JP2008059525A - Digital composite machine, its control method, program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid a resetting fault of an IC in a hard disk and to prevent the hard disk from being unrecognized after restarting the system even when the power-off section security period of the hard disk is followed and the power is turned on again just after a user turns off the power of a system without causing an adverse effect that the starting time of the entire system delays. <P>SOLUTION: In the system in which the power of the hard disk can be turned off without disconnecting the power of a main board because a power supply system for feeding the power to the hard disk is independent, when there is a command to turn off the entire system from the user, the power to be fed to the hard disk is first disconnected, and the power to be fed to the main board is disconnected after a fixed time elapses. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a device equipped with a hard disk.

  Conventionally, as represented by a personal computer, in a device equipped with a hard disk, the power supply system supplied to the main board and the power supply system supplied to the hard disk are not independent. That is, it is impossible to turn off the hard disk without turning off the main board. When the user turns off the power of the entire system, the power of the hard disk is also turned off at the same time.

  Immediately after turning off the hard disk power, if the hard disk is turned on again without any delay, the power is turned on without the capacitor charge in the hard disk being reduced. Therefore, the voltage applied to the IC inside the hard disk may be lower than the operating limit voltage of the IC. If the operating voltage is lower than the IC operation limit voltage, there is a possibility that the register information in the IC becomes a random value or the firmware information loaded in the hard disk internal memory is destroyed.

  Normally, when the power of the hard disk is turned on again, the reset IC issues a reset signal to the IC inside the hard disk, returning the state of the IC to the initial state or initializing the registers inside the IC. However, when the hard disk power is turned on again immediately after the hard disk power is turned off, the voltage applied to the reset IC does not drop to the threshold value, and the reset IC may not detect the power off. If this happens, a reset signal that should be issued from the reset IC to each IC is not issued, and a reset failure as described above occurs. In particular, complex devices such as hard disks are equipped with multiple ICs and capacitors, which easily cause reset failures.

  Normally, when the hard disk is turned on, the firmware inside the hard disk initializes the hard disk drive. However, in the state where the reset failure has occurred as described above, the firmware in the hard disk does not initialize the hard disk drive at the time of startup. Therefore, there is a possibility that the hard disk cannot be recognized from the main board to which the hard disk is connected.

  If the hard disk power supply is turned off and then waits for a while until the capacitor charge is released and then turned on again, the reset circuit can determine that the power supply is turned off, and a reset failure does not occur.

  The value of how long it takes to turn on the power again after turning off the hard disk power supply (power-off interval guarantee time) varies depending on each hard disk manufacturer and each hard disk type.

Because of such specifications, the manual for devices equipped with hard disks states that the main power supply should not be turned on again after a few seconds have elapsed. However, since there is no forcing to the user, there is a problem that the hard disk is not recognized frequently.
JP 2006-82407 A

  For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-82407 of Fuji Xerox, “in an image forming apparatus that is switched between a normal mode that operates in a normal power state and a power saving mode that operates in a lower power state than the normal mode, the power supply voltage is monitored. Monitoring means for measuring, a timer means for measuring a predetermined time, and when shifting from the normal mode to the power saving mode, the timer means is activated when the power supply voltage drops to a preset threshold value by the monitoring means And a normal mode return prohibiting means for prohibiting the return to the normal mode from the start of the transition to the power saving mode to the end of the timing of the timer means. Yes. If the power saving mode is considered as a power-off state, it can be regarded as a normal mode return prohibiting means for prohibiting the return to the normal mode until a predetermined time elapses after the power is turned off. That is, the hard disk is turned off at the same time as the main power is turned off. After turning off the main power, turn on the power again. When the power is turned on, turn on the main board. Then, in order to guarantee the power-off interval guarantee time, the hard disk is not turned on for a certain period of time and waits for a while. This time is measured with a timer on the main board. After the power-off interval guarantee time has elapsed, the hard disk is turned on and initialization of the entire system is started. With this mechanism, the hard disk power-off interval guarantee time is surely guaranteed, and a hard disk reset failure is avoided.

  However, this method delays initialization of the entire system without turning on the power of the hard disk for a certain time after the main board is turned on. Therefore, for the user who uses the system, there is a problem that the startup time of the entire system is delayed.

  This patent proposes that the power supply system supplied to the hard disk is independent, and the power supply of the entire system can be switched from the user in a system that can turn off the power supply of the hard disk without turning off the power supply of the main board. In the system, the power to be supplied to the hard disk is first cut off first, and the power to be supplied to the main board is cut off after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  In this method, the hard disk is turned off before the main board is turned off, and the entire system is turned off after the hard disk power-off interval guarantee time has elapsed. Therefore, the adverse effect of delaying the startup time of the entire system as described above does not occur. When the system is turned off, the user waits for the hard disk power-off interval guarantee time, but it seems that this is not a disadvantage rather than a slower system startup time at startup.

  This patent proposes that the power supply system supplied to the hard disk is independent, and the power supply of the entire system can be switched from the user in a system that can turn off the power supply of the hard disk without turning off the power supply of the main board. When there is a command to disconnect, the power supplied to the hard disk is first cut off first, and the power supplied to the main board is cut off after a predetermined time has elapsed. Before the main board is turned off, the hard disk is turned off, and the power supply of the entire system is turned off after the hard disk power-off interval guarantee time has elapsed.

  With these methods, it is possible to protect the hard disk power-off interval guarantee time without causing the adverse effect of delaying the startup time of the entire system. Even when the power is turned on again, it is possible to avoid a reset failure of the internal IC of the hard disk. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the hard disk cannot be recognized after the system is restarted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an image input / output device (data processing device) on which a controller unit as an electronic component according to the present invention is mounted. A local area network (600) is connected to a host computer (in this embodiment, a first host computer 601 and a second host computer 602).

  The image input / output system 100 includes a reader device (reader unit) 200 that performs image data reading processing, a printer device (printer unit) 300 that performs image data output processing, a keyboard that performs image data input / output operations, In addition, an operation unit 150 having a liquid crystal panel for displaying / setting image data and various functions, image data read by controlling the reader device 200, and code data received from the host computers 601 and 602 via the LAN 600 An image storage unit 160 that can store / save image data generated from the computer is mounted, and is configured by a control device (controller unit) 110 formed of a single electronic component that is connected to these components and controls the components. ing.

  The reader device 200 includes a document feeding unit 250 that transports document paper, and a scanner unit 210 that optically reads a document image and converts it into image data as an electric signal. A paper feed unit 310 having a plurality of paper feed cassettes to be accommodated, a marking unit (part) 320 for transferring / fixing image data onto recording paper, and a sort process and a stapling process on the printed recording paper, And a paper discharge unit (part) 330 for discharging the paper.

  The control device 110 controls the reader unit 200 to read image data of a document, and controls the printer unit 300 to output the image data to a recording sheet to provide a copy function. The scanner function converts image data read from the reader unit 200 into code data and transmits the code data to the host computers 601 and 602 via the network 600. Code data received from the host computer via the network 600 is converted into image data. It has a printer function for conversion and output to the printer unit 300, and other functional blocks.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300.

  In the reader unit 200, the original sheets stacked on the original feeding unit 250 are sequentially fed onto the platen glass 211 one by one from the top in accordance with the stacking order, and after a predetermined reading operation is completed by the scanner unit 210, As for the read original paper, the original on the platen glass 211 is discharged to the discharge tray 219. When the original paper is conveyed onto the platen glass 211, the lamp 212 is turned on, then the movement of the optical unit 213 is started, and the original paper is irradiated and scanned from below. The reflected light from the original paper is guided to a CCD image sensor (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) 218 via a plurality of mirrors 214, 215, 216 and a lens 217, and the scanned original image is read by the CCD 218. Read. The image data read by the CCD 218 is transferred to the controller unit 110 after predetermined processing.

  When the document feeding unit 250 has a document feeding reading function, the document sheets stacked on the document feeding unit 250 pass through the document feeding reading position 240 at a constant speed. In this case, the optical unit 213 moves to the document flow reading position 240, irradiates the document conveyed at a constant speed by the lamp 212, reads the image by the CCD 218 as needed, generates image data, and transfers the image data to the controller unit 110.

  Next, in the printer unit 300, a laser beam corresponding to the image data output from the controller unit 110 is issued from a laser issuing unit 322 driven by a laser driver 321, and the photosensitive drum 323 is electrostatically charged according to the laser beam. A latent image is formed, and a developer is attached to a portion of the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 324.

  On the other hand, recording paper is fed from any of the cassette 311, the cassette 312, the cassette 313, the cassette 314, and the manual paper feed stage 315 at the timing synchronized with the start of laser light irradiation, and is conveyed to the transfer unit 325 by the conveyance path 331. Then, the developer adhering to the photosensitive drum 323 is transferred to the recording paper. The recording sheet on which the image data is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 327 by the conveying belt 326, and the image data is fixed on the recording sheet by the heating / pressurizing process in the fixing unit 327. The recording paper that has passed through the fixing unit 327 passes through the transport path 335 and the transport path 334 and is discharged to the paper discharge bin 328. When the print surface is reversed and discharged to the paper discharge bin 328, the recording paper is guided to the transport path 336 and the transport path 338, from which the recording paper is transported in the reverse direction, passes through the transport path 337 and the transport path 334, and is discharged. It is discharged to a paper bottle 328. Although not shown in the figure, it is possible to mount a paper discharge unit instead of the paper discharge bin. The paper discharge unit bundles the discharged recording paper, sorts the recording paper, and staples the sorted recording paper. And so on.

  When image data is recorded on both sides of a recording sheet, after passing through the fixing unit 327, the recording sheet is guided from the conveying path 336 to the conveying path 333 by the flapper 329, and then the recording sheet is conveyed in the reverse direction. The flapper 329 is guided to the conveyance path 338 and the refeed conveyance path 332. The recording sheet guided to the refeed conveyance path 332 passes through the conveyance path 331 and is fed to the transfer unit 325 in the same manner as described above.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing details of the control device (controller unit) 110.

  That is, the main controller 111 includes a CPU 112, a bus controller 113, and functional blocks including various controller circuits described later, and is connected to the ROM 114 via the ROM I / F 115, and to the DRAM 116 via the DRAM I / F 117. Connected, connected to the codec 119 via the codec I / F 118, connected to the network controller 121 via the network I / F 123, and performs a predetermined control operation with the LAN 600 via the connector 122.

  In the ROM 114, various control programs executed by the CPU 112 of the main controller 111 and calculation data are confirmed. The DRAM 116 is used as a work area for the CPU 112 to operate and an area for storing image data. The codec 119 compresses the raster image data stored in the DRAM 116 by a known compression method such as MH / MR / MMR / JBIG, and decompresses the compressed data into a raster image. An SRAM 120 is connected to the codec 119, and the SRAM 120 is used as a temporary work area for the codec 119.

  The main controller 111 is connected to the scanner I / F 140 via the scanner bus 141, connected to the printer I / F 145 via the printer bus 146, and further connected to an expansion board via a general-purpose high-speed bus 125 such as a PCI bus. It is connected to an expansion connector 124 and an input / output control unit (I / O control unit) 126 for connection.

  The I / O control unit 126 is equipped with two channels of an asynchronous serial communication controller 127 for transmitting and receiving control commands to and from the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300. The serial communication controller 127 is an I / O controller. It is connected to the scanner I / F 140 and the printer I / F 145 via the bus 128.

  The scanner I / F 140 is connected to the scanner connector 142 via the first asynchronous serial I / F 143 and the first video I / F 144, and the scanner connector 142 is further connected to the scanner unit 210 of the reader unit 200. Yes. The scanner I / F 140 performs desired binarization processing and scaling processing in the main scanning direction and / or sub-scanning direction on the image data received from the scanner unit 210, and is sent from the scanner unit 210. A control signal is generated based on the video signal, and the image data is transferred to the main controller 111 via the scanner bus 141.

  The printer I / F 145 is connected to the printer connector 147 via the second asynchronous serial I / F 148 and the second video I / F 149, and the printer connector 147 is further connected to the marking unit 320 of the printer unit 300. Has been. Then, the printer I / F 145 performs smoothing processing on the image data output from the main controller 111 and outputs the image data to the marking unit 320. Further, the printer I / F 145 is generated based on the video signal sent from the marking unit 320. A control signal is output to the printer bus 146.

  The CPU 112 operates based on a control program read from the ROM 114 via the ROM I / F 115, and interprets, for example, PDL (page description language) data received from the first and second host computers 601 and 602. The raster image data is expanded.

  The bus controller 113 controls data transfer input / output from / to an external device connected to the scanner I / F 140, printer I / F 145, and other expansion connectors 124, and the like. Controls DMA data transfer. That is, for example, the above-described data transfer between the DRAM 116 and the codec 119, the data transfer from the scanner unit 210 to the DRAM 116, the data transfer from the DRAM 116 to the marking unit 320, and the like are controlled by the bus controller 113 and transferred by DMA. The

  The I / O control unit 126 is connected to the panel I / F 132 via the LCD controller 131 and the key input I / F 130, and the panel I / F 132 is connected to the operation unit 150. The I / O control unit 126 is connected to an EEPROM 135 as a nonvolatile memory, is connected to a hard disk drive (HDD) 162 capable of writing / reading image data via an E-IDE connector 161, and It is connected to a real time clock module 133 that updates / stores the date and time managed in the device. The real time clock module 133 is connected to the backup battery 134 and backed up by the backup battery 134.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal details of the main controller 111.

The processor core 401 is connected to a system bus bridge (SBB) 402 via a 64-bit processor bus (SC bus). The SBB 402 is a 4 × 4 64-bit crossbar switch, and is connected to a memory controller 403 that controls an SDRAM or ROM including a cache memory in addition to the processor core 401 via a dedicated local bus (MC bus). Are connected to the G bus 404, which is a graphic bus, and the B bus 405, which is an IO bus. The SBB 402 is designed to ensure simultaneous parallel connection between these four modules as much as possible. A data compression / decompression unit (CODEC) 418 is also connected via a CODEC I / F.
The G bus 404 is cooperatively controlled by a G bus arbiter (GBA) 406 and is connected to a scanner / printer controller (SPC) 408 for connecting to a scanner or printer. The B bus 405 is cooperatively controlled by a B bus arbiter (BBA) 407. In addition to the SPC 408, a power management unit (PMU) 409, an interrupt controller (IC) 410, and a serial interface controller (SIC) 411 using UART. USB controller 412, parallel interface controller (PIC) 413 using IEEE1284, LAN controller (LANC) 414, general purpose input / output controller (MISC) 415, and PCI bus interface (PCIC) 416.

  The B bus arbiter 407 is an arbitration for cooperatively controlling the B bus 405. The B bus 405 receives a bus use request for the B bus 405, and after arbitration, is given to one master selected for use permission. Is prohibited from performing bus access. The arbitration method has three levels of priority, and a plurality of masters are assigned to each priority.

  The interrupt controller 410 accumulates interrupts from the functional blocks and the controller unit 110 described above, and redistributes them to the controllers 408, 411-416 and non-maskable interrupts (NMI) supported by the CPU 401.

  The power management unit 409 manages the power for each functional block, and monitors the power consumption of the controller unit 110 as an electronic component composed of one chip. That is, the controller unit 110 is composed of a large-scale ASIC (application-specific IC) with a built-in CPU 401. For this reason, when all the functional blocks operate simultaneously, a large amount of heat is generated, and the controller unit 110 itself is There is a risk of being destroyed.

  Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation, the power consumption is managed for each functional block, and the power consumption amount of each functional block is integrated in the power management unit 409 as a power management level. Then, the power management unit 409 adds up the power consumption amounts of the functional blocks, and collectively monitors the power consumption amounts of the functional blocks so that the power consumption amount does not exceed the limit power consumption.

  The G bus arbiter 406 controls the G bus 404 in a coordinated manner by a central arbitration method, and has a dedicated request signal and a permission signal for each bus master. In addition, as a method of giving priority to the bus master, all bus masters have the same priority, a fair arbitration mode in which the bus right is granted fairly, and a priority arbitration mode in which the bus is preferentially used by any one bus master Either of these can be specified.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation unit 150.

  A user interface 500 can set various copy modes (for example, duplex setting, group, sort, staple output, etc.). These copy mode setting means may be hard keys or soft keys displayed on the touch panel. Reference numeral 501 denotes a start button, which is started when the button is pressed.

  FIG. 6 shows a document reading setting screen displayed on the user interface 500 when the “continuous reading mode” for repeatedly reading and storing the document is selected as the copy mode after the copy process is started by pressing the start button 501. This is an example of 502. The original reading setting screen 502 is provided with a “confirm” button 503 for entering a mode in which images read up to that time are displayed and an “end reading” button 504 for collectively outputting images read so far. Yes.

  FIG. 7 shows a read image confirmation screen that is displayed when the “Confirm” button 503 is pressed on the original reading setting screen 502. The area 505 displays the total number of pages of images accumulated so far and the currently displayed page. The page number is displayed. Reference numerals 506 and 507 denote “page move” buttons for moving the pages of the accumulated images. When the user presses 506, the user moves to the previous page, and when the user presses 507, the user moves to the next page. Reference numerals 508 and 509 denote “enlarge / reduce” buttons for enlarging / reducing the confirmation image. When the user presses 508, the confirmation image is reduced, and when the user presses 509, the confirmation image is enlarged. Reference numeral 510 denotes an accumulated image confirmation screen on which the contents of the page displayed in 505 are displayed. Reference numeral 511 denotes a “reread” button. When the “reread” button 511 is pressed, the page displayed at that time is stored, and the image confirmation screen is closed. When the image confirmation screen is closed, the screen returns to the original reading setting screen 502 so that the original can be read. At this time, the document reading is executed in the reread mode. Reference numeral 512 denotes a “close” button. When the “close” button 512 is pressed, the image confirmation screen is closed. When the original confirmation screen is closed, the original reading setting screen 502 is displayed again, and the original can be read. At this time, the document reading is executed in the continuous reading mode.

  Note that the above-described continuous reading mode refers to storing and storing image data again from the end (final image) in which the read image data is stored and stored, and storing all image data stored and stored during processing as a set. This means that the data is handled as image data, and the re-read mode means that specific image data stored and stored is replaced with newly read image data. In either case, the document reading instruction is performed by pressing the start button 501.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the continuous read copy process in the present invention.

  In step S1001, it is determined whether or not a start instruction has been given due to the start button 501 being pressed. If the start button 501 is not pressed, the determination is repeated until the start button 501 is pressed. If the start button 501 is pressed, the process advances to step S1002 to check whether “continuous reading mode” is selected. If the “continuous reading mode” is not set in S1002, the process proceeds to S1012 and a normal copy process is performed and the process is terminated. If the “read image confirmation mode” is set, the process advances to step S1003 to execute a document reading process of reading a bundle of documents set on the automatic paper feeder (DF) or reading a document placed on a pressure plate. To do. When the process ends, an instruction from the operation unit 150 becomes possible. In step S1004, it is determined whether an instruction for image confirmation processing (preview processing) stored in the image storage unit 160 has been issued. If execution of the image confirmation process is instructed, the process proceeds to S1005, where the image confirmation process (preview process) is performed, and then the process proceeds to S1006. If there is no instruction to execute image confirmation processing, the process advances to step S1006. In S1006, it is determined whether or not “re-read” is instructed. The re-reading instruction is performed in the preview process of S1005. When the re-reading instruction is given, the image storage location of the page to be re-read is stored. If re-reading is instructed, the process proceeds to S1007. If re-reading is not instructed, the process proceeds to S1008. In step S1007, image data discarding (deleting) processing of the page stored when the re-reading instruction is issued is executed. Thereafter, the process returns to S1003 to execute the original reading process, and replace the image data of the reread target page. The original reading process S1003 includes a reading process for all originals set on the automatic paper feeder (DF), a reading process for originals placed on the pressure plate, and a specified number of sheets from the original set on the automatic paper feeder. Can be performed, and at the time of re-reading, it is specified that the number of read pages is one page. In step S1008, an instruction to stop the continuous reading process is determined. If there is an instruction to cancel in S1008, the process proceeds to S1009, and after executing the read image discarding process S1009 for discarding all the image data read and accumulated so far, the copy process is terminated. If there is no cancel instruction in S1008, the process proceeds to S1010. In step S1010, a read end instruction is determined. If the end of reading is instructed in step S1010, the process advances to step S1011 to execute a read image printing process for printing all the image data read up to that point, and then the copy process ends. If the reading end is not supported in S1010, the process proceeds to S1013 to determine the reading instruction. If there is an instruction to read in S1013, the process returns to S1003 to execute the original reading process. If there is no read instruction in S1013, the process returns to S1004. That is, when there is no instruction from the operation unit 160, the instruction waits for any of image confirmation, re-reading, cancellation, reading end, and reading.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the document reading process.

  In S2001, the state of the automatic paper feeder (DF) is determined. When the DF is open, the process proceeds to S2006, the original reading process from the pressure plate is performed, and the process is terminated. When the DF is closed, the process proceeds to S2002, and it is determined whether or not a document is set on the DF. If no document is set in the DF, the process proceeds to S2006, where the document reading process from the pressure plate is performed, and the process ends. If a document is set in the DF, the process proceeds to S2003, and it is determined whether or not a re-read process is instructed. If it is determined in S2003 that re-reading is instructed, the process proceeds to S2004, and the image reading process for one page from the document set in the DF is terminated. If it is determined in S2003 that re-reading is not instructed, the process proceeds to S2005, where all pages of the document set in the DF are read, and the process ends.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart of accumulated image confirmation (preview) processing.

  In step S3001, it is determined whether an image storage destination for checking the stored image has been specified. The image data read repeatedly in the continuous reading copy process is managed under the job management unit 902 of the document management unit 900 that is the image storage destination used by the continuous reading copy process being executed. The job management unit 902 Is specified so that it is possible to trace from the first page to the last page of the image data read and accumulated so far. If there is no designation in S3001, the process is terminated. That is, the preview process is not executed. If specified in step S3001, the process advances to step S3002 to specify the first page of the stored image. In S3003, image data to be displayed on the accumulated image confirmation screen 510 is generated from the accumulated image data. In this embodiment, image data is generated immediately before being displayed on the accumulated image confirmation screen 510. However, image data for displaying the accumulated image confirmation screen is generated at the time of reading and accumulating the document, and is associated with the original image and stored externally. It may be stored in the unit 160. In S3004, the image data generated in S3003 is displayed on the accumulated image confirmation screen 510. In step S3005, an input instruction is waited, and the input instruction is looped and waited. In step S3006, it is determined whether an instruction to display the next page has been issued. If an instruction to display the next page has been issued, the process advances to step S3007. In S3007, it is determined whether the stored image data is at the end, and if it is at the end, the process returns to S3005 and waits for an input instruction again. If it is determined in S3007 that it is not the tail end, the process proceeds to S3003 to generate image data for displaying the stored image confirmation screen of the specified page, and the process is repeated. In step S3008, it is determined whether an instruction to display the previous page has been issued. If an instruction to display the previous page is given, the process advances to step S3009 to determine whether the stored image data is the head. If it is determined that the head, the process returns to S3005 and waits for an input instruction again. If it is determined that it is not the head, the process advances to S3003 to generate image data for displaying the stored image confirmation screen of the specified page, and the process is repeated. In step S3010, it is determined whether an instruction to reduce the image displayed on the stored image confirmation screen 510 has been issued. If it is determined that reduction display has been instructed, the process advances to S3003 to generate image data for displaying the stored image confirmation screen of the specified page, and the process is repeated. If there is no reduction display instruction, the process advances to step S3011 to determine whether an enlargement display instruction has been issued. If it is determined in S3011 that an enlargement display instruction has been issued, if specified, the process proceeds to S3003 to generate image data for displaying the accumulated image confirmation screen of the specified page, and the process is repeated. If there is no instruction for enlarged display, the process advances to step S3012 to determine whether an instruction for rereading an image has been given. If an instruction to re-read an image is issued in S3012, the process advances to S3013 to store (hold) identification information for specifying where the currently displayed page is managed in the document management unit 900, and the process ends. The information held here is transmitted to the above-described image reading process, and the re-reading process is executed. If there is no re-reading instruction in S3012, the process returns to S3005 and waits for an input instruction.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an internal software structure of the control device 110. Reference numeral 700 denotes controller software, which includes a protocol interpretation unit 701, a job control unit 702, and a device unit 703. The protocol interpretation unit 701 interprets commands (protocols) sent from the host computer 601 and the operation unit 150 via each interface (411-414), and requests the job control unit 702 to execute a job. . The job control unit 702 executes various jobs based on requests from the protocol interpretation unit. The device unit 703 includes driver software that controls each unit constituting the image input / output system 100, and is used when the job control unit 702 executes a job.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the job control unit 702.

  In the figure, 700 is controller software, 701 is a protocol interpretation unit, 702 is a job control unit, and 703 is a device unit. The job control unit 702 includes a job generation unit 800, a job processing unit 810, a document processing unit 820, a page processing unit 830, a band processing unit 840, and a device allocation unit 850. The job processing unit 810 includes a job management unit 811, a binder management unit 812, and a document management unit 813. The device unit 703 can include a plurality of devices such as a first device 851, a second device 852, and a third device 853.

  A series of operation requests sent from the host computers 601 and 602 and the operation unit 150 are sent via the interfaces (411 to 414) in the form of commands (protocols). The sent command is interpreted by the protocol interpretation unit 701 and then sent to the job control unit 702. At this point, the command is converted into a form that can be understood by the job control unit 702.

  The job generation unit 800 generates a job 814. The job 814 includes various jobs such as a copy job, a print job, a scan job, and a fax job. The protocol interpreted by the protocol interpreter 701 includes, for example, various setting information such as the name of the document to be printed, the number of copies to be printed, and the designation of the output destination paper discharge tray, and the print data itself (PDL data). Etc. are included. The job 814 is sent to the job processing unit 810 for processing. The job processing unit 810 has settings related to the entire binder, such as a job management unit 811 that performs settings related to the entire job, such as the output order of a plurality of binders that constitute a job, and an output order of a plurality of documents that constitute the binder. A binder management unit 812 and a document management unit 813 for making settings related to the entire document such as the output order of a plurality of pages constituting the document, and settings and processing related to the entire job 814 are performed.

  Further, the job processing unit 810 divides the job 814 other than the settings and processing related to the entire job 814 into the binder 815 that is a smaller work unit constituting the job 814, and the binder 815 other than the settings and processing related to the entire binder 815. Is divided into documents 816, which are units of smaller work that constitutes. The document 816 is associated with the input document 821 on a one-to-one basis, and the input document 821 is converted into an output document 822 by the document processing unit 820. For example, when considering a scan job in which a bundle of documents is read by a scanner and converted into a plurality of image data, an input document 821 describes settings and operation procedures related to the bundle of documents, and a plurality of image data. An output document 822 contains the setting and operation procedures. A document processing unit 820 has a role of converting a bundle of paper into a plurality of image data.

  The document processing unit 820 performs conversion processing from the input document 821 in units of documents to the output document 822, and divides the input page 831 that is a unit of smaller work except for setting and processing related to the entire document, and the page processing unit 830. Request processing. This is exactly the same as when the job processing unit 815 is devoted to processing in units of jobs and generates the binder 815 and the document 816 for more detailed work. Specifically, the setting and operation in units of documents relate to page order such as page rearrangement, designation of double-sided printing, addition of a cover, and OHP insertion.

  The page processing unit 830 performs conversion processing from the input page 831 to the output page 832 in page units. For example, in the case of the scan job described above, the input page 831 describes various settings such as the reading resolution and reading direction (landscape / portrait) and the procedure, and the output page 832 stores the image data storage location. Etc. Settings and procedures are written.

  Up to this point, we have explained that the job unit is gradually reduced so that it can be handled in page units. If an expensive system can have a page memory for one page, the job may be subdivided and processed in units of pages. However, in reality, there is a system that processes the job 814 with a memory (band memory) for several lines when the page memory for one page cannot be provided due to a problem such as memory cost. In such a case, the conversion process is performed by dividing the page into bands, which are finer units. The input band 841, the band processing unit 840, and the output band 842 are the same as those in the page.

  The job processing unit 810, the document processing unit 820, the page processing unit 830, and the band processing unit 840 all use various physical devices that make up the image input / output system 100 when processing proceeds. Naturally, device conflict occurs when a plurality of processing units work simultaneously, and the device allocation unit 850 mediates the competition. The first to third devices 851 to 853 shown in the figure as examples are logical devices assigned to the respective processing units by the device assigning unit 850. For example, a page memory, a band memory, a document feeding unit 250, A marking unit 320 engine, a scanner unit 210, and the like are conceivable.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a management structure of the document management unit 900 that manages image data stored in the image storage unit 160.

  The document management unit 900 includes a folder management unit 901, a job management unit 902, a binder management unit 903, a document management unit 904, and a page management unit 905, each having management information (attribute value). The document management unit 900 includes one or a plurality of folder management units 901, and management information of the folder management unit 901 is stored. The folder management unit 901 includes one or a plurality of job management units 902, and stores management information of the job management unit 902. The job management unit 902 includes one or a plurality of binder management units 903, and management information of the binder management unit 902 is stored. Further, the job management unit 902 can store / save attribute values stored in the job management unit 811 with information necessary for the operation of the job 814 processed by the job control unit 702. The binder management unit 903 includes one or a plurality of document management units 904 and stores management information of the document management unit 904. Further, the binder management unit 903 can store / save attribute values stored in the binder management unit 812 with information necessary for the operation of the binder 815 processed in the job control unit 702. The document management unit 904 includes one or a plurality of page management units 905 and stores management information of the page management unit 905. Further, the document management unit 904 can store / save the attribute value stored in the document management unit 813 processed by the job control unit 702 and the attribute value of the output document 822 processed by the document processing unit 820. it can. A page 905 includes one page of image data read by the scanner, one page of image data developed from the PDL transmitted from the host computer, and one page of data received by FAX. It is associated with image data. Further, the page management unit 905 can store / save the attribute value of the output page 832 processed by the page processing unit 830 of the job control unit 702. That is, it is possible to reproduce the job 814 submitted at the time of image accumulation from the information stored in the document management unit 900 and the image data stored in the image storage unit 160. It is also possible to perform operations different from the job at the time of submission by resetting the stored information.

  FIG. 14 is a system configuration diagram in the present embodiment. 5001 is a storage device, 5002 is a memory controller, 5003 is a CPU, 5004 is a main controller, 5005 is a bus controller, 5006 is a printer, 5007 is a scanner, 5008 is a power switch, 5009 is an AC power supply, 5010 is a power supply, and 5011 is a hard disk controller. , 5012 is a hard disk power switch, 5013 is a power switch control register A, 5014 is a hard disk, 5015 is a main controller switch, and 5016 is a power switch control register B.

  A 5003 CPU is mounted on the 5004 main controller. A 5001 storage device is connected via a 5002 memory controller. A 5006 printer, a 5007 scanner, and a 5008 power switch are connected via a 5005 bus controller. The electric power supplied from the 5009 AC power supply is converted into direct current by the 5010 power supply, and a voltage of 3.3 V is applied to the main controller and 5.0 V is applied to the hard disk. The 5011 hard disk controller controls the 5014 hard disk and is connected to the 5004 main controller via a PCI bus. The interface between the hard disk controller and the hard disk is IDE or SATA. A switch 5015 for cutting off the power supplied from the power source to the main controller is 5015, and a switch 5012 is for cutting off the power supplied from the power source to the hard disk. The 5016 control register A is linked to the 5015 switch, and writing a value in the 5016 register turns the 5015 switch OFF and ON. The 5013 control register B is linked to the 5012 switch. By writing a value in the 5013 register, the 5012 switch is turned OFF and ON. When the 5008 power switch is pressed, the CPU is interrupted. In the interrupt handler, the registers 5013 and 5016 are controlled.

  FIG. 15 is a system configuration diagram in this embodiment. 6001 is HDD1, 6002 is HDD2, 6003 is HDD3, 6004 is HDD4, and 6005 is a specification determined for each type of HDD. In the system proposed in this patent, one to several hard disks can be connected at one time.

  Even when one hard disk is connected, the hard disk mounted may vary depending on the lot of the product.

  The manufacturer name and model number information of the hard disk connected to the hard disk controller can be obtained by sending a command to the hard disk.

  In many cases, the number of sectors of the hard disk can be acquired by an IDE command to the hard disk, but the power consumption, the number of rotations, and the power-off interval guarantee time are often not acquired because they are not stored in the hard disk. Investigate power consumption, number of revolutions, and power-off interval guarantee time in advance from hard disk manufacturer specifications, etc., and guarantee power consumption, number of revolutions, and power-off interval for hard disk model numbers as 6005. Time information is stored in the system firmware as table information.

  When the hard disk is initialized at system startup, the manufacturer name and model number information of the hard disk is acquired. The power-off section guarantee time in the table is acquired from the acquired model number information. It is possible to obtain the power-off interval guarantee time of the hard disk connected to the system.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart in this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart from when the user turns on the system to when the system is turned off.

  In 7001, the user presses the power switch to start the system. In 7002, a command is issued to the connected hard disk via the hard disk controller, and model number information of the hard disk is acquired. In 7003, the guaranteed power-off period of the hard disk connected to the system is acquired from the model number information by the method of FIG. Thereafter, at 7004, the system continues normal operation. In 7005, it is assumed that the user presses the 5008 power switch in FIG. 14 to turn off the system power. Then, an interrupt is generated in the 5003 CPU, and a preparation sequence for powering off starts from the interrupt handler. First, in 7006, a preparation for turning off the power of the hard disk is made. For example, it is possible to perform a sync operation for actually writing all data buffered in the memory to the hard disk or to turn off the power of the hard disk. In 7007, the 5013 register B is operated to disconnect the 5012 hard disk switch. The hard disk is turned off. Thereafter, in 7008, preparation work for cutting off the main power is performed. For example, it is a task of notifying the printer or scanner that the power supply of the main controller is cut off, or displaying the power supply OFF on the user interface screen. Thereafter, in 7009, the process waits for a time obtained by subtracting the time required for hard disk power OFF preparation and main power OFF preparation from the “power OFF section guarantee time” acquired in 7003. During this period, it is possible to keep the hard disk power off section guarantee time proposed by the manufacturer. In 7010, the 5016 register A is operated to disconnect the 5015 main board power switch. The main board and the entire system are turned off. At 7011, the power is turned off and the process ends.

  Even if the system power is turned on immediately without leaving any gap, the hard disk power-off section guarantee time provided by the manufacturer is provided in 7009, so that a hard disk reset failure does not occur.

  FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram of power-off and power-on in a conventional system. 8001 represents the state of the system. Reference numeral 8002 denotes a state of the power switch, which indicates whether the power switch is pressed or not. Reference numeral 8003 denotes a state of the power switch 5015 of the main board. Reference numeral 8004 denotes the state of the hard disk power switch 5012. They are ON and OFF, respectively. Reference numeral 8009 denotes a voltage applied to the hard disk.

  The user presses the power switch at 8005 in a normal operating state. Preparations for turning off the HDD power and preparations for turning off the main board power are performed. In the conventional system, it is impossible to turn off only the power of the hard disk, and the power of the hard disk is turned off at the same time as the power of the main board is turned off. Accordingly, when the main board is turned off at 8006, the hard disk is also turned off. Since the hard disk voltage is mounted inside the hard disk, the hard disk voltage gradually decreases as shown in the figure. If the user depresses the power switch in 8007 immediately after the main power is turned off, power is supplied to the main board and the hard disk at the same time. For this reason, the hard disk is powered off for a period of 8008, and the power-off interval guarantee time cannot be observed. If the hard disk power supply does not go down to 4.5 [V], which is the threshold value for judging the power off of the reset IC in the hard disk, the reset IC cannot judge the power off, so a reset signal is sent to each IC inside the hard disk. It cannot be emitted. Therefore, there is a possibility that the hard disk may not be recognized due to a hard disk reset failure at the time of restart.

  FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram of power-off and power-on in the system of this embodiment. 9001 represents the state of the system. Reference numeral 9002 denotes the state of the power switch, which indicates whether the power switch is pressed or not. 9003 represents the state of the power switch 5015 of the main board. 9004 is the state of the power switch 5012 of the hard disk. They are ON and OFF, respectively. Reference numeral 9010 denotes a voltage applied to the hard disk.

  While in normal operation, the user presses the power switch at 9005. When the preparation for turning off the HDD power is completed, the hard disk is turned off at timing 9006. Since the hard disk voltage is mounted inside the hard disk, the hard disk voltage gradually decreases as shown in the figure. Thereafter, preparation for turning off the main board power is performed. When the preparation is completed, the waiting time is obtained by subtracting the time required for hard disk power supply OFF preparation and main power supply OFF preparation from the “power supply off section guarantee time”, and in 9007 the main power supply is cut off. If the user depresses the power switch in 9008 immediately after the main power is turned off, the power to the main board and the hard disk is supplied simultaneously. However, since the “power-off section guaranteed time” is provided, the power-off period of the hard disk is taken as 9009, and the power-off section guaranteed time can be protected. Since the hard disk power supply falls below 4.5 [V], which is the threshold value for judging the power-off of the reset IC in the hard disk, the reset IC sends a reset signal to each IC inside the hard disk when the power is turned on again. Can be issued. Therefore, there is no possibility that the hard disk cannot be recognized due to a hard disk reset failure at the time of restart. The characteristics of the reset IC usually vary depending on the hard disk, and it is not just that the voltage drops above the threshold. For example, the specification is finely determined such that the section where the voltage drops below the threshold must be maintained for several seconds. Considering these specifications, the “power-off section guarantee time” is set with some margin.

  FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of the inside of the hard disk. 10001 is a power source, 10002 is a main board in the hard disk, 10003 is a FlashROM controller, 10004 is a register of the FlashROM controller, 10005 is a microprocessor, 10006 is a read channel, 10007 is an amplifier control IC, 10008 is a register of the amplifier control IC, and 10009 is Motor control IC, 10010 is a motor control IC register, 10011 is a spindle motor, 10012 is a head, 10013 is an amplifier, 10014 is a reset IC, 10015 is FlashROM, 10016 is firmware in FlashROM, and 10017 is DRAM.

  The 10005 microprocessor plays a role like a CPU in a hard disk and operates with 10016 firmware loaded in the DRAM 10001 DRAM. The 10003FROM controller is a controller for reading and writing the FlashROM, and is accessed by reading and writing the 10004 register. The 10006 read channel is a read / write circuit connected to an amplifier control IC for controlling the amplifier. The hard disk has two actuators, a 10011 spindle and a 10012 head, and adjustments such as angle and rotation are performed by a 10009 motor control IC. Further, a 10013 amplifier is connected to the head, and the 10007 amplifier control IC adjusts the supply voltage to the head to read / write data. Reference numeral 10014 denotes a reset IC, which is connected to each IC in the hard disk. The reset IC issues a reset signal to each IC when the hard disk is powered on. With the reset signal, each IC returns to the initial state, and the registers of each IC are also initialized.

  FIG. 20 is a hard disk startup flowchart. 11001 is the place where the hard disk power supply is turned on. At 11002, the reset IC inside the hard disk outputs a reset signal to each IC inside the hard disk. However, if the reset IC cannot detect power ON, the reset signal is not output. In 11003, each IC is initialized by the reset signal, and the register is initialized. In 11004, the microprocessor in the hard disk starts to be activated, and in 11005, the firmware is loaded from the Flash ROM to the DRAM. At 11006, the hard disk self-diagnosis program runs. The contents to be checked are as follows: 1. Check whether the bus in the hard disk works properly. 2. Can the register group inside the hard disk read and write? For example, read / write test for DRAM. If the self-diagnosis is successful, in 11007, the spindle motor is started and a stable operation is confirmed. In 11008, self-calibration is performed to correct mechanical external force and torque applied to the actuator in order to perform a seek operation and a read / write operation normally. When these are finished, in 11009, the hard disk is ready and accepts commands.

  If a reset failure occurs when the hard disk is started, only the microprocessor program counter is initialized and the registers of each IC are not initialized as in 11011. Then, like 11012, the microprocessor and each IC run out of control, the initialization of the 11013 hard disk completely fails, and even the hard disk command is not accepted. In this state, the hard disk is not recognized when the entire system is started.

  Alternatively, due to a reset failure, an error occurs in the self-diagnostic program as in 11014. In this case, the 11015 hard disk command is accepted, but an error is returned. In any case, the system cannot be started normally.

1 is a block configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a digital multi-function peripheral as a data processing apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is an internal configuration diagram of a digital multi-function peripheral. It is a block block diagram which shows the detail of the controller part as an electronic component concerning this invention. It is a block block diagram which shows the detail of a main controller. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation unit 150. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document reading setting screen in “continuous reading mode”. It is a figure which shows the example of a reading image confirmation screen. It is a flowchart of a continuous reading copy process. It is a flowchart of a document reading process. It is a flowchart of a stored image confirmation (preview) process. It is a figure which shows the software structure inside a control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a job control part. It is a figure which shows the management structure of a document management part. It is a system configuration diagram in the present embodiment. It is a system configuration diagram in the present embodiment. It is a flowchart in a present Example. This is a conventional power OFF OFF sequence. It is a power supply OFFON sequence in a present Example. It is a block diagram inside a hard disk. It is a starting flowchart of a hard disk.

Claims (9)

  In a system with a hard disk mounted on the main board, the power supply system supplied to the main board and the power supply system supplied to the hard disk are independent, and the hard disk power supply must be turned off without turning off the main board power supply. In a system that can be used, if the user instructs to turn off the entire system, first turn off the power supplied to the hard disk first, and then turn on the power supplied to the main board after a certain period of time. A system characterized by cutting.   The system according to claim 1, wherein turning off the power supply of the entire system is turning off the power supplied to the main board.   A system comprising: the system according to claim 1, wherein the system includes a storage device (memory).   The system according to claim 3, wherein the hard disk mounted in the system has various different power-off interval guarantee times.   5. A storage means comprising the storage device according to claim 4, wherein a power-off interval guarantee time determined for the various hard disks is stored in the storage device in advance.   6. A specifying means for specifying which of the various hard disks is connected to the main board.   An acquisition means comprising the hard disk specified by the specifying means for acquiring the power-off interval guaranteed time from the storage device.   The system according to claim 1, wherein the “predetermined time” in claim 1 is a value calculated with reference to a power-off interval guarantee time acquired by the acquisition means of claim 7.   A system comprising the power supply of the hard disk when the main power is turned on.

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