JP2022087022A - Information processing apparatus, information processing program, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow stable operation without delaying the operation of the entire apparatus despite the use of a low-speed non-volatile memory.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises: a first storage control unit that performs storage control of data with respect to a non-volatile memory; and a second storage control unit that performs storage control of data with respect to a volatile memory. A priority determination unit determines the priority of the data stored in the volatile memory to perform writing in the non-volatile memory. When determining that writing of data in the non-volatile memory can be executed based on the priority, an execution determination unit controls the second storage control unit to read the data from the volatile memory, and controls the first storage control unit to write the data read out from the volatile memory in the non-volatile memory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

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

Today, for example, image forming devices such as multifunction devices, printer devices, and scanner devices are provided with two types of non-volatile memories such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and flash memory.

The EEPROM can be rewritten about 1 million times. Therefore, it is used for data storage of an engine control unit of an image forming apparatus, for example, in which data is read and written a relatively large number of times. On the other hand, the flash memory has a small number of rewritable times, which is about 1000 to 10000 times. Therefore, it is used for storing a program for engine control, for example, which is not rewritten very much.

As a patent document for such a non-volatile memory, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-119823) discloses an image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus includes a non-volatile memory in which a control program for controlling the printing means is stored. Further, the image forming apparatus includes a control process for controlling the printing means based on the control program, and a control unit for executing a rewriting process for rewriting at least a part of the data stored in the non-volatile memory. Then, before executing the rewriting process, the control means executes the end process of shifting the printing means to the end state in which the power can be cut off. As a result, even if the power of the image forming apparatus is turned off during the rewriting of data in the non-volatile memory, it is possible to take appropriate measures.

Here, it is considered that only a flash memory is provided as a non-volatile memory in order to store both information that is not frequently rewritten such as a program and information that is frequently rewritten such as data. This makes it possible to eliminate the need for expensive EEPROM.

However, if only the flash memory is used as the non-volatile memory, the operation of the device becomes slow as a whole, and it becomes difficult to stabilize the operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and an image forming capable of stable operation without delaying the operation of the entire apparatus while using a low-speed non-volatile memory. The purpose is to provide the device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention has a first storage control unit that controls the storage of data for the volatile memory and a second storage that controls the storage of the data for the volatile memory. The control unit, the priority determination unit that determines the priority of the data stored in the volatile memory for writing to the non-volatile memory, and the priority determination unit that determines the priority of the data stored in the volatile memory, and the data can be written to the non-volatile memory based on the priority. When it is determined, the second storage control unit is controlled so as to read the data from the volatile memory, and the first storage control unit is controlled so as to write the data read from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory. It has a write execution determination unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve stable operation without delaying the operation of the entire device while using a low-speed non-volatile memory.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus configuration of a color copier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the MFP. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the engine control unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of each function realized by executing a memory control program by the CPU of the engine control unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the memory control operation. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a mode of saving the control program from the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of each function realized by executing a memory control program by the CPU of the engine control unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the memory control operation. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog indicating that writing is being executed.

Hereinafter, a multifunction device (MFP: an example of an image forming apparatus) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

(First Embodiment)
(Device configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus configuration of the MFP of the first embodiment. As an example, the MFP 9 of this embodiment has a plurality of image forming functions such as a copy function, a printer function, and a scanner function. This MFP 9 has four PCDU (Photo Conductor Development Unit) units 210 and a writing unit 209. Further, the MFP 9 of the embodiment has an intermediate transfer belt 213 as a transfer body.

When the user performs a copy instruction operation via the operation unit 940, the manuscript paper set in the scanner unit 216 is optically read and image data is generated. The writing unit 209 irradiates the photoconductor drum 212 of the PCDU unit 210 with laser light based on the image data. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is created.

The PCDU unit 210 has Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) colors from the left of the paper in FIG. 1. The toner in the toner bottle 215 is temporarily stored in the sub hopper, supplied to the PCDU unit 210, and the toner is supplied to the photoconductor drum 212 via the toner replenishing roller and the developing roller 211. As a result, the toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image.

In the case of full-color printing, writing → development → transfer to the intermediate transfer belt 213 → cleaning is performed for each color, and the colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 213 to create a full-color image. The waste toner that has not been transferred by the PCDU unit 210 is collected by the cleaning blade and conveyed to the waste toner unit 208. The waste toner on the intermediate transfer belt 213 is collected by the intermediate transfer cleaning unit 214 and is also conveyed to the waste toner unit 208.

The paper fed from the paper feed unit 207 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 213 at the secondary transfer unit 205. At this time, a bias voltage is applied to the intermediate transfer drive roller 204. As a result, the image on the intermediate transfer belt 213 is secondarily transferred to the paper.

Further, the paper is conveyed to the fixing portion 203, and the toner is heat-fixed to the paper. After that, the printed paper is ejected by the paper ejection unit 202.

Further, the MFP 9 of the embodiment has a human body detection sensor 960. The human body detection sensor 960 detects the proximity of the user to the MFP 9, the distance between the MFP 9 and the user, and the like.

(Electrical configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the MFP 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the MFP 9 includes a controller unit 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I / F 950.

The controller unit 910 includes a CPU 901, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a local memory (MEM-C) 907, and an HDD controller. It has a 908 and an HDD 909. The NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

The CPU 901 is a control unit that controls the entire MFP 9. The NB 903 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 901, the MEM-P902, the SB904, and the AGP bus 921. The NB 903 has a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P902 has a ROM 902a which is a memory for storing a program or data that realizes each function of the memory controller, and a RAM 902b used for a memory for developing a program or data and a memory for drawing at the time of memory printing. The program stored in the RAM 902b may be provided by recording it as a file in an installable format or an executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD. ..

The SB904 is a bridge for connecting the NB903 to a PCI device and a peripheral device. The ASIC 906 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing, and is a bridge connecting an AGP bus 921, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 922, an HDD controller 908, and a MEM-C907, respectively. Has the role of.

The ASIC 906 has a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) at the core of the ASIC 906, and a memory controller that controls the MEM-C907. Further, the ASIC 906 is a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate an image by hardware logic or the like, and a PCI that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via the PCI bus 922. Has a unit. A USB interface or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface may be connected to the ASIC 906.

The MEM-C907 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer. The HDD 909 is a storage for accumulating image data, accumulating font data used at the time of printing, and accumulating forms. The HDD controller 908 controls the writing and reading of data to the HDD 909 according to the control of the CPU 901. The AGP bus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphic processing. The AGP bus 921 has direct access to MEM-P902 with high throughput. Graphics accelerator card can be speeded up.

The short-range communication circuit 920 has a short-range communication circuit 920. The short-range communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). Further, the engine control unit 930 has a scanner unit 931 and a printer unit 932.

The operation panel 940 has a display unit 940a such as a touch panel that displays the current set value or the selection screen and receives input from the operator. Further, the operation panel 940 has an operation unit 940b provided with a numeric keypad for inputting set values of conditions related to image formation such as density setting conditions and a start key for instructing the start of copying.

The controller unit 910 controls the entire MFP 9, for example, drawing control, communication control, processing of input from the operation panel 940, and the like. The scanner unit 931 or the printer unit 932 has image processing functions such as error diffusion processing and gamma conversion processing.

The MFP 9 can be executed by sequentially switching the document box function, the copy function, the printer function, and the facsimile function by the application switching key of the operation panel 940. The MFP 9 is in the document box mode when the document box function is selected, and is in the copy mode when the copy function is selected. Further, the MFP 9 is in the printer mode when the printer function is selected, and is in the facsimile mode when the facsimile mode is selected.

The network I / F950 is an interface for performing data communication using a communication network. The short-range communication circuit 920 and the network I / F 950 are electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via the PCI bus 922.

Further, the above-mentioned human body detection sensor 960 is connected to the PCI bus 922. Further, the PCI bus 922 is connected to a timer 961 for counting the time and a document detection unit 962 for detecting the presence / absence of a document to be scanned or a document to be copied by the scanner unit 931.

(Electrical configuration of engine control unit)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the engine control unit 930 shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the controller unit 910 manages the state of the MFP 9, UI (User Interface), network communication with an external device, generation of a printed image, image processing, and the like.

The engine control unit 930 performs actuator control such as a motor or solenoid of the MFP 9, and IO control such as a sensor and an LD (Laser Diode).

The CPU 307 of the engine control unit 930 is connected to the non-volatile memory 304, the volatile memory 305, and the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 303 via the bus line 306. The ASIC 303 controls, for example, image processing such as compression / decompression and composition, input / output processing, and communication processing of the controller unit 910 and the engine control unit 930.

The CPU 307 reads and executes the program stored in the non-volatile memory 304. As the non-volatile memory 304, an inexpensive and low-speed flash memory such as a NOR type flash memory is used. The number of times the flash memory can be rewritten is about 1000 to 10000 times. Further, the time required for rewriting the data in the flash memory is 500 msec to 1000 msec.

In such a non-volatile memory 304, a memory control program (an example of an information processing program), various data used in various programs, device-specific characteristic values, and the like are stored.

Usually, such a flash memory having a low speed and low durability against data rewriting is used for storing a program of an engine control unit 930, for example, which does not rewrite much. Then, in combination with this flash memory, an EEPROM, which is a non-volatile memory having high speed and high durability against data rewriting, is provided, and this EEPROM is used for data storage of the engine control unit 930 and the like.

However, in the case of the MFP 9 of the embodiment, only a flash memory having a low speed and a low durability against data rewriting is used without providing (without using) an EEPROM which is a non-volatile memory having a high speed and a high durability against data rewriting. It is used as a non-volatile memory 304. The flash memory alone enables stable operation without delaying the operation of the entire device.

The volatile memory 305 is used as a work area when executing a program. Further, some control programs are replicated from the non-volatile memory 304 to the volatile memory 305. The CPU 307 reads and executes the program duplicated in the volatile memory 305. As the volatile memory 305, for example, SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) can be used.

(Software configuration of engine control unit)
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of each function realized by the CPU 307 of the engine control unit 930 executing the memory control program stored in the non-volatile memory 304. As shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 307 executes the memory control program to execute the update data priority determination unit 101, the user operation determination unit 102, the machine state determination unit 103, the write execution determination unit 104, and the save program. Each function of the selection unit 105 is realized. Further, the CPU 307 realizes each function of the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106, the volatile memory read / write unit 107, and the update data temporary storage unit 108 by executing the memory control program.

The update data priority determination unit 101 (an example of the priority determination unit) determines the priority of all the update data temporarily stored in the volatile memory 305. The user operation determination unit 102 determines the distance between the MFP 9 and the user and the operation of the user's operation panel 940. The machine state determination unit 103 (an example of the device state determination unit) determines the machine state of the MFP 9 such as during printing, standby, energy saving, and error occurrence.

Whether or not the write execution determination unit 104 executes writing to the non-volatile memory 304 based on the determination result of the update data priority determination unit 101, the determination result of the user operation determination unit 102, and the determination result of the machine state determination unit 103. Is determined. The save program selection unit 105 (an example of the save processing unit) selects a part or all of the programs to be saved from the non-volatile memory 304 to the volatile memory 305.

The non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 (an example of the first storage control unit) controls writing and reading of data to the non-volatile memory 304. The volatile memory read / write unit 107 (an example of the second storage control unit) controls the writing and reading of data to the volatile memory 305. The update data temporary storage unit 108, together with the volatile memory read / write unit 107, temporarily stores the update data in the volatile memory 305.

In this example, the update data priority determination unit 101 to the update data temporary storage unit 108 are realized by software by a memory control program. However, all or part of these may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit).

Further, the memory control program may be provided by recording the file information in an installable format or an executable format on a recording medium readable by a computer device such as a CD-ROM or a flexible disk (FD). Further, the memory control program may be provided by recording on a recording medium readable by a computer device such as a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, or a semiconductor memory. Further, the memory control program may be provided in the form of being installed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the memory control program may be provided by incorporating it into a ROM or the like in the device in advance.

(Memory control operation)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a memory control operation performed by the CPU 307 of the engine control unit 930 executing a memory control program stored in the non-volatile memory 304. In the flowchart of FIG. 5, first, in step S1 and step S2, the volatile memory read / write unit 107 confirms the presence / absence of update data for the non-volatile memory 304. When the update data for the non-volatile memory 304 exists (step S2: Yes), the update data temporary storage unit 108 and the volatile memory read / write unit 107 temporarily store the update data for the volatile memory 305. Accumulate (step S3).

Next, in step S4, the update data priority determination unit 101 determines the priority of all the update data temporarily stored in the volatile memory 305. The update data priority determination unit 101 is based on the presence / absence of highly important information such as fixed SC (service call) occurrence information in the update data, the elapsed time since the last update data was written, the update amount, the update count, and the like. , Judge the priority of the update data. That is, the update data priority determination unit 101 is timed based on the type of update data, the urgency of the update data, the importance of the update data, and the timekeeping information from the timer 961. The priority of the update data is determined based on the frequency and number of updates.

Further, the data with high urgency of the update data is data related to the failure state of the MFP 9 or the occurrence state of the error state. Further, the data with high importance is a set value changed by the user, data related to information related to billing, and the like.

The priority for the update data may be given to the entire update data or may be given to each individual update data. Alternatively, it may be assigned in units of recording blocks to the non-volatile memory 304.

Next, in step S5, the user operation determination unit 102 determines the user operation. Specifically, the user operation determination unit 102 determines the distance between the user and the MFP 9 (whether or not it is in the vicinity of the MFP 9), the position of the user, and the position of the user's hand according to the detection output of the human sensation detection sensor 960. , The distance, the estimated operation content, the actual operation content of the operation unit 940, the certainty of the human body knowledge result, and the like, the operation status of the user is determined.

As the human sensor 960, an optical sensor, a focal infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a sound sensor, a vibration sensor, a distance sensor, or the like can be used.

When the operation unit 940 is a touch panel, a resistance film type, pressure sensitive type, or capacitance type touch panel can be used as the user operation determination unit 102. Then, by using this touch panel, for example, it can be determined whether or not the user's hand is in a position close to the button for operating the power on / off of the MFP 9.

In this way, the user operation determination unit 102 determines the operation status such as whether the MFP 9 is about to be operated, printing or the like is about to be started, or the power is to be cut off.

Next, in step S6, the machine state determination unit 103 determines the machine state of the MFP 9. Specifically, the machine state determination unit 103 determines the machine state such as printing, standby, energy saving mode, and error occurrence. In addition, the machine status determination unit 103 is connected to the network via the network I / F950, the print job is queued, the operation unit 940 is being operated, and the screen being operated is displayed. It is judged whether the screen is clean or whether printing can be started. Further, the machine state determination unit 103 determines whether or not the document paper to be scanned or copied is loaded on the document mounting table based on the detection output from the document detection unit 962.

Next, in step S7, whether or not the write execution determination unit 104 writes the update data to the non-volatile memory 304 based on the determination results of the update data priority determination unit 101 and the user operation determination unit 102. Is determined.

The write execution determination unit 104 obtains a determination result indicating that the priority is high by, for example, the update data priority determination unit 101, and the user operation determination unit 102 determines that the user is about to start the printing operation. Suppose you get the result. In this case, if the writing of the update data to the non-volatile memory 304 is started, there is a possibility that the user may have to wait for the printing execution until the writing of the update data is completed.

In this case, the write execution determination unit 104 controls the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 so as to wait for the user's printing to be completed and write the update data to the non-volatile memory 304 (step S8). : Yes). This can prevent the inconvenience that the user cannot operate the MFP 9 until the writing to the non-volatile memory 304 is completed.

Similarly, in step S9 after step S8: No, the write execution determination unit 104 stores the update data in the non-volatile memory 304 based on the determination results of the update data priority determination unit 101 and the machine state determination unit 103. Determines whether to execute the write.

The write execution determination unit 104 has obtained a determination result indicating that the priority is high, for example, by the update data priority determination unit 101, but the machine state determination unit 103 indicates that the print job is queued. It is assumed that the judgment result is obtained. In this case, the write execution determination unit 104 controls the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 so as to write the update data to the non-volatile memory 304 after the print is completed so that the user does not have to wait for printing. (Step S10: Yes).

Further, as described above, when the operation unit 940 is a touch panel, a resistance film type, pressure sensitive type or capacitance type touch panel can be used as the user operation determination unit 102. Then, by using this touch panel, for example, it can be determined whether or not the user's hand is in a position close to the button for operating the power on / off of the MFP 9. Further, by determining whether or not the user's hand is close to the button for operating the power on / off of the MFP 9, it is possible to determine whether or not the user is trying to turn off the power. ..

When it is determined that the user is about to shut off the power supply, the write execution determination unit 104 controls the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 so as to immediately write the update data to the non-volatile memory 304. After the writing is completed, the CPU 901 controls to shut off the power supply.

The write execution determination unit 104 waits for the machine state determination result indicating the transition to the energy saving mode by the machine state determination unit 103, and writes the update data to the non-volatile memory 304. The read / write unit 106 may be controlled. The transition of the MFP 9 to the energy saving mode means that the MFP 9 is not operated by the user. Therefore, by waiting for the MFP 9 to transition to the energy saving mode and writing the update data, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the user's operation is in the standby state.

In this example, the update data priority, the user operation, and the machine state are compared, but these may be compared at once, or the determination order may be changed to perform the above determination.

Next, when writing update data is executed (step S8: Yes, step S10: Yes), the save program selection unit 105 selects a control program to save from the non-volatile memory 304 to the volatile memory 305 in step S11. do. This is to avoid a state in which the control program cannot be read from the non-volatile memory 304 during rewriting of the non-volatile memory 304, and the control program cannot execute anything other than rewriting.

The control program to be saved corresponds to a program for rewriting the non-volatile memory, a program for responding to user operations, a program for responding to notifications from the controller unit 910, a program for responding when an error occurs, and the like.

In addition, a control program corresponding to the user's operation, which is predicted based on the determination result of the user operation determination unit 102, may be selected and saved. Further, the control program corresponding to the machine state of the MFP 9 may be selected and saved based on the determination result of the machine state determination unit 103.

If all the control programs of the non-volatile memory 304 are to be saved in the volatile memory 305, it becomes difficult to save them in terms of capacity or time. However, as described above, by selecting and evacuating the minimum necessary control program according to the user's operation or the machine state, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that it becomes difficult to evacuate in terms of capacity or time.

For the same reason, the save program is compressed and stored on the non-volatile memory 304 as shown in FIG. 6 (a), and decompressed when the save program is saved in the volatile memory 305 as shown in FIG. 6 (b). It may be expanded to the volatile memory 305.

Next, in step S12, the volatile memory read / write unit 107 reads the update data temporarily stored in the volatile memory 305, and the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 reads the non-volatile memory. Write to 304 and return to step S1. Such update data may be written at once, or may be written to the non-volatile memory 304 in block units.

(Effect of embodiment)
As is clear from the above description, the MFP 9 of the embodiment includes a write execution determination unit 104, and writes update data or the like from the volatile memory 305 to the non-volatile memory 304 when it is determined to be necessary. However, if writing is performed carelessly, there is a concern that the limited number of writings of the non-volatile memory 304 may be exceeded. Therefore, the write execution determination unit 104 determines whether or not to write based on the determination result of the importance, urgency, etc. of the update data by the update data priority determination unit 101, and writes. As a result, writing can be minimized, and the non-volatile memory 304 can be used for a long period of time.

Further, when the non-volatile memory 304 is, for example, a general flash memory, the data cannot be read out while the data is being rewritten. Therefore, it is not possible to read and execute the control program from the non-volatile memory 304 during the time required for rewriting, for example, from 500 msec to 1000 msec. As a result, even if the MFP 9 is operated, there is a problem that the processing is not performed and a waiting time occurs, and the urgent processing cannot be executed.

Therefore, in the MFP 9 of the embodiment, the save program selection unit 105 selects a program required during rewriting of the data in the non-volatile memory 304. Then, the selected program is copied from the non-volatile memory 304 to the volatile memory 305. As a result, the program selected from the volatile memory 305 can be read and executed while the non-volatile memory 304 is being rewritten, and a waiting time occurs in the operation of the MFP 9 or an urgent process is performed. You can prevent the inconvenience of not being able to execute.

Further, based on the determination result of the user operation determination unit 102, the function (program) that is likely to be used by the user is saved, and the function (program) that is unlikely to be used is not saved, so that the time for waiting the user can be reduced.

Further, in the MFP 9 of the embodiment, the user operation determination unit 102 updates the non-volatile memory 304 at a timing when the user does not operate, so that the user is in a waiting state for the time required for rewriting the non-volatile memory 304. To reduce. Further, when the user operation determination unit 102 predicts that the power of the MFP 9 will be cut off, the write execution determination unit 104 forcibly updates the non-volatile memory 304 and then shuts off the power of the MFP 9. As a result, data can be updated to the non-volatile memory 304 before the power supply of the MFP 9 is cut off, and the inconvenience of losing the updated data due to the power cutoff can be prevented.

Further, in the MFP 9 of the embodiment, the update data priority determination unit 101 determines whether or not there is highly important information such as fixed SC (service call) occurrence information in the update data, and the elapsed time since the last update data was written. The priority of the update data is determined based on the update amount and the update count. The write execution determination unit 104 determines whether or not to execute the write of the update data based on the determination result of the update data priority determination unit 101, and transfers the update data to the non-volatile memory 304 at an appropriate timing. Write. This makes it possible to prevent the inconvenience of losing updated data due to, for example, a power failure.

As described above, the MFP 9 of the embodiment delays the operation of the entire device after using a low-speed and inexpensive non-volatile memory 304 such as a flash memory without using a high-speed and expensive non-volatile memory such as EEPROM. Stable operation can be enabled without any problem.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it indicates that writing is being executed. Hereinafter, in the description of the second embodiment, the description of the same part as that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

(Software configuration of engine control unit)
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of each function realized by the CPU 307 of the engine control unit 930 according to the second embodiment executing the memory control program stored in the non-volatile memory 304. As shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 307 realizes the write execution in-progress display unit 109 (an example of the notification unit) in addition to the functions described in the first embodiment by executing the memory control program.

The write execution display unit 109 displays on the display unit 940a of the operation panel 940 that the write is being executed when the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 writes data to the non-volatile memory 304 to notify the user. .. Further, the write execution displaying unit 109 displays the cancel button B2 (see FIG. 9) or the like on the display unit 940a of the operation panel 940 when the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 writes data to the non-volatile memory 304. Display and notify that the write execution can be canceled.

(Memory control operation)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of a memory control operation performed by the CPU 307 of the engine control unit 930 executing a memory control program stored in the non-volatile memory 304. As shown in FIG. 8, when the write execution determination unit 104 controls the non-volatile memory read / write unit 106 so as to write the update data to the non-volatile memory 304 (step S8: Yes, or step. S10: Yes), the writing execution displaying unit 109 displays a dialog indicating that writing is being executed on the display unit 940a of the operation panel 940 (step S21).

Here, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog indicating that writing is being executed. As shown in FIG. 9, the write execution display unit 109 executes the dialog 800 notifying the message indicating that the write is being executed, such as "Data is being written. Do not turn off the main power." The button B1 and the cancel button B2 are displayed. The cancel button B2 is pressed when the user wants to use the MFP 9 immediately, and receives the cancellation of the write execution to the non-volatile memory 304. This makes it possible to reflect the convenience of the user.

The writing execution display unit 109 may display the dialog 800 only when it takes a long time to write.

Further, the writing execution display unit 109 displays the dialog 800 so that the user cannot operate other than the dialog 800 while writing to the non-volatile memory 304, so that the user interface (UI) other than the dialog 800 can be operated. It is possible to cope with the present invention without changing the program of the above and to reduce the amount of the control program to be saved.

In the present embodiment, the write execution in-display unit 109 displays the execute button B1 and the cancel button B2 in the dialog 800, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the execute button B1 and the cancel button B1 are displayed in the dialog 800. It is not necessary to display B2. The reason why the execute button B1 and the cancel button B2 are not displayed in the dialog 800 is that it is assumed that the user is not nearby in the determination of the user operation in step S5. Therefore, regardless of whether the execution button B1 and the cancel button B2 are displayed or hidden in the dialog 800, the writing execution displaying unit 109 may close the dialog 800 triggered by the passage of time or the end of processing.

Returning to FIG. 8, the writing execution display unit 109 returns to step S1 when the cancel button B2 of the dialog 800 is pressed within a certain period of time (step S22: Yes).

On the other hand, when the execution button B1 of the dialog 800 is pressed within a certain period of time, or when a certain time has elapsed (step S22: No), the write execution in progress display unit 109 performs a save program selection process (step S11). ), And the process of writing the stored update data to the non-volatile memory (step S12).

Finally, if the save program selection unit 105 needs to be restarted when returning the saved control program to the normal state, the save program selection unit 105 restarts (step S23) and returns to step S1.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the write execution display unit 109 can cancel the write execution if the user wants to use it immediately, and displays the dialog 800 notifying that the write is being executed. It is possible to limit the user interface (UI) that can be operated and reduce the required amount of the control program to be saved.

Finally, each of the above embodiments is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications of the embodiments are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

9 MFP
101 Update data priority judgment unit 102 User operation judgment unit 103 Machine status judgment unit 104 Write execution judgment unit 105 Save program selection unit 106 Non-volatile memory read / write unit 107 Volatile memory read / write unit 108 Update data temporary storage Part 109 Writing execution display part 304 Non-volatile memory 305 Volatile memory 307 CPU of engine control part
930 Engine control unit 931 Scanner unit 932 Printer unit 940 Operation unit 950 Network interface (Network I / F)
960 Human body detection sensor 961 Timer 962 Manuscript detection unit

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-119823

Claims (13)

The first storage control unit that controls the storage of data for the non-volatile memory,
A second storage control unit that controls the storage of data for the volatile memory,
A priority determination unit that determines the priority of data stored in the volatile memory for writing to the non-volatile memory, and a priority determination unit.
When it is determined that data can be written to the non-volatile memory based on the priority, the second storage control unit is controlled so as to read the data from the volatile memory, and the data is read from the volatile memory. A write execution determination unit that controls the first storage control unit so that the read data is written to the non-volatile memory.
Information processing device with. The priority determination unit determines the priority of the data based on at least one of the importance of the data, the urgency of the data, the type of data, and the elapsed time since the last writing of the data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Further equipped with a user operation determination unit for determining the operation status of the user.
When the write execution determination unit determines that data can be written to the non-volatile memory based on the determination result of the user operation determination unit, the second write execution determination unit reads the data from the volatile memory. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the first storage control unit is controlled so as to control the storage control unit and write the data read from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory. Information processing equipment. The user operation determination unit is based on the presence / absence of a user, the position of the user, the position of the user's hand, the distance between the user and the device, and the certainty of the human body detection result detected from the detection output of the human body detection sensor. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation status of the user is determined. The user operation determination unit determines the operation status of the user based on whether or not the user's hand is close to the button for operating the power on / off of the device in the operation unit of the device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the information processing apparatus is characterized in that. Further equipped with a device status determination unit for determining the device status,
When the write execution determination unit determines that data can be written to the non-volatile memory based on the determination result of the device state determination unit, the second write execution determination unit reads the data from the volatile memory. 1 to 5, wherein the first storage control unit is controlled so as to control the storage control unit of the above and write the data read from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory. Of these, the information processing device described in any one of the items. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the device state determination unit determines the state of the device based on the presence or absence of a network connection to the network interface. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the device state determination unit determines the state of the device based on the presence or absence of a document on the document mounting table detected by the document detection unit. .. Of the data stored in the non-volatile memory, the data that is expected to be used while writing the data to the non-volatile memory is copied from the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory and stored. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a unit. The first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, when the data read from the volatile memory is written to the non-volatile memory, the notification unit for notifying that the writing to the non-volatile memory is being executed is further provided. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9. The information according to claim 10, wherein the notification unit displays a cancel button for declaring the cancellation of the write execution to the non-volatile memory, and notifies that the write execution to the non-volatile memory can be canceled. Processing equipment. Computer,
A first write / read control unit that controls writing and reading of data to the non-volatile memory, and
A second write / read control unit that controls the writing and reading of data to the volatile memory,
A priority determination unit that determines the priority of data to be written to the non-volatile memory, and
The second so as to read the data from the volatile memory based on the determination result of the suitability of writing the data to the non-volatile memory, which is determined based on the priority determined by the priority determination unit. It is characterized in that it functions as a write execution determination unit that controls the first write / read control unit so as to control the write / read control unit and write the data read from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory. Information processing program. An image forming apparatus comprising the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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