JP2010268391A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which enhances user convenience upon failure of a memory of an image forming device of low prices. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming device includes a flash memory used for data processing by detachably attaching to the device body and whose operation mode is switched to an operable mode among a plurality of operation modes and includes: an operation mode table storing requirement specifications of the operable flash memory for operation modes; a capability specification acquisition section for acquiring capability specifications of the flash memory when the flash memory is attached; an operation mode determination section for determining an operation mode corresponding to the requirement specifications which are satisfied by the capability specifications referring to the operation mode table; and an operation mode switching section for switching the operation mode of the device body to the determined operation mode using the flash memory. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for improving user convenience for an image forming apparatus such as a low-price digital multifunction peripheral, a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine.

  In recent digital multifunction devices, a large-capacity non-volatile storage device is installed, and advanced functions such as scan / print data storage and re-transmission have progressed. It is no exception even in multifunction devices.

  On the other hand, a hard disk is generally used as a large-capacity nonvolatile storage device. However, in recent years, NAND flash memory has been increased in capacity / cost, and an extremely large capacity nonvolatile memory is required. There is still a problem with a low-priced digital multi-function peripheral that is sufficient with a relatively small-capacity non-volatile memory.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, a removable memory card is attached and used for temporarily storing a read image, and image data that needs to be concealed is prevented from being easily stolen by others. The security function is enhanced.

JP 2005-80233 A

  However, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, in the case of a low-priced image forming apparatus that is not managed by a manufacturer's service person, when the memory breaks down, the apparatus is in the process until a genuine memory is obtained. Cannot be used, and there is a problem that convenience for the user is impaired.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and when a memory of such an image forming apparatus breaks down, until a genuine memory is obtained, a provisional range can be obtained. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that improves the convenience of the user by operating in the above manner.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a flash memory that is detachably attached to an apparatus main body and can be switched to an operable mode among a plurality of operating modes. In the image forming apparatus, an operation mode, an operation mode table that stores the required specifications of the operable flash memory in association with each other, a connection detection unit that detects attachment / detachment of the flash memory, and the flash memory in the connection detection unit An operation of determining an operation mode corresponding to the required specification satisfied by the capability specification by referring to the operation mode table and a capability specification acquisition unit that acquires the capability specification of the flash memory Using the mode determination unit and the flash memory, the operation mode of the apparatus main body is switched to the determined operation mode. It includes an operation mode switching unit.

The operation mode table is limited by any one or combination of the following depending on the capability specifications of the flash memory.
(1) Limit the number of operable electronic sorts for the storage capacity.
(2) Limit the number of prints per operable time for the data transfer rate.
(3) Limiting the operable print resolution to the data transfer rate.
(4) Limit the operable scanning resolution for the data transfer rate.
(5) Limit the number of jobs that can be operated simultaneously to the data transfer rate.

  According to the present invention, in a low-priced image forming apparatus that is not managed by a manufacturer's service person, if the memory of the apparatus fails, the capacity of the installed flash memory (until the acquisition of a genuine memory) ( The user's convenience is improved by operating temporarily even within the operable range according to the storage capacity and the data transfer rate.

It is a figure which shows the structure around the controller board | substrate unit mounted in the digital multifunctional device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control circuit of a controller board | substrate unit. FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of a control program executed when a NAND flash memory 5 is attached to and detached from a digital multifunction peripheral. It is an example of the data content of an operation mode table. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a NAND flash memory is attached to and detached from a digital multi-function peripheral.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is described as a low-speed / low-function digital multifunction peripheral having a relatively low required performance, but the image forming apparatus may be a printer apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, a copier, or the like. The same applies.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration around a controller board unit mounted on a digital multifunction peripheral. In FIG. 1, a controller board unit mounted on a digital multi-function peripheral includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 7, a DRAM (Dynamic Access Memory) 8, a control circuit 9, a DRAM 10, and a PC ( 1 is connected to a personal computer 1, a scanner 2, a printing device 3, an operation panel 4, and a NAND flash memory 5.

  The main function of the controller board unit is to develop print data from the PC 1 or to perform image processing on the print data from the scanner 2 and send it to the printing apparatus 3 in response to an instruction from the operation panel 4 or the PC 1 of the user. Further, the image data read by the scanner 2 is subjected to image processing and transmitted to the PC 1.

The PC 1 creates print data according to an instruction from the user, and transmits the data to the control circuit 9 of the controller board unit of the digital multifunction peripheral via the USB / Ether bus.
In the copy / scan mode, the scanner 2 reads a document and transmits image data to the control circuit 9 of the controller board unit.
The printing apparatus 3 receives print data from the control circuit 9 of the controller board unit and outputs a print result.

The operation panel 4 accepts a copy / scan request from the user, transmits it to the control circuit 9, and displays the operation state of the apparatus designated by the control circuit 9.
The CPU 6 executes a control program stored in the ROM 7 and controls the entire controller board unit. In recent digital multi-function peripherals, a large-scale and high-speed CPU is adopted because it is necessary to process a large amount of data at high speed.

The NAND flash memory 5 uses an SD memory card / compact flash (registered trademark) memory / MMC (MultiMedia Card) or the like, and stores print data from the PC 1 or print data from the scanner 2 or compresses the memory on the memory. It is used for developing image data in the DRAM 10 and for storing original image data on the DRAM 10.
The ROM 7 stores a control program and setting data for the digital multi-function peripheral executed by the CPU 6.
The DRAM 8 is used for storing work memory and image data used when the control program is executed.

The control circuit 9 performs development / image processing of print data from the PC 1 and image processing of image data read from the scanner 2. Like the CPU 6, large-scale and high-speed LSIs are used in recent digital multi-function peripherals.
The DRAM 10 is a work memory used when the control circuit 9 performs image processing, and stores print data and intermediate progress data of the image processing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the control circuit 9 of the controller board unit.
The image processing circuit 30 performs development / image processing of print data from the PC 1 and image processing of read data from the scanner 2. The image processing here refers to automatic exposure adjustment, gamma correction, convolution filter, magnification correction, compression / decompression, and the like.

Print data received from the PC 1 is input to the image processing circuit 30 via the USB IF (USB interface) 21 or the Ether IF 22.
Also, scanner data captured by the scanner 2 and transmitted via the SCAN IF 29 and subjected to image processing is also transmitted to the PC 1 via the USB IF 21 or Ether IF 22.

The CPU 6 controls the image processing circuit 30 via the CPU IF 23 and the setting register 24.
The operation panel 4 is connected to the image processing circuit 30 via the LCD IF 25 and displays various messages from the CPU 6.
The DRAM 10 is connected to the image processing circuit 30 via the DRAM IF 26, and stores an intermediate file of image processing data, LCD display data, and other temporarily stored data of the interface.
The NAND flash memory 5 is connected to the image processing circuit 30 via the NAND IF 27, and is used as a mass storage memory used for data storage and data processing.
The printing apparatus 3 is connected to the image processing circuit 30 via the LSU IF 28, and receives and prints the print data processed by the image processing circuit 30.

Next, processing when the NAND flash memory 5 is attached to and detached from the digital multi-function peripheral will be described. In the present invention, the digital multi-function peripheral is provided with a function capable of turning on / off the operation mode or reducing the function.
FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of a control program executed when the NAND flash memory 5 is attached to or detached from the digital multi-function peripheral. In FIG. 3, the control program includes a memory connection detection unit 61, a capability specification acquisition unit 62, an operation mode determination unit 63, an operation mode table 64, and an operation mode switching unit 65.

  The operation mode table 64 is stored in advance in the ROM 7, and as shown below, for each operation mode provided in the digital multi-function peripheral, the storage capacity and data transfer speed required by the operation mode are indicated. I remember it. In addition, this restriction is selected and set as appropriate for the implementation.

(1) Restriction of electronic sort function:
Limit the number of electronic sorts (data capacity) or disable the electronic sort function (OFF).
(2) Restriction of PC data storage function:
Limit the number of print data stored from the PC (data capacity) or disable the print data storage function from the PC (OFF).
(3) Restriction of print resolution:
Decrease the printing resolution (1200⇒600⇒300 DPI) or lower the gradation per pixel (8 bits / pixel⇒4 bits / pixel⇒1 bit / pixel).
(4) Scan resolution limitations:
Decrease the resolution of the scan data (1200⇒600⇒300 DPI) or lower the gradation per pixel (24 bits / pixel⇒12 bits / pixel).
(5) Job simultaneous operation restriction:
Functions that can be executed simultaneously are limited to exclusive processing, or either facsimile reception / printer / copy processing at the same time.
(6) Limit the number of printed sheets / scanned sheets per unit time.

  FIG. 4 exemplifies the contents of the operation mode table 64, and X1 to X16 indicate the storage capacity in megabytes that can execute the function shown in the function details. deep. Y1 to Y12 indicate data transfer rates at which the functions shown in the function details can be executed in units of megabytes / second, and are determined in advance from experiments or the like.

  For example, in order to electronically sort 100 originals, a storage capacity of X1 megabytes or more is required. Further, for a printing resolution using 600 DPI and 8 bytes per pixel, a storage capacity of X8 megabytes and a data transfer rate of Y4 megabytes / second are required.

Next, each processing function will be described.
When the memory connection detection unit 61 detects that the NAND flash memory 5 is mounted on the NAND IF 26, the memory connection detection unit 61 sends a mounting signal to the capability specification acquisition unit 62. When it is detected that the NAND flash memory 5 has been removed from the NAND IF 26, a removal signal is sent to the operation mode switching unit 65.

  The capability specification acquisition unit 62 reads the storage capacity information from the NAND flash memory 5 and measures the data transfer rate of the NAND flash memory 5. Here, when the storage capacity information is not written in the NAND flash memory 5, the user is set by the operation panel 4.

The data transfer rate is measured by writing / reading data in a predetermined unit (for example, 16 megabytes) using DMA (Direct Memory Access).
Here, the print data of the digital multi-function peripheral is basically written / read to / from continuous addresses, and basically has a large transfer data amount (for example, several hundred kilobytes). In random access, the transfer speed is low, so it matches the actual transfer conditions.

  Based on the operation mode determination unit 63 and the operation mode table 64, all the operation modes that can be operated are determined from the storage capacity and data transfer speed of the mounted NAND flash memory 5, and the determined operation modes are displayed on the operation panel. 4 is displayed. If none of the operation modes can be executed, a message to that effect is displayed on the operation panel 4 and an instruction is given to replace the NAND flash memory 5 with a large storage capacity or the NAND flash memory 5 with a high data transfer speed.

The operation mode switching unit 65 uses the NAND flash memory 5 to switch the setting so that only the operation mode determined by the operation mode determination unit 63 is executed. Here, a desired operation mode may be selected and instructed from the functions displayed on the operation panel 4.
Further, when the removal signal of the NAND flash memory 5 is received, the subsequent operation mode is switched so as to execute all the functions provided by the device.

Next, a processing procedure when a NAND flash memory is attached to and detached from the digital multi-function peripheral will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
When the NAND flash memory is not mounted or removed (NO in step 1), the operation mode is switched to execute all functions provided by the device (step S2). The set operation mode is executed (step S6), and the execution of the apparatus is stopped by turning off the power supply (YES in step S7).

  When the NAND flash memory 5 is attached to the NAND IF 26 (YES in step S1), the storage capacity information is read from the NAND flash memory 5 and the data transfer speed of the NAND flash memory 5 is measured (step S3).

  Next, based on the operation mode table 63, all the operation modes that can be operated are determined from the storage capacity and the data transfer speed of the mounted NAND flash memory 5, and the determined operation modes are displayed on the operation panel 4. (Step S4). If none of the operation modes can be executed, a message to that effect is displayed on the operation panel 4 and an instruction is given to replace the NAND flash memory 5 with a large storage capacity or the NAND flash memory 5 with a high data transfer speed.

  Next, using the NAND flash memory 5, the setting is switched so as to execute only the determined operation mode (step S5), the set operation mode is executed (step S6), and the device is turned off by turning off the power supply or the like. Until the operation stops, the process returns to step S1 to monitor the attachment / detachment of the NAND flash memory 5 (NO in step S7).

  In this embodiment, the NAND flash memory is used as the flash memory. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied even when other flash memories are used.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and corrections can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... PC, 2 ... Scanner, 3 ... Printing apparatus, 4 ... Operation panel, 5 ... NAND type flash memory, 6 ... CPU, 7 ... ROM, 8 ... DRAM, 9 ... Control circuit, 10 ... DRAM, 21 ... USB IF 22 ... Ether IF, 23 ... CPU IF, 24 ... setting register, 25 ... LCD IF, 26 ... DRAM IF, 27 ... NAND IF, 28 ... LSU IF, 29 ... SCAN IF, 30 ... Image processing circuit, 61 ... Memory Connection detection unit, 62 ... capability specification acquisition unit, 63 ... operation mode determination unit, 64 ... operation mode table, 65 ... operation mode switching unit.

Claims (6)

In an image forming apparatus that includes a flash memory that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body and that can switch an operation mode to an operable mode among a plurality of operation modes.
An operation mode table storing the operation mode and the required specifications of the operable flash memory in association with each other;
A connection detection unit for detecting attachment / detachment of the flash memory;
A capability specification acquisition unit that acquires a capability specification of the flash memory when the connection detection unit detects the installation of the flash memory;
With reference to the operation mode table, an operation mode determination unit that determines an operation mode corresponding to the required specification satisfied by the capability specification;
An operation mode switching unit that switches the operation mode of the apparatus main body to the determined operation mode using the flash memory;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode table stores the storage capacity of the flash memory in association with an operation mode in which the number of electronic sorts is limited.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode table is stored in association with a data transfer speed of the flash memory and an operation mode in which the number of printed sheets per hour is limited.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode table is stored in association with a data transfer speed of the flash memory and an operation mode in which a print resolution is limited.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode table is stored in association with a data transfer speed of the flash memory and an operation mode in which a scan resolution is limited.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode table stores the data transfer rate of the flash memory in association with an operation mode in which the number of jobs operating simultaneously is limited.

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