JP2007336290A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of suppressing power consumption in a power saving state as much as possible, and performing the detection of an abnormality in a self device and the output of abnormality information to an external part in an early stage without imposing excessive processing load on a communication means. <P>SOLUTION: The NIC 5 of a first image processor X checks the start abnormality in a main control unit 9 (S3), and requests the e-mail transmission of the abnormality information to the address of a prescribed manager by transmitting the abnormality information to a second image processor X when starting is abnormal (S6). The second image processor X transmits the abnormality information by e-mail in response to the request (S25). The main control unit 9 of the first image processor X checks the start abnormality of blocks 6-8 to be controlled (S9), and transmits the abnormality information by e-mail to the address of the manager through the NIC 5 (S10). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus including a communication unit that communicates with an external apparatus.

In general, an image processing apparatus such as a printer, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions is an external device (computer or other image processing apparatus) via a communication medium such as a network or a telephone line. Communication means (NIC (Network Interface Card), modem (Modulator-Demodulator), etc.), devices such as print engines and scanners (hereinafter referred to as controlled devices) that perform processing related to image processing, A control unit for controlling the controlled device is provided. Some of the control units have a function of transmitting and receiving e-mails through communication means.
In addition, such an image processing device has a normal operation state when an operation on an operation input unit included in the image processing device and a state in which no data is received from an external device through the communication unit continue for a certain time or more. Some have a function (hereinafter referred to as a sleep function) for shifting to a power saving state (generally referred to as a sleep mode) with low power consumption. In the power saving state, energization (power supply) to the controlled device is cut off, while the communication means and the control unit are often kept in an energized state. The reason for this is to automatically resume energization of devices that are in a non-energized state in response to a request from an external device and automatically return to a normal operating state when the device is in a power saving state. is there.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that, when a print request is received in a power saving state, energizes the entire apparatus and forms an image according to the received print request.
Here, in the image processing apparatus that automatically switches the energization state of the device according to the situation, when the device does not start up normally, the user is not aware of the occurrence of the abnormality, and the problem is that the response is delayed.
On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus that monitors the occurrence of power supply abnormality of its own device and, when detecting a power supply abnormality, transmits the abnormality information to a remote diagnosis device through communication means. Has been.
JP-A-8-101606 JP 2000-203134 A

By the way, in order to further reduce the power consumption of the image processing apparatus, it is effective to reduce the number of devices to be energized in the power saving state as much as possible. In particular, in recent multifunctional image processing apparatuses, a control unit that controls many controlled devices consumes a relatively large amount of power, so that the control unit is brought into a stopped state (non-energized state) in a power saving state. The power saving effect is high.
On the other hand, in a recent multifunctional image processing apparatus, a control unit that controls many controlled devices has a function of monitoring abnormalities of the many controlled devices and transmitting abnormality information externally through communication means. This is effective in simplifying the device configuration (particularly the software configuration).
In addition, in the present situation where an e-mail transmission / reception environment has been established, if an image processing apparatus has a function of transmitting abnormality information of its own apparatus to a predetermined administrator by e-mail, the administrator generates an abnormality in the image processing apparatus. As a result, it is possible to quickly grasp and respond quickly, and this is very convenient.
However, as shown in Patent Document 2, the configuration in which the control unit is responsible for monitoring all of the abnormality of the device cannot interrupt the power supply to the control unit in the power saving state, and thus becomes an obstacle to power saving. was there.
On the other hand, in a multifunctional image processing apparatus, the fact that the communication means performs abnormality monitoring for many controlled devices that are not controlled objects complicates the apparatus configuration (especially the software configuration) and allows communication. There is a problem that an excessive processing load is applied to the means.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to suppress the power consumption in the power saving state as much as possible, and at an early stage without imposing an excessive processing load on the communication means. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of detecting an abnormality of the own apparatus and externally outputting abnormality information.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a communication unit that performs communication processing with an external device, a controlled device that executes processing related to image processing, and a control unit that controls the controlled device. An image processing apparatus includes the following constituent elements (1) to (5).
(1) An energization switching unit that switches between energization of the control unit and the controlled device in a state where the communication unit is maintained energized.
(2) First abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality related to the activation of the controlled device.
(3) Second abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality related to the activation of the control means.
(4) A first abnormality information transmitting unit that is provided in the communication unit and that externally transmits abnormality information through communication by the communication unit when an abnormality is detected by the first abnormality detection unit.
(5) Second abnormality information transmitting means that is combined with the control means and that performs external transmission of abnormality information by communication through the communication means when an abnormality is detected by the second abnormality detecting means.
The image processing apparatus according to the present invention has a function in which the control unit monitors an abnormality detection state of the controlled device that is a control target and externally transmits abnormality information through the communication unit. On the other hand, the communication means performs abnormality detection status monitoring and external transmission of abnormality information only for the control means.
In addition, since it is possible to switch between energization of the control unit and the controlled device while the communication unit is energized, the power saving state where the energization of the control unit and the controlled device is cut off is set. Can do.
In addition, when the control unit is activated from the power saving state, when the activation abnormality of the control unit occurs, the abnormality information is externally transmitted by the communication unit.

Here, the first abnormality information transmitting means transmits the abnormality information to another image processing apparatus (an image processing apparatus having an electronic mail transmission function), thereby transmitting the abnormality information to a predetermined destination by e-mail. Anything that requires to do is suitable.
Accordingly, it is not necessary to normally provide an electronic mail transmission function included in the control unit redundantly in the first abnormality information transmission unit also serving as the communication unit.
In this case, it is conceivable that a destination (communication address of another image processing apparatus) for requesting electronic mail transmission is stored in advance in a storage unit. However, it is also conceivable that another image processing apparatus is in a state where electronic mail transmission cannot be performed (the control unit is stopped).
Therefore, it is preferable that the communication unit also has a communication address acquisition unit that acquires a communication address of another image processing apparatus that can execute the e-mail transmission process by making a predetermined inquiry to the external apparatus. In this case, the first abnormality notifying unit requests transmission of abnormality information by using the communication address acquired by the communication address acquiring unit as a destination.
In addition, it is preferable that the second abnormality notifying unit provided in the control unit performs external transmission of abnormality information by electronic mail transmission.
On the other hand, the present invention can also be understood as an image processing apparatus that receives a request from the image processing apparatus that requests the above-described e-mail transmission.
In other words, the image processing apparatus includes a communication unit that performs communication processing with an external device, and a control unit that controls a controlled device that executes a process related to image processing. Combined with a third anomaly information transmitting means for transmitting the anomaly information to a predetermined destination via the communication means when a request to send the anomaly information via the communication means is received from the processing device It is.

In the image processing apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit has a function of monitoring an abnormality detection state of the controlled device that is a control target and externally transmitting abnormality information through the communication unit. For this reason, the apparatus configuration (particularly, the software configuration) is simplified. On the other hand, since the communication means only needs to perform abnormality detection status monitoring and external transmission of abnormality information for only the control means, an excessive processing load is not imposed on the communication means. For this reason, it is not necessary to replace the processor or the like with a higher function than the conventional one or add new hardware.
In addition, since the image processing apparatus according to the present invention can switch whether the control unit and the controlled device are energized while the communication unit is energized, the energization of the control unit and the controlled device is possible. It can be set as the power-saving state which interrupted | blocked. As a result, the power consumption in the power saving state can be further suppressed. In addition, when starting the control means from such a power saving state, when a start abnormality occurs, the abnormality information is externally transmitted by the communication means, so that early abnormality detection and abnormality information external output are possible. Does not affect.
In addition, the first abnormality information transmission unit provided in the communication unit requests the other image processing apparatus to transmit the abnormality information to a predetermined destination by e-mail. There is no need to provide a transmission function redundantly in the communication means. In addition, the abnormality information of the control means can also be sent by e-mail to a predetermined destination through another image processing apparatus (control means). For this reason, the administrator who is the destination of the e-mail transmission can grasp the occurrence of the abnormality in the image processing apparatus at an early stage and can quickly cope with it, which is very convenient.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. In addition, the following embodiment is an example which actualized this invention, Comprising: It is not the thing of the character which limits the technical scope of this invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus X and an image processing system Z including the image processing apparatus X according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic configuration of a NIC included in the image processing apparatus X. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a main control unit included in the image processing apparatus X, FIG. 4 is a power supply system diagram illustrating a power connection relationship in the image processing apparatus X, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing a weekly schedule for weekly timer control in the image processing apparatus X. FIG.

First, an image processing apparatus X according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image processing system Z including the same will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.
The image processing system Z includes a plurality of image processing apparatuses X that can communicate with each other via a network, and an electronic mail server 31 that can communicate with them.
The image processing apparatus X is configured to be communicable with an external apparatus (terminal 32, e-mail server 31, etc.) via a network 30 such as a LAN or WAN, and includes a NIC 5 as an example of a communication means for performing the communication. ing.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the NIC 5, the image processing apparatus X includes an operation / display unit 2, a hard disk drive 3 (hereinafter referred to as HDD), an image processing calculation unit 4, a scanner unit 6, a printing unit 7, A facsimile unit 8, a main control unit 9, an energization switching circuit 10, a main power source 21, a sub power source 22 and the like are provided.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the main control unit 9, the image processing calculation unit 4, the NIC 5, the scanner unit 6, the printing unit 7, the facsimile unit 8, and the energization switching circuit 10 are connected to each other by a bus 11.
Here, the scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, and the facsimile unit 8 are devices (parts or a set of parts) for processing jobs relating to image processing (image reading jobs, print jobs, facsimile transmission jobs, etc.), respectively. It is controlled by the main controller 9 (an example of control means). Hereinafter, the scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, and the facsimile unit 8 are referred to as controlled blocks.
The image processing apparatus X has a function of performing abnormality notification processing for externally transmitting abnormality information through the NIC 5 when the activation abnormality of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 and the main control unit 9 is detected.

The operation / display unit 2 includes an operation input unit for inputting information and an information display unit. The operation input means includes, for example, a sheet key or a touch panel provided on the surface of the liquid crystal display device. Moreover, the display means is comprised from a liquid crystal display device, an LED lamp, etc., for example. The operation / display unit 2 constitutes a man-machine interface for the user.
The HDD 3 is a large-capacity non-volatile memory that stores processing data as necessary during processing of read image data read from a document, print processing of image data, and the like. Further, the HDD 3 is also used as a storage destination for email data acquired from the email server 31.
The image processing arithmetic unit 4 is configured by a dedicated signal processing circuit or DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., performs various image processing on the image data, and uses a print job described in a predetermined print job description language for image formation. Processing for converting to bitmap image data, processing for generating image data to be transmitted to the terminal 32 (for example, image data subjected to predetermined encoding such as JPEG format), processing for encrypting image data, encryption A process for decoding the converted image data, a process for compressing and encoding the image data, a process for expanding (restoring) the compressed and encoded image data, and the like are performed. The image processing calculation unit 4 is an example of bitmap image data generation means.
A configuration in which the main control unit 9 has the function of the image processing calculation unit 4 is also conceivable.

The scanner unit 6 controls a device that reads an image formed on a document from a document placed on a glass document table (not shown) or a document conveyed by an ADF (not shown), and controls the device. It is a set of parts such as MPU.
The print unit 7 is a so-called print engine controlled by the main control unit 9, and sequentially feeds recording sheets stored in a paper feed cassette (not shown) one by one, and passes through a predetermined image forming position to a paper discharge tray. An image is printed on the recording sheet based on the image data of the document read from the document by the scanner unit 6 and the image data for printing generated by the image processing calculation unit 4 at the image forming position along with the conveyed item. It is a set of components such as a device to be formed (output) and an MPU that controls the device.
The facsimile unit 8 includes an NCU (Network Control Unit), a modem, and the like, performs dial-up and negotiation processing for determining a communication method with a communication partner (partner station), and communicates with other facsimile apparatuses via a telephone line. This is for transmitting and receiving facsimile data.

The NIC 5 is a communication interface that transmits / receives data to / from an external device such as the e-mail server 31 and the terminal 32 through the network 30 including, for example, a LAN and the Internet compliant with the standard IEEE 802.3 (communication means). One case).
The main power supply 21 and the sub power supply 22 are power supply circuits that supply power to each component of the image processing apparatus X.
The energization switching circuit 10 switches whether to connect the sub power source 22 to a commercial power source in accordance with a control signal received from the NIC 5 or the main control unit 9, whereby the main control unit 9, the scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, and the facsimile unit. 8 is a switch circuit for switching whether to individually energize each controlled block such as 8.
The energization switching circuit 10 is configured to be capable of switching whether to energize each of the main control unit 9, the scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, and the facsimile unit 8 independently of energization to the NIC 5. Yes. The energization switching circuit 10 is an example of an energization switching unit that switches between energization / non-energization for the main control unit 9 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 in a state where the NIC 5 is maintained energized.

The main control unit 9 controls each of the scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, the facsimile unit 8, the operation / display unit 2, the HDD 3, and the image processing calculation unit 4.
For example, the main control unit 9 causes the printing unit 7 to execute a printing process (image forming process) based on a print job received through the NIC 5. Further, the main control unit 9 causes the facsimile unit 8 to execute a facsimile transmission process for calling the designated destination telephone number and transmitting the image data to be transmitted. Further, the main control unit 9 causes the scanner unit 6 to execute a scanning process for reading an image formed on the document from the document.
Further, the main control unit 9 receives detection signals from various sensors such as a paper jam sensor, a paper out sensor, and a toner remaining amount sensor, and based on the detection signals, a controlled block (control target block ( The scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, and the facsimile unit 8) have a function of detecting whether or not an abnormality has occurred.
In addition, the main control unit 9 requests the e-mail server 31 that can communicate through the network 30 through the NIC 5 to request and acquire transmission of e-mail data addressed to its own device stored in the storage unit, An e-mail transmission / reception function is also provided for executing processing for transmitting e-mail data in which a destination e-mail address is set to the e-mail server.

Next, the configuration of the NIC 5 provided in the image processing apparatus X will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.
The NIC 5 includes a bus connector 61, a bus control unit 62, an MPU 63, a memory control unit 64, a ROM 65, a flash memory 66, a network control unit 67, a network connector 68, and the like.
The bus connector 61 is a connector connected to the bus 11, and the bus control unit 62 performs signal transmission with other devices through the bus 11.
The network connector 68 is a connector physically connected to the network 30, and the network control unit 67 performs communication control in conformity with a predetermined network protocol such as standard IEEE 802.3 and TCP / IP.
The MPU 63 executes a program stored in advance in the ROM 65 to relay signal transmission between the bus 11 and the network 30 or when a predetermined process is requested from the terminal 32 via the network 30. It is a calculation means for performing various processes such as a process in response to this. The program to be executed is developed and executed in a RAM (not shown) built in the MPU 63. The MPU 63 accesses the ROM 65 and the flash memory 66 via the memory control unit 64.
The ROM 65 of the NIC 5 stores a program executed by the MPU 63 and data referred to by the MPU 63.
On the other hand, the flash memory 66 of the NIC 5 stores data that is stored and referred to in the course of execution of processing by the MPU 63.

The MPU 63 of the NIC 5 includes a clock oscillator 63a that generates an oscillation signal at a constant period. Further, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 acquires the current time from the main control unit 9 at a predetermined timing. The time acquired in this way is hereinafter referred to as a time measurement start time. Then, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 counts the elapsed time from the time when the clocking start time is acquired from the main control unit 9 by accumulating the oscillation signals of the clock oscillator 63a, and sets the elapsed time and the clocking start time. Based on this, the current date and time (current time) is measured.
Here, the current time measured by the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 is reset when the NIC 5 is in a non-energized state. Therefore, when the main control unit 9 is in the “energized state”, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 obtains the time (including date, day, and time) from the calendar management unit 78 of the main control unit 9 described later. Acquire and perform time calibration processing based on the time.
In the time calibration process, for example, when the main control unit 9 is in the “energized state”, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 periodically acquires the time at that time from the calendar management unit 78 of the main control unit 9 and uses this. This is a process of restarting the time measurement based on the clock signal of the clock oscillator 63a by setting the time measurement start time. As a result, the time measured by the NIC 5 is calibrated based on the time measured by the calendar management unit 78. Thereafter, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 continuously measures the time after calibration.

Next, the configuration of the main control unit 9 included in the image processing apparatus X will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.
The main control unit 9 includes a bus connector 71, a bus control unit 72, an MPU 73, a memory control unit 74, a ROM 75, a flash memory 76, an I / O port 77, a calendar management unit 78, and the like.
Here, the bus connector 71, the bus control unit 72, the memory control unit 74, the ROM 75, and the flash memory 76 are the same as the bus connector 61, the bus control unit 62, the memory control unit 64, the ROM 65, and the flash memory 66 provided in the NIC 5, respectively. It has the function of. Of course, it goes without saying that the contents of programs and data stored in the ROM 75 and the flash memory 76 are different from those stored in the ROM 64 and the flash memory 66 of the NIC 5.
The main control unit 9 controls devices related to various image processing by executing programs stored in the ROM 75 and the flash memory 76 by the MPU 73.
The I / O port 77 of the main control unit 9 is a signal line that transmits a control signal output to a device to be controlled, and a signal line that transmits various detection signals input from various sensors by the main control unit 9. Is an interface that relays between these signal lines and the MPU 73.
For example, the I / O port 77 of the main control unit 9 is connected to devices constituting the operation / display unit 2 and the HDD 3 and signal lines leading to various sensors.

The main control unit 9 further includes a calendar management unit 78. The calendar management unit 78 includes a timekeeping circuit that measures time, and detects the current date, day of the week, and time based on the time measured by the timekeeping circuit. The calendar management unit 78 uses a battery charged by the power supplied from the first sub power source 221 as a power source, and operates even if the power supply from the first sub power source 221 is cut off. continue.
In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, flash memories 66 and 76 are provided as nonvolatile storage means capable of writing and reading data by the MPUs 63 and 73. Instead of the flash memories 66 and 76, FIG. It is also conceivable to employ other nonvolatile storage means such as an EEPROM.

Next, an example of a power supply connection relationship for each controlled block in the image processing apparatus X will be described with reference to the power supply system diagram shown in FIG.
In FIG. 4, the power supply line is represented by a solid line, and the other signal transmission lines are represented by broken lines.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus X includes five sub power sources 22. Hereinafter, the first sub power source 221 to the fifth sub power source 225 are referred to.
The main power source 21 is a power source that supplies power to the NIC 5 and the energization switching circuit 10.
The main power supply 21 is provided with a manual changeover switch 40 for manually switching between turning on and off the power supply line according to a manual operation with respect to the commercial power supply 50 serving as a base power supply source for the entire image processing apparatus X. Connected through. By switching the manual changeover switch 40 by the user, whether or not the NIC 5 and the energization switching circuit 10 are energized is switched. Therefore, when the image processing apparatus X is connected to the commercial power supply 50, the NIC 5 and the energization switching circuit 10 are always energized unless the manual changeover switch 40 is switched from the conduction state to the cutoff state by a user operation. It will be in the state. Further, when the manual changeover switch 40 is switched to the shut-off state, the entire image processing apparatus X enters a non-energized state (stopped state).

On the other hand, the first sub power supply 221 is a power supply circuit that supplies power to the control unit 9, the HDD 3, and the image processing calculation unit 4.
The second sub power source 222, the third sub power source 223, the fourth sub power source 224, and the fifth sub power source 225 are respectively provided for the scanner unit 6, the print unit 7, the facsimile unit 8, and the operation / display unit 2. It is a power supply circuit for supplying power.
Further, each of the first sub power supply 221 to the fifth sub power supply 225 automatically switches the commercial power supply 50 between the manual changeover switch 40 and whether the power supply line is turned on or off based on a predetermined control signal. The switches 41 to 45 are connected to each other. As is clear from FIG. 4, the automatic selector switch 41 and the first sub power source 221, the automatic selector switch 42 and the second sub power source 222, the automatic selector switch 43 and the third sub power source 223, the automatic selector switch 44 and the fourth sub power source. The sub power source 224, the automatic changeover switch 45, and the fourth sub power source 225 are in a corresponding relationship.
Thus, after the manual changeover switch 40 is turned on, each of the sub power sources 221 to 225 is turned on only after each of the automatic changeover switches 41 to 45 is turned on.
Hereinafter, turning on and off the power supply line is referred to as ON and OFF, respectively. Similarly, the state in which the power supply line is turned on and the state in which the power supply line is cut off are referred to as an ON state and an OFF state, respectively.
Thereafter, in the image processing apparatus X, the NIC 5 is in an energized state (the manual changeover switch 40 is in a conductive state), and one or more of the main control unit 9 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 are not energized. (One or more of the automatic changeover switches 41 to 44 are in an OFF state) is called a sleep mode. On the other hand, a state in which the NIC 5, the main control unit 9, and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 are energized is referred to as an operation mode.

Here, each of the sub power sources 221 to 225 includes a voltage detection element that switches ON / OFF of a contact signal to be output depending on whether or not a predetermined voltage is generated in the power supply line. The energization switching circuit 10 inputs a contact signal output from the voltage detection element.
Then, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects an energization signal (ON or OFF) corresponding to the output of the voltage detection element of the first sub power supply 221 through the energization switching circuit 10 and the bus 11.
Similarly, the main control unit 9 detects an energization signal (ON or OFF) corresponding to the output of each voltage detection element of the second sub power supply 222 to the fifth sub power supply 225 through the energization switching circuit 10 and the bus 11. To do.
As a result, the MPU 63 and the main control unit 9 of the NIC 5 are connected to the sub power source system when the energization signal from the sub power source corresponding to the one of the automatic changeover switches 41 to 45 switched to the ON state is not turned on. It is possible to detect that a start-up abnormality due to the abnormality is occurring.
That is, the voltage detection element provided in the first sub power supply 221 functions as a sensor that detects a start abnormality of the main control unit 9 (an example of a first abnormality detection unit). Similarly, the voltage detection elements included in the second sub-power supply 221 to the fourth sub-power supply 225 are sensors that detect activation abnormalities of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 and the operation / display unit 2 (an example of second abnormality detection means). Function as.

The energization switching circuit 10 switches ON / OFF of the automatic changeover switches 41 to 45 in accordance with control commands from the NIC 5 and the main control unit 9.
That is, the energization switching circuit 10 switches ON / OFF of the automatic switch 41 in accordance with a control command from the NIC 5, thereby switching ON / OFF of energization to the main control unit 9, the HDD 3, and the image processing apparatus 4. In other words, the NIC 5 also serves as means for executing energization control for the main control unit 9.
Further, the energization switching circuit 10 switches ON / OFF of the automatic changeover switches 42 to 45 in accordance with a control command from the main control unit 9, thereby energizing each controlled block 6 to 8 and the operation / display unit 2. Switch individually. That is, the main control unit 9 also serves as means for executing energization control for each of the controlled blocks 6 to 8.
In addition, the image processing apparatus X includes an operation detection switch 1 that switches between an ON / OFF state according to an operation by a user. The operation detection switch 1 functions as an energization switch for switching the image processing apparatus X between the operation mode and the sleep mode, and its output signal is transmitted to an input port provided in the energization switching circuit 10. .
The MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects the ON / OFF state of the operation detection switch 1 through the energization switching circuit 10 and the bus 11 and switches the automatic switch 41 on / off depending on the detection result.
That is, when the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects that the operation detection switch 1 is switched to the ON state in the sleep mode, the automatic switch 41 is turned ON by controlling the energization switching circuit 10 to start the main The controller 9 is notified to turn on the remaining automatic changeover switch 41. In response to this, the main controller 9 turns on the remaining automatic selector switches 42 to 45. Thereby, the image processing apparatus X shifts to the operation mode.
On the other hand, when the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects that the operation detection switch 1 has been switched to the OFF state when in the operation mode, the MPU 63 notifies the main control unit 9 accordingly. In response to this, unless any job is being processed, the main control unit 9 turns off the automatic switches 42 to 45 and notifies the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 that it has been turned off. In response to this, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 turns off the remaining automatic changeover switch 41 and stops the main control unit 9. Thereby, the image processing apparatus X shifts to the sleep mode.
Thus, since the main control unit 9 also performs energization control on the controlled blocks 6 to 8 to be controlled, when another device (for example, the NIC 5) performs energization control on the controlled blocks 6 to 8. In comparison, the device configuration (especially the configuration of the control software) is simplified, and the safety in control is increased.

In the image processing apparatus X, when each controlled block is energized, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 satisfies the following two conditions (hereinafter referred to as the first sleep condition and the second sleep condition, respectively). Is determined. When one of these sleep conditions is satisfied, the main control unit 9 and the NIC 5 control the energization switching circuit 10, so that the image processing apparatus X is deenergized for one or more controlled blocks. It shifts to the sleep mode that is the state. In this sleep mode, one or more of the five automatic changeover switches 41 to 45 are switched to the “OFF state”, and one or more controlled blocks are set to the “non-energized state”.
When all the controlled blocks 6 to 8 and the main controller 9 are de-energized, the image processing apparatus X has only a few devices (NIC 5 and energization switching circuit 10) including the NIC 5 energized. "Yes"

[First sleep condition]
The first sleep condition is a condition that the current date and time belongs to a time zone set to stop energization in a predetermined time schedule for one week (hereinafter referred to as a weekly schedule). Hereinafter, the weekly timer is used to control the energization states of the main control unit 9 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 by controlling the automatic changeover switches 41 to 45 according to a predetermined weekly schedule (an example of a time schedule). This is called control.
FIG. 6 schematically shows the contents of the weekly schedule WS of weekly timer control. The weekly schedule WS is a schedule set in advance for each of the first sub power supply 221 to the fifth sub power supply 225 (that is, each of the main control unit 9 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8).
Each square in FIG. 6 is a time zone defined by the day of the week (Monday to Sunday) and the time (00 to 23:00). A blank cell represents a time zone set in the “non-energized state”, and a cell marked with “*” represents a time zone set in the “energized state”.
The MPU 63 of the NIC 5 acquires information on the weekly schedule WS for each of the first sub power supply 221 to the fifth sub power supply 225 from the main control unit 9 in advance and stores it in the flash memory 66 in advance.
Further, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 is a time zone in which the current time measured using the clock oscillator 63 a described above is set to either the sleep mode or the operation mode in the weekly schedule WS stored in the flash memory 66. Is determined.
Then, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 controls the energization state of the main control unit 9 by controlling the automatic changeover switch 41 through the energization switching circuit 10 according to the determination result based on the weekly schedule WS. Further, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 delivers the determination result based on the weekly schedule WS to the activated main control unit 9. Then, the main control unit 9 in the activated state controls the automatic changeover switches 42 to 45 through the energization changeover circuit 10 according to the determination result based on the weekly schedule WS, thereby controlling the controlled blocks 6 to 8 and the operation / control blocks. The energization state of the display unit 2 is switched.
The main control unit 9 has a weekly schedule setting function that allows the user to set the contents of the weekly schedule WS by controlling the operation / display unit 2. The weekly schedule WS set by this weekly schedule setting function is transmitted from the main control unit 9 to the NIC 5, and the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 stores it in the flash memory 66.
The MPU 63 of the NIC 5 updates the function of transmitting the weekly schedule WS stored in the flash memory 66 to the terminal 32 and the contents of the weekly schedule WS in response to a request from the external terminal 32 via the network 30. The thing comprised with the function can also be considered.

[Second sleep condition]
The second sleep condition is that there is no operation input through the operation / display unit 2 and no data processing request (print job or the like) is received from an external device through the network 30 for a predetermined time or more. The condition is to continue.
For example, when the NIC 5 determines the success or failure of the second sleep condition, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects the presence / absence of an operation input to the operation / display unit 2 via the main control unit 9 and the bus 11, and also the network control unit 67, the presence or absence of data reception from the terminal 32 is detected.
Further, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 counts the time based on the oscillation signal of the clock oscillator 63a, so that there is no operation input through the operation / display unit 2 and no data reception from the terminal 32 through the network 30. However, it is detected that it has continued for a predetermined time. Then, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 controls the automatic changeover switches 41 to 45 through the energization switching circuit 10 according to the detection result, so that each main control unit 9 and the operation / display unit 2 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 are controlled. To “no power”.

Next, the procedure of abnormality notification processing executed by the image processing apparatus X will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
The abnormality notification process in the present embodiment is realized by two image processing apparatuses X. For this reason, FIG. 5 shows the contents of processing divided into two image processing apparatuses X (first image processing apparatus X and second image processing apparatus). However, for the sake of convenience, this is divided into two units according to the role played in the abnormality notification process, and the image processing apparatus X is processed by either the first image processing apparatus or the second image processing apparatus X, respectively. Is also configured to be executable. Note that S1, S2,... Shown below represent identification symbols of processing procedures (steps).

First, the process of the first image processing apparatus X on the side that performs abnormality detection will be described. In the abnormality notification process shown in FIG. 5, the first image processing apparatus X is in a sleep mode state in which energization to the main control unit 9, the operation / display unit 2, and each of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 is stopped. And
[Steps S1, S2]
In the first image processing apparatus X, first, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 determines whether or not a predetermined activation trigger is detected for the main control unit 9 and each of the controlled blocks 6 to 8. Here, the activation trigger refers to the time when the main control unit 9 and each of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 are activated by the weekly timer control, the operation detection switch 1 being switched to the ON state, the external device For example, a job requiring activation of the main control unit 9 and one or a plurality of controlled blocks is received from the (terminal).
When the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects the activation trigger of the main control unit 9, the MPU 63 controls the energization switching circuit 10, thereby energizing the main control unit 9 in the energization stopped state (the first sub power supply 221 is energized). (ON state) (S2).

[Step S3]
Next, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 executes a determination process as to whether or not a start abnormality of the main control unit 9 has occurred (S3).
Specifically, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 transmits the energization indicating that the first sub power supply 221 is in the “energized state” from the energization switching circuit 10 through the bus 11 within a predetermined time after the execution of the process of step S2. When it cannot be detected that a middle signal (a signal corresponding to the output of the voltage detection element of the first sub power supply 221) has been output, or the main control unit 9 is normally started from the main control unit 9 through the bus 11. When the normal activation signal indicating “?” Cannot be received, it is determined that the activation abnormality of the main control unit 9 has occurred.

[Steps S4 and S5]
Then, if the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 determines that the start abnormality of the main control unit 9 has occurred in step S3, the NIC 5 (the network control unit 67) makes a predetermined inquiry to the external device (S4). A communication address acquisition process for acquiring a communication address of another image processing apparatus X that can execute the e-mail transmission process (S5) is executed (S4, S5, an example of a communication address acquisition unit).
For example, the NIC 5 first broadcasts an inquiry as to whether or not e-mail transmission can be performed to all external devices connected to the local area of the network 30 by the NIC 5 (S4).
Further, the NIC 5 determines whether or not an OK notification as a predetermined response is received within a predetermined time after the execution of the inquiry (S5). As will be described later, this OK notification is transmitted by the second image processing apparatus X (other image processing apparatus X) capable of executing mail transmission, and the OK notification includes a notification source (response source). The communication address of the other second image processing apparatus X is included.

[Steps S6 and S7]
Next, if the reception of the OK notification is confirmed in step S5, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 receives the abnormality information indicating that the main control unit 9 of the first image processing apparatus X is abnormal in step S5. Requesting that the abnormality information be sent to a predetermined administrator's mail address by sending (external transmission) to the communication address of the notification source (communication address of the second image processing apparatus X) (S6, an example of first abnormality information transmitting means). As described above, when the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 detects the start abnormality of the main control unit 9 through the voltage detection element (an example of the first abnormality detection unit) included in the sub power source 221, the NIC 5 Anomaly information is transmitted externally by communication.
Thereby, as will be described later, the second image processing device X generates abnormality information (including identification information of the first image processing device X) indicating that the main control unit 9 of the first image processing device X is abnormal. Then, the e-mail is transmitted to the e-mail address of a predetermined administrator (step S25 described later). The administrator's e-mail address is stored in advance in the flash memory 76 or the HDD 3 of the main control unit 9.
On the other hand, if the OK notification cannot be received in step S5, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 outputs a predetermined beep sound (S7) and ends the abnormality notification process.

[Step S8]
On the other hand, when it is determined in step S3 that the main controller 9 has not started up abnormally (when the main controller 9 starts up normally), the MPU 73 of the main controller 9 controls the energization switching circuit 10. Thus, the controlled blocks 6 to 8 (controlled blocks that need to be activated) in which the activation trigger is detected in step S1 are set to the “energized state” (one or more of the sub power sources 222 to 224 is energized ON). Switch (S8).
In step S8, the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 also activates the operation / display unit 2.
The activation trigger detection state at step S1 is transmitted from the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 to the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 activated before the process of step S8.

[Step S9]
Next, the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 performs a determination process to determine whether or not a start-up abnormality has occurred in the controlled blocks 6 to 8 switched to the “energized state” (S9).
Specifically, the sub power sources 222 to 224 to be activated are in the “energized state” through the bus 11 from the energization switching circuit 10 within a predetermined time after the execution of the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 and step S2. If it is not possible to detect that the energization signal (signal corresponding to the output of the voltage detection element) indicating that it has been output, or it has been started normally from the controlled block 6 to 8 to be started through the I / O 77 When the normal activation signal indicating the activation cannot be input, it is determined that the activation abnormality of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 to be activated has occurred.
In step S9, the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 determines whether or not an activation abnormality has occurred in the operation / display unit 2 as in the controlled blocks 6 to 8.

[Steps S10 and S11]
Next, when the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 determines that the startup abnormality of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 has occurred in step S9, the controlled block in which the startup abnormality of the first image processing apparatus X has occurred. About 6-8, the abnormal information showing that it is abnormal is transmitted by e-mail to the mail address of a predetermined administrator through NIC5 (S10).
For example, the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 executes a predetermined mail program and communicates with the electronic mail server 31 in accordance with, for example, the SMTP protocol, thereby transmitting an abnormal information electronic mail. As described above, the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 detects the activation of the controlled block 6-8 through the voltage detection element (an example of the second abnormality detection unit) included in the sub power sources 222-224. Anomaly information is externally transmitted by communication through the network (S10, an example of second anomaly information transmission means).
Thereafter, the first image processing apparatus X returns the process to step S1 described above.
On the other hand, when the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 determines that the activation abnormality of the controlled blocks 6 to 8 has not occurred in step S9, the normal processing corresponding to the activation trigger detected in step S1 (from an external terminal) Processing of the received print job and processing of outputting a predetermined menu screen to the operation / display unit 2 are executed (S11). Thereafter, the first image processing apparatus X returns the process to step S1 described above.

Next, the processing of the second image processing apparatus X on the side requested to send the abnormal information mail from the first image processing apparatus X will be described.
[Steps S21 to S23]
In the second image processing device X, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 receives an inquiry from another image processing device X (here, the first image processing device X) whether or not e-mail transmission can be executed at any time. Whether or not is monitored (S21). This inquiry is an inquiry transmitted by the first image processing apparatus X in step S4 described above.
When the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 determines that the inquiry has been received, the MPU 63 determines whether or not the main control unit 9 of the own device is normally activated (S22). Here, the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 represents that the first sub power source 221 is in the “energized state” from the energization switching circuit 10 through the bus 11 in the same manner as the process of step S3 of the first image processing apparatus X described above. It can be detected that the energization signal (a signal corresponding to the output of the voltage detection element of the first sub power supply 221) is being output, and the main control unit 9 is normally activated from the main control unit 9 through the bus 11. When the normal activation signal indicating that the main control unit 9 is being received, it is determined that the main control unit 9 is in normal activation. As described above, when the main control unit 9 is normally activated, the second image processing apparatus X is in a state in which an e-mail can be transmitted.
When the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 determines that the main control unit 9 is normally activated, the MPU 63 transmits (responds) a predetermined OK notification to the first image processing apparatus X that is the transmission source of the inquiry (S23). , Otherwise no response is made. The OK notification includes the communication address of the second image processing apparatus X.

[Steps S24 and S25]
Further, in the second image processing device X, the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 sends out abnormality information regarding the main control unit 9 from another image processing device X (here, the first image processing device X) as needed. It is monitored whether a notification requesting to send an e-mail to the e-mail address of the administrator is received through the NIC 5 (S24). This request (notification) is a request (notification) transmitted by the first image processing apparatus X in step S6 described above.
When the MPU 73 of the main control unit 9 determines that it has received an e-mail transmission request for abnormal information from the other image processing apparatus X (first image processing apparatus X) via the NIC 5, the abnormal information included in the request is displayed. Is sent to the e-mail address of a predetermined administrator through the NIC 5 (an example of third abnormality information transmitting means).
As described above, the second image processing device X performs the email transmission processing of the abnormality information instead of the NIC 5 of the first image processing device X that does not have the email transmission function.
Then, the second image processing apparatus X repeats the determination processing in steps S21 and S24 until an inquiry about whether or not to send an e-mail or an e-mail transmission request for abnormal information is received through the NIC 5.

As described above, in the image processing apparatus X, the main control unit 9 monitors the abnormality detection state for the plurality of controlled blocks 6 to 8 that are the control targets (S9), and externally transmits abnormality information through the NIC 5. Transmit (S10). For this reason, compared with the case where NIC5 monitors the state of the controlled blocks 6-8 which are not the control object, an apparatus structure (especially software structure) becomes simple.
On the other hand, the NIC 5 only needs to perform the abnormality detection state monitoring (S3) and the external transmission of abnormality information (S6) for only the main control unit 9, so that no excessive processing load is applied to the NIC 5.
In addition, since the power supply to the main control unit 9 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 can be switched while the NIC 5 is energized, the sleep mode in which the power supply to the main control unit 9 and the controlled blocks 6 to 8 is cut off. (Power saving state). As a result, the power consumption during the sleep mode can be further suppressed.
Further, when starting the main control unit 9 from such a sleep mode (S2), when a start abnormality occurs, the abnormality information is externally transmitted by the NIC 5 (S6), so early abnormality detection and abnormality information Does not affect the external output.
Further, the NIC 5 requests the second image processing apparatus X to send the abnormal information of the main control unit 9 by e-mail (S6), so that the e-mail transmission function provided in the main control unit 9 is duplicated in the NIC 5. Therefore, the abnormality information of the main control unit 9 can also be sent by e-mail without providing it. For this reason, the administrator who is the destination of the e-mail transmission can grasp the occurrence of the abnormality in the image processing apparatus X at an early stage and can quickly cope with it, which is very convenient.

In the embodiment described above, the NIC 5 of the image processing apparatus X obtains a destination (communication address) for requesting an e-mail transmission of abnormality information of the main control unit 9 by an inquiry to an external apparatus (S4, S5). showed that.
In addition, for example, the image processing apparatus X stores in advance a candidate for a destination (communication address of another image processing apparatus X) requesting e-mail transmission in the flash memory 66 of the NIC 5, and the MPU 63 of the NIC 5 A configuration in which the process of step S6 is performed on the destination is also conceivable.
It is also conceivable that the destination that requests the email transmission is a predetermined server device (external device that can communicate through the NIC 5) having an email transmission function.

  The present invention can be used for an image processing apparatus including a communication unit.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus X according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image processing system Z including the same. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a NIC included in an image processing apparatus X. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a main control unit included in the image processing apparatus X. FIG. 3 is a power supply system diagram showing a connection relationship of power supplies in the image processing apparatus X. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of abnormality notification processing by the image processing apparatus X. The figure which represented typically the weekly schedule of the weekly timer control in the image processing apparatus X. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

X ... image processing apparatus 1 ... operation detection switch 2 ... operation / display unit 3 ... hard disk drive 4 ... image processing operation unit 5 ... network interface card 6 ... scanner unit 7 ... print unit 8 ... facsimile unit 9 ... main control unit 10 ... Energization switching circuit 11 ... Bus 21 ... Main power source 22 (221-225) ... Sub power source 30 ... Network 31 ... E-mail server 40 ... Manual changeover switches 41-45 ... Automatic changeover switches 61, 71 ... Bus connectors 62, 72 ... Bus Control units 63, 73 ... MPU (microprocessor unit)
63a ... clock oscillators 64, 74 ... memory control units 65, 75 ... ROM
66, 76 ... Flash memory 67 ... Network control unit 68 ... Network connector 77 ... I / O port 78 ... Calendar management units S1, S2, ... ... Processing procedure identification symbols

Claims (5)

An image processing apparatus comprising: a communication unit that performs communication processing with an external device; and a control unit that controls a controlled device that performs processing related to image processing.
Energization switching means for switching between energization of the control means and the controlled device in a state where the communication means is maintained energized;
First abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality related to the activation of the controlled device;
Second abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality relating to the activation of the control means;
A first abnormality information transmitting means for externally transmitting abnormality information by communication by the communication means when the communication means is combined and an abnormality is detected by the first abnormality detection means;
A second abnormality information transmitting means for externally transmitting abnormality information by communication through the communication means when the control means is combined and an abnormality is detected by the second abnormality detecting means;
An image processing apparatus comprising:   2. The first abnormality information transmission unit requests transmission of the abnormality information to a predetermined destination by sending the abnormality information to another image processing apparatus by transmitting the abnormality information to another image processing apparatus. Image processing device. The communication means also includes a communication address acquisition means for acquiring a communication address of another image processing apparatus capable of executing an e-mail transmission process by making a predetermined inquiry to an external device,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first abnormality notification unit requests transmission of abnormality information by e-mail using the communication address acquired by the communication address acquisition unit as a destination.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second abnormality notification unit performs external transmission of abnormality information by electronic mail transmission. An image processing apparatus comprising: a communication unit that performs communication processing with an external device; and a control unit that controls a controlled device that performs processing related to image processing.
When the control means receives a request to send predetermined abnormality information by e-mail from another image processing apparatus through the communication means, e-mail is sent to the predetermined destination via the communication means. 3. An image processing apparatus comprising an abnormality information transmitting means.

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