JP2013045285A - Information processor, image forming device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress occurrence of failure in a program.SOLUTION: An operation control unit comprises: a CPU which executes a program; and a main memory 512 which stores a program and also stores data generated with program execution. The main memory 512 comprises: a MRAM 61 which can be read and written, and hold stored information without power supply; and a DRAM 62 which cannot hold stored information without power supply. A partial area of the MRAM 61 is provided with a ROM area A1 storing programs and the like, and the remaining area of the MRAM 61 and an entire area of the DRAM 62 are provided with a RAM area A2 storing data and the like. When the CPU is reset, memory contents of the ROM area A1 is kept, but memory contents of the RAM area A2 are deleted, and a program read out from the ROM area A1 is executed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a program.

  As a prior art described in the publication, there is a central processing unit and a ferroelectric memory connected to the central processing unit via a data bus, and data written in the ferroelectric memory is provided for each predetermined data string. There is a semiconductor integrated circuit device that sets a region where data rewrite is prohibited in a ferroelectric memory by adding a discrimination bit for determining whether or not the data string can be rewritten (see Patent Document 1). ).

  As another conventional technique described in other publications, a processor that performs a predetermined data processing operation or system control according to a program, and a non-volatile memory circuit that performs a read operation and a write operation at high speed corresponding to the cycle time of the processor ( (RAM using a ferroelectric capacitor) is mounted on a one-chip microcomputer, and in the nonvolatile memory circuit, a portion in which a data processing program is stored is read-only, and the other remaining portion is stored in the data There is a semiconductor integrated circuit device used for writing and reading (see Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-331371 A JP-A-7-114497

  It is an object of the present invention to suppress the occurrence of program malfunctions.

The invention described in claim 1 includes an execution means for executing a program and a non-volatile memory that is readable and writable and capable of holding stored information without supplying power. The storage memory is provided with a first storage area for storing the program executed by the execution means and a second storage area for storing data generated when the execution means executes the program. And an erasing unit for erasing the stored contents of the second storage area in the storage unit when the execution unit is set to an initial state.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first storage area in the storage means stores a first storage area for storing a basic program as a basis of the program, and the program obtained based on the basic program. A second storage area, and when an error occurs in the program stored in the second storage area, the second storage area stores the program created based on the basic program read from the first storage area. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising writing means for writing in the area.
The invention according to claim 3 further includes changing means for changing allocation of the first storage area and the second storage area in the nonvolatile memory of the storage means. Information processing apparatus.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the storage means further includes a volatile memory that cannot hold the stored information unless power is supplied, and the execution means includes the program. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third storage area that stores data generated as a result of executing the first and second storage areas together with the second storage area. 5.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the nonvolatile memory in the storage means is any one of MRAM, FeRAM, PRAM, and ReRAM. It is.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material, and a control unit that controls the operation of the image forming unit, the control unit is used for controlling the image forming unit. Execution means for executing a program, and a non-volatile memory that is readable and writable and can hold stored information without supplying power, and the execution means includes the execution means A storage means provided with a first storage area for storing the program to be executed, a second storage area for storing data generated when the execution means executes the program, and the execution means in an initial state And an erasing unit for erasing the stored contents of the second storage area in the storage unit.

  The invention according to claim 7 is provided with a function of executing a program and a non-volatile memory capable of reading and writing and capable of holding stored information without supplying power. The nonvolatile memory includes a first storage area for storing the program to be executed and a second storage area for storing data generated by executing the program. This is a program for realizing a function of erasing the stored contents of the second storage area when a function to be executed is set to an initial state.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of program malfunction as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, a program in which an error has occurred can be rewritten to a program in which no error has occurred, as compared with the case where this configuration is not provided.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the storage capacity of the nonvolatile memory can be utilized more effectively than when the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to increase the storage capacity while suppressing an increase in cost.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to read a program from the nonvolatile memory at a higher speed than when, for example, an EEPROM or a flash memory is used as the nonvolatile memory.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of program malfunction as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of program malfunction as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming system to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. 2 is a hardware block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a control unit provided in the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a hardware block diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of an MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM) module provided in an operation control unit. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the memory map in the main memory of an operation control part as a table. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of division setting information. 6 is a flowchart for explaining start-up processing of the image forming apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of the process accompanying execution of IPL (initial program loader). FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining transition of a memory map before and after a first activation process (first activation) of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a transition of a memory map (when there is no error in a developed program file) before and after the second and subsequent activation processing of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a transition of a memory map (when there is an error in a developed program file) before and after the second and subsequent activation processing of the image forming apparatus. It is a figure for comparing the case where a ROM area is configured using an MRAM module (this embodiment) and the case where a ROM area is configured using a ROM module (comparative form). It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the destination setting information. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of a process in the case of deleting an unnecessary font file. It is a figure for demonstrating transition of a memory map before and after deleting an unnecessary font file. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of a process in the case of updating a program file. It is a figure for demonstrating transition of a memory map before and after updating a program file.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming system to which the exemplary embodiment is applied.
The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus 1 that operates as a so-called multi-function machine having a scan function, a print function, a copy function, and a facsimile function, a network 2 connected to the image forming apparatus 1, and a network 2. It has a terminal device 3, a facsimile device 4 connected to the network 2, and a server device 5 connected to the network 2.

  Here, the network 2 is configured by an Internet line, a telephone line, or the like. The terminal device 3 instructs the image forming apparatus 1 to form an image via the network 2 and is composed of, for example, a PC (Personal Computer). Further, the facsimile apparatus 4 transmits and receives a facsimile to and from the image forming apparatus 1 via the network 2. Furthermore, the server device 5 transmits / receives data (including a program) to / from the image forming device 1 via the network 2.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image reading unit 10 that reads an image recorded on a recording medium such as paper, an image forming unit 20 that forms an image on a recording medium such as paper, and the power on / off from the user. A user interface (UI) 30 that receives instructions related to operations using the scan function, print function, copy function, and facsimile function and displays a message to the user, and the terminal device 3 and the facsimile device via the network 2 4 and the server device 5, a transmission / reception unit 40 that transmits / receives data to / from the server device 5, and a control unit 50 that controls operations of the image reading unit 10, the image forming unit 20, the UI 30, and the transmission / reception unit 40. In the image forming apparatus 1, the image reading unit 10 realizes a scanning function, the image forming unit 20 realizes a printing function, and the image reading unit 10 and the image forming unit 20 realize a copying function. 10. The facsimile function is realized by the image forming unit 20 and the transmission / reception unit 40. Note that the transmitter / receiver 40 may be provided separately for the Internet line and the telephone line, for example.

FIG. 2 is a hardware book diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the control unit 50 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
The control unit 50 according to the present embodiment includes an operation control unit 51 that controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 1, an image processing unit 52 that executes image processing related to the image reading unit 10 and the image forming unit 20, and A connection bus 53 that connects the operation control unit 51 and the image processing unit 52 is provided.

  Among these, the operation control unit 51 executes various operations to control each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 511 as an example of an execution unit, an erasing unit, and a changing unit. A main memory 512 connected to the CPU 511 via the memory bus 514, and an interface circuit (I / F) 513 that connects the CPU 511 to the UI 30 and the transmission / reception unit 40. The CPU 511 is configured to directly read / write data from / to the main memory 512.

  The main memory 512 as an example of a storage unit includes an MRAM module 61 having an MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM) as a memory device and a DRAM module 62 having a DRAM (Dynamic RAM) as a memory device. It is connected to the memory bus 514. Here, the MRAM module 61 is a non-volatile memory capable of holding stored information without supplying power. On the other hand, the DRAM module 62 is a volatile memory that cannot hold stored information unless power is supplied. In this embodiment, the MRAM module 61 and the DRAM module 62 read / write data at a common clock frequency (memory clock) set in the memory bus 514. Therefore, the MRAM module 61 has the same read / write performance as the DRAM module 62. Therefore, the MRAM module 61 reads and writes data at a higher speed than a non-volatile memory such as a UV-EPROM (Ultra-Violet Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or a flash memory.

On the other hand, the image processing unit 52 performs various operations to perform processing on the image data input from the image reading unit 10 and the image data output to the image forming unit 20, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 521. And another DRAM module 522 connected to the ASIC 521 via another memory bus 524, and another interface circuit (I / F) 523 that connects the ASIC 521 to the image reading unit 10 and the image forming unit 20. ing.
The connection bus 53 described above connects the CPU 511 provided in the operation control unit 51 and the ASIC 521 provided in the image processing unit 52 in the control unit 50, and the ASIC 521 responds to an instruction received from the CPU 511. Based on this, various image processes are executed.

FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the MRAM module 61 provided in the operation control unit 51 shown in FIG.
The MRAM module 61 of the present embodiment includes a first MRAM chip 61a having a predetermined number of cells (not shown), and a second MRAM chip 61b having the same number of cells (not shown) as the first MRAM chip 61a. And an MRAM control unit 61c that exchanges data with the CPU 511 (see FIG. 2) via the memory bus 514 and controls reading and writing of data with respect to the first MRAM chip 61a and the second MRAM chip 61b. . Here, the capacity of each of the first MRAM chip 61a and the second MRAM chip 61b is normally set to a power of 2. In this example, each capacity is 128 MB (128 MB × 2 = the entire MRAM module 61 = 256MB). Here, the case where the MRAM module 61 is configured by two MRAM chips is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the MRAM module 61 may be configured by one MRAM chip, or three or more. The MRAM chip may be used. However, the general MRAM module 61 is composed of MRAM chips whose number is an integer multiple of two.

  On the other hand, the DRAM module 62 of the present embodiment also exchanges data between a plurality of DRAM chips (not shown) each having the same number of cells and the CPU 511 (see FIG. 2) via the memory bus 514. And a DRAM control unit (not shown) for controlling reading and writing of data to and from the plurality of DRAM chips. In this example, each of the MRAM module 61 and the DRAM module 62 is arranged so that the capacity of the entire DRAM module 62 is larger (1 GB in this example) than the capacity of the entire MRAM module 61 (256 MB in this example). The capacity is selected.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory map configuration in the main memory 512 (MRAM module 61 and DRAM module 62) of the operation control unit 51. The CPU 511 reads / writes data from / to the main memory 512 based on the memory map.

  In the memory map shown in FIG. 4, the storage area A0 of the main memory 512 as a whole is basically used as a ROM area A1 used as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and basically as a RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM area A2. In the present embodiment, the ROM area A1 is arranged in the MRAM module 61, and the RAM area A2 is arranged across the MRAM module 61 and the DRAM module 62. Among these, the ROM area A1 has a first ROM area A11 in which data rewriting is basically not allowed and a second ROM area A12 in which data rewriting is basically allowed. On the other hand, the RAM area A2 has a first RAM area A21 arranged on the MRAM module 61 side and a second RAM area A22 arranged on the DRAM module 62 side.

  In the present embodiment, in the storage area A0, the ROM area A1 is the first storage area, the first RAM area A21 in the RAM area A2 is the second storage area, and the second RAM area A22 in the RAM area A2 is the third storage. It corresponds to each area. In the present embodiment, in the ROM area A1, the first ROM area A11 corresponds to the first storage area, and the second ROM area A12 corresponds to the second storage area.

  The first ROM area A11 constituting the ROM area A1 has a reset vector storage area A111, a destination information storage area A112, a category setting information storage area A113, a compressed program storage area A114, and a compressed font storage area A115. Among these, the reset vector storage area A111 stores an initial program loader (IPL), which is a program executed by the CPU 511 in the operation control unit 51 when the image forming apparatus 1 is started. . The destination information storage area A112 corresponds to a plurality of countries (regions) in which the image forming apparatus 1 after shipment can be used, and settings corresponding to each country (each region) (for example, a language displayed on the UI 30). The destination information added is stored. Furthermore, the category setting information storage area A113 stores category setting information in which each area in the memory map shown in FIG. 4 is associated with the memory area (start address and end address) of each area on the memory map. ing. Furthermore, the compressed program storage area A114 stores a compressed program file as an example of a basic program in which a program used in the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 is data-compressed. The compressed font storage area A115 stores a compressed font file in which a font used in the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 is compressed. Here, in the compressed font storage area A115 of the present embodiment, the first compressed font storage area A1151 for storing the first compressed font file obtained by data compression of the first font and the second font different from the first font are used as data. A second compressed font storage area A1152 for storing a compressed second compressed font file, and a third compressed font storage area for storing a third compressed font file obtained by compressing a third font different from the first font and the second font. A1153.

  On the other hand, the second ROM area A12 that constitutes the ROM area A1 together with the first ROM area A11 has an expanded program storage area A121 and an expanded font storage area A122. Among these, the decompressed program storage area A121 is a decompressed program as an example of a program obtained by the CPU 511 (see FIG. 2) decompressing the compressed program file read from the compressed program storage area A114 of the first ROM area A11. Store the file. The decompressed font storage area A122 stores a decompressed font file obtained by the CPU 511 (see FIG. 2) decompressing the compressed font file read from the compressed font storage area A115 of the first ROM area A11. Here, the expanded font storage area A122 of the present embodiment stores a first expanded font file that stores the first expanded font file obtained by expanding the first compressed font file read from the first compressed font storage area A1151. An area A1221, a second expanded font storage area A1222 for storing the second expanded font file obtained by expanding the second compressed font file read out from the second compressed font storage area A1152, and a third compressed font storage area A1153. And a third expanded font storage area A1223 for storing the third expanded font file obtained by expanding the third compressed font file read out from.

  In this example, the memory capacity prepared in the expanded program storage area A121 is larger than the memory capacity prepared in the compressed program storage area A114, and the memory capacity prepared in the expanded font storage area A122 is a compressed font. It is larger than the memory capacity prepared in the storage area A115. This is because the file size increases as the compressed file is expanded.

  On the other hand, in this example, the first RAM area A21 and the second RAM area A22 that constitute the RAM area A2 are formed with data generated by the CPU 511 (see FIG. 2) and data generated by the CPU 511 (see FIG. 2). Data relating to an instruction output to each component of the device 1 is used as a work area A200 for temporarily storing the data. As described above, in this embodiment, the RAM area A2 (work area A200) is configured by two memories (partial areas of the MRAM module 61 and all areas of the DRAM module 62) having different storage methods. The CPU 511 treats the first RAM area A21 arranged on the MRAM module 61 side and the second RAM area A22 arranged on the DRAM module 62 side as a group of RAM areas A2.

  In this example, the entire area of the first MRAM chip 61a and the partial area of the second MRAM chip 61b in the MRAM module 61 are used as the ROM area A1. On the other hand, in this example, the remaining part of the second MRAM chip 61b in the MRAM module 61 and the entire area of the DRAM module 62 are used as the RAM area A2. Thus, in this embodiment, the ROM area A1 and the RAM area A2 coexist in the MRAM module 61.

FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of the section setting information stored in the section setting information storage area A113 of the first ROM area A11 shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, the category setting information is configured by associating each area in the above-described memory map with a memory area (start address and end address) of each area on the memory map. In FIG. 5, the start address and end address of each area are all displayed as “XXXX”. Actually, however, the start address and end address of each area are prevented so that the same address is not covered in a plurality of areas. An address is set.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a startup process of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. In this activation process, for example, a reset instruction is input to the control unit 50 (more specifically, the CPU 511 in the operation control unit 51) when the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on via the UI 30. Or when the reset instruction is input to the control unit 50 for some reason after the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on.

  When the CPU 511 provided in the operation control unit 51 of the control unit 50 receives a reset instruction (step 1), the CPU 511 executes its own reset (CPU reset) (step 2). At this time, the stored contents of a register group and a cache memory (both not shown) provided in the CPU 511 are cleared along with the CPU reset. However, even if the CPU reset is executed, the stored contents of the main memory 512 (MRAM module 61 and DRAM module 62) provided in the operation control unit 51 are not cleared. In particular, in the MRAM module 61, the memory before the CPU reset is performed. The content is retained as is. In the present embodiment, this CPU reset corresponds to the execution means being set to the initial state.

  Subsequently, the CPU 511 reads and reads the initial program loader (IPL) stored in the reset vector storage area A111 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 of the main memory 512 via the memory bus 514. The IPL is executed (step 3), and the operation preparation is performed so that each component (the image reading unit 10, the image forming unit 20, the transmission / reception unit 40, etc.) of the image forming apparatus 1 can be used. Then, when the preparation for operation of the image forming apparatus 1 is completed (step 4), a series of startup processing is completed.

Next, the execution of IPL in step 3 described above will be described in more detail.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing accompanying execution of IPL.
As the IPL is executed, the CPU 511 first reads the segment setting information (see FIG. 5) stored in the segment setting information storage area A113 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 (step 11). Then, the CPU 511 erases the data of the area set in the RAM area A2 in the storage area A0 based on the read section setting information (step 12). Thereby, both the storage contents of the work area A200, that is, the first RAM area A21 arranged on the MRAM module 61 side and the second RAM area A22 arranged on the DRAM module 62 side are cleared.

  Next, the CPU 511 determines whether or not the current activation process is the first activation (step 13). Here, the “first activation” is, for example, when the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on for the first time. Note that the determination as to whether or not it is the first activation may be performed, for example, by further storing a flag indicating whether or not the activation has already been performed in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 and reading the flag. Alternatively, for example, it may be performed based on whether or not the expanded program file is stored in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1.

  If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 13, that is, if the current activation process is the first activation, the CPU 511 subsequently stores it in the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1. The compressed program file is read out, the read compressed program file is expanded, and the expanded program file obtained by expanding the compressed program file is stored in the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 ( Step 14).

  Subsequently, the CPU 511 reads the compressed font file stored in the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1, expands the read compressed font file, and expands the compressed font file. The expanded font file is stored in the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 (step 15). More specifically, in step 15, the CPU 511 first expands the first compressed font file read from the first compressed font storage area A1151, and the obtained first expanded font file is expanded into the first expanded font storage area. A1221, and then the second compressed font file read from the second compressed font storage area A1152 is expanded, the obtained second expanded font file is stored in the second expanded font storage area A1222, and finally, The third compressed font file read from the third compressed font storage area A1153 is expanded, and the obtained third expanded font file is stored in the third expanded font storage area A1223. And it progresses to step 19 mentioned later.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step 13, that is, if the current activation process is the second or subsequent activation, the CPU 511 subsequently continues to expand the program in the second ROM area A 12 of the ROM area A 1. An error check is performed on the expanded program file stored in the storage area A121 (step 16). As described above, at the first activation, the development program file is stored in the development program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1, and the ROM area A1 is used for image formation. Even if the power of the apparatus 1 is turned off, the stored contents are retained, and even if the CPU 511 is reset by turning on the power again, the stored contents in the ROM area A1 are not erased. It is like that. Therefore, the expanded program storage area A121 stores the expanded program file used in the previous activation process as it is.

  Next, the CPU 511 determines whether or not an error has occurred in the expanded program file based on the result of the error check in step 16 (step 17). An example of the error check method executed in step 16 is CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check).

  If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 17, that is, if an error occurs in the expanded program file, the CPU 511 stores the compressed program file stored in the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1. Is read again, the read compressed program file is expanded again, and the expanded program file obtained by expanding the compressed program file is stored again in the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 (step 18). ). At this time, in the expanded program storage area A121, a new expanded program file obtained by expanding the compressed program file again is overwritten on the expanded program file in which the error has occurred. And it progresses to step 19 mentioned later.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step 17, that is, if no error has occurred in the expanded program file, the CPU 511 proceeds directly to step 19 described later.

  Then, the CPU 511 reads out the expanded program file stored in the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 and performs processing, thereby initializing the image forming apparatus 1 (step 19). Complete the execution. Further, in the initial setting in step 19, each expanded font file (first expanded font file to third expanded font file) stored in the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 is read out and expanded. Make the font corresponding to the font file available.

  If the determination in step 13 is affirmative (Yes), the CPU 511 performs processing related to the initial setting in step 19 using the expanded program file newly stored at the current activation. . If the determination in step 13 is negative (No) and then the determination in step 17 is affirmative (Yes), the CPU 511 uses the expanded program file stored again in the current activation in step 19. Thus, processing related to the initial setting is performed. Further, if a negative determination (No) is made in Step 17 after making a negative determination (No) in Step 13, the CPU 511, in Step 19, reads the expanded program file that has already been stored in the previous activation. Is used to perform processing relating to the initial setting.

  Now, the processing procedure associated with the execution of IPL shown in FIG. 7 will be described with a specific example.

[First activation]
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the transition of the memory map before and after the first activation process (first activation) of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, FIG. 8A shows a memory map before the start-up process is started, and FIG. 8B shows a memory map after the start-up process is completed. Note that FIG. 8 corresponds to the case where an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 13 among the processes associated with the execution of the IPL shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, before the first activation process is started, the IPL is set in the reset vector storage area A111 among the areas to be the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 in the MRAM module 61. The destination information storage area A112 stores destination information, the section setting information storage area A113 stores section setting information, and the compression program storage area A114 stores compression program files. In the compressed font storage area A115, the first compressed font storage area A1151 contains the first compressed font, the second compressed font storage area A1152 contains the second compressed font, and the third compressed font storage area A1153 contains the third compressed font. Each compressed font is stored. These pieces of data are already stored in the respective areas constituting the first ROM area A11 when the image forming apparatus 1 is shipped.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, before the first start-up process is started, the second ROM area A12 and the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61, and the area to be the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 No data is stored and each is empty.

  As the first activation process is executed, the stored contents of the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61 and the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 are erased as shown in FIG. 12). The first RAM area A21 and the second RAM area A22 are used as a work area A200 in the subsequent processing.

  As a result of the affirmative determination (Yes) in step 13, as shown in FIG. 8B, the expanded program storage area A121 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is changed to the compressed program storage area A114. The decompressed program file obtained by decompressing the compressed program file to be stored is stored (step 14), and the compression stored in the decompressed font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is stored in the compressed font storage area A115. An expanded font file obtained by expanding the font file is stored (step 15). At this time, in the expanded font storage area A122, the first expanded font file is stored in the first expanded font storage area A1221, the second expanded font file is stored in the second expanded font storage area A1222, and the third expanded font storage area is stored. A third expanded font file is stored in A1223.

  Then, before and after the first activation process, each data stored in the first ROM area A11 in the MRAM module 61 is kept as it is. That is, the IPL in the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information in the destination information storage area A112, the section setting information in the section setting information storage area A113, the compressed program file in the compressed program storage area A114, and the compressed font in the compressed font storage area A115 The files (the first compressed font file in the first compressed font storage area A1151, the second compressed font file in the second compressed font storage area A1152 and the third compressed font file in the third compressed font storage area A1153) are changed. Keep it as it is.

[Second and subsequent startups: Part 1]
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the transition of the memory map before and after the second and subsequent activation processing of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, FIG. 9A shows a memory map before the start-up process is started, and FIG. 9B shows a memory map after the start-up process is completed. 9 corresponds to the case where a negative determination (No) is made in Step 13 and a negative determination (No) is made in Step 17 among the processes associated with the execution of the IPL shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, before starting the second and subsequent activation processes, the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 in the MRAM module 61 includes a reset vector storage area A111 and a destination information storage area A112. A section setting information storage area A113, a compressed program storage area A114, and a compressed font storage area A115 are set. The reset vector storage area A111 has IPL, the destination information storage area A112 has destination information, the section setting information storage area A113 has section setting information, the compression program storage area A114 has a compression program file, Each is stored. In the compressed font storage area A115, the first compressed font file is stored in the first compressed font storage area A1151, the second compressed font file is stored in the second compressed font storage area A1152, and the third compressed font storage area A1153 is stored in the third compressed font storage area A1153. Third compressed font files are stored respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, before the second and subsequent activation processing is started, the expansion program storage area A121 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 has already been stored in the previous activation processing. An expanded program file exists. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9A, before the second and subsequent activation processes are started, the expanded font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 has already been stored in the previous activation process. Expanded font file exists. Of the expanded font storage area A122, the first expanded font storage area A1221, the first expanded font file, the second expanded font storage area A1222, the second expanded font file, and the third expanded font storage area A1223. Third expanded font files are stored respectively. Before the second and subsequent activation processes are started, the data used in the operation after the previous activation process is not erased in the first RAM area A21 constituted by the MRAM module 61 in the RAM area A2. Remaining. Before the second and subsequent startup processes are started, data is erased in the second RAM area A22 constituted by the DRAM module 62 in the RAM area A2 as the power is turned off.

  As the startup process is executed for the second time and thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9B, the storage contents of the work area A200, that is, the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61 and the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 are stored. Is erased (step 12).

Further, in this example, after a negative determination (No) is made in Step 13, a negative determination (No) is made in Step 17.
Therefore, in this example, each data stored in the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is kept as it is before and after the second and subsequent activation processes. That is, a development program file in the development program storage area A121, a development font file in the development font storage area A122 (first development font file in the first development font storage area A1221, second development font file in the second development font storage area A1222, The third expanded font file in the third expanded font storage area A1223 is maintained as it is without being changed.

  In this example as well, the data stored in the first ROM area A11 in the MRAM module 61 is held as it is before and after the second and subsequent startup processing. That is, the IPL in the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information in the destination information storage area A112, the section setting information in the section setting information storage area A113, the compressed program file in the compressed program storage area A114, and the compressed font in the compressed font storage area A115 The files (the first compressed font file in the first compressed font storage area A1151, the second compressed font file in the second compressed font storage area A1152 and the third compressed font file in the third compressed font storage area A1153) are changed. Keep it as it is.

[Second and subsequent activations: Part 2]
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the transition of the memory map before and after the second and subsequent activation processing of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, FIG. 10A shows a memory map before the start-up process is started, and FIG. 10B shows a memory map after the start-up process is completed. Note that FIG. 10 corresponds to the case where a negative determination (No) is made in Step 13 and a positive determination (Yes) is made in Step 17 among the processes accompanying the execution of IPL shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, before starting the second and subsequent startup processes, the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 in the MRAM module 61 includes a reset vector storage area A111 and a destination information storage area A112. A section setting information storage area A113, a compressed program storage area A114, and a compressed font storage area A115 are set. The reset vector storage area A111 has IPL, the destination information storage area A112 has destination information, the section setting information storage area A113 has section setting information, the compression program storage area A114 has a compression program file, Each is stored. In the compressed font storage area A115, the first compressed font storage area A1151 contains the first compressed font, the second compressed font storage area A1152 contains the second compressed font, and the third compressed font storage area A1153 contains the third compressed font. Each compressed font is stored.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10A, before the second and subsequent activation processes are started, the expansion program storage area A121 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 has already been stored in the previous activation process. An expanded program file exists. Further, as shown in FIG. 10A, before the second and subsequent activation processes are started, the expanded font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 has already been stored in the previous activation process. Expanded font file exists. Of the expanded font storage area A122, the first expanded font storage area A1221 has a first expanded font, the second expanded font storage area A1222 has a second expanded font, and the third expanded font storage area A1223 has a third expanded font. Each expanded font is stored. Before the second and subsequent activation processes are started, data used in the operation after the previous activation process exists in the first RAM area A21 configured by the MRAM module 61 in the RAM area A2. Yes. Note that such data does not exist in the second RAM area A22 constituted by the DRAM module 62 in the RAM area A2 before the second and subsequent activation processes are started.

  As the startup process is executed for the second and subsequent times, as shown in FIG. 10B, the storage contents of the work area A200, that is, the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61 and the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 are stored. Is erased (step 12).

In addition, after a negative determination (No) is made in Step 13 and a positive determination (Yes) is made in Step 17, the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 as shown in FIG. The decompressed program file obtained by decompressing the compressed program file stored in the compressed program storage area A114 is again stored (overwritten) in the decompressed program storage area A121 (step 18).
On the other hand, in this example, the data stored in the expanded font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is kept as it is before and after the second and subsequent startup processes. That is, the expanded font file in the expanded font storage area A122 (the first expanded font file in the first expanded font storage area A1221, the second expanded font file in the second expanded font storage area A1222, and the third expanded font file in the third expanded font storage area A1223). The expanded font file) remains unchanged without being changed.

  In this example as well, the data stored in the first ROM area A11 in the MRAM module 61 is held as it is before and after the second and subsequent startup processing. That is, the IPL in the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information in the destination information storage area A112, the section setting information in the section setting information storage area A113, the compressed program file in the compressed program storage area A114, and the compressed font in the compressed font storage area A115 The files (the first compressed font file in the first compressed font storage area A1151, the second compressed font file in the second compressed font storage area A1152 and the third compressed font file in the third compressed font storage area A1153) are changed. Keep it as it is.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the activation process of the image forming apparatus 1, the stored contents of the RAM area A2 serving as the work area A200, that is, the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61 and the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 are deleted. I tried to do it. For this reason, even when a part of the MRAM module 61 whose stored contents are not erased even when the power is turned off is used as the RAM area A2 (first RAM area A21), data at the time of previous activation remains in the first RAM area A21. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions (program runaway, etc.) that occur as a result.

FIG. 11 compares the case where the ROM area A1 is configured using the readable / writable MRAM module 61 with the case where the ROM area A1 is configured using the ROM module 63 which can be read but cannot be written. FIG. Here, FIG. 11A illustrates the case of the present embodiment corresponding to the former, and FIG. 11B illustrates the case of the comparison form corresponding to the latter.
In this example, it is assumed that the MRAM module 61 includes a first MRAM chip 61a and a second MRAM chip 61b each having a capacity of 128 MB, and the ROM module 63 is also a first memory having a capacity of 128 MB. It is assumed that the first ROM chip 63a and the second ROM chip 63b are included.

First, the case of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
When the capacity of the program as software to be stored in the ROM area A1 is, for example, 129 MB, the capacity of the first MRAM chip 61a and the second MRAM chip 61b in the MRAM module 61 that is hardware is 128 MB, respectively, so that the program of 129 MB Must be arranged separately in the first MRAM chip 61a and the second MRAM chip 61b. In this example, 128 MB of the program is arranged on the first MRAM chip 61a, and 1 MB of the program is arranged on the second MRAM chip 61b. Here, when the MRAM module 61 is used, since the capacity of 127 MB existing in the second MRAM chip 61b is a memory device in which the MRAM module 61 can read and write, the RAM area A2 (first RAM area in the present embodiment) A21) can be used.

  Next, the case of the comparative example will be described with reference to FIG. When the capacity of a program as software to be stored in the ROM area A1 is 129 MB, for example, in the ROM module 63 that is hardware, the capacity of the first ROM chip 63a and the second ROM chip 63b is 128 MB, respectively, so that the program of 129 MB Need to be divided into the first ROM chip 63a and the second ROM chip 63b. In this example, 128 MB of the program is arranged on the first ROM chip 63a, and 1 MB of the program is arranged on the second ROM chip 63b. Here, when the ROM module 63 is used, the capacity of 127 MB existing in the second ROM chip 63b is an unusable area, that is, the ROM module 63 is a memory device that can be read but cannot be written. It becomes the unusable area A3.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, by configuring the ROM area A1 using the MRAM module 61, an area that is not used for storing programs or the like is assigned to the RAM area A2 (first RAM) regardless of the capacity of each MRAM chip. The area A21) can be used. For this reason, useless capacity | capacitance accompanying generation | occurrence | production of the unusable area | region A3 etc. can be reduced.

<Embodiment 2>
Although the present embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, the memory map in the main memory 512 is corrected by deleting unnecessary font files in response to a request from the user, for example, and the MRAM In the module 61, the capacity used as the ROM area A1 is reduced and the capacity usable as the RAM area A2 is increased. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the destination setting information stored in the destination information storage area A112 of the ROM area A11 shown in FIG.
As described in the first embodiment, the destination information is configured by associating a plurality of countries (regions) in which the image forming apparatus 1 after shipment can be used with settings corresponding to each country (each region). ing. Here, FIG. 12 shows countries (A country, B country, C country) in which the post-shipment image forming apparatus 1 can be used and destination fonts (first font, second font) that can be used in each country. Font, third font). In the example shown in FIG. 12, in “country A”, the first font and the second font are “necessary”, and the third font is “unnecessary”. In “B country”, the first font and the second font are “unnecessary”, and the third font is “necessary”. Further, in “C country”, the first font is “necessary”, and the second font and the third font are “unnecessary”.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure when an unnecessary font file is deleted in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. This process is executed after the image forming apparatus 1 is ready for use with the execution of IPL, for example, and when the image forming operation and the image reading operation are not performed. Therefore, in the main memory 512 provided in the operation control unit 51, the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 includes the first compressed font file (first compressed font storage area A1151) and the second compressed font. A font file (second compressed font storage area A1152) and a third compressed font file (third compressed font storage area A1153) are stored. In the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1, the first expanded font file (first expanded font storage area A1221), the second expanded font file (second expanded font storage area A1222), the first A three expanded font file (third expanded font storage area A1223) is stored.

First, the CPU 511 determines whether an instruction to delete unnecessary fonts is received via the UI 30 or the like (step 31).
If a negative determination (No) is made in step 31, the CPU 511 ends this process as it is.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 31, the CPU 511 next stores the destination information (see FIG. 12) stored in the destination information storage area A112 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1. Read (step 32). Then, based on the destination of the image forming apparatus 1 input by the UI 30 or the like and the destination information acquired in step 32, the CPU 511 stores a compressed font file corresponding to an unnecessary font at the destination in the first ROM area A11. Are deleted from the compressed font storage area A115 (step 33). Then, the CPU 511 reads out the section setting information (see FIG. 5) from the section setting information storage area A113 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1, and deleted the capacity of the compressed font file deleted in step 33. The classification setting information is reconstructed while reflecting the capacity of the decompressed font file obtained by decompressing the compressed font file, and the reconfigured classification setting information is stored in the classification setting information storage area A113 (step 34).

Thereafter, the CPU 511 causes the image forming apparatus 1 (operation control unit 51) to restart (step 35).
The CPU 511 that has been reset with the execution of the restart first reads out the section setting information stored in the section setting information storage area A113 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 (step 36). At this time, the category setting information read in step 36 has been updated in step 34 described above. Then, the CPU 511 erases the data of the area set in the RAM area A2 in the storage area A0 based on the read section setting information (step 37). Thereby, both the storage contents of the work area A200, that is, the first RAM area A21 arranged on the MRAM module 61 side and the second RAM area A22 arranged on the DRAM module 62 side are cleared.

  Next, the CPU 511 reads the compressed font file stored in the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1, expands the read compressed font file, and expands the compressed font file. The font file is stored in the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 (step 38). At this time, the CPU 511 reads, expands, and stores only the compressed font file that has not been deleted in step 33.

  Then, the CPU 511 performs initial setting of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading and processing the development program file stored in the development program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 (step 39). Complete the process. In the initial setting in step 39, one or a plurality of expanded font files stored in the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 can be read, and the font corresponding to each expanded font file can be used. To make sure

Now, the procedure for deleting unnecessary fonts shown in FIG. 13 will be described with a specific example.
FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the transition of the memory map before and after deleting unnecessary font files. Here, FIG. 14A shows a memory map before deleting unnecessary font files, and FIG. 14B shows a memory map after deleting unnecessary font files. FIG. 14 shows a case where an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 31 in the processing shown in FIG. 13 and the destination of the image forming apparatus 1 is country C (see FIG. 12). It corresponds.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, before the unnecessary font file is deleted, the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 in the MRAM module 61 includes a reset vector storage area A111, a destination information storage area A112, and a division setting. An information storage area A113, a compressed program storage area A114, and a compressed font storage area A115 are set. Further, IPL is stored in the reset vector storage area A111, destination information is stored in the destination information storage area A112, section setting information is stored in the section setting information storage area A113, and a compressed program file is stored in the compressed program storage area A114. Each is stored. In the compressed font storage area A115, the first compressed font file is stored in the first compressed font storage area A1151, the second compressed font file is stored in the second compressed font storage area A1152, and the third compressed font storage area A1153 is stored in the third compressed font storage area A1153. Third compressed font files are stored respectively.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 14A, before deleting unnecessary font files, the expansion program storage area A121 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 has already been stored in the previous startup process. The program file exists. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14A, before deleting unnecessary font files, the expansion font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 stores the expansion already stored in the previous startup process. A font file exists. In the expanded font storage area A122, the first expanded font file is stored in the first expanded font storage area A1221, the second expanded font file is stored in the second expanded font storage area A1222, and the third expanded font storage area A1223. Stores third expanded font files. Note that the first RAM area A21 and the second RAM area A22 that constitute the RAM area A2 are already used as the work area A200 before the deletion of unnecessary font files is started.

  In this example, since the destination of the image forming apparatus 1 is country C, as is apparent from FIG. 12, the first font is “necessary”, while the second font and the third font are “unnecessary”. is there. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 14A, in the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A1, the second compressed font file and the third compressed font storage area A1153 stored in the second compressed font storage area A1152 are stored. Both stored third compressed font files are deleted (deleted) (step 33). On the other hand, the first compressed font file stored in the first compressed font storage area A1151 is left without being deleted.

  The compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A1 is only the first compressed font storage area 1151 (stores the first compressed font file), and the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 is the first expanded font storage. Only the area A1221 (stores the first expanded font file), the amount of the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 and the capacity of the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 are reduced. The category setting information (see FIG. 5) reflecting the increase in capacity is stored in the category setting information storage area A113 (step 34), and restart is executed. At this time, in the new section setting information, the memory area of the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A1 and the memory area of the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 are reduced, and the RAM area A2 is correspondingly reduced. The memory area of (more specifically, the first RAM area A21) is expanded.

  Then, as the restart process is executed, the memory map is updated as shown in FIG. In updating the memory map, the reset vector storage area A111, destination information storage area A112, classification setting information storage area A113, compression program storage area A114, and compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 are configured. For the first compressed font storage area A1151 and the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1, the same memory area as before the restart process is designated. On the other hand, before the update of the memory map, the memory area that was the second compressed font storage area A1152 and the third compressed font storage area A1153 constituting the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1, and the ROM In the second ROM area A12 of the area A1, the memory areas that are the second expanded font storage area A1222 and the third expanded font storage area A1223 constituting the expanded font storage area A122 are converted into addresses in the RAM area A2 by performing address conversion. It is distributed to the first RAM area A21. As a result, the capacity of the ROM area A1 is reduced as compared with that before the restart, and the capacity of the RAM area A2 increases accordingly.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 14B, the stored contents of the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61 and the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 are erased (step 37). Accordingly, the first RAM area A21 and the second RAM area A22 are used as a work area A200 in the subsequent processing. At this time, in the work area A200 (first RAM area A21), the memory area is expanded more than before the restart for the reason described above. Further, by the address conversion described above, in the first RAM area A21, the area that has been the first RAM area A21 before the restart and the area that is newly allocated to the first RAM area A21 after the restart are continuous in the address space. It becomes like this.

  In this example, as the restart process is executed, the expanded font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is stored in the compressed font storage area A115 as shown in FIG. 14B. A decompressed font file obtained by decompressing the compressed font file is stored (step 38). At this time, in the expanded font storage area A122, the first expanded font file is stored in the first expanded font storage area A1221.

  Then, before and after the restart process, each data stored in the first ROM area A11 in the MRAM module 61 is kept as it is except for the second compressed font file and the third compressed font file deleted in step 33. . That is, the IPL in the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information in the destination information storage area A112, the section setting information in the section setting information storage area A113, the compressed program file in the compressed program storage area A114, and the compressed font in the compressed font storage area A115 The file (the first compressed font file in the first compressed font storage area A1151) is maintained as it is without being changed.

  In addition, before and after the restart process, the expanded program file stored in the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the MRAM module 61 is also kept as it is. That is, the expanded program file in the expanded program storage area A121 is maintained as it is without being changed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, unnecessary compressed font files and unnecessary compressed font files in the destination are deleted from the plurality of compressed font files stored in the first ROM area A11 of the MRAM module 61. The capacity for storing the unnecessary decompressed font file obtained by decompressing the unnecessary compressed font file can be reduced, and can be allocated to the first RAM area A21 accordingly. Therefore, for example, the capacity of the RAM area A2 (work area A200) in the main memory 512 can be increased without replacing the DRAM module 62.

<Embodiment 3>
Although the present embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, the memory map in the main memory 512 is corrected when the program file executed by the CPU 511 is updated. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure when the program file is updated in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. This process is executed after the image forming apparatus 1 is ready for use with the execution of IPL, for example, and when the image forming operation and the image reading operation are not performed. Therefore, in the main memory 512 provided in the operation control unit 51, a compressed program file (current compressed program file) is already stored in the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1. Further, a decompressed program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 stores a decompressed program file (referred to as a current decompressed program file) obtained by decompressing the current compressed program file.

First, the CPU 511 determines whether an instruction for requesting an update of a program file has been received via the UI 30 or the like (step 51).
If a negative determination (No) is made in step 51, the CPU 511 ends this process as it is.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 51, the CPU 511 then acquires (downloads) an update compressed program file from the server device 5 via the transmission / reception unit 40 and the network 2, and stores the RAM area. The data is stored in the first RAM area A21 constituted by the MRAM module 61 in A2 (work area A200) (step 52). Subsequently, the CPU 51 checks the capacity (file size) of the update compressed program file acquired in step 52 (step 53). Then, the CPU 511 reads out the section setting information (see FIG. 5) from the section setting information storage area A113 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1, and in the first RAM area A21, the capacity of the compressed program file for update confirmed in step 53 Reflecting the memory address (start address, end address) where the compressed program file for update is reflected, the section setting information is reconfigured, and the reconfigured section setting information is stored in the section setting information storage area A113 (step 54). .

Thereafter, the CPU 511 causes the image forming apparatus 1 (operation control unit 51) to restart (step 55).
The CPU 511 that has been reset with the execution of the restart first reads out the section setting information stored in the section setting information storage area A113 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 (step 56). At this time, the category setting information read in step 56 has been updated in step 54 described above. Then, the CPU 511 erases the data of the area set in the RAM area A2 in the storage area A0 based on the read section setting information (step 57). Thereby, both the storage contents of the work area A200, that is, the first RAM area A21 arranged on the MRAM module 61 side and the second RAM area A22 arranged on the DRAM module 62 side are cleared. Before restarting, the memory address range in which the update compressed program file is stored in step 52 in the second RAM area A21 is compressed in the first ROM area A11 when the section setting information is reconfigured in step 54. The program storage area A114 is changed.

  Next, the CPU 511 reads the compressed program file (update compressed program file) stored in the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1, expands the read compressed program file, and stores the compressed program file. The expanded program file (new expanded program file) obtained by the expansion is stored in the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 (step 58).

  Then, the CPU 511 performs initial setting of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading and processing a new expanded program file stored in the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 (step 59). , Complete a series of processing. Further, in the initial setting in step 59, each expanded font file (first expanded font file to third expanded font file) stored in the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 is read out and expanded. Make the font corresponding to the font file available.

Now, the procedure for updating the program file shown in FIG. 15 will be described with a specific example.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the transition of the memory map before and after the program file is updated. Here, FIG. 16A shows a memory map before the program file is updated, and FIG. 16B shows a memory map after the program file is updated. FIG. 16 corresponds to the case where an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step 51 in the processing shown in FIG. 15 and the capacity of the update program file is larger than that of the current compressed program file. doing.

  As shown in FIG. 16A, before updating the program file, the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 in the MRAM module 61 stores the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information storage area A112, and the section setting information storage. An area A113, a compressed program storage area A114, and a compressed font storage area A115 are set. Further, IPL is stored in the reset vector storage area A111, destination information is stored in the destination information storage area A112, section setting information is stored in the section setting information storage area A113, and the current compressed program file is stored in the compression program storage area A114. Are stored. In the compressed font storage area A115, the first compressed font file is stored in the first compressed font storage area A1151, the second compressed font file is stored in the second compressed font storage area A1152, and the third compressed font storage area A1153 is stored in the third compressed font storage area A1153. Third compressed font files are stored respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16A, before the program file is updated, the current development already stored in the development program storage area A121 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is stored in the previous startup process. The program file exists. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16A, before updating the program file, the expanded font file already stored in the startup process up to the previous time is stored in the expanded font storage area A122 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61. Is present. In the expanded font storage area A122, the first expanded font file is stored in the first expanded font storage area A1221, the second expanded font file is stored in the second expanded font storage area A1222, and the third expanded font storage area A1223. Stores third expanded font files. Note that the first RAM area A21 and the second RAM area A22 that constitute the RAM area A2 are already used as the work area A200 before the deletion of unnecessary font files is started.

  In this example, the downloaded new compressed program file is stored in the first RAM area A21 configured by the MRAM module 61 in the RAM area A2 (step 52). The downloaded update compression program file is not stored (overwritten) in the compression program storage area A114 of the first ROM area A11 as it is when the capacity of the update compression program file is larger than the capacity of the current compression program file. This is because the area necessary for storing the update compression program file is insufficient.

  Then, the memory area of the compression program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A1 is changed to the memory address range in which the update compression program is stored in the RAM area A21, and the compression program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11. The capacity of the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12, the capacity of the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 and the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 are increased. The category setting information (see FIG. 5) reflecting that the capacity of the first RAM area A21 is reduced as much as possible is stored in the category setting information storage area A113 (step 54), and restart is executed. At this time, in the new section setting information, the memory area of the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 and the memory area of the decompressed program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 are expanded respectively, and the RAM area A2 accordingly. (More specifically, the memory area of the first RAM area A21) is reduced.

  As the restart process is executed, the memory map is updated as shown in FIG. In the update of the memory map, the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information storage area A112, the category setting information storage area A113, and the compressed font storage area A115 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 are subjected to restart processing. The same memory area as before is specified. On the other hand, in the update of the memory map, the memory area that was the compressed program storage area A114 in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1 is distributed to the first RAM area A21 of the RAM area A2 by performing address conversion. In addition, in the update of the memory map, the memory area where the update program file is stored in the first RAM area A21 of the RAM area A2 is subjected to address conversion, whereby the compressed program in the first ROM area A11 of the ROM area A1. It is distributed to the storage area A114. Then, in the update of the memory map, a part of the first RAM area A21 in the RAM area A2 is allocated to the expanded program storage area A121 in the second ROM area A12 of the ROM area A1 by performing address conversion. As a result, the capacity of the ROM area A1 increases from before the restart, and the capacity of the RAM area A2 is reduced from before the restart.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16B, the stored contents of the first RAM area A21 in the MRAM module 61 and the second RAM area A22 in the DRAM module 62 are erased (step 57). Accordingly, the first RAM area A21 and the second RAM area A22 are used as a work area A200 in the subsequent processing. At this time, the work area A200 (first RAM area A21) has a smaller memory area than before the restart for the reason described above.

  Further, in this example, as the restart process is executed, as shown in FIG. 16B, the expanded program storage area A121 of the second ROM area A12 in the MRAM module 61 is stored in the compressed program storage area A114. A new expanded program file obtained by expanding the compressed program file for update is stored (step 58).

  Then, before and after the restart process, each data stored in the first ROM area A11 in the MRAM module 61 is kept as it is except for the compressed program file newly stored (updated) in step 58. That is, the IPL in the reset vector storage area A111, the destination information in the destination information storage area A112, the section setting information in the section setting information storage area A113, the compressed font file in the compressed font storage area A115 (in the first compressed font storage area A1151) The first compressed font file, the second compressed font file in the second compressed font storage area A1152, and the third compressed font file in the third compressed font storage area A1153) remain unchanged.

  Also, before and after the restart process, the expanded font file stored in the expanded font storage area A122 in the second ROM area A12 of the MRAM module 61 is kept as it is. That is, the expanded font file in the expanded font storage area A122 (the first expanded font file in the first expanded font storage area A1221, the second expanded font file in the second expanded font storage area A1222, and the third expanded font file in the third expanded font storage area A1223). The expanded font file) remains unchanged without being changed.

  Although the case where the capacity of the update compression program file is larger than the current compression program file has been described here, the capacity of the update compression program file may be smaller than the original compression program file. Can do. In such a case, the memory area is modified so as to reduce the memory area of the compressed program storage area A114 and the decompression program storage area in the ROM area A1, so that the RAM area A2 is the same as in the second embodiment. The capacity of (first RAM area A21) can be increased.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the compressed program file stored in the first ROM area A11 of the MRAM module 61 is updated, the updated compressed program file and the updated compressed program file are newly obtained. The ratio between the ROM area A1 and the first RAM area A21 used as the RAM area A2 in the MRAM module 61 is adjusted according to the capacity of the expanded program file. For this reason, the capacity of the second RAM area A22 can be reduced and the capacity of the ROM area A1 (first ROM area A11 and second ROM area A12) can be increased to cope with an increase in the capacity of the program accompanying the update. Further, by increasing the capacity of the second RAM area A22 and reducing the capacity of the ROM area A1 (first ROM area A11 and second ROM area A12), it is possible to cope with a decrease in the capacity of the program accompanying the update.

In the first to third embodiments, the main memory 512 is configured using the MRAM module 61 and the DRAM module 62. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the main memory 512 may be configured using only the MRAM module 61.
In the first to third embodiments, the MRAM module 61 is used as the nonvolatile memory constituting the main memory 512. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM), PRAM (Phase change RAM), ReRAM (Resistance RAM), or the like may be used as the nonvolatile memory used in the main memory 512.

  In the first to third embodiments, the compressed program file and the compressed font file are stored in the first ROM area A11, and the expanded program file and the expanded program file obtained by expanding these files are stored in the second ROM area A12. However, it is not limited to this. That is, for example, the decompression program file and the decompression font file may be stored in the first ROM area A11, and the decompression program file and the decompression program file obtained by copying them may be stored in the second ROM area A12.

  Further, in the first to third embodiments, there is a form in which a program to be executed by a computer (CPU 511) is stored in a storage medium that is readable by the computer. As this storage medium, for example, a CD-ROM medium or the like is applicable, and a program is read by a CD-ROM reader in a computer, and the program is stored in various memories such as a hard disk in a computer and executed. Conceivable. Moreover, the form with which these programs are provided with a notebook PC or a portable terminal via a network by the program transmission apparatus can be considered, for example. Such a program transmission device only needs to include a memory for storing the program and a program transmission means for providing the program via a network.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Network, 3 ... Terminal apparatus, 4 ... Facsimile apparatus, 5 ... Server apparatus, 10 ... Image reading part, 20 ... Image forming part, 30 ... UI, 40 ... Transmission / reception part, 50 ... Control part 51 ... Operation control unit 52 ... Image processing unit 53 ... Connection bus 61 ... MRAM module 61a ... First MRAM chip 61b ... Second MRAM chip 61c ... MRAM control unit 62 ... DRAM module 511 ... CPU, 512: Main memory 513: Interface circuit 514: Memory bus

Claims (7)

Execution means for executing the program;
A non-volatile memory that is readable and writable and capable of holding stored information without supplying power is provided, and the non-volatile memory stores the program executed by the execution means Storage means provided with a first storage area and a second storage area for storing data generated when the execution means executes the program;
An information processing apparatus comprising: an erasing unit that erases the storage content of the second storage area in the storage unit when the execution unit is set to an initial state. The first storage area in the storage means includes a first storage area that stores a basic program that is a basis of the program, and a second storage area that stores the program obtained based on the basic program,
Write means for writing, in the second storage area, the program created based on the basic program read from the first storage area when an error occurs in the program stored in the second storage area The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising changing means for changing assignment of the first storage area and the second storage area in the nonvolatile memory of the storage means.   The storage means further includes a volatile memory that cannot retain stored information unless power is supplied, and the volatile memory is generated when the execution means executes the program. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a third storage area that stores data together with the second storage area is provided.   5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory in the storage unit is any one of MRAM, FeRAM, PRAM, and ReRAM. 6. An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording material;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the image forming unit,
The controller is
Execution means for executing a program for use in controlling the image forming unit;
A non-volatile memory that is readable and writable and capable of holding stored information without supplying power is provided, and the non-volatile memory stores the program executed by the execution means Storage means provided with a first storage area and a second storage area for storing data generated when the execution means executes the program;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an erasing unit that erases the storage contents of the second storage area in the storage unit when the execution unit is set to an initial state. On the computer,
The ability to run programs,
A first storage area that is readable and writable and includes a nonvolatile memory that can retain stored information without supplying power, and the nonvolatile memory stores the program to be executed And a second storage area provided with a second storage area for storing data generated when the program is executed, when the function for executing the program is set to an initial state. A program that realizes the function to erase the stored contents.

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