JP5591649B2 - Electronic device and communication control method - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an electronic device and a communication control method.

  In recent years, close proximity wireless communication employing the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) method has become widespread, and large-capacity data can be transmitted and received at high speed.

JP 2009-118146 A

  Conventionally, a portable non-volatile memory such as an SD card has been used when transferring or copying a large amount of data. In the SD card, reading and writing can be prohibited by operating a mechanical switch provided in the case of the SD card.

Similarly, there is a demand for data protection when data is transmitted and received by close proximity wireless communication.
Accordingly, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electronic device and a communication control method capable of data copy protection in close proximity wireless communication.

According to the embodiment, the electronic device includes a communication module, a storage unit, and setting means. The communication module performs close proximity wireless communication. The storage means stores data. Setting means sets whether the state is permitted to read and write the data. When the communication module is in proximity to an external device, the communication module adds read / write control information according to the setting by the setting means to a connection signal transmitted / received prior to synchronization of a service executed with the external device. To the external device .

According to the embodiment, the communication control method is a communication control method of a communication module that performs close proximity wireless communication, stores data in a storage unit, and whether or not the setting unit permits reading and writing of the data. If it is in the proximity state with an external device, the read / write control information corresponding to the setting by the setting means is added to the connection signal transmitted / received prior to the synchronization of the service executed with the external device. To the external device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of close proximity wireless communication performed between the electronic apparatus of the embodiment and an external device. The block diagram which shows the structure of the near field communication system of embodiment. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a software architecture applied to control proximity wireless communication applied to the electronic apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of the signal used for the connection authentication of embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exemplary sequence diagram illustrating an example of a connection procedure of close proximity wireless communication between the electronic apparatus of the embodiment and an external device. The flowchart which shows the read-write control procedure of embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, proximity wireless communication in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of close proximity wireless communication performed between the electronic apparatus of the embodiment and an external device.

  In the present embodiment, proximity wireless communication will be described by taking a camera 1 as an electronic device and a personal computer 2 as an external device. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a still image or moving image data captured by the camera 1 is transmitted to the personal computer 2 via proximity wireless communication. For example, an image captured by the camera 1 is transmitted to the personal computer 2 and displayed on a large display provided in the personal computer 2 or image data is stored in a storage device provided in the personal computer 2. In addition, the image data stored in the personal computer 2 can be transmitted to the camera 1 and desired image data can be stored in the camera 1 having excellent portability so that the image data can be viewed on the display provided in the camera 1. .

  In the present embodiment, an induction electric field is used for the proximity wireless communication, and TransferJet (registered trademark) is used for the proximity wireless communication system, for example. TransferJet (registered trademark) is a proximity wireless communication method using UWB, and can realize high-speed data transmission / reception. A device compatible with TransferJet (registered trademark) has an electrode called a coupler, and transmits and receives data to and from an external device by a wireless signal using an induced electric field. When an external device approaches within a communicable distance (for example, 3 cm), the couplers of both devices are coupled by an induced electric field, and wireless communication can be performed.

  Conventionally, when a large amount of data is moved (MOVE) or copied (COPY) to another storage device, a medium such as an SD card or a CD-ROM has been used. When moving or copying data, permission / prohibition of data reading and writing can be controlled in accordance with copyright issues and user intentions. For example, permission to read data with an SD card can be switched by a switch provided on the side of the card.

  Similarly, when data movement or replication is performed by proximity wireless communication, there is a demand for controlling permission / prohibition of reading and writing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to control data reading and writing even when data is transmitted and received in close proximity wireless communication.

  The camera 1 is provided on a main body casing 100, a CCD sensor 101 provided on the main body casing side surface 100b, an operation button 102 provided on the main body casing upper surface 100a, an LCD 103 provided on the main body casing side surface 100d, and a main body casing side surface 100c. It has an SD card slot 104, a read / write function changeover switch 105 provided on the main body casing side surface 100c, and a proximity wireless communication module 106 adjacent to the main body casing bottom surface 100f.

  In the personal computer 2, a computer main body 3 and a display unit 4 are rotatably provided via a hinge 5. The computer main body 3 includes a touch pad 6, a keyboard 7, a power switch 8, a proximity wireless communication module 22, and a read / write function changeover switch 25. The display unit 4 is provided with a display 4a at the center. A proximity wireless communication module 22 is built in the palm rest portion of the computer main body housing 3a, and close proximity wireless communication is performed by placing the external device of the communication partner on the palm rest portion. In the present embodiment, the camera 100 is placed on the computer main body housing 3a provided with the close proximity wireless communication module 22, and the close proximity wireless communication module 22 and the close proximity wireless communication module provided on the main body bottom surface 100f of the camera 100 are mounted. Proximity wireless communication is performed with 106.

Next, functions of the camera 1 and the personal computer 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the proximity wireless communication system according to the embodiment.
The camera 1 includes a CCD sensor 101, an operation button 102, an LCD 103, a read / write function switch 105, a proximity wireless communication module 106, a memory 109, a RAM 110, a CPU 112, a battery controller 113, a battery 114, An SD card controller 115 and an SD card 116 are provided. The proximity wireless communication module 106 includes a proximity wireless communication antenna 107 and a proximity wireless communication firmware 108.

  The CCD sensor 101 detects and shoots the scenery outside the lens. The operation button 102 instructs the timing at which the CCD sensor 101 captures images and various processes for displaying captured images on the LCD 103. The LCD 103 displays a landscape detected by the CCD sensor 101, captured image data, and the like. The SD card slot 104 is a slot provided to store an SD card that is a copy destination of image data. The read / write function change-over switch 105 determines whether or not to permit (enable) a write function of received data when the camera 1 performs close proximity wireless communication with an external device to transmit / receive data, or data that can be transmitted (camera 1 is a switch for switching whether to permit (enable) the reading function of (data held by 1). For example, the read / write function changeover switch 105 can select four states: a read / write function enabled state, a read function enabled state, a write function enabled state, and a read / write function disabled state. The close proximity wireless communication module 106 performs close proximity wireless communication with an external device, and when there is an instruction to read / write data, executes read / write of data according to the selected read / write control information.

  The close proximity wireless communication module 106 transmits and receives data to and from an external device by a wireless signal using an induced electric field. When the external device approaches within a communicable distance (for example, 3 cm), the close proximity wireless communication antenna 107 and the close proximity wireless communication antenna of the external device are coupled by an induced electric field, and wireless communication can be performed. The close proximity wireless communication module 106 converts a wireless signal received by the close proximity wireless communication antenna 107 into a digital signal, or converts a digital signal used for internal control into a wireless signal and transmits it from the close proximity wireless communication antenna 107.

  The proximity wireless communication firmware 108 adds the above-described read / write function control information to a predetermined area of a request message or a response message used for processing for establishing PCL communication according to the selection of the read / write function changeover switch 105. In this embodiment, the area to be used is determined in the standard free area (Reserved area) in the request message or the response message.

  The read / write function switching switch 105 determines whether to permit (enable) a write function of received data or to read transmittable data when the camera 1 performs close proximity wireless communication with an external device to transmit / receive data. This is a switch for switching whether to permit (enable) the function. For example, the read / write function changeover switch 105 can select four states: a read / write function enabled state, a read function enabled state, a write function enabled state, and a read / write function disabled state. The close proximity wireless communication module 22 performs close proximity wireless communication with an external device, and when there is an instruction to read or write data, the close proximity wireless communication module 22 executes data read / write according to the selected read / write control information.

  The memory 109 is a storage medium provided in the camera 1 and stores captured still images and moving image data. The RAM 110 is a so-called working memory for developing various application programs. In the present embodiment, the proximity wireless communication control program 111 is expanded. The CPU 112 is a control unit for controlling the entire camera 1. The battery controller 113 uses the battery 114 to generate system power to be supplied to each component of the camera 1. The SD card controller 115 accesses the installed SD card 116 to move or copy the stored image data, or output the image data to the LCD 103.

  The personal computer 2 includes a display 4a, a touch pad 6, a keyboard 7, a power switch 8, a CPU 10, a north bridge 11, a main memory 12, a graphics controller 13, a VRAM 14, a south bridge 15, The HDD 16, the BIOS-ROM 17, the EC / KBC 18, the power controller 19, the battery 20, the AC adapter 21, the proximity wireless communication module 22, and the read / write function changeover switch 25 are configured. The close proximity wireless communication module includes a close proximity wireless communication antenna 23 and a close proximity wireless communication firmware 24.

  The CPU 10 is a processor provided to control the operation of the personal computer 1, and executes an operating system (OS 50) and various application programs loaded from the HDD 16 to the main memory 12. Further, the CPU 10 loads the system BIOS 51 stored in the BIOS-ROM 17 to the main memory 12 and executes it. The system BIOS 51 is a program for hardware control. Further, the CPU 10 executes the proximity wireless communication program 52 and controls the proximity wireless communication performed by the proximity wireless communication module 23.

  The north bridge 11 is a bridge device that connects the local bus of the CPU 10 and the south bridge 15. The north bridge 11 also includes a memory controller that controls access to the main memory 12. The north bridge 11 also has a function of executing communication with the graphics controller 13 via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus or the like.

  The main memory 12 is a so-called working memory for developing the operating system (OS 50) and various application programs stored in the HDD 16 and the system BIOS 51 stored in the BIOS-ROM 17.

  The graphics controller 13 is a display controller that controls the display 4a used as a display monitor of the computer. The graphics controller 13 generates a video signal that forms a display image to be displayed on the display 4a from display data drawn on the VRAM 14 by the operating system / application program.

  The south bridge 15 accesses the BIOS-ROM 17 and controls disk drives (I / O devices) such as the HDD 16 and ODD (Optical Disk Drive).

  The HDD 16 is a storage device that stores the OS 50 and various application programs. For example, the image data received via the proximity wireless communication executed by the proximity wireless communication module 22 is stored.

The BIOS-ROM 17 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory that stores a system BIOS 51 that is a program for hardware control.
The EC / KBC 18 controls the touch pad 6 and the keyboard 7 as input means. The EC / KBC 18 is a one-chip microcomputer that monitors and controls various devices (peripheral devices, sensors, power supply circuits, etc.) regardless of the system status of the personal computer 1. Further, the EC / KBC 18 has a function of powering on / off the personal computer 2 in cooperation with the power controller 19 in accordance with the operation of the power switch 8 by the user.

  When external power is supplied via the AC adapter 21, the power controller 19 generates system power to be supplied to each component of the personal computer 2 using the external power supplied from the AC adapter 21. The power supply controller 19 generates system power to be supplied to each component (computer main body 3 and display unit 4) of the personal computer 2 using the battery 20 when external power is not supplied via the AC adapter 21. To do.

  The proximity wireless communication module 22 performs data transmission / reception with an external device by a wireless signal using an induced electric field. When the external device approaches within a communicable distance (for example, about 3 cm), the close proximity wireless communication antenna 23 and the close proximity wireless communication antenna of the external device are coupled by an induced electric field, and wireless communication can be performed. The close proximity wireless communication module 22 converts a wireless signal transmitted and received by the close proximity wireless communication antenna 23 into a digital signal and transmits the digital signal inside.

  The close proximity wireless communication firmware 24 adds the above-described read / write function control information to an empty area of a request message or a response message used for processing for establishing PCL communication according to the selection of the read / write function changeover switch 25.

  The read / write function change-over switch 25 determines whether or not to permit (enable) a write function of data to be transmitted when the personal computer 2 performs close proximity wireless communication with an external device to transmit / receive data, or to read data to be received This is a switch for switching whether to permit (enable) the function. For example, the read / write function changeover switch 25 can select four states: a read / write function enabled state, a read function enabled state, a write function enabled state, and a read / write function disabled state. The close proximity wireless communication module 22 performs close proximity wireless communication with an external device, and when there is an instruction to read or write data, the close proximity wireless communication module 22 executes data read / write according to the selected read / write control information.

  Next, a software architecture for controlling close proximity wireless communication according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software architecture applied to control close proximity wireless communication applied to the electronic device of the embodiment.

  The software architecture of FIG. 3 shows a hierarchical structure of a protocol stack for controlling close proximity wireless communication. The protocol stack includes a physical layer (PHY) 60, a connection layer (CNL) 70, a protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80, and an application layer 90. For example, the connection layer (CNL) 70, the protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80, and the application layer 90 are realized by the proximity wireless communication firmware 24 and the proximity wireless communication program 52.

  The physical layer (PHY) 60 is a layer that controls physical data transfer, and corresponds to the physical layer in the OSI reference model. A part or all of the functions of the physical layer (PHY) 60 can also be realized using hardware in the close proximity wireless transfer module 22.

  The physical layer (PHY) 60 converts data from the connection layer (CNL) 70 into a radio signal. The connection layer (CNL) 70 corresponds to the data link layer and transport layer in the OSI reference model, and controls the physical layer (PHY) 60 to execute data communication. The connection layer (CNL) 70 performs processing for establishing a connection (CNL connection) with an external device in the proximity state in response to a connection request from the protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80 or a connection request from an external device. Run.

  The protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80 corresponds to the session layer and the presentation layer in the OSI reference model, and includes a connection layer (CNL) 70 for controlling establishment and release of a connection between the application layer 90 and the device. Located between. The protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80 controls the connection layer (CNL) 70 in accordance with an instruction from an application (communication program) in the application layer 90.

  More specifically, the protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80 includes a plurality of communication adapters (PCL adapters 81) corresponding to application protocols (for example, SCSI, OBEX, and other general-purpose protocols) handled by each communication program of the application layer 90. And a PCL controller 82 for controlling the operation of the protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80.

  The PCL adapter 81 executes a conversion process for converting data (user data) into a specific transmission data format. By this conversion processing, data transmitted and received by any communication program can be converted into a packet (data in a specific transmission data format) that can be handled by the connection layer (CNL) 70. This protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80 enables various application protocols to be used in close proximity wireless communication.

  The PCL controller 82 exchanges service information (information indicating services that can be provided by each device) and session information (information related to a session to be established / disconnected) with a communication partner device, and further starts an application, Manage connections and manage sessions.

The PCL controller 82 includes a read / write function control unit 83 and a read / write function notification unit 84.
The read / write function control unit 83 adds the read / write function control information to an empty area of a request message or a response message used for processing for establishing PCL communication.

  The read / write function notifying unit 84 notifies the application of the read / write control information set by the read / write function control unit 83 when there is an instruction to read or write data from the application after establishing the PCL communication. For example, when the writing function to the storage medium provided in the own apparatus is prohibited, the communication partner device is notified that the writing function is prohibited.

  The application layer 90 includes a plurality of communication programs (applications) respectively corresponding to several application protocols such as SCSI, OBEX, and other general-purpose protocols. Each application executes processing for requesting the protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80 to start / end a session and processing for transmitting and receiving data via the protocol conversion layer (PCL) 80.

  Next, the data structure of the message 200 used for the read / write function control will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a signal used for connection authentication according to the embodiment.

  Request type 201 includes information indicating the type of message. For example, it indicates whether the message is a request message. The operation code 202 includes information indicating processing using a message. For example, it indicates that the message is used for authentication processing or data exchange processing. Reserved 203 is a free area provided in the message. In the present embodiment, Read-Write control 204 is added to this Reserved 203. In the Read-Write control 204, four states of a read / write function permission state, a read function permission state, a write function permission state, and a read / write function prohibition state can be set.

  Next, a flow until data transmission from the camera 1 to the personal computer 2 via proximity wireless communication will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a connection procedure of close proximity wireless communication between the electronic apparatus of the embodiment and an external device.

  First, the user selects a proximity wireless communication application program on the camera 1, brings the camera 1 and the personal computer 2 close to each other (touch operation), and sets the proximity state (step S1). Next, a process (authentication process) for establishing a CNL connection between the camera 1 and the personal computer 2 is executed (step S2). For example, the camera 1 transmits a connection request to the personal computer 2. The personal computer 2 that has received this connection request transmits a response to the connection request to the camera 1. With the above processing, a CNL connection is established between the camera 1 and the personal computer 2.

  The camera 1 and the personal computer 2 that have established the CNL connection perform mode arbitration (step S3). In the present embodiment, since the camera 1 that has selected the close proximity wireless transfer application program on the camera 1 side is set to the proactive mode, the personal computer 2 changes its own mode to the reactive mode.

  Next, a request message is transmitted from the camera 1 in the proactive mode (step S4). As described above, read / write function control information is added to the request message by the proximity wireless communication firmware 108 (see FIG. 4).

  Next, a response message is transmitted from the personal computer 2 that has received the request message (step S5). Read / write function control information is added to the response message from the proximity wireless communication firmware 24 (see FIG. 4).

  Next, synchronization of services executed between the camera 1 and the personal computer 2 is executed (step S6). Thereby, execution of the service is started between the camera 1 and the personal computer 2.

  When the above-described negotiation process is completed, a service is executed between the camera 1 and the personal computer 2 and communication such as data transmission / reception is performed (step S7).

  Next, the procedure of read / write control by the proximity wireless communication control program in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a read / write control procedure according to the embodiment.

  First, the PCL controller 82 determines whether or not its own device is in the proactive mode (step S101). As a result of the determination in step S101, if it is determined that the device is in the proactive mode (Yes in step S101), a request message to which the read / write function control information is added is transmitted (step S102). Next, the PCL controller 82 determines whether or not a response message to which the read / write function control information is added has been received (step S103).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that the device is not in the proactive mode (No in step S101), it is determined whether a request message to which the read / write function control information is added is received (step S104). As a result of the determination in step S104, when it is determined that the request message with the read / write function control information added has not been received (No in step S104), the process returns to step S104. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S104, if it is determined that the request message with the read / write function control information added has been received (Yes in step S104), the PCL controller 82 transmits a response message with the read / write function control information added ( Step S105).

  When the transmission / reception of the request message and the response message is completed, the read / write function control unit 83 determines whether or not both devices are set to read / write prohibition (step S106). As a result of the determination in step S106, if both devices are set to read / write prohibited (Yes in step S106), authentication in the PCL connection fails and data transmission / reception is not performed (step S108). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S106 that both devices are not set to read / write prohibition (No in step S106), authentication in the PCL connection is successful and data transmission / reception is possible (step S107).

  Next, the read / write function controller 83 determines whether a data read / write instruction has been received from the application layer 90 (step S109). As a result of the determination in step S109, when it is determined that no data read / write instruction has been received from the application layer 90 (No in step S109), the process returns to step S109. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S109, when it is determined that a data read / write instruction has been received from the application layer 90 (Yes in step S109), the read / write function control unit 83 executes the read / write function control set in both devices. (Step S110). That is, the functions permitted by both devices are performed on the data. If the user's data read / write instruction is prohibited, the read / write function notification unit 84 notifies the counterpart device that the function is prohibited. This notification function may be notified when a read / write instruction is received from the application layer 90, or notified to the application layer 90 when the read / write function control unit 83 recognizes the read / write function settings of both devices. When there is a read / write instruction from the user, the application layer 90 may reply.

  According to the present embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to set permission or prohibition for reading or writing when data is moved or copied by proximity wireless communication. That is, read / write control for the storage medium provided in each device is performed by transmitting / receiving a request message and a response message to which read / write control information is added at the firmware level of the near field communication module at the time of PCL connection. Here, since the read / write control information is added to the empty space of the request message and the response message, the read / write control can be easily performed without providing a new command for the data read / write control. In addition, since the read / write function control can be set for all data stored in the storage medium with the read / write function selector switch, there is no need to set control information for each data to be transmitted / received, which places a burden on the user. Absent.

Furthermore, since it is possible to know whether the counterpart device can read or write when connected, it is not necessary to send a useless write request.
It should be noted that the embodiment is not limited as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be configured by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from the previous components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Camera, 2 ... Personal computer, 3 ... Main body unit, 4 ... Display unit, 5 ... Hinge, 6 ... Touch pad, 7 ... Keyboard, 8 ... Power switch, 10 ... CPU, 11 ... North bridge, 12 ... Main memory , 13 ... Graphic controller, 14 ... VRAM, 15 ... South bridge, 16 ... HDD, 17 ... BIOS-ROM, 18 ... EC / KBC, 19 ... Power controller, 20 ... Battery, 21 ... AC adapter, 22 ... Proximity wireless communication Module: 23 ... Proximity wireless communication antenna, 24 ... Proximity wireless communication firmware, 25 ... Read / write function changeover switch, 60 ... Physical layer (PHY), 70 ... Connection layer (CNL), 80 ... Protocol conversion layer (PCL), 81 ... PCL adapter, 82 ... PCL controller, 83 ... reader / writer Control unit 84 ... Read / write function notification unit 90 ... Application layer 101 ... CCD sensor 102 ... Operation button 103 ... LCD 104 ... SD card slot 105 ... Read / write function changeover switch 106 ... Proximity wireless communication module 107 ... Proximity wireless communication antenna, 108 ... Proximity wireless communication firmware, 109 ... Memory, 110 ... RAM, 111 ... Proximity wireless communication control program, 112 ... CPU, 113 ... Battery controller, 114 ... Battery, 115 ... SD card controller, 116 ... SD card 116, 200 ... message, 201 ... Request type, 202 ... Operation code, 203 ... Reserved, 204 ... Read-Write control.

Claims (6)

A communication module for performing close proximity wireless communication;
Storage means for storing data;
Setting means for setting a state of whether or not to allow reading and writing of the data,
When the communication module is in a proximity state with an external device, the communication module adds read / write control information according to the setting by the setting means to a connection signal transmitted / received prior to synchronization of a service executed with the external device. An electronic device for transmitting to the external device. The setting means sets a read / write function permission state, a read function permission state, a write function permission state, or a read / write function prohibition state of the data,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication module adds read / write control information corresponding to the setting by the setting unit to an empty area of the connection signal and transmits the information to the external device.   When the communication module adds read / write control information according to the setting of the read / write function prohibition state to the connection signal to be transmitted and the connection signal received from the external device, proximity wireless communication with the external device The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic device is not performed. A communication control method for a communication module that performs close proximity wireless communication,
Store the data in storage means,
Set the state of whether or not the setting means permits reading and writing of the data,
When in the proximity state with the external device, read / write control information corresponding to the setting by the setting means is added to the connection signal transmitted / received prior to the synchronization of the service executed with the external device to the external device. Communication control method to be transmitted. As the state, set a read / write function enable state, a read function enable state, a write function enable state, or a read / write function disable state,
The communication control method according to claim 4, wherein read / write control information corresponding to the setting is added to an empty area of the connection signal and transmitted to the external device.   When read / write control information corresponding to the setting of the read / write function prohibition state is added to the connection signal to be transmitted and the connection signal received from the external device, close proximity wireless communication with the external device is not performed. The communication control method according to claim 5.

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