JP3678402B2 - Facsimile device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus that can easily rewrite a program stored in a memory.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of apparatus, a new program is downloaded through a telephone line, and a program stored in the facsimile apparatus is upgraded by inserting a card memory storing the program into the apparatus. It was. Such a system is proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-314202.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional technique, when rewriting a program, the version number of the program inside the apparatus is compared with the version number of the program downloaded from the memory card or the like. The program was rewritten only when it was newer. For this reason, when a new program is transferred to the inside of the apparatus and an error occurs and the program is stored in an incomplete state, the same version of the program cannot be rewritten again.
[0004]
Further, in the facsimile apparatus, since the number of buttons that can be used in addition to the numeric keypad used for calling a telephone number is limited as an operation button, various commands cannot be input unlike a personal computer. For this reason, when downloading a program from the card memory, it is necessary to rewrite the program by inputting a code number or the like previously defined for downloading from the numeric keypad, setting the device in the program rewriting mode, and so on. The rewriting of the program was complicated. The above code numbers etc. are special combinations of numbers randomly, and are not commands that can recall specific meanings from the combinations, so operation errors are likely to occur, and this is the cause of complicated operations It was. In particular, today, when the function of an apparatus is improved by downloading a program, the rewriting operation of the program is frequently performed. Therefore, if the operation procedure is complicated, the rewriting operation does not proceed smoothly.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus that can reliably perform a normal mode and a mode for downloading a program.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
When the facsimile apparatus of the present invention detects that the memory card is inserted and the document sensor is turned on when the power is turned on , the facsimile apparatus shifts to a control for rewriting the program in the apparatus, and the program in the apparatus is inserted. The program is rewritten with a program stored in the memory card.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the first aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that a memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed when the power is turned on, the control proceeds to control for rewriting the program inside the device, and the program inside the device is inserted. The program is rewritten to a program stored in the memory card.
[0008]
With this configuration, it is possible to shift to the program rewrite mode by inserting a memory card and performing a predetermined operation, so that the program in the facsimile apparatus can be rewritten with a simple operation.
[0009]
Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that the memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed when the power is turned on, the control shifts to a control for rewriting the program inside the apparatus, and the inserted Whether the content of the memory card is a program is identified, and if it is a program, the program in the apparatus is rewritten with the program stored in the inserted memory card.
[0010]
With this configuration, when a memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed, if the contents of the memory card are a program, it can be transferred to the inside of the facsimile machine to rewrite the program. The program can be rewritten regardless of the version. As a result, the program stored in the device can be rewritten if there is a bug in the new version and you want to revert to the previous previous version, or if you fail to transfer the new version and want to transfer the same version again. it can.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus according to the first or second aspect, upon rewriting, the operator is notified of the rewriting and the version of the program stored in the memory card, and then rewritten. The structure which performs operation | movement is taken.
[0012]
With this configuration, the operator can confirm the transition to the rewrite mode and the version of the program for rewriting.
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect, at the time of rewriting, the operator is notified of the rewriting and the version of the program stored in the memory card. A configuration is adopted in which a rewrite operation is performed after a rewrite instruction.
[0014]
With this configuration, when rewriting is performed, rewriting can be executed only when the operator confirms the display contents and determines that it is necessary to rewrite truly, thus preventing erroneous rewriting. It becomes possible.
[0015]
Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that a memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed when the power is turned on, the control shifts to a control for rewriting the program inside the apparatus, and the inserted Whether the content of the memory card is a program is identified. If the content is not a program, the content of the memory card is erased.
[0016]
With this configuration, the contents of the memory card can be erased by inserting the memory card and performing a predetermined operation, which eliminates the need for entering a special code number or the like as in the prior art, and simplifies the operation. It becomes possible to prevent erroneous operation. Further, since the facsimile apparatus can also function as a memory card erasing apparatus, a special memory card erasing apparatus is not required when the operation of rewriting the program of the facsimile apparatus is performed.
[0017]
Further, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that a memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed when the power is turned on, the control shifts to a control for rewriting the program inside the apparatus, and the inserted Whether the content of the memory card is a program and the content of the inserted memory card is not a program, or the content of the inserted memory card is a program even if it is not a program for its own device Adopts a configuration for erasing the contents of the memory card.
[0018]
With this configuration, when the program stored in the inserted memory card is not for the own device, it is possible to prevent erroneous rewriting. In addition, when data that is not a program for the device itself is stored in the memory card, the contents of the memory card can be erased, so there is no need to enter a special code number, etc. It becomes possible to simplify and prevent erroneous operation. This eliminates the need for a special memory card erasing device when rewriting the program of the facsimile apparatus.
[0019]
Further, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, when the insertion of a memory card is detected when the power is turned on, the contents of the inserted memory card are identified as a program, and the inserted memory If the contents of the card are not a program, the memory card will be used as an additional memory if no other specified operation is detected when the power is turned on. When it is detected that a predetermined operation is being performed, the memory card is erased.
[0020]
With this configuration, the memory card can be erased only when the memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed. Therefore, the memory card can be erased without changing the mode. Further, when the content of the inserted memory card is not a program, the memory card can be used for memory expansion, so that the memory card can be used effectively.
[0021]
Further, according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, when the insertion of a memory card is detected when the power is turned on, the contents of the inserted memory card are identified as a program, and the inserted memory If the contents of the card are programs, if it is not detected that other predetermined operations are being performed when the power is turned on, the addition of the memory card is ignored, while other predetermined operations are performed when the power is turned on. When it is detected that the above operation is performed, the program in the apparatus is rewritten with the program stored in the inserted memory card.
[0022]
With this configuration, rewriting is performed only when a memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed. Therefore, the program can be rewritten without particularly shifting to the rewriting mode. In addition, when a predetermined operation is not performed, the program is not rewritten, so that it is possible to prevent the program from being rewritten accidentally.
[0023]
In addition, the ninth aspect of the present invention is to determine whether or not the content of the inserted memory card is a program when it is detected that the memory card is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed when the power is turned on. When the content of the inserted memory card is a program, the program inside the apparatus is rewritten with the program stored in the inserted memory card, while the content of the inserted memory card is not a program In this case, the memory card is erased.
[0024]
With this configuration, when the content of the inserted memory card is a program, rewriting is performed, so that the program can be rewritten with a simple operation. Further, when the contents of the inserted memory card are not a program, the memory card can be erased, so that the facsimile apparatus can also function as a memory card erasing apparatus.
[0025]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the predetermined operation is an existing sensor used for other purposes not used when the power is turned on. The structure which is the operation | movement which turns ON is taken.
[0026]
With this configuration, an existing sensor that is not used when the power is turned on can be used to switch between using the facsimile apparatus in the normal mode and starting it in another mode. It is not necessary to provide a special operation button or the like, and the mode switching can be simplified without increasing the number of parts and increasing the cost.
[0027]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. A facsimile apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control bus 101, and communicates data with each component via the control bus 101. That is, on the control bus 101, a CPU 102 that controls the entire facsimile apparatus 100 based on a program to be described later, a command input from the operation panel, and the like, and a rewritable flash ROM 103 in which a program executed by the CPU 102 is stored. Are connected to a flash ROM 104 for storing image data read by the facsimile apparatus 100 and image data received through communication, and an SRAM 105 for temporarily storing data for the CPU 102 to execute a program. .
[0028]
In addition, data is transmitted and received between an operation panel I / F 106 that communicates commands, statuses, download data, and the like with an operation panel, which will be described later, and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”). A parallel I / F 107, a facsimile communication, a modem 108 for performing Internet communication via a telephone line network, which will be described later, and a memory card expansion unit 109 for expanding a memory for storing image data are connected. A memory card 110 composed of a rewritable medium such as an F-ROM is inserted into and removed from the memory card expansion unit 109 in order to input data.
[0029]
An operation panel 111 is connected to the operation panel I / F 106, and an operator inputs a mode instruction, a download instruction, and the like from the operation panel 111. A PC 112 is connected to the parallel I / F 107 and performs data communication with the facsimile apparatus 100. The PC 112 inputs data from the FD 113. The FD 113 is a medium including a floppy disk, MD, MO, and the like. The PC 112 is connected to a network 114 such as a LAN or the Internet, and data communication is possible with the PC 115 installed in a remote place. Further, the PC 115 can extract necessary data from the database 116.
[0030]
The modem 108 is connected to a telephone line network 117 for the facsimile apparatus 100 to perform G3 communication and Internet communication, and can perform facsimile communication and Internet communication with a FAX 118 installed in a remote place. .
[0031]
Next, the setting of the memory space in the memory card 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a setting state of the memory space in the memory card 110. In order from address 00800000, “boot management information”, “boot program main body” that is a program used for program transfer, and “main program” that is a transferred program are stored up to address 009FFFFF. The details of this “boot management information” are shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of “boot management information” in the memory card. In the contents of the boot management information in FIG. 3, “system / data card common header” indicates that this memory card is some kind of information storage card, and “system / data card type header” indicates the boot of the main program. In addition to indicating a card, backup information data, optional program data, etc. are defined.
[0032]
The “program name” is information including the model name and virgin name, the “creation date” is the date the program was created, and the “number of revisions on the creation date” is the same date and the same version This is the management information when changing in “Checksum” is a checksum value of the transfer program. “Development information” is “0xffff” at the time of development and “0x0000” at the time of use in the market. The “country code” is product country information, and the “OEM code” indicates product delivery destination information.
[0033]
The “main CPU control data 1 to 2” is hardware control information, and the “execution address after boot” indicates the program start address on the FAX side that is executed after the new program boots. “Boot program address on the card” indicates the start address of the boot program main body in the memory card, and “Boot program size” indicates the size of the boot program in the memory card.
[0034]
Next, the operation when the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above rewrites a program will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.
4 and 5 are operation flowcharts when the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention rewrites a program. First, in a state where the power is off (step S200), it is determined whether or not rewriting by the F-ROM is performed (step S201). If rewriting by the F-ROM is not performed, whether or not rewriting by the PC is performed is determined. Judgment is made (step S202). As a result of this determination, if rewriting by the PC is not performed, the power is turned on (step S203), the normal standby mode is entered (step S204), and the process is terminated.
[0035]
If it is determined in step S202 that rewriting by the PC is performed, the PC is connected to the PC (step S205), and when the power is turned on (step S206), the PC rewriting mode is set (step S207). It is executed (step S231).
[0036]
If it is determined in step S201 that rewriting by the F-ROM is performed, a rewriting F-ROM card is mounted (step S208), and when the power is turned on (step S209), the document sensor is turned on. It is determined whether or not (step S210). If the result of this determination is that the document sensor is not ON, the normal mode is set (step S211), and it is determined whether the mounted F-ROM card is for a program (step S212). If the F-ROM card is not for a program, memory expansion is set (step S213), and the normal standby mode is set (step S214). If it is determined in step S212 that the F-ROM card is for a program, the memory expansion setting is not performed (step S215), and the normal standby mode is set (step S214).
[0037]
If the document sensor is ON in step S210, the rewrite mode is set (step S216). As described above, since the mode is set by determining whether the mode is the normal mode or the rewriting mode by turning on / off an existing document sensor that is not used when the power is turned on, it is necessary to provide a special operation button or the like. The mode can be easily switched. Next, it is determined whether or not the F-ROM card is for a program (step S217). If the result of this determination is that the program is not used, the process proceeds to the process shown in FIG. That is, the clear mode is set (step S218). As described above, based on the information on whether or not the existing document sensor that is not used when the power is turned on and whether the F-ROM card is for a program, the normal mode, the rewrite mode, and the clear mode are used. The three types of mode settings are identified, so even in a facsimile machine with a limited number of buttons to be used, the mode can be switched by a simple operation without performing a complicated operation such as inputting a code number. It can be done smoothly. Next, it is determined whether or not the F-ROM card is an information display (step S219). If the result of this determination is that information is not displayed, the process proceeds to step S222 to clear the data in the F-ROM card (step S222), the normal standby mode is entered (step S223), and the process is terminated.
[0038]
In step S219, if the F-ROM card is in information display, information is displayed on the panel (step S220), and it is determined whether the user has set clear (step S221). If this setting is not made, the process proceeds to step S223, enters the normal standby mode (step S223), and ends. If clear is set in step S221, the data in the F-ROM card is cleared (step S222), the normal standby mode is set (step S223), and the process ends.
[0039]
In step S217, if the F-ROM card is for a program, it is determined whether the program is a program for its own device (step S224). If the result of this determination is not a program for its own device, Control goes to step S218. If it is a program for the own device, rewriting preparation is performed regardless of whether the program is an old version, a new version, or the same version (steps S225 to S227). This makes it possible to rewrite the program when there is a bug in the new version and it is desired to return to the previous old version, or when the transfer of the new version fails and the same version is to be transferred again.
[0040]
In step S225 to step S227, when rewriting preparation is complete, it is determined whether version information is included (step S228). If version information is not included, rewriting is executed (step S232). If rewrite information is included, the version information is displayed on the panel (step S229), and it is determined whether rewrite is in the user selection mode (step S230). If it is not the user selection mode, rewriting is executed (step S232), and if it is the user selection mode, it is determined whether rewriting is OK (step S231). As a result, if the rewriting is not OK, the rewriting mode is terminated and the standby mode is set (step S233). On the other hand, when the rewriting is OK, the rewriting is executed (step S232), and then the rewriting mode is ended, the standby mode is set (step S233), and the processing is ended.
[0041]
As described above, the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can rewrite a program regardless of whether the version of the program is new or old. You can rewrite the program if you want to revert to the previous version of the program, or if you want to transfer the same version again if the transfer of the new version fails.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, since the memory card is inserted and the document sensor is turned on, the program rewriting mode can be entered. The program can be rewritten.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a setting state of a memory space in a memory card. FIG. 4 is an operation flow chart when the facsimile apparatus according to the above embodiment rewrites a program. FIG. 5 is an operation flow chart when the facsimile apparatus according to the above embodiment rewrites a program. 6) Operation flow chart when the facsimile apparatus according to the above embodiment rewrites a program.
100 facsimile machine 101 control bus 102 CPU
103, 104 F-ROM
105 S-RAM
106 Operation panel I / F
107 Parallel I / F
108 Modem 109 Memory card expansion unit 110 Memory card 111 Operation panel 112, 115 PC
113 FD
114 Network 116 Database 117 Telephone network 118 FAX

Claims (4)

When the power supply is turned on, if it is detected that the memory card is inserted and the document sensor is turned on, control is transferred to rewriting the program inside the device, and the program inside the device is stored in the inserted memory card. A facsimile machine characterized by rewriting the program. When the power supply is turned on, if it is detected that the memory card is inserted and the document sensor is turned on, the control proceeds to rewrite the program inside the apparatus, and the contents of the inserted memory card are changed to the program for the own device. identifying whether a, the case of a ship for the program, a facsimile device characterized by rewriting the device inside the program to the inserted said program own device stored in the memory card has been. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rewriting operation is performed after notifying the operator of the rewriting and the version of the program stored in the memory card. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when rewriting, the operator is notified of rewriting and the version of the program stored in the memory card, and the rewriting operation is performed after waiting for a rewriting instruction from the operator.

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