JP2004160687A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which a firmware can be updated even when a main power switch on the image forming apparatus side is turned off by transmitting an E-mail attached with a new firmware. <P>SOLUTION: Even when a main power switch on the image forming apparatus side is turned off, a power supply control I/O 4223 supplies power to an NIC (network interface card) 4217 or a CPU 4211 so that an E-mail can be received. When an E-mail is received, processing for taking out a new firmware or storing the firmware in a flash ROM 4212 is executed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus whose operation is controlled by firmware.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The operation of an image forming apparatus in recent years is often controlled by a program called firmware. Conventionally, the firmware is stored in a mask ROM, and when it is necessary to update the firmware due to a version upgrade or the like, the update has been performed by replacing the mask ROM. However, in order to replace the mask ROM, a serviceman has to go to the installation location of the image forming apparatus, and the cost for updating the firmware is high. Therefore, recently, a technique for updating the firmware by storing the firmware in a rewritable storage device such as a flash ROM and transmitting the firmware via the Internet using means such as e-mail has been devised. Have been.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-115393 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional technique has a problem that the firmware cannot be updated when the main power switch of the image forming apparatus is in an off state. In this case, for example, it is conceivable to update the firmware at the timing when the main power switch is turned on. However, in this case, the start-up of the image forming apparatus is delayed, and the waiting time until the operation starts is lengthened.
[0005]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing a firmware update process even when a main power switch of the image forming apparatus is in an off state. And
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that, in an image forming apparatus whose operation is controlled by firmware, a network interface unit that acquires an e-mail from a mail server, and an e-mail that is acquired from a mail server. When new firmware is attached, there is provided an extraction unit for extracting the attached firmware, a storage unit for storing the extracted firmware in a memory, and a power supply control unit for controlling power supply to the image forming apparatus. The power supply control means controls the image forming apparatus so as to supply power necessary for the operation of the parts constituting the network interface means, the extracting means and the storage means even when the main power switch of the image forming apparatus is off. It is characterized by controlling the power supply of the device.
[0007]
In this configuration, even when the main power switch of the image forming apparatus is turned off, the power supply control unit supplies power to the network interface unit and the like, so that it is possible to receive an e-mail attached with new firmware for update. It is also possible to update the firmware even when the main power switch is in the off state because power is supplied to the means for extracting the firmware from the e-mail and the means for storing the firmware in the memory. Becomes possible.
[0008]
The main power switch is a switch for turning on / off the power of the entire image forming apparatus. When this switch is turned on, power is supplied to a driving unit such as a photosensitive drum in an image forming unit, a fixing device, and the like. And an image forming operation. When the main power switch is turned off, the user does not use the image forming apparatus, and the present invention supplies power to each of the above-described units even when the main power switch is turned off. Thus, the firmware can be updated. That is, since the firmware update process is performed in a state where the image forming apparatus is not used, there is no inconvenience to the user.
[0009]
The network interface means may include an interface portion such as a network interface card (NIC). However, other CPUs and the like may be involved in the actual reception of the e-mail. The purpose is also included.
The memory may be, for example, a flash ROM, but is not limited thereto. Various types of memory such as MRAM (magnetic RAM), FeRAM (ferroelectric memory), and OUM (ovonics unified memory) may be used. A memory can also be used.
[0010]
In addition, "new firmware" refers to not only upgraded firmware, but also old firmware that is used to return to the original version, such as when a problem occurs after updating to a new version of firmware. Including.
In many cases, the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of control modules, and the main control module includes the network interface unit, a main processor, and a memory that stores firmware operating on the processor. The other control module includes another processor on which individual firmware operates, and a memory for storing firmware operating on the processor, and the firmware operating on the main processor includes the extracting unit. And the new firmware extracted by the extracting unit realizes a function of a determining unit that determines which processor should be operated, and each processor is extracted based on the determination result by the determining unit. Control module on which firmware operates A corresponding memory implements a function of a storage unit for storing firmware, and the power control unit stores the firmware in the memory based on the determination result by the determination unit even when the main power switch is off. Control to supply power to the processor operating in the control module. Recent image forming apparatuses may include a plurality of other control modules such as a control module that controls an image forming unit and a control module that controls an image reading unit, in addition to a main control module including a network interface part. In many cases, when only the firmware of a part of the control modules is updated, it is preferable to supply power only to the part.
[0011]
Further, the power control means may stop supplying power to the other processor when the main power switch is in an off state even after the other processor finishes processing for storing firmware in the corresponding memory. Is preferable from the viewpoint of power consumption reduction.
Further, the power control means has a detection unit for detecting that the main power switch is turned on, and the image forming apparatus further includes: It is preferable to include a warning unit that outputs a warning when it is detected that the main power switch has been turned on after the new firmware is taken out and before the process of storing the firmware in the memory ends. . This is because the image forming apparatus is normally inoperable from the time when the new firmware is extracted from the e-mail to the time when the process of storing the firmware in the memory is completed, and it is preferable to notify the user of the fact. . It should be noted that, as a specific warning method, various methods such as a method using sound in addition to the display on the operation panel are conceivable.
[0012]
Further, in the image forming apparatus, when the main power switch is in the off state, a new job is input from the time when the new firmware is extracted from the e-mail to the time when the process of storing the firmware in the memory ends. In this case, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus further includes a restart unit that turns on the main power supply switch to restart the image forming apparatus after the storage processing to the memory is completed.
[0013]
As the restarting means, for example, a power reset I / O for transmitting a reset signal to a reset terminal of the CPU or operating a program for performing a software reset on the processor can be used, but is not limited thereto. When the firmware that controls the image reading unit and the image forming unit operates on a separate CPU from the main firmware, a reset signal may be sent from the main control module. Further, it is also possible to change the restart method depending on the update content of the firmware. By the restart, the new firmware stored in the memory is in a state in which it can actually operate, and the new firmware can process the input job. At this time, the main power switch is also turned on, so that the entered job can be promptly processed.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(1) Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus Management System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus management system (hereinafter, simply referred to as “management system”) in the present embodiment. The management system 10 of FIG. 1 has a configuration in which a service center 20 and a user site 40 are connected via the Internet 30.
[0015]
The service center 20 transmits new firmware to the user site 40, and the user site 40 performs an update process of rewriting the existing firmware with the transmitted new firmware. In the present embodiment, transmission of new firmware is performed by an e-mail message via the Internet 30. The transmitted firmware is temporarily stored in a rewritable storage device such as a flash ROM in the image forming apparatus 42 of the user site 40, and is loaded into a storage unit such as an SRAM when the CPU on which the firmware operates is restarted. Perform the actual operation.
[0016]
Note that the service center 20 can provide management services for various image forming apparatuses to a plurality of user sites. However, the service provided to any of the user sites is the same with respect to transmission of new firmware. In the present embodiment, the user site 40 will be described as an example.
The service center 20 is connected to the Internet 30 via a router 25, and further has a firewall 24 for security protection. A host computer 21 of the service center 20 is connected to a firewall 24 via a LAN 22 and transmits / receives e-mail to / from each user site via a mail server 23.
[0017]
The user site 40 is connected to the Internet 30 via a router 45, and is provided with a firewall 44 for security protection like the service center 20. An image forming apparatus 42, a client PC 43, and the like are connected to a LAN 47 that is connected to the Internet 30 via a firewall 44 and a router 45. A plurality of image forming apparatuses can be connected to the LAN 47. However, these are examples of the configuration of the user site 40, and some user sites may not have the client PC.
[0018]
A mail server 46 provided at the user site 40 is connected to a firewall 44 and provides an e-mail transmission / reception service to the client PC 43, the image forming apparatus 42, and the like. It should be noted that a client PC or an image forming apparatus at a user site without a mail server may use an external mail server, for example, a mail server owned by an Internet service provider (hereinafter, referred to as “ISP”).
[0019]
In the present embodiment, transmission and reception of a file using electronic mail include, for example, SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol: RFC821 and the like), MIME (multiple Internet mail extension: RFC1521 and the like), and POP3 (post mail and the like). A protocol such as Office Protocol Version 3: RFC1725, RFC1939) can be used.
[0020]
(2) Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus Next, a hardware configuration in the image forming apparatus 42 will be described. Note that the image forming apparatus 42 of the present embodiment is a so-called MFP (multi-function peripheral: digital multifunction peripheral) that also has functions as a copying machine and a printer. It is possible to manage various image forming apparatuses such as a facsimile, a copying machine, a printer and the like in addition to the MFP.
[0021]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of three control modules that control the operation of the image forming apparatus 42 by executing firmware, in particular, of the image forming apparatus 42 and a connection state of each control module.
Each of the three control modules plays a unique role, but the hardware configuration is almost the same, and a CPU, a memory, and the like are connected via an internal bus, and a serial I / F (interface) connected to the internal bus. In addition to performing serial communication with other control modules by means such as the above, a GA (gate array) or the like corresponding to individual functions is connected to the internal bus.
[0022]
Further, a flash ROM for storing firmware for each control module, an SRAM (static RAM) used as a working memory, and an NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) for storing parameters such as operation settings are connected to the internal bus. As described above, since the firmware is temporarily stored in the flash ROM and then loaded into the SRAM at the time of restart, the CPU reads the firmware from the SRAM and executes processing according to the firmware.
[0023]
The control module 421 is a main control module of the image forming apparatus 42, and includes a CPU 4211, a flash ROM 4212, an SRAM 4213, and an NVRAM 4214. Further, serial I / Fs 4215 and 4216 for serial communication with the other control modules 423 and 424 and a NIC (network interface card) 4217 for communicating with the outside via the LAN 47 are also connected to the internal bus. Further, the operation panel 4218 is also under the control of the control module 421.
[0024]
The control module 421 receives a print job, a copy job, or a firmware update job via the operation panel 4218 or the like, distributes the processing required for executing the job to the other control modules 423 and 424, and controls the order of each processing. It has the function of overall control such as instructing timing. In the present embodiment, an image processing unit 4221 for compressing image data transmitted from the outside or image data obtained by reading an original image by an IR unit, and a volatile memory for storing the compressed image are used. A certain code memory 4222 is provided. The code memory 4222 may be physically the same as the SRAM 4213. For example, in a case where a plurality of copies are printed by a so-called electronic sort function, compressed image data can be stored.
[0025]
Further, the control module 421 of the present embodiment includes an HDD (hard disk drive) 4219. The HDD 4219 is connected to an internal bus via an HDD connection I / F (not shown), and the CPU 4211 accesses the HDD 4219 by instructing the HDD connection I / F.
Various setting values stored in the NVRAM 4214 include an IP address of the mail server 46, an account name and a password required for downloading an electronic mail from the mail server 46, and the like. As described above, the NIC 4217 is connected to the control module 421. The NIC 4217 is connected to the Internet 30 via the LAN 47 or the like, and can transmit and receive e-mail.
[0026]
Further, the control module 421 is provided with a timer 4220, for example, to acquire the timing of accessing the mail server 46 to confirm whether or not an e-mail has been received and to download the e-mail, and to use SMTP, POP3, etc. used for transmission and reception of e-mail It is used to detect a timeout required for packet retransmission control by TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), which is a lower layer protocol of.
[0027]
The power supply control I / O 4223 supplies power from the power supply unit 425 to each control module. The power control I / O 4223 controls power supply to each unit of each control module. In the present embodiment, even if a main power switch (not shown) is turned off, power is supplied to the NIC 4217 and the CPU 4211. By supplying the firmware, reception of an e-mail attached with the firmware and processing for storing the firmware in the flash ROM 4212 are performed. When the main power switch is turned on, power is supplied to the entire image forming apparatus, and normal image reading operation and image forming operation are enabled. Further, for example, when updating the firmware of the control module 424 of the image forming unit, control for supplying power to the CPU 4241 can be performed, and similar control is performed for the control module 423 of the image reading unit. It can be carried out.
[0028]
The power control I / O 4223 is connected to the reset terminals of the CPUs 4211, 4231, and 4241 of each control module, and has a function of instructing each control module to restart. When each control module is restarted, the new firmware stored in the flash ROM is loaded into the SRAM and actually operates.
[0029]
The control module 423 has a configuration in which a CPU 4231 and the like are connected to an internal bus, and further includes an IR load control unit I / OGA 4235 for controlling an operation of an image reader (IR) for reading a document image. . Further, a serial I / F 4236 for communicating with the control module 421 is connected to the internal bus.
[0030]
The control module 423 controls, via the IR load control unit I / OGA4235, a transport motor for feeding a document, a drive motor for driving an image reader, and lighting of a lamp for irradiating a document surface. . This control is executed according to a control command issued by the control module 421 based on an instruction input on the operation panel 4218.
[0031]
The control module 424 also has a hardware configuration in which the CPU 4241, the flash ROM 4242, the SRAM 4243, and the NVRAM 4244 are connected to an internal bus, and further includes a serial I / F 4245 for performing serial communication with the control module 421. Further, a print load control unit I / OGA 4246 for controlling a print load is provided.
[0032]
The control module 424 controls the image forming unit, forms a latent image on the photosensitive drum, develops and transfers the latent image to a recording sheet, fixes the transferred toner image, and discharges the recording sheet. The control of the lighting of the laser diode and the control of the driving of the polygon mirror and the transport roller, etc., related to the series of printing operations up to this point are executed based on the instruction from the control module 421.
[0033]
(3) Configuration of Host Computer 21 Next, the configuration of the host computer 21 that is provided at the service center 20 and manages the image forming apparatus installed at the user site 40 or the like will be described. In the present embodiment, a case of a single processor configuration will be described. However, a multiprocessor configuration may be used when a large number of image forming apparatuses are managed.
[0034]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of the host computer 21. As shown in the figure, the host computer 21 includes a main body 214, and a display 211, a keyboard 212, and a mouse 213, which are peripheral devices connected thereto. The main unit 214 has a configuration in which a CPU 2144, a ROM 2145, a RAM 2146, and the like are connected via an internal bus.
[0035]
The main body unit 214 includes a display control unit 2141 for outputting an image to the display 211, an input control unit 2142 for receiving an input from the keyboard 212 and the mouse 213, and an NIC 2143 for connecting to the LAN 22 as connection interfaces with peripheral devices. And these are also connected to the internal bus.
An e-mail with firmware attached in the present embodiment is transmitted to the fixed storage device 2147 connected to the internal bus via an interface unit (not shown). In addition to a destination database that stores information including an e-mail address for each image forming apparatus, firmware that is actually transmitted is stored.
[0036]
The host computer 21 is installed with, for example, a DBMS (database management system), and the operator can access the destination database via the DBMS, but access the destination database by other means without using the DBMS. It does not matter. In this embodiment, an RDBMS (relational DBMS) is used as a type of DBMS, but another type of DBMS may be used.
[0037]
(4) Processing Contents of Host Computer 21 Regarding the management system 10 having the above configuration, specific processing contents will be described below. First, processing contents of the host computer 21 installed in the service center 20 will be described. In particular, a part relating to an e-mail transmission process for updating firmware will be briefly described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the host computer 21.
[0038]
The host computer 21 starts the process when the power is turned on, and first performs an initialization process (S1). The contents of the initialization processing include hardware initialization such as initialization of the RAM 2146 by a boot program read from the ROM 2145, activation of an OS (operating system) and necessary application programs, display of an initial screen on the display 211, and the like. Is included.
[0039]
When the initialization process ends, the host computer 21 enters an input waiting state. In this state, the host computer 21 sends the input related to the firmware update, that is, each instruction of “communication setting processing”, “image forming apparatus registration processing”, and “firmware transmission processing” to the function key F1 arranged on the keyboard 212. To F3.
[0040]
When detecting that the F1 key has been pressed (S2: Yes), the host computer 21 performs a communication setting process (S3). Specifically, setting of parameters necessary for sending an e-mail via the keyboard 212 or the like, for example, the IP address of the mail server 23 connected to the LAN 22 of the service center 20, the e-mail address of the host computer 21, etc. Is received and stored in the fixed storage device 2147.
[0041]
If the F1 key has not been pressed (S2: No), if it is detected that the F2 key has been pressed (S4: Yes), an image forming apparatus registration process is performed (S5). Specifically, the e-mail address of the image forming apparatus to which the firmware is to be transmitted, the identifier of each control module in the image forming apparatus, the file name of the firmware to be transmitted, the user name, address, and telephone of the image forming apparatus The input of information such as a number is received, and the information is stored in the transmission destination database of the fixed storage device 2147.
[0042]
As described above, the database held in the fixed storage device 2147 by the host computer 21 in the present embodiment is a so-called relational database, and information is stored in a table format. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the transmission destination database. As shown in the figure, in the transmission destination database, a unique identifier (hereinafter, referred to as “apparatus ID”) is assigned to each of the image forming apparatuses to be managed by the management system 10, and the image forming apparatus further includes When a plurality of control modules are provided, control module identifiers are assigned to the control modules, and these are used as keys to manage data for each image forming apparatus and control module. The data items include the “e-mail address” of the transmission destination, the “firmware file name”, and other information.
[0043]
The “control module identifier” is used to control which control module is controlled by the firmware included in the file specified by the firmware file name when one image forming apparatus has a plurality of control modules such as the image forming apparatus 42. Is an identifier for identifying whether the Firmware is usually created in the form of binary data. Before converting the text into a text for attaching the firmware to the e-mail, a plurality of firmwares may be collectively compressed using so-called compression software.
[0044]
Various types of compression software can be used to compress the file. The extension of the file after compression is not particularly limited. As long as the file can be decompressed on the image forming apparatus receiving the e-mail, lzh, Any one such as lha, zip, gz, sit, cpt, etc., corresponding to the compression method can be used. Hereinafter, the case of the device ID “1” and the control module identifier “1” in the example shown in FIG. 5 will be described more specifically.
[0045]
In this example, the firmware of the binary data is stored in a file having the file name “Firmwr01.dat”. When the firmware is compressed by the compression software, a compressed file name (for example, “Firmwr01.lzh”) can be determined according to the compression method. When a plurality of firmwares are collectively compressed, a file name such as “Firmwr.lzh” can be used. Since the generated compressed file is in the form of binary data, it can be converted to text by a method such as base64 and then attached to an e-mail.
[0046]
Note that, as “other information”, information such as the name, address, and telephone number of the user of the image forming apparatus is stored as text data. Needless to say, these “user name”, “address”, and the like may be set as separate items.
Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 4, when the F2 key is not pressed (S4: No), when it is detected that the F3 key is pressed (S6: Yes), a firmware transmission process is performed (S7). More specifically, the firmware is attached to an e-mail and transmitted to the image forming apparatus to prompt the user to update the firmware.
[0047]
Here, the contents of the firmware transmission processing (S7) will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the firmware transmission process. In the firmware transmission process, first, the host computer 21 receives designation of a device ID and a control module identifier of an image forming apparatus to which firmware is to be transmitted (S10). More specifically, the host computer 21 receives, via the keyboard 212 or the like, an input of a device ID, a control module identifier, or the like as information for specifying a transmission target of the firmware. The host computer 21 reads the destination database using the input data as a key, and reads a record including registration information corresponding to the data (S11).
[0048]
Next, the host computer 21 reads a firmware file from the fixed storage device 2147 according to the registration information (S12). In the present embodiment, the read file is compressed by compression software (S13). The file name of the compressed file is determined by the file name of the firmware, the compression method, and the like.
Since the compressed file is created in the form of binary data, the host computer 21 converts the obtained compressed file into text data by a method such as Base64 (S14). Further, the host computer 21 reads an e-mail address from the record of the obtained registration information, and creates an e-mail message addressed to the e-mail address (S15). The content of the compressed firmware is attached to the e-mail message. In the present embodiment, the format of the e-mail message conforms to RFC822.
[0049]
Next, the host computer 21 sends the created e-mail message to the mail server 23 (S16). That is, a TCP connection is established with the mail server 23 with reference to the IP address or the like of the mail server 23 set in step S3 in FIG. 4, and an e-mail message is sent to the mail server 23 according to SMTP. .
[0050]
Thereafter, returning to the flowchart of FIG. 4, if the F3 key is not pressed in step S6 (S6: No), or after the firmware transmission process ends, the process returns to step S2 and repeatedly presses the function keys F1 to F3. Check
(5) Processing Contents of Image Forming Apparatus 42 Next, specific contents such as firmware rewriting processing performed in the image forming apparatus 42 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the content of processing executed in the image forming apparatus 42, particularly, in the control module 4211. These processes are executed by firmware operated by the main control module 4211. In the present embodiment, after the control module 4211 is restarted, this program starts operating, and firstly, a startup process for loading firmware from the flash ROM 4212 to the SRAM 4213 is performed (S20).
[0051]
When the startup processing is completed, it is detected via the power control I / O 4223 whether or not the main power switch of the image forming apparatus 42 is turned on (S21). If the main power switch is on (S21: Yes), normal power setting processing is performed for each of the main control module 421, the image reading section control module 423, and the image forming section control module 424 (S22). Thereafter, the control modules of the respective units are started via the serial I / Fs 4215 and 4216 (S23), and the normal processing is started (S24). In the normal processing, the image forming apparatus 42 receives an input from a signal from each sensor in the operation panel 4218 or the image forming apparatus 42 or a print job or the like transmitted from another apparatus via the LAN 47. For example, it performs various processes required for normal operations, such as control of each unit such as paper feed control, operation control, photosensitive drum control, and development device control, and processes related to print jobs. The control units 421, 423, 424 execute these normal processes in cooperation.
[0052]
While continuing the normal processing, the control module 421 detects that the main power switch of the image forming apparatus 42 has been turned off (S25), and when the main power switch is turned off (S25: Yes), the power supply setting process for firmware reception is started (S26). This process is also performed when the main power switch is detected to be in the off state after the first activation process (S20) (S21: No).
[0053]
In the firmware reception power supply setting process (S26), settings are made to supply power only to the parts necessary for firmware reception, that is, the NIC 4217 and the CPU 4211. Then, when the e-mail is received (S27: Yes), the firmware is rewritten (S27).
In order to receive an e-mail, it is necessary to register necessary parameters in advance. In the present embodiment, for example, the IP address of the mail server 46, the e-mail account name and password, and whether or not an e-mail message has arrived at the mail server 46 are periodically checked via the operation panel 4218. It is assumed that the time intervals and the like at the time of performing are respectively stored at predetermined addresses of the NVRAM 4214.
[0054]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the firmware rewriting process. In the firmware rewriting process, first, it is determined whether or not firmware is attached to the received e-mail (S41). In the present embodiment, the control module 421 refers to the “Content-Description” field of the message header part of the received new message and checks whether or not “Firmware” is described in the field body.
[0055]
If "Firmware" is displayed in the field body, the control module 421 determines that the content of the firmware is attached to the message (S41: Yes). In the present embodiment, whether or not firmware is included is determined based on whether or not “Firmware” is described in the field body of the “Content-Description” field. However, the determination method is not limited to this. Instead, the determination may be made by referring to the contents of the “Subject” field, the attached file name, and the like. Further, in order to prevent a determination error, the above determination methods may be combined (for example, both the content of the “Content-Description” field and the file name are referred to) for determination.
[0056]
In the present embodiment, when an e-mail attached with firmware is received (S41: Yes), the power control I / O 4223 detects that the main power switch has been turned on by the user. If a warning has been issued (S42: Yes), a warning is output (S43). This is because it is usually not appropriate to operate until the firmware update is completed. As a specific example of the warning, there is a method of displaying the fact on the operation panel 4218 (supplying power for displaying the operation panel 4218 as necessary) and outputting a sound. Not limited. Here, for example, when a print job or an image reading job is received from an external terminal, a warning notification can be transmitted to the external terminal.
[0057]
The detection that the main power switch is turned on and the output of the warning may be executed not only at this timing but also at an arbitrary timing during the firmware update. For example, if only the firmware of the control module 423 of the image reading unit is updated, a normal power supply may be supplied to the image forming unit to execute the print job. In this case, it is not necessary to output a warning.
[0058]
The control module 4211 then extracts a text portion corresponding to the firmware from the received e-mail (S44). The extracted US-ASCII data is decoded based on the Base64 method (reverse Base64 conversion), and is returned to a compressed file including the firmware (file name = “Firmwr01.lzh” in the present embodiment). The firmware is obtained by decompressing the compressed file. If a plurality of firmware are compressed together, it is possible to determine which control module the firmware corresponds to from each file name of the plurality of files obtained by the decompression (S45).
[0059]
When updating the firmware of the main control module 4211, the process proceeds to step S46, and the flash ROM 4212 may be rewritten. In the present embodiment, power is supplied to the CPU 4211 even when the main power switch is off. When updating the firmware of the control module 424 of the image forming unit, first, only the parts (such as the CPU 4241) necessary for updating the firmware in the control module 424 of the image forming unit are controlled by the power supply control I / O 4223. Is supplied (S47), and the firmware is transmitted from the main control module 4211 via the serial I / Fs 4216 and 4245 (S48). Although not shown in detail, the CPU 4241 stops the power supply to the control module 424 of the image forming unit after the update of the firmware of the control module 424 (writing to the flash ROM 4242) is completed ( S49), ends the firmware rewriting process.
[0060]
When the firmware of the control module 423 of the image reading unit is updated, only the part (such as the CPU 4231) required for updating the firmware in the control module 423 of the image reading unit is controlled by the power control I / O 4223. Is supplied (S50), the firmware is transmitted from the main control module 4211 via the serial I / Fs 4215 and 4236 (S51), and the update of the firmware in the control module 423 (writing to the flash ROM 4232) is completed. Then, the power supply to the control module 423 of the image reading unit is stopped (S52), and the firmware rewriting process ends. Note that, when a plurality of firmware are transmitted corresponding to a plurality of control modules, the above processing may be performed in parallel.
[0061]
After performing the firmware rewriting process as described above, the process returns to the flowchart of FIG. 7 and issues a software reset (restart) instruction to execute the operation by the new firmware after rewriting. In the present embodiment, the firmware is updated when the main power switch is turned off. However, when a job is input from the outside, it is preferable to turn on the main power switch. It is determined whether there is an external job execution request (S29, a warning is output in this case, and it is determined whether there is a job in a waiting state). (S29: Yes), the main power switch is turned on by the power control I / O 4223, and restart is performed (S30). The method of restarting is not limited to software reset, and a signal can be sent from the power supply control I / O 4223 to the reset terminal of the CPU of the control module in which the firmware is updated. On and off).
[0062]
If there is no job request (S29: No), it is not necessary to turn on the main power switch, so that the restart process is performed while the main power switch is off (S31). In response to these restart instructions, the operation of the firmware of the old version ends, the newly transmitted firmware is loaded on the SRAM, and the operation starts.
[0063]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even when the main power switch is in the off state, power is supplied to the NIC, the CPU connected to the NIC, and the like. Since the firmware can be taken out and stored in the memory, it is possible to execute the firmware update process using electronic mail even when the main power switch of the image forming apparatus is in the off state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system for an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of three control modules that control the operation of the image forming apparatus by executing firmware, in particular, of the image forming apparatus and a connection state of each control module.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a host computer 21.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing contents of a host computer 21.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a destination database.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of a firmware transmission process.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining processing contents of the image forming apparatus 42;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing detailed contents of a firmware rewriting process.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Management System 20 Service Center 21 Host Computer 30 Internet 40 User Site 42 Image Forming Apparatus 421 Main Control Module 4223 Power Control I / O
423 Image reading unit control module 424 Image forming unit control module 46 Mail server

Claims (5)

In an image forming apparatus whose operation is controlled by firmware,
Network interface means for obtaining an e-mail from a mail server;
When new firmware is attached to the e-mail obtained from the mail server, a take-out means for taking out the attached firmware;
Storage means for storing the retrieved firmware in a memory;
Power control means for controlling power supply to the image forming apparatus,
The power control means,
Even when the main power switch of the image forming apparatus is in an off state, the power supply of the image forming apparatus is controlled so as to supply the power required for the operation of the parts constituting the network interface unit, the extracting unit and the storing unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of control modules,
A main control module includes the network interface unit, a main processor, and a memory that stores firmware operating on the processor,
The other control modules each include another processor on which individual firmware operates, and a memory for storing firmware operating on the processor.
The firmware operating on the main processor implements the functions of the extracting unit and the determining unit that determines which processor the new firmware extracted by the extracting unit should operate on,
Each processor:
Based on the determination result by the determination unit, a function of a storage unit that stores the firmware in a memory corresponding to a control module on which the taken out firmware operates,
The power control means,
The method according to claim 1, wherein even when the main power switch is off, based on a result of the determination by the determination unit, the firmware is controlled so as to supply power to a processor operating in a control module stored in a memory. 2. The image forming apparatus according to 1. The power control means,
The power supply to the other processor is stopped when the main power switch is in an off state even after the other processor finishes processing for storing firmware in the corresponding memory. The image forming apparatus as described in the above. The power control means,
A detection unit that detects that the main power switch has been turned on,
The first-stage image forming apparatus further includes:
When the main power switch is in the off state, it is detected that the main power switch has been turned on after the new firmware is extracted from the e-mail and before the process of storing the firmware in the memory is completed. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a warning unit that outputs a warning in such a case. The image forming apparatus includes:
When the main power switch is in the off state and a new job is input between the time when the new firmware is extracted from the e-mail and the time when the process of storing the firmware in the memory is completed, if the new job is input to the memory, 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a restart unit that turns on a main power switch to restart the image forming apparatus after the storing process is completed.

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