JP2016096414A - Image forming apparatus, method of allocating control processing of multi-core processor in the apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that, when an error occurs in a core of a multi-core processor to which scan control processing is allocated or a core to which print control processing is allocated, can change the allocation so as to eliminate the need of setting of priority.SOLUTION: When the occurrence of an error has been detected in either one of a first core 0 or a second core 1 of a multi-core processor 11, allocation means allocates both scan control processing and print control processing to one of the first core and second core in which the error has not occurred. A core to which control processing operating independent of the scan control processing or the print control processing does not require setting of priority that is necessary when the scan control processing or the print control processing is allocated to the core.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripherals) which is a multi-function digital multifunction peripheral, and a method and program for assigning control processing of a multi-core processor in the apparatus.

  In recent image forming apparatuses, a multi-core processor is often mounted as a controller CPU for controlling the entire apparatus in order to cope with the complexity and speed of processing.

  For example, it is assumed that each control process requiring real-time control is assigned to each core of a controller CPU having four cores of core 0 to core 3 as shown in FIG. Specifically, scan control processing is performed on the core 0, control processing for printing (Print) is performed on the core 1, control processing for network (Net) is performed on the core 2, and an operation panel ( It is assumed that control processing for the panel) is assigned to each.

  In this state, as shown by hatching in FIG. 11, when an error due to a failure or the like occurs in the core 0 to which the scan control process is assigned, the scan control process cannot be operated, so the scan process is performed. become unable.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12, when an error due to a failure or the like occurs in the core 1 to which the print control process is assigned, the print control process cannot be operated, and thus the print process cannot be performed.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, the scan control process or the print control process assigned to the core 0 or core 1 in which the error has occurred operates independently of the scan control process or the print control process. When the network control process is assigned to the core 2 to which the network control process is assigned, the network control process and the scan control process or the print control process cannot operate at the same time. Therefore, priority setting is required.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when the priority of the network control process is set higher than the priority of the scan control process or the print control process, the scan process or the print process is performed depending on the operation status of the network control process. A delay occurs, and the scan image and the print image are disturbed.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the priority of the scan control process or the print control process is set higher than the priority of the network control process, the network process may be performed depending on the operation status of the scan control process or the print control process. Will cause delays in reception, timeouts, etc.

  Patent Document 1 provides a control device for an internal combustion engine that can suppress deterioration in controllability caused by missing tasks in an internal combustion engine that performs arithmetic processing using a multi-core processor having a plurality of cores. For the purpose of the above, in a control device for an internal combustion engine that has a multi-core processor with a plurality of cores and calculates a control target value of one or a plurality of actuators using the multi-core processor, a plurality of control-related values are calculated. When an assignment unit that assigns a task to a first core of a multi-core processor, an arithmetic unit that processes a task assigned to each of a plurality of cores, and a task that is not processed in the first core occurs or occurs, The assignment of tasks within a predetermined calculation range including processing tasks is assigned to a second code different from the first core. Those with a allocation changing means for changing the have been proposed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228867 sequentially accepts a plurality of print jobs and reflects whether the print job can be printed or not in the PDL development process and the print process so that a printable print job can be printed quickly. As an object, if the CPU is composed of at least three multi-cores (core 1, core 2, core 3), and the paper size to be printed is not in the tray, it is determined that the paper cannot be fed and the printing process is impossible. The distributed processing is performed so that the image data of job 1 is generated, the image data of job 2 is generated by core 2, and the image data of job 3 is generated by core 3, and the image data of job 1 is processed by core 1. If it is determined that sheet feeding is not possible when two pages are created, the allocation distribution unit interrupts the creation of image data of job 1 by core 1 and the acceptance order is next to job 1 and whether sheet feeding is possible. Technique to concentrate core 1 and the core 2 to the image data created in the job 2 has not been bright has been proposed.

JP 2013-253563 A JP 2011-131433 A

  However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 both change the assignment of cores, but depending on the method of change, it is necessary to set the priority as described above, which causes problems. In that respect, it did not provide a solution.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a technical background. In a multi-core processor, an error has occurred in a core to which a scan control process is assigned or a print control process is assigned. In this case, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of changing assignment so that priority setting is not necessary, and a method and program for assigning processing control of a multi-core processor in the apparatus.

The above problem is solved by the following means.
(1) A multi-core processor composed of a plurality of cores, and an assignment for assigning a scan control process to the first core of the multi-core processor and a print control process to a second core different from the first core And an error detection means for detecting that an error has occurred in the core, and the error detection means detects that an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core. In this case, the assigning unit assigns the scan control process and the print control process to the core in which no error has occurred among the first core and the second core at the same time. Forming equipment.
(2) When a copy job is detected after the error is detected by the error detection unit, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned starts a print operation after the scan operation ends. 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1, wherein the copy job is executed by
(3) an assigning step of assigning a scan control process to a first core of a multi-core processor composed of a plurality of cores, and assigning a print control process to a second core different from the first core; An error detection step of detecting that an error has occurred in the error detection step, and when the error detection step detects that an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core, the allocation In the step, the scan control process and the print control process are simultaneously allocated to the core in which no error has occurred among the first core or the second core, and the multi-core processor in the image forming apparatus Method of assigning control processing.
(4) When a copy job is detected after the error is detected in the error detection step, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned starts a print operation after the scan operation ends. 4. The method of assigning control processing of a multi-core processor in the image forming apparatus according to item 3, wherein the copy job is executed by
(5) an assignment step of assigning a scan control process to a first core of a multi-core processor composed of a plurality of cores, and assigning a print control process to a second core different from the first core; An error detection step of detecting that an error has occurred in the multi-core processor of the image processing apparatus, and an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core by the error detection step If it is detected, in the assigning step, a process of simultaneously assigning the scan control process and the print control process to the core of the first core or the second core in which no error has occurred. A program for causing the multi-core processor to execute.
(6) When a copy job is detected after the error is detected in the error detection step, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are allocated starts a print operation after the scan operation ends. 6. The program according to item 5 above, wherein the copy job is executed by

  According to the inventions described in (1) and (3) above, an error due to a failure or the like occurs in either the first core to which the scan control process is assigned or the second core to which the print control process is assigned. In this case, since the scan control process and the print control process are simultaneously assigned to the first core or the second core in which no error has occurred, the scan control process and the print control process are It is not necessary to set the priority that occurs when a scan control process and a print control process are simultaneously assigned to a core to which an independently operated control process is assigned. That is, although the performance is deteriorated, the relief operation can be performed and the influence on the whole can be suppressed. More specifically, by assigning the scan control process and the print control process to the same core, a control process that operates independently of the scan control process or the print control process (for example, the network control process or the panel control process). Scan processing and print processing can be performed while suppressing the influence on the processing.

  According to the inventions described in (2) and (4) above, when a copy job is detected after an error is detected, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned is Since the copy job is executed by the sequence control that starts the printing operation, the scanning operation and the printing operation are simultaneously performed in parallel when the scanning control processing and the printing control processing are respectively assigned to different cores. Although the performance is deteriorated as compared with the control, the scan control process and the print control process can be reliably operated.

  According to the invention described in (5) above, when it is detected that an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core, the scan control process and the print control process are performed as follows. It is possible to cause the multi-core processor to execute the process of simultaneously allocating to the core in which no error has occurred among the cores or the second core.

  According to the invention described in (6) above, when a copy job is detected after an error is detected, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned starts the print operation after the scan operation is completed. The multi-core processor can execute the process of executing the copy job by sequence control.

1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state when an error due to a failure or the like occurs in a core to which a scan control process of a multi-core processor used in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 is assigned. It is a figure which shows a state when the error by failure etc. generate | occur | produces in the core to which the control process for printing is allocated. It is explanatory drawing when the execution order of the control process for scanning and the control process for printing is changed from simultaneous execution to sequential execution. Similarly, it is an explanatory diagram when the execution order of the scan control process and the print control process is changed from simultaneous execution to sequential execution. It is a flowchart which shows a core check process. 6 is a flowchart illustrating sequence control during execution of a copy job. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a flow of processing of a copy job when a processing mode of scanning control processing and printing control processing is a simultaneous processing mode. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a flow of processing of a copy job when a processing mode of scanning control processing and printing control processing is a sequential processing mode. It is a figure for demonstrating background art, and is a figure which shows the structure of a multi-core processor. It is a figure which shows the state which the error by failure etc. generate | occur | produced in the core to which the control process for a scan is allocated. It is a figure which shows the state which the error by failure etc. generate | occur | produced in the core to which the control process for printing is allocated. To explain that the priority setting is required when the scan control process or print control process assigned to the core in which the error occurred is assigned to a core to which an independently operated network control process is assigned. FIG. It is explanatory drawing at the time of setting another priority similarly.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 using a multi-core processor according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an MFP (Multi Function Peripherals), which is a multifunction digital image forming apparatus having a copy function, a printer function, a scan function, a facsimile function, and the like, is used as the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a controller CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a scanner unit 14, a storage unit 15, a printer unit 16, an operation panel 17, a network controller 18, and the like.

  The controller CPU 11 is composed of a multi-core processor, and controls the entire image forming apparatus 1 so as to be able to use a copy function, a printer function, a scan function, a facsimile function, and the like.

  The ROM 12 is a memory that stores an operation program of the CPU 11, and the RAM 13 is a memory that provides a work area for the CPU 11.

  The scanner unit 14 reads an image of a document placed on a document table (not shown) or a document continuously conveyed by an automatic document feeder (not shown) called ADF, and converts it into image data. .

  The storage device 15 is composed of, for example, a hard disk (HDD). The storage device 104 stores image data of a document read out by the scanner unit 14, print data transmitted from an external terminal or the like via the network controller 18, and the like.

  The printer unit 16 prints image data of a document read by the scanner unit 14, print data from a user terminal, and the like according to an instructed mode.

  The operation panel 17 is used for various input operations by the user, and includes a display unit 171 including a touch panel type liquid crystal display for displaying a message, an operation screen, and the like, and hard keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key. A key input unit 172 is provided.

  The network controller 18 transmits and receives data by controlling communication with other image forming apparatuses on the network and other external devices such as user terminals.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the controller CPU 11 including a multi-core processor. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller CPU 11 includes four cores, that is, a core 0 as a first core, a core 1 as a second core, a core 2 as a third core, and a core 3 as a fourth core. Each of the cores 0 to 3 is assigned with each control process requiring real-time control. Specifically, scan control processing is performed on the core 0, control processing for printing (Print) is performed on the core 1, control processing for network (Net) is performed on the core 2, and an operation panel ( Control processing for each panel is assigned.

  In this state, as shown by hatching in FIG. 2, when an error due to a failure or the like occurs in the core 0 to which the scan control process is assigned, the scan control process cannot be operated, and thus the scan process cannot be performed. .

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when an error of the core 0 is detected, among the unfailed cores 1 to 3 included in the controller CPU 11, the scan control process is assigned to the core 1 that executes the print control process. Do. That is, the print control process and the scan control process are simultaneously assigned to the same core 1.

  On the other hand, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 3, when an error due to a failure or the like occurs in the core 1 to which the print control process is assigned, the print control process cannot be operated, and thus the print process cannot be performed.

  In this case, when an error of the core 1 is detected, among the unfailed cores 0, 2, and 3 of the controller CPU 11, the print control process is also assigned to the core 0 that executes the scan control process. . That is, the scan control process and the print control process are assigned to the same core 0 at the same time.

  However, when the scan control process and the print control process are assigned at the same time, the scan control process and the print control process cannot be performed simultaneously while guaranteeing the real-time property. As shown, the execution order of the scan control process and the print control process is changed from simultaneous execution to sequential execution.

  As a control flow according to the present embodiment, FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of core check processing, and FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of sequence control during execution of a copy job. These controls are executed by the controller CPU 11 operating according to an operation program recorded on a recording medium such as the ROM 12.

  The core check process in FIG. 6 is performed, for example, when the image forming apparatus 1 is restarted after an error occurs. In FIG. 6, the error detection process of the first core 0 to which the scan control process is assigned is performed in step S101, and the error of the second core 1 to which the print control process is assigned is detected in step S102. Process.

  Next, in step S103, it is determined whether an error is detected in the first core 0. If no error is detected in the first core 0 (NO in step S103), it is determined in step S104 whether an error is detected in the second core 1. If no error is detected in the second core 1 (NO in step S104), the scan control process is assigned to the first core 0 and the print control process is assigned to the second core 1 in step S105. This process is terminated. In this case, the simultaneous processing mode is set as the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process.

  If an error is detected in the second core 1 (YES in step S104), the scan control process and the print control process are simultaneously assigned to the first core 0, which is the same core, in step S106. Next, in step S107, the processing mode is sequentially set as the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process, and then this process ends.

  If an error is detected in the first core 0 in step S103 (YES in step S103), it is determined whether an error is detected in the second core 1 in step S108. If no error is detected in the second core 1 (NO in step S108), in step S109, the scan control process and the print control process are simultaneously assigned to the second core 1, which is the same core. Next, in step S110, the processing mode is sequentially set as the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process, and then this process ends.

  If an error is detected in the second core 1 in step S108 (YES in step S108), since both the first core 0 and the second core 1 are in error, an unbootable error is displayed in step S111. After the display in 171, this process is terminated.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when an error due to a failure or the like occurs in either the first core to which the scan control process is assigned or the second core to which the print control process is assigned, the scan control process Since the print control process is simultaneously assigned to the core 0 or core 1 in which no error has occurred, a network control process and a panel control process that operate independently of the scan control process and the print control process are assigned. The priority setting that occurs when the scan control process and the print control process are assigned to the cores 2 and 3 is not necessary. That is, although the performance is deteriorated, the relief operation can be performed and the influence on the whole can be suppressed. More specifically, a network control process that operates independently of the scan control process or the print control process by simultaneously assigning the scan control process and the print control process to the core in which no error has occurred. Scan processing and print processing can be performed while suppressing the influence on the panel control processing.

  In the sequence control at the time of execution of the copy job in FIG. 7, in step S201, it is determined whether the processing mode of the scan control process or the print control process is the simultaneous processing mode or the sequential processing mode. In the case of the simultaneous processing mode, the process advances to step S202 to notify the scanning control processing task of permission to start scanning, and in step S203 to notify the printing control processing task of permission to start printing processing. Exit.

  In step S201, when the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process is the sequential process mode, the print control process for the copy job currently being executed is performed, but the print control process for the new copy job is performed. Do not start. Specifically, in step S204, a print process start prohibition notice is sent to the print control process task. Next, in step S205, it is confirmed whether or not printing is currently in progress. If processing is in progress (YES in step S205), the process waits for a predetermined time in step S206, and returns to step S205 to check whether printing is in progress. To do.

  If the print process is not currently in progress (NO in step S205), in step S207, the scan control processing task is notified of permission to start the scan process, and in step S208, it is confirmed whether the scan process is in progress. If scan processing is in progress (YES in step S208), the process waits for a predetermined time in step S209, and returns to step S208 to check whether scan processing is in progress again.

  If the scan process is not in progress (NO in step S208), the print process start permission is notified to the print control process task in step S210, and then this process ends.

  As described above, when the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process is the sequential process mode, the core 0 or the core 1 to which both the scan control process and the print control process are assigned is assigned after the end of the scan operation. Since the copy job is executed by sequence control that starts the printing operation, compared to the simultaneous control in which the scanning operation and the printing operation are performed in parallel when the scanning control processing and the printing control processing are assigned to different cores, respectively. Thus, although the performance is deteriorated, the scan control process and the print control process can be reliably operated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing of a copy job when the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process is the simultaneous processing mode.

  The core 0 or the core 1 to which the scan control process and the print control process are simultaneously assigned has a functionally the sequence control unit 11a, the scan control unit 11b, and the print control unit 11c, and scans from the sequence control unit 11a. A scan process start permission notification is transmitted to the control unit 11b, and a print process start permission notification is transmitted to the print control unit 11c.

  Upon receiving the scan processing start permission notification, the scan control unit 11b notifies the scanner unit 14 of the start of scanning. The scanner unit 14 continuously reads an image, and the scanned original image is subjected to image processing by the scan control unit 11b in band units or page units, and then stored in the storage unit 15. Then, after being read from the storage unit 15, it is sent from the print control unit 11 c to the printer unit (print engine) 16 and printed.

  While printing by the printer unit 16, the scanner unit 14 reads the next image, and the obtained scan source image is transmitted to the scan control unit 11b and processed. When all the images have been read, a scan completion notification is transmitted from the scanner unit 14 to the scan control unit 11b.

  That is, when the processing mode of the scanning control process and the printing control process is the simultaneous processing mode, the scanning process and the printing process are performed in parallel.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing of a copy job when the processing mode of scan control processing and print control processing is the sequential processing mode.

  A print processing start prohibition notification is transmitted from the sequence control unit 11a to the print control unit 11c, and a scan processing start permission notification is transmitted to the scan control unit 11b.

  Upon receiving the scan processing start permission notification, the scan control unit 11b notifies the scanner unit 14 of the start of scanning. The scanner unit 14 continuously reads an image, and the scanned original image is subjected to image processing by the scan control unit 11b in band units or page units, and then stored in the storage unit 15. The scan control unit 11 b performs image processing on all the scan source images and stores them in the storage unit 15. When all the images have been read, a scan completion notification is transmitted from the scanner unit 14 to the scan control unit 11b. During this time, since the start of the printer process is prohibited, the print process is not performed. That is, the scan process and the print process are not performed in parallel.

  When the scan is completed, a print processing start permission notice is transmitted from the sequence control unit 11a to the print control unit 11c. Then, the print control unit 11c sequentially reads the image data stored in the storage unit 15 and sends it to the printer unit 16, and the printer unit 16 prints these image data.

  That is, when the processing mode of the scan control process and the print control process is the sequential process mode, the print process is performed after the scan process is completed.

1 Image forming apparatus 11 Controller CPU (multi-core processor)
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Scanner unit 15 Storage unit 16 Printer unit 17 Operation panel 170 Display unit 18 Network controller

Claims (6)

A multi-core processor composed of multiple cores;
Allocating means for allocating scan control processing to a first core of the multi-core processor and allocating print control processing to a second core different from the first core;
An error detection means for detecting that an error has occurred in the core;
With
When the error detection unit detects that an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core, the allocation unit performs the scan control process and the print control process. An image forming apparatus, wherein the first core or the second core is simultaneously assigned to a core in which no error has occurred.   When a copy job is detected after the error is detected by the error detection unit, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned is copied by the sequence control that starts the print operation after the scan operation ends. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus executes a job. An assigning step of assigning a scan control process to a first core of a multi-core processor composed of a plurality of cores, and assigning a print control process to a second core different from the first core;
An error detection step of detecting that an error has occurred in the core;
With
When it is detected by the error detection step that an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core, in the assignment step, the scan control process and the print control process are performed in the first core. A method of assigning a control process of a multi-core processor in an image forming apparatus, wherein the assignment is made simultaneously to one of the first core and the second core in which no error has occurred.   When a copy job is detected after the error is detected in the error detection step, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned is copied by the sequence control that starts the print operation after the scan operation ends. 4. The method for assigning control processing of a multi-core processor in an image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the job is executed. An assigning step of assigning a scan control process to a first core of a multi-core processor composed of a plurality of cores, and assigning a print control process to a second core different from the first core;
An error detection step of detecting that an error has occurred in the core;
Is executed by the multi-core processor of the image processing apparatus,
When it is detected by the error detection step that an error has occurred in either the first core or the second core, in the assignment step, the scan control process and the print control process are performed in the first core. A program for causing the multi-core processor to execute a process of simultaneously allocating to one of the first core and the second core in which no error has occurred.   When a copy job is detected after the error is detected in the error detection step, the core to which the scan control process and the print control process are assigned is copied by the sequence control that starts the print operation after the scan operation ends. The program according to claim 5 which executes a job.

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