JP4636029B2 - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of image forming apparatuses and programs.

  In information processing apparatuses such as image forming apparatuses and image processing apparatuses called so-called multi-function machines having a copy function, a facsimile transmission / reception function, a scanner function, a printer function, etc. Alternatively, hardware such as an authentication device may be added.

In order to facilitate function expansion by adding an application, a configuration having a hierarchy has been proposed in a multi-function peripheral having a printer, copy, and factory functions. There is a technology that facilitates function expansion by adding an application by providing a common function in a lower layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, as a technique described in other publications, there is a technique in which an application and a platform prepare a thread different from a normal one for diagnosis, and can perform a pseudo (closed to a process) diagnosis (for example, a patent) Reference 2).

JP 2002-82806 A JP 2003-78688 A

Here, for example, when adding hardware such as an authentication device, optional software is newly added, or hardware such as an authentication device, a scanner, and a storage device is added using a general-purpose interface such as USB. In some cases, new functions need to be easily added.
By the way, when any failure occurs in the information processing apparatus to which a function is newly added as described above, it is necessary to perform diagnosis of the entire information processing apparatus including not only the existing function but also the newly added function. In order to realize this, it is necessary to modify the existing diagnostic program in order to diagnose the newly added function. Therefore, when adding a new function, it is not sufficient to add the expanded function. It was also necessary to replace existing software.

  The present invention has been made to solve such technical problems, and the object of the present invention is to change existing software without changing existing diagnostic programs when adding new software. Similarly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of collecting information or diagnosing newly added software.

  In order to solve the above problem, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention acquires an acquisition module that acquires an application module and an interface corresponding to the application module, and acquires an interface from the software component acquired by the acquisition module. And I / F information generation means for generating interface information used for operation analysis or diagnosis, and I / F information storage means for storing interface information generated by the I / F information generation means, To do.

In the image forming apparatus, based on an error code output when an abnormality occurs, a specifying unit that specifies an application module in which an abnormality has occurred, and interface information for the application module specified by the specifying unit is received from the I / F information storage unit. I / F information acquisition means for acquiring, and information collection means for accessing software components corresponding to the interface information acquired by the I / F information acquisition means and collecting software component status information And
In the image forming apparatus, the I / F information storage unit stores the interface information of another software component having a dependency relationship in association with the interface information stored in the I / F information storage unit. The acquisition unit acquires interface information of another software component having a dependency relationship with the application module specified by the specifying unit from the I / F information storage unit, and the information collection unit is acquired by the I / F information acquisition unit. It is characterized by accessing other software components and collecting status information.

In the image forming apparatus, the I / F information acquisition unit acquires the interface information in order from the other software components with less dependency among the other software components specified by the specifying unit.
The image forming apparatus further includes display means for displaying the state information collected by the information collecting means together with software components having a dependency relationship.

In the image forming apparatus, based on an error code output when an abnormality occurs, a specifying unit that specifies an application module in which an abnormality has occurred, and interface information for the application module specified by the specifying unit is received from the I / F information storage unit. It further includes I / F information acquisition means to be acquired, and diagnostic means for accessing the software component corresponding to the interface information acquired by the I / F information acquisition means and diagnosing the software component.
In the image forming apparatus, the I / F information storage unit stores the interface information of another software component having a dependency relationship in association with the interface information stored in the I / F information storage unit. The acquiring unit acquires interface information of another software component having a dependency relationship with the application module specified by the specifying unit from the I / F information storage unit, and the diagnosis unit is a software component of the application module specified by the specifying unit. Prior to access to the access point, another software component acquired by the I / F information acquisition unit is accessed and diagnosed.
The image forming apparatus further includes a holding unit that holds a diagnosis result by the diagnosis unit, and the diagnosis unit performs the second time when a plurality of diagnosis requests are made for the same other software component in one diagnosis. The subsequent diagnosis request is characterized by outputting the first diagnosis result held by the holding means.

  In order to solve the above problems, a program according to the present invention obtains an interface included in a software component from a software component obtained by a computer and generates interface information used for operation analysis or diagnosis. An / F information generation function and an I / F information storage function for storing the generated interface information in an I / F information storage unit are realized.

  In order to solve the above problems, a program according to the present invention includes a specific function for identifying an application module in which an abnormality has occurred based on an error code output to the computer when an abnormality has occurred, and an interface for the identified application module I / F information acquisition function for acquiring information from the I / F information storage means storing interface information used for operation analysis or diagnosis of the software component, and accessing the software component corresponding to the acquired interface information, An information collecting function for collecting software component status information is realized.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the interface of the software component can be known only by searching the I / F information storage means storing the interface information used for operation confirmation or diagnosis, and the present invention is not adopted. Compared to the above, information collection or diagnosis of the acquired software component is facilitated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is easier to collect status information from the software component of the application module specified when an abnormality occurs than in the case where the present invention is not adopted.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is easier to collect status information from other software components that have a dependency when detecting an abnormality in the application module than when the present invention is not adopted.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, compared with a case where the present invention is not adopted, software components that are targets of information collection can be narrowed down, and rapid information collection can be realized.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cause of the abnormality detection can be easily pursued as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the software component of the application module specified at the time of occurrence of an abnormality can be diagnosed more easily than when the present invention is not adopted.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, other software components having a dependency relationship can be diagnosed in advance when an abnormality of the application module is detected.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, duplicate diagnosis can be omitted.

  According to the invention of claim 9, the interface of the software component can be known only by searching the I / F information storage means storing the interface information used for operation confirmation or diagnosis, and the present invention is not adopted. Compared to the above, information collection or diagnosis of the acquired software component is facilitated.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is easier to collect status information from the software component of the application module specified when an abnormality occurs than when the present invention is not adopted.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the best mode (embodiment) for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction machine 10 as an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The multifunction machine 10 has a system, an information collection program, and a diagnosis program. The multifunction machine 10 includes a plurality of in-house software components X, Y, and Z that are already installed in advance at the time of factory shipment, and one or a plurality of in-house or other companies α and β products that are additionally installed after the factory shipment. Software components A to D are provided.

Here, the system refers to a part, software, and hardware that manage various types of information of software components installed in the multifunction machine 10.
Further, the system manages a list of names of installed software components, an I / F defined by the software component, and a list of other software components on which the software component depends.

The information collection program is a program that collects status information of the multifunction machine 10 for operation analysis. The diagnostic program is a program for diagnosing the state of software components installed in the multifunction machine 10. Both the information collection program and the diagnostic program are installed in the multifunction machine 10 in advance. The operation of these programs will be described later.
When a new software component is installed, an I / F included in the software component is registered in the system ((1) I / F information registration). Then, when an abnormality is detected, the information collection program or the diagnostic program accesses the system and searches for and acquires the registered I / F information ((2) Search for I / F information) . Then, based on the acquired I / F information, the information collection program or the diagnostic program accesses the software component and accesses the I / F of the software component ((3) access to the I / F).

(Configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining the multifunction machine 10 as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
The multifunction machine 10 includes a software storage unit 20, an I / F information generation unit 22, an I / F information storage unit 23, an I / F information acquisition unit 25, an information collection unit 26, as an example of an acquisition unit, A diagnosis unit 27, a display unit 28, and a specifying unit 29 are included.

The software storage unit 20 is configured by information storage means such as a hard disk. The software storage unit 20 stores software components A11A to D11D and the like. Here, the software component A11A includes, for example, an application module 12A that constitutes control software of the multifunction machine 10, and an interface (hereinafter referred to as I / F) 13A that controls communication. Examples of the I / F 13A include an information collection I / F and a diagnosis I / F.
The software components A11A to D11D installed in the multifunction machine 10 include so-called third vendors α and β that are not related to the manufacturer, in addition to software components created by the manufacturer who manufactured the multifunction machine 10. Software components such as control software produced are also included. Some software components are installed at the factory, and some software components are added after shipment.

The I / F information generation unit 22 is realized, for example, when a CPU (central processing unit) or the like executes an I / F information generation step (step 106 in FIG. 4). When installing the software component A11A or the like in the software storage unit 20, the I / F information generation unit 22 acquires the I / F 13A from the software component A11A or the like stored in the software storage unit 20 and acquires the I / F information storage unit 23. I / F information in a format suitable for storage (see FIG. 3) is generated and output.
The I / F information storage unit 23 is composed of, for example, a hard disk. The I / F information storage unit 23 includes installation information that is a breakdown of all software components installed in the multifunction machine 10 and stored in the software storage unit 20, and software generated by the I / F information generation unit 22. I / F information such as component A11A is stored.

  Further, the installation information stored in the I / F information storage unit 23 is stored in the format shown in FIG. Further, the I / F information storage unit 23 stores an access object described later in advance. The I / F information includes, for example, information collection I / F information scan () and diagnostic I / F information diag ().

Here, an example of the I / F information generated by the I / F information generation unit 22 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of the I / F information of the software component generated by the I / F information generation unit 22.
As shown in FIG. 3, the vendor name of the software component installed in the MFP 10, the name of the software component, the list of other software component groups on which each software component depends, and the I / I provided by each software component F is stored in a list format.

Returning to FIG. 2, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 is realized, for example, when the CPU executes an information acquisition process (steps 203 and 204 in FIG. 5). The I / F information acquisition unit 25 obtains I / F information of the software component A11A or the like (target software component) based on the error code, searches the I / F information storage unit 23, and acquires the I / F information.
The information collecting unit 26 is realized, for example, when the CPU starts an information collecting process (step 205 in FIG. 5). The information collection unit 26 accesses the I / F of the target software component A11A using the I / F information acquired by the I / F information acquisition unit 25, and collects the state information of the target software component A11A.

The diagnosis unit 27 is realized, for example, when the CPU starts a diagnosis program shown in FIG. The target software component A11A is accessed using the I / F information acquired by the I / F information acquisition unit 25 and the access object that is an access program for diagnosis, and the target program component A11A is operated by operating the inspection program. Diagnose.
The display unit 28 corresponds to a display unit such as a liquid crystal display unit provided in the multifunction machine 10, for example. The display unit 28 displays the status information collected by the information collection unit 26 or the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnosis unit 27 together with the target software component A11A that is the target of information collection or diagnosis.

  The specifying unit 29 is realized, for example, when the CPU executes an error code acquisition process (steps 201 and 202 in FIG. 5). The identifying unit 29 identifies a software component (target software component) that is a target of information collection or diagnosis based on the acquired error code.

(Registration of I / F information during installation)
The registration of the I / F information in the system performed internally by the multifunction device 10 when the information recording medium such as a CD-ROM or the software component A11A obtained through the Internet is installed in the multifunction device 10 will be described below. .
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the registration work when the software component A11A is installed in the multifunction machine 10.
When the installation of the software component A11A is started in the multifunction machine 10, the I / F information generation unit 22 starts an I / F information generation program.

The software storage unit 20 stores (installs) the software component A11A (installation process) (step 101).
When the installation process is completed, the I / F information generation unit 22 registers the installation information of the software component A11A that has been installed in the I / F information storage unit 23 (installation information registration process) (step 102). Specifically, the standard object file is placed in a predetermined directory indicating registration in the I / F information storage unit 23.

Subsequently, the I / F information generation unit 22 acquires the installed software component A11A and the like (acquisition process) (step 103).
The I / F information generation unit 22 determines whether the acquired software component A11A has the I / F 13A (determination step) (step 104).
When the I / F information generation unit 22 determines that the software component A11A has the I / F 13A (step 104: Y), the I / F information generation unit 22 acquires the I / F 13A from the software component A11A. (I / F acquisition process) (step 105).

The I / F information generation unit 22 generates I / F information based on the acquired I / F 13A (I / F information generation step) (step 106). Specifically, the extracted I / F 13A is converted into a format suitable for recording by the I / F information recording unit 23 shown in FIG. 3 to generate I / F information.
On the other hand, when the I / F information generation unit 22 determines that the software component A11A does not have the I / F 13A in the determination step (step 104) (step 104: N), the I / F information generation unit 22 extracts the software component name and outputs it as I / F information (software component name extraction step) (step 121).

After the I / F information generation step (step 106) or the software component name extraction step (step 121) is completed, the I / F information generation unit 22 sends the generated I / F information to the I / F information storage unit 23, The I / F information storage unit 23 stores I / F information (I / F information storage step) (step 107). This completes the installation.
As a result, the I / F information of the installed software component is stored in the I / F information storage unit 23. When the I / F information acquisition unit 25 accesses the I / F information storage unit 23 at the time of detecting an abnormality, which will be described later, it becomes possible to know the target software component to be collected or diagnosed.

(Information gathering)
Since the installation of software components has been described above, the operation of collecting information for operation analysis performed by the multifunction machine 10 when an abnormality is detected will be described below.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the information collection program in the multifunction machine 10 when an abnormality is detected.
When an abnormality is detected and the user starts the information collection program, the program starts operation.

The specifying unit 29 acquires an error code when an abnormality is detected (error code acquiring step) (step 201).
Then, the specifying unit 29 specifies an application module related to the acquired error code (determination step for specifying) (step 202). Specifically, since application modules related to error codes are determined in advance in many cases, related application modules are specified based on the acquired error codes.

  When the application module can be identified (step 202: Y), the I / F information acquisition unit 25 acquires the information collection I / F information of the identified application module from the I / F information storage unit 23. Specifically, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 searches the information collection I / F information stored in the I / F information storage unit 23 based on the identified application module (information collection I / F F information search step) (step 203), all software components having an I / F related to the detected error code are extracted and acquired in a list format. At this time, an object (access object) for accessing the extracted software component is acquired from the I / F information storage unit 23 (search result acquisition step) (step 204).

Based on the acquired information collection I / F information, the information collection unit 26 accesses the software component, accesses the software component corresponding to the application module identified using the acquired access object, and sets the interface of the accessed software component. Get the object to call. Then, I / F is called using the object, and the information of the software component is collected (information collecting step) (step 205). Specifically, the information collection unit 26 acquires the value of the internal data of the software component before the error occurs.
Here, in the case of a job management software component, the internal data includes information on a job currently being executed, the number of jobs in operation, and the like. In the information collecting step (step 205), the monitoring thread may be operated to acquire thread trace information and stack information during normal operation (that is, before the occurrence of an error).

On the other hand, when the identifying unit 29 cannot identify the application module, for example, when an associated application module acquires an error code that has not been determined in advance (step 202: N), the information collecting unit 26 has all installed Access software components sequentially.
First, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 accesses the I / F information storage unit 23 to obtain installation information, I / F information, and access objects of all software components installed in the software storage unit 20. Obtain (installation information obtaining step) (step 221). Here, the installation information includes all software components installed in the multi-function device 10, but the I / F information and the access object include only software components in a format that conforms to the storage format of the present embodiment.

Subsequently, the information collection unit 26 accesses the software component A11A to the software component D11D and collects state information (information collection step) (step 222). At this time, if the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed can be acquired, the software component is accessed using the information.
On the other hand, when the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed are not acquired, the information collecting unit 26 directly selects the software component without the I / F information and the access object. To access.
When all the software components are not accessed (judgment process: step 223: N), the information collection process (step 222) is repeatedly executed.

When all the software components installed in the multifunction machine 10 have been accessed and information has been collected (judgment step: step 223: Y), the software component that caused the abnormality from the acquired software component is determined. Guess (cause component guessing step) (step 224).
Specifically, for example, based on the collected state information, it is estimated that an abnormality may have occurred in a software component having state information different from that during normal operation. Alternatively, the collected state information is analyzed using another inspection program, and the cause of the abnormality is estimated.

After the information collection process (step 205) ends or after the cause component estimation process (step 224) ends, the display unit 28 displays the collected state information and the operation analysis result (display process) (step 206). End the information collection program.
As described above, when the information collection I / F information of the application module 12 </ b> A related to the error code is stored in the I / F information storage unit 23, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 stores in the I / F information storage unit 23. The information collection I / F information can be acquired simply by accessing, and the information collection unit 26 can easily collect information. Further, even when the information collection I / F information is not stored in the I / F information storage unit 23, the information collection unit 26 accesses the application module and collects the state information by a conventional method. It is possible.

(Diagnosis)
The information collection described above is for the purpose of collecting information such as logs showing the operations before and after anomaly detection and dumping the contents of each variable, assuming that the collected status information is analyzed by another inspection program. Yes. On the other hand, the diagnosis described below is different in that the inspection program is operated in the application module in order for the multifunction device 10 to detect the abnormal part when the abnormality is detected.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the diagnostic program in the multifunction machine 10 when an abnormality is detected.
When the diagnostic program is started in the diagnostic unit 27 by the user who has detected an abnormality, the program starts its operation.

The specifying unit 29 acquires an error code when an abnormality is detected (error code acquiring step) (step 301).
Then, the specifying unit 29 specifies an application module related to the acquired error code (determination step for specifying) (step 302). For example, if an abnormality occurs in the copy application while the MFP 10 is executing a copy, the specifying unit 29 acquires an error code indicating that the copy cannot be executed from the copy application module. When the user makes a diagnosis request to the diagnosis unit 27, the specifying unit 29 specifies the copy application module related to the error code based on the error code.

  When the application module can be identified (step 302: Y), the I / F information acquisition unit 25 accesses the I / F information storage unit 23 and searches for the diagnostic I / F information diag () of the identified application module. (Diagnostic I / F information search step) (step 303), all software components having diagnostic I / F information diag () related to the detected error code are extracted and acquired in a list format. At this time, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 acquires the diagnostic I / F information diag () and the access object for accessing the extracted software component from the I / F information storage unit 23 (search result) Acquisition step) (step 304).

Based on the acquired diagnostic I / F information diag (), the diagnostic unit 27 accesses the software component A11A to the software component D11D, and executes the inspection program included in the accessed software component A11A to the software component D11D. (Inspection program execution step) (step 305).
And the diagnostic result which is a test result is acquired (diagnosis result acquisition process) (step 306).

On the other hand, when the application module cannot be specified (step 302: N), the diagnosis unit 27 sequentially accesses all installed software components.
Specifically, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 accesses the I / F information storage unit 23 to access installation information, I / F information, and access of all software components installed in the software storage unit 20. An object is acquired (installation information acquisition step) (step 321).

Subsequently, the diagnosis unit 27 accesses and diagnoses the software component (diagnosis process) (step 322). If the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed can be acquired, the software component is accessed using it.
On the other hand, when the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed are not acquired, the information collecting unit 26 directly selects the software component without the I / F information and the access object. Visit to diagnose.
When all the software components are not accessed (determination step: step 323: N), the diagnosis step (step 322) is repeatedly executed.

When the diagnosis result is acquired (step 306) or when all the software components installed in the multifunction machine 10 are accessed and diagnosed (determination step: step 323: Y), the display unit 28 acquires The diagnosis result as the inspection result is displayed (display process) (step 307), and the diagnosis program is terminated.
For a software component that does not have a diagnostic I / F, it may be displayed in the display step (step 307) that the software component does not have a diagnostic I / F instead of the diagnostic result.
As described above, when the diagnostic I / F information of the application module related to the error code is stored in the I / F information storage unit 23, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 accesses the I / F information storage unit 23. Thus, diagnostic I / F information can be acquired, and diagnosis by the diagnosis unit 27 can be easily performed. Even if the diagnostic I / F information is not stored in the I / F information storage unit 23, the diagnostic unit 27 can access the application module to make a diagnosis.

According to the first embodiment, since the I / F information generated by the I / F information generation unit 22 at the time of software component installation is stored in the I / F information storage unit 23, the I / F information acquisition unit 25 is The I / F information can be acquired simply by accessing the / F information storage unit 23.
According to the first embodiment, even when a new software component is added, information collection or diagnosis for the added software component can be realized in the same manner as the existing software component. As a result, it is possible to collect information on a newly added software component without changing the information collection program, and it becomes easy to add functions and collect appropriate information.

According to the first embodiment, when developing a new software component, it is possible to easily create an information collecting function or a diagnostic function for the software component, and it is possible to reduce the development of the related software component. In addition, it is possible to simplify the creation of installation packages and the simplification of management by reducing the number of software components to be installed (for example, matching the versions).
According to the first embodiment, when the abnormality is detected, the identifying unit 29 identifies the application module related to the occurrence of the abnormality. Therefore, by collecting information and performing diagnosis only for the identified application module, information collection And diagnosis time can be shortened.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the information collection program and the diagnostic program are started by using a user operation as a trigger when an abnormality is detected has been described. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to when an abnormality is detected. The present invention can also be applied to a case where a user operates a PC (not shown) and wants to know the status of software components, and collects information and diagnoses inside the multifunction device 10.
The program of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 can also be applied to a multi-function peripheral that does not add a new software component after factory shipment.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the application module in which an abnormality has occurred is a case where the software component including the application module has the cause of the occurrence of the abnormality, but in the second embodiment, it depends on other software components. An example will be described in which the present invention is applied when an abnormality occurs in a software component that operates.

(Dependency)
The second embodiment is an example in which a software component has a dependency relationship with other software components when operating. Here, the dependency relationship refers to a relationship involving the operation of another software component during the operation of a certain software component. As shown in FIG. 3, this dependency relationship is included in a list of other software component groups on which each software component of the I / F information generated by the I / F information generation unit 22 depends. The number of dependencies depends on the number of dependent software components. For example, software components in each layer depend on software components in the same or lower layers, and do not depend on software components in higher layers, so the software component in the lowest layer is usually the most dependent. Few.

(Configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram for explaining the multifunction machine 15 according to the second embodiment.
The same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the following description is omitted.
The multifunction machine 15 includes an I / F information storage unit 41, an I / F information acquisition unit 42, and a holding unit 43.

The I / F information storage unit 41 is composed of, for example, a hard disk. The I / F information storage unit 41 stores a software component (second software component) having a dependency relationship with execution of an application module in association with a software component (first software component) including the application module.
The I / F information acquisition unit 42 is realized, for example, when the CPU executes a dependency relationship extraction step (step 406 in FIG. 8). The I / F information acquisition unit 42 searches the I / F information storage unit 41 and extracts a second software component having a dependency relationship with the first software component specified by the specifying unit 29.
The holding unit 43 is configured by a memory or the like, for example. The holding unit 43 holds information for diagnosis.

(Operation during installation)
The I / F information registration work performed internally by the multi-function device 15 when the multi-function device 15 having the above configuration installs the software component A11A and the like will be described below.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a registration operation when installing a software component having a dependency relationship.
When the installation of the software component A11A is started in the multifunction machine 15, the I / F information generation unit 22 starts the I / F information generation program.

The software storage unit 20 installs the software component A11A (installation process) (step 401).
When the installation process (step 401) is completed, the I / F information generation unit 22 registers the installation information of the software component A11A that has been installed in the I / F information storage unit 41 (installation information registration process) (step 402). ).

Subsequently, the I / F information generation unit 22 acquires the installed software component A11A and the like (acquisition process) (step 403).
The I / F information generation unit 22 determines whether or not the acquired software component A11A has the I / F 13A (determination step) (step 404).
When the I / F information generation unit 22 determines that the software component A11A has the I / F 13A (step 404: Y), the I / F information generation unit 22 acquires the I / F 13A from the software component A11A. (I / F acquisition process) (step 405).

Based on the acquired I / F 13A, the I / F information generation unit 22 extracts another software component (second software component) having a dependency relationship with the execution of the application module (dependency relationship extracting step) (step 406). . Then, the I / F information generation unit 22 associates the extracted second software component with the first software component including the application module to generate I / F information (I / F information generation step) (step 407). ).
On the other hand, when the I / F information generation unit 22 determines that the software component A11A does not have the I / F 13A in the determination step (step 404) (step 404: N), the I / F information generation unit 22 extracts the software component name and outputs it as I / F information (software component name extraction step) (step 421).

After the I / F information generation step (step 407) or the software component name extraction step (step 421) is completed, the I / F information generation unit 22 sends the generated I / F information to the I / F information storage unit 41. The I / F information storage unit 41 stores I / F information (I / F information storage step) (step 408). This completes the installation.
Thereby, the I / F information of the installed first software component is stored in the I / F information storage unit 41 in association with the second software component having the dependency. When the I / F information acquisition unit 42 accesses the I / F information storage unit 41 when an abnormality described later is detected, it is possible to know the range of dependency of the target software component to be collected or diagnosed.

(Information gathering)
According to the flowchart described above, the I / F information of the installed first software component is stored in the I / F information storage unit 41 in association with the second software component having the dependency relationship. An operation of collecting information when the MFP 15 is actually used and an abnormality occurs will be described.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the information collection program in the multifunction machine 15 when an abnormality occurs.
When an abnormality is detected and the user starts the information collection program, the program starts operation.

The specifying unit 29 acquires an error code when an abnormality is detected (error code acquiring step) (step 501).
Then, the specifying unit 29 specifies the related application module based on the acquired error code (determination step for specifying) (step 502).

  When the application module can be identified (step 502: Y), the I / F information acquisition unit 42 is an information collection I / F for the second software component having a dependency relationship with the first software component corresponding to the identified application module. Information is acquired from the I / F information storage unit 41. Specifically, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 searches for information collection I / F information of the second software component stored in the I / F information storage unit 41 (information collection I / F information search). Step) (Step 503), all the second software components having the information collection I / F related to the detected error code are extracted and acquired in a list format (search result acquisition step) (Step 504).

Then, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 extracts the second software component having a small dependency among the acquired second software components (dependency relationship extracting step) (step 505). Specifically, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 extracts the number of software components and application modules that depend on the acquired list.
Then, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 acquires the extracted application module information collection I / F information and the access objects to be accessed from the I / F information storage unit 41 in ascending order of the number of dependencies. (I / F information acquisition step) (step 506).

  Based on the acquired information collection I / F information, the information collection unit 26 accesses the second software component, accesses the second software component corresponding to the application module identified using the acquired access object, and accesses the second software component. Obtain an object that calls the I / F of the two software components. Then, an I / F is called using the object, and information such as internal data values before the occurrence of an error is collected (information collecting step) (step 507). Alternatively, the monitoring thread may be operated to acquire thread trace information and stack information during normal operation.

On the other hand, when the application module cannot be specified (step 502: N), the information collection unit 26 sequentially accesses all installed software components.
First, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 accesses the I / F information storage unit 41 to obtain installation information, I / F information, and access objects of all software components installed in the software storage unit 20. Obtaining (installation information obtaining step) (step 521).

Subsequently, the information collecting unit 26 accesses the software component and collects information (information collecting step) (step 522). At this time, if the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed can be acquired, the software component is accessed using the information.
On the other hand, when the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed are not acquired, the information collecting unit 26 directly selects the software component without the I / F information and the access object. To access.

If all the software components are not accessed (determination step) (step 523: N), the information collection step (step 522) is repeatedly executed.
When all the software components installed in the multifunction machine 15 have been accessed and information has been collected (judgment step: step 523: Y), the software component that caused the abnormality from the acquired software component is determined. Guess (cause component guessing step) (step 524).

After the information collection process (step 507) ends or after the cause component estimation process (step 524) ends, the display unit 28 displays the collected state information and the operation analysis result (display process) (step 508). End the information collection program.
As described above, when the information collection I / F information of the second software component having a dependency relationship with the first software component corresponding to the application module related to the error code is stored in the I / F information storage unit 41, The information collection I / F information of the second software component can be acquired simply by the / F information acquisition unit 42 accessing the I / F information storage unit 41, and the information collection unit 26 can easily collect information. Further, even when the information collection I / F information is not stored in the I / F information storage unit 41, the information collection unit 26 accesses the application module and collects information by a conventional method. Is possible.

(Diagnosis)
Next, a diagnosis operation when an abnormality occurs will be described.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the diagnostic program in the multifunction machine 15 when an abnormality is detected.
When the diagnostic program is started in the diagnostic unit 27 by the user who has detected an abnormality, the program starts its operation.

The specifying unit 29 acquires an error code when an abnormality is detected (error code acquiring step) (step 601).
Then, the specifying unit 29 specifies a related application module based on the acquired error code (determination step for specifying) (step 602).

When the application module can be identified (step 602: Y), the I / F information acquisition unit 42 accesses the I / F information storage unit 41 and has a dependency relationship with the first software component corresponding to the identified application module. The diagnostic I / F information of the second software component is retrieved (diagnostic I / F information retrieval step) (step 603).
Then, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 extracts all the second software components having the diagnostic I / F of the second software component having a dependency relationship with the first software component related to the detected error code, It is acquired from the I / F information storage unit 41 in a format (search result acquisition step) (step 604).

Thereafter, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 extracts a second software component having a small dependency among the acquired second software components (dependency relationship extracting step) (step 605).
Then, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 acquires the extracted diagnostic I / F information of the application module and the access objects to be accessed from the I / F information storage unit 41 in ascending order of the number of dependencies. (I / F information acquisition process) (step 606).

Based on the acquired diagnostic I / F information, the diagnostic unit 27 accesses the second software component and causes the accessed second software component to execute an inspection program (inspection program execution step) (step) 607).
Then, the diagnosis unit 27 acquires a diagnosis result that is an inspection result (inspection result acquisition step) (step 608). Specifically, internal data of each second software component is acquired from the diagnostic I / F. The internal data is information on the job executed when the abnormality occurred, the number of jobs, and the like.

On the other hand, when the application module cannot be specified (step 602: N), the diagnosis unit 27 sequentially accesses all installed software components.
Specifically, the I / F information acquisition unit 42 accesses the I / F information storage unit 41 to access installation information, I / F information, and access of all software components installed in the software storage unit 20. An object is acquired (installation information acquisition step) (step 621). Here, the installation information includes all software components installed in the multi-function device 10, but the I / F information and the access object include only software components in a format that conforms to the storage format of the present embodiment.

Subsequently, the diagnosis unit 27 accesses and diagnoses the software component (diagnosis process) (step 622). If the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed can be acquired, the software component is accessed using it.
On the other hand, when the I / F information and the access object corresponding to the software component to be accessed are not acquired, the information collecting unit 26 directly selects the software component without the I / F information and the access object. Visit to diagnose.

When all the software components are not accessed (determination step: step 623: N), the diagnosis step (step 622) is repeatedly executed.
When the diagnosis result is acquired (step 608) or when all the software components installed in the multi-function device 15 are accessed and diagnosed (judgment step: step 623: Y), the display unit 28 displays the diagnosis result. Is displayed (display step) (step 609), and the diagnostic program is terminated.
As described above, when the I / F information for diagnosis of the second software component having a dependency relationship with the first software component corresponding to the application module related to the error code is stored in the I / F information storage unit 41, the I / F The diagnostic information I / F information of the second software component can be acquired simply by the F information acquisition unit 42 accessing the I / F information storage unit 41, and the diagnosis by the diagnostic unit 27 can be facilitated. Even if the diagnostic I / F information is not stored in the I / F information storage unit 41, the diagnostic unit 27 can access the application module to make a diagnosis.

In the second embodiment, the multi-function device 15 may include a holding unit 43 that holds the diagnosis result of the diagnosis unit 27. When a plurality of access requests are made to the same second software component in one diagnosis, the diagnosis unit 27 displays the first diagnosis result held in the holding unit 43 for the second and subsequent access requests. It can also be used.
For example, when a diagnosis is performed from a first software component in an upper layer, each first software component calls a diagnosis function of a dependent second software component, and thus second software called from a plurality of first software components Components can also exist. More specifically, the job management software component is called from both the copy application module and the scan application module. As a result, it is possible to make a quick diagnosis without repeating the diagnosis.

  According to the second embodiment, when an application module related to an error code has a dependency relationship, diagnosis is performed from a layer (lower layer) having a small dependency relationship, so that the target software component can be narrowed down. Information gathering or diagnosis can be performed quickly and easily.

Programs corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are recorded on an information recording medium such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, or these programs are distributed and recorded via a network such as the Internet, It is also possible to cause this computer or the like to function as a part of the multifunction device 10 by reading and executing this using a general-purpose computer or the like included in the multifunction device 10.
The programs corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are recorded on an information recording medium such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, or these programs are distributed and recorded via a network such as the Internet. It is also possible to cause this computer or the like to function as a part of the multi-function device 15 by reading and executing this using a general-purpose computer or the like that the multi-function device 15 has.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a functional block diagram for explaining a multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the data structure of the I / F information of the software component produced | generated by the I / F information production | generation part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the registration operation | work at the time of installing a software component. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of an information collection program in the multifunction peripheral when an abnormality is detected. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a diagnostic program inside the multifunction peripheral when an abnormality is detected. It is a functional block diagram for demonstrating the multifunctional device concerning a 2nd Example. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the registration operation | work at the time of installation of the software component which has a dependency. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of an information collection program in the multifunction peripheral when an abnormality occurs. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a diagnostic program inside the multifunction peripheral when an abnormality is detected.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,15 ... Multifunction machine (image forming apparatus), 11A-11D ... Software component, 12A ... Application module, 13A ... Interface (I / F), 20 ... Software storage part, 22 ... I / F information generation part, 23 ... I / F information storage unit, 25 ... I / F information acquisition unit, 26 ... information collection unit, 27 ... diagnosis unit, 28 ... display unit, 29 ... specification unit, 41 ... I / F information storage unit, 42 ... I / F information acquisition unit, 43 ... holding unit

Claims (8)

An additional means for newly adding to the own device the software component composed of an application module and information used by the information collection means for collecting information on the software component before the error occurs to access the software component;
A first information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the added software component , information used by the information collection unit to access the added software component when the software component is added to the device;
Information storage means for storing information used by the information collection means for access, acquired by the first information acquisition means ;
Identifying means for identifying the application module of the software component in which the error has occurred, based on an error code output when an abnormality occurs;
Based on the application module specified by the specifying means, second information acquisition means for acquiring information used by the information collection means to access software components related to the application module from the information storage means; Prepared,
The information collecting means accesses the software component in which the error has occurred by using the information acquired by the second information acquiring means and used by the information collecting means to access the error occurrence An image forming apparatus that acquires information of a previous software component . The information storage means is for the information collection means to access the information used by the information collection means in another software component having a dependency relationship with the one software component stored in the information storage means. Information associated with the information used for access by the information collection means in the one software component ;
The second information acquisition unit acquires, from the information storage unit , information used by the information collection unit to access the other software component having a dependency relationship with the application module specified by the specification unit. And
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information collection unit accesses the other software component acquired by the second information acquisition unit and collects information on the other software component. . The second information acquisition unit has a small number of software components having a dependency relationship with the other software component for each of the other software components having a dependency relationship with the application module specified by the specifying unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein information used by the information collecting unit to access is acquired in order from the other software components. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said information collected by said information collection means, further comprising display means for displaying together with the software component having the dependency. An adding means for newly adding to the own device the software component composed of an application module and information used by the diagnostic means for collecting the software component information before the error occurs to access the software component;
First information acquisition means for acquiring information used for the diagnostic means to access the added software component when the software component is added to the device, from the added software component;
Information storage means for storing information acquired by the first information acquisition means for use by the diagnostic means;
Identifying means for identifying the application module of the software component in which the error has occurred, based on an error code output when an abnormality occurs;
Based on said application module specified by the specifying means, and a second information acquiring means for said diagnostic means to the software components associated with the application module obtains information used to obtain access from the information storage means ,
The diagnostic unit accesses the software component in which the error has occurred by using the information used for accessing the diagnostic unit, which is acquired by the second information acquisition unit . An image forming apparatus for diagnosing the software component. The information storage means is used by the diagnosis means to access information used by the diagnosis means in another software component having a dependency relationship with one software component stored in the information storage means. Storing information in association with the information used by the diagnostic means in the one software component to access ,
The second information acquisition unit acquires, from the information storage unit , information used by the diagnosis unit in the other software component having a dependency relationship with the application module specified by the specifying unit. ,
The diagnosis means accesses and diagnoses the other software component acquired by the second information acquisition means prior to accessing the software component of the application module specified by the specifying means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 . A holding means for holding a diagnosis result by the diagnosis means;
When the diagnosis means is requested a plurality of times for the same other software component in one diagnosis, the diagnosis request for the second time or later is stored in the holding means for the first time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein a diagnosis result is output. On the computer,
When the software component composed of an application module and information used by the information collection function for collecting software component information before an error occurs to access the software component is newly added to the image forming apparatus, A first information acquisition function for acquiring, from the added software component, information used by the information collection function to access the added software component ;
An information storage function for storing, in an information storage means, information used for accessing the information collection function acquired by the first information acquisition function ;
A specific function for identifying an application module of a software component in which the error has occurred, based on an error code output when an abnormality occurs;
Based on the identified application module, a second information acquisition function for acquiring information used for the information collection function to access a software component related to the application module from the information storage unit is realized ,
The information collection function accesses the software component in which the error has occurred by using the information used for accessing the information collection function acquired by the second information acquisition function, and the error has occurred. program characterized that you get information before the software component.

Images