JP2007065743A - Personal digital assistance and method for managing storage region of personal digital assistance thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an operation response in relation to a user by reducing power consumption and suppressing decrease of battery residual quantity when mounting an HDD and a buffer memory. <P>SOLUTION: A memory area of a buffer memory which temporarily stores data written in the HDD is managed by clearly dividing into a buffer memory area for sequential data, such as audio data and that for random access data, such as an address book. For the random access data, the number of accesses to the HDD at the time of using the random access data use is reduced by normally storing the data in the buffer memory area for the random access data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes, for example, a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone terminal that is equipped with a hard disk drive (HDD) and data that is written to and read from the hard disk drive is temporarily stored in a buffer memory. The present invention relates to a storage area management method for the portable information terminal.

  In recent years, a mobile phone terminal or the like equipped with a hard disk drive (hereinafter simply referred to as an HDD) and having a function capable of recording audio data, video data, and the like on the HDD and reproducing the data recorded on the HDD. The mobile information terminal has been commercialized. Since the HDD generally has a large recording capacity, it is possible to manage not only the audio data and video data but also address book data on the HDD, and store map data, software programs, and the like in the HDD.

  Also, in the case of playing back audio data and video data recorded in an HDD in a battery-powered portable information terminal, a large-capacity external buffer memory is prepared separately from the HDD, and The read data is temporarily copied to the buffer memory, and the data on the buffer memory is read. During this time, the HDD is stopped, thereby reducing power consumption compared to the case where the HDD is always operated. In order to reduce the decrease in the remaining amount of the battery, it is performed.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-330797 (Patent Document 1), the amount of information temporarily stored in the cache memory or the time for temporarily storing information is controlled by the determination result of the attribute of information written in the cache memory. A storage device configured as described above and a program therefor are disclosed. According to the technique described in this publication, in the case of AV data, prefetching is highly effective due to its continuity, and therefore, prefetching is emphasized, whereby a buffer-like cache operation based on continuous reading from a storage medium such as a disk is performed. On the other hand, when PC data is targeted, it is possible to improve responsiveness by increasing the number of cache hits by focusing on data retention in order to improve the probability of cache hits. ing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-330797 (FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11)

  By the way, as described above, by temporarily copying the data read from the HDD to the buffer memory and reducing the power consumption by keeping the HDD from operating at all times, sequential data such as audio and video is stored. It is very effective when handling. Hereinafter, these data are referred to as sequential data.

  On the other hand, data such as address book data, map data, and software programs are rarely handled sequentially like the audio and video data. Also, access for writing such data to the HDD and access for reading from the HDD often occur randomly in time. Hereinafter, these data are referred to as random access data.

  Therefore, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of power consumption to always operate the HDD for random access data in which it is not known when a write or read access occurs. On the other hand, it is usually possible to stop the HDD and reduce the power consumption by starting the HDD only when it is necessary to write or read the random access data. A waiting time is required until the motor is started and the rotation of the internal magnetic disk of the HDD becomes stable and data can be written and read, resulting in poor operation response from the user's point of view. Also, when random access data is frequently written or read in a short time, the power consumption is higher than when the HDD is stopped by temporarily storing the sequential data in the buffer memory as described above. May increase.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such a situation, and an HDD is mounted, and data written to and read from the HDD is temporarily stored in a buffer memory and used. In, for example, when writing sequential data such as audio and video and random access data such as address book and map data to and reading from the HDD, the power consumption is reduced and the battery remaining is reduced. It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable information terminal and a storage area management method for the portable information terminal that can improve the operation response as viewed from the user.

  The portable information terminal according to the present invention includes a temporary storage unit that temporarily stores information recorded / reproduced by a recording unit including a disk-shaped recording medium, and a storage area of the temporary storage unit as a first for sequential information. Of the storage area and the second storage area for random access information, and control for always storing at least part of the random access information recorded / reproduced by the recording means in the second storage area By having the control unit that performs the above, the above-described problems are solved.

  The storage area management method for a portable information terminal according to the present invention also provides a storage area of a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing information recorded / reproduced by a recording means having a disc-shaped recording medium. The information is managed separately in the first storage area for information and the second storage area for random access information, and at least a part of the random access information among the information recorded / reproduced by the recording means is always the second storage area. The above-described problems are solved by storing them in the storage area.

  That is, according to the present invention, the storage area of the temporary storage unit is divided into the first storage area for sequential information and the second storage area for random access information, and at least part of the random access information is managed. By always storing in the second storage area, the number of times random access information is recorded / reproduced on the recording medium is reduced.

  According to the present invention, the storage area of the temporary storage unit is divided into the first storage area for sequential information and the second storage area for random access information, and at least part of the random access information is always stored in the second storage area. By storing in the area and reducing the number of times random access information is recorded / reproduced on the recording medium, it is possible to reduce power consumption and decrease the remaining battery level, and to improve operation response from the user's perspective Can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a portable information terminal and a storage area management method for the portable information terminal of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, a mobile phone terminal is cited as an example of the portable information terminal of the present invention. Of course, the content described here is merely an example, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this example. Yes.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a mobile phone terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention on which a hard disk drive (HDD) is mounted. The example of FIG. 1 shows only the configuration of the main part related to the present invention, extracted from the components included in the mobile phone terminal. For example, the display unit, the operation unit, the communication unit, the input / output unit, Illustration of other components such as a storage unit provided in a normal mobile phone terminal is omitted.

  In FIG. 1, a host CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1 performs overall operation control of the mobile phone terminal and various calculations. The host CPU 1 is connected to a buffer memory 4 for the HDD 3 and an HDD interface (I / F) 2 through a system bus. The HDD 3 usually has an interface called IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) and cannot be connected to the CPU bus of the host CPU 1, so it is connected to the system bus through the HDD interface 2.

  The buffer memory 4 is a relatively large-capacity memory for adjusting the data transfer rate by temporarily storing and outputting data to be written to and read (recorded / reproduced) from the HDD 3. That is, since the HDD 3 has a structure in which an internal magnetic disk having a certain mass is rotated by a motor, the time from the start of rotation of the motor until the rotation of the internal magnetic disk is stabilized (that is, the drive startup time). In addition, since the data write speed and the data read speed vary greatly depending on the drive status, the buffer memory 4 writes data from the host CPU 1 or the like to the HDD 3 or reads data from the HDD 3 to When the data is output to the CPU 1 or the like, the data transfer rate is adjusted by temporarily buffering the data. For example, when data is read from the HDD 3 to the host CPU 1, first, the data is transferred from the HDD 3 to the buffer memory 4 via the HDD interface 2 as shown by an arrow R1 in FIG. As shown by the arrow R2, the data is transferred from the buffer memory 4 to the host CPU 1. The power supply ON / OFF control of the HDD 3 is performed from the host CPU 1 via the HDD interface 2 as indicated by an arrow C in FIG.

  The merit of performing the data transfer through the buffer memory 4 will be described by taking an audio reproduction such as so-called MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) as an example. In the following description, it is assumed that the transfer rate of audio data is 128 Kbps, and the capacity of the buffer memory 4 (buffer capacity) is 32 MBytes.

  Here, assuming that the HDD operation time (ON time) required for reading 32 Mbytes of data from the HDD 3 is 8 seconds, the audio reproducible time using only the data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 4 can be expressed by the formula ( It becomes the time shown in 1).

32 Mbyte / 128 Kbit = 2000 sec (1)
Also, assuming that the current consumption during the operation of the HDD 3 is 300 mA, the HDD 3 operates only for 8 seconds within the 2000 seconds. Therefore, the average current consumption for reproducing the audio data for 32 Mbytes is expressed by the equation (2). It becomes a value as shown in.

8sec / 2000sec * 300mA = 1.2mA (2)
That is, even if the current value when the HDD 3 is operating is as high as 300 mA, for example, the HDD 3 is activated only once in 2000 seconds by performing data transfer via the buffer memory 4. As a result, the average current consumption of the HDD 3 is 1.2 mA, which is not so high.

  In the case of an actual HDD, it takes about 1 to 2 seconds from the time the HDD is turned on until the internal motor begins to rotate and after it becomes stable, data can be read and written. is there. After the data can be read and written, the data reading from the HDD is actually started, the data is transferred to the internal cache memory of the HDD, and finally stored in the external buffer memory 4 through the HDD interface 2. Will be. In the above example, it is assumed that the time from the start of rotation of the motor to the stabilization of the rotation of the internal magnetic disk is 1 to 2 seconds, and the time from when data is actually read from the HDD to when it is stored in the buffer memory 4 is assumed. About 8 seconds, which is the sum of about 6 seconds, is used as the ON time of the HDD 3.

[Configuration and management of buffer memory]
Here, in this embodiment, if the purpose of mounting the HDD 3 on the mobile phone terminal is to use only for audio and video playback, such as an MP3 player or a media player, for example, read / write sequential data to / from the HDD 3. For such applications, the buffer memory 4 may have a capacity of, for example, several tens of Mbytes (for example, 32 Mbytes), and temporarily stores data read from the HDD 3 as described above using the memory capacity. In the meantime, by stopping the operation of the HDD 3 so that the HDD 3 is not always operated, it is possible to reduce the average current consumption and reduce the decrease in the remaining battery level.

  However, in the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, in addition to audio and video playback, for example, address book data is managed on the HDD 3, and map data, software programs, etc. are read from and written to the HDD 3. In other words, in other words, when the use of reading / writing random access data to / from the HDD 3 is considered, the HDD 3 must be operated each time the data is accessed, resulting in an increase in power consumption. There is a fear.

  That is, for example, when an application for an MP3 player is executed, sequential data read from the HDD 3 is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 4 and the operation of the HDD 3 is stopped, for example, When an instruction for starting an application for viewing the address book is input by the user, the HDD 3 in the stopped state is started, and an access for reading the software program of the address book application from the HDD 3 is performed. After activation of the application, access is made to read address book data from the HDD 3. Therefore, when such access to read / write such random access data from / to the HDD 3 is frequently performed, the power consumption increases and the remaining battery level decreases.

  As a more specific example, the current consumption during operation of the HDD 3 is 300 mA, the operation time of the HDD 3 when reading / writing random access data (the time from the start of the motor to the completion of one access) is, for example, 3 seconds, Assuming that the HDD 3 is accessed once every 15 minutes on average, the average current is a value as shown in the equation (3).

3 sec / (15 * 60) sec * 300 mA = 1.00 mA (3)
Then, assuming that such read / write of the random access data in the HDD 3 occurs during the reproduction of sequential data such as audio data, for example, the average current consumption obtained by the above formulas (1) and (2) Thus, the average current consumption of the above formula (3) is added, and a total average current of 2.2 mA is consumed. That is, since the average current consumption when only reading / writing of sequential data is performed (when reading / writing of random access data is not performed) is 1.2 mA as shown in Equation (2), the average consumption is compared. The amount of increase in current is slightly less than twice, and as a result, the remaining battery level is greatly reduced.

  It is possible to reduce the number of times the HDD 3 is activated by temporarily storing random access data in the buffer memory 4, but in this case, sequential data such as audio and the random access data are stored in the buffer memory 4. As a result, the buffer management in the host CPU 1 becomes complicated, and the control program may become complicated.

  For this reason, in the mobile phone terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the memory area in the buffer memory 4 is previously divided into a buffer memory area for sequential data such as audio and video, and an address record. Data is divided into buffer memory areas for random access data such as data and software programs, and the host CPU 1 controls writing and reading of data to and from these buffer memory areas. Specifically, when the memory capacity of the buffer memory 4 is 32 Mbytes, for example, 30 MBytes are allocated to the buffer memory area for sequential data, and the remaining 2 MBytes are allocated to the buffer area for random access data. The host CPU 1 manages sequential data read / written by the HDD 3 in the buffer memory area for sequential data, and manages random access data read / written by the HDD 3 in the buffer memory area for random access data. To do. Note that the above-described capacity allocation is an example, and for example, the allocated capacity for the buffer memory area for random access data may be varied according to the size of the random access data.

  That is, in the present embodiment, for example, when reading / writing sequential data to / from the HDD 3, as described above, data to be read / written to the HDD 3 is temporarily stored using only the buffer data area for the sequential data. In the meantime, the operation of the HDD 3 is stopped so that the HDD 3 is not always operated, thereby reducing the average current consumption and reducing the decrease in the remaining battery level. Similarly, when reading / writing random access data to / from the HDD 3, the data read / written to / from the HDD 3 is temporarily stored using only the buffer memory area for the random access data, and the operation of the HDD 3 is stopped during that time. By keeping the HDD 3 from operating at all times, the average current consumption is reduced and the decrease in the remaining battery level is reduced.

  According to the present embodiment, as described above, the memory capacity of the buffer memory 4 is divided and assigned for sequential data and random access data, and the sequential data and random access data are temporarily stored in the buffer memory 4 at the same time. Since it is possible to stop the operation of the HDD 3 by accumulating, it is possible to reduce the average current consumption and extend the remaining battery level as much as possible. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the memory area of the buffer memory 4 is clearly divided in advance for the sequential data and the random access data, the sequential data and the random access are in the same memory area of the buffer memory 4. Data is not mixed, so buffer management in the host CPU 1 is facilitated, and the control program is not complicated.

  Here, as shown in the above example, the current consumption when the 32 MByte memory area is divided into 30 Mbyte and 2 MByte will be described. Similarly, as described above, MP3 audio playback is taken as an example, the transfer rate of the audio data is 128 Kbps, and the HDD operation time (ON time) required for reading 30 MB of data from the HDD 3 is 8 seconds. The time during which the audio can be reproduced with only the data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 4 is the time shown in Expression (4).

30MByte / 128Kbit = 1875sec (4)
Also, assuming that the current consumption during operation of the HDD 3 is 300 mA, the HDD 3 operates for 8 seconds within the above 1875 seconds. It becomes a value as shown in.

8sec / 1875sec * 300mA = 1.28mA (5)
That is, the average current consumption in the cases of the equations (4) and (5) only increases by 80 μA compared with the average current consumption obtained by the above equations (1) and (2), and the sequential data It can be said that the decrease in the battery remaining amount due to the buffer memory area for the memory being 30 Mbytes is extremely small.

  Further, in the case of this embodiment, when it is necessary to read / write random access data, the data is temporarily stored in the buffer memory area for the random access data, thereby eliminating unnecessary access to the HDD 3. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

  Here, even when the buffer memory area for random access data is used, for example, when data is first read or written from the HDD 3, the HDD 3 must be activated. In the mode, the random access data is read / written in accordance with the sequential data read / write (for example, immediately after the sequential data read / write), so that the number of times of operating the HDD is reduced, and only the random access data is read. The power consumption of the HDD 3 is suppressed compared to when reading and writing to the HDD. That is, for example, when reading / writing sequential data to / from the HDD 3, even if random access data is not required at that time, the random access data is read from the HDD 3 and read into the buffer memory 4 in accordance with the reading / writing of the sequential data. Try to save. Further, for example, when it is necessary to write random access data, the random access data is not written immediately, and the random access data is written when the sequential data is read / written from / to the HDD 3 thereafter. To. When random access data is read / written in accordance with sequential data read / write, when the random access data is read / written, the HDD 3 motor has already been rotated by the sequential data read / write and the data read / write can be performed. Since it is in a possible state, the read / write time of random access data with a small amount of data is considered to be less than 1 second. Therefore, for example, when 8 seconds are required for reading and writing sequential data, the access to the HDD 3 is completed in about 9 seconds in total. Further, in this case, since data can be read and written without waiting for the motor of the HDD 3 to be activated, the operation response seen from the user is good, and therefore the user can continue to operate lightly.

  In this embodiment, the buffer memory area for random access data is 2 Mbytes, and it can be considered that the buffer capacity of 2 Mbytes is sufficient for random access data. That is, for example, in the case of an address book, the data is mainly character data, and usually the data for one address book should have a capacity of about 200 bytes (200 characters for English, 100 characters for Japanese). Therefore, if there is a buffer capacity of 2 Mbytes, 2 MByte / 200 Bytes = 10,000 pieces of data can be entered, so that it is considered that the capacity is sufficient for normal address book applications. In addition, for example, in the case of map data for navigation, the amount of map data that can be displayed on a QVGA (Quarter Video Graphics Array) -sized display mounted on a current mobile phone terminal usually depends on the fineness of the map. Is less than 50 Kbytes. Therefore, if there is a buffer capacity of 2 MByte, 2 MByte / 50 KByte = 40 map data will be included. It is considered that the range desired to be displayed with such a navigation map can be substantially covered.

  In the above description, the buffer memory area for random access data is assumed to have a sufficient memory capacity of 2 Mbytes. However, for example, the buffer capacity of 2 MBytes cannot be allocated due to a hardware configuration or the like. The size of the random access data is large, and there is a possibility that the buffer capacity is insufficient with 2 MByte.

  In such a case, in this embodiment, for example, a priority is assigned according to each data item or according to the data access frequency, and data having a high priority is preferentially placed in the buffer memory area. That is, for example, in the case of an address book, even if the address data of a large number of people is registered, the address data that is frequently used is not so much, such as a family or a close friend. Predetermined marks (flags and the like) are attached, the priority of the address data with the predetermined marks is raised, and the address data with high priority is placed in the buffer memory area. Alternatively, for each address data, the access frequency is counted every time access is performed, the access frequency is measured, indexed in order of the access frequency, and the access frequency is high, but the priority is increased, and the addresses having the high priority Put data in the buffer memory area. In this way, in most cases, only the random access data on the buffer memory 4 is used, and the frequency of accessing the HDD 3 can be reduced.

  Of course, the prioritization as described above can also be applied to random access data other than address book data. For example, in the map data, if the priority is set high for some map data around the map data at a certain point, when the map data at the certain point is taken out from the HDD 3, the priority is given. Some map data around the point is read from the HDD 3 and stored in the buffer memory area. As a result, when the map data at a certain point is accessed, it is not necessary to start up the HDD 3 and read out the map data independently in order to later retrieve the map data in the vicinity. become. In addition, the prioritization as described above can be performed even when the buffer memory area for random access data is not insufficient.

  The buffer memory 4 in FIG. 1 is a volatile memory such as a RAM, but a non-volatile memory such as a flash ROM can also be used. When a non-volatile memory is used as the buffer memory 4, the data can be retained even when the power is turned off, so that the above functions can be used more conveniently. That is, for example, when the power of the mobile phone terminal is turned off during the reproduction of the audio data, the audio data stored in the buffer data area for sequential data of the nonvolatile buffer memory 4 after the power of the mobile phone terminal is turned on. By using, it becomes possible to continuously reproduce the audio data reproduced before the power is turned off without accessing the HDD 3. Similarly, if address book data is stored in the random access data buffer memory area of the non-volatile buffer memory 4 before the power is turned off, the HDD 3 is accessed after the mobile phone terminal is turned on. It is possible to refer to and edit the address book. When a non-volatile memory is used as the buffer memory 4 in this way, it is desirable to store high priority data for the random access data.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, an example in which the buffer area allocation control as shown in FIG. 2 is performed on the buffer memory 4 provided outside the HDD 3 has been described. As described in the second embodiment, for example, by performing the buffer area allocation control as described with reference to FIG. 2 on the cache memory provided in the HDD 3, the same function as that of the first embodiment is achieved. It can also be realized. When the above-described buffer area allocation control is performed on the internal cache memory of the HDD 3 as in the second embodiment, the buffer area allocation control is not performed on the buffer memory 4 in FIG. May be. Of course, it is also possible to perform buffer area allocation control for both the internal cache memory of the HDD 3 and the buffer memory 4 of FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic internal configuration of the HDD 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the HDD 3 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic disk 10 writes sequential data such as music and video, random access data such as address book data, map data, and software programs. It is a readable recording medium. The magnetic disk 10 is rotated by a motor 25. The magnetic head 20 writes and reads data to and from the magnetic disk 10 rotating at a predetermined rotational speed by the motor 25.

  When data is read from the magnetic disk 10, the signal processing circuit 31 amplifies and shapes the reproduction signal read from the magnetic disk 10 by the magnetic head 20, digital / analog conversion, deinterleaving, Processing such as error correction is performed, and reproduction data obtained by such processing is output to the buffer memory 32. On the other hand, when data is written to the magnetic disk 10, the signal processing circuit 31 performs processing such as addition of an error correction code to the data supplied from the buffer memory 32, interleaving processing, digital / analog conversion, amplification, and the like. The recording signal obtained by these processes is output to the magnetic head 20.

  Data reproduced from the magnetic disk 10 and temporarily stored in the cache memory 32 is transmitted via the HDD interface 33 which is an IDE interface and further via the HDD input / output (I / O) terminal 34 as shown in FIG. Are output to the HDD interface 2. On the other hand, data sent from the HDD interface 2 in FIG. 1 is temporarily stored in the cache memory 32 via the HDD input / output terminal 34 and the HDD interface 33, and then sent to the signal processing circuit 31. become.

  The HDD controller 35 is a control means for controlling each component in the HDD. When writing or reading data, the HDD controller 35 controls mechanical parts such as the motor 25, the magnetic head 20, and a swing arm of the magnetic head 20 (not shown). Control to appropriately operate is performed, and control to appropriately adjust electric circuit portions such as the signal processing circuit 31, the cache memory 32, and the HDD interface 33 is performed.

  The cache memory 32 is a buffer memory built in the HDD 3, and is provided to absorb the difference between transfer rates when the data transfer rate outside the HDD is different from the data transfer rate inside the HDD. The capacity of the cache memory 32 varies depending on the HDD vendor, disk size, and the like. For example, in the case of a so-called 1-inch disk, the capacity is usually several tens of kilobytes to several megabytes. 1 has a capacity of several tens of Mbytes (for example, 32 Mbytes).

  In the present embodiment, the memory area of the cache memory 32 is divided into a buffer memory area for sequential data and a buffer memory area for random access data in advance as shown in FIG. The HDD controller 35 controls writing and reading of data to and from these memory areas. Specifically, when the memory capacity of the cache memory 32 is 32 Mbytes, for example, 30 MBytes are allocated to the buffer memory area for sequential data, the remaining 2 MBytes are allocated to the buffer area for random access data, and the HDD controller 35 manages sequential data on the buffer memory area for the sequential data, and manages random access data on the buffer memory area for the random access data. That is, for example, sequential data is temporarily stored using only the buffer memory area for sequential data in the cache memory 32 when reading / writing from / to the magnetic disk 10. In addition, the operation of the motor 25, the magnetic head 20 and the like during that time is stopped, thereby reducing the average current consumption. Similarly, random access data is temporarily stored using only the buffer memory area for random access data in the cache memory 32 when reading / writing from / to the magnetic disk 10. In addition, the operation of the motor 25, the magnetic head 20 and the like during that time is stopped, thereby reducing the average current consumption. In the case of the second embodiment as well, similarly to the first embodiment, the above-described capacity allocation is an example, and the allocated capacity for the buffer memory area for the random access data according to the size of the random access data. May be variable.

  According to the second embodiment, as described above, the memory capacity of the cache memory 32 is divided and controlled for sequential data and random access data, and the sequential data and random access data are simultaneously transferred to the cache memory 32. Can be temporarily stored and the operation of the motor 25, the magnetic head 20, etc. can be stopped, so that the average current consumption can be reduced and the remaining battery level of the mobile phone terminal in which the HDD 3 is mounted. Can be extended as much as possible. Further, according to the second embodiment, since the memory area of the cache memory 32 is clearly divided in advance for the sequential data and for the random access data, the sequential data is included in the same memory area of the cache memory 32. And random access data are not mixed, so buffer management in the HDD controller 35 is easy, and the control program is not complicated.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment described above, the HDD controller 35 controls all the components including the cache memory 32. However, as in the third embodiment of the present invention, the management function of the cache memory 32 is particularly provided. It is also possible to make the buffer controller 36 provided separately take charge.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic internal configuration of the HDD 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 3, the buffer controller 36 controls the operations of the cache memory 32 and the HDD interface 33. For example, when only the data stored in the cache memory 32 needs to be used, the HDD controller 35 leaves the control of the cache memory 32 and the HDD interface 33 to the buffer controller 36, and other components in the HDD. The operation of the element is completely stopped, and the power supply to each of these other components is stopped.

  Thereby, according to the HDD 3 of the third embodiment, for example, when only the data stored in the cache memory 32 is used, the power consumption is reduced as compared with the HDD 3 of the second embodiment. It becomes possible. In the case of the third embodiment, since the host CPU 1 does not need to control the power supply of the HDD 3, the program of the host CPU 1 becomes simpler, and therefore a problem (for example, a program bug) related to the program, etc. It becomes difficult to come out.

[Summary]
As described above, according to each embodiment of the present invention, power consumption can be reduced compared to the case of directly accessing the random access data on the HDD 3, and the response at the time of accessing the random access data can be improved. In addition, the buffer memory management software can be easily developed without complication.

  The above description of the embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made according to the design or the like as long as the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated.

  For example, the portable information terminal of the present invention is not limited to a portable telephone terminal, and can be applied to various portable information terminals such as a PDA equipped with an HDD.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the buffer memory storage area is divided into the buffer memory area for sequential data and the buffer memory area for random access data has been described. It is also possible to divide the data into a buffer memory area and a plurality of buffer memory areas for random access data, and perform data read / write management for each.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic internal structure of the principal part of the mobile telephone terminal of this invention embodiment. It is a figure used for description of memory capacity allocation control of the buffer memory concerning this invention embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic internal structure of HDD mounted in the mobile telephone terminal of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic internal structure of HDD mounted in the mobile telephone terminal of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1 host CPU, 2 HDD interface outside HDD, 3 HDD, 4 buffer memory, 10 magnetic disk, 20 magnetic head, 25 motor, 31 signal processing circuit, 32 cache memory, 33 HDD interface in HDD, 34 HDD input / output Terminal, 35 HDD controller, 36 buffer controller

Claims (10)

A temporary storage unit that temporarily stores information recorded / reproduced by a recording unit including a disk-shaped recording medium;
The storage area of the temporary storage unit is divided into a first storage area for sequential information and a second storage area for random access information, and random access information recorded / reproduced by the recording means A portable information terminal comprising: a control unit that performs control to always store at least a part in the second storage area. The portable information terminal according to claim 1,
The said control part memorize | stores the random access information according to the priority given beforehand in the said 2nd storage area, The portable information terminal characterized by the above-mentioned. The portable information terminal according to claim 2, wherein
The portable information terminal, wherein the control unit assigns a priority to each random access information based on an access frequency of the random access information. The portable information terminal according to claim 1,
The portable information terminal, wherein the control unit records / reproduces the random access information to / from the recording unit in accordance with recording / reproduction of the sequential information to / from the recording unit. The portable information terminal according to claim 1,
The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs power control for stopping the operation power of the recording unit except when information is recorded / reproduced by the recording unit. The portable information terminal according to claim 1,
The portable information terminal, wherein the control unit variably controls the size of the second storage area. The portable information terminal according to claim 1,
The portable information terminal characterized in that the temporary storage unit is an external buffer memory of the recording unit or a cache memory built in the recording unit. The portable information terminal according to claim 1,
The portable information terminal is characterized in that the temporary storage means is a nonvolatile memory. The portable information terminal according to claim 8, wherein
The portable information terminal, wherein the control unit stores random access information according to a priority assigned in advance in the second storage area of the nonvolatile memory. A storage area of a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing information recorded / reproduced by a recording means having a disk-shaped recording medium is divided into a first storage area for sequential information and a first storage area for random access information. Divided into two storage areas,
A storage area management method for a portable information terminal, wherein at least a part of random access information among the information recorded / reproduced by the recording means is always stored in the second storage area.

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