JPH0869346A - Memory rewrite device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To continue the rewrite operation without the reception of the effect of an interrupted power supply of the device main body while rewriting a basic program. CONSTITUTION: The system using the device is provided with a copying machine main body 1 having a flush EEPROM 11 storing a basic program, an EPROM 12 storing a rewrite program, and a power supply changeover circuit 15 supplying a power supply voltage from a main body power supply section 17 to the ROMs 11, 12 and applying an external power supply voltage when the power of the main body power supply section 17 is interrupted while the basic program is rewritten, with an external terminal equipment 2 providing a new program to the copying machine main body 1 and a transmission cable 3 through which data are sent between the copying machine main body 1 and the external terminal equipment 2 and a power supply voltage from a backup power supply 24 of the external terminal equipment 2 is applied to the power supply changeover circuit 15 as an external power supply voltage.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a memory rewriting device for rewriting the contents stored in a memory, and more particularly, in a device such as a copying machine equipped with a rewritable memory in which a basic program is stored. The present invention relates to a memory rewriting device for rewriting a basic program stored in.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a device such as a copying machine, so-called version upgrade for changing the version to improve the performance is performed by rewriting a basic program of the device. At the time of this version upgrade, it is costly to replace the memory storing the basic program with the memory storing the new program. Therefore, as a memory for storing the basic program, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programma) is used.
ble Read Only Memory) and flash EEPROM (Fl
The basic program itself is rewritten using a rewritable ROM such as ash EEPROM).

Further, if a rewriting program for rewriting the basic program is stored in a rewritable ROM together with the basic program, when the basic program is rewritten by this rewriting program, the rewriting program is also rewritten. I was killed,
Particularly in the case of the flash EEPROM, all the stored contents are erased at once when the contents are rewritten. Therefore, the ROM that stores the basic program
The rewriting program is stored in another ROM different from the above.

As a conventional device in which the basic program is stored in the rewritable ROM and the rewriting program is stored in another ROM different from the rewritable ROM as described above, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-1
The one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 35596 is known. In this conventional device, it is premised that the power is turned off while the basic program is being rewritten. That is, a mode selection switch for switching between the normal processing mode based on the basic program and the rewriting processing mode based on the rewriting program is provided, and when the power is turned off during execution of the rewriting processing, the mode selection switch is set to the rewriting processing mode. The rewriting process is performed again from the beginning after the power is turned on again in the selected state.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional device, the countermeasure is taken when the power is turned off during the rewriting of the basic program, but the backup power supply does not turn off. It is clear that it is best to work. However, it is not preferable to mount a backup power supply on the main body of a device such as a copying machine, because the cost increases and the size of the device itself increases, which goes against the tendency toward downsizing of the device. Further, in the above-mentioned conventional device, the hardware is provided as a countermeasure against the erroneous operation of the mode selection switch, but the extra function is required for each device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to rewrite a basic program as it is without being affected even if the power of the apparatus main body is turned off during rewriting. It is to provide a memory rewriting device capable of continuing the operation.

[0007]

A memory rewriting device according to the present invention stores a rewritable first memory in which a basic program is stored, and a rewriting program for rewriting the stored contents of the first memory. And a power supply switching means for supplying a power supply voltage from the main body power supply unit to the first and second memories and supplying an external power supply voltage when the main body power supply unit is powered off. And an external terminal device that gives the device main body a new program to be stored in the first memory, data transmission between the device main body and the external terminal device, and the external terminal device side The power supply voltage is supplied to the power supply switching means as an external power supply voltage, and the transmission means is provided.

[0008]

In the memory rewriting device having the above structure, when the main body power supply unit is powered on, the power supply voltage from the main body power supply unit is selected by the power supply switching means and supplied to the first and second memories. In this state, data of a new program to be stored in the first memory is supplied to the apparatus main body from the external terminal apparatus via the transmission means. Then, the basic program in the first memory is rewritten based on the rewriting program stored in the second memory. If the power supply of the main body is turned off for some reason during this rewriting, the power supply switching means selects the external power supply voltage supplied from the external terminal device via the transmitting means, and the external power supply voltage is set to the first and second power supply voltages. Supply to the memory. As a result, even if the main body power supply unit suddenly turns off during rewriting of the basic program, the power supply to the first and second memories continues without being affected by it.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
The present invention is not limited to the application to a copying machine, but can be applied to all devices equipped with a rewritable memory in which a basic program is stored.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a copying machine main body 1 includes a flash EEPROM 11 as a rewritable first memory in which a basic program is stored, and a flash EEPROM.
E as a second memory in which a rewriting program for rewriting the stored contents of the EPROM 11 is stored
A data transmission / reception circuit 13 for transmitting / receiving data between the PROM 12 and an external terminal device 2 described below, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for controlling the flash EEPROM 11, EPROM 12, and the data transmission / reception circuit 13.
14, flash EEPROM 11, EPROM 1
2. The main board 16 having the data transmitting / receiving circuit 13 and the power supply switching circuit 15 for supplying power to the CPU 14 is built-in.

The copying machine main body 1 further includes a main body power supply unit 17 that rectifies and stabilizes the AC power supply voltage and outputs a power supply voltage of, for example, 5 V, and an interface (I / F) 18 that inputs and outputs data and the like. Built-in. Main body power supply unit 17
The power supply voltage output from the above becomes one input of the power supply switching circuit 15. The interface 18 takes in an external power supply voltage supplied from the outside and uses it as another input of the power supply switching circuit 15. The power supply switching circuit 15 includes the power supply unit 1 of the main body.
When the power source 7 is turned on, that is, when the power source voltage is output from the main body power source unit 17, this internal power source voltage is supplied through the interface 18 when the main body power source unit 17 is turned off while rewriting the basic program. The selected external power supply voltage is supplied to the flash EEPROM 11, EPROM 12, data transmission / reception circuit 13 and CPU 14 through the power supply line L.

The external terminal device 2 has a storage device 21 in which a new program to be rewritten next is stored.
A data transmission / reception circuit 22 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the copying machine main body 1, a CPU 23 for controlling the storage device 21 and the data transmission / reception circuit 22, and a storage device 21, a data transmission / reception circuit 22, and a CPU 23, for example. Backup power supply 2 such as a battery that supplies a power supply voltage of 5V
4 and an interface (I /
F) 25 and are built in. The power supply voltage from the backup power supply 24 is also supplied to the interface 25 and can be output to the outside.

As the storage device 21 in the external terminal device 2, a rewritable ROM for storing and holding new program data input to be rewritten next from an input section (not shown) of the external terminal device 2, or a new ROM A storage medium such as a floppy disk in which program data is stored in advance is used. However, the external terminal device 2
It is not essential to install the storage device 21 in the above, and new program data input from the input unit of the external terminal device 2 may be directly handled.

The new program data stored in the storage device 21 is guided to the interface 25 through the data transmission / reception circuit 22 and is further connected as a transmission means between the copying machine main body 1 and the external terminal device 2 as a transmission cable. 3 is transmitted to the copying machine main body 1 side. In addition to transmitting data, the transmission cable 3 supplies the power supply voltage from the backup power supply 24 to the copying machine body 1 as an external power supply voltage. As the external terminal device 2, it is possible to use a so-called handy personal computer that can be operated by a battery.

Next, the rewriting operation of the basic program in the memory rewriting device having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, referring to FIG.
As will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 3, the power-on turns into a normal copy state (standby / copying) (step S1). In this state, the CPU 14 determines whether or not a rewrite command is received from the external terminal device 2 (step S1). S2). If the rewrite command is received, the CPU 14 suspends the normal copy state (step S3), and the command step is flash EEPR.
Move from OM11 to EPROM12 (step S4),
Then, the rewritable command is transmitted to the external terminal device 2 (step S5).

The power supply switching circuit 15 includes a main body power supply unit 17
Determines whether the power is on (step S
6) If the power is on, the flash EEPROM 1
1, EPROM 12, data transmission / reception circuit 13 and CPU
Supply of the power supply voltage from the main body power supply unit 17 to 14 is continued (step S7), and if the power supply is off, the external power supply voltage from the external terminal device 2 is selected and supplied (step S8). On the other hand, the CPU 14 receives new program data from the external terminal device 2 (step S9). Here, in the flowchart of FIG. 2, only power supply monitoring by the power supply switching circuit 15 in the data receiving state is specifically mentioned, but power supply monitoring is always performed in any state.

When the data reception is completed, the CPU 14
Based on the rewriting program stored in the EPROM 12, the basic program of the flash EEPROM 11 is rewritten and the sum check is performed (step S1).
1). Here, the sum check means to check whether or not the data is exchanged correctly. And CP
U14 judges the result of the sum check (step S1.
2) If the sum check is “NG”, a data retransmission request is transmitted to the external terminal device 2 (step S1).
3) Then, the process returns to step S6 and the above-described processing is repeated.

If the sum check is "OK", the CPU
14 transfers the instruction step from the EEPROM 12 to the flash EEPROM 11 (step S14), then transmits a rewrite completion command to the external terminal device 2 (step S15), and then the power switch (not shown) of the copying machine main body 1 is turned off. Is determined (step S
16). Then, if the power switch remains in the ON state, the process returns to step S1 to repeat the above process, and if the power switch is OFF, the series of processes for rewriting the basic program ends.

Next, the operation of the external terminal device 2 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 3. When the power is turned on, the CPU 23 performs a sum check of a new program stored in the storage device 21 (step S2).
1) Judge the result of the sum check (step S2)
2). If the sum check is “OK”, the CPU
23 determines whether or not the program rewriting menu is selected (step S23). If the program rewriting menu is selected, the rewriting command is transmitted to the copying machine main body 1 (step S24), and the copying machine is selected. Body 1
Waits for a rewritable command to be transmitted from (step S25).

When the rewritable command is received, the CPU 23 transmits the program data to the copying machine main body 1 (step S26) and repeats the transmission of the program data until it is determined in step S27 that the data transmission is completed. Further, if there is a data resend request from the copying machine body 1, similarly, a process of transmitting the program data to the copying machine body 1 is executed. When the rewriting completion command is received from the copying machine body 1 (step S29), the CP
The U23 displays the completion of rewriting on the display unit (not shown) (step S30), and then returns to step S23.

If it is determined in step S22 that the sum check is "NG", the process ends. Step S
If it is determined that the rewritable command is not received from the copying machine body 1 at 25 or if the rewriting completion command is not received from the copying machine body 1, the CPU 23
Displays an abnormality on the display unit (step S31),
Then, it is determined whether or not to retry (step S3).
2). Then, if it is retried, step S2
Returning to step 3, the above-described processing is repeatedly executed, and if no retry is made, a series of processing for transmitting new program data to the copying machine main body 1 is ended.

As described above, the power supply voltage from the backup power supply 24 in the external terminal device 2 is applied to the copying machine main body 1 as the external power supply voltage, and the power supply switching circuit 15 is provided.
The power supply ON / OFF state of the main body power supply unit 17 is monitored by the flash EEPROM 11, EPROM 12 for the internal power supply voltage from the main body power supply unit 17 when the power supply is on and for the external power supply voltage from the external terminal device 2 when the power supply is off. ,
By supplying the data to the data transmission / reception circuit 13 and the CPU 14, even if the main body power supply unit 17 of the copying machine main body 1 is turned off due to an accident such as AC power interruption during rewriting of the basic program, the influence thereof is exerted. The rewriting operation can be continued without receiving this.

In the above embodiment, the case where only the backup power supply 24 is mounted on the external terminal device 2 has been described, but together with the backup power supply 24, the AC power supply voltage is rectified and stabilized to, for example, 5V. It is also equipped with a power supply unit that outputs a power supply voltage. Normally, the power supply voltage from this power supply unit is supplied to each internal circuit and is also supplied to the copying machine main body 1 as an external power supply voltage. In this case, it goes without saying that the power supply voltage from the backup power supply 24 may be supplied to each internal circuit and also supplied to the copying machine main body 1 as an external power supply voltage. According to this structure, the life of the backup power supply 24 can be extended.

However, when the main body power supply unit 17 on the side of the copying machine 1 is turned off during the rewriting of the basic program due to an accident such as the disconnection of the AC power supply, the power supply unit on the external terminal device 2 side is also turned off at the same time. Therefore, in order to ensure that the external power supply voltage is supplied from the external terminal device 2 when the main body power supply unit 17 of the copying machine main body 1 is turned off, the external terminal device 2 must be backed up. It is essential to mount the power supply 24.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The power supply voltage from the external terminal device is applied to the main body of the device as the external power supply voltage. When the power supply of the main body is on, the power supply voltage from the power supply of the main body is turned on. Since the voltage is supplied to the rewritable memory that stores the basic program, the memory that stores the rewriting program, etc., even if the power supply of the main unit is turned off while the basic program is being rewritten, However, the rewriting operation can be continued without being affected by this.

As a result, even if the main body of the apparatus is not equipped with a backup power source, the main body power supply unit can be turned off while the basic program is being rewritten, so that the main body of the apparatus does not become large and the cost does not increase. Also, since the power supply is switched automatically, it is not necessary to provide a switch for switching and a circuit for countermeasures when the switch is erroneously operated, unlike the conventional device, and the configuration is simple. The purpose of the period can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an operation when rewriting a basic program in the copying machine main body.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a transmission operation of a new program in the external terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Copy Machine Main Body 2 External Terminal Device 3 Transmission Cable 11 Flash EEPROM 12 EPROM 15 Power Supply Switching Circuit 16 Main Board 17 Main Body Power Supply Unit 21 Storage Device 24 Backup Power Supply

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rewritable first memory in which a basic program is stored, a second memory in which a rewriting program for rewriting the contents stored in the first memory is stored, and the first memory. And a device main body having a power supply switching unit that supplies a power supply voltage from the main body power supply unit to the second memory and also supplies an external power supply voltage when the main body power supply unit is off. An external terminal device that gives a new program to be stored in the memory to the device body, data transmission between the device body and the external terminal device, and switching the power supply voltage of the external terminal device side to the power supply. A memory rewriting device, characterized in that the memory rewriting device comprises: