JP2010182162A - Electronic device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To optimize update of each individual control parameter. <P>SOLUTION: For a plurality of control parameters which are stored in the nonvolatile memory of an image forming apparatus control part, are referred to when executing control processing and can also change values, the optimum update condition corresponding to the contents and characteristics is selected/set beforehand from a plurality of kinds of update conditions (one example is indicated in (A)-(E)) for each individual control parameter, and an optimum update reference value is also set beforehand for the control parameter to which the update condition requiring the update reference value is applied. When updating the version of a control program, the propriety of updating is determined on the basis of the update condition for each individual control parameter for the individual control parameter, and the control parameter decided to be updatable is rewritten to an initial value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device and a program.

  In an electronic device such as an image forming apparatus, various control parameters are stored together with a control program in a nonvolatile storage unit, and various controls are performed by executing the control program while the electronic device is in operation. In this control, each control parameter stored in the storage unit is referred to, and the control content is switched according to the value of each control parameter. In addition, when a new version of the control program is developed, the new version of the control program is transferred from the external device to the electronic device, and the control program stored in the storage unit is rewritten with the new version of the program. The control program is upgraded, but the control program transferred from the external device to the electronic device also includes initial values of the respective control parameters. When the control program is upgraded, a plurality of programs stored in the storage unit are stored. In general, all of the control parameters are updated to the initial values.

  In relation to the above, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for identifying a control parameter having a set value that deviates from a specified initial value before update at the time of automatic update of the control parameter and not updating the corresponding control parameter. It is disclosed.

JP 2006-277225 A

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an electronic device and a program capable of optimizing update of control parameters for each control parameter.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a first storage unit that stores a plurality of control parameters that can be referred to during operation and each of which can be changed. Determining whether to update the specific control parameter based on the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage unit, the second storage unit each storing the update condition set in Only when it is determined that the specific control parameter is to be updated, an update unit that performs a conditional update process for updating the specific control parameter stored in the first storage unit for each of the plurality of control parameters. It is configured to include.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the second storage unit also stores an initial value set for each of the control parameters, and the update unit stores the specific control parameter. When it is determined to update, the specific control parameter stored in the first storage unit is updated to the initial value stored in the second storage unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes instruction means for instructing forced initialization, and the updating means is instructed to perform the forced initialization through the instruction means. In this case, all control parameters stored in the first storage unit are updated to corresponding initial values stored in the second storage unit.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first storage means stores a control program executed during operation, and is new from an external device. Each time a control program is received, the received new control program is stored in place of the previously stored control program, and the second storage means newly stores the new control program together with the new control program. Each time the update condition is received, the received new update condition is stored in place of the previously stored update condition, and the update means stores the new update condition in the second storage means. The conditional update process is performed for each of the plurality of control parameters only when power is turned on for the first time after.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the state parameter stored in the third storage means and updated in accordance with the state of the electronic device is a predetermined value. Stored in the second storage means when it is detected that a predetermined event has occurred in the electronic device, or when a part of the electronic device has been replaced. It further comprises changing means for changing the update condition of the specific control parameter.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the update condition of the specific control parameter is an update that is referred to when determining whether to update the control parameter by defining the update condition. The update unit is configured to include the reference value, and the update unit changes the update condition by changing the update reference value to a predetermined value.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the updating unit is configured such that when the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage unit is changed by the changing unit, The conditional update process is performed only for the specific control parameter.

  A program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes a first storage unit that stores a plurality of control parameters that are referred to during operation and that can be changed in value, and that are set for each of the control parameters. Updating the specific control parameter based on the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage means for the computer of the electronic device provided with the second storage means for storing each of the updated update conditions If it is determined whether or not the specific control parameter is to be updated, conditional update processing for updating the specific control parameter stored in the first storage unit is performed for each of the plurality of control parameters. It functions as an updating means.

  A program according to the invention described in claim 9 includes a first storage means for storing a plurality of control parameters, each having a built-in computer, each of which can be referred to and can be changed during operation, and is set for each of the control parameters. The computer of the electronic device provided with the 2nd memory | storage means which each memorize | stored each updated condition is made to function as each means of any one of Claims 1-7.

  The inventions according to claims 1, 8, and 9 have an effect that the update of the control parameters can be optimized for each individual control parameter as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.

  The invention according to claim 3 has an effect that it is possible to easily realize that all the control parameters are forcibly updated to the initial values as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.

  The invention according to claim 4 has an effect that the start-up time at the time of power-on of the electronic device can be shortened as compared with the case where this configuration is not provided.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the presence or absence of a change in the state of the electronic device, the occurrence of a predetermined event in the electronic device, or the replacement of a component of the electronic device as compared with the case without this configuration. Accordingly, it is possible to optimize the update of a specific control parameter.

  The invention according to claim 7 has an effect that the conditional update process can be performed at an early stage on the control parameter whose update condition is changed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control program update process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the forced initialization process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the conditional update process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows an example of update conditions. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows an example of the conditions of update condition change. It is a flowchart which shows the control program update process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the forced initialization process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the update condition change process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the conditional update process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 10 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 10 corresponds to the electronic apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus 10 forms an electrostatic latent image of the image by charging the photoconductor and exposing the photoconductor according to an image to be recorded on paper. The electrostatic latent image is developed to form a toner image, and the formed toner image is transferred to a sheet and fixed, and the image forming unit 12 forms an image on the sheet by a known electrophotographic process; A scanner 14 that photoelectrically reads a recorded image and outputs image data representing the image, and a control panel 16 that includes an LCD or the like that can display various information and a keyboard such as a numeric keypad. The image forming unit 12, the scanner 14, and the control panel 16 are connected to an image forming apparatus control unit 18, and the image forming apparatus control unit 18 includes a first communication I / F (interface) unit 28 and a second communication I / F unit. 30.

  The image forming apparatus controller 18 includes a CPU 20, a memory 22, a first nonvolatile memory 24 including an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and a second nonvolatile memory 26 including a flash memory. The nonvolatile memory 24 is provided with a storage area for a control program for the CPU 20 to perform processing such as controlling the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus control unit 18 is operated by the control program stored in the first non-volatile memory 24 by the CPU 20 </ b> A, so that the user operates the control panel 16 or communicates with the first communication I / F unit 28. A computer connected via a line (for example, LAN) (FIG. 1 shows a PC (Personal Computer) 32 as an example of this computer) is operated by a user to instruct recording (printing) of an image on paper. In this case, the image forming unit 12 performs an image recording process for recording the image represented by the image data output from the scanner 14 or the image represented by the image data received from the computer via the communication line on the paper. Is done.

  The second non-volatile memory 26 is provided with a storage area for storing various control parameters. In the control process described above, among the various control parameters stored in the second non-volatile memory 26, The control parameter related to the control in the control is referred to, and the control according to the value of the referred control parameter is performed. For example, the control parameters stored in the second non-volatile memory 26 include a parameter for defining “image writing timing” and a parameter for defining “paper feeding timing”. The image forming unit 12 is referred to when an image is formed, and the image writing timing and the paper feeding timing are controlled according to these parameters, whereby the image forming position on the paper is adjusted to an appropriate position. The control parameters also include, for example, parameters that define “photosensitive member charging voltage” and parameters that define “developing bias voltage”. These parameters are also referred to when the image forming unit 12 forms an image. The charging voltage and developing bias voltage of the photoreceptor are controlled.

  In addition, the first nonvolatile memory 24 is provided with a storage area for storing initial value information representing initial values of individual control parameters, and when the image forming apparatus 10 is installed and starts operating. The initial values stored in the storage area are set as individual control parameters. The control parameters include parameters whose values can be changed by, for example, an operator (for example, a service engineer) operating the control panel 16. For example, with regard to “image writing timing” and “paper feeding timing”, the optimum value for forming an image at an appropriate position on the paper gradually changes due to the influence of manufacturing errors and changes over time. The parameters that define these are appropriately changed and set by an operation by an operator or the like.

  Further, the first nonvolatile memory 24 is provided with a storage area for storing update condition information indicating the update condition of the control parameter, and the second nonvolatile memory 26 updates the control parameter based on the above update condition. A storage area is provided for storing update reference value information representing an update reference value that is referred to when determining whether or not to do so. The update condition information and update reference value information stored in these storage areas will be described later.

  In the first embodiment, the second nonvolatile memory 26 is the first storage means according to the present invention, and the first nonvolatile memory 24 is the second storage means according to the present invention (more specifically, claims 2 and 4). 2nd storage means) respectively.

  Next, as operations of the first embodiment, each process when the control program of the image forming apparatus 10 is updated to a new version will be described in order. As the control program for the image forming apparatus 10, a new version of the program is developed each time a new function needs to be added or bug correction is required. When a new version of the control program is developed and the control program stored in the first nonvolatile memory 24 is updated to a new version, a control program (this control program includes an update program described later), , Update condition information, update reference value information, initial value information, and an information group including a setup program are transferred from the external computer to the image forming apparatus 10 according to an operator's instruction, and the transferred information group is temporarily stored in the memory 22. . The external computer that transfers the information group to the image forming apparatus 10 is a maintenance computer that is connected to the second communication I / F unit 30 via a communication cable (for example, a USB cable), for example, by an operator's connection operation. The PC 34 is suitable, but may be another computer (for example, a server computer on the Internet).

  Subsequently, the operator instructs execution of a setup program included in the information group stored in the memory 22. Thus, the control program update process shown in FIG. 2 is performed by the CPU 20 of the image forming apparatus control unit 18. In this control program update process, first, in step 50, a new version of the control program included in the information group transferred from the external computer and stored in the memory 22 is already stored in the control program storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24. Overwrite the stored control program and store it. In step 52, the update condition information of the control parameter included in the information group stored in the memory 22 is overwritten and stored on the update condition information already stored in the update condition storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24. The initial value information of the control parameter included in the information group stored in the memory 22 is overwritten and stored on the initial value information already stored in the initial value storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24.

  In the next step 54, the update reference value information included in the information group stored in the memory 22 is stored by overwriting the update reference value information already stored in the update reference value storage area of the second nonvolatile memory 26. . In step 56, 1 is set in the storage area of the conditional update flag in the second nonvolatile memory 26, and the control program update process is terminated. The conditional update flag is a flag indicating whether or not conditional update processing described later is performed when the image forming apparatus 10 is turned on next time and the image forming apparatus 10 is started. As described above, when the conditional update flag is set to 1 in the control program update processing, the image forming apparatus 10 after the control program stored in the first nonvolatile memory 24 is updated to a new version of the control program. Conditional update processing will be performed at the first activation of.

  On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the operator operates the control panel 16 to initialize all control parameters stored in the second nonvolatile memory 26 (stored in the first nonvolatile memory 24). It is possible to instruct to rewrite the initial value. When this instruction is given, the forced initialization process shown in FIG. 3 is performed by the CPU 20 of the image forming apparatus controller 18. In this process, first, in step 60, 1 is set in the storage area of the conditional update flag in the second nonvolatile memory 26, and in the next step 62, the forced initialization flag (initialization of all control parameters) in the second nonvolatile memory 26 is performed. 1 is set in the storage area of the flag for instructing the conversion, and the process ends. In this forced initialization process, the control panel 16 corresponds to the instruction means described in claim 3.

  Next, the conditional update process will be described with reference to FIG. When the conditional update flag is set to 1 by performing the control program update process (FIG. 2) or the forced initialization process (FIG. 3) as described above, the power of the image forming apparatus 10 is temporarily turned off, and thereafter A startup process performed by the CPU 20 of the image forming apparatus control unit 18 when the power is turned on (a process for setting the image forming apparatus 10 in a state in which image formation is possible, and constitutes a part of the control process described above. It is detected that 1 is set in the conditional update flag. As a result, the update program included in the control program is executed by the CPU 20, whereby the conditional update process shown in FIG. 4 is performed. This conditional update process corresponds to the update means according to the present invention (more specifically, the update means described in claims 2 to 4), and the update program corresponds to the program according to the present invention.

  In this conditional update process, first, in step 70, a control parameter to be processed is selected from the various control parameters stored in the control parameter storage area of the second nonvolatile memory 26 in the following process. In the next step 72, it is determined whether or not 1 is set in the forced initialization flag. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 86 in order to rewrite the control parameter to be processed to the initial value. If the determination in step 72 is negative, the process proceeds to step 74 and the update condition of the first nonvolatile memory 24 is determined. The update condition of the control parameter to be processed included in the update condition information stored in the storage area is referred to.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of types of update conditions are prepared as control parameter update conditions (FIGS. 5A to 5E show five types of update conditions 1 to 5 as examples), The update condition information stored in the update condition storage area of the first non-volatile memory 24 is information that defines which one of a plurality of types of update conditions is applied to control parameter update determination for each control parameter. is there. The update reference value information stored in the update reference value storage area of the second nonvolatile memory 26 is updated for each control parameter to which an update condition that requires an update reference value is applied, among the individual control parameters. This information defines the reference value. Hereinafter, each update condition will be described in order.

  Update condition 1 shown in FIG. 5A is a “uniform update” condition in which the value of the control parameter is rewritten to the initial value regardless of the current value of the control parameter. In the example shown in FIG. The current value “0” of the control parameter has been updated to the initial value “1”. Update condition 2 shown in FIG. 5B is a condition for rewriting the control parameter value to the initial value when the difference between the current value of the control parameter and the initial value is less than the update reference value. In the example shown in B), the control parameter is updated to the initial value because the difference between the current value “0” of the control parameter and the initial value “2” is smaller than the update reference value “5”.

  Further, the update condition 3 shown in FIG. 5C is a condition for rewriting the value of the control parameter to the initial value when the current value of the control parameter matches the update reference value. In the example shown, since the current value “3” of the control parameter does not match the update reference value “5”, the control parameter is not updated to the initial value “2”, and the control parameter is “current value”. It remains 3 ". As the update reference value in the update condition 3, for example, the initial value set in the control parameter in the control program of the previous version can be applied. Furthermore, the update condition 4 shown in FIG. 5D is a condition for rewriting the value of the control parameter to the initial value when the number of changes of the control parameter is less than the update reference value. In the example shown in FIG. Since the control parameter change count “5” is larger than the update reference value “5”, the control parameter is not updated to the initial value “1”, and the control parameter is maintained at the current value “3”. .

  Further, update condition 5 shown in FIG. 5E is a condition for inquiring the user (operator) whether or not the control parameter can be updated, and rewriting the control parameter value to the initial value when the user input is “update possible”. In the example shown in FIG. 5E, when the user input is “updatable”, the current value “0” of the control parameter is updated to the initial value “2”, and when the user input is “not updatable”, the control is performed. The parameter remains at the current value "0".

  In the present embodiment, for all control parameters, an optimal update condition according to the content and characteristics of the control parameter is selected in advance from among a plurality of types of update conditions, and based on the update condition selection result for each individual control parameter. Update condition information is set. In this embodiment, among all control parameters, each control parameter to which an update condition that requires an update reference value (update conditions 2 to 4 in the example of FIG. 5) is applied depends on the content of the control parameter. The optimum update reference value is set in advance, and update reference value information representing the set update reference value is set.

  In the next step 76, the process branches according to the update condition of the control parameter to be processed referred to in step 74. That is, if the update condition of the control parameter to be processed is update condition 1 (uniform update), the process proceeds to step 86 in order to rewrite the control parameter to be processed to the initial value.

  If the update condition of the processing target control parameter is the update condition 5 (updated when the user input is “updatable”), the process proceeds to step 78 to determine whether or not the processing target control parameter may be updated. By displaying a message for inquiring the user on the display of the control panel 16, the user is inquired about whether or not the control parameter to be processed can be updated. When the message is displayed on the display of the control panel 16, the user determines whether or not the control parameter to be processed can be updated, and operates the keys of the control panel 16 to input the determination result. When the key operation is performed by the user, the process proceeds to step 80, and it is determined whether or not the information input by the user's key operation is “updatable”. If the input information is “updatable”, the process proceeds to step 86 in order to rewrite the control parameter to be processed to the initial value. If the input information is “not updatable”, step 86 is skipped. Move to 88.

  If the update condition of the control parameter to be processed is other than the above (update conditions 2 to 4 in the example of FIG. 5), the process proceeds to step 82 and the control parameter to be processed referred to in the previous step 74 is updated. In addition to the condition, refer to the control parameter (current value) of the processing target stored in the second nonvolatile memory 26 and the update reference value corresponding to the control parameter of the processing target among the update reference value information ( In the case of the update condition 4 shown in FIG. 5D, among the number of updates that are stored in the second nonvolatile memory 26 for each control parameter and incremented each time the corresponding control parameter is updated, the processing target The control parameter is also referred to), and it is determined whether or not the control parameter to be processed matches the update condition, that is, whether or not the control parameter to be processed is updated.

  The next step 84 branches depending on the result of the determination in step 82. If it is determined that the processing target control parameter is to be updated, the process proceeds to step 86 in order to rewrite the processing target control parameter to the initial value. If it is determined not to update the target control parameter, step 86 is skipped and the process proceeds to step 88.

  In step 86, the initial value of the control parameter to be processed is read from the initial value storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24, and the read initial value is stored in the control parameter storage area of the second nonvolatile memory 26. By overwriting and storing the control parameter (its current value), the control parameter to be processed is rewritten to the initial value. In the next step 88, it is determined whether or not there is a control parameter for which the above process has not been executed among all the control parameters. When the determination is affirmed, the process returns to step 70, and step 70 to step 88 are repeated until the determination at step 88 is affirmed.

  As a result, each control parameter is determined to be updated / non-updated according to the optimal update condition selected and set in advance for each control parameter, and the control parameter determined to be updated is rewritten to the initial value. . If 1 is set in the forced initialization flag, the determination in step 72 is affirmed for all control parameters, and all control parameters are uniformly rewritten to initial values.

  In the next step 90, 0 is assigned to the conditional update flag. In the present embodiment, setting of 1 to the conditional update flag is performed only in the control program update process (FIG. 2) or the forced initialization process (FIG. 3), and the control program update process or the forced initialization process is executed next time. The conditional update flag is kept at 0 until this time (until the control program is updated to a newer version, or the initialization of all control parameters is instructed again). The conditional update process described above is not performed when the image forming apparatus 10 is activated, and the activation time of the image forming apparatus 10 is shortened. In the next step 92, 0 is substituted for the forced initialization flag, and the conditional update process is terminated.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part same as 1st Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted, and only a different part from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6, in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment, the update condition storage area is provided in the second nonvolatile memory 26, and the update condition information is stored in the second nonvolatile memory 26. . In the second embodiment, the first non-volatile memory 24 is provided with a storage area (change condition storage area) for storing information (change condition information) indicating the condition for changing the update condition. Change condition information is stored in the storage area.

  The change condition information includes, among all the control parameters of the image forming apparatus 10, changes in the state of the image forming apparatus 10 due to the operation of the image forming apparatus 10, for example, changes over time such as component consumption, error occurrence, replacement This is information that prescribes the update condition change condition and the update condition before and after the change for the control parameter for which it is desirable to change the update condition in accordance with the consumption of the target part. An example of update condition change conditions is shown in FIG.

  The update condition change condition 1 shown in FIG. 7A is optimal under the influence of the consumption of a specific component part (for example, a part not to be replaced) with the operation of the image forming apparatus 10. This is a condition suitable for a control parameter whose value is likely to change (hereinafter referred to as control parameter A). The degree of wear of a specific component is determined after the image forming apparatus 10 is installed and starts operating. If the accumulated number of prints is used instead, and the accumulated number of prints is less than the threshold value P1, update condition 1 (uniform update) is applied as the update condition of control parameter A, so that control parameter A matches the initial value, and the accumulated number of prints If the control parameter A is equal to or greater than the threshold value P1, update condition 3 (updated when the current value of the control parameter matches the update reference value) is applied as the update condition of the control parameter A. It is determined so as to permit updates to value.

  7B is a control parameter that may cause a specific error in the image forming apparatus 10 depending on the parameter value (hereinafter referred to as control parameter B). The frequency of occurrence of a specific error in the image forming apparatus 10 is replaced with the number of prints after the occurrence of the specific error in the image forming apparatus 10, and the number of prints after the occurrence of the specific error. Is less than the threshold value P2 (the occurrence frequency of the specific error is high), the update condition 2 for the control parameter B (updated when the difference between the current value of the control parameter and the initial value is less than the update reference value) ) Is allowed to be updated to the optimum value of the control parameter B, and if the number of prints after the occurrence of a specific error is greater than or equal to the threshold P2 (no specific error has occurred for a long time) By applying the update condition 5 as an update condition of your parameter B (updated if the user input is "updatable") it is determined so as leave the update of the control parameter B to the user's judgment.

  In addition, in the update condition change condition 3 shown in FIG. 7C, after the replacement target part of the image forming apparatus 10 is replaced, the degree of wear of the replaced part increases as the image forming apparatus 10 operates. This is a condition suitable for a control parameter (hereinafter referred to as control parameter C) that is highly likely to change the optimum value under the influence, and the degree of wear of the replacement target part is determined after the part is replaced. If the number of prints after component replacement is less than the threshold value P3, the update condition 1 (uniform update) is applied as the update condition of the control parameter C so that the control parameter C matches the initial value. By applying update condition 3 (updated when the current value of the control parameter matches the update reference value) as the update condition of the control parameter C if the number of prints after parts replacement is equal to or greater than the threshold value P3, It is determined to allow the control parameter C to be updated to the optimum value.

  Further, update condition change condition 4 shown in FIG. 7D is a condition suitable for a control parameter (hereinafter referred to as control parameter D) whose optimum value is likely to change depending on the error occurrence frequency in the image forming apparatus 10. Yes, the error occurrence frequency is replaced by the error occurrence frequency, and if the error occurrence frequency is less than the threshold value E, the update parameter 1 (uniform update) is applied as the update condition of the control parameter D, so that the control parameter D is initialized. If the error occurrence count is equal to or greater than the threshold value E, the update condition 3 (updated when the current value of the control parameter matches the update reference value) is applied as the update condition of the control parameter D. The control parameter D is allowed to be updated to the optimum value, and if the control parameter D is not updated, the control parameter D is automatically updated to the optimum value. There.

  As the error occurrence frequency (number of times), the error occurrence count may be used without distinction, or the error occurrence count may be used for each error occurrence. When the error occurrence frequency (number of times) counted for each error type is used, it is desirable to provide update condition change conditions with different target control parameters for each error type.

  Specifically, for example, when communication errors frequently occur in the image forming apparatus 10, the message retransmission from the image forming apparatus 10 is stopped because the number of message retransmission reaches the upper limit. Serious communication troubles are likely to occur. On the other hand, if the number of occurrences of communication errors is greater than or equal to the threshold value E with respect to the upper limit value of the message retransmission count, which is one of the control parameters D, the upper limit value of the message retransmission count is not updated. If the update condition change condition is set so that the update condition for updating to a large value is applied, the probability that the number of message retransmissions reaches the upper limit when communication errors occur frequently will be reduced. The occurrence of a more serious communication trouble is suppressed.

  Further, when the paper slips frequently with respect to the rotation of the transport roller due to, for example, wear of the transport roller of the image forming apparatus 10, this temporary slip appears as an increase in paper transport time, and the paper of the paper When it is determined that the image forming apparatus 10 is clogged, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 is easily stopped. On the other hand, if the number of occurrences of the paper transport error is greater than or equal to the threshold value E with respect to the timer value of the paper jam detection timer that is one of the control parameters D, the timer value of the paper jam detection timer has not been updated. If the conditions for changing the update conditions are set so that the update conditions for updating to a larger value (making the paper jam detection timer longer) are applied, temporary slippage of the paper against the rotation of the transport roller will occur. Since the probability that the paper is jammed frequently and the paper conveyance time is increased is reduced, it is suppressed that the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 is stopped.

  Note that the update condition change condition shown in FIG. 7 is merely an example, and it goes without saying that conditions different from those in FIG. 7 can be set according to the contents and characteristics of the control parameters. Also, as a trigger for changing the update condition, other events such as replacement of a replacement target part can be applied.

  Next, as an operation of the second embodiment, control program update processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the change condition information described above is also included in the information group transferred from the external computer to the image forming apparatus 10. In the control program update process according to the second embodiment, in step 50, After a new version of the control program included in the information group transferred from the computer and stored in the memory 22 is overwritten and stored on the control program already stored in the first nonvolatile memory 24, the next step 51 is performed. The initial value information of the control parameter included in the information group stored in the memory 22 is overwritten and stored on the initial value information already stored in the initial value storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24, and the memory 22 The change condition information included in the information group stored in is stored in the change condition storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24. To be stored by overwriting in the condition information.

  In the next step 53, the update condition information of the control parameter included in the information group stored in the memory 22 is overwritten and stored on the update condition information already stored in the update condition storage area of the second nonvolatile memory 24. At the same time, the update reference value information included in the information group stored in the memory 22 is overwritten and stored on the update reference value information already stored in the update reference value storage area of the second nonvolatile memory 26. In the next step 55, the change condition information stored in the change condition storage area of the first nonvolatile memory 24 is referred to, and the update condition change is triggered in the update condition change condition defined by the change condition information. The event is registered as an interrupt activation factor in the update condition change process (described later). For example, if the conditions for changing the update condition are the contents shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, the change in the total number of prints updated by another process, the change in the number of prints from the occurrence of an error, the print from part replacement The change in the number of sheets and the occurrence of an error are respectively registered as interrupt activation factors for the update condition change process.

  In step 57, 1 is set to the conditional update flag. In the second embodiment, since the conditional update process may be performed for only some control parameters, an update flag that indicates whether or not the conditional update process is performed in units of individual control parameters. In step 57, the control program update process is terminated after setting the update flag for each control parameter to 1 for all control parameters.

  Next, the forced initialization process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the forced initialization process according to the second embodiment, in step 61, the conditional update flag is set to 1 and, in the same way as in step 57 of the control program update process, for all control parameters, control parameter units are set. 1 is also set in the update flag. In the next step 62, 1 is set in the forced initialization flag, and the process is terminated.

  Further, as described above, in the second embodiment, in the update condition change condition stipulated by the change condition information, an event that triggers the update condition change is registered as an interrupt activation factor of the update condition change process. When the above event occurs (for example, the total number of prints, the number of prints from the occurrence of an error, the change in the number of prints from part replacement, or the occurrence of an error), an interrupt occurs and the update condition change process shown in FIG. 10 is started. Is done.

  In this update condition change process, first, in step 100, the event that occurred this time (interrupt activation factor) is recognized, and in the next step 102, the update condition that the change condition information defines the interrupt activation factor recognized in step 100. By checking against the change condition, it is determined whether there is a control parameter that matches the update condition change condition, that is, a control parameter that needs to be changed. . If this determination is negative, the update condition change process is terminated, but if the determination in step 102 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 104 and the current update condition information stored in the second nonvolatile memory 26 is With the generation of the interrupt activation factor, the control parameter update condition that matches the update condition change condition is changed to the updated update condition defined in the update condition change condition. In the next step 106, 1 is set to the conditional update flag, 1 is set to the update flag corresponding to the control parameter whose update condition has been changed, and the update condition change process is terminated.

  Note that the above update condition changing process corresponds to the changing means described in claim 5. In the above description, the update condition itself is changed for the control parameter that matches the update condition change condition. However, the update condition change is not limited to this, and the update condition itself is not changed. In addition, changing the update reference value that is referred to when determining whether or not the update condition is met is also included in the change of the update condition according to the present invention. Changing the update condition by changing the update reference value corresponds to the changing means described in claim 6.

  Next, the conditional update process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The conditional update process according to the second embodiment corresponds to the update means according to the present invention, more specifically, the update means according to claim 7. In the second embodiment, the conditional update flag is set to 1 even when the update condition of a specific control parameter is changed in the update condition change process, so the conditional update process according to the second embodiment is This is also executed when the update condition of the specific control parameter is changed in the update condition changing process, the image forming apparatus 10 is once turned off, and then the power is turned on and the image forming apparatus control unit 18 performs the starting process. Is done.

  In the conditional update process according to the second embodiment, after the control parameter to be processed is selected in step 70, whether or not 1 is set in the update flag corresponding to the control parameter to be processed in the next step 71. When the determination is made and the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 72, while when the determination is negative, the process returns to step 70, which is different from the conditional update process according to the first embodiment (FIG. 4). As a result, when the update condition of the specific control parameter is changed in the update condition change process described above, only the process after step 72 (control parameter update) is performed for the specific control parameter whose update condition is changed. Processing such as determination) is executed.

  Further, in the conditional update process according to the second embodiment, if the determination in step 80 or step 84 is negative, or if the process in step 86 is performed, the process proceeds to step 87 and the control parameter to be processed is set. After setting the corresponding update flag to 0, the routine proceeds to step 88. As a result, even when the update condition of a specific control parameter is changed in the above-described update condition change process, the conditional update process is performed only in the initial startup process thereafter.

  In the above description, the update condition according to the present invention is described as an example of the update condition that defines whether to update the control parameter using a single update reference value as a threshold value. The update condition according to the present invention is not limited, and a pair of update reference values are set in a single control parameter, and control is performed by a numerical range using the pair of update reference values as an upper limit value or a lower limit value, respectively. The content may specify whether to update the parameter. Also, for the update condition change condition, similarly to the above, whether to update the update condition is defined by a numerical range (for example, the update condition is switched depending on whether the value of the control parameter is within the numerical range) Content that uses multiple update reference values as multiple thresholds and switches the update conditions to be applied according to the magnitude relationship with each threshold of the control parameter values (for example, the control parameter value is The first update condition is applied if it is less than the threshold of 1, the second update condition is applied if it is greater than or equal to the first threshold and less than the second threshold, and the third update condition if greater than or equal to the second threshold. The update condition may be applied).

  In the above description, the rewriting to the initial value is described as the update of the control parameter. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for the value of the control parameter, the update reference value is used to calculate the control parameter value. Any calculation may be performed, and the calculation result may be updated to a value other than the initial value, such as setting the control parameter.

  In the above description, the aspect in which the present invention is applied to the update of the control parameter referred to in the control process executed by the image forming apparatus control unit 18 in the image forming apparatus 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . In general, an image forming apparatus uses a paper feeding device (pre-processing device) that can set a large amount of paper and has a function of supplying paper to the image forming device at a high speed according to a request from the image forming device, or an image forming device. Post-processing (for example, decoloring processing to correct paper curl), folding processing to fold the paper at a predetermined position on the paper, punch for making a hole at a predetermined position on the paper Processing, aligning the edges of multiple sheets and binding them as a single sheet bundle using staples, offset processing for discharging sheets (bundles) to different positions on the same discharge tray, and discharging sheets (bundles) It is possible to connect one to a plurality of various post-processing devices (finishers) having a function of performing stack processing to stack, booklet processing for bookbinding by aligning the edges of a plurality of sheets, These pre-processing devices and post-processing devices also store control parameters in a nonvolatile memory, and various controls are performed while referring to the control parameters. The present invention can also be applied to update of control parameters stored in a non-volatile memory of a pre-processing device or a post-processing device connected to an image forming apparatus.

  Furthermore, the electronic apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus, the pre-processing apparatus, and the post-processing apparatus described above, and is stored in various apparatuses that store control parameters and perform control while referring to the control parameters. Applicable.

  In the above description, the update program corresponding to the program according to the present invention is executed by the CPU 20 of the image forming apparatus control unit 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the program is used for maintenance. It can also be executed by a computer different from the electronic device according to the present invention, such as the PC 34.

  In the above description, the update program corresponding to the program according to the present invention has been described as being stored in the first nonvolatile memory 24 of the image forming apparatus control unit 18. However, the program according to the present invention may be a CD-ROM or DVD- It is also possible to provide the information recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Image forming part 18 Image forming apparatus control part 20 CPU
22 memory 24 first nonvolatile memory 26 second nonvolatile memory 34 PC for maintenance

Claims (9)

First storage means for storing a plurality of control parameters, each of which is referred to during operation and whose value can be changed;
Second storage means for storing update conditions set for each individual control parameter;
It is determined whether or not to update the specific control parameter based on the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage means, and only when it is determined to update the specific control parameter Update means for performing a conditional update process for updating a specific control parameter stored in one storage means for each of the plurality of control parameters;
Including electronic equipment. The second storage means also stores initial values set for each of the control parameters,
The update means updates the specific control parameter stored in the first storage means to the initial value stored in the second storage means when it is determined to update the specific control parameter. Item 1. An electronic device according to Item 1. An instruction means for instructing forced initialization;
When the forced initialization is instructed through the instruction unit, the update unit stores all the control parameters stored in the first storage unit in the second storage unit. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein each electronic device is updated to an initial value. The first storage means also stores a control program executed during operation, and each time a new control program is received from an external device, the received new control program has been stored so far. Remember instead of the program,
Each time the second storage means receives a new update condition together with the new control program from the external device, the second storage means replaces the received new update condition with the previously stored update condition. Remember,
The update means performs the conditional update processing for each of the plurality of control parameters only when the power is first turned on after the new update condition is stored in the second storage means. Item 4. The electronic device according to any one of Items 3 above.   When the state parameter stored in the third storage means and updated in accordance with the state of the electronic device becomes a predetermined value, or it is detected that a predetermined event has occurred in the electronic device. Or changing means for changing the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage means when a part of the electronic device is replaced. The electronic device according to any one of the above. The update condition for the specific control parameter includes an update reference value that is referred to when determining whether to update the control parameter by defining the update condition,
The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the changing unit changes the update condition by changing the update reference value to a predetermined value.   The update means performs the conditional update process only for the specific control parameter when the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage means is changed by the change means. 5. The electronic device according to 5. First storage means for storing a plurality of control parameters that are referred to during operation and that can be changed in value, and second storage that stores update conditions set for each of the control parameters. Said computer of electronic equipment comprising means,
When it is determined whether to update the specific control parameter based on the update condition of the specific control parameter stored in the second storage unit, and when it is determined to update the specific control parameter, the first A program for causing a conditional update process for updating a specific control parameter stored in a storage unit to function as an update unit for each of the plurality of control parameters.   First storage means for storing a plurality of control parameters that are referred to during operation and that can be changed in value, and second storage that stores update conditions set for each of the control parameters. The program for functioning the said computer of the electronic device provided with the means as each means of any one of Claims 1-7.

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