JP2007265299A - Communication system, and peripheral device used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system capable of autonomously starting a specific communication event by a user's operation on a peripheral device side in spite of the fact that the issuing direction of commands conducting execution of communication events is regulated to one direction from a PC side to the peripheral device side. <P>SOLUTION: The peripheral device generates a peripheral device-side trigger for urging a host device to start a target communication event based on the user's operation, and a host device issues a trigger report request command for monitoring generation of the peripheral device-side trigger in the peripheral device toward the peripheral device according to a main communication protocol. The host device receives trigger generation report information from the peripheral device which has received the command, and starts the target communication event when presence of the peripheral device-side trigger is determined from the content of the trigger generation report information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system in which a peripheral device is connected to a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”), a workstation, or the like as a host device, and a peripheral device used therefor.

JP 2005-18645 A JP 2005-107875 A

  In recent years, a so-called memory card (an example of a recording medium) in which a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory is packaged in a card type is widely known. This memory card is rapidly spreading as a data storage medium used in digital devices such as digital cameras and portable music players. The specifications of the memory card are not unified. For example, compact flash (registered trademark, hereinafter abbreviated as “CF”), smart media (registered trademark, hereinafter abbreviated as “SM”), memory stick (registered trademark, hereinafter referred to as “SM”). Various products such as “MS” and SD memory card (registered trademark, hereinafter abbreviated as “SD”) are on the market.

  By using a memory card reader / writer (an example of a peripheral device, hereinafter abbreviated as “reader / writer”) connected to a PC or the like, the memory card can be accessed from the PC. It becomes possible. As a result, data communication can be performed between the PC and the memory card. Such reader / writers include a single slot type having one slot for inserting a memory card, and a multi-slot type having a plurality of slots and capable of reading / writing data from / to a plurality of memory cards (Patent Documents 1 to 3). 3).

  By the way, the reader / writer as described above has also been generalized to perform data transmission with a PC by serial communication due to the background of the dramatic increase in data transfer capacity due to the spread of multimedia. However, in the control for data access, there are many devices that take over the method used in the arbitration / access control of peripheral devices for parallel communication from the viewpoint of easy handling of a plurality of storage media. As a typical example, a system designed to perform data communication between a PC and a reader / writer based on a protocol defined by a so-called SCSI standard (hereinafter also referred to as a SCSI protocol) can be exemplified. The SCSI standard is a communication protocol standardized by ANSI (American National Standard Institute) and widely internationally compliant. This protocol is widely used because it can enhance the versatility of PCs and reader / writers. In the following description, the SCSI standard mainly indicates SCSI-2.

  In the SCSI protocol, a PC serving as a host device functions as an initiator to which a communication event activation decision right is given, and a peripheral device is defined as a target that is a communication target of the host device. A command for instructing execution of a communication event is sequentially issued from the PC to the peripheral device, while the peripheral device that has received the issued command performs processing corresponding to the command (for example, data read, write, erase, And various incidental processes) are sequentially executed, and response information corresponding to the execution result is returned to the host device side. The issue direction of the command that controls the execution of the communication event is restricted to one direction from the host device side to the peripheral device side.

  As described above, the SCSI communication is bidirectional communication between the PC and the peripheral device. However, as described above, the command issuing direction for executing the communication event is unidirectional from the PC side to the peripheral device side. It is regulated, and the initiative to start communication processing is always held by the PC side that is the initiator. In other words, as long as the SCSI protocol is followed, it is impossible for the peripheral device side to reversely issue a command for starting a communication event to the host device side, and there is a method for spontaneously starting a specific communication event on the peripheral device side. I did not. For example, when data files stored in a memory card attached to a reader / writer are read on the PC side or stored in a storage device on the PC side such as a hard disk drive (HDD), the user must read and write them on the PC side. Processing operations (that is, command execution input) must be performed. For this reason, even if a memory card storing a data file is attached to a reader / writer placed at a location away from the PC, if the data file is to be stored on the PC, the data file must be saved unless it is bothered to the PC position. It was very inconvenient because it could not be operated.

  The problem of the present invention is that, although the issue direction of the command for executing the communication event is restricted to one direction from the PC side to the peripheral device side as described above, the command is issued by a user operation on the peripheral device side. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system capable of spontaneously starting a specific communication event and a peripheral device used for the communication system.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

A communication system according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem includes a host device having a communication event activation decision right and a peripheral device to be communicated with by the host device connected to the host device, Are sequentially issued from the host device to the peripheral device, while the peripheral device receiving the issued command sequentially executes the data processing corresponding to the command, and responds according to the execution result. A communication system having a main communication protocol in which information is sent back to the host device side, and the command issuance direction is regulated in one direction from the host device side to the peripheral device side,
Peripheral device-side trigger generating means provided in the peripheral device for generating a peripheral device-side trigger for prompting the host device to start a target communication event having a predetermined content based on a user operation on the peripheral device side; ,
Issuing a trigger report request command for requesting trigger occurrence report information as response information to the peripheral device according to the main communication protocol in order to monitor the occurrence of the peripheral device trigger in the peripheral device Trigger report request command issuing means,
Trigger occurrence report information return means provided on the peripheral device side, which returns the trigger occurrence report information reflecting the presence or absence of the occurrence of the peripheral device side trigger as response information to the host device according to the main communication protocol,
Report information receiving means provided on the host device side for receiving trigger generation report information from the peripheral device;
And determining whether or not there is a peripheral device side trigger based on the content of the trigger occurrence report information, and when it is determined that the peripheral device side trigger is present, has a target communication event starting means for starting the target communication event It is characterized by.

Further, the peripheral device of the present invention is a peripheral device constituting the communication system of the present invention, and a peripheral device side trigger for prompting the host device to start a target communication event having a predetermined content is provided. Peripheral device side trigger generating means for generating based on user operation on the device side,
Trigger occurrence report information return means provided on the peripheral device side and returning the trigger occurrence report information corresponding to the trigger report request command from the host device as response information to the host device in accordance with the main communication protocol. Features.

  According to the present invention, the peripheral device-side trigger for prompting the host device to start the target communication event is generated based on a user operation, and the host device side monitors the generation of the peripheral device-side trigger in the peripheral device. A trigger report request command is issued to the peripheral device according to the main communication protocol. The host device receives the trigger occurrence report information from the peripheral device that has received this, and activates the target communication event when it is determined from the content of the trigger occurrence report information that there is a peripheral device side trigger. As a result, even though the direction of issuing a command for executing the communication event is restricted to one direction from the host device side to the peripheral device side, a specific communication event is controlled by a user operation on the peripheral device side ( It can be activated spontaneously (on the host device side).

  As the main communication protocol, in the present invention, the SCSI protocol (either SCSI-1, SCSI-2, or SCSI-3: in particular, SCSI-2 that is still used in many OS kernels) is adopted. Can do.

  The trigger report request command issuing means can repeatedly issue the trigger report request command to the peripheral device at a predetermined time interval. By issuing the trigger report request command repeatedly and continuously, the host device can reliably acquire the peripheral device-side trigger no matter what timing it occurs.

  In the present invention, a communication interface (for example, IEEE 1394 to 1394b) compliant with another protocol capable of peer-to-peer communication with a peripheral device is incorporated on the host device side, and the peripheral device is connected to the terminal of the communication interface. It is also possible to connect them. In this hardware configuration, since a command for communication processing can be issued from the peripheral device side to the communication interface (that is, the host device), trigger report request command issuing means (host device side) or trigger occurrence report information return It is possible to shift to a reference technical mode that does not belong to the present invention, omitting the function according to the main communication protocol such as means (peripheral device side). However, this reference technical aspect has a drawback in that it is necessary to incorporate a module for handling another protocol for enabling the peer-to-peer communication in the system on the host device side, and the cost of the communication interface cannot be avoided. Because it is, it is not realistic.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, the peripheral device and the host device can be polled by the peripheral device from the host device side through a serial communication mechanism in which the reverse polling of the host device from the peripheral device side is impossible. Information transfer between the host device and the peripheral device for connecting and executing a communication event can be configured to be executed by serial communication in a format in which the host device polls the peripheral device. In this configuration, since the host device cannot be polled from the peripheral device side (that is, the peripheral device side is not given the right to start communication), the effect of the present invention is more effectively exhibited. In addition, the communication interface on the host device side for directly connecting the peripheral devices is greatly simplified, and the system configuration can be reduced in weight and cost. An example of such a serial communication standard is USB (Universal Serial Bus). Further, in this specification, a peripheral device that adopts the SCSI protocol as a main communication protocol and is connected to the host device by a serial communication bus according to the USB protocol is also referred to as a USB / SCSI type peripheral device.

  When USB is adopted, the peripheral device can be configured more specifically as follows. That is, a command analysis step for receiving a command from the host device and analyzing the command content, a data processing step for executing data processing reflecting the analysis content of the command, and response information indicating the result of the data processing are sent to the host device. A response information return step for replying is executed in this order, and an access control device for controlling communication processing on the peripheral device side, and mutual transfer of the command and response information is performed by the host device with a plurality of access control devices. And a serial communication unit that executes serial communication in a polling format. The access control device includes a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives command and response information to / from the serial communication unit, and a control execution entity that interprets the command and performs data processing according to the content. The transmission / reception unit and the serial communication unit can be integrated in a dedicated IC. In this configuration, commands or response information according to a main communication protocol such as SCSI can be exchanged without problems via a bus for serial communication according to the USB protocol.

  More specifically, the serial communication unit on the peripheral device side performs the communication processing of the command and response information between the communication bus connection terminal for connecting the serial communication bus from the host device and the serial communication bus and the transmission / reception unit. A communication control unit that executes communication protocol unit connected to the communication bus connection terminal, and the protocol engine unit via a bidirectional endpoint for control including a FIFO memory. A control command unit that is connected and controls the transfer communication process can be provided. The transmission / reception unit has an input / output path to the protocol engine unit via an input endpoint to the protocol engine unit including a FIFO memory and an output endpoint from the protocol engine unit including a FIFO memory. Can be connected separately. In addition, the communication control unit receives from the host device side the identification information of the transmission / reception unit to be accessed and the identification information of the endpoint corresponding to the transmission / reception unit, and polls each transmission / reception unit as a target device. It can be configured to be. Endpoints serving as transmission / reception data buffers are provided independently on the transmission side and the reception side, and the data transfer direction can be easily specified depending on which endpoint is designated at the time of polling.

  Next, in the peripheral device of the present invention, at least a storage medium capable of data access relating to data reading is built in or detachably mounted, and data access is performed on the storage medium by a communication event. It can be configured as a storage device. In this case, the target communication event can be defined as including an information reading and transmitting process in which a data file stored in the storage medium is read by the peripheral device and transmitted to the host device. As a result, when a storage medium storing a data file is attached to a peripheral device located away from the host device, the data file can be transmitted to the host device by a user operation on the peripheral device side. Even when connected remotely from the host device, the data file transmission can be performed by remote operation from the peripheral device side.

  In this case, the host device side stores data file received from the peripheral device at the target communication event in a predetermined storage area on the host device side storage device provided on the host device side. Can be provided. Thereby, transmission and storage processing of the data file of the storage medium to the host device side can be executed by a user operation on the peripheral device side, and even if the peripheral device is connected away from the host device, the data file The storage process can be performed by remote control from the peripheral device side.

  In addition, when the storage medium is capable of data access related to reading, writing, and deletion of data, the host device side supports data file storage in the storage area by the data file storage means. Thus, it is possible to provide file move control means for starting a file move event that causes the peripheral device to delete the data file of the transmission source on the storage medium. As a result, the data file can be moved (moved) by remote operation from the peripheral device side.

  On the host device side, storage environment setting means for setting a storage environment for storing data files can be provided. Thereby, the storage environment of the data file can be set on the host device side, and the storage process performed by remote operation from the peripheral device side can be executed in the environment (or conditions) desired by the user. Specifically, the storage environment setting means can be configured as having storage area setting changing means for setting / changing the storage area of the data file. Accordingly, the data file in the storage medium can be stored in a desired storage area in the storage device on the host device side by remote operation from the peripheral device side.

  In the above-described configuration that enables data file movement (move) processing, the storage environment setting means is permitted to start a file move mode in which a file move event is prohibited by the file move control means, and to start a file move event. File storage mode switching means for switching between the file move mode and the file move mode. Thereby, the storage mode of the data file in the storage medium can be switched between copy and move by remote operation from the peripheral device side. Note that when a file with copy restrictions is detected, the move mode may be automatically selected.

  The peripheral device side trigger generating means can be configured to have a manual operation unit provided in the peripheral device and an operation signal generating unit for generating an operation signal by the manual operation unit as a peripheral device side trigger. By operating the manual operation unit provided in the peripheral device, communication events that could only be started from the host device side by the intervention of the main communication protocol (for example, reading and saving of the above-mentioned data file) It can be started easily by remote control from.

  On the other hand, if the peripheral device is configured as a storage device that is detachably mounted with a storage medium that enables data access related to data reading, and is configured to perform data access to the storage medium by a communication event, The apparatus-side trigger generation means is configured to include storage medium attachment detection signal generation means for detecting the transition of the storage device from the non-attached state to the attached state of the storage medium and generating the detection signal as a peripheral device-side trigger. can do. In this way, a communication event (for example, reading or saving of the data file described above) that can only be started from the host device side due to the intervention of the main communication protocol is automatically performed as the storage medium is attached to the peripheral device. It will be possible to start.

  Next, the trigger report request command may be a survey request command for requesting the peripheral device to perform a survey report process on the peripheral device itself. The host apparatus has a predetermined frame format indicating the contents of the investigation report instruction, and the investigation instruction in which the generation report instruction of the peripheral device side trigger is written in a predetermined field of the frame when the investigation request command is issued It can be configured as having survey instruction data creating means for creating data and survey instruction data transmitting means for transmitting the created survey instruction data to the peripheral device. In addition, the peripheral device receives the survey instruction data and generates survey report data generating means for generating survey report data having a predetermined frame format, and trigger occurrence report information in a predetermined field of the survey report data Trigger occurrence report information writing means for writing, and investigation report data transmitting means for transmitting the investigation report data in which the trigger occurrence report information is written to the host device as response information.

  When configured as described above, the host apparatus side voluntarily issues a survey request command to the peripheral device, and, following the issuance of the survey request command, survey instruction data having a predetermined frame format is predetermined. In this field, a peripheral device side trigger generation report instruction is written and sent to the peripheral device. The peripheral device receives the survey instruction data, generates survey report data having a predetermined frame format, and writes trigger occurrence report information in a predetermined field of the survey report data Send it back to the device. As a result, in the investigation report process in which various report items are defined, the peripheral device side trigger generation report instruction can be accurately transmitted to the peripheral device side, and the peripheral device side trigger on the peripheral device side is investigated. The trigger occurrence report information in the report data can be reliably grasped.

  The investigation instruction data creation means uses the occurrence report instruction information as the main storage information in the field defined in the main communication protocol so that information other than the occurrence report instruction information is stored as the main storage information to be stored in the investigation instruction data. It can be written in the form of When the main communication protocol conforms to an off-the-shelf communication standard such as the SCSI protocol, a dedicated field for (trigger) occurrence report instruction information, which is a technical concept generated for the first time in the present invention, is newly added in the frame of the investigation instruction data. There may be no room for setting. At this time, as described above, the occurrence report instruction information (including additional information) is written in the field prepared for the main storage information that is completely different from the original occurrence report instruction information in a form that is also used as the main storage information. By doing so, even when there is no room for providing a dedicated field as described above, the occurrence report instruction information can be written without any problem.

  For example, the peripheral device is configured as a storage device in which a storage medium capable of at least data access relating to data reading is incorporated or detachably mounted, and data access to the storage medium is performed by a communication event When performing a communication event related to reading or writing of data with respect to the storage medium in accordance with the main communication protocol in the survey instruction data, the allocation length of the memory area on the storage medium assigned to the reading process or the writing process Can be secured as an allocation length setting field. In this case, the occurrence report instruction information that is also used as the allocation length information can be written in the allocation length setting field, with the allocation length information as the main storage information. In this way, it is possible to transmit specific additional information not defined in the main communication protocol to the peripheral device side in a form that is also used as allocation length information, and the peripheral device side trigger generation report instruction information is transmitted to the peripheral device. Can be sent to the other side without problems

  In the main communication protocol, when the size of the allocation length setting field is set to a certain bit length, the following clever method exists to form a free area in which the additional information is written in the allocation length setting field. That is, the number of bits when the maximum value that can be set as the allocation length is expressed in bytes is set to be less than the total number of bits in the allocation length setting field. If an allocation length exceeding the maximum value is described in the allocation length setting field, the maximum value is determined as the actual setting value of the allocation length regardless of the described allocation length value. Then, different additional information contents including the occurrence report instruction information can be defined in a manner that uniquely associates with the redundant allocation length description value exceeding the maximum value. For example, when a CDB of an inquiry command (to be described later) in the SCSI protocol is used as the survey instruction data, this CDB consists only of fields allocated for SCSI protocol control, and there is no room for the user to write new data. Looks like not. However, by setting the maximum value that can be set as the allocation length as described above in the allocation length setting field that is originally the main storage information of the SCSI protocol, the maximum value is set to be less than the total number of bits of the allocation length setting field. It is possible to give a meaning as additional information including occurrence report instruction information to the setting description value of the redundant allocation length exceeding.

  Next, in the case of the SCSI protocol or the like, there are cases where some types of investigation request commands are prepared. In this case, what type of investigation request command is used as a trigger report request command may be a problem. For example, the peripheral device is configured as a storage device in which a storage medium capable of data access for both reading and writing of data is detachably mounted and data access to the storage medium is performed by a communication event. When the storage medium is replaced, the peripheral device includes a replacement notification information holding unit that holds replacement notification information for notifying the host device of the replacement of the storage medium, When the first type command is received, the exchange notification information held in the exchange notification information holding unit is cleared after the execution of the command, and when the second type command other than the first type command is received, In some cases, after the execution of the command, there is provided an exchange notification information holding control means for holding the exchange notification information holding state by the exchange notification information holding means. That. In this case, the use of the second type command is strongly recommended as the investigation request command used as the trigger report request command. This is because when the first type command is used for such a purpose, the exchange notification information is cleared at the end of the process, even though it is a trigger report request event that does not particularly require the exchange notification information. The system component (for example, a file system) that originally needs the exchange notification information on the side may not be able to obtain it, which may lead to troubles such as the storage contents of the storage medium being destroyed. It is.

  As the investigation request command, for example, a configuration / attribute investigation request command for instructing a peripheral device to report configuration / attribute identification information that is information for identifying the configuration and attributes of the peripheral device itself can be employed. Such a communication event related to specifying the configuration and attributes of the peripheral device itself indicates, for example, what type of peripheral device (device: target in the case of SCSI) is connected on the main communication protocol. In many cases, this is used for the purpose of executing recognition at the time of start-up. In the present invention, this is repeated at a predetermined timing even after device start-up for monitoring the generation of a peripheral device-side trigger in the peripheral device. Issue. The communication event defined by the configuration / attribute investigation request command is originally intended only to recognize the so-called “feature” of the peripheral device (which remains unchanged when the device is in use). When the storage medium is exchanged before and after the occurrence, it should not be unnecessarily affected in the exchange notification information holding state or the like, so it is desirable to prepare it as the second type command. By using this for monitoring the generation of the peripheral device side trigger, no matter how many times the command is repeatedly issued, the holding state of the exchange notification information is not affected, and the above-mentioned trouble can be prevented.

  When the main communication protocol is the SCSI protocol, it is desirable to use an inquiry command as the above-mentioned investigation request command. In this case, the investigation instruction data sent from the host device (initiator) to the peripheral device (target) describes the detailed contents of the inquiry command, CDB (Command Descriptor Block: command description block, and the frame format for each command conforms to the SCSI protocol. The investigation report data returned from the peripheral device (target) to the host device (initiator) is inquiry data (the frame format is defined in detail by the SCSI protocol). Table 1 shows a CDB format corresponding to the inquiry command.

  In the SCSI protocol, the type of inquiry data returned from the peripheral device (target) can be specified on the host device (initiator) side. Specifically, a field called EVPD (Enable Vital Product Data) (1 bit) and a field called page code (8 bits) are formed in the CDB corresponding to the inquiry command. As shown in Table 2, for a CDB in which “0” is described in the EVPD field (hereinafter abbreviated as CDB (0)), the inquiry data is related to the peripheral device specifications as shown in Table 3. Instead, standard inquiry data (hereinafter abbreviated as S / I data) whose format and contents are defined in common is returned. Of the S / I data, a free area that is not directly used for communication control by the SCSI protocol can be used as a description field of response information unique to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as unique response information) such as trigger generation report information.

  For example, in the S / I data, a fixed-length field (hereinafter referred to as a vendor-specific area) for describing information specific to a device vendor is provided. If there is a free area in this field, It can be used as a description field for response information unique to the present invention. Although the number of bits is very small, the following free space can also be used as a description field for response information unique to the present invention. In other words, the additional data length field (data length after byte 5 of S / I data) set to 8 bits may have a maximum data length of less than 8 bits due to the upper limit of the data frame length in S / I data. is there. In this case, when a data length exceeding the maximum data length is specified in the additional data length field, the maximum data length is specified regardless of the description content of the additional data length field. As a result, a range of bit values exceeding the maximum data length can be utilized as a “free area” for describing the specific response information substantially.

  On the other hand, as shown in Table 4, a CDB in which “1” is described in the EVPD field (hereinafter abbreviated as CDB (1)) provides detailed or device-specific information to the host device (initiator). As shown in Table 5, special inquiry data called VPD (Vital Product Data) is returned.

The VPD are defined several types, or to specify the VPD of which type to describe (specifically page code field of the CDB, pages Listing (Page _Code: 00 h), FRU ASCII information (page _code: 01 h _~7F h), the unit serial number (page code: ₈₀ h), the operation mode definition (page _code: 81 h), ASCII operation mode definition (page code: ₈₂ h), and vendor-specific format (page _code: C0 h _~FF h)). The peripheral device creates a VDP of the type specified in the page code field and returns it to the host device. In particular, in the VPD in the FRU ASCII information format and the ASCII operation mode definition format, a data length field in which necessary ASCII information is written and an ASCII information field specified by the data length are formed following the page length field. However, the following fields can be used as a “free area” for describing unique response information as a vendor specific area. For example, in the ASCII operation mode definition format VPD, if the ASCII information field is defined as a field having a small number of bytes (for example, 1 to 3 bytes) for describing the version information of the device, the remaining vendor-specific area It is possible to ensure a relatively large field length, and to write specific response information that is somewhat large in size.

  In the SCSI protocol, a change in an event or a state on a target (peripheral device) or one or a plurality of logical units included therein (or one or a plurality of storage medium mounting slots when the peripheral device is a storage device). However, when the operation occurs asynchronously with the operation of the host device (initiator), a function is provided for generating a unit attention condition for notifying the initiator. When the storage medium is exchanged in the peripheral device, the exchange notification information is reflected in the generated unit attention condition. In the SCSI protocol, when an inquiry command is issued to a peripheral device that has such a unit attention condition pending, the peripheral device does not clear the pending unit attention condition (however, Copy The issued Inquiry command is executed (created / returned Inquiry data) only when the Aborted (CA) state is generated. Therefore, when the response request event of the specific response information such as the trigger occurrence report information is activated, even if the storage medium is exchanged by using the inquiry command, the unit attention including the exchange notification information is used. Conditions are maintained and loss of exchange notification information can be prevented. It is clear that the inquiry command corresponds to the above-described second type command.

  In the SCSI protocol, another investigation request command called a Request Sense command can also be used. The Request Sense command is a command for requesting sense data for reporting, for example, an error cause and type to a peripheral device (target), and the sense data is described and returned as a survey report data in a frame of a prescribed format. In the present invention, it is also possible in principle to write specific response information such as trigger occurrence report information using the empty space of the sense data and return it to the host device. However, in the SCSI protocol, in the SCSI protocol, when a Request Sense command is issued to a peripheral device that is holding a unit attention condition, the peripheral device is configured to clear the pending unit attention condition. (However, only before the creation of the Copy Aborted (CA) state) When a storage medium is replaced, the unit attention condition including the replacement notification information is cleared and the replacement notification information is lost. There is a fear. That is, the Request Sense command corresponds to the first type command described above.

(Embodiment 1)
The communication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-reader / writer 2 (storage device: an example of a peripheral device) applied to the communication system 1, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the multi-reader / writer 2, and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of PC3 (an example of a host apparatus) performed. Note that the configuration of the communication system 1 described below is merely an example for embodying the present invention, and it is natural that the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the multi-reader / writer 2 includes a first slot 16 for inserting a first memory card 11 (for example, CF) as a removable storage medium on the front surface thereof, and a second memory card. A second slot 17 for inserting 12 (for example, SM), a third slot 18 for inserting a third memory card 13 (for example, MS), and a fourth memory card 14 (for example, SD). And a fourth slot 19. In the present embodiment, the multi-reader / writer 2 is described as an example of the peripheral device, but the present invention can also be applied to a single slot type reader / writer. Also, when a disk recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM or a removable hard disk is used instead of a memory card such as CF or SM, an insertion section is provided that allows the disk recording medium to be detachably inserted. This is a so-called changer-type drive peripheral device. The present invention is also applicable to a communication system configured with the peripheral device.

  The multi-reader / writer 2 is configured as a USB / SCSI type peripheral device, and a USB terminal 24 for connecting a USB cable 25 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the back of the multi-reader / writer 2 as shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. Yes. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the SCSI-2 protocol is adopted as the main communication protocol. As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-reader / writer 2 includes therein a CPU 27 that controls each component, a ROM 28 that stores a control program, various data, and the like, and a RAM 29 that is a work area for operations by the CPU 27. An input / output control LSI 31 and a USB chip 32 are provided, and these are connected via a bus 33 so that data can be transferred to each other. The multi-reader / writer 2 performs data communication according to the SCSI protocol with the PC 3 to which the multi-reader / writer 2 is connected.

  Specifically, the ROM 28 stores a communication control program created based on the SCSI protocol and a table list of analysis data used for analyzing data (CDB) transmitted from the PC 3. In order for the reader / writer 2 to function as a target of a SCSI compatible device, a communication event execution control process corresponding to the received SCSI command is performed. The first to fourth memory cards 11 to 14 that are detachably mounted in the slots 16 to 19 are, for example, compact flash (CF: registered trademark), smart media (SM: registered trademark), memory stick (MS). : Registered trademark), SD memory card (SD: registered trademark), etc., are card-type storage media equipped with a flash memory capable of data access such as data writing, rewriting, erasing, reading, and media loading confirmation by a PC. As the storage device, a drive device that reads data from a read-only storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a removable hard disk may be used.

  In accordance with the SCSI protocol, the PC 3 is given the right to determine a communication event as a host device, and the multi-reader / writer 2 connected to the PC 3 (host device: initiator) becomes a communication target (target) of the PC 3 (host device). . SCSI commands for instructing execution of communication events are sequentially issued from the PC 3 (host device) to the multi-reader / writer 2 (peripheral device), while the multi-reader / writer 2 (peripheral device) that has received the issued command. ) Sequentially executes data processing corresponding to the SCSI command, and returns response information corresponding to the execution result to the host device side. Further, the issuing direction of the SCSI command is restricted to one direction from the PC 3 (host device) side to the multi-reader / writer 2 (peripheral device) side.

  Next, the multi-reader / writer 2 generates a peripheral device-side trigger for prompting the host device to start a target communication event having a predetermined content based on a user operation on the peripheral device side. A function of trigger generation means is provided. Specifically, a button 22 is provided as a manual operation unit constituting the peripheral device side trigger generating means. By pressing the button 22, the level of the switch output signal changes as shown in FIG. 1C (in this embodiment, the H level corresponds to the switch pressing state). This switch output signal can be used as a peripheral device side trigger signal. In this case, as the trigger signal on the peripheral device side, a level change edge of the switch output signal accompanying the pressing of the button 22 may be detected, or a signal level (here, H level) corresponding to the switch pressing state is detected. May be. The peripheral device side trigger signal is input to the input control LSI 30 in FIG. 1A.

  For example, when a level change edge is used, a trigger detection data signal generation circuit that detects a level change edge and outputs a trigger detection data signal on the data bus is provided in the input control LSI 30. On the other hand, when the signal level corresponding to the switch pressing state is used, a latch circuit for holding the signal level is provided, and the latch holding output is output on the data bus as a trigger detection data signal. The trigger detection data signal on the data bus is referred to when an inquiry command (to be described later) is executed. If the trigger detection data indicates a “triggered” state, it is written to the created inquiry data with the contents of “triggered”. That is, detection of whether or not the button 22 (manual operation unit) is operated is performed according to an instruction from the PC 3. Note that the trigger detection data signal is reset after the inquiry data is created. In addition, the switch corresponding to the button 22 and the signal power source Vcc constitute an operation signal generation unit that generates a peripheral device side trigger.

  Next, the USB chip 32 has command / data / status transmission / reception units (hereinafter simply referred to as “transmission / reception units”; transfer element transmission / reception units) 41 to 41 provided corresponding to the external memory input / output control units 51 to 54. 44, a USB protocol engine (protocol engine unit) 321 connected to the USB terminal (communication bus connection terminal) 24 via a USB hub circuit 315, and a USB control unit (control command unit) that controls the transfer communication processing. 331 are integrated.

  Here, a portion composed of a USB protocol engine (protocol engine unit) 321 and a USB control unit (control command unit) 331 corresponds to the communication control unit, and this communication control unit and a USB terminal (communication bus) The portion composed of the connection terminal 24 corresponds to the serial communication unit.

  The USB control unit 331 is connected to the USB protocol engine 321 via a bidirectional endpoint for control including a FIFO memory. Further, each of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 sends an input endpoint to the USB protocol engine 321 composed of a FIFO memory and an output endpoint from the USB protocol engine 321 composed of a FIFO memory to the USB protocol engine 321. The input / output paths are connected in a separated manner.

  The communication control unit composed of the USB protocol engine 321 and the USB control unit 331 respectively specifies the specific information of the target transmission / reception units 341 to 344 and the endpoints corresponding to the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 from the PC side. By receiving the specific information and polling each of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 as a target device, the external memory input / output control units 51 to 54 serving as data access destinations and the direction of data transmission / reception are specified. As a matter of course, reverse polling of the PC 3 as the host device from the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 serving as the target device is not permitted in the USB protocol.

  The transmission / reception units (transfer element transmission / reception units) 41 to 44 perform transmission / reception with the USB protocol engine 321 according to the SCSI protocol. Here, the transfer element is a command (SCSI command) for specifying the contents of a communication event exchanged with the PC via the USB bus, and is returned from the peripheral device side corresponding to the execution of the communication event process. If the processing content specified in the SCSI command is data access processing related to transmission / reception of data stored in the memory card, the data is also a transfer element.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 have a control register 81 (see FIG. 4), a status register 82 (see FIG. 5), a SCSI command buffer 83, a SCSI status buffer 84, and a SCSI data DMA address register 85. And a SCSI data DMA count register 86. Details of these will be described later.

  The CPU 27 analyzes a command analysis step for analyzing the SCSI command received by the target transmission / reception units 341 to 344 and the communication event having the content specified by the SCSI command into the target external memory input / output control units 51 to 54 ( That is, when the reader / writer 2 is targeted, an event execution step performed with a plurality of logical units included in the reader / writer 2 and a status transmission step for transmitting the status to the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 in this order. Execute.

  In the multi-reader / writer 2, when reading / writing data from / to the inserted memory card, a memory area used for reading data from the memory card or a memory area used for storing data in the memory card Is assigned. The data length of the allocated memory area is called an allocation length. In general, the allocation length is set to a specified data length from the PC 3 that accesses the multi-reader / writer 2, but in this embodiment, the maximum value of the allocation length that can be set by the multi-reader / writer 2 is from the PC 3 side. It is set to less than the maximum value that can be specified.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the PC 3 includes a CPU 41 that controls each component, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, an HDD 44 that stores various software programs and data, a video control LSI 45, a USB chip 46, and a video terminal 47. And a USB terminal 48 having a plurality of input / output ports, which are connected to each other via the bus 100 so that data can be transferred to each other. These parts are integrated into a main control board called a so-called mother board. A display 56 is connected to the video terminal 47 via a video cable. The USB terminal 48 has a USB hub function. Input means such as a keyboard 57 and a mouse 58 are connected to the USB terminal 48, and the multi-reader / writer 2 is further connected.

  The ROM 42 stores instruction data that is transmitted to the multi-reader / writer 2 and causes the CPU 27 of the multi-reader / writer 2 to execute predetermined processing. The instruction data is stored in the HDD 44 or the ROM 42 in the form of a table list. In addition, in the program storage area of the HDD 44, it is possible to write and read data to / from the Windows 3 (registered trademark) SP3 (hereinafter referred to as “WIN2000”), which is an operation system of the PC 3, and the multi-reader / writer 2. A software program such as an R / W application is stored. These software programs are read by the CPU 41 and subjected to predetermined calculation processing, whereby each application can operate on the PC 3. The program storage area stores a data communication program according to the SCSI protocol with the multi reader / writer 2. In this embodiment, the PC 3 on which WIN2000 is installed will be described as an example. However, an OS such as Linux series or MacOS series may be installed. Of course, SP3 of Windows 2000 can be replaced with SP4 or Windows XP (registered trademark).

The R / W application, the data communication program on the PC 3 side, and the control program on the reader / writer 2 side cooperate with each other to perform processing for functionally realizing the following means.
Trigger report request command issuing means: Peripheral device side that is realized by the R / W application on the PC 3 (host device) side and that occurs when the button (manual operation unit) 3 is operated in the reader / writer 2 (peripheral device) In order to monitor the trigger, according to the SCSI protocol (main communication protocol), a trigger report request command for requesting trigger generation report information as response information is an inquiry command, specifically, the above-mentioned CDB (1) is used. It is issued to the reader / writer 2 (peripheral device) as an inquiry command (hereinafter referred to as an Inq (1) command).
Trigger occurrence report information return means: The function is realized by the control program (in the ROM 28) on the reader / writer 2 side, and the trigger occurrence report information reflecting the presence or absence of the trigger on the peripheral device side is sent to the PC 3 (host device) as response information to the SCSI. Reply according to protocol.

Report information receiving means: The function is realized by the R / W application, and trigger generation report information is received from the reader / writer 2.
Target communication event activation means: When the function is realized by the R / W application, the presence or absence of the peripheral device side trigger is determined based on the content of the received trigger occurrence report information, and it is determined that the peripheral device side trigger exists The target communication event, specifically, the communication event for reading the data file stored in the memory card 11 to 14 loaded with the reader / writer 2 and storing it in the designated folder of the HDD 44 (FIG. 6) of the PC 3 Start.

  First, an outline of data communication performed between the PC 3 and the reader / writer 2 connected via USB to the PC 3 via the USB-I / F 78 will be described with reference to FIG. The OS 70 includes a GUI (Graphical User Interface) 71, a file system 72, and an OS kernel 73, and the basic system is configured. The GUI 71 is a user interface that realizes a user input operation using a computer graphics and a pointing device such as a mouse, and the file system 72 is a method of managing data using files and folders in the computer and its management system. It is. The OS kernel 73 is software that implements basic functions such as monitoring applications and peripheral devices. The PC 3 is preinstalled with driver software 74 so that the reader / writer 2 can be accessed. The driver software 74 is installed in the OS kernel 73 in a modular state.

  For example, it is assumed that an explorer 75 and an R / W application 76, which are examples of applications for accessing the reader / writer 2, are activated on the PC 3. As is well known, the explorer 75 is for managing files and folders. The explorer 75 is created in conformity with the OS 70 system and is generally recognized as a function of the OS 70. Therefore, the explorer 75 communicates with the reader / writer 2 via the file system 72. On the other hand, the R / W application 76 is unique application software developed by the manufacturer of the reader / writer 2, for example, and performs a process of writing data to a recording medium inserted in the reader / writer 2 or a process of reading data. Is. Generally, the R / W application 76 is created without conforming to the OS 70 because the specification of the file system 72 is not disclosed.

  First, a case where the reader / writer 2 is accessed from the explorer 75 will be described. When the OS 70 is activated and the explorer 75 is activated, the explorer 75 issues an inquiry command to the OS kernel 73 via the file system 72. Note that all SCSI commands including the inquiry command are issued to the SCSI command processing entrance 79 virtually provided in the OS kernel 73. When the inquiry command is issued, the corresponding CDB (here, CDB (0); Table 2) is transmitted to the reader / writer 2, and the reader / writer 2 receives the model, device name, SCSI-ID, Inquiry data (in this case, S / I data (Table 3)) including configuration information such as the presence / absence of a LUN and the type of memory card is created and returned to the PC 3. Thereby, the reader / writer 2 is recognized.

  When the reader / writer 2 is recognized, a drive icon of the reader / writer 2 is generated on the explorer 75 by the GUI 71. When a data read instruction is input, for example, when the user accesses the drive icon using a mouse or the like, the explorer 75 works on the file system 72 to read the OS kernel 73 with a Read command (SCSI command). Issue an example). On the other hand, similarly, when a write instruction is input, a write command (an example of a SCSI command) is issued to the OS kernel 73. These command data are transferred to the reader / writer 2 via an I / F such as a USB, and reading or writing according to the command is executed on the reader / writer 2 side. The Inquiry command is also issued when the reader / writer 2 is connected to the PC 3 or when the power of the PC 3 is reset while the reader / writer 2 is connected.

  Next, a case where the reader / writer 2 is accessed from the R / W application 76 will be described. When the R / W application 76 is activated, a request to release the data bus only to the R / W application is issued to the OS kernel 73. In response to this request, the OS kernel 73 makes the R / W application 76 occupy the data bus. In other words, the SCSI command issued from the file 72 to the SCSI command processing entrance 79 is not accepted by the SCSI command processing entrance 79. Therefore, the file system 72 cannot access the reader / writer 2 while the R / W application 76 is activated. When the R / W application 76 is activated, an input screen (user interface screen) programmed by the R / W application 76 is displayed on the display by the GUI 71. Also, the driver software 74 issues an inquiry command to the OS kernel 73, and returns the inquiry data (in this case, S / I data in Table 3) as response information. Configuration information is acquired. Thereby, the reader / writer 2 is recognized. Thereafter, reading or writing of data is executed on the reader / writer 2 side in accordance with a Read command or a Write command issued to the OS kernel 73 by the driver software 74.

  The reader / writer 2 is recognized as follows. That is, first, CDB (0) (Table 2) generated when an inquiry command is issued to the OS kernel 73 is transmitted to the reader / writer 2. The reader / writer 2 that has received the CDB (0) refers to various information included in the CDB (0), generates configuration information according to the information, and generates S / I data including the configuration information ( Return Table 3) to the PC. The reader / writer 2 is recognized based on the returned S / I data.

  When a memory card is exchanged (that is, an event or a state is changed) on any slot (or external memory input / output control unit: logical unit) on the reader / writer 2 (target: peripheral device), A unit attention condition for notifying the PC 3 (initiator) is generated. The file system of the PC 3 recognizes the replacement of the memory card with reference to the unit attention condition, and updates file information such as FAT (file allocation table). When an inquiry command is issued to a logical unit that holds such a unit attention condition, the logical unit executes the inquiry command without clearing the pending unit attention condition. That is, even when the inquiry command is executed, the replacement notification information of the memory card reflected in the unit attention condition is not erased and is retained. Access can be performed without problems.

  Next, a more specific operation of the reader / writer 2 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In the following description, only processing for one slot is performed. For a plurality of slots, the processing is performed in parallel by interrupt processing. When the CPU 27 is turned on by the power (bus power) supplied from the PC via the USB cable (T1), the CPU 27 enters a state of permitting an interrupt from the USB chip 32 (T2). The USB chip 32 distributes commands transmitted on the USB bus from the PC side to the target transmission / reception units 341 to 344 by the operations of the USB protocol engine 321 and the USB control unit 331. Note that no response indicating that a command has been received is returned yet.

  When receiving the command, the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 set the “command reception completion” bit of the status register 82 to 1 and interrupt the CPU 27. In this case, the CPU 27 can grasp what the interrupt is for by referring to the status register 82. The received command is stored in the SCSI command buffer 83.

  When there is an interrupt (T3: YES), the CPU 27 interprets the command received by the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 (T5). That is, when the CPU 27 refers to the status register 82 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 and knows that the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 have received the command, the CPU 27 acquires the command from the SCSI command buffer 83 and interprets it. Thereby, the CPU 27 grasps the presence / absence, transmission direction, and size of the SCSI data.

  When the CPU 27 recognizes that there is no SCSI data by interpreting the command (for example, in the case of an inquiry command or a test unit ready command), and the CPU 27 recognizes that the transmission direction of the SCSI data is device → PC (transmission) (for example, In the case of a Read command) (T6: YES), 1 is written in the “command acceptance complete” bit and “status register clear” bit of the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 (T7).

  The transmission / reception units 341 to 344 return a response indicating that the command has been received to the PC when 1 is written in the “command reception completion” bit in T7. Here, when the response is received, the PC side receives the SCSI status when there is no SCSI data, and when the SCSI data transmission direction is device → PC, the next is reception of SCSI data. Transition to a device waiting state.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 27 recognizes that the SCSI data transmission direction is PC → device (reception) by interpreting the command (for example, in the case of the Write command) (T6: NO), the CPU 27 receives the SCSI data from the PC. Prepare to receive (T8). Specifically, an area necessary for reception is secured on the RAM 29, the head address is written in the SCSI data DMA address register 85, and the number of received bytes is written in the SCSI data DMA count register 86. Thereafter, 1 is written in the “command acceptance complete” bit and “status register clear” bit of the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 (T9).

  The transmission / reception units 341 to 344 return a response indicating that the command has been received to the PC when 1 is written in the “command reception completion” bit in T9. Here, when receiving the response, the PC side recognizes that the device side is ready to receive the SCSI data by interpreting the command, and starts transmission of the SCSI data.

  Then, when the SCSI data DMA count register 86 becomes 0, the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 set the “data reception completion” bit of the status register 82 to 1 and interrupt the CPU 27.

  When there is an interrupt (T10: YES), the CPU 27 writes 1 to the “data reception completion” bit and “status register clear” bit of the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 to complete the reception of the SCSI data ( T11: YES). Here, the PC 3 side is notified that the SCSI data has arrived at the device, and the next is the reception of the SCSI status.

  After T7 and T11 (YES), the CPU 27 executes the command (T12). For example, if it is a Test Unit Ready command, it is determined whether or not the first to fourth memory cards 11 to 14 are inserted. For example, in the case of a Read command, data is read from the first to fourth memory cards 11 to 14. For example, in the case of the Write command, since data to be written is received from the PC at this time (the above-described T8 to T11), it is written to the first to fourth memory cards 11 to 14.

  Next, when the SCSI data transmission direction is device → PC (transmission) (for example, in the case of a Read command) (T13: YES), the CPU 27 prepares to transmit the read data to the PC (T14). ). More specifically, the read data is stored on the RAM 29 while securing the area necessary for transmission, the head address is written in the SCSI data DMA address register 85, and the number of received bytes is stored in the SCSI data DMA count register 86. Write. Then, 1 is written in the “data transmission start” bit of the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344.

  The transmission / reception units 341 to 344 start transfer of SCSI data to the PC when 1 is written in the “data transmission start” bit in T14. Then, when the transfer of the SCSI data is completed, the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 set the “data transmission completion” bit of the status register 82 to 1 and interrupt the CPU 27.

  When there is an interrupt (T15: YES), the CPU 27 grasps that the transfer of the SCSI data is finished. Therefore, the CPU 27 writes 1 to the “status register clear” bit of the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344, and the SCSI data Is completed (T16: YES).

  After T13 (NO) and T16 (YES), the CPU 27 starts transmission of the SCSI status (T17). Specifically, since the CPU 27 has already determined the status to be returned to the PC in the above processing, the status is written in the SCSI status buffer 84 and “status transmission” in the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 is written. 1 is written in the “start” bit, and transmission of the SCSI status is started.

  The transmission / reception units 341 to 344 start transmission of the SCSI status to the PC when 1 is written in the “status transmission start” bit in T17. Upon receiving the response that received the SCSI status from the PC side, the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 set the “status transmission complete” bit in the status register 82 to 1 and interrupt the CPU.

  When there is an interrupt (T18: YES), the CPU 27 grasps that the transmission of the SCSI status is finished. Therefore, the CPU 27 writes 1 to the “status register clear” bit of the control register 81 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344, and the SCSI data Is completed (T19: YES). As a result, the status register 82 of the transmission / reception units 341 to 344 is cleared, and the original state is restored.

  Next, an example of the flow of data communication processing according to the main function of the present invention using inquiry data in the communication system 1 will be described. Note that the processing in each step is performed by controlling each component by the CPU 41 of the PC 3 or the CPU 27 of the multi-reader / writer 2. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of main processing. That is, when the multi-reader / writer 2 is connected to the PC 3 and each apparatus is powered on, first, a drive allocation process (S1) for allocating a drive to an unknown device connected to the PC 3 is executed. In this embodiment, since only the multi-reader / writer 2 is connected as a device, a drive is assigned only to this.

  Next, drive setting processing (S2) for setting the drive selected by the user as the communication partner is performed. When the drive is set, a device (multi-reader / writer 2 in the present embodiment) corresponding to the set drive is recognized as a communication partner. Then, a peripheral device side trigger monitoring process (S3) for monitoring the operation state of the button 22 (manual operation unit) provided in the multi-reader / writer 2, that is, the generation of the peripheral device side trigger is performed. The main processing routine including the peripheral device side trigger monitoring process (S3) is repeatedly and regularly performed at regular time intervals (for example, 100 ms to 1000 ms: for example, 500 ms) by using an activation trigger periodically issued from the activation management timer routine. Is executed automatically.

  FIG. 5 shows the details of the drive allocation process (S1) executed by the CPU 41 in the PC 3. First, a drive to be referred (hereinafter referred to as “reference drive”) is initialized to A drive (S101). The reference drive means a drive that can be allocated on the PC 3 side, and when there are a plurality of the drives, they are referred to in ascending order during the drive allocation process. The reference drive is managed by the OS kernel of WIN2000 of PC3. In the present embodiment, the number of drives that can be allocated is 26 from A to Z.

  When the reference drive is set, the CPU 41 then issues an inquiry command (hereinafter referred to as “Inq (0) command”) for returning S / I data from the device to which the drive is assigned to the reference drive. (S102). Actually, the CPU 41 issues the Inq (0) command to the OS kernel, and the OS kernel treats the Inq (0) command as being issued to the reference drive. Then, a CDB (0) in which the EVPD area is set to “0” is generated by the OS kernel and transmitted to the unknown device associated with the reference drive. The SCSI standard defines that S / I data is returned when the EVPD area is set to “0”. Specific examples of CDB (0) are shown in Table 2 as described above. In the data column of Table 2, each data is shown in hexadecimal notation. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, all data fields are shown in hexadecimal notation.

  If there is a device associated with the reference drive and the device is a device that can process a SCSI command (a SCSI command compatible device), S / I data is returned from the device. On the other hand, if the device does not exist, or if the device exists, the device cannot process the SCSI command (device that does not support the SCSI command), the S / I data is not returned from the device. In S103, the CPU 41 makes an error determination based on whether or not S / I data is returned. Specifically, when no S / I data is returned, it is determined as an error (Yes in S103). In this case, the subsequent processing proceeds to step S107. Further, when there is a reply of S / I data, it is not determined as an error (No side of S103). That is, it is determined that there is a device associated with the reference drive. In this case, the subsequent processing proceeds to step S105.

  If it is determined in S103 that there is no error, whether or not the device associated with the reference drive is a device that can be communicated based on the returned S / I data, that is, whether or not it is a communicable device. Determined. In the present embodiment, this step is performed to determine whether or not the device associated with the reference drive is the multi-reader / writer 2. In the present embodiment, the S / I data shown in Table 3 is returned from the multi-reader / writer 2 to the PC 3, and the determination process in this step is byte 0 of the returned S / I data. The data of the area of byte 1 and the area of byte 1, or the vendor ID of the area of bytes 8 to 15 and the product ID of the area of bytes 16 to 31 match the ID information registered in advance on the PC 3 side. Done depending on whether or not. If it is determined in this step that the device is communicable (Yes in S104), the process proceeds to step S105. If it is determined that the device is not communicable (No in S104), the process proceeds to S107. Proceed to In Table 3, the data “0x00” in the byte 0 area indicates a direct access device, and the data “0x80” in the byte 1 area indicates a removable storage medium. Since the contents described in each byte area are defined by the SCSI standard, refer to the standard for details.

  When the process proceeds to S105, the CPU 41 determines whether the LUN (Logical Unit Number) of the reference drive is “0” based on the returned S / I data. This determination is made based on the data in the area of byte 54 of the vendor specific area in the S / I data. In the present embodiment, as described above, the S / I data shown in Table 3 is returned from the multi-reader / writer 2 to the PC 3. Further, as described in the remarks column of the byte 54 area of Table 3, when the multi reader / writer 2 returns S / I data, the multi reader / writer 2 is added to the upper 4 bits of the byte 54 area. Information indicating the physical I / F (information indicating USB in the present embodiment) is stored, and programmed to store the LUN number in the lower 4 bits. Therefore, the CPU 41 can acquire the LUN information by referring to the data in the byte 54 area. Thereby, the determination process of the said step can be performed. For example, when “0x10” is stored in the area of the byte 54, it is acquired that the physical I / F is a USB connector and LUN is 0, and “0x23” is stored. Is obtained that the physical I / F is a SCSI connector and the LUN is 3.

  If it is determined in S105 that the LUN is “0” (Yes in S105), the process proceeds to S106, and if it is determined that the LUN is not “0” (No in S105), the process proceeds to S107. When connected to the PC 3 on which WIN2000 is installed, even if information such as LUN = 1 is stored in the byte 54 area on the multi-reader / writer 2 side, it is recognized that LUN = 0 on the PC 3 side. It has become. Therefore, the process of S105 always proceeds to the Yes side. In this case, the determination process in S105 does not make sense and may be omitted.

  In S106, a process of adding the current reference drive to the corresponding drive list is executed. The corresponding drive list is a list of reference drives to which drives are finally assigned. Specifically, the corresponding drive list is expanded in a predetermined storage area of the RAM 43, and the corresponding reference drive is written in the storage area. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S107.

  In S107, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the reference drive is the Z drive. For example, it is possible to determine whether the current reference drive is the Z drive by causing the counter memory or the like to count the reference order of the drives and monitoring the counter value by the CPU 41. Such determination is performed to determine whether the set reference drive is the last. Here, if it is determined that the reference drive is the Z drive, there is no drive that can be referred to, and the subsequent process advances to S109. If it is determined that the reference drive is not the Z drive, after setting the reference drive as the next drive (S108), the processing from S102 is repeated until it is determined Yes in S107.

  When the process proceeds to S109, here, a drive is allocated based on the corresponding drive list. Thereby, a series of drive allocation processes (S1) are complete | finished. In the present embodiment, since only the multi-reader / writer 2 is connected as an external storage device, the multi-reader / writer 2 is assigned to the A drive and is not assigned to any other drive.

  Next, FIG. 11 shows details of the drive setting process (S2). In S201, it is determined whether there is a drive (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding drive”) allocated by the drive allocation process (S1) (S201). That is, it is determined whether or not a predetermined device is assigned to any of the drives that can be assigned by the PC 3. In the present embodiment, since there is an A drive to which the multi-reader / writer 2 is assigned, it is determined that there is a corresponding drive. Thereafter, it is determined whether there is one corresponding drive (S202). On the other hand, if it is determined in S201 that the corresponding drive does not exist (No side in S201), the process ends because there is no communication target.

  If it is determined in S202 that there is one corresponding drive (Yes in S202), the corresponding drive is set as a communication target (S205). That is, a device associated with the corresponding drive is set as a communication target. In the present embodiment, the A drive is set as a communication target. In other words, the multi-reader / writer 2 is set as a communication target device.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there are a plurality of corresponding drives (No in S202), an icon indicating the corresponding drive is displayed in a dialog (S203). Thereafter, when a desired corresponding drive is selected by selecting any icon from the user, the selected corresponding drive is set as a communication target. Even when no icon is selected, for example, when a priority is set for each corresponding drive, the corresponding drive with the highest priority is automatically set as a communication target. Thereby, a series of drive setting processes (S2) are complete | finished.

  Next, FIG. 12 shows the details of the peripheral device side trigger monitoring process (S3). First, on the PC 3 side, an inquiry command (hereinafter referred to as “Inq (1) command”) for returning a VPD (Vital Product Data) of the multi-reader / writer 2 is issued from the multi-reader / writer 2 to the A drive. (S301). Actually, the Inq (1) command is issued to the OS kernel, and is treated as being issued to the A drive by the OS kernel. When the Inq (1) command is issued, the OS kernel generates a CDB (1) in which the EVPD area is set to “1”, and connects the USB cable 25 to the multi-reader / writer 2 associated with the A drive. Sent through. Table 4 shows the CDB (1) generated at this time. That is, the page code “0xE0” is described in the byte 2 area of the CDB (1).

  In the area of byte 4 of the CDB (1), that is, the allocation length area, “0x10” (“00010000” in binary notation) is stored. Originally, the data length required for the connected device is stored in the allocation length area. In the present embodiment, the maximum value of the allocation length of the multi-reader / writer 2 is set in advance to a fixed length (here, it is assumed to be 15 bytes, but is not limited to this). This number “15” can be expressed by the lower 4 bits. According to the SCSI standard, the allocation length of the multi-reader / writer 2 is set to the maximum value, that is, 15 bytes even if a numerical value greater than or equal to the maximum value set in the multi-reader / writer 2 is designated as the allocation length. . Therefore, even if “0x10” is described in the allocation length area, or “0x11” or more is described, the allocation length is set to 15 bytes. This means that if any one of the upper 4 bits of the allocation length area data is “1”, the data in the allocation length area is any data (also used as the setting value of the allocation length). It means that it can be used freely as additional information). That is, by setting any one of the upper 4 bits to “1”, bits other than the bit in the allocation length area can be reserved as a virtual free area. By adding arbitrary data to the virtual empty area secured in this way, data communication according to the additional information can be performed between the PC 3 and the multi-reader / writer 2.

  The allocation length is not always set to a fixed length (here, 15 bytes), but may be set to a maximum value according to the page code of CDB (1). For example, in the case of page code “0xE0”, the maximum value of the allocation length is set to a fixed length of 15 bytes, and in the case of page code “0xE2”, it is set to a fixed length of 9 bytes. The setting process corresponds to the fixed length correspondence list stored in the ROM 28 in advance according to the read content of the page code read by the CPU 27 of the multi-reader / writer 2 that has received the CDB (1). This is done by selecting a fixed length. Of course, the allocation length set to 15 bytes or 9 bytes can be arbitrarily set.

  Table 6 shows the classification of communication data added to the empty area secured in the allocation length area. As shown in the data content column of each table, each data defines what it means. Specifically, refer to the description in the data content column. Table 6 shows communication data transmitted when the page code is “0xE0”. If the page code (survey instruction data type identification information) is changed in the CDB (survey instruction data), the allocation length is maximum. Another survey instruction data format with different values and additional information contents can be generated.

  The left column of Table 6 shows the data itself described in the allocation length area, and the right column shows the meaning of the data. When the data in the left column is transmitted from the PC 3 side to the multi-reader / writer 2, on the multi-reader / writer 2 side, the CPU 27 extracts the allocation length area data from the received CDB (1), and the extracted data The contents are analyzed, and processing according to the contents of the analyzed data is executed. The contents shown in Table 6 are made into a table list and stored in advance in the HDD 44 or ROM 42 of the PC 3 and the ROM 28 of the multi-reader / writer 2.

  In CDB (1) generated by issuing the Inq (1) command in S301, “0x10” is described in the allocation length area as shown in Table 5. Therefore, the Inq (1) command means that the PC 3 is a command for causing the multi-reader / writer 2 to read a trigger detection data signal corresponding to the operation state (pressed state) of the button 22. On the other hand, on the multi-reader / writer 2 side, the transmitted CDB (1) is received. Thereafter, the CPU 27 extracts the data “0x10” of the allocation length area in the CDB (1), and performs processing for detecting the operation state (the level of the trigger detection data signal) according to the data (S302).

  When the detection of the operation state of the button 22 is completed, the detection result is returned to the PC 3 by the CPU 27 (S305). Specifically, the reply process is performed by writing the detection result in a VPD (see Table 7) generated after receiving CDB (1) and returned to the PC 3 (S304). More specifically, as shown in Table 7, the presence or absence of an operation (the presence or absence of a trigger detection data signal) is written in the area of byte 7. In this embodiment, “0x00” is written when there is no operation, and “0x01” is written when there is an operation. Table 7 shows the VPD when there is an operation.

  Subsequently, on the PC 3 side, the VPD returned from the multi-reader / writer 2 is received, and the operation state of the button 22 (manual operation unit) is determined by referring to the byte 7 area of the VPD (S306). ). If it is determined that the button 22 is operated (Yes in S307), the R / W application includes a predetermined data file reception for the data file stored in the memory card (storage medium) attached to the multi-reader / writer 2. Command file processing (communication event).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an extracted portion related to the file processing of the R / W application (this routine is repeatedly executed periodically). In S401, it is checked whether there is a setting customization command by user input. If there is a setting customization command, the process proceeds to the setting customization process in S407.

  FIG. 14 shows the flow of setting customization processing. In S501, the file transfer mode from the multi-reader / writer 2 is input and selected by the mouse 58 or the keyboard 57. In the file transfer mode, the data file transferred from the memory cards 11 to 14 is copied to a predetermined folder (storage area) on the HDD 44 (data file storage means) (in this case, from the memory cards 11 to 14). Data file is not deleted) and copy mode and move mode (moving: the data file is deleted from the memory cards 11 to 14), and either of them is performed in S502 to S506 in accordance with the above input contents. Selectable. In S507, an input for designating the storage destination of the data file is performed. For example, as is well known, the file directory structure is displayed on the display 56 in the form of a folder tree, and a folder to be stored can be selected by clicking with the mouse 58. The folder selected in S508 is set as the file storage destination.

  Returning to FIG. 13, when there is no setting customization command in S401, file processing is performed according to the conditions set as described above (when setting customization is not performed, the default setting is followed). Specifically, the process proceeds to S402, and it is confirmed whether or not a file processing start command corresponding to the above-described “operation” detection has been received. If received, the process proceeds to S403, where a communication event for reading the data file of the memory card is started using the OS file system, and the data file read from the multi-reader / writer 2 is received. In step S404, the received data file is written in the folder in the HDD 44 designated as the storage destination. Next, the process proceeds to S405, and if the copy mode is selected, the file processing ends here. If the move mode is selected, the process further proceeds to S406 to delete the data file that is the transmission source of the memory card. Fire event. When the deletion completion status is received, the process is terminated.

  In this embodiment, the button 22 is provided as a manual operation unit, but a contact detection switch such as a lever switch, a dial switch, or a touch panel, a non-contact sensor such as a proximity switch or an optical sensor, or the like is used. Is also possible. Further, instead of generating the peripheral device side trigger in accordance with the operation of the manual operation unit, when the memory card is attached to the multi-reader / writer 2, the transition from the non-attached state to the attached state is detected, and the detection is performed. It is also possible to use the signal as a peripheral device side trigger. In this case, for example, when a memory card is attached to the multi-reader / writer 2, a function of automatically reading out a data file in the memory card and storing it on the PC 3 side can be realized.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the multi-reader / writer 2 is illustrated as an example of a peripheral device. However, in this embodiment, a multi-function device (MFD: Multi Function Device) shown in FIG. 15 is used as the peripheral device. ) A communication system using 80 will be described. The multi-function device 80 is configured as a multi-function printer in which the multi-reader / writer 2 is incorporated in a printer, and includes a printer unit 182 disposed in a lower part, a scanner unit 183 disposed in the upper part, and a document including an ADF 84. A cover 86, an operation panel 85 disposed on the front side of the upper surface of the apparatus, and a multi-reader / writer unit 88 disposed so that the slot is exposed on the front surface of the apparatus are integrally provided. A copy function and a facsimile function.

  The multi-function device 80 is mainly connected to the PC 3 (see FIG. 6) described in the first embodiment, and in the printer unit 182 based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the PC 3. Record images and documents on recording paper. The printer unit 182 also records an image or document on a recording sheet based on the print data read from the memory card by the multi-reader / writer unit 88. Further, it functions as a reader / writer device that is connected to the PC 3 and performs data communication between the PC 3 and a memory card inserted into the multi-reader / writer unit 88. It is also possible to send image data read by the scanner unit 183 to the PC 3 or perform so-called copying in which an image read by the scanner unit 183 is recorded by the printer unit 182.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the multi-reader / writer unit 88 of the multi-function device 80 includes a first slot 16, a second slot 17, a third slot 18, and a fourth slot 19. The configuration and function of each slot and the memory card inserted into each slot are the slots included in the multi-reader / writer 2 according to the first embodiment except that the third slot 18 and the fourth slot 19 are integrated. This is the same configuration and function as the memory card. The multi-reader / writer unit 88 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit 21 and a changeover switch 22 on the front surface where the slots are arranged. These are the same in configuration and function as those described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In addition, Embodiment 1 and 2 mentioned above are only examples of this invention, and can change suitably Embodiment in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

The perspective view which looked at an example of the multi reader / writer applied to the communication system of this invention from the front side. The perspective view similarly seen from the back side. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a switch mechanism that detects operation of a button 22; FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electrical configuration of a multi-reader / writer. Explanatory drawing of SCSI command / data / status transmission / reception unit of multi-reader / writer Explanation of control register Explanation of status register The block diagram which shows schematic structure of PC applied to the communication system of this invention. The conceptual diagram for demonstrating OS which operate | moves on PC, and the application which operate | moves on this OS. The flowchart showing the flow of the process which the SCSI command data data status transmission / reception part of a multi reader / writer performs. The flowchart showing the flow of the process of the data communication process performed in the communication system of this invention. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of drive allocation processing in FIG. 9. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of drive setting processing in FIG. 9. The flowchart showing the flow of the peripheral device side trigger monitoring monitoring process of FIG. The flowchart showing the flow of the process part which concerns on the summary of this invention of R / W application. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of setting customization processing in FIG. 13. The perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of a multifunctional apparatus. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the multi-reader / writer unit of FIG. 15.

Explanation of symbols

1 Communication system 2 Multi reader / writer (peripheral device)
3 PC (host device)
11 First memory card (storage medium)
12 Second memory card (storage medium)
13 Third memory card (storage medium)
14 Fourth memory card (storage medium)
22 buttons (manual operation, peripheral device trigger generation means)
27 CPU (trigger occurrence report information return means, investigation report data generation means, trigger occurrence report information writing means, investigation report data transmission means, exchange notification information holding means, exchange notification information holding control means)
41 CPU (trigger report request command issuing means, report information receiving means, target communication event starting means, storage environment setting means, storage area setting changing means, file storage mode switching means, investigation instruction data creation means, investigation instruction data transmission means)
80 Multifunctional device (peripheral device)
88 Multi reader / writer

Claims (19)

A host device having a communication event activation decision right, and a peripheral device to be communicated with the host device connected to the host device, and a command for instructing execution of the communication event from the host device While sequentially issuing to the peripheral device, the peripheral device that has received the issued command sequentially executes data processing corresponding to the command, and returns response information corresponding to the execution result to the host device side. In the communication system having a main communication protocol in which the command issuance direction is restricted in one direction from the host device side to the peripheral device side,
Peripheral device side trigger generation that is provided in the peripheral device and generates a peripheral device side trigger for prompting the host device to start a target communication event with predetermined contents based on a user operation on the peripheral device side Means,
A trigger report request command for requesting the trigger occurrence report information as the response information for monitoring the occurrence of the peripheral device side trigger in the peripheral device is provided according to the main communication protocol. Trigger report request command issuing means for issuing to the peripheral device;
Trigger occurrence report information return means provided on the peripheral device side, which returns trigger occurrence report information reflecting the presence or absence of the occurrence of the peripheral device trigger as the response information to the host device according to the main communication protocol;
Report information receiving means provided on the host device side for receiving the trigger occurrence report information from the peripheral device;
Determining the presence or absence of the peripheral device side trigger based on the content of the trigger occurrence report information, and when it is determined that there is a peripheral device side trigger, target communication event starting means for starting the target communication event;
A communication system comprising:   The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the trigger report request command issuing means repeatedly issues the trigger report request command to the peripheral device at predetermined time intervals.   The peripheral device and the host device are connected via a serial communication mechanism in which the peripheral device can be polled from the host device side and the host device cannot be reversely polled from the peripheral device side. The information transfer between the host device and the peripheral device for executing the communication event is executed by serial communication in a format in which the host device polls the peripheral device. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2.   4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the serial communication mechanism conforms to a USB protocol. The peripheral device is configured as a storage device in which a storage medium capable of at least data access relating to data reading is incorporated or detachably mounted, and data access to the storage medium is performed by the communication event And
5. The target communication event is defined as including an information read transmission process in which a data file stored in the storage medium is read by the peripheral device and transmitted to the host device. The communication system according to any one of the above.   A data file that is provided on the host device side and that stores the data file received from the peripheral device at the target communication event in a predetermined storage area on the host device side storage device provided on the host device side The communication system according to claim 5, further comprising a storage unit. The storage medium is capable of data access related to reading, writing and deletion of the data,
A file move event that is provided on the host device side and causes the peripheral device to delete a transmission source data file on the storage medium in response to storage of the data file in the storage area by the data file storage means The communication system according to claim 6, further comprising a file move control means for activating.   8. The communication system according to claim 6, further comprising a storage environment setting unit that is provided on the host device side and sets a storage environment of the data file in the storage area.   9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the storage environment setting means includes storage area setting change means for setting / changing the storage area of the data file.   8. The storage environment setting means according to claim 7, wherein the storage environment setting means includes a file copy mode in which activation of the file move event is prohibited by the file move control means, and a file move in which activation of the file move event is permitted. The communication system according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising file storage mode switching means for switching between modes.   The peripheral device-side trigger generation means includes a manual operation unit provided in the peripheral device, and an operation signal generation unit that generates an operation signal generated by the manual operation unit as the peripheral device-side trigger. The communication system according to any one of 10. The trigger report request command is a survey request command for requesting the peripheral device to perform a survey report process on the peripheral device itself,
The host device has a predetermined frame format indicating the content of the investigation report instruction in response to the issue of the investigation request command, and the peripheral device side trigger generation report instruction information is stored in a predetermined field of the frame. Survey instruction data creating means for creating survey instruction data written as additional information, and survey instruction data transmitting means for transmitting the created survey instruction data to the peripheral device,
The peripheral device receives the survey instruction data, generates survey report data having a predetermined frame format, and generates trigger report information in a predetermined field of the survey report data. 12. A trigger generation report information writing means for writing the response information, and a survey report data transmitting means for transmitting the investigation report data in which the trigger occurrence report information is written as response information to the host device. The communication system according to any one of the above.   The investigation instruction data creating means stores the occurrence report instruction information in a field defined in the main communication protocol so that information other than the occurrence report instruction information is stored as main storage information to be stored in the investigation instruction data. 13. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein the communication is written in a form that is also used as the main storage information. The peripheral device is configured as a storage device in which a storage medium capable of at least data access relating to data reading is incorporated or detachably mounted, and data access to the storage medium is performed by the communication event And
In the survey instruction data, when executing a communication event related to reading or writing of data to the storage medium according to the main communication protocol, the allocation length information of the memory area on the storage medium assigned to the reading or writing process Is generated as an allocation length setting field, and the occurrence report instruction information that is also used as the allocation length information in the form of the allocation length information in the allocation length setting field as the main storage information. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein:   In the main communication protocol, the size of the allocation length setting field is determined to be a constant bit length, and the number of bits when the maximum value that can be set as the allocation length is expressed in bytes is expressed in the allocation length setting field. When the allocation length is set to less than the total number of bits and an allocation length exceeding the maximum value is described in the allocation length setting field, the maximum value is set to the actual setting value of the allocation length regardless of the described allocation length value. 15. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein different additional information contents including the occurrence report instruction information are defined in a manner that uniquely defines a redundant allocation length description value exceeding the maximum value. The peripheral device is configured as a storage device in which a storage medium capable of data access for both reading and writing of data is detachably mounted and data access to the storage medium is performed by the communication event. And
In the peripheral device, when the storage medium is exchanged, exchange notice information holding means for holding exchange notice information for notifying the host apparatus of the exchange of the storage medium, and predetermined from the host apparatus. When the first type command is received, the exchange notification information held in the exchange notification information holding unit is cleared after the command is executed, and the second type command other than the first type command is received. In this case, it has an exchange notification information holding control means for holding the exchange notification information holding state by the exchange notification information holding means even after execution of the command,
The communication system according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the second type command is used as the investigation request command used as the trigger report request command.   Configuration / attribute survey request that constitutes the second type command for the survey request command to instruct the peripheral device to report configuration / attribute identification information that is information identifying the configuration and attributes of the peripheral device itself. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein the communication system is a command.   The communication system according to claim 17, wherein the main communication protocol is a SCSI protocol, and an inquiry command is used as the investigation request command. 19. The peripheral device constituting the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device side trigger for prompting the host device to start a target communication event having a predetermined content. The peripheral device side trigger generating means for generating the peripheral device based on a user operation on the peripheral device side,
Trigger generation report information return means provided on the peripheral device side, which returns the trigger generation report information corresponding to the trigger report request command from the host device as the response information to the host device according to the main communication protocol;
A peripheral device comprising:

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