Information processing device to store log information during communication failure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10992823-B2
Application number	US-202016787108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2020
Priority date	Feb 12, 2019
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

An information processing device includes control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to store, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in a device and perform an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory; transmit the record information stored in the first memory via a first signal line; transfer communication abnormality record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information, and store the communication abnormality record information in the second memory when a communication abnormality signal of the first signal line is supplied via a second signal line; and transmit the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory via the first signal line when communication of the first signal line is restored.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information processing device, comprising:
control circuitry configured to
store, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in the information processing device, and perform an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory;
transmit, to an external information processing device for storage in an external memory, the record information stored in the first memory, via a first signal line;
transfer communication abnormality record information corresponding to the record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information, and store the communication abnormality record information in the second memory, in response to a communication abnormality signal, indicating a communication abnormality of the first signal line, being supplied via a second signal line from the external information processing device; and
transmit, to the external information processing device, the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory via the first signal line, in response to communication of the first signal line being restored.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is further configured to output the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory to an external device for debugging.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is further configured to suspend the update process in the first memory until the communication abnormality record information is transferred to the second memory or until communication of the first signal line is restored, in response to the communication abnormality signal being supplied via the second signal line.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first memory is a volatile memory, and the second memory is a nonvolatile memory.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the information processing device according to claim 1 ; and
an image forming device configured to form a predetermined image.

6. The information processing device of claim 1 , wherein the first signal line is different from the second signal line.

7. An image forming system, comprising:
a first image forming apparatus configured to form an image; and
a second image forming apparatus configured to form an image;
a first signal line connecting the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus for communication; and
a second signal line connecting the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus for communication,
wherein the first image forming apparatus includes first control circuitry configured to:
transmit a communication abnormality signal indicating a communication abnormality of the first signal line to the second image forming apparatus via the second signal line, in response to the communication abnormality of the first signal line being detected; and
acquire communication abnormality record information corresponding to the communication abnormality of the first signal line transmitted from the second image forming apparatus via the first signal line and store the acquired communication abnormality record information in a communication abnormality memory, in response to communication of the first signal line is restored, and

wherein the second image forming apparatus includes second control circuitry configured to:
store, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in the second image forming apparatus and perform an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory;
transmit, to the first image forming apparatus, the record information stored in the first memory via the first signal line; and
transfer the communication abnormality record information corresponding to the record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information, and store the communication abnormality record information in the second memory, in response to the communication abnormality signal, indicating the communication abnormality of the first signal line, being supplied via the second signal line; and

wherein the second control circuitry of the second image forming apparatus further is further configured to transmit the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory to the first image forming apparatus via the first signal line, in response to communication of the first signal line being restored.

8. An information processing method, comprising:
storing, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in a device;
performing an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory;
transmitting, to an external device for storage in an external memory, the record information stored in the first memory via a first signal line;
transferring communication abnormality record information corresponding to the record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information and causing the second memory to store the communication abnormality record information, in response to a communication abnormality signal, indicating a communication abnormality of the first signal line, being supplied via a second signal line from the external device; and
transmitting, to the external device, the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory via the first signal line, in response communication of the first signal line being restored.

Assignees

• Ueba Ryohta
• Inokuchi Sumihiro
• Sunagawa Yuki
• Yamada Kenichi
• Kohara Tasuku
• Sun Xiaoya
• Konno Ryotaro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ueba Ryohta
• Inokuchi Sumihiro
• Sunagawa Yuki
• Yamada Kenichi
• Kohara Tasuku
• Sun Xiaoya
• Konno Ryotaro

Classifications

• H04N1/0001

  Transmission systems or arrangements · CPC title

• G06F11/0703 Primary

  Error or fault processing not based on redundancy, i.e. by taking additional measures to deal with the error or fault not making use of redundancy in operation, in hardware, or in data representation · CPC title

• H04N1/0009 Primary

  Storage · CPC title

• H04N1/00029

  Diagnosis, i.e. identifying a problem by comparison with a normal state · CPC title

• H04N1/00074 Primary

  Indicating or reporting (details of user-machine interface H04N1/0035) · CPC title