JP2006093950A - Method of controlling start of system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a start processing time in a system in which a plurality of units having similar functions exist. <P>SOLUTION: A method of controlling the start of the system includes steps of performing start processing from a sub-unit having a short start processing time, sequentially starting utilization from a started unit, and transferring a process from the sub-unit to a main unit when the main unit having a long start processing time is started. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system activation control method for shortening the time until a system function can be used in a system or electronic apparatus having a plurality of units having the same purpose function, and more particularly to a plurality of cameras. And a digital camera having a plurality of recording media and a digital video camera.

  In recent years, electronic devices with built-in microcomputers have been advanced in function, performance, and function, and microcomputer software has been enlarged. Therefore, there is a tendency that the startup processing time from when the power is turned on until the system function can be used becomes longer. On the other hand, for the user, the activation processing time is stressed and is positioned as one item of performance evaluation. Especially for devices with recording functions such as digital cameras, digital video cameras, and voice recorders, there is a risk of missing important scenes if the startup process time is long. Inventive invention has been made. For example, in a digital camera, a method has been devised in which a minimum program necessary for system activation is loaded, a mode determination is performed, and a program necessary for an operation mode is loaded and executed (reference: Patent Document). 1). As a result, execution of a program unnecessary for the operation mode is eliminated, and the startup processing time is shortened.

As for the activation of the personal computer, the program necessary for activation is rearranged in a place where the hard disk access is efficient, and the activation processing time is shortened (reference: Non-Patent Document 1). As a result, the time for reading the program from the hard disk is shortened, and the startup processing time and the time are shortened.
JP 2001-209545 A [Online], Internet <URL: http: // www. Microsoft. com / japan / windowsxp / home / evaluation / overviews / fastlogon. asp>

  The various inventions for shortening the activation processing time described above are inventions for activation control for specific hardware units. Therefore, the startup processing time largely depends on the hardware performance, and there is a limit to shortening the startup processing time.

  On the other hand, electronic devices in recent years tend to be multifunctional and are often composed of many hardware units. For example, in mobile phones, devices having a camera function occupy the majority of mobile phones, and there are mobile phones incorporating a plurality of cameras and devices including a plurality of display devices. In digital video cameras, there are devices including a plurality of recording medium drives such as a moving image on a tape and a still image on a memory card.

  Like these devices, when there are multiple cameras, multiple display devices, multiple recording media drives, etc., it is composed of multiple hardware units with the same purpose function There are many systems. In such a case, since each unit operates according to the operation mode, the user has to specify the unit to be used. For example, in the case of a video camera, it was necessary to directly or indirectly select whether to record on a card or on a tape.

  However, users often use it for the purpose of “which function to use” rather than “which unit to use”. For this reason, even if the activation processing time of the unit that the user has selected to use directly or indirectly is longer than that of other units, the activation has been awaited. In addition, when a failure occurs in a unit that has been selected for use, the function itself cannot be used.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system startup control method that realizes reduction in startup processing time in a system in which a plurality of units having similar functions exist. .

  The invention according to claim 1 includes a plurality of units having the same purpose, such as a case where a plurality of cameras as photographing means are provided or a case where a plurality of media as recording means can be mounted. In a system where there is a difference in the startup processing time from when the power is turned on in the unit until it can be used, the startup processing is performed sequentially from the unit with the short startup processing until the startup of the unit with the long startup processing time is completed. It is characterized by using the unit activated first.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the system according to the first aspect, by the user setting, the sequential activation process from a unit with a short activation process is prohibited, and the user can specify the activation order indirectly or directly. It is characterized by being.

  The invention according to claim 3 has a judging means for judging whether or not each unit is usable, and when there is a unit that cannot be activated by the judging means, the other unit having the same function is activated. It is characterized by using the same function.

  That is, this invention can solve the said subject by providing the following structure.

  (1) In a system composed of a plurality of units having functions of the same purpose and having a difference in start-up processing time from when the power is turned on until the function becomes usable, Start unit that uses the function of the first unit that has been activated until completion of activation of the second unit that has a short activation period and performs the activation process sequentially from the unit and has a long activation process time. A system start-up control method characterized by comprising a utilization means.

  Conventionally, the function cannot be used until the start processing of the hardware unit designated by the user is completed. However, according to the present invention, the start processing time can be shortened. Further, even when a failure occurs in some hardware units, the function can be used.

  Below, the form of invention is shown as an Example.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 shows a digital video camera equipped with a compound eye camera. The main camera drive circuit 8 includes a circuit group that performs drive control such as focus control, zoom control, iris control, and imaging element control of the main camera unit 7, and the digitized shooting data is sent to the image processing circuit 15. Sent. The sub camera drive circuit 10 is composed of a circuit group that controls the drive of the sub camera unit 9, and digitized shooting data is sent to the image processing circuit 15. Although the main camera unit and the sub camera unit are equivalent in figure, in this embodiment, the main camera unit has higher performance than the sub camera unit, but it takes time to start up. The digitized image data after the image processing is recorded and stored in the optical disk 3 or the memory card 5 which is a recording medium. Reference numeral 4 is a disk drive for controlling the optical disk, and 6 is a memory card controller for controlling the memory card.

  The system is controlled by the control microcomputer 14, and the program for the control microcomputer is stored in the ROM 1. A RAM 2 is incorporated as a main storage device of the control microcomputer 14. The user can operate the device through the operation switch group 13. Reference numeral 12 denotes a switch: SW2, which is used to select an input image. Reference numeral 11 denotes a switch SW1 for selecting an image recording medium, and both SW1 and SW2 are controlled by a control microcomputer. For SW1, both of the recording destinations may be selected in addition to the case where either the optical disk or the memory card is selected, and neither of them may be selected.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart of the control microcomputer 14 showing the start control according to the present invention. When the user operates the system activation with a mode switch (not shown) in the operation switch group 13, the control microcomputer activates the sub camera unit (S101). Next, the memory card is activated (S102). In the period up to this point, the control microcomputer determines whether or not the user has already pressed a recording button (not shown) in the operation switch group 13 and has issued a recording start request (S103). Shooting with the sub camera unit is started (S106). Subsequently, after the main camera activation process (S107) and the optical disk activation control (S108) are performed during photographing with the sub camera, the main camera is switched to photographing and optical disk recording (S109). After the shooting shifts to the main camera, the shooting with the sub camera unit is terminated (S110).

  If a recording start request is not issued from the user at the time of determination in S103, the main camera is activated (S104) and the optical disk is activated (S105), and the process is terminated in a recording standby state. Although not shown in FIG. 1, if there is a recording request from the user during the process of S104, after the process, or during the process of S105, the process immediately proceeds to the process of shooting with the sub camera unit (flow S106). You may make a transition.

  3A to 3C overlaps with the description of FIG. 1, but is a diagram showing the flow of the conventional activation process for each function and the activation process of the present invention in time series. The horizontal axis represents the passage of time.

  First, FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 3 (b) relate to a shooting function activation process. FIG. 3A shows a conventional activation processing method. When the start process starts (T101), it is not possible to start shooting until T103 when the main camera start process ends. FIG.3 (b) shows the starting process which is embodiment of this invention. In the present invention, the activation process is started from the sub camera whose activation process is completed in a short period (S101). Next, when the sub camera activation process ends at T102, the sub camera starts shooting (S106). Subsequently, main camera activation processing is performed (S107), and the main camera imaging (S109) is started from T104 when the main camera activation is completed.

  Next, FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D relate to a recording function activation process. FIG. 3C shows a conventional activation processing method. When the activation process starts (T201), recording cannot be started until T203 when the optical disk activation process ends. FIG. 3D shows a startup process according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the present invention, the activation process is started from the memory card that completes the activation process in a short period (S102). Next, when the activation process of the memory card is completed at T202, the memory card is ready for recording (S106). Subsequently, a disk drive activation process of the optical disk is performed (S108), and recording on the optical disk is possible from T204 (S109).

  The second embodiment is an additional function in the system of the first embodiment. The user can prohibit the function (quick start) for shortening the activation time in the first embodiment in advance (S201 in FIG. 4). A flowchart of the control microcomputer 14 of the second embodiment is shown in FIG. When the user operates the system activation with a mode switch (not shown) in the operation switch group 13, the control microcomputer confirms the user setting. If the quick start is set, the process proceeds to S101 in FIG. Transition to processing. If it is prohibited, the main camera activation process (S202) is performed. Next, the optical disk is activated (S203). In the period up to this point, the control microcomputer determines whether or not the user has already pressed the recording button (not shown) in the operation switch group 13 and has issued a recording start request (S204). Shooting with the main camera unit is started (S205). Subsequently, the sub camera unit is activated (S206) and the memory card is activated (S207) during photographing with the main camera.

  If a recording start request has not been issued from the user at the time of determination in S204, the sub camera is activated (S206) and the memory card is activated (S207), and the process ends in a recording standby state. Although not shown in FIG. 4, if a recording request from the user is first made during the process of S206, after the process, or during the process of S207, the shooting start process in the main camera unit is immediately performed (flow S205). You may transition to.

  The third embodiment is an additional function in the system of the second embodiment. A flowchart of the control microcomputer 14 of the third embodiment is shown in FIG. As in the second embodiment, when the function (quick start) for shortening the activation time in the first embodiment is prohibited, the system performs a main camera activation check (S301). The activation check is processing such as checking whether a hardware failure has occurred or whether other processing is being performed and restarting is not possible. If it can be activated, the main camera unit is activated (S202). Next, an optical disk activation check (S302) is performed. If activation is possible, the process branches to S203 in the second embodiment (FIG. 4).

  If for some reason the main camera or optical disk cannot be activated, the process proceeds to the sub camera activation check (S303), and if it can be activated, the sub camera unit is activated (S304). Next, a memory card activation check (S305) is performed. If activation is possible, a memory card activation process (S306) is performed. In the period up to this point, the control microcomputer determines whether or not the user has already pressed a recording button (not shown) in the operation switch group 13 and has issued a recording start request (S307). Shooting with the sub camera unit is started (S308).

  As described above, when the system determines that the main camera or the optical disk cannot be activated, sub-camera shooting and memory card recording are possible. If neither the sub-camera nor the memory card can be activated, photographing / recording is impossible, so a message is output to the user (S309), and the process is terminated.

Control flow chart of embodiment 1 System block diagram (A) The figure which shows the starting method when using only a main camera, (b) The figure which shows the starting method when using a main camera + sub camera, (c) The figure which shows the starting method when using only an optical disc (D) The figure which shows the starting method in the case of using an optical disc + memory card Control flowchart of embodiment 2 Control flow chart of embodiment 3

Explanation of symbols

1 ROM
2 RAM
3 Optical disk 4 Disk drive 5 Memory card 6 Memory card controller 7 Main camera unit 8 Main camera drive circuit 9 Sub camera unit 10 Sub camera drive circuit 11 Switch: SW1
12 switch: SW2
13 Operation switch group 14 Control microcomputer 15 Image processing circuit

Claims (5)

In a system composed of a plurality of units having the same purpose function and having a difference in start-up processing time from when the power is turned on until the function becomes usable,
It has a short-term activation priority means that sequentially performs the activation process from the first unit with a short activation process,
A startup control method for a system, comprising: a first use unit that uses the function of the first unit that has completed startup until startup of the second unit having a long startup processing time is completed.   2. The system activation according to claim 1, wherein the short-term activation priority unit can be prohibited and a unit activation order can be designated by a user setting. Control method. In a system composed of a plurality of units having the same purpose function,
A determination means for determining whether the function of each unit is available;
If the determination means determines that the function of the first unit is not available, the processing for the first unit is stopped, and instead the second unit is activated, A system activation control method, comprising: a switching utilization unit that utilizes the function of the second unit.   The system activation control method according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the function is a photographing function and includes a plurality of camera units.   The function is a recording function, a first recording medium access control means for accessing the first recording medium, a second recording medium access control means for accessing the second recording medium, The system activation control method according to claim 1, wherein the system activation control method is configured to include:

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