JP2009171270A - Control device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for enabling an image forming apparatus to start up more quickly, when the powered is turned on. <P>SOLUTION: When powered on, a reset circuit 62, that detects a power supply voltage, outputs a reset signal R to a control circuit 61 of an engine substrate 16, thereby initializing a circuit within the engine substrate 16, without having to wait for the initialization of a control circuit 52 of a main substrate 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus control device and an image forming apparatus including the control device.

  Image forming devices such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines, and multifunction devices that provide these functions in a single device, the functional devices that implement each function, and the operations of these functional devices individually And a sub-controller for controlling.

The multifunction device of Patent Document 1 includes an external switch, a main controller that performs overall control of the entire multifunction device, and a plurality of sub-controllers that are individually assigned to and controlled by functional devices, and are connected in parallel to the main controller, A constant power source that supplies power to the main controller when the external switch is turned on, and a power supply device that includes an on / off power source corresponding to each sub-controller. The main controller includes a main control unit and a general-purpose input / output port. The main control unit outputs an instruction to output a control signal for instructing power-on to an on / off power source corresponding to a sub-controller that requires power supply. Perform for I / O ports. With this configuration, the multifunction device disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs power control of the sub-controller at one location.
JP 2005-266314 A

  In the above conventional technique, each sub-controller cannot start control unless the main controller is activated. For this reason, it takes a long time to start up the entire multi-function peripheral, resulting in a long wait for the user until it can operate.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can make an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine operable in a shorter time.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a control device for an image forming apparatus including a plurality of operation units that perform different operations, and the first and second serially connected devices. A second controller, and a power source for supplying power to the first and second controllers. The second controller is configured to control one of the operation units, and to activate the first controller when the power is turned on. Initialization means capable of initializing the control means in an uncompleted state, and the first controller comprises other initialization means for initializing the control means of the second controller.

  In order to start control after power-on, the controller needs to be initialized. According to the configuration of the first aspect, the control means of the second controller can be initialized also by the initialization means of the first controller, but can be initialized without waiting for the first controller to start. When the control means of the second controller is initialized, the operation unit can be controlled. Therefore, according to this control device, the time required for the image forming apparatus to become operable can be shortened as compared with the prior art. Is possible.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the control device according to the first aspect, the first controller includes an external communication unit capable of downloading software from an external device, and the other initialization means includes the external communication. After downloading by the unit, the control means of the second controller may be initialized.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the control device of the second aspect further includes a third controller connected to the second controller, and the second controller is configured so that the control means is initialized when the control means is initialized. The apparatus further includes power supply start means for starting power supply to the third controller, wherein the third controller includes other control means for controlling an operation part different from the control means among the operation parts, and a third controller. There may be provided another initialization means for initializing the other control means when power feeding is started.

  After downloading the software, it is necessary to initialize the control means. According to the configuration of claim 3, the power supply to the third controller is started by the power supply start means when the control means of the second controller is initialized even after the power is turned on or after the software is downloaded. Then, the control means of the third controller is initialized. That is, it is possible to quickly start up after turning on the power, and to make the initialization sequence of the control means of the third controller the same after turning on the power and after downloading the software.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the control device according to the first to third aspects, the control means of the second controller may control an image forming operation of the operation unit.

  By quickly initializing the control means that controls the operation unit that is responsible for the image forming operation, this operation unit can be quickly started up. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required until an image forming operation is possible.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is controlled by the control device, and an image forming unit having an operation unit capable of executing an image forming operation. Can be applied to the device.

  According to the control device of the present invention and the image forming apparatus including the control device, the control unit of the second controller can be initialized without waiting for the first controller to start. When the control means of the second controller is initialized, the operation unit can be controlled. Therefore, according to this control device, the time required for the image forming apparatus to become operable can be shortened as compared with the prior art. Is possible.

  A multifunction peripheral A to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. MFP A>
(1-1) Overview of Multifunction Device A FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the multifunction device A centering on the control device 10.

  The multifunction device A is a digital multifunction device having a color printing function. That is, the multi-function device A can function as a copying machine and a printer, and may function as a facsimile machine and an e-mail transmission / reception device.

  The multifunction device A employs an electrophotographic method as an image forming method. That is, the multi-function device A draws an electrostatic latent image with light on the photoconductor based on the image data, and develops the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a toner image. The printed matter is obtained by transferring and fixing it on top.

  The multifunction device A is connected to the PC 200 via the communication network 300 in order to function as a printer. As the communication network 300, an electric communication line such as the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, an ISDN, and a telephone line network can be used.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the multifunction device A includes, as operation units that realize various functions, a color scanner 11, an LSU (Laser Scan Unit) 12, an image forming unit 13, and a finisher unit 14. , And the like. The multi-function device A further includes a facsimile unit 19. The multi-function device A further includes a control device 10 for controlling each functional unit. The multi-function device A also includes a main power supply 30 that is turned on / off by a power switch (not shown). Although not shown, the multi-function device A includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device that presents information to the user, a hard key, a touch sensor, and the like, and an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from the user.

  The color scanner 11 includes a light source (not shown), an image sensor, and optical members such as a mirror and a lens. The color scanner 11 illuminates a document with light from a light source, guides the reflected light to an image sensor by an optical member, and converts the reflected light into an electrical signal by the image sensor, thereby acquiring color image data.

  The LSU 12 includes a laser light source, a polygon mirror, a lens, and other mirrors. The LSU 12 modulates the emitted light from the laser light source based on the color image data, reflects the emitted light by the polygon mirror, and rotates the polygon mirror to scan the photosensitive member with the emitted light, thereby obtaining an image. Draw. Optical members such as lenses and other mirrors guide the light from the laser light source to the polygon mirror and then to the photoreceptor.

  The image forming unit 13 includes devices, members, and the like for executing printing, and specifically includes a mechanism that performs transfer, fixing, paper conveyance, and the like.

  The finisher unit 14 can perform post-processing such as sorting, punching, and stapling. The finisher unit 14 is an example of an enhancement device for enhancing the functions of the multifunction peripheral A. Therefore, instead of the finisher unit 14, an automatic document conveying device or the like that automatically conveys a document can be applied as an enhancement device.

  The facsimile unit 19 is responsible for the facsimile function of the multifunction device A. In other words, image data is exchanged with other facsimile apparatuses via a communication line such as a telephone line.

  The control device 10 includes a plurality of boards connected to each other (specifically, a printed circuit board such as a main board 15, an engine board 16, an enhancement board 17, and an extension board 18). Control. Although not shown, the control device 10 includes a control board that controls the display unit and the instruction receiving unit.

  Each substrate mounts electronic components such as an IC (integrated circuit), a resistor, a transistor, and a capacitor. These boards receive signals from each operation unit (11-14, 19), etc., execute various processes, control the operation of each operation unit, and send commands to other wiring boards. Or send a signal. FIG. 1 shows three types (15 to 17) of such substrates.

  Each substrate will be described in detail in the next column. In addition, the function part (51-53, 61-64, 71-72, 81 grade | etc.) Of each board | substrate shown in the figure is implement | achieved by IC etc.

(1-2) Control device 10
(I) Main board 15
The main board (first controller) 15 functions as a main controller that performs overall control of the entire multifunction peripheral A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main board 15 is connected to the color scanner 11 and the LSU 12, and includes electronic components for controlling the operations of the color scanner 11 and the LSU 12 and performing image processing. Specifically, the main board 15 includes an external communication unit 51 that is an interface with an external device (such as the PC 200) that can communicate via the communication network 300. The main board 15 includes a control circuit 52, a reset circuit 53, and a switch 55, and includes a plurality of ports such as first to ninth ports (p _{11 to} p ₁₅ ).

Foreign communication unit 51 is connected to the eighth port _{P 14,} through the eighth port _{P 14,} it can communicate with an external device such as a PC 200.

  The control circuit 52 includes a memory 52a, a first communication unit 52b, a second communication unit 52c, a third communication unit 52e, a reset execution unit 52d, and the like.

  In the memory 52a, control programs for the color scanner 11 and the LSU 12 are stored.

The first communication unit 52b is connected to three ports (second to fourth ports (collectively denoted by “p ₁₂ ”)), and through these ports, between the engine board 16 and Transmits and receives signals related to image formation such as print commands.

The second communication unit 52c is connected to three ports (fifth to seventh ports (collectively denoted by a reference sign "p _13" to)), through these ports, between the engine board 16, Transmits and receives signals related to image reading, such as image reading commands. In this way, by exchanging the print command and the image reading command through different communication units, the communication speed of the command can be increased as compared to using the same communication unit.

The third communication unit 52e is connected to the ninth port p _15, it is possible to transmit a control signal such as the expansion board 18.

  The reset execution unit 52d controls initialization of the engine board 16.

  Further, the reset circuit 53 includes a switch 54. When the power is turned on by the main power supply 30, the reset circuit 53 detects the power supply voltage of the main board 15 and turns on the switch 54, so that the control circuit 52 is turned on. A reset signal R can be output.

Switch 55 receives a control signal from the reset execution unit 52 d, and so on / off switched, via a first port p _11, is connected to the engine board 16.

(Ii) Engine board 16
The engine board (second controller) 16 functions as a sub-controller that controls the operation of the image forming unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the engine board 16 is connected to the image forming unit 13. The engine board 16 includes first to eleventh ports (p _{21 to} p ₂₅ ), and includes a control circuit 61, a reset circuit 62, a switch 64, and the like.

The first port p ₂₁ is connected to the first port p ₁₁ of the main board 15, and the second to fourth ports (collectively labeled “p ₂₂ ”) are connected to the second to fourth ports p ₁₂ of the main board 15. The fifth to seventh ports (collectively labeled “p ₂₃ ”) are connected to the fifth to seventh ports p ₁₃ of the main board 15, respectively. The eighth to tenth ports (collectively denoted by “p ₂₄ ”) and the eleventh port p ₂₅ of the engine board 16 are connected to the enhancement board 17.

  The control circuit 61 includes a memory 61a, a first communication unit 61b of the engine board 16, a second communication unit 61c, a third communication unit 61d, and the like.

  In the memory 61a, a control program for the image forming unit 13 and the like are stored.

The first communication unit 61b is connected to the second to fourth port p _22, via the port p ₁₂ of the main substrate, between the first communication unit 52a of the main board, the print command or the like, the image forming Sends and receives signals related to The second communication unit 61c is connected to the fifth to seventh port p _23, via the port p ₁₃ of the main board, the image reading command and the like between the second communication unit 52c, an image reading for the signal of Send and receive. The third communication unit 61d is connected to the eighth to tenth ports p _24, transmit and receive signals such as various commands with the enhancement board 17.

The reset circuit 62 includes a switch 63 and is connected to a wiring extending from the first port p ₂₁ to the control circuit 61. The reset circuit 62 can also output the reset signal R to the control circuit 61 by detecting the power supply voltage and turning on the switch 63.

The switch 64 is connected to the eleventh port p ₂₅ and is turned on / off in response to a signal from the control circuit 61. The switch 64 of the engine board 16 is arranged on a power supply circuit to the enhancement board 17. When the switch 64 is turned on, a current is supplied to the circuit of the enhancement board 17, and when the switch 64 is turned off, the supply is stopped. That is, the switch 64 functions as a power supply start unit to the enhancement board 17 by receiving control of the control circuit 61.

(Iii) Enhancement board 17
The enhancement board (third controller) 17 functions as a sub-controller that controls the operation of the finisher unit 14.

As shown in FIG. 1, the enhancement substrate 17 is connected to the finisher unit 14. The enhancement board 17 includes first to fourth ports (p _{31 to} p ₃₂ ), a control circuit 71, a reset circuit 72, and the like.

  The control circuit 71 includes a memory 71a, a communication unit 71b, a determination unit 71c, and the like.

  Data such as a control program for the finisher unit 14 is stored in the memory 71a.

The communication unit 71b is connected to the first to third ports (collectively denoted by a reference sign _{"p 31"} with), the third communication unit 61d through the eighth to eleventh port _{p 24} of the engine board 16 Exchange signals between them.

  The determination unit 71c determines whether the data expanded in the memory 71a is normal.

  The reset circuit 72 includes a switch 73 and can output a reset signal R to the control circuit 71. The reset circuit 72 can also output the reset signal R to the control circuit 71 by detecting the power supply voltage and turning on the switch 73.

Fourth port p ₃₂ included in the group of ports P _D is connected to the 11 port p ₂₅ of the engine board 16 are arranged in the power supply system path to the enhancement board 17.

(Iv) Expansion board 18
The extension board 18 controls the operation of the facsimile unit 19 and plays a role of extending the function of the main board 15.

The extension board 18 includes a control circuit 81. The extension board 18 is connected to the control circuit 81 and includes a port p ₄ connected to the ninth port p ₁₅ of the main board 15. However, the extension board 18 does not have its own reset circuit.

  The control circuit 81 includes a memory 81a, and data such as a control program for the facsimile unit 19 is stored in the memory 81a.

  The functional units (communication units, etc.) included in the control circuits (52, 61, 71, 81) of each substrate described in the above (i) to (iv) columns are a CPU (central processing unit), ROM (read only memory), RAM (random access memory), and other recording media.

  The switches (54 to 55, 63 to 64, 73) described above are configured by transistors such as MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors).

  From the above description, the multi-function peripheral A includes the main board 15 that is the main controller, and the mechatronics that includes the boards (16, 17, and 18) and the operation units (13, 14, and 19) that are the sub-controllers. It can be expressed as a device.

(1-3) Reset operation in the control device 10 In order to properly operate the multi-function device A, new software is written in or already stored in the memory (52a, 61a, 71a, 81a, etc.) of the control device 10. Rewriting operation (installation) may be performed to update existing software. “Software” includes “firmware” and can be rephrased as “program”. After rewriting, the internal circuit of each substrate (15, 16, 17, 18, etc.) is reset (initialized). The internal circuit is also reset when power supply by the main power supply 30 is started (when power is turned on).

  By having the above-described configuration, the control device 10 can reset the circuit of the engine board 16 and another board (enhancement board 17 in this embodiment) connected to the engine board 16 through the main board 15. Further, the control device 10 can reset the circuit of the main board 15 through the engine board 16. Specifically, it is as described below.

(I) When resetting circuits of other boards through the main board 15 A flow of processing when downloading rewrite data from the PC 200 and updating software will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the external communication unit 51 receives rewrite data from the PC 200 via the communication network 300 (step S11). The main board 15 transmits the rewrite data to the engine board 16 via the first communication unit 52b or other communication unit (step S12). The control circuit 61 of the engine board 16 communicates with the control circuit 71 of the enhancement board 17 and develops rewrite data in the memory 71a of the enhancement board 17 (step S13).

  When the determination unit 71c of the enhancement board 17 determines that the rewrite data developed in the memory 71a is normal (Yes in step S14), the rewrite data reception end notification is sent to the engine board 16 by the communication unit 71b or the like. It is transmitted (step S15). On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not normal (No in step S14), processing such as notifying the user that rewriting has failed is performed via the display unit (step S21).

  Upon receiving the reception end notification from the enhancement board 17, the engine board 16 issues an initialization instruction to the main board 15 (step S16).

  Since the switch 55 is connected to the same power supply as the switch 63 of the reset circuit 62, when the switch 55 is turned on by a signal from the reset execution unit 52d of the main board 15, the reset circuit 62 is reset and the engine A reset signal R is input to the control circuit 61 of the substrate 16. As a result, the control circuit 61 of the engine board 16 is reset (step S17). That is, the switch 55 of the main board 15 functions as a means for initializing the circuit of the engine board 16 under the control of the reset execution unit 52d.

  The engine board 16 has a circuit configuration in which the switch 64 is turned off during reset. As described above, since the switch 64 is arranged on the power supply circuit to the enhancement board 17, the power supply to the enhancement board 17 is stopped during the reset of the engine board 16.

  When the reset applied from the main board 15 to the engine board 16 is released (step S18), the software of the engine board 16 starts to be started (step S19). At the same time, the same initialization sequence as when the power is turned on is started on the enhancement board 17 (step S20).

  That is, both the engine board 16 and the enhancement board 17 are initialized via the switch 55 of the main board 15.

  As for the extension board 18, the third communication unit 52 e of the main board 15 inputs the reset signal R to the control circuit 81 of the extension board 18 by the control using the software of the main board 15, and thereby the control circuit 81. Is reset.

(Ii) When resetting circuits on other boards through the engine board 16 Normal power-on by pressing a power switch (not shown) for turning on / off the power supply by the main power supply 30 of the multi-function peripheral A The flow of resetting will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, after the power is turned on, when the power supply voltage reaches a predetermined voltage value (Yes in step S31), the reset circuit 62 of the engine board outputs a reset signal R to the control circuit 61. As a result, the control circuit 61 is reset (step S32). As described above, the power supply to the enhancement board 17 is stopped by turning off the switch 64 while the engine board 16 is being reset.

  After the reset of the engine board 16 is released, the software of the engine board 16 is started and the initialization sequence of the enhancement board 17 is executed (steps S33 to S35), similarly to the above-described steps S18 to S29.

  At this time, in the main board 15, the reset circuit 53 resets the circuits in the main board 15. That is, also in the main substrate 15, the reset signal R is output to the control circuit 52 by the reset circuit 53 when the power supply voltage reaches a predetermined value. As a result, the control circuit 52 is reset.

  Further, after the main board 15 is initialized, the extension board 18 is initialized by the control using the software of the main board 15 in the same manner as the initialization at the time of downloading.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the main board 15, the engine board 16, and the enhancement board 17 are connected in series. In other words, in the control device 10, the system (each controller) is subordinate in a multi-stage cascade, such that a sub controller is subordinate to the main controller and another controller is subordinate to the sub controller. The system immediately above the initialization target system controls the power supply of the initialization target system.

  If all of the subordinate systems across a plurality of hierarchies are initialized from the main board 15, the software of the main board 15 is activated at the time of power-on (startup). The circuit of the image forming substrate 16 is initialized, and then the devices such as the fixing of the image forming unit 13 start operation. After the operation is started, more time is required until a device such as a fixing device can stably execute an image forming job. In particular, since the activation of the software on the main board 15 is slower than the sub-controller such as the engine board 16, it takes a considerable time before the job can be executed.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when power is turned on, the engine board 16 and the enhancement board 17 activate the software regardless of whether the software of the main board 15 is activated or not. Control can begin. On the other hand, when the software is rewritten from the main board 15, the engine board 16 controls the power supply of the enhancement board 17 under the control using the software of the main board 15. It can be initialized through the same control sequence as the activation of.

  As a result, the multifunction device A can quickly start up the functional device when the power is turned on, and can quickly respond to an image forming job request. In addition, when software is rewritten with rewritten data obtained via the communication network 300, initialization is automatically performed even if the user does not turn off and on the power switch provided in the multifunction peripheral A itself. The

  Therefore, it is possible for the user to shorten the time from starting to obtaining the printed matter, and it is not necessary to manually turn off and on the multifunction device A every time the software is rewritten. .

  It should be noted that the stabilization of the facsimile unit 19 does not require as long as the stability of the image forming unit 13, so that even if the expansion board 18 is always initialized by control using the software of the main board 15, it will be activated. The effect on time is small.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the initialization by the reset control using the software of the main board 15, the same sequence as the initialization at the time of turning on the power is generated from the reset signal. Therefore, the software of the engine board 16 and the enhancement board 17 can always perform the initialization procedure in the same communication sequence regardless of the activation factor. That is, since the software for initialization can be configured without conditional branching, the software can be simplified as a result, and the memory capacity can be reduced.

<2. Other Embodiments>
<1. The embodiment described in the> column is merely an example of a technique to which the present invention is applied.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cascade of the control device 10 has a three-layer structure of the name board 15, the engine board 16, and the enhancement board 17, but the control apparatus 10 has a larger number of layer structures. It may be.

  For example, another sub-controller may be subordinate to the enhancement board 17. In this case, when the software is downloaded via the communication network 300, the other sub-controller activates the software of the enhancement board 17. In response, the same initialization sequence as when the power is turned on may be started.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Conventionally known techniques can be suitably applied to configurations and members not specifically mentioned above. Further, embodiments obtained by combining the techniques described in different columns are also included in the embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a main part configuration of a multifunction peripheral A that is an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of reset operation | movement when software is downloaded from an external device via a communication network. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of reset operation when a power supply is turned on.

Explanation of symbols

A MFP (image forming device)
10 Control device 11 Color scanner 12 LSU
13 Image forming unit 14 Finisher unit 15 Main board (first controller)
16 Engine board (second controller)
17 Enhancement board (3rd controller)
20 Main power supply 200 PC
300 Communication network

Claims (5)

A control device for an image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of operation units that perform different operations;
First and second controllers connected in series;
A power source for supplying power to the first and second controllers,
A second controller comprising: control means for controlling any of the operating units; and initialization means capable of initializing the control means in a state where the first controller has not been activated when the power is turned on, With
The control device, wherein the first controller includes other initialization means for initializing the control means of the second controller. The first controller includes an external communication unit capable of downloading software from an external device,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the other initialization unit is configured to initialize the control unit of the second controller after downloading of software by the external communication unit. A third controller connected to the second controller;
The second controller further includes power supply start means for starting power supply to the third controller when the control means is initialized,
The third controller initializes other control means for controlling an operation part different from the control means among the operation parts, and the other control means when power supply to the third controller is started. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising another initialization unit.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit of the second controller controls an image forming operation of the operation unit. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An operation unit whose operation is controlled by the control device and capable of executing an image forming operation;
An image forming apparatus.

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