JP2008009799A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recognize that a file of firmware is not damaged (or file for another model) in updating the firmware and to stop started firmware rewriting processing by operation, in an image forming device. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming device makes an informing means 15 inform of a sum check value calculated by a calculating means 2, receives input of a rewriting execution instruction or rewriting stop instruction from the outside, and determines whether to execute the firmware rewriting processing in response to input of either of the rewriting execution instruction and rewriting stop instruction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a function of temporarily storing input firmware in a RAM and then rewriting the firmware stored in a flash ROM.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many electronic devices are commercially available in which firmware for controlling the device is stored in a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash ROM so that the firmware can be rewritten as necessary. As an example, in a personal computer, an update bios program and a rewrite program are prepared on a flexible disk, and the bios program stored in the flash ROM is rewritten by starting up from the flexible disk. It is common.

Further, in the following Patent Document 1, a rewriting jig provided with a boot ROM storing a rewriting program and a program for a general-purpose communication interface, a USB controller, and a USB connector is mounted on a facsimile multifunction peripheral. Connect the personal computer to the multifunction device via the computer, the multifunction device executes the rewriting program of the rewriting jig, receives at least one of the update program and data from the personal computer, and stores the program stored in the flash memory in the multifunction device It teaches what rewrites the data. In this case, the update program and data can be downloaded from the server at the service base via the Internet and stored in the hard disk or memory card of the personal computer, or the checksum value etc. can be calculated by the personal computer. It becomes possible.
JP 2004-030518 A

  By the way, in a home printer device, which is an example of an image forming apparatus, if a portable storage medium such as a CF card storing digital photographs is mounted on the main body, the data can be read and printed only by the main body. There is. Since such an image forming apparatus has a function of freely reading data in a portable storage medium, the firmware may be stored in the portable storage medium in advance and the firmware of the main body may be rewritten. Is possible.

  Further, the rewriting program used in such a configuration has conventionally been automatically advanced to completion once processing is started, and cannot be canceled halfway.

  However, when rewriting firmware, there is a fatal danger that if a damaged file (or a file for another model) is written, it will not function at all. It is strongly desired to make it.

  In response to such a problem, the present invention can confirm whether the firmware is intended or not damaged in the middle after starting the firmware rewriting process. An image forming apparatus that can be canceled is proposed below.

  In other words, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus capable of performing a firmware rewriting process in which the input firmware is temporarily stored in the first storage unit and then written to the rewritable second storage unit. And calculating means for calculating the sum check value of the firmware stored in the first storage means, notification means for informing the sum check value, and control means for controlling the firmware rewriting process, the control means comprising: Notifying the notifying means of the sum check value calculated by the calculating means, accepting an input of a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction from the outside, depending on whether a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction is input, It is characterized by determining whether or not to execute the firmware rewriting process.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect further includes a mounting unit that mounts a portable storage medium, and the control unit is mounted on the mounting unit based on an external start instruction. The firmware is read from the portable storage medium and the firmware rewriting process is executed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the image forming apparatus further includes a timer unit that measures the passage of time, and the control unit receives a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction from the outside. Thus, the firmware rewriting process is stopped when a predetermined time has passed without any instruction input.

  According to the present invention, since the sum check value of the input firmware is calculated and notified, an abnormality such as a damaged file of the firmware can be found by comparing the sum check value with the correct check sum value. In addition, when rewriting by selecting one from multiple firmware, even if the wrong firmware is selected, the rewrite process can be canceled by entering the rewrite stop instruction. It is possible to avoid the situation of rewriting to a new firmware.

  In particular, according to the second aspect, since the firmware can be input to the apparatus by a portable storage medium in which the firmware is stored in advance, a firmware rewriting jig or the like becomes unnecessary, and the firmware rewriting can be easily performed.

  In particular, since the process is stopped when a predetermined time elapses without accepting the rewrite execution instruction after the rewrite process is started, safety is improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment by using blocks corresponding to the claims.

  The image forming apparatus 1 communicates with a volatile memory 14 that is a first storage unit, a non-volatile memory 13 that is a rewritable second storage unit, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, and an external device 30. Means 17; attachment means 18 for attaching the portable storage medium M; timer means 20 for measuring the passage of time from a desired time; and calculation means 2 for calculating the sum check value of the firmware stored in the volatile memory 14. And control means 3 for controlling the firmware rewriting process. Here, only components that are particularly relevant to the invention are shown, and other components are omitted. The display unit 15 functions as a notification unit that notifies a message or the like.

  The image forming apparatus 1 can be applied to, for example, a scanner device, a printer device, a facsimile multifunction machine, and the like.

  In this image forming apparatus 1, the input firmware can be temporarily stored in the volatile memory 14 and then rewritten to be written in the nonvolatile memory 13. In particular, the control unit 3 is the calculation unit 2. The display unit 15 is notified of the calculated firmware sum check value, and the rewrite processing instruction or the rewrite stop instruction is received from the outside, and the rewrite process is performed depending on whether the rewrite execution instruction or the rewrite stop instruction is input. It has a feature in determining whether or not to execute. That is, when the rewrite execution process is input while the rewrite process is interrupted and the instruction is received while waiting for the sum check value, the rewrite process is continued and the rewrite stop instruction is input. Then, the rewrite process is stopped. The firmware is read from the mounted portable storage medium M or received from the external device 30 based on a start instruction from the operation means 16 or an operation instruction from the external device 30 via the network N. . Since the checksum value only needs to be obtained before the firmware is written to the nonvolatile memory 13, it can be calculated after the firmware is temporarily stored in the volatile memory 14, or it can be calculated in the process of storing the firmware. Good.

  With this configuration, a plurality of firmware is stored in the portable storage medium M, and when rewriting processing is performed by selecting one of them according to a selection instruction, even if the wrong firmware is selected If the sum check value that has been saved is compared with the notified sum check value, the mistake can be found, and the rewrite process can be stopped by inputting a rewrite stop instruction.

  For safety, the control means 3 measures the elapsed time by the timer means 20 from the time when it receives a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction from the outside, and a predetermined time has passed without any instruction input. In such a case, the rewriting process may be stopped.

  The flash ROM constituting the nonvolatile memory 13 is available from vendors with various capacities, but basically, the entire capacity is divided into a plurality of blocks, and flash (erase) in units of blocks, Rewriting is possible. For this reason, if the block for storing firmware is different from the block for storing important setting data such as speed dials, the setting data can be maintained even if the firmware is rewritten. .

  The SDRAM that constitutes the volatile memory 14 has the advantages of high-speed access and low price per capacity, but because of complicated control, an SDRAM control circuit is essential. In this image forming apparatus 1, the volatile memory 14 is used for each application, that is, a program area for deploying and arranging firmware read from the nonvolatile memory 13, a work area for storing various variables, stacks, and the like. The image memory area for storing image data related to image formation is divided and used in advance.

  In the present invention, the portable storage medium M is a medium that provides firmware to the image forming apparatus 1. Specifically, the portable storage medium M is, for example, a CF card, a USB memory, or a CDROM, but is not limited thereto. Absent. The mounting means 18 is realized by a memory interface corresponding to the specific portable storage medium M, a CD drive, or the like.

  The firmware is a software component that constitutes a part of the image forming apparatus 1, and includes a control program for controlling each unit and information such as a version name, a vendor name, and a compiled date as version information. In addition, a rewrite program for rewriting and updating firmware is also included as a special program. The control program, for example, operates as a built-in Linux kernel and a part of the OS, displays the display means 15, the operation means 16, a device driver for controlling a function unit (not shown), a standby screen, etc. It is also possible to use a format such as an application that executes a given job. Further, since the firmware is executed after being once expanded in the volatile memory 14, it may be in a compressed format except for the loader program executed first.

  Next, the rewriting process according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to a flowchart. In this process, the control unit 3 is mounted on the nonvolatile memory 13, the volatile memory 14, and the mounting 18 by executing the rewriting program previously expanded in the program area of the volatile memory 14. This is done by appropriately accessing the portable storage medium M or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the central part of the rewriting process. According to this, the firmware is read from the portable storage medium M (101), stored in the volatile memory 14 (102), and the sum check is performed. A value is calculated (103). Here, because the firmware is large in size and needs to be stored with a specific word alignment, the volatile memory 14 is arranged so as to be arranged as a ROM image from the top of the image memory area described above. Is remembered.

  In order to process more efficiently, the firmware is read from the portable storage medium M for each word, and when the word is once received by the control means 3, it is cumulatively added to the sum check value up to that point. The process of transferring to the volatile memory 14 may be repeated.

  In addition, the firmware version information temporarily stored in the volatile memory 14 may be checked to determine whether the firmware is compatible with the image forming apparatus 1. This compatibility can be determined reliably and easily if the model name of the device is included in the firmware version information. Further, the version information of the firmware temporarily stored in the volatile memory 14 and the version of the firmware stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 are compared, and rewriting is permitted only when they are different. Good. Alternatively, rewriting may be permitted only when the firmware temporarily stored in the volatile memory 14 is a newer version.

  Next, the calculated sum check value is displayed on the display means 15 (104), the timer means 20 is started (105), and then the system waits for receiving a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction (106 to 108). Here, the reason why the timer means 20 is activated is to stop the rewriting process when it is detected that a predetermined time has passed without receiving an instruction from the time when the standby is started.

  FIG. 3A is a display example of the sum check value on the display means 15. The firmware sum check value “486A2F06” stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 at that time and the input firmware sum check value “ 72BD1E9F "is displayed. Each sum check value is a hexadecimal value of 8 digits, that is, a 32-bit value, but the number of digits is not limited. This allows you to compare the correct sum check value you saved with the displayed sum check value, whether the input firmware is what you intended, and whether the file is damaged. I can know for sure.

  During the standby mode, when a rewrite execution instruction is received by the operation means 16 (Y in 106), the firmware stored in the volatile memory 14 is read out, transferred to the nonvolatile memory 13, and the firmware stored therein is updated. Rewrite (109).

  FIG. 3B is a display example showing that the firmware is being rewritten on the display unit 15, and the progress is displayed as a percentage together with a warning that the power supply should not be shut off. FIG. 3C shows a display example at the end of rewriting.

  On the other hand, when a rewrite stop instruction is accepted (Y in 107) or when the timer means 20 detects that a predetermined time has passed without accepting the instruction (Y in 108), the rewrite is stopped.

  Such processing may be automatically executed when the power is turned on, or may be executed by inputting a start instruction.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart in the case where the above processing is automatically executed when the power is turned on. Here, the power-on is first detected (201), but this is not a software process but hardware, and when a power-on is detected, a reset signal is input to the control means 3. (202).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the portable storage medium M is attached to the attachment means 18 (203). If it is attached, whether or not firmware is stored in the portable storage medium M is further determined. Judgment is made (204).

  If the firmware is stored in the portable storage medium M, the above-described rewriting process is executed (101 to 109), and then it is determined whether the firmware has been rewritten (206). If rewriting is performed, a software reset is generated (207). By this reset, the process returns to the beginning again and the same processing is executed. For this reason, it is necessary to prohibit writing the same firmware again. To do this, the portable storage medium M may be removed from the mounting means 18. Alternatively, in the second time, a firmware rewrite stop instruction may be input.

  On the other hand, if the portable storage medium M is not attached to the attachment means 18, the firmware is not stored in the portable storage medium M, or a rewrite stop instruction is input, a reset is generated. Instead, the subsequent processing is executed.

  On the other hand, FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart when the start instruction is input to execute the rewriting process. Here, first, a standby screen for accepting various jobs is displayed (301). At this time, a start instruction is accepted (302).

  Here, when the start instruction is received, it is determined whether or not the portable storage medium M is attached (303). If the portable storage medium M is attached, whether or not the firmware is stored in the portable storage medium M. It is determined whether or not (304).

  If the firmware exists in the portable storage medium M, the above-described rewriting process is executed (101 to 109), and then it is determined whether the firmware has been rewritten (305). If the firmware has been rewritten, a software reset is generated (306). On the other hand, if the firmware has not been rewritten, the screen returns to a state in which a standby screen for accepting various jobs is displayed.

  Note that the above-described processing in the image forming apparatus 1 may be modified so that firmware is received from the external device 30 via the network N by the communication unit 17. In this case, a start instruction, a rewrite execution instruction, and a rewrite stop instruction may be input from the operation unit 16 and the sum check value may be displayed on the display unit 15, but a start instruction, a rewrite execution instruction, and a rewrite stop from the external device 30. The instruction may be received, and the sum check value may be transmitted to the external device 30 for notification.

  The idea of the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which data such as abbreviated dial is rewritten instead of firmware.

1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a schematic flowchart explaining a rewriting process. (A)-(c) is the example of a display by a display means, respectively. It is the schematic flowchart which performed the rewriting process at the time of power activation. 6 is a schematic flowchart in which a rewrite process is performed based on a start instruction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Calculation means 3 Control means 13 Non-volatile memory (1st memory | storage means)
14 Volatile memory (second storage means)
15 Display means (notification means)
17 Communication means 18 Mounting means 20 Timer means M Portable storage medium

Claims (3)

An image forming apparatus capable of performing a firmware rewriting process of temporarily storing input firmware in a first storage unit and then writing it in a rewritable second storage unit,
Calculating means for calculating a sum check value of the firmware stored in the first storage means;
An informing means for informing the sum check value;
Control means for controlling the firmware rewriting process,
The control means informs the notifying means of the sum check value calculated by the calculating means, and accepts an input of a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction from the outside, and either a rewrite execution instruction or a rewrite stop instruction is input. An image forming apparatus that determines whether or not to execute a firmware rewriting process according to whether or not the firmware is rewritten. In claim 1,
A mounting means for mounting a portable storage medium;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the control unit reads firmware from a portable storage medium mounted on the mounting unit and executes firmware rewriting processing based on an external start instruction. In claim 1 or 2,
Further comprising timer means for measuring the passage of time;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit suspends the firmware rewriting process when a predetermined time has elapsed without receiving an instruction input since the rewriting execution instruction or the rewriting stop instruction is received from the outside.

Images