JPH06110802A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the cost and the installing space of an equipment of an information processor which carries out a data communication test. CONSTITUTION:In an information processor, a communication interface which is pakaged in a controller 6 and controls the transmission/reception of data on the image information, etc., is connected to a communication I/F board 8 provided on a printed board (extension board) and a standard I/F 9 contained in the controller 6 via a cable 10. Then the information processor carries out a data communication test for the communication interface provided on the board 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for performing data communication by mounting an expansion board having a communication interface formed in an expansion slot of an expansion bus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image such as a large amount of documents is read by a scanner (two-dimensional scanning device), the read image is stored in an optical disk, and any stored image is searched and read out. Output it to an output device, eg C
An information processing device such as an electronic filing device that outputs an RT display device or a recording device in a state in which it can be viewed is put into practical use. In addition, data communication is performed by connecting to another information processing device by a cable or a communication line.

In order to perform data communication with another information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus is equipped with an expansion board (hereinafter referred to as a communication interface board) having a communication interface formed in an expansion slot. .

A data communication test of an information processing apparatus having a communication interface board is performed by connecting the communication interface board and another information processing apparatus to each other via a cable or a communication line and transmitting / receiving data. It is common.

However, in such a data communication test method, it is necessary to prepare another information processing apparatus as a communication partner, which increases the cost of the test equipment and requires a space for this equipment. It was

[0006]

As described above, another data processing device is required for the data communication test of the data processing device, which requires high-cost equipment and secures space. There was a problem. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of reducing the cost and space of equipment for performing a data communication test.

[0007]

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a first communication means provided for communicating data and a second communication means provided for expanding the function of data communication.
Communication means, communication connection means for connecting the second communication means and the first communication means, one communication means connected to the communication connection means on the transmission side, and the other communication means on the reception side. As a control means for independently controlling transmission and reception of data for communication test, a comparison means for comparing the transmission data and the reception data controlled by the control means, and the first communication based on the result of the comparison means. Means and second above
And a determining means for determining whether or not the communication means is normal.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the first communication means equipped for communicating data and the second communication means equipped for expanding the function of data communication are connected by the communication connecting means, and are connected. One of the communication means is used as the transmission side, the other communication means is used as the reception side, and the transmission and reception of the data for the communication test are independently controlled by the control means, and the controlled transmission data and the reception data are compared, From this comparison result, it is determined whether or not the first communication means and the second communication means are normal.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing apparatus of the present invention, for example, an electronic file device. That is, the electronic filing device has a reading unit composed of a CCD image sensor or the like, and has an image scanner device 1 for reading the content of a document as image data, a CRT display device 2 for displaying image information and an operation menu, and a man- A keyboard 3 which is a data input device as a machine interface, a mouse 4 which is an input device for inputting position information and switching of respective functions, and an optical disc device which records image information and title information corresponding to individual image information. 5, a controller 6 that controls the operation and data of the entire electronic file device, a printer device 7 that prints out image information as visible information on a recording medium such as recording paper, and a communication interface that controls the transmission and reception of data such as image information. Communication formed on the printed circuit board (expansion board) Centers face board (hereinafter, communication I / F
8), a standard interface provided as a standard in the controller 6 (hereinafter referred to as standard I / O)
9), and communication I / F board 8 and standard I
/ F9 and a cable (or a communication line) 10 for connecting the F9.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the controller 6. That is, on the main board 11 in the controller 6, a CPU 12 that controls the entire system,
The standard I / F 9 capable of data communication is formed under the control of the CPU 12. The expansion bus 13 is a bus connecting an expansion board such as the communication I / F board 8 and the main board 11. From this expansion bus 13 to expansion slot 14
The communication I / F board 8 is connected via the, and the other end of the communication I / F board 8 is connected to the standard I / F 9 via the cable 10. Further, the communication interface used for the cable 10 is, for example, an RS-232C or the like that can perform only one-to-one communication. Next, the operation of the data communication test in the electronic filing apparatus having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the power is turned on and the keyboard 3 is operated to instruct the output of test transmission data prepared in advance.

The CPU 12 on the main board 11 outputs the instructed test transmission data to the communication I / F board 8 via the expansion bus 13 and the expansion slot 14. The communication I / F board 8 outputs the input transmission data to the cable 10 as communication data. The standard I / F 9 on the main board 6 receives the communication data sent via the cable 10.

The CPU 12 compares the reception data received by the standard I / F 9 with the transmission data transmitted to the communication interface 8, and confirms whether or not the communication can be normally executed.

The CPU 12 terminates the data communication test when it is normal, and when it is abnormal, displays an error message on the screen of the CRT display device 2.
Prompt another data communication test or check for abnormal points.

Further, the case of communication from the communication I / F board 8 to the standard I / F 9 has been described above.
A data communication test is similarly performed for communication from / F9 to the communication I / F board 8.

The cable 10 shown in FIG. 2 is connected for the data communication test of this embodiment. By connecting the communication I / F board 8 of this embodiment to another electronic filing device with a cable 10 or a communication line,
Data communication is performed between the electronic file devices.

As described above, according to the above embodiment,
The communication interface formed on the expansion board is mounted on the expansion bus in the electronic file device, and the communication I
The data communication test is executed by transmitting and receiving data between the / F board and the standard I / F on the main board.

That is, a loopback type data communication test can be executed in one electronic file device. Therefore, in the electronic file device, the data communication test is executed only by using the communication equipment (cable, communication line, etc.), and it is not necessary to prepare another electronic file device for the data communication test. Cost reduction and space saving are possible. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the electronic file device described in the above embodiment, but can be used for a device having a communication function.

[0019]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of reducing the cost of equipment for performing a data communication test and saving space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electronic filing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a controller.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of a data communication test.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Scanner device, 2 ... CRT display device, 3 ...
Keyboard, 4 ... Mouse, 5 ... Optical disk device, 6 ... Controller, 7 ... Printer device, 8 ... Communication I / F board, 9 ... Standard I / F, 10 ... Cable, 11 ... Main board, 12 ... CPU, 13 ... Expansion bus, 14 ... Expansion slot.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first communication means equipped to communicate data, a second communication means equipped to expand the function of data communication, the second communication means and the first communication means. The communication connection means for connecting to the communication means, and one communication means connected to this communication connection means as the transmission side, and the other communication means as the reception side to independently control the transmission / reception of the data for the communication test. Control means, comparison means for comparing the transmission data and the reception data controlled by the control means, and it is judged from the results of the comparison means whether the first communication means and the second communication means are normal or not. An information processing device, comprising: