Electronic apparatus with version-up information having address information storing in EEPROM

• US 6,275,875 B1
• Filed: 03/23/1998
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US09/045,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 700/1, 700/2, 700/3, 709/220, 709/221, 711/103, 710/3, 710/4, 710/9, 710/10, 710/13, 710/19, 710/74
• US Class Current: 710/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4405 Initialisation of multiprocessor systems

Abstract

A memory card stores programs and constant data for both a master CPU and a slave CPU. The master CPU identifies a header portion of the memory card attached to a card adapter to identify the storage locations of the data for the master CPU and the slave CPU, the size thereof and the addresses in RAMs at which the data for the master CPU and that for the slave CPU are stored. The master CPU writes the data for the master CPU in the RAM while it serially transfers the data for the slave CPU to the slave CPU and writes it in the RAM for the slave CPU. The individual CPUs perform control of loads according to the data in the RAMs.

Claims

1. An apparatus having a plurality of microcomputers, and in which a load and a ROM for storing control information for controlling said load are provided for each of said microcomputers, wherein, in said apparatus, each said ROM is an electrically erasable and programmable ROM, and wherein said apparatus comprises:

an input unit adapted to input version-up information, which includes rewrite information to be stored in said ROM and address information specifying an area to which the rewrite information is to be rewritten, for making the version-up of the control information;

a judgment unit adapted to judge one of said plurality of the ROMs corresponding to the input version-up information when the version-up information is input by said input unit; and

a rewrite unit adapted to rewrite the rewrite information of said input version-up information into the area, which is specified by said address information of said input version-up information, of said ROM judged by said judgment unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input unit is connected to a first microcomputer of said plurality of microcomputers.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite information includes a control program and constant data.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input unit has an connection mechanism adapted to connected to a public line or an attachment mechanism adapted to attach to a detachable recording medium.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is one of a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a electrophotographic printer, and an ink-jet printer.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in case that said input version-up information is judged to correspond to a ROM of a second microcomputer by said judgment unit, said version-up information is transmitted from said first microcomputer to said second microcomputer via a predetermined transmission path.

7. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said judgment unit comprises said first microcomputer and judgment program memory adapted to store a program for judging one of said plurality of the ROMs corresponding to the input version-up information, and said first microcomputer judges one of said plurality of the ROMs corresponding to the version-up information input by said input unit on the basis of the judgment program stored in said judgment program memory.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rewrite information includes a control program and constant data.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said input unit is adapted to connect to a public line or adapted to attach to a detachable recording medium.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said apparatus is one of a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, an electrophotographic printer, and an ink-jet printer.

11. An apparatus having a plurality of microcomputers, and in which a load and an EEPROM for storing control information for controlling said load are provided for each of said microcomputers, said apparatus comprising:

an input unit adapted to input version-up information, which includes rewrite information to be stored in said EEPROM and address information specifying an area to which the rewrite information is to be written, for making the version-up of the control information;

a judgment unit adapted to judge one of said plurality of the EEPROMs corresponding to the input version-up information when the version-up information is input by said input unit; and

a rewrite unit adapted to rewrite the rewrite information of said input version-up information into the area, which is specified by said address information of said input version-up information, of said EEPROM judged by said judgment unit.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said input unit is connected to a first microcomputer of said plurality of microcomputers.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the rewrite information includes a control program and constant data.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said input unit has an connection mechanism adapted to connect to a public line or an attachment mechanism adapted to attach to a detachable recording medium.

15. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said apparatus is one of a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a electrophotographic printer, and an ink-jet printer.

16. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, in case that said input version-up information is judged to correspond to an EEPROM of a second microcomputer by said judgment unit, said version-up information is transmitted from said first microcomputer to said second microcomputer via a predetermined transmission path.

17. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said judgment unit comprises said first microcomputer and judgment program memory adapted to store a program for judging one of said plurality of the EEPROMs corresponding to the input version-up information, and said first microcomputer judges one of said plurality of the EEPROMs corresponding to the version-up information input by said input unit on the basis of the judgment program stored in said judgment program memory.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the rewrite information includes a control program and constant data.

19. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said input unit is adapted to connect to a public line or adapted to attach to a detachable recording medium.

20. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said apparatus is one of a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, an electrophotographic printer, and an ink-jet printer.