JP2006212840A - Digital composite machine and printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect a card reading section without being connected to an outer device, to enhance detection precision and to shorten detection hour required for checking operations of the card reader section, in a printer device and a digital composite machine. <P>SOLUTION: The digital composite machine 1 is provided with the card reader section 2 for writing and reading data with respect to a memory card fitted into a card slot, a printer section 4, an LCD 5 displaying various types of messages, a memory 11 for storing an inspection program P to inspect the card reader section 2, and a control section 12 which executes processing based on an inspection program P, writes and reads the test data with respect to the memory card inserted into the card slot and displays a message on the LCD 5 that normal writing and/or reading of the test data can not be carried out, when the writing and or reading of the test data fails. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital multi-function peripheral including a scanner unit and a printer unit, and a printer apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printer devices and digital multifunction peripherals (hereinafter referred to as printer devices and the like) are rapidly spreading in general households as products have higher functions and lower prices. In particular, a personal computer can be used simply by connecting a printer or the like to a digital camera with a cable, or simply inserting a flash memory card (hereinafter referred to as a memory card) into a card slot formed in the printer or the like. Printer apparatuses and the like that can directly print out an image without becoming widespread (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The above-mentioned memory card has various standards such as an SD memory card, a memory stick, a smart media, an xD picture card, and a compact flash (registered trademark), and the shape differs depending on each standard. Usually, a printer device or the like that can perform direct printing from a memory card includes a card reader section having a card slot into which a plurality of types of memory cards can be mounted so as to be compatible with these various memory cards.

  By the way, with respect to a printer device or the like provided with such a card reader unit, the operation of the card reader unit is normally confirmed before product shipment. The conventional inspection method uses an inspection device such as a personal computer in which a program for inspecting the card reader unit is installed, and since such an inspection device is connected to a printer device or the like, the inspection is necessarily performed. An external device is required in addition to a certain printer device.

  Although not related to the inspection of the card reader unit, an extended storage having a flash memory or the like in which test data for test printing is stored as a printer device capable of performing test printing without being connected to an external device An apparatus is known in which a means is connected to an expansion means having a SIMM connector or the like equipped in a printer device, and test printing is performed based on the test data (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-334157 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-24662

  However, in the conventional inspection method in which the card reader unit is inspected by connecting the inspection device and the printer device or the like, even if there is no problem in the card reader unit of the printer device or the like and there is a problem in the inspection device side, the card reader Since the unit cannot be operated normally, it may be determined that the card reader unit is defective even when the card reader unit is not defective, and there is a problem in inspection accuracy.

  Further, in the conventional inspection method, since the inspection cannot be started unless the connection between the printer device and the inspection apparatus is established, the time required for the inspection becomes long and it is difficult to perform the inspection efficiently.

  Note that the above-described printer device described in Patent Document 2 is a device that can perform test printing without being connected to an external device, and cannot solve the above-described problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and enables the card reader unit to be inspected without connecting the printer device to an external device, improving the inspection accuracy and confirming the operation of the card reader unit. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer device and a digital multi-function peripheral that can shorten the inspection time required for the above-mentioned.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 has a card slot into which a plurality of types of flash memory cards can be mounted, and performs writing and reading of data to and from the flash memory card mounted in the card slot. Controls a card reader unit, a scanner unit that reads image data from a document, a printer unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on input image data, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays various messages, and the device In a digital multi-function peripheral comprising a storage unit for storing a program for performing a process and a control unit for executing various processes based on the program stored in the storage unit and controlling the apparatus, the storage unit includes the For all types of flash memory cards that can be installed in the card slot, An inspection program for inspecting whether or not data can be written and read is stored, and the control unit executes processing based on the inspection program and inserts it into the card slot for an inspector of the apparatus Inserting card instruction means for displaying a message for instructing the type of flash memory card to be displayed on the LCD, and writing and reading test data to the flash memory card inserted into the card slot according to the insertion card instruction means Writing / reading test means for determining whether writing and reading of the test data is successful, and when the writing / reading of the test data by the writing / reading test means fails, the card Before the flash memory card inserted in the slot successfully A message indicating that test data cannot be written and / or read is displayed on the LCD. When the test data is successfully written and read, the flash memory card inserted in the card slot is normally The inserted card functions in a predetermined order for all types of flash memory cards that can be mounted in the card slot, functioning as test result notification means for displaying on the LCD a message that the test data can be written and read. The card reader unit is inspected without using another inspection device by repeating the processing by the instruction unit, the write / read test unit, and the inspection result notification unit.

  The invention of claim 2 has a card slot for mounting a flash memory card, a card reader unit for writing and reading data to and from the flash memory card mounted in the card slot, and input image data A printer unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a display unit that displays various messages, a storage unit that stores a program for controlling the apparatus, and various processes based on the program stored in the storage unit In a printer device comprising a control unit that executes and controls the device, is it possible for the storage unit to write and read data to and from the flash memory card inserted into the card slot by the card reader unit? An inspection program for inspecting whether or not is stored, and the control unit stores the inspection program A write / read test that executes processing based on the test data and writes / reads test data to / from the flash memory card inserted into the card slot and determines whether the test data is successfully written / read. And / or when the writing / reading of the test data by the writing / reading test means fails, the test data can be normally written and / or written to the flash memory card inserted into the card slot. It functions as a test result notifying means for displaying a message to the effect that reading cannot be performed on the display unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printer device according to the second aspect, a plurality of types of flash memory cards can be mounted in the card slot of the card reader unit, and the program stored in the storage unit is stored in the card unit. It is characterized in that all types of flash memory cards that can be mounted in the slot are inspectable.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the inspection program is stored in the storage unit, and the card reader unit is inspected based on the inspection program. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare an inspection device other than the digital multifunction peripheral. In addition, the digital multi-function peripheral can be inspected in a stand-alone state, and the card reader unit can be inspected without depending on the state of other inspection apparatuses, so that the inspection accuracy can be improved. In addition, since it is possible to save the trouble of connecting the digital multi-function peripheral and another inspection device, the inspection time required for confirming the operation of the card reader unit can be shortened.

  In addition, since the message for instructing the type of the flash memory card to be inserted into the card slot is displayed on the LCD by the insertion card instruction means, the inspector of the apparatus does not need to remember the order of the flash memory cards to be inspected, The inspection can be performed easily.

  In addition, since it has a card slot that can accept multiple types of flash memory cards, and the inspection program supports inspection of these flash memory cards, it has a card reader unit that supports multiple types of flash memory cards. Can be inspected.

  According to the second aspect, since the inspection program is stored in the storage unit and the card reader unit is inspected based on the inspection program, the inspection accuracy can be improved and the inspection time required for checking the operation of the card reader unit Can be shortened.

  According to the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, there is a card slot into which a plurality of types of flash memory cards can be mounted, and the inspection program supports inspection of these flash memory cards. The card reader unit corresponding to a plurality of types of flash memory cards can be inspected.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, as an example of a printer device and a digital multifunction device, a case where a digital multifunction device including a flat bed type scanner unit and an ink jet type printer unit is used will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 has card slots 21 and 22 into which a plurality of types of flash memory cards (hereinafter referred to as memory cards) can be inserted. A card reader unit 2 that writes and reads data to and from a memory card, a scanner unit 3 that reads image data from a document, and a printer unit that forms an image on a recording sheet (recording medium) based on the input image data 4, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) (display unit) 5 for displaying various messages, and an operation unit 6 operated by a user.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the above-described configuration, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 includes a memory (storage unit) 11 that stores a program for controlling the apparatus and various programs based on the program stored in the memory 11. And a control unit 12 that executes processing and controls the apparatus. The control unit 12 executes a card reader unit inspection process, which will be described later, based on the inspection program P stored as firmware in the memory 11, thereby providing an insertion card instruction unit, a write / read test unit, and an inspection result notification unit. Function as.

  The scanner unit 3 includes a placement table on which a document is placed, an image reading unit that reads image data by irradiating light on the document placed on the placement table and receiving reflected light, and an image reading unit. It has a drive unit for driving and a scanner image processing unit for processing image data read by the image reading unit (all not shown).

  The printer unit 4 includes an inkjet head that forms an image on recording paper, a paper feeding unit that conveys the recording paper, a carriage unit that scans the head, and printer image processing that processes input image data for printing. (Both not shown).

  The card reader unit 2 has a card slot 21 for inserting an SD memory card, memory stick, smart media, and xD picture card on the upper side, and a card slot 22 for inserting a compact flash (registered trademark) on the lower side. Respectively. The card reader unit 2 writes and reads data to and from a memory card mounted in the card slots 21 and 22, and for example, records image data stored in the memory card on a recording sheet or the like by the printer unit 4. The image data is read from the memory card. The card reader unit 2 can also store image data read by the scanner unit 3 in a memory card.

  Next, the card reader unit inspection process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When a predetermined button on the operation unit 6 is operated, the control unit 12 starts a card reader unit inspection process, and performs an SD memory card test process (# 1), a memory stick test process (# 2), and a smart media test process (# 3) The xD picture card test process (# 4) and the compact flash (registered trademark) test process (# 5) are executed in this order, and data can be written and read by the card reader unit 2 for various memory cards. Inspect whether or not.

  The SD memory card test process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5D. When the SD memory card test process is started, the control unit 12 displays the memory card insertion instruction screen 51 shown in FIG. 5A on the LCD 5 to the card inspectors 21 and 22 for the inspector of the apparatus. A message 51a for instructing the type of memory card to be inserted is displayed (# 21) (functions as an insertion card instruction means). The memory card insertion instruction screen 51 also displays a message 50 for informing the inspector that the SD memory card test process is being performed.

  The inspector inserts the SD memory card into the card slot 21 in accordance with the instruction on the memory card insertion instruction screen 51. When an SD memory card is inserted into the card slot 21 and the SD memory card is detected by the card reader unit 2 (YES in # 22), the control unit 12 determines whether or not the SD memory card is write protected. (# 23) If the write protect is applied (YES in # 23), the write protect notification screen 52 shown in FIG. 5B is displayed on the LCD 5 (# 24). When the SD memory card is removed from the card slot 21 (YES in # 25), the process returns to step # 21 to execute the process. The inspector releases the write protection of the SD memory card in accordance with the message 52 a that is displayed on the write protect notification screen 52 and instructs to release the write protection of the SD memory card, and reinserts the SD memory card into the card slot 21.

  On the other hand, if the SD memory card is not write protected (NO at # 23), the test data is written (# 26) and read from the SD memory card inserted into the card slot 21 (# 27), It is determined whether or not the writing and reading of the test data are successful (# 28) (functions as a writing / reading test unit).

  When the test data writing and / or reading fails (NO in # 28), the control unit 12 displays the NG screen 53 shown in FIG. A message 53a indicating that the test data cannot be normally written to and / or read from the inserted SD memory card is displayed on the LCD 5 (# 29). If the test data is successfully written and read (# 29) 28), the OK screen 54 shown in FIG. 5 (d) is displayed on the LCD 5, and a message that the test data has been normally written to and read from the SD memory card inserted in the card slot 21. 54a is displayed on the LCD 5 (# 31) (functions as an inspection result notifying means).

  When the NG screen 53 is displayed (# 29), the inspector takes out the SD memory card and checks whether there is any abnormality in the card, and inserts the SD memory card into the card slot 21 again. Thus, it is determined whether or not the card reader unit 2 operates normally. At this time, when the SD memory card is removed (YES in # 30) and the SD memory card is reinserted (YES in # 22), the control unit 12 again writes and / or reads test data ( # 26, # 27), the card reader unit 2 is inspected.

  On the other hand, when the writing and reading of the test data are successful (YES in # 28), after the OK screen 54 is displayed (# 31), the SD memory card test process is terminated, and the memory stick test process is subsequently performed. Be started. The inspector inserts the memory stick into the card slot 21 in accordance with the message displayed on the LCD 5 and inspects the card reader unit 2 for the memory stick, similarly to the SD memory card test process described above.

  Thereafter, the same processing is performed for the smart media, the xD picture card, and the compact flash (registered trademark), whereby all types of memory cards supported by the card reader unit 2 are inspected. For memory cards that do not have a write protect function, such as xD picture cards and compact flash (registered trademark), the processing from step # 23 to step # 25 is omitted in the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, according to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment, the inspection program P is stored in the memory 11 and the card reader unit 2 is inspected based on the inspection program P. Since it is not necessary to prepare an inspection device, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can be inspected in a stand-alone state, and the card reader unit 2 can be inspected without depending on the state of other inspection devices, thereby improving the inspection accuracy. be able to. In addition, since the trouble of connecting the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and other inspection devices can be saved, the inspection time required for checking the operation of the card reader unit 2 can be shortened.

  In addition, since the message 51a for instructing the type of the memory card to be inserted into the card slots 21 and 22 is displayed on the LCD 5 during the card reader unit inspection process, the inspector of the apparatus learns the order of the memory cards to be inspected. There is no need, and the inspection can be easily performed in a step-by-step manner.

  In addition, since the card slots 21 and 22 into which a plurality of types of memory cards can be mounted and the inspection program P supports inspection of these memory cards, a card reader unit corresponding to the plurality of types of memory cards. 2 can be inspected.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 may be a printer device that does not include the scanner unit 3. The memory card may be a memory card other than an SD memory card, a memory stick, a smart media, an xD picture card, and a compact flash (registered trademark). The display unit may not be the LCD 5, but may be an organic EL display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) associated with various messages to the user, or the like.

1 is a perspective view of a digital multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing card reader unit inspection processing by the digital multi-function peripheral. 6 is a flowchart showing SD memory card test processing by the digital multi-function peripheral. It is a figure which shows the screen displayed on LCD at the time of the same SD memory card test process, (a) is a memory card insertion instruction screen, (b) is a write protect notification screen, (c) is an NG screen, (d) is OK. The figure which shows each screen.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital multifunction device 2 Card reader part 3 Scanner part 4 Printer part 5 LCD (display part)
6 Operation part 11 Memory (storage part)
12 Control unit 21, 22 Card slot

Claims (3)

A card slot having a card slot into which a plurality of types of flash memory cards can be mounted; a card reader section for writing and reading data to and from a flash memory card mounted in the card slot; and a scanner section for reading image data from a document A printer unit that forms an image on a recording medium based on the input image data, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays various messages, a storage unit that stores a program for controlling the apparatus, and the storage unit A digital multi-function peripheral comprising a control unit that executes various processes based on a program stored in the
The storage unit stores an inspection program for inspecting whether or not data can be written and read by the card reader unit for all types of flash memory cards that can be mounted in the card slot.
The control unit executes processing based on the inspection program,
An insertion card instruction means for displaying on the LCD a message for instructing the type of the flash memory card to be inserted into the card slot to the inspector of the apparatus;
Write / read test means for writing and reading test data to and from the flash memory card inserted into the card slot according to the inserted card instruction means, and determining whether the test data is successfully written and read; as well as,
When writing and / or reading of the test data by the writing / reading test unit fails, the test data cannot be normally written and / or read from the flash memory card inserted in the card slot. A message indicating that the test data has been successfully written and read from the flash memory card inserted in the card slot when the test data has been successfully written and read. Functions as a test result notification means for displaying a message on the LCD;
For all types of flash memory cards that can be inserted into the card slot, the processing by the insertion card instruction means, the writing / reading test means, and the inspection result notifying means is repeated in a predetermined order. A digital multi-function machine that inspects the card reader unit without using any of the above inspection devices. A card slot for mounting a flash memory card, a card reader unit for writing and reading data to and from the flash memory card mounted in the card slot, and an image on a recording medium based on the input image data A printer unit to be formed, a display unit for displaying various messages, a storage unit for storing a program for controlling the device, and a control for controlling the device by executing various processes based on the program stored in the storage unit A printer device comprising:
The storage unit stores an inspection program for inspecting whether data can be written and read by the card reader unit with respect to the flash memory card inserted into the card slot,
The control unit executes processing based on the inspection program,
Write / read test means for writing and reading test data to and from the flash memory card inserted into the card slot, and determining whether or not the writing and reading of the test data is successful, and
When writing and / or reading of the test data by the writing / reading test unit fails, the test data cannot be normally written and / or read from the flash memory card inserted in the card slot. A printer device that functions as an inspection result notification unit that displays a message to the effect on the display unit. The card slot of the card reader unit can be mounted with a plurality of types of flash memory cards,
3. The printer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the program stored in the storage unit is adapted to be inspectable for all types of flash memory cards that can be mounted in the card slot.

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