JP2025127560A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided that can reduce the processing load on a status acquisition target when a request to acquire the status of the target is made to the target.
[Solution] An image forming device having one or more control systems and a relay system that relays communication between the control systems and external devices, wherein the relay system comprises a receiving unit that receives a request from the external device to check the status of the control system, a confirmation unit that checks the status of the control system, and a holding unit that holds the status of the control system directly checked by the confirmation unit, wherein the confirmation unit directly checks the status of the control system either when checking the status of the control system at the relay system's own timing or when a request is received by the receiving unit, and when the other case occurs, it checks by referring to the status of the control system held by the holding unit.
[Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Image forming devices are known that have a relay system that controls a scanner control system that performs reading operations and a plotter control system that performs printing operations, each via a dedicated I/F (interface).

Related to this technology is a configuration that includes an acquisition unit that intermittently acquires the state of an external module from the external module, and a completion unit that completes missing states resulting from state transitions of the external module during polling periods when the acquisition unit is not acquiring states, based on the pre-change state acquired by the acquisition unit, the post-change state acquired after the pre-change state, and a state transition diagram of the external module, thereby enabling accurate understanding of the state transitions of the other module (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, in conventional image forming devices, although scanner control or plotter control, etc., is performed via a dedicated I/F, communication with external devices is not anticipated. Therefore, when a request to obtain the status of a scanner control system, plotter control system, etc. is received from an external device, or when a request to obtain the status is generated internally in the image forming device, the processing load on the target to be obtained increases.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an image forming device that can reduce the processing load on a status acquisition target when a status acquisition request is made to the target.

To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having one or more control systems and a relay system that relays communication between the control systems and external devices. The relay system includes a receiving unit that receives a request from the external device to check the status of the control system, a confirmation unit that checks the status of the control system, and a storage unit that stores the status of the control system directly checked by the confirmation unit. The confirmation unit directly checks the status of the control system either when the relay system checks the status at its own timing or when the request is received by the receiving unit, and when the request is received, it checks the status of the control system by referring to the status stored by the storage unit.

This invention reduces the processing load on a status acquisition target when a request to acquire that status is made to that target.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is received from an external device in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made by the relay system in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made from both an external device and a relay system in a conventional image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of functional blocks of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a status setting screen of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made by a relay system and the status is maintained in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when an external device makes a status confirmation request and maintains the status in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the components in the following embodiments include those that would be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially identical, and those that are within the scope of what is known as equivalents. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the following embodiments.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The image forming device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an image forming device such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) that has a scanner function and a plotter function (printer). As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 1 includes a plotter control system 631, a scanner control system 632, a relay system 630, an operation display unit 610, and a network I/F 604b.

The plotter control system 631 is a system for performing printing operations based on data read by the scanner control system 632. As shown in Figure 1, the plotter control system 631 has a dedicated I/F 631a, which is a dedicated interface for data communication with the relay system 630. The plotter control system 631 has an API (Application Programming Interface) for accepting print requests and obtaining the status of the plotter control system 631.

The scanner control system 632 is a system for performing a reading operation on a document placed on a table such as a contact glass. As shown in FIG. 1, the scanner control system 632 is equipped with a dedicated I/F 632a, which is a dedicated interface for data communication with the relay system 630. The scanner control system 632 has an API for accepting scan requests and obtaining the status of the scanner control system 632.

The status of the plotter control system 631 and the scanner control system 632 refers to, for example, the operating status of each system, whether or not there are any abnormalities, and the operation details on the operation display unit 610.

The relay system 630 controls the plotter control system 631 and the scanner control system 632, and relays requests from the external device 2. The relay system 630 communicates data with the plotter control system 631 and the scanner control system 632 by polling.

The operation display unit 610 is a touch panel or the like, and is a device that accepts input to the image forming apparatus 1 (input function) and displays the status of the image forming apparatus 1 (display function). In this embodiment, the operation display unit 610 is connected to the scanner control system 632 and is controlled by the scanner control system 632. However, the operation display unit 610 is not limited to being connected to the scanner control system 632 and being controlled by the scanner control system 632.

Network I/F 604b is an interface for communicating data with external device 2 via network N. Network I/F 604b is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) that supports Ethernet (registered trademark) and is capable of wired or wireless communication compliant with TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)/IP (Internet Protocol), etc. Note that network I/F 604b may be included in relay system 630, for example.

Note that while the plotter control system 631 and scanner control system 632 are shown as the control systems equipped in the image forming device 1, this is not limited to this, and the image forming device 1 may be equipped with only either the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632, or may be equipped with other control systems.

(Hardware configuration of image forming apparatus)
2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, and the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured with a controller 600, an operation and display unit 610, an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 620, a plotter control system 631, and a scanner control system 632, all connected via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus. The operation and display unit 610, plotter control system 631, and scanner control system 632 are as described above in FIG. 1.

The controller 600 is a device that controls the overall image forming apparatus 1, as well as drawing, communication, and input from the operation display unit 610. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 600 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a system memory (MEM-P) 602, a northbridge (NB) 603, a southbridge (SB) 604a, a network I/F 604b, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) I/F 604c, a Centronics I/F 604d, a sensor I/F 604e, an ASIC 606, a local memory (MEM-C) 607, and an auxiliary storage device 608. The network I/F 604b is as described above in FIG. 1. The relay system 630 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to the controller 600, for example.

The CPU 601 is a computing device that performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 1. The CPU 601 is connected to a chipset consisting of a system memory 602, a north bridge 603, and a south bridge 604a, and is connected to other devices via this chipset.

System memory 602 is memory used for storing programs and data, expanding programs and data, and as printer drawing memory, and includes ROM and RAM. Of these, ROM is read-only memory used as program and data storage memory, and RAM is writable and readable memory used as program and data expansion memory and as printer drawing memory, etc.

The north bridge 603 is a bridge that connects the CPU 601 with the system memory 602, south bridge 604a, and AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 605, and includes a memory controller that controls read/write operations to the system memory 602, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

The southbridge 604a is a bridge that connects the northbridge 603 with PCI devices and peripheral devices. The southbridge 604a is connected to the northbridge 603 via a PCI bus, to which the network I/F 604b, USB I/F 604c, Centronics I/F 604d, sensor I/F 604e, etc. are connected.

The AGP bus 605 is a bus interface for graphics accelerator cards proposed to accelerate graphics processing. The AGP bus 605 is a bus that speeds up graphics accelerator cards by directly accessing the system memory 602 at high throughput.

ASIC 606 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing applications that contains hardware elements for image processing and acts as a bridge connecting AGP bus 605, PCI bus, auxiliary storage device 608, and local memory 607. ASIC 606 is composed of a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of ASIC 606, a memory controller that controls local memory 607, multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that perform image data rotation using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data via the PCI bus between plotter control system 631 and scanner control system 632. For example, FCU 620, plotter control system 631, and scanner control system 632 are connected to ASIC 606 via the PCI bus.

Local memory 607 is memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer.

The auxiliary storage device 608 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), SD (Secure Digital) card, or flash memory, and is used to store image data, programs, font data, and forms.

The FCU 620 is a device that implements fax functionality and is connected to the ASIC 606, for example, via a PCI bus.

Note that the hardware configuration of the image forming device 1 shown in Figure 2 is an example, and it is not necessary to include all of the components, and other components may also be included.

(Flow of operations when a status check request is received from an external device of the image forming apparatus)
FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations performed when an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment receives a status confirmation request from an external device. Referring to FIG. 3, the flow of operations performed when an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment receives a status confirmation request from an external device 2 will be described. Note that in FIG. 3, in order to explain the basic operation, the status setting screen 3000 in FIG. 7 (described later) is set to not retain the status of the plotter control system 631 and the scanner control system 632, and the operation performed when the relay system 630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2 will be described. Also, in FIG. 3, the scanner control system 632 acquires a status indicating whether the start button on the operation/display unit 610 has been pressed. It is assumed that an application running on the external device 2 detects the pressing of the start button on the image forming apparatus 1 (operation/display unit 610) and initiates an operation such as starting a scan.

<Step S11>
The external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S12>
When the relay system 630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, it transmits the status confirmation request to the scanner control system 632 by polling the scanner control system 632. Then, the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S13>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it checks its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. The relay system 630 then receives the response.

<Step S14>
When relay system 630 receives a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed from scanner control system 632, relay system 630 transmits the response to external device 2 via network I/F 604b. As a result, external device 2 detects that the start button on operation display unit 610 has not been pressed in scanner control system 632 of image forming apparatus 1.

The above-described steps S11 to S14 are repeatedly executed at any timing on the external device 2 unless the start button on the operation display unit 610 is pressed.

<Step S15>
Then, it is assumed that the user presses the start button on the operation display unit 610 .

<Step S16>
After the user presses the start button on the operation display unit 610, the external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S17>
When the relay system 630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, it transmits the status confirmation request to the scanner control system 632 by polling the scanner control system 632. Then, the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S18>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. The relay system 630 then receives the response.

<Step S19>
When the relay system 630 receives a response indicating that the start button has been pressed from the scanner control system 632, the relay system 630 transmits the response to the external device 2 via the network I/F 604b. As a result, the external device 2 detects that the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed in the scanner control system 632 of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the external device 2 starts processing on an application in response to the pressing of the start button.

(Flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made from a relay system of an image forming device)
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made by a relay system in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. With reference to FIG. 4 , the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made from the relay system 630 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Note that, in FIG. 4 , in order to explain the basic operation, the state setting screen 3000 in FIG. 7 (described later) is set to not retain the states of the plotter control system 631 and the scanner control system 632, and the relay system 630 itself will be described as sending a status confirmation request to the scanner control system 632. Also, in FIG. 4 , the scanner control system 632 is assumed to acquire the state of whether the start button on the operation/display unit 610 has been pressed, and it is assumed that the scanner control system 632 detects the pressing of the start button on the operation/display unit 610 and starts an operation such as starting a scan, without requiring processing by the external device 2.

<Step S21>
The relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 transmits a status confirmation request for checking the status of the scanner control system 632 to the scanner control system 632 at any timing by polling the scanner control system 632. The scanner control system 632 then receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S22>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it checks its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. The relay system 630 then receives the response.

The above-described steps S21 and S22 are repeatedly executed at any timing in the relay system 630 unless the start button on the operation display unit 610 is pressed.

<Step S23>
Then, it is assumed that the user presses the start button on the operation display unit 610 .

<Step S24>
After the user presses the start button on the operation display unit 610, the relay system 630 transmits a status confirmation request to the scanner control system 632 by polling the scanner control system 632 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. The scanner control system 632 then receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S25>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. As a result, the relay system 630 detects that the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed in the scanner control system 632 of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the relay system 630 starts processing on an application in the image forming apparatus 1 in response to the pressing of the start button.

(Operation flow when status confirmation requests are made from both an external device and a relay system in a conventional image forming apparatus)
5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made from both an external device 2000 and a relay system in a conventional image forming apparatus. The flow of operations when a status confirmation request is made from both an external device 2000 and a relay system 1630 in a conventional image forming apparatus 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The conventional image forming apparatus 1000 communicates data with the external device 2000 via a network, and includes a relay system 1630, a plotter control system 1631, and a scanner control system 1632.

<Step S101>
The external device 2000 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1000 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 1632. Then, the relay system 1630 of the image forming apparatus 1000 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F.

<Step S102>
When the relay system 1630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2000, it transmits the status confirmation request to the scanner control system 1632 by polling the scanner control system 1632. Then, the scanner control system 1632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F.

<Step S103>
When the scanner control system 1632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 1630, it checks its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed or not), and transmits a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay system 1630 via the dedicated I/F. Then, the relay system 1630 receives the response.

<Step S104>
When relay system 1630 receives a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed from scanner control system 1632, relay system 1630 transmits the response via the network I/F to external device 2000. As a result, external device 2000 detects that the start button on the operation display unit of scanner control system 1632 of image forming apparatus 1000 has not been pressed.

<Step S105>
The relay system 1630 transmits a status confirmation request for confirming the status of the scanner control system 1632 to the scanner control system 1632 by polling the scanner control system 1632. The scanner control system 1632 then receives the status confirmation request via a dedicated I/F.

<Step S106>
When the scanner control system 1632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 1630, it checks its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed or not), and transmits a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay system 1630 via the dedicated I/F. Then, the relay system 1630 receives the response.

The above-described steps S101 to S106 are repeatedly executed at any timing unless the start button on the operation display unit is pressed. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 5 shows steps S101 to S104 being executed alternately when a status check request is sent by the external device 2000 and when a status check request is sent from the relay system 1630 itself (steps S105 and S106), but this is not limiting and steps may be executed at any timing.

<Step S107>
It is assumed that the user then presses the start button on the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1000 .

<Step S108>
After the user presses the start button on the operation display unit, the external device 2000 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1000 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 1632. Then, the relay system 1630 of the image forming apparatus 1000 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F.

<Step S109>
When the relay system 1630 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2000, it transmits the status confirmation request to the scanner control system 1632 by polling the scanner control system 1632. Then, the scanner control system 1632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F.

<Step S110>
When the scanner control system 1632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 1630, it checks its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed or not), and transmits a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay system 1630 via the dedicated I/F. Then, the relay system 1630 receives the response.

<Step S111>
When relay system 1630 receives a response indicating that the start button has been pressed from scanner control system 1632, relay system 1630 transmits the response via the network I/F to external device 2000. As a result, external device 2000 detects, in scanner control system 1632 of image forming apparatus 1000, that the start button on the operation display unit of image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed.

<Step S112>
After the user presses the start button on the operation display unit, the relay system 1630 transmits a status confirmation request to the scanner control system 1632 by polling the scanner control system 1632 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 1632. The scanner control system 1632 then receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F.

<Step S113>
When the scanner control system 1632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 1630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed or not), and transmits a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay system 1630 via the dedicated I/F. As a result, the relay system 1630 detects in the scanner control system 1632 of the image forming apparatus 1000 that the start button on the operation display unit 610 of the image forming apparatus 1000 has been pressed.

As such, in the conventional image forming apparatus 1000, the relay system 1630 polls the scanner control system 1632 to request status acquisition, triggered by both a status confirmation request from the external device 2000 and a status confirmation request from the relay system 1630 itself. This means that the scanner control system 1632 must process both status confirmation requests, resulting in a high processing load.

The following describes the configuration and operation of the image forming device 1 according to this embodiment, which can reduce the processing load on the status acquisition targets (plotter control system 631, scanner control system 632, etc.).

(Configuration and operation of functional blocks of image forming apparatus)
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of functional blocks of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a status setting screen of the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The configuration and operation of the functional blocks of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the relay system 630 includes a receiving unit 101, a status confirmation unit 102 (confirmation unit), a status management unit 103 (storage unit), a notification unit 104, a setting unit 105, an operation unit 106, a display control unit 107, and a memory unit 108.

The receiving unit 101 is a functional unit that receives, via the network I/F 604b, a status confirmation request sent at any timing from the external device 2 to confirm the status of a specific target (e.g., the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632).

The status confirmation unit 102 is a functional unit that confirms the status of the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632. Specifically, the status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms the status by polling the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632 to confirm their respective statuses. Furthermore, if the setting unit 105 (described later) is set to retain the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, the status confirmation unit 102 performs the following operations.

In other words, when the setting unit 105 configures the status confirmation unit 102 to retain the confirmed status using an internal trigger, i.e., a status confirmation request from the relay system 630, as a trigger, the status confirmation unit 102 sends a status confirmation request to the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632 at any timing to directly confirm the status. Then, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status by referencing the status of the target of the status confirmation request (plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632) stored in the memory unit 108 by the status management unit 103. On the other hand, when the setting unit 105 configures the status confirmation unit 102 to retain the confirmed status using an external trigger, i.e., a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 sends the request to the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632 to directly confirm the status when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2. When the status confirmation unit 102 checks the status of the target (plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632) at any time, it checks the status by referencing the status of the target stored in the memory unit 108 by the status management unit 103.

The status management unit 103 is a functional unit that stores and manages the status of the plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108. Specifically, when the setting unit 105 (described later) is set to store the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, the status management unit 103 stores and manages the status in the storage unit 108. In this case, when the setting unit 105 is set to store the confirmed status using an internal trigger, i.e., a status confirmation request from the relay system 630, as a trigger, the status management unit 103 stores the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in response to a status confirmation request made at any timing in the storage unit 108. On the other hand, when the setting unit 105 is set to store the confirmed status using an external trigger, i.e., a status confirmation request from external device 2, as a trigger, the status management unit 103 stores the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 in response to the status confirmation request from external device 2 in the storage unit 108.

The notification unit 104 is a functional unit that, when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, notifies the external device 2 via the network I/F 604b of the status of the target of the status confirmation request (plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632) confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

The setting unit 105 is a functional unit that performs various settings. For example, on the status setting screen 3000 displayed on the operation display unit 610 shown in FIG. 7, the setting unit 105 sets whether or not to retain the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102, and if so, whether to retain the acquired status triggered by a status confirmation request from the external device 2 or a status confirmation request from the relay system 630. The setting unit 105 then stores the settings in the memory unit 108.

Here, the status setting screen 3000 shown in Figure 7 will be described. As shown in Figure 7, the status setting screen 3000 includes a status retention setting radio button 3001, a status retention trigger setting radio button 3002, a save button 3011, and a cancel button 3012.

The status retention setting radio button 3001 is a radio button for setting whether or not to retain the status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102. If the status retention setting radio button 3001 is set to not retain the status, the status confirmation unit 102 will check the status of the target (plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632) by sending a status confirmation request to the target of status confirmation (plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632) either when the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2 or when checking the status of the target at any time.

The status retention trigger setting radio button 3002 is a radio button for setting whether to retain the state acquired in response to a status confirmation request from the external device 2 or a status confirmation request from the relay system 630, when the status is set to be retained using the status retention setting radio button 3001.

The save button 3011 is a button for storing the settings made using the state retention setting radio button 3001 and the state retention trigger setting radio button 3002 in the memory unit 108. When the save button 3011 is pressed, the setting unit 105 stores the settings made using the state retention setting radio button 3001 and the state retention trigger setting radio button 3002 in the memory unit 108.

The cancel button 3012 is a button for canceling the settings made using the state retention setting radio button 3001 and state retention trigger setting radio button 3002 without saving them.

The operation unit 106 is a functional unit that accepts operation inputs from the user. The operation unit 106 is realized by the input function of the operation display unit 610 shown in Figure 2.

The display control unit 107 is a functional unit that controls the display operation of the operation display unit 610. In response to operation input to the operation unit 106, the display control unit 107 displays, for example, the status setting screen 3000 shown in FIG. 7 on the operation display unit 610.

The memory unit 108 is a functional unit that stores the settings configured by the setting unit 105 and the status of the plotter control system 631 or scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102. The memory unit 108 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 608 shown in Figure 2.

As described above, the setting unit 105 can set whether or not to retain the state confirmed by the state confirmation unit 102, but this is not limited to this and the state may be retained statically. Furthermore, the setting unit 105 can set whether to retain the acquired state triggered by a state confirmation request from the external device 2 or a state confirmation request from the relay system 630, but this is not limited to this. That is, the state management unit 103 may be configured to statically retain the state confirmed by the state confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108 triggered by a state confirmation request from the external device 2, or may be configured to statically retain the state confirmed by the state confirmation unit 102 in the storage unit 108 triggered by a state confirmation request from the relay system 630.

Furthermore, if the relay system 630 detects that it is unable to communicate with the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 may switch to an operation of directly checking the status with the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632 when checking the status at the relay system 630's own timing.

The above-mentioned receiving unit 101, status checking unit 102, status management unit 103, notification unit 104, and setting unit 105 are realized, for example, by the CPU 601 shown in FIG. 2 executing a program. Note that at least some of the receiving unit 101, status checking unit 102, status management unit 103, notification unit 104, and setting unit 105 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

Note that the functional units of relay system 630 shown in Figure 6 are conceptual representations of functions, and are not limited to this configuration. For example, the multiple functional units shown as independent functional units in relay system 630 shown in Figure 6 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the functions of a single functional unit in relay system 630 shown in Figure 6 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of relay system 630 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in Figure 6; it is sufficient that the functions of each functional unit as a whole are realized by the CPU 601 executing a program.

(Operation flow when a status confirmation request is made by a relay system in an image forming device and the status is maintained)
8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when a relay system issues a status confirmation request and the status is maintained in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. With reference to FIG. 8, the operations when the relay system 630 itself issues a status confirmation request to the plotter control system 631 and maintains the status in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described. That is, it is assumed that the setting unit 105 has been set to maintain the status, and that the status confirmation request from the relay system 630 is used as a trigger to maintain the confirmed status.

<Step S31>
The status confirmation unit 102 of the relay system 630 transmits a status confirmation request for confirming the status of the scanner control system 632 to the scanner control system 632 at any timing by polling the scanner control system 632. Then, the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S32>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. Then, the status confirmation unit 102 receives the response and directly confirms that the start button has not been pressed.

<Step S33>
The status management unit 103 of the relay system 630 stores the status of the scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 (the status that the start button is not pressed) in the storage unit 108. If the status of the scanner control system 632 is already stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status to the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

<Step S34>
The external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the receiving unit 101 of the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S35>
When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay system 630 confirms the status (the status that the start button is not pressed) by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. That is, in this case, the status confirmation request is not sent to the scanner control system 632, and the status is confirmed by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108, so that no processing load is imposed on the scanner control system 632.

<Step S36>
Then, notification unit 104 of relay system 630 notifies external device 2 via network I/F 604b of the state of scanner control system 632 confirmed by state confirmation unit 102 (the state that the start button is not pressed) as a response to the state confirmation request of step S34. As a result, external device 2 detects that the start button of operation display unit 610 is not pressed in scanner control system 632 of image forming apparatus 1.

The above-described steps S31 to S36 are repeatedly executed at any timing unless the start button on the operation display unit 610 is pressed. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 8 shows steps S31 to S33 being executed alternately when a status check request is sent from the relay system 630 itself and steps S34 to S36 being executed when a status check request is sent from the external device 2, but this is not limiting and steps S31 to S36 may be executed at any timing.

<Step S37>
It is assumed that the user then presses the start button on the operation display unit 610 of the image forming apparatus 1 .

<Step S38>
The external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the receiving unit 101 of the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S39>
When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. At this point, the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108 does not reflect that the start button on the operation display unit 610 was pressed in step S37, and therefore the status of the scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 is a state in which the start button has not been pressed.

<Step S40>
Then, notification unit 104 notifies external device 2 of the state of scanner control system 632 confirmed by state confirmation unit 102 (the state that the start button is not pressed) via network I/F 604b as a response to the state confirmation request in step S38. As a result, external device 2 detects that the start button on operation display unit 610 is not pressed in scanner control system 632 of image forming apparatus 1.

<Step S41>
The status confirmation unit 102 transmits a status confirmation request for confirming the status of the scanner control system 632 to the scanner control system 632 at any timing by polling the scanner control system 632. The scanner control system 632 then receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S42>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. Then, the status confirmation unit 102 receives the response and directly confirms that the start button has been pressed.

<Step S43>
The status management unit 103 stores the status of the scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 (the status that the start button has been pressed) in the storage unit 108. If the status of the scanner control system 632 is already stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status to the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

<Step S44>
The external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the receiving unit 101 of the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S45>
When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 confirms the status (that the start button has been pressed) by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. That is, in this case, the status confirmation request is not sent to the scanner control system 632, and the status is confirmed by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108, so no processing load is placed on the scanner control system 632.

<Step S46>
Then, notification unit 104 notifies external device 2 of the state of scanner control system 632 confirmed by state confirmation unit 102 (the state that the start button has been pressed) via network I/F 604b as a response to the state confirmation request in step S44. As a result, external device 2 detects that the start button on operation display unit 610 has been pressed in scanner control system 632 of image forming apparatus 1.

(Operation flow when an external device issues a status confirmation request to an image forming apparatus and the status is maintained)
9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations when an external device issues a status confirmation request in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment and the status is maintained. With reference to FIG. 9, the operations of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment when the external device 2 issues a status confirmation request to the plotter control system 631 and the status is maintained will be described. That is, it is assumed that the setting unit 105 has been set to maintain the status, and that the status confirmation request from the external device 2 is used as a trigger to maintain the confirmed status.

<Step S51>
The external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the receiving unit 101 of the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S52>
When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay system 630 transmits the status confirmation request to the scanner control system 632 by polling the scanner control system 632. Then, the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S53>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has not been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. Then, the status confirmation unit 102 receives the response and directly confirms that the start button has not been pressed.

<Step S54>
The status management unit 103 of the relay system 630 stores the status of the scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 (the status that the start button is not pressed) in the storage unit 108. If the status of the scanner control system 632 is already stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status to the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

<Step S55>
Then, notification unit 104 of relay system 630 notifies external device 2 of the state of scanner control system 632 confirmed by state confirmation unit 102 (the state that the start button is not pressed) via network I/F 604b as a response to the state confirmation request of step S51. As a result, external device 2 detects that the start button of operation display unit 610 is not pressed in scanner control system 632 of image forming apparatus 1.

<Step S56>
When the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay system 630 checks the status of the scanner control system 632 at any timing, it checks the status (the status that the start button is not pressed) by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. That is, in this case, a status confirmation request is not sent to the scanner control system 632, and the status is confirmed by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108, so no processing load is imposed on the scanner control system 632.

The above-described steps S51 to S56 are repeatedly executed at any timing unless the start button on the operation display unit 610 is pressed. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 9 shows steps S51 to S55 sent by the external device 2 and steps S56 executed alternately when the relay system 630 itself checks the status (step S56), but this is not limiting and steps S51 to S56 may be executed at any timing.

<Step S57>
It is assumed that the user then presses the start button on the operation display unit 610 of the image forming apparatus 1 .

<Step S58>
The external device 2 transmits a status confirmation request to the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm the status of the scanner control system 632. Then, the receiving unit 101 of the relay system 630 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the status confirmation request via the network I/F 604b.

<Step S59>
When the receiving unit 101 receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2, the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay system 630 transmits the status confirmation request to the scanner control system 632 by polling the scanner control system 632. Then, the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request via the dedicated I/F 632a.

<Step S60>
When the scanner control system 632 receives the status confirmation request from the relay system 630, it confirms its own status (here, the status of whether the start button on the operation display unit 610 has been pressed or not) and transmits a response indicating that the start button has been pressed to the relay system 630 via the dedicated I/F 632a. Then, the status confirmation unit 102 receives the response and directly confirms that the start button has been pressed.

<Step S61>
The status management unit 103 stores the status of the scanner control system 632 confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102 (the status that the start button has been pressed) in the storage unit 108. If the status of the scanner control system 632 is already stored in the storage unit 108, the status management unit 103 updates the status to the new status confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102.

<Step S62>
Then, notification unit 104 notifies external device 2 of the state of scanner control system 632 confirmed by state confirmation unit 102 (the state that the start button has been pressed) via network I/F 604b as a response to the state confirmation request in step S58. As a result, external device 2 detects that the start button on operation display unit 610 has been pressed in scanner control system 632 of image forming apparatus 1.

<Step S63>
When the status confirmation unit 102 of the relay system 630 checks the status of the scanner control system 632 at any timing, it checks the status (the status that the start button has been pressed) by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108 by the status management unit 103. That is, in this case, a status confirmation request is not sent to the scanner control system 632, and the status is confirmed by referring to the status of the scanner control system 632 stored in the storage unit 108, so no processing load is imposed on the scanner control system 632.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a control system such as a plotter control system 631 or a scanner control system 632, and a relay system 630 that relays communication between the control system and external device 2. The relay system 630 includes a receiving unit 101 that receives a status confirmation request from the external device 2 to confirm the status of the control system, a status confirmation unit 102 that confirms the status of the control system, and a status management unit 103 that holds the status of the control system directly confirmed by the status confirmation unit 102. The status confirmation unit 102 directly confirms the status of the control system either when the relay system 630 itself confirms the status of the control system, or when a status confirmation request is received by the receiving unit 101, and when the other case occurs, it confirms the status by referring to the status of the control system held by the status management unit 103. This reduces the processing load on the control system when a request is made to acquire the status of a control system, such as the plotter control system 631 or the scanner control system 632, whose status is to be acquired.

Note that each function of each embodiment described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, "processing circuit" includes a processor programmed to perform each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and conventional circuit modules designed to perform each of the functions described above.

The program executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment may be configured to be pre-installed in ROM or the like and provided. The program executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment may be configured to be provided as a computer program product by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). The program executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The program executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment may also be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

Furthermore, the program executed by the image forming device 1 of the above-described embodiment has a modular structure including each of the functional units described above, and in actual hardware, the CPU reads the program from the ROM and executes it, loading each of the functional units described above into the main memory device, and each functional unit is generated on the main memory device.

The aspects of the present invention are as follows.
<1> An image forming apparatus having one or more control systems and a relay system that relays communication between the control systems and external devices,
The relay system includes:
a receiving unit that receives a request to check the status of the control system from the external device;
a confirmation unit for confirming the state of the control system;
a storage unit that stores the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
Equipped with
The confirmation unit
directly confirming a state of the control system when the relay system confirms a state of the control system at its own timing or when the receiving unit receives the request;
When the one of the two is not satisfied, the image forming apparatus checks the state of the control system held by the holding unit by referring to the state.
<2> The relay system is an image forming apparatus described in <1>, further comprising a notification unit that, when the request is received by the receiving unit, notifies the external device of the status of the control system confirmed by the confirmation unit.
<3> When the request is received by the receiving unit,
The confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control system,
the storage unit stores the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
When the relay system checks the status of the control system at its own timing,
The image forming apparatus according to <1> or <2>, wherein the confirmation unit checks the state of the control system by referring to the state stored by the storage unit.
<4> When the relay system checks the status of the control system at its own timing,
The confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control system,
the storage unit stores the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
When the request is received by the receiving unit,
The image forming apparatus according to <1> or <2>, wherein the confirmation unit checks the state of the control system by referring to the state stored by the storage unit.
<5> The relay system is
The image forming apparatus described in any one of <1> to <4> further comprises a setting unit that sets whether to maintain the state of the control system that is directly confirmed when the request is received by the receiving unit, or to maintain the state of the control system that is directly confirmed at the timing of the relay system itself.
<6> The relay system is
a setting unit that sets whether or not to maintain the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
In the image forming apparatus described in any one of <1> to <4>, when the setting unit is set not to retain the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, the confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control system in both cases where the relay system confirms the state of the control system at its own timing and where the request is received by the receiving unit.
<7> An image forming apparatus according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein when the relay system detects that it is unable to communicate with the external device, the confirmation unit switches to an operation of directly confirming the status of the control system when checking the status of the control system at the relay system's own timing.
<8> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein the one or more control systems include a scanner control system that performs an operation of reading a document.
<9> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <1> to <8>, wherein the one or more control systems include a plotter control system that performs a printing operation.
<10> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <1> to <9>, wherein the confirmation unit performs data communication with the control system by polling when directly confirming the state of the control system.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Image forming apparatus 2 External device 101 Receiving unit 102 Status confirmation unit 103 Status management unit 104 Notification unit 105 Setting unit 106 Operation unit 107 Display control unit 108 Storage unit 600 Controller 601 CPU
602 System memory (MEM-P)
603 Northbridge (NB)
604a Southbridge (SB)
604b Network I/F
604c USB I/F
604d Centronics I/F
604e Sensor I/F
605 AGP
606 ASIC
607 Local memory (MEM-C)
608 Auxiliary storage device 610 Operation display unit 620 FCU
630 Relay system 631 Plotter control system 631a Dedicated I/F
632 Scanner control system 632a Dedicated I/F
1000 Image forming apparatus 1630 Relay system 1631 Plotter control system 1632 Scanner control system 2000 External device 3000 Status setting screen 3001 Status retention setting radio button 3002 Status retention trigger setting radio button 3011 Save button 3012 Cancel button N Network

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-155898

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus having one or more control systems and a relay system that relays communication between the control systems and an external device,
The relay system includes:
a receiving unit that receives a request to check the status of the control system from the external device;
a confirmation unit for confirming the state of the control system;
a storage unit that stores the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
Equipped with
The confirmation unit
directly confirming a state of the control system when the relay system confirms a state of the control system at its own timing or when the receiving unit receives the request;
When the one of the two is not satisfied, the image forming apparatus checks the state of the control system held by the holding unit by referring to the state. The image forming device of claim 1, wherein the relay system further includes a notification unit that, when the request is received by the receiving unit, notifies the external device of the status of the control system confirmed by the confirmation unit. When the request is received by the receiving unit,
The confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control system,
the storage unit stores the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
When the relay system checks the status of the control system at its own timing,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation unit checks the state of the control system by referring to the state held by the holding unit. When the relay system checks the status of the control system at its own timing,
The confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control system,
the storage unit stores the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
When the request is received by the receiving unit,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation unit checks the state of the control system by referring to the state held by the holding unit. The relay system includes:
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit that sets whether to maintain the state of the control system that is directly confirmed when the request is received by the receiving unit, or to maintain the state of the control system that is directly confirmed at the timing of the relay system itself. The relay system includes:
a setting unit that sets whether or not to maintain the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit;
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the setting unit is configured not to retain the state of the control system directly confirmed by the confirmation unit, the confirmation unit directly confirms the state of the control system in both cases where the relay system confirms the state of the control system at its own timing and where the receiving unit receives the request. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein when the relay system detects that communication with the external device is not possible, the confirmation unit switches to an operation of directly confirming the status of the control system when the relay system itself checks the status of the control system. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more control systems include a scanner control system that performs document reading operations. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more control systems include a plotter control system that performs printing operations. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the confirmation unit communicates data with the control system by polling when directly confirming the status of the control system.