JP2021056956A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: it takes long time to complete initialization processing.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus comprises: a UI unit; an operation unit; and a single-core processor that controls the UI unit and the operation unit. The processor instructs, in response to power-on, the operation unit to execute partial initialization processing, of a series of initialization processing from the power-on to first start-up processing, controls, in response to the power-on, the UI unit to execute output based on first multi-media data stored in advance, and execute the first start-up processing after the completion of the initialization processing executed by the operation unit and in a period of the output based on the first multi-media data executed by the UI unit. At least part of the initialization processing executed by the operation unit is executed without involvement of the processor in a period of an initial operation for the output based on the first multi-media data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to electronic devices.

The step of initializing the media playback system of the computing system using the first processor circuit, the step of initializing the operating system of the computing system using the second processor circuit, and during the initialization of the operating system. A computer execution method including a step of outputting one or more multimedia streams using a media playback system is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

Special Table 2015-501040

However, in order to reduce the cost of electronic devices, in a configuration in which a single-core processor having one core is mounted on a product, multimedia data is conventionally processed in a series of initialization processes after the power is turned on. The processing for displaying was carried out in series in relation to other processing. Therefore, it has been a problem to prolong the time required to complete the initialization process.

The electronic device includes a user interface unit, an operating unit, and a single-core processor that controls the user interface unit and the operating unit, and the processor is the first from the power-on according to the power-on. The operation unit is instructed to execute a part of the initialization processing up to the startup processing, and the output based on the first multimedia data stored in advance is executed in response to the power-on. The user interface unit is controlled as described above, and the first activation process is executed after the initialization process by the operation unit is completed and during the output period based on the first multimedia data by the user interface unit. However, at least a part of the initialization process by the operating unit is performed during the initial operation period for output based on the first multimedia data without the involvement of the processor.

A block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device. A flowchart showing an electronic device startup process. The figure which shows the period of each process executed according to the flowchart of FIG. The figure which shows the activation process of the conventional electronic device as a comparative example with respect to FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to each figure. Each figure is merely an example for explaining the present embodiment. Since each figure is an example, some parts may be omitted.

1. 1. Schematic description of the device:
FIG. 1 simply shows the configuration of the electronic device 10 according to the present embodiment by a block diagram. The electronic device 10 is, for example, a printer. Alternatively, the electronic device 10 may be a scanner, a multifunction device, a projector, or other digital device.

The electronic device 10 includes, for example, a control unit 11, an operation unit 13, a display unit 14, an operation reception unit 15, and a speaker 16. If the electronic device 10 is a printer, the electronic device 10 includes a printing unit 17 and a transport unit 18 for realizing the function of the printer.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU 11a as a single core processor and memories such as a ROM 11b and a RAM 11c. The control unit 11 may be a SoC (System on a Chip) integrated circuit. In the control unit 11, the CPU 11a controls each part of the electronic device 10 by executing arithmetic processing according to the software (SW) stored in the ROM 11b or the like using the RAM 11c or the like as a work area. The operating system (OS) 12a and the program 12b are stored in the memory as a kind of the above-mentioned software. Further, data such as the first multimedia data 12c and the second multimedia data 12d are stored in the memory.

The operating unit 13 is a dedicated hardware circuit designed to execute a part of the initialization processing of the electronic device 10. The operating unit 13 is a type of DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The function of the operation unit 13 will be described later.

The display unit 14 is a means for displaying visual information, and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like. The display unit 14 may be described as a display, a display, or the like. Further, the display unit 14 may have a configuration including a display and a drive circuit for driving the display. The operation receiving unit 15 is a means for receiving an operation by the user, and is realized by, for example, a physical button or a touch panel. Of course, the touch panel may be realized as one function of the display unit 14. The speaker 16 is an audio output means. The display unit 14 and the speaker 16 correspond to a user interface (UI) unit. However, the electronic device 10 does not have to have the speaker 16. The user interface unit may be simply referred to as a user interface.

The transport unit 18 is a mechanism for transporting the print medium. The transport unit 18 includes a roller for transporting the print medium, a motor for rotating the roller, and the like. The roller for transporting the print medium may be described as a transport roller. The print medium is typically paper, but a medium other than paper may be used as long as it is a printable material.

The printing unit 17 is a mechanism for executing printing on the printing medium transported by the transport unit 18. The printing method adopted by the printing unit 17 is not particularly limited, and there are various printing methods such as an inkjet method, an electrophotographic method, a thermal method, and a dot impact method. Needless to say, the electronic device 10 has a configuration necessary for realizing the functions of the product even if it is not a printer. For example, in the case of a scanner, the electronic device 10 has a light source, an image sensor, and the like necessary for reading a document.

2. Start process:
FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the activation process of the electronic device 10 executed by the control unit 11, that is, the CPU 11a as the processor. The control unit 11 starts the flowchart of FIG. 2 when it detects that the power of the electronic device 10 is turned on, that is, when the power of the electronic device 10 is turned on. For example, the control unit 11 starts the flowchart of FIG. 2 when the power button as a part of the operation reception unit 15 is pressed. Alternatively, the control unit 11 detects that the power cable for supplying power from the outside is connected to the electronic device 10 and that the battery is attached to the electronic device 10 as power-on, and displays the flowchart of FIG. You may start. The control unit 11 is also equipped with software for executing the flowchart of FIG. Such software for executing the flowchart of FIG. 2 may be called a boot program or the like. The boot program may, in fact, be part of the OS 12a or part of the program 12b.

In step S100, the control unit 11 executes the expansion process for outputting the first multimedia data 12c. Specifically, the control unit 11 expands the first multimedia data 12c stored in the ROM 11b into the RAM 11c. Multimedia data is data composed of at least a part of still image data, moving image data, and audio data. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the first multimedia data 12c is still image data expressing the company logo mark of the vendor of the electronic device 10. Such a logo mark will be referred to as a "first logo" below.

FIG. 3 shows the periods of each process executed according to the flowchart of FIG. 2, and the order and overlap of those periods. According to FIG. 3, the process of step S100 takes about 0.05 seconds. Of course, the number of seconds in each period shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the disclosure according to the present embodiment is not limited to such number of seconds. Further, in FIG. 3, the ratio of the lengths of the arrows indicating each period does not exactly correspond to the ratio of the number of seconds in each period.

In step S110, the control unit 11 executes a predetermined initialization process necessary for putting the electronic device 10 into the activated state. The initialization process performed in step S110 is a process performed by a function of software installed in the control unit 11, and corresponds to preparation for the initialization process executed by the operation unit 13 described later. Specifically, in step S110, the control unit 11 analyzes the header of the program 12b stored in the ROM 11b, specifies the address in the RAM 11c as the expansion destination of the program 12b, and the like. According to FIG. 3, the process of step S110 takes about 0.5 seconds.

The program 12b is a program necessary for controlling each function of the electronic device 10 such as the printing unit 17 and the transport unit 18. The program 12b is a coded, that is, a compressed data state in the state stored in the ROM 11b. Program 12b is encoded by, for example, the Huffman coding method.
In step S120, the control unit 11 instructs the operation unit 13 to execute the initialization process. At the same time, the control unit 11 notifies the operation unit 13 of the coding method as a result of the analysis executed in step S110 and the designated address.

The operation unit 13 executes the initialization process instructed by the control unit 11. Specifically, the operating unit 13 decodes the program 12b stored in the ROM 11b in the encoded state and expands the program 12b into the RAM 11c. ROM 11b corresponds to the example of the first memory, and RAM 11c corresponds to the example of the second memory. After being instructed by the control unit 11 to execute the initialization process, the operation unit 13 independently executes the initialization process related to the program 12b without the involvement of the CPU 11a. According to FIG. 3, the initialization process for the program 12b executed by the operation unit 13 takes about 3.0 seconds.

In step S130, the control unit 11 starts outputting the first multimedia data 12c. Step S130 is also referred to as "output initial operation" for performing output based on the first multimedia data 12c. The control unit 11 initializes and activates the display unit 14 as an output initial operation, and transfers the first multimedia data 12c expanded in the RAM 11c to the display unit 14. According to FIG. 3, the output initial operation in step S130 takes about 0.5 seconds.

Although it is described in FIG. 2 that step S130 is executed after step S120, the control unit 11 may execute step S120 and step S130 substantially at the same time. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, after the process of step S110, the initialization process by the operation unit 13 instructed in step S120 and the output initial operation of step S130 are started in parallel. Then, during the initialization process by the operation unit 13, the output initial operation in step S130 ends.

When the output initial operation of step S130 is completed, that is, when the output of the first multimedia data 12c is started, the first logo is actually displayed on the display unit 14. As shown in FIG. 3, a part of the initialization process executed by the operation unit 13 overlaps with the output initial operation (step S130). If the first multimedia data 12c includes audio data, the control unit 11 may cause the speaker 16 to output audio based on the audio data during the display period of the first logo.

After step S120 and step S130, the control unit 11 repeatedly determines whether or not the initialization process by the operation unit 13 is completed, for example, by monitoring the presence or absence of a predetermined signal from the operation unit 13 and the RAM 11c. (Step S140). Then, when the initialization process by the operation unit 13 is completed, the control unit 11 proceeds from the determination of “Yes” in step S140 to step S150.

In step S150, the control unit 11 writes the OS 12a stored in the ROM 11b into the RAM 11c and activates it. According to FIG. 3, it takes about 0.5 seconds to start the OS 12a in step S150. The activation of OS12a in step S150 corresponds to the example of the first activation process.

After starting the OS 12a, the control unit 11 starts outputting the second multimedia data 12d in step S160. This means that the output of the first multimedia data 12c, that is, the display of the first logo ends in response to the completion of booting the OS 12a in step S150. As shown in FIG. 3, after the initialization process by the operation unit 13 is completed, the control unit 11 starts the OS 12a in step S150 during the display period of the first logo.

The second multimedia data 12d is data representing a UI screen such as a home screen displayed on the display unit 14 of the activated electronic device 10. That is, the user can start using the electronic device 10 by visually recognizing the UI screen provided by the second multimedia data 12d whose output has been started in step S160.

FIG. 4 is a comparative example with respect to FIG. 3, and shows a start-up process conventionally executed by an electronic device having a single-core processor as a control unit. In electronic devices equipped with a single-core processor, conventionally, in a series of initialization processes after the power is turned on, the process for displaying multimedia data is performed in series in relation to other processes. Was there. That is, conventionally, the control unit of the electronic device executes the "initialization process by software" corresponding to step S110 after the "first logo display start" corresponding to steps S100 and S130 of FIG. 2, and then "initialization process by software". After waiting for a period corresponding to the "initialization process by the operating unit 13," the "OS startup" corresponding to step S150 was executed.

Therefore, in FIG. 4, it took 4.05 seconds from the power-on to the end of the initialization process, and about 4.55 seconds to complete the OS startup. On the other hand, in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3, it takes 3.55 seconds from the power-on to the end of the initialization process, and about 4.05 seconds to complete the OS startup. As described above, in the present embodiment, a reduction of about 0.5 seconds has been realized as compared with the conventional case. In FIG. 4, it may be understood that the period after the "start of displaying the first logo" is the display period of the first logo.

3. 3. Summary:
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the electronic device 10 includes a UI unit, an operating unit 13, and a single-core processor (CPU 11a) that controls the UI unit and the operating unit 13. The processor instructs the operation unit 13 to execute a part of the initialization processing in the series of initialization processing from the power-on to the first startup processing according to the power-on, and in advance according to the power-on The UI unit is controlled so as to execute the output based on the stored first multimedia data 12c. The processor executes the first start-up process after the initialization process by the operation unit 13 is completed and during the output period based on the first multimedia data 12c by the UI unit. Then, at least a part of the initialization process by the operation unit 13 is executed without the involvement of the processor during the initial operation period for the output based on the first multimedia data 12c.

According to the above configuration, the processor is based on the first multimedia data 12c during the initialization process by the operating unit 13 by utilizing the fact that the operating unit 13 executes the initialization process independently of the processor. The output initial operation for output (step S130) is executed. As a result, the time required to complete the initialization process can be shortened as compared with the conventional case.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the first startup process is a process for starting the OS 12a.
According to the above configuration, the processor can reduce the time required to finish booting the OS as compared with the conventional one. In addition to starting the OS 12a, the first starting process may be, for example, a process of starting the electronic device 10 so that a specific mechanism can be used.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the initialization process executed by the operating unit 13 without the involvement of the processor decodes the coded program 12b stored in the first memory and expands it in the second memory. It is a process.
According to the configuration, the processor initially outputs for output based on the first multimedia data 12c in parallel with the period of decoding processing executed by the operating unit 13 with respect to the program 12b stored in the first memory. Can perform operations.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the processor sets the UI unit so as to execute the output based on the second multimedia data 12d instead of the output based on the first multimedia data 12c after the completion of the first startup process. Control.
According to the above configuration, the processor can switch the output by the UI unit from the output based on the first multimedia data 12c to the output based on the second multimedia data 12d in response to the completion of the first startup process.

The present embodiment also discloses inventions in categories other than the electronic device 10. That is, the flowchart of FIG. 2 executed by the electronic device 10 can be regarded as an invention of the method, and a program for causing the processor to execute the method can be regarded as an invention.

10 ... Electronic device, 11 ... Control unit, 11a ... CPU, 11b ... ROM, 11c ... RAM, 12a ... OS, 12b ... Program, 12c ... First multimedia data, 12d ... Second multimedia data, 13 ... Operating unit , 14 ... Display unit, 15 ... Operation reception unit, 16 ... Speaker, 17 ... Printing unit, 18 ... Transport unit

Claims (4)

User interface part and
The moving part and
A single-core processor that controls the user interface unit and the operation unit is provided.
The processor
Instructing the operation unit to execute a part of the initialization processing in the series of initialization processing from the power-on to the first startup processing in response to the power-on.
In response to the power-on, the user interface unit is controlled so as to execute an output based on the first multimedia data stored in advance.
After the initialization process by the operation unit is completed and during the output period based on the first multimedia data by the user interface unit, the first activation process is executed.
An electronic device characterized in that at least a part of the initialization process by the operating unit is executed without the involvement of the processor during the period of the initial operation for output based on the first multimedia data. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first boot process is a process of booting an operating system. The initialization process executed by the operating unit without the involvement of the processor is characterized in that it is a process of decoding a coded program stored in the first memory and expanding it in the second memory. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2. The processor controls the user interface unit to execute an output based on the second multimedia data instead of the output based on the first multimedia data after the completion of the first startup process. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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