JP7225981B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, flash memory, which is a type of nonvolatile semiconductor memory, is widely used in electronic devices and the like. In particular, NAND-type flash memory has been increasing in capacity and is becoming mainstream as a device for data storage (storage). In a NAND flash memory, data is written and read in units of multiple bits called pages, and data is erased collectively in units of multiple pages called blocks. Since data cannot be overwritten in a flash memory, when writing data, it is necessary to collectively erase data in units of blocks and then write new data.

A flash memory has a structure in which data is stored by charges injected into floating gates provided in memory cells (hereinafter simply referred to as cells), and no power supply is required to hold data. However, since the charge amount of the floating gate changes with time due to discharge or the like, the data retention time of the flash memory is finite. In addition, it is known that the data retention time of a flash memory becomes shorter as the number of times of rewriting increases because the gate insulating film of the flash memory deteriorates due to charge trapping or the like when data is rewritten in the cell.

A flash memory having such characteristics generally has a shorter data retention time and a smaller number of rewritable times than a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk. A NAND flash memory can be easily increased in capacity and speed, but is said to be disadvantageous compared to a magnetic memory device in terms of data retention characteristics and rewrite characteristics. Furthermore, in recent years, in order to increase the capacity of NAND-type flash memory, the amount of charge accumulated in the floating gate of one cell is controlled to store two or more bits of data per cell. Cell) technology is adopted. While this MLC technology is advantageous for increasing capacity, it degrades data retention and rewriting characteristics and shortens service life.

A technique called wear leveling is generally known for the purpose of extending the service life of such a NAND flash memory. Wear leveling is, for example, recording the number of times data is rewritten for each block, and prioritizing blocks with the least number of rewrites when writing data. It is a technique for leveling.

Also, there is known a technique of performing refresh processing in order to extend the useful life of a flash memory (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 proposes predicting a data retention time according to the number of times a flash memory has been rewritten, reading data retained before the data retention time elapses, and rewriting the data.

Furthermore, there is known a technique for extending the service life (product life) of a product incorporating a flash memory (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200011, when a flash memory is installed in a consumable item such as a cartridge used in an image forming apparatus, the amount of consumption of the consumable item and the frequency of access (rewrite frequency) to the flash memory are used to determine the amount of consumption. It has been proposed to control the access frequency so as to maintain the rewrite life of the flash memory until the end of the product life.

The flash memory as described above may be incorporated in a server device or the like that constitutes an information processing system, and various data obtained by transmission/reception with other devices may be written therein. For example, when flash memory is incorporated in a server device that monitors the status of a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network, different types of data are stored in the flash memory according to the data writing function. written.

In such an information processing system, the amount of data to be written into the flash memory and the frequency of rewriting largely differ depending on the type of data. For example, the counter information used for billing according to the amount of use of the image forming apparatus has a small amount of data, but since the latest information is always required, the importance is high and the frequency of rewriting is high. On the other hand, data related to image forming apparatus maintenance, reports, and the like have a relatively large amount of data because of the wide variety of information, but the frequency of rewriting is low because the latest information is not always required.

However, the techniques described in Patent Literatures 1 to 3 cannot cope with situations in which the amount of data per write to the flash memory and the rewrite frequency differ greatly depending on the write function. If a larger amount of data than expected is written, there is a possibility that the rewrite life of the flash memory will be reached before the end of the product life and the flash memory will become unusable.

The technology disclosed has been devised to solve this problem in view of the above circumstances, and aims to appropriately control the flash memory so that the rewrite life does not expire before the product life expires.

The disclosed technology is an information processing device incorporating a flash memory in which data is rewritten in block units, and includes a write function unit that writes data into the flash memory and a peripheral that measures the temperature around the flash memory. a temperature measurement unit; a rewrite life prediction unit that predicts the rewrite life of the flash memory based on the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit; an acquisition unit, a rewrite block number acquisition unit that acquires the number of blocks rewritten by the write function unit once for each data type, and a rewrite block number acquisition unit that acquires the number of data rewrites performed by the write function unit for each data type. a rewrite frequency acquisition unit to acquire; a rewrite life end time prediction unit that predicts a rewrite life end time, which is the time until the rewrite life is reached, based on the number of rewrites, the number of rewrite blocks, and the rewrite frequency; and a rewrite frequency adjustment unit that adjusts the rewrite frequency for each data type when the rewrite life reaching time is shorter than a predetermined product life.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control a flash memory so as not to reach the end of its rewrite life before reaching the end of its product life.

It is a figure which illustrates the whole structure of the equipment management system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which illustrates the hardware constitutions of a device management apparatus. It is a figure which illustrates the hardware constitutions of an apparatus. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of a device management apparatus and devices; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between data retention time, temperature, and number of rewrites; It is a figure explaining the prediction method of rewrite life end time, and the adjustment method of rewrite frequency. It is a figure which shows an example of a write function (type of data). 4 is a flowchart for explaining a series of operations related to data rewriting; FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a CPU according to a first modified example; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a CPU according to a second modified example; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a CPU according to a third modified example; FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a CPU according to a fourth modified example; FIG. FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a CPU according to an eighth modified example; FIG. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a device management apparatus according to a ninth modification; FIG. FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a CPU according to a ninth modification; FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 1 includes a device management device 10 as an information processing device, a plurality of devices 20 and a remote management server device 30 .

The device management apparatus 10 is connected to multiple devices 20 via a network 50 . Also, the equipment management apparatus 10 is connected to the remote management server apparatus 30 via the network 60 . The network 50 is, for example, a network such as an in-house LAN (Local Area Network) used in an office of a company. The network 60 is, for example, an external network such as the Internet.

The equipment management apparatus 10 is installed, for example, in the office of the user who uses the equipment 20 . Management software (application program) for controlling and managing the equipment 20 is installed in the equipment management apparatus 10 .

The device management apparatus 10 communicates with each device 20 and collects operation information and counter information from each device 20 . The device management device 10 transmits the operation information and counter information collected from each device 20 to the remote management server device 30 .

The device 20 is an image forming apparatus, for example, a multi-function peripheral (MFP: Multi-Function Peripheral). A multifunction device is a device that has at least two functions out of a printing function, a copying function, a scanning function, and a facsimile function. Note that the device 20 is not limited to an image forming apparatus, and may be a network device, an electronic device, a PC, or the like. Further, devices of different types may be mixed as the plurality of devices 20 .

When the device 20 is an image forming apparatus, the above-described operation information includes the remaining amount of consumables such as paper and toner, the count value of the number of printed sheets, error information, and the like.

A plurality of devices 20 communicate with the device management apparatus 10 via the network 50 for each device 20 .

The remote management server device 30 communicates with the device management device 10 via the network 60 . The remote management server device 30 is a device that remotely manages each device 20 based on operation information acquired via the device management device 10 . The remote management server device 30 aggregates operation information and counter information of each device 20, orders consumables, creates report information, provides update firmware to each device 20, and the like.

[Hardware Configuration of Device Management Apparatus 10]
Next, the hardware configuration of the device management apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the device management apparatus 10. As illustrated in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the device management apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, a flash memory 104, a temperature sensor 105, a device I/F 106, It has a communication I/F 107 and these are connected to each other via a bus 110 . A display unit 108 and an operation unit 109 are connected to the device I/F 106 .

The CPU 101 centrally controls the operation of the entire device management apparatus 10 . The RAM 102 is used as a work area when the CPU 101 processes information. The ROM 103 stores a startup program, various control programs, application programs, and the like.

The flash memory 104 is written with various data such as various management information used for managing the device 20, status information of the device 20, operation information, counter information, setting change information, operation logs, update firmware, and report information. It should be noted that a program such as a startup program may be stored in the flash memory 104 instead of the ROM 103 .

A temperature sensor 105 is a sensor for measuring the operating environment temperature of the flash memory 104 .

The flash memory 104 is a NAND flash memory. The flash memory 104 is configured with a page made up of a plurality of bits and a block made up of a plurality of pages. The flash memory 104 has multiple blocks. Data is written to and read from the flash memory 104 in page units, and data is erased in block units. Since data cannot be overwritten in the flash memory 104, when writing data, it is necessary to collectively erase data in block units and then write data to pages in the erased blocks. That is, in the flash memory 104, data is rewritten in units of blocks.

In addition, the flash memory 104 has a wear leveling function unit 104a, and when data is rewritten according to an instruction from the outside, a built-in controller preferentially writes data to a block with a low number of rewrites. Equalize the variation in the number of rewrites for each.

In this embodiment, the functions of the CPU 101 control writing, reading, and erasing of data in the flash memory 104 .

A device I/F 106 is an interface for connecting the display unit 108 and the operation unit 109 to the bus 110 . The display unit 108 is a visual user interface for displaying various kinds of information, and is composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The operation unit 109 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for the user to input various information to the device management apparatus 10 . Communication I/F 107 is an interface for connecting device management apparatus 10 to networks 50 and 60 .

A software control unit is configured by the CPU 101 performing calculations according to the programs stored in the ROM 103 and the programs loaded in the RAM 102 . A combination of this software control unit and hardware constitutes a functional block.

The program used by the device management apparatus 10 may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a recording medium in the form of an installable or executable file and distributed.

[Device hardware configuration]
Next, the hardware configuration of the device 20 will be explained. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the device 20. As illustrated in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the device 20 has a CPU 201 , a ROM 202 , a RAM 203 , an external storage device 204 , an engine section 205 , an operation display section 206 and a communication I/F 207 . These units are communicably connected by a system bus 208 .

The CPU 201 reads a program stored in the ROM 202 or the like into the RAM 203 and executes it, and controls the operation of the device 20 in an integrated manner. ROM 202 stores programs used by device 20 . A RAM 203 is used as a work area for calculation of the CPU 201 .

The external storage device 204 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various data such as image data and print data.

An engine unit 205 is a hardware device that implements a scanner function, a printer function, and the like. The engine unit 205 also includes a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of consumables such as paper and toner, a counter for counting the number of printed sheets, and sensors for detecting various errors. These sensors and counters are used to acquire the above-described operation information.

The operation display unit 206 is, for example, a touch panel or the like, and is a device that receives input of instructions to the device 20 and displays information such as the state of the device 20 . Note that the operation display unit 206 may be separated into an operation unit and a display unit.

A communication I/F 207 is an interface for connecting to the network 50 and communicating data.

[Function configuration]
Next, a functional configuration configured in the CPU 101 of the device management apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram exemplifying the functional configuration of the CPU 101, showing only the characteristic parts related to this embodiment.

4, the CPU 101 includes a communication unit 300, a write function unit 301, an ambient temperature measurement unit 302, a rewrite life prediction unit 303, a rewrite number acquisition unit 304, a rewrite block number acquisition unit 305, and a rewrite frequency An acquisition unit 306, a rewrite life end time prediction unit 307, and a rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 are configured.

The communication unit 300 communicates with the device 20 and the remote management server device 30 to transmit and receive various data. The write function unit 301 is a function unit that writes various data to the flash memory 104 according to the data write function. The write function unit 301 erases one or more blocks according to the amount of data to be written, and then writes (rewrites) data to one or more pages included in the one or more erased blocks.

Ambient temperature measurement unit 302 measures the temperature around flash memory 104 based on the value detected by temperature sensor 105 .

The rewrite life prediction unit 303 predicts the rewrite life of the flash memory 104 based on the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit 302 . Since the data retention time of the flash memory 104 has a characteristic that the higher the temperature, the shorter the rewrite life predicted by the rewrite life prediction unit 303, the higher the temperature. Further, the rewrite life prediction unit 303 acquires a value obtained by multiplying the rewrite life of one block by the number of blocks in the flash memory 104 as the rewrite life.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the data retention time of the flash memory 104, the temperature, and the number of times of rewriting. FIG. 5 shows an example in which an SLC (Single-Level Cell) NAND flash memory is used as the flash memory 104 . The solid line in FIG. 5 indicates the temperature dependence of the data retention time after rewriting the block 10 times. The dashed-dotted line shows the temperature dependence of the data retention time after the block has been rewritten 10K times. A two-dot chain line indicates the temperature dependence of the data retention time after the block has been rewritten 100K times.

As shown in FIG. 5, the flash memory 104 has a shorter data retention time as the ambient temperature increases. In addition, the data retention time becomes shorter as the number of rewrites increases. For example, when the ambient temperature Ta is 55° C., the data retention time is about one year after rewriting 100K times. For example, if the product life is set to 5 years, the minimum guaranteed data retention time Rmin must be 5 years. In the example of FIG. 5, when the ambient temperature Ta is 55.degree.

The rewrite life prediction unit 303 holds reference data representing the relationship between data retention time, temperature, and number of rewrites as shown in FIG. A rewrite life that satisfies Rmin (for example, 5 years) is obtained.

Returning to FIG. 4 , the number-of-rewrites obtaining unit 304 obtains the number of times of rewrites for each block in the flash memory 104 . Here, the number of rewrites is the number of times data has been rewritten by the write function unit 301 since the flash memory 104 was started to be used. The number-of-rewrites acquisition unit 304 also counts the number of rewrites for each block, and acquires the total value of the count values as the number of rewrites.

The rewrite block number acquisition unit 305 acquires the number of blocks (number of rewrite blocks) for each write function (that is, each type of data) when the write function unit 301 rewrites data.

The rewrite frequency acquisition unit 306 acquires the frequency at which the write function unit 301 rewrites data (rewrite frequency) for each write function (that is, for each data type).

The rewrite life end time prediction unit 307 calculates the number of rewrites (total value) acquired by the number of rewrites acquisition unit 304, the number of rewrite blocks for each write function acquired by the number of rewrite blocks acquisition unit 305, and the rewrite frequency acquisition unit 306. Based on the rewrite frequency for each write function acquired by the rewrite life predicting unit 303, the time (rewrite life reaching time) predicted by the rewrite life prediction unit 303 is predicted.

For example, the rewrite life reaching time prediction unit 307 first obtains the difference between the number of rewrites and the rewrite life (remaining rewriteable number of times). Further, the rewrite life end time prediction unit 307 obtains the number of rewrites per unit time for each write function based on the number of rewrite blocks for each write function and the rewrite frequency for each write function. Then, the rewrite life end time predicting unit 307 obtains the rewrite life end time based on the number of remaining rewrites allowed and the number of rewrites performed per unit time.

The rewriting frequency adjusting unit 308 compares the product life set as the service life of the device management apparatus 10 with the rewriting life reaching time predicted by the rewriting life reaching time prediction unit 307, and determines that the rewriting life reaching time is longer than the product life. If it is short, by adjusting the rewrite frequency by the write function unit 301 for each write function (that is, for each data type), the rewrite life reaching time is extended beyond the product life. For example, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 reduces the rewrite frequency of write functions of low importance, thereby extending the rewrite life reaching time of the flash memory 104 as a whole beyond the product life.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of predicting the rewrite life end time and a method of adjusting the rewrite frequency. In FIG. 6, C0 indicates the total value of the number of rewrites acquired by the number-of-rewrites acquisition unit 304 at time t0. Cmax indicates the rewrite life predicted by the rewrite life prediction unit 303 at time t0.

t1 indicates an example of the rewriting life reaching time predicted by the rewriting life reaching time predicting section 307 . When the rewriting life reaching time is shorter than the product life in this way, the rewriting frequency adjusting unit 308 extends the rewriting life reaching time than the product life by lowering the rewriting frequency of some writing functions. t2 indicates the rewrite life reaching time after the rewrite frequency is adjusted.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a write function (data type). As shown in FIG. 7, the types of data written to the flash memory 104 include device status information, error occurrence information, counter information, report information, setting change information, device operation information, operation log, update firmware, and the like. be done. For example, the device status information is information indicating toner end, toner near end, other supply status, and the like. The abnormality occurrence information is information representing the type of abnormality, the time of occurrence, and the like.

Each write function (type of data) is associated with information such as importance, data amount, rewrite frequency, and priority. The importance, data amount, and rewrite frequency differ depending on the data type. Note that the amount of data written by the write function unit 301 to the flash memory 104 varies depending on the number of devices 20 managed by the device management apparatus 10 .

For example, the counter information used for charging according to the amount of usage of the device 20 has a small amount of data, but since the latest information is always required, the importance is high and the frequency of rewriting is high. In addition, although the abnormality occurrence information is also important for reducing the downtime of the device 20, the amount of data is small because the data format is numerical values and flags. On the other hand, the data related to the maintenance, reports, operation logs, firmware for update, etc. of the device 20 has a relatively large amount of data because of the wide variety of information, but the importance is low because the latest information is not always required.

Therefore, if the rewriting frequency of data of high importance is adjusted, the device 20 may not be able to operate normally.

Priority is a value determined based on importance and data amount. Basically, the higher the priority, the higher the priority. In FIG. 7, when the degrees of importance are the same, the priority of the smaller data amount is set higher. This is because if the amount of data is small, the number of blocks to be rewritten does not suddenly increase even if the rewrite frequency is relatively high, and the effect is small.

Based on the priority, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 may perform control to extend the rewrite life reaching time by lowering the rewrite frequency of the writing function with low priority.

[motion]
Next, a series of operations for rewriting data in the flash memory 104 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a series of operations related to data rewriting.

As shown in FIG. 8, first, in step S10, the ambient temperature measuring unit 302 measures the ambient temperature of the flash memory 104. FIG. In step S<b>11 , the rewrite life prediction unit 303 predicts the rewrite life of the flash memory 104 based on the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit 302 . This rewrite life is the total value of the number of times that each block can be rewritten. The rewrite life becomes shorter as the temperature measurement value becomes higher.

In step S<b>12 , the number-of-rewrites acquisition unit 304 acquires the number of times of rewrites in the flash memory 104 up to now. This number of rewrites is the total value of the number of rewrites for each block. In step S<b>13 , the rewrite block number acquisition unit 305 acquires the number of rewrite blocks per rewrite when data is rewritten for each write function (type of data). In step S14, the rewrite frequency acquisition unit 306 acquires the data rewrite frequency for each write function (data type).

In step S15, the rewrite life end time prediction unit 307 predicts the time until the rewrite life end (rewrite life end time) based on the number of rewrites, the number of rewrite blocks, and the rewrite frequency. In step S16, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 compares the rewrite life reaching time and the product life, and determines whether or not the rewriting life reaching time is less than the product life. If it is less than the product life, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 adjusts the rewrite frequency in step S17. The rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 makes the rewrite life reaching time longer than the product life by lowering the rewrite frequency of data with low importance or priority.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately control the rewriting of the flash memory so that the rewriting life of the flash memory does not reach the end of the product life of the product incorporating the flash memory. . This can prevent the product life from being affected by the rewrite life of the flash memory.

Various modifications of the above embodiment will be described below.

[First modification]
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the importance and priority of data are set to constant values, but the importance and priority may be values that change according to the state of the device 20 or the like.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the CPU 101 according to the first modified example. This modification differs from the functional configuration of the above embodiment in that an abnormality detection unit 320 is added to the functional configuration of the CPU 101 . The anomaly detection unit 320 detects an anomaly of the device 20 based on the device status information and the anomaly occurrence information acquired from the device 20 .

The rewriting frequency adjustment unit 308 increases the above-described importance and priority according to the details of the abnormality (for example, the degree of abnormality) detected by the abnormality detection unit 320 . For example, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 increases the importance and priority of the corresponding write function (data) when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit 320, and increases the importance and priority when the abnormality is resolved. Undo.

As a result, data can be reliably recorded when a specific, very important abnormality occurs, even when rewrite frequency adjustment is being performed.

[Second modification]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of CPU 101 according to the second modification. This modified example differs from the functional configuration of the above embodiment in that a remaining life determination unit 330 and a warning unit 331 are added to the functional configuration of the CPU 101 .

Based on the rewrite life predicted by the rewrite life prediction unit 303 and the number of rewrites acquired by the rewrite number acquisition unit 304, the remaining life determination unit 330 determines whether the number of rewrites is a certain percentage (for example, 90%) or more of the rewrite life. (that is, whether the remaining life is less than a certain value).

The warning unit 331 transmits a warning to the remote management server device 30 via the communication unit 300 when the remaining life determination unit 330 determines that the number of rewrites is equal to or greater than a certain percentage of the rewrite life. Note that the warning unit 331 may notify a warning to the display unit 108 or the like of the device management apparatus 10 .

In this way, by issuing a warning in advance when the number of rewrites of the flash memory is close to the end of the rewrite life, the user can take measures such as backing up the data in advance. Data loss can be prevented.

[Third Modification]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of CPU 101 according to the third modification. This modification differs from the functional configuration of the above embodiment in that a remaining life determination unit 330 and a transfer unit 332 are added to the functional configuration of the CPU 101 . The remaining life determination unit 330 has the same configuration as the remaining life determination unit 330 in the second modified example.

The transfer unit 332 causes the write function unit 301 to write data to the flash memory 104 when the remaining life determination unit 330 determines that the number of rewrites is equal to or greater than a certain percentage of the rewrite life (remaining life is less than a certain value). is stopped, and the data is sequentially transferred to an external server or the like via the communication unit 300 . Note that the sequential server is a server device that acquires data from the device management device 10 periodically (every day, every week, every month, etc.).

In this way, when the number of rewrites in the flash memory is close to the end of the rewrite life, the data is transferred to the outside without being stored in the flash memory, thereby preventing the data from being lost when the flash memory suddenly becomes unrewritable. can.

[Fourth Modification]
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of CPU 101 according to the fourth modification. This modification differs from the functional configuration of the above embodiment in that a memory addition detection unit 340 and a remaining life comparison unit 341 are added to the functional configuration of the CPU 101 . In this modification, in addition to the flash memory 104, a new flash memory (optional flash memory) 104b can be added to the device management apparatus 10. FIG.

The memory addition detection unit 340 detects that a new flash memory 104 b has been added (attached) to the device management apparatus 10 . When the addition of the new flash memory 104b is detected by the memory addition detection unit 340, the remaining life comparing unit 341 compares the remaining life of the flash memory 104 (rewriting life reaching time) with the remaining life of the new flash memory 104b. are compared, and the write function unit 301 is caused to write to the flash memory with the longer remaining life.

In this way, when the optional flash memory is mounted, the rewrite life of the flash memory 104 can be further extended by selectively writing to the one with the longer remaining life.

[Fifth Modification]
The fifth modification differs from the above embodiment in the function of the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 . In this modification, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 temporarily stores data in the write function unit 301 instead of the flash memory 104 for a certain period of time (for example, one day) in order to reduce the rewrite frequency of the flash memory 104. Data is written to the RAM 102 as a device. Then, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 causes the write function unit 301 to read data from the RAM 102 and write it to the flash memory 104 after a certain period of time has passed.

In this way, by writing data to the flash memory 104 at fixed time intervals, it is possible to obtain the latest data from the device 20 or the like while reducing the frequency of rewriting the flash memory 104 .

[Sixth Modification]
The sixth modification differs from the above embodiment in the function of the write function unit 301 . In this modification, the write function unit 301 refers to the data already written to the flash memory 104 when writing data to the flash memory 104, and writes the data only when there is a change.

In this way, by writing data only when there is a change in data, the rewriting frequency of the flash memory 104 can be reduced.

[Seventh Modification]
The seventh modification differs from the above embodiment in the function of the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 . In this modification, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 transfers frequently rewritten data to the write function unit 301 for a certain period of time (for example, one day) in order to reduce the rewrite frequency of the flash memory 104. Instead of 104, writing is performed to RAM 102 as a temporary storage device. Then, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 causes the write function unit 301 to read data from the RAM 102 and write it to the flash memory 104 after a certain period of time has passed.

Note that the rewrite frequency adjustment unit 308 does not write data with a low rewrite frequency to the flash memory 104 without writing the data to the RAM 102 .

In this way, by temporarily writing data with a high rewriting frequency into the RAM 102, the rewriting frequency of the flash memory 104 can be reduced.

[Eighth modification]
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of CPU 101 according to the eighth modification. This modified example differs from the functional configuration of the above embodiment in that a temperature determination unit 350 and a warning unit 351 are added to the functional configuration of the CPU 101 .

The temperature determination unit 350 determines whether the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit 302 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. This predetermined temperature is, for example, the temperature at which the rewrite life predicted by the rewrite life prediction unit 303 is insufficient for the product life.

The warning unit 351 transmits a warning to the remote management server device 30 via the communication unit 300 when the temperature determination unit 350 determines that the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. Note that the warning unit 351 may notify a warning to the display unit 108 or the like of the device management apparatus 10 .

In this way, by issuing a warning when the ambient temperature of the flash memory reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature, the user can improve the usage environment and extend the rewrite life.

[Ninth Modification]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the device management apparatus 10 according to the ninth modification. This modification differs from the hardware configuration of the above embodiment in that a cooling device 112 for lowering the ambient temperature of the flash memory 104 is added.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the CPU 101 according to the ninth modification. This modified example differs from the functional configuration of the above embodiment in that a temperature determination unit 350 and a cooling device control unit 352 are added to the functional configuration of the CPU 101 . The temperature determination unit 350 has the same configuration as the temperature determination unit 350 in the eighth modified example.

The cooling device control unit 352 controls the cooling device 112 to lower the temperature of the flash memory 104 when the temperature determination unit 350 determines that the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature.

In this manner, by lowering the temperature of the flash memory when the ambient temperature of the flash memory exceeds a predetermined temperature, the rewrite life can be extended.

It should be noted that the plurality of modifications described above can be combined as long as there is no contradiction.

Each function of the embodiments described above may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. Here, the "processing circuit" in this specification means a processor programmed by software to perform each function, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, or a processor designed to perform each function described above. ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) and devices such as conventional circuit modules.

Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the above embodiments. These points can be changed within the scope of the present invention, and can be determined appropriately according to the application form.

1 Information Processing System 10 Device Management Device 20 Device 30 Remote Management Server Device 101 CPU
102 RAM (temporary storage)
104 flash memory 104a wear leveling function unit 104b flash memory 105 temperature sensor 112 cooling device 300 communication unit 301 function unit 302 ambient temperature measurement unit 303 life prediction unit 304 number acquisition unit 305 block number acquisition unit 306 frequency acquisition unit 307 lifetime reaching time prediction Unit 308 Frequency adjustment unit 320 Abnormality detection unit 330 Remaining life determination unit 331 Warning unit 332 Transfer unit 340 Memory addition detection unit 341 Remaining life comparison unit 350 Temperature determination unit 351 Warning unit 352 Cooling device control unit

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-3843 JP-A-2010-67098 JP-A-2009-53681

Claims (13)

An information processing device incorporating a flash memory in which data is rewritten in units of blocks,
a write function unit that writes data to the flash memory;
an ambient temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature around the flash memory;
a rewrite life prediction unit that predicts a rewrite life of the flash memory based on the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit;
a rewrite count acquisition unit that acquires a total value of the number of rewrites for each block of the flash memory;
a rewrite block number acquisition unit that acquires the number of data rewrite blocks per write function unit for each type of data;
a rewrite frequency acquisition unit that acquires the data rewrite frequency by the write function unit for each data type;
a rewrite life reaching time predicting unit for predicting a rewriting life reaching time, which is the time to reach the rewriting life, based on the number of rewrites, the number of rewrite blocks, and the rewrite frequency;
a rewrite frequency adjustment unit that adjusts the rewrite frequency for each data type when the rewrite life reaching time is shorter than a predetermined product life;
Information processing device having The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite frequency adjustment unit sets a priority for each type of data, and reduces the rewrite frequency of data with a low priority. The data written by the write function unit to the flash memory includes data transmitted from a device to be managed,
An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality based on data transmitted from the device;
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rewrite frequency adjustment unit increases the priority of the data when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit, and restores the priority when the abnormality is resolved. . a remaining life determination unit that determines whether the number of rewrites is equal to or greater than a certain percentage of the rewrite life;
a first warning unit that issues a warning when the remaining life determination unit determines that the number of rewrites is equal to or greater than a certain percentage of the rewrite life;
4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a remaining life determination unit that determines whether the number of rewrites is equal to or greater than a certain percentage of the rewrite life;
a transfer unit that stops data writing by the write function unit and transfers data to the outside when the remaining life determination unit determines that the number of rewrites is equal to or greater than a certain percentage of the rewrite life;
4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a memory addition detection unit that detects that a new flash memory different from the flash memory has been added;
When the addition of a new flash memory is detected by the memory addition detection unit, the write function unit compares the rewrite life end time of the flash memory with the rewrite life end time of the new flash memory. 6. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein writing is executed to the one having the longer rewrite life reaching time . having temporary storage,
7. Any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rewrite frequency adjustment unit causes the write function unit to write data to the temporary storage device instead of the flash memory when lowering the rewrite frequency. The information processing device according to the item. 8. The information according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when writing data to the flash memory, the write function unit refers to data already written to the flash memory, and writes the data only when there is a change. processing equipment. having temporary storage,
When the rewrite frequency is reduced, the rewrite frequency adjustment unit causes the write function unit to transfer the frequently rewritten data acquired by the rewrite frequency acquisition unit to the temporary storage device instead of the flash memory. 7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein writing is performed to the . a temperature determination unit that determines whether the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
a second warning unit that issues a warning when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: a cooling device for reducing the ambient temperature of the flash memory;
a temperature determination unit that determines whether the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
a cooling device control unit that controls the cooling device to reduce the temperature of the flash memory when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: A computer-executed information processing method comprising:
an ambient temperature measuring step of measuring the ambient temperature of the flash memory in which data is rewritten in units of blocks;
a rewrite life prediction step of predicting a rewrite life of the flash memory based on the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement step;
a rewrite count acquisition step of acquiring a total value of the number of rewrites for each block of the flash memory;
a rewrite block number acquiring step of acquiring the number of rewritten blocks of data per write function for each type of data;
a rewrite frequency obtaining step for obtaining data rewrite frequency by the write function for each data type;
a rewriting life reaching time prediction step of predicting a rewriting life reaching time, which is the time to reach the rewriting life, based on the number of rewrites, the number of rewritten blocks, and the rewriting frequency;
a rewrite frequency adjusting step of adjusting the rewrite frequency for each data type when the rewrite life reaching time is shorter than a predetermined product life;
An information processing method comprising: an ambient temperature measuring step of measuring the ambient temperature of the flash memory in which data is rewritten in units of blocks;
a rewrite life prediction step of predicting a rewrite life of the flash memory based on the temperature measured by the ambient temperature measurement step;
a rewrite count acquisition step of acquiring a total value of the number of rewrites for each block of the flash memory;
a rewrite block number acquiring step of acquiring the number of rewritten blocks of data per write function for each type of data;
a rewrite frequency obtaining step for obtaining data rewrite frequency by the write function for each data type;
a rewriting life reaching time prediction step of predicting a rewriting life reaching time, which is the time to reach the rewriting life, based on the number of rewrites, the number of rewritten blocks, and the rewrite frequency;
a rewrite frequency adjustment step of adjusting the rewrite frequency for each data type when the rewrite life reaching time is shorter than a predetermined product life;
A program that makes a computer run

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