JP7196554B2 - Information processing device, program update method, software update program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a program update method, and a software update program.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a tendency to digitize information, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used to output digitized information and scanners used to digitize documents have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus is configured as a multi-function peripheral (MFP) in which software (for example, firmware and applications) for realizing functions as a printer, facsimile machine, scanner, and copier is implemented. There are many things.

As a mechanism for using such software, there is known a Web API (Web Application Programming Interface) that realizes communication between software on the basis of HTTP/HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol/Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure).

SDK (Software Development Kit) is also known as a tool for developing software. The SDK includes sample code that can be used by connecting to a program, and files that describe API (Application Programming Interface) specifications such as Web API.

In software developed using an SDK, API specifications and usable APIs differ for each version of the SDK, so situations may arise in which the types of information that can be handled by the APIs differ.

For example, even if the software is the same, if the API specification or the access authority for executing the API changes due to the version difference of the SDK that is the source of the creation, the functions realized in the image processing device are executed. information required for this purpose cannot be obtained from other software. Therefore, whether or not it is possible to communicate between software using the API depends on the version of the SDK.

Therefore, in conventional image processing apparatuses, software is packaged for realizing the functions of a printer, facsimile machine, scanner, and copier, and information about the SDK version is included in the package to update the software. By doing so, APIs included in the same version of the SDK can be used in all the software installed in the image processing apparatus.

On the other hand, for the purpose of improving functions, specific software among software installed in the image processing apparatus may be uploaded individually. As such a technology, in order to individually update the software installed in the image processing apparatus, based on the consistency of the software described in the master file stored in the server, it is installed in the image processing apparatus. It has been disclosed to update software installed in the system (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010, by selecting an appropriate combination of software versions to operate the image processing apparatus based on a master file and updating the software, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the image processing apparatus due to software updates. can. Here, "software consistency" in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010 refers to a combination of software versions required to operate the image processing apparatus.

However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010 is based on the premise that a management device that updates software installed in an image processing apparatus, a server, and the image processing apparatus can communicate with each other. Therefore, the image processing apparatus alone cannot select a combination of software versions and update the software.

In addition, since information about the SDK version cannot be acquired, depending on the combination of installed software, the combination of APIs cannot exchange information between the software, and the image processing apparatus will not operate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the performance assurance of an image processing apparatus in a stand-alone environment and update software.

To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that provides a predetermined function by operating hardware, and includes software that operates the hardware to achieve the predetermined function. an update program acquisition unit for acquiring an update program for the software; and an API for exchanging information between a plurality of pieces of software based on the update program. an update execution determination unit for determining whether or not to update the software based on combination information indicating a combination of the software for which the information can be acquired; an update execution unit that updates the program stored in the unit with the update program, and the update execution determination unit determines if the software to be updated by the update program can use the API and determining to update the software .

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operational guarantee of an image processing apparatus in a stand-alone environment and update the software.

1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the operation display unit according to the embodiment of the invention; 1 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions implemented in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the information configuration of an update program package for software of a conventional image processing apparatus; 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for updating software in a conventional image processing apparatus; FIG. 10 is a view exemplifying a GUI displayed in a conventional image processing apparatus; FIG. 10 is a diagram exemplifying the information configuration of a software update program for a conventional image processing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the information configuration of a software update program for the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; The figure which shows the information structure of the version information list|wrist which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for updating software in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying a GUI displayed in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for updating the version information list in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the information configuration of a software update program for the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; The figure which shows the information structure of the API use condition list|wrist which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing another example of functions implemented in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for updating software in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for generating available API information according to the embodiment of the present invention; The figure which shows the information structure of the available API information which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an information processing apparatus, an image processing apparatus 1 including an operation display unit 34 such as a touch panel as a UI (User Interface) for user operations will be described.

Note that the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) in which software for realizing a copy function, a print function, a scan function, a FAX function, etc. is installed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The image processing apparatus 1 has a configuration in which a controller 100 and an engine section 33 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus 11 .

The controller 100 controls the overall control of the image processing apparatus 1 , drawing, communication, and input from the operation display section 34 . The engine unit 33 is a printer engine or the like connectable to the PCI bus 11, such as a black-and-white plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, a 4-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a facsimile unit.

The engine section 33 includes an engine section such as a plotter that performs so-called image formation output, and an image processing section that performs image processing such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

The controller 100 includes a CPU 21, a north bridge (NB) 23, a system memory (MEM-P) 22, a south bridge (SB) 24, a local memory (MEM-C) 27, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 26, a hard disk drive ( HDD) 35.

Also, the north bridge (NB) 23 and the ASIC 26 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 25 . Furthermore, the MEM-P 22 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 22b.

The CPU 21 controls the image processing apparatus 1 and includes a chipset including NB23, MEM-P22, and SB24, and is connected to other devices via this chipset. The NB 23 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 21 with the MEM-P 22, SB 24 and AGP bus 25, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing of the MEM-P 22, a PCI master and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 22 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for a printer, etc., and includes a ROM 22a and a RAM 22b.

The ROM 22a is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM 22b is a writable and readable memory used as a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for a printer, and the like.

The SB24 is a bridge for connecting the NB23 with PCI devices and peripheral devices. The SB 24 is connected to the NB 23 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I/F) unit may be connected to the PCI bus.

The ASIC 26 is an image processing IC (Integrated Circuit) having hardware elements for image processing, and realizes a bridge function that connects the AGP bus 25, PCI bus, HDD 35 and MEM-C 27, respectively.

The ASIC 26 includes a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 26, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 27, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access) that rotate image data using hardware logic. Controller) and a PCI unit that transfers data to and from the engine section 33 via the PCI bus 11 .

ＡＳＩＣ２６には、ＰＣＩバスを介してＦＣＵ（Ｆａｃｓｉｍｉｌｅ Ｃｏｎｔｒｏｌ Ｕｎｉｔ）２８、ＵＳＢ（Ｕｎｉｖｅｒｓａｌ Ｓｅｒｉａｌ Ｂｕｓ）２９、ＩＥＥＥ１３９４（ｔｈｅ Ｉｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅ ｏｆ Ｅｌｅｃｔｒｉｃａｌ ａｎｄ Ｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎｉｃｓ Ｅｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｓ １３９４）インタフェース３１、ＮＦＣ（Ｎｅａｒ ｆｉｅｌｄ ｒａｄｉｏ ｃｏｍｍｕｎｉｃａｔｉｏｎ）インタフェース３２が接続be done.

Since the ASIC 26 incorporates a configuration for realizing general-purpose functions such as an input/output interface, the operation display unit 34 is directly connected to the ASIC 26 via the bus 30 . MEM-C 27 is a local memory used by ASIC 26 as a copy image buffer and code buffer.

The FCU 28 controls facsimile transmission/reception in the image processing apparatus 1 . The USB 29 transmits and receives data between the image processing apparatus 1 and an external terminal USB-connected to the image processing apparatus 1 . The IEEE1394 interface 31 transmits and receives data between the image processing apparatus 1 and an external terminal connected to the image processing apparatus 1 via an IEEE1394 terminal. The NFC interface 32 performs non-contact short-range wireless communication.

The HDD 35 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms, and stores program files of applications executed in the image processing apparatus 1 . The AGP bus 25 is a bus interface for graphics accelerator cards proposed for speeding up graphics processing, and speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 22 with high throughput. .

Program files of applications executed in the image processing apparatus 1 are developed in the RAM 22 b by the CPU 21 in the controller 100 . Then, the application is executed by the CPU 21 performing arithmetic processing according to the program developed in the RAM 22b.

Next, the hardware configuration of the operation display section 34 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation display unit 34 is configured by connecting a CPU 341 , a RAM 342 , a ROM 343 , an HDD 344 , an internal I/F 345 , an external I/F 346 and an operation panel 347 to each other via a bus 349 .

In the present embodiment, the operation display section 34 will be described as a display panel that can be removed from the main body 10 (see FIG. 3) of the image processing apparatus 1 . Note that a terminal capable of communicating with the main body 10 , such as a tablet information processing terminal, may be used as the operation display unit 34 .

The CPU 341 is computing means and controls the overall operation of the operation display section 34 . The RAM 342 is a volatile storage medium from which information can be read and written at high speed, and is used as a working area when the CPU 341 processes information. The ROM 343 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium and stores programs such as firmware.

The HDD 344 is a non-volatile storage medium from which information can be read and written, and stores an OS (Operating System) of the operation display unit 34, various control programs, application program files, and the like. In addition, instead of HDD344, the structure using non-volatile storage media, such as SSD(Solid State Drive), may be sufficient.

The internal I/F 345 is connected to the internal I/F 265 of the ASIC 26 and outputs operation signals of the operation panel 347 by the user to the controller 100 . The external I/F 346 connects and controls the bus 90 and various hardware and networks.

The operation panel 347 is integrally formed with a display device such as a display for the user to check the state of the operation display section 34 and an input section for the user to input information on the operation display section 34 . In this embodiment, the operation panel 347 is composed of a touch panel, hard keys, and the like.

In such a hardware configuration, programs stored in a recording medium such as the ROM 343, HDD 344, or optical disk are read out to the RAM 342, and the CPU 341 performs calculations according to those programs, thereby controlling the software control unit in the operation display unit 34. are configured respectively. A functional block that realizes the function of the operation display unit 34 is configured by combining the software control unit configured in this manner and the hardware.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the image processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 , the main body 10 has an application layer 101 , a service layer 102 and an OS layer 103 . The application layer 101, the service layer 102, and the OS layer 103 are various software stored in the ROM 22a, the HDD 35, or the like. Various functions are provided by the CPU 21 executing these software.

Software of the application layer 101 is an application for operating hardware resources constituting the image processing apparatus 1 to provide predetermined functions. For example, applications include a copy App 101a for providing a copy function, a print App 101b for providing a printer function, a scan App 101c for providing a scanner function, a FAX App 101d for providing a fax function, and a network function. and NWApp101e of Further, applications of the application layer 101 include software necessary for using web browsers and applications.

The software of the service layer 102 is software that intervenes between the application layer 101 and the OS layer 103 and provides an interface for using hardware resources of the main body 10 to applications. Specifically, it is software for providing a function of receiving operation requests for hardware resources and controlling the operation requests. An operation request received by the service layer 102 may be a scan operation or a print request by the engine unit 33 .

The interface function of the service layer 102 is provided not only to the application layer 101 of the main body 10 but also to the application layer 301 of the operation display unit 34 . That is, the application layer 301 (application) of the operation display unit 34 can also implement functions using the hardware resources (for example, the engine unit 17) of the main body 10 via the interface functions of the service layer 102. FIG. For example, the interface function of the service layer 102 is provided by WebAPI.

As these Web APIs, the main body 10 includes a Copy App API 120a corresponding to the Copy App 101a, a Print App API 120b corresponding to the Print App 101b, and a Scan App API 120c and FAX App 101d corresponding to the Scan App 101c. APIs such as FAXApp API 120d and NWApp API 120e corresponding to NWApp 101e are provided.

The software of the OS layer 103 is basic software (operating system (OS)) for providing the function of controlling hardware provided in the main body 10 . The software of the service layer 102 converts a hardware resource usage request output from each application into a command that can be interpreted by the OS layer 103 and transfers the command to the OS layer 103 . Then, the command is executed by the software of the OS layer 103, so that the hardware resource operates according to the request of the application.

On the other hand, the operation display unit 34 also includes an application layer 301 , a service layer 302 and an OS layer 303 like the main body 10 . The application layer 301, the service layer 302, and the OS layer 303 included in the operation display unit 34 also have the same hierarchical structure as the main body 10 side. However, the functions provided by the applications of the application layer 301 and the types of operation requests that the service layer 302 can accept are different from those on the main body 10 side.

The application of the application layer 301 may be software for operating hardware resources included in the operation display unit 34 to provide a predetermined function. As such software, for example, the operation display unit 34 has a GUI (graphical user interface) function for operating and displaying functions (copy function, scanner function, facsimile function, printer function) provided in the main body 10. Equipped with software to provide The application layer 301 includes native applications, browser applications, and the like, and the service layer 302 includes installers and the like.

In this embodiment, the software of the OS layer 103 on the main body 10 side and the software of the OS layer 303 on the operation display unit 34 side are different from each other in order to maintain the independence of the functions. In other words, the main body 10 and the operation display section 34 operate independently of each other with separate operating systems.

As described above, in the image processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the main body 10 and the operation display section 34 operate on separate operating systems, communication between the main body 10 and the operation display section 34 is made common. This is performed as communication between different devices, not inter-process communication inside the image processing apparatus 1 .

An operation (command communication) of transferring information received by the operation display unit 34 (contents input by the user by operating the operation display unit 34) to the main body 10, an operation of the main unit 10 notifying the operation display unit 34 of an event, and the like. corresponds to communication between different devices.

The functions of the main body 10 can be used by the operation display unit 34 performing command communication to the main body 10 . Also, the events notified from the main body 10 to the operation display unit 34 include the execution status of operations in the main body 10 and details set on the main body 10 side (for example, information about print job setting details).

Further, in the image processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, power is supplied to the operation display unit 34 from the main body 10 via the bus 30 . Therefore, the power control of the operation display unit 34 can be performed separately (independently) from the power control of the main body 10 .

Next, functions implemented in the image processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The functions shown in FIG. 4 are implemented by software programs executed by each hardware that implements the controller 100, and are implemented in any of the application layer 101, the service layer 102, and the OS layer 103 described with reference to FIG. It may be configured to be

For example, all the functions realized by the configuration shown in FIG. 4 may be implemented as software modules of the OS layer 103 . Also, the functions realized by the functions shown in FIG. 4 may be implemented as application software of the application layer 101 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus 1 includes a communication control unit 201, an installation control unit 202, an update determination information acquisition unit 203, an update execution determination unit 204, a version information storage unit 205, a main unit side update execution unit 206, an external A terminal update control unit 207 and a software storage unit 208 are included.

The communication control unit 201 controls information input/output to/from the controller 100 . The communication control unit 201 , for example, transmits the update program downloaded to the image processing apparatus 1 to the installation control unit 202 .

The installation control unit 202 transmits the update program downloaded to the image processing apparatus 1 to the update determination information acquisition unit 203 and the update execution determination unit 204 . At this time, if necessary, the installation control unit 202 decompresses the downloaded update program or de-encrypts (decrypts) the update program, expands it in the RAM 22b or the HDD 35, and sends it to the update determination information acquisition unit 203. Send.

The update determination information acquisition unit 203 functions as an update program acquisition unit that acquires an update program from the installation control unit 202, and acquires header information, a version information list, and API availability information from information included in the update program. Details of these pieces of information will be described later.

Based on the information included in the update program acquired from the installation control unit 202, the update execution determination unit 204 determines whether or not the update program is an updatable program. Further, the update execution determination unit 204 acquires the version information list from the update determination information acquisition unit 203, and determines whether or not the update program acquired from the installation control unit 202 is an updatable program. good too.

The version information storage unit 205 is a storage area for storing the version information acquired by the update determination information acquisition unit 203, and is implemented by the RAM 22b and the HDD 35. FIG. When the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the update program acquired from the installation control unit 202 is a program that can be updated in the main unit 10, the main unit-side update execution unit 206 stores the update program in the software storage unit 208. update by rewriting the installed program using the installed update program.

When the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the update program acquired from the installation control unit 202 is a program that can be updated by the operation display unit 34, the external terminal update control unit 207 stores the update program in the ROM 343. Update the program by rewriting it with the installed update program.

The software storage unit 208 is a storage area for storing programs installed in the main body 10, and is a program storage unit realized by the RAM 22b and the HDD 35. FIG. With such a configuration, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment updates software programs for realizing the functions installed in the image processing apparatus 1 .

By the way, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the exchange of information between software is realized using the API implemented in the software. Also, the types of APIs that can be used in software created using the SDK differ depending on the version of the SDK, which is a software development kit.

For example, in SDK version 1.00, API-α and API-β are available, but in SDK version 1.02, use of API-β is deleted and API-α and API - γ may be an available API.

In a conventional image processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 5, an update program package is used to update a program that implements the functions of a printer, facsimile machine, scanner, and copier.

For example, update programs for software (main OS, copy App, print App, etc.) that realize each function installed in the image processing apparatus are integrated into one, and the version of the SDK that created these update programs The software is updated by packaging the information including the information (for example, the SDK version information included in the package information).

By doing so, in the conventional image processing apparatus, all the programs are updated using the same version of the SDK. Access authority for executing the API is given. Therefore, when an update program package is used, information can be exchanged between software without considering the combination of APIs.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for updating software in a conventional image processing apparatus. This processing is started by downloading the update program package from the external storage medium storing the update program package to the image processing apparatus.

In the image processing apparatus, when the update program package is downloaded, the data file of the update program package is decompressed, and the decompressed update program package is developed in the RAM (S601).

The image processing apparatus acquires package version information indicating the version of the update program package based on the package information (see FIG. 5) included in the update program package (S602).

Next, in the image processing apparatus, it is determined whether or not the program installed in the image processing apparatus can be updated by the update program package (S603). The update program package, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, contains a program for implementing functions implemented in the image processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram exemplifying the information configuration of a program for realizing a copy function among functions implemented in a conventional image processing apparatus.

The copy function update program shown in FIG. 8 has vendor information, model information and function version information in the header, and program information, which is the source code of the update program, in the body. In the process of S603, the image processing apparatus refers to the vendor information or function version information described in the header to determine whether or not the program can be updated.

At this time, in the image processing apparatus, as an example of using vendor information, if the vendor of the image processing apparatus and the vendor of the update program are different, it is determined that the program cannot be updated (S603/NO). If the vendor and the vendor of the update program are the same, it is determined that the program can be updated (S603/YES).

In the image processing apparatus, as an example of using the model information, if the model information of the update program does not match the model of the image processing apparatus, it is determined that the program cannot be updated (S603/NO), and the new program is installed. If the model information matches the model of the image processing apparatus, it is determined that the program can be updated (S603/YES).

For the model information included in the update program, for example, an identifier such as a model ID assigned in advance to each model of the image processing apparatus may be used.

In S603, it is possible to display the package version information and the version information of the SDK included in the update program package on the operation display unit of the image processing apparatus, and update the program based on the user's operation on the operation display unit. It may be configured to determine whether or not.

When it is determined in S603 that the program can be updated, an update execution confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the operation display unit as a GUI operated by the user to confirm execution of the program update. (S604).

On the update execution confirmation screen in FIG. 7, for example, the OS of the main body 10 of the image processing apparatus 1 is updated from version 1.0X to 1.03, and the software realizing the copy function is updated from 1.0X to 1.03. is shown.

When the "yes" button is operated on the update execution confirmation screen displayed on the operation display unit, a signal to start updating the program is output (S605), and when the "no" button is operated, this Processing is terminated.

Assuming that "yes" is operated on the update execution confirmation screen of S604, subsequent processing steps will be described. The image processing apparatus stores the package version information acquired in S602 in a non-volatile storage medium such as RAM (S606).

Then, the image processing apparatus updates the software by rewriting each software program stored in the ROM with the update program for each software included in the update program package expanded in S601 (S607). When the image processing apparatus finishes updating all the software included in the update program package (S608/YES), it terminates this process.

As described above, in the conventional image processing apparatus, the software is updated by packaging the information including the version of the SDK for which the update program is created. However, for the purpose of improving the performance and work efficiency of the image processing apparatus, specific software may be individually updated. In such a case, it is necessary to consider whether information can be exchanged between software in the updated image processing apparatus.

Therefore, in the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the update program for updating the software for realizing the functions implemented in the image processing apparatus 1 includes version information that can identify the version of the SDK. Configure to include lists.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an information configuration of an update program for updating software for realizing functions implemented in the image processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The update program for updating the software of the function XX installed in the image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. It has a version information list, which is information, and program information, which is the source code of the update program.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the information structure of the version information list according to this embodiment. Here, it is assumed that version information list 1.00 shown in FIG. 10 is described in the update program for updating the software of function XX shown in FIG.

The version information list 1.00 includes software version information indicating the version of the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 and SDK version information indicating the version of the SDK.

As described above, the SDK has different types of APIs that can be used for each version. Also, SDKs of different versions may have different access rights for executing APIs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for each piece of software installed in the image processing apparatus 1, version information, which is combination information indicating a combination of versions of software installed with an API capable of exchanging information between each software. Create a data list containing information and SDK version information.

For example, in the data list 001, as software version information, the OS version of the main body 10 of the image processing apparatus 1 is 1.00, the software version realizing the copy function is 1.00, and the software version realizing the print function is 1.00. 1.00, information indicating that the version of the software that realizes the network function is 1.00, . .

In the data list 002, as software version information, the OS version of the main body 10 of the image processing apparatus 1 is 1.00, the software version realizing the copy function is 1.01, and the software version realizing the print function is 1.01. 1.00, information indicating that the version of the software that realizes the network function is 1.01, . .

Further, in the data list 003, as software version information, the OS version of the main body 10 of the image processing apparatus 1 is 1.01, the software version realizing the copy function is 1.01, and the software version realizing the print function is 1.01. 1.01, information indicating that the version of the software that realizes the network function is 1.02, . .

A combination of a plurality of data lists, that is, data list 001 to data list 003 are managed as version information list 1.00. In the update program for updating the software of the function XX installed in the image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the version information list 1.00 is described. may be configured to include a version information list of

The version information list is information included in each update program when creating an update program for the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1, and the combinations of data lists included in the version list are different. Then the version in the version information list also changes.

For example, version information list 1.00 consists of data list 001, data list 002 and data list 003, while version information list 1.01 consists of data list 002 and data list 003. may be Note that the version information list is stored in the version information storage unit 205 in the image processing apparatus 1 .

Next, a flow of processing for updating software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for updating software in the image processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. This process is started by downloading the update program package to the image processing apparatus 1 from the external storage medium in which the update program package is stored.

When the update program is downloaded to the image processing apparatus 1 via the communication control unit 201, the installation control unit 202 decompresses the data file of the update program and expands the decompressed update program in the RAM 22b (S1101). The update determination information acquisition unit 203 acquires the information of the header part and the version information list from the information included in the update program (S1102).

Next, the update execution determination unit 204 determines whether or not the program of the function XX installed in the image processing apparatus 1 can be updated by the update program from the information acquired by the update determination information acquisition unit 203. (S1103).

The update program for the function XX of the image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 9 has vendor information, model information and function version information in the header, and a version information list and program information as the source code of the update program in the body. configured as In the process of S1103, the update execution determination unit 204 refers to the vendor information, model information, and function version information described in the header to determine whether or not the program can be updated.

At this time, as an example of using vendor information, the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the program cannot be updated when the vendor of the image processing apparatus 1 and the update program are different (S1103/NO). On the other hand, if the vendor of the image processing apparatus 1 and the vendor of the update program are the same, the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the program can be updated (S1103/YES).

As an example of using model information, the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the program cannot be updated when the model information of the update program does not match the model of the image processing apparatus 1 (S1103/NO). On the other hand, if the model information of the update program matches the model of the image processing apparatus 1, the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the program can be updated (S1103/YES).

For the model information included in the update program, for example, an identifier such as a model ID assigned in advance to each model of the image processing apparatus 1 may be used.

When it is determined in S1103 that the program can be updated, an update execution confirmation screen is displayed on the operation display unit 34 as a GUI operated by the user to confirm execution of the program update, as shown in FIG. (S1104).

On the update execution confirmation screen of FIG. 12, for example, the OS of the main body 10 of the image processing apparatus 1 is upgraded from version 1.0X to 1.03, the software realizing the copy function is upgraded from 1.0X to 1.03, and the SDK is updated from version 1.0X to 1.03. It shows that the version is updated from 1.0X to 1.03.

When the "yes" button is operated on the update execution confirmation screen displayed on the operation display unit 34, the update execution determination unit 204 outputs a signal to start updating the program (S1105), and "no" is selected. When the button is operated, this processing ends.

Assuming that "yes" is operated on the update execution confirmation screen of S1104, subsequent processing steps will be described. The update determination information acquisition unit 203 stores the version information list acquired in S1102 in the version information storage unit 205 (S1106).

Next, the update execution determination unit 204 refers to the version information list stored in the version information storage unit 205, and combines the software shown in the data list included in the version information list with the software developed in S1101. The combination with the software to be installed in the image processing apparatus 1 after updating the software using the update program is compared (S1107).

Then, the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the combination of software to be installed in the image processing apparatus 1 after updating the software using the update program developed in S1101 is included in the version information list stored in S1106. If the combination is not included in the software combination shown in the data list (S1108/NO), this process ends without updating the software using the update program expanded in S1101.

On the other hand, the combination of software to be installed in the image processing apparatus 1 after updating the software using the update program developed in S1101 is the software shown in the data list of the version information list stored in S1106. (S1108/YES), the update execution determination unit 204 causes the main body side update execution unit 206 to expand the software program stored in the software storage unit 208 in S1101. The software update program is rewritten to update the software (S1109), and the process ends.

Note that if the update program deployed in S1101 is the update program for the software installed in the operation display unit 34, in the process of S1109, the update execution determination unit 204 updates the deployed update program to the external terminal update control unit 207. , and causes the external terminal update control unit 207 to update the software installed in the external terminal (here, the operation display unit 34), and terminates this process.

Note that in the process of S1106 , only when the version information list included in the update program is newer than the version information list stored in the image processing apparatus 1, the version information list is stored in the non-volatile storage medium. It may be a configuration.

Further, when updating the software in S1109, the configuration may be such that the operation display unit 34 displays information about the software determined to be updatable and its version.

FIG. 13 shows the flow of processing for updating the version information list in the version information storage unit 205 according to this embodiment. In the process of S1105, when the "Yes" button is operated on the update execution confirmation screen and a signal to start updating the program is output, the update execution determination unit 204 determines whether the version included in the update program is updated. The version of the information list is compared with the current version stored in the version information storage unit 205 (S1301).

When the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the version of the version information list included in the update program is newer than the version of the version information list stored in the version information storage unit 205 (S1302/YES). , the version information list included in the update program is transmitted to the version information storage unit 205 .

Upon receiving the version information list included in the version information storage unit update program from the update execution determination unit 204, the version information storage unit 205 stores the received version information list (S1303), and ends this process.

On the other hand, if the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the version of the version information list included in the update program is not newer than the version of the version information list stored in the version information storage unit 205 (S1302). /NO), the process ends without transmitting the version information list included in the update program to the version information storage unit 205 .

Thus, in this embodiment, the image processing apparatus 1 always stores the latest version information list, and the software of the image processing apparatus 1 is updated based on the stored version information list.

Therefore, even when the API specifications or API access rights are changed due to an SDK version upgrade, the appropriate version of the software can be installed on the image processing apparatus 1 even in an environment where the image processing apparatus 1 is not connected to a network. 1 can be installed.

Therefore, the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 does not exchange information due to different APIs, and the operation assurance of the image processing apparatus 1 can be enhanced to update the software. .

Alternatively, instead of the version information list shown in FIG. 9, an API available list as shown in FIG. 14 may be included in the update program data file. Also, the API available list is composed of information as shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the information configuration of the API available list according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the API available list included in the update program for the software of the function XX installed in the image processing apparatus 1 includes API-α, API-β, API-γ, . , contains information describing the software versions for which each API is available.

Note that "available" in this embodiment indicates that each software can interpret the specifications of the API and has access rights to the API.

In the API available list shown in FIG. 15, as combination information, the versions of software that can use API-α are "main OS: 1.00", "copy function: 1.00", and "network function: 1.00". , ..., the version of the software that can use API-β is "main OS: 1.00", "print function: 1.00", "network function: 1.01", ..., API- It describes that the versions of software that can use γ are "copy function: 1.00", "print function: 1.00", and so on.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, in the image processing apparatus 1, by providing the usage condition information storage unit 210 for storing the API availability list instead of the version information storage unit 205, the API availability list is described. Software for implementing functions implemented in the image processing apparatus 1 is updated based on the information.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for updating the software of the image processing apparatus 1 when using the available API list. Note that processing steps that perform the same processing as in the flowchart shown in FIG. It should be noted that the flowchart of FIG. 17 includes an API available list instead of the version information list.

The update determination information acquisition unit 203 stores the API availability list acquired in S1102 in the usage condition information storage unit 209 (S1701).

Next, the update execution determination unit 204 refers to the API availability list stored in the usage condition information storage unit 209, and obtains information indicating the configuration of the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 at the time of S1701. Acquire (S1801).

Next, based on the version of the software that can use each API included in the API availability list, the update execution determination unit 204 determines whether the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 uses each API at the time of S1701. It is determined whether it is possible (S1802).

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the information configuration of available API information according to this embodiment. For example, regarding the copy function, assume that the version of the Copy App 101a installed in the image processing apparatus 1 is 1.01.

The update execution determination unit 204 determines whether the version of the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 at the time of S1701 is the same as or newer than the version of the software that can use each API included in the API availability list. If there is, it is determined that the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 can use the API at the time of S1701, and TRUE is set.

On the other hand, if the version of the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 at the time of S1701 is older than the version of the software that can use each API included in the available API list, the update execution determination unit 204 If the API cannot be used, it is determined that the software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 cannot use the API at the time of S1701, and FALSE is set.

In such a case, the update execution determination unit 204 sets TRUE for API-α and API-γ. On the other hand, since API-β cannot be used in the copy App 101a, the update execution determination unit 204 sets FALSE for API-β.

When the update execution determination unit 204 executes the determination processing in S1802 for all software installed in the image processing apparatus 1 at the time of S1701 (S1803/YES), the update execution determination unit 204 generates the determination result as available API information ( S 1804 ), the generated available API information is transferred to the usage condition information storage unit 209 . Therefore, the update execution determination unit 204 functions as a usable information generating unit that generates usable API information.

In this way, the usable API information describes a combination of an API for exchanging information between a plurality of pieces of software and software capable of acquiring information using this API.

The usage condition information storage unit 209 receives and stores the available API information from the update execution determination unit 204 (S1805). Returning to FIG. 17, the description continues.

Next, the update execution determination unit 204 refers to the available API information stored in the usage condition information storage unit 209, and determines the combination of software that can use the API included in the available API information and the A combination with the software to be installed in the image processing apparatus 1 after updating the software using the deployed update program is compared (S1703).

Then, the update execution determination unit 204 determines that the combination of software to be installed in the image processing apparatus 1 after updating the software using the update program developed in S1101 is an API included in the usable API information. is not included in the combination of software that can be used (S1704/NO), this process ends without updating the software using the update program developed in S1101.

On the other hand, the combination of software to be installed in the image processing apparatus 1 after updating the software using the update program deployed in S1101 is a combination of software that can use the API included in the available API information. (S1704/YES), the update execution determination unit 204 causes the main body side update execution unit 206 to update the software program stored in the software storage unit 208 with the software developed in S1101. The update program is rewritten to update the software (S1705), and the process ends.

Note that if the update program deployed in S1101 is the update program for the software installed in the operation display unit 34, in the process of S1705, the update execution determination unit 204 updates the deployed update program to the external terminal update control unit 207. , and causes the external terminal update control unit 207 to update the software installed in the external terminal (here, the operation display unit 34), and terminates this process.

Thus, in this embodiment, the software of the image processing device 1 is updated based on the stored available API information. Therefore, when API specifications or API access rights are changed, it is possible to install an appropriate version of software on the image processing apparatus 1 even in an environment where the image processing apparatus 1 is not connected to a network. can be done.

The present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and can be changed within the scope that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, such as other embodiments, additions, modifications, deletions, etc. As long as the functions and effects of the present invention are exhibited, they are included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Image processing device 10: Main body 11: PCI bus 17: Engine unit 21: CPU
22a: ROM
22b: RAM
25: AGP bus 26: ASIC
30: Bus 31: IEEE1394 interface 32: NFC interface 33: Engine unit 34: Operation display unit 35: HDD
90: bus 100: controller 201: communication control unit 202: installation control unit 203: update determination information acquisition unit 204: update execution determination unit 205: version information storage unit 206: main unit side update execution unit 207: external terminal update control unit 208 : Software storage unit 209 : Usage condition information storage unit 210 : Usage condition information storage unit 265 : Internal I/F
301: Application layer 302: Service layer 303: OS layer 341: CPU
342: RAM
343: ROM
344: HDD
345: Internal I/F
346: External I/F
347: Operation panel 349: Bus

JP 2009-80550 A

Claims (7)

An information processing device that provides a predetermined function by operating hardware,
a program storage unit that stores a software program that operates the hardware to realize the predetermined function;
an update acquisition unit that acquires an update program for the software;
Determining whether to update the software based on information based on the update program and indicating a combination of the software that can use an API for exchanging information between a plurality of the software an update execution determination unit;
an update execution unit that updates the program stored in the program storage unit with the update program when it is determined that the software is to be updated;
with
The update execution determination unit
determining to update the software when the software to be updated by the update program can use the API;
Information processing equipment. The update execution determination unit
3. The software is determined to be updated when the version of the software to be updated by the update program is the same version as or higher than the version of the software that can use the API. 1. The information processing device according to 1. a usable information generating unit that generates usable API information indicating whether or not the API can be used for all the software installed in the information processing device;
The update execution determination unit
2. When the API can be used for all the software to be installed in the information processing apparatus after being updated by the update program, it is determined that the software is to be updated. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 . The update execution determination unit
determining to update the software when all combinations of the software installed in the information processing device after being updated by the update program are combinations of the software included in the combination information; 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising an operation display unit that displays information related to the software that can use the API . A software program update method in an information processing device that provides a predetermined function by operating hardware,
Acquiring a software update program for operating the hardware and realizing the predetermined function;
The software updated by the update program is based on information based on the update program and indicates a combination of the software that can use an API for exchanging information between a plurality of pieces of software, determining to update the software when the API is available ;
A program update method, comprising: updating a program of the software stored in the information processing device with the update program when it is determined that the software is to be updated. A software update program for an information processing device that provides a predetermined function by operating hardware,
obtaining a software update program for operating the hardware and realizing the predetermined function;
Determining whether to update the software based on information based on the update program and indicating a combination of the software that can use an API for exchanging information between a plurality of the software a step;
updating the software program stored in the information processing device with the update program when it is determined that the software is to be updated;
is executed by the information processing device ,
The determining step includes:
determining to update the software when the software to be updated by the update program can use the API;
software updates.

Images