Application Control Portion for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses require changes to the platform when a new application program is developed, limiting customization and flexibility in installing different applications without altering the underlying system.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a control portion that includes an internal control portion, an application executing portion, and an application control portion, which converts application commands into internal commands and arbitrates their timing for hardware resource control, allowing multiple applications to operate without modifying the platform.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If portions common to applications are formed as a common system service on the platform, then applications can share hardware resources, but the platform itself must be changed when a new application program is developed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an application control portion as an intermediary layer between the application executing portion and the internal control portion. This mediator converts application commands into internal commands and arbitrates timing for hardware resource control, allowing new applications to be developed without modifying the platform itself. The application control portion acts as the intermediary that resolves the contradiction by handling application-specific variations while maintaining a stable platform architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The control portion is segmented into distinct functional modules: an internal control portion for core hardware control, an application executing portion for running applications, and an application control portion for command conversion and arbitration. This segmentation allows the platform to remain unchanged while enabling diverse applications through the modular application control portion that handles the variability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple application programs are executed simultaneously, then system functionality is enhanced, but control of hardware resources becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The application control portion serves as a mediator that manages hardware resource arbitration between multiple applications. It converts application commands from different applications into standardized internal commands and controls the timing of their execution, simplifying the complexity of direct multi-application hardware resource management.
Solution Approach 2:
The application control portion performs preliminary conversion of application commands into internal commands before they are executed by the internal control portion. This preliminary action standardizes the control interface and pre-resolves potential conflicts, making simultaneous multi-application execution more manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an internal control portion to execute a process predetermined for an internal command, an application executing portion to execute an application program, and an application control portion to convert an application command output from the application executing portion into an internal command and output the internal command to the internal control portion. The application control portion includes a controlled-object determination portion to determine whether the hardware resource to be controlled by a first internal command obtained by converting a first application command input from a first custom portion and the hardware resource to be controlled by a second internal command obtained by converting a second application command input from a second custom portion are of the same type, and an arbitration portion to control timings for outputting the first and second internal commands on the basis of the determination result by the controlled-object determination portion.