JP2009230188A - Information processor and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly read data while reducing power consumption in an information processor that takes a relatively long time to start. <P>SOLUTION: This information processor includes: a transfer means for reading data from a first storage device, and for transferring the data to and temporarily storing the data in a second storage, and for, when the second storage device is full of data, stopping the transfer of the data from the first storage device to the second storage device, and for putting the first storage device into a stopped state; a decoding means for acquiring the data from the second storage device, and for decoding the data; a resumption means for resuming the transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device when the amount of data before decoded and stored in the second storage device become smaller than the prescribed minimum amount of data; and a first storage device starting means for, when the amount of data before decoded by the decoding means and stored in the second storage device become smaller than amount of start data obtained by adding the amount of data to be decoded by the decoding means during start time to the minimum amount of data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus and a control method thereof that reduce power consumption.

  Information processing apparatus information such as a photo viewer and a personal computer often has a built-in hard disk drive. In such an information processing apparatus, moving image data stored in a hard disk drive can be read and decoded to be displayed on a display screen, or audio data can be read and decoded to be reproduced.

  However, there are many types of information processing devices that are driven by a battery, and in such battery-driven information processing devices, reduction of power consumption is a very important issue. For this reason, it is required to reduce the power consumption of the information processing apparatus as much as possible when decoding and reproducing data stored in the hard disk drive.

  From such a viewpoint, for example, in the information processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-118746, when data is transferred from the memory card to the hard disk drive via the RAM buffer, the data is transferred from the memory card to the buffer. Discloses a technique for stopping the drive of the hard disk drive when transferring the data. However, power consumption should be reduced not only when transferring data from the memory card to the hard disk drive, but also when decoding data as described above.

  However, when a hard disk drive is started from a stopped state, it takes a certain amount of time to start. Therefore, even if the hard disk drive is started at the timing when data is read from the hard disk drive, data can be read immediately. There is a characteristic that it cannot. Therefore, it is desirable that data can be read immediately at the timing of reading data from the hard disk drive while reducing power consumption.

This applies similarly to any information processing device that acquires and decodes data from a storage device that requires a certain amount of time for startup.
JP 2004-118746 A

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in an information processing apparatus that reads and decodes data from a storage device that requires a certain amount of time for startup, rapid data reading while reducing power consumption. It aims to make possible.

In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
There are at least a stopped state and a standby state, and data cannot be read in the stopped state, but data can be read in the standby state, and a predetermined rise occurs after the start from the stopped state to the transition to the standby state. When time is required, data is read from the first storage device, transferred to the second storage device, temporarily stored, and when the second storage device is full of data, Transfer means for stopping transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device and for shifting the first storage device to the stopped state;
Decoding means for obtaining and decoding data from the second storage device;
When the amount of data stored in the second storage device before being decoded by the decoding unit is smaller than a predetermined minimum data amount, the transfer unit stores the second storage unit from the first storage unit. Resuming means for resuming the transfer of data to the device;
The amount of data stored in the second storage device before being decoded by the decoding means is obtained by adding the amount of data decoded by the decoding means during the rise time to the minimum data amount A first storage device activation means for activating the first storage device in the stopped state when it becomes less than
It is characterized by providing.

In this case, the information processing apparatus further includes data consumption speed calculation means for calculating a data consumption speed that is a speed at which the decoding means acquires and consumes data from the second storage device.
The first storage device activation unit may calculate the amount of data decoded by the decoding unit during the rising time based on the data consumption rate calculated by the data consumption rate calculation unit.

  In this case, the data consumption rate calculation unit may calculate the data consumption rate based on a time interval when the decoding unit acquires data from the second storage device and a read data amount. Good.

  The data may be data that needs to be decoded and reproduced continuously. For example, the data may be image data and / or audio data.

  The second storage device may be a buffer secured in a partial storage area in the volatile storage device.

The first storage device is a hard disk drive,
In the standby state, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive continues,
In the stopped state, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive may be stopped.

An information processing apparatus control method according to the present invention includes:
There are at least a stop state and a standby state. Data cannot be read in the stop state, but data can be read in the standby state. When time is required, data is read from the first storage device, transferred to the second storage device, temporarily stored, and when the second storage device is full of data, Stopping the transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device, and shifting the first storage device to the stopped state;
Obtaining and decoding data from the second storage device;
Transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device is resumed when the amount of data stored in the second storage device before decoding is less than a predetermined minimum data amount. And the process of
When the amount of data stored in the second storage device before being decoded is less than the amount of startup data obtained by adding the amount of data decoded during the rise time to the minimum amount of data, Starting the first storage device in a stopped state;
It is characterized by providing.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 22, a hard disk drive 24, a memory card interface 26, and a speaker output. A circuit 28 and a printer interface 34 are provided, which are connected to each other via an internal bus 30. The speaker output circuit 28 is connected to the speaker 32.

  The CPU 20 is an example of a central control device in the present embodiment, the RAM 22 is an example of a volatile storage device in the present embodiment, and the hard disk drive 24 is an example of an auxiliary storage device in the present embodiment.

  The CPU 20 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 40 and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 42. In particular, in the present embodiment, the DSP 42 executes a process of decoding and reproducing moving image data or decoding and reproducing audio data. For example, sound based on the sound data decoded by the DSP 42 is output from the speaker 32 via the speaker output circuit 28. The ROM 40 is an example of a nonvolatile storage device in the present embodiment.

  Further, the CPU 20 is connected to a display controller 52 via a dedicated bus 50, and this display controller 52 is further connected to a display screen 54. That is, when the CPU 20 transmits an image based on the image data to be displayed to the display controller 52 via the dedicated bus 50, the display controller 52 controls the display screen 54 based on the transmitted image information. And display on the display screen 54. In the present embodiment, the display screen 54 is configured by an LCD, for example, and a moving image based on the moving image data decoded by the DSP 42 is displayed on the display screen 54.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a television output circuit 60 connected to the CPU 20. For this reason, if a user connects a television image output cable to a connector (not shown) of the information processing apparatus 10, the user can view still images, moving images, and sounds output by the CPU 20 on a home television.

  In addition, a memory card 70 is appropriately inserted into the card slot of the information processing apparatus 10. For example, various types of file data are stored in the memory card 70 attached to the information processing apparatus 10, and these data can be captured by the information processing apparatus 10 via the memory card interface 26. Is possible. Specifically, the data stored in the memory card 70 is stored in the hard disk drive 24 via the memory card interface 26.

  The information processing apparatus 10 is connected to the printer 80 via the printer interface 34. Therefore, the print job generated by the information processing apparatus 10 is transmitted to the printer 80 via the printer interface 34, and printing based on this print job is performed by the printer 80.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 includes a battery 82, and the information processing apparatus 10 is driven by receiving power supply from the battery 82. That is, power is supplied from the battery 82 to the CPU 20, the RAM 22, the hard disk drive 24, the memory card interface 26, and the like in the information processing apparatus 10, and the information processing apparatus 10 operates. For this reason, this information processing apparatus 10 can be carried and used at any place by the user.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 is assumed to be a photo viewer, which is a portable storage device that can be carried. However, a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, or a mobile phone is assumed. For example, the information processing apparatus 10 can be configured. Further, the information processing apparatus 10 does not need to incorporate the display screen 54 and may be connected to a display screen provided separately from the information processing apparatus 10.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the display screen 54 side. As shown in FIG. 2, on the right side of the display screen 54, there are provided a menu button B10, an enter button B12, and a cancel button B14 that the user operates with a finger. In addition, an upper movement button B20, a left movement button B22, a right movement button B24, and a lower movement button B26 that are operated by the user with a finger are also provided.

  The menu button B <b> 10 is an operation button for displaying various menu screens on the display screen 54. The decision button B12 is an operation button that is pressed when finalizing the operation content when various operations are performed.

  The cancel button B14 is an operation button that is pressed when various settings are performed on various menu screens and the instruction content is not finally reflected. The upper movement button B20, the left movement button B22, the right movement button B24, and the lower movement button B26 are operation buttons for moving the cursor to the upper side, the left side, the right side, and the lower side on various menu screens. It is.

  FIG. 3 shows the buffer BF when the DSP 42 decodes the video data stored in the hard disk drive 24 in the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment after reading the video data and temporarily storing it in the buffer BF formed in the RAM 22. It is a figure explaining the state change of.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the moving image data read from the hard disk drive 24 is temporarily stored in a buffer BF formed in the RAM 22. In other words, when reproducing the moving image data, the information processing apparatus 10 secures a storage area of a predetermined size in the RAM 22 and forms the buffer BF. Then, the information processing apparatus 10 reads the moving image data from the hard disk drive 24 and transfers it until the buffer BF of the RAM 22 becomes full with the transferred image data.

  However, since the moving image data needs to be read into the buffer BF in units of frames, it is assumed that the buffer BF is full before the buffer BF is full with a predetermined amount of data before the buffer is physically full. The reading of the moving image data from the drive 24 to the buffer BF is stopped. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the state where the buffer BF is full includes not only a state where the buffer BF is physically full of data but also a state where the buffer BF is considered to be full of data. . In this way, when moving image data read from the hard disk drive 24 is stored in the buffer BF, it is avoided that the buffer BF becomes physically full in the middle of the frame and cannot be stored. Yes.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the buffer BF becomes full, the hard disk drive 24 is stopped to reduce power consumption. That is, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive 24 is stopped, and the hard disk drive 24 is shifted to the “reading stopped state”.

  The decoding of moving image data is started when the amount of moving image data stored in the buffer BF exceeds the minimum data amount. This is because, after starting the reproduction of the operation data, if the moving image data is insufficient on the way, the moving image cannot be continuously decoded and reproduced, which is not preferable.

  The moving image data temporarily stored in the buffer BF is sequentially acquired and decoded by the DSP 42, so that the image data in the buffer BF is gradually consumed and reduced. Then, when the amount of image data in the buffer BF becomes smaller than a predetermined amount, the hard disk drive 24 is activated. That is, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive 24 is started, the hard disk drive 24 is shifted from the “reading stop state” to the “reading standby state”, and the reading of the moving image data from the hard disk drive 24 to the buffer BF can be resumed. .

  In other words, in order to prevent a shortage of image data, it is necessary to perform control so that the buffer BF always stores image data larger than the minimum data amount. For this reason, the information processing apparatus 10 starts transferring image data from the hard disk drive 24 to the RAM 24 when the amount of undecoded image data stored in the buffer BF reaches the minimum data amount. Therefore, it is sufficient that the hard disk drive 24 has shifted to the “reading standby state” in which data can be read up to this point.

  In other words, if the hard disk drive 24 is started when the time until the DSP 42 decodes the image data and reaches the minimum data amount of the buffer BF becomes the time necessary for starting the hard disk drive 24. It will be good. For example, if it takes 2 seconds to start the hard disk drive 24 and shift from a “reading stop state” where data cannot be read immediately to a “reading standby state” where data can be read immediately, the DSP 42 When the image data is decoded for another 2 seconds, the hard disk drive 24 may be activated when the data amount in the buffer BF reaches the minimum data amount.

  Next, based on FIGS. 4 and 5, the moving image reproduction process for performing the data control of the buffer BF as described in FIG. 3 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are diagrams for explaining a moving image reproduction process executed when the information processing apparatus 10 reproduces a moving image. The moving image reproduction process shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a process realized by the CPU 20 reading and executing a moving image reproduction process program stored in the ROM 40 or the hard disk drive 24.

  4 and 5, the user designates moving image data to be reproduced stored in the hard disk drive 24 in the information processing apparatus 10 and inputs a reproduction instruction to the information processing apparatus 10. This process is started when For example, in this embodiment, the user presses the menu button B10 to display the operation reproduction menu screen W10 as shown in FIG. 6 on the display screen 54, and then the upper movement button B20 and the left movement button B22. Then, the right movement button B24 and the lower movement button B26 are operated to move the cursor CR to the position of the file name of the moving image data to be reproduced. In this state, when the user presses the decision button B12, a moving image reproduction process for reproducing the specified moving image data is started.

  When the moving image reproduction process is started, the information processing apparatus 10 first starts reading moving image data from the hard disk drive 24 as shown in FIG. 4 (step S10). That is, a process of reading the moving image data designated by the user from the hard disk drive 24 and transferring it to the buffer BF formed in the RAM 22 is started.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether or not the data amount of the image data stored in the buffer BF exceeds the minimum data amount (step S12). The size of the minimum data amount is arbitrary, but may be determined in advance, for example, or may be determined based on the size of the storage area of the buffer BF that can be secured.

  If the data amount of the image data stored in the buffer BF has not yet exceeded the minimum data amount (step S12: NO), the image data transfer process from the hard disk drive 24 to the buffer BF is continued. The process of step S12 is repeated and waits.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the data amount of the image data stored in the buffer BF exceeds the minimum data amount (step S12: YES), the information processing apparatus 10 sets the buffer state of the buffer BF to “reading state”. (Step S14).

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 starts decoding the moving image data stored in the buffer BF (step S16). Subsequently, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether the decoder needs moving image data (step S18). As described above, in the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since the DSP 42 plays the role of a decoder, it is determined whether the DSP 42 needs moving image data.

  If the decoder requires moving image data (step S18: YES), the information processing apparatus 10 acquires the moving image data from the buffer BF and transfers it to the decoder (step S20). That is, in the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the moving image data is read from the buffer BF formed in the RAM 22 and transferred to the DSP 42 via the CPU 40. Thereby, the moving image data is decoded by the DSP 42, and a moving image based on the decoded moving image data is displayed on the display screen 54.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 calculates the data consumption rate of the buffer BF (step S22). That is, how fast the decoder is decoding the image data in the buffer BF is calculated. The data consumption speed is determined by, for example, considering the difference between the time when the moving image data is transferred to the previous decoder and the current time as the data consumption time interval required for consuming the moving image data. It can be calculated by assuming that the data amount of the moving image data transferred to is consumed. That is, the data consumption rate can be calculated by (previous transfer data amount) / (data consumption time interval).

  The data consumption rate may be determined based on a single data consumption rate, but an average may be calculated based on a plurality of data consumption rates. If the average of the data consumption rates of a plurality of times is calculated, the variation in the data consumption rates can be averaged to improve the accuracy.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether or not the moving image reproduction has ended (step S24). That is, it is determined whether or not the moving image has been reproduced to the end of the moving image data file designated by the user. If the video has not been played back to the end (step S24: NO), the process returns to step S18 described above, and the video playback is continued.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the video playback has ended (step S24: YES), the information processing apparatus 10 ends the video playback processing.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S18 described above that the decoder does not require moving image data (step S18: NO), the information processing apparatus 10 displays the buffer status of the buffer BF as shown in FIG. Is confirmed (step S30).

  If it is determined in step S30 that the buffer state of the buffer BF is “reading state”, the information processing apparatus 10 reads the image data from the hard disk drive 24 and stores it in the buffer BF (step S32). If data has already been read from the hard disk drive 24 until the end of the image data, this data reading process need not be performed.

  Subsequently, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether or not the buffer BF is full (step S34). That is, as described above, it is determined whether the amount of image data stored in the buffer BF exceeds the amount considered to be buffer full.

  If it is determined that the buffer is full (step S34: YES), the information processing apparatus 10 sets the buffer state of the buffer BF to the “reading stop state” (step S36). Then, the information processing apparatus 10 stops the hard disk drive 24 (step S38). Specifically, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive 24 is stopped, and the hard disk drive 24 is set to a “reading stopped state” in which data cannot be read immediately.

  After the process of step S38, or when it is determined in step S34 described above that the buffer BF is not full, the information processing apparatus 10 proceeds to the process of step S24 described above.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S30 that the buffer state of the buffer BF is “reading standby state”, the information processing apparatus 10 calculates the data amount of the image data in the current buffer BF (step S30). S40). That is, the data amount of undecoded image data remaining in the buffer BF is acquired.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether the data amount of the image data in the current buffer BF is less than the minimum data amount (step S42). When the current data amount is smaller than the minimum data amount (step S42: YES), the process proceeds to the above-described step S32, and the transfer of the image data from the hard disk drive 24 to the buffer BF is started.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the data amount of the image data in the current buffer BF is not less than the minimum data amount (step S42: NO), the information processing apparatus 10 proceeds to the process of step S24 described above. .

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S30 that the buffer state of the buffer BF is “reading stop state”, the information processing apparatus 10 calculates the data amount of the image data in the current buffer BF (step S30). S50). That is, the data amount of undecoded image data remaining in the buffer BF is acquired.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 calculates the startup data amount of the hard disk drive 24 in order to specify the timing at which the hard disk drive 24 should be started (step S52). As described above, the activation data amount is determined by the minimum data amount + α. Here, α is the amount of data that will be decoded by the buffer BF until the hard disk drive 24 is started and shifts from the “reading stop state” to the “reading standby state”.

  Specifically, it is consumed while the hard disk drive 24 is activated based on the data consumption speed calculated in step S22 described above and the time required for the hard disk drive 24 to transition from the stopped state to the standby state. The activation data amount is calculated by calculating α which is the data amount and adding the minimum data amount to this.

  For example, as described above, assuming that it takes 2 seconds to start the hard disk drive 24 and shift from the “reading stop state” to the “reading standby state”, (minimum data amount) +2 seconds × data consumption It can be calculated from the speed.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 determines whether the amount of image data in the current buffer BF is less than the activation data calculated in step S52 (step S54). When the amount of image data in the current buffer BF is smaller than the activation data calculated in step S52 (step S54: YES), the information processing apparatus 10 activates the hard disk drive 24 (step S56). That is, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive 24 is started, and the hard disk drive 24 is shifted from the “reading stop state” to a “reading standby state” where data can be read immediately.

  Next, the information processing apparatus 10 sets the buffer state of the buffer BF to the “reading standby state” (step S58).

  After the process of step S58 or when it is determined in step S54 described above that the amount of image data in the current buffer BF is not smaller than the activation data calculated in step S52 (step S54: NO). The information processing apparatus 10 proceeds to step S24 described above.

  As described above, according to the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the hard disk drive 24 is set to the “reading stopped state” when the buffer BF becomes full with image data. It is possible to reduce the power consumption of the hard disk drive 24 while the image data stored in is being decoded. That is, it is possible to suppress power consumption of the hard disk drive 24 that occurs when the motor of the hard disk drive 24 continues to rotate while image data is being decoded.

  Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment starts the hard disk drive 24 in the “reading stopped state” before the data amount of the image data in the buffer BF reaches the minimum data amount. When the data amount of the image data is smaller than the minimum data amount and the image data is to be read from the hard disk drive 24, the hard disk drive 24 is started up and is shifted to the “reading standby state”. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 10 can quickly access the hard disk drive 24 and can immediately read image data from the hard disk drive 24.

  Specifically, the amount of data consumed until the hard disk drive 24 is activated is calculated based on the data consumption speed so far, and the minimum amount of data is calculated as the amount of data consumed until the hard disk drive 24 is activated. Calculate the added startup data. Then, when the amount of image data remaining in the buffer BF without being decoded becomes smaller than the startup data amount, the hard disk drive 24 is started and the “reading standby state” is changed to the “reading standby state”. To move to. For this reason, the time when the hard disk drive 24 is in the “reading standby state” is shortened as much as possible to reduce power consumption, and when it becomes necessary to read image data, the hard disk drive 24 is promptly Accessible.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can deform | transform variously. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the case of reproducing moving image data as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the case of reproducing moving image data. For example, the present invention can be applied to the case where audio data that needs to be decoded or data in which audio data that needs to be decoded and moving image data are combined is reproduced.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the case where the information processing apparatus 10 includes the hard disk drive 24 as an example. However, the hard disk drive 24 storing data is not necessarily included in the information processing apparatus 10. It does not have to be. For example, even when the information processing apparatus 10 is connected to an external hard disk drive via a USB interface, and the information processing apparatus 10 decodes and reproduces data stored in the external hard disk drive, the present invention can be realized. Can be applied.

  In the above-described embodiment, the hard disk drive 24 has two states, a standby state in which the rotation of the motor is maintained and a stopped state in which the rotation of the motor is stopped, while waiting for access. The invention has been described with examples. However, the hard disk drive 24 may have a state other than these two states or a state in which these two states are further divided as a state waiting for access. Even in such a case, the present invention is applied by dividing the state of the hard disk drive 24 into a standby state in which the rotation of the motor in the hard disk drive 24 continues and a stopped state in which the rotation of the motor is stopped. can do.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the hard disk drive 24 is used as an example of a storage device that has at least a stopped state and a standby state and requires a predetermined rise time before shifting from the stopped state to the standby state. Although the invention has been described, the storage device to which the invention is applied is not limited to a hard disk drive. In other words, the present invention can be applied to any storage device having power consumption characteristics and operation characteristics similar to those of the hard disk drive 24.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the case where the information processing apparatus 10 is an apparatus driven by the battery 82 as an example, but the information processing apparatus 10 is not driven by the battery 82 but is driven by an AC power source or the like. Even in this case, the present invention can be applied.

  In addition, the various numerical values and times given in the above-described embodiments are merely examples. Therefore, when the present invention is applied to the information processing apparatus 10, the above-described numerical values and time should be arbitrarily changed based on various specifications applied to the information processing apparatus 10.

  Furthermore, for the moving image reproduction process described in the above embodiment, a program for executing the moving image reproduction process is stored in a recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a ROM, or a memory card. It is possible to record and distribute in the form of a recording medium. In this case, the above-described embodiment can be realized by causing the information processing apparatus 10 to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium.

  Further, the information processing apparatus 10 may include other programs such as an operating system and another application program. In this case, in order to utilize another program included in the information processing apparatus 10, a program including an instruction for calling a program that realizes processing equivalent to the above-described embodiment from among the programs included in the information processing apparatus 10 May be recorded on a recording medium.

  Furthermore, such a program can be distributed not as a recording medium but as a carrier wave through a network. The program transmitted in the form of a carrier wave on the network is taken into the information processing apparatus 10, and the above-described embodiment can be realized by executing this program.

  Also, when a program is recorded on a recording medium or transmitted as a carrier wave on a network, the program may be encrypted or compressed. In this case, the information processing apparatus 10 that has read the program from the recording medium or the carrier wave needs to execute the program after decoding or decompressing the program.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the moving image reproduction process is realized by software has been described as an example. However, the moving image reproduction process may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific IC). Furthermore, the moving image reproduction process may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

You may make it do.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating an example of the internal structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the front view which looked at the information processor of Drawing 1 from the display screen side. It is a figure for demonstrating the state change of a buffer when a moving image reproduction process is performed with the information processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the content of a moving image reproduction process executed by the information processing apparatus of FIG. 1 (part 1). FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the content of a moving image reproduction process executed by the information processing apparatus of FIG. 1 (part 2). FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a moving image reproduction menu screen displayed on a display screen of the information processing apparatus in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

10 Information processing device 20 CPU
22 RAM
24 Hard disk 26 Memory card interface 28 Speaker output circuit 30 Internal bus 32 Speaker 34 Printer interface 40 ROM
42 DSP
50 Dedicated Bus 52 Display Controller 54 Display Screen 60 TV Output Circuit 70 Memory Card 80 Printer 82 Battery

Claims (8)

There are at least a stopped state and a standby state, and data cannot be read in the stopped state, but data can be read in the standby state, and a predetermined rise is required before starting from the stopped state and shifting to the standby state. When time is required, data is read from the first storage device, transferred to the second storage device, temporarily stored, and when the second storage device is full of data, Transfer means for stopping transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device and for shifting the first storage device to the stopped state;
Decoding means for obtaining and decoding data from the second storage device;
When the amount of data stored in the second storage device before being decoded by the decoding unit is smaller than a predetermined minimum data amount, the transfer unit stores the second storage unit from the first storage unit. Resuming means for resuming the transfer of data to the device;
The amount of data stored in the second storage device before being decoded by the decoding means is obtained by adding the amount of data decoded by the decoding means during the rise time to the minimum data amount A first storage device activation means for activating the first storage device in the stopped state when it becomes less than
An information processing apparatus comprising: A data consumption rate calculating unit that calculates a data consumption rate that is a rate at which the decoding unit acquires and consumes data from the second storage device;
The first storage device activation unit calculates the amount of data decoded by the decoding unit during the rising time based on the data consumption rate calculated by the data consumption rate calculation unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The data consumption rate calculation unit calculates the data consumption rate based on a time interval when the decoding unit acquires data from the second storage device and a read data amount. Item 3. The information processing device according to Item 2.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the data is data that needs to be decoded and reproduced continuously.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data is image data and / or audio data.   6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second storage device is a buffer secured in a partial storage area in the volatile storage device. The first storage device is a hard disk drive;
In the standby state, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive continues,
In the stopped state, the rotation of the motor of the hard disk drive is stopped,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. There are at least a stopped state and a standby state, and data cannot be read in the stopped state, but data can be read in the standby state, and a predetermined rise occurs after the start from the stopped state to the transition to the standby state. When time is required, data is read from the first storage device, transferred to the second storage device, temporarily stored, and when the second storage device is full of data, Stopping the transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device and shifting the first storage device to the stopped state;
Obtaining and decoding data from the second storage device;
Transfer of data from the first storage device to the second storage device is resumed when the amount of data stored in the second storage device before decoding is less than a predetermined minimum data amount. And the process of
When the amount of data stored in the second storage device before being decoded is less than the amount of startup data obtained by adding the amount of data decoded during the rise time to the minimum amount of data, Starting the first storage device in a stopped state;
An information processing apparatus control method comprising:

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