JP5347266B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising means for performing HDD (Hard disk Drive) Overwrite.

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses equipped with HDDs for storing a large amount of image data have become widespread. However, in this image forming apparatus, there is a risk that data that should have been erased flows out of the HDD, and there has been concern about troubles caused by misuse of data.

  Various techniques have been proposed to improve security. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a printing operation is interrupted due to a paper jam or the like, and the interruption time continues for a predetermined time or more, an image that can ensure high confidentiality by overwriting and erasing the data at that time. A forming apparatus is disclosed.

In Patent Document 2, the priority of access to the storage means and the priority of data erasure can be set in accordance with the purpose of the user, and even if the data in the HDD is being erased, the execution of erasure is not waited. An image forming apparatus capable of improving the processing efficiency so that new data can be written is disclosed.
JP 2006-262402 A JP 2006-287871 A

  In the prior art, there is a problem that the temperature inside the HDD rises rapidly in the HDD overwrite erasure mode, and it is necessary to take measures against the temperature rise when the device temperature guarantee is performed in the HDD overwrite erasure mode.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a significant increase in the HDD internal temperature during the HDD overwriting operation, focusing on the intermittent operation. Yes.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the HDD overwrite mode, the HDD internal temperature detection means for detecting the HDD internal temperature, depending on the status of HDD internal temperature detected by the HDD internal temperature detecting means setting an intermittent operation control means, and the erase mode selection means for the selection of speed priority / life priority mode as the HDD overwrite mode, the speed priority mode of the HDD device limit temperature for controlling the intermittent operation of the HDD overwrite mode Te Speed priority device limit temperature setting means and life priority device limit temperature setting means for setting the HDD device limit temperature in the life priority mode, and select the HDD overwrite deletion mode according to the user's need It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, the intermittent operation of the HDD overwrite mode can be controlled according to the status of the HDD internal temperature, so that a significant increase in the HDD internal temperature during the HDD overwrite mode can be prevented.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the main controller of the image forming apparatus includes HDDs 100, 101, 102, and 103, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 104, an image forming apparatus control ASIC (Application Specified IC) 105, a memory 115, and an RTC (Real Time Clock). A circuit 116 is provided.

  In the figure, HDDs 100 to 103 are built in the image forming apparatus and mainly store image data. Image data to be erased in the HDD overwrite erasure mode according to the present invention is also stored in the HDDs 100 to 103.

  The CPU 104 is a centralized arithmetic device that controls a main controller that controls the image forming apparatus in accordance with a program stored in the ROM.

  The control ASIC 105 is a circuit equipped with each circuit necessary for image forming apparatus control. In the figure, only the parts necessary for the present invention are selected and the circuit is described. That is, in the figure, the control ASIC 105 includes an HDD control circuit 106, an HDD erase control circuit 107, a memory control circuit 108, an HDD temperature detection circuit 109, an HDD erase mode setting circuit 110, an HDD detection circuit 111, an HDD device limit temperature setting circuit 112, an HDD. A schedule circuit 113 and a host interface (host I / F) circuit 114 are provided.

  The HDD control circuit 106 issues commands to the HDDs 100 to 103 to control read / ride operations and the like. The HDD erase control circuit 107 performs erase control on the HDDs 100 to 103 based on parameters such as ON / OFF of the HDD erase mode, the HDD erase erase method, and the intermittent operation of the HDD overwrite erase mode. The memory control circuit 108 controls read / ride / refresh operations and the like for the memory 115.

  The HDD temperature detection circuit 109 is the S.H. M.M. A. R. T information is acquired and the temperature is stored. The HDD erasure mode setting circuit 110 performs setting of an erasing method for HDD erasing, setting of the number of times of erasing overwriting, and the like. The HDD detection circuit 111 automatically detects the HDD mounted on the image forming apparatus every time the power is turned on.

  The HDD device limit temperature setting circuit 112 sets the device limit temperature of the HDD device. The HDD erasure schedule circuit 113 presets a time zone for operating the HDD overwrite erasure mode. The host I / F circuit 114 connects a host PC (Personal Computer) 117 with an I / F such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) or USB (Universal Serial Bus). The RTC circuit 116 stores the current time.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of intermittent operation control in the HDD overwrite mode according to the HDD internal temperature condition. In the present embodiment, an example of the HDD data erasing process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When copying / printing / fax transmission / reception is performed, image data is temporarily stored in a temporary area in the HDDs 100 to 103 for backup such as jam recovery. When the HDD erasure function is set to ON, the HDD overwrite erasure is automatically performed in order to erase the backed up image data after the copy, printer, and FAX transmission / reception operations are completed. Various erasing methods such as NAS method, DOD method, and random number method are prepared, and HDD overwrite erasing is performed by a preset method.

  First, before starting the HDD overwriting operation, the S.M. M.M. A. R. By acquiring the T information, the HDD internal temperature information is detected (step S201). It is determined whether or not the acquired HDD internal temperature exceeds a preset device limit temperature (step S202).

  If the HDD internal temperature does not exceed the preset device limit temperature (step S202 / NO), the HDD overwrite erasure operation (step S205) is performed. If the device limit temperature is exceeded before the erase operation is started (step S202 / YES), the erase operation is not started (step S203).

  Even after the HDD overwriting operation is started, the HDD internal temperature is periodically detected, and the erasing operation is stopped when the device limit temperature is exceeded. After the step S203, it is confirmed whether or not the device limit temperature is 3 ° C. (step S204). When the HDD internal temperature is 3 ° C. or more lower than the device limit temperature (step S204 / YES), the above S205, that is, the erase operation is resumed. When the temperature is higher than −3 ° C. from the device limit temperature (step S204 / NO), the above S205 is not resumed.

  The intermittent operation is carried out until the HDD overwrite erasure is completed, and after completion, the operation shifts to a standby state or a power saving state after a predetermined time.

  According to the present embodiment, the HDD overwrite erasure mode can be intermittently operated according to the internal temperature of the HDD, so that the device temperature standard can be satisfied, noise can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced because no cooling parts are required.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of mode setting. Prior to the HDD overwriting operation of the first embodiment, the priority order mode is set in advance. In the present embodiment, an example of priority setting processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The mode setting is selected from two modes, a speed priority mode and a life priority mode (step S301). Default is set to speed priority mode. When the mode is selected, the set value of the device limit temperature is set.

  When the speed priority mode is selected (step S301 / speed), the device standard value is set as the device limit temperature (step S302). In this case, the erasing operation itself ends quickly, but there is no temperature margin, and the device is used under severe conditions, so that the lifetime is deteriorated quickly.

  On the other hand, when the life priority mode is selected (step S301 / life), the device limit temperature is set at a value 10 ° C. lower than the device standard value (step S303), so the erase operation itself may be delayed. However, when the device is used in an environment where there is a temperature margin and the lifetime of the device is extended, the lifetime degradation is slower than usual.

  According to the present embodiment, each mode of speed priority / life priority can be provided, so that the user can select speed priority / life priority and can provide an operation that meets the user's wishes. .

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow for setting the confidentiality. In performing the HDD overwrite erasing operation of the first embodiment, a mode relating to confidentiality is set in advance. In the present embodiment, an example of the confidentiality setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The sensitivity setting is set on the main body in the case of copying and faxing, and is set on the driver screen at the time of printing in the case of a printer. Here, the case of a copy operation will be described below as an example.

  At the time of copying, the setting of density, together with the setting of paper, number of copies, double-sided operation, etc. is performed from the copier operation unit screen (step S401). It is assumed that the sensitivity can be set to three types: high / medium / low. It is determined whether the sensitivity setting is high (step S402). If the sensitivity is high (step S402 / YES), the speed priority mode is automatically set even if the user has previously set the life priority mode. When the HDD is erased (step S403), the HDD erase operation is performed with a control that prevents intermittent operation as much as possible. On the other hand, when the confidentiality is medium or low (step S402 / NO), the HDD erasing operation is performed in the mode set by the user in advance (step S404).

  Conventionally, even if the HDD overwrite erasure mode can be selected, once it is set, the change is troublesome, and the erasure mode according to the user's necessity cannot be selected immediately. However, according to this embodiment, the erasing mode is automatically selected according to the confidentiality of the document, so even if the erasing mode is set to a slow erasing mode, a highly confidential document is immediately erased. Is possible.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of setting a time for performing the HDD overwriting operation. An example of processing for setting the HDD overwrite erasing operation time that can be set in advance will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  There are two types of methods (step S501) for presetting the time for performing the HDD overwriting operation, a method for setting from the main unit (step S501 / main unit) and a method for setting from the PC (step S501 / PC). . When setting from the main body, the setting is made from the main body operation unit (step S502A). On the other hand, when setting from the PC, the setting is made using the device management utility of the PC (step S502B). Here, a method of setting from the operation unit of the main body will be described below as an example.

  ON / OFF of the HDD erasing function is ON by default, and the user can freely set ON / OFF after installation. When turned on, the default is set to ON for 24 hours.

  For example, assuming that the electricity price between 23:00 and 27:00 is lower when using nighttime power, the user sets the nighttime power start time to 23:00 and the nighttime power end time to 7:00 (step S503A). Subsequently, the HDD erase operation time start time / end time is set (step S504A), and the HDD erase operation time is set (step S505). In the setting, it is possible to select whether to set the same time every day or change the time zone according to the day of the week.

  Conventionally, when HDD overwrite erasure is performed, the power consumption is high, the electric charge becomes high without entering the energy saving mode, and there is a case where it is not necessary to immediately erase the HDD itself from the user's standpoint. There was an extra electricity bill. However, according to the present embodiment, the HDD overwriting operation can be performed at night when the electricity charge is low, so that the electricity charge can be reduced.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributing HDD overwrite erasing operations. An example of processing for distributing HDD overwrite erasure operations will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the apparatus is first diagnosed. Before the diagnosis, the number of HDDs is detected (steps S601 and S602). When there is one HDD (step S602 / NO), no setting change is performed. On the other hand, if there are a plurality of HDDs (step S602 / YES), the distributed erasure setting flag at the time of HDD overwrite erasure is set in a predetermined register (step S603).

  Thereafter, when the HDD overwrite erasure operation is performed (step S604), the plurality of HDD internal temperatures are monitored (step S605), and the erasure operation is preferentially performed from the HDD with the lower temperature (step S606).

  When erasing processing is performed in cluster units, HDD internal temperature information is detected when erasing of one cluster is completed (step S607). If there is an HDD whose temperature is lower than that of the current HDD (step S608 / YES) as compared with the other HDD internal temperature (step S608), the erase operation is performed on the HDD with the lowest temperature (step SS609). If there is no HDD whose temperature is lower than that of the current state (S608 / NO), the erasing operation is continued in the current HDD. After sequentially erasing the lower temperature HDD, an intermittent erase operation is performed on the finally remaining HDD, and the process ends when the entire area has been erased.

  According to the present embodiment, HDD overwriting and erasing operations are not concentrated on one HDD and the load on the HDD can be distributed over time, so that it is possible to avoid a significant increase in the HDD internal temperature. It becomes.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow when the speed highest priority mode is selected. An example of processing when the speed highest priority mode is selected will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, it has been described that the device limit temperature is changed according to the speed priority mode and the life priority mode. However, a mode called a speed highest priority mode is also prepared. When the speed highest priority mode is selected (step S701 / YES), the erasing method is automatically set to the random number method, and the number of times of writing is automatically set to one (step S702). When the number of times of writing is one, it is possible to complete the erasing operation earlier than three times of the NSA method.

  According to the present embodiment, when the speed highest priority mode is selected, it is possible to perform overwriting and erasing in the shortest time by writing once in the random number method, and erasing documents with high sensitivity immediately. Is possible.

  Note that the program for the CPU 104 to execute the processing shown in the flowcharts of the respective drawings constitutes a program according to the present invention.

  Although specifically described based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus according to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the HDD deletion process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the mode selection process of speed priority / life priority which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the confidentiality setting process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a setting process of a HDD erasure operation time that can be set in advance according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing processing for distributing HDD erasing operations according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows a process at the time of selecting the speed highest priority mode which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 HDD
101 HDD
102 HDD
103 HDD
104 CPU
105 Image forming apparatus control ASIC
106 HDD control circuit 107 HDD erase control circuit 108 Memory control circuit 109 HDD temperature detection circuit 110 HDD erase mode setting circuit 111 HDD detection circuit 112 HDD device limit temperature setting circuit 113 HDD erase schedule circuit 114 Host I / F
115 Memory 116 RTC Circuit 117 Host PC

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus having an HDD overwrite deletion mode ,
HDD internal temperature detection means for detecting the HDD internal temperature;
Intermittent operation control means for controlling the intermittent operation in the HDD overwrite erasure mode according to the status of the HDD internal temperature detected by the HDD internal temperature detection means ;
Erase mode selection means for selecting speed priority / lifetime priority mode as the HDD overwrite deletion mode;
Speed priority device limit temperature setting means for setting the device limit temperature of the HDD in the speed priority mode;
A life priority device limit temperature setting means for setting a device limit temperature of the HDD in the life priority mode,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the HDD overwrite erasure mode is selected according to a user's necessity . An image forming apparatus having an HDD overwrite deletion mode,
HDD internal temperature detection means for detecting the HDD internal temperature;
Intermittent operation control means for controlling the intermittent operation in the HDD overwrite erasure mode according to the status of the HDD internal temperature detected by the HDD internal temperature detection means;
Sensitivity setting means for setting the sensitivity of copy, print, and fax documents ;
Device limit temperature setting means by means of sensitivity to set the device limit temperature of the HDD according to the sensitivity ,
The image forming apparatus you and selects the erase mode-out the HDD overwritten in accordance with the confidentiality of the document. Scheduling means for scheduling the operable time of the HDD overwriting mode ;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intends rows HDD overwrite operation at night. A mounted HDD detection means for detecting that a plurality of HDDs are mounted ;
And a HDD alternating erasing means for causing the HDD overwrite alternately to a plurality of HDD,
The image forming apparatus preferentially the HDD overwriting operation will be characterized in that intends rows claim 1 or 2, wherein with respect to the lowest HDD of the HDD internal temperature. Speed top priority selection means that can select speed top priority mode ,
Random number method number determination means for arbitrarily setting the number of times of writing in a random number method which is one of erasing methods ,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the performing HDD overwrite operation in one write of said speed during priority mode is selected random number scheme.

Images