JP2015005028A - Image processing apparatus, and control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transfer, when updating firmware of an image processing apparatus, an image processing job to another image processing apparatus that is highly likely to complete the execution of the job faster than a case where the job is executed after the completion of the update of the firmware by the image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: When an image processing apparatus updates firmware, on the basis of firmware update information on another image processing apparatus, determines, as a transfer destination of an image processing job, the another image processing apparatus that is estimated not to start the update of the firmware before the completion of the execution of the image processing job when the image processing job is transferred thereto to be executed (S106), transfers the image processing job to the determined transfer destination (S106), and then updates the firmware (S108).

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for updating firmware of an image processing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique has been proposed in which an image processing apparatus receives the latest firmware via a network and updates the firmware stored in the image processing apparatus with the latest firmware.
By the way, when the latest firmware is received via a network, an unexecuted image processing job may be stored in the image processing apparatus. In that case, if the execution of these unexecuted image processing jobs is postponed and the firmware is updated first, the user will wait until the postponed execution of the image processing job is completed, and the image processing will not be performed. There is a problem that it is inconvenient for the user who rushes.
In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1 has been proposed. The conventional image processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 selects another image processing apparatus as a transfer destination of an unprocessed print job, and transfers the print job to the selected transfer destination. Specifically, the above-described conventional image processing apparatus includes apparatus attribute information that includes at least one of the number of colors, the resolution, the installation location, and the waiting status of the image processing job of each of the other image processing apparatuses. And a transfer destination is selected based on the acquired device attribute information.

JP 2003-54087 A

When updating the firmware, the above-described conventional image processing apparatus transfers the image processing job to another image processing apparatus, so that the image processing job is updated after the firmware update is completed in the original image processing apparatus. The execution of the image processing job is completed earlier than when it is executed.
However, there is a possibility that new firmware may be received by the transfer destination image processing apparatus before the execution of the image processing job is completed by the transfer destination image processing apparatus. In this case, the image processing job is transferred again to another image processing apparatus, and as a result, execution is completed rather than the case where the image processing job is executed after the firmware update is completed in the original image processing apparatus. There is a risk of slowing down. Conventionally, it has not been considered that new firmware is received by such a transfer destination image processing apparatus.

  In this specification, when updating the firmware of an image processing apparatus, the image is more likely to be completed earlier than when the image processing apparatus completes the firmware update and then executed. A technique for transferring a processing job is disclosed.

  An image processing device disclosed in this specification includes a communication unit that is communicably connected to another device via a communication network, a first storage unit that stores an image processing job, and the first storage unit. An image processing unit that executes an image processing job stored in the image processing unit, a second storage unit that stores firmware for controlling the image processing apparatus, and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit includes the first processing unit Update determination processing for determining whether to update the firmware stored in the storage unit 2, update information acquisition processing for acquiring firmware update information of other image processing devices connected to the communication network, When it is determined that the update is determined by the update determination process, the firmware is currently being updated based on the firmware update information acquired by the update information acquisition process. If the image processing job is transferred and executed by another image processing device, it is assumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the image processing job is completed. A determination process for determining a transfer destination of the job, a transfer process for transferring the image processing job stored in the first storage unit to the transfer destination determined by the determination process, and an image processing job by the transfer process Is transferred, update processing for updating the firmware stored in the second storage unit is executed.

According to the image processing apparatus, when updating the firmware of the image processing apparatus, if the image processing job is transferred and executed by another image processing apparatus that is not currently updating the firmware, the image processing job is executed. Since the image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus that is presumed that the firmware update will not be started before the image processing is completed, the image processing apparatus is executed earlier than when the firmware update is completed on the image processing apparatus. The image processing job can be transferred to another image processing apparatus that is highly likely to be completed.
Further, according to the image processing apparatus, since the image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus that is likely to be completed earlier than the case where the update is executed after the firmware update is completed in the image processing apparatus, When the other image processing apparatus of the transfer destination is to transfer the image processing job to another image processing job in the same manner as the image processing apparatus, the firmware update is started in the image processing apparatus of the transfer destination. The possibility that the image processing job is further transferred to another image processing apparatus can be reduced.

  The firmware update information includes information indicating whether or not the update of the latest firmware has been completed. In the determination process, the processing unit includes another image processing apparatus that uses the same firmware as the image processing apparatus. Of these, the other image processing apparatus for which the update of the latest firmware has been completed may be determined as the transfer destination.

There is a higher possibility that another image processing apparatus for which the latest firmware update has not been completed will not start the firmware update immediately compared to another image processing apparatus for which the latest firmware update has not yet been completed. Therefore, there is a high possibility that execution will be completed earlier than when the image processing apparatus executes update after the firmware update is completed.
By the way, when an image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus with the latest firmware version, the image processing quality can be improved as compared with the case where the firmware version is transferred to another image processing apparatus older than the latest firmware. There is sex.
According to the image processing apparatus, since the image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus for which the latest firmware update has been completed, there is a high possibility that the quality of the image processing is improved.

  The firmware update information includes information indicating a firmware version of the other image processing apparatus, and the processing unit is a firmware among other image processing apparatuses using the same firmware as the image processing apparatus in the determination process. The other image processing apparatus having the latest version may be determined as the transfer destination.

It is presumed that the image processing apparatus with the latest firmware version does not start updating the firmware immediately after transferring the image processing job.
Therefore, according to the image processing apparatus, there is a higher possibility that the execution is completed earlier than when the image processing apparatus executes the update after the firmware update is completed.
Further, when the image is transferred to the image processing apparatus having the newest firmware version, there is a high possibility that the quality of the image processing is improved as compared with the case of transferring to the image processing apparatus having the oldest firmware version.

  The firmware update information includes information indicating the number of firmware updates of the other image processing apparatus, and the processing unit transfers the other image processing apparatus with the largest number of firmware updates in the determination process. It may be determined as a destination.

  In general, the function of an image processing apparatus becomes stable as the number of times firmware is updated, and therefore the firmware update interval tends to become longer as the number of updates increases. For this reason, an image processing apparatus with a large number of firmware updates is compared with an image processing apparatus with a small number of firmware updates when the image processing job is transferred and executed before the execution of the image processing job is completed. There is a high possibility that the update will not start.

  In addition, the firmware update information includes information indicating a last update time when the firmware was last updated in the other image processing apparatus, and the processing unit has the latest update time in the determination process. An image processing apparatus may be determined as the transfer destination.

It is presumed that the image processing apparatus with the latest last update time is most likely not to start the firmware update immediately after the image processing job is transferred.
Therefore, according to the image processing apparatus, there is a higher possibility that the execution is completed earlier than when the image processing apparatus executes the update after the firmware update is completed.

  The firmware update information includes information indicating a scheduled update start time of the next firmware of the other image processing apparatus, and the processing unit transfers an image processing job to the other image processing apparatus in the determination process. A predicted execution completion time at which the execution of the image processing job is completed in the other image processing apparatus, and another image processing apparatus whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the scheduled update start time is determined as the transfer destination. May be.

If the scheduled update start time of the next firmware of another image processing device is earlier than the scheduled execution completion time of the transferred image processing job, the execution of the transferred image processing job is suspended until the firmware update is completed. However, the execution of the image processing job is later than when the update is executed after the firmware update is completed in the transfer source image processing apparatus.
According to the image processing apparatus, when the image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the scheduled update start time, the firmware update is completed in the transfer source image processing apparatus. You can prevent it from going too late.
If the image processing apparatus at the transfer destination is executing an image processing job and the firmware is updated after the execution of the image processing job being executed is completed, the update start scheduled time is If the image processing job is being executed when the image processing job is reached, the update of the firmware of the transfer destination image processing apparatus is awaited until the execution of the image processing job is completed.
According to the image processing apparatus, the image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the scheduled update start time, so that the update of the firmware is not waited for at the image processing apparatus of the transfer destination. can do.

  In the determination process, the processing unit uses, as the transfer destination, another image processing apparatus having the earliest execution completion scheduled time among other image processing apparatuses whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the update start scheduled time. You may decide.

  According to the image processing apparatus, the image processing job can be transferred to another image processing apparatus that completes execution of the image processing job earlier.

  In addition, the processing unit includes a plurality of other image processing apparatuses that are presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the transferred image processing job is completed, and the first storage unit includes a plurality of image processing apparatuses. When image processing jobs are stored, the plurality of image processing jobs may be distributed and transferred to the plurality of image processing apparatuses in the transfer processing.

  According to the above-described image processing apparatus, it is possible to shorten the time until all of the plurality of image processing jobs are completed, compared to a case where a plurality of image processing jobs are transferred to one other image processing apparatus.

  In addition, when a plurality of image processing jobs are stored in the first storage unit, the processing unit may transfer the image processing job to one image processing apparatus in the transfer process.

  According to the image processing apparatus, when one user transmits a plurality of image processing jobs to the image processing apparatus and the plurality of image processing jobs are transferred to another image processing apparatus, the execution of each image processing job is executed. Since the results are collected in one other image processing apparatus, the convenience of the user is improved as compared with the case where the execution result of each image processing job is distributed to a plurality of other image processing apparatuses.

  Further, the processing unit may cause the image processing unit to execute the image processing job after the update process is completed without executing the transfer process when there is no transfer destination.

  According to the image processing apparatus, execution is completed by transferring the image processing job to another image processing apparatus rather than executing the image processing job after the firmware update is completed in the image processing apparatus. Can prevent it from slowing down.

  In addition, a control device disclosed in the present specification includes a communication unit that is communicably connected to another device including an image processing device via a communication network, and a processing unit, and the processing unit includes: Update information acquisition process for acquiring firmware update information of an image processing apparatus connected to a communication network, and firmware update information acquired by the update information acquisition process when an image processing job is received via the communication unit Based on the above, if the image processing apparatus is not currently updating the firmware and the image processing job is transferred and executed, it is assumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the image processing job is completed A determination process for determining a processing device as a transfer destination of an image processing job, and the image at the transfer destination determined by the determination process; It executes a transfer process of transferring the management job.

  According to the control device, it is possible to prevent the execution of the image processing job from being delayed by starting the firmware update in the transfer destination image processing device.

  The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various modes such as an image processing system, an image processing method, a control program, and a recording medium on which the control program is recorded.

  According to the above image processing device, when updating the firmware of the image processing device, other image processing that is more likely to be completed sooner than when the firmware update is completed in the image processing device. An image processing job can be transferred to the apparatus.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a printing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a simplified electrical configuration of a printer. The flowchart of a firmware update process. 7 is a flowchart of transfer destination determination / transfer processing. The flowchart of a transfer process. 10 is a flowchart of transfer destination determination / transfer processing according to the second embodiment. The flowchart of a transfer process. 10 is a flowchart of firmware update processing according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a printing system according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a simplified electrical configuration of a printing control apparatus. 10 is a flowchart of print control processing.

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) Configuration of Printing System First, a printing system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The printing system 1 includes a plurality of printers 2A to 2E, a firmware distribution server 3, and one or more information processing devices 4A to 4D. In the following description, when the printers 2A to 2E are not distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as the printer 2. The same applies to the information processing apparatuses 4A to 4D.

  The printer 2 and the information processing apparatus 4 are communicably connected to each other via a communication network 5 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) installed in an organization such as a company. Further, the communication network 5 is connected to the Internet 6, and the printer 2 can communicate with other devices connected to the Internet 6.

  The firmware distribution server 3 is a server for distributing the latest firmware to the printer 2 via the Internet 6. The firmware distribution server 3 is managed by the manufacturer of the printer 2, for example.

  The information processing apparatus 4 is a personal computer, a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, or the like. A user of the information processing apparatus 4 can operate the information processing apparatus 4 to transmit a print job to the target printer 2. A print job is an example of an image processing job.

  The printer 2 stores the print job received from the information processing apparatus 4 in the RAM 10C (see FIG. 2), and sequentially executes the print jobs stored in the RAM 10C. The printers 2A to 2E may be the same model as each other or may be different from each other. The printer 2 is an example of an image processing apparatus.

When the printer 2 reaches a preset update start scheduled time, it inquires the firmware distribution server 3 about the latest firmware version for the model of the printer 2. The scheduled update start time can be arbitrarily set for each printer 2.
If the latest version is newer than the firmware version of the printer 2, the printer 2 downloads the latest version of firmware from the firmware distribution server 3 and updates the firmware.

  Here, it is assumed that the printer 2 cannot execute a print job while updating the firmware. Further, when the print job is being executed, the printer 2 updates the firmware after the execution of the print job being executed is completed.

(2) Electrical Configuration of Printer Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 2 will be described with reference to FIG. Since the configurations of the printers 2A to 2E are substantially the same, the printer 2A will be described as an example here. The printer 2 </ b> A includes a control unit 10, an image forming unit 20, an operation unit 30, and a communication unit 40.

  The control unit 10 includes a CPU 10A, a flash memory 10B, a RAM 10C, and an ASIC 10D. The CPU 10A controls each unit of the printer 2 by executing firmware stored in the flash memory 10B. The flash memory 10B is a rewritable nonvolatile memory. Firmware and various data for controlling the printer 2 are stored in the flash memory 10B. The RAM 10C is used as a main storage device for the CPU 10A to execute various processes. The RAM 10C is an example of a first storage unit. The flash memory 10B is an example of a second storage unit. The CPU 10 is an example of a processing unit.

The image forming unit 20 prints an image represented by the print job on a recording medium such as a printing paper by an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. The image forming unit 20 is an example of an image processing unit.
The operation unit 30 includes a liquid crystal display and various operation buttons. The user can perform various operations by operating the operation unit 30.

  The communication unit 40 is hardware for connecting the printer 2 to the communication network 5. The communication unit 40 may be connected to the communication network 5 by wire or may be connected to the communication network 5 by radio.

(3) Firmware Update As described above, the printer 2 updates the firmware when the latest firmware version inquired of the firmware distribution server 3 is newer than its own firmware version. The process in which the printer 2 inquires the firmware distribution server 3 about the latest firmware and determines whether to update the firmware is an example of an update determination process.

  If it is determined that the firmware is to be updated, the printer 2 determines whether an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C, and if it is stored, the firmware update from the other printers 2 is information relating to the firmware. Get information. The firmware update information according to the first embodiment includes information indicating a scheduled update start time of the next firmware of another printer 2, and information indicating a last update time that is the last firmware update time of the other printer 2. And information indicating the firmware versions of other printers 2 are included.

Then, for each other printer 2, when the print job is transferred to the other printer 2, the printer 2 predicts the predicted execution completion time when the execution of the print job is completed in the other printer 2. The other printer 2 whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the firmware update scheduled scheduled time of the other printer 2 is determined as the transfer destination of the print job.
Then, the printer 2 transfers the unexecuted print job stored in the RAM 10C to the other printer 2 determined as the transfer destination, and then updates the firmware.

  Hereinafter, the firmware update will be described more specifically with reference to a flowchart.

(3-1) Firmware Update Process First, the firmware update process executed by the CPU 10A will be described with reference to FIG. This process is executed when the latest version inquired of the firmware distribution server 3 is newer than the firmware version of the printer 2. In the following description, the printer 2 provided with the CPU 10A for executing this processing is referred to as a transfer source printer 2.

In S101, the CPU 10A determines whether or not an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C. If it is not stored, the process proceeds to S102, and if it is stored, the process proceeds to S103.
In S102, the CPU 10A downloads the latest firmware from the firmware distribution server 3 and updates it.

In S103, the CPU 10A sets 1 as an initial value to a job number i which is a variable indicating the job number of the print job.
Here, it is assumed that a job number is assigned to the print job stored in the RAM 10C by the CPU 10A. The job number is an integer starting from 1.

  In S <b> 104, the CPU 10 </ b> A acquires firmware update information from each printer 2. S104 is an example of update information acquisition processing.

In S105, the CPU 10A determines whether or not the print job with the job number i is stored in the RAM 10C. If it is stored, the process proceeds to S106, and if not, the process proceeds to S108.
Here, since it is determined in S101 that an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C, it is determined in S105 that the print job with the job number i is stored at least once.

  In S106, the CPU 10A executes transfer destination determination / transfer processing. The transfer destination determination / transfer process is a process of determining the printer 2 as the transfer destination of the print job stored in the RAM 10C and transferring the print job to the determined transfer destination. The transfer destination determination / transfer process will be described later. The transfer destination determination / transfer process is an example of a determination process and a transfer process.

In S107, the CPU 10A adds 1 to the job number i.
In S108, the CPU 10A downloads the latest firmware from the firmware distribution server 3 and updates it. S108 is an example of an update process.

In S109, the CPU 10A determines whether an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C. As will be described in detail later, in the transfer destination determination / transfer process, the print job stored in the RAM 10C may not be transferred to another printer 2. In this case, an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C in S109. The CPU 10A proceeds to S110 if an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C, and ends the process if it is not stored.
In S110, the CPU 10A sequentially executes unexecuted print jobs. CPU10A complete | finishes this process after execution of S110.

(3-2) Transfer Destination Determination / Transfer Processing Next, the transfer destination determination / transfer processing executed in S106 will be described with reference to FIG.
In S201, the CPU 10A determines whether all other printers 2 are currently updating firmware. If at least one other printer 2 is not currently updating firmware, the process proceeds to S202, and all other printers 2 are updating. If the printer 2 is currently updating the firmware, this process ends and the process returns to the firmware update process.
Here, when it is determined that all the other printers 2 are currently updating the firmware and the process returns to the firmware update process, that is, when the print job is not transferred, an unexecuted print job is stored in the RAM 10C in S109. In step S110, the transfer source printer 2 executes the print job.

In the processing after S202 described below, only the printer 2 that is not currently updating the firmware is the transfer destination candidate printer.
In S202, the CPU 10A acquires the firmware update scheduled start time of each transfer destination candidate printer from the firmware update information acquired from each printer 2 in S104.

In S203, for each transfer destination candidate printer, when the CPU 10A transfers the print job with the job number i to the transfer destination candidate printer and executes the print job, the execution completion schedule is completed. Predict time.
Specifically, for example, the CPU 10A inquires each printer 2 about the number of unexecuted print jobs stored in the RAM 10C of the printer 2. Then, the CPU 10A adds the time obtained by multiplying the number of print jobs inquired by the average execution time per print job to the current time, thereby executing an unexecuted print job stored in the printer 2. Predicts when will be completed.

When the print job is transferred to another printer 2, the CPU 10A assumes that the transferred print job is executed after the unexecuted print job stored in the other printer 2 is executed. The time when the execution of the print job is completed is predicted to be the scheduled start time for execution of the transferred print job.
Then, the CPU 10A predicts the scheduled execution completion time by adding the time required to execute the print job with the job number i to the scheduled execution start time. As the time required for executing the print job with the job number i, the above-described average execution time per one print job can be used.

  In S204, for each transfer destination candidate printer, the CPU 10A determines whether the scheduled print job execution completion time in the transfer destination candidate printer predicted in S203 is earlier than the scheduled update start time of the transfer destination candidate printer firmware acquired in S202. If there is a transfer destination candidate printer whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the scheduled update start time, the process advances to step S205. If not, the process ends and returns to the firmware update process.

  In the processing subsequent to S205 described below, only the printer 2 whose transfer job scheduled completion time is earlier than the firmware update scheduled start time of the transfer destination candidate printer among the transfer destination candidate printers described above becomes the transfer destination candidate printer.

  In S205, it is assumed that the CPU 10A does not transfer the print job with the job number i to the other printer 2, but executes it after the firmware update is completed in the transfer source printer 2, and the transfer source printer 2 performs the job number i. The scheduled execution start time that is the scheduled start time of the print job is predicted.

  Specifically, for example, the CPU 10A first predicts a time obtained by adding the time required for firmware update to the current time as a time when firmware update is completed in the transfer source printer 2. Here, the time required for the firmware update may be stored in the flash memory 10B as a general time required for the firmware update, for example, or when there is a correlation between the amount of firmware data and the time required for the update. The determination may be made from the latest firmware data amount, or by making an inquiry to the firmware distribution server 3.

  Next, after completing the firmware update, the CPU 10A determines the number of print jobs to be executed by the transfer source printer 2 before the print job with the job number i. Specifically, even a print job stored in the RAM 10C is determined not to be transferred to another printer 2 in the above-described S201, S204, S207 or S209 described later, and the transfer-source printer 2 There is also a print job that is executed by the transfer source printer 2 after the firmware update is completed. The CPU 10A determines the number of print jobs that have not been transferred to the other printers 2 among the print jobs before the print job with the job number i.

  Then, the CPU 10A assumes that when the firmware update is completed, the print job before the print job with the job number i is executed first, and at the time when the firmware update is predicted to be completed in the transfer source printer 2, the job number Execute the print job of job number i on the transfer source printer 2 by adding the time obtained by multiplying the number of print jobs executed before the print job of i by the average execution time per print job. Is predicted to be the scheduled execution start time.

In S <b> 206, when the CPU 10 </ b> A transfers, for each transfer destination candidate printer, the print job having the job number i to the transfer destination candidate printer and executes the print job, the transfer job candidate printer starts execution of the print job. Predict the scheduled execution start time.
Note that the scheduled execution start time predicted in S203 may be used as the scheduled execution start time. In that case, S206 is unnecessary.

In S207, the CPU 10A determines whether there is any printer 2 whose print job execution scheduled time in the transfer destination candidate printer predicted in S206 is earlier than the print job execution scheduled start time in the transfer source printer 2 determined in S205. Determine whether.
For example, assume that the scheduled execution start time of the print job at the transfer destination candidate printer predicted in S206 is 14: 5. Then, it is assumed that the scheduled execution start time of the print job in the transfer source printer 2 predicted in S205 is 14:10. In this case, execution is started earlier when the print job is transferred to another printer 2 than when the print job is executed after the firmware update of the transfer source printer 2 is completed.

  Therefore, the CPU 10 </ b> A transfers the print job to another printer 2 when there is a printer 2 whose print job execution start time at the transfer destination candidate printer is earlier than the print job execution start time at the transfer source printer 2. In step S208, the process returns to the firmware update process to be executed by the transfer source printer 2.

  In the processing after S208 described below, only the printer 2 whose print job execution scheduled time at the transfer destination candidate printer is earlier than the print job execution start scheduled time at the transfer source printer 2 among the transfer destination candidate printers described above. Becomes a transfer destination candidate printer.

In S <b> 208, the CPU 10 </ b> A determines whether there is a printer 2 capable of printing under the printing conditions set for the print job with the job number i among the transfer destination candidate printers. For example, if the printing conditions for printing at high resolution and the printing conditions for printing in color are set as the printing conditions, the CPU 10A determines whether there is a printer 2 capable of printing at high resolution and printing in color. Determine whether.
If there is a printer 2 capable of high resolution printing and color printing, the CPU 10A determines that there is a printer 2 capable of printing, and proceeds to S209. Otherwise, it is determined that there is no printer 2 capable of printing. Return to the firmware update process.

In the processing after S209 described below, only the printer 2 capable of printing under the print conditions set for the print job with the job number i among the transfer destination candidate printers described above becomes the transfer destination candidate printer.
In S209, the CPU 10A executes a transfer process. The transfer process is a process for transferring a print job to another printer 2. The transfer process will be described later. The CPU 10A returns to the firmware update process after executing S209.

(3-3) Transfer Process Next, the transfer process executed in S209 will be described with reference to FIG.
In S301, the CPU 10A determines whether there are a plurality of transfer destination candidate printers. If there is only one, the process proceeds to S302, and if there is a plurality, the process proceeds to S303.
In S302, the CPU 10A transfers the print job with the job number i to the transfer destination candidate printer.

  In S303, the CPU 10A extracts the printer 2 with the newest firmware version from the transfer destination candidate printers.

  In S304, the CPU 10A determines the printer 2 with the latest firmware update time among the printers 2 extracted in S303 as the transfer destination, and transfers the print job with the job number i to the determined transfer destination.

(4) Effects of the Embodiment According to the printer 2 according to the first embodiment described above, when the firmware of the printer 2 is updated, the print job is transferred and executed by another printer 2 that is not currently updating the firmware. In this case, the print job is transferred to another printer 2 that is presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the print job is completed. It is possible to transfer the print job to another printer 2 that has a high possibility that the execution will be completed earlier than the case where it is performed.

  Also, according to the printer 2, the print job is transferred to another printer 2 that is more likely to be executed sooner than when the update is executed after the firmware update of the transfer source printer 2 is completed. The possibility that the print job is further transferred to another printer 2 by starting the firmware update in the transfer destination printer 2 can be reduced.

  Further, according to the printer 2, when a print job is transferred to another printer 2, an estimated execution completion time when the execution of the print job is completed in the other printer 2 is predicted, and the print job in the transfer destination printer 2 is predicted. The other printer 2 whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the firmware update scheduled start time of the transfer destination printer 2 is determined as the transfer destination. If the scheduled update start time of the next firmware of another printer 2 is earlier than the scheduled execution completion time of the transferred print job, the firmware update in the other printer 2 is waited until the execution of the print job is completed. End up. According to the printer 2, since the scheduled completion time of execution of the print job in the destination printer 2 is transferred to the other printer 2 earlier than the scheduled update start time of the firmware of the destination printer 2, the firmware update is performed. Can be kept waiting.

  Further, according to the printer 2, when it is determined that there is no other printer 2 that is presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the print job is completed when the print job is transferred and executed. Since the print job is not transferred to the other printer 2 and is executed after the firmware update is completed in the transfer source printer 2, the transfer of the print job to the other printer 2 allows the firmware of the firmware to be transferred to the transfer source printer 2. It is possible to prevent the execution from completing later than when the print job is executed after the update is completed.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The firmware update information according to the second embodiment includes information indicating whether or not the latest firmware update has been completed. Here, the information indicating whether or not the update of the latest firmware has been completed may be information indicating either “completed” or “not completed”, or the printer 2 It may be information indicating the current firmware version. This is because if the current version is known, it can be determined whether or not the latest firmware update has been completed.

  Then, the CPU 10A according to the second embodiment transfers the print job to the printer 2 that has been updated with the latest firmware among the other printers 2 that use the same firmware as the transfer source printer 2.

(1) Transfer Destination Determination / Transfer Processing With reference to FIG. 6, transfer destination determination / transfer processing according to the second embodiment will be described. Here, processes that are substantially the same as the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Since the processing from S201 to S209 is substantially the same as the transfer destination determination / transfer processing according to the first embodiment, the processing from S202 to S208 is omitted in FIG.

In the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the second embodiment, S401 is executed before S201 of the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the first embodiment.
In S401, the CPU 10A determines whether there is a printer 2 for which the latest firmware update has been completed among other printers 2 that use the same firmware as the transfer source printer 2, and the firmware update information acquired from each printer 2 in S104. If YES in step S201, the process advances to step S201. If not, the process returns to the firmware update process. When the process returns to the firmware update process, the print job with the job number i is executed by the transfer source printer 2.

  In the processing after S201, only the printer 2 for which the update of the latest firmware has been completed among the other printers 2 using the same firmware as the transfer source printer 2 becomes the transfer destination candidate printer.

Here, the case where there is no printer 2 for which the latest firmware update has been completed will be described by taking as an example a case where the print job with the job number i is executed by the transfer source printer 2 without being transferred to another printer 2. did. On the other hand, if there is no printer 2 that has been updated with the latest firmware, the transfer destination may be determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
That is, if there is a printer 2 for which the latest firmware update has been completed and a printer 2 for which the latest firmware update has not been completed, the printer 2 for which the latest firmware update has been completed may be preferentially determined as the transfer destination. Good.

(2) Transfer Processing Next, transfer processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, processes that are substantially the same as the transfer processes according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the transfer process according to the second embodiment, the CPU 10A does not execute S303 according to the first embodiment, and in S304, transfers the print job with the job number i to the printer 2 with the latest firmware update time among the transfer destination candidate printers. To do. The reason why S303 according to the first embodiment is not executed is that all the transfer destination candidate printers have been updated with the latest firmware, and therefore the process of extracting the printer 2 with the latest firmware version is unnecessary.

(3) Effects of the Embodiment According to the printer 2 according to the second embodiment described above, the printer 2 for which the update of the latest firmware has been completed among the other printers 2 using the same firmware as the transfer source printer 2 is transferred. Decide as a destination.
The other printer 2 in which the latest firmware update has been completed is more likely not to start the firmware update sooner than the other printer 2 in which the latest firmware update has not yet been completed. For this reason, it is possible to transfer a print job to another printer 2 that is more likely to be completed sooner than when it is executed after the firmware update of the transfer source printer 2 is completed.

  By the way, when a print job is transferred to another printer 2 with the latest firmware version, there is a possibility that the print quality may be improved as compared with the case where the firmware version is transferred to another printer 2 older than the latest firmware. According to the printer 2, since the print job is transferred to another printer 2 for which the latest firmware update has been completed, there is a high possibility that the print quality will be improved.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
The firmware update information according to the third embodiment includes information indicating the last update time when the firmware was last updated in another printer 2. Then, the CPU 10A according to the third embodiment transfers the print job to the other printer 2 having the latest last update time.
Here, since it is rare that the firmware update times of a plurality of printers 2 are completely the same, in the following description, it is assumed that there is only one printer 2 with the latest last update time.

With reference to FIG. 8, the firmware update process according to the third embodiment will be described.
In step S <b> 501, the CPU 10 </ b> A acquires firmware update information from each printer 2.

In S502, the CPU 10A determines the other printer 2 having the latest last update time as the transfer destination, and transfers all the print jobs stored in the RAM 10C to the determined transfer destination.
Here, the reason why all the print jobs stored in the RAM 10C are transferred to one other printer 2 is because it is assumed that there is only one printer 2 with the latest last update time as described above. .
If there are a plurality of printers 2 with the latest last update time, the transfer destination printer 2 may be determined similarly to the firmware update process according to the first embodiment described above.

  In S503, the CPU 10A downloads and updates the latest firmware from the firmware distribution server 3.

  According to the printer 2 according to the third embodiment described above, the other printer 2 having the latest last update time is determined as the transfer destination. It is presumed that the printer 2 with the new last update time is more likely not to start the firmware update immediately after transferring the print job, compared to the printer 2 with the old last update time. Therefore, according to the printer 2, there is a higher possibility that the execution will be completed sooner than when the update is performed after the firmware update in the printer 2.

  Further, according to the printer 2, a plurality of print jobs stored in the RAM 10C are transmitted to one printer 2. For this reason, when one user transmits a plurality of print jobs to the printer 2 and the plurality of print jobs are transferred to another printer 2, the execution results of the respective print jobs are collected in one other printer 2. Therefore, the convenience of the user is improved as compared with the case where the execution result of each print job is distributed to a plurality of other printers 2.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
A printing system 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first to third embodiments, the case where each printer 2 directly receives a print job from the information processing apparatus 4 has been described as an example. In contrast, the printing system 100 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a print control device 110, and the print control device 110 receives a print job from each information processing device 4. Then, the print control apparatus 110 transfers the received print job to the printer 2 for execution. The print control device 110 is an example of a control device.

(1) Electrical Configuration of Print Control Device With reference to FIG. 10, the electrical configuration of the print control device 110 will be described. The print control apparatus 110 includes a CPU 111, ROM 112, RAM 113, ASIC 114, display unit 115, operation unit 116, storage unit 117, and communication unit 118.

  The CPU 111 controls each unit of the print control apparatus 110 by executing a program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage unit 117. The ROM 112 stores programs executed by the CPU 111 and data. The RAM 113 is used as a main storage device for the CPU 111 to execute various processes. The CPU 111 is an example of a processing unit.

The display unit 115 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, a display driving circuit that drives the display device, and the like.
The operation unit 116 includes input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and hardware for connecting these input devices to the print control device 110.

The storage unit 117 is a device that stores various programs and data using a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage unit 117 stores an operating system, a print control program, and the like.
The communication unit 118 is hardware for connecting the printer 2 to the communication network 5. The communication unit 118 may be connected to the communication network 5 by wire or may be connected to the communication network 5 by radio.

(2) Print Control Process A print control process executed by the print control apparatus 110 will be described with reference to FIG. The print control process is a process executed by the CPU 111 that executes the print control program stored in the storage unit 117. The print control process is started each time the print control apparatus 110 receives a print job.

  Here, as in the first embodiment, when the print control apparatus 110 transfers a print job to another printer 2, the print control apparatus 110 predicts an execution completion scheduled time at which the execution of the print job in the other printer 2 is completed, and the execution is completed. A case where the print job is transferred to another printer 2 whose scheduled time is earlier than the scheduled update start time of the firmware of the other printer 2 will be described as an example.

Among the print control processes, S201 to S204 and S209 are substantially the same processes as S201 to S204 and S209 of the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the first embodiment, and are therefore described with the same reference numerals. Is omitted.
Since the print control apparatus 110 is not a target for updating the firmware distributed by the firmware distribution server 3, the transfer destination determination / transfer process S205 to S207 according to the first embodiment is not executed in the print control process.

  Further, the fourth embodiment shows a case where S208 of the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the first embodiment is not executed. In the fourth embodiment as well, S208 may be executed, and if there is no printer capable of printing, it may not be transferred. In this case, it is assumed that the information processing apparatus 4 that has transmitted the print job is notified that no printable printer 2 has been found.

If the CPU 111 determines in S204 that there is no other printer 2 whose print job execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the firmware update scheduled start time, the CPU 111 executes S601.
In step S601, the CPU 111 transfers the print job to the printer 2 with the earliest scheduled execution completion time.

Here, S601 is executed for the printer 2 whose print job execution completion scheduled time is after the firmware update scheduled start time, and therefore the transferred print job is executed regardless of which printer 2 is transferred. It is after the firmware update is completed in the transfer destination printer 2.
If there is a print job transferred before the current transfer job, the transfer destination printer 2 first transfers the print job transferred before the current transfer job after the firmware update is completed. To run.

  For this reason, the CPU 111 transfers, for each printer 2, a time obtained by adding the time required to execute the print job transferred before the print job to be transferred this time to the scheduled update completion time when the firmware update is completed. The print job is transferred to the printer 2 having the earliest scheduled execution start time as the scheduled execution start time of the print job.

(3) Effects of the Embodiment According to the print control apparatus 110 according to the fourth embodiment described above, the print job is transferred to the printer 2 that is presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the print job is completed. Thus, it is possible to prevent the execution of the print job from being delayed as the firmware update is started in the transfer destination printer 2.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope.

  (1) In the first and second embodiments, S205 to S207 are executed, but these processes may not be executed. The same applies to S208.

  (2) In the first embodiment, the printer 2 with the newest firmware version is extracted in S303 of the transfer process. However, S303 is not executed, and the print job may be transferred from the transfer destination candidate printers to the printer 2 having the latest last update time in S304.

  (3) In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the print job is transferred to the printer 2 with the newest firmware update time among the printers 2 with the latest firmware version in S304 of the transfer process. On the other hand, S304 need not be executed. In that case, it may be transferred to any printer 2 of the printers 2 with the latest firmware version.

(4) In the first embodiment, the case where a print job is not necessarily distributed to a plurality of other printers 2 has been described as an example. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of other printers 2 that are presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the transferred print job is completed and a plurality of print jobs are stored in the RAM 10C, a plurality of printers 2 are stored. These print jobs may be distributed and transferred to a plurality of other printers 2.
Specifically, for example, if a plurality of printers 2 are extracted in S303 of the transfer process according to the first embodiment, a process of sequentially transferring print jobs to the plurality of printers 2 may be executed instead of S304. .

  (5) In the first embodiment, the case has been described as an example in which the printer 2 having the latest firmware update time is determined as the transfer destination among the printers 2 extracted in S303 in S304 of the transfer process. In contrast, in S304, among the printers 2 extracted in S303, the printer 2 with the earliest execution completion time may be determined as the transfer destination.

  (6) In the second embodiment, the case has been described as an example where the firmware update information includes information indicating whether or not the latest firmware update has been completed. On the other hand, the firmware update information may include information indicating the firmware version of another printer 2. Then, the CPU 10A replaces S401 of the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the second embodiment with the printer 2 having the latest firmware version among the other printers 2 that use the same firmware as the transfer source printer 2 as the transfer destination candidate. You may perform the process made into a printer.

The printer 2 with the newest firmware version is more likely not to start updating the firmware immediately after transferring a print job, compared to the printer 2 with the oldest firmware version. Therefore, there is a higher possibility that the execution will be completed earlier than when the printer 2 executes the firmware update.
Further, if the firmware version is transferred to the printer 2 having the latest firmware version, there is a higher possibility that the print quality will be improved as compared with the case where the firmware version is transferred to the old printer 2.

  (7) In the second embodiment, the case has been described as an example where the firmware update information includes information indicating whether or not the latest firmware update has been completed. On the other hand, the firmware update information may include information indicating the number of times the firmware of another printer 2 has been updated. Then, the CPU 10A may execute a process of setting another printer 2 with the largest number of firmware updates as a transfer destination candidate printer instead of S401 of the transfer destination determination / transfer process according to the second embodiment.

  In general, the function of the printer 2 becomes stable as the number of times the firmware is updated, so that the firmware update interval tends to become longer as the number of times the firmware is updated. For this reason, in the printer 2 with a large number of firmware updates, when the print job is transferred and executed, the firmware update is started before the execution of the print job is completed, compared with the printer 2 with a small number of firmware updates. The possibility that it will not be increased.

  (8) In the fourth embodiment, the case where the print control apparatus 110 transfers the print job to another printer 2 whose execution completion scheduled time is earlier than the scheduled update start time is described as an example, as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, the print control apparatus 110 may determine the transfer destination of the print job by the same method as in the second embodiment, the third embodiment, or the other embodiments (5) to (7) described above.

(9) In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which it is determined in S204 whether or not the scheduled completion time of execution of a print job in the transfer destination candidate printer is earlier than the scheduled update start time of the firmware of the transfer destination candidate printer. did. On the other hand, it may be determined whether the scheduled start time of execution of the print job in the transfer destination candidate printer is earlier than the scheduled update start time of the firmware of the transfer destination candidate printer.
This is because if the firmware is updated after the execution of the print job being executed is completed, if the print job execution start time is earlier than the update start scheduled time, the print job is updated before the firmware update is started. This is because execution is completed.

  (10) In the above embodiment, when the print job is being executed when the firmware update start scheduled time is reached, the case where the firmware is updated after the execution has been described has been described as an example. On the other hand, the execution of the print job may be interrupted and the firmware update may be started immediately.

(11) In the above embodiment, the printer 2 has been described as an example of the image processing apparatus. However, the image processing apparatus is not limited to the printer 2. For example, the image processing apparatus may be a FAX apparatus that receives image data to be transmitted from the information processing apparatus 4 and transmits it to an external facsimile (FAX) apparatus.
Further, the image processing apparatus may be a so-called multi-function machine having a printing function, a copying function, an image reading function, a FAX function, and the like.

  (12) In the above embodiment, the case where each process is executed by the CPU 10A has been described as an example. On the other hand, some of these processes may be executed by the ASIC 10D. Further, the control unit 10 may not include the ASIC 10D. In addition, the control unit 10 may include a plurality of CPUs, and the above-described processing may be shared and executed by the plurality of CPUs.

2A to 2E ... printer, 10A ... CPU, 10B ... flash memory, 10C ... RAM, 20 ... image forming unit, 40 ... communication unit, 110 ... print control device, 111 ... CPU, 118 ... communication unit

Claims (11)

An image processing apparatus,
A communication unit that is communicably connected to another device via a communication network;
A first storage unit for storing image processing jobs;
An image processing unit for executing an image processing job stored in the first storage unit;
A second storage unit that stores firmware for controlling the image processing apparatus;
A processing unit;
With
The processor is
An update determination process for determining whether to update the firmware stored in the second storage unit;
Update information acquisition processing for acquiring firmware update information of other image processing devices connected to the communication network;
When it is determined that the update is determined by the update determination process, the image processing job is transferred to another image processing apparatus that is not currently updating the firmware based on the firmware update information acquired by the update information acquisition process. A determination process for determining, as a transfer destination of the image processing job, another image processing apparatus that is presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the image processing job is completed.
A transfer process for transferring the image processing job stored in the first storage unit to the transfer destination determined by the determination process;
An update process for updating the firmware stored in the second storage unit after the image processing job is transferred by the transfer process;
An image processing apparatus that executes The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The firmware update information includes information indicating whether or not the latest firmware update has been completed,
In the determination process, the processing unit determines, as the transfer destination, the other image processing device that has been updated with the latest firmware among other image processing devices that use the same firmware as the image processing device. , Image processing device. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The firmware update information includes information indicating a firmware version of the other image processing apparatus,
In the determination process, the processing unit determines, as the transfer destination, the other image processing apparatus having the newest firmware version among the other image processing apparatuses using the same firmware as the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The firmware update information includes information indicating the number of firmware updates of the other image processing apparatus,
The processing unit is an image processing apparatus that determines, in the determination process, the other image processing apparatus having the highest number of firmware updates as the transfer destination. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The firmware update information includes information indicating the last update time when the firmware was last updated in the other image processing apparatus,
In the determination process, the processing unit determines the other image processing apparatus having the latest last update time as the transfer destination. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The firmware update information includes information indicating a scheduled update start time of the next firmware of the other image processing apparatus,
The processing unit predicts a scheduled execution completion time when the execution of the image processing job is completed in the other image processing apparatus when the image processing job is transferred to the other image processing apparatus in the determination process, and the execution An image processing apparatus that determines another image processing apparatus whose scheduled completion time is earlier than the scheduled update start time as the transfer destination. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6,
In the determination process, the processing unit determines, as the transfer destination, another image processing apparatus having the earliest execution completion scheduled time among other image processing apparatuses having the execution completion scheduled time earlier than the update start scheduled time. , Image processing device. An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The processing unit includes a plurality of other image processing devices that are presumed that the firmware update is not started before the execution of the transferred image processing job is completed, and the first storage unit includes a plurality of image processing units. An image processing apparatus that, when a job is stored, transfers the plurality of image processing jobs distributed to the plurality of image processing apparatuses in the transfer process. An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The image processing apparatus, wherein when the plurality of image processing jobs are stored in the first storage unit, the processing unit transfers the image processing job to one image processing apparatus in the transfer process. An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The processing unit, when there is no transfer destination, does not execute the transfer process, and causes the image processing unit to execute the image processing job after the update process is completed. A communication unit that is communicably connected to other devices including the image processing device via a communication network;
A processing unit;
With
The processor is
Update information acquisition processing for acquiring firmware update information of an image processing apparatus connected to the communication network;
When an image processing job is received via the communication unit, based on the firmware update information acquired by the update information acquisition process, the image processing job that is not currently updating firmware is transferred. A determination process for determining an image processing apparatus that is presumed that firmware update is not started before the execution of the image processing job is completed when the image processing job is executed;
A transfer process for transferring the image processing job to the transfer destination determined by the determination process;
To execute the control device.

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