JP5895378B2 - Data storage control device, data storage control method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data storage control device, a data storage control method, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus having a copy function and a FAX function, a technique has been proposed that can hold data necessary to guarantee the performance and life of each part of the apparatus without increasing the number of data rewrites. (For example, Patent Document 1). The image forming apparatus according to the related art includes a main control unit that is deenergized during the power saving mode and a sub control unit that is energized even during the power saving mode, and the main control unit needs to be backed up. When the occurrence of data is detected, the data is stored in the volatile memory of the main control unit and also transmitted to the sub control unit, whereby the data is also held in the sub control unit. When the image forming apparatus returns from the power saving mode to the normal mode, the sub control unit transmits data to the main control unit, thereby restoring the data that needs to be backed up in the volatile memory of the main control unit. Be able to.

JP 2009-265402 A

  In recent years, NAND flash memories have become widespread as nonvolatile memories. Compared with other flash memories, the NAND flash memory has an advantage that the circuit scale is small and the capacity can be increased at low cost. For this reason, in a multi-function device having a plurality of functions such as a copy function and a FAX function, for example, a model that does not include a large-scale storage device such as a hard disk device, a NAND flash memory is mounted as a nonvolatile storage means. By storing image data and other data that needs to be backed up in the NAND flash memory, a backup function can be mounted at a relatively low cost.

  On the other hand, in the NAND flash memory, the entire storage area is divided into a plurality of blocks, and when data is written to one block, the data recorded in that block is once erased and then the data is stored. Need to write. When such data erasure and writing in units of blocks are repeated, the data holding function in each block deteriorates, so that a certain limit is imposed on the number of data rewrites.

  However, in an apparatus such as a multifunction machine, the timing for receiving image data such as FAX data is irregular, and such image data is frequently received. Also, the data amount of the received image data becomes a different data amount each time. In such a situation, when the received image data is stored in the NAND flash memory as a backup, the image data is generally divided into a plurality of blocks and stored, but the image data is stored in a plurality of blocks. If the data is divided with an equal amount of data, an empty area is generated in each block. In addition, when the image data is divided so as to have the same size as the storage capacity of each block, one block does not have the same size as the storage capacity, and thus a free area is generated.

  When an empty area occurs in a block of the NAND flash memory in this way, when storing other data in the empty area, the image data once written in the block is read and the data in the block is read. After erasing, it is necessary to write the read image data and other data at the same time. Similar processing is also performed when image data that is not the same size as the storage capacity of a block is additionally stored in a block in which other data has already been stored.

  Therefore, if data is written to each block of the NAND flash memory each time data that needs to be saved as a backup is generated, an empty area is generated and the data is rewritten to that block. There is a problem that the number of times increases and reaches the upper limit number of times relatively early.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and provides a data storage control device, a data storage control method, and a program that reduce the number of rewrites to a block when image data is stored as a backup. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a data storage control device comprising a primary memory having a storage area of a predetermined capacity, and a storage area having a larger capacity than the primary memory, A secondary memory in which the storage area is divided into a plurality of blocks, data is erased in units of blocks, and data can be written to the erased blocks, and image data stored in the secondary memory Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data, backup data acquisition means for acquiring backup data different from the image data, and among image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, an integer multiple of one block in the secondary memory And the remaining data portion is stored in the primary memory, and the backup data is stored in the secondary memory. In the arrangement, characterized in that it comprises control means for simultaneously storing backup data in a single block of the second memory in combination with the stored remaining data portion to the primary memory that is acquired by the obtained unit, the .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to the first aspect, the control unit detects a timing at which the backup data acquisition unit acquires the next backup data, and the image data acquisition unit detects the image. When the backup data acquisition means plans to acquire the next backup data within a predetermined time when data is acquired, the remaining data portion of the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means is stored in the primary memory. It is the structure characterized by doing.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to the second aspect, when the image data acquisition unit acquires the image data, the control unit acquires the next backup data in advance. When there is no plan to acquire within the time, the remaining data portion of the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means is stored in the secondary memory without being combined with backup data.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the control means stores backup data acquired by the backup data acquisition means in the primary memory, The backup data stored in the primary memory and the remaining data portion of the image data are combined and stored in one block of the secondary memory.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, when the control unit combines the remaining data portion of the image data and the backup data, the secondary memory The control is performed so as not to exceed the capacity of one block.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to the fifth aspect, when the control unit combines the remaining data portion of the image data with the backup data, To select and combine data not exceeding the capacity of one block of the secondary memory.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to the second aspect, the backup data acquired by the backup data acquisition unit is subjected to image stabilization processing that is periodically performed at a preset time interval. And the control means, when the image data acquisition means acquires image data, the backup data acquisition means does not plan to acquire the next backup data within a predetermined time. The backup data acquisition unit is made to acquire backup data by forcibly performing a conversion process.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage control device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, when the control means erases the image data stored in the secondary memory, the residual of the image data is stored. After the backup data combined with the data portion is stored in the primary memory, all blocks storing the image data are erased.

The invention according to claim 9 includes a primary memory having a storage area of a predetermined capacity, a storage area having a capacity larger than that of the primary memory, the storage area being divided into a plurality of blocks, and a block unit. A data storage control method for controlling a secondary memory in which data is erased and data can be written to a block from which data has been erased, and (a) image data stored in the secondary memory (B) storing, in the secondary memory, a data portion that is an integral multiple of one block in the secondary memory among the image data acquired in the step (a), and (c) ) Storing the remaining data portion of the image data acquired in step (a) in the primary memory; (d) acquiring backup data different from the image data; and (e) before A step of simultaneously storing backup data in a single block of the second memory in combination with the stored remaining data portion to the primary memory, which is obtained in step (d), in a configuration characterized by having a is there.

The invention according to claim 10 includes a primary memory having a storage area of a predetermined capacity, a storage area having a capacity larger than that of the primary memory, the storage area being divided into a plurality of blocks, and a block unit. And a secondary memory capable of writing data to a block from which data has been erased, and an image stored in the secondary memory. Image data acquisition means for acquiring data, backup data acquisition means for acquiring backup data different from the image data, and among the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, an integral multiple of one block in the secondary memory Is stored in the secondary memory, and the remaining data portion is stored in the primary memory. Stored, that function as a control means, for simultaneously stored in one block of the second memory in combination with the stored remaining data portion of the backup data in the primary memory that is acquired by the backup data obtaining means This is a characteristic configuration.

  According to the present invention, by combining the remaining data portion, which is less than one block of the secondary memory, of the image data acquired to be stored in the secondary memory with the other backup data, These data can be stored in one block in one write operation. Therefore, when the image data is stored in the secondary memory as a backup, the number of rewrites to each block of the secondary memory can be reduced, and the life of the secondary memory can be extended.

It is a block diagram which shows one structural example of the information processing apparatus by which a data storage control apparatus is mounted. It is a figure which shows the concept of the storage area in a secondary memory. It is a figure which shows an example of the storage control of the data performed in a control part at the time of image data acquisition. It is a figure which shows an example of the storage control of the data performed in a control part at the time of backup data acquisition. It is a figure which shows the kind of backup data acquired by the backup data acquisition part. It is a figure which shows an example of the execution schedule management table managed in a control part in order to determine whether there is a backup data acquisition plan. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence for performing data storage control. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed process sequence of a backup data storage process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process sequence of an image data storage process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process sequence of an image data deletion process.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, members that are common to each other are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing apparatus 1 in which a data storage control device 2 according to the present invention is mounted. The information processing apparatus 1 is configured as a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a scanner function, a printer function, a copy function, and a FAX function. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a data storage control device 2, an input / output unit 3, a scanner unit 4, a printer unit 5, a main memory 6 including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and a network controller 7. A FAX communication unit 8 and an operation panel 9.

  The data storage control device 2 includes a CPU 10, a primary memory 11 configured with SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a secondary memory 12 configured with NAND flash memory, and a backup power source for the primary memory 11. And a battery 13 for supplying the battery.

  The primary memory 11 is a temporary memory used when recording image data and backup data other than image data in the secondary memory 12, and the battery 13 even when the information processing apparatus 1 is turned off. It is configured as a non-volatile memory that retains data by supplying power from. This primary memory has a storage area with a predetermined capacity of, for example, 128 KB.

  The secondary memory 12 is a non-volatile memory composed of a NAND flash memory as described above, and has a larger storage area than the primary memory 11. The secondary memory 12 stores a program 14 executed by the CPU 10 in advance, and includes a data storage area 15 for storing image data and backup data other than the image data.

  When the information processing apparatus 1 is powered on, the CPU 10 reads and executes the program 14 stored in the secondary memory 12 and controls the operation of each unit provided in the information processing apparatus 1.

  The input / output unit 3 is an interface for inputting and outputting image data by mutually connecting the CPU 10, the scanner unit 4, and the printer unit 5. The scanner unit 4 reads a document to generate image data, and outputs the image data to the input / output unit 3. The printer unit 5 is configured to perform print output based on image data input via the input / output unit 3. The CPU 10 controls the operations of the scanner unit 4 and the printer unit 5 through the input / output unit 3 and inputs / outputs image data to / from the scanner unit 4 and the printer unit 5.

  The main memory 6 is a volatile memory, and is a memory for temporarily storing image data and other data when the CPU 10 controls the operation of each unit of the information processing apparatus 1.

  The network controller 7 is for performing data communication with an external device via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The CPU 10 transmits / receives image data to / from an external device via the network controller 7. The FAX communication unit 8 transmits and receives FAX data via a public telephone network. The CPU 10 transmits image data to the outside as FAX data through the FAX communication unit 8 or receives image data transmitted from the outside as FAX data. The operation panel 9 serves as a user interface when the user uses the information processing apparatus 1. The CPU 10 displays various menu screens on the operation panel 9 and accepts operations from the user.

  In the configuration as described above, the CPU 10 controls the execution of jobs related to the scanner function, printer function, copy function, and FAX function, and stores image data and data other than image data that need to be saved as a backup. The secondary memory 11 is used and stored in the secondary memory 12. The CPU 10 includes an image data acquisition unit 21, a backup data acquisition unit 22, and a control unit 23 as functions for storing image data and data other than image data as backups.

  The image data acquisition unit 21 is a processing unit that acquires image data to be stored in the secondary memory 12. For example, when the FAX communication unit 8 receives FAX data in the information processing apparatus 1, image data included in the FAX data is temporarily stored in the secondary memory 12. In this case, when the storage of the image data in the secondary memory 12 is completed, the FAX data reception process is normally completed. Therefore, the FAX communication unit 8 transmits a reception completion notification to the FAX data transmission source after the entire image data included in the FAX data is completed in the secondary memory 12. The image data stored in the secondary memory 12 is printed out by the printer unit 5 or displayed on the operation panel 9 and checked by the user, and then deleted from the secondary memory 12. The The image data acquisition unit 21 acquires such image data to be stored in the secondary memory 12. Note that the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21 as a storage target in the secondary memory 12 is not necessarily limited to FAX data.

  The backup data acquisition unit 22 is a processing unit that acquires backup data that is data other than image data and should be stored in the secondary memory 12. Such backup data includes various types of data. Some data is generated regularly in the information processing apparatus 1, and some data is generated irregularly. The backup data acquisition unit 22 acquires such backup data that occurs regularly or irregularly.

  The control unit 23 is a processing unit that performs storage control of data to be stored as a backup by performing a data write operation and a data read operation on the primary memory 11 and the secondary memory 12. The control unit 23 stores the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21 and the backup data acquired by the backup data acquisition unit 22 in the secondary memory 12 while using the primary memory 11. I do.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the concept of storage areas in the secondary memory 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the secondary memory 12 has a plurality of blocks in which the entire storage area is equally divided. Among the plurality of blocks, for example, the hatched area shown in FIG. 2 is a block in which the program 14 is stored. Of the plurality of blocks provided in the secondary memory 12, blocks other than the block in which the program 14 is stored serve as the data storage area 15. This data storage area 15 stores image data and backup data other than image data. Each block includes a plurality of pages, and data is written to each page.

  The secondary memory 12 is configured to be able to erase data in units of blocks. In other words, the data in the block cannot be partially erased. When writing data to such a secondary memory 12, new data cannot be written to a block in which data has already been written. In other words, even if there is an empty page (empty area) in such a block, new data cannot be written to that block without deleting all the data in the block once. Yes. However, when data written in each block is read, data can be read in units of pages.

  The secondary memory 12 has a characteristic that the data holding function of a block is deteriorated every time data is erased from the block. Therefore, when storing the image data and the backup data in each block of the secondary memory 12, the control unit 23 uses the primary memory 11 so as to reduce the number of times data is written to each block. Controls data storage. That is, the control unit 23 combines the data so as to have a data amount substantially equal to the storage capacity of each block and stores the data in the secondary memory 12, thereby effectively using each block and reducing the number of writes.

  3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example of data storage control by the control unit 23. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 3, when the image data DA is acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21, the control unit 23 sets the image data DA to an integer multiple of the storage capacity of one block in the secondary memory 12. The data is divided into a portion DA1 and a remaining data portion DA2 that does not satisfy the storage capacity of one block. Such division processing is performed, for example, by developing the image data DA in the main memory 6. Then, the control unit 23 stores the data portion DA1 that is an integral multiple of one block in one or a plurality of blocks in the secondary memory 12, and stores the remaining data portion DA2 in the primary memory 11.

  Thereafter, when the backup data DB is acquired by the backup data acquisition unit 22, the control unit 23 temporarily stores the backup data DB in the primary memory 11 and stores the backup data DB in the primary memory 11, as shown in FIG. The remaining data portion DA2 of the stored image data DA and the backup data DB are combined to obtain a data amount corresponding to one block of the secondary memory 12, and the combined data is stored in one block of the secondary memory 12. .

  Further, when the image data DA is acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21, the backup data DB may already be stored in the primary memory 11. In that case, the control unit 23 stores the remaining data portion DA2 in the primary memory 11 and combines the backup data DB already stored in the primary memory 11 and the remaining data portion DA2 to form the secondary memory. The data amount is equivalent to 12 blocks, and the combined data is stored in one block of the secondary memory 12.

  As described above, when storing the image data having a relatively large amount of data in the secondary memory 12, the control unit 23 temporarily stores the remaining data portion DA2 that does not satisfy the data amount of one block of the secondary memory 12 to the primary. The remaining data portion DA2 is stored in one block of the secondary memory 12 in combination with the backup data DB. Therefore, the storage area of each block can be effectively used as compared with the case where the remaining data portion DA2 and the backup data DB of the image data DA are stored alone in one block of the secondary memory 12. The number of data writes to the next memory 12 can be reduced.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the types of backup data DB acquired by the backup data acquisition unit 22. As described above, the backup data DB includes various data, and FIG. 5 shows an example thereof. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the backup data DB includes image stabilization data 31, job history data 32, counter data 33, service data 34, and time correction data 35.

  The image stabilization data 31 is data generated by an image stabilization process performed to stabilize an image printed out by the printer unit 5. That is, when the print job is not executed in the printer unit 5, the CPU 10 executes image stabilization processing by actually driving the printer unit 5 periodically at predetermined time intervals. In this image stabilization process, the gradation, color tone, inclination, and the like of the image formed in the printer unit 5 are detected, and correction data for correcting them to a reference value is generated. Therefore, the image stabilization data 31 includes gradation correction data 31a, color misregistration correction data 31b, and skew correction data 31c as such correction data.

  Such image stabilization data 31 is stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup data DB, and is referred to as data for correcting an image when a print job is executed in the printer unit 5. The image stabilization data 31 is read from the secondary memory 12 and updated to new data every time the CPU 10 performs image stabilization processing. The timing at which the image stabilization data 31 is updated can be predicted based on a preset image stabilization processing interval.

  The job history data 32 is data in which when a job corresponding to a scanner function, a printer function, a copy function, a FAX function, or the like is executed, the job execution history is recorded. Such job history data 32 is stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup data DB, and is updated each time a job is executed. That is, when a job is executed in any of the scanner unit 4, the printer unit 5, and the FAX communication unit 8, the CPU 10 generates execution data for the job and records it in the job history data 32. At this time, the CPU 10 reads the job history data 32 stored as the backup data DB in the secondary memory 12, and records and updates new data in the job history data 32.

  The timing at which the job history data 32 is updated depends on the timing at which the job is executed. Therefore, when a normal job is executed, it is difficult to predict when the job history data 32 is updated. For example, a reserved job in which a scheduled execution time of a job is set is registered. The timing at which the job history data 32 is updated can be predicted by referring to the scheduled execution time of the reserved job.

  The counter data 33 is data indicating the count value of the cumulative number of printed sheets that have been printed out by the printer unit 5. Such job history data 32 is stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup data DB, and is updated each time a print job is executed by the printer unit 5. That is, when a print job is executed in the printer unit 5, the CPU 10 counts the number of printed sheets and updates the count value recorded in the counter data 33. At this time, the CPU 10 reads and updates the counter data 33 stored as the backup data DB in the secondary memory 12.

  The timing at which the counter data 33 is updated depends on the timing at which the print job is executed. For this reason, when a normal print job is executed, it is difficult to predict the timing at which the counter data 33 is updated. For example, when a reserved print is registered as the above-described reserved job, the reserved data is reserved. The timing at which the counter data 33 is updated can be predicted by referring to the scheduled print execution time.

  The service data 34 is data in which data for the information processing apparatus 1 to periodically transmit to the service base is accumulated. The service data 34 is transmitted, for example, to perform billing processing according to the usage status of the information processing apparatus 1 at the service base. Such service data 34 is created, for example, at a timing when it is transmitted to the service base, and stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup data DB. That is, when the scheduled execution time set for transmission to the service base is reached, the CPU 10 reads the counter data 33 and the like, generates service data 34, transmits the service data 34 to the service base, and Service data 34 is stored as a backup data DB. The timing at which the counter data 33 is updated can be predicted based on a preset scheduled execution time.

  The time correction data 35 is data indicating that the internal clock of the information processing apparatus 1 has been corrected. For example, the CPU 10 is configured to acquire the clock data from an external server via the network controller 7 and correct the time of the internal clock. The time correction data 35 is data in which the history is accumulated, and is stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup data DB. That is, when the scheduled execution time preset for time correction is reached, the CPU 10 accesses an external server to correct the internal clock, and records and updates the history in the time correction data 35. The timing at which such time correction data 35 is updated can be predicted based on a preset scheduled execution time.

  The backup data acquisition unit 22 acquires each of the image stabilization data 31, job history data 32, counter data 33, service data 34, and time correction data 35 as described above as a backup data DB. The control unit 23 temporarily stores the data in the primary memory 11 every time the data is acquired by the backup data acquisition unit 22.

  If the backup data DB is already stored in the primary memory 11 at the timing when the image data DA is acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21, the control unit 23 includes the image data DA as described above. Are stored in one block of the secondary memory 12 in combination with the backup data DB. At this time, if the plurality of data described above are stored as the backup data DB stored in the primary memory 11, the control unit 23 selects the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA from the plurality of data. When selected, data having a size equal to or smaller than one block of the secondary memory 12 and approximately the same size as one block is selected and combined.

  In addition, if the backup data DB is not stored in the primary memory 11 at the timing when the image data DA is acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21, the control unit 23 determines that any of the above data is backup data. It is determined whether or not there is a plan to acquire the database within a predetermined time. This determination is made for data whose scheduled execution time is known as described above.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an execution schedule management table managed by the control unit 23 in order to determine whether or not there is a backup data DB acquisition schedule. As shown in FIG. 6, in this execution schedule management table, a process scheduled to be executed, its scheduled execution time, and the type of backup data DB generated accordingly are registered.

  For example, the image stabilization process is a process periodically performed by the CPU 10 at predetermined time intervals as described above. Therefore, the control unit 23 can grasp the scheduled execution time when the image stabilization process is executed next, and the next image stabilization process is performed on the scheduled execution management table as shown in FIG. Register and manage scheduled execution times.

  When a reserved print in which the scheduled execution time of the print job is set in advance is registered, the control unit 23 can grasp the scheduled execution time at which the reserved print is executed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 23 registers and manages the scheduled execution time when the reserved print is executed in the scheduled execution management table. The same applies to reserved jobs other than reserved prints.

  Service data is transmitted periodically by the CPU 10. Therefore, the control unit 23 can grasp the scheduled execution time when the service data transmission is executed next time, and the next service data transmission is executed for the execution schedule management table as shown in FIG. Register and manage scheduled execution times.

  The time correction is executed by the CPU 10 at a preset time once a day, for example. Therefore, the control unit 23 can grasp the scheduled execution time when the time correction is performed, and registers the scheduled execution time when the next time correction is performed in the execution schedule management table, as shown in FIG. And manage.

  The control unit 23 manages the execution schedule management table as shown in FIG. 6 while sequentially updating the backup data DB in the primary memory 11 at the timing when the image data DA is acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21. If not, it is configured to determine whether or not the backup data DB is scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time from the current time by referring to the execution schedule management table. The predetermined time is preferably set as a time of about several minutes (for example, about 5 minutes).

  As a result, when the backup data DB is scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time, the control unit 23 stores the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA in the primary memory 11 and keeps the state until the backup data DB is acquired. Continue. When the backup data DB is acquired, the backup data DB and the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA are combined and stored in one block of the secondary memory 12.

  On the other hand, if there is no plan to acquire the backup data DB within a predetermined time, the control unit 23 does not combine the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA with the backup data DB, and directly blocks one block of the secondary memory 12. Save to.

  Therefore, when the image data included in the FAX data is stored in the secondary memory 12 as the FAX data is received, the FAX communication unit 8 transmits the FAX data within a predetermined time after receiving the FAX data. A reception completion notice can be transmitted to the original.

  However, if there is no plan to acquire the backup data DB within a predetermined time, if the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is stored in one block of the secondary memory 12 without being combined with the backup data DB. The storage area of the block cannot be used effectively, and a free area is generated. In order to prevent this, for example, the control unit 23 may cause the CPU 10 to execute the image stabilization process ahead of schedule. That is, when it is determined that the backup data DB is not scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time (for example, within 5 minutes), the control unit 23 checks the next scheduled execution time of the image stabilization process, and the next image stabilization process. Is scheduled to be performed within a predetermined time (for example, within 10 minutes), the image stabilization process is executed ahead of schedule. Then, the image stabilization data 31 obtained as a result may be combined with the remaining data portion DA2 and stored in one block of the secondary memory 12. By performing such processing, it is possible to prevent an empty area from occurring in the block of the secondary memory 12 without delaying the timing of transmitting the reception completion notification.

  If the image data DA acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21 is not based on reception of FAX data, it is not necessary to complete the storage of the image data DA in the secondary memory 12 within a predetermined time. Therefore, in this case, the state in which the remaining data portion DA2 is stored in the primary memory 11 may be continued until the remaining data portion DA2 and the backup data DB are combined to obtain the data amount for one block. .

  Further, when deleting the image data DA stored in the secondary memory 12, the control unit 23 reads the backup data DB combined with the remaining data portion DA2, stores the backup data DB in the primary memory 11, and then The data of all the blocks in which the image data DA is stored are erased at once. The backup data DB saved in the primary memory 11 is then combined with the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA again when the image data DA that needs to be saved as backup is acquired. 12 is saved.

  7 to 10 are flowcharts showing an example of a processing procedure for performing the above-described data storage control. This process is performed when the CPU 10 executes the program 14 and is performed when the image data acquisition unit 21, the backup data acquisition unit 22, and the control unit 23 function in the CPU 10. In the processing procedure shown in the figure, the case where the image data DA stored as a backup in the secondary memory 12 is deleted from the secondary memory 12 as the print output is performed in the information processing apparatus 1 is illustrated. However, it is not necessarily limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when starting this processing, the CPU 10 first determines whether or not a backup data DB for saving to the secondary memory 12 has been acquired (step S1), and the backup data DB has been acquired. If so, a backup data storage process is executed (step S2). If the backup data DB has not been acquired, step S2 is skipped.

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the image data DA to be stored in the secondary memory 12 has been acquired (step S3). If the image data DA has been acquired, an image data storage process is executed (step S3). S4). If the image data DA has not been acquired, the process of step S4 is skipped.

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the image data DA is stored in the secondary memory 12 (step S5). If the image data DA is stored, the CPU 10 determines whether or not to perform print output (step S5). S6). For example, when the user gives a print instruction to the operation panel 9, the CPU 10 determines to perform print output. When performing print output (YES in step S6), the CPU 10 reads the image data DA from the secondary memory 12 and executes print output processing (step S7). When the print output process is completed, the CPU 10 determines whether or not to delete the image data DA in the secondary memory 12 (step S8). For example, when the user designates deletion of the image data DA when issuing a print instruction, the CPU 10 determines to delete the image data DA. The CPU 10 executes an image data deletion process (step S8). If the image data DA is not stored in the secondary memory 12 (NO in step S5), the processes in steps S6 to S9 are skipped.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed processing procedure of the backup data storage process (step S2). When starting this process, the CPU 10 first saves the backup data DB in the primary memory 11 (step S10). Then, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is stored in the primary memory 11 (step S11). As a result, if the remaining data portion DA2 is not stored in the primary memory 11 (NO in step S11), the backup data storage process ends.

  On the other hand, when the remaining data portion DA2 is stored in the primary memory 11 (YES in step S11), the CPU 10 stores the remaining image data DA from the backup data DB stored in the primary memory 11. When combined with the data portion DA2, data that is equal to or less than one block of the secondary memory 12 is extracted (step S12). At this time, the CPU 10 extracts the data having the maximum data amount that is equal to or less than one block of the secondary memory 12 by combining with the remaining data portion DA2. Therefore, the CPU 10 may extract a plurality of data from the backup data DB stored in the primary memory 11.

  Then, the CPU 10 combines the data extracted from the backup data DB and the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA (step S13), and stores the combined data in one block of the secondary memory 12 (step S14). . As a result, the entire image data DA is stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup. Thereafter, the CPU 10 deletes the data stored in the secondary memory 12 from the primary memory 11 (step S15).

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the image data DA that has been stored in the secondary memory 12 is image data that is acquired along with reception of FAX data (step S16). If the image data is included in the FAX data (YES in step S16), the CPU 10 notifies the FAX communication unit 8 of the completion of storing the image data DA and transmits a reception completion notification to the FAX communication unit 8. (Step S17). If the image data is not included in the FAX data (NO in step S16), the backup data storage process ends without performing the process of step S17.

  By executing such a backup data storage process (step S2) by the CPU 10, the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is already stored in the primary memory 11 at the timing when the backup data DB is acquired. For example, the acquired backup data DB and the remaining data portion DA2 can be stored in the secondary memory 12 in a combined state.

  Next, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed processing procedure of the image data storage process (step S4). When starting this process, the CPU 10 divides the acquired image data DA for each block size of the secondary memory 12 (step S20). Then, the CPU 10 stores the data portion DA1 divided into the same size as that of one block in each block of the secondary memory 12 (step S21). Further, the CPU 10 stores the remaining data portion DA2 that is less than one block in the primary memory 11 (step S22).

  Then, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the backup data DB is stored in the primary memory 11 (step S23). As a result, when the backup data DB is stored in the primary memory 11 (YES in step S23), the CPU 10 stores the remaining data of the image data DA from the backup data DB stored in the primary memory 11. When combined with the portion DA2, data that is equal to or less than one block of the secondary memory 12 is extracted (step S24). At this time, the CPU 10 extracts the data having the maximum data amount that is equal to or less than one block of the secondary memory 12 by combining with the remaining data portion DA2.

  Then, the CPU 10 combines the data extracted from the backup data DB and the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA (step S25), and stores the combined data in one block of the secondary memory 12 (step S26). . As a result, the entire acquired image data DA is stored in the secondary memory 12 as a backup. Thereafter, the CPU 10 deletes the data stored in the secondary memory 12 from the primary memory 11 (step S27).

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the image data DA that has been stored in the secondary memory 12 is image data that is acquired along with the reception of FAX data (step S28). When the image data is included in the FAX data (YES in step S28), the CPU 10 notifies the FAX communication unit 8 of the completion of saving the image data DA and causes the FAX communication unit 8 to transmit a reception completion notification. (Step S29). If the image data is not included in the FAX data (NO in step S28), the process of step S29 is not performed and the image data storage process ends.

  On the other hand, when the backup data DB is not stored in the primary memory 11 at the timing when the image data DA is acquired (NO in step S23), the CPU 10 refers to the execution schedule management table illustrated in FIG. It is determined whether the backup data DB is scheduled to be acquired within a time (for example, within 5 minutes) (step S30). As a result, if the backup data DB is scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time (YES in step S30), the CPU 10 performs the image data storage process while the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is stored in the primary memory 11. Exit. The remaining data portion DA2 is stored in the secondary memory 12 together with the backup data DB by the backup data storage process (step S2) described above when the backup data DB is subsequently acquired.

  If the backup data DB is not scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time (NO in step S30), the CPU 10 stores the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA stored in the primary memory 11 in the secondary memory 12 (step S30). S31). At this time, only the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA may be stored in one block of the secondary memory 12 as it is. However, in that case, there is a possibility that a relatively large free space may be generated in a block in which only the remaining data portion is stored. Therefore, in the process of step S31, the CPU 10 acquires the backup data DB earlier than planned by executing the image stabilization process ahead of schedule, and acquires the backup data DB acquired earlier and the remaining data portion DA2. More preferably, they are combined and stored in one block of the secondary memory 12.

  When the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is stored in the secondary memory 12 by the process of step S31, the process proceeds to step S28. Then, as described above, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the image data DA that has been stored in the secondary memory 12 is image data that is acquired when the FAX data is received (step S28). If the image data is included, the FAX communication unit 8 transmits a reception completion notification (step S29).

  By executing such image data storage processing (step S4) by the CPU 10, if the backup data DB is already stored in the primary memory 11 at the timing when the image data DA is acquired, the acquired image data DA is acquired. The backup data DB and the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA can be stored in the secondary memory 12 in a combined state. If the backup data DB is not stored in the primary memory 11, it is determined whether or not the backup data DB is scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time. In a state where the data portion DA2 is stored in the primary memory 11, a standby state is entered until the backup data DB is acquired. On the other hand, when the backup data DB is not scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time, the remaining data portion DA2 is quickly stored in the secondary memory 12, and all of the image data DA is relatively early. It can be stored in the secondary memory 12.

  Next, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed processing procedure of the image data deletion process (step S9). When starting this process, the CPU 10 specifies all blocks in the secondary memory 12 in which the image data DA to be deleted is stored (step S40). Then, the CPU 10 selects one of the identified blocks (step S41), and determines whether data combined with the backup data DB is stored in the selected block (step S42). As a result, if data combined with the backup data DB is stored (YES in step S42), the backup data DB is read and stored in the primary memory 11 (step S43). Then, the CPU 10 collectively deletes data stored in the selected block (step S44). If the backup data DB is not stored in the selected block, the process in step S43 is not performed, and the data stored in the block is deleted all at once (step S44).

  Then, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the deletion process for all the blocks specified in step S40 has been completed (step S45). If there is a block that has not been deleted yet, the CPU 10 returns to step S41 and described above. Repeat the process. When the deletion process for all blocks is completed, the image data deletion process (step S9) ends.

  By executing such image data deletion processing (step S9) by the CPU 10, the image data DA that is no longer required to be stored as a backup is quickly deleted from the secondary memory 12. At this time, since the backup data DB combined with the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is saved to the primary memory 11, the backup data DB is lost when the image data DA is deleted. It is preventing. The backup data DB saved in the primary memory 11 is again saved in the secondary memory 12 together with the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA when another image data DA is acquired thereafter. .

  As described above, the information processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a primary memory 11 having a storage area with a predetermined capacity, and a data storage including the secondary memory 12 having a storage area with a larger capacity than the primary memory 11. A control device 2 is provided. The secondary memory 12 is a non-volatile storage means whose storage area is divided into a plurality of blocks, data is erased in units of blocks, and data can be written to the erased blocks. It is.

  Then, as described above, the data storage control device 2 acquires the image data acquisition unit 21 that acquires the image data DA stored in the secondary memory 12, and the backup data acquisition unit 22 that acquires the backup data DB different from the image data DA. In the image data DA acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21, the data portion DA1 that is an integral multiple of one block in the secondary memory 12 is stored in the secondary memory 12, and the remaining data portion DA2 is stored in the primary data. A configuration including a control unit 23 that stores the backup data DB stored in the memory 11 and acquired by the backup data acquisition unit 22 in one block of the secondary memory 12 in combination with the remaining data portion DA2 in the primary memory 11 It is.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce a free space generated when the image data DA is stored in the secondary memory 12. As a result, the number of data writes to each block of the secondary memory 12 can be reduced, and the secondary memory 12 having an upper limit on the number of rewrites can be used for a longer period of time than before. It becomes like this.

  Further, the control unit 23 in the present embodiment is configured to detect the timing at which the backup data acquisition unit 22 acquires the next backup data DB. When the image data acquisition unit 21 acquires the image data DA and the backup data acquisition unit 22 plans to acquire the next backup data DB within a predetermined time, the control unit 23 acquires the image data DA. The remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA thus stored is stored in the primary memory 11. Therefore, when the next backup data DB is scheduled to be acquired within a predetermined time at the time when the image data DA is acquired, the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA is 2 together with the backup data DB within the predetermined time. It can be stored in one block of the next memory 12.

  If the backup data acquisition unit 22 does not plan to acquire the next backup data DB within a predetermined time when the image data acquisition unit 21 acquires the image data DA, the control unit 23 displays the image data acquisition unit. The remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA acquired by 21 may be stored in the secondary memory 12 without being combined with the backup data DB. In this case, all of the image data DA acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21 can be quickly stored in the secondary memory 12.

  If the backup data acquisition unit 22 does not plan to acquire the next backup data DB within a predetermined time when the image data acquisition unit 21 acquires the image data DA, the control unit 23 sets a predetermined time interval. Then, the image stabilization processing that is periodically performed may be forcibly executed ahead of time so that the backup data acquisition unit 22 acquires the backup data DB. In this case, all of the image data DA acquired by the image data acquisition unit 21 can be quickly stored in the secondary memory 12, and the occurrence of an empty area in the secondary memory 12 can be reduced. become.

  The control unit 23 of the present embodiment controls the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA and the backup data DB so as not to exceed the capacity of one block of the secondary memory 12. That is, when combining the remaining data portion DA2 of the image data DA and the backup data DB, the maximum data that does not exceed the capacity of one block of the secondary memory 12 out of a plurality of types of data included in the backup data DB. A process of selecting and combining data to be quantities is performed. According to such a configuration, the storage area of each block in the secondary memory 12 can be most effectively used, and the number of times data is written to each block of the secondary memory 12 is further effectively reduced. Will be able to.

  Further, when erasing the image data DA stored in the secondary memory 12, the control unit 23 of the present embodiment reads the backup data DB combined with the remaining data portion DA 2 of the image data DA and stores it in the primary memory 11. After that, all the blocks in which the image data DA is stored are erased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the backup data DB that needs to be continuously held in the data storage control device 2 from being lost along with the deletion of the image data DA.

(Modification)
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment regarding this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to the thing of the content mentioned above, It cannot be overemphasized that a various modification is applicable.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the data storage control device 2 is mounted on the information processing device 1 such as a multifunction peripheral is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the data storage control device 2 described above can provide a backup function at a relatively low cost to any device that does not include a large-scale storage device such as a hard disk device. Therefore, the configuration of the data storage control device 2 described above can be applied to other devices other than the multifunction peripheral, and may be mounted on, for example, a computer.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the case where the primary memory 11 was comprised by the non-volatile memory | storage means was illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the primary memory 11 may be configured by a volatile storage unit. For example, the main memory 6 shown in FIG. 1 may be used as the primary memory 11. However, in that case, if the power supplied to the data storage control device 2 fails, the remaining data portion DA2 of the backup data DB and image data DA stored in the main memory 6 will be lost. There is a problem. Therefore, as described in the above embodiment, the primary memory 11 is preferably configured by a nonvolatile storage unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing apparatus 2 Data storage control apparatus 10 CPU
11 Primary memory 12 Secondary memory 21 Image data acquisition unit (image data acquisition means)
22 Backup data acquisition unit (backup data acquisition means)
23 Control unit (control means)

Claims (10)

A primary memory having a storage area of a predetermined capacity;
It has a storage area larger than the primary memory, and the storage area is divided into a plurality of blocks, and data is erased in units of blocks, and data can be written to the erased blocks. Secondary memory,
Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data to be stored in the secondary memory;
Backup data acquisition means for acquiring backup data different from the image data;
Of the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, a data portion that is an integral multiple of one block in the secondary memory is stored in the secondary memory, and the remaining data portion is stored in the primary memory. Control means for simultaneously storing backup data acquired by the backup data acquiring means in combination with the remaining data portion stored in the primary memory in one block of the secondary memory;
A data storage control device comprising:   The control means detects the timing at which the backup data acquisition means acquires the next backup data, and when the image data acquisition means acquires the image data, the backup data acquisition means causes the next backup data to be within a predetermined time. 2. The data storage control device according to claim 1, wherein when the image data is scheduled to be acquired, the remaining data portion of the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means is stored in the primary memory.   If the backup data acquisition unit does not plan to acquire the next backup data within a predetermined time when the image data acquisition unit acquires the image data, the control unit acquires the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit. 3. The data storage control device according to claim 2, wherein the remaining data portion is stored in the secondary memory without being combined with backup data.   The control means stores the backup data acquired by the backup data acquisition means in the primary memory, and combines the backup data stored in the primary memory and the remaining data portion of the image data in combination with the 2 4. The data storage control device according to claim 1, wherein the data storage control device stores the data in one block of a next memory.   5. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the remaining data portion of the image data and the backup data are combined, the control unit performs control so as not to exceed a capacity of one block of the secondary memory. A data storage control device according to claim 1.   The control means, when combining the remaining data portion of the image data and the backup data, selects and combines data that does not exceed the capacity of one block of the secondary memory from a plurality of types of data included in the backup data The data storage control device according to claim 5. The backup data acquired by the backup data acquisition means is data generated by an image stabilization process performed periodically at a preset time interval,
The control means forcibly performs the image stabilization process when the backup data acquisition means does not plan to acquire the next backup data within a predetermined time when the image data acquisition means acquires image data. The data storage control device according to claim 2, wherein the backup data acquisition unit acquires backup data.   When erasing the image data stored in the secondary memory, the control means stores the backup data combined with the remaining data portion of the image data in the primary memory, and then stores the image data. 8. The data storage control device according to claim 1, wherein all the blocks are erased. A primary memory having a storage area of a predetermined capacity, and a storage area having a capacity larger than that of the primary memory, the storage area being divided into a plurality of blocks, and data erasing is performed in units of blocks. A data storage control method for controlling a secondary memory capable of writing data to an erased block,
(a) obtaining image data to be stored in the secondary memory;
(b) storing, in the secondary memory, a data portion that is an integral multiple of one block in the secondary memory among the image data acquired in the step (a);
(c) storing the remaining data portion of the image data acquired in step (a) in the primary memory;
(d) obtaining backup data different from the image data;
(e) simultaneously storing the backup data obtained in step (d) in combination with the remaining data portion stored in the primary memory in one block of the secondary memory;
A data storage control method comprising: A primary memory having a storage area of a predetermined capacity;
It has a storage area larger than the primary memory, and the storage area is divided into a plurality of blocks, and data is erased in units of blocks, and data can be written to the erased blocks. Secondary memory,
A program executed on a computer comprising:
Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data to be stored in the secondary memory;
Backup data acquisition means for acquiring backup data different from the image data, and
Of the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, a data portion that is an integral multiple of one block in the secondary memory is stored in the secondary memory, and the remaining data portion is stored in the primary memory. Control means for simultaneously storing backup data acquired by the backup data acquiring means in combination with the remaining data portion stored in the primary memory in one block of the secondary memory;
A program characterized by functioning as

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