Image forming system for diagnosing communication interface between image forming apparatuses

• US 6,151,457 A
• Filed: 12/03/1998
• Issued: 11/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): PENDEGRASS, JOAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/204,162
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 399/8, 399/9, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/504, 358/406, 358/443, 358/1.13, 714/36, 714/715, 714/716, 714/43, 714/44
• US Class Current: 399/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32502 in systems having a plurality of input or output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32507 a plurality of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32625 Fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32657 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3287 Storage of at least one complete document page or image frame

Abstract

In an image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a malfunction in a transmission interface of each image forming apparatus can be recognized before a transmission of image data is performed and a malfunctioning position can be easily specified. Each image forming apparatus includes an interface unit transmitting encoded image data and also receiving image data from a remote image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatuses are connected by a transmission path so that the encoded image data is transmitted therebetween. The interface unit is subjected to a diagnosis operation when a power of each image forming apparatus is turned on.

Claims

1. An image forming system comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses each of which includes;

an image scanner scanning an original document so as to generate image data;

an image processing unit processing the image data generated by said image scanner;

an encoding unit encoding the image data processed by said image processing unit;

an interface unit transmitting the image data encoded by said encoding unit, said interface unit also receiving image data from one of said image forming apparatuses;

a memory unit storing the image data encoded by said encoding unit and the image data received by said interface unit;

a decoding unit decoding the image data stored in said memory unit; and

a printing unit printing an image by the image data decoded by said decoding unit;

a transmission path connecting said interface unit of each of said image forming apparatuses so that the encoded image data is transmitted between the image forming apparatuses; and

means for diagnosing any one of the interface units of any one of said plurality of image forming apparatuses and for diagnosing the transmission path when a power of each of said plurality of image forming apparatuses is turned on.

2. The image forming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnosing means diagnoses said interface unit and said transmission path in accordance with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection method.

3. The image forming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diagnosing means is provided to each of said image forming apparatuses.

4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a connection mode is provided in which at least first and second image forming apparatuses from among said image forming apparatuses are connected so that image data generated by said first image forming apparatus is transmitted to said second image forming apparatus, and said diagnosing means performs a diagnosing operation when said connection mode is designated through one of said first and second image forming apparatuses.

5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a connection mode is provided in which at least first and second image forming apparatuses from among said image forming apparatuses are connected so that image data generated by said first image forming apparatus is transmitted to said second image forming apparatus, and said diagnosing means performs a diagnosing operation after said connection mode is designated through one of said first and second image forming apparatuses and when a start of an image forming operation according to said connection mode is designated.

6. An image forming system comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses each of which includes,

an image scanner scanning an original document so as to generate image data,

an image processing unit processing the image data generated by said image scanner,

an encoding unit encoding the image data processed by said image processing unit,

an interface unit transmitting the image data encoded by said encoding unit, said interface unit also receiving image data from one of said image forming apparatuses,

a memory unit storing the image data encoded by said encoding unit and the image data received by said interface unit,

a decoding unit decoding the image data stored in said memory unit, and

a printing unit printing an image by the image data decoded by said decoding unit;

a transmission path connecting said interface unit of each of said image forming apparatuses so that the encoded image data is transmitted between the image forming apparatuses; and

diagnosing means for diagnosing said interface unit and said transmission path in accordance with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection method when a power of each of said image forming apparatuses is turned on, wherein

said diagnosing means includes,

a linear feedback shift register generating pseudo image data including random numbers having a long period,

a CRC data adding unit adding cyclic redundancy check data to the pseudo image data, and

an error detecting unit detecting an error in the pseudo image data in accordance with the CRC error detection method.

7. The image forming system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said linear feedback shift register outputs the pseudo image data to a line through which the image data is transmitted.

8. The image forming system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said interface unit performs a half-duplex communication, and the pseudo image data is returned immediately before being forwarded to said transmission path.

9. The image forming system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said interface unit performs a full-duplex communication, and a relay switch is provided between said interface unit and said transmission path so that the pseudo image data is returned immediately before being forwarded to said transmission path by closing said relay switch.

10. An image forming system comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses each of which includes,

an image scanner scanning an original document so as to generate image data,

an image processing unit processing the image data generated by said image scanner,

an encoding unit encoding the image data processed by said image processing unit,

an interface unit transmitting the image data encoded by said encoding unit, said interface unit also receiving image data from one of said image forming apparatuses,

a memory unit storing the image data encoded by said encoding unit and the image data received by said interface unit,

a decoding unit decoding the image data stored in said memory unit, and

a printing unit printing an image by the image data decoded by said decoding unit;

a transmission path connecting said interface unit of each of said image forming apparatuses so that the encoded image data is transmitted between the image forming apparatuses; and

diagnosing means for diagnosing said interface unit and said transmission path when a power of each of said image forming apparatuses is turned on, wherein

a connection mode is provided in which at least first and second image forming apparatuses from among said image forming apparatuses are connected so that image data generated by said first image forming apparatus is transmitted to said second image forming apparatus,

said diagnosing means performs a diagnosing operation when said connection mode is designated through one of said first and second image forming apparatuses, and

said diagnosing means is provided to each of said first and second image forming apparatuses, and each of said first and second image forming apparatuses includes,

a linear feedback shift register generating pseudo image data including random numbers having a long period,

a CRC data adding unit adding cyclic redundancy check data to the pseudo image data, and

an error detecting unit detecting an error in the pseudo image data in accordance with the CRC error detection method, wherein

when said connection mode is designated through said first image forming apparatus, said first image forming apparatus transmits the pseudo image data to said second image forming apparatus through said transmission path, and said second image forming apparatus performs a CRC error detection in accordance with the pseudo image data received from said first image forming apparatus.

11. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein after the CRC error detection is performed in said second image forming apparatus, said second image forming apparatus transmits the pseudo image data to said first image forming apparatus through said transmission path, and said first image forming apparatus performs a CRC error detection in accordance with the pseudo image data received from said second image forming apparatus.

12. An image forming system comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses each of which includes,

an image scanner scanning an original document so as to generate image data,

an image processing unit processing the image data generated by said image scanner,

an encoding unit encoding the image data processed by said image processing unit,

an interface unit transmitting the image data encoded by said encoding unit, said interface unit also receiving image data from one of said image forming apparatuses,

a memory unit storing the image data encoded by said encoding unit and the image data received by said interface unit,

a decoding unit decoding the image data stored in said memory unit, and

a printing unit printing an image by the image data decoded by said decoding unit;

a transmission path connecting said interface unit of each of said image forming apparatuses so that the encoded image data is transmitted between the image forming apparatuses; and

diagnosing means for diagnosing said interface unit and said transmission path when a power of each of said image forming apparatuses is turned on, wherein

a connection mode is provided in which at least first and second image forming apparatuses from among said image forming apparatuses are connected so that image data generated by said first image forming apparatus is transmitted to said second image forming apparatus,

said diagnosing means performs a diagnosing operation after said connection mode is designated through one of said first and second image forming apparatuses and when a start of an image forming operation according to said connection mode is designated, and

said diagnosing means is provided to each of said first and second image forming apparatuses, and each of said first and second image forming apparatuses includes,

a linear feedback shift register generating pseudo image data including random numbers having a long period,

a CRC data adding unit adding cyclic redundancy check data to the pseudo image data, and

an error detecting unit detecting an error in the pseudo image data in accordance with the CRC error detection method, wherein

when a start of the image forming operation is designated through said first image forming apparatus, said first image forming apparatus transmits the pseudo image data to said second image forming apparatus through said transmission path, and said second image forming apparatus performs a CRC error detection in accordance with the pseudo image data received from said first image forming apparatus.

13. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein after the CRC error detection is performed in said second image forming apparatus, said second image forming apparatus transmits the pseudo image data to said first image forming apparatus through said transmission path, and said first image forming apparatus performs a CRC error detection in accordance with the pseudo image data received from said second image forming apparatus.