detachable attachment / detachment connector 44. Here, the nonvolatile memory 34, the system bus 36, the UART 42, the detachable connector 44, and the device specific data transmission / reception module 70 constitute the device specific data transmission / reception system 10. The copying machine 20 is equipped with other elements for the copying function, but these are not shown in FIG.

  The non-volatile memory 34 is a memory for storing device-specific data. Data can be read / written when the power supply 22 of the copying machine 20 is turned on, and the written data is lost (volatilized) even when the power supply 22 is turned off. It is a memory that can be held without any problems. As the non-volatile memory 34, for example, a semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM (Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) can be used. As described above, the nonvolatile memory 34 is connected to the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 via the system bus 36, the UART 42, and the detachable unit connector 44. Therefore, the nonvolatile memory 34 can communicate with the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 through a wired connection in a state where the power supply 22 is ON.

  In FIG. 1, a memory reader / writer 100 is a wireless transmission / reception device having a function of performing wireless communication of device-specific data with a device-specific data transmission / reception module 70. The memory reader / writer 100 includes an antenna, an analog / digital converter (A / D), and a data processing device connected to the antenna / digital converter (A / D). The memory reader / writer 100 can use, for example, an RFID general-purpose reader / writer that facilitates collection, setting, and modification of device-specific data for maintenance, and a general transmission / reception circuit and A / D conversion. A combination of a circuit and a personal computer (PC) can be used.

  The device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 is a circuit module including a contact terminal suitable for the attachment / detachment unit connector 44, an antenna, and a memory for holding device-specific data, and the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 is connected to the nonvolatile memory 34 via the contact terminal. It has a function of transmitting / receiving unique data and transmitting / receiving device-specific data to / from an external memory reader / writer 100 via an antenna. FIG. 2 shows a more detailed block diagram of the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70. In the following description, the reference numerals shown in FIG. 1 are used.

  The device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 includes a wired connection side input / output unit including a contact terminal 72 and a wired interface 74, a wireless connection side input / output unit including an antenna 76 and a wireless interface 78, a wired connection side, and a wireless connection side. A dual port memory 80 that is accessible to both the connection side and retains device-specific data, and a selection circuit that selects access to the dual port memory 80 are configured.

  The contact terminal 72 is a wired connection terminal having a function of being electrically connected to the connection terminal of the attachment / detachment connector 44, and can be configured by, for example, an electrode pattern or a connection pin arranged on a circuit board. The contact terminal 72 is connected to the wired interface 74. The wired interface 74 is an input / output circuit for matching input / output signals between the nonvolatile memory 34 and the dual port memory 80. In the wired connection, power is supplied from the power supply 22 of the copying machine 20, and this power ON / OFF detection signal 84 is also output from the wired interface 74 and supplied to the selection circuit 82. The detection signal 84 can be output as, for example, an H level when power supply by wired connection is detected and an L level when no power supply is detected.

  The antenna 76 has a function of receiving radio waves from the external memory reader / writer 100 and transmitting radio waves to the memory reader / writer 100, and can be composed of a conductor wound a plurality of times. The wireless interface 78 has a function of performing conversion between the data of the dual port memory 80 and the wireless signal and supplying this as an operating voltage of the device specific data transmitting / receiving module 70 using the wireless signal received by the antenna 76. The circuit includes a reception unit, a transmission unit, a power generation unit, a demodulation unit, a modulation unit, and the like. Note that a detection signal 86 for detecting reception of a radio signal by the antenna 76 is also output from the radio interface 78 and supplied to the selection circuit 82. For example, the detection signal 86 can be output as an H level when an operating voltage due to wireless connection is detected, and as an L level when no operating voltage is detected.

  The dual port memory 80 is a memory capable of wired connection access by the contact terminal 72 and wireless connection access by the antenna 76. For example, a semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM can be used.

  The selection circuit 82 is a circuit having a function of performing access selection of the dual port memory 80. Specifically, based on the detection signal 84 for power ON / OFF of the copying machine 20 and the detection signal 86 for detecting that the antenna 76 has received a wireless signal, the wired connection access by the contact terminal 72 is selected. Alternatively, it has a function of determining whether to select wireless connection access by the antenna 76. This selection can be based on the fact that device-specific data can be used effectively. For example, the non-volatile memory 34 and the dual port memory 80 are selected so that the device-specific data reflecting the latest access is always retained.

  Access selection is performed as follows. First, when the power ON / OFF detection signal 84 is at the L level and the wireless signal detection signal 86 is at the L level, both the wired connection access and the wireless connection access are in a standby state. When the detection signal 84 becomes H level from the standby state and the power supply by the wired connection is detected, the wired connection access is selected. Further, when the detection signal 86 becomes H level from the standby state and the operating voltage of the wireless connection is detected, the wireless connection access is selected. In this way, the earliest access can be prioritized from the standby state, and the device-specific data reflecting the latest access is held in the nonvolatile memory 34 and the dual port memory 80.

  The selection when the wired connection access and the wireless connection access overlap when not in the standby state will be described with reference to FIGS. In these figures, (a) detection signal 84, that is, ON / OFF of power supply 22, (b) detection signal 86, that is, presence / absence of a wireless signal, (c) wired connection access, and (d) wireless connection access, respectively. The change is shown on the horizontal axis and the time axis in common. Regarding the state of wired connection access and wireless connection access, the level when the access is selected is H level, and the state when the access is not selected is L level.

  FIG. 3 shows a case where a radio signal from the antenna is detected at point A during wired connection access by the contact terminal. In this case, the wireless connection access is kept on standby at the point A, and the wireless connection access is switched after waiting for the point B at which the wired connection access is completed.

  FIG. 4 shows a case where the power supply 22 of the copying machine 20 is turned on at point C during wireless connection access by the antenna. In this case, the wired connection access is kept on standby at the point C, and after switching to the point D at which the wireless connection access is completed, the connection is switched to the wired connection access.

  In this way, by immediately switching the access after waiting for the completion of data transfer during communication, priority can be given to the current access, and then the next access in the standby state can be performed. Accordingly, the device specific data reflecting the latest access is always held in the nonvolatile memory 34 and the dual port memory 80.

  The device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 including the dual port memory 80, the selection circuit 82, and the like can be obtained entirely by a single custom LSI. Further, this may be constituted by a plurality of semiconductor chips, or a plurality of electronic components may be arranged on a small circuit board to form a single module.

  As described above, since the memory of the device-specific data transmission / reception module is used as a dual port memory and the selection circuit performs access selection of the dual port memory, radio waves are not generated in the device when the device is turned on. Even when the power of the device is OFF, the device-specific data can be read from and written to the external wireless transmission / reception device by the antenna. By using this function, it is possible to change the device-specific data such as the copying speed in accordance with the user specifications without unpacking the device, for example, at the warehouse or factory of the destination. In addition, by appropriately setting the capacity of the dual port memory, a considerable part of the device specific data held in the non-volatile memory can be transferred to the dual port memory. For example, the control board replacement history, device configuration, etc. Various types of information can also be read and written by an external wireless transmission / reception device. Even if the control board or the like on which the nonvolatile memory is mounted is damaged, the last device specific data can be easily read from the device specific data transmission / reception module.

  The device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 described with reference to FIG. 2 can be attached to a component that can be attached to and detached from the device body. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the toner cartridge 50 is picked up as a part that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the copying machine 20 and a device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 is provided in the toner cartridge 50. Elements common to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The main body of the copying machine 20 and the toner cartridge 50 can be attached and detached by an attachment / detachment connector 44. That is, when the toner cartridge 50 is connected to the main body of the copying machine 20, the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 provided in the toner cartridge 50 and the control board 30 are connected to each other by the attachment / detachment connector 44. When the toner cartridge 50 is removed from the main body of the copying machine 20, the connection between the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 and the control board 30 is released at the attachment / detachment connector 44.

  Therefore, the operation of the device-specific data transmission / reception module 70 when the toner cartridge 50 is connected to the main body of the copying machine 20 is the same as that described with reference to FIGS. In other words, access to the dual port memory 80 of the device specific data transmission / reception module 70 is selected based on ON / OFF of the power supply 22 of the copying machine 20 and the presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna 76. Therefore, as described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, it is possible to accurately select the access in the two directions of the wired connection and the wireless connection. For example, device-specific data can be read from and written to the dual port memory and the non-volatile memory based on the latest access.

  The state when the toner cartridge 50 is separated from the main body of the copying machine 20 is also shown at the tip of the arrow shown in FIG. At this time, the device-specific data can be read from and written to the external memory reader / writer 100. The dual port memory only has a wireless connection access by an antenna and does not require access selection.

  In this way, by attaching the device-specific data transmission / reception module to a component that can be attached to and detached from the device, the dual port memory can be accessed from an external wireless transmission / reception system without supplying power from the device during the component inspection process or at the time of shipment. Since the device-specific data can be read and written, it is possible to reduce the inspection and shipping man-hours. Also, whether or not the component is compatible with the target device can be easily determined by accessing the dual port memory and reading out the device specific data.

  The device-specific data transmission / reception module may be provided as a detachable component such as an ink jet cartridge, a ribbon cartridge, or a photosensitive drum, and a component having different specifications depending on the device. For example, it may be a control board or the like.

It is a figure which shows the mode of the copying machine equipped with the apparatus specific data transmission / reception system of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram of the apparatus specific data transmission / reception module in the embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of access selection in the embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of access selection in the embodiment according to the present invention. In the embodiment according to the present invention, it is a diagram showing a state in which a device-specific data transmission / reception module is provided in a part detachable from the copying machine main body. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an RFID chip with an antenna is attached to a toner cartridge of a copying machine in the related art.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Device specific data transmission / reception system, 20 Copy machine, 22 Power supply, 30 Control board, 34 Non-volatile memory, 36 System bus, 42 UART, 44 Detachable part connector, 50 Toner cartridge, 60 RFID chip, 70 Device specific data transmission / reception module, 72 contact terminals, 74 wired interface, 76 antenna, 78 wireless interface, 80 dual port memory, 82 selection circuit, 84 power ON / OFF detection signal, 86 wireless signal detection signal, 100 memory reader / writer.

Claims (4)

A device-specific data transmission / reception system that is mounted on a device and transmits / receives device-specific data related to use conditions or use status of the device to / from an external wireless transmission / reception device,
A non-volatile memory that reads and writes the device-specific data when the device is on, and holds the device-specific data when the device is off;
A device-specific data module that transmits / receives the device-specific data to / from the nonvolatile memory via a contact terminal, and transmits / receives the device-specific data to / from the external wireless transmission / reception device via an antenna;
With
The device specific data module is:
Dual port memory capable of wired connection access by the contact terminal and wireless connection access by the antenna;
Selection means for selecting access to the dual-port memory, based on power on / off of the device and presence / absence of a reception signal from the antenna, wired connection access by the contact terminal or wireless connection access by the antenna A selection means for selecting
A device-specific data transmission / reception system comprising: In the device specific data transmission / reception system according to claim 1,
When the wireless signal from the antenna is detected during the wired connection access by the contact terminal, the selection unit switches to the wireless connection access by the antenna after the wired connection access by the contact terminal is completed. Device-specific data transmission / reception system. The device-specific data transmission / reception system according to claim 1,
The selection unit switches to wired connection access by the contact terminal after the wireless connection access by the antenna is finished when the power of the device is turned on during the wireless connection access by the antenna. Data transmission / reception system. It is mounted on a part that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the equipment, and device-specific data relating to the use condition or usage status of the equipment is sent to and received from the main body of the equipment via the contact terminals of the detachable portion, and externally via an antenna. A device-specific data transmitting / receiving module for transmitting / receiving the device-specific data to / from the wireless transmitting / receiving apparatus of
Dual port memory capable of wired connection access by the contact terminal and wireless connection access by the antenna;
When the device-specific data transmission / reception module is connected to the main body of the device via the contact terminal, the selection unit performs access selection of the dual port memory, and the device power ON / OFF and the device Selection means for selecting wired connection access by the contact terminal or wireless connection access by the antenna based on the presence or absence of a reception signal from the antenna;
A device-specific data transmission / reception module comprising:

Images