JP2020057960A - Electronic apparatus and memory management program - Google Patents

Abstract

To facilitate checking of the capacity for addition of memory.SOLUTION: A memory management unit 118 detects the state of use of a RAM 115 and acquires a memory size required for scan processing per one document with no insufficiency of memory capacity of the RAM 115; a memory addition information acquisition unit 119 acquires the time required for the scan processing per one document with insufficient memory capacity (first time: for example, four seconds) and the time required for the scan processing on a plurality of documents with insufficient memory capacity (second time: for example, 120 seconds), and acquires the capacity for the addition of memory to compensate the insufficient memory capacity (for example, 300 MB) with a result of division of the time (second time) by the time (first time) and multiplication of the memory size; a system control unit 122 displays, on a panel unit 105, the capacity for the addition of memory acquired by the memory addition information acquisition unit 119.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device equipped with an image memory and a memory management program.

  For example, an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), which is one of the electronic devices, is provided with a printing function, a copying function, a FAX (Facsimile) function, a scanning function, a data transmitting / receiving function via a network, and the like. There are some models. In such an image forming apparatus, for example, when a plurality of documents are continuously scanned, if the memory capacity of the image memory is insufficient, the scanning process may be delayed. For this reason, for example, various techniques have been proposed for efficiently using the image memory used in the scan processing to eliminate the delay in the time required for the scan processing.

  As a technique showing a countermeasure against such a shortage of memory capacity, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163873 discloses means for storing image data in a memory and compression of at least a part of the image data when there is a possibility that a free space in the memory may be insufficient. Compression means, compression counting means for counting a value related to the amount of compression performed by the compression means, and notification means for notifying the user when the number counted by the compression counter exceeds a predetermined threshold value To store the image data in a memory.

JP-A-08-289107

  In the device of Patent Document 1 described above, when image data is stored in a memory, if there is a possibility of memory shortage, the already stored data or data to be newly stored is compressed, so that the memory capacity shortage is solved. it can. In addition, when the processing amount of data compression becomes very large, it is possible to notify the user, and it is possible to encourage the user to take measures such as adding a memory.

  By the way, this apparatus can prompt the user to take measures such as adding a memory, but does not have a means for informing how much memory should be added. For this reason, there is a problem that the user cannot easily determine the optimum memory capacity required to compensate for the lack of the memory capacity.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide an electronic device and a memory management program that can solve the above-described problems.

The electronic apparatus according to the present invention detects an image memory, a panel unit, and a use state of the image memory, and acquires a memory size required for a scanning process per document without a memory capacity shortage of the image memory. A memory management unit, a first time required for scanning processing of the document when the memory capacity is insufficient, and a second time required for scanning processing of a plurality of documents when the memory capacity is insufficient. And a memory expansion information obtaining unit that obtains a memory expansion capacity to compensate for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying a result of dividing the first time with respect to the second time and the memory size, A system control unit for displaying the memory expansion capacity obtained by the memory expansion information obtaining unit on the panel unit.
Further, the memory extension information acquisition unit acquires a third time required for a scanning process per one sheet of the document without a memory capacity shortage of the image memory, and acquires the first time with respect to the second time. Is multiplied by the difference between the first time and the third time to obtain a shortened time that can be reduced when the memory for the memory expansion capacity is added, and the system control unit includes: The shortened time acquired by the memory extension information acquiring unit is displayed on the panel unit.
In addition, the memory extension information acquisition unit compensates for the memory capacity shortage with a fourth time required for scan processing when the first capacity is equal to or less than the acquired memory extension capacity for compensating the memory capacity shortage. And acquiring a fifth time required for the scanning process when the second capacity is equal to or less than the memory expansion capacity for use and is larger than the first capacity.
A memory management program of the present invention, wherein the memory management unit detects the use status of the image memory, and obtains a memory size required for a scanning process per document without a memory capacity shortage of the image memory; The memory extension information acquisition unit allows a first time required for scanning processing of the document when the memory capacity is insufficient and a second time required for scanning processing of a plurality of documents to be performed when the memory capacity is insufficient. Obtaining a memory expansion capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying a result of dividing the first time with respect to the second time by the memory size, and system control. Displaying the memory expansion capacity obtained by the memory expansion information obtaining unit on a panel unit by an electronic device. Characterized in that to execute the control to the computer.
In the electronic device and the memory management program according to the present invention, the memory management unit detects the use state of the image memory, and acquires the memory size required for the scanning process per original without the memory capacity shortage of the image memory, The memory extension information acquisition unit determines a first time required for scanning processing of one document when the memory capacity is insufficient and a second time required for scanning processing of a plurality of documents when the memory capacity is insufficient. The memory expansion information for compensating the memory capacity shortage is obtained by multiplying the obtained result by dividing the second time by the first time and the memory size, and the memory expansion information obtaining unit obtains the memory expansion information by the system control unit. The expanded memory capacity is displayed on the panel.
Thereby, the user can be notified of the memory expansion capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage via the panel unit.

  According to the electronic device and the memory management program of the present invention, it is possible to notify the memory expansion capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage through the panel unit, so that the user can optimize the memory required to compensate for the memory capacity shortage. Capacity can be easily determined.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing an embodiment in which the electronic apparatus of the present invention is applied to an MFP. FIG. 2A illustrates an example of acquisition of memory extension information by a memory extension information acquisition unit and the like in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2A illustrates a time required for a scanning process per document without insufficient memory capacity. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the time required for scanning processing of one document when the memory capacity is insufficient, and FIG. 2C is a diagram showing the acquisition of a memory expansion capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage. FIG. FIG. 3A illustrates an example of acquisition of memory extension information by the memory extension information acquisition unit and the like in FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a time required for a scan process after memory extension, and FIG. 2) is a diagram showing memory expansion information displayed on the panel unit of FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a diagram for explaining another example of acquisition of memory extension information by the memory extension information acquisition unit and the like in FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a diagram for explaining acquisition of memory extension capacity for compensating for insufficient memory capacity. FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining the time required for the scan processing when the memory is expanded with the first capacity. FIG. 5A illustrates another example of acquisition of memory extension information by the memory extension information acquisition unit and the like in FIG. 1. FIG. 5A illustrates a time required for a scan process when a memory is extended with a second capacity. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing memory expansion information displayed on the panel unit of FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a process of acquiring memory extension information by a memory extension information acquisition unit and the like in FIG. 1.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, as an example of an electronic device, for example, an MFP (multifunction peripheral) equipped with a print function, a copy function, a FAX (Facsimile) function, a scanner function, a data transmission / reception function via a network, etc. Multifunction Peripheral).

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the MFP 100 controls operations of the scanner unit 101, the printer unit 102, the FAX (Facsimile) unit 103, the I / F (interface) 104, the panel unit 105, and the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 106. The control unit 110 is provided.

  The scanner unit 101 is a device that converts an image on a document 200 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 described below, which is read by an image sensor (not shown), into digital image data and inputs the digital image data to the control unit 110. The printer unit 102 is a device that prints an image on a sheet (not shown) based on print data output from the control unit 110. The facsimile unit 103 is a device that transmits data output from the control unit 110 to a facsimile which is a partner via a telephone line, and receives data from the partner facsimile and inputs the data to the control unit 110.

  The I / F 104 is responsible for communication with other MFPs and user terminals (not shown) via a network. The I / F 104 may be responsible for communication with a content server (not shown), a web server, or the like. The panel unit 105 is a device having, for example, a print function, a copy function, a FAX function, a scanner function, a data transmission / reception function via a network, a touch panel for performing various settings, and hardware keys of the MFP 100. In addition, the panel unit 105 displays the contents of memory expansion information related to memory expansion and the like shown in FIG. 3B or FIG. 5B described later. HDD 106 is a storage device that stores application programs and the like for providing various functions of MFP 100. The HDD 106 has a user box for storing a print job registered from a terminal (not shown).

  Control unit 110 is a processor that executes an application program such as an authentication program, an image forming program, a control program, and the like to control operations of MFP 100 as a whole. The control unit 110 includes a scanner control unit 111, a printer control unit 112, a FAX control unit 113, a communication control unit 114, a RAM 115, an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) 116, an image processing unit 117, a memory management unit 118, A memory extension information acquisition unit 119, a panel operation control unit 120, an HDD control unit 121, and a system control unit 122 are provided. These are connected to the data bus 123.

  The scanner control unit 111 controls a reading operation of the scanner unit 101. The printer control unit 112 controls a printing operation of the printer unit 102. The FAX control unit 113 controls the data transmission / reception operation of the FAX unit 103. The communication control unit 114 controls transmission and reception of data and the like via the network via the I / F 104. The RAM 115 is a work memory for executing a program. The EEPROM 116 stores a control program for checking the operation of each unit and generating a startup sequence. The EEPROM 116 also stores, for example, the time required for the scanning process for the original 200 shown in FIG. 2 described below, the time required for the scanning process for the original 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient, and the time required for the original 200 after the memory expansion. The time required for the scan processing is stored.

  The image processing unit 117 performs image processing (rasterization) on the image data read by the scanner unit 101. The image processing unit 117 performs image processing (rasterization) on a print job registered in the user box of the HDD 106. Note that the system control unit 122 causes the RAM 115 to temporarily store the print data subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 117.

  The memory management unit 118 allocates, to the RAM 115, a memory size required for a scanning process of the original 200 shown in FIG. In addition, the memory management unit 118 acquires a memory size and the like required for a scanning process per document 200 without a memory capacity shortage shown in FIG. The memory extension information acquisition unit 119, which will be described in detail later, is, for example, a time ta required for a scan process for one document 200 without insufficient memory capacity, and a scan for one document 200 when memory capacity is insufficient. A time tb required for processing, a time Tc required for scanning processing of a plurality of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient, and the like are acquired. The panel operation control unit 120 controls the display operation of the panel unit 105. Further, the panel operation control unit 120 receives, via the panel unit 105, settings such as printing, copying, facsimile, scanning, and data transmission / reception via a network. Further, the panel operation control unit 120 causes the panel unit 105 to display the contents of the memory expansion information regarding the memory expansion and the like shown in FIG. 3B or FIG. 5B described later.

  The HDD control unit 121 controls reading and writing of data from and to the HDD 106. The system control unit 122 controls a cooperative operation of each unit. In addition, the system control unit 122 instructs the memory management unit 118 to allocate a memory size at startup. In addition, the system control unit 122 instructs the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 to acquire, for example, the time required for the scanner unit 101 to scan the original 200, and the like. Further, the system control unit 122 instructs the panel operation control unit 120 to display the contents of the memory expansion information on the memory expansion on the panel unit 105 and the like.

  Next, an example of acquisition of memory extension information by the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the memory expansion information includes an optimum memory expansion capacity required to compensate for the memory capacity shortage, a time that can be reduced by the memory expansion, and the like. It is also assumed that the memory management unit 118 allocates a memory size (for example, 700 MB) required for the scanner unit 101 to scan the original 200, for example, to the RAM 115. The scanned image data stored in the memory area allocated to the RAM 115 is sequentially moved to another area allocated to the RAM 115 as the image processing (rasterization) is performed by the image processing unit 117, for example. Will be done. However, in the following, for the sake of explanation, the movement of the scanned image data is ignored. Further, the hatched portion shown in FIG. 2 indicates a delay time indicating a delay of the scanning process due to a shortage of the memory capacity.

  First, FIG. 2A shows a time ta required for a scanning process by the scanner unit 101 for one document 200 without the memory capacity shortage of the RAM 115. This time ta can be acquired by the memory extension information acquisition unit 119. That is, the memory addition information acquisition unit 119 performs the scan process from the time between the timing of starting to write the image data of the original 200 per sheet into the memory area of the RAM 115 from the memory management unit 118 and the timing of ending the writing. The required time ta can be obtained. Here, the time ta is set to 2 seconds for convenience of explanation. The symbol m shown in FIG. 2A is a memory size required for a scanning process per one sheet of the document 200 without the memory capacity shortage of the RAM 115. The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire the memory size m by acquiring the write size of image data of the document 200 per sheet in the memory area of the RAM 115 managed by the memory management unit 118. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the memory size m is 10 MB. If the memory size m required for the scanning process per document 200 is 10 MB, the memory size allocated to the RAM 115 by the memory management unit 118 (for example, 700 MB) is used for 10 documents 200. In the scanning process of, there is no shortage of memory capacity.

  FIG. 2B shows a time tb required for the scanning process by the scanner unit 101 per one document 200 when the memory capacity of the RAM 115 is insufficient. This time tb can be acquired by the memory extension information acquisition unit 119. That is, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines, for example, the time between the timing of starting writing of image data of the document 200 to the memory area of the RAM 115 from the memory management unit 118 and the timing of ending writing when the memory capacity is insufficient. The time tb required for the scanning process can be obtained. Here, the time tb is set to 4 seconds for convenience of explanation.

  FIG. 2C shows the times Ta, Tb, and Tc required for the scanning process of the plurality of originals 200 by the scanner unit 101. Here, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire the times Tb and Tc. That is, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire, for example, the time from when the memory management unit 118 starts writing the image data of the document 200 to the memory area of the RAM 115 to when the memory capacity becomes insufficient as the time Tb. Further, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire, for example, the time from when the memory capacity of the RAM 115 becomes insufficient in the memory management unit 118 until the end of the writing of the image data of the remaining document 200 as the time Tc. Here, for convenience of explanation, the time Tb is set to 140 seconds, the time Tc is set to 120 seconds, and the time Ta is set to 260 seconds.

Here, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines the time tb required for the scanning process per document 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient and the time Tc required for the scanning process when the memory capacity is insufficient in the entire scanning process. And the memory size m required for the scanning process per one page of the document 200 without the memory capacity shortage of the RAM 115, and by using these values, the optimal memory required to compensate for the memory capacity shortage The capacity of the extension can be acquired. That is,
(1) From the time Tc２００the time tb, the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient can be obtained.
Specifically, the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is 30 from 120 seconds / 4 seconds.
(2) It is necessary to compensate for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying the memory size m required for scanning processing of the document 200 per one sheet without memory capacity shortage by the number of documents 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient. It is possible to obtain the optimal memory expansion capacity.
Specifically, an optimum memory expansion capacity of 300 MB can be obtained from 30 sheets (the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient) × 10 MB (memory size m).
As described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire the capacity of the memory extension that can compensate for the memory shortage by executing the arithmetic processing of the contents related to (1) and (2).

Next, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires the time ta required for the scanning process per one sheet of the document 200 without the memory capacity shortage, thereby shortening the time when the memory extension capacity is set to 300 MB. Can be obtained. That is,
(3) The shortened time can be obtained by multiplying 30 times of the document 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient by the time tb-time ta.
Specifically, a shortened time of 120 seconds can be obtained from 30 sheets × 4 seconds (tb−ta).
As described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire the shortened time by executing the arithmetic processing of the content related to (3).

  The number N of the scanned documents 200 can be obtained as follows. First, from 140 seconds (time Tb) ÷ 2 seconds (time ta), it can be acquired that the number of originals 200 is 70 without memory capacity shortage. Further, from 120 seconds (time Tc) ÷ 4 seconds (time tb), it can be acquired that the number of originals 200 is 30 when the memory capacity is insufficient. Therefore, from 70 + 30 sheets, the number N of the scanned originals 200 can be acquired as 100 sheets.

  FIG. 3A shows a time T required for a scan process after the memory is added. That is, when a memory of 300 MB is added, 100 seconds of the document 200 is multiplied by 2 seconds (time ta), so that the time required for the scanning process on the 100 documents 200 becomes 200 seconds. Since the time Ta required for the scanning process for the 100 documents 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is 260 seconds, the shortening time is 60 seconds from 260 seconds-200 seconds.

  FIG. 3B shows memory expansion information displayed on the panel unit 105. That is, when the system control unit 122 instructs the panel operation control unit 120 to display the memory expansion information on the panel unit 105, the panel operation control unit 120 causes the panel unit 105 to display the memory expansion information. Here, as described above, the memory expansion information includes the optimum memory expansion capacity necessary to compensate for the memory capacity shortage, the time that can be reduced by the memory expansion, and the like. That is, the panel unit 105 displays the contents of the memory expansion information, for example, "The time required for the scan processing was 260 seconds. By adding 300 MB of memory, the time can be reduced to 200 seconds." You. The user can easily determine the additional capacity of the memory by checking the display content of the panel unit 105. Also, the shortened time can be easily determined.

  Next, another example of the acquisition of the memory extension information by the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the same manner as described above, the memory expansion information described below includes an optimum memory expansion capacity necessary for compensating for a memory capacity shortage, a time that can be shortened by the memory expansion, and the like. Further, it is assumed that the memory management unit 118 allocates a memory size (for example, 700 MB) required for the scanning process of the original 200 by the scanner unit 101 to the RAM 115, as described above. Also, the time ta required for the scanning process by the scanner unit 101 per one sheet of the document 200 without the shortage of the memory capacity of the RAM 115, and the scanning process by the scanner unit 101 per one sheet of the document 200 when the memory capacity of the RAM 115 is short. The required time tb will be described as being the same as in FIGS.

  First, FIG. 4A shows the times Ta, Tb, and Tc required for the scanner unit 101 to scan a plurality of originals 200, as in FIG. 2C. Here, the time Ta is a time required for the entire scan processing, which is the scan processing of the plurality of originals 200, as described above. Here, for the sake of explanation, the time Ta is set to 260 seconds as described above. Further, the time Tb is a time required for the scan processing without a memory capacity shortage in the entire scan processing, as described above. Here, for convenience of explanation, the time Tb is set to 140 seconds in the same manner as described above. The time Tc is the time required for the scan process when the memory capacity is insufficient in the entire scan process, as described above. Here, for convenience of explanation, the time Tc is set to 120 seconds in the same manner as described above.

Here, similarly to the above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines whether the time tb required for the scanning process per document 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient and the scanning process when the memory capacity is insufficient in the entire scanning process. And the memory size m required for scanning processing of the original 200 without the memory capacity shortage of the RAM 115 are acquired, and by using these values, it is necessary to compensate for the memory capacity shortage. It is possible to obtain the optimal memory expansion capacity. That is, as described above,
(1) From the time Tc２００the time tb, the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient can be obtained.
Specifically, the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is 30 from 120 seconds / 4 seconds.
(2) It is necessary to make up for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying the memory size m required for scanning processing of the document 200 per one sheet without memory capacity shortage by the number of documents 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient. It is possible to obtain the optimal memory expansion capacity.
Specifically, an optimum memory expansion capacity of 300 MB can be obtained from 30 sheets (the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient) × 10 MB (memory size m).

Similarly, as described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires the time ta required for the scanning process per one sheet of the document 200 without a shortage of the memory capacity. You can get shortened time. That is, as described above,
(3) The shortened time can be obtained by multiplying 30 times of the document 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient by the time tb-time ta.
Specifically, a shortened time of 120 seconds can be obtained from 30 sheets × 4 seconds (tb−ta).

  In addition, as for the number N of the scanned documents 200, it is possible to acquire that the number of the documents 200 is 70 without the memory capacity shortage from 140 seconds (time Tb) ÷ 2 seconds (time ta), as described above. From 120 seconds (time Tc) ÷ 4 seconds (time tb), it is possible to acquire that the number of originals 200 is 30 when the memory capacity is insufficient. From 70 + 30, the number N of the scanned originals 200 is 100. Can be obtained as

  FIG. 4B shows the time T1 required for the scan processing when the memory expansion is the first capacity (for example, 100 MB) which is 300 MB or less as described above. That is, when the memory expansion is set to 300 MB, the scan processing can be performed without shortage of the memory capacity as described above. However, depending on the user, it may be considered that even if the time T required for the scanning process without the shortage of the memory capacity in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, for example, when the memory is expanded to the first capacity (for example, 100 MB), the time T1 required for the scan processing can be acquired as follows.

That is, assuming that the additional memory has the first capacity (for example, 100 MB), the time Tc in FIG. 4B is reduced from 120 seconds in FIG. 4A to 80 seconds. That is, assuming that the memory expansion is set to the first capacity (for example, 100 MB), it is possible to perform the scanning process on 10 sheets of the original 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient without insufficient memory capacity. As a result, if the memory expansion is set to the first capacity (for example, 100 MB), the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is reduced from 30 sheets to 20 sheets. Based on the above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 performs the following calculation.
(4) The time Tc (80 seconds) required for scan processing when the memory capacity is insufficient can be obtained from 20 sheets × 4 seconds (time tb).
(5) The number of originals 200 to be scanned without memory capacity shortage is changed from 70 sheets to 80 sheets. Therefore, scanning processing without memory capacity shortage is required from 80 sheets × 2 seconds (time ta). Time Tb (160 seconds) can be acquired.
(6) If the memory expansion is set to the first capacity (for example, 100 MB) by 160 seconds (time Tb) +80 seconds (time Tc), the time T1 (240 seconds) required for the scan processing can be acquired.
As described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires the shortened time when the memory extension is set to the first capacity (for example, 100 MB) by executing the arithmetic processing of the contents related to (4) to (6). it can.

FIG. 5A shows the time T2 required for the scan processing when the memory expansion is the above-described second capacity (for example, 200 MB) of 300 MB or less. Assuming that the additional memory has the first capacity (for example, 200 MB), the time Tc in FIG. 5A is reduced from 120 seconds in FIG. 4A to 40 seconds. That is, assuming that the additional memory is of the second capacity (for example, 200 MB), it is possible to perform the scanning process on the 20 sheets of the original 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient without insufficient memory capacity. As a result, if the memory expansion is set to the second capacity (for example, 200 MB), the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is reduced from 30 sheets to 10 sheets. Based on the above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 performs the following calculation.
(7) The time Tc (40 seconds) required for scan processing when the memory capacity is insufficient can be obtained from 10 sheets × 4 seconds (time tb).
(8) Since the number of originals 200 to be scanned without memory capacity shortage is changed from 70 sheets to 90 sheets, the scan processing without memory capacity shortage is required from 90 sheets × 2 seconds (time ta). Time Tb (180 seconds) can be acquired.
(9) Assuming 180 seconds (time Tb) +40 seconds (time Tc), if the memory expansion is set to the second capacity (for example, 200 MB), the time T1 (220 seconds) required for the scan processing can be obtained.
As described above, the memory extension information acquiring unit 119 acquires the shortened time when the memory extension is set to the second capacity (for example, 200 MB) by executing the arithmetic processing of the contents related to (7) to (9). it can.
When the memory expansion is set to 300 MB or less as described above, it is not necessary to limit the memory expansion to 100 MB or 200 MB as described above. Further, the number of memory expansions is not limited to the first capacity (for example, 100 MB) and the second capacity (for example, 200 MB), but may be three or more. Of course, the above-mentioned 300 MB may be added to the capacity of the memory expansion.

  FIG. 5B shows memory expansion information displayed on the panel unit 105. That is, as described above, when the system control unit 122 instructs the panel operation control unit 120 to display the memory expansion information on the panel unit 105, the panel operation control unit 120 causes the panel unit 105 to display the memory expansion information. . Here, the panel unit 105 displays, for example, "The time required for the scan processing was 260 seconds. By adding 100 MB of memory, it can be reduced to 240 seconds. By adding 200 MB of memory, 220 seconds Can be shortened. "Is displayed. By confirming the display contents on the panel unit 105, the user can increase the additional capacity of the memory, which is considered to be acceptable even if the time T required for the scan processing without the memory capacity shortage in FIG. Easy to judge. Also, the shortened time can be easily determined.

  Next, referring to FIG. 6, a description will be given of a process for acquiring memory extension information. In the following, as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the memory expansion information is acquired in the case where the time Ta required for the entire scan processing due to insufficient memory capacity is reduced to the time T required for the scan processing due to the memory expansion. A description will be given as a case. Also,

(Step S101)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines whether the scan processing has been started.
In this case, the memory addition information acquisition unit 119 determines that the scan process has not been started unless there is a notification from the system control unit 122 indicating that the scan process has been started (step S101: No).
On the other hand, if there is a notification from the system control unit 122 indicating that the scan processing has been started, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines that the scan processing has been started (step S101: Yes), and proceeds to step S102. Transition.

(Step S102)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires a memory size m required for a scanning process per document 200 without a shortage of memory capacity.
In this case, as described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires the write size of the image data of the document 200 in the memory area of the RAM 115 managed by the memory management unit 118, thereby changing the memory size m (for example, 10 MB). Can be obtained.

(Step S103)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires a time ta required for a scanning process per one sheet of the document 200 without a memory capacity shortage.
In this case, as described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines, for example, the time between the timing of starting to write the image data of the document 200 to the memory area of the RAM 115 from the memory management unit 118 and the timing of ending the writing. The time ta (for example, 2 seconds) required for the scanning process can be acquired.

(Step S104)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires a time tb required for scanning processing of one document 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient.
In this case, as described above, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 determines, for example, the timing to start writing the image data of the document 200 to the memory area of the RAM 115 from the memory management unit 118 and the timing to end writing when the memory capacity is insufficient. The time tb (for example, 4 seconds) required for the scanning process can be obtained from the time between

(Step S105)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires a time Tc required for scanning a plurality of documents 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient.
In this case, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 sets a time Tc (for example, 120 seconds) from the time when the memory capacity of the RAM 115 is insufficient in the memory management unit 118 to the time when the writing of the image data of the remaining document 200 is completed. Can be obtained.

(Step S106)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires the capacity of the memory extension based on the time tb, the time Tc, and the memory size m.
In this case, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire the capacity of the memory extension that can compensate for the memory shortage by executing the arithmetic processing of the following (1) and (2).
(1) From the time Tc２００the time tb, the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient can be obtained.
Specifically, the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is 30 from 120 seconds / 4 seconds.
(2) It is necessary to make up for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying the memory size m required for scanning processing of the document 200 per one sheet without memory capacity shortage by the number of documents 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient. It is possible to obtain the optimal memory expansion capacity.
Specifically, an optimum memory expansion capacity of 300 MB can be obtained from 30 sheets (the number of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient) × 10 MB (memory size m).

(Step S107)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 acquires the shortened time based on the time tb and the time ta.
In this case, the memory extension information acquisition unit 119 can acquire the shortened time when the capacity of the memory extension is 300 MB by executing the arithmetic processing of the following (3).
(3) Multiply 30 sheets of the original 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient by the time from time tb to time ta.
Here, a shortened time of, for example, 120 seconds can be obtained from 30 sheets × 4 seconds (tb−ta).

(Step S108)
The memory extension information acquisition unit 119 notifies the system control unit 122 of the memory extension information.
At this time, when the system control unit 122 instructs the panel operation control unit 120 to display the memory expansion information on the panel unit 105, the panel operation control unit 120 causes the panel unit 105 to display the memory expansion information. Here, as described above, the memory expansion information includes the optimum memory expansion capacity necessary to compensate for the memory capacity shortage, the time that can be reduced by the memory expansion, and the like. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3B, the panel unit 105 displays, for example, "The time required for the scan processing was 260 seconds. By adding 300 MB of memory, the time can be reduced to 200 seconds. "Is displayed. The user can easily determine the additional capacity of the memory by checking the display content of the panel unit 105. Also, the shortened time can be easily determined.

  In the above-described processing for acquiring the memory expansion information, the case has been described where the acquisition of the memory expansion capacity in step S106 and the acquisition of the shortened time in step S107 are performed simultaneously. Acquisition may be omitted. In this case, it is not possible to check the shortened time, but it is possible to easily check the capacity of the memory expansion to compensate for the shortage of the memory capacity.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the memory management unit 118 detects the use state of the RAM 115 (image memory), and performs the scanning process for each original 200 without the memory capacity shortage of the RAM 115 (image memory). A memory size m (for example, 10 MB) is acquired, and a time tb (first time: for example, 4 seconds) required for scanning processing of the original 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is acquired by the memory extension information acquiring unit 119; A time Tc (second time: for example, 120 seconds) required for scanning a plurality of originals 200 when the memory capacity is insufficient is acquired, and a time tb (first time) with respect to time Tc (second time). Is multiplied by the memory size m to increase the memory expansion capacity (for example, 300 MB) to compensate for the memory capacity shortage. Acquires, by the system control unit 122 causes memory expansion capacity memory extension information obtaining unit 119 has obtained (e.g., 300MB) displayed on the panel unit 105.

  As a result, a memory expansion capacity (for example, 300 MB) for compensating for a memory capacity shortage (for example, 300 MB) can be notified via the panel unit 105, so that the user can optimize the memory required for compensating for the memory capacity shortage. The capacity can be easily determined.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the electronic apparatus is applied to the MFP 100 has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to another image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral, or a terminal such as a personal computer (PC) or a smartphone. May be applied.

100 MFP
101 scanner unit 102 printer unit 103 fax unit 104 I / F
105 Panel unit 106 HDD
110 control unit 111 scanner control unit 112 printer control unit 113 facsimile control unit 114 communication control unit 115 RAM
116 EEPROM
117 Image processing unit 118 Memory management unit 119 Memory extension information acquisition unit 120 Panel operation control unit 121 HDD control unit 122 System control unit 123 Data bus 200 Document m Memory size ta, tb, T1, T2, Ta, Tb, Tc Time

Claims (4)

Image memory,
Panel part,
A memory management unit that detects a use state of the image memory and obtains a memory size required for a scanning process per one document without a memory capacity shortage of the image memory;
Acquiring a first time required for scanning processing of the document when the memory capacity is insufficient and a second time required for scanning processing of a plurality of documents when the memory capacity is insufficient; A memory extension information acquisition unit that acquires a memory extension capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying a division result of the first time with respect to the second time by the memory size;
An electronic apparatus, comprising: a system control unit configured to display the memory expansion capacity acquired by the memory extension information acquiring unit on the panel unit. The memory extension information acquisition unit,
Acquiring a third time required for a scanning process per one sheet of the document without a memory capacity shortage of the image memory;
The result of dividing the first time with respect to the second time is multiplied by the difference between the first time and the third time, thereby shortening the time when the memory for the memory expansion capacity is added. Get time,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the system control unit causes the panel unit to display the shortened time acquired by the memory extension information acquiring unit. The memory extension information acquisition unit,
A fourth time required for the scanning process when the first capacity is equal to or less than the acquired memory expansion capacity to compensate for the acquired memory capacity shortage;
A fifth time required for scan processing when the second capacity is equal to or less than the memory expansion capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage and is larger than the first capacity is acquired. 3. The electronic device according to 2. A step of detecting a use state of the image memory by the memory management unit, and acquiring a memory size required for a scanning process per one document without a memory capacity shortage of the image memory;
The memory extension information acquisition unit allows a first time required for scanning processing of the document when the memory capacity is insufficient and a second time required for scanning processing of a plurality of documents to be performed when the memory capacity is insufficient. Obtaining a memory expansion capacity for compensating for the memory capacity shortage by multiplying the result of dividing the first time with respect to the second time by the memory size;
Displaying a memory expansion capacity acquired by the memory extension information acquiring section on a panel section by a system control section, by a computer for controlling an electronic device.

Images