Electronic Device Status Data Caching and Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses like multifunction peripherals, the central management of operation status information by the printer controller leads to a communication load, potentially causing failures due to the large amount of updated status information from each functional unit.
Innovation Solution
The electronic apparatus reduces data acquisition by only transmitting data with a high degree of change, using data management tables to differentiate between data that changes over time and data that does not, allowing for efficient data caching and transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the printer controller centrally manages operation status information of each image processing function, then the status information can be transmitted to the host computer, but the load on the printer controller increases and communication failures may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data acquisition function from the printer controller to a dedicated data acquisition unit. Each image processing function's status information is acquired by this separate unit rather than being centralized in the printer controller, thereby reducing the controller's load while maintaining reliable status information transmission to the host computer.
2Loss of information
If all status information from each functional unit is collected and transmitted, then complete status information is provided, but the amount of data to be processed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary status information from each functional unit that is relevant to image processing functions. The data acquisition unit selectively acquires status information corresponding to each image processing function, excluding unnecessary data, thereby providing complete relevant status information while minimizing data volume for transmission.
Data Source
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AI summary
Load on a system is reduced. In an embodiment, a status information managing unit (118) acquires data indicating the status of each functional unit to be transmitted to an apparatus management server (200), and a system control unit (121) instructs data acquisition timing for acquiring the data to the status information managing unit (118). Moreover, the status information managing unit (118) acquires data that changes over time according to the usage status at the time of data transmission to the apparatus management server (200), and acquires and caches, in advance, data that does not change over time according to the usage status. Furthermore, after receiving a transmission request from the apparatus management server (200), the system control unit (121) transmits status information including data cached by the status information managing unit (118) and data acquired by the status information managing unit (118) at the time of data transmission. Thus, at the time of data transmission, only data that changes over time need be acquired, so the number of data to be acquired may be reduced.