JP2000339263A - Information processor its device and device driver acquisition method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily acquire a device driver of a device by storing the device driver of the device of an information processor in the device itself. SOLUTION: A storage means 13 for storing control software is provided in a device 12. When the device 12 is connected to an information processor system 11, a connection is detected by a connection detection part 14 of the information processor system 11. In the information processor system 11 in which the connection is detected, a device driver is read from the storage means 13 in the device, is stored in a storage means 17 in the information processor system 11 and used by a device managing means 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device of an information processing apparatus and control software for the device, and more particularly to acquisition of control software when connecting a device to the information processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent increase in performance of information processing devices,
Information to be processed by the information processing device is also diversifying. In order to diversify such information and flexibly respond to user needs, various devices are often used.
The device includes, for example, an externally connected information storage / reproducing device represented by an external hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as an HDD), a device for network connection such as a modem, an input device such as a scanner, and a printer. Output devices are included. In addition to those listed here, new devices that expand the possibilities of information processing devices are being developed one after another.

In order to use a device in an information processing device system including an information processing device and its peripheral devices (including the case of an information processing device alone), control software for the device (hereinafter referred to as a device driver) is required. Become. The device driver includes information about the device and a control program.

Conventionally, this device driver is stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk provided with the device, or is stored in advance in an HDD built in an information processing apparatus together with an operation system (hereinafter referred to as an OS).

[0005] When stored in a floppy disk, the user needs to install a device driver from the floppy disk in the information processing apparatus. Installation on an information processing apparatus is not only time-consuming, but also difficult to deal with when a floppy disk is lost. Further, when the device is carried to another system for use, it is necessary to carry a floppy disk separately from this device, which is troublesome.

When stored in the HDD, there is no need for the user to insert a floppy disk into the information processing apparatus. However, such a method cannot be applied to a device whose device driver is not stored in the HDD in advance. In addition, in the current situation where new devices are being developed one after another, it is practically impossible to store the drivers of all the devices in the HDD in advance. It is not practical to store the data because there is much waste in terms of the capacity of the HDD.

[0007] In any of the supply methods, it is necessary to appropriately select a device driver corresponding to the device on a system to which the device is connected. You lose control. To properly select a device driver,
The user is required to have knowledge of a combination of a device and a device driver. This has hindered the spread of information processing devices.

In a field in which technological progress is rapid, such as an information processing apparatus, a device driver is often upgraded even after a device is actually announced. Until now, responding to such upgrades has also been troublesome.

[0009]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has a problem that it takes time to install a device driver and it is difficult to cope with various devices. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has as its object to provide an information processing apparatus, a device, and a device driver acquisition method capable of easily acquiring a device driver of a device.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in an information processing apparatus to which a device can be connected, an acquisition unit for acquiring a device driver of the device from the device and a device driver acquired by the acquisition unit are stored. It is characterized by comprising storage means for performing the above.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of easily supplying a device driver. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device connected to the information processing apparatus, comprising storage means for storing a device driver of the device, wherein the storage means receives a second device driver from the connected information processing apparatus. And can be stored.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a device that can easily supply a device driver. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the information processing apparatus includes a detection step of detecting a connection of a device to the information processing apparatus, and an acquisition step of the information processing apparatus acquiring a device driver from the device. I do. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a device driver acquisition method that can easily acquire a device driver.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing apparatus system and devices according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 11 denotes an information processing system, and reference numeral 12 denotes a device connected to the information processing system 11.

The device 12 includes a device driver storage unit 13 for storing a device driver including a control program for the device 12 and device information. As the device driver storage means 13, an EEPROM or the like can be used so that a device driver described later can be rewritten.

The information processing apparatus system 11 includes a connection detecting section 14 for detecting connection of a device. When the device 12 is connected, it detects the connection. The information processing apparatus system 11 further obtains a device driver from the device driver storage unit 13 in the device 12,
The device includes device management means 15 for managing devices connected to the system. The device management unit 15 has a device driver update unit 16 for updating a device driver as described later. Further, the information processing system 11 includes a device driver storage unit 17 that stores a device driver obtained from the device driver storage unit 13 in the device 12. In addition,
The device driver storage unit 17 may download and store a device driver from a network in advance. It is possible to flexibly cope with a device driver upgrade described later.

The operation of these devices will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
First, the operation when the device is connected to the information processing system will be described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG. When the device 12 is connected to the information processing system 11, the connection detection unit 14 in the information processing system 11 detects that the connection has been made (step ST21).

Subsequently, the device management means 15 reads out the device driver from the device driver storage means 13 (step ST22). The device management unit 15 stores the read device driver in the device driver storage unit 16 in the information processing apparatus system 11 (Step S
T23).

With this configuration, it is not necessary to carry a storage medium storing a device driver separately from the device. Since the device itself stores a device driver suitable for this device, the device management means on the information processing system only needs to read and execute the device driver. The user does not need to have knowledge about the combination.

In a field in which technological progress is rapid, such as in an information processing apparatus, a device driver is often upgraded even after a device is actually announced. The present invention can flexibly cope with such an upgrade. The selection of the device driver according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The device 12 is an information processing system 11
Is connected to the connection detection unit 14 in the device 12.
Detects that a connection has been made (step ST3).
1). Subsequently, the device management unit 15 acquires information on the update date and time of the device driver in the device driver storage unit 13 (step ST32). The device management means 15 checks whether a device driver corresponding to the device 12 exists on the information processing apparatus system 11 side (step ST33).

If the device management means 15 determines that there is no device driver on the information processing apparatus system 11 side, the information processing apparatus system 11 acquires the device driver from the device storage means 13 of the device 12 and stores the device driver. (Step ST)
From No. 33, step ST35). If the device management unit 15 determines that the device driver exists on the information processing system 11 side, the device management unit 15
Determines which of the device driver in the device driver storage unit 13 on the device 12 and the device driver on the information processing apparatus system 11 side is the newer one (from Yes in step ST33 to step ST3).
4).

When the device driver management unit 15 determines that the device driver on the device 12 is new, the information processing system system 11 acquires the device driver from the device storage unit 13 of the device 12 and stores it in the device driver storage unit 17. (From “device” in step ST34 to step ST35).

If the device driver management means 15 determines that the device driver on the information processing system 11 is new, the information processing device system 11 uses the device driver stored in the device driver storage means 17 on the system (step Step ST36 from “system” in ST34).

Further, the device driver updating section 16 can cause the device driver storage means 13 in the device 12 to store the device driver held by the information processing system 11. Step ST3 in FIG.
6, as an update step, the information processing system 1
A step of transferring the device driver held by the device 1 to the device driver storage unit 13 in the device 12 may be provided and executed.

By storing the new device driver in the device in this way, even when this device is connected to another information processing apparatus, the new device driver after the upgrade can be used as it is.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the update date and time of the device driver are cited as the update conditions. In addition, conditions depending on the relationship between the configuration of the information processing system and the devices may be appropriately set. it can. For example, it is possible to set so that a device driver compatible with the operation system of the information processing apparatus system is used. For this purpose, the device driver storage means 13 may store a plurality of device drivers suitable for a plurality of types of operation systems in advance. When the device 12 incorporating the device driver storage unit 13 is connected to the information processing system 11, the device management unit 15 in the information processing system 11 is connected.
Can select a device driver suitable for the operating system of the information processing device system 11, read out the device driver from the device driver storage unit 13, and execute it. In a device that can support a plurality of operation systems, it is possible to save the trouble of setting device drivers.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus system and a device capable of easily supplying control software for a device, and a method for supplying control software for the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus system and devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of connection in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of updating a device driver according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 information processing system, 12 device, 13
Device driver storage means, 14 ... connection detection unit, 15 ...
Device management means, 16: device driver update unit, 1
7. Device driver storage means

Claims (11)

[Claims] An information processing apparatus to which a device can be connected, comprising: an acquisition unit for acquiring a device driver of the device from the device; and a storage unit for storing the device driver acquired by the acquisition unit. Characteristic information processing device. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus stores another device driver corresponding to the device in the storage unit in advance. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is capable of selecting whether to acquire a predetermined device driver from a device or another device driver stored in the storage unit according to a predetermined condition. The information processing device according to claim 2. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said acquisition means compares the creation time of each of said device drivers, and selects and acquires a new one. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining means determines whether each of said device drivers is compatible with an operating system of said information processing apparatus, and selects a corresponding device driver. 3. The information processing apparatus according to 3. 6. The information processing apparatus further comprises device driver updating means, and is capable of supplying the another device driver to a device connected to the information processing apparatus. The information processing device according to claim 2. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that when the device drivers are new, the device drivers are supplied to the device when the device drivers are new. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein 8. A device connected to an information processing apparatus, comprising: storage means for storing a device driver of the device, wherein the storage means receives and stores a second device driver from the connected information processing apparatus. A device characterized by being able to. 9. An information processing apparatus comprising: a detection step of detecting a connection of a device to the information processing apparatus; and an acquisition step of acquiring the device driver from the device. Device driver acquisition method. 10. The acquiring step further includes a comparing step of comparing the device driver with a second device driver held in advance by the information processing apparatus. 10. The device driver acquisition method according to claim 9, wherein the determined device driver is acquired. 11. The acquiring step further includes a selecting step of selecting a device driver corresponding to an operating system of the information processing apparatus from the device drivers, and acquiring the device driver selected by the selecting step. 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein: