JP2010259031A - Image forming device and status page evaluation program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cause an image forming device for automatically determining the validity of a status page for outputting a set up state of a device, and thereby saving the labor. <P>SOLUTION: A sequence is created for generating various status pages that include different conditions. Bitmap data of a correct status page, based on the sequence, is previously created by another image forming device which is verified for the validity of outputting of a status page. The status page based on the sequence is generated by an image forming device under verification. A comparison is made between the bitmap data and the bitmap data of the status page generated by the verified image forming device, and should there arise a difference between them, then the difference is recorded, and an automatic determination is made as to the validity of a status page. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for verifying the validity of a status page output for notifying the setting state of an apparatus in an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus, a page called a status page for notifying the setting state of the apparatus is generally output on a sheet. The status page includes the image forming device model name, firmware version number, language settings, local time settings, installed memory capacity, network settings, interface settings, installed paper cassette information, print settings such as the number of copies, and image scanning A variety of image forming apparatus information such as the file format, scanner settings such as resolution, and counter information of the number of printed sheets are output.

  Conventionally, a method for confirming whether the output of the status page is intended and correct is performed by visually checking a status page printed on a sheet. Therefore, for example, when checking data whose data has changed for each item in the status page, it is necessary to check a very large number of outputs, and there is a problem that it takes time.

  For the purpose of providing a network printing system including a plurality of printers as a prior art, the network printing system having a small amount of communication traffic for collecting information and a simple computer changing operation for collecting job information and the like Each printer constituting the network printing system is set as a device that transmits printer status information (error / status / job report) to a designated computer according to a designated schedule, and for each printer. There is a method for setting the printer status information to be transmitted to the same computer in the network printing system (see Patent Document 1).

  However, even with this method, it is not possible to automatically verify whether the status page created by the image forming apparatus is the intended one, thereby improving the efficiency and labor saving of the evaluation.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-1128

  A problem to be solved is that in an image forming apparatus capable of outputting a status page, it cannot be automatically and efficiently evaluated whether the output status page is the intended correct output.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a status page creation unit for creating and outputting a status page in which the setting state of the apparatus is described for each item, and the status page generated by another image forming apparatus. A correct page input unit that receives a correct page describing a correct setting state for each item, a status page evaluation unit that performs a comparative evaluation between the status page created by the status page creation unit and the correct page, and records the result It is characterized by having.

  Further, the status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention performs comparative evaluation by pattern matching between the data obtained by bitmapping the correct page and the status page created by the status page creation unit. It is good also as performing.

  The status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may output bitmap data of a portion where the pattern does not match by the pattern matching.

  Further, the status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may not perform pattern matching evaluation for a predetermined area portion during the pattern matching.

  In addition, the status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may compare whether the value of a predetermined area portion is within a predetermined range during the pattern matching.

  The status page evaluation program according to the present invention includes a status page creation function for enabling a computer to create and output a status page in which the setting state of each device is described for each item, and the image generated by another image forming apparatus. Status page that records the result by comparing and evaluating the correct page and the correct page input function that accepts the correct page describing the correct setting state for each item of the status page and the status page creating function With page evaluation function

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a status page creation unit for creating and outputting a status page in which the setting state of the apparatus is described for each item, and the status page generated by another image forming apparatus. A correct page input unit that receives a correct page describing a correct setting state for each item, a status page evaluation unit that performs a comparative evaluation between the status page created by the status page creation unit and the correct page, and records the result It is characterized by having.

  Therefore, the correct page can be created by another image forming apparatus whose status page has already been verified, and the correctness of the status page of the image forming apparatus to be verified can be verified using the correct page. Highly reliable verification is possible.

  Further, the status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention performs comparative evaluation by pattern matching between the data obtained by bitmapping the correct page and the status page created by the status page creation unit. It is good also as performing.

  For this reason, comparative evaluation can be performed by a simple method called pattern matching, and not only the value of the setting item but also the format can be verified.

  The status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may output bitmap data of a portion where the pattern does not match by the pattern matching.

  For this reason, it becomes possible to easily recognize a portion that does not match.

  Further, the status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may not perform pattern matching evaluation for a predetermined area portion during the pattern matching.

  For this reason, it is possible to remove a part having no comparison meaning such as date and time from the evaluation target.

  In addition, the status page evaluation unit of the image forming apparatus of the present invention may compare whether the value of a predetermined area portion is within a predetermined range during the pattern matching.

  For this reason, if the set item value has a range and the temperature inside the apparatus is also an abnormal value, processing such as issuing an alert becomes possible.

The status page evaluation program according to the present invention includes a status page creation function for enabling a computer to create and output a status page in which the setting state of each device is described for each item, and the image generated by another image forming apparatus. Status page that records the result by comparing and evaluating the correct page and the correct page input function that accepts the correct page describing the correct setting state for each item of the status page and the status page creating function For this reason, the correct page is created by another image forming apparatus whose validity of the status page has already been verified, and the status page of the image forming apparatus to be verified is verified using the correct page. Can be verified, and the accuracy of the correct answer page is high, enabling highly reliable verification. It becomes ability.

1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the correct data creation mode of this invention Example, and the evaluation mode of a status page. 6 is an example of a status page output by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the image forming apparatus that can output the status page, the correct answer page that is the correct output intended for the problem that it is not possible to automatically and efficiently evaluate whether the output status page is the correct output that is intended Is prepared by another image forming apparatus for which the validity of status page creation is verified, and the pattern matching between the status page created by the image forming apparatus to be verified and the correct page is performed to evaluate the validity Solved by.

  The image forming apparatus 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 101 includes the following functional blocks, communication I / F (interface) 111, data receiving unit 113, print job control unit 115, status page evaluation unit 117, NVRAM 119, disk control unit 121, disk 123, data analysis. Unit 125, drawing data processing unit 127, drawing unit 129, panel 131, status page creation unit 133, memory management unit 135, system control unit 137, device information holding unit 138, evaluation sequence generation unit 139, correct page input unit 140, The correct page generation unit 141, the output unit 143, and the print engine 145 are included.

  The image forming apparatus 101 is connected to an image forming apparatus B102 or a terminal apparatus 201, which are other image forming apparatuses, via a communication I / F 111.

  In other image forming apparatuses B102, it is verified that the status page created by the status page creation unit 133b is correct. The image forming apparatus 101 that is a target for verifying the validity of the status page uses the status page created by the verified image forming apparatus B102 as the correct answer page.

  The image forming apparatus 101 has a computer (not shown), and each computer implements each functional block (or a control portion of the apparatus indicating each functional block).

  Specifically, a computer is a device that executes a program to perform computation and / or control. The computer has a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The CPU, ROM, RAM, and interface are connected to each other via a bus, a controller, and the like so that data communication can be performed.

  The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit that executes processing described in a program and forms each functional block inside. The ROM is a non-volatile memory that stores programs and data in advance. The RAM is a memory that temporarily stores the program and data when the program is executed and uses it as a work area.

  Each functional block will be described below.

  A communication I / F (interface) 111 is an intermediary device for connecting the image forming apparatus 101 to a terminal device 201 such as a PC (Personal Computer) or another image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus B102). The communication I / F 111 may be a network interface, or other USB interface or parallel interface.

  The data receiving unit 113 is a functional unit that buffers the print data received by the communication I / F 111 and reconstructs the data for each print data.

  The print job control unit 115 is a functional unit that controls the execution, stop, and completion operations of the print job of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The status page evaluation unit 117 is a functional unit that evaluates a status page generated by the image forming apparatus 101. The image forming apparatus 101 compares and evaluates the bitmap data of the intended correct status page received by the correct page input unit 140 and the bitmap data of the status page output by the status page creation unit 133 of the image forming apparatus 101. Evaluate the validity of the status page to be output. At the time of evaluation, a portion that does not make sense even when compared, such as the execution date and time, firmware version number, etc., may be designated as an ignoring area and the portion may not be compared. Further, it may be determined whether the numerical value in the designated area is within a predetermined range (or whether the character string is in the designated character string). More detailed items of the evaluation function will be described later in the description item of the script of the evaluation sequence.

  An NVRAM (Non Volatile Random Access Memory) 119 is a non-volatile memory and has a function of recording setting information of the image forming apparatus 101. The information stored in the NVRAM 119 does not disappear even when the power is turned off, and the setting state of the image forming apparatus can be maintained regardless of the power state. The setting information stored in the NVRAM is passed to the status page creation unit 133 via the system control unit 137 and output to the status page.

  The disk control unit 121 controls reading and writing of information with respect to a disk 123 formed of a rotating magnetic disk device that is a secondary storage device of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The disk 123 is a secondary storage device of an image forming apparatus composed of a rotating magnetic disk device or the like. A program necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 101, image data, and the like are recorded and held, and read out when necessary and appropriately processed such as printout.

  The data analysis unit 125 analyzes a page description language (PDL) and PCL (Printer Control Language) included in the print data, and performs a drawing data processing unit 127, a drawing unit 129, and an output unit described later. Instructions for necessary operations are given to 143 and the like.

  The drawing data processing unit 127 converts print data described in the page description language into a display list that is an intermediate language based on the data analysis of the data analysis unit 125.

  The drawing unit 129 converts the print data written in the intermediate language (display list) converted by the drawing data processing unit 127 into bitmap data to be printed by the print engine 145 via the output unit 143.

  The panel 131 is an interface device for performing input / output with a user, which includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel and an input unit such as a touch panel and buttons.

  The status page creation unit 133 is a functional unit that creates a status page for outputting the setting state (or setting value) of the image forming apparatus 101 to a sheet. As described above, various types of information are output to the status page, and information on these setting states is acquired via the system control unit 137. An example of the status page output by the status page creation unit 133 is shown in FIG. The status page shows the model name of the image forming apparatus, the firmware version number, and the number of prints for each sheet and each print type held by the device information holding unit 138. There are other various items such as language setting and local time, but a part of them is shown here as an example.

  The memory management unit 135 is a functional unit that manages a main memory that is a primary storage device of the image forming apparatus 101.

  The system control unit 137 is a functional unit that controls the entire apparatus of the image forming apparatus 101. Information on the setting state of the image forming apparatus 101 is acquired from the device information holding unit 138 and each function unit of the image forming apparatus. The acquired information is passed to the status page creation unit 133 and output as a status page.

  The device information holding unit 138 is a functional unit that holds information about devices such as the number of printed sheets and an effective cassette (a paper feeding cassette that is mounted on the image forming apparatus and is operable). Information held by the device information holding unit 138 is passed to the status page creation unit 133 via the system control unit 137, and the information is output to the status page.

  The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 is a functional unit that generates a series of sequences for evaluating the status page. The evaluation sequence controls the image forming apparatus to change the setting state of the image forming apparatus 101 and output the status page by a simple script.

  The script is executed in the following format, for example.

"Command, setting item, setting value"
For example, when the language setting is set to English, the correct page generation unit 141 creates a bitmap with the correct page, and then sets the language setting of the image forming apparatus to English and the status page creation unit 133 maps the status page to the bitmap. A series of scripts for generating a converted page, causing the status page evaluation unit 117 to compare the status page with the correct page, and printing the evaluation result on a sheet by the print engine 145 is as follows.

; *** master creation mode ***
REC_MASTER_START
SET_MFP_VALUE Local_Language, English
CREATE_MASTER_BITMAP_AND_SAVE FILE_NAME = MASTER_01
REC_MASTER_END
; *** evaluation mode ***
EVAL_START
SET_MFP_VALUE, Local_Language, English
OUTPUT_BITMAP_AND_SAVE, StatusPage, FILE_NAME = LOCAL_LANG_TEST
COMPARE_BITMAP MASTER_01, LOCAL_LANG_TEST, RESULT
Print RESULT
EVAL_END
As a result of printing output by the above Print RESULT, a method is used in which the bit is output (colored in black) only where the bitmap data does not match.

  Moreover, the method of describing inconsistency items in a list form may be used.

  The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 converts the script into PCL (Printer Control Language) and controls the image forming apparatus through the print job control unit 115 and the system control unit 137.

  In the status page, there are items such as status page creation date and time, firmware version number, etc. that do not make a comparison with the correct page because the output result differs every time printing or testing is performed. In this case, a method may be adopted in which this item (region on the bitmap) is not evaluated (bitmap pattern matching) in advance.

  In that case, for example, the following ignore area setting command may be added to the script.

SET_IGNORE_REGION 710, 750, 1140, 820; (command, ignore region coordinates)
A method may be adopted in which the ignore area setting command is added during generation of the correct answer page and the correct answer page itself has an ignore area. Further, instead of generating a correct answer page, a method may be used in which the ignore area setting command is added at the time of evaluation and the area is ignored at the time of evaluation.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a status page and the firmware version number in the page is surrounded by a dotted line to indicate that the area is the ignore area (IGNORE_REGION).

  Further, instead of setting an ignoring area as described above, a method of determining whether a numerical value (or character string) in a specified area is within a specified range (within a plurality of specified character strings) may be used. . For example, when the temperature in the apparatus is output in the status page, it is determined to be normal if it is not a specific value but a predetermined range, so that a value having such a range can be checked.

  For example, check the numeric range with the following command:

VALUE_CHECK_REGION 710, 750, 1140, 820, VALUE <= 500 AND VALUE => 1
The above command is a command for checking whether the numerical value in the XY coordinates (710, 750, 1140, 820) is 1 or more and 500 or less.

  Also, for example, the following command is used to check for the presence of a character string.

STRING_CHECK_REGION 710, 750, 1140, 820, STR ("AAA", "AAB", "AAC")
The above command is a command for checking whether the character string in the XY coordinates (710, 750, 1140, 820) is any one of “AAA”, “AAB”, and “AAC”.

  If the numerical value range and the character string comparison do not match, a method may be used in which the area is painted black, and if the area matches, the bitmap data indicating that the area is not painted is output.

  Furthermore, it is possible to perform printing on a designated sheet and a designated mode (color / monochrome) according to a sequence, and set whether or not the counter value updated as a result is correct according to the sequence.

  The correct page input unit 140 receives an input of a status page (hereinafter referred to as a correct page) on which the correct setting state (or setting value) for each item is described according to the setting state of the image forming apparatus 101. The correct page is created by the status page creation unit 133b of the image forming apparatus B102 (FIG. 1), which is another image forming apparatus whose validity of the status page has already been verified. Accept via.

  The correct page generation unit 141 is a functional unit that generates a correct output (correct page) of the status page generated based on the sequence (described above) generated by the evaluation sequence generation unit 139.

  The output unit 143 receives the print data bitmapped by the drawing unit 129, transmits the print data to the print engine 145 that is a mechanism unit that actually performs printing, and controls data transmission to the print engine 145.

  The print engine 145 is a mechanism unit that prints on paper.

[flowchart]
The status page evaluation operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  S11: The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 generates a sequence for changing the setting state of items displayed on the status page in order to evaluate the status page. For example, language settings (eg, Japanese display, English display) and local time settings (eg, Japan Standard Time, Greenwich Mean Time) are changed to generate a status page with each setting.

  The evaluation sequence is generated by the evaluation sequence generation unit 139 using a PCL (Printer) based on, for example, a simple script (detailed above) in which a setting item (eg, Japanese display) and a setting value (eg, Japan Standard Time) are described in text. In other words, the PCL is transmitted to the print job control unit 115 and the evaluation sequence is executed.

  The evaluation sequence generates the evaluation page after setting the setting value for the setting item, compares the evaluation page, sets the setting value for the next setting item described in the script, and similarly generates the evaluation page and evaluation. repeat. Details of the repetition will be described later.

  S13: The correct page input unit 140 creates a correct status page based on the evaluation sequence by the status page creation unit 133b of another image forming apparatus B201 that has already been verified that the status page has been correctly created. Accept what was done. The status page is output from the image forming apparatus B201 in the form of bitmap data and accepted. The above-described sequence is received by another image forming apparatus via the interface, and a correct page is created based on the sequence.

  The generation of correct pages in S11 and S13 is illustrated in FIG. In this case, the correct page is generated based on the evaluation sequence, and after being received by the correct page input unit 140, the correct page is compressed and stored in the disk of the image forming apparatus 101.

  S15: The evaluation sequence generation unit 139 sets the image forming apparatus 101 according to the sequence. The image forming apparatus 101 is set through the system control unit 137, the print job control unit 115, and the like.

  S17: The print job control unit 115 instructs the status page creation unit 133 to create a status page according to the sequence.

  S19: The status page creation unit 133 obtains the setting information of the image forming apparatus 101 from the system control unit 137, and creates a status page based on the setting information. The status page creation unit 133 generates a status page in the PDL format.

  S21: The status page described by the generated PDL is converted into DL (display list) which is an intermediate language by the data analysis unit 125 and the drawing data processing unit 127.

  S23: The status page converted to DL in S19 is converted into a bitmap (BM) by the drawing unit 129. The status page converted into the bitmap is stored in the disk 123 via the disk control unit 121.

  S25: The status page evaluation unit 117 compares the bitmap data of the correct page generated in S13 with the bitmap data generated in S23.

  S27: If the bitmap data does not match as a result of the comparison in S25, the operation proceeds to S31. If the bitmap data match, the operation proceeds to S29. The comparison of the bitmap data is performed by pattern matching between the bitmap of the status page created by the status page creation unit 133 that is the evaluation object and the correct page.

  S29: Since the comparison result of the status page in S25 coincides, the fact that there is no problem is recorded.

  S31: Since the comparison result of the status page in S25 did not match, the inconsistent point is recorded.

  S33: If there is a sequence that has not been evaluated yet in the evaluation sequence, the operation proceeds to S15, and the status page evaluation is repeated in the same manner for the next sequence. If there is no next sequence, the operation ends.

  The status page evaluation from S15 to S33 will be described with reference to FIG. The status page generated based on the evaluation sequence and the data compressed and stored in the disk in FIG. 3A are expanded and compared.

  With the series of operations described above, the validity of the status page of the image forming apparatus is automatically and continuously evaluated.

[Effect of Example]
The status page generated by the image forming apparatus is evaluated, and a correct status page (correct page) for the setting item is created by another image forming apparatus B102 that has already been verified that the status page is correctly generated. The correct page input unit accepts it and compares it with the status page created by the status page creation unit 133 of the image forming apparatus 101 to be verified so that the status page can be evaluated automatically. became. By this method, it is possible to save a lot of time and labor as compared with the conventional method of checking the status page by visual observation, and there is no oversight. In addition, since the correct page is generated by another image forming apparatus in which the validity of the status page is verified, the verification data is reliable, so the effectiveness of the verification test is high.

  Since the evaluation sequence is generated by setting the setting items and setting values in the script, the status page is automatically checked for the various setting items of the image forming apparatus under the condition that the setting values are changed. It can be done in a short time.

  Since the evaluation of the status page is performed by pattern matching using bitmapped data, there is no need to output to a conventional sheet, and the sheet is saved.

  By outputting only the portions where the bitmap data is different, it is possible to easily recognize the portion where the error has occurred.

  In addition, there is no need to read the output once on the paper with the scanner, and there is no need for OCR (optical character recognition) of the read data without causing a data reading error due to image deterioration at the time of reading with the scanner. No.

  Since the comparison of the status page is performed by pattern matching of bitmap data, not only the setting value difference of the setting item but also the difference of the status page format (for example, the setting value is described within the intended range). Check).

  Since it is possible to specify an ignored area that is not compared when evaluating with bitmap data, it is misunderstood that the comparison is performed and the data is incorrect for meaningless data such as date and firmware version number. There is no end.

  When evaluating with bitmap data, the numerical value or character string in the area can be compared to determine whether it is within the specified range or the specified character string. Data verification on values that can be determined is possible.

[Others]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the example in which the evaluation sequence generation unit 139, the correct page generation unit 141, and the status page evaluation unit 117 are incorporated in the image forming apparatus 101 has been described. The page generation unit 141 and the status page evaluation unit 117 (functional units surrounded by a dotted line in the functional block diagram in FIG. 1) are on the terminal device 201 connected outside the image forming apparatus 101, for example, through a communication interface or a network interface. The status page creation unit 133 of the image forming apparatus 101 may be evaluated.

  In the above case, the status page creation function of the status page creation unit 133 in the computer of the terminal device 201, the evaluation sequence generation function of the evaluation sequence generation unit 139, the correct page generation function of the correct page generation unit 141, and the status The status page evaluation function of the page evaluation unit 117 is realized.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the comparison between the correct page and the status page created by the image forming apparatus is performed by pattern matching after bitmap conversion. For example, comparative evaluation is performed at the stage of DL or PDL before bitmap conversion. A method or a method of creating a correct page and a status page created by the status page creation unit as text and comparing only the set values regardless of the format or the like may be used. In this case, the format and the like cannot be compared, but the time required for the comparison evaluation is greatly reduced.

  Alternatively, the data to be compared may be output in HTML format or RTF format instead of text, and a text-based comparison including the format may be performed.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the computer is constituted by a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM. However, the number of these components is not limited to one, and a plurality of components may be used, and a control board on which these components are arranged. One or more of them may be used.

101 Image forming apparatus 102 Image forming apparatus B (another image forming apparatus)
111 Communication I / F (interface)
113 Data Receiving Unit 115 Print Job Control Unit 117 Status Page Evaluation Unit 119 NVRAM
121 disk control unit 123 disk 125 data analysis unit 127 drawing data processing unit 129 drawing unit 131 panel 133 status page creation unit 135 memory management unit 137 system control unit 138 device information holding unit 139 evaluation sequence generation unit 140 correct page input unit 141 correct answer Page generation unit 143 Output unit 145 Print engine 147 Paper 201 Terminal device

Claims (6)

A status page creation unit for creating and outputting a status page in which the setting state of the device is described for each item;
A correct page input unit that receives a correct page describing a correct setting state for each item of the status page generated by another image forming apparatus;
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a status page evaluation unit that performs comparison evaluation between the status page created by the status page creation unit and the correct page and records the result. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The status page evaluation unit performs a comparative evaluation by pattern matching between data obtained by bitmapping the correct page and a status page created by the status page creation unit. . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The status page evaluation unit outputs bitmap data of a portion where the pattern does not match by the pattern matching. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the status page evaluation unit does not perform pattern matching evaluation on a predetermined area portion during the pattern matching. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The status page evaluation unit compares whether or not a value of a predetermined region portion is within a predetermined range at the time of pattern matching. On the computer,
A status page creation function for creating and outputting a status page in which the device setting status is described for each item,
A correct page input function for receiving a correct page describing a correct setting state for each item of the status page generated by another image forming apparatus;
A status page evaluation program that realizes a status page evaluation function that performs a comparative evaluation between the status page created by the status page creation function and the correct page and records the result.

Images