JP7075221B2 - Electronic devices and their control methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a technique for accelerating startup.

Hibernation is known as a technique for reducing power consumption and startup time in electronic devices using computers. When hibernation puts an electronic device into hibernation, it generates hibernation data that stores information (memory contents, register values, etc.) for restoring the state immediately before the hibernation, and stores it in a non-volatile manner such as a hard disk. It is a technology to store in the device. By restoring the contents of the hibernation data when returning from the hibernation state, the electronic device can be restored to the state immediately before the hibernation state is entered. Since the power of the electronic device can be turned off during the hibernation state, the power consumption can be reduced. In addition, the time required for restoration can be shortened as compared with normal startup (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-252576

In Patent Document 1, when returning from hibernation using the kernel function of the OS, the boot time is shortened by pre-reading the hibernation data in parallel with the initialization of the kernel. However, even if you want to use a function different from the function (application) used at the time of transition to hibernation, hibernation data restoration will enable all the functions used at the time of transition to hibernation. You have to wait until it's done. Therefore, it takes a long time until the desired function can be used.

It is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate the problems of such prior art. Specifically, the present invention provides an electronic device capable of speeding up startup using hibernation data representing the state of the memory and hardware of the electronic device, and a control method thereof.

The above-mentioned purpose is a storage means for storing high-banation data having information for restoring the operating state of the electronic device and a return program for each function that restores the function using the high-banation data, and an activation instruction. It has a control means for executing the first activation process using the high-banation data in response to the detection of the input, and the storage means has the high-banation data common to all functions as the high-banation data and one. One or more high-banation data common to the functions of the unit and one or more high-banation data required for only one function are stored, and the return program is a plurality of high-banation data required to recover the corresponding function. A combination of multiple high-banation data required to restore a particular function by executing a return program corresponding to the particular function associated with the electronic device, including information about the combination of. To execute the first startup process using
The above-mentioned purpose is achieved by an electronic device characterized in that.

According to the present invention, the present invention provides an electronic device capable of accelerating startup using hibernation data representing the state of the memory and hardware of the electronic device, and a control method thereof.

The figure which shows the structural example of the image pickup apparatus which is an example of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment. Schematic diagram of software configuration example in the embodiment Schematic diagram of outline of hibernation data generation and startup processing using hibernation data Flowchart of outline of hibernation data generation process Diagram showing a configuration example of hibernation data Flowchart showing the outline of the startup process Schematic diagram of hibernation data generation processing by function Flowchart of hibernation data generation processing by function Diagram showing a configuration example of hibernation data by function The figure which shows the data structure example of the function return program Schematic diagram showing the outline of the activation process of the shooting function Flowchart related to startup processing Schematic diagram showing the outline of the activation process of the playback function Flowchart related to activation processing of shooting function or playback function Schematic diagram showing the outline of the system according to the modified example of the embodiment Flow chart regarding startup processing in the modified example of the embodiment

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera (imaging device 1) will be described, but the present invention can be applied to any electronic device using a programmable processor. In addition to the image pickup device, such an electronic device includes, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a game machine, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The functional blocks described as "circuits" in FIG. 1 may be configured by independent hardware (ASIC, ASSP, etc.), or a plurality of functional blocks may be configured by one hardware. May be good. The image pickup device 100 is, for example, a CCD or CMOS image sensor, and photoelectrically converts an optical image of a subject formed by the photographing optical system 10 into an electric signal. As will be described later, the image pickup device 100 has a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally, and each pixel has a configuration that can be used as both an image pickup pixel and a focus detection pixel. In the following description, it is referred to as an image pickup pixel or a focus detection pixel depending on the use of the pixel.

The operation (accumulation, reset, readout, etc.) of the image pickup device 100 is controlled by various signals generated by the timing generator (TG) 102 under the control of the central processing unit (CPU) 103, which is an example of a programmable processor. The analog front end (AFE) 101 performs gain adjustment, A / D conversion, and the like on the analog image signal read from the image sensor 100. The TG 102 controls the operations of the image sensor 100 and the AFE 101 according to the control of the CPU 103. Although AFE 101 and TG 102 are described as different configurations from the image sensor 100 in FIG. 1, they may be built in the image sensor 100.

As described above, the CPU 103 controls each part of the image pickup device by reading the program (including the OS and the application program) stored in the ROM 107 into the RAM 106, which is the primary storage device, and executes the program. Realize the function. The OS used by the image pickup apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a multitasking OS. It should be noted that at least a part of the functional blocks described below as a circuit may be realized by the CPU 103 executing a program instead of being realized by hardware such as ASIC or ASSP.

The operation unit 104 is a group of input devices such as a touch panel, keys, and buttons, and is used by a user to input instructions, parameters, and the like to the image pickup device. The operation unit 104 includes a shutter button, a power switch, a direction key, a menu button, an enter (set) button, a shooting mode dial, a playback button, a moving image shooting button, and the like, but these are merely examples. Further, the touch panel may be incorporated in the display device 105. The CPU 103 monitors the operation unit 104, and when it detects an operation on the operation unit 104, executes an operation according to the detected operation.

The display device 105 displays captured images (still images and moving images), a menu screen, set values and states of the image pickup device 1 under the control of the CPU 103.
The RAM 106 is used to store the image data output by the AFE 101 and the image data processed by the image processing circuit 108, or is used as a work memory of the CPU 103. The RAM 106 is also called a system memory. In the present embodiment, the RAM 106 is composed of a DRAM, but the RAM 106 is not limited thereto.
The ROM 107 stores a program executed by the CPU 103, various setting values, GUI data, and the like. At least a part of ROM 107 may be rewritable.

The image processing circuit 108 applies various image processing to the image data. Image processing includes processing related to recording and reproduction of captured images, such as color interpolation, white balance adjustment, optical distortion correction, gradation correction, coding, and decoding. In addition, the image processing includes processing related to control of shooting operations such as evaluation value calculation for contrast AF, image signal generation for image plane phase difference AF, brightness evaluation value generation for AE, subject detection, and motion vector detection. included. It should be noted that the image processing listed here is merely an example and does not mean that the implementation is indispensable. Further, other image processing may be executed.

The correlation calculation circuit 120 performs a correlation calculation on the image signal for image plane phase difference AF generated by the image processing circuit 108, and calculates the phase difference (magnitude and direction) between the image signals.
The AF calculation circuit 109 calculates the drive direction and the drive amount of the focus lens 119 based on the correlation calculation result output from the correlation calculation circuit 120. The recording medium 110 is used when the captured image data is recorded in the image pickup apparatus 1. The recording medium 110 may be, for example, a detachable memory card and / or a built-in fixed memory.

The shutter 111 is a mechanical shutter for adjusting the exposure time of the image pickup device 100 at the time of still image shooting, and is opened and closed by the motor 122. The opening and closing of the motor 122 is controlled by the CPU 103 through the shutter drive circuit 121. The charge accumulation time of the image pickup device 100 may be adjusted by a signal supplied by the TG 102 instead of the mechanical shutter (electronic shutter).

The focus drive circuit 112 moves the focus lens 119 in the optical axis direction by driving the focus actuator 114, and changes the focusing distance of the photographing optical system. When the image plane phase difference AF is executed, the focus actuator 114 is driven based on the drive direction and the drive amount of the focus lens 119 calculated by the AF calculation circuit 109.

The diaphragm drive circuit 113 changes the aperture diameter of the diaphragm 117 by driving the diaphragm actuator 115. The first lens 116 is arranged at the tip of the photographing optical system and is held so as to be able to move forward and backward in the optical axis direction. The aperture 117 and the second lens 118 move forward and backward in the optical axis direction as a unit, and realize a scaling action (zoom function) by interlocking with the moving forward and backward operation of the first lens 116.

The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) / SSD (Solid State Drive) 123 is a secondary storage device. The secondary storage device is not limited to the HDD or SSD, and any non-volatile storage device can be used. The ROM 107 and the HDD / SSD 123 may actually be realized as different areas of the same storage device.

Here, the communication circuit 151 is assumed to be a wireless communication circuit that can be connected to a wireless network such as a wireless LAN or a public wireless telephone network. However, the communication circuit 151 may be a wired communication circuit, or may include both a wired communication circuit and a wireless communication circuit. The operation of the communication circuit 151 is controlled by the CPU 103 or a communication processor 150 provided as needed.

The communication processor 150 can operate independently of the CPU 103. Even when the power of the image pickup device 1 is off, standby power is supplied to the communication processor 150 and the communication circuit 151, and packets transmitted from the external network to the image pickup device 1 can be received. Further, the communication processor 150 can issue a power-on event of the image pickup apparatus 1 and execute a program stored in the ROM 107.

The CPU 103 and each block connected to the CPU 103 are connected to a common system bus that can communicate with each other. Further, in the following description, the operation described in which software such as a program is the main operation body is actually realized by the CPU 103 executing the software.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the software configuration of the image pickup apparatus 1 together with a part of the hardware shown in FIG.
The software has an OS layer and an application layer, and is read from the ROM 107 into the RAM 106 and executed by the CPU 103 when the image pickup apparatus 1 is in operation. The OS layer has an OS core unit (kernel) 204, drivers (device drivers) 205, 206, 208, 210 for each hardware, and a file system 207 for a secondary storage device (HDD / SSD123). The OS core unit 204 performs essential processing as an OS, such as control of the RAM 106, task control, and control of the CPU 103.

Note that FIG. 2 shows only a part of the hardware and device driver of the image pickup apparatus 1 for convenience. Actually, other hardware (for example, an input device included in the operation unit 104) and its device driver are also included.

The application layer contains various libraries, application frameworks, and application programs. The top layer application provides the functionality of the image pickup device 1. The shooting application 216 provides a shooting function. The reproduction application 217 provides a function of reproducing the image data recorded in the recording medium 110 and / or the HDD / SSD 123 and displaying the image data on the display device 105. The remote control application 218 provides a function of externally controlling the operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 through the communication circuit 151.

Under the application, there are a shooting service 213, a playback service 214, and a network service 215 as application frameworks. These services are middleware that controls devices for applications to provide functions.

Under the application framework, I / O library 212, display library 209, and network library 211 exist as interface libraries for services to access devices. These interface libraries include APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that applications and services call.

The application programs, services, and libraries shown in FIG. 2 are examples, and application programs that realize other functions and services and libraries corresponding thereto may be further included.

FIG. 3A is a diagram schematically showing an example of the state of the RAM 106 in the shooting standby state of the image pickup apparatus 1 and the hibernation operation.
When the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is turned on by the power switch 300 of the operation unit 104, the image pickup apparatus 1 is in the shooting standby state. In the shooting standby state, the activation sequence of the OS core unit 204, the sensor driver 205, the secondary storage device device driver 206, the file system 207, the shooting service 213, and the shooting application 216 is completed, and the shooting instruction can be responded to. The shooting instruction is input, for example, by pressing the shutter button of the operation unit 104.

Further, the activation sequences of the reproduction application 217, the reproduction service 214, the remote control application 218, the network service 215, and the like have been completed. As a result, it becomes possible to provide functions for various operations of the operation unit 104. FIG. 3A schematically shows a state in which all applications and services have been started in sequence and expanded in RAM 106.

Program data of applications and services, numerical data, and the like are written in the RAM 106 in the shooting standby state, and the OS core unit 204 (CPU 103) recognizes the program data and numerical data written in the RAM 106. When speeding up the OS startup using data (hereinafter referred to as hibernation data) that stores information for restoring the operating state of electronic devices (data expanded in memory, register values, etc.), hibernation You need to generate the data. For example, when the image pickup apparatus 1 is put into hibernation state, the hibernation function can generate hibernation data 303 from the program data and numerical data written in the RAM 106. Since the hibernation function is generally possessed by the OS core unit 204, the OS core unit 204 is described as realizing the hibernation function in FIG. 3 and the following description for convenience.

The OS core unit 204 stores the generated hibernation data 303 in the secondary storage device (HDD / SSD123), and turns off the power of the image pickup device 1. The hibernation data 303 may be generated at a timing other than the transition to the hibernation state of the image pickup apparatus 1. Therefore, it is not necessary for the image pickup apparatus 1 to enter the hibernation state due to the generation of the hibernation data 303.

When a boot instruction is given such as when the power switch 300 is pressed in this state, the OS core unit 204 redeploys the hibernation data 303 stored in the HDD / SSD 123 during the boot sequence process to the RAM 106 (described later). As a result, it is possible to return to the state of the RAM 106 in the shooting standby state without restarting the start sequence of the application or service from 1, so that the start time can be shortened.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the OS core unit 204 generates hibernation data 303. The generation of hibernation data 303 is started by the OS core unit 204 of the image pickup apparatus 1 receiving a command to start generation of hibernation data by a command input, a transition event to the power saving mode, or the like.

First, the OS core unit 204 stops the OS function and the driver function so that the state of the RAM 106 is not changed during the generation of the hibernation data 303 (S101). Next, the OS core unit 204 analyzes the state of the RAM 106 (S102). Then, the OS core unit 204 collects the contents of the area determined to be the area currently in use (the area containing the information necessary for starting the application) by the analysis (S103), and generates one hibernation data. ..

FIG. 5 is an example of the configuration of the hibernation data 303. In the hibernation data 303, the return actual data (copy of the data or program expanded in the memory) and the return address (position in the RAM 106) are stored in association with each of the used areas of the RAM 106. .. Further, the hibernation data 303 stores the value of the register of the CPU 103 as the CPU register information.

The OS core unit 204 stores the generated hibernation data in the secondary storage device (HDD / SSD123) (S105). After that, the OS core unit 204 may restart the OS function and the driver function stopped in S101, or may turn off the power of the image pickup apparatus 1.

Next, the activation processing operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 3 (b) and the flowchart shown in FIG.
When a boot instruction is given such as when the power switch 300 is pressed while the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is off (or hibernated), the BIOS starts the boot loader (CPU 103 executes the boot loader).

In S201, the boot loader confirms whether or not the hibernation data 303 exists at a predetermined location on the HDD / SSD 123, and if it exists, proceeds to S202, and if it does not exist, proceeds to S205.

In S205, the boot loader reads the OS core unit 204 into the RAM 106 and starts it. The OS core unit 204 executes a normal boot sequence of processes such as reading a device driver and initializing a device, and ends the boot process. S205 corresponds to a normal start-up operation without using the hibernation data 303.

In S202, the boot loader reads the hibernation data 303 from the HDD / SSD 123.
In S203, the boot loader expands the return actual data included in the read hibernation data 303 into the RAM 106 according to the associated return address, and restores the contents of the RAM 106 to the state at the time of generation of the hibernation data 303. Further, the boot loader changes the internal information of the CPU 103 based on the CPU register information described in the hibernation data 303, and also restores the CPU 103 to the state at the time of generation of the hibernation data 303. Then, the boot loader starts the OS core unit 204 from the return point (calls the resume function of the OS core unit 204), and ends the boot process.

By booting using hibernation data, it is possible to omit reading the device driver and various initialization processes performed by the OS core unit 204 in the normal boot process, so that the boot time can be shortened.

The software configuration during operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 can be grouped by focusing on the functions provided by the image pickup apparatus 1.
For example, in order to provide a shooting function, a shooting application 216, a shooting service 213, an I / O library 212, and a sensor driver 205 are required. Further, in order to save the image data obtained by shooting in the recording medium 110, a file system 207 and a secondary storage device device driver 206 are required. In addition, an OS core unit 204 that provides basic functions as an OS such as task management and timer management is also required.

Further, in order to provide the reproduction function, the reproduction application 217 and the reproduction service 214 are required. Further, the I / O library 212, the file system 207, and the secondary storage device driver 206 are required to read the image data to be reproduced. Further, a display library 209 and a display driver 208 for outputting the reproduced image to the display device 105 are required. Further, in order to use the basic functions provided by the OS, the OS core unit 204 is also required.

Further, in order to provide the remote control function, the remote control application 218 and the network service 215 are required. Further, in order to communicate with an external device that performs remote control, a network library 211 and a network driver 210 are required. Further, in order to use the basic functions provided by the OS, the OS core unit 204 is also required.

From such grouping, it can be seen that there is a unique relationship between the software and the function operated by the image pickup apparatus 1. For example, the shooting application 216, the shooting service 213, and the sensor driver 205 are required only for the shooting function. Further, the reproduction application 217, the reproduction service 214, the display library 209, and the display driver 208 are necessary only for the reproduction function. The remote control application 218, network service 215, network library 211, and network driver 210 are required only for the remote control function. The I / O library 212, the file system 207, and the secondary storage device driver 206 are required for both the shooting function and the playback function. Further, the OS core unit 204 is required for all functions.

In the present embodiment, such software hibernation data required only for a certain function, software hibernation data required for some functions in common, and software hibernation data required for all functions are generated. That is, the hibernation data generated in this embodiment is premised on using a combination of a plurality of hibernation data. The minimum required hibernation data to provide the functions provided at startup is combined and used for startup processing. Therefore, the time required for startup can be shortened, and as will be described later, the functions provided at startup can be easily changed.

(Generation of hibernation data by function)
The hibernation data generation process will be further described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. Here, for convenience, the generation of hibernation data for enabling the function provided at startup to be selectable from the shooting function and the playback function will be described, but hibernation data for enabling selection of other functions can also be generated in the same manner.

FIG. 7 schematically shows the hibernation data generation process for each function as in FIG. 3 (a). Here, it is assumed that the image pickup apparatus 1 is activated and all the software for realizing the shooting function and the reproduction function is deployed in the RAM 106. For example, the image pickup device 1 may be activated, the shooting standby state may be set, and then the reproduction mode may be switched to.

The memory analysis processing unit 901 is executed by the CPU 103 using the OS core unit 204, the shooting application 216, or the playback application 217. The hibernation data generation processing unit 902 and the return program generation processing unit 907 are executed by the CPU using the OS core unit 204. The memory analysis processing unit 901 analyzes the correspondence relationship between the function and the used area of the RAM 106. The hibernation data generation processing unit 902 generates hibernation data for each function and records it in the HDD / SSD 123. The return program generation processing unit 907 generates a return program for each function and records it in the ROM 107.

Hereinafter, the hibernation data generation process for each function will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The hibernation data generation process may be executed in the manufacturing process of the image pickup apparatus 1 or may be executed according to a user's instruction.

First, the shooting function, the I / O processing, and the hibernation data generation processing related to the OS core portion will be described with reference to FIG.
In S301 to S303, the memory analysis processing unit 901 (CPU103) analyzes the used area of the RAM.
In S301, the memory analysis processing unit 901 (CPU 103) determines the memory area used by the OS core unit 204 for the RAM 106. The area used by the OS core part 204 may be determined by specifying the address from the symbol information of the known API provided by the OS core part 204, or the OS core part 204 is actually operated to acquire the profile. It may be determined by doing.

In S302, the shooting application 216 (CPU 103) executes a shooting function, and a series of shooting operations (shooting preparation operation, shooting operation, recording operation) are executed. Then, the memory analysis processing unit 901 discriminates between the memory area of the RAM 106 used during the shooting operation and the memory area of the RAM 106 not used during the shooting operation.

After the end of the shooting operation, the reproduction application 217 (CPU103) in S303 executes a reproduction function, for example, a reproduction operation for a predetermined image file stored in the recording medium 110. During the execution of the reproduction operation, the memory analysis processing unit 901 discriminates between the area of the RAM 106 used in the reproduction operation and the area of the RAM 106 not used in the reproduction operation.
After that, in S304, some functions of the OS and the functions of the driver are stopped.

Next, in S305 to S308, the hibernation data generation processing unit 902 generates the hibernation data for each function according to the analysis result of the memory analysis processing unit 901 in S301 to S304.

In S305, the hibernation data generation processing unit 902 generates information in the memory area of the RAM 106 that is used in the shooting function and not used in the playback function as the hibernation data 904 of the shooting function and records it in the HDD / SSD 123.
In S306, the hibernation data generation processing unit 902 generates the information of the memory area of the RAM 106 used in the photographing function and also in the reproduction function as the I / O processing hibernation data 905, and records it in the HDD / SSD 123.

In S307, the hibernation data generation processing unit 902 generates information in the memory area of the RAM 106 that is not used in the photographing function and is used in the reproduction function as the reproduction function hibernation data 903 and records it in the HDD / SSD 123.

In S308, the hibernation data generation processing unit 902 uses the OS core to obtain information on the memory area of the RAM 106 used by the OS among the memory areas of the RAM 106 that are not used by the RAM 106 in the shooting function and also by the playback function. It is generated as part hibernation data 906 and recorded in the HDD / SSD 123. FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of hibernation data for each function generated by the hibernation data generation processing unit 902. Function-specific hibernation data having such a configuration is generated and recorded in the HDD / SSD 123 as a data file. The hibernation data for each function is composed of a combination of the return address and the return actual data. It differs from the hibernation data shown in FIG. 5 in that it does not have CPU register address information. The CPU register information is information commonly used in hibernation data for different functions. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CPU register information is stored in the return program without having the CPU register information for each function-specific high-banation data, but the CPU register information may be provided for each function-specific high-banation data. The return address associated with the individual return real data is the position (eg, start address) of the RAM 106 where the corresponding return real data should be expanded.

In S309 and S310, the return program generation processing unit 907 generates a return program for executing the start processing using the hibernation data for each function, and records it in the ROM 107.

The return program generation processing unit generates a return program for each function, which includes information for restoring each of the shooting function and the playback function.
In S309, the shooting function return program 908 (1200) is generated and recorded in the ROM 107, and in S310, the reproduction function return program 909 (1204) is generated and recorded in the ROM 107.

FIG. 10 schematically shows a configuration example of the return program 1200 (908) for the photographing function and the return program 1204 (909) for the playback function.
Each return program has information on the combination of the program body and the hibernation data required for restoring the function, information for specifying the hibernation data required for restoration, the return point of the function, and CPU register information.

The shooting function return program 1200 has a program main body 1201, a shooting function return hibernation information 1202, and a CPU register information 1203. The shooting function return hibernation information 1202 includes information regarding a necessary combination of hibernation data (OS core unit, shooting function, I / O processing). Further, the shooting function return hibernation information 1202 includes information for specifying the hibernation data for each of the OS core portion hibernation data, the shooting function hibernation data, and the I / O processing hibernation data, which are necessary for returning the shooting function. Also record. The information on the return point of the shooting function is included in the CPU register information 1203. Similarly, the reproduction function return program 1204 has a program main body 1205, a reproduction function return hibernation information 1206, and CPU register information 1207 including a reproduction function return point.

The format of the information that identifies the hibernation data required for the restoration of the function is not particularly limited, and may be the name of the hibernation data or a number such as an ID. The file path information that specifies the recording position of the HDD / SSD 123 may be recorded.

The return point of the return program corresponds to the function of the return program to return. Specifically, if it is a shooting function return program, it has the same shooting function return point as that included in the shooting function hibernation data. If it is a reproduction function return program, it has the same reproduction function return point as that included in the reproduction function hibernation data. The CPU register information does not depend on the function to be restored and is common to the restoration programs.

(Activation process of shooting function)
Next, the activation process of the shooting function using the hibernation data for each function and the return program will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 11 and the flowchart of FIG. Although FIG. 11 shows a configuration in which the CPU 103 is a quad-core CPU, the number of cores of the CPU 103 is not particularly limited.
When a boot instruction is given such as when the power switch 300 is pressed while the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is off (or hibernated), the BIOS starts the boot loader (CPU 103 executes the boot loader). As a result, the activation process of the shooting function is started.

When the power switch 300 of the image pickup apparatus 1 is detected, the boot loader causes the CPU 103 to execute a program existing at the power switch response address 1071 of the ROM 107, for example. If the program does not exist at the power switch response address 1071, the normal boot sequence is started as described in S205.

Here, it is assumed that the shooting function return program 1200 exists at the power switch response address 1071. Therefore, when the power switch 300 is pressed while the image pickup device 1 is in the power off state, the CPU 103 executes the shooting function return program 1200 arranged from the power switch response address 1071 of the ROM 107 in S502. The shooting function return program 1200 executes the minimum necessary hardware initialization such as initialization of the CPU 103 and initialization of the RAM 106.

In S503, the shooting function return program 1200 refers to the shooting function return hibernation information 1202 possessed by itself, and specifies the hibernation data necessary for returning the shooting function. Then, the shooting function return program 1200 acquires the specified hibernation data from the HDD / SSD 123, and expands the individual hibernation data (return actual data) to the RAM 106 at the position of the associated return address information.

Further, when the expansion of the hibernation data to the RAM 106 is completed, the shooting function return program 1200 sets the register setting and the return point of the CPU 103 to the CPU 103 based on the CPU register information 1203 in S504.

In S505, the shooting function return program 1200 jumps to the return point and ends the return process. By the above start-up process, the start-up is completed with the register settings of the RAM 106 and the CPU 103 capable of executing the shooting function. Therefore, for example, the activation sequence of the photographing function can be speeded up by using the pressing of the power switch 300 as a trigger.

In this embodiment, the configuration in which the shooting function return program is arranged at the address associated with the start instruction operation in the ROM 107 has been described. However, a program such as a boot loader that operates according to a boot instruction may have a function equivalent to that of a power recovery program, and may be configured to execute the function in response to the boot instruction.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the startup process is performed using the minimum hibernation data required for the specific function associated with the startup operation, it is possible to shorten the time until the startup is completed. become.

(Activation process of shooting function or playback function)
In the above-mentioned activation processing of the shooting function, the hibernation data for each function was used to speed up the activation processing for the shooting function. However, by using the hibernation data for each function, the function provided at the time of activation should be changed. Will also be possible. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until the desired function can be used as compared with the case where the operation for separately calling the desired function (for example, the operation of a key or a button) is performed after the activation is completed.

In the present embodiment, the operation when an instruction to call the reproduction function is input while the activation sequence of the photographing function is being executed in the activation process will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 13 and the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 14, the same reference figures as those in FIG. 12 are added to the same processing as in FIG. Further, in this embodiment as well, the CPU 103 is a 4-core CPU, but the number of cores may be any number of 1 or more.

When the power switch 300 is pressed while the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is off, the activation process for restoring the shooting function is started as described above (S502). During the development of hibernation data in S503, the OS core unit 204 monitors the call operation (interruption) of the playback function (S604). The operation for calling the reproduction function may be, for example, pressing the reproduction button 1500. The OS core unit 204 determines whether the expansion of the shooting function hibernation data is completed (S603), and monitors the call operation (interruption) of the reproduction function until the expansion of the shooting function hibernation data is completed. When the expansion of the shooting function hibernation data is completed without detecting the pressing of the play button 1500 (Yes in S603), the processing after S504 is executed.

A play button response address is assigned to the ROM 107, and a play function return program 1204 is arranged in advance at that address. When the OS core unit 204 detects that the play button 1500 is pressed in S604, the process proceeds to S605.

In S605, the OS core unit 204 releases the resources of the core 4 from the core 2 to the core 4 of the cores 1 to 4 of the CPU 103 from the shooting function return program 1200, allocates them to the playback function return program 1204, and assigns the resource to the playback function return program 1204. Start execution.

In S606, the OS core unit 204 branches the processing between the core 1 of the CPU 103 and the cores 2 to 4.
The shooting function return program 1200 executed by the core 1 continues the hibernation data expansion process in S607. When the expansion is completed, the shooting function return program 1200 executes the restoration of the register information and the jump to the restoration point of the shooting function in S504 and S505, and completes the activation process in a state where the shooting function can be executed.

On the other hand, the reproduction function return program 1204 executed by the cores 2 to 4 refers to the reproduction function return hibernation information 1206 possessed by itself in S611, and specifies the hibernation data necessary for the restoration of the reproduction function. Then, the reproduction function return program 1204 acquires the specified hibernation data from the HDD / SSD 123, and expands the individual hibernation data (memory contents) into the RAM 106 according to the associated return address information.

Further, when the expansion of the hibernation data to the RAM 106 is completed, the reproduction function return program 1204 sets the register contents and the return point of the CPU 103 to the CPU 103 based on the CPU register information 1207 in S612.

In S613, the reproduction function return program 1204 jumps to the return point of the reproduction function and ends the return process. As a result, the startup process is completed in a state where the playback function can be executed.

For the hibernation data to be restored by both the shooting function return program 1200 and the playback function return program 1204, even if the program to be expanded later overwrites the same memory area. Alternatively, it may be determined that the expansion process has already been performed, and the expansion process may be skipped.

In this embodiment, more processing resources (here, the CPU core) are used for the second startup process by the return program whose execution is started later than by the first start process by the return program whose execution is started by the start instruction. ) Is assigned. As a result, the return program (second startup process) that started execution later can be executed preferentially. However, when the execution of the second startup process is started during the execution of the first startup process, the first startup process is interrupted while the second startup process is executed, and all the second startup processes are executed. Processing resources may be allocated. In this case, when the execution of the second startup process is completed, the execution of the suspended first startup process is resumed.

In either case, by pressing the play button after pressing the power switch, the user can start the image pickup device at high speed with the play function immediately available.

● <Modified example of the embodiment>
The present embodiment is characterized in that an activation instruction can be input by communication from an external device to the image pickup device 1 instead of operating the image pickup device 1. In this embodiment, the communication processor 150 and the communication circuit 151 included in the image pickup apparatus 1 are used.

FIG. 15 schematically shows a state in which the image pickup apparatus 1 participates in the wireless communication network formed by the wireless access point 1800 by the communication circuit 151 and can communicate with the information terminal 1801 participating in the same wireless communication network. ing. Note that FIG. 15 assumes a wireless communication network (for example, a wireless LAN) formed by the wireless access point 1800 as an example. However, if the image pickup apparatus 1 and the information terminal 1801 are communicably connected, a communication network compliant with any standard can be used, including a wired network. Further, the information terminal 1801 may be a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook personal computer, or a portable game machine, or may be a stationary terminal such as a desktop personal computer.

Further, as described above, even when the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 is turned off, the communication processor 150 and the communication circuit 151 are supplied with standby power, and the communication circuit 151 can communicate with an external device.

Regardless of the communication standard of the network, the information terminal 1801 is provided with a user interface (UI) 1802 for instructing shooting and a UI 1803 for instructing playback. In the example of FIG. 15, UI 1802 and 1803 are GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces), and the state displayed on the touch display is schematically shown. However, hardware buttons, switches, and keys may be assigned to issue shooting and playback instructions. In FIG. 15, the information terminal 1801 issues a shooting start packet 1804 addressed to the image pickup apparatus 1 by operating the UI 1802. When the communication circuit 151 of the image pickup apparatus 1 receives the shooting start packet 1804, the communication processor 150 turns on the power of the image pickup apparatus 1 assuming that a start instruction is input.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart relating to the operation when the image pickup apparatus 1 is in a standby state capable of communicating with an external device.
In the standby state, the main power supply of the image pickup apparatus 1 is turned off, and only the communication circuit 151 and the communication processor 150 are operating with standby power. When the communication processor 150 receives the communication circuit 151 packet in this state, the communication processor 150 executes a process (S701) of determining whether or not the shooting start packet is 1804.

When the UI 1802 is operated by the remote control application running on the information terminal 1801, the information terminal 1801 transmits a shooting start packet 1804 to the image pickup apparatus 1. It is assumed that information such as the address of the image pickup apparatus 1 (communication circuit 151) is registered in the information terminal 1801 in advance.

When it is detected in S701 that the shooting start packet 1804 is received, the communication processor 150 issues a power-on event similar to that when the power switch 300 is operated in S702, and transitions the image pickup apparatus 1 to the activated state. Then, in S703, the communication processor 150 starts executing the photographing function return program 1200 arranged at the power switch response address 1071 of the ROM 107. The shooting function return program 1200 may be executed by the activated CPU 103.

After that, the start-up process is executed as described with reference to FIG. 12 (S503 to S505). Note that FIGS. 13 and 14 have been described when the play button 1500 is pressed during the execution of the shooting function return program 1200, or when the communication circuit 151 receives the play start packet issued by the operation of the user interface 1803. The process may be executed.

As described above, in this modification, the process described in the embodiment can be remotely executed from an external device.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which an electronic device activated by using hibernation data has a function of generating hibernation data has been described. However, in the case of a configuration using hibernation data stored in an electronic device in advance, it is not necessary to have a hibernation data generation function.

100 ... Image sensor, 102 ... Timing generator, 103 ... CPU, 106 ... RAM, 109 ... AF calculation circuit, 123 ... HDD / SSD, 150 ... Communication processor, 151 ... Communication circuit

Claims (13)

A storage means for storing hibernation data having information for restoring the operating state of the electronic device and a function-by-function recovery program for recovering the function using the hibernation data .
It has a control means for executing the first activation process using the hibernation data in response to the detection of the input of the activation instruction.
As the hibernation data, the storage means includes hibernation data common to all functions, one or more hibernation data common to some functions, and one or more hibernation data required for only one function. Remember,
The return program contains information about a combination of multiple hibernation data required to restore the corresponding function.
The control means uses a combination of a plurality of hibernation data necessary to restore the specific function by executing the return program corresponding to the specific function associated with the activation instruction of the electronic device. Executing the first activation process,
An electronic device characterized by that. When the control means detects an instruction associated with a function that requires hibernation data that is not used in the first activation process during the execution of the first activation process, the control means returns corresponding to the function. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the execution of the second activation process using a combination of a plurality of hibernation data necessary for restoring the function is started by executing the program . The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the control means preferentially executes the second activation process over the first activation process. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the control means interrupts the first activation process while executing the second activation process. The claim is characterized in that the control means skips the restoration of the hibernation data in the return program for later restoring the hibernation data used by both the first activation process and the second activation process. 2. The electronic device according to any one of claims 4. The electron according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control means allocates more processing resources to the second activation process than to the first activation process. machine. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the activation instruction is input through an operating means included in the electronic device. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the activation instruction is input from an external device of the electronic device. The electronic device has a shooting function and has a shooting function.
The plurality of hibernation data stored by the storage means include hibernation data corresponding only to the shooting function, hibernation data corresponding only to the reproduction function, and hibernation data common to the shooting function and the reproduction function. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the electronic device is characterized. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the first start-up process is a start-up process for restoring the electronic device to a state in which the photographing function is provided. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , further comprising a generation means for generating the plurality of hibernation data. It is a control method for electronic devices.
The electronic device has a storage means for storing hibernation data having information for restoring the operating state of the electronic device and a return program for each function for returning the function using the hibernation data. ,
The control method is
The control means has a control step of executing the first activation process using the hibernation data in response to the detection of the input of the activation instruction.
As the hibernation data, the storage means includes hibernation data common to all functions, one or more hibernation data common to some functions, and one or more hibernation data required for only one function. Remember,
The return program contains information about a combination of multiple hibernation data required to restore the corresponding function.
The control step uses a combination of a plurality of hibernation data required to restore the particular function by executing the return program corresponding to the particular function associated with the activation instruction of the electronic device. Executing the first activation process,
A method of controlling an electronic device, which is characterized by the fact that. A program for causing a computer of an electronic device to function as the control means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

Images