JP2007276411A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation apparatus capable of transmitting control data at a high speed between control units of devices installed in the image formation apparatus and a system control unit which performs overall control of the control units of the devices without increasing cost. <P>SOLUTION: The image formation apparatus 1 comprises a plurality of control units at least including a scanner control unit 120 and a print control unit 130 and the system control unit 15 which performs overall control of the control units, and the system control unit 15 and the control units are connected by one-way image buses 17a and 17b which transfer image data and a bidirectional serial bus 16 which transmits control data. The image formation apparatus 1 has communication control means 120 and 150 for transmitting part of the control data, which is transmitted via the serial bus 16, via the image buses 17a and 17b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a plurality of control units including at least a scanner control unit and a print control unit, and a system control unit that performs overall control of the plurality of control units, and includes an image between the system control unit and each control unit. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus connected by a one-way image bus for transferring data and a bidirectional serial bus for exchanging control data.

  In recent years, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a multifunction peripheral, each device such as a document reading device and a printing device is controlled by each control unit, and each of the control units is comprehensively controlled by a system control unit. . The system control unit and the respective control units transmit and receive command data and status data to and from each other via a serial bus so as to grasp the respective states and execute commands. With the increase in functionality and functionality, data to be transmitted and received continues to increase, and a low-speed serial bus has a problem in that communication delay occurs when the power is turned on.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 includes a communication control device that controls serial communication that transmits a command and receives a status with an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, and the communication control device includes the image control unit. An image forming apparatus having control means for performing control for simplifying serial communication with a forming means in accordance with communication contents, simplifying serial communication between a memory control unit and a recording unit and shortening communication time There has been proposed an image forming apparatus that can be realized.

JP 2001-202207 A

  However, in the image forming apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1, serial communication between the memory control unit and the recording unit is simplified and communication time is shortened. There is a limit in shortening the communication time when there is a large amount of communication of the serial communication, including the use of the serial communication, and there is room for further improvement.

  An object of the present invention is to provide control data between a control unit of each apparatus included in an image forming apparatus and a system control unit that performs overall control of the control unit of each apparatus, in view of the above-described prior art, without increasing costs. Another object is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be exchanged at high speed.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first characteristic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a plurality of controls including at least a scanner control unit and a print control unit, as described in claim 1 of the document of the claims. And a system control unit that performs overall control of the plurality of control units, and exchanges control data with a one-way image bus for transferring image data between the system control unit and each control unit. An image forming apparatus connected by a bi-directional serial bus, comprising communication control means for transmitting a part of control data transmitted via the serial bus via the image bus. .

  In general, an image bus for transferring image data has higher quality and higher speed than a serial bus for exchanging control data. According to the above-described configuration, by using the existing image bus for transmitting a part of the control data, it is possible to avoid a delay in control timing without using a costly high-speed serial bus, and necessary control data. Can be transmitted reliably and at high speed.

  In the second feature configuration, as described in claim 2, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the communication control unit is configured such that the control data to be transmitted has a capacity larger than a predetermined capacity. The control data is transmitted through the image bus.

  When the capacity of the control data is small, the time required for transmitting the control data via the serial bus is small, but when the capacity is large, the time required for the transmission is not small, and the system This will affect the overall processing speed. According to the above configuration, when the capacity of the control data is larger than a predetermined capacity, the control data is transmitted through the large-capacity and high-speed image bus, so that the time required for transmission is reduced. can do.

  In the third feature configuration, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, the communication control means transmits control data to the image bus when the apparatus is started up or shut down. It is in the point to transmit via.

  According to the above-described configuration, a large amount of control data generated at the time of starting up or shutting down the apparatus can be transmitted via the large-capacity and high-speed image bus. It is possible to shorten the time required for the process.

  In the fourth feature configuration, in addition to the first or second feature configuration described above, the control data is transmitted from the scanner control unit to the system control unit when the apparatus is started up. This is the status data sent to

  According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to transmit at high speed status data transmitted from the scanner control unit to the system control unit, which is generated in large quantities when the apparatus is started up.

  In the fifth feature configuration, in addition to the first or second feature configuration described above, the control data is transferred from the system control unit to the print control unit when the apparatus is started up. The command data to be transmitted to.

  According to the above-described configuration, command data transmitted from the system control unit, which is generated in large quantities when the apparatus is started up, to the print control unit can be transmitted at high speed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the control data between the control unit of each apparatus included in the image forming apparatus and the system control unit that performs overall control of the control unit of each apparatus can be transmitted at high speed without increasing the cost. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be exchanged between the two.

  Embodiments of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the copying machine 1 as an example of the image forming apparatus has a plurality of menu setting keys for setting various operation menus, a start key for starting a copying operation using the set menus, and the like. Based on the arranged operation unit 10, a scanner unit 12 that sequentially reads a series of documents set on the document placement unit 11 and converts them into electronic data, image data converted into electronic data by the scanner unit 12, and the like. The printing unit 13 forms and outputs a toner image on paper fed in a paper cassette 14 and the control block of a system control unit 15 that performs overall control of the copying machine 1. Yes.

  The operation unit 10 includes an input / output unit 101 composed of a numeric key for designating the number of copies, a hard key such as a start key for starting a copying operation, and a touch panel type display unit, and an operation control for controlling the input / output unit 101. The CPU 100 is a part, a ROM 102 in which an operation program of the CPU 100 is stored, and a RAM 103 which is a work area, and these are mutually connected by an internal bus 104.

  The scanner unit 12 includes a CPU 120, a ROM 122 storing an operation program of the CPU 120, a scanner control unit including a RAM 124 used as a working area, and a scanning reading mechanism 121 controlled by the scanner control unit. The original set on the original placement unit 11 is scanned and read by the CCD, and the read image data is subjected to shading correction and transferred to the system control unit 15 via an image bus 17a described later.

  The print unit 13 includes a CPU 130, a ROM 132 storing an operation program of the CPU 130, a print control unit including a RAM 134 used as a working area, and a print mechanism 131 controlled by the print control unit. An image formed by a print head 131b driven based on image data transferred from the system control unit 15 via an image bus 17b described later is printed on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette 14. Output.

  The system control unit 15 controls printing of the scanner unit 12 and the printing unit 13 in synchronization with each other based on operation information from the operation unit 10 and outputs image data from the scanner unit 12 to output image data. It performs image processing to be converted, and is mainly used as a CPU 150 that performs printing control, an ASIC 151 that mainly performs image processing, a ROM 152 that stores various control programs and the like, a working area, and an image buffer. The RAM 153 includes a device that is backed up by a battery or a battery, and the HDD 154 that stores image data.

  A synchronous or asynchronous serial bus 16 having a transmission speed of about 10 Kbps is connected to the CPUs 100, 120, 130, and 150 of each control block described above, and communication control means that constitutes a part of the CPU 150. The communication control is performed so that each block performs a predetermined printing operation in synchronization.

  That is, the CPU 150 sequentially transmits control data including commands and parameters for sequence control, state confirmation, or state setting to the respective CPUs 100, 120, and 130 via the serial bus 16, and the CPUs 100, 120, From 130, control data consisting of status data as an answer to the command or control data consisting of spontaneous status data is received. The control data includes a fixed-length command part or status part, and variable-length parameters that define in detail the contents of the command part or status part.For example, in the case of a document image reading command, a command for starting reading, It consists of parameters such as reading size, magnification, and resolution. Some of the parameters also include a parameter for specifying a bus for transmitting control data to be described later.

  Further, the copying machine 1 includes a one-way image bus 17a for transferring input image data read by the scanner unit 12 to the system control unit 15, and output image data generated by the system control unit 15 as the above-described image data. A unidirectional image bus 17b for transferring to the printing unit 13 is provided, and image data is transferred in synchronization with a command sent via the serial bus 16 or a predetermined timing signal sent via a local communication line. It is configured as follows.

  Specifically, the image buses 17a and 17b are configured to transfer image data at a transmission rate of about 400 Mbps by LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) which is a kind of differential data transmission method.

  Hereinafter, the exchange of control data and image data when the copying operation is executed in the copying machine 1 will be described.

  When it is input from the input / output means 101 of the operation unit 10 that a copy key has been operated, copy key information is sent from the operation unit 10 to the system control unit 15 via the serial bus 16. The system control unit 15 transmits a document image reading command to the scanner control unit.

  Upon receiving the document image reading command, the scanner control unit returns status data indicating that document reading is started to the system control unit 15 via the serial bus 16, and executes document image reading control. The read document image data is transmitted to the system control unit 15 via the image bus 17a.

  The system control unit 15 that has received the image data performs predetermined image processing by the ASIC 151 to generate output image data, while being selected by the print control unit 13 via the serial bus 16. A print command having parameters such as the paper feed cassette 14 is transmitted.

  The print control unit returns status data indicating that paper feeding is started to the system control unit 15 via the serial bus 16, and removes paper from the paper feeding cassette 14 selected based on the received parameter. When the paper is fed and transported to a predetermined position, status data for requesting transfer of image data is transmitted to the system control unit 15 via the serial bus 16.

  Upon receipt of the status data, the system control unit 15 transmits the output image data via the image bus 17b, and the print control unit that has received the output image data performs a printing process based on the data. Execute. The output image data is sent to the print head 131b provided in the print mechanism 131 via the buffer circuit 131a for printing processing. When the print preparation is completed, the output image data is directly sent to the system control unit 15. A local signal line for requesting transfer of image data may be provided between the system control unit 15 and the print mechanism or the print control unit.

  The print control unit that has output the paper after the printing process transmits a paper discharge status to the system control unit 15 via the serial bus 16. A series of printing processes are executed by repeating transmission and reception of such commands and statuses.

  Further, the communication control means provided in the system control unit 15 receives a part of control data including commands and status data transmitted via the serial bus 16, for example, status data having a large transmission capacity, It is configured to control to transmit via the image buses 17a and 17b.

  For example, when the copying machine 1 is started up, the system control unit 15 is in a normal operating environment for each control block or how various operation parameters necessary for control are set. It is necessary to inquire or transmit setting information such as how maintenance information is set. Such setting information has a very large capacity, and transmission / reception via the serial bus 16 requires a very long communication time, resulting in a problem that the rise time of the system becomes long.

  Therefore, the system control unit 15 sets a command for requesting setting information to the scanner control unit via the serial bus 16 and the command via the image bus 17a when the copying machine 1 is started up. A parameter for returning information is added and transmitted. After receiving the command, the scanner control unit transmits setting information including diagnostic information, specification information such as a maximum readable size and resolution, and the like via the image bus 17a. The transmitted setting information is received by the ASIC 151 and stored in the RAM 153. The system control unit 15 performs necessary processing based on the setting information of each unit stored in the RAM 153. For example, when it is determined from the diagnosis information that an abnormality has occurred, control is performed so that a service call is displayed on the operation unit 10 via the serial bus 16.

  Further, the system control unit 15 transmits a command requesting similar setting information to the print control unit when the copying machine 1 is started up. After receiving the command, the print control unit returns limited setting information such as diagnostic information. In this system, various setting information necessary for the print control unit is stored and managed in the RAM 153 of the system control unit 15, particularly a non-volatile or battery-backed RAM. Information is transmitted to the print control unit via the image bus 17b.

  More specifically, the system control unit 15 adds a command for transmitting setting information via the serial bus 16 and a parameter for transmitting setting information via the image bus 17b to the command. When an acknowledgment is returned from the print control unit, setting information is transmitted from the image bus 17b. When the print control unit receives the command, it sends back an acknowledge via the system bus 16, reads the setting information sent via the image bus 17b from the buffer circuit 131a, and stores it in the RAM 134.

  Such setting information includes adjustment data and history data necessary for print control, such as fine adjustment of the print position by the print head 131b, toner remaining amount, and the like. Such adjustment data and history data are transmitted to the system control unit 15 via the serial bus 16 and managed as status data during printing operations or adjustments by service personnel. Here, of the parameters added to the command, the parameter for specifying the bus for transmitting the control data is constituted by flag data, for example. When set, the image bus 17b is selected, and when reset, the serial bus is selected. 16 is configured to be selected.

  Another embodiment will be described below. In the above-described embodiment, the image buses 17a and 17b have a one-way bus configuration installed between the scanner control unit and the system control unit and between the system control unit and the print control unit. Instead, it may be configured by a single image bus shared by the scanner control unit, the print control unit, and the system control unit.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control data is transmitted via the image buses 17a and 17b at the time of starting up the copying machine 1 where there is no opportunity to transfer the image data. Instead, the communication control means is configured to control the control data to be transmitted via one of the image buses 17a and 17b at an arbitrary timing when the capacity of the control data to be transmitted is larger than a predetermined capacity. It is good. In this case, the control data needs to be transmitted when no image data is transmitted via the image buses 17a and 17b.

  In the embodiment described above, the control data is transmitted via the image buses 17a and 17b when the copying machine 1 is started up. However, the control data to be transmitted when the copying machine 1 is started down. Similarly, the control data may be transmitted via the image buses 17a and 17b when the capacity of the image data is larger than the predetermined capacity. As a result, even when the copying machine 1 is lowered, it is possible to shorten the time required for exchanging control data.

  In the above-described embodiment, description has been made of setting the parameter of the command transmitted from the system control unit 15 to transmit control data using the image buses 17a and 17b. However, the image buses 17a and 17b are set in advance. If the command to transmit the control data is limited by using the program and the scanner control unit or the print control unit is programmed so that it can recognize it, there is no need to make such settings in the parameters, and the communication control means An appropriate command may be selected and transmitted.

  The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the specific configuration of each block can be changed and designed as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

Functional block diagram according to the present invention of a copying machine Illustration of copier

Explanation of symbols

10: Operation unit 12: Scanner unit 13: Print unit 15: System control unit 16: Serial bus 17a: Image bus 17b: Image bus 120: CPU
121: Scanning reading mechanism 130: CPU
131: Print mechanism 131a: Buffer circuit 131b: Print head 150: CPU
151: ASIC

Claims (5)

A plurality of control units including at least a scanner control unit and a print control unit, and a system control unit that performs overall control of the plurality of control units, and transfers image data between the system control unit and each control unit An image forming apparatus connected by a unidirectional image bus and a bidirectional serial bus for exchanging control data,
An image forming apparatus comprising communication control means for transmitting a part of control data transmitted via the serial bus via the image bus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit transmits the control data via the image bus when the capacity of the control data to be transmitted is larger than a predetermined capacity.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit transmits control data via the image bus when the apparatus is started up or shut down.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control data is status data transmitted from the scanner control unit to the system control unit when the apparatus is started up.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control data is command data transmitted from the system control unit to the print control unit when the apparatus is started up.

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