JP2020071281A - Information processing device, control method for information processing device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem with a conventional information processing device that when a fault occurs in an operation part unit, it is not discriminated which of an LCD unit and a circuit board unit, etc., constituting the operation part unit is faulty, so that when a fault occurs in the operation part unit, the whole of the operation part unit needs to be replaced, incurring an increase in operation cost.SOLUTION: When abnormality of the operation part unit is detected, a fault spot inside of the operation part unit is discriminately specified and it is thereby made possible to reduce the down time of an information processing device and cut back operation costs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device, a method for controlling the information processing device, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing device having a unit for identifying a failure location in an operation unit unit.

  Some information processing devices include a plurality of units, and each unit includes a plurality of boards and electronic components. In such an information processing device, when an abnormality occurs in any of the units forming the information processing device, a malfunction occurs in the operation of the information processing device, the user's work cannot be performed, or the user's work is limited. It will be lost. Then, downtime occurs until the information processing apparatus is restored. Therefore, it is required to identify the unit in which the abnormality has occurred and restore the information processing apparatus as soon as possible.

  Some information processing apparatuses have a dedicated operation unit unit. The operation unit includes a touch panel for detecting a user input, a numeric keypad, a display unit such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and a control board having a CPU for controlling these and communicating with the control unit of the information processing apparatus. .. In such an information processing apparatus, when the touch panel itself or the LCD fails, or the control board that controls the operation unit fails, the touch panel does not respond or nothing is displayed on the display unit. Problems may occur.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of allowing a user to operate an apparatus from an operation section unit of another information processing apparatus via a network when an abnormality in the operation section unit is detected. Further, in Patent Document 2, when a failure of the touch panel occurs, the user cannot perform an input operation. Therefore, the operation is switched to the temporary input mode, and the input can be performed by an operation key other than the touch panel. Is proposed.
Thus, in the past, when a failure occurs in the operation unit, the alternative input means is used to temporarily enable the use of the information processing device until the operation unit is restored. Was there.

JP, 2009-73045, A Patent No. 5653152

  However, in the information processing devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, although the failure of the operation unit unit is detected, it is possible to distinguish between the failure of the LCD unit and the control board constituting the operation unit unit. Not specified. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the operation unit, it is necessary to replace the entire operation unit in order to recover from the failure of the operation unit, which causes a problem of high operating cost.

  The present invention relates to an LCD unit having an LCD panel and a backlight, a board unit on which a first signal processing circuit for outputting an image signal to the LCD unit is mounted, a failure of the LCD unit and a failure of the board unit. And a determination unit that determines the location of the failure by distinguishing between the two.

  According to the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the operation unit, it is possible to identify a failure location in the operation unit, so that the number of parts to be replaced can be minimized. As a result, it is not necessary to replace the entire operation unit, so that the operating cost can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a hardware configuration inside an image forming apparatus (Example 1). 6 is a flowchart of a process executed by the image forming apparatus in the failure diagnosis mode (Example 1). FIG. 3 is a system block diagram of a hardware configuration inside the image forming apparatus (Example 2). 9 is a flowchart of processing executed by the image forming apparatus in the failure diagnosis mode (second embodiment).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overall structure of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 illustrates a system block diagram of a hardware configuration inside an image forming apparatus 200 that is an example of an information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. An image forming apparatus will be described below as an example of the information processing apparatus, but the information processing apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus. As the information processing device, for example, various devices such as an automatic ticket vending machine, an ATM, and an image forming device can be applied.
The image forming apparatus 200 includes a control unit 201, an operation unit unit 216, and a printer unit 218.

The control unit 201 controls the entire image forming apparatus 200, performs image forming processing on the document image read by the scanner unit (not shown) by the printer unit 218, and performs control such as copy operation.
The operation unit 216 is connected to the control unit 201 via signals such as image data 2008, image control communication 2009, and control communication signal 2010. The operation unit 216 displays the state or the like of the image forming apparatus 200 on the LCD unit 212 based on an instruction or information from the control unit 201 via these signals, or performs a user operation on the touch panel 211 to the control unit 201. Notify me.
The printer unit 218 performs an image forming process on a sheet-shaped recording medium (for example, recording paper) by an electrophotographic method, for example. Note that the printer unit 218 is not limited to the electrophotographic system as long as the printer unit 218 can perform image processing on both sides of a sheet-shaped recording medium, and another recording system such as an inkjet system or an inkjet system can be used. A thermal transfer method or the like may be used.

<Configuration of control unit>
The control unit 201 includes a main CPU 202, a RAM 204, a HDD 205, a BootROM 203, and a LANC 219.
The main CPU 202 is a central processing unit that executes a software program that controls the entire image forming apparatus 200. The main CPU realizes the functions of the image forming apparatus 200, such as the print function and the copy function, based on the boot program stored in the BootROM 203.
The main CPU 202 transfers the screen displayed on the LCD unit 212 as image data 2008 to the image output IC 209 mounted on the operation unit substrate unit 214. Further, the main CPU 202 uses the image control communication 2009 to set information such as the size of the screen displayed on the LCD unit 212 and the orientation of the image.

The RAM 204 is a volatile memory such as DDR or SDRAM. The RAM 204 is a main memory that stores temporary data when the main CPU 202 controls the image forming apparatus 200.
The HDD 205 is a storage device that is connected to the main CPU 202 by serial ATA (SATA) or the like, and stores various setting information regarding the image forming apparatus.
The LANC 219 is a LAN controller and is connected to the main CPU 202 and the LAN 215 that is an external network. The LANC 219 is controlled by the main CPU 202 and performs network control of the image forming apparatus 200.

<Structure of operation unit>
The operation unit unit 216 includes an operation unit substrate unit 214, a touch panel 211, an LCD unit 212, a speaker 213, and a failure diagnosis push SW 217. Further, the operation unit board unit 214 includes a UI_CPU 208, a touch panel controller 210, an image output IC 209, and the like.
The UI_CPU 208 is a signal processing circuit that performs various processes including a failure location specifying process described later. The image output IC 209 is a signal processing circuit that receives an instruction from the UI_CPU 208 and generates an image output signal 2005 to be output to the LCD unit 212.

<Touch panel>
The touch panel controller 210 is connected to the UI_CPU 208 and the touch panel 211, and notifies the UI_CPU 208 that the user has operated the touch panel 211. The touch panel controller 210 and the UI_CPU 208 are connected via a control communication signal 2003 and an interrupt signal 2002.
The UI_CPU 208 transmits the setting information via the control communication signal 2003, and receives the coordinates of the user input from the touch panel controller 210 and the number of touches (two-point touch etc.) input to the touch panel 211. In addition, UI_CPU 208 receives changes in user input via interrupt signal 2002.

<LCD unit>
The LCD unit 212 is a non-emissive display unit including an LCD panel which is a non-emissive display panel having a glass substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a deflection filter, and the like, and a backlight which is a light source for irradiating the LCD panel with light. Yes (both not shown).
The LCD unit power supply 2020 is supplied from the image output IC 209 to the LCD unit 212. Further, a backlight control signal 2021 is supplied to the backlight from the image output IC 209.
An image output signal 2005 for controlling the displayed image is supplied to the LCD unit 212 from the image output IC 209.
Although the touch panel 211 and the LCD unit 212 are illustrated as separate blocks in FIG. 1, they may be configured by the same member (LCD unit having a touch panel function).

<Operation unit board unit>
The image output IC 209 mounted on the operation unit substrate unit 214 is an IC that controls the image display of the LCD unit 212. The image output IC 209 is connected to the LCD unit 212 via the image output signal 2005 and the backlight control signal 2021. Further, the image output IC 209 supplies the LCD unit power supply 2020 via the power supply enable control signal 2022.
The image output IC 209 is connected to the UI_CPU 208 via a control communication signal 2006, and is connected to the main CPU 202 via image data 2008 and image control communication 2009. Then, the LCD unit power supply 2020, the backlight control signal 2021, and the image output signal 2005 are transmitted to the UI_CPU 208 in order to identify the failure location.

The image output IC 209 generates an image signal that the LCD unit 212 can display on the LCD from the image data 2008 and the setting information received from the main CPU 202, and sends it to the LCD unit 212 as an image output signal 2005. The image signal that can be displayed on the LCD is, for example, LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling). Then, the LCD unit 212 displays the received image output signal 2005 on the LCD panel.
Further, the image output IC 209 receives the image data 2008 and the setting information from the main CPU 202, and when the image output to the LCD unit 212 is enabled, the image output IC 209 outputs a power enable control signal 2022 for controlling the power of the LCD unit 212. Output. Then, by turning on the SW 220, the image output IC 209 supplies the LCD unit power supply 2020 to the LCD unit 212.

The UI_CPU 208 sets ON / OFF of the backlight, brightness and the like to the image output IC 209 via the control communication signal 2006, and controls the lighting of the backlight of the LCD unit 212.
The UI_CPU 208 also outputs a push sound indicating that the user's input is accepted, an operation instruction to the user, the state of the image forming apparatus 200, and the like from the speaker 213. The control of the speaker 213 may be performed by controlling the audio output by the main CPU 202 instead of the UI_CPU 208. However, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the UI_CPU 208 controls the speaker 213.

The touch panel controller 210 is connected to the UI_CPU 208 via a control communication signal 2003.
Further, the touch panel controller 210 is connected to the touch panel 211 via a touch panel connection signal 2001. Then, while accepting a user operation input on the touch panel 211 from the touch panel 211, image data is output to the touch panel 211 based on a control communication signal 2003 from the UI_CPU 208.

<Speaker>
The speaker 213 outputs a sound such as a voice based on the control of the UI_CPU 208 and notifies the user of the message. In this embodiment, as a message, the user is notified of the abnormal portion of the operation unit substrate unit 214 determined by the UI_CPU 208.

<Push SW for fault diagnosis>
The fault diagnosis push SW 217 is a switch connected to the UI_CPU 208. Upon accepting that the user or the service person presses the failure diagnosis push SW 217, the failure diagnosis push SW 217 notifies the UI_CPU 208 of the information. When the UI_CPU 208 receives the notification that the failure diagnosis push SW 217 is pressed from the failure diagnosis push SW 217, the UI_CPU 208 shifts the image forming apparatus 200 to the failure diagnosis mode.

  FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of processing executed by the UI_CPU 208 of the image forming apparatus 200 when the UI_CPU 208 shifts to the failure diagnosis mode triggered by pressing the failure diagnosis push SW 217. Here, it is assumed that the failure diagnosis push switch 217 is pressed when the user or the service person feels some abnormality in the LCD unit 212.

In FIG. 2, this flowchart starts when the state of the image forming apparatus 200 becomes the normal state. When this flowchart starts, the UI_CPU 208 determines whether or not the failure diagnosis push switch 217 has been pressed (S201).
When the failure diagnosis push SW 217 is not pressed (S201: NO), the UI_CPU 208 waits until the failure diagnosis push SW 217 is pressed. When it is detected that the failure diagnosis push switch 217 has been pressed (S201: YES), the UI_CPU 208 starts the failure location identifying process (S202).

Next, in S203, the UI_CPU 208 confirms the state of the voltage of the LCD unit power supply 2020 being supplied to the LCD unit 212 (S203).
When the LCD unit power supply 2020 is not a predetermined voltage and is abnormal (S203: NO), it is considered that an output from the image output IC 209 is abnormal. Therefore, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the operation unit substrate unit 214 is defective. To do. Then, the UI_CPU 208 uses the speaker 213 to output a sound indicating that the operation unit substrate unit 214 has a failure (S207).

On the other hand, when the LCD unit power supply 2020 has a predetermined voltage (S203: YES), the UI_CPU 208 determines whether the LCD backlight control signal 2021 is output (S204).
When the LCD backlight control signal 2021 remains in the backlight OFF state and is abnormal, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the LCD backlight control signal 2021 is not output (S204: NO). In this case as well, it is considered that the output from the image output IC 209 has an abnormality, and therefore the UI_CPU 208 determines that the operation unit board unit 214 is in failure. Then, the UI_CPU 208 uses a speaker 213 to notify by voice that there is a possibility that the operation unit substrate unit 214 is out of order (S207).

  On the other hand, when the LCD backlight control signal 2021 is in the backlight ON state or has changed to High or Low, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the LCD backlight control signal 2021 is output (S204: YES). Then, the UI_CPU 208 confirms whether or not the image output signal 2005 is output (S205).

  When the image output signal 2005 remains unchanged in the High or Low state, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the image output signal 2005 is not output (S205: NO). In this case as well, it is considered that the output from the image output IC 209 has an abnormality, and therefore the UI_CPU 208 determines that the operation unit board unit 214 is in failure. Then, the UI_CPU 208 uses a speaker 213 to notify by voice that the operation unit substrate unit 214 may be out of order (S207).

  On the other hand, when there is a change in the image output signal 2005, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the image output signal 2005 is being output (S205: YES). When S205 is YES, both S203 and S204 are YES, and therefore the output from the image output IC 209 is considered to be normal. Therefore, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the operation unit board unit 214 has no abnormality. Then, the UI_CPU 208 uses a speaker 213 to notify by voice that the LCD unit 212 may be out of order (S206).

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when there is an abnormality in the operation unit unit 216, it is possible to distinguish and specify the failure of the operation unit board unit 214 and the failure of the LCD unit 212. Therefore, it is understood that either the operation unit substrate unit 214 on which the UI_CPU 208 or the image output IC 209 is mounted or the LCD unit 212 including an LCD panel or the like may be replaced.
As a result, even when there is an abnormality in the operation unit 216, it is possible to minimize the number of replacement parts, and it is not necessary to replace the entire operation unit 216. Therefore, downtime is reduced and operating costs are reduced. Can be reduced.

FIG. 3 is a system block diagram of the hardware configuration inside the image forming apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment.
The image forming apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that the image forming apparatus 200 includes the control unit 201, the operation unit 216, and the printer unit 218, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.
However, the point that the ten-key pad 317 is mounted on the operation unit substrate unit 214 as an input unit for shifting the image forming apparatus 200 to the failure diagnosis mode, instead of the failure diagnosis push SW 217, is the first embodiment. different. The numeric keypad 317 is connected to the UI_CPU 208 via the user input signal 3007, similarly to the failure diagnosis push SW 217 in the first embodiment.

  The UI_CPU 208 receives, via the user input signal 3007, which of the ten keys 317 the user has pressed. When the user presses a specific key in the ten-key pad 317 to activate the image forming apparatus 200, the image forming apparatus 200 is activated in the failure diagnosis mode. The key to be pressed when starting in the failure diagnosis mode may be a single key or an arbitrary combination of a plurality of keys. If the user starts up without pressing any of the ten keys 317, the image forming apparatus 200 starts up in the normal mode.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of processing executed by the UI_CPU 208 of the image forming apparatus 200 when the UI_CPU 208 shifts to the failure diagnosis mode triggered by pressing a specific key in the ten-key pad 317. Here, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the numeric keypad 317 is pressed when the user or the service person feels some abnormality in the LCD unit 212.

The UI_CPU 208 determines whether the image forming apparatus 200 has been started in the failure diagnosis mode (S401). Here, when the user presses a specific key in the ten-key pad 317 for starting the image forming apparatus 200 in the failure diagnosis mode, the UI_CPU 208 determines that the image forming apparatus 200 has been started in the failure diagnosis mode.
When the image forming apparatus 200 is activated in the failure diagnosis mode, the UI_CPU 208 starts the failure location identifying process (S402).

First, the UI_CPU 208 confirms the voltage state of the LCD unit power supply 2020 and determines whether or not the power supply to the LCD unit power supply 2020 is normally supplied (S403).
When power is supplied to the LCD unit power supply 2020 (S403: Y), next, the UI_CPU 208 confirms the state of the LCD backlight control signal 2021, and whether the LCD backlight control signal 2021 is normally output. It is determined whether or not (S404).
When the LCD backlight control signal 2021 is output (S404: Y), next, the UI_CPU 208 confirms the state of the image output signal 2005 and determines whether the image output signal 2005 is normally output. (S405).

When the image output signal 2005 is output (S405: Y), it is considered that there is no abnormality in the voltage of the LCD unit power supply 2020, the LCD backlight control signal 2021, and the image output signal 2005. That is, in this case, it can be considered that the LCD unit 212 is not in failure, but the operation unit substrate unit 214 is in failure.
Therefore, the UI_CPU 208 uses a speaker 213 to notify by voice that the LCD unit 212 may be out of order (S406).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the voltage of the LCD unit power supply 2020, the LCD backlight control signal 2021, or the image output signal 2005 is abnormal (S403: N, S404: N, S405: N), the process proceeds to S407. move on. In this case, it is possible that the operation unit board unit 214 on which the UI_CPU 208, the image output IC 209, and the like are mounted is out of order. Therefore, the UI_CPU 208 uses a speaker 213 to notify by voice that the operation unit substrate unit 214 may be out of order (S407).

As described above, also in the second embodiment, the operation of using the speaker 213 to notify, by voice, of a location that may be defective is the same as in the first embodiment.
However, it differs from the first embodiment in that the trigger for shifting to the failure location identifying process S402 is that the image forming apparatus 200 is activated in the failure diagnosis mode by pressing the specific key of the ten-key 317 when the image forming apparatus 200 is activated. Further, when the UI_CPU 208 is not activated in the failure diagnosis mode (S401: NO), the UI_CPU 208 shifts to the normal operation (S408).

As described above, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the operation unit unit 216 has an abnormality, it is possible to distinguish and specify the failure of the operation unit substrate unit 214 and the failure of the LCD unit 212. Becomes Therefore, it is understood that either the operation unit substrate unit 214 on which the UI_CPU 208 or the image output IC 209 is mounted or the LCD unit 212 including an LCD panel or the like may be replaced.
As a result, even if there is an abnormality in the operation unit 216, it is possible to minimize the number of replacement parts, and it is not necessary to replace the entire operation unit 216, so downtime is reduced and operating costs are reduced. Can be reduced.

In the first embodiment, the switch to the failure diagnosis mode is triggered by the depression of the failure diagnosis push switch 217. In the second embodiment, the operation is started with the specific key in the numeric keypad 317 pressed. An example of shifting to the failure diagnosis mode by using as a trigger has been described.
However, the trigger for shifting to the failure diagnosis mode is not limited to the method used in these embodiments. For example, a method of predicting a failure of the LCD unit 212 from the user's operation and causing the UI_CPU 208 to shift to the failure diagnosis mode, or a method of transitioning to the failure diagnosis mode by an instruction from the main CPU 202 via the LAN 215 may be used. Good.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by the processing. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices or an apparatus including one device.
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the spirit of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention includes all configurations that combine the above-described embodiments and the modifications thereof.

200 image forming apparatus 208 UI_CPU
212 LCD unit 213 Speaker 214 Operation unit board unit 216 Operation unit unit 217 Push switch for failure diagnosis

Claims (21)

A display unit having a non-emissive display panel and a backlight for irradiating the display panel with light;
A board unit on which a first signal processing circuit for outputting an image signal to the display unit is mounted;
An information processing apparatus, comprising: a determination unit that determines a failure location by distinguishing between a failure of the display unit and a failure of the board unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit is a second signal processing circuit mounted on the board unit and connected to the first signal processing circuit via a control signal. .. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination based on a voltage supplied to the display unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the voltage is abnormal, the determination unit determines that the board unit has failed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the voltage is normal, the determination unit determines that the display unit has failed. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the determination unit makes the determination based on a backlight control signal that controls the backlight. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the backlight control signal is abnormal, the determining unit determines that the board unit has failed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein when the backlight control signal is normal, the determination unit determines that the display unit has failed. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the determination unit makes the determination based on the image signal output to the display unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the image signal is abnormal, the determination unit determines that the board unit has failed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the image signal is normal, the determination unit determines that the display unit has failed. When the voltage supplied to the display unit, the backlight control signal for controlling the backlight, and the image signal are all normal, the determination unit determines that the display unit has failed. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the determination made by the determination unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the notification unit notifies the determination by voice. Having an input means for receiving a user operation,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the determination unit makes the determination triggered by a user operation on the input unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the input unit is a switch. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the input unit is a ten-key pad. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the non-emissive display panel is an LCD panel. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus having a printer. A display unit having a non-emissive display panel and a backlight for irradiating the display panel with light;
A method of controlling an information processing device, comprising: a board unit on which a first signal processing circuit that outputs an image signal to the display unit is mounted;
A method of controlling an information processing device, comprising: a judgment step of distinguishing a failure of the display unit from a failure of the substrate unit and judging a failed portion.   A program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the information processing device according to claim 20.