JP2020089028A - Electronic apparatus, module system, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus capable of recognizing a connection state without interrupting an operation of a module, in an electronic apparatus which can be used by installing a module.SOLUTION: A module system connecting a plurality of functional modules by a daisy chain and performing a communication authentication between connection modules has a module which becomes a master of the module system, a battery module which can supply power to each module and has a fixed address indicating a terminal, and a charging supplying module connected to a master module as a slave, connected to the battery module as a master, supplying a power source supplied by the battery module and an external power source to the master module, or charging the battery module. The charging supplying module changes its own slave communication address to the fixed address indicating the terminal when connected to the battery module or the external power source.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a module system, and a control method thereof, and more particularly to recognition (authentication) of module connection in an electronic device that can be used by connecting a plurality of modules.

In an electronic device including an imaging device, a so-called module-recombinant type electronic device having a desired function can be realized by collecting a plurality of components and rearranging a module having a predetermined function like a block. In an electronic device including a plurality of modules, the entire electronic device is controlled by communicating between an IC (Integrated Circuit) of a master module and an IC of a slave module.

In Patent Document 1, in a configuration in which a plurality of battery units are connected to a master unit, a connection confirmation request signal is sequentially transmitted from a downstream battery unit to an upstream battery unit, and an identification signal is set in the battery unit. Further, when setting the identification information of the upstream battery unit, if there is a battery unit that does not receive a connection confirmation request signal from the upstream, it is characterized as abnormal.

JP, 2014-124039, A

When the functional units shown in Patent Document 1 are integrated in the battery unit, the relationship between the master and the slave is fixed. However, in the case of a configuration in which a plurality of modules can be recombined like a block, it is conceivable that electronic devices having different functions, such as a camera unit, a charging and feeding unit, and a battery unit, are connected. In that case, no matter what type of modules are connected in any order, in order to realize the desired function, the relationship between the master and slave is changed according to the connection state of the unit (module). There is a need. In that case, the operation may be interrupted each time the change is made, for example, when the authentication of the master module is required.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of performing a desired operation by rearranging and connecting modules having different functions, without stopping the function at the time of authentication processing when additionally mounting a module. It is to provide a means that can be continuously executed.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a master module, a plurality of sub-modules connectable to the master module, and communication means for communicating between the connected modules. The module is a module system including a battery module capable of supplying power to each of the connected modules, and a charging module capable of charging the battery module using electric power from an external power source, wherein the master module is It authenticates communication with a plurality of sub-modules connected by itself as a master, and the charging module authenticates communication with the master module as a slave and when it authenticates communication with the battery module as a master. It is characterized in that the communication circuit is switched depending on the case.

According to the present invention, in an electronic device capable of performing a desired operation by rearranging and connecting modules having different functions, the function can be continued without stopping at the time of the authentication process when additionally mounting the module. Can be executed.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of an electronic device and a module according to the present invention. It is a block diagram showing the example of composition concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the change of the communication address according to the connection state in the structural example which concerns on embodiment of the charge electric power feeding module of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of changing the communication address according to the embodiment of the charging and feeding module of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the processing block of the camera module of this invention. It is a figure which shows the internal processing block of this invention. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components having the same structure are designated by the same reference numerals. An electronic device according to the present invention is a module-recombinable type electronic device in which a plurality of second devices, third devices, and the like are attached to a first device and can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic device and a module according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a view in which a camera module 101, a charging power feeding module 401, and a battery module 411 are separated as modules, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front side, and (b) is (b). The perspective view seen from the rear side is shown.

An imaging unit 102 exposed on the front surface is fixed to the camera module 101. The image pickup unit 102 includes an image pickup optical system including a lens and a diaphragm for forming light from a subject and an image pickup element. The camera module 101 is provided with a main board, an auxiliary board, and the like on which electronic components such as an image pickup signal processing circuit (not shown) for converting image data generated after image pickup into digital information are mounted. A release button 104 is provided on the upper surface of the camera module 101, and the release button 104 can be pressed in two steps. When the user half-presses the release button 104, a shooting preparation operation (a photometry operation, a distance measurement operation, etc.) is started. When the user further fully presses the release button 104, the imaging operation of the subject is started, and the data of the captured image is recorded in a recording medium (not shown).

On the side surface of the camera module 101, a power button 105 for turning on the power of the camera module 101 and a storage chamber 107 into which the above-mentioned recording medium (not shown) can be mounted are provided. Further, a jack (not shown) for inputting/outputting a signal is provided and is covered with a protective jack cover portion 108. The user can open the jack cover unit 108 and insert/remove various cables to/from the input/output interface to electrically connect the camera module 101 and an external device.

The lock member 109 is a lock mechanism for removing the module, and can be operated between a lock position and an unlock position. The user can remove the connection module by rotating the lock member 109. Further, on the back surface of the camera module 101, a connector section 321 for connecting with the module is arranged. The camera module 101 and each module to be described later are connected using these module connectors.

The charging power supply module 401 has a connector portion 405 on the front surface thereof. Connector part The connector part 405 can be connected to the connector part 321 of the camera module 101. Further, a connector portion 406 for connecting to the battery module 411 is provided on the back surface portion. The connector unit 406 can be connected to a connector unit 415, which will be described later, arranged on the front surface of the battery module 411.

The charging power supply module 401 is provided with an external power supply input terminal 601 which is an interface connectable to an external power supply such as an AC adapter or a USB. The charging and feeding module 401 is connected to the battery module 411 while receiving power from an external power source via the external power source input terminal 601, so that the power source (battery) in the battery module 411 can be charged.

The battery module 411 has a battery (primary battery or secondary battery) as a power source and supplies electric power to another connected module. By connecting the connector unit 415 to the connector unit 406 of the charging/power feeding module 401, it becomes possible to charge the battery by receiving power from the external power source connected to the charging/power feeding module. The connector portion 415 of the battery module can also be connected to the connector 321 of the camera module.

Note that the connectable modules are not limited to the exemplified ones, and any device that can be connected to another module can be configured as a module having another function. A user can select a module from a variety of modules and attach the selected module to the back of the main module or other sub-module for use. Further, depending on the type of module, it is possible to connect to the rear side of the attached sub-module. A sub-module connected to the back of the main module and a sub-module connected to the back of the main module are connected in series like a daisy chain. In the present embodiment, the camera module 101 has a main module, and the charging and feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 have a sub-module relationship.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the charging and feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, (a) represents the charging and feeding module 401, and (b) represents the battery module 411.

The charging and feeding module 401 of FIG. 2A has a power supply control unit 403, a module communication control unit 404, the above-mentioned module 406, and an external power supply input unit 601. The charging power supply module 401 charges the power supply unit 412 (battery) of the battery module 411.

The power supply control unit 403 controls the electric power received via the connector unit 406 or the external power supply input terminal 601. Further, the power from the external power source received via the AC adapter or USB connected to the external power source input terminal 601 is converted into a voltage, and the power supply unit 412 of the battery module 411 is charged.

The module communication control unit 404 has a communication address memory 407, a slave communication circuit unit 408, and a master communication circuit unit 410, and controls communication between the charging/power feeding module 401 and other modules. The communication address memory 407 stores an address used to specify a communication partner. The slave communication circuit unit 408 is a circuit unit for communicating with the master by using itself as a slave, and in the present embodiment, communicates with the camera module 101. The master communication circuit unit 410 is a circuit unit for communicating with a slave by using itself as a master, and communicates with the battery module 411 in this embodiment.

The connector section 405 is electrically connected to a module at a front stage (closer to the main module) than itself, and the connector section 406 is electrically connected to a module on the terminal side (battery module 411).

The warning unit 602 is means for notifying the user of information, and can be configured by, for example, display on a display, notification by an illuminating means such as an LED, or voice notification means.

The battery module 411 has a power supply unit 412 for supplying power to the camera module 101 and other modules, and can supply power to other connected modules. The power supply unit 412 manages the power supply. 413. Further, similarly to the charging/power feeding module 401, a module communication control unit 414 and a connector unit 415 for realizing communication with other connected modules are provided.

The module communication control unit 414 has a communication address memory 416 and a communication circuit unit 417, and controls communication between the battery module 411 and other modules. The communication address memory 416 stores an address used to establish communication with a communication partner, and the communication circuit unit 417 communicates with the connection module. The power supplied from the power supply unit 412 is supplied to other modules connected in series, such as the charging and feeding module 401 and the camera module 101, via the connector unit 415.

(Operation of charging power supply module)
Subsequently, the operation of the charging and feeding module 401 according to the embodiment of the charging and feeding module of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing changes in the respective communication addresses according to the connection state in the configuration example of the charging and feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 according to the embodiment of the charging and feeding module.

FIG. 3A shows an initial state in which the charging and feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 are not connected. The communication address 0x3F is stored as an initial value in the communication address memory 407 included in the module communication control unit 404. In the battery module 411, as an initial value, the communication address 0x7F indicating the power source that is the termination of the module connection is stored in the communication address memory 416. In the present embodiment, the common communication address 0x3F is stored as an initial value in the communication address memory of each module other than the battery module 411.

FIG. 3B shows a state in which the charging power feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 are connected, and FIG. 3C shows a state in which a plurality of charging power feeding modules (401, 701) are connected. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, a process of changing the communication address held by the charging and feeding module 401 in the communication address memory 407 in the battery module connection state of FIG. 3B according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. To do. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of changing the communication address held in the communication address memory 407 by the charging and power feeding module 401 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Each process in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is realized by the module communication control unit 404 of the charging/power-supplying module 401 loading a program stored in a memory (not shown) in the system memory and executing the program to control each functional block. To be done.

First, in step S101, the power supply control unit 403 detects the electrical connection of the connector unit 406 or the external power supply input terminal 601. When the battery module 411 is electrically connected through the connector units 406 and 415 or the external power source is connected to the external power source input terminal 601, the power source control unit 403 determines that the power source is connected. When the power supply connection is detected, the process proceeds to step S102, and when there is no power supply connection, the standby state is set until the electrical connection is detected.

Next, in step S102, the power supply control unit 403 that has detected the power supply connection supplies power to the module communication control unit 404 to activate it, and the module communication control unit 404 becomes the master to realize subsequent communication.

In step S103, the module communication control unit 404 starts I2C communication as a master module via the master communication circuit unit 410. When performing I2C communication as a master module, the module communication control unit 404 uses not the communication address 0x3F stored as an initial value in the communication address memory 407 but the communication address 0x7F indicating the power source for communication.

In step S104, the master communication circuit unit 410 detects whether or not a response is returned to the communication performed in step S103. In I2C communication, when the communication address transmitted from the master matches the communication address stored in the communication address memory, the slave returns a response. Upon receiving the response from the slave, communication between modules is established. Here, in the embodiment of FIG. 3B, the communication address 0x7F used by the charging and feeding module 401 for communication with the battery module 411 matches the communication address stored in the communication address memory 416 of the battery module 411. Therefore, in step S104, the communication circuit unit 417 of the battery module 411 returns a communication response to the master communication circuit unit 410. When the response is returned and the communication is established, the process proceeds to step S105, and when it is not returned, the process proceeds to step S117.

When the process proceeds to step S105, that is, when the communication is established between the module communication control unit 404 and the module communication control unit 414, it is recognized that the battery module is connected.

In the next step S106, the master communication circuit unit 410 of the module communication control unit 404 inquires of the module communication control unit 414 what kind of battery the connected battery is. In response to the inquiry, the module communication control unit 414 returns the battery information to the module communication control unit 404, so that the charging and feeding module 401 (module communication control unit 404) acquires the information about the connected battery.

In step S107, based on the battery information acquired in step S106, the module communication control unit 404 determines whether the connected battery is a compatible battery. If the battery is compatible, the process proceeds to step S109. If the battery is not a compatible battery, the process proceeds to step S108, a warning is given to the user via the warning unit 602, and the present flowchart is ended. In this case, the communication address of the communication address memory 407 remains the common communication address 0x3F and is not changed.

When it is determined in step S107 that the battery is a compatible battery, in step S109, the module communication control unit 404 confirms whether or not the external power supply input terminal 601 is supplied with an external power supply. If the external power source is input, the process proceeds to step S112, and if not, the process proceeds to step S110.

When the process proceeds to step S110, that is, when the battery is connected to the corresponding battery and the external power source is not input, the module communication control unit 404 sets the communication address held in the communication address memory 407 to the common communication address 0x3F. To 0x7F. In the present embodiment, the communication address 0x7F is a communication address indicating the power source that is the termination of the module connection.

Next, in step S111, the battery information acquired in step S106 is stored in the communication address memory 407 as data relating to communication.

If it is determined in step S109 that there is an external power input to the external power input terminal 601, it is determined in step S112 whether the input external power is a compatible external power. If the external power source is compatible, the process proceeds to step S113. When it is determined that the external power source is not compatible, the process proceeds to step S108 and a warning is issued and the process ends. In this case, the communication address of the communication address memory 407 remains unchanged as the common communication address 0x3F.

In step S113, that is, when the input external power source is a compatible external power source, the module communication control unit 404 acquires external power source information.

Next, in step S114, the communication address held in the communication address memory 407 is changed from the common communication address 0x3F to 0x7F. In the present embodiment, the communication address 0x7F is a communication address indicating that it is the power source that is the termination of the module connection.

In step S115, the battery information and the external power source information acquired in steps S106 and S113 are stored in the communication address memory 407 as data relating to communication.

In step S116, the charging power supply module 401 starts charging the connected battery module 411 from the electric power supplied from the external power source.

Here, returning to step S104, the control when the response of the I2C communication is not returned will be described. In that case, the power source is connected but the battery module is not connected, and in step S117, the module communication control unit 404 determines that there is no connection with the battery module and that power is supplied from an external power source. recognize.

Next, in step S118, it is confirmed whether or not the external power supply input terminal 601 has an input of the external power supply. If an external power source is input, the process proceeds to step S119, and if not, the process proceeds to step S123 to issue a warning.

In step S119, similarly to step S112, it is determined whether or not the connected external power source is a compatible external power source. If the external power source is compatible, the process proceeds to step S120. If the external power source is not compatible, the process proceeds to step S123 to issue a warning.

When the process proceeds to step S120, that is, when it is determined that there is no connection with the battery module and that a compatible external power source is input, external power source information is acquired.

Next, in step S121, the communication address stored in the communication address memory 407 is changed from the initial value of the common communication address 0x3F to the communication address 0x7F indicating the power source which is the end of the module connection.

In step S122, the external power supply information acquired in step S120 is stored in the communication address memory 407 as data relating to communication, and this flowchart ends.

At this time, when the charging power feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 are connected, the communication address held in the communication address memory 407 is the communication address 0x7F as shown in FIG. 3B. The communication address memory 407 also stores information on the connected battery module 411 and external power supply.

FIG. 3C shows a state in which the charging power supply module 701 is further connected to the battery module connection state of FIG. 3B. In the embodiment of the present invention, the charging operation is prohibited when a plurality of charging power supply modules are connected.

In this state, since the chargeable power supply module 401 is connected to the compatible battery module 411, the communication address 0x7F and the battery information of the battery module 411 are stored in the communication address memory 407 according to the operation flow of FIG. Has been done.

When the charging power feeding module 401 to which the battery module 411 is connected is connected, the module communication control unit 704 of the charging power feeding module 701 determines that there is a battery connection because the communication address of the battery module 411 is 0x7F ( S105). Then, in step S106, the battery information is acquired. At this time, the communication address memory 407 stores the information of the charging/power feeding module 401 and the information of the battery module 411 (not the information of the rechargeable battery module). Therefore, the module communication control unit 704 determines in step S107 that a non-compliant battery is connected and issues a warning. Further, the communication address held in the communication address memory 707 of the charging/power feeding module 701 remains the common communication address 0x3F and remains unchanged.

As described above, when a plurality of charging/feeding modules of the present invention are connected, the charging/feeding module determines that the battery is connected to an incompatible battery, issues a warning to the user, and does not perform the charging operation. Further, in this case, the communication address held in the communication address memory remains the communication address 0x3F which is the common address as the initial value. The format of the communication address is not limited to the example described in the present embodiment, and may be any format.

(Operation of camera module)
FIG. 5 shows processing blocks of the camera module 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 5, the image pickup unit 102 includes a lens unit 301 and an image pickup element 302. The lens unit 301 includes an optical lens, a shutter, a diaphragm, and the like (not shown). The subject image that has passed through the lens unit 301 is formed on the image pickup surface of the image pickup element 302. The subject image combined with the image pickup surface on the image pickup element 302 is photoelectrically converted by photoelectric elements arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of the image pickup element 302. Furthermore, gain adjustment and A/D conversion for converting an analog signal into a digital signal are performed, and the signals are fetched as signals of respective colors of R, Gr, Gb, and B and sent to the image pickup signal processing circuit 303.

The imaging signal processing circuit 303 performs various image signal processing such as low-pass filter processing for reducing noise, shading processing, and WB processing, various corrections, compression of image signals, and the like.

The main body system control unit 304 controls the entire camera module 101 and performs control such as imaging, image processing, and video output, and various calculations therefor.

The memory unit I308 temporarily stores the image signal, and the recording medium control interface unit 310 records or reads the image signal on or from the recording medium 312 which is a removable storage medium such as a semiconductor memory.

The display unit 311 displays the state of the camera module 101 or the like and informs the user.

The external interface 313 is an input/output interface for communicating with an external computer or the like.

The memory unit II 314 stores the calculation result in the main body system control unit 304.

The release button 104, the power button 105, and the operation button 106 are operating means, and the main body system control unit 304 controls the entire camera module 101 in response to a user operation on these operating means. Further, for example, information regarding the driving conditions of the camera module 101 set by the user using the operation button 106 is sent to the main body system control unit 304, and the entire camera module 101 is controlled based on these information.

The module communication control unit 320 is connected to the main body system control unit 304 and electrically connected to the module via the connector unit 321.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a flow of an operation of a module recognition process when the camera module 101 is connected to the charging and feeding module 401 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The camera module 101 according to the present embodiment performs module authentication with respect to other sub-modules such as the charging and feeding module 401 by I2C communication using a common address, and assigns a unique communication address to each sub-module.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the sub-module 601, the charging module 401, and the battery module 411 connected to the camera module 101. Each module is electrically connected by a connector section provided on them, and communication is realized by mutual module communication control sections.

The module communication control unit 320 included in the camera module 101 includes a communication circuit unit 501 that generates a communication waveform based on a predetermined format, and a module recognition processing unit 502 for recognizing a module connected to the camera module 101. Is equipped with. The module recognition processing unit 502 has, as connection compatible module information 503, information about compatible modules that the camera module 101 can connect to and operate. Further, the camera module 101 has a module connection state storage unit 504 that stores the type and order information of the modules currently connected.

The sub module 601 has a module system control unit 603, a communication control unit 604, and connector units 605 and 606. The module system control unit 603 executes control of the submodule 601 and arithmetic processing therefor. The communication control unit 604 has a communication address memory 607 and a communication circuit unit 608, and controls communication between the sub module 601 and other modules. The communication address memory 607 is an area for storing an address used to specify a communication partner, and holds a communication address 0x3F which is a common address in the present embodiment as an initial value.

The following types of modules are available, for example.
-A power supply module that has a power supply (primary battery or secondary battery) and supplies power to the main module and other sub-modules.
An external I/O (input/output) module having a connector for communicating with an external device.
An NFC (Near Field Communication) module for performing near field communication.
-A communication module that transmits and receives data to and from external devices by wireless communication.
-Speaker module that outputs music and operation sounds.
-A microphone module that inputs voice.
-A large-capacity recording module for storing data that exceeds the capacity of the storage medium.
A display module provided with a liquid crystal display device (eg, liquid crystal display device).
-A cooling unit that stores the heat generated by the connected modules.

Any device having any function can be configured as a sub-module as long as the devices can be connected to each other. The user can select a sub-module from these sub-modules and attach the selected sub-module to the back of the main module or another sub-module for use.

The connector unit 405 is electrically connected to the module on the upstream side (the side closer to the camera module 101) than itself, and the connector unit 406 is electrically connected to the battery module 411.

The operation will be described below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing connection authentication of the camera module 101. Each process in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is implemented by the system control unit 304 by loading a program stored in a nonvolatile memory (not shown) into the memory 314 and executing the program to control each functional block. If the camera module 101 is supplied with power, this flow can be executed.

First, in step S107, the number L indicating the connection order of the modules to be recognized is defined. Here, L=1 indicates that the module to be recognized now is the first module connected immediately after the camera module 101.

Then, the process proceeds to step S702, and communication is started using the common communication address 0x3F.

In step S703, it is determined whether communication has been established using this common communication address 0x3F. When communication using the communication address 0x3F is established, an unrecognized module (a module whose communication address is the initial value) is connected to the L-th connection point. When the communication is established (when the L-th module is not recognized), the process proceeds to step S703. If the communication is not established, the process proceeds to step S706.

Then, in step S704, the unrecognized module is inquired about the module information including the information of the module type by communication, and the type of the module is recognized by the reply. The module information is stored as data in the communication address memory of each module, for example.

In step S705, it is determined whether or not the module recognized in step S704 satisfies the connection order constraint in the recognized daisy chain connection. At this time, the “connectable order” for the determination is stored in the module authentication processing unit 502 as the connection corresponding module information 503. The "connectable order" includes modules that can be connected according to the type of the module, such as that the charging and feeding module can be connected only before the battery module, and the image processing module can be connected only after the camera module. Is stored in association with. If the constraint is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S706, and if not, the process proceeds to step S712.

Subsequently, in step S706, a unique communication address corresponding to the connection order is assigned to the recognized module and set, to establish communication. After that, when communicating with this module, the communication address assigned here is used for communication. In this way, by recognizing the module using the common communication address and then allocating a unique address for each module, it is possible to communicate between the camera module 101 and a plurality of connected modules regardless of the type of the module. Becomes

Next, in step S707, the communication circuit unit is enabled via the module communication control unit of the Lth module to enable communication with the L+1th module in the subsequent stage.

Then, in step S708, L is incremented by 1, L=L+1 is set, the process returns to step S702, and the process proceeds to the recognition process of the next module.

On the other hand, if the communication using the common address 0x3F is not established in step S703, the process proceeds to step S709, and communication is performed using the communication address 0x7F indicating the address of the termination module.

In step S710, it is determined whether communication using this communication address 0x7F has been established. When the communication using the communication address 0x7F is established, it means that the termination module is connected to the L-th connection point. When the communication is established (when the L-th module is the termination module), the process proceeds to step S711, and when the communication is not established, the process proceeds to step S713.

In step S711, the module information including the module type information of the connected termination module is acquired. The module information is held as data, for example, in the communication address memory of each module, similar to the communication address. In the example of FIG. 3(b) described above, in accordance with the flow of FIG. 4, the communication address memory 407 of the charging/power-supplying module 401 stores the communication address 0x7F and the module information of itself in addition to the module information of the battery module 411. Is stored as.

In step S712, it is determined whether or not the termination module recognized in step S711 satisfies the connection order constraint in the recognized daisy chain connection. Details are the same as the processing in step S705. When the connected terminal modules satisfy the conditions of the operable connection order and the number, the processing of this flowchart ends. After that, by communicating from the main module using the communication address assigned to each module, it becomes possible to operate each functional module and control the entire connected electronic device.

When it is determined in steps S705 and S712 that the modules are not connected in the operable order/number, the non-corresponding connection process is performed, and the process of this flowchart ends. The non-compliant connection processing here is assumed to be forcibly terminating the electronic device or displaying a warning to the user.

In the configuration of FIG. 6, when the operation flow of FIG. 7 is executed, first, when L=1, the camera module 101 starts communication using the common address 0x3F and performs the recognition process of the sub-module 601. The sub module 601 returns a response because the communication address 0x3F is stored in the communication address memory 607, and communication between the camera module 101 and the sub module 601 is established there.

Next, when L=2, the charging and feeding module 401 holds the communication address 0x7F in the communication address memory 407, so the first communication is not established. According to the flow of FIG. 7, the process proceeds to step S709, communication is established by communication using the communication address 0x7F, and communication is established as the termination module. Since the camera module 101 has recognized the terminal module, the recognition processing is completed without performing the recognition processing of the battery module 411.

Here, a supplementary case will be described in which the connection between the charging and feeding module 401 and the battery module 411 is not established when the camera module 101 starts the recognition process. In this case, the communication address memory 407 of the charging and feeding module 401 stores the common communication address 0x3F, which is the initial value. The camera module 101 establishes a connection with the charging and feeding module 401 by establishing communication with the initial value. After acquiring the module information of the charging and feeding module 401, L=L+1 is set, and the process proceeds to the recognition process of the next connected battery module 411, and the battery module 411 is authenticated. After that, the battery module 411 is recognized as the terminal module, and the recognition processing of the entire electronic device connected to the module is completed.

In this flow, the “connectable order” is obtained by referring to the connection corresponding module information 503 of the camera module 101, but the acquisition method of the connectable order, the end module information, etc. is not limited to the description of the present embodiment. For example, as in the case of inquiring about the module type in step S704 through communication, the information about the “connectable order” may be obtained through communication from the module itself recognized by communication.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the charging and feeding module and the battery module are connected, the charging and feeding module operates as the main module to establish the connection, and the charging function to the battery module is performed. To be realized. When the camera module is connected to the charging/feeding module in that state, the camera module recognizes the charging/feeding module as the termination module from the communication address stored in the communication address memory of the charging/feeding module, and then connects. Establish. Since the charging power supply module is a power supply module and is recognized as a terminal module, subsequent battery module authentication is not performed. Therefore, even during the authentication process of the main module (camera module), the charging/power-supplying module serves as a master and can charge the battery module. In addition, when the charging power supply module and the battery module have established a connection, the charging power supply module is regarded as the termination module and the connection is established, thereby switching the communication circuit for authenticating the battery module in the subsequent stage. It becomes unnecessary. Therefore, even if the main module is connected while the charging operation is being performed from the charging power supply module to the battery module, it is possible to authenticate up to the terminal module and establish communication without interrupting the charging operation. it can.

Although the present invention has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Part of the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Further, in the case of supplying a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments from a recording medium directly or by using wired/wireless communication to a system or apparatus having a computer capable of executing the program and executing the program Also included in the present invention. Therefore, the program code itself supplied to and installed in the computer to implement the functional processing of the present invention by the computer also implements the present invention. That is, the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention is also included in the present invention. In that case, the program may take any form such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an OS as long as it has the function of the program. The recording medium for supplying the program may be, for example, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical/magneto-optical storage medium, or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Further, as a method of supplying the program, a method of storing the computer program forming the present invention in a server on a computer network and allowing a connected client computer to download and program the computer program can be considered.

101 camera module 401 charging/feeding module 403 power supply control unit 404 module communication control unit 407 communication address memory 408 slave communication circuit unit 410 master communication circuit unit 411 battery module

Claims (17)

A master module,
A plurality of sub-modules connectable to the master module,
A communication means for communicating between the connected modules,
A module system including a battery module capable of supplying power to each of the connected modules, and a charging module capable of charging the battery module using electric power from an external power source, in the plurality of sub-modules,
The master module authenticates communication with a plurality of sub-modules connected as a master,
The module system, wherein the charging module switches a communication circuit between a case of authenticating a communication with the master module as a slave and a case of itself authenticating a communication with the battery module as a master. The module system according to claim 1, wherein the master module and the plurality of sub-modules are connected in series. The module system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit authenticates communication using a predetermined common communication address and establishes communication between the plurality of modules. The module system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the battery module is connected to a terminal end of a module connection. The module system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the battery module holds a communication address indicating that it is a terminal module for module connection. The battery module has a predetermined communication address,
The module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the master module recognizes that the communication has been established up to the end of the module connection when the master module is connected to the module having the predetermined communication address. system. The module system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the communication address of the battery module is a communication address different from the common communication address. 8. The charging module responds to a communication from the master module using a communication address of the battery module when the charging module itself establishes a connection with the battery module as a master. The module system according to item 1. The charging module authenticates communication when the battery module or the external power source is connected, and stores information on the connected battery module or the external power source when it is determined that the power source can be authenticated. 9. The module system according to claim 1, wherein the module system is stored in. The charging module further has warning means,
The warning means gives a warning when it is determined that either the battery module connected to the charging module or the external power source, or any of the external power sources, is a power source that cannot be authenticated. The module system according to any one of 1 to 9. The module system according to claim 10, wherein the warning unit gives a warning when the charging module is connected to another charging module having a function of charging a battery module. A first communication means that communicates with a predetermined module using itself as a master;
A second communication unit that communicates with another master module using itself as a slave, and is connected in series with a plurality of other modules.
The first communication means authenticates communication using a predetermined communication address,
The electronic device, wherein the second communication unit authenticates communication using a common communication address common to the other modules except the predetermined module. When the communication is established by the communication authentication of the first communication means,
13. The second communication means changes the common communication address to a communication address used by the first communication means, and authenticates communication using the changed communication address. Electronics. The predetermined module is a battery module,
14. The electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising a charging unit capable of charging the battery module with electric power from an external power source when communication is established by the first communication unit. A master module,
A method of controlling a module system including a battery module capable of supplying power to each module, and a charging module capable of charging the battery module using electric power from an external power source, and having a plurality of sub-modules connectable to the master module And
A first step in which the master module authenticates communication with a plurality of sub-modules to which it is connected as a master;
A second step in which the charging module itself authenticates communication with the battery module as a master;
Have
In the first and second steps, communication authentication is performed using different communication addresses. A computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps according to claim 15. A computer-readable recording medium in which the program according to claim 16 is written.

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