JP2000222340A - Data transmitting and receiving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain data transmission and reception between desired connected equipment without any host computer. SOLUTION: Plural connected equipment 2 are connected with the plural connection ports of a USB hub 5, and the USB hub 5 is provided with a state signal outputting means for outputting a connection signal and a non-connection signal according to the connected state of the USB hub 5 with a personal computer 1. This data transmitting and receiving device is provided with a driver storing part 6 for storing the control program of each connected equipment, a system managing part 7 for storing a driver start program and a data transmission and reception program, and a data buffer 8 for temporarily storing the input and output data of each connected equipment 2. The transmission and reception of the input and output data of each connected equipment 2 is operated through the personal computer 1 according to the data transmission and reception program at the time of inputting the connection signal, and the control program corresponding to each connected equipment is read from the driver storing part 6 according to the driver start program at the time of inputting the non-connection signal so that the data transmission and reception between each connected equipment 2 can be controlled by a CPU 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data transmitting / receiving apparatus for controlling data transmission / reception between various types of connected devices to be connected to a host computer such as a personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In addition to displays such as CRTs and LCDs, keyboards, printers and scanners, various types of connected devices such as digital cameras and video printers are connected to personal computers. In this case, it is necessary to connect each connected device to a personal computer with a connector, store the device driver corresponding to each connected device in the personal computer, and set the operating environment, and the connection work is extremely complicated. .

Conventionally, a plug-and-play method has been proposed in which a connected device is connected to a personal computer, and the connected device can be used immediately without troublesome settings. US approach
An interface standard called B (Universal Serial Bus) for connecting a personal computer and a connection device has been adopted in many personal computers and connection devices in recent years.

[0004]

However, the above U
In the case of the SB standard, the connection is based on a tree structure centered on a personal computer, so data must be transmitted and received between connected devices without passing through the personal computer. There was a problem that you could not do that. Note that such a tree structure centered on a personal computer is also described in JP-A-10-97352 and JP-A-10-116139.

Therefore, it is desired that even a user who does not have a personal computer can easily transmit and receive data between desired connected devices without going through a personal computer.

An object of the present invention is to enable transmission and reception of data between desired connected devices without the intervention of a host computer such as a personal computer.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a driver storage unit for storing control programs of various connected devices to be connected to a host computer such as a personal computer and a driver operation program are stored. A system management unit, a plurality of connection ports to which a plurality of the connection devices are respectively connected, a data buffer for temporarily storing input / output data of the connection devices, and a connection to each of the connection ports according to the driver operation program. And a control unit for recognizing the connected devices, reading a control program corresponding to each of the connected devices from the driver storage unit, and controlling transmission and reception of data between these connected devices.

According to such a configuration, when a connection device is connected to each connection port, the control unit recognizes the connection device connected to each connection port in accordance with the driver operation program, and recognizes each recognized connection device. Is read from the driver storage unit, and transmission and reception of data between these connected devices are controlled. Therefore, if a connection device is connected to the connection port, data transmission / reception between desired connection devices becomes possible, and data transmission / reception between connection devices can be easily performed without the necessity of passing through a host computer such as a personal computer as in the related art. It can be performed.

Further, the present invention relates to a data transmitting / receiving apparatus for controlling data transmission / reception between various types of connected devices connected to a host computer such as a personal computer. A hub having a port and detachably connected to the host computer;
A status signal output unit that outputs a connection signal and a non-connection signal in accordance with the connection / disconnection state of the hub with the host computer, a driver storage unit that stores a control program for each type of connected device, a driver operation program, A system management unit storing a data transmission / reception program, a data buffer for temporarily storing input / output data of each of the connected devices, and an input of the connection signal, to the hub via the host computer according to the data transmission / reception program. The input / output data of the connected device is transmitted / received, and the control program corresponding to each of the connected devices connected to the hub is read out from the driver storage unit in accordance with the driver operation program by inputting the non-connection signal. Control the transmission and reception of data between these connected devices. It is characterized by comprising a control unit that.

With this configuration, when the hub and the host computer are in a connected state, connection of each connected device in a tree structure centering on the host computer is realized, and a connection signal is output from the state signal output means. When the connection signal is input to the control unit, input / output data of a connected device connected to the hub is transmitted / received via the host computer according to a data transmission / reception program of the system management unit.

On the other hand, when the hub is not connected to the host computer, a non-connection signal is output from the status signal output means, and the non-connection signal is input to the control unit. In accordance with the driver operation program, a control program corresponding to each of the connected devices connected to the hub is read from the driver storage unit, and data transmission and reception between these connected devices is controlled.

Therefore, even if the user does not have a personal computer as a host computer, if a desired connection device is connected to the connection port, data can be transmitted and received between the connection devices, and the user can hold the personal computer. For users who are connected, connecting a connected device to the connection port enables the connection of each connected device in a tree structure centered on a personal computer and enables data transmission and reception between the connected devices via a personal computer. Will be possible.

Further, according to the present invention, the status signal output means is provided in the hub, and detects the connection / separation state of a pin of a connector connecting the hub and the host computer, and outputs the connection signal and the non-connection signal. The feature is to output each.

With this configuration, the connection between the hub and the host computer can be easily detected, and the connection signal and the non-connection signal can be reliably sent to the control unit.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the status signal output means is provided in the hub, and is manually set to output the connection signal and the non-connection signal.

With this configuration, the state signal output means is manually switched to a state in which the connection signal and the non-connection signal are respectively output, so that the connection signal and the non-connection signal are determined according to the connection / separation state between the hub and the host computer. The connection signal can be reliably sent to the control unit.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the hub is a USB hub. In this case, data transmission / reception between connected devices (devices) conforming to the USB standard becomes possible.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a data flow in a certain state, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a data flow in a different state, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts for explaining operations.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a personal computer as a host computer, and 2 denotes a U connected to the personal computer 1.
Various connection devices such as a printer, a scanner, a digital camera, a video printer, etc., conforming to the SB standard, and 3 are data transmission / reception devices. In this state, data can be transmitted and received between the connected devices 2 via the personal computer 1. When only the connected devices 2 are connected to the respective connection ports, the data transmitting / receiving device 3 can be connected without the personal computer 1. This allows data to be transmitted and received between the connected devices 2 via the LAN.

1 and 2, reference numeral 5 denotes a personal computer 1
And a connection port to which the connection device 2 is connected.
State signal output means (not shown) for detecting the connection / separation state of the connector from a specific pin of a connector (not shown) connecting the SB hub 5 and the personal computer 1 and outputting a connection signal and a non-connection signal, respectively. Is provided. Reference numeral 6 denotes a driver storage unit such as a flash ROM for storing a control program (driver) for each of the connected devices 2, and reference numeral 7 denotes a system management unit such as a ROM, which stores a driver operation program and a data transmission / reception program. , These programs are, for example, Wi
It can be realized by an OS (Operating System) such as WindowsCE.

1 and 2, reference numeral 8 denotes a data buffer such as a flash ROM for temporarily storing input / output data of each connected device 2, and 9 denotes a liquid crystal display (LCD).
A display unit 10 including data input from each connected device 2; a CPU 11 serving as a control unit; a connection signal input from the state signal output unit; The following operations are performed at the time of input.

First, when a connection signal from the above-described state signal output means is input to the CPU 11, the connection of each connection device 2 in a tree structure centering on the personal computer 1 is realized, as shown in FIG. CPU by data flow
11 selects a data transmission / reception program of the system management unit 7 at the time of initialization, writes a control program (driver) corresponding to each connected device 2 recognized by the personal computer 1 into the driver storage unit 6, and follows the data transmission / reception program. And the input / output data of each connected device 2 is transmitted and received via the personal computer 1. At this time, the input / output data of each connected device 2 is stored in the data buffer 8. Also, the input unit 10 becomes invalid.

On the other hand, when the disconnection signal from the status signal output means is input to the CPU 11, the connection of the connection devices 2 in a tree structure centering on the personal computer 1 is not realized, and as shown in FIG. CPU1 by data flow
1 selects a driver operation program of the system management unit 7 at the time of initialization, and according to this driver operation program,
It recognizes the connected devices 2 connected to the USB hub 5, reads out the corresponding control programs (drivers) from the driver storage unit 6, and controls data transmission and reception between these connected devices 2.

Next, the operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether the personal computer 1 and the USB hub 5 are connected or not (step S1), and it is determined that the personal computer 1 and the USB hub 5 are connected. And the communication control mode by the personal computer 1 (step S2).
The connection of each connected device 2 is realized by a tree structure centered on the PC, each connected device 2 is recognized by the personal computer 1 based on ID data from each connected device 2, and a control program corresponding to each recognized connected device 2 The (driver) is written into the driver storage unit 6, and the input / output data of each connected device 2 is transmitted / received via the personal computer 1 in accordance with the data transmission / reception program of the system management unit 7.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when it is determined in step S1 that the connection state is a non-connection state, registration processing of a corresponding driver corresponding to each connected device 2 described later is performed (step S1). S3) As described above, according to the driver operation program of the system management unit 7, the CP based on the ID data from each connected device 2 connected to the USB hub 5
After each connected device 2 is recognized by U11, and a control program (driver) corresponding to each recognized connected device 2 is read out from the driver storage unit 6, the operation mode shifts to the driver operation control mode (step S4). Data transmission / reception control between these connected devices 2 is performed, and the operation ends after the process of step S2 is performed.

By the way, the registration processing of the corresponding driver will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, first, the driver registration number D and the connection port number P are set (step S11), and the variable i is initialized (“0”). Is set) (step S12), the variable j is initialized (set to "0") (step S13), and it is determined whether or not the variable j is smaller than the driver registration number D (step S12).
14) If the result of the determination is YES, a determination is made as to whether or not the driver is compatible (step S15). If the result of the determination is NO, the variable j is incremented (step S16), and then step S14 is performed. Return to

On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S15 is YES
If so, the driver ID corresponding to the connected device 2 is stored (step S17), and if the determination result in step S14 is NO, the driver ID corresponding to the connected device 2 is determined to be absent (step 18). After the process of step S7, the process proceeds to step S19, where the variable i is incremented (step S19), and it is determined whether the variable i is equal to the number of connection ports P (step S19).
20), if this determination is NO, the process returns to step S13.
Return to step S4.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, even if the user does not have the personal computer 1, the desired connection device 2
Is connected to the connection port of the USB hub 5, data can be transmitted and received between the connected devices 2. On the other hand, in the case of a user who has the personal computer 1, if the connection device 2 is connected to the connection port of the USB hub 5, the connection of each connection device 2 in a tree structure centering on the personal computer 1 is realized. It is possible to perform data transmission and reception between the connected devices 2 via the. For example, in a case where image data captured by a digital camera is printed by a video printer located in a different place, a digital camera is connected to the data transmitting / receiving device 3, and the image data is temporarily stored in the data buffer 8 and then stored. It is also possible to connect a video printer to the data transmission / reception device 3 and print the image data stored in the data buffer 8, eliminating the need to use the personal computer 1.

Further, a state signal output means for detecting the connection / separation state of the connector from the signal level of a specific pin in the connector connecting the USB hub 5 and the personal computer 1 and outputting a connection signal and a non-connection signal, respectively, is a USB. Since the hub 5 is provided, the connection between the USB hub 5 and the personal computer 1 can be easily detected.
It can be sent to U11 reliably.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the data transmitting / receiving device 3 includes the USB hub 5 has been described on the assumption that the data transmitting / receiving device 3 is connected to the personal computer 1 as a host computer. It is not necessary to provide a hub such as the USB hub 5 and connect to a host computer.

In short, the data transmission / reception device has a plurality of connection ports to which a connection device to be connected to the host computer can be connected, and stores a control program (driver) corresponding to the connection device which can be assumed in the driver storage unit 6. The CPU 11 recognizes the connected device connected to the connection port in advance and reads the necessary control program (driver) from the driver storage unit 6 according to the driver operation program of the system management unit 7. Any device that controls transmission and reception of data between the connected devices may be used. At this time, the system management unit 7 only needs to store only the driver operation program.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the state signal output means detects the connection / separation state between the USB hub 5 and the personal computer 1 from the signal level of a specific pin in the connector has been described. May be a method for detecting the connection / disconnection state between the USB hub 5 and the personal computer 1 by another method, and further, manually switching to a state for outputting a connection signal and a non-connection signal. You may.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the USB hub 5 conforming to the USB standard is used has been described. However, it goes without saying that the hub is not particularly limited to the one conforming to the USB standard.

Further, in the above embodiment, the personal computer 1
Has been described as a host computer,
It goes without saying that the host computer is not limited to the personal computer 1 as described above.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes other than those described above can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0036]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, if a connection device is connected to the connection port, data transmission / reception between desired connection devices becomes possible. It is possible to transmit and receive data between connected devices without using a host computer, etc., and it is possible to very easily extract only necessary data from a desired connected device and output it to another connected device. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even if a user does not have a host computer such as a personal computer, if a desired connection device is connected to the connection port, data can be transmitted and received between the connection devices. It is possible to do
In the case of a user who has a host computer, connecting the connected devices to the connection ports realizes the connection of each connected device in a tree structure centered on the host computer, and allows connection between the connected devices via the host computer. Data can be transmitted and received.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connection between the hub and the host computer can be easily detected, and the connection signal and the non-connection signal can be reliably sent to the control unit.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the status signal output means is manually set to output the connection signal and the non-connection signal, respectively, the connection / separation state between the hub and the host computer is set. Accordingly, the connection signal and the non-connection signal can be reliably sent to the control unit.

According to the invention described in claim 5, U
Data transmission / reception between connected devices (devices) conforming to the SB standard becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a data flow in a state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a data flow in different states according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 personal computer (host computer) 2 USB device (connection device) 3 data transmitting / receiving device 5 USB hub 6 driver storage unit 7 system management unit 8 data buffer 11 CPU (control unit)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A driver storage unit for storing a control program for each of various types of connected devices to be connected to a host computer such as a personal computer, a system management unit for storing a driver operation program, and a plurality of the connected devices are respectively connected. A plurality of connection ports, a data buffer for temporarily storing input / output data of each connection device, and a control program corresponding to each of the connection devices connected to each connection port according to the driver operation program. A data transmission / reception device, comprising: a control unit that reads data from the driver storage unit and controls data transmission / reception between these connected devices. 2. A data transmission / reception device for controlling data transmission / reception between various types of connected devices connected to a host computer such as a personal computer, comprising: a plurality of connection ports to which some of the connected devices are connected. A hub that is connected to and detachable from a host computer, state signal output means that outputs a connection signal and a non-connection signal in accordance with the state of connection and disconnection of the hub with the host computer, and control of various types of connected devices A driver storage unit for storing a program, a system management unit for storing a driver operation program and a data transmission / reception program, a data buffer for temporarily storing input / output data of each of the connected devices, and Before being connected to the hub via the host computer according to the transmission / reception program The input / output data of the connected device is transmitted and received, and the control program corresponding to each of the connected devices connected to the hub is read out from the driver storage unit in accordance with the driver operation program according to the input of the non-connection signal. A data transmission / reception device, comprising: a control unit that controls data transmission / reception between connected devices. 3. The status signal output means is provided on the hub, detects connection / disconnection status of pins of a connector connecting the hub and the host computer, and outputs the connection signal and the non-connection signal, respectively. The data transmission / reception device according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said status signal output means is provided in said hub, and is manually set to output said connection signal and said non-connection signal. Transceiver. 5. The data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hub is a USB hub.