Substrate Boot Program Transfer for Image Forming Apparatus Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The activation of image forming apparatuses is delayed due to unnecessary standby time caused by the printer device waiting for the establishment of a communication path with the main substrate to acquire setting information, leading to inefficiencies in the overall activation process.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a transfer unit on the main substrate to memory-transfer the boot program and device information to the sub substrate, allowing the sub device to initiate its activation process independently, thus eliminating the need for the printer device to wait for the inter-CPU communication path to be established.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the printer device waits for the communication path to be established between main substrate and sub substrate before acquiring setting information, then the communication protocol is simplified, but the activation time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The main substrate performs preliminary actions by memory-transferring the boot program and device information to the sub substrate before the printer device needs to acquire setting information. This allows the sub device to execute the activation process using information already available on the sub substrate, eliminating the waiting time for communication path establishment while maintaining a simplified communication protocol.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub substrate acts as an intermediary by receiving and storing both the boot program and device information from the main substrate. This intermediary role allows the printer device to acquire information directly from the sub substrate without needing to establish a complex communication path with the main substrate, thus reducing activation time while keeping the communication protocol simple.
2Productivity
If the boot program is transferred from main substrate to sub substrate during activation, then the sub device can activate independently, but the transfer process adds complexity to the main substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The main substrate performs the preliminary action of memory-transferring the boot program and device information to the sub substrate before the activation process begins. This preliminary transfer enables the sub device to execute its activation independently without requiring real-time communication with the main substrate, thereby improving activation speed while concentrating the transfer complexity in a specific initialization phase.
Solution Approach 2:
By transferring the boot program to the sub substrate, the system enables the sub device to serve itself during activation. The sub device can execute the boot program and acquire device information directly from the sub substrate without needing continuous assistance or complex real-time communication with the main substrate, thus improving activation speed while the main substrate only needs to perform the initial transfer.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a main substrate, a sub substrate that is connected to communicate with the main substrate, and a sub device that is connected to communicate with the sub substrate. The main substrate includes a transfer unit configured to memory-transfer a boot program of the sub substrate and device information necessary in a case where the sub device performs an activation process to a memory of the sub substrate, the sub substrate includes a control unit configured to perform the activation process of the sub substrate based on the boot program and a transmission unit configured to transmit the device information to the sub device, and the sub device includes an execution unit configured to execute the activation process of the sub device using the device information transmitted by the transmission unit.