JP2011223370A - Image formation device, image formation device body and unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce memory capacity of a storage device so as to prevent useless rewriting, when rewriting software by using the storage device attached to a unit.SOLUTION: In a second storage unit 603, first device information to identify an image formation device body 3 and first version information to identify a software version of an image formation device 1 are stored. In a storage device 13 of an RF tag 11 attached to a unit 5, rewriting information to be updated, second device information to identify a target image formation device body, and second version information to identify a software version including rewriting information are stored. A rewriting unit 605 rewrites a part of software data, when the first version information is older than the second version information and the image formation device body 3 identified by the first device information is included in the target image formation device body identified by the second device information.

Description

  The present invention relates to rewriting software installed in an image forming apparatus main body.

  Some image forming apparatuses include an image forming apparatus main body and a unit (for example, a consumable unit such as a toner cartridge) attached to the image forming apparatus main body. Conventionally, a technique for rewriting firmware installed in the image forming apparatus main body to the latest version of firmware has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this, the firmware is rewritten as follows.

  A non-volatile memory that stores the latest version of firmware is attached to the toner cartridge. When the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming apparatus main body, the firmware installed in the image forming apparatus main body is compared with the firmware version stored in the nonvolatile memory. If the firmware installed in the image forming apparatus main body is older, the firmware installed in the image forming apparatus main body is rewritten with the firmware stored in the nonvolatile memory.

JP 2005-215599 A (summary, paragraph 0051)

  According to the technique of Patent Document 1, the latest version of firmware is stored in a non-volatile memory attached to the toner cartridge, and the firmware itself is rewritten. For this reason, it is necessary to use a non-volatile memory having a large capacity as the non-volatile memory attached to the toner cartridge.

  Even if the software installed in the image forming apparatus main body is rewritten, the rewriting may be useless depending on the state of the image forming apparatus main body. For example, even if the version of the software installed in the image forming apparatus main body is the target of rewriting, in the image forming apparatus main body manufactured later, a countermeasure corresponding to the version of the software to be updated before going on the market ( For example, part replacement) may be employed.

  The present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the memory capacity of the storage device and preventing unnecessary software rewriting when rewriting the software of the image forming apparatus using a storage device attached to the unit, An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus main body and a unit.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object is an image forming apparatus that includes a unit and an image forming apparatus main body on which the unit is received. A first storage unit storing software of the image forming apparatus, first device information specifying the image forming apparatus main body, and a first version specifying the software version stored in the first storage unit Rewriting a part of the software stored in the first storage unit and a second storage unit storing one version information, and rewriting as the part of the data Information, second apparatus information for specifying a target image forming apparatus main body, and second version information for specifying a software version including the rewrite information. A reading unit that reads the rewrite information, the second device information, and the second version information from a storage device provided in the unit, and the second version read by the reading unit The version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit is older than the version specified by the information, and the second device information read by the reading unit When the image forming apparatus main body specified by the first apparatus information stored in the second storage unit is included in the image forming apparatus main body to be specified, the first A rewriting unit that rewrites the partial data of the software stored in a storage unit into the rewriting information, and the unit includes the image forming apparatus book. The at mounted state, comprises the rewritable information readable by the reading unit, the storage device the second device information and the second version information is stored.

  According to the present invention, rewriting of software data installed in the image forming apparatus main body is not determined by the version alone, but the image forming apparatus main body is included in the image forming apparatus main body to be rewritten. Judgment also from the point of whether or not. For example, if measures are already taken for an image forming apparatus body manufactured later, it is excluded from rewriting from the point of the image forming apparatus body. As a result, in view of the version of the software installed in the image forming apparatus main body, even if it is a target of rewriting, rewriting is not executed, so that unnecessary rewriting can be prevented.

  Further, according to the present invention, a part of the data of the software is rewritten instead of rewriting the entire software. Therefore, the capacity of the storage device provided in the unit can be reduced.

  In the above configuration, the storage device stores third version information that identifies the version of the software to be rewritten and read by the reading unit, and the third version information read by the reading unit is stored in the storage device. When the version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit is older than the version specified by the version information of 2, the rewriting unit The version specified by the information is provided with a first notification unit for notifying when it is determined that the version is not included in the version of the software to be rewritten specified by the third version information. can do.

  According to this configuration, even if the version specified by the first version information is older than the version specified by the second version information, the version specified by the first version information is the third version information. If it is not included in the version specified in, notification is made without executing rewriting. That the version specified by the first version information is not included in the version specified by the third version information is that the version specified by the first version information is too old and the second version information It means that the specified version cannot be supported. In such a case, it is possible to notify the user that the maintenance of the image forming apparatus (full version upgrade of software by a service person) is necessary by notifying.

  In the above configuration, the first and second device information includes information for specifying an order in which the image forming apparatus main body is manufactured, and is specified by the second device information read by the reading unit. The image forming apparatus main body is not included in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the first apparatus information stored in the second storage unit, and the rewriting unit specifies the order. When it is determined that the image forming apparatus main body specified by the first apparatus information is older than the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second apparatus information based on the information to be A second notification unit for performing notification may be provided.

  When the image forming apparatus main body specified by the first apparatus information is not included in the target image forming apparatus main body and is older than the target image forming apparatus main body, the image forming apparatus The mechanism of the main body of the image forming apparatus at the time when the main body is manufactured cannot cope with the rewrite information, and the rewriting effect may not occur. In such a case, by notifying the user, it is possible to notify the user that maintenance of the image forming apparatus (full version upgrade of software by a service person) is necessary.

  An image forming apparatus main body according to another aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object is an image forming apparatus main body that can be received by a unit and constitutes an image forming apparatus together with the unit, and the software of the image forming apparatus Are stored in the first storage unit, the first apparatus information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body, and the first version information for specifying the version of the software stored in the first storage unit. Rewriting information that is data to be rewritten with the partial data is subject to rewriting of the data stored in the second storage unit and the partial data of the software stored in the first storage unit Second apparatus information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body and second version information for specifying the version of software including the rewrite information are stored. A reading unit that reads the rewrite information, the second device information, and the second version information stored in the storage device in a state where the unit including a storage device is attached to the image forming apparatus main body; The version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit is older than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit, and The image formation specified by the first apparatus information stored in the second storage unit in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second apparatus information read by the reading unit. A rewriting unit that rewrites the partial data of the software stored in the first storage unit with the rewriting information when the apparatus main body is included.

  According to the image forming apparatus main body according to another aspect of the present invention, the above-described effects of the image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention can be obtained by attaching the unit.

  A unit according to still another aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object is a unit that can be attached to an image forming apparatus main body and constitutes an image forming apparatus together with the image forming apparatus main body, wherein the unit is the image forming apparatus. A storage device that is readable in a state of being attached to the apparatus main body, and the storage device includes software for the image forming apparatus configured by the unit and the image forming apparatus main body to which the unit is attached. The rewriting of a part of the data is compared with the rewriting information that is the data rewritten with the part of the data, and the first apparatus information that identifies the image forming apparatus main body to which the unit is attached, and is subject to rewriting. Second apparatus information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body, and the software version of the image forming apparatus It is compared with the first version information for specifying the second version information for specifying the version of the software, including the rewrite information is stored.

  According to the unit according to still another aspect of the present invention, the effect of the image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is obtained by attaching this unit to the image forming apparatus main body according to another aspect of the present invention. It is done.

  According to the present invention, when rewriting software of an image forming apparatus using a storage device attached to a unit, it is possible to reduce the memory capacity of the storage device and prevent unnecessary rewriting of software. Can do.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of software installed in the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example in the case where the data of firmware are rewritten, and not rewriting. It is a flowchart explaining rewriting of the data of the firmware which concerns on this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the internal structure of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 can be applied to, for example, a digital multifunction machine having functions of a copy, a printer, a scanner, and a facsimile. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body unit 100, a document reading unit 200 disposed on the main body unit 100, a document feeding unit 300 disposed on the document reading unit 200, and an operation disposed on the upper front surface of the main body unit 100. Section 400 and a sheet post-processing section 500 disposed on the sheet carry-out side, for example, the left side of the main body section 100.

  The document feeding unit 300 includes a document placement unit 301, a paper feed roller 303, a document transport unit 305, and a document discharge unit 307. A paper feed roller 303 feeds the originals set on the original placement unit 301 one by one. The document transport unit 305 transports the fed document to the document reading unit 200. The document is read by the document reading unit 200 and discharged to the document discharge unit 307. As described above, the document feeding unit 300 functions as an automatic document feeding device, and can continuously send a plurality of documents placed on the document placing unit 301 to the document reading unit 200.

  The document reading unit 200 includes a carriage 201 equipped with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor and an exposure lamp, a document table 203 made of a transparent member such as glass, and a document reading slit 205. When reading a document placed on the document table 203, the document is read by the CCD sensor while moving the carriage 201 in the longitudinal direction of the document table 203. On the other hand, when reading a document fed from the document feeding unit 300, the carriage 201 is moved to a position facing the document reading slit 205, and the document fed from the document feeding unit 300 is scanned. Reading is performed by the CCD sensor through the reading slit 205. The CCD sensor outputs the read original as image data.

  The main body unit 100 includes a sheet storage unit 101, an image forming unit 103, and a fixing unit 105. The sheet storage unit 101 is disposed at the lowermost part of the main body unit 100 and includes a sheet tray 107 that can store a bundle of sheets. In the stack of sheets stored in the sheet tray 107, the uppermost sheet is fed out toward the sheet conveying unit 111 by driving the pickup roller 109. The sheet is conveyed to the image forming unit 103 through the sheet conveying unit 111.

  The image forming unit 103 forms a toner image on the conveyed paper based on the image data. The image forming unit 103 includes a photosensitive drum 113, an exposure unit 115, a developing unit 117, and a transfer unit 119. The exposure unit 115 generates light corresponding to image data (image data output from the document reading unit 200, image data transmitted from a personal computer, image data received by facsimile, etc.), and is uniformly charged photosensitive drum. The peripheral surface 113 is irradiated. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 113. In this state, a toner image corresponding to image data is formed on the peripheral surface by supplying toner from the developing unit 117 to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 113. This toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 119 to the sheet conveyed from the sheet storage unit 101 described above.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred is sent to the fixing unit 105. In the fixing unit 105, heat and pressure are applied to the toner image and the paper to fix the toner image on the paper. Thereby, the printing of the image on the paper is completed. When post-processing is performed on the printed paper, the printed paper is sent from the paper discharge port 121 of the main body 100 to the paper post-processing unit 500. On the other hand, when no post-processing is performed, the printed paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 123.

  The paper post-processing unit 500 performs post-processing such as sorting, stapling, punching, and saddle stitching on the printed paper. The paper post-processing unit 500 includes a paper carry-in port 501, a paper transport unit 503, a paper carry-out port 505, a stack tray 507, and the like. The paper transport unit 503 sequentially transports the printed paper carried into the paper carry-in port 501 from the paper discharge port 121, and carries out the post-processed printed paper from the paper carry-out port 505 to the stack tray 507. The stack tray 507 has a configuration capable of moving up and down in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the number of sheets stacked from the paper exit 505.

  The operation unit 400 includes an operation key unit 401 and a display unit 403. The display unit 403 has a touch panel function, and displays a screen including soft keys. The user operates the soft keys while viewing the screen to make settings necessary for executing functions such as copying.

  The operation key unit 401 includes operation keys including hard keys. Specifically, the operation key unit 401 includes a help key 405, a start key 407, a numeric key 409, a function switching key 411, and the like. A help key 405 is a key for displaying a help screen on the display unit 403. The help screen is a screen on which operation methods relating to functions such as a scanner, a facsimile, a printer, and a copy are displayed.

  A start key 407 is a key for starting operations such as copying and facsimile transmission. A numeric keypad 409 is a key for inputting numbers such as the number of copies and a facsimile number.

  The function switching key 411 includes a copy key, a transmission key, and the like, and is a key for switching between a copy function, a transmission function, and the like. When the copy key is operated, an initial copy screen is displayed on the display unit 403. When the transmission key is operated, an initial screen for facsimile transmission and mail transmission is displayed on the display unit 403.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body unit 100, a document reading unit 200, a document feeding unit 300, an operation unit 400, a sheet post-processing unit 500, a control unit 600, a reading unit 700, and a communication unit 800 connected to each other via a bus. Have The image forming apparatus main body 3 serving as the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 includes at least a main body unit 100, a document reading unit 200, an operation unit 400, a control unit 600, and a reading unit 700. The document feeding unit 300 and the sheet post-processing unit 500 are optional units that can be attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3.

  Since the main body unit 100, the document reading unit 200, the document feeding unit 300, the operation unit 400, and the paper post-processing unit 500 have already been described, description thereof will be omitted.

  The control unit 600 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an image memory, and the like. The CPU executes control necessary for operating the image forming apparatus 1 on the hardware constituting the image forming apparatus 1. The ROM stores software necessary for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The RAM is used for temporary storage of data generated during execution of software, storage of application software, and the like. The image memory temporarily stores image data (image data output from the document reading unit 200, image data transmitted from a personal computer, image data received by facsimile, etc.).

  The control unit 600 includes a first storage unit 601, a second storage unit 603, a rewrite unit 605, a first notification unit 607, and a second notification unit 609.

  The first storage unit 601 stores software for the image forming apparatus 1. The software here is software executed by the image forming apparatus 1 and includes firmware, middleware, application software, and the like.

  The second storage unit 603 stores first device information and first version information. The first apparatus information is information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body 3 from a plurality of image forming apparatus main bodies, and is, for example, a serial number. The first version information is information that identifies the version of software stored in the first storage unit 601.

  If the rewriting unit 605 satisfies the following conditions (1) and (2), a part of the software stored in the first storage unit 601 is updated by updating the rewriting information. Rewrite the data to rewrite information. (1) The version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit 603 is older than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit 700. (2) The image specified by the first device information stored in the second storage unit 603 in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second device information read by the reading unit 700 A forming apparatus main body 3 is included.

  The first notification unit 607 uses the version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit 603 rather than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit 700. If the rewriting unit 605 determines that the version specified by the second version information does not correspond to the version specified by the first version information. “Not compatible” means that the version specified by the first version information is not included in the version to be rewritten specified by the third version information.

  The second notification unit 609 is specified by the second device information read by the reading unit 700 based on information (serial number) that specifies the order in which the image forming apparatus main body is manufactured by the rewriting unit 605. When it is determined that the image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the first apparatus information stored in the second storage unit 603 is manufactured earlier than the image forming apparatus main body to be processed do.

  The reading unit 700 includes a unit (for example, a consumable unit or an optional unit) 5 including a storage device 13 that stores rewrite information, second device information, second version information, and third version information. The rewrite information, the second device information, the second version information, and the third version information stored in the storage device 13 are read while attached to the forming apparatus main body 3. In this embodiment, the reader 700 reads the rewrite information, the second device information, the second version information, and the third version information from the storage device 13 of the RF (Radio Frequency) tag 11.

  The RF tag 11 is provided in the unit 5 attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3. The image forming apparatus main body 3 constitutes the image forming apparatus 1 together with the unit 5. The unit 5 is used by being attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3, and includes a consumable unit and an optional unit. The consumable unit is a unit for replenishing items consumed by the use of the image forming apparatus 1, and includes, for example, a toner cartridge, a toner container, and a waste toner bottle. The option unit is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3 and executes an additional function. For example, the sheet post-processing unit 500 and the document feeding unit 300 are option units.

  The rewrite information is data (data to be updated) that is rewritten with a part of the data for rewriting the part of the software stored in the first storage unit 601. For example, when data A is rewritten to data B among some data of software, data B is rewrite information. The second apparatus information is information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body to be rewritten by software, and is, for example, a serial number. The second version information is information for specifying a version of software including rewrite information (in other words, the rewrite information is reflected). The third version information is information for specifying the version of software to be rewritten.

  The communication unit 800 includes a facsimile communication unit 801 and a network I / F unit 803. The facsimile communication unit 801 includes an NCU (Network Control Unit) for controlling connection of a telephone line with a destination facsimile and a modulation / demodulation circuit for modulating / demodulating a signal for facsimile communication. The facsimile communication unit 801 is connected to the telephone line 805.

  A network I / F unit 803 is connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) 807. A network I / F unit 803 is a communication interface circuit for executing communication with a terminal device such as a personal computer connected to the LAN 807.

  Next, rewriting of software installed in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described using firmware as an example. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of the firmware. As shown in FIG. 3, the firmware 15 includes rewrite control software 19 in addition to a program 17 for executing the function of the firmware 15. The rewriting control software 19 is executed by the rewriting unit 605, and controls to rewrite some data of the firmware 15 (program 17) with rewriting information.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which a part of the data of the firmware 15 is rewritten and not rewritten. In the second storage unit 603 of the image forming apparatus main body 3 shown in FIG. 2, first version information and first apparatus information are stored. The first version information specifies the version of the firmware 15 stored in the first storage unit 601. The firmware 15 is, for example, printer engine software. The first version information E-102, E-101, E-100 identifies the software engine versions 102, 101, 100, respectively.

  The first apparatus information specifies the image forming apparatus main body 3 from among the same product (a plurality of image forming apparatus main bodies), and a serial number is used in this embodiment. According to the serial number, the order in which the main body of the image forming apparatus is manufactured can be specified.

  Of the firmware 15 stored in the first storage unit 601, the data to be rewritten (that is, a part of the data) is “M-034-2-040”. This is an adjustment value of the margin at the trailing edge of the sheet, and means that the value of mode 2 in the maintenance mode 034 is 040.

  The storage device 13 of the RF tag 11 stores second version information, third version information, second device information, and rewrite information. The second version information specifies the version of the firmware 15 including the rewrite information (in other words, the rewrite information is reflected). The third version information specifies the version of the firmware 15 to be rewritten. In the present embodiment, the version 101 specified by the third version information E-101 is to be rewritten. Therefore, for example, the version 100 specified by the first version information E-100 is not subject to rewriting. The second apparatus information specifies an image forming apparatus to be rewritten. In the present embodiment, a serial number is used as the second device information in the same manner as the first device information.

  The rewrite information is data (in other words, data to be updated) that can be rewritten with some data regarding rewriting of some data of the firmware 15 stored in the first storage unit 601. In the present embodiment, for example, the rewrite information is “M-034-2-043”. Therefore, “M-034-2 040” that is the rewrite target data is rewritten to “M-034-2 043” that is the rewrite information.

  In the following, specific description will be given of the case where a part of the data of the firmware 15 is rewritten and the case where it is not rewritten, divided into examples (1) to (5).

Example (1): When the version is old and the image forming apparatus main body 3 is included in the target image forming apparatus main body The first version than the version (version 102) specified by the second version information E-102 The version identified by information E-101 (version 101) is older. The image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the first apparatus information SPL9202012 is included in the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second apparatus information SPL9200001 to SPL9202384. In this case, some data of the firmware 15 is rewritten.

Example (2): When the version is new and the image forming apparatus 1 is included in the target image forming apparatus The first apparatus among the target image forming apparatus main bodies specified by the second apparatus information SPL9200001 to SPL9202384 The image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the information SPL9202012 is included. However, the version (version 102) specified by the second version information E-102 is the same as the version (version 102) specified by the first version information E-102 and is new. In the example (2), data rewriting has already been executed, and data rewriting has been executed when the unit 5 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3 before. Thus, no rewriting is performed.

Example (3): When the version is old and the image forming apparatus main body 3 is manufactured after the target image forming apparatus main body, the first version information E- is higher than the version specified by the second version information E-102. The version specified by 101 is older. However, the image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the first apparatus information SPL920202 is not included in the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second apparatus information SPL9200001 to SPL9202384. The serial number SPL92002500 of the image forming apparatus main body 3 is manufactured later because the number is larger than the image forming apparatus main bodies of the serial numbers SPL9200001 to SPL9202384. In the image forming apparatus main body 3, for example, a countermeasure is already taken by changing the design of the paper guide, so rewriting is not executed.

Example (4): When the version is too old and does not correspond to the version to be rewritten The version specified by the third version information E-101 is the version of the firmware 15 to be rewritten. The version specified by the first version information E-100 is not included in the version specified by the third version information E-101. This means that the version specified by the first version information is too old to support the version specified by the second version information. Accordingly, the version specified by the first version information E-100 is not subject to rewriting.

Example (5): When the image forming apparatus 1 is manufactured before the target image forming apparatus In this case, as in the example (3), the version specified by the second version information E-102 is used. The version specified by the first version information E-101 is older and is specified by the first device information SPL9100534 in the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second device information SPL9200001 to SPL9202384. The image forming apparatus main body 3 to be processed is not included. The difference from the example (3) is that in the example (5), the image forming apparatus main body 3 having the serial number SPL9100534 has a smaller number than the image forming apparatus main bodies having the serial numbers SPL9200001 to SPL9202384. Old). In the image forming apparatus main body 3 at the time when the image forming apparatus main body 3 of SPL9100534 is manufactured, for example, the paper transport mechanism cannot cope with the rewrite information “M-034-2-043”, and the rewriting effect does not occur. Do not execute.

  Next, rewriting of some data of the firmware 15 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the unit 5 to which the RF tag 11 is attached is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3, the rewrite information and second device information stored in the storage device 13 of the RF tag 11 by the reading unit 700 shown in FIG. The second version information and the third version information are read (step S1).

  In the rewriting unit 605, the version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit 603 is older than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit 700. (Step S3). In the case of Example (1), Example (3) to Example (5), the rewrite unit 605 determines that the version is old (Yes in Step S3), and proceeds to Step S5.

  In step S <b> 5, the rewriting unit 605 includes the first storage unit 603 stored in the second storage unit 603 in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second apparatus information read by the reading unit 700. It is determined whether or not the image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the apparatus information is included. In the case of the example (1) and the example (4), the rewriting unit 605 includes the image forming apparatus main body specified by the first apparatus information in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second apparatus information. 3 is determined to be included (Yes in step S5).

  If Yes in step S5, the rewrite unit 605 determines whether the version specified by the second version information corresponds to the version specified by the first version information (step S7). That is, it is determined whether the version specified by the first version information is included in the version of the firmware 15 to be rewritten specified by the third version information.

  As in example (1), when it is determined that the rewriting unit 605 is compatible (Yes in step S7), that is, the version of the firmware 15 to be rewritten that is specified by the third version information E-101. If it is determined that the version specified by the first version information E-101 is included, the rewriting unit 605 updates the rewriting information “M-034-2-043”. Thereby, a part of the data of the firmware 15 stored in the first storage unit 601 is rewritten, and the rewrite target data “M-034-2 040” is changed to the rewrite information “M-034-2-023”. (Step S9).

  When rewriting is executed, the rewriting unit 605 updates the version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit 603 to the version specified by the second version information (step S11). . Here, the first version information shown in the example (1) is updated from E-101 to E-102, which corresponds to the example (2).

  The above is the case of the example (1), and a part of the data of the firmware 15 is rewritten.

  In step S3, the rewriting unit 605 does not determine that the version specified by the first version information is older than the version specified by the second version information (No in step S3). 2) is applicable. In the example (2), the version specified by the second version information E-102 is the same as the version specified by the first version information E-102, and the rewriting of the data 19 has already been executed. The rewriting unit 605 does not perform rewriting (step S13).

  As in examples (3) and (5), in step S5, the rewriting unit 605 includes the image specified by the first device information in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second device information. If it is determined that the forming apparatus main body 3 is not included (No in step S5), the process of step S15 is performed. In step S15, the rewriting unit 605 determines that the image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the first apparatus information has a larger serial number than the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second apparatus information ( In step S15, Yes), since the image forming apparatus main body 3 takes measures, the rewriting unit 605 does not perform rewriting (step S13). This corresponds to example (3).

  In contrast, the rewriting unit 605 determines that the image forming apparatus main body 3 specified by the first apparatus information has a smaller serial number than the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second apparatus information ( In step S15, the image forming apparatus main body 3 is manufactured first (in other words, older than the target image forming apparatus main body), and the rewriting effect does not occur in the mechanism of the image forming apparatus main body 3. The unit 605 does not perform rewriting (step S17). This corresponds to example (5). Then, the second notification unit 609 notifies the display unit 403 by displaying character information indicating that maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1 (full firmware upgrade by a serviceman) is necessary (step S19). .

  On the other hand, as in the example (4), if the rewriting unit 605 determines in step S7 that the version specified by the second version information does not correspond to the version specified by the first version information (step S7). No in S7), the processing of steps S17 and S19 is performed. The case where it does not correspond is a case where the version specified by the first version information is not included in the version of the firmware 15 to be rewritten specified by the third version information. In step S <b> 19, the first notification unit 607 displays character information on the display unit 403 indicating that maintenance of the image forming apparatus 13 (software installation by a service person) is necessary, like the second notification unit 609. Notify by displaying.

  The main effects of this embodiment will be described.

  (1) According to the present embodiment, the rewriting of the data of the firmware 15 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 3 is not determined based on the version alone, but the image forming apparatus main body 3 is subject to rewriting. Judgment is also made based on whether or not it is included in the apparatus main body. For example, the image forming apparatus main body 3 is manufactured later, and if measures are already taken, it is excluded from rewriting in terms of the image forming apparatus main body. As a result, even if the firmware 15 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 3 is the target of rewriting, rewriting is not executed (example (3), (5)), thus preventing unnecessary rewriting. be able to.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the entire firmware 15 is not rewritten, but some data of the firmware 15 is rewritten. Therefore, the capacity of the storage device 13 of the RF tag 11 can be reduced (for example, 2048 bits or less).

  (3) Since the rewriting control software 19 is provided in the firmware 15, rewriting of a part of the data in the firmware 15 is executed by the rewriting unit 605 of the image forming apparatus main body 3. Can be small.

  (4) According to the present embodiment, the rewrite is not executed when the first version is too old and does not correspond to the second version as in the example (4). In addition, the image forming apparatus main body 3 is manufactured before the target image forming apparatus main body, and in the mechanism at the time when the image forming apparatus main body 3 is manufactured, for example, the paper transport mechanism has the rewrite information “M-034-2”. 043 "may not be supported, and the rewriting effect may not occur. In this case, rewriting is not executed by not including the image forming apparatus main body 3 in the target image forming apparatus main body as in the example (5). These cases are notified in step S19. As a result, it is possible to notify the user that maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1 (such as a full firmware upgrade by a service person) is necessary.

  (5) According to the present embodiment, as described in steps S9 and S11, when part of the data of the firmware 15 is rewritten, the first version information stored in the second storage unit 603 The version specified by (for example, E-101) is updated to the version specified by the second version information (for example, E-102). Therefore, after that, when another unit 5 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3, if the second version information stored in the storage device 13 of the RF tag 11 is “E-102”, it is already rewritten. Therefore, rewriting can be prevented from being executed again.

  Although the present embodiment has been described with rewriting of data in the maintenance mode, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to rewriting of data related to firmware control, for example.

  The reading unit 700 is not limited to reading information from the storage device 13 of the RF tag 11 by a wireless method, but may be a wired method. For example, when the storage device 13 attached to the unit 5 includes a connector and the unit 5 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 3, the connector of the storage device 13 is connected to the connector of the reading unit 700, and information is stored. You may make it read.

  Any software installed in the image forming apparatus 1 is an object of this embodiment. Therefore, not only firmware but also middleware, application software, etc. can be rewritten.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 3 Image forming apparatus main body 5 Unit 11 RF tag 13 Storage device 601 1st memory | storage part 603 2nd memory | storage part 605 Rewriting part 700 Reading part

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus comprising a unit and a main body of the image forming apparatus in which the unit is received,
The image forming apparatus main body includes:
A first storage unit storing software of the image forming apparatus;
A second storage unit storing first device information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body and first version information for specifying a version of the software stored in the first storage unit;
Regarding rewriting of a part of the data of the software stored in the first storage unit, rewriting information that is data rewritten with the part of data, and a second device that specifies a target image forming apparatus main body Information, and second version information for identifying a version of software including the rewrite information, from the storage device provided in the unit, the rewrite information, the second device information, and the second information A reading unit for reading version information;
The version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit is older than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit, and the reading The image forming apparatus specified by the first apparatus information stored in the second storage unit in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second apparatus information read by the section A rewriting unit that rewrites the partial data of the software stored in the first storage unit into the rewriting information when a main body is included,
The unit stores the rewrite information, the second apparatus information, and the second version information that can be read by the reading unit in a state where the unit is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus including the apparatus. The storage device stores third version information that is read by the reading unit and identifies the version of the software to be rewritten,
When the version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit is older than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit, When the rewriting unit determines that the version specified by the first version information is not included in the version of the software to be rewritten specified by the third version information, a notification is made. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first notification unit. The first and second apparatus information includes information for specifying an order in which the image forming apparatus main body is manufactured,
The image specified by the first device information stored in the second storage unit in the main body of the image forming apparatus to be specified by the second device information read by the reading unit. The first apparatus does not include a forming apparatus main body, and the rewrite unit is based on the information for specifying the order, and the first apparatus rather than the image forming apparatus main body to be specified by the second apparatus information. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second notification unit that notifies when the image forming apparatus main body specified by the information is older. An image forming apparatus main body that can be received by a unit and constitutes an image forming apparatus together with the unit,
A first storage unit storing software of the image forming apparatus;
A second storage unit storing first device information for specifying the image forming apparatus main body and first version information for specifying a version of the software stored in the first storage unit;
Regarding rewriting of a part of the data of the software stored in the first storage unit, rewriting information that is data rewritten with the part of data, and a second device that specifies a target image forming apparatus main body The unit including a storage device storing information and second version information for specifying a software version including the rewrite information is stored in the storage device in a state of being attached to the image forming apparatus main body. A reading unit that reads the rewrite information, the second device information, and the second version information,
The version specified by the first version information stored in the second storage unit is older than the version specified by the second version information read by the reading unit, and the reading The image forming apparatus specified by the first apparatus information stored in the second storage unit in the image forming apparatus main body specified by the second apparatus information read by the section An image forming apparatus main body comprising: a rewriting unit that rewrites the partial data of the software stored in the first storage unit to the rewrite information when a main body is included. A unit that can be attached to an image forming apparatus main body and constitutes an image forming apparatus together with the image forming apparatus main body,
The unit includes a storage device that can be read in a state of being attached to the image forming apparatus main body,
In the storage device, rewriting of part of data of software of the image forming apparatus configured by the unit and the main body of the image forming apparatus to which the unit is attached is data rewritten with the part of data. Rewrite information, second apparatus information for identifying an image forming apparatus main body to be rewritten, compared with first apparatus information for identifying the main body of the image forming apparatus to which the unit is attached, and the image forming apparatus The second version information that is compared with the first version information that specifies the version of the software and that specifies the version of the software that includes the rewrite information is stored.

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