JP2007310690A - Firmware update method, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for updating firmware in a device having a plurality of firmwares, it is easy to specify firmware to be firmware-uped so that the firmware-up combination and update order are not executed in an inappropriate manner. To.
When a firmware up mode is set (S1), firmware that can be upgraded is displayed together with version information based on version information supplied from an external storage medium, and all displayed firmware is designated. And the version information of the existing firmware and the new firmware are displayed in comparison (S4). When the firmware to be updated is designated from the displayed list (S5), the designated firmware is selected (S7), and the related update is performed. The necessary firmware is selected (S15), the priority order is determined, and the update is executed.
[Selection] Figure 15

Description

  The present invention relates to a firmware update method, a program, and a storage medium in a device having a plurality of functions.

In general, in a device that implements device operation control by firmware, the firmware written in the ROM is rewritten (updated) in order to expand its functions and solve the problems of the device.
As a technique for simplifying the rewriting work accompanying firmware version upgrade and improving the work efficiency, for example, whether or not the existing version of the firmware of the currently used device has been checked, as seen in Patent Document 1, for example. If the confirmation is not completed, read the existing version from the device and compare whether the existing version matches the latest version. If not, use the latest version for output control. Transfer the firmware to the device, determine whether the transferred latest version has been correctly rewritten in place of the existing version, select either the latest version or the existing version according to the determination result, and perform the predetermined output processing There is something to do.

In addition, as in Patent Document 2, the memory for storing firmware is divided into a plurality of areas so that the time required for downloading and rewriting new firmware can be reduced when the firmware is upgraded, and divided into a plurality of module groups for each area. It has also been proposed to arrange the firmware main body so as to rewrite only the area storing the module group that has been changed when the firmware is upgraded.
JP 2002-35809 A JP 2002-342100 A

  However, all of the above-described conventional techniques are based on the premise that there is only one firmware for controlling the operation of the device. For example, like a multi-function device having a plurality of functions such as a scanner, a copy, and a printer. It cannot be applied to a device having a plurality of firmware corresponding to each function. The reason is that the firmware update in a device having a plurality of functions such as a multifunction peripheral needs to be performed after understanding the combination of firmware upgrades for each model and the priority order of the updates.

  Therefore, the firmware update work for a multifunction peripheral or the like is currently performed manually by a manufacturer's service person who understands the internal configuration of the apparatus based on the work manual. If the combination of firmware upgrades and the update order are not appropriate, the information sent from one unit cannot be determined by the other unit, and the added function even when the firmware is added. May not work, or the device may malfunction, and in the worst case, the device may hang up and become inoperable.

  In view of the current situation as described above, the present invention makes it easy to specify firmware to be upgraded, and a firmware update method and program that are not executed in an inappropriate order for performing firmware upgrade combinations or updates An object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is constituted by the following technical means.
The first technical means is a method for updating firmware in a device having firmware in a plurality of sections having different functions. When an external storage medium storing a new version of firmware is attached, the firmware is updated. Version information acquisition step for acquiring new version information, firmware name display step for comparing the acquired new version information and the corresponding existing firmware version information for each section, and displaying their firmware names, and for each section When a firmware update target operation is performed for each displayed firmware name, the firmware to be updated using the firmware update management information stored in advance in the device And firmware selection processing step of the selection process,
An upgrade process step for performing an upgrade process based on the result of the selection process, and an update process execution step for executing an update process based on the result of the upgrade process are provided.

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the firmware selection processing step includes a step of determining suitability of a combination of firmware upgrades designated by the designation operation.

  According to a third technical means, in the first or second technical means, the firmware selection processing step includes a step of selecting firmware that needs to be upgraded in relation.

  According to a fourth technical means, in the third technical means, the upgrade processing step determines a priority order for updating the selected firmware based on firmware update management information stored in the apparatus. Including steps.

  According to a fifth technical means, in any one of the first to fourth technical means, the external storage medium is a USB memory.

  A sixth technical means is the fifth technical means, wherein the update execution process is started after the data of the selected firmware is fetched from the USB memory into the storage means in the apparatus. .

  According to a seventh technical means, in any one of the first to sixth technical means, the apparatus is a composite image forming apparatus.

  The eighth technical means is a computer program comprising a procedure for causing a computer to execute the firmware update method according to any one of the first to seventh technical means.

  A ninth technical means is a recording medium in which the computer program in the eighth technical means is read by a computer and recorded so as to be executable.

  According to the present invention, the firmware to be upgraded is designated while viewing the screen displayed by comparing the version information of the existing firmware in each section of the apparatus with the version information of the new firmware stored in the external storage medium. Therefore, it is easy to update the firmware, and the system checks the appropriateness of the specified combination of firmware upgrades, and the order of update is also determined by the system. Can solve the problem of updating.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 has functions such as a facsimile machine, a network scanner device, a printer device, and a mail transmission device. In the present embodiment, a USB connector (not shown) for mounting the USB memory 2 for supplying firmware for firmware upgrade from the outside is provided. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a device control unit that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and includes a firmware 10a of a section “ICU MIN” (main control unit) and a firmware 10b of a section “ICU BOOT” (startup control unit). Reference numeral 20 denotes an image reading unit having a CCD 21 for capturing a document image as image data, a document detection sensor 22 for detecting the presence or absence of a document, and the like, and includes a firmware 10a for a section “SCU” (scanner control unit). 30 is a memory 31 that temporarily stores image data generated by the image reading unit 20 and image data sent from an external device via a network, and an image is formed from the image data stored in the memory 31. An image forming unit having a printing unit (LSU) 32 for recording on a recording sheet, and includes a firmware 30a of a section “PCU” (printer control unit). Reference numeral 40 denotes an image processing unit 40 that performs various types of image processing such as editing, enlargement / reduction, and the like on the digital image data captured in the memory, and includes a firmware 40a of a section “IMG ASIC” (image processing unit).

  Reference numeral 50 denotes an operation display unit, which includes a touch panel for inputting various designations, mode selections, and other information by a user's operation, and a liquid crystal panel for displaying information necessary for the operation and other various information. It is configured. Reference numeral 60 denotes a hard disk for storing various types of information including image data related to image processing such as image data generated by the image reading unit 40. When firmware upgrade is performed, data from the USB memory 2 is captured and temporarily stored. Sometimes used. Reference numeral 70 denotes a memory for storing management information (various control information) for managing various processes executed by the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  The above configuration is the same as that of the conventional digital multi-function peripheral, and can transmit image data generated by the image reading unit 20 from the communication unit (NIC) to the personal computer (PC), and functions as a network scanner device. To do. When the generated image data is stored in the HD 60, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 functions as a simple scanner device. Further, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can receive image data transmitted from a personal computer (PC) via a network by a communication unit (NIC), and can form an image by the image forming unit 30 from the received image data. Functions as a printer device.

  In this embodiment, when updating the firmware in the digital multi-functional peripheral as described above, a USB memory is adopted as an external storage memory for supplying new firmware from the outside, and a USB for supplying a new version of firmware from the outside. A USB interface 80 that enables transmission and reception of data to and from the memory 2 is provided.

  The firmware upgrade management unit 90 includes a version information acquisition unit 91 and a version upgrade processing unit 92. The version information acquisition unit 91 includes the version information of the existing firmware and the version of the new firmware stored in the external storage medium. The upgrade processing unit 92 has a function to acquire information, and the upgrade processing unit 92 refers to the upgrade history information stored in advance in the management unit and information related to firmware in other sections, And a function for determining whether or not there is firmware that needs firmware upgrade, a function for determining and determining the priority order of updates, and the like.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a digital multifunction device will be described based on the display screen in the display unit 51. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation display unit 50 in FIG. 1, and the display unit 51 formed of a liquid crystal panel is integrated with the touch panel as described above, and touches items and keys displayed on the screen. Various settings and designations, mode selection, etc. can be performed.

  When performing a firmware upgrade operation, first press the user setting key 52 and select “service program” on the user setting menu screen of FIG. 3 to switch to the service code input screen of FIG. When the current service code is entered (FIG. 5), the display screen is switched to the display screen shown in FIG. 6. By entering the simulation code “55-01” on this display screen and pressing the OK key, the firmware up mode is activated. Is set.

When the firmware upgrade mode is set, the version information of the existing firmware stored in the firmware upgrade management unit 90 is read, and the version name and release date are displayed for each section as shown in FIG. Subsequently, when the USB memory 2 storing the new version firmware is attached to the USB connector of the apparatus, the system recognizes the USB memory 2 and displays the message shown in FIG.
When the USB memory 2 is recognized by the system, the version information acquisition unit 91 of the firmware upgrade management unit 90 acquires the version information of the new firmware, and displays the firmware name together with the version information of the corresponding existing firmware as shown in FIG. It is displayed in contrast to each section like a screen. The display example of FIG. 9 indicates that the number of firmware stored in the USB memory exists over three pages. The firmware upgrade operator designates firmware to be upgraded while confirming both versions of the displayed firmware. When all the displayed firmware is the target of firmware upgrade, pressing the “ALL SELECT” key on the display screen of FIG. 9 changes the displayed section to the reverse display as shown in FIG. You can specify all the firmware that has been used.
Further, when the firmware to be updated is determined due to the content of the support contract with the client or for other reasons, it is specified by touching the corresponding section on the display screen of FIG.
In this way, the firmware upgrade worker can select the firmware upgrade target while viewing the screen where the new firmware version information stored in the USB memory and the corresponding version information of the existing firmware are displayed for each section. You can specify the firmware to be used.

  When the firmware to be upgraded is designated and the OK key is pressed, the upgrade processing unit 92 of the firmware upgrade management unit 90 starts the firmware selection process, and the version information of the designated new firmware is displayed in the management unit. Refer to the stored version upgrade history information of each firmware, information related to other firmware, etc., to determine the suitability of the specified firmware upgrade combination, and whether there is firmware that needs to be upgraded. The firmware to be updated is selected by determining presence / absence and the like, and the update order is determined.

  FIG. 11 shows a display example in which the firmware selected by the selection process in the firmware update management unit 90 is displayed for each section together with the version name of the existing firmware and the release date of the new version. There are a total of six corresponding firmware over the second page. When the displayed firmware is confirmed and the OK key is pressed, the display is reversed as shown in FIG. 12, and the program data of the selected firmware from the USB memory 2 is taken into the hard disk 60 and updated when the loading is completed. A confirmation message just before starting is displayed. In the example shown in the figure, the number of firmware to be updated is six, which is the same as the number displayed on the screen of FIG. 11, so there is no firmware that needs to be updated in relation. Means.

When the displayed firmware is confirmed again and the OK key is pressed, information on the firmware name to be updated and the update order is sent from the firmware update management unit 90 to the device control unit 10 and the update is started. FIG. 13 shows a display example showing the progress of the update. The update of the sections “ICU (BOOT)”, “PCU”, “ICU (MAIN)” is finished, and the section “IMAGE ASIC” is being updated. It represents something.
When all the updates of the selected firmware are completed, the screen shown in FIG. 14 is displayed, a message prompting to restart the apparatus is displayed, and the firmware update operation is completed.
In this way, by automatically selecting and displaying the firmware to be upgraded, it is possible to efficiently and reliably specify the firmware to be updated, inappropriate combinations and useless updates Can be avoided.

  FIGS. 15 and 16 show a process flow for firmware upgrade in the above-described digital multi-function peripheral. As described above, “User setting” is selected on the screen of FIG. 2 and operations are sequentially performed. When the firmware upgrade service code is input and OK is entered on the screen of FIG. S1), the version information of the existing firmware stored in the firmware update management unit 90 is read and the screen of FIG. 7 is displayed (step S2). Here, when the firmware upgrade worker attaches the USB memory 2, the system recognizes it (step S3), acquires the version information of the new firmware stored in the USB memory, and previously described FIG. 9 together with the version information of the existing firmware. Is displayed (step S4). On the display screen of FIG. 9, when the firmware upgrade operator designates the firmware for firmware upgrade with the “ALL SELECT” key or individual selection and presses the OK key (step S5), it is determined (step S6). Firmware update management unit 90 starts a process for selecting firmware to be updated (step S7).

In the firmware selection process, the suitability of the firmware upgrade combination designated as described above is determined (step S8). If the combination is inappropriate, an error message is displayed (step S9). When the designation is to be redone (step S10 / Y), the firmware can be designated again by returning to step S5 by pressing the “return” key on the display screen of FIG.
If the combination of firmware upgrades is appropriate, the process proceeds to step S11, and it is determined whether or not there is firmware that needs to be firmware-up related. If no exists, an error message is displayed (step S13). In order to redo the designation, the “return” key is pressed on the display screen of FIG. 10, and the “end” key is pressed to cancel the firmware upgrade operation.
When the firmware exists in the external storage medium, the firmware is selected (step S15), and the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S16, the existing version name and new release date are displayed for each section of the selected firmware in order of priority for firmware upgrade (FIG. 11), and the process proceeds to step S17.
In step S17, when it is noticed that the firmware to be upgraded needs to be changed, the designation can be performed again. When the “return” key is pressed (step S18 / Y), the process returns to step S5. If the “end” key is pressed (step S18 / N). Firmware upgrade is canceled.

If the firmware to be upgraded can be displayed on the screen as long as the OK key is pressed (step S17 / Y), the display is reversed as described above (step S19), and the corresponding firmware program is displayed. Data is fetched from the USB memory 2, and a confirmation message is displayed when the fetching is completed (FIG. 12).
When the firmware to be updated is finally confirmed on the display screen of FIG. 12 and the OK key is pressed (step S20), the update is started in the priority order described above (step S21). During the update execution process, the progress status is displayed as shown in FIG. 13 (step S22), and when all the relevant firmware updates are completed, an end message as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed (step S23). Ends.

As is clear from the description of the present embodiment, according to the present invention, when performing a firmware upgrade operation, the version name of the existing firmware and the version information of the existing firmware are displayed on a section-by-section basis. Since the firmware to be upgraded can be designated while confirming the release date, the firmware upgrade can be facilitated, and mistakes and unnecessary firmware upgrades can be prevented.
Also, if there is a problem with the combination of firmware upgrades specified by the firmware upgrade operator, an error message is displayed, so that the update is not performed with an inappropriate combination.

  Also, according to the present embodiment, the update is not executed unless the firmware program data that needs to be upgraded is copied from the USB memory to the hard disk. There will be no situation where a complete firmware upgrade occurs.

  Needless to say, the medium for storing firmware for firmware update supplied from the outside may be a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, or the like.

1 is a block configuration diagram of a digital multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation display part. It is a figure which shows the display screen which selects a service program on a user setting screen. It is a figure which shows the display screen which inputs a service code on a user setting screen. It is a figure which shows the display screen which input the service code on the user setting screen. It is a figure which shows the display screen which inputs a simulation code | cord | chord on a user setting screen. It is a figure which shows the display screen on which the version information of the existing firmware is displayed when the firmware upgrade mode is set. It is a figure which shows the display screen on which the message which shows that the new version firmware was recognized by mounting | wearing of USB memory is displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen which displays the version information of both the new version firmware stored in USB memory, and the existing firmware corresponding to it for every section. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display screen when an “ALL SELECT” key is pressed on the display screen of FIG. 9. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen when firmware to be upgraded is automatically selected. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen when the OK key is pressed on the display screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen showing the progress of an update. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen which displays the message which notifies that the update was complete | finished. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the update method of the firmware in the embodiment of this invention. FIG. 16 is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. 15.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital multifunction device, 2 ... USB memory, 10 ... Device control part, 20 ... Image reading part, 30 ... Image formation part, 40 ... Image processing part, 50 ... Operation display part, 80 ... USB interface, 90 ... Firmware up Management unit, 10a, 10b, 20a, 30a, 40a ... firmware.

Claims (9)

A method for updating firmware in a device having firmware in each of a plurality of sections having different functions,
When an external storage medium storing a new version of firmware is attached, a version information acquisition step of acquiring new version information of the firmware;
A firmware name display step for comparing the acquired new version information and the corresponding version information of the existing firmware for each section and displaying their firmware names;
When a firmware update target is specified for each firmware name displayed for each section, the firmware selection process to be updated using the firmware update management information stored in advance in the device Firmware selection processing step for
An upgrade process step for performing an upgrade process based on the result of the selection process;
An update process execution step of executing an update process based on a result of the version upgrade process.   The firmware update method according to claim 1, wherein the firmware selection processing step includes a step of determining suitability of a combination of firmware upgrades designated by the designation operation.   The firmware update method according to claim 1, wherein the firmware selection processing step includes a step of selecting firmware that needs to be upgraded in relation.   The upgrade process step includes a step of determining a priority order to update the selected firmware based on firmware update management information stored in the apparatus. How to update the firmware.   5. The firmware update method according to claim 1, wherein the external storage medium is a USB memory.   6. The firmware update method according to claim 5, wherein the update execution process is started after the data of the selected firmware is fetched from the USB memory into a storage unit in the apparatus.   The firmware update method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a composite image forming apparatus.   A computer program comprising a procedure for causing a computer to execute the update method according to claim 1.   9. A recording medium in which the computer program according to claim 8 is read by a computer and recorded so as to be executable.

Images