JP2009031928A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus that can delay the rewriting frequency of a memory with a restricted rewriting frequency to reach a limit value as far as possible, while preventing or suppressing a cost increase without being affected by power shutdown. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic apparatus includes: a setting value information duplication section 108 for duplicating setting value information in a flash memory 106 and storing the setting value information in a RAM 107, if the power of an image forming apparatus 1 is turned off; a first setting value information changing section 109 for changing the setting value information as a changing operation object in the RAM 107 based on operation descriptions if changing operation for the setting value information is performed with an external apparatus X; a changed content recording section 110 for recording changed content information in the flash memory 106 after the changing; and a setting value information writing-back section 111 for writing back, into the flash memory 106, the setting value information in the RAM 107 changed with the changing section 109 after the elapse of a predetermined time period after the setting value information has been changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention belongs to a technical field of an electronic device including a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory, and particularly relates to a technique for extending the life of the nonvolatile memory.

  Conventionally, flash memory capable of electrically rewriting data is mounted on various electronic devices because it has the advantages of high impact resistance, small size, and low power consumption. However, the flash memory has a property that performance deterioration occurs due to a data rewrite operation, and therefore, the number of data rewrites is limited. In the flash memory, data is erased in units of a certain amount of data. Therefore, even when the amount of data to be rewritten is smaller than the certain amount of data, it is necessary to erase the certain amount of data, and it takes a relatively long time to rewrite the data. Have.

  In recent years, various techniques have been proposed as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5, for example, which make use of the advantages of the flash memory having such properties while making up for its disadvantages.

  The following Patent Document 1 includes a flash memory array and a memory data saving area for temporarily saving data of the flash memory array during a refresh operation. After the data in the flash memory array is erased at once, the memory data saving area is stored in the memory data saving area. A semiconductor nonvolatile memory device that rewrites temporarily saved data in a flash memory is disclosed.

  In Patent Document 2 below, a data storage unit and a temporary storage unit are provided on a storage area constituted by a nonvolatile memory element with a limited number of rewrites, and there is a free area for writing update data in the temporary storage unit. If present, the update data is written to the temporary storage unit, whereas if the empty area does not exist in the temporary storage unit, the update data corresponding to the writing unit block to which it belongs is stored in the temporary storage unit. At least one of the erase unit blocks is selected as the rewrite target block, and the erase unit block selected as the rewrite target block is corrected with the update data of the write unit block belonging to the erase unit block among the data existing in the temporary storage unit And rewriting is described.

  Patent Documents 3 and 4 listed below include a flash memory, a FeRAM (nonvolatile memory) used as a cache memory of the flash memory, which has a larger write frequency limit than the flash memory, and temporarily stores data and the like. A technique comprising:

Patent Document 5 listed below includes an electronic device including a RAM and a flash memory. The electronic device includes a power-off detection circuit that detects the main power-off of the electronic device. The power-off detection circuit detects the main power-off. Then, a technique for writing data stored in a RAM into a flash memory is disclosed.
JP-A-8-147888 JP-A-8-315596 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-146820 JP 2005-301591 A JP-A-2005-99983

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, when the power of the apparatus is turned off, the data temporarily saved in the memory data saving area disappears, and the data cannot be written to the flash memory array. In the technique of Patent Document 2, if there is not enough free space in the temporary storage unit, data with a large amount of data cannot be rewritten.

  In the techniques of Patent Documents 3 and 4, FeRAM is more expensive than volatile memory, and there is a problem that the cost increases. In the technique of Patent Document 5, as described above, since the flash memory requires a relatively long time for data rewriting, the data in the RAM is transferred to the flash memory after the power-off detection circuit detects that the main power is turned off. In consideration of the time required for writing to the flash memory, it may be necessary to separately provide a circuit for supplying power to each part including the flash memory until data rewriting is completed even after the main power is turned off. This increases the cost and size of the equipment.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the number of times of rewriting of a memory in which the number of times of rewriting is limited without being affected by the interruption of the power supply while preventing or suppressing an increase in cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of delaying the reaching of the limit value as much as possible.

  The invention described in claim 1 includes a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory including a first storage area that preliminarily stores setting value information indicating a setting value for an item of processing by the electronic device, and the non-volatile memory. A setting value information duplicating unit that duplicates the setting value information stored in the first storage area of the memory, and stores the duplicated setting value information in the volatile memory; When the change instruction is made, the first set value information changing unit for changing the set value information stored in the volatile memory and the first set value information changing unit are changed based on the change instruction. Based on a first recording unit that records setting value information in a second storage area different from the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory, and a change timing of the setting value information by the first setting value information change unit Time A second recording unit that records setting value information stored in the volatile memory in a first storage area of the non-volatile memory in an overwrite format when a predetermined time is reached; When the recording process by the second recording unit is completed, the recording unit of the recording unit displays recording completion information indicating that the recording process is completed in the setting value information stored in the second storage area of the nonvolatile memory. Of these, the electronic device is added to the set value information for which the recording process has been completed.

  According to this invention, the setting value information duplicating unit duplicates the setting value information stored in the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory, and the duplicated setting value information is stored in the volatile memory. Then, when an instruction to change the setting value information is given to the electronic device, the setting value information stored in the volatile memory is changed by the first setting value information changing unit based on the change instruction. The Further, the first recording unit records the setting value information changed by the first setting value information changing unit in a second storage area different from the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory.

  Further, when the time counted based on the change timing of the setting value information by the first setting value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time, the second recording unit stores the time in the volatile memory. Set value information is recorded in the first storage area of the non-volatile memory in an overwritten format, and when the recording process by the second recording unit is completed, the recording process is completed by the first recording unit. Of the set value stored in the second storage area of the non-volatile memory is added to the set value information for which the recording process has been completed.

  As described above, when the time counted based on the change timing of the set value information by the first set value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time, the set value information stored in the volatile memory is nonvolatile. Since it is recorded in the first storage area of the volatile memory in the overwrite format, it is not necessary to erase the data in the nonvolatile memory every time the setting value information needs to be rewritten by the change instruction of the setting value information. When a change instruction for a plurality of set value information is made within a predetermined time, a plurality of set value information based on each change instruction can be rewritten at once. As a result, the frequency of rewriting data in the nonvolatile memory can be reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic device according to the first aspect, the time measured based on the change timing of the set value information by the first set value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time. When the power of the electronic device is turned off before, the setting value information duplicating unit duplicates the setting value information stored in the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory when the power is turned on again. Then, the copied setting value information is stored in the volatile memory, and after the setting value information is copied and stored by the setting value information replicating unit, the setting value information recorded in the second storage area is The setting value information to which the recording completion information is not added is recorded in the overwriting format in the storage area of the volatile memory in which the setting value information relating to the same processing item as the setting value information is stored. 2 settings Those with a value information change section.

  According to this invention, when the power of the electronic device is turned off before the time counted based on the change timing of the set value information by the first set value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time, When the power is turned on again, the set value information duplicating unit duplicates the set value information stored in the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory, and the duplicated set value information is stored in the volatile memory. Stored in Further, after the setting value information duplicating and storing processing of the setting value information by the second setting value information changing unit, the recording completion information is included in the setting value information recorded in the second storage area. Setting value information not added is recorded in an overwritten format in a storage area in the storage area of the volatile memory in which setting value information relating to the same processing item as the setting value information is stored.

  Thereby, even when the power of the electronic device is turned off before the time counted based on the change timing of the set value information by the first set value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time. After the power is turned on again, the latest set value information is held in the volatile memory. As a result, when the electronic device performs an operation or process based on the set value information stored in the volatile memory, the electronic device can perform an operation or process based on the latest set value information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic device according to the first or second aspect, the first recording unit stores setting value information stored in the storage area when the second storage area becomes full Is to be deleted.

  According to the present invention, when the second storage area becomes full, the setting value information stored in the storage area is deleted. Therefore, the frequency of rewriting information in the nonvolatile memory is suppressed, and the first storage area is suppressed. Even when the second storage area is full, the set value information changed by the first set value information changing unit can be stored.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the non-volatile memory is such that the number of erasures of set value information is limited to a predetermined value.

  According to the present invention, the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is particularly effective when the number of times of erasing the set value information is limited to a predetermined value. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the nonvolatile memory is a flash memory, and the volatile memory is a RAM. The invention according to any one of 4 is effective.

  According to the present invention, since the frequency of rewriting data in the nonvolatile memory can be suppressed, the number of times the flash memory can be rewritten can be delayed as much as possible without being affected by the power-off. . In addition, since each unit can be configured by software, a configuration capable of delaying the number of times the flash memory can be rewritten to the limit value as much as possible can be realized while preventing or suppressing an increase in cost.

  Embodiments of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus which is an example of an electronic apparatus according to the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a sheet supply unit 2 positioned below, an image formation unit 3 positioned above the sheet supply unit 2, and a fixing unit positioned downstream of the image formation unit 3. 4.

  The paper supply unit 2 includes a paper feed cassette CST, and the paper P placed in a stacked state on the paper feed cassette CST is urged toward the paper P by an unillustrated urging mechanism including a spring or the like. By rotation operation of an unillustrated paper feed roller or the like, the paper from the top position is fed one by one from the paper feed cassette CST toward the image forming unit 3. Further, when the paper supply unit 2 conveys the paper fed from the paper feed cassette CST to a predetermined position of the image forming unit 3, a toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 (described later) is registered with a registration roller (not shown). The conveyance timing is set so that the leading edge position of the sheet P is aligned, and then the sheet P is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 5 and the transfer roller 9.

  The image forming unit 3 includes a photoconductive drum 5 having photoconductivity that is rotatably supported, a laser scanning unit 6, a charging roller 7, a developing roller around the photoconductive drum 5 along the rotation direction thereof. A container 8, a transfer roller 9, a cleaning unit 10 and an eraser 11 are arranged.

  The photosensitive drum 5 is a cylindrical member that is formed of, for example, amorphous silicon and has a surface coated with a photoconductive substance.

  Although not shown in detail, the laser scanning unit 6 includes a unit including a laser emitter and a polygon mirror, and a reflecting mirror, and outputs laser light, which is strengthened according to the image data of the document, from the laser emitter. Irradiating the exposure area of the photosensitive drum 5 positively charged by a charging roller 7 described later through a polygon mirror and a reflecting mirror to form dots for forming an image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 It is. By this irradiated laser light, the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 5 is reduced according to the image, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data of the document is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5. This light irradiation is repeatedly scanned in the width direction of the rotating photosensitive drum 5 (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1) to the exposure area between the charging roller 7 and the developing device 8 by the rotation of the polygon mirror. The

  The charging roller 7 is a member having a cylindrical peripheral surface formed with a predetermined elasticity, and rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 5 while being in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 5. . The charging roller 7 applies a predetermined voltage as a charging bias to uniformly charge the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 5 to a positive polarity.

  The developing device 8 includes a developing roller 81 disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum 5 and a toner container 82 that stores toner, and using the developing roller 81, a positive charge (on the photosensitive drum 5) by laser light. In the developing area, the toner having the same polarity, that is, positively charged toner is attached to the portion of the electrostatic latent image having a reduced potential. As a result, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 5 is developed with toner, and a toner image as a visible image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5.

  The transfer roller 9 is disposed so as to face the photosensitive drum 5 in a non-contact state, and a negative voltage is applied from the back surface of the sheet conveyed to the nip portion formed by the transfer roller 9 and the photosensitive drum 5. By applying the transfer bias, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is electrostatically transferred onto the paper P as a transfer image.

  The cleaning unit 10 has a cleaning blade 101 formed to have a length substantially equal to the width direction dimension of the photosensitive drum 5, and the front end portion of the cleaning blade 101 is subjected to a biasing force of a biasing means (not shown). By energizing the surface of the drum 5, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 after the transfer operation is scraped off.

  The eraser 11 includes a plurality of LED lamps (not shown) arranged over the entire width direction of the photosensitive drum 5 on a substrate (not shown), and irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 with light from the LED lamp. Thus, residual charges on the photosensitive drum 5 are removed.

  The fixing unit 4 performs a fixing process for fixing the toner transferred onto the paper P by pressurizing and heating the paper P on which the toner image is transferred. A fixing roller 13 that is built in and disposed at the upper part of the heat shielding box 12 and a pressure roller 14 that is disposed in pressure contact with the fixing roller 13 at the lower part of the heat shielding box 12 are provided.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an input operation unit 101, a panel board 102, and a controller board 103.

  The input operation unit 101 displays a start button for a user to input a print execution instruction, a numeric keypad for inputting the number of copies to be printed, operation guide information for various copying operations, and the like, and a touch panel function is provided for inputting these various settings. A display unit or the like including a liquid crystal display or the like is provided. By operating the input operation unit 101, setting value information of various processing items in the image forming apparatus 1 can be changed. The panel board 102 is a substrate that outputs operation information for the input operation unit 101 to a controller 104 described later.

  A controller 104 electrically connected to the panel board 102 is mounted on the controller board 103, and an I / F 105, a flash memory 106, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 107 are electrically connected to the controller 104. It is connected to the.

  The I / F 105 is an interface that controls transmission and reception of various data with the external device X connected via the communication line L. In FIG. 2, a personal computer is shown as an example of the external device X.

  The flash memory 106 is an example of a nonvolatile ROM (Read Only Memory) capable of rewriting stored contents (data), and is a storage unit (memory) having a limit on the number of rewrites. The flash memory 106 is erased in units of a certain amount of data. The flash memory 106 is a setting value information storage area 106a for storing setting value information of processing items in the image forming apparatus 1, such as output resolution, image top margin (margin at the top of the sheet), left margin (margin on the left side of the sheet), and the like. And a rewrite management information storage area 106b. The set value information storage area 106a corresponds to the first recording area, and the rewrite management information storage area 106b corresponds to the second recording area.

  The RAM 107 is a volatile semiconductor memory capable of writing and reading data at any time, and is a storage unit (memory) that does not have a limit on the number of rewrites.

  The controller 104 includes an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the like, and based on various information (including the set value information) stored in the flash memory 106, an image The operation of each unit provided in the forming apparatus 1 is controlled in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the controller 104 sets the setting value information duplicating unit 108, the first setting value information changing unit 109, the change content recording unit 110, the setting value information writing, in order to extend the life of the flash memory 106. The return part 111 and the 2nd setting value information change part 112 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the setting value information duplicating unit 108 duplicates the setting value information stored in the flash memory 106 when the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on (the image forming apparatus 1 is activated). The copied setting value information is stored in the setting value information storage area 107a (see FIG. 2) of the RAM 107.

  The first setting value information changing unit 109 stores the setting value information of the processing item in the image forming apparatus 1 in the setting value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107 when the input operation unit 101 or the external device X performs an operation for changing the setting value information of the processing item. Of the set value information that has been set, the set value information that is the target of the change operation is changed (rewritten) to the set value information based on the operation content.

  Assume that the setting value information duplicated by the setting value information duplicating unit 108 and stored in the setting value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107 is, for example, as shown in FIG. FIG. 6A shows that the set value for process item A is set to A1, the set value for process item B is set to B1, and the set value for process item C is set to C1. ing. In this state, when an operation for changing the setting value for the processing item C to C2 is performed by the input operation unit 101 or the external device X, the first setting value information changing unit 109 sets the setting value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107. The address 3 storing the setting value information for the processing item C is detected from the setting value information stored in the item 3, and the setting value indicated by the setting value information stored in the address 3 is changed from C1 to C2.

  The change content recording unit 110 corresponds to the first recording unit, and when the setting value information is changed by the first setting value information changing unit 109, as shown in (2) of FIG. The change content information described below is recorded in the rewrite management information storage area 106b (see FIG. 2) of the flash memory 106. As shown in FIG. 7, the change content information includes a write-back completion determination flag, an address, and changed set value information.

  In the write back completion determination flag, the setting value information changed by the first setting value information changing unit 109 among the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 107 a of the RAM 107 is stored in the setting value information storage of the flash memory 106. This indicates whether or not the data has been written back to the area 106a (whether or not the content of the change by the first setting value information changing unit 109 has been reflected in the setting value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106). “1” indicates that write-back has not yet been performed, and “0” indicates that write-back has been performed. The write-back completion determination flag at “0” corresponds to the recording completion information.

  The change content recording unit 110 sets the write-back completion determination flag to “1” when the setting value information changing process is performed by the first setting value information changing unit 109. The address is an address on the RAM 107 in which the setting value information changed by the first setting value information changing unit 109 is stored.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, in the rewrite management information storage area 106b of the flash memory 106, the change content information is stored each time the set value information in the RAM 107 is changed until the area 106 is full. When the rewrite management information storage area 106b is stored cumulatively and the rewrite management information storage area 106b becomes full, the change content information stored in the area 106b is deleted. In FIG. 6C, the setting value of the processing item C stored at the address 3 in the setting value information storage area 107a in the RAM 107 shown in FIG. 6B is changed to C2, and the setting described later. The change content information indicating that the value information write-back unit 111 has not yet written back (write-back completion determination flag = “1”) is newly stored in the rewrite management information storage area 106b. Yes.

  The setting value information write-back unit 111 corresponds to the second recording unit, and is changed by the first setting value information changing unit 109 among the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107. The received set value information is written back to the set value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106 (changes made by the first set value information changing unit 109 are reflected in the set value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106). . The setting value information write-back unit 111 has an unillustrated timer that counts time. As shown in (3) of FIG. 4, for example, the setting value information write-back unit 111 starts from the timing of changing the setting value information by the first setting value information changing unit 109. When the timer starts counting and when a predetermined time is measured, the setting value information in the setting value information storage area 107a changed by the first setting value information changing unit 109 is stored in the setting value information storage of the flash memory 106. Write back to area 106a. For example, when the setting value for the processing item C is changed from C1 to C2 as described above, the setting value is stored in the setting value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106, as indicated by hatching in FIG. The set value information is changed to C2 by the set value information write-back unit 111.

  When the write-back process is completed, the setting value information write-back unit 111 notifies the change content recording unit 110 to that effect, and the change content recording unit 110, based on this, as shown in (4) of FIG. In addition, the write-back completion determination flag is changed to “0” indicating that the write-back has been performed. For example, when the setting value for the processing item C is changed from C1 to C2 as described above, the change content recording unit 110 corresponds to the setting value information of the processing item C as shown in FIG. The write-back completion determination flag to be changed is changed from “1” to “0”.

  By the way, it is conceivable that the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off before the predetermined time is counted by the timer, and then the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on again. In this case, since the write back process by the set value information write back unit 111 is not performed, the change in the set value information by the first set value information change unit 109 is not reflected in the storage content of the flash memory 106. Since the RAM 107 is a volatile memory, the setting value information stored in the RAM 107 is erased when the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off. In the present embodiment, the following processing is performed assuming such a case.

  When the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off before the predetermined time is counted by the timer, and then the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on again, the setting value information duplicating unit 108 (1) in FIG. ), The set value information currently stored in the flash memory 106 is copied to the set value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107.

  Next, as shown in (2) of FIG. 5, the second set value information changing unit 112 includes a write-back completion determination flag in the change content information stored in the rewrite management information storage area 106 b of the flash memory 106. Is changed to “1” indicating that it has not yet been written back, and the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107 is changed based on this changing content information. To do.

  For example, when the change content information stored in the rewrite management information storage area 106b is the information shown in FIG. 6C and the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off, the second setting value information changing unit 112 When the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on again, the setting value information C2 of the processing item C whose write back completion determination flag is “1” is extracted, and as shown in FIG. Of the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 107a, the setting value information for the processing item C is changed from C1 to the extracted setting value information C2.

  Then, the setting value information write-back unit 111 starts timing by the timer from the change timing of the setting value information by the second setting value information changing unit 112, and when the predetermined time is counted, (3 in FIG. ), The setting value information changed by the second setting value information changing unit 112 among the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 107a of the RAM 107 is changed to the setting value information storage area of the flash memory 106. Write back to 106a.

  When the write-back processing is completed, the setting value information write-back unit 111 notifies the change content recording unit 110 to that effect, and the change content recording unit 110 based on this, as shown in (4) of FIG. In addition, the write-back completion determination flag is changed to “0” indicating that the write-back has been performed.

  As a result, the setting value information in the setting value information storage area 107 a of the RAM 107 is changed, and the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned off before the changed contents are reflected in the flash memory 106. Even in such a case, the image forming apparatus 1 can be reliably operated based on the set value information changed by the input operation unit 101 or the external device X.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106 is rewritten every predetermined time measured by the timer. The rewrite frequency (the number of rewrites) can be reduced as compared with the case where the set value information stored in the set value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106 is rewritten each time a value information change instruction is issued. it can.

  That is, since the flash memory 106 erases data in units of a certain amount of data, if the set value information within the same unit is changed while the predetermined time elapses, the change of the set value information is changed to 1. It can be reflected (recorded) in the flash memory 106 by the rewriting process. Accordingly, it is possible to delay as much as possible that the number of rewrites of the flash memory 106 in which the number of rewrites is limited reaches the limit value, and the life of the image forming apparatus 1 is reached when the number of rewrites of the flash memory 106 reaches the limit value. Can be prevented or suppressed from occurring.

  In addition, since the flash memory 106 erases data in units of a certain amount of data, it takes a relatively long time to rewrite the set value information, and a change instruction for the set value information is issued as in the past. When the setting value information stored in the setting value information storage area 106a of the flash memory 106 is rewritten every time, the setting value information rewriting process that requires a relatively long time frequently occurs. In this embodiment, since the rewrite frequency (the number of rewrites) can be reduced, occurrence of such a situation can also be reduced.

  Further, the set value information duplicating unit 108, the first set value information changing unit 109, the change content recording unit 110, the set value information writing back unit 111, and the second set value information changing unit 112 can be realized by software. The above-described effects can be obtained while suppressing an increase in cost.

  The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment, and the following modifications may be employed instead of or in addition to the first embodiment.

  [1] The predetermined time for determining the period for performing the rewriting process of the setting value information in the setting value information storage area 106a in the flash memory 106 may be adjusted as appropriate. That is, the predetermined time is set according to a factor other than the factor that causes the number of rewrites of the flash memory 106 to reach the limit value, for example, the lifetime of the image forming apparatus 1 determined by the lifetime of a member or unit provided in the image forming apparatus 1. can do.

  Assuming that the image forming apparatus 1 is operated for 8 hours per day and 20 days per month, when the predetermined time is set to 6 minutes, for example, in this embodiment, the maximum number of rewrites is 1600 times per month. . At this time, when a NOR type flash memory is adopted as the flash memory 106, it takes five years or more to reach 100,000 times, which is a general guarantee of the flash memory. As described above, even when the predetermined time is set to a relatively short time of, for example, 6 minutes, the number of rewrites of the flash memory 106 reaches the limit value before the lifetime of the members and units provided in the image forming apparatus 1 expires. It turns out that there is a high probability that it can be avoided.

  [2] This case is not limited to the image forming apparatus but can be applied to other electronic devices. Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where the target device is connected to an external device.

1 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus that is an example of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the data processing content of the characteristic part of this case. It is a figure for demonstrating the data processing content of the characteristic part of this case. It is a figure for demonstrating the data processing content of the characteristic part of this case. It is a figure for demonstrating the data processing content of the characteristic part of this case. It is a figure which shows the structure of change content information.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image forming apparatus 106 Flash memory 106a Setting value information storage area 106b Rewrite management information storage area 107 RAM
107a Setting value information storage area 108 Setting value information duplicating section 109 First setting value information changing section 110 Change content recording section 111 Setting value information writing back section 112 Second setting value information changing section

Claims (5)

Volatile memory,
A non-volatile memory including a first storage area for storing in advance setting value information indicating a setting value for an item of processing by the electronic device;
A set value information duplicating unit that duplicates the set value information stored in the first storage area of the non-volatile memory and stores the duplicated set value information in the volatile memory;
When an instruction to change the set value information is given to the electronic device, based on the change instruction, a first set value information changing unit that changes the set value information stored in the volatile memory;
A first recording unit for recording the setting value information changed by the first setting value information changing unit in a second storage area different from the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory;
When the time measured based on the change timing of the set value information by the first set value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time, the set value information stored in the volatile memory is stored in the non-volatile memory. A second recording unit that records the first storage area in an overwrite format,
When the recording process by the second recording unit is completed, the first recording unit stores the recording completion information indicating that the recording process is completed in the second storage area of the non-volatile memory. Electronic equipment to be added to set value information for which the recording process has been completed among the value information. When the power of the electronic device is turned off before the time counted based on the change timing of the set value information by the first set value information changing unit reaches a predetermined time,
When the power is turned on again, the setting value information duplicating unit duplicates the setting value information stored in the first storage area of the nonvolatile memory, and the copied setting value information is stored in the volatile memory. Store and
After the setting value information duplication and storage processing by the setting value information duplicating unit, the setting value information to which the recording completion information is not added among the setting value information recorded in the second storage area is changed to the volatile property. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second setting value information changing unit that records the setting value information related to the same processing item as the setting value information in a storage area of the memory in a overwrite area. machine.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first recording unit deletes setting value information stored in the storage area when the second storage area becomes full.   The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the non-volatile memory is one in which the number of erasures of set value information is limited to a predetermined value.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory is a flash memory, and the volatile memory is a RAM.

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